#do her side quests cowards

[kitsune024]

More Harry Potter Recs

Dramione Fic Recs

Dragon's Heartstrings by pinkinku I Chapters: 33/33 I Completed Inspired by Manacled, Wartime, Forced Marriage, High Reeve Draco, Nobody Wins the Battle of Hogwarts and The War Goes On, Dark Fic, Minor Pancy/Harry

High Reeve Draco Malfoy is not only Voldemort’s most trusted Death Eater but an undercover agent for the Order, plotting Voldemort’s downfall from the inside out as well. After a fair trade with the Order, the High Reeve asks for the highest sacrifice – to make the brightest witch of her age Hermione Granger his wife.

A Year and A Day by AMLKoko I Chapters 86/86 I Completed CEO Draco Malfoy, Arranged Marriage, Marriage Contracts, Slow Burn

Hermione had hit rock bottom when Narcissa Malfoy offered her something she couldn't refuse. She was without a job, without prospects, and nearly homeless, so she had to say yes. But Hermione regretted ever opening that door to Narcissa Malfoy because falling in love hurt, especially when she knew her marriage to Draco Malfoy wasn't built to last forever.

This Time Around by Burntbeachglass I Chapters 3/? I Death Eater Draco, Spy Draco, Time Travel Fix-It, Draco is terrifying, Bamf Hermione

Draco Malfoy switches sides halfway through the Second Wizarding War, but by the time he does, its too late. When the war ends in a final, bloody battle that leaves Draco the last man standing he uses the remnants of the spell they had sacrificed everything to keep Voldemort from casting to send himself back in time. When he wakes up two years in the past he only has one goal. Hermione Granger died to end the war the first time around. This time—he’ll do anything it takes to make sure that never happens.

Reborn by AnnaJohnson72 I Chapters 11/? I Gryffindor Draco, Disowned Draco, Depressed Draco, BAMF Draco, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Ron Weasley Bashing, AU - Canon Divergence

Despite popular belief, Draco isn’t a coward. He is sly and ambitious, he's the perfect Slytherin. At least he's supposed to be. But he’s also smart, and he can be loyal. And believe it or not brave too. When Draco's 5th year goes off the rails, he's forced to show the world who he really is. Includes disownment, re-sorting, successful BAMF Draco.

Metanoia by isobelx I Chapters 46/70 I Draco Malfoy Redemption, Slow Burn, AU - Canon Divergence, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Horcrux Hunting

When it becomes clear the path his father has chosen for their family will lead to nothing but pain and suffering, Draco Malfoy is forced to question everything he's ever been taught. In his quest for survival, and with the help of an unlikely ally, he'll embark on a journey of transformation and self-discovery, that will ultimately change the very foundations of his identity. or What if Draco Malfoy decided he did not want to be a servant to the Dark Lord long before he was forced to join his ranks?

Antinomian by thestarsoforion I Chapters 37/? I AU- Canon Divergence, Secret Relationship-Well Not That Secret, Harry And Ron Are Oblivious, Unhealthy Relationships, Obsessive Draco, Obsessive Hermione, Morally Grey Draco, Morally Grey Hermione, BAMF Hermione, BAMF Draco, Death Eater Draco, Ron Weasley Bashing, Remus Lupin Bashing

He's always watched her. He can't help it. Merlin help him, he's been fucking trying though. She hates him. He's a vile, bigoted arsehole. Of all the people who have made her feel small, who have made her have to fight and scrape and claw for her place in this world ever since she was eleven, he's the worst of them all. But when things take a turn at the Yule Ball, Draco Malfoy decides he's done fighting himself, and Hermione Granger is left floored, struggling to understand this new, strange version of him.

Dramione with Fanart

Secrets and Masks by Emerald_Slytherin I Chapters: 75/75 | Completed READ THE TAGS High Death Eater Draco, Smut, Inspired by Manacled, Violence, War The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy by speechwriter | Chapters: 33/33 | Completed Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Redemption, Horcrux Hunting, Draco with the Golden Trio Timeless by alexandra_emerson I Chapters 50/50 I Completed Time travel, Time Loop, Drama and Romance, Married Couple, Redeemed Draco, Tearjerker, mystery Love In A Time Of The Zombie Apocalypse by rizzlewrites. I Chapters 84/84 I Completed High Reeve Draco, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombies, Slow Burn, scientist Draco, Horror, BAMF Draco, BAMF Hermione, BAMF Harry Things Without Remedy by onebedtorulethemall I Chapters 32/32 I Completed Time Travel, Auror Draco Malfoy, Time Turners, Draco Redemption Manacled by senlinyu I Chapters 77/77 I Completed READ TAGS High Reeve Draco, Post-War, AU Voldemort Wins, Harry Potter Dies, dark fic Remain Nameless by HeyJude19 I Chapters 51/51 I Completed Slow Burn, Past Drug Addiction, Healing, Fluff and Angst, Romance, blueberry scones Regression by WritexAboutxMe I Chapters 32/32 I Completed Murder Mystery, Auror Draco, Slow Burn, Tattooed Draco Malfoy, Draco loves muggle pens, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Let The Dark In by senlinyu I Chapters: 33/? I No Voldemort au, Durmstrang Student Draco, Dark Magic, Slow Burn, Triwizard Champion Hermione Granger, No Voldemort Does Not Mean No Bigotry, Morally Grey Hermione

Bookmark Series

This World or Any Other by @olivieblake I Part 1-3 I Completed hermione is the one to find draco in the bathroom, Canon Divergence

#dramione #dramione fanfiction #fic rec #fanfic rec #draco malfoy #hermione granger #dramione fanart #harry potter recs #ao3 fanfic #dramione recs

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

Vaggie Redesign! (1/7)

Welcome to my new quest of redesigning the entire main 7 Hazbin cast! First on the chopping block is Vaggie who I will be addressing as Evangeline/Van for the rest of this post.

I’ve designed a good 100+ characters in my lifetime so I think I can manage a decent moth lady.

First thing, she was supposed to be a moth. Why not keep her as a moth. Vivziepop is a coward. Second but much more important, she is not grey anymore!!!!! All colours I used were picked from this wonderful little Gaudy Sphinx moth so everyone thank you Gaudy Sphinx moth!

For her scars, she didn’t have nearly enough to begin with. What even is this.

She deserves som recognition for yknow. Killing people. And yes I know she has that whole thing where she thought Angel’s couldn’t be injured but these are from Lute when her eye got ripped out so! Checkmate. The X is supposed to resemble Lute marking her for death so sinners could notice it and then probably torture Van because betrayal yknow. The scar colours and placement on her neck are supposed to resemble angel blood and also the swoopy things exorcists have on their necks but imagine they got more like. Burnt into her skin. Also it’s not immediately recognizable as angel marks cause theyre moth colours anyway!

Her hair looking like wings was a cool idea though I’ll give them that. Obviously she can’t fly with her hair but it’s the silhouette that counts. Oh and her short hair was cuter so I just mixed them

Also her colours were ugly!! I love myself a good black and red—i mean who doesn’t—but we know of hazbins little addiction to that colour palette and why would I use just black and red when I can divulge into insanity and refrence @bluehazardanonymous’s colour wheel again!!!!!!!!

YAAAAAYYY!!!!!! I think the greenish red suits her a lot with her protective nature and honestly probably a little bit of envy from heaven stuff. Justified of course because genuine why is heaven like that. Also the reds are definitely red but theyre a little subdued so she doesn’t come off as incredibly angry and all that. Plus red can look very elegant and I think she deserves that. As for her dress I tried to keep it inspired based off the traditional dress of El Salvador while still using colours picked from the moth.

I also really wanted to include the lace from these dresses because it is genuinely beautiful but unfortunately my lace pattern was too big and got smushed when I tried to use it so the most I can do is show it of separately😞

The blue also is a much cooler colour of course so it gives that little bit of approachability to her character. I am latino and I think I can safely say for every other latino/latina person the spicy latino character archetype is stupid and she needs more depth than that. Give us more Charlie and Van being sweet and having Charlie pull her weight instead of just standing off to the side crying all the time.

Hopefully you all enjoy the new design, I am working on a certain ssomebody next 🐍 and I intend to get it out soon (hopefully)

I am not Salvadoran and I am not super familiar with the culture there so if I messed up anything with her dress and whatnot please don’t be afraid to call me out on it so I can improve in the future. Thank you!

#hazbin hotel #hazbin vaggie #hazbin vagatha #hazbin hotel vaggie #vaggie hazbin hotel #vaggie #hazbin critical #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #anti vivziepop #anti hazbin hotel #my art #hazbin hotel rework #hazbin hotel rewrite #hazbin hotel redesign #vaggie redesign #hazbin redesign #hazbin rewrite

[haunted-xander]

Finished the 6.55 MSQ so here's my (very positive) thoughts:

‌Love love LOVE Wuk Lamat she's so fun and her dynamic with Erenville is hilarious. Very excited to see more of her in Dawntrail.

‌Krile is already getting some nice scenes and I'm very happy she's finally gonna get the spotlight in dt. My girls been side-lined for 4 expacs it's about damn time she gets to shine.

‌The inventor of Pictomancy is literally Relm. Like they name drop her. Obv not the same Relm as in VI but still! Relm is real! And she was an Archon! tbh them naming an important character related to this type of magic after her isn't surprising- I just expected it to be something in the job quests rather than the MSQ.

‌Zero made super-spicy dishes popular in Thavnair lol. Wuk Lamat trying to toughen it out was hilarious. God I love her.

‌Wuk Lamat & Erenville being childhood friends was not something I expected! Very fun.

‌The catboy from the dawntrail promotional artwork is probably Wuk Lamat's brother, Koana(Was that his name? tbh I forgot. But she has a Miqo brother that's what's important). He looks smart, and it's possible he's gonna be another candidate claiming for the throne.

‌Based on the artwork, I had figured our main group was gonna be WoL, Krile, Thancred and Urianger, as they are the only Scions featured, but based on the quest it'll probably be Wol, Krile, Alphinaud and Alisaie. G'raha is allegedly staying behind, but since he's shown in Tural in the trailer I think he'll find an excuse to come along anyway lol.

