#he's grown so much TTT

[flamebearrel]

Considering I've had several of my LD OCs for over a year now, it's high time to publicly start sharing their lore (orrrr at least the basics). Let's start with these guys!

So to keep it short there are two types of creatures that live in the mindscape: Imaginary Friends/IFs, which come and go at different points in peoples' lives, and Critters, which everyone has but few get to see since they stay in the deeper levels. Both the specific IF from "Your Imaginary Friend" (they/them) and Corey the armadillo from "Neverending Hum" (it/its) belong to the character from "Vow of Silence" (Vow, he/him). The IF used to terrorize Vow as a child, until Corey revealed itself to fight them off... now years later, they're back, and much more powerful!! Vow tries to keep a vow of silence and think in "mentalese" to strengthen Corey's protection, but he has WAY too many opinions to be at all consistent

(Comic transcript below)

A car stops at a red light, its driver inside subtly shaking as they think to themself.

Narration: This has not been a great day for me. They won’t leave me alone. I could barely speak in class without them on my back. Even now, I can’t clear my mind... I just need to... 

The driver, Vow, a young adult with shoulder-length hair and a lip piercing, starts to lean back in his chair and clear his mind - until being interrupted by a ringing phone. 

Vow: $%!#. Heeello?

A voice on the car speaker replies, "Afternoon, sir! My name’s Ivan. Might I interest you in some mushroom removers?"

Vow: Mushroom... removers? Is that a product or a service?

Ivan: Both, actually!

Vow: How does that work?

Ivan: Our technicians have very specialized training.

Vow: Yeah, I’m gonna take a hard pass. The flat my roommate and I share doesn’t even HAVE any...

He trails off upon spotting a small creature - similar in appearance to a ladybug - grinning up at him from the windowsill. Vow stares in silent terror.

Ivan: ..."Any"...? Honestly, sir, this is my last call of the day, so I’d appreciate if you could work with me here-

Suddenly, Vow flinches back in a panic as the creature floats towards him.

Vow: EEK! I-I-I have to go-!

Ivan: Eh?! But if you could just give me one second— 

Vow: I’ll call you back later-

Ivan: But-

Vow: I’LL CALL YOU BACK!!!

With a “click!”, he hangs up, and a short amount of time passes; the car is now parked by a meter and Vow has collapsed in the back seat.

Vow, trying not to cry: ugh... Some white noise should do the trick.

He turns the dial for the radio to an ongoing argument.

Radio Show Host 1: kssHKKmost outlandish theories I’ve ever heard! 

Ivan: D-do you think I’m just making this up?? This is serious!

RSH2: (Seriously out there, more like...)

Ivan: No, wait! They don’t- [his speech bubble is cut off]

RSH1: Hey actual listeners: call in and come laugh at this guy!

Assorted voices call in and laugh, while the host says, "At least try and make some sense!" The caller quietly hangs up.

Vow: That caller... Doesn’t that sort of sound like...?

He barely finishes this thought before getting yet another call, to his frustration.

Vow: What do you not understand about “I’LL” call “YOU” back-

Ivan: I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!

Vow’s imaginary friend respawns behind him at his words, and he clamps a hand over his mouth. Again they near.

Imaginary Friend: Come on, Vow... Let’s go back to how it used to be.

As a last resort to block out the IF, Vow starts humming... and another imaginary creature, this one armadillo-like, tackles them from out of nowhere. It pins them down and wordlessly reassures Vow; he gives a relieved thumbs up in return, then brings his focus to his phone. Over all the action, Ivan continues his angry rant.

Ivan: They all cut me off, always cut me off, and keep living their lives like nothing! Can’t they see what is at stake?! It’s like I’ll never get a word in before THEY come for me... You aren’t listening either, are you? Hello...?

Cut to a semi-obscured shot of Ivan slumping in front of a conspiracy board.

Vow: ...Look, man. There’s honestly not much I can say.

Ivan, lowering his touch-tone telephone: oh.

Vow: But... 

Vow steps out of his car, shutting the door behind him. 

Vow: IIII needed a break anyway. Alright Ivan: Tell me more about those "mushroom removers". I won’t hang up on you.

#long post #krispy kreme art machine #krispy krime oc time #lemon demon #lemon demon fanart #lemon demon oc #vow (oc) #ivan (oc) #the if (oc) #corey (oc) #corey the armadillo #vow of silence #your imaginary friend #neverending hum #touch-tone telephone #ivanushka #'dooon't call me on the telephone. I don't wanna be alone but I have grown out of it so leave a message at the tone' #I don't have big plans for Ivan (also he/him) since it feels like there isn't anything UNIQUE I could really do with ttt #what you get is telemarketer moonlighting as a conspiracy theorist #vow actually gives the if a kind of name later on once he meets others that have much friendlier ones #...if ttt/cm is called 'game theory'... then maybe we can call this oneee #conspirasilence

[lollytea]

(About the Dana post)

ALSO LIKE. THE WAY HE WAS PROBABLY IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING ELSE AND THEN JUST. DID THAT.

Like he's holding a clipboard! I'm willing to bet Willow just slid under him with some encouraging chant to hype up the team, and Hunter just went "ah yes spot for me"

What if I explode

YEAHHHHH!!! Talking about this sketch and the implications makes me very unwell. Also the little gesture of happily resting his chin in her palm is just like something a sweet doggy would do before looking up at you with confused yet earnest eyes and then wagging his tail hopefully. He's so doggy like to me. Do you know what I mean? You know what I mean <333

Agsbdjnk the clipboard. A silly little sketch but with visual storytelling. It's absolutely tryouts or something similar. I imagine that Willow is the only EE player that is dedicated to playing longterm while the others have a lot of fun during their time on the team but eventually move on to other ventures after a year or two. Once Boscha improves her behaviour after FTF, I could see Skara wanting to return to playing grudgby. She seemed to really love it. So Willow and Hunter are on the ball near immediately to find a replacement. And with the Flyer Derby renaissance Willow has lowkey started at Hexside, there's a way bigger turn out than the last time she needed recruits.

Judging by Hunter's level of relaxed contentment and Willow not giving it much notice, a good chunk of time has passed since the events of W&D. They're very attuned to each other, having probably been joined at the hip for a while now.

(We're gonna ignore the fact that Hunter doesn't have his post TTT scars. Presumably Dana just forgot agsbdjk.)

Definitely post grom I imagine. If you compare Hunter's body language in both pics

In the left pic, I don't think he's unwilling to be touched. He's definitely excited about wherever the FUCK this is going. But he looks stiff and his smile is twitchy, clearly nervous. Which implies that he's not that used to Willow being so touchy with him and he's a little out of his depth. My headcanon is that grom was when they officially got together, after months of situationship shenanigans. With that little idea in mind, this is just the beginning of their relationship.

When it comes to the pic on the right, I imagine it's also quite early in the dating stage. Early enough that they've only just broached the exciting world of more intimately affectionate touches. Which Hunter has evidently not built up an immunity to yet. Still melts every time.

Yeah that is definitely a boy who has only been in a relationship long enough to discover that he loves the feeling of his face being held, but also a boy who's so comfortable in his relationship that he's not shy about seeking out affection when he wants it. Even in public.

So he's still swoony but not shy about it anymore. So I'd say a few weeks-a month or two into dating.

(Also the haircuts align with this little timeline I've made up in my head. Willow has cut her hair short for grom, while it's in the season 2 short stubby braids during tryouts. So it HAS grown out but only a little. Meanwhile Hunter's hair has grown out a bit during grom, but looks recently trimmed during tryouts. There's no real significance to this. I watched a Dana livestream once where she said she'd rather just draw short hair Hunter because the long hair noodle is annoying to draw. But asgbknk! I like to make up implications where there are none. Anyway my hc is that Willow and Hunter do not just decide on a signature hair length and keep it forever. They spend the next three years bouncing back and forth between long and short styles.)

ANYWAY Willow is absolutely hyping Hunter the fuck up as the Golden Star of her team!! The best and the brightest!! Her pride and joy as a Captain. The purpose is to get the candidates all excited to do their best to get a spot on this epic team so they can play alongside him, but Hunter misinterprets Willow's praise as sweet talk and smiles and blushes appropriately.

Agsbdjnk it's so funny. He totally understood that the goal was to get their potential players PUMPED and he was excellently playing along with riling them up. But that glowing review of his character distracted him and now he thinks they're flirting. So the super cool badass disposition he had adapted for the newbies was promptly thrown out the window because hehehehe my girlfriend is so nice to me 🥰 Bro has forgotten where he is. Head empty.

So when Willow juts out a hand to aggressively present ✨️Him✨️ to the audience, Hunter's already gooey brain just says put chin in hand because sweet girl soft girl my girl.

Willow is a little thrown off but when she feels the weight of his face but just rolls with it and keeps going. She even gives him an affectionate little caress. I think she recognizes that he's misunderstood the tone a bit and has decided to not tell him. He usually gets very embarrassed when its pointed out that he's made a social error and she doesn't wanna do that to him. It's harmless and its cute, who cares? He's a little confused but he's got the spirit.

[svtminji]

❪ 🫂 ❫ MINJI’S RELATIONSHIP WITH 98 LINE & 99 ->

minji + seungkwan + vernon + chan

❪ 💛 ❫ seungkwan + minji -> kwanji

❪ popularity rating: 90% + type of relationship: girl group lovers ❫

the energy this man has put up.. it’s unspeakable. mizuki can never keep up with that amount of energy and frankly, it reminds her of her younger brother. oh man.. this is definitely corny now but she finds him annoying like an older sister 100%. the moment he puts his sass on, she isn’t having it and doesn’t feed into it. along with the bss line, minji can not understand the amount of loudness that occurs every few minutes.

both minji and seungkwan enjoy girl group songs and spend their free time learning the most popular choreography. mizuki is mostly the one that gets to dance with gg members and comes to seungkwan showing it off. she definitely teases seungkwan the most out of all of them. just like the rest of the members, he dances along with her whenever there’s girl group songs put on!! ❪ cue “ooh-ahh, ooh-ahh” on ttt ❫.

occurring moments between them include: sassy seungkwan + over it mizu, best gg dancers!!, scared duo fr, seungkwan being babied 25/8, emotional supporters, swk putting the mic infront of minji for the “mwoya eotteokhae” for aju nice encore, asking her about japanese sayings..

a song that represents them: lion heart - snsd

❪ 💛 ❫ vernon + minji -> minon

❪ popularity rating: 90% + type of relationship: 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️ ❫

i think these two have such a calming aura to them. part of the american line with shua & most of their dialogue consists of konglish. vernon has stated that he mostly speaks korean rather than english and thanks joshua + minji for allowing him to speak english with them so he doesn’t completely forget about it. minji had the chance to see new york when she was younger and she absolutely loved it ❪ only the tourist places, other than that she thought it was okay ❫. vernon, who grew up around that part of the state, really didn’t see the entire hype about it but still made sure that minji got the full experience whenever seventeen had the chance to visit vernon’s state. 

mizuki doesn’t really baby him in a way that she would with seungkwan or chan but she still looks out for him and makes sure he’s always taking care of himself.

occurring moments between them include: minji copying his faces, making fun of him off camera because of his FANCALLS!! ❪ she finds it hilarious ❫, stayc stans mizu + vern, konglish spoked fr, extroverted vernon + introverted mizuki = 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️

a song that represents them: dilemma - nelly

❪ 💛 ❫ chan ❪ dino ❫ + minji -> chami.

