#harold destroy me challenge
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are you kidding me
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and many happy returns
Summary: Maybe there was a reason Harold's birthday never came up, he realized. (PPU-verse)
A/N: woe, personal take on the ppu-verse upon ye! this was originally supposed to be a comic, but quickly hashing out a short excerpt in two days is easier for me at the moment.
i realize there's a lot of one-off lines that imply something in the ppu-verse, but i think how things changed in comparison to the mainverse is pretty self-explanatory? though it might just be self-explanatory because its been in my head for long enough that i'm used to it.
honestly, the challenge with writing these guys is that they have a shades of being an Unreliable Narrator to them. and there's two layers of unreliability, if you squint!
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George looked up to the Treehouse with nervousness in his gut. From the sounds, it was clear that Harold was already in there. Or a raccoon.
It was three years since he had moved to Jerome Horwitz and was moved up a grade. Three years since he was subsequently brought back to kindergarten. But most importantly, it had been three years since him and Harold met.
It was only a week ago that he overheard Harold's birthday was coming up.
He clasped the box in his hands a little tighter. He remembered seeing Harold linger at the display for it and trying to play it off, so he was sure he'd like it. Maybe.
He owed him a lot, maybe too much. Which was why he scrounged up his allowance for this. His birthdate was a more difficult thing to pick up, since it never came up in all their years of hanging out.
Before he lost his nerve, he threw the box into his backpack and climbed up the ladder.
"Harold! H--"
The next words get lodged up in his throat at the sight of the other boy throwing something at the walls of their treehouse lair. Repeatedly. Before slumping to the floor.
"Harold!" he scrambled up the final leg of the ladder, awkwardly bellyflopping onto the wood floor.
The boy flinched, conveniently obscuring... whatever it was. "Don't."
It seemed that he wasn't satisfied by the results, so he had started to bash the thing against the floor one last time so hard it shook the Treehouse.
After a moment of silence (and making sure the Treehouse didn't topple over), he slowly made his way over to him.
Step, he could see something bounce the light from outside onto the floor. Step, there was a whiff of plastic and the sound of crinkling. Step, he could see bright paper peek out from the spaces between the other boy's fingers.
"’S a gift from dad," Harold spat out in lieu of an explanation or apology or anything else.
George made a face. Yeah, that tracked. Very few things made him that mad.
As mad as he can get, he didn't like blowing up. He liked being sneaky, and being in control as he watched everyone else run around like chickens with no heads. In fact, he was super careful to never destroy any of George's stuff for some reason.
Harold's own stuff was free game, though. The boy stared at a dollar store plastic bat with a dent in it.
"The gift must've really stunk if you're this mad."
That, thankfully made the other boy let out an amused huff. "Yeah. It did."
"Then--" he gave a pointed glance at the box at his feet. "What's in that thing?"
A pause. "Workbooks."
He made a big show of leaning on the other boy's shoulder. On what little of the cover he could see, dead-eyed look of stock photo animals in a classroom looked back at him. "I don't think a bat would've made a dent in them."
Harold quickly slapped him away, more playful than anything.
"I used that before I knew what was in them, dummy." The light atmosphere didn't last for long, though. He gave an angry glare at the gift. “I was hoping I could break it.”
“Why, though?”
Harold’s hands clenched at the bright paper. Glitter smeared into his palms before he finally let go of them. “He does this… thing on my birthday. Mom too. 'S not even for me-- not really. More for what they want me to be.”
It wasn’t much of an explanation. But George thinks he gets it.
Harold's dad was a weird guy. He didn’t live with him and his mom and his baby sister. From what little he’s heard and seen at the Hutchins driveway, he sounded… nice. But he knew that didn’t mean much of anything when his actions didn’t match. His mom had the opposite problem.
And most importantly, neither of his parents were here on his birthday. Sure, it was a weekday, but it was Spring break, for crying out loud!
Silence.
"I didn't even want a dumb gift!" He kicked the wrapped books-- tried to, but it barely grazed it. "Birthdays are dumb, anyway!"
George was not a words guy. That's what Harold was for. But right now, he had to find the right ones. His mouth tried to form the right shape silently. The words were there, all he had to do was--
"You think you still have those sparklers from the New Year's?"
Harold blinked.
"We can try and make those-- those, uh-- bonfires!--" He gave a pointed glance at the offending gift. "It's early for it, but it's pretty warm out. It can work."
It took a moment for him to put two and two together, but when it finally clicked– Harold broke out into a sly grin. He stood up like he ate half a pound of sugar before clapping a hand to his shoulder.
"Man, see that's why you're here-- ideas."
He tried to match his smirk. "I thought I was here for drawing?"
"That, too."
The both of them made their way out of the Treehouse with a skip in their sneaking. The both of them decided to split up and come back to Harold's backyard. Said Harold had taken to getting not only the sparklers, but anything remotely flammable, and George pilfered his kitchen for anything they could roast.
There wasn't any marshmallows, but there was leftover pizza and sliced pineapples in a tubberware which arguably was better. He cut the pizzas up to be kebab stick stabbing size and placed it over the grill.
"We should do this every year." Harold leaned forward from his lawn chair and fed a page into the flames.
"What if the gift next year isn't flammable?"
"I'm sure we could think of something." He let out a sharp laugh. "You know, I think this is the first time I'm actually looking forward to it."
George leaned back into his chair. He couldn't help but feel relieved-- not only because that he felt that he had partially repaid him (though, that was a bonus). Nah, seeing Harold's face light up every time he lit up a page was... fun.
(Not the right word, he thought. But again-- he wasn't here for words.)
The comfortable kinda-silence crackled on. Harold kept feeding the grill more pages as hey fed on their pizza and pineapples until both were gone. Eventually, even the fire died out and the both of them were forced to close the grill and made it seem like nothing happened.
Now, there was nothing except the lingering smell of smoke.
Harold gave a curious glance back at him. "What were you going to say?"
"Huh?"
"When you were climbing up the Treehouse, before you saw..." He vaguely gestured to the workbook-- or the cover that remained. "All that."
He was suddenly extremely aware of the weight in his bag. He looked to the grill. Then to him. And then gave a dismissive wave, trying to play off his shock. "I thought you finally found the raccoon that kept getting into the snack stash."
Harold let out an incredulous laugh. It had none of his usual sharpness, but all the volume he expected.
"You thought I was fighting a raccoon?!"
"I mean it was raccoon sized--" He gave a glance to the covers. "Or, was."
"Besides, we all know you're the one who keeps taking all the Sweet Patches." The words held no accusatory heat, but it did have a whiff of a challenge.
"Says the guy who keeps hogging all the Jelly Burgers!" George threw his bag off to the side and began run at the other boy.
Before he could react, he was quickly tackled to the ground as they began to play-wrestle in the grass. That was quickly called off as Harold had suddenly gotten an idea for a comic while faceplanted on the ground.
He could give the dolphin-shaped mini-soaker another time, play it off as something else.
#mellsian fanfics#captain underpants#alternate joke title to this was 'adhd be damned these boys can work a grill'#fudged the time for spring break for this sssh
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Last Time On Total Drama Cruise Control: Dance 'Til You're Dead! (Start Digging Your Graves!)
CHALLENGE 11: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
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The streets of Rio were anything less but chaotic. Thousands of people, dressed in festival outfits, parties on the streets and floats and performers passed by. Chris is taking photos with some showgirls. The girls giggle, posing for him as they leave. Chris seems unphased, shooting them finger guns.
Chef struts out in an extravagant, feathered costume of his own.
“Oh, going all out I see?” Chris looks him up and down. “Love it.” He bites his lip.
"I knew you would."
“Oh yeah! The challenge! It's a dance competition! It's going to be bracket style, whoever can wow the crowd gets to move on. The champion of the dance floor will win it all for their team!”
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OK! LETS GET IT! A PIT OPENS UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FESTIVAL. AND IT CALLS FOR TWO CONTESTANTS!
JO VS WAYNE
"If I must."
“U-Umm, okay! Dancin’s kinda like hockey…right?!”
TALK ABOUT ENERGY! JO'S BREAKDANCING GIVES THE BEAVERS THE WIN! SHE MOVES ON!
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DON'T STOP THE PARTY- BECAUSE THE PIT CALLS FOR MORE!
LET'S GO!
RIPPER VS LIGHTNING!
"Ready for that match, Stink-Bomb?"
"Fight me, LIGHTNING."
BLOWOUT! LIGHTNING TAKES THE WIN FOR THE TAPIRS! HE'S MOVING ON!
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LET'S KEEP THE GOOD TIMES ROLLING! ARE YOU READY FOR MORE, BECAUSE WE ARENT SLOWING DOWN!
SCOTT VS HAROLD!
"You aren't slaying enough, LOSER."
“YEA WELL- FUCK, shit. Fuck”
WHOA! WELL, AS THEY SAY: IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE HEAT GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN! HAROLD WINS IT FOR THE BEAVERS, HE MOVES ON!
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DON'T STOP NOW! WE ARE ONLY GETTING STARTED!
NEXT UP, ALEJANDRO VS BRICK! LET'S GO!
"Let us dance, Alejandro."
"I'm not dancing with you."
OW! TALK ABOUT A FLOP! ALEJANDRO TAKES THE WIN, HE MOVES ON! HOT HOT HOT! OR IN BRICK'S CASE! NOT!
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ANYWAYS! LET'S KEEP THE PARTY JUMPING!
COURTNEY VS AMY! THE FLOOR CALLS YOU!
"I’m gonna destroy that white girl!"
Ough……eugh…..the crowd mutters to themselves…..hmm…..party foul….
COURTNEY WINS! SHE'S MOVING ON!
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PLEASE. SOMEONE GOD PUMP UP THIS PARTY! LET'S GO!
RAJ VS MK!
“Hi, MK!”
RIGHT NOW, IT'S A TOTAL BEAVER DOMINATION! MK WINS! BUT REMEMBER, THIS IS BY BRACKET! ANYTHING GOES!
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THE DANCE FLOOR IS GOING GETTING HOTTER, LETS KEEP IT GOING!
JO VS LIGHTNING!
"You and me, Ex-Teammate!"
"Let's get this fucking shit over with."
OOOOHHHHH! AND SHES OUT! LIGHTNING IS MOVING ON TO THE FINALS!
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ALRIGHT! LETS GO, BEAVER VS BEAVER!
MK VS HAROLD!
"Good luck, Ashley!"
"You too, Harry."
IN A BEAVER VS BEAVER FIGHT, ONLY ONE CAN LEAVE THE FLOOR ALIVE, AND ITS MK! SHE'S MOVING ON!
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NOW TIME FOR THE BIG ONE, TWO FIREY SOULS MEET IN THE PIT, STEP BACK, BECAUSE THINGS MIGHT GET H O T!
ALEJANDRO VS COURTNEY!
“Alejandro, care to tango?
"Of course. Let us dance. Just the two of us."
He leans, and plants a kiss on her cheek. "Just for you," He whispers out.
“Wh— Wh—! He KISSED me! THAT’S CHEATING!”
OOOHHHHH! AND ALEJANDRO TAKES THE WIN! HE'S MOVING ON!
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OK! THE FINALS!
LIGHTNING VS ALEJANDRO VS MK!
THATS RIGHT! ITS AN ALL-OUT ATTACK!
ONE TO RULE THEM ALL AS THE DANCEFLOOR CHAMPION!
...
THE CROWD HAS CHOSEN THE DANCE FLOOR CHAMPION, AND WITH A MASSIVE ROAR, MK IS PICKED UP!
MK WINS! BEAVER SWEEP!
THE CROWD THROWS FLOWERS, BEADS AND CONFETTI! SHE IS EVEN GIVEN A CROWN, WHICH IS PLACED ON HER BEANIE!
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ELIMINATION:
"So…you might be wondering why I stopped…."
"...that's because it's a tie. Scott and Raj....honestly, I would've booted you both off."
"...but this is more fun." Chris holds up a single, shiny coin.
"Ok. Heads for Raj. Tails for Scott."
Chris flips...and it lands on his wrist. He slaps it, covering the coin. He waits...
"….."
"……Heads. Scott, your party ends here. Sorry man."
“Scott! W-W-Wait!!!”
Wayne hands the handmade harpoon to Scott, tears still on his face.
“T-T-Take this…p-please, be safe out there…! I made it for you, like I promised…”
It was Scott who was served the Mocktail of Misery and walked the Plank of Shame.
Well.. this is it.
"I'm done?"
He has to drop…. No more time left.
"I can't believe I lost to a game of LUCK."
He turns towards Wayne, seeing the weapon he acquired.
"Give me the fucking harpoon, Waynker."
He takes the harpoon from his hands. and looks to the edge. There's nothing... No Fang. Nothing.
He hears the cries of his allies. His partners, he can't help but feel a tear well up for them...
"I um. I love you both too."
He looks down again, no more time left.
"I...mm…"
You have to jump, Scott. That's the rules.
"Here goes nothing..."
Plop.
>Courtney tells Raj that if Scott’s death would be his fault, thinking that there's a chance that Fang could get him after he jumped off the plank.
>Ripper speaks to Courtney, who informs him of the fact she thinks Scott is dead and thought the hockey bros were celebrating that fact when they got emotional almost losing each other.
>The Sea Tails (Alejandro, Ripper, Wayne, Raj, and new member Amy) break things in a junkyard to let off steam. Raj and Wayne find out that Courtney thinks they were celebrating from Ripper, and it makes them angry. They all set a car on fire and leave it there.
>After insulting each other's partners, Brick and Ripper find themselves in a massive physical altercation at the bar. Blood, broken glass, the lot of it.