‌Thancred and Urianger are going to be competing against us, which will be interesting. I think it'll be fun to see some of the Scions take on a more rival-y role, if only for a bit. It looks like they were petitioned by someone else participating in the Rite of Succession, so maybe they're working for Miqo boy? They're on his side of the artwork after all 🤔

‌(Also I think the writers know how popular those two have gotten together lol they're like making it a point to have them with each other at all times)

‌Estinien is going to Tural just for the hell of it which I think is hilariously in character. Literally going there at the same time as us purely by coincidence. He really can't escape us can he.

‌Y'shtola is neither seen nor heard of which tbh I think is fair given how much screentime and focus she got during the whole Zero arc. I do wonder why she's going to Tural tho, she's in the trailer too so I'm certain she will be there.

‌(Also, since G'raha, Estinien and Y'shtola aren't aligned with any particular side as of now, I think they'll be a neutral third party in the Succession rivalries going on. That, or they'll end up siding with the 3rd sibling that isn't the Obvious Villain (based on Wuk Lamat and Erenville's accounts) somehow. Will be fun to see in any case.)

‌The little memory dialogue from Emet was nice :) just a reminder of the adventures yet to be had. Also he's finally in the unending codex which I think is nice (ngl I kinda forgot about the codex until he got added to it)

ALSO I almost forgot to include it BUT we have a nice heart-to-heart scene with G'raha alone on a bridge and if the writers weren't COWARDS (and/or worried about romance ambiguity, at least for those relating to the WoL) he could've proposed to us then and there. You know he wants you. Do not hold him back writers let him do what he wants. (I'd have said yes ofc)

‌Backpack :)

#all in all very good quests wuk lamat is a treasure and i am very excited for dawntrail #it will be fun. very fun. id say im excited to see hoe many of my speculations are correct but also i dont speculate much so. lol #i could never be a theorist thats for sure. thats too much work for my teeny tiny brain #wait how do i tag this. um #i guess ill just tag the most important ones #wuk lamat #krile mayer baldesion #g'raha tia #graha tia #erenville #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #ffxiv spoilers #6.55 spoilers #xander rambles

[redeemers-and-dragons]

Redeemers: Greenest in Flames Part 1

Narration: The streets of Greenest were cast in dim light by the half-moon above, choked in smoke as the town burned. Bursting forth from an alley, three children quickly help a limping man across the street to the safety of shadows. Their mother follows close behind them with a blood spattered round shield and a broken spear, she whirls around and faces the direction from which they came. Eight kobolds stream out of the alley on the family’s heel and fan out around the peasant woman, whose hand shakes as she holds the jagged pole against the creatures.

Child #1: Mama!

Linan: *Doesn’t take her eyes off the kobolds who slowly encroach on her with blades and spears.* Don’t look back! Take your father and go! *Her eyes welled up with tears.* I-I won’t let you have them!

The Kobolds: *They’re scaled reptile lips stretch with malicious grins as they edge each other on to strike the woman first. Just as one looked like he was going to charge he suddenly falls flat onto the ground with a crossbow bolt in the back of his head.*

May: *Looks down on the group from a rooftop as she pulls back the string on her heavy crossbow.* Cowards…

The Kobolds: *Look at the dead kobold on the ground before something large and hairy bulldozes pass straight through them, sending half of them flying*

Adam: *Screeches to a halt and plucks the kobold hanging onto dear life on one of his horns. Adam then proceeds to crush the creature’s rib cage in one hand like a yogurt tube.*

Kobold: *Tries chucking a javelin at Adam.*

Neon: *She intercepts the javelin with her nunchaku, sending it soaring upwards, before executing a swift spinning kick that propels the javelin directly into the kobold's chest.* Finally! Some ass to kick!

Cinder: *Strolls up the street and headshots a kobold with a firebolt spell.* Barely even a warm up, really.

Kobolds: *Start panicking when a loud thunderclap sounds, and two kobolds are sent flying through a store front window.*

Reese: *Blows arcane smoke from her magic flintlock pistol. Her eyes glint with mischief only a goblin could.*

Kobold Looter: *Quickly starts running with a heavy sack of stolen treasure before bumping into one of his squad members who suddenly slays him with a dagger.*

Neo: *Drops her magical kobold disguise and cleans off her dagger before she starts sifting through the loot sack.*

Last Kobold: *Drops his weapon and starts running for his life.*

Cinder: Looks like one got away.

Jaune: *Rounds the corner trying to find his party.* Guys? Where’d you go?

Last Kobold: *Hits his shield like a brick wall and is immediately knocked out*

Jaune: *Stumbles.* S-Sorry! Are you-? Oh. *Pokes the kobold with his foot before looking up* There you are.

Neon: Good catch, Blondie.

Adam: We saved these civilian’s lives. The quest is complete.

Reese: Yeah, can I go home now?

Linan: *Still holding her broken spear out before her knees buckle, staring at the party of adventurers with wide eyes. Her family rushes to her side, enveloping her in a tight embrace. Tears stream down her cheeks as she looks up at the group of adventurers who had just saved their lives.* Th-Thankyou. We owe you everything.

Cinder: How much is “everything,” exactly?

Party: *Stares at Cinder*

Cinder: What? I was joking, obviously. It’s called “Dark Humor.” Lighten up.

Jaune: *Notices the wounded man and rushes to his side.* Hold still, sir. I can help you. *He holds out his palms and they start to glow, magically healing the wounds with holy healing.*

Children: *Stare on in wonder*

Jaune: *Smiles gently* There, that should be better. Do you all have a safe place to stay until this is over?

Linan: W-We were trying to make it to the keep. It’s the only safe place left in town.

May: *Hops down from the rooftops.* It doesn’t seem that the raiders have established an effective cordon around the fortress yet. If we’re quick and lucky, we can get there before it’s too unsafe.

Jaune: *Nods and stands* Then that’s where we’re heading. *Looks to the civilians* Are all of you good for traveling?

Narration: Linan and her husband, Cuth, both nod and each pick up one of their children, leaving Jaune to pick up the third. The party heads out towards the keep, doing their best to keep a low profile and quickly dispatching any invader that stumbles upon them. By the time they party makes it near the open fields surrounding the keep, they manage to pick up another ten civilians.

At the heart of Greenest, towering stone walls of the fortress known as Greenest Keep stand as a beacon of hope amidst the chaos. The front gates stand wide open for any fleeing peasants fleeing the onslaught. Stationed guards usher refugees in as archers line the ramparts to rain down on any enemies that get to close. The main road between the Party and the Keep is guarded by a platoon of about thirty enemies, a mix of kobolds and mercenaries seemingly being directed by strangely dressed men and women in dark purple garbs and colorful reptilian masks.

Reese: *Whistles* Well shit, that’s a problem.

Adam: I think we can take them. They haven’t impressed me with a good fight so far.

Neon: With all these people with us? Our best chance is to sneak around.

May: It’s an open field around that fortress. The second we make a run for it those raiders will be on our tail. We need a distraction.

Cinder: Creating a distraction could take too long. Whatever we’re doing, we better do it quick before even more enemies surround the keep.

The Party: *Look at Jaune.*

Jaune: …What?

Neo: *Gestures for him to speak up.*

Jaune: You’re asking me what we should do?!

Neon: Yeah, aren’t you, like, our boss or something?

Cinder: You’re the only one here who technically has any real authority.

Reese: So what’s the plan?

Jaune: *A single sweatdrop falls along his face as he scans over his Party and looks over to the scared civilians with them. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and takes careful consideration of the situation.* Alright then. I think we should…

#redeemers au #jaune arc #reese chloris #may zedong #neon katt #cinder fall #adam taurus #neo politan

[browniefox]

go on a rant about nanakis cosmo trial

So I think there's a lot of things to be frustrated with at this part of the story - considering making a whole ass video about my Rebirth thoughts tbh - but Nanaki's trial just sticks out to me as being a really big missed opportunity, especially in regards to building the relationships between the characters.

The first problem is the dungeon itself. In general, Rebirth really struggles with dungeons. It's nice that the Trial feels so geared towards Nanaki, but it's almost geared too much towards him in my opinion, in that Barret really just feels like he shouldn't be there at all. The cave also has all these things going on, and I think it would have flowed better as a trip through dangerous caves to get to Seto - and that in and of itself being a trial - rather than having all these things that Nanaki is supposed to do, which makes it feel like Bugenhagen set them up, but why are they set up like that?

But for me, that's all whatever. Like, I don't like. But again, my biggest problem is the missed character interaction.

Having Nanaki go with Barret, as far as character match-ups go, is pretty good. Nanaki is almost solely a close-range righter, and and Barret is almost solely a far-range fighter. A perfect duo. Here's the problem though: we already had the Barret and Nanaki bonding road trip!

Now, did they bond in the Mythril Caves? No, not really. Another missed opportunity, but you could say that it's because Nanaki is still new to the group and closed off and stuff. Lame excuse, but thoroughly whatever. Which sucks, because in the side quests the game has show not to shrink away from letting characters talk to each other and strike up some good conversations and get to know each other.

So who could have been matched up with Nanaki that would have been better? Honestly, basically anyone. Maybe Yuffie tags along because Bugenhagen thinks she could appreciate the experience - we know from the campfire before that she doesn't really believe in Planetology, so maybe it could be an eye-opening experience for her, and then the teens of the group get to bond. Yuffie is also has some good close and far range attacks.

Tifa just went through a really harrowing experience, maybe she needs some time away from most of the group but also wants to feel like she's helping someone. But, she's also completely close-range, so wouldn't make for the best party.

Cloud would be the boring and easy choice, and he's most close-ranged so bad party match up, but I bet they could still manage to make some good interactions. Again, maybe after Gongaga, cloud needs to be away from the group a bit, or prove that he can trust himself to keep someone else safe.

And then Aerith? I feel like it should have just been Aerith. She's more of a ranged fighter, and she's currently clearly going through stuff trying to figure out how she feels about the fact that she's a Cetra, what that means to those around her, what responsibilities she's supposed to take on. Protecting and helping Nanaki could be great for that! Not to mention, we've seen pieces of their relationship, but it could be nice to build upon that in a duo adventure.

In the end, we're with Barret. Okay, so that's what we have. What could we have done with this? Well, Nanaki sees his dad as a coward, a dad who left him in order to save people. Well, Barret is a dad who left his daugther to save people. In fact, in Marlene doesn't know about AVALANCHE - which she must not because she's just a little baby - then it could look like Barret left because of everything that was happening in Midgar. You could, then, build an interesting and compelling dynamic between Nanaki and Barret - Son of an Absent Father, and Absent Father if not completely by choice - throughout the trial.

