#'WHY DID I SAY THAT WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME' <- one of keith's daily affirmations

[klanced]

“Keith is not a tsundere he just sucks” you know and understand more than a simple mortal mind could ever dream

i feel like a quintessential part of understanding keith's character is realizing that he is generally okay at socializing with people (he just doesn't like dealing with strangers), but there is something very specific about lance that makes keith fumble every single interaction they have

[kidge-planet]

One-shot idea: keith gives pidge a gift she very much wanted and just showers keith with kisses and a big hug from her excitement

That ask kept me awake lol (BECAUSE I HAD SO MANY IDEAS JUST COMING TO MEEEE) So if you have other asks, feel free!! ANYWAYS! HERE'S THE FIC! (sorry if I made mistakes!)

"I'm so happy that i'm spending that last night on earth with you..." Pidge smiled up at her boyfriend, Keith, as they were sat on the head of the black lion...

It had only been a month since these two started dating... They were pretty awkward most of the time as it was their first time in a relationship, but it was going on the right way... The only physical contacts they have had yet we're holding hands, hugging and kisses on the cheek, forehead and the top of the head... Also, no one knew about them! They weren't playing on telling anyone so soon, though... They decided to take their time, and they never complained about it.

He nodded softly, "i'm happy too... The only times I saw you this week, everyone was around... So i'm glad we're able to spend some alone time together..." As he spoke, he placed his hand on hers. "Besides, you're the only person I want to spend time with... Especially on that day..." Without thinking, he kissed the top of her head which surprised her a bit, but she didn't say anything about it... Her smile simply softened and she look at the landscape in front of them before to rest her head on his shoulder.

"It was a nice day..." She said, breaking the silence again.

"Yeah? What have you done today? I heard you went out with the girls..."

She smiled, thinking back of the day she had. "Yeah... I helped Allura find an outfit for her date with Lance..."

He laughed, "Lance came earlier as I was waiting for you! He had random stuffs on himself because he wanted to be dressed like an Altean guy... So he went to Coran and, well..." He laughed again. "But anyway! How did it go? Did you find something, even for yourself?.." he smiled and looked down at her.

"You'd be surprised! I found like a hundred stuffs today! I even found some you might like! Just go to the mall, say that you're a paladin of voltron and BOOM! You get everything for free!" A proud grin appeared on her face.

"Pff, seriously?.. what did you find?.." his smile grew wider at her excitement.

"Well, I found books, a costume of my character from the show which looks a bit stupid but anyway! I found snacks and OH! Oh..." She then remembered and her smile faded away.

"What?.. what is it?.."

Her smile had faded away. "I found a video game..."

Surprised by the sudden change of mood, he felt his concern grow.. "what's wrong with that?.."

"Well, when I got it, I was so excited! It's a new game that just came out before the galra invaded and no one ever reached the end!.. and now, almost all of them got destroyed..." She sighed, "but when we got to the store where Allura found her dress, the guy that was selling the dress said he would only give us the dress if... I gave him the video game... So I did... I had many reasons to do it and I don't regret doing it... I was planning to play with Lance, since he also likes that game... But I figured that we wouldn't have time for it... We have to fight daily and I know that he'll spend his free time with Allura... They're into each other, it's obvious that they're going to date... And I wanted Allura to be happy..." She sighed again but smiled. "Still, I don't regret doing it, i'm just so sad that I won't get to play it..."

He looked at his girlfriend with a soft smile. "You did good... Not everyone would have done that... That's why I..." He paused a moment before to speak again, "that's why I love you... You're an amazing person... And I have a thousand reasons to love the person you are... And even now, you're showing me how great you are... I bet Allura felt the same..." He caressed her back. "What game was it?.." He asked, looking down at her.

"Hum... Killbot phantasm 26: revengifiance... Why?" She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I played the first game... It was nice..." He smiled, remembering everything about it...

"Really? I didn't know you were into video games?!" She looked up at him, excited.

"Wellll.... I play when I'm bored... Not so much... I only played basics that I found in my dad's stuffs... But yeah, I play..." He nodded.

"KEITH! That's so great! We have to play together! Why didn't you tell me before?!" She grabbed his arm, excited"

"Hum... I... Didn't think it was so important... Even more since I don't play so often..." He looked a bit surprised and lightly blushed.

"It IS important! Oh my gosh!"

"Well, we can play sometimes..." He softly smiled but then Pidge's phone made a sound in her pocket. She took it and her excitement disappeared.

"Aw... I have to go..." She sighed.

"Kate, you're 18! How about you let your mom know that you're not done here yet?.." he raised his shoulders playfully.

"Are you crazy?! My mom will kill me! As long as I live under HER roof, I have to follow her rules or I'll have nowhere to sleep tonight! She didn't give me the keys of the house because she said if i'm not back by 12, she'll close the door! And I'll have to wake someone up for them to tell me I'm not mature enough or whatever..." She shook her head and got up. "Plus, we have to wake up early tomorrow... So sleeping now is not a bad idea..."

"Well, first, if you stay, I'll let you sleep on my bed and I'll sleep on the couch... So yeah, you'll have a place to sleep at... Secondly, yeah, you're right... Go get some rest..." He got up to say goodbye.

At his words, she smiled. "You too... Go sleep with your space wolf ON YOUR BED!" she lightly giggled.

He laughed a bit and hugged her softly... "Good night, Katie..."

" 'Night Keef..." She hugged him back gently...

As the hug broke, they smiled at each other for a moment... If only that moment could last longer, they both thought. Then, lost in the moment, he leaned down, his lips meeting hers... A soft and passionate kiss that seemed to last an eternity...

At the end of the kiss, they stared at each other again but this time, red like tomatoes.

"Hum... I should go now!... See you tomorrow!.." she took her stuffs quickly and left... Keith could tell that she panicked... And it wasn't surprising, she also did when he confessed to her... Even the first time he held her hand or kissed her cheek... He concluded that she was just bad with first times...

As Pidge got home, she immediately ran to her bedroom, not saying anything to her family...

And of course, as she laid in bed, she buried her face in the pillow.... Her skin was still completely red by now, rewinding to that kiss again and again in her mind... It was unexpected... She had NEVER kissed anyone like that before, and she felt like a fool for running away like that... Maybe if she had stayed, she would have had more...

Thoughts overwhelmed her and she slowly fell asleep...

The next day, everyone was already at the garrison, and in advance... The only one missing was Keith... He wasn't answering any calls or messages... And the launching was in 40 minutes!!! Suddenly, Keith appeared, breathless.

At his sight, Pidge felt her heart beating faster... She tried to calm down and to manage the blush on her face... Hopefully, everyone's focus was on Keith...

"Finally! We thought we'd have to find a new black paladin!" Lance complained.

"Sorry guys... I had something to do before to leave" he said, catching his breath.

"Mh?.. what?.." Hunk raised an eyebrow.

As Keith was about to answer, Shiro approached: "Keith! Finally! We have to go do our speeches... Are you guys ready?..". He reassuringly smiled to all of them...

Everyone nodded as an answer and headed towards the platform...

Speeches were made and the Atlas launched...

After a while, Pidge headed to her room to rest a bit... last night, it still took her a while to fall asleep... she was in her thoughts again when someone knocked on her door...

Surprised, she got up and opened it...

"Keith?.. what a surprise..." She smiled and lightly blushed...

"Hey... Yeah... Can I come in?.." he smiled and Pidge nodded but then, she noticed he had a plastic bag in his hand...

"Hey, what's that?.." she raised an eyebrow... He sat on her bed and showed her the spot next to him... She sat.

"It's a gift... For you..." He smiled gently, handing her the small bag...

She hesitantly took it, "a gift?.. what for?.."

"Do I really need a reason to give my girlfriend gifts?..." A light laughter escaped his lips and he placed a hand on her back and kissed her cheek. "Now, take a look inside the bag!"

She nodded and then gasped, "what the- KEITH!" She took the video game she told him about yesterday out of the bag, "Where did you get that?!" She looked up at him, shocked.

"You looked sad yesterday when you spoke about that video game... And you did something great without asking for anything in return... You daily do great stuffs without asking for anything... But you deserve so much... I know it's just a video game but anyway... I wanted to make you happy..." He paused a bit, "I looked for the game all night on the internet and I found it... with a guy that lives a state away... so I went to get it and I did exactly as you said! I said that I was a paladin and I got it for free!" He smirked. "So even if you can't play it with Lance, you can play with me! Im not an amazing player, but-" As he spoke, he jumped on him, making him fall on the bed... She hugged him tightly, not letting him finish his sentence.

"KEITH! You're the best! I love you so much!" She washed his face with kisses before to hug him tightly again... After a few seconds, she sat back up and hugged the game. "You didn't have to! You did too much! Did you even get enough sleep?.." she then looked at him, worried.

He sat back up and kissed her forehead, "nah, but it was worth it... Besides, I'll go get some rest after we play..." He softly looked at her.

She shook her head in response. "Nop you're resting now..." She placed the game on the ground before to place herself in a way he could lay on her belly, her back against the wall... She opened her arms and with a soft sigh, he snuggled in her arms as they closed around him, caressing his hair and back softly. "We'll play later..."

She kissed the top of his head, "you're the best, Keith..."

[queen-dahlia]

𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟰

Note: Translation is not 100% accurate. Expect grammatical errors.

// : alternate translation | ⫘⫘ : flashback | 4:4 answer

The harassment caused by the hatred for Obsidian increased day by day.

Still, nothing was more vicious than being locked up in a warehouse, so I somehow managed to endure...

The preparations for the White Rose Festival were about to be completed without incident.

If it weren't for the whims of the trampling beast.

Leon: "I'm sorry, Emma, am I having a hallucination?"

Sariel: "I was also a bit deaf. Could you repeat that?"

Chevalier: ". . . . . ."

I was the one who summoned the three of them to the round table where the meeting was being held.

There is a reason why three of the busiest people have gathered here today, just before the festival.

(The seriousness of the situation is sinking in…)

(But we can't escape reality, let's go ahead and do it.)

Emma: "Prince Gilbert—"

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Gilbert: "I would also like to attend the memorial service."

Silvio: "Pff—"

Keith: "… Eh…"

This morning at breakfast time, which is becoming a daily routine, Prince Gilbert said something to me,

Silvio, who happened to be there, spit out the tea, and Keith dropped his fork.

Emma: "Prince Gilbert is... going to the memorial service?"

Gilbert: "What's the big surprise?"

Gilbert: "If Silvio and Keith are going to be there, I should be there too."

Silvio: "Stop. You will be stabbed."

Keith: "… I don't think it's a good idea either. It would be too much for Gilbert to attend the memorial service."

Gilbert: "A blasphemy against the dead?"   //   "A blasphemy to the dead?"

Keith: "I didn't say that."

Silvio: "Then, are you an insensitive, stupid prince who can't read the atmosphere?"

Keith: "No!"

Gilbert: "… I'm hurt. Comfort me, Little Bunny."

Prince Gilbert, who was showing off his gluttonous eating habits next to me, stops what he is doing and puts his head on my shoulder.

The sudden closeness of the distance made my body stiffen.

Emma: "… A-alright?"

I stroked his hair and swallowed Prince Gilbert's request to get him away from me as soon as possible.

The atmosphere in the room was outrageous.

Silvio: "…… Are you stupid?"

Keith: "Lady Emma... you are very brave."

Gilbert: "… Pfft… Haha…"

Emma: "Hey, you asked me to comfort you, so I had no choice but to do it! It was inevitable!"   //   "Hey, you told me to comfort you, so I did! It was force majeure!"

Gilbert: "Oh yes, it was inevitable... I never thought I'd be treated like a child at my age, but…"   //   "Yeah, it's force majeure… I never thought I'd be treated like a child at my age…"

Gilbert: "But I don't hate it… Haha."

(Let's not go crazy anymore.)

When I withdraw my hand, Prince Silvio clears his throat to regain his composure.

Silvio: "What kind of grudge do you have against Rhodolite?"

Even Prince Silvio and Prince Keith of other countries don't look good.

I am sure the response of the princes of Rhodolite will be more than this.

Gilbert: "No, no, rather, I like Rhodolite."

Gilbert: "The food is good, the roses are beautiful, and there's a little rabbit."

Silvio: "… Don't try to hit on her so casually."

Keith: "I have no idea what Gilbert wants to do."

Gilbert: "Fufu… Isn't it fascinating to see a man with a secret?"

Silvio: "If it's a joke, it's a joke. Yours is no joke."

Silvio: "Tell me what you're up to, right here, right now."

Gilbert: "Well, there's only one reason to attend the memorial service, right?"

Emma: "Would you... like to pay your respects?"

(The people of Rhodolite were victims of the Obsidian.)

Gilbert: "Of course. We have to show respect for the innocent."

Emma: "However, Prince Gilbert said before—"

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Gilbert: "There's nothing wrong with that, is there? There's no rule that says the Obsidian royalty can't participate."

Sariel: "Then will you pay your respects?"

Gilbert: "As long as it's just a heartless form."

Sariel: ". . . . . ."

Gilbert: "That's the kind of country Obsidian is in, ordering an invasion with words of memorial."

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Emma: "—You said so yourself, didn't you?"

Silvio: "That sucks."

Keith: "… I've misjudged you, Gilbert."

Gilbert: "Ahaha, I've changed my mind."

Prince Gilbert looks up and smiles gently in front of me.

If someone who doesn't know anything sees it, it's a fraudulent smile.

Gilbert: "I want to give a reward to Little Bunny, who has been harassed countless times and doesn't give up even when she cries."

Gilbert: "If I attend the memorial ceremony, I can be the symbol of peace you want me to be, right?"

Gilbert: "Also, it's impossible for me to mourn as a representative of the country, but as an individual, I'm willing to do it."