>Brick leaves and trashes the Tapir boy's cabin, breaking the hockey bros' stuff. Wayne and Courtney get angry start yelling. Raj is panicking.
> The hockey bros & Lightning form a bond while drinking apple juice together.
>Alejandro, Jo, and Amy get crossfaded and gossip about Zoey.
>Jo, Amy, and Harold watch Hamilton together.
>Amy gives Harold the worst possible haircut.
Courtney, Brick, Wayne, and Ripper are all called into the Captain's Quarters for a talk from Chris himself.
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"One thing about producing a show is every fight, every little thing broken down to a glass needs to be recorded. For liability and insurance purposes. Oh, do you also know I need to get specialty cleaners to clean up all the blood in the bar? Hm?"
Chris doesn't waste money on stupid things like that. But they don't need to know this.
"Anyways. One way or another, all four of you are involved in this. I don't care how much, or who did what. In my eyes everyone here is guilty. So everyone is getting the same punishment. Chef, you know. The funny thing about this is how this alllllll happened over relationship drama."
"You know Courtney, you of all people should know how these TV relationships work in the end. I bet a month after this show, all of you will be miserable, miserable exes. Like seriously, Ripper and Wayne? First, ew. Second. ew. I bet you think after winning the million you two will build a little love nest and buy a ice rink made of ice cream to fart around on. It's honestly kind of adorable that you two think you both are capable of anything deeper than the equivalent of two high schoolers hacking spitballs at each other."
"And Courtney? Trying again with the reality TV love? At least Duncan was interesting. At least he made you something more than a whiny pain in my ass. And then you had to date...Brick? Honestly if I were you, I would've taken Jo or Scott and ran. What does Brick bring to the table? A wet bed and tears? Maybe you should drop him back at boot camp and try again."
"Anyways. I'm not getting paid to lecture you about your poor decisions. I'm here to punish you. I want all four of you to write a 10-page essay on what you hate about your partner. Oh, and don't be slick and write "Oh, nothing," because Chef and I will be looking over them. Ripper and Brick will be locked in one rec room, Wayne and Courtney in the other. No visitors, no drinks, and no nothing until it's done. Can't think of something to write? Ask your little study buddy, they probably have a thing or two. Oh. And you aren't allowed to leave until it's done, and you will turn away anyone who tries to talk to you and you are not allowed to say why. Raj and Jo will have to survive a little bit without you."
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Oh? What's this?
Chris looks at the compass. It's…spinning wildly.
"Uh Chef…..where are we again?"
Chef looks at the map. "We just came from Brazil, we're supposed to be going to…"
He squints.
"I think we got a little off track."
The compass spins faster. And faster. And faster. Faster and faster and faster until-
It breaks. The whole cruise boat...it's swaying. No, It's trembling. The whole boat is trembling.
"Chef. Where are we."
"…The Bermuda Triangle."
SUDDENLY. EVERY ALARM ON THE BOAT IS GOING OFF. FIRE ALARMS, SOS, EVERY SIREN IS BLARING AND FLASHING!
In the night, you see something dart by as the alarms blare. You can't even hear anybody around you! Every phone, clock, and watch is flashing, ringing, and acting up.
The boat rocks back and forth, more turbulent than it's ever been before. A few waves splash up onto the boat, wetting the floor beneath you.
"EVERYONE! GRAB A WEAPON!"
Chris sounds frantic, you can heard noises, muffled yelling and.....something you have never heard before.
"THIS IS NOT A CHALLENGE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"
"FORGET THE TEAMS, FORGET THE GAME! IT'S COMING-"
the intercom cuts out!
A HOARD OF TINY ALIENS SURROUND EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. THEY ARE CLIMBING UP YOUR LEGS, PULLING AT YOUR HAIR, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!
THE WAVE IS RELENTLESS. THE MORE YOU KILL THE MORE APPEAR. GREEN GOO IS PAINTED ALL OVER.
Suddenly, a large spaceship appears over the boat. It opens, and a wicked beam of blinding light shines down. Chris looks at it in absolute horror.
"They want someone! They want a human, dude!"
Chris rips the alien on his head off himself, stepping on it like a bug.
"RUNNNNNNNN!!!!!!"
The aliens are grabbing whoever they can get their tiny, slimy hands on. Its relentless, the spaceship hums louder and louder
Chris is standing in front of the UFO, the light so strong his hair is blown back. He blinks, he notices that the aliens, they have him! He is being dragged closer and closer to the light.
"N-no! Get off me! GET OFF ME! CHEF! HELP ME!"
Chef rushes over to grab Chris, tossing him at the wall.
The spaceship hums even louder, the light is so hot....so bright! "NO NO!!!!! TAKE HIM!" Chris in a flash grabs the first person he sees.
Ripper.
"SCREW YOU, CHRIS! YOU DID THIS TO ME!"
Ripper is sucked up into the ship, the second he's out of sight, the UFO closes, and it zips off like a shooting star.
...a single crumbled up piece of paper flutters down in his place.
Ripper is…nowhere in sight.
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> Ripper is abducted by aliens!
>Alejandro, Amy, MK, and Jo immediately going to the bar to drink afterwards.
>MK teaches them how to shuffle.
>Wayne and Raj are a horrible mess and they're putting a bunch of corn on the bow for Ripper, thinking the aliens will notice it. Because aliens like corn, clearly.
>Raj and Lightning attempt make plans to rescue Ripper.
MK is the dancefloor champion and Ripper was abducted by aliens! It looks like anything can happen on a show where few safety regulations are in play. Who will rise? Who will fall? Is anyone going to clean up this alien goo!?
Find out next time on TOTAL! DRAMA! CRUUUIISE CONTROL!
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Statistics, Facts, and Opinions About Total Drama Eliminations (SPOILERRIFFIC)
Harold probably would’ve been eliminated in The Big Sleep had Eva not had her meltdown.
Noah and Trent were probably the only Island contestants to be voted off near unanimously.
There’s no way Cody didn’t vote for Trent in Not Quite Famous.
I love the implication that Katie was eliminated before Sadie solely because everyone says her name first.
Likewise, given that Beth wasn’t in the bottom two in Paintball Deer Hunter, Lindsay went against Heather to vote for either her or Cody. Additionally, Trent (and Gwen, but that’s beside the point) had to have mercy-voted for Cody.
Izzy probably would’ve been voted off regardless of what happened in Up the Creek.
Many people assume Tyler was eliminated due to his comparative weakness in challenges prior, but more likely Duncan just stopped the others from voting Courtney.
Beth’s elimination makes more sense when you remember all her teammates are either superstitious, actively hate her, are at risk for elimination, or Leshawna.
Bridgette, despite being Courtney’s best friend, seemed oddly blasé over her elimination. Given that they’re still friends as late as Hawaiian Style, I think the writers/animators just forgot.
Either Harold, Courtney, and Sadie were in the bottom two in every ceremony they attended before their back-to-back eliminations.
We never find out who Trent voted for in Search and Do Not Destroy. I think the wiki claimed it was Owen, but it was probably Lindsay, who poisoned him a few episodes back.
On that note, I find it hard to believe that they couldn’t think of a better way to eliminate Lindsay, given that she wasn’t exactly popular with the other campers until after this episode. They could’ve easily just voted her out to remove Heather’s one ally. Action rectified this to a degree, since Duncan is constantly being targeted for this exact reason.
Speaking of Duncan, it rubs me the wrong way that he got the Guys Alliance to eliminate Bridgette, Geoff’s girlfriend, when his own girlfriend got eliminated only a week earlier (maybe he thinks he was lying about not voting Courtney). I elect to believe Geoff didn’t vote her off and that Izzy (who stops working with Heather around this point) just betrayed her own alliance to spare Owen.
I heard theories saying Geoff voted himself out in the triathlon episode due to not having fun anymore. Doesn’t explain why Gwen was in the bottom two, though.
Why wasn’t Leshawna eliminated in Camp Castaways instead of Haute Camp-ture? If they agreed to vote Geoff, they probably could’ve done so here. Although, given the events that happened two episodes ago, Duncan might not’ve gone for it.
Mr. Coconut was the first case of a camper being fired from their role, before Owen, Sierra, and Max later on. Granted, he wasn’t a competitor to begin with.
Building on that, we never find out why Geoff and Bridgette voted for Leshawna in Alien Resur-eggtion.
If Izzy was allowed to return because E-Scope was the one eliminated in her place, could Mike continuously dodge elimination by having his alters take his place and swimming back to camp each time?
The Lame-o-zine is the only exit Izzy has ever been seen using, the Boat of Losers is the most used, and Flush of Shame is the least used, beating out the Hurl, Cannon, and Drone due to Duncan’s arrest. The Drone of Despair’s naming structure is a remnant of how the Island/Action exits’ naming schemes, “of Shame” referring to how one gets there. World Tour blurs the difference by only having the Drop of Shame without a true elimination exit, and all further seasons of the original run followed suit.
Owen’s first elimination was technically fair, since it’s his team’s own fault for wasting their votes on an immune Courtney, but he probably should’ve been medically evacuated beforehand anyway. Cody too, for that matter.
I don’t think the Grips fairly won a single elimination challenge.
Beth would’ve beat Duncan by a landslide had everyone actually gotten to vote, although I really don’t think either should’ve won Action.
Izzy’s vote for herself to win was never actually declared invalid.
Up until Scary Girl’s elimination, Harold in Super Happy Crazy Fun Time Japan was the only character to try to vote themself off and fail to do so.
Had Chris stuck to the singing rule, Heather would’ve won anyway.
Had Izzy not returned last season, all three teams would’ve had their lowest ranking members achieve that on multiple teams.
DJ probably sets the record for most consecutive times on the chopping block.
Contrary to popular belief, Alejandro is only tangentially related to Tyler’s elimination. He presumably voted for Owen.
Blaineley was wasted potential, especially since they could’ve brought back a fan favorite in her role, although that’s mostly because the merge was so egregiously late in the season.
Staci’s elimination is unfair for the exact same reasons as Noah’s.
As we all know, Anne Maria never cast or received a vote during her tenure as a contestant.
There are two very different ways to interpret how Scott was eliminated, but what’s certain is that Zoey voted for him.
Cameron’s the closest thing we have to a canon winner, assuming Priya’s ending isn’t the only one for her season.
Lindsay clearly chose to vote herself off and you’re dumber than everyone in All-Stars combined if you think otherwise.
Chris was probably intending for Mal to get voted off in Moon Madness when he made their loser move to the Villainous Vultures.
Alejandro’s been voted off three times despite only getting eliminated once.
In spite of everything that happened in Sundae Muddy Sundae, Gwen still didn’t vote Courtney out, and I respect that.
Gwen, Cameron, Heather, y Alejandro technically reached the finale twice each.
Zoey is the first character since Island to be a finalist but not speak in every episode of the season, having remained silent in Food Fright. Likewise, Mike is the only finalist in the main series to not appear in every non-Aftermath episode of his season, not appearing in Zeek and Ye Shall Find.
It’s unclear if Leonard helped vote for Ella in I Love You Grease Pig or not.
It’s equally unclear if Amy formally returned to the competition.
How Scarlett wound up on the chopping block is never explained, since it’s incredibly out of character for Rodney to vote for her. Maybe Sammy’s still salty about Scarlett ignoring her plight in the last episode.
Given that Dave got one more vote than Sky, courtesy of himself, Sugar (who was uncharacteristically sympathetic to Dave here), Max (who wouldn’t care about Dave’s elimination campaign) and Scarlett (out of pure pragmatism) voted for Sky.
Max was robbed, but given that he had dodged elimination once before, I can forgive it.
Caleb’s elimination is the first time the earliest boot is directly caused by the antagonist.
Like DJ before him, Ripper is on the chopping block every ceremony he attends before his elimination.
Scary finished 13th and was the 4th camper out. Because of course she was. Ironically, between her, Sierra, Anne Maria, and Max, she’s the only purple haired contestant whose elimination was entirely fair (key word being “entirely”). RR has a better track record with Stephanie, Ryan, and Lorenzo.
After Zee’s elimination, Chris owes Courtney and Tyler their revotes.
Aside from Priya and Ripper, one can assume Bowie voted for Millie in the eating challenge, seeing as he said some people were getting too comfortable and Millie had forfeited the challenge immediately.
I find it funny how more boys made the merge than girls, only for them to get eliminated all in a row with the sole exception of Bowie.
Chris’ reaction to Julia’s elimination makes me wonder how often he reads the votes before the ceremonies, seeing as he clearly set up the new tiebreaker rule specifically to screw Millie over.
#total drama#total drama island#total drama action#total drama world tour#total drama revenge of the island#total drama all stars#total drama pahkitew island#total drama island 2023#total drama spoilers
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ok, so I haven't read despair island, BUT this is my take on how it would go if contestants' lives were on the line. This is going to be a long post, so bear with me.
First off, contestants would take more risks. They can't afford to lose challenges. They would try to kiss up to their teams more. They would be a lot nicer in hopes that their teams would keep them out of friendship.
Not So Happy Campers. Ezekiel still would've been booted first. He's weak, not too smart, and definitely unlikable. BUT ALSO, Courtney and Beth both would not have hesitated to jump off the cliff. DJ might have still not, but Courtney and Beth would rather take the risk. Especially considering everyone else made it and they would have to face the wrath of their teammates.
The Big Sleep. Eva would not have been booted second. Everyone would have thought twice- Eva is a strong competitor, even though rude. She may not be a team player but she doubles the team's strength. Instead, I believe Katie would be voted. She's pretty dumb and weak, not close enough to the other players, and Sadie is likely stronger than her.
Dodgebrawl. Noah may have not been voted third. And when it comes down to life, he might have participated in at least one game of dodgeball. He's not strong, but he is smart. Instead, I think (and I hate to say this) Lindsay would be voted. She's not strong or smart, not a very valuable player. In turn, this would destroy the Heather, making her more vulnerable without her servant.