But in stead, Barret is just kind of... chilling there. I dont' think he ever says anything interesting the whole time.

That's all to say, big let down booo

Edit: also furthermore you could have built up a really interesting thing by having Barret and Nanaki discuss parents a bit in their first outing so that nanaki doesn’t hate his father out of nowhere, but they don’t do that, which sucks. Also also, during the trial, nanaki is like ‘ugh barret?’ But they don’t have that kind of hate up to that point??? It feels like it comes out of nowhere???

#ffvii #ff7 #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #ffvii rebirth #barret wallace #nanaki #red xiii

[oddeyecadia]

another set of pricefield headcanons "i love you i want us both to eat well" edition aka how they eat/cook together !!

- whenever max and chloe would eat or share food together i just know chloe's acts of service ass ALWAYS cuts and put food on max's plate first before she does literally anything else like this is just second nature to her. she always gives max the bigger half of the food too even tho max gets full easily, chloe would just eat it if ever max has any left overs anyway.

- max always make sure she orders a different drink from what chloe orders whenever they're at a cafe or something just so they could exchange orders if ever chloe doesn't end up liking hers. doesn't matter if max likes her original order better, she'll give chloe the better drink/food every single time. (i've written a scene inspired by some of these on ch. 2 of my pricefield tatbilb au fic here so go check it out if y'all want !! <33)

- max doesn't like eating the little white strings on cuties/oranges for texture reasons so chloe always removes them for her whenever they share one

- the olive theory!!! chloe loves olives while max hates them so whenever they go for pizza max would just automatically remove the olives on her slice and put it on chloe's without a word and chloe would just let her

- max feeding fries in chloe's mouth whenever she's driving!!!! she'd sometimes tease her and put way too much in her mouth so chloe could shut up

- i feel like max isn't necessarily a picky eater but there are a lot food textures she doesn't enjoy and u bet chloe memorized each and every one of that shit

- (slight nsfw) "i love you i want us both to eat well" chloe would say this whenever she wants to 69 and max absolutely hate and adore it at the same time

- idc what anyone says chloe is the "who tf is burning my kitchen?" wife and max is the "making breakfast for the love of my life 😍😍😍" wife

- they're both messy cooks max knows how to follow some recipes but sometimes she couldn't help but add some unheard of spice in there out of curiosity and completely ruin the dish, chloe "measurements are for cowards" price just eyeballs every ingredient and would somehow manage to create a dish u could find at five star hotels

- their usual setup while cooking together is basically just chloe doing all the work while max just stands there being her favorite emotional support sous chef giving her kisses every 2 minutes. sometimes chloe would make max do some silly little tasks "treat it like a side quest" she said and max suddenly is all for it (she's mixing something that's already been mixed) but then would get distracted and 5 minuets later she's opening all the drawers to stare at different utensils like the natural wanderer she is

#u bet chloe's a fuckin good cook with a mom like joyce #also baking reminds chloe a lil bit of chemistry so #max loves being an npc in the kitchen #fanfic promo again bc damn read my fics bro #pricefield #max caulfield #chloe price #life is strange #headcanons #headcanon #hcs

[skull001]

Amy hot takes.

Amy's Sonic Advance gameplay is still THE superior 2-D gameplay for Amy, and the only reason it hasn't been revisited in newer games is because Sega are cowards still stuck with the "one-button" approach that only works for Sonic and Tails.

Even when games like Origins Plus and Sonic Superstars nerfed down Amy to just two moves, she is still more fun to play as than Sonic.

Amy's gameplay in Sonic Advance >> E-122 Psi Amy hacks >> Amy Mania by Troop Sushi/Codename Gamma >> Sonic Supertars >> Origins Plus.

Sonic X's Amy is the full package of how Amy should be like. Even with her flaws, she was one of the most fun characters to watch, and surprisingly got plenty of moments that humanized her and even explore a bit of how she saw her relation with Sonic, proving she isn't deluded about it like her detractors claim.

Giving Amy a toy hammer is one of the best things Sega did, and wish the full potential of what she can do with it was more explored in gameplay terms.

The tarot cards should be only a back-up weapon, never the main one. Story-wise, the can guide her in her quests, providing the player with hints that they have to interpretate.

IDW's characterization of Amy is alright. The issue if anything, is that she, like the game characters, are hardly the focus of the stories, nor are they allowed to be shown in a more personal manner. Don't care if it's because Sega is too strict, or if the writers only use them to get to the characters that THEY really want to write for. Either way, the situation sucks for the game cast.

I think Amy is better suited to be the franchise's co-protagonist alongside Sonic. She is very versatile as she isn't restricted to be by his side 24/7, and as long as she sees Sonic as her prince in shining armor, there really isn't any reason to keep her from growing into a stronger and more beautiful heroine.

I'd like to see a story where Amy tries to help a character find redemption, but is ultimately unable to, betrayed by them even. I think this would be an interesting change of pace because, even if let down by those Amy tries to help, that she still remain kind of heart would be proof of just how strong her heart is.

Superform. Of all characters not named Sonic, Amy's noble and compassionate heart should be more than worthy of awakening that miracle.

Morio Kishimoto really should go all out with exploring more of Sonic and Amy's relation. I think he is one of the few people capable of doing so and pushing the status quo to ot' limit whole keeping things fresh. After the let down of that last Tailstube where Amy's feelings were again the object of mockery from american writers ( especially HIM), I'd more than welcome the more respectful approach from Japanese writers towards the dynamic of these two characters.

Amy IS part of the main cast, and should be treated accordingly to her status as lead female character. That means, not giving away Amy's roles to less important ones. Wether it's things like her compassion (which Tyson Hesse mentions to be unique) or being the most adventure loving of the girls.

Don't make Amy be "mature" by becoming a party pooper who dislikes fun. This is a very outdated stereotype of women that honestly, doesn't apply to the real Amy. She would join the boys in doing dumb things, while still doing girly things with other girls too.

Enough of sad face Amy. Why the hell is Sega afraid to show an Amy that, no matter what, can be a beacon of hope for those who have lost their faith. Further more, why is she not expressing faith anymore on Sonic? I swear ever since Sonic Boom, only Tails is allowed to do this as an artificial means to push the bff thing, in contrast to previous games and even shows, where Amy did this. It saddens me how in Prime, she complains about Sonic not sticking to the plan, while Tails is the one who reminds that he has never let them down. Like, helloooooo? Amy also knows this, so why treat her like she doesn't?

Sonic, Tails, Amy & Knuckles >> Sonic, Tails and Amy >>>>>> Sonic, Tails & Knuckles.

Writers shouldn't be afraid to show/play out Amy's flaws. I like seeing characters make fools of themselves once in a while, as long as they are also allowed to get out of their mess by also playing out their strengths and positive traits.

#amy rose

[homunculus-argument]

A story about a war, where a massive spreading empire tries to stretch its tendrils to a smaller land determinedly defending itself. One of the characters on the defenders' side is a woman born and raised in the empire. No, she's not a captive, not brainwashed, nor has she switched sides out of any particular kind of sympathy for the people she is now fighting alongside, shooting her own countrymen. The thing is, her husband was shot in this war. Yes, in the attempted invasion. Yes, probably by someone she is currently working with. She's well aware of that. She's annoyed by people cautiously asking whether she's 100% aware of what she's doing.

Like obviously they'd shoot her husband for marching into their homes with a gun, what kind of a fucking coward wouldn't. She doesn't give a shit who pulled the trigger. The ones who killed him were the ones who called the order to march in the first place.

She isn't strictly on their side, more like loosely allied with them. She's on her own personal quest, on a one-woman mission to personally take down the empire that got her husband killed over something this stupid.

[misguidedasgardian]

My Last Kingdom's line of thought

Alright... I have a Last Kingdom One-shot published.

I'm not gonna lie, at first I thought (before I saw it), that it TLK was some low budget copy of Vikings, so I never payed any mind to it

UNTIL OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR EWAN MITCHELL APPEARED IN MY LIFE IN THE SHAPE OF AEMOND TARGARYEN

Then I was like... alrighttttt lets give this a shot

AND I LOVED IT, of course not just because of him, but the story and the characters, they are great!

Anyhow... of course the engine in fanfictional mind started turning and of course, I was like... JUST WRITE THIS ALREADY!

Of course in my mind reader had to be a cool warrior, a viking, shieldmaiden.. anyways, but as the story progressed, int he screen and on my mind...I tried to picture her in a relationship with Osferth and... it didn't happen!

I don't know why, I don't see it working, I wrote that one shot... she is the daughter of Bjorn Ironside... (who was a Dane/Swedish, I got it wrong, he is not from Norway)

Anyhow... in my mind the story started to develop quite different... Osferth doesn't dare to formalice things with reader, in the show we see him courting ladies of the night, but nothing too serious, because he can't truly get married....

So he strings Reader along! it got all twisted, he didn't want to marry her, and then their relationship kind of fizzled... then reader can tell she is pregnant, by that point, she leaves Osferth, she wants to settle and farm, Osferth wants fame and fortune, woman and adventure....

So reader goes on her own, maybe settling in Mercia near Aethelfaed,.... anyways... she had twin boys...

At some point, after that huge time jumps between seasons, she meets with Uthred's pretty boys again, she has a hall with her boys... Osferth doesn't know how to deal, (he is a coward)

AND BJORN APPEARS

All his children are dead, reader is the only one left, she is his legacy, Bjorn can tell there is no one of his blood to succeed him as king of Sweden and Denmark... so he goes to find his daughter

AND SURPRISE

He realises his legacy are this two boys

Reader didn't want to tell him who had fathered them... but Finnan ran his mouth... when reader realizes Finnan opened his big mouth to defend the honor (or lack thereof) of Osferth, reader runs to her home to find out her father had stolen her children

WHO HAVE ROYAL BLOOD ON BOTH SIDES, Bjorn goes onto saying to his people his grandchildren are the ones who will unite both saxons and danes and some other delusions of greatness

And then I put Uhtred in a closet and reader starts a quest to retrieve her children...