Gilbert: "In any country, taking the life of an innocent person is a mortal sin."

(… Are you serious?)

I couldn't doubt it because I knew there was a good side to him.

Keith: "If you do attend the ceremony, I don't think the Rhodolite side would be happy about it."

Silvio: "If it were me, I'd probably slam my fist in his face."

Silvio: "The people of my country were massacred. I don't want a bastard like that paying respects to us."

Gilbert: "That's right…"

Gilbert: "But it's okay. Because I have Little Bunny."

Emma: "Eh."

Gilbert: "Can you ask?"

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Emma: "Is it too difficult?"

No matter how many times I explain it, the wrinkles between Leon and Sariel's eyebrows won't come off.

I knew what to expect, but the atmosphere was heavy.

Leon: "If it's an offer that comes from sincerity, there's no reason not to accept it."

Leon: "Figurative mourning is a desecration of the dead."   //   "The mere act of paying respects to the dead is blasphemy."

Sariel: "However, it is true that there are those in the public who welcome this as a sign of improved relations between the two countries."

Sariel: "There has been a lot of tension over the years, so Prince Gilbert's participation is generally not a bad thing."

Leon: "Then, do you agree?"

Sariel: "No. I have the same opinion as you, Prince Leon. There is no meaning in paying respects only figuratively."

Sariel: "Besides, I don't think that Prince Gilbert would attend just for the memorial service."

Sariel: "Without a doubt, he must have prepared some evil deeds that will blow our minds."

(It's Prince Gilbert who can't defend against such things.) **

(But on the other hand, I also want to believe.)

(He hates lying, so his desire to mourn the dead is genuine…)

(… Maybe I'm just thinking too conveniently.)

Sariel: "I'm sure Prince Gilbert will also be in great danger."

Sariel: "The ceremony will be open to the public. And then suddenly, Prince Gilbert will appear…"

Leon: "It would be no surprise if some people started throwing rocks at him."   //   "Wouldn't it be funny if someone threw a stone at him?"

Sariel: "… Rocks are still not very nice."   //   "… Stones would still be a pretty sight."

Sariel: "For security reasons, I really want him to refrain from attending the ceremony."

(Prince Gilbert must have expected this kind of thing from Leon and Sariel.)

(But he still "asked" me to do it... He’s so mean.)

Chevalier: "Nonsense. It's not even worth discussing."

Prince Chevalier, who had been silent all this time, said to dismiss our troubles.

(After all, Prince Chevalier is also against Prince Gilbert's participation.)

Chevalier: "If we refuse the offer from the Obsidian side, it will be taken as a sign that our country has no intention of friendship."

Chevalier: "I think he should be allowed to attend, even if it puts him at a slight disadvantage."

(…… Uh.)

Chevalier: "The soldiers of the foreign faction have extra strength when it comes to security. If we rearrange their deployment, we should be able to cope with the situation."

Chevalier: "… I don't think it's necessary, though. Eyepatch is not stupid. He will defend himself."

Sariel: "Prince Chevalier, it could be a trap…"

Chevalier: "It's a trap 9 out of 10, but it's not something you can set."

Chevalier: "He's probably aiming for..."

Prince Chevalier and I engaged in perfect eye contact.

Emma: "… Me?"

Chevalier: "Let him go this time, and you'll get a clearer picture of what his purpose is."

Chevalier: "What is he trying to ascertain through you?"

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Chevalier: "It's well worth more than the disadvantage."

(Perhaps Prince Chevalier can foresee what will happen on the day of the ceremony.)

Prince Chevalier lifts the corners of his mouth as if he were playing a board game.

He is not usually a person who shows his emotions, but he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Chevalier: "Simpleton, you should also attend the ceremony on that day. I'll give you a role."

Leon: "Don't be stupid, Emma could be in danger."

Chevalier: "I'm not talking to you."

Cold eyes like a frozen sea prompt my words.

(I know it's dangerous, but I also want to know Prince Gilbert's intentions.)

(Also, in the unlikely event that Prince Gilbert harms Rhodolite…)

(I have to take responsibility to stop it.)

That's what I mean by being a friend of Prince Gilbert.

Emma: "Please."

Sariel: "Emma, don't overdo it."

Emma: "I'll be fine."

(… Oh, I said "I'm fine" again.)

I would be lying if I said I wasn't anxious, but I smile because I don't want to cause concern.

Chevalier: "It's settled. I told you I'd take care of this in the first place."

Prince Chevalier grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and pulled me close.

Chevalier: "You are in no position to do anything about it."   //   "You guys have no authority to do this, lose it."

(I didn't know there was such a story.)

Seeing the bitter looks on both Leon's and Sariel's faces,

It seems that Prince Chevalier had been doing a lot of work without my knowledge.

Leon: "When you said you were going to take care of her, I thought you were a harbinger of a natural disaster."

Leon: "It's not like I agreed to do something like this."

Sariel: "Me too... She's Belle, and her safety needs to be our top priority."

Sariel: "It is more important than countering the threat of Prince Gilbert."

Chevalier: "I don't care. What makes you think I would do something that would cause me to lose an important piece?"

Leon & Sariel: ". . . . . ."

Chevalier: "If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it. Is that okay?"

Chevalier: "Simpleton, go call Clavis and the clown. We'll work out the details."

Emma: "Y-Yes…!"

I hurriedly followed the back of Prince Chevalier, who dashingly fluttered his cloak.

There is no anxiety or hesitation in his steps.

With his extraordinary foresight, he seemed to be already thinking about countermeasures against Prince Gilbert.

Leon and Sariel don't argue with Prince Chevalier for a long time, either.

It's proof that they trust you.

(He is a rational person, although he has a horrible side that sometimes makes him abandon his humanity…)

(He is also the only one who can counter the Obsidian threat.)

(Maybe this is the kind of His Majesty the King that the unstable Rhodolite is looking for right now.)

══════════════════

—On the day of the White Rose Festival, about which I had a premonition of turmoil, the sky was dazzlingly clear.

On a stage set up in the open air, the princes of the domestic and foreign political factions, as well as major aristocrats and distinguished guests from other countries, ascend one after the other.

A memorial ceremony for Blood-Stained Rose Day has been held in the past on the first and fifth anniversaries.

His Majesty the King, the princes, and other distinguished guests of the Rhodolite will offer a white rose at the Cenotaph, and they will all join in a moment of silence.

Normally, the ceremony is supposed to be solemn, but this year there was something unusual going on in the surrounding area.

(… I knew this was going to happen.)

People's attention is directed toward the princes of foreign countries.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, Silvio, the prince of an allied country, decided to attend the ceremony himself,

It seems that Keith, the prince of a neutral country, decided to participate because the victims had no enemies or allies.

The problem is Prince Gilbert.

(The Prince of Obsidian not only helps with the White Rose Festival but also attends the ceremony…)

(The rumors spread all at once in the past few days, so many people have gathered at the venue…)

Amidst all the mixed feelings of good and bad, the person in question is dignified.

Even in front of some of the guests who looked as if they were about to kill him at any moment, his refreshing smile did not falter.

(I wonder what he's thinking behind that smile.)

(… For now, I'll do my job.)

The role that Prince Chevalier prepared for me was to distribute the white roses that were offered as flowers to the prince and other distinguished guests.

As they stand in line to get theirs, I carefully hand them out one at a time.

After the Rhodolite princes finished laying flowers, the princes of other countries came next—

Emma: "Here you go."

Gilbert: "Fufu… Little Bunny, your smile is so tugging at my heartstrings."   //   "Fufu... Little Bunny, your smile is starting to fade."

Emma: "Because of this situation…"

I get so nervous that my hand shakes as I give him the white rose.

Various voices were heard from below the stage.

While there were voices wishing for friendship with Obsidian, there were also many rants of resentment,

All the emotions that made me want to cover my ears seemed to be stabbing Prince Gilbert.

Emma: "… Are you okay?"

Gilbert: "You know me, I'm a beast."

Emma: "… No beast can mourn."

Gilbert: "I'm a good imitator."

(He seems to be used to this kind of thing.)

(… How many times—just how many times has this person been stabbed in this way?)

(Maybe he deserved it, but still.)

(I don't know why... I'm confused.)

Prince Gilbert received the white rose from me and headed to the wreath stand.

The people, who had been lively until then, suddenly became silent.

(… It's Rhodolite's manners.)

Manners for offering flowers may differ from country to country.

Rhodolite, who takes care of roses, has particularly detailed rules around that,

But Prince Gilbert's movements are so beautiful that you can't complain about them.

(Really, he seems to be sincerely respectful.)

(Is he just a really good imitator as a person, or—)

Crowd: "Look, Obsidian has a will to reconcile, doesn't he?"

Crowd: "No, it's all an act. We should get rid of him now!"

Crowd: "Huh? You think that's acting? We should treat him properly!"

Crowd: "Don't be silly! Obsidian has no humanity!"

(Oh…)

Voices begin to rise from everywhere in response to Prince Gilbert's actions.

It was like a fire in oil, and you could see the scuffle from the stage.

(It's not just the anti-monarchy faction. Rhodolite is so disjointed right now.)

The commotion gradually grows louder, and the knights come in to control it.

Still, once the fire was lit, it would not subside...

Eventually, I could see some people trying to get up on the stage, overcoming their restraints.

(Any more than this is dangerous!)

At the moment everyone thought so, Prince Gilbert stood in the middle of the stage, and the sound of his cane echoed.

The small sound seemed to have been drowned out by the whirlwind of commotion.

And yet, people stopped moving as if time had stopped and looked up at Prince Gilbert.

It was a bizarre sight.

(It's not sound… It's the atmosphere.)

(I feel pressure in the air.)

The Trampling Beast laughs briskly.

Equally to friendly people as to a hostile one.

Gilbert: "Lords and ladies of Rhodolite."

Prince Gilbert's dignified voice dominated the venue.

Gilbert: "Ten years have passed, and Obsidian wishes to establish a new relationship with your country."

Gilbert: "If possible, let everyone here live a happy life."

Gilbert: "If you can give me a sincere response at the upcoming four-way talks, I will respond to that as well."

Gilbert: "Your country has already damaged our friendship once."

Gilbert: "I hope it doesn't happen again. On the occasion of the White Rose Festival, right?"

(… I want to be honestly happy, but I can't.)

The people, who had been quiet, come to their senses and begin to make noise again.

The madness created by hostility and goodwill was terrifying.

Gilbert: "Hehe... It seems that there are many people who feel uneasy, so let's show them a proof of friendship for starters."

After saying all he wanted to say, Prince Gilbert turns away.

I was standing at the edge of the stage.

Emma: "Prince Gilbert?"

I feel a chill run down my spine, and I brace myself.

(His eye isn't smiling…)

(… I have a feeling he's up to something.)

As I stepped back, a cold hand grabbed me and pulled me.

I could see Yves and Rio trying to run up to me in the distance,

All of them were blocked by the cold body of Prince Gilbert.

Gilbert: "What do you think is the easiest proof of friendship, Little Bunny?"

(… I don't know.)

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Yves: "Now Obsidian has become a hostile, abhorrent nation..."

Yves: "There was a period of time when we were trying to open diplomatic relations and establish normal diplomatic ties with Rhodolite."

Yves: "My mother then came from Obsidian to Rhodolite in marriage as a token of our friendship."

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Gilbert: "Yes…"

Prince Gilbert's face fills everything—

(I don't want to know...)

Gilbert: "It's love."

[klc-archive]

“I almost cried with laughter when I read the first script and then I met Keith-Lee Castle, who plays the Count and just looks like a rock star, and I knew it was going to be cool.” -  Donna Grant (Magda)

Daily Record interview with Donna Grant (Magda) By Samantha Booth.

Sinister, calculating and scheming is how Scots actress Donna Grant describes her character in the BBC’s new kids’ show Young Dracula. In fact, vampire mum Magda sounds quite despicable - but that’s exactly why the 30-year-old actress from Inverness was so desperate to play her.

The mum-of-one said: “I just couldn’t resist playing her because she is such a fantastically nasty character. She is a vampire and like all vampires she thinks she is better than everyone but Magda really does take it to another level. She is just so brilliantly evil.

The show is about Count Dracula’s move to Britain with his two children after his wife, Magda, has run away with a werewolf. And in tonight’s episode Magda returns to her family - although I am not saying if they welcome her back or not because, not only is she not the best mother in the world, she also broke the Count’s heart.

"But he loves her for her evil - so in a way she can do no wrong.”

Donna was intrigued by the role of Magda from the minute she heard about it and as soon as the show’s producers set eyes on the Scot, the role was hers.

She said: “I think it was a combination of me getting into the part  and because they thought I had the right look. They offered me the part on the spot.”

Since then Donna has been filming the show in the Brecon Beacons in Wales and has thoroughly enjoyed every minute if it. She said: “I almost cried with laughter when I read the first script and then I met Keith-Lee Castle, who plays the Count and just looks like a rock star, and I knew it was going to be cool”

"And it really has lived up to all of my expectations.

"The show has been great fun to film and some of my outfits have just been fantastic - I have a wedding bouquet with dead bird skulls in it.

"I know it is meant for children but I really think some adults will love it too.

"It is incredibly well written and because the whole Goth thing is pretty cool at the moment I think it could be a huge success.”

Growing up in Inverness with her mum and grandparents, Donna always wanted to act. She had an idyllic childhood, spending a lot of time out riding on her family’s horses, but when she left school as a teenager she was desperate to get out into the world and, in particular, she had her sights set on London.

She said: "I absolutely loved growing up in Inverness and, if I could, I would bring my own daughter Scarlet up in that way too – but I have to be in London just now for my work.

"But when I was 17 I was just desperate to get out and get started living and working. "I didn’t even want to go to university. I just wanted to get stuck right in.”