❪ popularity rating: 95% + type of relationship: son & mom ❫

she loves this boy a little too much & mostly feels a sense of protectiveness over him. he’s been her baby for more than a decade and never wants to let him go. it became clear that he had grown up right in-front of her when he was more confident in his own body & mind. she is definitely the first person he goes to when he’s getting bullied only for her give him faux care and bully him as well ❪ “they’re making fun of you? aw, i’m sorry baby but you shouldn’t of have fallen on your face in front of them.” ❫

mizuki definitely hugs him the most when shes drunk and rants about how much she hates it when he grows up because it reminds her that she’s also growing up. sad stuff aside they are THEE main dancers along with soonyoung!!! the amount of energy he has is so astonishing and mizuki tries her best to keep up with it. dino was always a firm believer in the jeongmi ship and has always managed to call them mom & dad.. even with seungcheol by their side 🤦. chan & mizuki’s younger brother have a few things in common and spend their free time talking to each other.

part of mizu’s cariño line!!! he’s the main one <3

occurring moments between them include: massive amounts of energy with their dancing, holding him close to her, official drinking buddies ❪ she’s more sensitive & he helps her go through the emotions ❫, slightly making fun of eachother, a semi-official member of dino’s danceology, huge use of mom & noona from him.

a song that represents them: slipping through my fingers - abba

sorry these were short!! idk how to write the maknae line 😭

#svtminji #kpop #kpop oc #seventeen 14th member #seventeen oc #seventeen #kpop added member #seventeen added member #seventeen female member #kpop female oc #boo seungkwan #seungkwan #seungkwan x oc #vernon chwe #vernon #vernon x oc #lee chan #chan #dino #seventeen dino #dino x oc #lee chan x oc #seventeen seungkwan #seventeen vernon #seventeen x oc #kpop x oc #💾 ; minji's relationship #svt:minon #svt:kwanji #svt:chami

[stanning-reyna]

But literally no one pressured Reyna to have feelings for Jason? Those romantic feelings of hers for Jason were genuine, if not, we would have learned otherwise in her POV chapters. And Riordan was straight up using Reyna as a mouthpiece in TTT to shit on people who saw her as w/w. The very fact she says she's been judging her worth by what other people think of her, even though that contradicts what she said HoO when she outright told Orion that she doesn't do that. There's nothing wrong with having headcanons, but you insisting Reyna is aro like this feels like you're forcing it.

First, there very much was pressure to date Jason. It’s the same pressure that aro people feel every day. Everyone else dates, so if you never date it makes you weird (is what society tells us). On top of that, Reyna clearly stated in ttt that all the praetors to come before her had been romantic partners, and though no one said it outright to her, it was the general expectation that she and Jason would be the same (same with Percy later). Not dating Jason would break centuries of tradition at Camp Jupiter. That seems like a lot of pressure to me.

Second, I can see why you may interpret her monologue in ttt as anti-w/w on Rick’s part, but I believe that since he also sunk any ship of her with men it wasn’t intended to be only about w/w Reyna. It was aimed at all fandom ships of hers.

Third, just because she doesn’t want to care about what others think of her doesn’t mean it never happens. She’s human. Sometimes she wants to fit in, and that doesn’t make her a contradiction, it makes her normal. And also note that the quote from boo which I assume you’re referring to takes place after the pressure Reyna said she felt to date Jason (which was pre-hoo when they were co-praetors). So it’s possible she could have grown from it and now feels more independent.

And finally, even if I was forcing aro Reyna (which I don’t think I am, as an aro person myself her character is strikingly familiar) what would be so bad about that? Can you name a single canon aromantic character that most fans on here would know? Probably not. There is literally no aro rep in popular media. So is having ONE character that I insist is aro so bad, really? Is there an actual problem with aro people feeling seen and accepted on my blog? Please explain what you think the issue with that is.

#Also note I’ve never attacked another person for headcanoning Reyna as non-aro or shipping her with someone #reyna ramirez arellano #heroes of olympus #pjo #hoo fandom #hoo series #pjo fandom #pjo series #percy jackson and the olympians #blood of olympus #rick riordan #aro

[kirschetein]

Jean Kirschtein: Character Development throughout Shingeki no Kyojin — Happy birthday, Jean! (07.04) (part 1) (part 2 here)

#snkedit #aotedit #dailyanime #shingeki no kyojin #jean kirstein #attack on titan #* #snk #snkgraphic #animeedit #anime #aot #jean kirschtein #jean #it's the 7th in my timezone and in Japan soooooo #HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LOML !!!!!!! #jean baby you have been my constant comfort character since i watched the snk anime for the first time 7 years ago #thank you for inspiring me and many others to change to be brave and to stand up for ourselves #omg doing this set made me so emotional ;;; i love him so much aaAAAAaaaa best boy best character arc #he's grown so much TTT #this is the largest gifset I have done EVER #it's kind of sad i don't put as much effort into irl stuff or people LOL #anw all these scenes i chose each has its own significance #only true jean stans will know #they are not random scenes!!! #drop me an ask if you want to know why i chose particular scenes in this set :-) #meanwhile please show this beautiful man some love <3 #animanga

[lesbiansforboromir]

'But the stewards were wiser and more fortunate. Wiser, for they recruited the strength of our people from the sturdy folk of the sea-coast, and from the hardy mountaineers of Ered Nimrais’

I'm still incredibly intrigued by this juicey comment within Faramir's general Gondor-pseudo-history diatribe in TTT. So much of what he says is barely even half true, so it stands to reason that this is also somehow misleading AND YET... I can't see it being entirely false either? At the very least it confirms the existence of, not only distinct ethnic indigenous middlemen groups that are present still within Gondor's population, but that those groups ALSO have maintained their distinct cultures in some form as well, for the whole 2000 years of the King's rule!! This excites me to mania. 

But the term 'recruited' is both so specific and yet so opaque. @illegalstargender tells me that they can't think of another medieval meaning to it, other than the usual military one. And since Faramir declares that the strength is 'of our people' then the change enacted by the Stewards can’t have been to do with middle men citizenship within Gondor. It reads to me like there was a racial embargo on middle men gondorians serving in the Military during the King's reign that the Ruling Stewards abolished.

And this would make sense right? Oaths would be a necessary part of joining Gondor’s military. It would be very comforting for the Dunadain to use Isildur’s curse as an excuse to justify mistrust of middle men gondorians and keep them ‘at arms length’ as it were. HOWEVER this also means that ALL of Gondor's military before the Steward's reign HAD to incorporate only Dunadain. Or at least men who were dunadain-socialised and raised (and probably blooded). Which... HIGHLY inflates the numbers of Dunadain I had assumed were living in Gondor by the year T.A 2050. And there’s an element of this that could make sense, Pelargir had existed for a millenia before Gondor was founded, the city's population would have swelled the numbers of Dunadain that landed after the Akallabeth. And Umbar wasn't cut off from them until later but STILL... All of the army? All of them were just Dunadain specifically?? That’s wild John. 

But getting back on track, if we couple this with Faramir's stated racial hierarchy beliefs, (Yet now, if the Rohirrim are grown in some ways more like to us, enhanced in arts and gentleness, we too have become more like to them, and can scarce claim any longer the title High. We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight, but with memory of other things.) then what he essentially seems to be saying here is 'It is good that the Stewards got the middle men to fight our wars for us' which is... WILD. This tiny little segment creates this incredibly complex mini history of these two middle men communities and their various situations within gondorian society AND how that has changed over the millenias. If Mardil abolished a racist law, that must have been perceived by many as a victory at the time!

And yet it was also likely a pretty cold and calculating manoeuvre. Anyone still claiming dunadain heritage MUST have been dwindling in number by that point, after so many bottlenecking situations of battle and civil war and plague etc throughout history. As Gondor’s ethnic layout shifted towards less Dunadain and more middle men, the embargo was no longer feasible! Everyone knew the watchful peace would come to an end at some point, they could not afford to ban a majority of their population from military service any longer. 

But still, it would have meant an upheaval in social dialogue. And now, about 1000 years on in T.A 3018, we have this stark division in opinion between Boromir and Faramir, showing Gondor's own greater overall diversity of opinion. Boromir's 'I know the Men of Rohan; true and valiant, our allies' [-] 'descended from the free days of old.' vs Faramir's 'We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight but with memory of other things. For as the Rohirrim do, we now love war and valour as things good in themselves, both a sport and an end' etc etc attitudes are very much pitched against each other, just as the brothers themselves are in this strange conflict with each other that is mirrored by the various citizens of Gondor themselves.

AND I KNOW I talk about it quite a bit but it just always hits me how heavily and frequently Boromir is put into the Middlemen camp. He does it to himself, Faramir aligns him with them multiple times, the overall narrative describes him with a middleman slant and Eomer says Boromir is far easier to get along with than other ‘grim’ men of Gondor he's known! And like, yes, Faramir (and probably tolkien himself) means it as an insult, but it just makes me love him more. I love to think about the tales inherent in Boromir’s expertise with mountains that saves the fellowship from Caradhras. Did he spend time with the Mountaineers of Lossarnach and Lamedon? Were they his teachers? His comrades? His friends? What else did he pick up from them, hobbies? Stories? Games? Is it their influence that has allowed Boromir to be so gregarious, his social circles so fluid? I think about it and I suddenly have thirty fanfics I have to write immediately. 