Of course she seeks help in his father's natural enemy... the Norwegians... and their King Harald (Leo baby I'm coming), Uhtred, FInan and Sithric follow, but just as spectators as reader fights her own father and country to retrieve her babies (four year olds or so)

Harald offers her the Danish and Swedish crown, but she says she is only interested in retriving her children, so he can do as he pleases

They attack Kattegat

She ends up offing her father... and Harald present her as the Queen of Sweden and Danmark

So it evolved in something else! jajaja enterily!

#misguidedsays #misguidedtlk #misguidedvikings #viking au #osferth #tlk au

[lilbittymonster]

Okay 6.55 thoughts in no particular order:

-Big Kittie Lady Wuk Lamat I Love You So Much

-Kitali does not like her enough to want to help with the politics though. She's done and over being used to further political goals of other people. The bit about not wanting to let the overly aggressive candidate win was intruiging but her line of thinking is "well, this is what the Alliance is supposed to be for, I'm not going to continue to be their one woman army anymore."

-WIFE SPOTTED IN LIMSA I REPEAT WIFE SPOTTED IN LIMSA LOMINSA DOCKS

-I am going to fucking shit myself laughing if Estinien winds up on the same boat/same dock as the Scions coming in completely by coincidence because he's continuing his retirement trip around the planet.

-I respect and love him so much for that btw like this man has likely never set foot much further outside of Coerthas than the North Shroud for the first 32 years of his life, he is going to see as much of the world as he can now.

-someone was complaining in Radz shout chat about how the relics weren't "an actual grind" and someone else shouted back that EW was the "waiting room expansion" like. Y'all did this to yourselves, you are aware of this, right? You complained and whined and pouted SO HARD about Eureka and Bozja that they said "okay, baby shoes this time" and now you think it's too easy? Come join us omnicrafters in the Splendour tool grind then. Cowards.

-I'm glad that only the Arkasodara quests are canon for Kitali bc wow that capstone questline felt like a "somehow Palpatine has retured" for me. Nonsense(derogatory) as opposed to Hildibrand nonsense(affectionate).

-Where is Hraesvelgr we saw Hraesvelgr in the trailer but he wasn't here? Maybe there's still more for the actual 7.0 release idk

-Also weird that G'raha was in Tural in the trailer but says he's staying behind with the Annex. I don't particularly mind or care but just something I thought was odd.

-Urianger and Thancred. That is all.

-"What are you two doing here?" Krile they fucking live in Sharlayan I don't know if you were aware of this or not.

-My fondness for Erenville continues to grow. I think he and Kitali get along very well. They both are so very Done(tm) with everyone.

-It was nice seeing Jullus on the Island sanctuary but that just blasted so many holes in a ficlet I had wanted to write and I was too busy being bitter about that to really enjoy the rest of the time there.

-"it must be nice being able to get away" yeah see you would THINK THAT but I keep having all these fucking tourists showing up on my beach asking to parade around the place. 'Private getaway' my ass. Kitali is packing a bag and moving to the east side of the island.

-the overall messages of "power of friendship and hope" and "everything comes to an end, we all experience loss" are really starting to sound like a broken record. For people like me who have basic media literacy and got the message the first idk half dozen times....this is unnecessary. I know that a good chunk of the userbase needs it spelled out for them in black and white but.....idk. And a lot of it is that it's trying to hit emotional buttons that I just don't have because I did not care that much about Endwalker as an expansion. EW was just the wolstinien agenda expansion lmao. I don't particularly care for the Omicron or the lopporit questlines which is where they really tried to jam pack it in and I just ended up button mashing my way through the stories.

-Who the FUCK was in charge of picking reaction expressions in all of those cutscenes? On top of "she would not be smiling like that at G'raha, it takes so much of her self control to not actively scowl at him", some of those were just so out of place. I know what each one was bc i live in gpose and the tonal dissonance on some of them were just........what.

-Monster hunter honeymoon expansion still a very strong possibility.

-those last few lines in the final cutscene.........Man. I hope we do get to go north and see what the fuck is under all those clouds on Ilsabard and Othard.

-final relic stage lance Pretty :3

-I need an entire sitcom of Wuk Lamat and Erenville as children that was SO TASTY.

-I am glad that they're getting rid of the Stormblood problem with making the contest of succession explicitly open to outsiders.

-I like the reference in the food book to potatoes and tomatoes being imported from Tural through Limsa, that was a nice touch.

-I will still likely not pick up blue mage by the time Dawntrail releases lmao. F for me for missing any potential extra dialogue.

Closing thought: Kittie

#ffxiv spoilers #endwalker spoilers #6.55 spoilers #patch 6.55 #patch 6.55 spoilers #most exciting part of the whole patch was Estinien showing up for five seconds tbh #and Urianger's poses

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA - Episode 2: Warriors (1/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

Starting off with one of Zuko's tantrums was such a good choice. In the first couple episodes of the animated show, Zuko's frustrations at having lost the Avatar blow up all the time and it was great to see that represented - with the additional depth of him explaining exactly why he was so upset: the greatest warrior of all time was a 'coward' and ran. It gives the audience a great view of what Zuko values and how his expectations have been rocked, and therefore his world view being shifted. Iroh comes in to ease his discomfort and reassure him that it was Zuko's positive qualities that helped him find the Avatar and there is hope that he'll find him again. Hope is such an important theme in the whole series and I'm glad the live-action is focusing on it just as much for the 'villains' as they are for the 'heroes'.

For anyone still complaining about 'expositional dialogue', go back and watch S1E3 of the animated show, specifically (though really just rewatch the entire thing) and come back and tell me that wasn't waaayyy more egregious expositional dialogue than the live-action. Like I said in another post: expositional dialogue is NOT BAD, especially at the beginning of a fantasy story. We have to figure out the basics of the characters somehow and 'showing' isn't always possible or the best choice. Scrub the idea that 'telling instead of showing is bad writing' out of your mind, because it's almost guaranteed you're thinking of that advice so incredibly incorrectly that it's ruining your ability to consume media like a normal human being.

I like how Sokka and Katara are taking whether or not to leave their village for good seriously - especially Sokka, he was put in charge - it makes sense that he'd have to be convinced that abandoning his people is the best thing to do. In the first episode of the animated series, when Katara first discovers Aang is an airbender, she's ecstatic that she's finally found a teacher - and even makes to abandon her village in her desire to go find herself a master so she can learn more waterbending - we see that desire here at the beginning of the live-action episode 2 where she tells Sokka she can't just abandon this journey she's started - yes she wants to save the world, but she also wants to see where her waterbending journey can take her.

Also love the change that Gran Gran gave Katara the waterbending scroll - one that had been passed down in their tribe for generations before having to hide it from the fire nation. This hearkens to real-life examples of invaders trying to destroy the cultures of the indigenous population and them having to hide ancestral artefacts so they wouldn't get destroyed. While the pirates are a fun little side-quest and there's some excellent Zutara fodder there, I think it's a lot more impactful to have Katara learning waterbending from a cultural artefact right from her own family rather than a scroll stolen from who-knows-where. The pirates really only come back up to 'kill' Zuko at the end of the season, so that was easily folded into someone else having the blasting jelly.

Aang giving Gyatzo as good of a burial as he can was also a wonderful touch. This is all fresh for him - giving the Air Nomads he grew up with a respectful send off was the least he could do. It shows that Aang thinks about the little things, the small acts he can do to show respect and care for the world - just like the peaceful, nature loving monk we know from the animated series.

The real plot of the whole show isn't revealed in the animated version until we meet Bumi in episode 5 - I think it makes sense that, starting at the end of episode 1 of the live-action, we already get what the show is going to be about. It isn't until episode 7 of the animated series - when Aang sees the burned forest - that the idea of 'figuring out how to be the avatar' is mentioned and even after that, it's not until episode 8 where the comet time line is established and Aang even begins to think about learning to waterbend. But still, the goal of 'master the Avatar state and learn the four elements' is pretty vague and there are a lot of ways to accomplish that. Introducing the timely need to get to the Northern Water Tribe to help them with the fire nation attack gives the plot direction and purpose while still allowing for many events to happen along the way. The meandering quality of the first half of the animated season 1 is one of the most criticized parts of the OG series and the writers didn't even know what the story was going to be when they wrote those, so it makes sense that with the hindsight of the whole series in mind, the live-action would give it a bit more direction. Putting one time-sensitive task in front of Aang at a time also helps with the story structure, so I get why they first made the goal 'Northern Water Tribe', and only after they complete that timed goal will they introduce the comet.

It's great to see Iroh's love of food and interacting with the average people in every place they travel to is still a big part of his character. And Zuko sulking behind him telling him they don't have time for all this is just ripped right from the animated series. Dallas Liu and Paul Sun--Hyung Lee brought those aspects of the characters to life beautifully. Something I've seen is people upset that Zuko isn't as 'cool and calculating' as he is in the animated version and while I agree Zuko did have many of those moments, he was also rash and bullheaded too. I think the live-action really wanted to stay truer to the reality that these are kids - they're going to act more like kids than the animated counterparts did. Animated Zuko (and Azula for that matter) many times don't read as 14 and 16, respectively. They read as full-on 20-something year olds. The live-action is giving Zuko a bit farther to grow where it's Iroh being the strategist at the moment while Zuko is the driven child desperate to regain his honor. Also, just love all the complaints that the live action is so focused on telling not showing then complain that Zuko didn't say 'honor' once when…every single word out of Zuko's mouth and action he took SHOWED that he was fighting to regain honor. People need to pick a complaint and be serious about it.

#natla #netflix atla #avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #natla spoilers

[hellodanny-hphm]

Final Thoughts on "The Great Final Battle"

SPOILERS CHAPTER 57

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.

.

First of all, this battle was crap, it showed that R is a fraud and that his thugs are easily beaten by teenage wizards. I think it's bad to play a game where the villain or the evil organization is weak, it doesn't give emotion. I don't know what happened, after the shocking ending of year 5, we only got boring endings. Okay, until the end of Year 6 had its thrills.

Peregrine is another fraud, what a WEAK villain, got beat up by the MC, got beat up by Verucca, is this our biggest villain? He is crap, bad weakling, a COWARD. No one deserves a story with an incompetent villain, it completely loses its fun, everything is easy, without emotion.

Jam City really hates Merula, right? I got confused, reading the script on the datamine, I thought it was Merula who disarmed Verucca, sweet illusion, it would be very nice if she did that, Merula didn't do anything, she just stood there, without any important battle action, more once Jam City put her as useless, how I hate that. It's always the MC who has to be the hottie of the battle and the rest of his friends don't do anything.