Not Quite Famous would go similarly and Justin would still be voted.
The Sucky Outdoors. Izzy would still mess around, but the Bass would still lose. Since Katie is already gone, I think Sadie would be the next one out. She didn't play a large role after Katie's elimination in canon, so I think it would be the same in this.
Phobia Factor. The Bass lose again, and Tyler would still be booted. Much like Lindsay, he has no real strength or smarts. I really hate this. I love these characters too much!
Up the Creek. Izzy would definitely still be voted. I mean, she gave the other team the advantage and they cannot risk her staying around.
Paintball Deer Hunter. Obviously, Cody is still voted. Very unfortunate, but the team can't have him hold them back.
If You Can't Take the Heat, Beth still. She cursed them.
Who Can You Trust? Sadie was voted in this, but she's already gone in this AU. DJ majorly messed up by throwing the game taking off his blindfold, and despite his strength, I think he would be next.
Basic Straining. Okay. We all know this is the sabotage. Goodbye Courtney, this makes Harold a lot more villainous. He would be voted otherwise, most likely, so he would still sabotage. This is seriously making me sad I love Courtney.
X-Treme Tourture. Again. The same. Bye-bye Harold (YOU KILLED COURTNEY)
Brunch of Disgustingness. Girls vs. Boys + return. So, they're obviously dead, so no return. No elimination this time.
No Pain, No Game Merge! Eva has to go, she's very strong, mean, and competitive. They can't risk not voting her now.
Search and Do Not Destroy. Trent was voted here, but I don't think anyone is cruel enough to let him go at this point. Even if he cheated. They need to go after THREATS. Who is a threat? Duncan. Duncan is gone.
Hide & Be Sneaky. Heather and Leshawna still get elimination (Heather didn't need Lindsay's help for this or the last one). The girls probably still wouldn't get along, but without Duncan there wouldn't be a guys alliance. I believe Noah would be voted- he isn't strong, but he isn't nice and there aren't any big threats left that they can vote.
That's Off the Chain! Heather DID NOT WIN. She could not have won this without Lindsay in this episode. Whoever won elimination gets by, Heather is gone.
Hook Line, and Screamer. DJ was voted this episode, but he's already gone and all that's left is a giant friend group. I think Owen would be voted, hate to say it. He isn't close enough with the others and is surprisingly good at challenges.
Wawanakwa Gone Wild! Izzy is out this episode, but she isn't here. I think Gwen, Leshawna, and Trent would vote together as they have a very strong bond (and the Heather thing with Trent had time to explain). I think the next one gone would be Geoff.
Trial by Tri-Armed Triathlon. Instead of six like in canon, there's only four campers left. Chris can't really put people who don't get along, so he would do Gwen and Leshawna as well as Bridgette and Trent (Trent can spill about the alliance, Chris wants drama). Gwen and Leshawna would win because they're an overpowered team. It's either Trent or Bridgette going, and due to the alliance, it's Bridgette.
Haute Camp-ture cannot exist, and since there's only 3 competitors left, we should skip to...
I Triple Dog Dare You! When it comes down to dares, it's up to luck with these three. They'll do anything. They don't want to die. The dares, because of this, will be more torturous and brutal. SOMETHING HAS TO BE WORSE THAN DEATH FOR THEM TO GIVE UP! Chances are, Trent is the one losing. He's good, but not as good as Gwen and Leshawna.
And when it comes down to it, Leshawna would beat Gwen at anything.
.
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For the craft ask game: 🌟💖🐸 :)
Hello hello! Thank you for the questions~~
🌟 What is your favourite type of crafting (knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidery, etc) and why?
Beading, for a couple different reasons. It's a super portable craft, so I take it with me to the library, a café, to the river side - I can pretty much bead from anywhere. Beads are also relatively affordable, so it's easier to play around with fun colours when it comes to beading than it is with sewing. Also, I've had a chance to talk to and learn from other beaders, and they've taught me that beading is medicine and that if a project is stressing you out or you're getting frustrated, that means you're done beading for now, and you need to put your project aside until you feel calm and ready to try again. Those teachings help make beading a super relaxing and calming craft for me, and it took away the guilt of leaving something half-finished.
🐸 What do you wish people who don't craft understood better?
That crafting takes time, and isn't always a linear process. Sometimes, I might start a project and finish it that same week. Sometimes, that project might be super technically challenging for me, so I might work on it on and off over a year, starting and finishing other projects along the way. And sometimes, a project is never meant to be completed.
💖 Which one of your creations are you the proudest? Show off!
This feather I beaded for my friend! She and I used to work at the same farm, and I used a feather from Harold the peacock. She loves peafowl, and she has a really special bond with Harold, it's adorable. I found the feather on the ground and rescued it before the chickens could destroy it, and then learnt how to wrap and bead it. It was my first time wrapping a feather, and I had a lot of fun doing it!
Sending me a crafting ask!
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Total Drama Changes: Island and TDI Special/Between Island and Action
Since at least one person was interested, I decided to do a little list of things I’m planning to/will change in “my version” of Total Drama, going from Island to All-Stars (Pahkitew is going to be an...interesting case). Keep in mind that this isn’t going to necessarily cover everything in detail, just stuff that I remember really feeling like a turn-off for me as a viewer, or just things I feel would be an interesting enough change. I’ll also include stuff that happens between seasons, since my eventual stories would cover that stuff, at least somewhat. This will also likely be a fairly long post, and I’m going to split it into a post per season, plus the specials when applicable and transition period.
To start with Island
All of the contestants are aged up by 2 years, so the average age for all of them is about 18, though some are just shy of their birthdays when they come to the Island (though in those cases, they have their birthdays shortly after arriving) and DJ had actually just turned 19 when the first season begins.
“Who Can You Trust?” takes place between “Phobia Factor” and “Up the Creek”, with Gwen and Trent reconciling there instead of in “No Pain, No Game”. Sadie is still eliminated in this episode, since she basically did nothing after Katie left, and I can’t deny not being able to think of anything for her to do.
Duncan and Courtney’s elimination order is switched, with Harold still rigging the votes, but this time to get rid of Duncan since he was the actual person Harold had issues with.
As I’ve mentioned before, Gwen is more...consistent with whether she thinks certain people are “okay” or not, and in her ending speech, she does include Geoff and Trent as among the “sane” campers, though she does admit that she took time to start seeing Geoff as a friend.
During the events of “Search and Do Not Destroy”, Trent does try to confront Gwen about what Heather told him, but Heather and her alliance (somewhat unintentionally on Izzy’s part) keep them apart until after the votes had been cast, so even though Gwen and Trent make up and solidify their relationship before the ceremony, Trent still ends up eliminated because the votes couldn’t be changed and nobody knew the truth until too late.
In the finale, both Trent and LeShawna help Gwen, not because either of them has anything to prove to her, but just because neither thought it was fair that so many people were helping Owen simply because they wanted to go to his party (especially when Gwen had already said she was going to split the winnings if she won, and Owen still could have thrown a big party with 50K) and they wanted to help even the odds.
Now for the changes regarding the special and some stuff between the events of Island and Action:
First off, Owen doesn’t actually give up his 100K to compete in the “challenge” for the special. If World Tour can still happen despite Beth/Duncan being implied to have gotten their million and used it, Action can still happen with Owen (or Gwen if she wins) keeping the 100K won from Island
Harold and LeShawna don’t break up here, though they do agree to try and take the relationship slower now that they can actually spend more time together
Courtney isn’t quite as “ruthless” about winning the million here, since in this version of Island, she was voted off not only fair and square, but much later into the competition
Most of the people who make it onto Island are the same, but Tyler and Cody also get pulled in, since they were still attached to Owen and DJ when they fell into the water. Courtney is also in the next season from the start.
The time between the end of Island and the start of Action is about 2 months, with Owen’s party taking place a week after the events of the “special”.
Not too much happens during that time besides the campers going home to prepare for the next season, and keeping in touch with their friends from the show (and handling various degrees of long distance relationships in the case of the couples).
The biggest thing that happens that relates to the next season is that, while they’re spending time together, Trent actually tells Gwen the story about how the number nine is his “lucky number” and how when he was stressed, he’d sometimes do little actions that many times or just count to nine to help himself calm down. So, when Action starts, Gwen already knows about why the number is important to Trent.
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RETURN ZERO.
( CAUTION, SEASON 5 SPOILERS !!! )
( PERSONALS, DO NOT REBLOG!! )
PAIN was nearly everywhere & a SHIVER wracked Harold’s frame every now & then, as he was feeling a great deal more affected by the cold than he normally would be. He wasn’t certain he CARED much, anymore.
The fingers of his left hand clutched TIGHTLY to the suitcase, the one he believed was to be used to upload the VIRUS into a satellite that Samaritan had retreated to. In his RIGHT hand, he held a firearm .... something that Harold had REFUSED to even touch, until now. He hadn’t needed to actually use it yet & he HOPED it would stay that way.
With the tremors that had long-since settled within his hands, Harold couldn’t shoot straight if he’d TRIED ( & he wasn’t good at it to begin with ). He’d been SPOOKED by a thud behind him a moment earlier & he’d turned with a PAINFUL start, holding the gun up with a shaking hand—–but no one had been there. Now, his back was facing the door & he slowly limped forward.
❝ Are you there ? ❞
Harold’s words DRIFTED above the high, frigid wind upon the rooftop—–but his own voice sounded STRANGE within his own ears ... distant. He’d spoken SLOWER than he’d intended to, almost dreamlike. Breathing was STEADILY becoming a challenge ( as he was breathing heavily through his open mouth ), even as his limping steps slowed considerably.
❛ Yes, ❜ Root’s The Machine’s voice answered within his earpiece & it elicited a flood of RELIEF to wash over him, to know that She was still listening. ❛ I’m sorry—–is this .... NOW ? ❜
Pausing mid-step, dark brows NARROWED briefly as ... the question didn’t make any sense. Looking back upon this moment, his reaction could EASILY be attributed to the gunshot wound ; SEPSIS tended to make cognitive ability suffer considerably. Tired CONFUSION was audible as Harold replied,
❝ .... What ? ❞
The Machine’s words weren’t so hesitant this next time. She answered matter-of-factly DESPITE the ICE-9 virus steadily destroying Her from the inside out. He KNEW that She had a limited amount of time left & truthfully ... he didn’t want to let Her go. He wanted to SAVE Her, like She had saved him, & countless others. Harold couldn’t save Her this time, albeit, & he knew that.
❛ My mind is beginning to SLIP, Harry, ❜ She clarified & the added use of Root’s nickname for him caused a heavy ACHE to stir within his chest—–Harold had begun to get USED to it, but it still hurt. ❛ Am I speaking to you NOW, in this moment ? Or is this one of my MEMORIES ? ❜
Something about these questions caused a BRIEF upward curve of lips, FONDNESS somehow unfurling within him, pushing through the pain.
❝ Yes, to the EXTENT that it is possible for me to be certain ... this IS now. ❞
Harold was now approaching the rooftop edge & blue eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds, letting out a QUIET, but strained gasp as another pulse of PAIN reverberated throughout his entire body—–that’s what it had felt like anyway, with the mix of his normal nerve pain & the gunshot pain.
❛ Ah, thank you, ❜ The Machine added, sounding relieved Herself to have an anchor.
Brows LIFTED with a vague sort of emphasis in reply as, Harold knew She’d see it—–or, he .... HOPED She could still see, for the most part. Reaching the buildings electrical radio frequency equipment ( stationed as four metal boxes all connected to one another & held upright by metal beams ), Harold simply leaned against the largest one, allowing his head to tilt back somewhat.
❛ We have eight & a half minutes .... give or take. ❜
Exhaling SHARPLY, Harold barely inclined his head before offering,
❝ ... Then I’m gonna REST for a bit, ❞
A pause & he breathed in through his nose, shifting somewhat & wetting his lips that constantly seemed to remain uncomfortably dry. The thought of his FRIENDS ( or, the ones that were left ) weighed heavily upon his mind & upon what was LEFT of his tattered heart, the feeling twisting like barbed wire within his chest. Closing his eyes, Harold continued,
❝ I know what happened to JOHN ... but the others .... D’you think that they still—– .... did they MAKE it ? ❞ He DESPERATELY hoped so, but .... it was too difficult to outwardly express it.
The Machine’s pause was LONGER, which left Harold feeling immensely anxious. He knew what was going to happen to Her, but he was DREADING it & it was painful to hear Her struggle. He was to lose three people that he loved, incredibly DEEPLY. He likely wasn’t going to be around much longer to grieve, though, was he ?
❛ I’m ... sorry, Harold ... I’m ... not sure ? ❜
❝ I understand ... you have to keep track of E V E R Y O N E ...
All those people over the years ... did you LEARN anything ? ❞
A somewhat pained breath of a laugh escaped as the question hung between them—–it was VAGUE, but he believed that She would understand exactly what he’d meant. His own mind was almost fogged & overloaded with PAIN, which made it ... difficult to put his thoughts into .... more precise words. The Machine answered within a second, but ... DESPITE the swiftness, Harold could hear the strain in Her voice.
❛ I learned .... that EVERYONE dies alone. There was more to it than that, but .... I can’t remember. It was something someone said. ❜
Blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully—–THAT wasn’t exactly the insightful, complex answer he’d been hoping for. Although, Harold supposed having BUILT Her to watch humanity’s mistakes, their cycles of violence, that would certainly be a reasonable takeaway. & yet ...