#boromir #gondor #tolkien #lotr #soap operas in mannish sindarin #erran vs tolkien #text post #gondor meta

[nicojoe]

Re: Nicky quoting the Bible back at white suprematists weaponizing it to justify themselves + using the 'avenging angel' metaphor... that's a VERY Lapsed Catholic thing to do. Like, if that's the Moral Worldframe you've grown up in, even when you consciously criticize it and divorce yourself from it, if you see somebody using it to justify their evil, the knee-jerk reaction is to go all "bitch have we been reading the same fucking book?! HERE'S A SLIDESHOW ABOUT ALL THE WAYS YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG". Although I suppose that Nicolò by 1863 should have had enough time to temper this reaction.

The "avenging angel" thing is kinda connected to the point above, in the sense that when your enemy thinks they're Justified in their evil actions by God, scaring the shit out of them and, three seconds before killing them, telling them "guess what, asshole? You're going straight to Hell" is a way to... I don't know, having the last word with terms they can grasp (bigots are obsessed with the whole Heaven/Hell thing, so it's pretty much a final giant 'fuck you')

Again, probably Nicky should be old and experienced enough to... not fall into this reasoning. But I can kind of understand where it comes from, and being alone around people that remind him of how he was during the Crusades... maybe he's treating those soldiers like he thinks himself and the other Crusaders should have been treated a long time ago.

This thoughtful response is honestly more full of nuance than what we've seen in canon re: Nicky's history and incredibly complex relationship with religion... it's one of the things I love most about this fandom.

I really have nothing of import to add, other than I am SO grateful that the film actually showed us Nicky's famed "kindness" that the comics' exposition tells us is there. Because TTT has shown us a lot of his rage and righteousness, which - I agree - should've been tempered by the progression of time.

#i feel like this is another example of where concepts of masculinity come into play... how rage is seen #as one of the few ''valid'' emotional expressions for men etc etc etc... and how the film did such a good job of subverting that #wish we saw more of THAT kind of subversion in the comics but fingers crossed that gina will give it to us in the sequel #tales through time #tales through time anthology #tales through time spoilers #spoilers #regina-del-cielo #asks

[wickedpact]

You can't just drop that "I read Forces Multiplied" bomb on us and not give a ten page written reaction.

[cracks knuckles] if u insist

nicky cant drive hc: destroyed. rip. also i loved how andy and nile stole those sports cars and were being badass and driving off the bridge & meanwhile joe and nicky were just absolutely vibing in the van

'heres the thing about power: people who have it think they deserve it' [shot of police car] i see u greg

5 whole panels being dedicated to booker not being able to unlock his door. booker not even seeing noriko sitting RIGHT THERE in the window at first. incredible

noriko being 24/7 horny was surprising. like wow all of the stuff i saw she did out of context was 100% equally horny in context as it was out of context. love that for her

i didnt think the 'andy + slavery' thing was handled as badly as everyone made it out to be when telling me about it. tho from the way it was talked about i had kind of figured the conflict between andy and nile re: slavery would be really racially charged (esp considering nile is a black american and would obvs have Thoughts on the subject in that regard) but like,, done in a cringey 'a-white-guy-obviously-wrote-it' kind of way? but it wasnt that. i mean. it makes sense that andy would be implicit in slavery through the years

i mean, like she says, is that not what people just did to each other in the aftermath of battles for thousands of years? and i really like how its pointed out that it was what she was raised with (in the beginning when you see her put shackles on that guy after the battle) but she also accepts responsibility for it and acknowledges that it was wrong and not just 'what people did'.

i like how from her expressions you can kind of tell baby andy knew it was off but she sets those feelings aside bc she felt angry. it explains how she felt but didnt make her out to be blameless in it. plus i mean. i dont know, the fact that andy was involved in a lot of morally shady stuff for 7000 years is not that wild for me. if you live that long youre just Going to be involved in some shit, and she didnt even have other immortals with her as positive community influences, she literally just did whatever the fuck she wanted for thousands of years

'i was worshipped as a god once' i mean, yeah no shit she wouldve been involved in some seriously fucked up stuff, gods were fucking scary back in the day

tldr it could use some polish but it wasnt that bad

tho everything people said about moose being boring was unfortunately a little true. sorry king i tried to be interested in you

joe and nicky writing verbal fanfiction about nile and moose was iconic. 'you seeing that?' 'i am definitely seeing that'

it was also extremely funny bc that was like 60% of their contribution to the whole comic, besides kidnapping copley. they came, they wrote some fanfic, they left. kings. at least in tog1 they had an excuse to be useless bc they got kidnapped

joe just found out his old friend who he thought was dead is alive (and also probably wants to murder them) and instead of investigating with andy he stopped to help nile up. champ.

nicky shooting noriko through andy was cool. rip to the concept since it wont happen in tog2

wanna see mr ejiofor deliver this line

on that note imo copley was. weirdly enough, more interesting in fm than in tog1. to me at least. the fact that andy let him live and he was so haunted by what had happened that he came back and sought them out despite knowing they would likely kill him for it bc he wanted to not only make up for what hed done but also to tell them what theyd done for the world was admittedly more interesting than andy just kind of drafting him to the cause and him going 'okie'

i like how nicky was drawn in this one. in opening fire he looks like a blob man but in fm he looks more like a very nice grampa with a very good dye job

'theres no pain like a broken heart' andy 🥺

noriko implying andy's never drowned. .. .idk about that one, she musta drowned sometime

joe and nicky came, they waxed poetic about nile's love life, they waxed poetic about grog, and then they left.

sports bras being a reason humanity is good. i mean..... okay, yeah.

i mean. wild but you cant exactly tell her shes wrong

i liked how noriko telling andy that their purpose is to make people suffer coincides with joe and nicky finding out that they actually did good all those years

joenicky in opening fire: jail for booker jail for booker for 100 years

joenicky when copley tells them he knows where booker is: WE'LL KILL YOU WHERE IS HE

joenicky when copley comes back: if your vibes come off as even remotely rancid we Will destroy you

joenicky 2 minutes later when copley helped them find booker: he made up some ground :)))) <3 lov you j cops

theyre forgiving af

moose: how old are you?? a hundred??? a thousand???

nile [vine voice]: I M 2 7 ?

alright andy you got me there

joe texts like my aunt

i dont know why noriko drowning andy in that car tickled me. Bad And Naughty Andromaches Get Put In The Pear Wiggler To Atone For Their Crimes.

the drowning sequence was cool

copley trying to talk to andy while she was like o_o at him was great

ive hit the picture limit but id seen that panel where nicky goes 'forgive me' as he kills a guy out of context and it was HILARIOUSLY anticlimactic for me to discover that there was literally no context to it. nicky just apologizes to random people he kills. i thought that guy was someone he knew or something. nope its just Some Guy that nicky didnt know from adam

nile's complaint that andy was especially brutal to the guys on the boat... i mean. . , how exactly does one kill a man with an axe and not be brutal about it?

it was funny how noriko kissed andy and the only people who seemed surprised by that were nile and also andy

nicky and joe's complete non-reaction to finding out noriko is alive And Evil Now is endlesly funny. they just left her on that boat and neither cared. i get book and nile not caring but joe and nicky knew her, and they just have 0 input on the subject of what to do with her

pinstripe suit guy!

joe and nicky and booker packing up and leaving with nile

andy blowing up at nile was A Moment tho

i dont know, i get why people didnt like the ending but its. .. . it makes more sense in the comicverse. bc the squad doesnt really. .. interact outside of jobs? i mean, think of the moon landing story in ttt. that was booker and joe and nicky doing a job and andy only showed up a for a couple minutes after it was done. or the brunch in the first issue of opening fire. the squad arent as tight in the comic, and andy often seems to do her own thing outside of work, so andy saying 'i dont want to do work anymore' and the squad being like 'alright bye then' makes more sense in this universe than the movie one

also i feel like greg was Trying to set up a thing where nile becomes the Leader of The Squad after andy dies but like. its not very well done since. . . i mean, nile hasnt spoken to booker since opening fire, (and she only knew him A Day). and shes known joe and nicky all that time, but there isnt really anything that indicates that they have any relationship at all, much less one that's grown. in all the comicverse the only time nile and nicky speak is in FM, and in that scene nicky tells nile about noriko. nile goes from someone who needs to be set aside to have background knowledge explained to her to being the Leader of the group with nothing in between. it kind of... comes out of nowhere.

on the other hand tho... i felt really bad for andy thru the whole thing. well, i always felt bad for andy, but in this one she seemed so miserable, especially since it really felt like none of the others actually.... cared about her. when noriko came back no one asked andy how she was doing (big question ik, but it wouldve showed they cared at least), nobody ever expressed any concern for her, no one even really seemed to want to be around her. in opening fire everyone was more distant than in the movie of course, but there were little moments where she would joke with joe, or nicky would try and comfort her, or stuff like that, but in FM it really felt like they just didnt really care about her. & in opening fire it felt a lot like andy's relationship with nile breathed some new life into her, but in FM it felt like all they did was argue. i get theyre not *as* close in the comics but it really felt like the only person who cared about andy at all was noriko (which was probably also how andy felt) but it just seemed to come out of nowhere. honestly i was reading and i was honestly agreeing with andy that she might just be better off if she did just die. opening fire, on the other hand, never make me feel that way

tho everyone made it sound like when the squad split up it was one of those cursed 'the found family leaves each other at the end of the journey' tropes. but guys i mean,,, this is the second installment out of three. that isnt the End. theyll come back in the third one and Dramatically Reunite to fight some baddies (probably those 'others' noriko mentioned). im guessing yitzhak fits into that too somehow.

anyways it wasnt That Bad but it made me kind of sad and the only Sweet Found Family vibes in it were when they saved booker. also they shouldve beefed up that nilemoose romance, it underwhelmed me. 6.5/10

i also ABSOLUTELY understand all of greg's comments about how you couldnt make FM directly into a movie, he always said that it had no plot and. i get it now. it really didnt have a plot sdfghjkl

#nicoloalkaysani #it took me So Long to type this up #asdfghjk

[phantaloon-books]

(some) Riordanverse characters (bc I never read TKC) and which Hogwarts House I think they would be in

Warning: this is a long one

Nico: the dude is definitely Gryffindor without a doubt. Like Sorting isn't about some traits and some characteristics, it's about core personality. He may have gone through some of the roughest stuff when he was 10-12, and he was resentful and bitter, but he was brave and bold af throughout everything he did. From learning about his powers, to using them relentlessly despite knowing how exhausted he is afterwards, to his willingness to do whatever is necessary to do what has to be done, because it has to be done. You can't change my mind that he's Gryffindor lol.