Luckily for Donna, some photographs she’d had taken by an Inverness photographer found their way into the hands of a London talent scout. The next thing Donna knew, she was being invited down to the city for a meeting with a top agency.

She said: “It was always acting I had wanted to do but modelling found me, so what could I do? The agency liked me and before I knew where I was, I had moved down to London and was thrown into this mad world of modelling.

"At the time it was the easy option but I quickly discovered it also meant I could make lots of money, travel and meet really interesting people so I wasn’t going to walk away from it in a hurry.” Donna did every kind of modelling, from catwalk to billboards.

She worked for a time in Japan and Germany, shot ads for Agent Provocateur and Baileys and appeared in several television commercials. BUT just because she was finding a certain level of success as a model, it didn’t mean Donna had forgotten her dream of becoming an actress.

And in 2001 she finally got her first acting job in a film called Is Harry On The Boat?, following the loves and lives of a group of young holiday reps in Ibiza and co-starring Danny Dyer and Davina Taylor.

Donna said: “It was brilliant fun to film and I’m still friends with a lot of the people I met out there in Ibiza.”

It wasn’t long until Donna found herself having to take time out from acting to have her baby daughter Scarlet, who is now three years old.

A bit of a rock chick at heart, she met Scarlet’s dad Chris McCormack, guitarist in hard rock outfit 3 Colours Red, when his band at the time, Grand Theft Audio, were supporting The Cult in concert at the Brixton Academy in London.

The pair had a whirlwind romance, married and had baby Scarlet. Donna said: “I have always been into my rock music and through modelling I did hang about with a lot of rock types at the time. So I was instantly attracted to Chris and we ended up having a whirlwind romance. Sadly, things just didn’t work out and we are now in the middle of divorce proceedings. But we really are still best friends.”

Donna now lives a much quieter life with Scarlet in north London and loves nothing better than the chance to return to Scotland to see her family and get out into the hills.

She said: “I love coming back up to Scotland and I am so excited because I just booked my tickets for Christmas so I’ll be spending the holidays at home.

"Drinking wine, eating lots of nice food and going for walks in the hills - it will just be wonderful. My life is a lot quieter now than it was a few years ago but that’s the way I like it. Where I live in London is a bit like a village so I do get the best of both worlds down there and I do like it, but nothing beats coming home.

However, I don’t think I would have settled down as well now if I hadn’t had my wild time when I was younger. It was a load of fun at the time and I met loads of amazing people. I even met some of my heroes, such as Joe Strummer from The Clash, although my most star-struck moment came when I met Chris Morris from Brass Eye. I really admire him and think he is so funny and clever but when I met him I just didn’t know what to say. I mean, because of my modelling, I am quite used to meeting famous people but when I came face to face with him all I could do was make a bit of a whimpering sound. I just thought that he is so witty and cutting he’s just going to chew me up and spit me out whatever I say. Can you imagine what he would have said to me if I had said I really liked his work? And I know I said I lead a quieter life now but my uncle has just opened up a new venue in Inverness called The Ironworks and we have Dirty Pretty Things playing there at New Year - so I might not be able to resist digging my rocker gear out once again. Especially as I will have my mum on hand to babysit.” A rock ‘n’ roll loving mum in rocker gear … Magda would be proud.

[devilofthehounds]

God Eater 3 Character Novel | Spinning Bonds: Chapter 3

[image id: A novel cover. Zeke Pennywort from God Eater 3 stands with his back to the viewer, his scarf billowing in the wind. Overlaid within the scarf is an image of a young Zeke with his four brothers, smiling happily. The text, when translated into English, reads “God Eater 3 Character Novel | Chapter 4: Zeke Edition | Spinning Bonds”. /end id]

This is a fan translation. Original text here.

Masterpost 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

For a while after that, we spent our days as part of the base.

Using the safe routes that the peddler showed him, Saul made daily expeditions in the trailer to sell valuable goods that Rhys picked out.

Today, he was taking Keith with him to a nearby settlement to set up a market stall.

The rest of us stayed behind at the base, enjoying some peace and quiet for the first time in a while.

"...And that's it. That's how you play poker. With me so far?"

"Yeah... Kinda."

We were sitting on the rooftop. Rhys was teaching me how to play cards.

"So, this is the strongest hand. Four cards of the same number plus a joker, making five cards."

Spade. Heart. Diamond. Club. And the most powerful of all: the joker.

Rhys arranged the five cards, this particular set being aces.

"Huh, so this is the strongest... Five of the same type. Hey, just like us!"

"That's right. The strongest hand symbolizes the strongest bond... I like the sound of that."

Rhys smiled. But then—

"Rhys! Zeke!"

Neal came up from downstairs.

"What's up, Neal? Huh... What's that?"

Perched on Neal's fingertips was a butterfly with the most amazing wings I'd ever seen.

"It came through the window just now! Can I keep it?"

Neal's eyes shined with excitement as he spoke, a rarity for him.

Though it looked like it could fly away at any moment, the butterfly stayed still, looking quite comfortable on Neal's finger.

"Alright, Neal, you can keep it. But don't let it run loose! I don't want to find bugs all over the house!"

"Aw... Why not? They're all so cute."

Neal brought his hand out of his pocket to reveal several spiders, happily crawling about.

"Gah! Why would you put those things in your clothes?! Gross! Get rid of them!"

When I said that, Neal's eyes narrowed.

".........Fine."

The next moment, Neal threw the swarm of spiders at me.

My high-pitched scream echoed throughout the base.

I ran outside, desperately shaking out my clothes to get rid of the spiders, which had somehow gotten on my back. At the same time, Saul and Keith pulled up in the trailer.

"We're back! ...Huh? Zeke, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying! Neal, he—he..."

I turned around. Through my tears, I could see Neal on the rooftop, snickering. Next to him, Rhys waved down at us, clearly exasperated.

"Alright, what happened? Are you two fighting again? Be sure to make up with each other later, got it?"

As he climbed out of the passenger's seat, Keith was snickering, too.

"We're home!"

"Hey, Keith, welcome back! Did you find anything interesting?"

"Mm-hm! Check it out!"

Keith held up an old robot toy with three drills on its arm.

"Keith was amazing. He took this broken toy and used some parts that were lying around and got it working again."

Keith flipped a switch, and the robot's drills started spinning.

"Whoa! So cool! Did you really fix it all by yourself?"

"Eheheh..."

"Looks like Keith has a talent for tinkering with machines. ...You know, Dad always used to say, 'If you give your all to master your chosen craft, then that can only increase your odds of survival.' Maybe Keith just proved him right."

"Dad said that...?"

"Yeah; it's what he left behind... But if you really like machines, Keith, you should give it a shot. Who knows; it may come in handy one day."

"Yeah... Yeah! I'll do it! I'll remember those words!"

Today was just full of rare expressions, wasn't it?

It was the first time I'd ever seen Keith so happy.

"Well, anyway, gather round, everyone. I've got a bit of an interesting story to tell."

At Saul's request, the five of us convened.

"I heard this from the people at the settlement we stopped at today. Apparently, there's a Port ship making the rounds in this area... to try and take kids to safety."

A Port. If I remembered right, it was a new type of base that started getting built after the Calamity.

I'd heard it was supposed to be safer than a satellite base, and that God Eaters were deployed to protect the people who lived there.

"I'm thinking of making contact with the ship. If we can strike a deal with a Port, we might be able to get some protection. Even if we can't, we might be able to get supplies delivered to the base. This could be our chance."

My eyes lit up, hearing such news.

But for some reason, Saul looked troubled.

"But... it sounds pretty fishy. From what I've heard, it's only young kids that get taken in. I've even heard word of parents being separated from their own kids."

"Huh...?"

"I don't know the details, but we shouldn't let our guard down. Still, if we can establish a connection with the Port, we'll be able to rest easy for the time being. I don't want to miss this opportunity."

It was a new hope, one I never could've imagined.

Perhaps our journey together was nearing its goal.

"Hey, Saul. The Port's protected by God Eaters, right? Then... why don't we become God Eaters?"

I'd heard that even kids could become God Eaters.

The ultimate warrior that could defeat Aragami. With that kind of power, there'd be nothing to fear.

Plus, if even one of us became a God Eater, we'd have an easier time getting the Port to protect our family.

"I bet I could—"

"No way."

It was rare for Saul to speak so harshly.

"...Look, Zeke. I know you just want to protect our family. And hearing that makes me really happy. But becoming a God Eater is off the table."

"But why?! I'd be super strong, I know it!"

"And after you get strong, then what? You'd spend your days doing nothing but fighting Aragami, never knowing when you might die. ...We're not aiming for a battlefield. We're aiming for safety."

Saul knelt down, looked me in the eye, and gently ruffled my hair.

"We five brothers are one. ...We don't let anyone cross a rickety bridge alone. Alright?"

"...'M sorry."

When it came to taking risks, the five of us had to stick together. I knew that.

But in reality, it was always Saul and Rhys crossing those rickety bridges to protect us.

It was about time I protected my brothers, too.

"I hope you understand. Now, let's get that cargo unloaded! All together now!"

Although Rhys patted me on the head and told me not to worry about anything, it still felt like he was treating me like a little kid, so I couldn't really cheer up.

Midnight, that same day.

As the sky began to turn white, I suddenly woke up and realized Neal wasn't in his bed.

I snuck out so I wouldn't wake anyone. After searching for a while, I found Neal crouched in a corner of the base, hugging his knees.

"Neal! What are you doing outside this late? Wait... Are you... crying?"

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Seeing Neal quietly shedding tears, I quickly knelt down next to him.

Laying at his feet was the butterfly from earlier.

"Is... Is it dead?"

"I put it in the container properly, but... when I went to check on it, it was already..."

Neal's eyes were red and puffy as he stared at the butterfly's unmoving body.

"You've been crying out here this whole time...?"

I'd thought it was just one little insect.

But to Neal, it had been an irreplaceable friend.

"...I'm sorry, Neal. I said some nasty things about your friends."

I sat down beside him and put my arm around his shoulders.

We stayed like that for a while until Neal calmed down.

"...You know, Zeke? I agree with Saul."

"Huh?"

"I don't want you to become a God Eater... I don't want you to go off on your own."

Neal stared at me, his eyes full of tears.

"I want all of us to stay together forever. Keith feels the same way, I'm sure. So please... Don't even think about doing anything dangerous, okay?"

I really was a terrible big brother.

How could I protect my little brother if I was the one making him feel like this?

I was the worst, not even considering my brothers' feelings.

"...You're right. I didn't think about how it'd make you guys feel."

I held Neal's shoulders tightly.

As I shared my body's warmth with his, cold from crying all night, I made an oath.

"Sorry. I won't say anything stupid like that again. We five brothers are one, right?"

"...Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise! I won't leave anyone behind, and I won't leave anyone alone! So, there's no need to cry!"

Neal wiped his eyes. This time, he gave me a small smile.

I wanted to be able to help my brothers, too. That feeling rang true, but... in the end, maybe my brothers were right. I was being too hasty.

What I should do. What I could do. I was so close.

I had an important mission: to protect the bonds between us brothers.

[typical-simplelove]

Letters From Home - 40s Series (M. Tkachuk)

Summary: Matthew Tkachuk comes home from fighting in World War Two. What happens when his childhood best friend Ruth Blossom is there to welcome him?

Series Masterlist

A/n: Here's the second part! I'm an absolute history nerd, so this is the result. I hope you enjoy!! This part exists in the same universe as the Jacob Markstrom fic that came first.

Warnings: Mentions of war and death

Word Count: 2.2k

It was December 10th, 1945, and Ruth Blossom was at the train station. Well, she wasn’t the only one. It’s been a few months, almost, since the War ended, and Ruth was waiting for her best friend Matthew Tkachuk to come home from the war.

Matthew Tkachuk went off and enlisted the minute war was declared. He knew exactly what he needed to do. Enlisting? Not a question. That was his personality. Always the first to jump up and help.

The train rolled into the station with a stentorian horn and Ruth gripped her purse tighter. Taryn begins fidgeting next to Ruth and she puts an arm on Taryn. Matthew’s arrival was any minute now. There would be no more longing and wishing he were home.

“Hey, he’s coming home. That’s more than some people can say, right?” Ruth tries to cheer up.

Taryn nods. “Brady came home, too, which is good.”

“Yeah, he’ll be okay. It’s going to be back to normal soon.”

Soldiers begin walking off the train and Taryn and Ruth angle their heads to try to find that familiar face. The boyish grin with striking blue eyes. The tall frame made him stand out in any crowd. The Tkachuk family and Ruth knew Matthew had to cut his mop of curls as a part of military regulation. Would they be able to recognize him?”

“Ruth,” someone calls from behind. Ruth turns around and sees his face. She breaks out into a large smile. “Hey, sunshine.”

“Matthew!” Ruth exclaims and runs into his arms. Matthew removes his army cap and wraps his arms around Ruth. He breathes in her calming scent that he remembers from all that time ago. Matthew’s family turns to see the commotion. They knew that Matthew was going to go to Ruth first. She was what kept him alive. “How did you get behind us?”

“I’m not telling; I saw an opportunity and had to go for it.”

“Of course. Well, for what it’s worth, I’m really glad you’re home. Now, go and greet your family.”

“Do I have to, sunshine?”

Ruth laughs. “Yes.”

Matthew sighs and walks over to his family. He would never stop wanting to come home to Ruth. After greeting his family, Matthew and his family walk over to the Tkachuk house. They were a short ten-minute walk from the train station.

Matthew takes Ruth’s hand and they walk behind Taryn, Chantal, Keith, and Brady.