But of course I loved seeing her choosing to side with the MC and considering him her family, it was so cute 🥰 This animation of her looking at the MC, what love ❤️ She's already part of the family anyway, she's going to be my bride.

At least we had some decent animation at the end, finally Verucca showed some grit, I was thinking she was just going to get arrested and that was it. Verucca has always been a more competent leader for R, I think she has shown how strong she is. It's a shame she got arrested too. It should be added, Verruca is beautiful and charming, even though she is a bitch.

It was beautiful to see Peregrine "dying", all he did in this game was spoil it. I wish he would never come back, but we both know that won't happen. I also hate that "love" of father and son that Jam City makes us swallow. The Peregrine is going to get redemption, he's evil because of the amulet, that's becoming clear and that's so bad in the script, honestly, it sucks.

MY CUTE BABIES ❤️

Very cute Merula with shame to say that her family is the MC. Thanks Ben for that wonderful question. Here, an apology from Merula to Ben would go down well, but Jam City wouldn't give her that evolution, of course.

Finally, I confess that my heart warmed when I saw my favorite trio from Year 6 together again ❤️. I missed you. It was so much love to see them complete the Khanna Circle quest. I just wanted to say that Ben, you are beautiful being the battle leader, that's all, Ben is one of the best characters on this drug, what an evolution, what a man.

That's it, it was crap. A hug to everyone!

#harry potter hogwarts mystery #hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm spoilers #jacob's sibling #merula snyde #hphm merula #merula x mc #merula x jacob's sibling #hphm mc #peregrine hphm #verucca buckthorn #ben copper #ben hphm #hp rpg #hp hogwarts mystery #hphm year 7

[lumen-anima]

Romance is bland in ANE: The Rant

I was pulling up videos from TO and ANE I have for inspo for my Faepedia and the difference of quality between TO and ANE is downright horrific.

Each and every episode in TO was like a loooong episode in a series where at the end of an episode I was like "OMG so much info, so much happened". Every episode had some action, some filler, quality time with basically everyone including the LIs, while moving the story along, giving us stuff to think about.

In ANE however, the episodes are just as long (roughly 2 hours of content in one video) but virtually nothing happens. How in the world do I play for 2 hours and STILL have no actual shit happen??? Even though I spend more maana than I am comfortable with on side characters, the conversations are so damn empty, they give you no extra info about the world or it's characters, NOTHING. I can barely muster up the energy to play the episodes as they come out, I feel like I am wasting my time.

On the LI's:

In TO, the four LIs (Valkyon, Nevra, Ezarel and Leiftan) were all different personalities woth different attitude to things and people, different likes/dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, AND they each had a personal problem they had to tackle.

——————————

Nevra was your typical arrogant looking womanizer who only thinks about chasing chicks all day long and being totally nonchalant about it and thus mad irresponsible both personally and professionally. He turned out to be a hardworking, diligent, responsible guy who would carry his girl around on the palm of his hand like they were a princess. He was one of your biggest supporters in TO and I really felt like he cared for MC as a person (even though he was not my route) and was worried about her like they were brother and sister. He was such a dork, I loved him so much.

Now we have this cold, mission oriented, unsupportive guy who just fucks to forget while claiming that he's lost so much in the war and how could we understand it? How we shouldn't be so surprised that he is different because it's been 7 seven years, we should move on from this memory we have of him, while he himself was unable to do so. Cold and distant, you have to basically force your companionship onto him until he gets more open with you.

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Leiftan was your support from day one, calm, collected and very gentle, shielding you from the hostile HQ while trying to get close to you and still be looking like the most unapproachable guy there is. He felt waaaaaay out of our league in multiple ways and his attention was always special, even I felt honored when he made time for us (again, he was also not my route). He in fact was a hurt, rage and vengeance filled creature who was killing almost indiscriminately, trying to get back at the world for his own suffering and pain, while being smitten with the MC just because she was from his own race which he's the last of. She was his last chance to have a place to truly belong.

Now he's a guilt ridden coward, afraid to be consumed by his past and his darkness he can't seem to get rid of. He really doesn't want to be anywhere near people, but he has absolutely nowhere to go and (in his mind) nothing to do. He just sticks around for the MC because he's still in love with her, but he doesn't dare move a muscle to prove it. Again, cold and distant, you have to chase his ass around endlessly in a game of cat and mouse reassuring him all the while.

——————————

Lance was the bad guy, the villain if the story, willing to kill everyone in his way and I do mean everyone (we all know what happened). He was intelligent, cruel, downright sadistic, but he never lied to us, not once. His whole thing was the "righteous rage" we all felt after the lies and betrayals in HQ, when we just wanted to leave the Guard, preferably in flames for the shit they did to MC. A charismatic, feral bastard, he managed to lead a whole army of disenfranchised outcasts on a suicide quest, they all knew what they were signing up for, since again, he was utterly honest. This was a before he went COMPLETELY bonkers.

And in ANE we got this weak imitation, a stand-in for Valkyon we never wanted. He's blindly following someone who keeps secrets and lies all the time (*cough* HH *cough*) while staying in Nevra's shadow not doing much until he's given orders. He's acting like a henchman to the Council, not thinking for himself at all. I haven't heard this man argue/audibly disagree with anyone so far and we are 16 episodes in! All this talk about him being a different person: it's not hard being a different person when your soul is crushed and you can barely get yourself out of bed due to crippling depression, just sayin. And yet again, cold and distant until you smack some life into him so that he would talk to you.

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(I'll skip Mathieu since he was not in TO to make a comparison, I find him extremely annoying, also I find it stupid as hell to bring a regular-degular human into a fantasy themed game and I say this with all the respect my 160cms have to the elusive Mathieu stans, we see just as often as we see good content from Bee.)

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In conclusion: all of them are cold and distant, just waiting for the MC to make a move, put in the work while feeling absolutely sorry for themselves, saying that they shouldn't be together yada yada. And then they are together like magic, without explanation, without a proper build-up, nothing. I bet if I'd asked Er*ika (Little Miss Took-a-bite-bigger-than-she-can-chew) about good things she sees in her LI, she couldn't say more than "looks hot, has a dick".

End rant

#eldarya #eldarya ane #eldarya rant #eldarya rants #eldarya lance #eldarya nevra #eldarya leiftan

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: I went to Taylor's first México show, I'm a changed woman now. In other news, taglist has been updated, if you want to add yourself fill out this form -Danny Words: 3,338 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'do all my friends hate me?' -by Mckenna Grace

III. Mom? Pick Me Up, the Kids Are Being Mean

"What's your story, Ara?"

"I was six when my satyr found me, Clarisse was his original mission."

"Clarisse was your roadtrip buddy? That must've sucked."

I look at Percy with a recriminatory glare. "She was younger and easier to scare... she kept it together for me, though."

"You've been brave so far," he points out. "Clarisse probably made it sound like a bigger deal."

"Ara's a coward," Annabeth says casually. "She's never wanted to go on quests, I'm surprised she agreed to this."

Percy scowls. "I told you not to come if it scared you."

"I'm not scared." 

The truth is that I'm okay, I have two older demigods looking after me. I don't tell him that though, I don't want to pressure him. 

"Ara..."

"I mean it!"

"I'm glad you came," Annabeth admits. "I'll take you to my quest too. You're full of surprises..."

"Thank Hades, I found you!" Lily seizes Ara's hand and pulls her in the direction of the Big House. "Piper fainted—Rachel wants to see you."

"Rachel's here?" Ara picks up her pace. "Thank Apollo!"

"Everything okay with the new guy? You didn't look very happy when he got claimed."

She shakes her head. "When we rescued this group, I got this feeling..."

"What kind of feeling?"

Ara dismisses Lily without explaining. "See you at lunch."

"You know where to find me," Lily's not pleased, but she doesn't show it. The girl squeezes Ara's shoulder before going away.

When Ara arrives, Jason's already there and Piper's on a couch, still unconscious. Rachel and Annabeth are standing side by side. 

"What happened?"

"We've got to heal her," Jason demands. "There's a way, right?"

"Of course there is, she just fainted," Ara frowns. "What happened?"

Chiron places his hand on Piper's forehead. "Her mind is in a fragile state. Rachel?"

"As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then—I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice."

"A prophecy?"

"No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know how that feels. This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me."

"Chiron, what happened back there—I've never seen anything like it," Annabeth says gravely. "I've heard Rachel's prophecy voice. This was different. She sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Piper's shoulders and told her—" 

"To free her from a prison?" Jason guesses.

Annabeth stares at him. "How did you know that?"

Chiron makes a gesture over his heart, then he looks at the blond boy. "Jason, tell them. Annabeth, the medicine bag, please."

Jason explains something about an old woman claiming to be his patron. "So does this happen often?" He asks after a brief moment of silence. "Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you bust them out of jail?"

"Your patron," Annabeth frowns. "Not your godly parent?"

"No, she said patron. She also said my dad had given her my life."

If someone knows about patrons, that's Ara. Her mind itches with discomfort, she has to tell them about what she saw with Leo.

"You said the storm spirit on the skywalk—he claimed to be working for some mistress who was giving him orders, right? Could it be this woman you saw, messing with your mind?"

"I don't think so. If she were my enemy, why would she be asking for my help? She's imprisoned. She's worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice—"

"Not Kronos," Annabeth gazes at Chiron in alarm. "Please tell me it's not that."

He keeps his eyes on Piper. "It is not Kronos. That threat is ended. But..."

"But what?"

"But now we have a new threat coming," Ara completes, sort of grumpily. "Someone else decided to shoot their shot—"

"Ara."

"Percy's missing, and the camp's in danger. Ten minutes ago I saw that old lady Jason mentioned and—"

"You saw her?" Jason interrupts her. "Did she talk to you?"

"Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later," Chiron intervenes.

"Or now," The boy presses. "Sir, Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. You can't possibly mean something worse than an army of Titans, right?"

"You told him what?" Ara steps forward. "You knew this was going to happen?"

"Oh," Rachel says in a small voice. "Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason and Ara at the same moment."

"Hera?" Annabeth sneers. "She took you over? She did this to Piper?"

"And your father gave you to her?" Ara glances down at Jason's tattoo. "Like, as an offering?"

"I think Rachel's right," he seems slightly uncomfortable. "The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this—this goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?" 