Grover: Do I even need to explain why he's Gryffindor? He's a satyr, and even if we're shown strong satyrs, they're not really supposed to be brave fighters. Yet he is one of the strongest, bravest nature spirits we've ever encountered in the Riordanverse, and one of the bravest in general. Like he's so passionate about doing what is good, he's a hero, and the only thing he doesn't match with common Gryffindors is that he's humble and as far from arrogant as could be possible, but it doesn't take his courage away.

Hazel: She's Gryffindor, and core personality-wise, she and Nico are very much alike. They don't ever think about themselves, like Hazel really always does what has to be done, no matter the cost, I mean she literally died preventing Gaea to rise the first time, and she freed Thanatos while believing he would take her back to the Underworld. She's brave af, and she has one of the most strong willpower we've seen in the Riordanverse. She's a passionate hero, and she's the closest thing to a real knight in shining armor.

Lester: I'm gonna place him in Gryffindor because I don't think he fits in in the other houses lmao. That said, as Apollo he's very shitty, but as Lester, he's one of the most courageous people. He's grown so much, he's so willing to actually do stuff now, and sacrifice everything to do what's right, including his life, even if he doesn't know he's gonna survive. Hell, he really went most of TTT with an incredibly painful wound that nearly turned him undead, and he cared more for the future of Camp Jupiter than his own life. Additionally, he's a bit arrogant and cocky, but he truly means well, I love Lester so much.

Clarisse: Look look, all I have to say is that no one could have pulled off less than half the stuff Clarisse has done, she's so Gryffindor it hurts. She's reckless and impulsive, but she's driven by her passion to do good, even if she's the daughter of war, and was bullied by her own father. She's daring, she's bold and she is the hero. She's also arrogant and thinks she can solve everything by herself, something characteristic more of the canon Gryffindors in the books, rather than what the fans have shaped. In fact, she's very much like Gryffindors in the books, who are actually very rude to other houses and think they're the best. Still, at heart, she's in this house.

Alex: I'm in a huge dilemma about where to put them, but I reckon they'd fit pretty fine in Gryffindor. Not only are they daring and courageous, they're proud of who they are, but not in a too full of themselves kind of way, rather in a 'I am who I am, and if you can't accept me, fuck off' kind of way. They can get carried away rather easily though, and very arrogant, thinking they don't need anyone else, when they do in fact need some company. They are one of the kindest and at the same time most ambitious characters we've met, but they are brave beyond understanding in a very personal way, thus, Gryffindor.

Percy: I think it's fair to say he'd be Hufflepuff, because loyalty is literally his fucking fatal flaw, and he is the kindest sweetheart to all those who deserve it, he goes out of his way to help those who need help, whether that be mortals, halfbloods, gods, magical creatures or even his own enemies. He's too good for this world, and even if he's grown a bit bitter, he always looks to fight justly for what is right, and never loses faith in others. That, and the fact that he turned down immortality so that the olympians were more inclusive of minor gods, and their children were treated better. He's just a lovely soul, he's like 80% Hufflepuff so that's enough for me. All that and he's stubborn as hell.

Jason: Hufflepuff. Just, undoubtedly Hufflepuff. Like he seems to be this cold and self centered hero with a superiority complex (bc of all the son of Jupiter stuff) but he's the softest guy there is. Not only is he hardworking, open minded and kind, he appreciates justice but he doesn't seek for revenge or anything, he makes sure people are treated fairly and wants everyone to be accepted. Proof of that is how he continued Percy's job of including more gods, and made sure Nico felt comfortable with who he was. He truly has a heart of gold. (He deserved better btw)

Meg: God I can't decide between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but I think I'll go with the former. She's so strong, my baby, she's faced so much wrong, but she's still so kind and understanding of others, especially those who deserve kindness. She puts up such a hard facade, but she's so patient and warm and inclusive. She's brave and strong (as strong as the big three kids, if not stronger), but she's also so loyal to her beliefs despite how she was forced someone else's beliefs for years, so I'll keep her in Hufflepuff. Also, she's stubborn af, and she can be lazy, so that settles it.

Will: I KNOW some people will say Will could be in other houses that are not Hufflepuff, BUT I won't have it any other way. Will is literally the warmest person ever. He is kind and sympathetic and enthusiastic and patient and inclusive. Like Helga Hufflepuff would take one look at him and lose her shit screaming "mine". He's the guy who saw the son of Hades so many people were scared of and immediately grabbed his hand and transfered him some warmth and didn't let him go ahead and get himself killed. He's also the one who everyone loves and likes, so much that Clarisse gets along with him and he can calm her down. He's the ideal Hufflepuff, you can't change my mind.

Magnus: I mean, what else can you expect from the son of the god of summer? He's literally a guy who heals others with warmth. He's also the guy who spent years on the street with the most difficult situations, and accepts every single person the way they are. He's inclusive af, and tolerant of everything. He's the guy who's closest include a deaf elf, a Muslim valkyrie, and a black dwarf, and he's dating a genderfluid person. Yes he's brave, and he's kinda smart, and he's ambitious, BUT none of those qualities overpower his Hufflepuff nature.

Piper: Kinda debated whether Gryffindor or Ravenclaw fits more, but in the end I went with Ravenclaw. Even though she isn't a fighter, she's very very brave, yet her bravery isn't compared to her wits. Like others in the PJOverse, she wins her fights by outsmarting her opponents, but unlike others that's one of her strongest traits. She's witty and creative and a little on the negative side, she really struggled to work in a group rather than by herself. On another note, she's able to keep calm in crazy situations and come up with the craziest most unthinkable solutions (I'm talking borderline ridiculous) that always somehow work. She's not booksmart, but she knows so much about everything, and she's lifesmart you know?

Reyna: Why are some of these so hard? Deeply debating whether she'd be Ravenclaw or Slytherin. In the end I'd go more for Ravenclaw though. Reyna's smart as hell, she's strong and sharp, and she always sees the best way out of a situation. She's witty and observant, being able to keep her cool in battle and lead others in the best direction. She's always looking to grow, and she prefers to do things on her own, but she's a great leader. She has some Slytherin qualities, and she's not learning as learning oriented as others, but she's definitely Ravenclaw.

Sam: Let's face it, Sam has the only active neurons in all of MCGA, she's definitely Ravenclaw. I'm gonna be honest though, I've only read MCGA once, so I can't remember much of their personalities, but Sam is witty and clever, pretty much the only one who can come up with competent plans, while the others rely mostly on luck and whatever plan they can cook up in 5 seconds. She's loyal and true to who she is, and she's extremely courageous and proud of who she is, but her sharpness is what she stands out for me, which is why I put her in Ravenclaw.

Annabeth: I know the obvious option is Ravenclaw, but I genuinely think she's also Slytherin. Yes she is booksmart and wise like Ravenclaw, but her personality matches Slytherins' ambitious, cunning and resourceful nature. She's smart as fuck, but she's calculative, she always finds a way to end up winning, and while she does so by outsmarting her opponents, she wouldn't need to outsmart them if she weren't so competitive. I feel like there's this 40/60 odds on Slytherin rather than Ravenclaw, but it's that small difference that counts. Plus her leadership skills are so powerful that people don't ask, they just know she's the boss.

(Also just picture the sweet and loyal Hufflepuff boy with the strong and cunning Slytherin girl, like it should be as opposite as it is with Poseidon and Athena, but they're so cute)

Leo: Idk what you can expect that's not Slytherin. This boy is the embodiment of ambition and determination. Reminder that not all Slytherins are bad btw (I'm slytherin myself), but like he's life smart and cunning, and he can analyze situations faster than anyone else. He's charismatic and talented, and there's no one to stop him from triumphing. I don't have much to say, I just know he'd be in Slytherin.

Rachel: She's kinda a difficult one, and I struggle between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and tbh I'm still not sure. But I think I'd place her in Slytherin, because even if she's brave af (especially since she was a mortal fighting in a war out of her power), her main trait is her determination. When she's set on something, she gets it done. You can't tell her she can't do something, because she will find a way to do it. She's kind, and she's only a mortal, but she still has incredible power unlike any other. I don't think I can really name it, but I think she'd be put on Slytherin with much difficulty from the Sorting Hat.

Luke: Where else could Luke possibly go? On the meaner side Slytherins have created themselves, Luke would be part of those misled by who preceded them, by those who want to take advantage of their mistreatment (bc let's face it, Slytherins are mistreated by both students and Hogwarts staff), and turn them cold and bitter. Luke is ambitious and manipulative, being manipulated himself, and it comes easily because of his natural charisma and talent. He's very freaking determined and cunning too. He'd fit right into Slytherin, but he'd be viewed as one of the rotten lot.

Thalia: I don't have much to say about this, but Thalia is the girl whose fatal flaw is their desire for power (or smth along those lines), just like most Slytherins. She's ambitious, she's smart, she's truly talented, she stands out between the rest, and she knows it, and she actually kinda likes it.

(Also I put Annabeth, Thalia and Luke in the same house because they're all kinda similar, even if their beliefs and postures are different.

Frank: Ngl I'm having more difficulty with Frank than anyone else. I'm kinda torn between Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I literally can't choose. He'd fit perfectly in any of them lmao, I just can't decide where he'd go. You decide this one yourself.

Please keep in mind, this is my personal opinion and my take on the characters, and not all of you will agree, and that's fine! You can let me know what you think (kindly please, don't come at me), and if you want to, send me an ask on a character you want me to do the same as these (as long as it's not TKC, I'M SORRY I haven't read those) go ahead, don't be shy!

#pjo #hoo #toa #mcga #riordanverse #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #nico di angelo #clarisse la rue #luke castellan #will solace #jason grace #piper mclean #leo valdez #frank zhang #hazel levesque #magnus chase #alex fierro #samirah al abbas #hogwarts houses #gryffindor #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #slytherin #rachel elizabeth dare #lester papadopoulos #meg mccaffrey

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

for the ask meme

being basic here: lotr fandom. or silmarillion fandom. or both, actually.