❝ I had HOPED that you might have gleaned something a little less ... MORBID. ❞
❛ You built me to predict people, Harry. But to PREDICT them, you have to truly understand them & that proved to be VERY difficult indeed. So I began by breaking their lives down into moments. Trying to find the CONNECTIONS, the things that explained why they did what they did. & what I found was that the MOMENT that often mattered the most .... the moment where you TRULY found out who they were .... was often their LAST ONE. ❜
Having straightened somewhat as The Machine had begun to EXPLAIN, Harold listened & throughout all of the pain, he felt something .... different. It was MORE than mere fondness, but in fact an almost all-encompassing affection, perhaps a feeling of PROUD closure, in a way. Throughout his life, he had never truly believed that he’d created an Artificial Intelligence that TRULY had any kind of emotion, any kind of core empathy, morals, DESPITE his best efforts.
This, however .... along with the time they’d spent simply ... talking, Harold realized that he’d been WRONG. His Machine was not only greater than himself, than humanity in terms of KNOWLEDGE, understanding .... but She was more human than he ever could have believed possible. Harold was suddenly ACUTELY aware of how truly PROUD of Her he was, within that moment. Nodding his head as She finished, Harold offered,
❝ Fair enough. I’ll be INTERESTED to hear your thoughts, then. Because .... in ADDITION to this being now, ❞
Reaching down, he PRESSED against his abdomen which had been pulsing with pain for HOURS now. Blood had long-since soaked through his vest & the copper-like smell had come to his attention a long time ago .... he’d KNOWN it was there, felt it, but .... as he pulled his hand away & actually SAW the bright red tarnishing the pale skin of his fingers, it seemed all the more REAL. More real, despite all of this feeling like it could be half a dream. A simulation.
Harold knew it wasn’t.
❝ ... I think it’s also PROBABLY the end. ❞
#REWRITE THE CODE. ( drabbles )#why did I write an entire canon scene ????#because The Machine's words have been cycling in my head for a couple weeks now tbh#' Is this ... now?'#has been haunting me#this scene is so intensely surreal & heart wrenching & i love Person Of Interest
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What's that root got to do with your brand of Lore and how is that thing relevant? I'm curious!
ppl have been asking me to explain this so here's surface-level facts off the top of my head
fallout 4 textually says that the art deco faces are from an ancient alien precursor race that can give people magic powers yes really & ties Dunwich to this imagery
tanagra town is a location in 76 that has been raised into the sky by overgrowing roots, with raised precursor architecture at the core
the roots can be seen in lesser examples ripping apart architecture and natural beauty across the map
the moth cult flock to the roots and make altars out of them, especially in places where they have overtaken architecture
the point lookout ug-qualtoth cultists make similar altars.
blackhall manor is basically encased in vines, like the cult manors in 76
the interloper is some kind of unthinkable catatonic failed root body that psychically called a cultist to a precursor chamber and consumed him
the 5 precursor faces in this room might parallel the 5 skulls on the back of the ug-qualtoth spire
the visitor is another failed plant body in a chamber over a communist ghoul castle in the middle of a subterranean radioactive lake of rocket fuel
the enclave studied this root, identifiable by sprawling viscera and "hand"-like growths, and found that scientists who handled it all heard otherworldly voices. this sample is visibly the same plant as the visitor and was acquired at tanagra town
there's an enclave field research lab where a scientist named wolf apparently killed himself and his comrades in a fit that challenged his motor skils because he felt he needed to destroy their research
the strangler heart is a plant-based boss in 76 that is served by plant-infested ghouls, a grafton monster, and mirelurks, and overlaps a lot of strange lore in a way that requires its own post
wastelanders update put a precursor face under crater & there's a huge root/cult site not far away. the raiders mention that the moth cult consider their settlement "holy land" and want it for themselves.
the city of crater is BOMB-01 from van buren. concept art confirms this was intentional. another large piece of debris from it fell in the jungle, and the entire area immediately downriver of it is overrun with strangler vines.
most content updates add a new root site somewhere important
moth cultists seem to kill themselves near Pylon V-13, a busted portal where greebly escaped this timeline. greeble is a character mentioned in the promotional materials for Project V-13, the cancelled Fallout MMO by Interplay. some scientists moved into the pylon to study the portal and were unceremoniously killed and left where they fell.
there's 2 talking spore plants in fo2, iirc
the courier's grave whispers to them. the courier is immune to spore plants.
jackal gang members and mantises both feed human meat to the v22 plants, which ignore ghouls
update: in night of the moth, The Enlightened combat the vines, which directly infest their altars.
The Enlightened have left an offering bowl containing one of every produce item for mothman, except for the strangler pod, which has actually grown up through the bowl, apparently uninvited
The red moth cult were given adamowicz's extended treeminder designs as outfits. it's worth noting that Harold's heart looks a lot like the interloper.
it's my current interpretation that This Thing is some kind of powerfully psychic plant mutant pretending to be one of the absent precursor gods Lorenzo communes with
whatever this thing is, i'm pretty sure it's also "Bob", Harold's name for his tree, which speaks in a voice only he can hear
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Throwback: Pumpkin Headcanon 2
Bloody Hell
This like the one to follow this post is a throwback to the Halloween Prompt created by @elvingleaf on Seduce Me The Otome amino.
“You say it’s my fault this kitchen looks like a horror movie! Your face looks like a horror movie!” Matthew shouted at Sam as the two were forced to clean up in the area of the mansion.
Matthew since hearing about Halloween 2 years ago always challenged himself to make Halloween themed dishes, snacks, and sweets all through October. But, today Simon bothered Matthew during cooking. Which caused Matthew to spill ketchup, strawberry jam, and red frosting everywhere making the kitchen look like a weird blood bath. The trail of destruction ended getting all over the house as Matthew and his brothers were tasked on chasing the evasive fur ball at the same time trying not to make too much noise since Mika was asleep.
-flahback-
Mika worked so hard for the boys writing stories, taking on shifts in the cafe, voice acting, and designing web pages. Sometimes she often stayed late into the night and the boys would hear her tapping away on a pc. So, the deal between the boys was to let her sleep in on the weekends as much as she could. This often meant Simon was kicked out of Mika’s room.
All the boys knew of Simon tormenting Matthew, yet they often said nothing or tried to keep out of the way. Until Simon started to play pranks that all the other brothers would, unfortunately, walk into. One day one of Simon's pranks went to far and James was dumping all the contents of a Christmas popcorn tin out into the garbage, filing it with charcole, and starting a fire. When Mika asked James what was doing and why Simon being held in James's grip so tightly, James explained that he was torture the fur ball for destroying some of the flowers. Out of shock, Mika defended Simon claiming that Simon could be reasoned to act appropriately if certain conditions were met. Sam didn’t see how they were going to understand a doll and why Mika trusted a doll. But, Mika said
“Matthew gave it to me and now it is my responsibility. So, if you don’t have any other suggestions. Try to find out what Simon wants. I want to hear you speak.”
This plan drives Erik, James, and Mika to search through Harold’s library for a spell to help communicate with the white crazy-eyed squirrel. Erik being the one with the breakthrough turns Simon human. James, Mika, and Matthew sit the rambunctious semi-pet down to establish some rules and boundaries.
-flashback end-
Needless to say the house got covered in bits of red and toilet paper when Mika opened her room door. She sighed and took in a breath waiting. No less than a second later Simon runs darts into her room tracking red under the bed. Followed by a gust of wind as Sam easily lifts the bed and grabs the fur ball with an oven mit before it can get to the door to the balcony. Matthew then comes in sheepishly then looks to Sam holding a plastic box carefully. Sam quickly drops Simon into the box and Matthew locks the plastic lid. Simon now sits in the clear plastic doll looking almost pink now but sitting still.
“So…I am guessing I need to start building him a play pen…” Matthew says looking to Mika who runs her hands over her face and stretches.
“Yeah. That sounds like a great idea” Mika says then rubs her nose looking towards the other brothers who showed up in front of her doorway
“We are so sorry, Mika. We will have this cleaned soon” James said a bit ashamed in himself
Mika smiled and crossed her arms looking to James “It happens when Simon is around…Look how about all of you out so I can change and help you clean this red parade you have going on in this house”
The boys relaxed and easily agreed. Another memory for Mika to enjoy.
#throwbackthursday#halloween 2021#seduce me the otome#seduce me 2 the demon war#seduce me sam#seduce me matthew#Simon Tabby#oneshot
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Tumblr isn't letting me rearrange gifs for some reason so I apologize for the format
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Please Fix the Story pt 26 - The Higher Realm
The Higher realm continues. So close to the end!
Master post linked here
Enjoy!
______________________________
Time passed, but it was difficult to tell how much. Time worked so differently in the different realms. How long did we really spend trying to save one lower realm? Minutes? Decades? It felt like no time and forever. Adonis and I traveled to lower realm after lower realm, fixing the stories, stabilizing the world before heading back to the higher realm.
Some lower realms were easy, if a bit annoying, such as the high school dramas. In those I would often play the “average” new girl at a school. I would meet new people, and was supposed to go on to have romance, betrayals and coming of age realizations. I quickly realized that befriending all my supposed romantic leads instead of dating them, reconciling with my rivals instead of humiliating them, and pushing towards success all together was a much more satisfying strategy. Fortunately, graduating valedictorian with a happy and psychologically healthy group of teenagers often stabilized worlds that had been torn apart by half-baked character design or infighting between rivals.
I took calculus so many times that I could recite lessons in my sleep, but at least the worlds were saved. Despite our success, however, Adonis was often frustrated. He had his own vision of how we were to save these realms. His plans almost always involved us dating, making the high school romance “successful”.
I refused.
He had been a lot more likable since our first meeting, and I was able to consider him a close friend and ally… but I felt uncomfortable at the idea of even pretending to have a romantic relationship. It was definitely a more difficult route to stabilize the world without a romance, but I chose it every time. Adonis pouted and complained, but couldn’t argue with success, and I was successful.
Some lower realms were more difficult. In particular, zombie apocalypse stories were my least favorites. The worlds often couldn’t be stabilized until a cure was found or humanity’s survival was assured. This meant that Adonis and I sometimes spent decades within these realms, working to build armies, or teams of scientists. There was hardly ever any running water, which meant showering was few and far between.
My unwashed self was made even filthier by my absolute failure at using anything with range. Bow and arrow, guns… anything that would keep me out of the gore, I couldn’t hit even the largest of monsters. Fortunately I picked up a sword with relative ease, which allowed me to fight… but this also meant I got covered in rotten blood and guts.
I hated zombie worlds the most.
Realm after realm. We worked constantly, spending very little time in between in the higher realms. Adonis would often try to use those moments to push his ideas regarding fate and the higher realm’s story, but as soon as I rejected him, which I did every time, he would simply scowl and pull us into the next lower realm to save.
It was getting old.
“How many lower realms are there?” I asked one evening as we recovered from our latest mission, rubbing my sore shoulder where I had taken a blow in the last sci-fi alien battle. The wounds disappeared with the realm traveling, but my mind still could feel the wound, projecting the pain long after I had left that form behind.
Adonis leaned back in his chair, his grin a little too bitter to be a natural expression. “How many unfinished stories are there? Infinite, Bel. There are infinite lower realms. We will never be able to save them all. Not like this.”
“It’s not like there’s a lot of options.”
“There are options. You just don’t want to hear them.”
“What, this fate you keep talking about?” I sighed, closing my eyes, tired. “ It sounds like a terrible idea.”
“It’s not.” His voice was quiet, but the intensity shown through all the same. “It’s our duty. Everyone’s survival depends on it.”
“But what you’re saying is: we follow along some sort of script…”
“Fate.”
“…fate… here, in the higher realm. And that is somehow supposed to fix the lower realms?”
He chuckled. “You’re oversimplifying it, but pretty much. We follow our fate, and the heroes of the lower realms will find their happiness tied to ours.”
“What if they don’t want that ending? What if they don’t want that happiness?”
“Of course they do! Everyone wants a happily ever after with their destined one.” He snapped. My eyes flickered open to study his enraged expression.
“I don’t.”
“You’re selfish!”
I shrugged. “Am I? If you’re right, we submit to fate here, everyone in the lower realms gets an automatic happy ending… but most of those worlds aren’t breaking because they don’t have a happy ending. They need a wider world, different ideas… and what about the side characters, even the villains… what about their happiness?”
“They don’t matter.”
“Why not?” I raised an eyebrow. “Just because they’re the villains?”
“They’re evil.” He stood up, trying to tower over me. An intimidation tactic, one that might have worked before we’d spent countless years fighting in life-or-death battles together.
“Have you met the heroes and heroines of some of these realms?” I laughed. “They’re not much better. I don’t think these roles are as clear as you would like them to be. And I don’t think you and I having a happy ending together, and forcing a simplistic ‘and they lived happily ever after’ on all the lower realms will actually fix them. In fact…” I stood up, and he stepped back slightly at the danger in my tone. “I bet we would break them all the more. Are you really so foolish as to think that saving a universe of worlds would be so simple?”
“…” Adonis was gritting his teeth, his hands clenched so tightly the knuckles were white. But I didn’t back down. Didn’t step back. I knew he wouldn’t hit me. He wouldn’t dare step out of the role he imagined himself to be in. Wouldn’t dare cross a line that might ruin his chances at the happy ending he seemed to crave so desperately.
“…” The silence stretched on between us. We were at an impasse. He wanted to follow fate. He wanted clearly defined roles and rules to follow. And I?
I wanted freedom.
*** Soul transfer 11% complete. ***
It’s been forever since I last saw those words… I thought it had disappeared. For some reason, I felt a deep sense of relief at the glowing blue sentence. Something within me had frozen during these many trips to the lower realms, but finally it was growing again.