"It is?" Annabeth makes a face. "I've never heard that."

"Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."

"So Hera is imprisoned?" Rachel questions. "Who could do that to the queen of the gods?"

"Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them," Annabeth replies heatedly. "If they can shut up Hera—"

"Annabeth, she is still one of the Olympians. In many ways, she is the glue that holds the gods' family together. If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. And if Hera has asked Jason for help—"

"Fine! Well, we know Titans can capture a god, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago. And in the old stories, the gods captured each other in traps all the time..."

"So Ares and Aphrodite—they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy. Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"What about Aphrodite's husband?"

"Well, you know... Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, and thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"

"Reason why I'm good for nothing," I huff. "Why couldn't she be the goddess of... I don't know, baking..."

"She seems to like bikers," Percy teases me. "Maybe she'd favor you if you become one."

Annabeth shakes her head. "You just need to find your thing and stick to it, Ara."

"Gee, how didn't I think of that!"

"Hephaestus knows about them, then?" Percy gives me a look that's it's clearly meant to shut me up.

"Oh sure," Annabeth replies. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like... Like that."

"The tunnel of love?" I snort. "A bit cliche." 

Grover and I stand to the side while Percy and Annabeth slip down the empty pool. I stare at the cupid next to me and the Eta that's carved on it. 

A net starts to close around them, Hephaestus's kids are good at building stuff, but this is a whole other level. Tiny spider robots encircle Annabeth and Percy, cameras appear, ready to broadcast the mess. 

"Guys!" Percy yells at us. "Get into that booth! Find the 'on' switch!"

I click and press but nothing happens. Then water bursts out of the tanks at Percy's orders. The cameras follow as they move at great speed toward the exit, they jump out and Grover uses his magical shoes to catch Percy and Annabeth.

I stare at the trap, a creation that's harmless but devastating to godly egos. I'm immediately drawn to the idea of making something with my bare hands that could hold this much power.

"The gods need heroes to do their will down here on earth," Rachel says. "That's right, isn't it? Their fates are always intertwined with demigods." 

"But Jason's got a point," Annabeth counts. "Why him? Why take his memory?"

"And Piper's involved somehow. Hera sent her the same message—Free me. And, Annabeth, this must have something to do with Percy's disappearing."

"Let's not forget that son of Hephaestus, Leo" Ara points out. "He was with me when I saw Hera, and he saw her too."

The girls look at the centaur. "Why are you so quiet, Chiron? What is it we're facing?"

"My dear, in this, I cannot help you... I am so sorry."

"You've never..." Annabeth gapes. "You've never kept information from me. Even the last great prophecy—"

"I will be in my office. I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And girls, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about—about the Greek and Roman gods." 

Ara starts to follow Chiron out of the room, but she stops halfway. What's the point? Harassing her mentor with questions won't help, he doesn't look pleased about their situation either.

"I'm sorry," Jason mumbles. "I think me being here... I don't know. I've messed things up coming to the camp, somehow. Chiron said he'd sworn an oath and couldn't talk about it."

"What oath?" Annabeth frowns. "I've never seen him act this way. And why would he tell me to talk to you about the gods..." Her eyes land on something next to Jason. "Is this gold? Do you remember where you got it?"

"No. Like I said, I don't remember anything."

"Hang on..." Ara draws out her compass. "Annabeth, look!" The item has golden hues, the same color as Jason's. "The element we couldn't identify before... it's gold!"

Annabeth turns to exit the room. "If Chiron won't help, we'll need to figure things out ourselves. Which means... Cabin Fifteen. Rachel, you'll keep an eye on Piper?" 

"Sure," the redhead takes a seat. "Good luck."

"Hold on," Jason says. "What's in Cabin Fifteen?"

"Maybe a way to get your memory back," Annabeth raises a brow. "Ara, you're coming or not?"

"I've got no choice," she sighs, putting her compass away.

"Why are you smiling?"

"That trap was really cool."

"You liked the trap?" Percy makes a face.

"I didn't enjoy what it did, though it was a great bonding experience," I joke. "I just... I have a soft spot for flashy stuff! The cupids and the cameras... it was breathtaking."

"Yeah, and it wasn't you trapped in it," he scoffs.

"Percy, there must be a reason why my Mom married him. I know what the myth says," I roll my eyes. "But no one can control love! Hephaestus never tried to, no one's ever been fair to him, so he lets her be free and in exchange, she doesn't ask him to be something he's not."

"Aren't you angry he humiliates your mother?"

"My mother is incapable of feeling that. Anger, perhaps, but not shame," I lean my head on his shoulder. "I'm just saying Hephaestus lives for his machines, so he lets my mom do her thing. That's cool."

Percy thinks Aphrodite married the god to keep Zeus off her back. He doesn't want to mess with my optimism at the moment though, so he keeps it to himself. 

I fall asleep.

I'm walking through an ancient town, the road is busy with people."There you are!" An old lady talks to me in ancient Greek. "Arche, stop wandering!"

"But it's tiresome!" I complain. "Give me something to do!"

The woman huffs, looking skeptical. She gives me something to do anyway. 

"Hi!" The seller in the first tent I visit starts listing everything, but I can only stare at their warm eyes.

"I..." I gulp. "I am..."

"Agape!" A man yells.

The teen gives a start. "What!" They pout. "You said I could help!"

"You must excuse the child," the man approaches me. "Can't stay still."

"It's fine," I whisper hoarsely. Agape smiles, it's a sort of teasing, crooked grin. I don't want to go, but I don't know why I want to stay. "I'll see you..."

It was a promise.

The trip to Hypnos cabin confirms only Hera can give Jason his memories back, but why did she take them away in the first place? 

Since Percy went missing, Ara's expecting to get disturbing nightmares, but all she's seen so far are snippets of past lives that give her zero answers. She hates dreaming.

She stands next to Chiron during the campfire, arms crossed and scowling. She's always sulking nowadays, even before her brother's disappearance. The old campers still treat her like before, and the ones who didn't know her look at her as if she could burst into flames at any moment, neither of those two options are good.

"...alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"

"What about capture the flag?" 

Ara glares at the cabin five campers. "Yes," Chiron nods. "I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games—"

"And kill people!"

"—However, until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"

Nyssa stands up. "We're working on it." 

"How, Nyssa?"

"Really hard."

The kids start to complain and Chiron quiets them down. "We will have to be patient! In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."

"Percy?" Someone asks out loud.

Everyone is looking at her and Annabeth, the blonde girl is the first to speak. "We didn't find Percy. He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis—everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest."

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?"

"Drew? What do you mean?"

"Well, come on!" She rolls her eyes. "Olympus is closed. Percy's disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?" She looks at Ara. "And it's her fault."

"Not true," Ara replies through gritted teeth.

"You walked into Olympus demanding to be crowned—You're so selfish!"

"Look who's talking!"

Drew has charmspeak, but it isn't needed, plenty of campers share the same thought and they're less than happy to have a Daughter of Olympus amongst them. "Well?" Drew glares at Rachel. "You're the oracle. Am I right or not?"

Rachel steps forward. "Yes. The Great Prophecy has begun."

Ara opens her mouth to speak, but she can't.  A new prophecy? The war ended just a few months ago! Drew's eyes lock with hers again and there is disgust in them. What if she's right? Ara asked for this, but she didn't think it would bring the next big prophecy.

Rachels raises her voice. "For those of you who have not heard it, the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—" Jason stands up abruptly. "J-Jason? "What's—"

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," he recites. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."

This boy needs to stop talking about things he isn't supposed to know. Ara wants to dissect him and make sure he's not an automaton. 

"You just... finished the prophecy," Rachel gapes. "—An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you—"

"I know those lines," Jason holds his head and grimaces. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."

"In Latin, no less," Drew smiles. "Handsome and smart."

Ara's siblings laugh at Drew's remark, she remembers when she used to be just as careless. For the first time in years, she wishes she would've thought twice before stepping out of her comfort zone.

Jason sits down in embarrassment, Annabeth mumbles something to him while Rachel glances back at Chiron and Ara hoping they'll step in. The centaur doesn't move, so it's Ara's turn to speak. She's been dreaming about this... but it's not like she imagined. 

People doubt her, resent her, and her friends don't think she's got what it takes. Percy tried to tell her she wasn't built for this and she did it anyway. Why?

"Well," Rachel takes the lead when Ara finds herself speechless. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."

Once again, everyone looks at Ara. It's evident that even if she isn't, she has to join the quest, she can't turn her back on it, not that she would, anyway.

"Anyway," Rachel continues, "I don't think is Ara's fault. Something wants to take advantage of our situation. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."

"Or worse..." Chiron mutters.

"What we do know," Rachel resumes, glancing at the centaur with irritation, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken..."

As she starts to describe what's happened, Rachel mentions Hedge died, and Ara's breath hitches. The campfire flickers for a moment, turning scarlet before it goes back to normal, no one seems to notice.

"Jason—Um... do you remember your last name?" Rachels questions. He shakes his head. "We'll just call you Jason, then. It's clear Hera herself has issued you a quest."

"I agree."

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil, some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."

"That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth adds. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."

"The winter solstice," Chiron says, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things... stir."

"Okay," Annabeth scowls. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so—"

"Why hasn't he been claimed?" An Ares kid shouts. "If he's so important—"

"He has been claimed," Chiron finally gives an answer. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."

Jason steps forward and Ara knows something big is about to happen. He pulls out the coin from his pocket and flips it, a spear materializing in his hand. Annabeth steps back and frowns. "Wasn't that... I thought you had a sword."

"Um, it came up tails, I think," he replies awkwardly. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."

"Dude, I want one!" A kid shouts.

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!"

"Electric," Jason mutters. "Back away."

The people closest to him oblige at once, he raises the weapon and lightning goes through the spear, redirecting itself toward the campfire. Jason puts his arm down, completely uninjured. "Um... sorry."

Chiron brushes off a bit of cinder, and he nods. Once again, he looks in pain. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."

"Jupiter," Jason answers. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky." 

"Ah, fuck..." Ara complains quietly.

This is why she isn't having weird dreams, Jason must be swimming in them. 

"You're a baby bird, that's all," Percy's quite proud of me, my charmspeak edged Crusty to let go of him so my friend could cut him in half. "Give it a few years, you'll be a grown dove one day—that's your mother's symbol, right?"

"It's okay if my life revolves around beauty and feelings only, I'm okay with that," I shrug.