I'm going to do LOTR, I'm not a full on Sil fan though I'm super impressed by those of you who are 💜

1. The first character I first fell in love with

Elrond! I saw the movies before I read the books, and the first book I read was the Hobbit and through it all I was a massive Elrond fan. Still am, because he's the best.

2. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now

Denethor! I know some might expect Grima here, but you have to understand: I saw that man slink onto the screen greasy as the day is long being unnecessarily creepy and went 'Ah yes, my new fixation.'

But I've really come to appreciate Denethor's complexity. He's easily one of the most complex character in the trilogy. I'm a sucker for characters who are part of a whole cycle that perpetuating itself and they're sucked so deep into it they can't get out. Like, he's just doing to his sons what his father did to him (particularly Faramir, but also Boromir but in a different way).

Love me some messed up family dynamics.

3. The character everyone else loves that I don’t

It's not that I don't love this character, it's just they're not a big focus or of interest to me - and I would say it's probably a toss up between Faramir and Gandalf. I like both well enough, but not the way I see most of fandom being super keen on them.

Just not my jam, personally.

4. The character I love that everyone else hates

Spooky! Snake! Man! Grima, obviously. For obvious reasons. He's a great, slimy character. Like, made to be hate-able. So I appreciate and understand most people's reactions to him. I don't think I need to elaborate too much on this one ;)

Denethor is probably my second up on this front. I think a lot of this is that the movie did him *so dirty* because book Denethor is cold and callous and ruthless, but he's not laughably mad the way movie Denethor is. His relationship with Faramir is also a lot more complex. Not better, certainly not better, but 100% more nuanced and complicated.

Also, he actually is what people think Machiavelli was (but wasn't). He's all about that cold, calculating Real Politik - and, indeed, is one of the few characters who veer in that direction. And I love him.

5. The character I used to love but don’t any longer

So I was a big Eowyn fan when I was a tween and teenager - for obvious reasons. And I still love Eowyn, because she's great, but as a character I've moved on from her. You know, I think I really needed her when I was twelve. She was important to me. But, as always happens, I've changed and grown etc. and while I'll always be fond of her, I'm just not super into her the way I was when I was younger.

Also, I had the oddest fixation on Haldir for years when I was a tween and teenager and that's also not a thing anymore.

6. The character I would totally smooch

Elrond! Would absolutely give him a smooch.

7. The character I’d want to be like

Elrond - hahah he's the best! He's weathered so much and is so strong and graceful. And despite all the darkness he's seen, and the immense loss he's endured, he's still the one with the most happy of homes. He's a caretaker, but not to the point where he's pouring water from an empty vessel. He's found that balance, I think. And ugh, I just love him.

He's also so talented! And smart! And funny - but that great dry wit.

Middle Earth's dad. I want to be Middle Earth's dad.

8. The character I’d slap

I'm not sure. Maybe Saruman - bitch, what are you doing. Sauron doesn't share power. There will never be two great towers. You are letting your arrogance blind you, you damn fool.

Oh, Grima. But only at the start of TTT and gently. Then I'd say "bitch, get your life right."

9. A pairing that I love

In canon? Legolas/Gimlil (I refuse to accept that they aren't canon). I love how they went from hating each other, willfully misunderstanding each other, to such deep love and devotion. They're so sweet yet snarky and have great sass-battles.

And Legolas sneaking Gimli into the Undying Lands like: "What do you have there?"

Legolas:... a smoothie?

In fandom? Well, Aragorn/Boromir, obviously. They're beautiful.

And Grima/Eomer, because I am the way I am and I won't apologize. They're less beautiful. They're just messy. That's because Rohan is messy.

10. A pairing that I despise

I don't like how strong the language is in this! I don't despise any pairings! I've never seen a LOTR pairing that made me go EW I HATE THIS.

There are pairings that aren't my jam, but that's not despising, that's just not vibing with certain pairings. Even like, Saurman/Grima, I look at that and "hm, not my thing. But you do you, pikachu" then I keep scrolling.

Because that's the normal, mature way to react to things you don't like.

-

💜💜 thank you for the ask! 💜💜

#LOTR #lord of the rings #ask #reply #ask meme #grima wormtongue #denethor #griomer #elrond

[the-great-middle-earth-read]

TTT Book Three: Chapter Eleven - The Palantir

While resting that night Pippin sneaks the mysterious object - a palantir - away from Gandalf and looks into it. He is soon overcome with pain and Gandalf manages to wrestle the palantir away from him. It is revealed that Sauron spoke to Pippin and hurt him and he now believes Pippin has the ring.

Chapter Notes

Gandalf’s attempt to comfort Merry after their encounter with Saruman is pretty terrible. Merry makes the comment that he and Pippin are considered useless and Gandalf just says that the two of them won’t be overlooked now and are definitely on the enemy’s mind. Not super comforting Gandalf.

Merry’s description of Gandalf as he is now is more reminiscent of something Aragorn might say. It says a lot of how much Merry has grown that he no longer shrugs it off but can see the nuances of the change in Gandalf.

So Pippin’s curiosity. At first I assumed that this was a case of Pippin’s natural curiosity getting him into trouble - the movies certainly played up his curiosity and the trouble it would get him into. But upon reading this chapter I changed my mind. Merry says that “no Took ever beat a Brandybuck for inquisitiveness”. This seems to imply that while Pippin is naturally curious, he is not more curious than Merry and yet in this chapter his curiosity is far greater than Merry’s. I take it then that while, yes, some of it may be attributed to a natural tendency to be curious a lot of it seems to stem from a compulsion on the actual palantir itself.

It really surprised me at how forthcoming with information Gandalf can be. He tells Pippin the history of the palantir when he asks and muses aloud, not minding that Pippin will pick up on what he says. I think it’s yet another sign of how much Gandalf cares about the hobbits. He lets his guard down around them and it willing to share more than what others might with them.

On a final note, Pippin says something that he plays off as a joke but is something that always struck me. He says that he has the desire to know more - about the stars, and living creatures and the history of middle-earth. This could again be a sign of his natural curiosity but it strikes me as being an odd focus for a hobbit - a curiosity of the outside world, that is. The hobbits have truly changed a lot and their eyes are now cast far beyond the borders of their Shire.

#the great middle earth read #lord of the rings #the two towers #merry brandybuck #pippin took #gandalf #chapter notes

[haikyuuflufff]

“I’ll always be there”

pairing: tadashi yamaguchi x fem!reader

warnings/genre: fluff

synopsis: you’ve been friends with yamaguchi for a while, and you’ve recently become aware of your feelings for him. are you brave enough to confess to him?

You’ve always been naturally shy, especially around boys. That’s why, when you met Tadashi Yamaguchi for the first time, it surprised you how calm you felt, so at ease.

It was the first day of your first year of high school at Karasuno. You’d recently moved from Tokyo, so you didn’t know anyone coming in. When you walked into your new classroom you could see everyone already talking in small groups, friendships already formed, and you couldn’t help but feel left out.

You looked around for a free seat and opted for one at the back of the class. You quietly sat down and began taking thing out of your bag. When you pulled out your wallet to check how much money you had for lunch, you felt a small tap on your shoulder.

“Hi, um, excuse me, b-but is that wallet from Disneyland?”, the boy seating next to you asked shyly, a tiny blush on his cheeks. You lifted your head and looked him in the eyes, which only seemed to make him blush harder.

You didn’t know what it was, but something about him made you feel... relaxed? Your lips formed into a small smile before answering.

“Yes it is. I got it last summer when I went there with some friends. I used to go there all the time when I lived in Tokyo”, you explained. You were a bit surprised at yourself, you usually had to be familiar with a person before talking this much.

Yamaguchi’s eyes seemed to light up. “Really? How cool! I’ve always wanted to go there...”. You two kept talking about Disneyland and Tokyo until the teacher arrived. You couldn’t help the smile that was on your face during the whole class. You just made your first friend.

-

After that, you were always talking to Yamaguchi before, after (and sometimes during) class. He introduced you to his friend, Tsukishima, and the three of you started eating lunch together. You liked Tsukki as well, but you weren’t nearly as fond of him as you were of Yamaguchi.

Every time Tsukki told Yamaguchi to shut up, your blood boiled a little, but you reminded yourself not to interfere. However, when you felt that Tsukki was being particularly mean towards Tadashi, you couldn’t stop yourself from telling him to back off. Usually Tsukki would just scoff and say something mean to you too, but you preferred for his snarky remarks to be directed at you instead of Tadashi.

When the two of them made it into the volleyball team, you were very excited for them. However, that meant that they would be staying later for practice and couldn’t walk home with you as often. When the team started to have matches with other schools, Yamaguchi always invited you to come, but unfortunately you always seemed to have something to do on those days.

However, after not being able to go to their games for a a few months, your schedule finally opened up, so you were free to go to one of their matches. It was a big one, they were playing against Aoba Johsai for the first time.

You were very execited for your two friends, and although he was trying to hide it, Yamaguchi was very nervous. Still, you watched and cheered for them, always hopeful that they would win. But they didn’t. Your heart broke a little when Aoba Johsai scored the final point, securing their victory.

But your heart completely shattered when you went to talk to Yamaguchi after the game and saw the tears starting to form at the corner of his eyes. He tried to look away when you approached, but you immediately grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. He was tense for a second, but he quickly relaxed under your arms. You didn’t say anything, because words were not necessary. You just moved your hand up and down his back, gently rubbing it. When he began to sob quietly, his back shaking slightly, you just pressed him harder into your chest. You don’t know how long you stayed there with him, but it felt like it was hours.

After that day, you and Yamaguchi seemed to have grown closer together. He was more determined now, practicing his serves a lot more frequently. Sometimes you would go with him to practice with Shimada, so he didn’t have to walk home alone. You were starting to become inseparable, even more so than him and Tsukki.