“So, tell me, did you fall in love with any airmen while I was gone?” Matthew jokes. He was joking but he also wanted to know. Those airmen can be scoundrels. It definitely also isn’t because Matthew wants to know if Ruth is seeing anyone.

“Of course not. I heeded your warnings. If I’m going to fall in love with a military man, then it'll be an army man like yourself.” Or you.

“Well, be careful, army men can still be heartbreakers.”

“Oh, I can imagine,” Ruth says with a wink that makes Matthew’s face turn red.

“I wanted to say thank you,” Matthew begins. “For always writing me. It really helped me out.”

“Oh Matthew, don’t be silly. I would have written you daily if it weren’t for the taxes and working towards making munitions.”

“Doesn’t matter, it helped me.” Ruth can’t help but smile.

Ruth and Matthew continue walking along and make small talk. They talk about the local gossip, the weather, and what Matthew was excited to do now that he’s home. The group finally reached the white picket fence of the Tkachuk house. Matthew is about to lead Ruth in but she lets go of his hand.

“Sunshine, come on.”

“No, no. Matthew, you catch up with your family. Stop by my family’s house later on and I’ll make you some lemonade and we can catch up.”

“Ruth, come on, just come in.”

“Matthew, just go be with your family. Stop by later, okay?” Ruth flashes Matthew an easy grin and he won’t argue anymore.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll stop by later this evening for your famous lemonade, okay?”

“I’ll be counting on it,” Ruth says with a wink. “Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Tkachuk!” They back but are puzzled as to why she's already leaving.

“When are you going to tell her how much you love her?” Taryn asks when they all walk in and Ruth is out of earshot. “She never danced with anyone, ever, while you were gone. She said it wouldn’t be fair to you as you were always her dance partner.”

“I didn’t dance with any of the girls in England, either. She’s my lifetime dancer partner.”

“Matthew, sweetheart, we’re glad you’re home but if you want to go be with Ruth, go with her,” Chantal says.

“No, no, she’d probably scold me. Ruth told me to stay and be with you. I’m going by tonight for her famous lemonade.”

“Make sure you tell her,” Chantal insists.

“I will,” Matthew says with a forlorn sigh.

. . .

Dearest Matthew,

Let me start this letter as I always do. Despite the circumstances, how are you? I hope you’re eating your fair ration of the army-regulated food. I hope the weather isn’t too dreadful and you’re able to have as much sleep as allowed. How are your friends? Johnny? Elias? He’s getting married, right? Sam? Jacob? I hope they are all doing well. Send them my happiest wishes.

Brady wrote home the other day. Taryn asked me to pass on the message to you. He’s doing well. Nothing new to report. That’s good, right?

Let me tell you some good news! I’ve gotten a job to work and make munitions for the army. It’s possible that the bullets I make might be sent to you! I’m not sure where they go but imagine, wouldn’t that be beautiful for you to use a St. Louis made bullet? That’s probably more romantic when the bullets aren’t being fired at me. Ignore that.

Oh! My victory garden is growing so beautifully! My tomatoes have come in nicely and they taste amazing! I’ve been helping Taryn with her victory garden and I think she has me beat. Only though, because I’ve been helping her! Don’t tell her I said that. What should I plant next? I have a few ideas. What about an orange tree? We may not be in Florida but wouldn’t that be exciting? What about peas? Or carrots? Oh, broccoli? What do you think? Whatever you say, I’ll try to find the seeds and grow the plants. I’ll even name them after you. Matthew the Broccoli Stalk. Matthew the Orange. Matthew the Carrot. Matthew the Stalk of Kale. I like to think I’m funny. I’m not. I genuinely don’t know why you put up with me sometimes. I guess what they say is true, friends since childhood? Friends forever.

I have some gossip to share. Do you remember Cathy from middle school? She is engaged to be married to Roger. Yes, you’re thinking the right, Roger. Roger, star batter at the high school baseball team. Cathy the loud, mean girl who constantly made fun of Roger. Apparently, Cathy has had a change of heart and apologized for her actions. This led to them falling in love and now they are engaged! I heard Roger was in the Navy and sailing on a ship around Great Britain. Do you think Cathy is going to go on a full apology tour and apologize to you and me? I would love to get an apology from her. My goodness, the number of things she did to me growing up? Matthew, I’m still bitter about it. I absolutely still can’t stand the thought of her. It’s probably better if she doesn’t even come near me. I’d probably want to run away crying. Do you think she’ll invite us to the wedding? I hope not. If she does, will you be my date? The pact we made at ten still stands right? We will forever be each other’s dates to weddings, right? What about the pact at twelve? We will forever be each other’s dance partners? Obviously, I’m not going to hold you accountable for that one. If you want to dance with some other girl, do so! You deserve to relax and unwind. Just know, I’m only dancing with you forever and ever.

I’m sending you all the love in the world.

Love, your sunshine,

Ruth

Matthew never danced with anyone whilst in Europe. Only Ruth. he only would ever dance with Ruth. She was it for Matthew. He was going to tell her. Matthew Tkachuk was going to tell Ruth Blossom that he loved her. Matthew puts on his army cap and heads out the door to Ruth’s house.

He knocks on the door and is met with Ruth’s father.

“Matthew, son, welcome home,” he says.

“Mr. Blossom, thank you. It feels good to be back.” Matthew says. Was Mr. Blossom going to welcome Matthew into the house?

“Before you go in, I want to talk to you about Ruth.”

“Yes, sir, I’d love to talk to you about Ruth,” Matthew says and immediately cringes. That was the wrong thing to say.

“I want to know what your intentions are with her,” Mr. Blossom says, and Matthew pales.

“Well, if your daughter will have me, then I’d like to marry her. I’ve loved her for as long as I can remember and her letters are what kept me going. Sir, I love Ruth and I would love to spend the rest of my days with her.”

Mr. Blossom nods. He seemed to be content with this answer. “Well then,” Mr. Blossom puts his hand out and shakes Matthew’s hand. “Ruth’s outback. She’s waiting for you.”

Matthew smiles and walks around the house. He sees Ruth sitting on the back porch and smiles. This was the homecoming that Matthew dreamt of every night whilst overseas.

“Ruth,” Matthew says softly. “Sunshine.”

Ruth breaks out into a large smile. “Matthew.”

“Good evening, as promised, I’m here.”

“As I promised, I have my famous lemonade. The lemons I used are from my victory garden I was telling you about!”

Matthew smiles at the memory of opening all of Ruth’s letters and it smells like home. He loved receiving those letters. Mostly, he just loved Ruth.

“Come, come, let’s sit and drink the lemonade. I also made a key lime pie. It’s citrus night, I guess. My parents already took their pieces so there’s already some taken out of it.” Ruth says brightly. This was exactly what she wanted. To be home with Matthew and in a domestic setting. She loved Matthew so much it hurt.

The pair sat down and Matthew sat down and began sipping the lemonade. He sighs in content. “This is the homecoming that I was waiting for.”

“Oh yeah, you dreamt of the lemonade?” Ruth teases.

“Oh Ruth, that’s not what I meant,” Matthew says. He was referring to being here with Ruth; Matthew dreamt of the days that he’d be able to sit on a back porch with Ruth and just be in her presence.

“Being with your family, then? I can imagine that homecoming was worth dreaming about.”

“They count but why do I need them when I have everything I love right in front of me?” Matthew says with a serious tone.

Ruth’s smile fades. “What?”

“I love you, Ruth, and not just in a friend way. I love you in the sense that I want to marry you and have a family with you. Ruth, you were my homecoming. The rest of the world faded away when I saw you on the platform. Ruth, I love you and I want to marry you one day.”

Ruth’s smile grows wide. “I love you, too. I want all that with you, too, Matthew.”

“Yeah, sunshine? You and me forever?” Matthew says as he walks closer to Ruth.

“Yes, my dear. You and me forever,” Ruth says.

“My dear? I could get used to that, my love.”

“Well, I like my love.”

“In that case, my love, sunshine, may I kiss you?”

“Yes, my dear. You may kiss me.” Matthew leans down and places a soft kiss on Ruth. He was mindful to keep the kiss proper as Mr. and Mrs. Blossom were still in the house.

Matthew wanted to pull the ring out from his pocket and propose right then and there. However, there was a time and place for everything. Tonight? The homecoming. One day, Matthew will tell Ruth how much her letters from home kept him going. One day, Matthew will get his forever with the woman he loves. One day, the letters from home will be the story Matthew and Ruth tell their children. For now, though, Matthew and Ruth are going to soak in the homecoming and the newfound love.

Taglist: @goalision @coffee-ontherocks @glassdanse @barzal-burakovsky @petey-patty @beauvibaby @boqvistsbabe @rmaye @heatherawoowoo @heaveniish @stars-canucks @tkapuckit @mellany1997 @nhlboyshavemyhart88 @heybarzy @2manytabsopen @habsfan @besthockeyfics @plds2000 (Join my taglist here!)

[musicanddancingthroughlife]

Shklance - I Died

I feel like I basically dropped off the face of the planet, and for that I apologize. I have no excuses, except stress and mental health have been a huge problem lately and I’ve just been trying to find balance in my life. I can’t promise anything in the near future, with holidays coming up, and I have finals in like 3 weeks, and then my husband and I are moving at the end of the year, and then my little sister’s wedding is a few weeks after so I’m helping with that, and basically my life is just a mess right now, but I am still working on stuff, comments are always welcome and really do help to get me motivated, and hopefully I can get back into the groove of writing daily and posting weekly!

This story is probs gonna be a part 1 of 2. Hopefully. As is, I wanted it to be a stand alone, but I’ve been drafting it for almost a month now and I just want to throw it at you guys. So know I’m working on a part 2, where they talk about the whole thing and you see everyone’s reactions to what happened. This was actually a request someone made of me on my Ao3 account, but I’ve always loved reading stories dealing with everyone finding out about Lance dying. Just never thought I could do it justice haha. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------

Lance knew that this was going to be an emotional day for all of them, but seriously, this was a little overkill. He knew he shouldn’t have gotten out of bed today.

Sure, it was the one-year anniversary of the day they all saved the universe, ended the war that had gone on for decades, blah blah blah, but getting up also meant that he was going to have to see everyone again.

Not that he wasn’t thrilled to see them! He and Hunk especially had been waiting for this day for months, and he couldn’t wait to see Pidge and Matt again, either. Last Lance had talked to them, they had been working on some seriously neat stuff. They were sure to be a lot of fun.

Hell, he had even been looking forward to seeing Allura again, even though things had never really been the same between them after Allura broke things off. Though, considering how hurt he was still feeling about their break up, it was probably a good thing she had canceled last minute. She’d said that she needed to focus on helping the universe heal. Lance had wanted to go with her, but she rejected him. He knew she was trying to be kind, telling him that he “deserved the time to rest” and that she “knew how much he’s been missing his home planet.” But really, all it had done was serve to remind him that he wasn’t actually necessary.

Not like Shiro and Keith were.

Allura hadn’t had any problems taking them with her, even though everyone else (even Keith) and agreed that if anyone deserved the down time, it was Shiro. Especially since Shiro had seemed a little weary when he accepted the invitation from Allura. Personally, Lance believed the only reason he agreed to go was because he knew that Keith wouldn’t be happy staying in one place anymore, and of course, there was no way they were going to allow themselves to be separated again, not after everything that had happened…

And Lance was even looking forward to seeing Keith and Shiro, since he had probably missed them the most. But he also knew that it was going to be hard. It was always hard seeing them together, but knowing that they’ve been doing so much good out in the universe, that they’ve gotten to see so much more of those worlds than he had… That was going to be hard.

Not to mention Lance still hadn’t managed to shake the crushes he’d had on them for so long now.

Or the fact that while everyone else was off changing the universe, traveling the galaxies, creating newer and better technology and inventions, Lance had done nothing? Okay, so farming wasn’t nothing. And no one could deny that Earth needed some TLC after the trauma of the war had nearly destroyed it. But as much as he enjoyed the simple hard work involved, that didn’t mean he didn’t understand it was stupid. It was pathetic. His friends were still fighting, in their own ways, and Lance felt as if he had simply given up. He couldn’t figure out what he wanted to spend his time doing, what felt most worthy of his time and attention, and so he had allowed himself to fall back on something easy.

And he wasn’t sure that he could face his friends while knowing the truth about himself, that he was a coward and had no mission or goals in life.

******

So, maybe Lance was a bit of a drama queen, because things had actually been going better than he expected. Everyone looked good, older and more experienced. Hunk had even grown out some facial hair, though it was a little sparse coming in. Lance knew that wouldn’t be the case for very long. The most shocking was Allura’s news about expecting a child (Keith and Shiro had passed it on in her absence). That hurt way more than Lance thought had a right to, but he tried hard to suppress that pain until he could process it in private. Possibly while crying over a tub of ice cream.

And as far as their actual dinner and celebration went, well… it really had been inevitable that their discussion would become heavier. And, as usual, Lance couldn’t keep his own mouth shut.

“We had some good times, though, right?” Lance laughed easily, trying to direct the conversation back to something lighter, something easier (at this point he’d had a couple decades to cement his masks, and he was good at pretending like nothing was wrong). “I mean, we might have been injured, and tortured—”

“Lance,” Hunk warned. He darted a quick, concerned look to Keith and Shiro, but thankfully neither of them looked too worried. Instead, they were staring at Lance with such sappy looks Hunk was irritated Lance wasn’t paying enough attention to notice on his own. A shared glance with Pidge told him that at least he wasn’t alone in his annoyance.

Lance continued thoughtlessly, “and I mean, maybe a couple of us died, but hey! In the end, it all turned out okay, and look at everyone, living their best lives!” (Lance was firmly ignoring the fact that he had spent most of his free time leading up to today pouting in bed. No one else knew, and therefore it didn’t count.)