"Then why did you join my quest?"

"I was bored," that's the answer I've been giving him since the start, but now it doesn't convince him.

"It's not safe to hang out with me," he raises a brow. "You could die, you know?"

"I'm not important enough to die," I laugh.

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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

#twoidiots writing #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo fanfic #pjo hoo toa #pjo fandom #leo valdez x oc #leo valdez fanfic #doo #heroes of olympus

[rin-solo]

Two Sides of the same Coin?? [AHS 2 excerpt]

I have recently had an urge to post this excerpt from A Henry Story 2 that contains a (in my opinion much needed) slightly different take on Hamnet's choice and mindset (thank you @haveihitanerve you essentially inspired this post.)

Anyone is welcome to take a read :) If you're intrigued by the thought of more Hamnet and/or want to catch a glimpse at what else AHS does besides being a book about Henry ... Here you go.

All the context you need is that this is during the COTW quest; right after the run through the Vineyard on the starshade plain, that Henry was chosen by Solovet as the next commander after Hamnet left, and that no one knows that Henry is Henry (the reasons for this are difficult to explain.) To them, he's just a nameless outcast who has experience with crossing the Vineyard ... If you're curious where and how he obtained this experience, I refer you to AHS 1 :)

Enjoy ✨

***

When Hamnet was out of earshot, Gregor lowered the bundle of plants he had been holding. “So, that was some story Ripred told us about Hamnet.”

“Yes, it explains a great deal about why he left,” said Luxa, pensively twisting one flower between her fingers. “He was mad. But it does not explain why he did not come back to Regalia when his senses returned.”

Everyone stilled when Hamnet approached to gather another load of bundles.

“Because they would have made him fight again, Luxa,” said Gregor when he had moved away once more. “And he couldn’t stand killing anymore.”

Henry frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Hamnet told us that he wouldn’t fight anymore,” said Gregor. “At all. I don’t think he even has a sword.”

Henry stared at the Overlander in shock. “He . . . what?” His gaze flew to Hamnet, who kneeled by the starshade stack. His mind flashed with all the deep-rooted admiration he had once harbored for Hamnet. Hamnet—Solovet’s one true successor that he had never quite been able to match. That day in the arena . . . Henry’s hand tightened around the hilt of Mys. His first dagger that he had lost at that cliff when he—

“He doesn’t kill!” exclaimed Gregor. “He doesn’t want to kill anymore!”

“You speak as though killing brings us others joy,” hissed Henry.

“There is no joy in killing for any of us,” concurred Luxa sourly. “We do it to survive.”

“So, what are you saying?” Gregor looked back and forth between the two of them. “You think he’s a coward?”

Henry gritted his teeth. As he gazed at Hamnet, he understood that he was no longer the Hamnet he had once idolized. Neither of them was good enough for Solovet anymore. And upon his next glance at Hamnet, Henry’s perception had shifted; no longer did he view him as a rival. Although his respect for him had significantly diminished, he had become more amicable toward him.

“Not a coward in that he is afraid to die,” said Luxa. “But I think it is easier for him to live here in the jungle than to return and face his true life.”

“Exactly,” concurred Henry. “We are not ignorant. What happened in that garden was atrocious, but no one who died that day would care that Hamnet is here now or that he began refusing to fight. Whereas a lot of people would care if he returned home.”

Gregor stared at them like he was moments from starting to shout. “You guys really don’t get it, do you?” He put his bundle of starshades down. I think he made a pretty brave choice. And I think in his mind, it was the only one he could have made.”

“Ha!” Henry exclaimed. “Why yes! Running away from one’s problems has always been known to be the bravest of choices!”

“And so has abandoning one’s family,” said Luxa.

“And . . . refusing to fight, out of principle.” Henry scoffed. “Fighting as little as possible is one thing, but this absoluteness? It is a quite pointless self-limitation.”

Gregor shot the two of them death glares but said nothing anymore.

“You know what would have been brave?” said Henry after a while. “Staying and facing up to the mistake he made. Laying down his office publicly. If he wanted to make a statement about pointless violence, he should have actually attempted to do so. Instead, no one talks about him at all, do they?”

Luxa shook her head, laughing. “If he had stood up to Solovet in such a manner, no one would have dared to forbid any mention of him.”

“You are right,” said a voice behind their backs suddenly, and all three of them jumped. “That would have been the braver choice.” Hamnet stepped in front of them. “That would have been the choice of one who was actually cut out to be that kind of hero. But on that day, I did not only give up fighting.” Hamnet sat on his haunches and scooped up an armful of starshade bundles. “I also gave up lying to myself that I was fit to be a leader, or even less a hero of any kind. A lie that my mother had planted in my head and one that I had clung to for far too long. Not all of us can be heroes,” he said with an unshakable conviction. His eyes flickered over to Gregor before finding Henry again. “I pity those who still believe that they have to be. That they have to sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of some lofty greater good.”

“What if being heroic brings them happiness?” retorted Henry with equally as much conviction.

Hamnet held his gaze for a few heartbeats. “Those who feel this way may be the only ones who should truly be heroes,” he said eventually. “I cannot say I admire or envy them, though.”

“I am certain they would say they harbor the same feelings for you,” replied Henry in a frigid tone.

Hamnet stared at him with something that Henry hated with every fiber of his being: pity. “Do you take pleasure in battle?”

“Occasionally.”

Hamnet said nothing.

“But even if I did not,” said Henry after a stiff silence. “You judge the lofty ideals of heroes, and yet, is your own pacifism not such an ideal as well?”

“It is an ideal that brings me happiness.”

“And heroes bring happiness too!” shouted Henry, springing to his feet. “They bring forth change. They face problems and solve them. They do not run away!”

Hamnet gritted his teeth. “You speak like her,” he mumbled after a while. “Like my mother. So much like her when I was little. If I were to wish this fate upon anyone, I would wish for her to have found you in my stead.”

“And even if!” Henry did his best to conceal the rush of pride that hearing such words from Hamnet of all people, whom he had once believed to embody the ideal that Solovet had strived to forge him into, brought him. “I would have excelled at it.”

“You may have,” said Hamnet pensively. “But I could not.”

“You speak like you never had a choice.” Henry scoffed. “Even if you did not want to be a hero or a leader. Even if refusing to fight brings you happiness. Your being here doesn’t actually accomplish anything. Are you aware of that?”

“I am,” said Hamnet somberly. “But I do not need to accomplish anything. I am tired of it, frankly.”

Henry stared at him as though he had spontaneously grown a third eye, and Hamnet shook his head. “I have accomplished enough that day,” he said sourly. I still dream of it every night . . . The voices crying out for me to save them . . . And what did it solve? That battle at the garden? Nothing. It solved nothing at all. When it was over, the humans and gnawers hated one another more than ever. The Underland only became a more dangerous place.”

“It did,” said Henry. “And you did not think about at least attempting to change that? About standing up for the sake of ensuring that nothing like this could ever occur again?”

“What would you have me do?” hissed Hamnet.

“I would have you face Solovet,” retorted Henry icily. “I would have you give her, give everyone a piece of your mind. If you are gone, that leaves her in power. That opens the possibility for more massacres such as the one at the garden.”

Hamnet stared at him for a silent eternity. But in his eyes, Henry did not see animosity or even the anger from before. He saw . . . sorrow. “Perhaps you are right,” he said, his eyes finding Luxa. “Of everything I left behind in Regalia, Luxa, you were my greatest regret. You and your mother. And perhaps not returning or facing up to it all did make me a coward. Perhaps it made me selfish. But even so, I will not allow judgment for my decision to prioritize my own happiness over the pursuit of bravery or heroism.”

A long, silent moment elapsed. “Fine,” said Henry eventually. “So is your right.” A crooked grin broke on his face. “I cannot say I condone your choice or even remotely understand your mindset. But I do agree with one thing.” He stared at Hamnet and allowed the last remains of his former view of him to fade. Hamnet was not the Hamnet of Old. He was someone new, and so Henry would build a new view of him—based on the present and not the past. “I wholeheartedly agree . . . that not everyone is cut out to be a hero,” Henry said, extending his hand toward Hamnet. “If you have no interest, that leaves more glory for me.”

For one moment, they stood across from each other, and Henry registered that they were almost exactly the same height. Once, he had wanted them to be as alike as possible, but now Henry found himself glad that they were as different as they could be.

“Fine,” said Hamnet, finally returning his smile. “I sincerely hope your glory treats you better than mine did me.” And so, he seized Henry’s hand.

Both of them were startled when, behind them, an enthusiastic applause began. “So different and yet so alike,” laughed Luxa. “What do you call this? Outcast solidarity?”

“I know!” snarled Ripred. “Would you look at that? An actual ounce of respect for another’s mindset that they disagree with. One might even think that they both learned something out here.”

“It is quite unexpected,” said Thanatos. “But satisfying. To see the two of you get along.”

“But they are both so brave!” Nike chimed in. “They must get along!”

“Getting along is well and fine,” snarled Lapblood suddenly. “But have we not a cure to harvest?”

They all lost their smiles at once. “She is right,” said Hamnet, and after a moment of hesitation, he patted Henry’s shoulder. “I feel like I should apologize for comparing you to my mother earlier. She would have never acknowledged my choice, not even in the way you did.”

“I do not mind being compared to her.”

“You may not,” said Hamnet pensively. “But I mind. So I will apologize.”

“Fine, fine!” Henry waved, plopping back down in his old spot. “If it alleviates your conscience, I shall accept. Let us get to work.” He drew Mys again and picked up the duct tape. It was about enough time wasted.

Henry didn’t know for how long they had worked in silence when he suddenly took note of Gregor’s ashen face. The Overlander hadn’t said anything in a long time, and Henry realized he hadn’t applauded either.

“Oh, come, take ease!” Henry threw a freshly tied starshade bundle at Gregor’s head and hit Luxa instead, who toppled over in a fit of giggles. “We made peace. Is that not worthy of your applause?”

Instantly, Gregor woke from his daze. “Oh, yeah,” he said, giving a weak smile. “Thanks for . . . not forcing him to fight you.”

Henry stared at Gregor, aghast. Then he broke into roaring laughter. “You thought I would fight him?” he exclaimed. “Please! I do not like fighting that much.”