Of course Tsukki noticed the closeness between you two, but he still wasn’t sure if your feelings towards Yamaguchi were platonic or not. To be honest, even you weren’t sure. You didn’t want to ruin your friendship. Tadashi was the best friend you’ve ever had in your life. He was attentive, kind, and a general sweetheart. He brought you coffees every Monday, because he wanted you to start your week on a happy note. He always let you borrow his notes before an exam so studying was a bit easier for you. He was always there when you needed someone to talk to. From time to time he would send you some songs that he thought you might enjoy. He brought you cookies every time he baked because he wanted you to tell him if he had improved. He loved you, and you absolutely loved him back. But were you prepared to lose him if your feeling were unrequited? Absolutely not.

You were somewhat aware of your feelings, but you shoved them down, refusing to let them take over. Of course, that was before the little incident.

-

“(Y/n)-chan! Are you walking with us to practice?”, asked Yamaguchi with a warm smile.

“Sure”, you smiled back. You always walked them to practice anyways, but Tadashi still insisted in asking you. Tsukishima found this regular interaction somewhat annoying.

When the three of you got to the gym, you were ready to leave and head home, when Yamaguchi asked you, “Are you gonna stay and watch the practice? We have a game coming up, so we’re all working hard”, he said with a bashful look on his face, eyes not looking at yours.

Well, you didn’t have any homework, and you really wanted to spend more time with Yamaguchi, so why not? “Are you sure I won’t be bothering you?”

“Just come in”, Tsukki cut you off.

The three of you walked into the gym. You were still a little hesitant, and your fears only seemed to be confirmed when you felt the whole team turning around and looking directly at you. You began to blush furiously, trying to hide behind Tadashi for comfort. He could sense your discomfort, so he gently took your hand and squeezed it for reassurance, a small smile on his freckled face. The gesture was small and was over within seconds, but the whole team was screaming internally.

“So, tell us, Yamaguchi-kun, is this your girlfriend?”, a second year you recognized as Tanaka asked playfully.

That was it, you two became a blubbering mess, both of you blushing furiously. “Wh-what? She’s not my g-girlfriend, I mean, not that I would mind, but-ttt, she’s just, we’re not-“ stuttered Yamaguchi while you just kept repeating that you were just friends over and over like a mantra.

You two stopped mumbling only because coach Ukai wanted to start practice. With your face still burning, you sat quietly at the bench, watching practice. When they started practicing their serves, your eyes were glued to Yamaguchi. You’d seen him serve before, especially at night with Shimada, but there was something different seeing him in daylight, wearing his uniform, a look of determination on his face. Your mind wandered as you watched him, paying particular attention at the way his biceps curled, and how his thighs contracted when he jumped. However, your thoughts were cut off when you heard a familiar blonde clear his throat next to you.

“My, my, (y/n). I never imagined you’d be one to look at men like they’re a piece of meat”, Tsukki smirked at you. Your face instantly went red, and you couldn’t think of something else to say than a simple “Shut up!”. You hid your face between your hands as Tsukki walked away with a pleased expression on his face. At least now he knows how you feel about Yamaguchi. He still wasn’t going to outright help you, but he might try to push you into the right direction.

After practice was over, you waited for Tadashi and Tsukki to come out. However, after ten minutes, only Yamaguchi emerged. “Tsukki says that he has something to do, so he told me to walk home with you”, muttered Tadashi, his eyes avoiding yours. He was still embarresed about before, especially since he was the one that held your hand. However, after a few minutes of conversation, the embarrassment he felt was now gone, his conversation with you flowing naturally as always.

When you eventually reached your house, Yamaguchi was ready to leave, when you grabbed the bottom of his jacket to stop him. Surprised, he turned to you. “Tada-kun..” you whispered, looking him in the eyes. You didn’t know what possessed you to say this, but you weren’t backing down now. “You looked great today, really. You’re incredibly talented. Your serves were amazing. You are amazing...”, you whispered the final part, but he heard you perfectly.

“(Y/n)-chan...” gasped Tadashi, standing perfectly still. You were going to say something else, when you were rudely interrupted by your ringing phone. You both were startled by the sound. Picking up, you see that your mother’s calling you, probably because you hadn’t gotten home yet. “I gotta go...” you sigh, walking quickly to your house before Yamaguchi can say anything else. He just stands there for a couple more minutes, wondering what you’d meant and if you were going to say anything else, before finally making his own way home.

That night, you couldn’t fall asleep. You were tossing and turning, wondering what Yamaguchi was going to say before you were interrupted. What did you wanted him to say? You had no idea. What was the meaning behind your own words? Were you trying to say something else? What did you want? What do you want? The realization hit you hard. I want him. I want to be with Tadashi. Your heart began to beat faster, nerves settling in. What are you going to do now? Confess? Normally you wouldn’t be the one doing it, but this is Yamaguchi we’re talking about, you knew he would never confess to you. You knew it was completely up to you to make the next move. Which is exactly what you planned to do tomorrow.

-

You woke up the next morning with pure determination flowing through your veins. Now that you realized you wanted to be with Tadashi, nothing was stopping you from making him yours. You put a little extra effort getting ready this morning, making sure you looked more put together. You put a little mascara, put on your favorite earrings, and curled your hair in soft waves. You knew that Tadashi wasn’t superficial, but you still wanted to look nice for your confession.

When you arrived to your classroom, Yamaguchi was already at his seat, rambling with a hushed tone to Tsukishima about something you couldn’t hear.

“Hi,” you greeted them as you sat down, startling them by your arrival. As Tadashi turned his head to say good morning, he froze as he took in your appearance, a pink flush forming on his cheeks. He hadn’t expected to see you looking so... “Pretty..”, he whispered. You and Tsukishima turned to stare at him, and that’s when he realized that he had said it out loud. “I-I, umm, I, (y/n)-cha-chan, I-“ he stuttered, trying to explain himself and failing.

“Thank you. You look very pretty, too, Tada-kun”, you smiled, while Tsukishima snickered. This only made Tadashi blush more furiously, while he mumbled inaudible things under his breath until class started.

After classes were over for the day, you were ready to ask Tadashi to talk, but he spoke before you could. “(Y-y/n)-chan... can we go for a walk?”, Yamaguchi asked with a quiet, yet determined voice.

You blinked a couple times before responding. “Of course”, you smiled. You made your way outside and walked around the yard for a bit before stopping under a tree. Yamaguchi sighed and looked around before finally looking at you. “(Y/n)-chan, I know that we are friends. You are one of my best friends, in fact. I-I like being around you. I like the way you smile at me, because it always makes me feel better. You make me feel happy”, he paused, shaking a little before continuing. “I like you, (y/n)-chan. I have for some time. It-it’s ok if you don’t like me back, I wouldn’t blame you, and I’m sure you can do better, and maybe you already like someone else, in which case it’s fine, but I just wanted-“, Yamaguchi’s ramble is interrupted as you crash forcefully into his chest. You pull him into a fierce hug, burying your face in the crook of his neck.

Yamaguchi blinks for a couple second before melting into your hug, pulling you closer to his chest. “I like you too, Tadashi-kun”, you whispered into his ear. Yamaguchi pulled back a little so he could look at your face, eyes wide. When he saw the softness of your expression and the sincerity behind your eyes, his face split into the brightest smile you had seen. You couldn’t help yourself and placed a quick kiss on his cheek, which almost made him pass out.

You both stood there hugging each other and talking for a while, before his alarm reminded him that it was time for practice. He let go of you reluctantly, but still asked you to come to practice, and this time, he was going to introduce you as his girlfriend.

#haikyuu fluff #haikyū!! #haikyuu!! #yamaguchi tadashi #tadashi yamaguchi x reader #tadashi x reader #haikyuu yamaguchi #yamaguchi x you #yamaguchi x reader #yamaguchi headcanons #yamaguchi fluff #tadashi fluff #yamaguchi imagine #tadashi yamaguchi x you #tadashi yamaguchi fluff

[jubans]

title: like the sun [1/4] pairing: sumeragi tenma/fem!reader rating: g (general) premise: glooge search: what flowers can you give to the person you like when they work at a damn flower shop?!

The bells attached to the door of the shop chimed softly with Tenma's swift entrance. He spared a quick, "Good morning," to whoever might be listening, and he vaguely heard someone say it back but he couldn't give them so much as a single glance. It was rare for Tsumugi to frantically tell him to run to their usual store for pest repellent, so his urgency was a bit warranted.

The blooms that Tsumugi had grown out for the summer attracted a couple of sunflower beetles in the courtyard, and the two of them had discovered the critters nibbling on the leaves after breakfast earlier this morning. All that took to wipe the composure off the Winter Troupe leader's face was a few measly, little bugs, and Tenma would be lying if he said he didn't find it the least bit comical. 

But, as he surveyed the metal shelves for the brand that Tsumugi had told him to get, Tenma's gaze drifted briefly towards the bonsai section of the shop. A couple of juniper trees sat idly in their clay pots, waiting for a new owner to take them home. In the back of his head, however, he could hear a voice (that vaguely sounded like Yuki's) reminding him that he just had Igawa buy him a bald cypress tree last week. He literally had no reason to take care of another one when—

"Sir, do you need any help?"

Tenma startled at the voice that resounded from behind him, jerking his body away out of instinct. From where you stood, the cheery smile you'd put on faltered; a mix of concern and embarrassment lacing your gaze instead. You donned a pink apron with the shop's name embroidered on the front pocket—the same one he'd seen Himari, the elderly woman that owned the store, wear all the time. But from all the times he'd dropped by the only flower shop in Veludo Way, this was the first instance he'd ever seen you, in particular.

"Oh, S-Sumeragi-san?" you addressed him shyly, cheeks tainted with a rosy hue. "I didn't notice it was you."

The actor craned his neck a little, wondering how you even knew him. But the same, Yuki-esque voice in his head reminded him (a little bit harshly) that he was a celebrity. It was perfectly normal for people to recognize him especially when he'd forgotten to bring his sunglasses. Tenma knew that at least, but there was something familiar about you that he couldn't quite put his finger on. However, you already gave him an answer before he could even ask anything.

"W-We're in the same class at Ouka High," you babbled hastily, avoiding his gaze for reasons that eluded him. "I doubt you'd remember who I am though..."

He snapped his fingers when it finally clicked to him. Contrary to your assumption, he did remember you. "You're the one that always takes the reins in class activities! (Surname), right?"