Pidge opened her mouth, but Shiro spoke first. His brows were furrowed, and his nose had scrunched up a little. Lance wanted to melt at the cuteness of it. “Did someone else die? I thought I was the only one. Who else died?”

Lance’s jaw snapped shut. He couldn’t remember if it had even been brought up or not… It had to have, right? There’s no way his friends – his team – had just gone on for this long without knowing! He thought they were just ignoring it! Things had been crazy, and they’d never really gotten a chance to slow down and breathe, let alone discuss everything that had happened. And that was fine! That was to be expected! But now he was supposed to believe they just didn’t know??? Did that mean they didn’t care? That they didn’t notice all the nightmares that had become the norm after his death? The way he was jumpier for months after that battle? And if that were the case, then was it even worth bringing up now, so long after it had happened?

Lance’s face was burning, the warm flush traveling up to the tips of his ears, and possibly all the way down his neck. He could feel his eyes welling up, but he brushed it away, pretending his face palm in order to hide the movement. He glanced at his friends, unsurprised to find Hunk staring at him intently. Pidge was muttering to herself, obviously trying to determine what had happened on her own. Lance couldn’t even bear to drag his gaze to Keith or Shiro.

He tried to get out of answering Keith.

“Oops haha, must’ve miscounted, I meant to say that one of us had died,” Lance laughed again but unlike earlier, this one was decidedly uncomfortable. “Because. Obviously. One of us… did. Sorry, Shiro. But like, you died. That happened. And it was weird and we got a weird clone out of the deal, which was weird – did I say that already? – and like he wasn’t a great dude, so I’m glad you didn’t stay dead, you know? You’re much nicer than that clone was, he was kind of a jerk. No offense, Shiro. I mean, not that you’re the clone or anything, cause you’re Shiro, and that was Not-Shiro—”

Oh dear God why wouldn’t they shut him up? Lance was so busy panicking about what he was saying that he didn’t notice Shiro and Keith slowly standing, approaching him from each side. But Hunk and Pidge could almost see the concern rising off them.

“But he was mean, and he yelled at us a lot. Although I guess he really spent most of his time yelling at me, which really, makes sense, but again, not something you would’ve done, Shiro, so I’m glad you didn’t stay dead or anything, because Not-Shiro was a terrible replacement and—”

“Shiro yelled at you?” Keith had come close enough that he could lay a warm, gentle hand on Lance’s shoulder. Lance almost flinched at the contact, it had been so long since someone had touched him like that. Sure, he saw his family way more often than he had while they were fighting in space, but, come on. They were fighting in space. He never saw them back then! Anything was an improvement over that! Anyway, the point was, he knew he was lonely. He ignored it. It didn’t matter. His friends were happy, his family was safe.

“Weren’t you listening when I said it was Not-Shiro?” was all Lance could think to say. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Why did he yell at you?” Shiro asked. Lance shrugged.

“Lance had some good advice to share. Though honestly, I’m thinking that Lance’s plan just wouldn’t have suited the clone’s purposes and he wanted to make sure that Lance would stop pushing. So he yelled, knowing that would be enough to shut Lance down,” Hunk said. He shot Lance an apologetic look as he did so. Smart, because Lance was Not Happy with him. Now wasn’t the time to share petty hurts!

“Personally, I believe it was because if anyone was going to find out he wasn’t really Shiro, it would’ve been you,” Pidge shrugged. And really, et tu, Pidge? This wasn’t fair at all. Not to mention, now Lance could feel the now-familiar guilt from knowing he hadn’t been able to tell.

And that was what finally had Lance speaking up. “Oh come on, guys, that’s not even the worst any of us suffered out there! Lotor joined the team! I died! Shiro died! Keith left! We had bigger things to deal with!”

There was a brief silence following this, long enough for Lance to squeeze his eyes shut and briefly mutter “Fuck” to himself, and then—

“What do you mean, you died?”

Lance’s ability to make things worse every time he opens his mouth really should be considered a wonder of the world.

He opened his eyes hesitantly to find that everyone was watching him intently. Tears were welling in Hunk’s eyes, and Lance knew that if he paid too much attention to his friend, then he would break almost instantly. He avoided looking in that direction, lips pursed shut, determined to stay quiet now. But they were just as determined to make him talk.

“Lance, please, what happened?” and since when the hell does Pidge beg? That’s just wrong. But effective, because that wrongness made Lance jerk his head up, eyes accidentally locking with Shiro.

He looked so sad…

“It really wasn’t a huge deal, I was just saying that there was a lot happening. It was pretty much impossible for all of us to keep up with each other, what with Lotor and Allura, and Keith disappearing then coming back, and the search for Shiro… and Hunk, Pidge, you guys had a great team thing going on there. That was a lot of fun! And then remember Coran had us playing Monsters and Mana? Good times!”

“You played what?” Keith asked, confused. Then he shook his head. “Stop distracting us, Lance. Answer the questions.”

“Um. What questions?”

Keith’s face hardened, eyes doing that dangerous flinty thing that Lance had always loved to see when he got mad. But before he could say anything, Lance’s phone went off. He really did try to hide the relief on his face as he stood, but the way Shiro set his jaw made him think he was not successful.

Before Lance could answer the call, he felt his phone plucked from his fingers. He lunged for it, and Keith slipped it into his own back pocket, out of Lance’s reach. Even worse, his lunge for it brought their faces way too close. Lance jerked back, face flaming a bright red, but he felt himself crash back into Shiro’s firm, solid chest. He started to stammer apologies, but Keith’s hands settled on Lance’s shoulders, pulling him away, and then he and Shiro pushed him back down into his chair. As Shiro moved to kneel next to Lance’s chair, Keith held him there, grounding and sure. He leaned down, putting his mouth close to Lance’s ear and then murmured “Please. We need to know. We’re horrible friends for not already knowing, but we’re asking now and we need you to tell us. Let us help.” And Shiro gripped Lance’s arm, thumb smoothing against his darker skin, making it harder and harder for Lance to want to move.

Lance knew that they were blowing this out of proportion. But he still felt touched. He’d thought they were just ignoring his death because other things were happening at the same time, but maybe that wasn’t really the case. Maybe they truly hadn’t known. Maybe Allura had never said anything, and Lance, expecting Allura to say something, hadn’t said anything either, and so maybe they just didn’t know. Maybe sharing it now would be okay.

[larathia]

Moar MNLAAV thoughts: Keith

l I feel like I’m hating on Geordo here a bit and so I’ll move on to the next ‘conquered’ harem member: Keith.

(For the record, I’m taking this ‘conquered’ thing as ‘the person has been pushed to actually overtly declare their love for Katarina, clearly and unambiguously, and the kiss symbolizes/finalizes this overt declaration. It doesn’t mean anything on Katarina’s end; it’s purely a ‘point of no return’ move on the other end.)

The short version of my take on Keith is: Dat boy got a problem.

Now, I’m anime-only on this one so far, so take my comments as applying only to the anime. (But if you’ve got the books and the books go farther, SPOIL ME I WANT TO KNOW.)

In Keith’s Favor: Keith is a genuinely sweet person, and he’s been in Katarina’s life longer than pretty much anyone except Geordo, and by in Katarina’s life I mean on a daily basis, which is more than anyone else  - even Geordo or Alan - can say. He’s generally the first member of the harem she’ll see in the morning and the last at night, and he’s the one she talks to most often and about the most topics. He spearheads Katarina’s defense against Geordo not just because Geordo’s prone to laying traps for her, but because he’s clearest that she doesn’t actually love Geordo back. At least not right now. His protectiveness of her isn’t just on his own behalf, but also genuinely on hers; he’s not just assuming she isn’t ready to land in those traps, he knows it.

Keith’s obstacles are: First and foremost...he’s her brother.

Now, they’re not biological siblings - not even half siblings. And that matters, okay, it means his chances aren’t zero. BUT. 

If Katarina isn’t ready to fall into Geordo’s traps and that’s Geordo’s problem, well...Katarina really does think of Keith as her little brother, and biology or not that’s a huge obstacle for Keith ever being Chosen. I’m speaking purely of How Katarina Thinks About This Stuff at the moment. She thinks of Keith as her little brother, and that is why he’s enjoyed such a full measure of her confidence. That full measure of confidence has made him think of her romantically, and that’s understandable - on his part. He’s really aware of his biological family and that Katarina is not biological family, and so for him there isn’t any real barrier to thinking he and Katarina could be a pair. So I get why Keith thinks the way he does and I don’t particularly hold it against him. I’m not going “ew what’s wrong with you” or anything, although I do kind of wonder at the mental gymnastics he must’ve gone through to think of all these things while actually daily referring to her as ‘sister’. Like...somewhere, that word lost all meaning to him?

But that isn’t the real issue, because when Katarina calls him her little brother, she is being absolutely honest and literal. For her to Choose Keith, she’d have to completely re-examine her entire relationship with him, and actively try to see him not as her brother but as a potential husband. And...I realize the anime hasn’t had any time to try to do that, but going on past episodes I just don’t see that kind of mental work happening? She’s had years of thinking of Keith as her little brother. yeeeeeeears. Going back to them as little kids. Even if she tries, this isn’t going to just melt away and suddenly he’s a potential suitor.

And frankly, I would be surprised if the Claes household didn’t try to smack her if she DID try making that effort. They’ve adopted Keith into the household. (I grant that there’s some fuzziness here - I dunno if he’s counted as a favored foster child, or if Duke Claes actually adopted him or what, and that does factor into how willing they’d be to countenance a marriage here. If he’s a foster, probably yes? If he’s adopted, certainly not. But since his letter said he’s the ‘heir’, and nobody argued with that, I lean toward him having been adopted.)

Do I think Keith has a chance?

Well. This is a harem anime, and that means everyone has a chance provided they can overcome the obstacles set before them. But in Keith’s case, I lean hard toward “no, what’s going to happen is now that he’s declared his love, they can begin processing it and maybe Keith can move on and get to love another girl, while Katarina clues in that she really did demand a lot of Keith’s time and attention and maybe she needs to let him go so he can FIND another girl.”

[dherzogblog]

The Birth of The Daily Show: 25 Years of Fake News and Moments of Zen

It was July of 1995 and I had left MTV to become President of Comedy Central. It was the basic cable equivalent of going from the NY Yankees to an expansion team. I was on the job just two weeks when I received a call from Brillstein Grey the high powered managers of Bill Maher, host of one of the networks few original programs, "Politically Incorrect". We were informed Bill and his show would leave the network when his contract expired in 12 months. It was a done deal. Bill wanted to take his show to the "big leagues" at ABC where he would follow Night Line. Comedy Central was left jilted. Terrible news for a network still trying to establish itself. We had a year to figure out how to replace him and the clock was ticking. So began the path to The Daily Show.

It was very much a fledgling Comedy Central I joined, available in barely 35 million homes, desperately seeking an identity and an audience. It was just over three years old, born into a shot gun wedding that joined two struggling and competing comedy networks, HBO’s Comedy Channel and Viacom’s HA!, Watching them both stumble out of the gate, the cable operators forced them to merge, telling them: "We only need one comedy channel, you guys figure it out”. After some contentious negotiations the new channel was born and the red headed step child of MTV and HBO set out to find the pop culture zeitgeist its parents had already expertly navigated. The network had yet to define itself. The programming consisted mainly of old stand up specials from the likes of Gallagher (never underestimate the appeal of a man smashing watermelons), a hodgepodge of licensed movies (“The God’s Must be Crazy and The Cheech and Chong trilogy were mainstays) and Benny Hill reruns. The networks biggest hit by far was the UK import “Absolutely Fabulous”, better know as “AbFab”. Comedy Central boasted a handful of original shows, including the wonderfully sublime "SquiggleVision" of “Dr. Katz”, the sketch comedy "Exit 57" (starring the then unknown Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert) and of course Maher’s "Politically Incorrect". In retrospect I don’t think Bill got enough credit for pioneering the idea of political comedy on mainstream TV. Back then he was the only one doing it.

Politically Incorrect performed just fine, but got more critical attention than ratings. It was a panel show, and I had something a bit different in mind to replace it. I knew we needed a flagship, a network home base, something akin to ESPN's Sports Center where viewers could go at the end of a the day for our comedic take on everything that happened in the last 24 hours….."a daily show". I had broad idea for it in my head. I would describe it as part "Weekend Update", part Howard Stern, with a dash of "The Today Show" on drugs complete with a bare boned format to keep costs low so we could actually afford to produce it. We could open with the headlines covering the day's events (our version of a monologue), followed by a guest segment (we wouldn't need to write jokes...only questions!), and finish with a taped piece. Simple, right? We just needed someone to help flesh out our vision.

Comedy Central was a a second tier cable channel then and considered a bit of a joke (no pun intended). It had minuscule ratings, no heat and even less money to spend. Producers were not lining up to work with there. Eileen Katz ran programming for the channel and the two of us began pitching this idea to every producer who would listen. One of the first people we approached was Madeleine Smithberg, an ex Letterman producer and had overseen "The Jon Stewart Show" for us at MTV. We thought she was perfect for the role. “You can’t do this, you can’t afford this, you don't have the stomach for this, it will never work ” Madeliene said when we met with her. We could not convince her to take the gig. Ok then....we moved on. The problem was we heard that same refrain from everybody. No one wanted the job. So after weeks being turned down by literally EVERYONE, I said to Eileen: “We have to go back to Madeleine and convince her to do this with us"!

Part our pitch to her was we would go directly to series. There would be no pilot. The show was guaranteed to go on air. We had decided this show was our to be our destiny and we had to figure it out come hell or high water. As a 24 hour comedy channel, if we couldn't figure out a way to be funny and fresh every day...what good were we? We told Madeliene we were committed to putting the show on the air and keeping it there till we got it right (for at least a year anyway). That, plus some gentle arm twisting got her to sign on. Shortly after that, Lizz Winstead did too.