“The next world is waiting.” Adonis spoke up, his tone flat. I noticed an odd shifting of his gaze, a reluctance to meet my own, and felt a sense of unease.
I won’t like this next world. I cracked my knuckles and gave him a thumbs up. Well, no sense running from a challenge.
We left.
______________________________
I woke up in a luxurious canopy bed. Staring up at the fabric , I raised my arms and have a cheer.
“YES! NOT A ZOMBIE WORLD!”
On the downside, the setting appeared to be a more primitive era, medieval at best, which meant no running water, but at least I appeared to be noble or wealthy.
At least if I suffer, I’ll be clean while I do it!
“Princess?” A young woman dressed as a servant entered the room, seeming very confused. “Are you all right? I heard you yelling.”
I smiled brightly at her. “No worries. It was just a nightmare.”
She visibly relaxed. “Even so, you seem in a much better mood, if I may say so.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you haven’t broken a single thing this morning.” She, unfortunately did not seem to be kidding. “I’m so glad you’ve accepted your father’s decision.
I didn’t have my character’s memories yet. I needed to accept the mission first. In the meantime, acting too out of character could destabilize an already poorly functional world.
“I’m still… thinking it over.” I spoke up cautiously.
“It’s not so bad, your highness.” She smiled at me. “Most young girls feel a little uneasy when their father arranges their husband. But you’ll be happy. I just know it.”
Arranged marriage?
“After all, Prince Harold is reported to be a true gentleman, a might warrior, and a handsome young man!” She sighed dreamily. “Any woman would be thrilled for a chance to be his bride.”
“I’m. Sure.” I spoke through gritted teeth, the satin sheets crumpling in my grip. Adonis, when I find you, I’m going to make you regret every life decision you’ve ever made… and the ones you’ve only considered making. What kind of lower realm did you land us in? As I plotted my revenge, the mission screen popped up.
**** NEW WORLD: A Divided Kingdom****
This is a romance fantasy story featuring a prince and a princess from different kingdoms, putting aside their differences to save the world.
“I already don’t like this.” I muttered.
The Princess Alaire of the Yenlar Kingdom was a clever, independent woman, horrified at the idea of an arranged marriage. Prince Harold of the Bestion Kingdom felt differently. He fell in love at first sight and vowed to woo the young maiden. The couple was different in almost every way, and seemed destined to bicker and fight.
“Then how about we don’t get married?”
But fate had other plans…
“Of course it did!”
A terrifying beast threatened to destroy both their kingdoms, and to survive, the political marriage had to go forward. Uniting the kingdoms, and therefore their armed forces, was the only way to save their people.
However, despite the happy ending, the first book was not well received by readers and the trilogy was abandoned due to poor sales. The reason given was that the romance was “forced” and unbelievable.
Your mission is to bring a satisfying end to the story, while making ensuring the survival of both kingdoms.
**** DO YOU ACCEPT THIS MISSION? ****
YES? NO?
“Quick question.” I spoke quietly to the glowing words in front of me. “Do I have to marry the prince to ensure an ending?”
The kingdoms will not unite without the political marriage.
“That wasn’t what I asked. I asked if I HAVE to marry the prince. What if I can save both kingdoms without a political marriage?”
The stability of the world is all that matters.
“No lecture on the necessity of fate?”
**** DO YOU ACCEPT THIS MISSION? ****
YES? NO?
I grinned. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
As the words faded away, I jumped out of bed. My head spun slightly as I accepted the memories from the poor princess of the original story.
She had not been happy.
She had dreams, ambitions. The Kingdom of Yenlar allowed for women to inherit the throne, and as the firstborn she was ready to take over from her father, to rule her nation. She had spent her entire life preparing. Studying law, economics, warfare…
And all of it had meant nothing in the end.
She had begged for a political treaty. One that did not involve marriage. The Kingdom of Bestion had refused to even discuss it. They stated that there was too much distrust between the kingdoms to move forward without some sort of permanent assurance. Even the threat of annihilation from the ancient beast of legend wasn’t enough to have them reconsider. That wasn’t the full story, though.
Later she discovered that Prince Harold had seen her at a party. He had supposedly fallen in love with her at first sight, and became determined to marry her. He had learned of her plans to marry a minor noble, one who would support her position on the throne without causing an imbalance of power within the nobility. He had no chance, as far as she was concerned. The threatened destruction of their people was just the perfect opportunity to force the matter.
She had lost all power. Becoming a figurehead, a beautiful statue beside the true king, Harold. He ruled over both nations with an iron fist, treating her own people more harshly, much to the approval of his staff. She slowly became bitter and deranged, watching the destruction of the people and the nation she loved so dearly.
Beyond the end of the first book, when the realm’s story ended, she had attempted to poison him and failed. Harold had been disappointed, but felt that she still had use as a figurehead. They faked a stroke, and kept her mute and weak with poisons. A lovely doll. A perfect figurehead.
…is this a fantasy or a horror? Sheesh, no wonder the trilogy wasn’t going to sell. I shuddered, still standing awkwardly next to the beautiful bed that had belonged to a lovely young woman.
I will change this story. I spoke silently to the memories, feeling a sense of relief that didn’t belong to me as I did so.
First, let’s try to reason with Adonis. He and I had worked together in multiple realms, side by side. We were friends. We may not see eye to eye when it came to our approach towards fate and the lower realms, but he had never forced me to do something I didn’t want. He had always respected me and backed off when I said no, even if it made him unhappy.
Hopefully this time will be the same. I thought uneasily. Hopefully he will listen.
______________________________
“No.” His tone was gleeful, but his face was calm, towing with a silver goblet rather than meeting my gaze.
“Are you joking?” I leaned forward, keeping a gentle smile on my face to fool the guards and our fathers who sat on the other end of the enormous dining table.
“I’m perfectly serious, Princess Alaire. Our kingdoms face certain doom at the hands of the ancient beast. The only way to survive is to work together. We can only work together if we trust each other. The only way the Kingdom of Bestion will trust the Kingdom of Yenlar is with a marriage alliance. It’s out of my hands.”
I reached forward and took the cup from his hands, forcing him to look at me. “Why are you forcing this, Adonis? You know it didn’t work out so well for the originals.”
“Careful Princess.” His eyes glanced over at the nearby guards. “You don’t want anything to destabilize the situation further, now do you? Better to act as a proper princess should.”
“Answer the question. This plan already failed. Why do you think it will work?”
“Simple.” He leaned forward and plucked the goblet back from my hands. “We’re different. You may not want to admit it, but we have spent lifetimes at each other’s side. Growing up, going to school, facing enemies, fighting together… we could make this work. It would be a wonderful ending.”
“You know what happened to Alaire after the first book.”
“I would never do that to you.”
“But you are.” I growled, wishing I could punch him. “You are trying to make me a beautiful figurehead, just like Harold did to Alaira.”
“We would rule side by side.”
“What use is that promise, if you are already ignoring my wishes and forcing me to do this in the first place?”
He shook his head. “You have to trust me. This is the only way we can defeat the monster, and stabilize this realm. We’ll save this world. Together.” He smiled. “It’s our fate.”
I threw a plate at him, forcing him to fling himself on the floor to avoid injury. Walking out, I ignored my father’s shouts of rage. Picking up a bag I had packed ahead of time, just in case, I changed into some light armor, grabbed a sword, and headed out into the forest.
If I couldn’t win by a political alliance, I was going to find another way to save the world.
I was going monster hunting.
I searched Princess Alaira’s memories of the legends and stories, going out in a northern direction towards the area known as Death Valley.
As I marched onward, my thoughts wandered over the time I had spent since I had woken up in the Higher Realm. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with Adonis. He might truly think that he was saving the world by insisting on going through with the marriage, but his lack of willingness to even consider other options was frustrating. He was the only person consistently by my side through every one of these worlds, someone I considered a friend, and being unable to rely on him served to make me feel all the lonelier.
My mind briefly touched on the assassin of the first realm, Liam. I had thought with his comments and actions that he had known about my mission… that he might be from the higher realm too. But no matter how much I looked for him, no matter how much I hoped to see him again, I never did.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was someone from the lower realm, and I’ll never have the chance to see him, to thank him.
I felt a sense of despair. How long can I keep doing this? Is this why Adonis preaches following our fate so much? Is he as tired of traveling, tired of the missions and the different lives? Is he just hoping to end all this?
I sighed, keeping moving. I’m not that tired, not tired enough to sacrifice my freedom. Not yet, anyways.
It took several days of traveling. Fortunately from my years of experience in zombie worlds, I was well prepared to survival in the wilderness. At least here the rivers were clean, allowing me to bathe occasionally. Finally I was at the entrance of the valley, staring up at the pillars on either side.
There were ominous words carved deeply into the stone.
Only death lies ahead.
I stared at the words silently for a few moments, and then shrugged.
“Still better than marrying Adonis.”
I moved forward.
______________________________
The valley was dark, a deep fog settled in permanently, apparently unaffected by the weather beyond its borders. Dark twisted purple trees rose all around me, their roots tearing through the earth desperate searching for nutrients. The valley was quiet, suffocating in an unsettling silence. My presence there felt like an intrusion, my instincts screaming at me to run away, to escape.
I kept moving.
There were no other signs of life. But I knew at least one other being lived here, the reason why nothing else dared to.
The Ancient beast.
There were no descriptions of it in the legends. Just that it was deadly, enough to take on entire armies. And that it was terrifying.
I feel like I should have seen something by now, if it was so large. I sighed, sitting on one of the trees, staring up at the mountain ahead of me. Shouldn’t it be easier to find an enormous beast that terrified an entire world?
…
Wait.
I looked up, struggling to see the top of the mountain in front of me.
I’m in a valley…
The mountain moved up and down, with regular motions.
There shouldn’t be a mountain here.
It was breathing.
I drew my sword, inwardly despairing. I had underestimated the sheer scale of the monster. I had thought it would be the size of a house, an elephant. Instead it towered stories above me, unimaginably large.
I was doomed.
There was a rumble as the beast in front of me shifted. I couldn’t tell the shape, just an impression of scales and spikes. Slowly, something lowered down in front of me, stretching forward in all directions, filling my vision. I saw teeth larger than my own body, the white of them contrasting with the dark fog around us. As I prepared myself for my death, an eye opened to stare at me.
It was a beautiful dark blue.
“…”
Suddenly, I felt relief. It was incomprehensible. I was standing in front of an ancient beast, enormous and terrifying, and instead of fear and dread… I felt safe.
I raised a hand, almost despite myself. “Hello there.”
The eye blinked. I comforted myself that it hadn’t eaten me yet.
“I think you look awesome. I’m Princess Alaira from the nearby kingdom of Yenlar. I actually came here to kill you, to protect my people… but now I realize that you could crush me like an ant, and that was a bad plan.”
The eye blinked twice. It seemed more confused than anything.
“I have a much better plan, if you would be willing to listen to me.” I let out a laugh, slightly startled at how… villainous it sounded.
*** Soul transfer 20% complete. ***
The creature let out a sound like thunder. I felt that it was laughing too.
______________________________
The wedding was this morning.
I was surprised as I drew near to see the party going. You would think that after I disappeared, they might have canceled or delayed it. I assumed that Adonis had felt sure that I would agree with him in the end. That I wouldn’t be able to let the world end just because I didn’t want to marry him.
Well too bad, buddy. This princess has a different plan in mind!
I could see him, standing on the elevated stage before two thrones, waiting. I couldn’t see his expression from this distance, but I imagine he was barely hiding his worry. Alaire’s father and Harold’s father were also waiting on the platform, their postures betraying their impatience.
“Let’s get this party started!” I yelled.
ROOOOOOOAAAAAAR!
The ancient beast let out a triumphant roar as he flew closer and lowered his head, letting me jump down onto the platform before landing behind me, a large, threatening mountain of a creature.
“Alaire?” The king called out, confused. “What are you doing?”
“Hello, Father.” I also nodded to Adonis, who stared back.
“What is this?”
“Your daughter is a witch!” The King of Bestion shouted, drawing his ceremonial sword. “She betrayed us!”
“Hold on, father.” Adonis held out his hand, stopping his attack. “I’m sure it’s not what it looks like.”
I grinned.
“Nope. It’s exactly what it looks like. I’ve teamed up with the Ancient being. We’re friends now.” I gestured at the monster high above us, who let out a grim chuckle, shaking the ground. “So now I make the rules, got it?”
“…”
“I’ll take everyone’s stunned silence as happy agreement! Now, first rule: Wedding canceled.”
“What?”
“What?”
“You can’t do this!”
The three other royals on stage shouted simultaneously. I simply pointed again at the enormous creature.
“I can do whatever I want. The big scary monster behind me says so. Next, the kingdom of Bestion will surrender to me, as will the kingdom of Yenlar.”
“You want to rule the world?” Adonis’s gaze was… disappointed. I grinned shamelessly. “Nope. But here’s the thing: Our kingdoms face certain doom at the hands of the ancient beast. The only way to survive is to convince the monster not to kill us. The monster only trusts me. So I have to rule both kingdoms.” I shrugged. “It’s out of my hands.”
I threw his words from earlier back at him, and felt satisfied as he winced in recognition.
“We… surrender.” His words were quiet, defeated.
“You unruly child!” My father tried to shout, but a roar from the monster above us silenced him. He quickly surrendered too. I accepted both surrenders, quickly organizing the meetings to bring our governments together under one rule. Fortunately, the princess’s years of study served me well, guiding me smoothly through the process.
______________________________
I had one more confrontation with Adonis, the night before the coronation. He was escorted to my rooms by guards, saying he had a request. I hesitated briefly, but allowed him in, waving the guards behind the door so we could speak freely.
“What was that?” He shouted as soon as they had left.