It was strange, seeing the loud, slightly obnoxious girl he'd often see leading rehearsals for class productions in this quaint flower shop—barely able to hold his gaze without stuttering. But Tenma supposed that there were multiple sides to every person that they wouldn't want others to see. Muku often called him a tsundere in disguise, and while Tenma never openly admitted to it, his troupe mate's observations weren't completely baseless.

"Anyway, are you looking for something?" You cleared your throat, assuming your mask of cheeriness once more. "Himari-obasan told me she had a regular that was fond of bonsai despite being a teenager."

Now, it was his turn to look away, stuttering.

"T-That definitely couldn't be me," Tenma said dryly. "I'm...looking for a repellent of sorts. One for sunflower beetles? My friend wanted this brand specifically." 

He showed you the picture that Tsumugi had sent him on LIME and you hummed in understanding. Managing a kind smile, you gestured for him to follow you. 

Tenma had come to and from this shop ever since he first moved into the dorms, so the interior was calmingly familiar. Sometimes, even when he didn't have anything to purchase, he would still drop by after school to talk to Himari about alternative binding practices for bonsai roots. Those little conversations shared over tea improved his ability to grow proper trees so much that he'd managed to rope Tsumugi into his shop visits sometimes. 

"So, are you working regularly here?" Tenma wondered, more to break the ice than out of curiosity, really.

You glanced back at him as you ducked underneath the growing leaves of a dracaena house plant. "Nope. I'm just part-timing for the summer. Gotta earn some cash while school's out, you know?"

Once the two of you reached a massive wooden cabinet with glass doors, Tenma observed that various gardening tools and products were being kept inside. Huh. Himari must have invested in better displays for the shop. Speaking of which...

"Is Himari-san not feeling well?" he asked as you crouched down to retrieve what he was looking for from one of the lower shelves. 

"Ah, no. Her daughter was in town for a few days so she's spending some time with her." You plucked a single canister labelled with the pest repellent Tsumugi had wanted before sliding the door closed. Rising to your feet with a huff, you handed it to Tenma with the same, warm grin you'd shown him earlier. 

But the words of thanks already resting on his tongue promptly melted when his fingers brushed against yours. 

Tenma was more than accustomed to skinship, given that he'd been handed countless roles where he had to cozy up to his co-actors one way or another. But touching someone beyond the requirements of a script, someone who wasn't a paid actor as well—

"Sumeragi-san?" you called out, a crease forming on your brow. "You're a little red... Are you okay?"

He reflexively jerked his hand away from yours, making you flinch in surprise at his sudden actions. Tenma breathed heavily, directing himself towards the counter without another word. Though he felt a bit bad for acting so rashly, he would rather have Homare force feed him carrots than let you see him in such a flustered state. 

The actor glanced at the price tag stuck to the container and fished out a sum of money from his wallet that had three zeroes too many compared to its actual value. Tenma then plopped the payment on the wooden surface before turning on his heel to exit the shop, trying his best to block out your concerned calls. 

When the door to the shop slammed closed with the excessive force that had had put into shutting it behind him, your shoulders sagged with disappointment. Had... Had you done something to offend him, somehow?

Unbeknownst to the kind girl working at the flower shop, however, Tenma rounded the corner street with a noticeable spike in his heart rate. In the corner of his eye, he briefly caught a glimpse of his reflection on the tinted store window of a music shop Masumi told him about once. You weren't being very honest with him. He wasn't a little red—he looked like a freaking tomato!

Is the hack terrible at talking to girls, too? He could almost hear his subconscious (CV: Rurikawa Yuki) speak tauntingly in his head. Even if his first instinct was to shoot it down with a TTT (typical, tsundere Tenma) remark, he couldn't. 

Contrary to popular belief, Sumeragi Tenma was, indeed, terrible at talking to girls. 

And he would take this secret to the grave if he had to.

#a3! #act! addict! actors! #act addict actors #tenma sumeragi #sumeragi tenma #a3 headcanons #a3 fanfiction #tenma x reader #a3 x reader #fluff #this is probably gonna be the cutest shit ill write for a3 #im not even KIDDING #spoiler: the entirety of summer troupe is involved

[lgcmedia]

is anyone else impressed by haru these days?? no?? WELL YOU SHOULD BE! as someone who’s been a fan of him for a while now… he’s grown so much in just a year and it really showed with the year end stages! i used to complain about how little lines and screentime he seemed to get since he first appeared on season two of future dreams but they’ve been giving him more over time and i’m so happy because he deserves it! he even got a decent part when lgc boys performed ‘miracle’ and got one of the few solo and unit shots in ‘must give love’ which must’ve been hard considering how many of them were up there… i feel like a proud mom :’) i hope 2021 is even better for you, haru! i know you’ll only keep improving!!!

[ + / - ] me too op… i’m so proud of haru TTT i think he’s gotten more comfortable since project origin and lgc boys too and i can’t wait to see what he does in the new year! i think he’ll do well!!! ♡ [ + / - ] he’s really done so much this year… doesn’t it feel like he hasn’t had any time to rest? seeing him in these year end shows really made this year a bit brighter though ;; i think i might be becoming a fan…  [ + / - ] “grown up”? wasn’t he the one doing that weird aegyo not too long ago?? are we talking about the same person here? LOL sure he might look cool on stage but i bet he’s childish off it… he’s one of the youngest isn’t he? he has a lot more to work on if he wants to catch up to the others~

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#lgc:netizens #lgcharu #lgc:yearend2020

[flightfoot]

Many of the side character’s stories and development in Trials of Apollo mirror and support Apollo’s own development

One of the things I love about ToA is how many of the other characters’ stories, their situations, their development, mirrors and compliments Apollo’s own development, reinforcing the story of how Apollo changes from being a selfish, arrogant, shallow, apathetic person, to one of the most selfless, humble, aware, and empathetic people in the Riordanverse.

Meg Mccaffrey

Obviously Meg’s story is the one that mirrors Apollo’s the most. I’ve already talked about this in past analyses however, and it’s so blatantly obvious I don’t want to waste time making a point that I’m sure all my readers already know. Maybe I’ll make another analysis focusing on Meg later, but I’ll skip over her for now.

Calypso

Fairly superficial similarities here. Calypso is also a former immortal who’s learning to deal with the loss of her powers (though not TOTAL loss) and being thrown into the demigod world headfirst. The emotional core of their experiences is different though, since Calypso’s whole thing was that she was trapped on an island (albeit a nice one) under house arrest for thousands of years. Apollo wasn’t really trapped like that. Even saying he was METAPHORICALLY trapped is a bit of a stretch, Zeus doesn’t seem to have been to involved in the day-to-day business of what Apollo got up to.

Lityerses

This one IS fairly similar actually. Lityerses is controlled and manipulated by his father, and it sounds like he’s okay with that - like he’s as bloodthirsty as his father is.

“Right.” He regarded Calypso. “I think I’ll keep you alive long enough to kill you in front of Valdez’s face. That’ll be fun. But this former god here...” Lit shrugged. “I’ll just have to tell the emperor that he resisted arrest.” (TDP 152)

But there are hints that maybe there’s more going on there. His muttering of “I hate that” when Midas casually mentions accidentally turning Lit to gold in The Lost Hero, him being glad that Apollo gave his father donkey ears, his casual mistreatment by Commodus - all of it gives the clues that maybe there’s a REASON for his attitude, for his behavior.

What it does NOT do, however, is hint that Lit could be a better person. None of any of the heroes’ encounters with Lit actually suggests that. That’s a leap of faith that Apollo makes, hoping that MAYBE, just maybe, Lit will be a better person if someone gives him a chance. If someone shows him kindness, helps him when they have no good reason too. He identifies with Lit. The hidden depths that Apollo’s shown as a mortal... they wouldn’t be apparent to a casual observer of him as a god. Heck, APOLLO didn’t know they were there! He’s constantly surprised at himself, at the kind of person he is now, at the sort of things he’ll do. Apollo gives Lit the chance he wants people to give himself, the sort of chance that he didn’t even really realize he needed. Showing him - showing Apollo - showing Lit - that level of kindness, mercy, and concern, when there’s no ulterior motive, showing it just because this is another person, and they haven’t really done anything to ‘earn’ compassion beyond that simple fact - that threw both of them for a loop.

In Apollo’s case, he really started appreciating others compassion in THO, when his children took him in, treated him as family, cared for him, said they’d protect him against anyone who gave him trouble.

“If anyone gives you trouble, Kayla will shoot them. Then I’ll curse them so bad they’ll be speaking rhyming couplets for weeks.”

My eyes watered. Not so long ago - like this morning, for instance - the idea of these young demigods being able to help me would have been ridiculous. Now their kindness moved me more than a hundred sacrificial bulls. I couldn’t recall the last time someone had cared about me enough to curse my enemies with rhyming couplets.

“Thank you.” I managed. I could not add “my children”. These demigods were my protectors and my family, but for the present I could not think of myself as their father. A father should do more - a father should give more to his children than he takes. I have to admit this was a novel idea for me. It made me feel even worse than before. (115)

It makes a difference here that his kids are helping him when he couldn’t offer anything back. If he’d still been a god, he wouldn’t have given their help much thought. He would’ve just thought that he was entitled to it, and that it’s not like he’d REALLY need them anyway. But this? This is different. They’re helping him just because they care - it’s not anything transactional. Apollo isn’t used to thinking about relationships this way - not for the most part anyway. His relationships with Artemis and Leto are solid, and he seems to have genuinely cared for Hyacinthus, genuinely loved him as a person, and cared for Asclepius quite a bit, but aside from that? Not so much. Certainly not caring about someone who’s practically a stranger.

This set an example for Apollo, one that he carries forwards to Lit. Lit also has never been shown this sort of kindness before, kindness when he’s at his most vulnerable, compassion without an expectation of a return, and most especially, compassion when he’s given Apollo and the Waystation residents every reason to reject him. And that compassion is enough to cause him to break down, to rethink his whole stance on life. Seemingly overnight, he changes from being the brutal, cruel killer who would murder Calypso in front of Leo just to hurt him that much more, to being a lost person just looking for something or someone to live for, to fight for. And having found it, he suddenly softens, becoming kinder, more balanced. 