“Anyway, uh . . .” Gregor stretched his limbs. “Thanks for not doing that. I don’t like it when people fight. And I like you both, so that makes it even worse.”

“Right. Our warrior is a pacifist,” Henry teased. “You and Hamnet, you probably get along well.”

“As I said, I like you both,” said Gregor determinedly. “And—” He cleared his throat. Henry saw him staring over at Boots, who ran in circles in front of Aurora until she was so dizzy she toppled. “I wanted to thank you for running back into the Vineyard to save Boots and Temp. That was pretty amazing.” He awkwardly scratched his nose. “Ripred said you caught and dragged me out as well?”

“Oh yes, but I should thank you!” exclaimed Henry. “For the excuse to try my flaming sword in the Vineyard!”

“About that . . .” Luxa tapped the handle of her own sword, which Henry had returned to her after Hamnet’s medical checkup. “How exactly does that work? Because I want one as—”

“You make me spin!”

They all jumped when Boots came running toward them, apparently having escaped Aurora, and latched onto Henry’s arm. “You make fire! Me ride rat and you make fire!”

“Sorry . . .” Gregor awkwardly rose and tried to get Boots off his arm, but she wouldn’t let go.

“Oh, leave her,” said Henry, returning her grin. “But she must still let me do my work.” Unexpectedly, he released Mys and grabbed Boots with both hands. He rose and lifted her high above his head. “You like the spinning?” he exclaimed. “You want more?”

She squealed joyously, and Henry’s grin widened. He gripped her more firmly, and then he began to spin. Boots immediately became ecstatic. She howled and laughed, and Henry spun and spun until he was so dizzy he nearly tripped into the stack of starshade.

“More! More!” called Boots over and over, and Henry laughed with her. Just as he had gathered himself enough to pick up speed again his gaze met Gregor’s creased eyebrows.

“What has you so sour?” exclaimed Henry, approaching the Overlander with the squealing Boots in his arms. “Would you like to go next?”

Gregor twitched. “No,” he said. “No. Absolutely no. Just . . .” He stood up and extended his arms. “Can I have her back, please?”

“Little lady,” said Henry to Boots. “Apologies, but there is no more. It would seem as though your brother is a spoilsport.”

“Boots!” Gregor called when he handed her over, and she started yelling in his ear. Henry almost felt sorry for him. “Boots! I have something for you.” He rummaged through his backpack and placed a small mirror in her hand. And Henry had to hand so much to Gregor—as soon as she saw the mirror, it fully occupied her attention. Boots was apparently very fond of making faces at herself.

“I believe this is not to be left out of sight.”

Henry jumped when a voice addressed him from behind and turned to face Hamnet again. He held Mys in his extended hand.

“It usually is,” said Henry, quickly taking the dagger. “But then the baby—”

“I saw.” Hamnet laughed. “You chase glory, you enjoy fighting, and you do not mind being compared to my mother.” Momentarily, he paused, as though evaluating how Henry could have even known her well enough to have an opinion on this. “But you also have the values of a hero. And a knack for children,” he said instead. “You are lucky that my mother did not get her hands on you. She would have made you into a fine villain.”

Henry could not return his smile. He could barely hold his gaze. “I could have been a fine villain indeed,” he said quietly. “And yet I am not. No matter how many battles I fight. No matter what happened in my past or what others say, I will not be a villain.”

For a moment, something like comprehension flashed in Hamnet’s eyes, as though he had understood the silent confession in Henry’s words.

“And you have a fine weapon,” said Hamnet after a pause, looking at Mys.

“It is,” said Henry. “But you would not have any use for it, would you?”

Hamnet looked at him, slightly bemused. “I do not refuse to touch anything that could be used as a weapon. I merely prefer to use violence as a last resort. It is a method of survival I have learned from Frill. It turns out there are many alternatives to violence if you make an effort to develop them. Living out here, I have found that many creatures would prefer not to fight. But if your first instinct is to reach for your sword, you will never discover that.”

“It is not my first instinct!” hissed Henry. “I have a talent for talking my way out of nearly anything.”

Hamnet’s eyebrows shot up. “You did motivate them all quite eloquently earlier,” he said. “You should make more use of that ability.”

“How do you know that I’m not already doing it?”

“You are an outcast too.” Hamnet scrutinized him. “Is that what you have learned out here? To consider talking? To consider using this talent that you clearly possess for the sake of saving your life, as opposed to reaching for your weapon the way the Regalians would have you do?”

Henry pressed his lips together; he didn’t want to admit that Hamnet was right, but . . . he was. Before his exile, Henry would have never considered that he may have something like diplomatic prowess in himself. Or that something like that could even be useful. “I have never enjoyed killing,” he hissed.

“I did not say that you did.”

Henry’s mouth snapped shut. Hamnet hadn’t, and yet something about this attitude still triggered him. Here was Hamnet—an excellent warrior. Someone who had been . . . who could be an excellent warrior yet chose not to fight.

They stared at each other silently for another moment. “Despite its purpose, it is an incredible piece of work,” said Hamnet eventually, pointing at Mys. “May I . . . see it again for a moment?”

“Oh, you are very right, Hamnet.” Henry jumped when he heard Ripred’s unmistakable snarl. The rat looked back and forth between the two of them, finally breaking into a grin.

***

Well, that's pretty much it (I know there are some Boots shenanigans in there too, but I kept them in for context purposes ... also they're quite fun lol.)

GO READ A HENRY STORY FOR MORE :)

#gregor the overlander #suzanne collins #the underland chronicles #tuc #underland chronicles #a henry story #ahs #gregor #luxa #gregor and the curse of the warmbloods #hamnet

[catlunisciawrites]

EARTHBOUND/MOTHER 2 AU IDEA

Oh brain came up with a interesting eartbound/mother 2 au situation, aka what would of happened 10 years later if Ness and the team didn't do the thing in year 19XX (if I remember the year right), like what if they went to take Gigas on when they are older 20 somethings not young teens. More under the cut because damn I had ideas

Giygas would take over the world and it would be post apocalypses most likely a weird tech heavy apocalypse if I think right but lets talk about the kids. They are the more main focus of this pile of blathering of a mad woman.

From what I have thought so far is Paula is well. So she was kidnaped by the Happy Happism cult during the events of the game to make into a priestess of said cult, Now, while there could be a dark turn for her, I disagree, there are lines in the game where she admits she will try to get the hell out...She has Psi powers, she is strong, a glass canon but thats still a canon so she could of taken them down, Now it wouldn't be instant but maybe a couple years of her secretly honing her powers to become stronger, maybe going with the bit till she takes them down from the inside all we know is she escaped and got out. She is very...angry, I think due to not only getting kidnapped by Happy Happism but also other times, She gets kidnapped at least twice in game so I would get very annoyed after a while so her on edge of getting taken would be there. I also like to think if someone does get kidnap she is the first to get up and go save them, not wanting another to deal with what she dealt with. Still with her trusty frying pan to take out those if her psi energy is depleted, her prayers never answered...till Giygas is being taken down similar to end of game.

Poo would be a Prince of a fallen Kingdom. His Kingdom Dalaam did fight against Giygas, fought his armies well but got overwhelmed and taken down, Poo being taken out of kingdom for safety he did fight, but he was then told to leave because someone has to lead Dalaam when Giygas is finally taken down, him knowing of this prophecy due to part of his training, he when better journeys off to not only train and gather the Kings items (which he does get the complete set due to training and battle) He is off to find the others not Ness, He knows this group needs to be made and formed to take Giygas down, its shown in game he was aware of it before Ness even met Buzz Buzz so he is now on this quest.

Jeff Andonuts is interesting my mind, So in this universe I like to think Giygas as a way to make sure he is not taken down has rounded up anyone who uses Psi Powers and has either had them join is side (aka the cowards, the pokeys etc of the world join him) or imprisoned in some horrible way maybe using them for some form of evil may it be a power source or something details not full on that. Which would explain why Dalaam was gone after first they have people who use Psi Powers via Muu Training they are powerful. But what does this have to do with little Jeff here? Well he is never detected, not seen as a threat, even though with his genius skill he defiantly is, heck his very distant father even decided to talk to him when shit went down because he knew both of them together could help others. His lab being used as a shelter almost in Winters. They have been working on weapontry to take down the monsters around them, and even possibly a item that can hide psi users let them use their powers with out being detected. Little finikey on that one right now but I do know he has made a lot of weapons, and really loves using those bottle rockets.

Now you maybe wondering, What about Ness? The main protag of the Earthbound story what did he do since he isn't the one traveling finding the others what will he do? Well when the attacks happened, He was at home with his mom and sister, he used his trusty baseball bat and well SMASH! he has a talent for it, he also has psi abilities and used them to heal his family when they got hurt, That is what he did a lot of when the world became what it is, when not in hiding he was healing, or protecting.

Now Other characters in the story in this au while details not fully fleshed out I have ideas.

Porky/Pokey is a high ranking member of the Giygas army. Shocking no one he bent over to him to keep himself safe and loved by his parents. So you know similar to game. Not much changed with his dysfunctional family. Picky is a good kid still though.

The Runaway 5 is interesting in this AU. So Attack happens building they were forced to work at gets majorly damage, contract more or less null and void now. So they are now free and they travel through out the land in their the van, Giygas doesn't deem them a threat they are a washed up band what will they do? But here is the thing, they are doing something. They do keep bumping into Poo and later on the others when they finally group up. They learn what they have been doing. Poo first talked about the Prophecy of the 3 boys and one girl meant to stop the great evil which is a great story lets be honest. The group use it as inspiration for new songs, using the stories these 4 young 20 somethings and their adventures to try and stop Giygas. The Runaway 5 are the ones bringing hope to the common people, they are the ones relaying what is happening. The families use their concerts as a covert way to learn what is happening to them. The underground resilience against Giygas sing these songs using them as inspiration and hope.

That one day, these 4 young 20 somethings, from different parts of the world, will collect what is needed, and take down Giyas

This is my idea of an au I wrote it down maybe I could possibly work on it some more later on, I have an idea for art of it at least which will take a bit to draw. If anyone is actually interested in this please tell me, I have ideas but I am not the best at like writing the ideas into actual scenes...hence why so much of my fanfic takes a long time to write. It takes me a bit. Would love an opinion.

#mother 2 #earthbound #au fic #alternate future #fan fic #ness #jeff andonutsfan #fanfic #concept fic #ideas #poo #paula jones