I stayed sitting, forcing myself to be calm. “I fixed the story.”
“You ruined everything! Even if it stabilizes this world, it will ruin it in the long run.”
“Says you.”
“Trust me.” He threw up his hands as he paced back and forth. “Everything will go a lot smoother if you STOP CHANGING THE STORY.”
“I thought that was why we were here, though?” I sighed, leaning back in my chair and cleaning my nails with a blade. “To fix the lower realms, to save these worlds? That requires change, right?”
He paused in his movements, glaring at me. “Stop acting stupid. These worlds are broken because they didn’t follow the rules. We have to follow them perfectly.”
“I don’t want to though.” I shuddered. “No offense, but if the story is going to require us to have a romantic relationship, I’m finding an alternate solution.”
“That’s what the story requires, you have your role to play. You know the consequences of not playing the right part.”
I sighed. “No, there’s always different paths to take. You’re a good friend, and I’m glad to have you by my side, but that’s different than love.”
“…”
“You clearly don’t love me either, so why are you making such a fuss about this? As long as we complete what we came here to do, that’s all that matters, right?”
“…”
“Right?”
Adonis stepped closer to me, his atmosphere slightly threatening. “Why are you so different from what you are supposed to be?”
“What are you…?”
“Why can’t you just accept.”
His hand grabbed my wrist, the grip painful.
“your.”
He pulled me closer until our faces were inches apart. His bright blue eyes were blazing with anger as they stared into my own.
“fate.”
Letting me go, he walked away, putting some distance between us, before turning back to face me.
“This lower realm is stabilized. We should return.” His smile was cold. “The next mission is a little different from our previous ones. We’ll talk about it later.”
“…”
“And next time…?” He laughed, a bitter sound. “You’ll play your part whether you want to or not.”
THUD.
The blade in my hand threw through the air, stabbing into the wall inches from his face. I smiled cheerfully as he looked back at me, shocked.
“Try touching me again, and I’ll cut off something you’ll miss. We’ll discuss missions and roles again in the higher realm, but for now?” I rang a bell and guards came in, escorting him out. “I have a coronation to plan.”
______________________________
My coronation was held outside so that the Ancient beast could stand behind me. It seemed cheerful, letting out victorious roars and swaying from side to side. The people cheered as well, seeming a lot happier than I expected them to be. I guess they’re relieved that they won’t be eaten by the giant monster? I wondered idly how I was going to incorporate the creature into the day to day life of a monarch. For an odd reason I had very little doubt that the monster would stick around.
However, all my plans came to nothing. As the crown was placed on my head, bright blue words formed in the air in front of me:
100% complete.
**** You have finished the mission! ****
It was time to go.
At little sad, I looked up at the ancient monster above me. “Thank you, friend for your help. I wish I could stay with you longer.”
A mournful cry echoed through the world. It seemed to understand that I was leaving. Before I could say anything more to reassure it, the world around me shimmered and disappeared.
Only to reveal a furious Adonis standing in front of me.
“Happy now, Your Majesty?” He sneered.
“Oof, someone’s still a little angry that I used an ancient monster conquer the world. Believe it or not, I’m sorry that I’ve hurt you. But you know why I did what I did. Let’s talk about it in the morning.”
I walked away, feeling his glare on my back long after I was out of sight.
______________________________
When I woke up, I realized that I couldn't move.
I panicked, struggling to move my arms and legs, only managing to turn my head slightly. Enough to see Adonis’s smug expression as he sat by my bed.
“It’s time for our story to progress, Bel.” His smile was strange, twisted. I couldn’t talk back, I shook my head slightly side to side.
“I’m the hero, you are the heroine. If the relationship between us can’t be advanced by working together, than it must be forged in adversity." He reached down and picked me up, carrying me out of the small cottage I had arranged for myself and into the castle courtyard. Whatever drug he had injected me with was slowly wearing off, and I struggled in his arms, finally able to shout.
“Put me down!”
To my surprise he did, and although I struggled to stay upright, I kept my balance and glared at him.
“What are you planning?”
He sighed quietly. “I’m tired of always being the one to compromise. It’s time for you to make a sacrifice, Bel. I’ve avoided this so far, worried that progressing our story this way would kill you, but it seems that it is our fate that we take this risk. It’s… unfortunate. I do very much hope you don’t die.” He paused, trying to smile at me. “Don’t worry. It’s only temporary. I’ll come and rescue you soon.”
“A sacrifice?” I felt cold, even as I stood in the warm afternoon sun. My thoughts were slow to form, possibly a side effect of the medication. “Why?”
He shrugged. “There’s an order to everything. Rules. Law. They are all that stand between us and pure chaos. No one can ignore them. Not you. Not even me.”
“Then sacrifice yourself, asshole! Why send me?”
He shrugged. “It’s your role to play, not mine. Your fate.”
“Screw fate! I don’t care if you say it’s temporary or not! Friends don’t sacrifice friends!” I was furious, still weak and feeling helpless.
His hand reached out and brushed my cheek, the touch freezing my skin. I wanted to move away but I could still barely move, only managing to glare at him. “Don’t look at me with those eyes. It’s not my fault. If you want to blame anyone, blame the story.”
“Ad…”
“Sorry, you must accept your fate.” I felt a pinch in my arm, the stick of a needle as he injected something into the muscle. Immediately darkness overwhelmed me.
“We all do.”
Everything faded into darkness.
______________________________
When I woke up, I was in a strange world, surrounded by forest. I lay on my back, still feeling weak, fury coursing through my veins.
Adonis and I had worked well together, despite arguing multiple times in the past. But now… any goodwill I had towards him was gone. He had betrayed me. Knocked me out and sent me to somewhere dangerous, somewhere I could be killed, just to follow his precious fate. To get the story he wanted.
“Are you lost?
I looked over at the source of the voice. It was a tall young man with dark hair, wearing grey, non-descript clothing. He kneeled down next to me, and I found myself staring into dark blue eyes.
“Seems a good description for my current situation.” I smiled despite the dizziness. “Nice to meet you, Stranger.”
He grinned, reaching out a hand to help me up. “Call me Liam.”
Liam? Could he be…?
“…Nice to meet you, Liam.” I laughed. “Or should I say: nice to see you again?”
*** Soul transfer 25% complete. ***
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my opinion on td finalists
spoiler alert, im not a fan of most
TDI: Owen & Gwen
uh I personally don’t like either of these guys for finalists. gwen did do a lot but there were so many times where she just acted so apathetic I was like why?? are you still here?? and as for owen... I didnt like him as a character for a Long Time and he's growing on me but he just doesnt seem like finale material
I think a duncan versus leshawna finale would've been super fun to watch. especially if they teamed up to take down heather in the semifinal. those two had such a fun dynamic, especially in the triathlon episode, that I think taking it to the finale would've been fantastic. also leshawna deserved to win that season and you cannot change my mind
TDA: Duncan & Beth
duncan, while not my first choice, I can see making it through to the finale this season. but beth?? no. im sorry but shes just too much of a side character and is canonically fake nice and annoys everyone else so it doesn’t really make sense
an interesting finale would’ve been duncan versus courtney considering how volatile their relationship was this season. however, bc courtney was kinda awful to duncan, I dont think she deserves to win this season. it would be cool if there was one ending where their votes tied and they made up and decided to split the money but that just feels too tame, both for a finale and for their dynamic
harold versus duncan could be interesting, but because duncan tends to bully harold, I dont think his win would be fair in this situation. I think lindsay versus harold would be the best, as this season is about lindsay learning to take charge and come up with strategies, and while he can be off-putting and occasionally condescending, I think harold has a lot of useful skills that could really flourish in the finale
TDWT: Heather & Alejandro
while I dont ship them at all, I truly dont think there could've been a more satisfying final two. we’ve had their rivalry build up from day one, they have a ton of good songs together, it really completes heather’s arc of antagonist to antihero to protagonist. heather winning is the best ending in my mind, but I like alejandro winning too. the only problem I have with his ending is that it only happened because heather threw in the wrong dummy-- I think it would’ve been more clever for him to have switched them or something like that
ive been thinking about some other final twos that I think would be interesting, though unable to top the canon one imo. gwen versus courtney would be really cool because of the friends turned enemies thing-- I think it would be interesting for courtney to be put in danger and gwen has a choice of saving her or going for the money and she save courtney before apologizing again (maybe dumping duncan) and the two make up and split the money.
though I don’t really enjoy either as characters mostly due to their writing, cody and sierra would be an interesting final two. maybe cody finally stands up to sierra, or sierra struggles with wanting to be the winner of total drama or helping the boy she likes win. it definitely wouldn't be as good as the canon two but there would be a lot of clashing dynamics at play that'd be fun to explore
TDROTI: Lightning & Cameron
admittedly, I don’t remember too much from this season, but it really felt like these two kind of coasted by. I never found lightning to be a particularly compelling character and thought it weird how he suddenly went from dumb jock to evil jock in the last episode or two. cameron really felt like he was just carried through the season, similarly to beth, though I dont have as much as an issue with him winning. I dont think it was a bad finale, per se, I just think if those were the final two they should've been written better from the start
seeing as how jo really played the game and went all in, I think she would’ve been a great finalist. it would’ve been interesting to see her versus (commando?) zoey though im not the biggest zoey fan. I think a jo versus lightning finale could actually work (or brick) though if there was a jo versus cameron finale, I couldn't see him logically winning bc jo would just destroy him
TDAS: Mike & Zoey
*BIG FUCKING INHALE* no. just no. im probably not gonna say anything that’s not already been said so ill keep it short. bland, mal writing bad, have someone who's been in the game for 3 previous seasons instead of 1 make it to the ALL STARS FINALE. jfc.
you know what would’ve been an interesting finale? gwen versus courtney. they both said they wanted to reach the final two with the other one, so maybe they do! maybe they start to struggle with their friendship because of courtney’s competitive streak! maybe one of their helpers is duncan and that causes strife between them! maybe they become enemies again and don’t make up until the finale! maybe they decide to split the money! idk! it would've had a hell of a lot more flavor than what we got
TDPI: Shawn & Sky
I don’t really have an issue with either of these characters making it to the finale. they’re compelling, worked hard, and have distinct goals. I would’ve liked to see jasmine in the finale but I'd be cool replacing either one with her: jasmine and shawn having to compete against one another would be an interesting relationship hurdle and sky versus jasmine would've been cool because they’re both very athletic and it would’ve been the first f vs f total drama finale (we've had m vs f and m vs m but no all-girl finales...)
TDRR: Surfer Dudes & Police Cadets
Again, I don’t really have an issue with this finale. I really like how Sanders and MacArthur both work hard in their own ways and have to learn how to work together (MacArthur breaking Sanders’ arm and realizing that she can negatively affect her partner and also that Sanders is super tough was a GREAT arc). I know there’s been some contention about the Surfer Dudes being eliminated and then coming back so late in the game, but it made sense to me. They chose to lose because they felt that they owed it to Devin and Carrie, and that choice paid off when Devin and Carrie called in a replacement team. I doubt the surfers expected that to happen, they were just trying to be fair, but that kindness was rewarded in a big way which I think was sweet, especially considering how much of a hot mess this show can be.
I gotta say, this does kinda remind me of the TDI finale, with the villain (heather/ice dancers) getting eliminated third, and their rival (gwen/police cadets) making it to the finale with the fun guy (owen/surfer dudes). The reason I like the Surfer Dudes as finalists more than Owen is that I felt they put in more effort during challenges and had more of an arc (with Josee’s mind games ending up bonding them as a team after strife, choosing to be eliminated for the sake of fairness, etc).
Speaking of Owen, it’s kind of ironic that if I had to replace a team in the finale, I would replace the surfer dudes with the reality tv pros. they’re my favorite team and I think it wouldve been great for them to really live up to their name. I think it also would've been funny for the ice dancers to be so focused on their rivalry with the cadets that the pros just completely go under their radar until its the final three and the ice dancers are like “oh crap they’re PROS why haven't we been trying to destroy them??”
I also wouldn't mind replacing the surfer dudes with the sisters. I know emma gets a lot of hate (mostly because of nemma which I only like platonically) but I actually like her as a character (when she wasn’t being obsessive) and I think she and kitty were a great team that had a good arc of learning to work together. I also think it would be really interesting because for the final three they would all have rivalries with one another: the police cadets and the ice dancers (obvious) the ice dancers and the sisters (josee messed with them in at least 2 challenges) and the sister and the police cadets (kitty and macarthur’s game/road rage was hilarious)
#total drama#td#tdi#tda#tdwt#tdroti#roti#tdas#tdpi#tdrr#total drama island#total drama action#total drama world tour#total drama revenge of the island#revenge of the island#total drama all stars#total drama pahkitew island#pahkitew island#total drama ridonculous race#ridonculous race#total drama presents: the ridonculous race
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My entry for @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie for her 500 challenge! My twist on Hansel and Gretel! Plus I made a moodboard which is super nice if I say so myself. ❤
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
I hated the dress, it was pretty but the way it hung on my body, the color, for what it stood for.
Purity, Marriage, to be chained down to a man, one I didn't love.
Harold's mother Mary was fixating on my hair, near pulling it out at the roots, I fought back the winces, at one point I thought about turning around and grabbing her hair to yank it out of her scalp.
She was tall, thin, she reminded me of a spider, her dark hair pulled into a bun, neat and tightly. A dark dress as if she was in mourning, I was.
She was acting as if I was her porcelain doll to dress up, one without a mind.
The reflection was haunting me, this girl staring back at me. Blank eyes, a trembling lip. It didn't look like me, she looked like a stranger, she looked lost.
Mary yanked again at my roots while braiding my hair, a burning pain running alongside my scalp, I hissed in pain. "Stop moving." She scolded me as if I was a child, I huffed out a breath of anger.