But it’s not really an overnight change, is it? This other side has always existed, it’s just been hidden under layers of bravado and cruelty. That’s why both Lit and Apollo are able to change their mindsets so quickly - not all the aspects of what they’ve learned is truly “new”, they just haven’t applied them like this before, or not for a long time. Apollo’s experienced these sorts of caring relationships with Leto and Artemis at least, so they’re not totally a foreign concept. I’m betting in Lit’s case that he and his sister, at least at one point in time, did truly care about each other. The difference is seeing it applied more broadly to themselves by people who don’t already know them well, and then applying it to others that same way in turn.

Piper

Piper’s whole identity crisis has similarities to Apollo’s own. She was thrown into a situation where people expected certain things of her, and she just kinda... conformed to them. Which isn’t to say that she might not have chosen them herself on her own, but she didn’t really get that choice. Now that she has the time and has had a chance to think, she’s trying to find herself, figure out who she is. Her dad being financially ruined throws a wrench into it, but both of them returning to their roots, her father seemingly having more time to spend with her - those aspects are familiar. Apollo’s now figuring out who he is, now that he doesn’t have “being a god” to define him, along with everything else associated with that. His having his godhood stolen, and only now spending time really getting to know his kids and his demigod half-siblings, along with many, many others, is like how Piper’s dad now has time to spend with her, time he didn’t have before - a silver lining in this whole mess. 

Apollo’s advice to Piper seems to be talking about himself nearly as much as it’s talking about Piper.

“It’s been my observation,” I said, “that you humans are more than the sum of your history. You can choose how much of your ancestry to embrace. You can overcome the expectations of your family and your society. What you cannot do, and should never do, is try to be someone other than yourself - Piper McLean.” (265)

With how Apollo’s grown throughout the series and ESPECIALLY in TTT, this fits him as well. Apollo is more than the sum of his history, of what he has done, of what has been established by the older gods. He can choose how much of his past - and his family - to embrace, and overcome the expectations of his family, both godly and mortal, and of godly society. And he will do it by being himself, his WHOLE self, including the parts of his being that he’s been nurturing as a mortal, the compassionate, empathetic parts of himself.

Jason

Jason is a little different, because I don’t think his development, his situation parallels Apollo’s CURRENT situation, so much as Apollo’s future development. His willingness to sacrifice himself, to be the one who dies so that his friends can survive, wanting to keep secret about the prophecy so that Piper doesn’t try to stop him, so that hopefully he can keep her safe, even if it means merrily walking to his own death.... I’m expecting Apollo to get into a similar situation in TON. Though there are elements of that he’s already lived through, since he ALREADY chose Meg’s life over his own in TDP, and in TTT, he tried to conceal and downplay just how badly he was hurt to try to stop Meg from worrying as much.

Frank

Frank carries his mortality - the stick that’s attached to his life force - around with him. He’s decided that in order to lead the Legion effectively, he has to put one hundred percent of himself on the line. He can’t let fear hold him back. 

Apollo’s mortality is also on the line all the time. Originally he wanted to hide away, to cower behind others so as not to die (not that he actually tended to go THROUGH with it, either because he couldn’t or he wasn’t willing to abandon them) but now? Now he doesn’t even try. He wants to live, that’s true. But he values his companion’s lives more. He won’t hesitate to put himself on the line, to commit himself completely if he believes that it gives them a greater chance of survival.

The greater parallel however comes later, with Apollo’s hypothesis for how Frank survived his stick burning up. He believes that maybe since Frank took charge of his own destiny by willingly sacrificing himself, that he was freed from his old destiny and forged a new one:

“It’s just a guess,” I admitted. “Frank went into that tunnel knowing he might die. He willingly sacrificed himself for a noble cause. In doing so, he broke free of his fate. By burning his own tinder, he kind of… I don’t know, started a new fire with it. He’s in charge of his own destiny now. Well, as much as any of us are. The only other explanation I can think of is that Juno somehow released him from the Fates’ decree.” (393)

I don’t know how plausible this explanation is. Honestly, it kinda sounds like BS to me, especially since Jason did the same thing and HE died. But what’s important here is what APOLLO thinks happened. His explanation says as much about him as it does about what he thinks happened with Frank.

Breaking free of your fate by accepting, by EMBRACING your own mortality, putting everything on the line, sacrificing yourself completely in order to have a shot of stopping your friends from being hurt or killed... it’s similar to what happened with Jason, but with the added twist that Frank survived and started a new story, free of his previous destiny.

The destiny thing is really important. As a god, Apollo’s not ‘supposed’ to be able to change or mature. The gods seem to believe that their nature is more set in stone than mortals are. But Apollo has disproven that. He’s changed a lot, and has continued to change. He’s forging his own destiny, one different than he ever imagined it could be. And maybe, just maybe, one that Zeus won’t have control over. One that’s truly his own.

Don the Faun

Don has only a small role, but what Apollo says about him - what he thinks about him - says a lot.

“Hey, Apollo, you- you know the difference between a faun and a satyr…?”

[…]

A moment later, his body collapsed with a noise like a relieved sigh, crumbling into fresh loam. In the spot where his heart had been, a tiny sapling emerged from the soil. I immediately recognized the shape of those miniature leaves. Not a hemlock. A laurel - the tree I had created from poor Daphne, and whose leaves I had decided to make into wreaths. The laurel, the tree of victory.

One of the dryads glanced at me. “Did you do that…?”

I shook my head. I swallowed the bitter taste from my mouth.

“The only difference between a satyr and a faun,” I said, “is what we see in them. And what they see in themselves. Plant this tree somewhere special.: I looked up at the dryads. “Tend it and make it grow healthy and tall. This was Don the faun, a hero.” (398-399)

Here, Apollo’s noting that the difference between satyrs and fauns are purely societal. That there’s no inherent difference between them. Like the difference between gods and mortals, mentally, isn’t that different. Gods may be more powerful, but they’re still people, like mortals are. The differences between them, psychologically, have more to do with how society sees them, and how they see themselves. Having had his godhood stripped away, this is very apparent to Apollo. Because he’s still himself. A better version of himself, in fact, but that has nothing to do with him being mortal - not in and of itself. But with the things he’s learned as a mortal. He can be a hero, truly. Because he is just as capable of such things as any mortal.

Reyna

And lastly, there’s Reyna. She too, like Frank and Don previously, broke free from expectations to forge her own path. 

“My whole life, I’ve been living with other people’s expectations of what I’m supposed to be. Be this. Be that. You know?”

[…]

“But you showed me. When you proposed dating…” She took a deep breath, her body shaking with silent giggles. “Oh, gods. I saw how ridiculous I’d been. How ridiculous the whole situation was. That’s what healed my heart - being able to laugh at myself again, at my stupid ideas about destiny. That allowed me to break free - just like Frank broke free of his firewood. I don’t need another person to heal my heart. I don’t need a partner… at least, not until and unless I’m ready on my own terms. I don’t need to be force-shipped with anyone or wear anybody else’s label. For the first time in a long time, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. So thank you.” (405-406)

Reyna thought that she was supposed to find a partner. Everyone else thought she needed a partner - needed romantic healing. Until Lester asked her out. Until she saw how ridiculous it was to let others expectations - or curses, or whatever you’d call Venus’s little prophecy - control her life.

Apollo has a similar thing going on with letting expectations about what he’s supposed to do, about who he’s supposed to be, control what he does - or did, at least. I’ve gone over that already, so I’ll skip past that.

But the romantic angle? About thinking - or having others think - that she needs to be healed romantically? That also falls in line with Apollo’s development. Apollo’s had a LOT of romantic relationships, and a decent number of them have ended in disaster. He seems to be convincing himself that some romance will “fix” things, like with how he convinced himself that getting together with the Cumaean Sibyl would fix things:

But that wasn’t enough for me. I was smitten. I convinced myself it was love - the one true romance that would wash away all my past missteps. I wanted the Sibyl to be my partner throughout eternity. As the afternoon went on, I coaxed and pleaded. (131)

But he wasn’t in love with her, not truly, or his love wouldn’t have turned to hate so fast when she refused him. He just really WANTED it to be a shining romance, one that would finally fix things.

He actually does seem to be finding this sort of fulfillment now, but not with romantic relationships - with more platonic, familial relationships instead, such as with Meg.

I’d always wondered what it would be like to have a younger sibling. Sometimes I’d treated Artemis as my baby sister, since I’d been born a few minutes earlier, but that had been mostly to annoy her. With Meg, I felt as if it was actually true. I had someone who depended on me, who needed me around no matter how much we irritated each other. I thought about Hazel and Frank and the washing away of curses. I supposed that kind of love could come from many different types of relationships. (192)

I don’t think he’s realized it yet, but in a way, Meg seems to be “washing away” his curse of loneliness, of feeling empty. Taking care of her, connecting with her, bantering with her - this is what he needed. To be a protector. To be a friend. Romance is fine, but they’re not the only fulfilling sorts of relationships. 

Honestly with Reyna and Piper both taking a break from romance in order to find themselves, I think that Apollo may lay off the romance for a bit after ToA’s over, work on his more platonic relationships instead. I don’t think he’d swear it off, but maybe look for something more steady than he was before. And with the experiences he’s had as a mortal, I think he could better recognize truly serious love versus a temporary infatuation.

Final Thoughts

I really love how focused this series is on developing Apollo! A lot of aspects of this series seem geared to do that, from who the antagonists are and how they act, to the storylines of the side characters. It allows a level of development for Apollo that’s deeper and more nuanced than with any of Rick’s previous protagonists, even Percy. I look forward to seeing how Rick will conclude his development. If his writing for Apollo in TON is as solid as for previous entries, I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

#ttt spoilers #the tyrant's tomb #trials of apollo #toa spoilers #the trials of apollo #analysis #my post #apollo #lester papadopoulos

[hopelesscabbage]

My fav things about the TTT (spoilers)

Apollo's character development. I mean since we haven't had anything from a God's POV until TOA, it's just so cool to see Apollo, one of the flashiest Gods to actually contemplate upon his past actions and regret doing some stuff he did. It takes so much courage to admit you were wrong when you have such huge of an ego (no offense) and I absolutely love how he apologizes for everything

Apollo caring about everyone, not wanting the guilt for any more deaths unlike some other Gods who have no problem with puny demigods dying *cough* Zeus *cough*

Frank. Just Frank. Is it me or does he seem so MUCH more grown up? We see him handling responsibility of a Praetor and when he fights with Caligula and sacrifices himself..oof

#trials of apollo #the Tyrant's Tomb #apollo #meg mcaffrey #spoilers #reyna