Madleiene and Lizz very quickly landed on their inspired notion of developing the show and format as a news parody. It brought an immediate focus and a point of view to the process . All of the sudden things started to take shape and coming to life. Great ideas started flowing fast and furious while an amazing collection of funny and talented began to come on board. Madeliene and Lizz were off to the races. Now all we needed was a host.

The prime time version of ESPN's Sports Center was hosted by Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann back then and it was must see cable TV. But I had recently started to notice another guy hosting the show's late night edition. He was funny, with a snarky delivery reminiscent of Dennis Miller. His name was Craig Kilborn. On the phone with CAA agent Jeff Jacobs one day, I asked if he knew happened to know who repped him? “I do" he said. "We just signed him”. Within days he was in my office along with Madeleine, Lizz, and Eileen who were all a bit skeptical about the tall blond guy with the frat boy vibes sitting across from them. After opening the meeting with a few off color comments that would probably get him cancelled today (an early warning sign fo sure), Craig ultimately won them over and we had our host.

FUN FAC#1: Minutes after the news of Craig's hiring went public, Keith Olberman's agent called me directly to ask why we hadn't considered hiring him?

Ok, we had a host and producers...but what to call it? After sifting through dozens of ideas for a title, Madeleine called me one day and said, "I think we should just call it what we've been calling it all along...."The Daily Show". As we approached our launch date we taped practice shows and took them out to focus groups to get real life feedback. The groups hated it.... I mean with a red hot hate. They hated Craig, the format, the jokes, everything. We were crushed and dejectedly looked around at the room at one another. "Now what?" “Either they’re wrong, or we are". I said I think they are...but it doesn’t matter, we're doing this!" We never looked back.

The show took off quickly garnering some quick buzz and attention, we felt like we had crashed the party. Well, sort of. We had no shortage of fun, growing pains and drama along the way. The Daily Show version 1.0 was about to unravel. In a December 1997 magazine interview Craig made some truly offensive and inappropriate remarks about Lizz and female members of the staff. Whether it was poor attempt at humor or just plain misogynist (or both) is beyond the point. It was all wrong, very wrong. Craig was suspended for a week without pay. Lizz left the show. In the moment I chose to protect the show and its talent more so than Lizz. That was wrong too. It's more than cringe worthy looking back now, and I regret not making some better decisions then. My loyalty to our host was later "rewarded" when in the Spring of 1998 Kilborn's team, a la Bill Maher, unceremoniously informed us he had signed a deal to follow Letterman on CBS when his contract expired at the end of the year. No discussion, a done deal. Comedy Central jilted again. Like Maher, Kilborn wanted his shot at the network big leagues and we had a little over six months to figure out how to replace him. We all know how that chapter ended. That search would eventually reunite us with Jon Stewart who along with The Daily Show took Comedy Central and basic cable to the "the big leagues" on their own terms, redefining late night comedy in the process The rest, as they say, is "Fake News" history.

Fun Fact #2: before approaching Jon (who I did not originally think would be interested) I initially offered the job to a chunkier, largely unknown Jimmy Kimmel, fresh off his co hosting duties on "Win Ben Stein's Money" ...only to have him turn us down.

My fascination with late night began as a kid. I remember how exciting it was to stay up to sneak a peek at the Carson monologue and watch him do spit takes with his chummy Hollywood guests. Later on I also loved the heady adult conversation Dick Cavett would have with everyone from Sly Stone to Groucho Marx. But it was the comedic revolution of Saturday night Live in 1975, followed by Letterman's game changing show in 1981 that truly established late night as the coolest place on the television landscape. I could only dream of one day being part of it.

25 years on, I couldn’t be more proud of The Daily Show and its legacy. Those days helping build it alongside Madeleine, Lizz, Eileen and the team were among the most satisfying (and fun) experiences I have ever had. It was thrilling to take a shot at the late night landscape and try and make our mark, especially when no one thought we could.

I am prouder still of what Trevor Noah and his staff have achieved since they took the hand off from Jon, evolving and growing the show through a new voice and lens. I think my personal "Moment Of Zen" will last as long as Trevor remains behind the desk, allowing me to selfishly boast of having hired every host this award winning and culture defining franchise has ever had.

25 years later. it remains as relevant as ever, a bona fide late night institution, standing shoulder to shoulder with all the great shows that inspired us to start.

[the-shiftshop]

Hey Diary - Part 2

PART 1 of the Hey Diary Series

Monday came and I can finally experience my new life at school. It’s been about 3 days since my transformation from a total nerd into this campus crush, and my last usage of that Diary App in this phone. My heart is beating fast at the thought of how people would think of me in this new body. I’m super excited yet nervous of what may happen.

You see, I may have gained this heavenly figure and this new reality, but I did not get any memories for it. I have no idea who my new friends are. Still, I need to get to school and I should at least try and keep an act until I know what the heck is supposed to happen, but before that, I need to keep my online fans updated. I took a snap of myself in the mirror and posted it on my feed, then I went straight to school.

Stepping into the gate already gave a new feeling. Everyone was looking at me and every time I look back, they would shy away. There were other people who waved at me but I have no idea who they were.

I went to my locker to grab my stuffs for our first class. As I do so, I saw Keith on the other end with his friends, Peter and Tom, glaring back at me.

He have my phone in his hand. It’s still the same bully but without his daily routine of pushing my face to my locker door.  He walked pass me taunting me with my phone, then proceeded into our room.

I bit my lips in annoyance. Guess, I still have to deal with this guy.

“Heeeeeeey, Felix.”

Someone tapped my shoulder and I jumped on my place. “Ah-” I almost screamed.

“A little jumpy today, aren’t we?” The guy asked as I turned around.

I was kinda expecting it was Keith but when I looked, It was Alex, my new friend. Well actually, he’s supposed to be my friend since the first day in this school, but in this new reality. I remembered his name because he was the one who kept bugging me last Saturday night in my DMs. He has a bit stocky body, but its not that bad. He wears thick square glasses that enlarges his deep black eyes. If I could comment, I’d say he’s almost the same level as my old body but that’s only basing on his looks. As for what I saw in his timeline, he’s not really that kind of a nerd. He barely even studies and complains on his feed too much. He’s a very friendly guy in my class, actually, but that didn’t make him an easy target for Keith.

He smiled at me and was sucking in air as if he’s trying to pull some question out his chest.

“You’re bout to ask something?” I raised my eyebrows and he nodded.

“Well... Apparently there’s this thing online... It’s uh...” He kept cutting his words, hesitating to ask me something.

I guess I know what it was. I gritted my teeth and looked away.

“Lemme guess. There’s a rumor spreading about me, right?” I said.

“Well... Yeah...”

“Damn, dude. Whatever that may be, do you think I’ll do that?” I said. My body cringing when I tried to act cool and say “dude”. “Anyway. Let’s just get in class”

We started walking to our classroom door. He kept on talking to me, mostly about trying to workout to get rid of his belly. I also learned that he happened to befriend me because he thought I could give him a few advice in working out.

When we entered the room, everyone was also looking at me. Not with disgust but admiration. Everyone said hi to me except Keith and his crew who were laughing to themselves.

“Yo faggot.” Keith called me. “Did you get your morning suck today?”

He and his crew laughed louder. Where did they get that from? I never wrote that in my old phone? I furrowed my eyebrows at that thought. They’re probably just making things up without really basing on my old diary.

“Hey idiot. Do you think anyone’s gonna believe that?” A girl raised her voice at Keith.

“Well, I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Felix himself if what I’m saying ain’t true.” Keith laughed, making everyone look more annoyed than myself.

I sat down to my chair with Alex now sitting beside me. Our first professor went in and began his lectures. As for me, I was busy tinkering with the Diary App. If the Diary App helped me last time, I bet it can help me more today.

With my eyebrows still furrowed, I began to stealthily type without the teacher noticing.

Monday

Hey Diary,

I wish whatever that thing about me that Keith and his crew tried to spread would backfire to them.

I tried to save this in hope that the changes would happen immediately, but a pop up appeared.

ALERT: Input too short

I tried to type again but this time, I tried to lengthen my sentence. Still, the alert kept appearing.

I heard our professor clear his throat and my attention jumped to him. He caught me using my phone. I smiled and chuckled.

“Phone.” He said, pointing to me.

“Yeah, I’m sorry Mr. Dew. I-”

“Put it back to your bag, now.” He ordered and I quickly followed.

I was lucky enough that it didn’t get confiscated. I put my attention back to his lectures and jotted down notes.

Why wont my log work though? What does it mean by “Input too short”? Whatever it is, I might need to fix that when I have free time. I shouldn’t go back to that in class or I might lost my new phone too.

--

Lunch break. I was with Alex in the cafeteria. Some other girls wanted to sit with me but Alex kept on telling them that he seats are taken. He would eventually chuckled at me and ask if I never get tired of people following me anywhere I go. I would just laugh back, remembering that this is my first day in this new life. As I tried to take a bite on my food, I saw Keith his friends across the cafeteria. He was still looking at me. Glaring at me. I then looked away, showing a bit of annoyance again. I then pulled my phone out my pocket and came back to my Diary App.

Input too short, huh? Well let’s put all our hearts in this log.

Monday

Hey Diary,

Keith and his friends are spreading fake news about me again, although I have no idea on what that is about. They might’ve been spreading news about me being gay or a cocksucker. Whatever that may be I don’t think I can’t stand them this time. I’d be fine if they spread something real about me, something I’d be too guilty to fight back, but if they spread something I never did, I might not get a grip of myself.

I wish whatever they told everyone would backfire to them. I wish Keith and his friends would live the rumor they had spread.

I clicked saved and went back to my food, but as soon as I try to bite, my vision started to blur once more. Alex seemed to notice what’s wrong and tried to shake my shoulders while calling my name in panic. I tried to shake my head and blink fast but it made me lost my sight much faster. Soon, I blacked out once more.

--

I groggily opened my eyes and rose up where I was lying. Then I realized I was back in my bedroom. It was night time and my lights were dim. I looked to my right and saw dad sitting on my chair.

“Dad?” I called.

“Oh you’re awake! This friend of yours called me to school telling me you passed out. The nurse said you probably ate something bad and passed out. You were puking hard in the clinic this afternoon and I was super worried. I thought I’m gonna lose you too...”

“Dad. I’m okay. Don’t worry.” I tried to comfort him.

“I’m glad you are...” He came to me and gave me a hug.

“Is Alex still here?” I asked.

“Alex? Oh, well... It wasn’t Alex who helped you. He probably coward out when you fainted and-”

“Wait? Then who-”

Before I ended my question, someone entered the room.

“Keith?” I looked at him with confusion. He was carrying a glass of milk and some cookies which were probably from my dad.

He looked at me back with this dumb grin on his face and put his glass on my table. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just gonna leave you two be. Enjoy that cookie, Keith.” Dad went out my room, leaving me and Keith alone together.

My eyes widened at the sight of Keith. Out of all people, Keith was the one to help me? I puffed out air in disagreement. I just looked away from him as he munch on his cookie. He then pulled a chair and dragged it near my bed. He first finished his food before he talked to me.

“Dude. I just can’t leave you dying there. I saw everyone just standing around you. Admiring you instead of actually helping you.”

“Like I should believe you. Alex could’ve tried to help me.”

“Alex? Dude was so paranoid he can’t even dial your dad.”

We were silent for a while as I try to ignore him. I grabbed a schoolbook from my nightstand and pretended to read, wishing him to go away.

“Felix. I know I did a LOT of bad things that not only affected your physically, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t help you when you need it.” I noticed that his tone was a lot different than how he used to talk to me. “And... I just wanna say I’m sorry.”

I closed my book hard at those words. He’s actually apologizing...? He grabbed my arm and shook it slowly.

“Could you take my apology?” I pleaded.

“What do you want? Is this some sort of a prank? What? Are you trying to film me and use this for blackmail? Where’s your camera?”

“Felix can you just listen to me? Do you think I’ll go this far just to bully you?”

“Yeah? Why not? Just tell me what you want and let me go for fuck’s sake.”

“Let me suck your dick.”

My eyes widened. Bigger than what I did when I saw Keith enter my room. Did he just ask me to let him suck me off? I whipped my arm to make him let go. I looked at him with my face clenching. What he said just made me mad.

“Fuck off Keith. I’m not gonna be a part of your show. Get rid of your camera and get out.”

He shook his head and laughed. His laugh isn’t those typical sinister sounding one that you’ll hear when villains get exposed for their crimes. It was more of a sad chuckle when someone gets rejected. He reached for something in his jacket’s right pocket. From there he pulled out my old phone and gave it to me.

“If there was a hidden camera here, what would I use it for? To stain my reputation too? I’m sucking you off then what? Tell everyone that: Hey guys! Felix let me suck his dick! Dude... I'm the one desperate here.” He tried to convince me. His eyes looked different from before. There were stars in his them. There’s seriously something wrong. “Do you still think I’ll go this far just to ruin you more? I’m sorry if I spread false rumor about you. I’m really sorry... Now if you still can’t accept my apology, I guess this would make you feel much... much... much better.”

Before I knew it, he was already grabbing my crotch as he tried to unzip my jeans with his other hand. I moaned and my cock is already hard. He unbuttoned my jeans and proceeded to caress my pole. His eyes are locked with mine. He was so close and I can feel his hot breath on my cheeks. He’s too near and it looks like he’s about to kiss me. He pulled the garter of my boxer and without any second thoughts, he pulled my rock hard cock out and started jerking it off. I realized that I wasn’t stopping him at all. I then moved my hands to his arm, trying to get it off.