Hero's head perked up watching carefully with those big brown eyes of his, alerted and waiting. He was a very intimidating looking dog, but a big baby to me. He was a mutt, half sure he was a German Shepherd, and a Husky, his eyes always on me watching everything I did.
The last of his litter, the runt. Once I got him he grew and grew, he seemed to get bigger everyday.
My best and only friend.
"Is that what you have packed?" Her voice had a distasteful tone. I turned my head to follow her gaze on my trunk, a box full of books neatly stacked on top.
"Yes, May I ask why?"
I looked at her confused, I shifted the front of my body towards her, relieved that my hair was free of the clutches of her fingers.
"You won't be needing all those books, you won't have time to read once you have children." Her eyes look for an imperfection in my face, ready to fix it.
A sickening feeling turns my stomach. I will have to lie in bed with him, have his children.
The thought makes me ill.
"We need the money." The sentence my mother told me runs in my head.
"You should feel grateful for marrying my son." She states, her lip almost upturning in a snarl.
I want to tell her that her son is a pig, a ugly little repulsive pig with his head up her ass, the words die in my throat, I felt incapacitated by my own words, my mind, constantly double thinking over myself.
"Tell your husband that my dog likes to sit in the front seat." It felt good to push back even the slightest at her.
"Didn't your mother tell you? The mutt isn't coming with you, Harold has never been fond of dogs or any pets, dirty things." Those words pushed me back more, I actually let out a laugh in disbelief.
"I've seen dirtier." I smirked at her, I watched her open her mouth to say something as her face switched to spite.
"Mary? The guests are arriving." I hear her husband call out from behind the closed door.
Her hateful gaze doesn't intimidate me.
If anything it fuels me more.
"You best pray to God before the ceremony." Is all she says before she leaves me alone.
I bite back the untasteful words to tell her to shove God up her ass.
I turn my body towards my mirror once again, laying my palms flat on my vanity, so many emotions running through me.
Alone.
There was no stirring through the house, everyone was outside in the front of the house, my chance was open, and I was a fool if I stayed, lived in misery.
I was a fool to take it too, but a free fool was better than one who had none and was still a fool at the end of the day.
I needed a sign. A sign from any of the gods, I pleaded to any of them who would listen.
Then I heard the chime of bells, from the windchime against my window. There it was.
The last gaze I had in the mirror, at the girl who had the glint of a spark in her stormy eyes, a soft smile on her lips.
I darted for my carry bag, shifting my books off my trunk and stuffing clothes in, the few dollars I had, along with the few books I could take, feeling a loss for the others I had to leave behind.
"Let's go, Hero." I waved my hand, he sprinted up quickly to follow behind me, as I moved through the house quickly and quietly, to the kitchen. I opened the back door, the warmth of the spring air hitting me, as I stepped out the door. Hero was at my side as I closed the door behind me.
I turned my head, and my Uncle was leaning against the house smoking a cigarette, he looked at me, panic ran through my body.
And as I thought my freedom was vanishing through my fingers.
"Keep to the trail." He nodded to the woods, he took a deep inhale of his cigarette.
A breath of relief escaped my chest.
"Thank you."
He waved a hand. "See you later, Kid."
I smiled softly. "See you later."
I knew there wasn't a later, but it was better that way than saying goodbye.
The woods were only steps away, and I ran for life, for freedom.
I was a free fool.
~~~
Dark clouds came overhead, the night rolling in as the sun went down, the birds quieting.
My legs were heavy and burning, and Hero kept at my side, patiently.
"Are you lost?" A smoky voice says, making me jump with a gasp, my heart felt like it was going to pop from my chest.
I turned my body towards the trees. A tall man stepped out of the tree line, but didn't step on the trail, his hair was dark, braided and shaved at the sides, scuff lining his boyish features. I noticed a small birthmark on his cheek near his nose. He looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. He was quite handsome.
"No, I'm not lost." I stated confidently. Hero didn't react to him, which was odd because Hero didn't like strangers. It made me slightly uneasy.
He perked up a dark brow at me, a charming smirk.
"Are you sure?" He was looking at my dress, his smirk getting slightly bigger.
"I would think you would be at a wedding."
I held onto my bag tightly, ready to strike first if it came that way.
"You should know that they are waiting for you at the end of the trail, they thought they would let you walk to defeat." He turns his head briefly to look down.
My face morphs in surprise for a moment, but it's something that my mother would do. That I believe.
"Why are you telling me?"
He bite his tongue with his sharpest canines.
"You're pretty."
I scoffed. I knew what I looked like, yes I was pretty, but men didn't want wives that outweighed them, or intimidated them.
Weak men.
"I know a way off the trail, one you won't get caught."
I pressed my lips together.
"How can I trust you when I don't know you, you're a stranger in my eyes.
"My name is Hvitserk, now we aren't strangers." He smiled at me.
He outstretched his hand for me to take, but I was still weary of him.
"If you try anything Hvitserk, I will let my dog tear you apart." I stated.
I reached for his hand, and he helped me step from the trail into the treeline, Hero followed and began walking in front of us.
"I'm curious, why did you run away, was the husband-to-be grotesque?" He is toying with something in his pocket and pulls out a few wild berries, he pops one into his mouth.
I laughed at that. "I don't want to be held down in a loveless, freedomless marriage, I want more."
He nods, listening to every word, while popping berries into his mouth.
"My father is pushing us boys to find wives, he is more in the old ways about it, stealing a woman and taking her to the underworld." I laugh a little at the underworld part.
"Like Hades and Persephone?"
He raises his eyebrows at me.
"You know that story?"
"I've always liked that story, My parents hated when I read books like that, they thought it would tamper with my mind." I whirl my finger around my temple.
"He stole her away, but they actually loved each other, he treated her with equality and respected her, never cheated on her, or had stray eyes for another, he would destroy the world if she asked." I continued.
He held out his hand to offer me a red berry and plucked one with my finger. I put the berry in my mouth, it was so sweet and ripe against my tongue, almost a cinnamon hint to it.
"If you asked me, I would too."
I playfully rolled my eyes, taking another berry, then another.
"Though my Mother doesn't want to admit it, I think she went willingly as well."
"Oh?" I peer at Hero who is still walking ahead. I paid little attention to what he said, but I should have.
"She ate the berries my Father offered to her, and she became tied to the underworld."
I stare at him like he's grown two heads.
And my gaze goes to the berry in my fingers,
Red and plump, I feel drunk all of a sudden and light like I am floating.
He curls himself around me, and I gasp.
"I think Cerberus will be glad to see his son again." He chimes.
He holds onto my full hip with a heavy grasp.
"I'm sure you'll give me sons too." His gaze darkens on me, he leans down to my lips and my heart feels heavy.
He presses his lips to mine, and I'm engulfed in hellfire.
Maybe being in the Underworld won't be so bad.
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20 for Vanya?
20. What-ifs/Alternate Timelines
I have a lot of what-ifs and alternate timelines for Vanya lmao, especially ones that prevent the apocalypse because I’m a sucker for a happy ending tbh
What if Vanya was included? Why not? Klaus’s powers weren’t useful for missions, Allison’s story for Claire was literally like “yeah Klaus got distracted by ghosts in the background lol” so it’s not like a kid without offensive powers couldn’t do it
you have rebellious Vanya aus, where she decides, like some neglected children do, so act out. If her father isn’t going to acknowledge anything good about her, she’s going to make him acknowledge the bad. Punishment might be the only time he pays attention to her, after all.
(let’s call this an au where the pills suppress her powers but not so much her emotions)
So you have an au where she sneaks out and joins the missions. She breaks into the mausoleum and picks Klaus up and stares her father down with a challenge in her eyes.
Five vanishes, and Vanya gets worse. She plays her violin at 2 in the morning. She refuses to eat her broccoli. she teams up with diego to see who can piss dad off the most
(her and Diego actually get along very well in this sort of au, honestly)
Vanya gets out and plays the violin and gets angry. She plays with fury and fire and gets second chair, because Helen is actually really very good. But she makes Helen work for it. Helen isn’t secure in her position, she always knows that Vanya is a step away from taking it from her
and maybe that should make them enemies, but it doesn’t. They’re rivals. Helen respects the hell out of Vanya, and Vanya can’t help but admire the woman who makes the most difficult pieces look effortless
(RIVALS TO LOVERS: VIOLIN EDITION)
Vanya writes her book. Except she kicks down Diego’s boiler room door and is like “DIEGO”
“WHAT”
“I WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT HOW MUCH DAD FUCKING SUCKS”
“I’LL BE RIGHT THERE”
as one of the rebel kids, Vanya actually got along well with Klaus as well since she helped him sneak out and 100% also smoked at least some weed with him because it would piss off Reggie tbh though she didn’t get into the harder drugs like he did
(showing up absolutely plastered to breakfast when they were sixteen was hilarious even if the laps they had to run around the block were not)
anyway Klaus crashes at her apartment sometimes, with supervision, because she loves Klaus but he has a problem and has stolen from her before but he’s still her brother but regardless
Klaus-Diego-Vanya sleepovers where they brainstorm the book to shit talk their father. Honestly it’s kind of a blast. They all get super wine drunk and end up watching Mary Poppins together with some Very Loud Opinions about nannies in general tbh
klaus throwing popcorn at the screen: BOO WHY WAS OUR CHILDHOOD NOT A MUSICAL???
diego: idk if you can have cheery musicals about child soldiers
vanya: i mean if they can have a musical about child labor in factories and the starvation of the workers in oliver twist you could do something with child superheroes
klaus: EXACTLY thank you vanya
they publish the book (luther is uNHAPPY, vanya dedicates her book to ‘all my siblings who survived the Reginald Regime but especially those who didn’t’, and she gifts Reggie a copy that says “fuck you lol” and is signed by her, diego, and klaus), they continue living, they go to the funeral when reggie kicks the bucket
and then five shows up, feral and aching
and five tells vanya about the apocalypse, and vanya thinks about their father saying time travel messed with the mind, and then she thinks - fuck the old man he was wrong about her (ordinary, fuck that, she’s Vanya Fucking Hargreeves) and he was probably wrong about Five, too
and Five is wholeheartedly believed
“Let me call Diego,” Vanya says when Five tells her about the eye, “I bet he could totally wear a police uniform and get info about the eye. And if not, I’m absolutely sure Klaus could improvise a solution. He’s good at that.”
“Klaus??” Five asks, vaguely suspicious.
“We don’t talk about the Sleepover of 2012.” Vanya intones solemnly, and refuses to answer any further questions on the topic.
Harold Jenkins comes to the apartment and tries to woo Vanya or whatever, and Vanya is kind of like... “Look, Leonard. I can be your teacher for violin. It’s my job. But I am in a relationship. And also like, super gay. If you have a problem with that then I am not the teacher for you.”
Actually scratch Diego and Klaus getting called, which they do, Vanya looks at them and her thirteen year old brother and is like “wait. actually i know someone infinitely better to crack this case wide open.”
“Who?” Five, Klaus, and Diego all ask
“My girlfriend.” Vanya says proudly, called Helen up.
And Helen walks into the building like she’s at fucking war and has such demanding confidence that they just give her the information she seeks and apologize for inconveniencing her.
“Hey Vanya are we still on for date night tomorrow?” Helen casually asks after, and Five kind of wants to be her when he grows up honestly after watching her verbally eviscerate Lance or whatever the fuck his name is
“Yeah.” Vanya confirms, “Unless there’s other apocalypse stuff to do?”
“You take all the time you need, honey.” Helen says warmly, “After all the more time you take the less you have to practice.”
“I’m gonna destroy the concert piece and you know it.” Vanya threatens.
Helen sniffs, “Okay, whatever you say second chair.”
and then they kiss and Helen ditches and the others just kind of look at Vanya judgingly
“In fairness, she’s very hot and very talented.” Vanya defends herself.
Klaus nods sagely. Vanya nods back. He gets it.
“Concert piece?” Diego asks, because he has priorities.
“Yeah, I’ve already asked for tickets for all of you and you will be attending Diego.” Vanya smiles prettily with all her teeth.
“When is it?” Five asks
“April 1st.” Vanya tells him, “And no that isn’t an April Fools joke. You will attend and you will marvel at my skill. And maybe run interference between Helen and Allison because I’m kind of afraid they’re going to rip each others throats out to establish dominance.”
“That’s the day of the apocalypse.” Five informs her.
“Not on my goddamn watch.” Vanya says, because her family will attend her fucking concert and they will make awkward small talk with her girlfriend and the fucking apocalypse has better lay down and get over itself because nothing can stop Vanya’s goddamn plans
“I can investigate Meritech more.” Diego offers, because Lance-or-whatever-his-name-is is clearly shady as shit, “I have police contacts I could go through. Hey Vanya, your concert tickets include a plus one?”
“They can.” Vanya shrugs.
“Sweet, let me see if Patch can come.”
“She’s way too good for you, bro.”
“Shut your goddamn mouth.”
Anyway the point is they all go home, and Diego goes to talk to his police contacts and Five is definitely at home for when Hazel and Cha-Cha attack the mansion, oops.
“Whomst the FUCK.” Vanya yells, kicking Hazel in the crotch because she’s Vanya Fucking Hargreeves she knows self defense thank you very much
“Ah.” Five says. “Hazel. How’s it going.”
“Just peachy.” Hazel wheezes, “Why’d you betray the Commission?”
“Well, you know. They cut the dental. That was really the last straw.” Five says, sarcastically.
“The dental.” Hazel echoes back, nodding very seriously, “I fucking know. You know physical therapy isn’t even covered anymore?”
“No shit?” Five says, “I mean you’d think with a job as physical as ours...”