“Keith... Stop.” I moaned when he squeezed it hard. My back tried to arch forward but he pushed me back by diving his lips onto mine. He removed his jacket off, probably because he was in heat.

Keith moved on top of me. My legs in between his. His right hand was still stroking my shaft while his left hand is under my shirt, moving it from my abs up to my chest. When he reached my chest, he pinched my right nipple which made me open my mouth. He took the chance to push his tongue in my mouth, trying to intertwine with mine.

My hands are still trying to stop him, but this time I placed them on his chest. I tried to push him away but he’s too strong. That’s when I noticed how muscular his body was. By some chance, my body was moving on its own. My left hand slowly moved down to his abs, feeling his cobblestone collection. My body start to relax as he continued to kiss me. There’s something therapeutic about what Keith’s doing to me. I can’t stop him anymore. My body already gave in as if it wants Keith without my own accord. Before I knew it, I was already kissing back with my tongue, although a second after that, he broke our kiss and proceeded to stripping my shirt off. He started worshiping my body. Giving each muscle a peck from my neck, to my arms, to my chest, to my abs, then finally to my crotch. Without any hesitation, Keith placed my cock on his mouth and started sucking me off. My hips responded by thrusting into his mouth. My hands on his shoulder. My breath became heavy. My arousal skyrocketed. Every time my cock grinds on the wall of his mouth was euphoric. This made me realize that my body is very sensitive. Every time he pulled and dove back down made my body twitch in every direction.

“Faster.” I can’t believe I’m saying this. My body is enjoying Keith so much. I can feel my balls starting to churn.

“I’m near.” I whispered. My hands migrated to his hair, pulling it as my body tensed.

“I’m gonna cum.” I said.

I released my load into Keith’s mouth. I came with what seems like a much bigger load than what I can originally do. He then swallowed them all and took a a big exhale as if he just took a soda. He smiled at me and placed my softening cock back in my pants. He zipped my jeans back up and buttoned it. He left me topless, recovering from my euphoric phase.

He gave me one last kiss and I kissed back. He chuckled and moved back.

“Guess you forgive me now?”

He then got off me and picked his jacket from the floor. He walked back to the door and grabbed his glass of milk.

“Thanks for the milk. See you tomorrow.” He opened my door. “Oh and... Can we still go back to me being your bully? But I guess this time... We can call ourselves frenemies.”

With that, he went out my room. He didn’t grab anything else. That means he meant that... He meant that!?

My new phone suddenly pinged. I grabbed it and saw the notification from the Diary App once more.

Wish was completed. Please take a picture and attach to the log to confirm change and to keep the new reality.

I didn’t know what to do aside from standing up, going out my balcony and aiming my camera to Keith who was already walking away from home, but I wasn’t able to take a picture of him since he was already too far to be seen.

Maybe tomorrow, unless this all reset when I sleep. This might be a problem.

[milkmateartist]

HEAVENS Black Garden English Translation 【 Shion's Route Pt. 1 】

[ — I do not own Black Garden, HEAVENS, Utapri, or any of the characters. This is a fan translation using a combination of google translate and my own japanese knowledge — ]

// Translated by MilkmateArtist

-------------------------------------------------

▽ You

"There he is ..."

I didn't ask for his name, but I quickly realized it was Simon.

He was leaning against a big tree, sleeping comfortably.

▽ You

"Simon, please wake up."

It hurt me a bit to wake him up so soon, but I shook his shoulders lightly.

▽ Simon

"Hmm……".

His eyes opened slowly.

▽ You

"It's nice to meet you."

▽ Simon

"A stranger ……! !! "

"The moment he recognized me he backed away looking at me with fear in his eyes.

▽ You

"I'm ( ___ ). I received a letter and came here."

▽ Simon

"You are ... a relative of the Lord."

▽ You

"I'm sorry I woke you up. Eric and I were looking for you, you see."

▽ Simon

"I see. I guess it took a while...."

Simon stood up and bowed.

▽ You

"What were you doing at the edge of the garden?"

Spending so much time with Eric, he must worried about me being in an unfindable place.

▽ Simon

"I was looking for a bird ... The blue bird cherished by the Lord has escaped. It's still young, so I'm worried..."

Simon's sad expression suggested he cherished the bird as well.

▽ Simon

"Looking for it exhausted me, so I thought I'd rest."

He must have searched pretty frantically if he had to rest like that.

I wondered what to do.

(A) Wait for its return in the garden

(B) Go back to the mansion for a bit

(C) Look for it together

(A) Wait for it's return in the garden

▽ You

"Let's wait for the little bird to come back to the garden."

I thought it would be better to be near the garden.

A small bird wouldn't have been able to fly that far.

▽ Simon

"Oh, that's a good idea. Would you wait there with me?"

▽ You

"Yes!"

We decided to sit under a tree and wait.

…………. ……………………. ……………………………….

Despite waiting a long time, there was no indication of the little bird's return..

▽ Simon

"It will be too late after dark so ... Let's go find it."

▽ You

"I agree."

I also obeyed Simon, who stood up anxiously.

(B) Go back to the mansion for a bit

▽ You

"Would you like to return to the mansion for a bit?"

He must have been looking for it before I came here. If he couldn't find it then, then it might be unlikely that we would find it now.

▽ You

"I'm sure it will be back soon."

That said, Simon's complexion changed.

▽ Simon

"You're sure……? Even though I'm not... If the Lord were to find out .."

There was a ghastly look on his now pale face.

▽ Simon

"Although, even if it is just a bird in this situation, for me it is irreplaceable."

▽ You

"I'm sorry. It doesn't mean that your intention ..".

▽ Simon

"It's fine. I'll search on my own."

Then he ran into the forest.

▽ You

"Please wait!"

I followed, but I lost sight of Simon. Not only that, I didn't even know how to get back.

I wandered aimlessly until completely all my strength was gone. My life was cut short in that forest.

BAD END

(C) Let's find it together

▽ You

"Let's find it together! Please let me help too."

Seeing Simons depressed expression, I couldn't help but say that.

▽ Simon

"...... Is that alright? That's encouraging. You're a kind one ( ___ ). "

Simon smiled happily.

▽ You

"Well, that's ... That's because you conveyed your feelings to me Simon."

▽ Simon

"I think I'll get along with you. Thank you for your warm consideration."

▽ You

"We'll definitely find it!"

We went back to the garden and looked for Eric, but there was no sight of him.

I wanted to report that Simon was found, but feeling the search for the little bird was the top priority, and we returned to the forest.

▽ You

"What kind of work do you do here in the mansion?"

I thought that having a conversation would make him feel better, so I tried asking a question I was curious about.

▽ Simon

"I take care of the animals that the Lord has brought back from all over the world."

▽ You

"That's pretty sweet. It's probably really hard though."

▽ Simon

"Yeah…… All of them are unique and adorable. If you treat them well they return the favor."

His shining eyes and passionate words conveyed his honest feelings.

▽ Simon

"It was in my care as well. That bird ... However, the door of the cage was broken."

▽ Simon

"I want to find it soon. I'm sure it's trembling from loneliness."

▽ You

"…… But we've come a long way."

A steep slope continued in front of me.

▽ Simon

"This is called Jigokuzaka ... It's that tough of a trail."

▽ You

"Jigokuzaka……. That sounds intense."

▽ Simon

"There is a hill with a good view at the end of the climb. I wonder if the bird would prefer such a high place.."

We looked at each other and made up our minds.

▽ Hugo

"What are you guys doing here?"

▽ You

"Hugo!"

Suddenly, he emerged from the bush behind him. He always seemed to be coming out of nowhere.

▽ Simon

"What a good time.. Will you take us to the top of this slope?"

▽ Hugo

"Oh, that's easy. Well, let's go."

▽ You

"Huh ...! ??"

Just like that, Simon and I were easily carried on both of Hugo's shoulders as he started running on the slope.

▽ You

"Aren't we heavy? I can walk on our own, so please let me down.. "

▽ Hugo

"No problem at all. This is far easier than my usual training."

I wondered what he usually did... I was curious about Hugo's daily life.

▽ Hugo

"More importantly, it would be bad if Simon collapsed. He doesn't have the strength."

We couldn't find the bird after we got to the top. After we were done searching, Hugo took us on his shoulders again and climbed down.

▽ Simon

"Thank you Hugo ... I'm grateful."

▽ Hugo

"Don`t worry. Well, I'm in the middle of patrolling, so I'm gonna head out."

Then Hugo disappeared into the bush again.

▽ Simon

"Next, let's look around the building. I had it in it's cage when we went on walks."

Relying on memory, we searched the area where it might return to.

▽ You

"……! !!"

Suddenly something glazed in front of me.

Looking at where the noise came from, I saw a sword stuck in the wall. Overwhelmed, I fell to my knees.

▽ Keith

"During training ... it slipped from ... my hand. I'm sorry. Are you hurt ...?"

Keith ran up to me while I was on the ground, reaching a hand out. .

▽ You

"I'm okay. A bit surprised but..."

It's scary to think that it would have hit me should the timing have not been a little off.

▽ Simon

"Keith is burdened by his role as guard... Training is necessary. Please forgive him."

▽ You

"Don't worry about it.. Nothing happened after all. More importantly, did you see a bluebird at all, Keith?"

I wanted information on any clues.

▽ Keith

"I have not ... You might find if you... get some bait ...from Eric ..."

▽ You

"That's a good idea!"

We went around the hall to find Eric.

▽ You

"There he is!"

Eric was looking for something in the wine cellar.

▽ Eric

"Ah……! Simon, you found me."

Seeming to be in a hurry, he put the vial he had in his hand in his pocket.

▽ Eric

"I was looking for wine to cook for dinner."

Although I felt something was wrong, the search for the small bird came first.

When we explained the situation, Eric gave us some bread crumbs.

▽ You

"We should definitely be able to find it with this."

▽ Simon

"I hope that will happen. Above all, it must be hungry. If we don't find it soon ..."

We headed out of the mansion again.

When we got out of the front door, we encountered Mika.

▽ Simon

"Mika, what good timing. Would you help me look for a bird?

▽ Mika

"Nope, as much as I would like to. I have to go to deliver letters from here on out."

▽ Simon

"If it's official orders then ... it can't be helped. That's a shame."

▽ Mika

"Jeez, are you really that depressed?!"

▽ Simon

"Your observation skills are keen and are very clever. Without your help I can't manage to motivate myself.

▽ Mika

"I guess that's so but ... That's it! Why don't you ask Virgil? I'm sure he's "free" at this time."

We found Virgil where Mika had told us he should be.

He was humming some song in a relaxed manner.

▽ You

"It's just as Mika said."

▽ Simon

"It seems so.. Virgil is skipping out while on duty."

▽ You

"Um ... I'm sorry to interrupt your break"

▽ Virgil

"Wha! What's that, are you implying I'm slacking off !??"

Surprised at our appearance, he jumped up, corrected his posture.

▽ Simon

"We're looking for a blue bird ..."

▽ Virgil

"That sounds grand! I'll help too! In exchange, can you keep what you saw before a secret?"

▽ Simon

"Okay, I won't tell the Lord. Then, do you have a plan?"

▽ Virgil

"It's darkest under the lamppost. The answer might be closer than we thought?"

Virgil looked outside the mansion while we decided to look inside the mansion.

▽ Simon

"It may have returned to the place it normally is."

With the idea in his head, Simon seemed to be walking with a purpose.

▽ Abel

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Abel called us and we stopped.

▽ You

"We're looking for a little bird that Simon is taking care of."

▽ Abel

"I see. I hope I can find it by dinner. You can't find it when it gets dark. "

▽ Simon

"…………."

To be honest, there was no guarantee that it would be found. Finding a bird that can fly around freely is a difficult task.

Perhaps he felt that, Simon closed his mouth.

▽ Abel

"Simon. ...... Believe, and give strength to your wish."

Abel grabs Simon's shoulder and speaks to inspire him.

▽ Abel

"Feelings surpass everything. Make the impossible possible!

The strong words touched our hearts like a spell.

We stopped in front of a room and opened the door.

Only an empty birdcage was there.

Let's give up already

I will do something

Be speechless

(A) Let's give up already

▽ You

"Let's give up already. It's impossible to find an escaped bird".

It's painful, but sometimes you have to face the reality.

▽ Simon

"No, that's not true……! There is no way I can give up"

His voice changed like he was a different person.

▽ Simon

"What do you know! This sadness, this pain ... "

My shoulders were strongly grasped and violently shaken.

▽ You

"Kya ……! !!"

I couldn't help but lose my balance to the momentum.

I hit my head hard on the desk holding the birdcage and fell to the floor.

A burning pain spread through my head. I couldn't even say a word, and it was pitch black in front of me.

I felt like I heard an eerie laugh in my consciousness.

BAD END

(B) I will do something

▽ ▽ You

I'll do something about it!

Before I noticed, the words had come out.. I didn't want to see Simon's sad face.

▽ Simon

"Really……?"

I didn't have a concrete solution, but if I didn't put my feelings forward then our hopes would be lost.

▽ You

"Yes……. I promise."

▽ Simon

"The power of Kotodama is strong. I wonder if your feelings will cause a miracle to happen."

When he spoke, he gently took my hand and smiled happily.

(C) (Be speechless)

▽ You

"…………."

I had no words.. I was overwhelmed by the hopeless reality.

▽ Simon

"It's only when you lose something that you realize its importance..."

Simon's sadness was immeasurable. The expression of despair was unbearable to see.

▽ You

"I will do whatever I can. So please ..."

I muttered, praying to heaven.

CONTINUE:

Time passed mercilessly, and the night fell.

Waiting for the morning to come, I vowed to search again and went to sleep.

----------------------------------------

Go to Black Garden English Translation Directory here for more routes.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #235: Havoc on the Homefront!