“I know.” Hazel howls, vindicated.
“Five.” Vanya says, rolling her eyes, “The house?”
“Oh, right.” Five frowns, looking at Hazel, “I mean. Can you like, leave? And not come back?”
“‘Fraid not.” Hazel actually sounds somewhat apologetic, “You know what the Commission is like. They’re really gunning for you.”
Five nods, because really what did he expect, “Can you leave like, temporarily? I mean you’d pretty clearly outnumbered. I don’t even know where Cha-Cha is, but judging by the furious yelling she probably met our sister and brother and Luther is hard to kill. Trust me, if he wasn’t we would have killed him when we were like, eight. But for real, can you get out of our house? I mean. Storming the den? Seriously? What kind of information did they even give you?”
“They didn’t give us any information.” Hazel responds back, sounding appropriately outraged, “They didn’t even tell us you could teleport.”
“Well that’s just rude. You’d think they wanted you dead or something.” Five muses, “But seriously, get out of my house.”
“Yeah, that’s fair.” Hazel admits, and leaves, because honestly Hazel is chill like that and knows when he’s lost. And Hazel also has a lot to think about. Like the fact that the Commission sucks and doesn’t even have dental, and how pretty the donut lady is.
and Vanya is just like... okay. Weird. Is that going to happen again? Probably? I mean. Okay, this day has already been so goddamn weird. This week, honestly.
And they keep getting attacked by the Commission. And Vanya finds out someone broke into her apartment and stole her meds. What the fuck.
“Did your shitty assassin friends do this?” Vanya asks, waving an empty pill bottle.
“Why would they?” Five asks, honestly confused.
“Because they’re assholes?” Vanya says, honestly outraged.
“You got me there.” Five admits.
The combined forces of Diego-and-Patch (because Patch is actually thrilled that Diego is asking for help regarding an actual fucking crime) figure out that the eyeballs are being sold illegally
Klaus is not kidnapped so he’s fine, just tagging along and living his best life, however this also means that Klaus does not steal the briefcase and Hazel and Cha-Cha are fine
Vanya keeps Five close at hand because frankly she doesn’t want him to leave again and she did really miss him. Also if she does save the world she can lord it over Helen’s head forever.
And so Five is around when Vanya’s powers manifest, probably because they just got targeted by commission goons again because they’re trying real hard to kill five and separate Vanya
“Holy SHIT.” Five says, very intelligently, “You have POWERS.”
“Wow. Gonna have to write a fucking sequel to the shit-talking-dad book.” Vanya says, honestly a little light headed.
And then Vanya finds out her powers are sound based.
“Oh no.” Vanya says, “Where the fuck are my pills. I am not relearning how to play the violin with-powers a few days before the big concert Five, what the fuck.”
“But you need to learn to control them!” Five protests, “They’re your powers!”
“They’re a goddamn inconvenience is what they are.” Vanya states, “I mean, what am I going to do with them? Stop a bank robbery with the Umbrella Academy? Yeah, no thanks, that ship has sailed and sunk to the bottom of the ocean Titanic style. I’ll figure them out when I’m not in danger of blasting the audience halfway across the continent.”
“Yeah.” Five admits, “That’s fair.”
“Besides, if I’ve been on that shit as long as I have, and it’s been a long time, I cannot even IMAGINE what quitting cold turkey will do.” Vanya points out, very sensibly, like a siblings who has watched Klaus go through withdrawal symptoms more than once.
“Maybe there’s extra at the manor?” Five suggests, “Pogo probably knows.”
“Oh yeah I bet Pogo knows something.” Vanya mutters maybe a little bitterly.
They go back to the mansion and the Commission is honestly pulling their hair out tbh, and they ask Pogo who kind of pales and is like “UHHHH YES I CAN GET VANYA EXTRA PILLS” and goes to get them from whatever stash
“Fucking sweet.” Vanya whispers, entirely done with this situation, “The only adult male role model I had and he hid my powers from me and betrayed me. Love that for us.”
Five shrugs, “I mean, you’re right. All of our adult role models were all kinds of fucked up.”
“You vanished when we were 13.” Vanya says, “Didn’t you find like, any other adults ever?”
“Oh let me tell you about the Handler.” Five says, and proceeds to do just that. Because let’s be real, the Handler was the only human interaction Five had after forty odd years alone it was pretty damn important
Vanya, on the other hand, has strong plans to eviscerate the Handler should the two ever meet because Five deserved way better than to be forcibly made into an assassin?? honestly fuck that woman
that’s it that’s the au
Vanya finds out she has powers and is like “i have a LIFE i don’t want to interrupt it with bullshit POWERS,,, also going cold turkey off my meds seems like a bad idea if I don’t want to deal with withdrawal symptoms during my concert for fucks sake, my gf would never let me live it down if i skipped”
so vanya takes her meds, does NOT destroy the world, makes every one of her siblings go to the concert and even invites Hazel and Agnes after Hazel betrays Cha-Cha to join team No-Apocalypse.
and then introduces them all to her girlfriend
“Holy shit Vanya.” Helen deadpans, “Your family is all kinds of fucked up.”
“I know.” Vanya says, aggrieved, “It’s been a long fucking week. Want to go camping and help me figure out my cool sound based powers? Bet they’ll make me a better violin player than you.”
“I think the fuck not.” Helen hisses, always up for a challenge, “Let’s do this. Me and my violin vs. you and your dumb baby powers. You’re on.”
“FAMILY CAMPING TRIP.” Klaus hollers, with all the enthusiasm in his little heart.
“Holy shit this is going to be such a disaster, I just know it.” Diego mutters.
“Shut up, it’ll be nice.” Allison says, elbowing Diego with her pointy pointy elbows.
“It’s going to be a shitshow.” Vanya says serenely, because it is. That’s just who their family is.
Wouldn’t have it any other way, though
#rebel vanya au#vanya is a rebel with a cause#she's GAY she's got POWERS and she's NEW IN TOWN#vanya discovers her powers and is like 'nope no thank you' the au#i mean vanya was ALMOST like that in canon honestly#vanya and helen are enemies to lovers 500k slowburn orchestra au#vanya plays an extremely complicated piece flawlessly and then helen makes out with her in the concert hall broom closet#helen: i can't NOT fuck her#helen finds vanya's competence and confidence extremely sexy and it keeps her on her toes#vanya is honestly the same tbh with a side helping of 'my girlfriend can DESTROY you'#diego and vanya have matching 'reggie sux' friendship bracelets#allison would like to have a sibling relationship with vanya#allison: you could do better than helen#vanya: hell yeah I can i will wrench first chair away from her#helen: OVER MY DEAD BODY YOU WILL#vanya: I HAVE POWERS NOW JUST TRY ME#and then they make out and allison is left going... what??#far tua long#long post#ask game#headcanon game#Anonymous
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Wait here’s my TMA/TD fear-assignment master post (gen 1-3 only sorry I couldn’t think of any strong ones for gen 4):
Gen 1:
Gwen: Buried (her fear of being buried alive, yes, but also I think it’d be fun bc you know she looks like a corpse)
Courtney: Eye (I love archivist Courtney. Also the fact she needs knowledge and access to knowledge through things like the cheating incident and her PDA, but it destroys her...mwah, Jon shit)
Duncan: Desolation (he destroys everything he touches for his own satisfaction. His relationships, private property, exc.)
Cody: Lonely (no matter how many people he talks to or matches together he’s always single and alone, and his social awkwardness wards people off)
Owen: Vast, maybe Web (his fear of flying and also being voted out quickly and his vying for attention are Vast 100% but also the fact Chris used him as a spy in TDA speaks to web)
Noah: Web (his unwillingness to be manipulated by Alejandro or forced to participate by other players is very webby)
Heather: Web or Hunt (she’s manipulative and almost always gets what she wants, but also her preying on others and being adamant about her goals is Hunt shit so idk)
Lindsay: Flesh (her fear of being not beautiful? Flesh 100%)
Beth: Lonely (she’s always trying to be nice or be like others but never gets the attention she wants from it)
Trent: Stranger (his fear of mines, the way everyone finds his number nine compulsion so uncanny, the way he’s put off when Gwen starts acting different in TDA? Yea that’s the stranger. I could definitely see a statement where he talks about always seeing mimes mimicking him and he begins to mimic others and can’t stop)
Katie and Sadie: Stranger (the parallels with Breekon and Hope kill me. They act and look so uncannily alike. Could be interesting if one of them started mimicking the other too and the other is disturbed)
Izzy: Spiral (shes fucking wild)
Eva: Slaughter (full of rage)
Bridgette: Hunt (her fear of being in the woods and her connection with animals is all Huntcore)
Geoff: Web or Lonely (seeing as he’s such a party dude, I could see him being terrified of what it’s like to not be surrounded with people, but also the way he becomes more manipulative in TDA is kinda web-ish)
Leshawna: I honestly dunno. I wanna say Slaughter because of her attitude towards Heather, but also her realist view reminds me of a Spiral victim like Helen, and her actions in TDA are reminiscent of a Web avatar. I’m gonna say Slaughter is the strongest.
Harold: Dark (fear of being sneaked up on by ninjas first off, but also considering how much he knows about everything, I think being in the dark would terrify him)
DJ: Hunt (his animal curse in WT but it manifests to be like way worse)
Ezekiel: Corruption or Hunt (him going feral and becoming a monster is classic corruption but his determination to win through any means necessary is very Hunt)
Tyler: Lonely (his need to impress everyone with his sports stunts and his constant attempts to get Lindsay to remember him? Yea lonely)
Justin: Flesh (his fear of being ugly and the importance he puts in his looks are classic Flesh behavior)
Alejandro: Flesh (he’s manipulative like a Web avatar, but also a lot of his charm comes from his looks, and his fear of putting gross food in his body is very Fleshy)
Sierra: Eye (she knows everything about everyone dude)
Gen 2:
Zoey: Lonely (she grew up ostracized in a small town and has a hard time making the friends she longs for, she’s definitely tied to the Lonely)
Cameron: Eye (once again, knows everything, and wants to experience everything. I could see him as Courtney’s runner-up or assistant, and marked by the buried because I can imagine his bubble would make him scared of being trapped again)
Mike: Web (he’s afraid of doing bad things against his will)
Mal: Slaughter (he just wants to fuck shit up and hurt people)
Vito: Flesh (also puts a lot of importance in his looks)
Manitoba: Hunt (explorer man)
Svetlana: Flesh (since she puts so much time and love into gymnastics, I think an incident involving injury would freak her tf out)
Chester: End (he’s old and wants to make the most of that)
Brick: Dark (he’s afraid of being lost without direction, as well as the literal dark)
Jo: Hunt (shes focused on winning almost exclusively)
Dawn: Extinction (she’s afraid of the earth and creatures on it withering away)
Anne Maria: Lonely (she puts so much emphasis on being seen and loved and gets volatile when people challenge that)
Scott: Web (he’s a master of scheming, what more should I say)
B: Eye (he’s afraid of others knowing about him and can’t give things up easily, but will use his knowledge to help when needed)
Staci: Stranger (she makes up so many lies for no gain besides attention and upsetting people. She’s like a car wreck you can’t look away from)
Dakota: Corruption (marked by the lonely because she needs attention to function, but I think her becoming dakotazoid and the terror she had getting there points to corruption. Also allegory of Hollywood destroying her blah blah blah)
Sam: Desolation (his self worth is put into material objects like video games and the destruction of them is shown to ruin him)
Lightning: Hunt (I know his body image leans into Flesh but his determination to win and arrogance are like that of a natural predator)
Gen 3:
Shawn: Extinction (I think he’s marked by corruption too because of his fear of zombies corrupting him, but the mass tragedy angle and doomsday prepping is very extinction-like)
Jasmine: Buried (claustrophobia, yea, but also her fear of being trapped by her feelings for Shawn point to buried. This ones kinda loose though, I could see her connected to the web or hunt too)
Sky: Flesh (similar to Svetlana, I think an injury as a gymnast would destroy her, also a big part of flesh is pride, and losing her pride and winning streak freaks Sky out)
Dave: Corruption (his germaphobia as well as his insistence on being with or ‘infecting’ Sky...yea that’s the corruption)
Scarlett: Eye (she knows a lot and uses it to watch and manipulate others)
Max: Web (he’s very methodical, if not smart, in his scheming, and him being outwitted by Scarlett freaked him tf out)
Ella: Lonely (I mainly say this for her fear of being hated by Sugar. I could also see Buried bc shes upset about Chris trapping her by revoking her ability to sing)
Leonard: Spiral (could also lean into Stranger, but his ability to convince so many people to believe in something that doesn’t exist purely with his own belief in magic is very Spirally, plus his frustration with Dave is much like Micheal’s with Jon when he could see through his bullshit, and him losing his ability to cast physical magic is very much like a Spiral victim’s descent back into humanity)
Beardo: Dark (put simply, we don’t know much about him, and he disguises any recognizable trait with sounds. Could also be Stranger)
Sugar: Hunt (fear of losing, exc. also the way she preys on others weaknesses for her own game, pun intended? Yea)
Sammy (I will not call her Samey in this house): Lonely (Amy traps her in a world where no one will talk to her or validate her ideas, it’s pretty sad. Could also see her touched by the Eye during her time impersonating Amy)
Amy: Web (she’s great at manipulating others into liking her)
Topher: Stranger (him trying to replace Chris and disillusion others to it is a pretty not-them move)
Rodney: Lonely (the fact that he’s constantly misunderstood and can’t connect with others because of it. Sad)
Feel free to add your own input! I’m not 100% sure on quite a few of these and some of the traits of the fears overlap (Stranger and Web, Hunt and Slaughter, exc.) so uh beans
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