September, 1983

Welcome to the Wizard’s Mansion of Mechanized Mayhem!

This cover has got it going on!

Where “it” is “multiple things.”

Still, I love covers that are just like ‘here’s a couple things happening today’ and this is a great version of that concept with the things being viewing screens that the Wizard is looking at.

He’s watching the Avengers in various peril channel.

This is a good cover!

So last time: uh, a couple things. Wasp called Vision and Scarlet Witch in as reservists when Annihilus tried to blow up the universe with an invisible dome. The two basically contributed nothing but Vision was thrown into a robotic coma.

Wanda and Vision in a tube moved into the mansion while he recovers and Wanda recapped her entire backstory including new retcon that Magneto is totally her dad.

Then she had a Dr. Strange crossover. Since it also involved Monica, two Avengers makes it notable enough to synopsize in brief. And its titled Assault on Avengers Mansion! so its like its baiting me.

Dr. Strange astral projects to bother Wanda when she’s trying to get some grief reading in. He wants to find the Darkhold and she’s the last known possessor or vice versa because thats when she was possessed by Cththon and had to be saved with a care bear stare from the Avengers. But Dr. Strange really wants the Darkhold to stop Dracula from getting it. Yes, Dracula.

Since the Darkhold is being stored in a vault at Avengers Mansion after Beast brought it back from Wundagore, Dracula’s cult attacks and manages to break into the Mansion. Dr. Strange, Wanda, and Captain Marvel all fight off Dracula’s cult and then Dr. Strange trolls Dracula by teleporting the Darkhold somewhere else.

Also, Avengers Mansion got trashed in a break-in in Fantastic Four #257. Dammit. Whats with all the intertextuality in this era?

So that story there is: mostly a lot of Galactus eating the Skrull homeworld and fallout from aforementioned Annihilus story. Only the last two pages are relevant.

Mr. Fantastic shows up to Avengers Mansion to check on Vision, Wanda goes to make him tea, and then he’s teleported to a space trial leaving a giant melted hole in the mansion.

Honestly, I don’t know why FF got asterisked instead of the Dr. Strange issue. They both messed up the mansion but the Dracula cult was more of a break-in than someone leaving a giant hole in the wall. Although that’s more mysterious.

Anyway, with two different ‘read this also’s between issues that messed up the mansion, no wonder the opening splash has to be devoted to a repair crew patching things up.

Wasp is putting her size-shifting to good use to literally micro-manage. Zipping around at tiny size telling everyone how to do their job.

Captain America who is also supervising and impressing people with how buff he is gets annoyed and goes to tell her to stop but stops himself.

Captain America: No... No. She’s in charge here, and I have to let her handle things as best she can. Her methods do seem to bring results... They’re just not my methods, that’s all. Yeah...

And then he sulks off, ignoring Wasp when she asks what he’s muttering to himself.

Hm. The new leader honeymoon period is off, it seems. Cap was Wasp’s biggest supporter as chairperson and now he’s grumbling and second-guessing.

Dang.

I hope this isn’t snapback to Wasp not being leader because she’s flighty and silly. I hope we’re not just going to do that.

Cap wanders over to where Vision-inna-tube and Wanda are. Wanda is still glued to Vision’s side. And either Wanda can read minds or Cap says something between panels because we have Cap wondering in a thought bubble whether if Vision has shown any signs of improvement and then Wanda answering that he hasn’t shown improvement or worsened.

Cap(tain) America: “Well, don’t let yourself get too worried, Wanda. That husband of yours has been through worse scrapes than this. He’ll pull through!”

Scarlet Witch: “When you say it, Cap, I can really believe it!”

Inspirational Cap! Charisma rolls: Very.

Still, Wanda is sad because Vision is lying in a tube helpless and she can’t even touch him.

Cap wanders off again, without even saying goodbye (rude) while musing how much it sucks.

Cap: Blast it! Those kids were just starting to make a life for themselves, and this had to happen! Why was it that of all the Avengers who went up against the threat of Annihilus -- it had to be a couple of reservists who suffered most?

And then starts musing how weird it is that Scarlet Witch and Vision as reservists since they were active Avengers for so long!

Remember, Wanda joined the Avengers not very long after Cap did! Only a couple months in-universe! She was one of his Kooky Quartet!

Cap: At times I wondered if the Avengers would survive -- but somehow, through all the tumult and changes, the team not only survived -- it grew stronger! I pray it always will... with the menaces we so often face, we can’t afford to weaken. We’ve gone through so many changes lately. We’ve picked up two fine new Avengers in Captain Marvel and the She-Hulk, but we’ve lost Hank Pym... and now we’ve lost Iron Man, too. Even Thor has taken himself off the active roster to pursue a personal mission. I hope he won’t be gone too long.

Cap is clearly in some sort of dour Mood.

A dour and monologue-y mood.

And what’s Thor up to leaving the team roster OFF PANEL?

(Sigh)

Well, since the asterisk is telling me to see Thor #334... oh geez, Don Blake is under suspicion of killing Jane Foster. Thor, and Lady Sif take Keith Kincaid (the non-Thor love interest of Jane) on a trip to get the Runestaff (long story) and restore Jane Foster (long story).

Annoyingly, the Thor issue does show him telling the Avengers he’s going to be gone for a while and to take him off the active roster. And borrowing a Quinjet.

I think that it would have been nice to see at least a panel of that. Or something. I don’t want the book bloated with ‘see alsos’ but I’m confused why it put the most emphasis on the FF one when it was literally two pages where Reed manages to ruin the wall while getting kidnapped.

Whatever.

Anyyyyway.

Even though he thinks the new Avengers are good, Cap worries about having both Thor and Iron Man off the team.

Especially Iron Man.

He was their science/technical guy. And on the current team, the only one with any sort of science expertise is new trainee Starfox.

Who is busy making out and not being on time for his daily training session.

At least he remembers that he has a prior obligation.

And he’s only two minutes late. Or to put it another way, he’s a whole two minutes late. And Cap(tain America) is a notable stickler for punctuality.

Cap: “Punctuality may be an anachronism in this day and age -- and, for all I know, it may be unheard of on the planet Titan -- but in my day, it was something that was expected of people!”

Wow, Cap really pulled a ‘in my day.’

Frankly, I’m surprised he doesn’t pull that more often.

Starfox does seem contrite and apologizes for putting pleasure before business which sends Cap into an introspection about why he’s really being so harsh on Starfox.

Protip: It’s Tony. It’s almost always Tony.

Cap: Pleasure versus duty, that’s what it always comes down to. It was Tony Stark’s ‘pleasure’ which led him to giving up his Iron Man identity... leaving the Avengers. Some ‘pleasure’! He’s crawled so far into the bottle, he may never get back out. And there’s nothing I can do to pull him out... Nothing any of us can do, unless he lets us. That’s what’s really bothering me... isn’t it?

And he accepts the apology with a “just don’t let it happen again.”

You sound so old sometimes, Cap.

Meanwhile, She-Hulk is off on a jog through New York, listening to some Beach Boys’ California Girls.

An overeager driver scoots forward and cuts her off at the crosswalk and (I assume) in frustration, she punches the hood of the car.

And given it’s She-Hulk, she kinda punches a hole IN the hood. And probably engine.

The guy being either an idiot or incredibly unperceptive runs after She-Hulk to grab her arm and yell at her.

She does not care for that at all.

Like, why would you? She’s seven feet tall and green and just punched a hole in the hood of your car.

Luckily for the guy’s skeletal integrity, Spider-Man pops out of nowhere to be Friendly Neighborhood and mediate this conflict.

They both air their grievances.

She-Hulk: “This creep grabbed me!”

Creep: “Hey! She... she crunched the front of my car!”

She-Hulk: “That was you who cut me off in the crosswalk? You’re lucky I didn’t rip out your axle!”

Spider-Man: “Now, now! Let’s keep this friendly! Sounds like you’re in the wrong, chum! The lady had the light!”

Creep: “Lady?!? She’s no --!”

Spider-Man: “I wouldn’t say that if I were you! That’s the She-Hulk, dummy! Remember what she did to your car? Well, just imagine what she could do to you!”

Creep: “Oh yeah.”

And with the power of Spider-Man’s bomb-ass mediation, the guy realizes that he was in the wrong, apologizes, and leaves in a hurry.

(Her skeptical glare cracks me up for some reason)

Moral of the story: Don’t be a jerk. Stay behind the line when the little man is lit up.

After the guy takes off, She-Hulk praises(?) Spider-Man’s amazing mediation skills by saying he should have been a lawyer. And then they catch up.

She-Hulk is still having trouble adjusting to the East Coast lifestyle and lack of beaches so Spider-Man suggests checking out the Jersey Shore.

She-Hulk: “My big problem right now is housing. Avengers Mansion is nice, but I want a place of my own.”

Spider-Man: “It’s tough -- rents are pretty steep.”

She-Hulk: “The real trouble is finding a place I like. With the thousand a week I get as an Avenger, rent’s no big deal.”

Spider-Man: “I guess not, if you’re making a... a thousand A WEEK?!? I passed up a chance to become an Avengers, and they make $1000 a week?!? Oh, NO!!”

Ha ha, that ol’ Parker luck.

Maybe Thor should have mentioned the money when he tried to recruit Spidey.

Meanwhile, at a federal penitentiary in Vermont, a scene change.

Bentley Wittman, aka the Wizard, aka the Wingless Wizard, aka the adult man who thought the best use of his time was bullying a teenager, is being questioned about Plantman Sam Smithers’ escape from jail.

The Wizard claims that he knows nothing about Plantman’s escape and that he barely knows the guy anyway. They were airlifted from Ryker’s in the same helicopter and that’s it.

But a convenient x-ray tells a different story.

And that story is that “the Wizard” doesn’t have any skeleton bones.

... Were we really at the point in 1983 where we didn’t know about the dangers of overexposure to x-rays? They just causally scan both “the Wizard” and the guy questioning him?

Anyway, the ruse being rumbled, the fake Wizard rips the bars out of a window and jumps out to his death.

Or it would be death if he wasn’t just animate wood wearing a fake skin suit.

Kinda gross if you think about it.

Anyway, where is the real the Wizard?

Obviously, he escaped jail a while back. Not only is he a sinister criminal mastermind who has sinister masterminding to mastermind but also he was tired of the prison hair code. Because dammit, he wants to rock the goatee!

(Literally a comment he makes, calling the prison barbers butchers)

The Real Wizard gets a BLIP-BLIP-BLIP priority alert that informs him that the plant-him has been discovered which means that the authorities will be looking for him now.

Wizard: Now every law officer in the nation will be looking for me. Well, let them! They’ll not find me, unless they look here! And if they do look here, they’ll have a fight on their hands! The Wizard will not bolt and run like some common criminal! My home is my fortress! They’ll never get me out of it! Never!

Anyway, within an hour of the discovery of Plant-Wizard, a disgruntled agent of the national security council named Mr. Sirkorski receives a briefing.

Usually, this problem would be Gyrich’s problem but he’s busy somewhere else, probably making mutants miserable if I had to guess.

-checking- Yup, he’s over in the X-books, being involved in Project: Wideawake, the project that will later accidentally shoot Storm with a demutantifying gun that will take away her powers, leading her to kick Cyclop’s ass, leading to him leaving the team and feeling sad about being happily married.

Wow, Gyrich, you’re the worst.

Anyway, since the Wizard is tied to the presidential hostage crisis via Plantman, that makes it Serious Business.

Hence, Mr. Sikorski’s serious business.

And he hates it.

He hates this bonkers superhero universe. He just wants to live in a spy thriller universe without all this specific nonsense.

Mr. Sikorski: “Oh, great! Plant-Men... criminal scientists... prison breaks! Don’t they think I have enough to do, just keeping track of what the Russians are up to?”

Also Mr. Sikorksi, on the following page: “And it’s up to me to call in the appropriate parties. I feel a little weird doing this! It’s hard enough for me to believe there are such things as Avengers! I certainly never thought I’d be calling them for help!”

This guy is great. I hope he becomes a recurring and just continues to be low-key pissed about what genre he lives in.

SCENE CHANGE TO AVENGERS MANSION’s actually looking cooler than ever meeting room.

The table looks enormous and theres a giant viewscreen that they can display stuff on.

Only misstep in my opinion is that the seats don’t have personalized icons on the back.

On the big viewscreen map, Cap(tain America) is displaying for Captain Marvel known properties and hideouts that the Wizard has used in the past.

And then big boss the Wasp comes in with She-Hulk to start the meeting.

Since the government has requested that the Avengers help search for the Wizard, Captain Marvel suggests that she could zoom around and check off the whole list in no time flat by using her lightspeed.

Cap(tain America): “You probably could, C.M. -- that’s up to Jan to decide, of course. It would save us some time. After all, the Wizard could be in any of these places... or none of them!”

Wasp: “You think so? If I’d escaped from prison, I’d want to go home. But that’s just me, I suppose.”

Cool contribution, Jan.

I don’t mean to mock, its just she makes a goofy face.

(Hey, I wonder if her new costume was inspired by the FF’s negative zone’d ones. It’s kinda got a similar palette and rough design)

Anyway, Scarlet Witch asks whether she can be excused from superheroing for the day to keep an eye on the Vision.

Wasp: “Why, Wanda! I should say not! You agreed to fill in for Thor while he’s off in space, and I intend to hold you to that! I’m the chairwoman, and I’ll decide who goes where!”

In fact, since somebody does need to watch the Vision, Wasp chooses the most reasonable candidate.

Captain Marvel!

Who needs her to get the task done in five seconds! She can watch the coma-robot.

You make interesting decisions, Jan!

The remaining Avengers will split up into squads.

Captain America will take Scarlet Witch and She-Hulk to check the hideouts on the east of the map. Wasp and Starfox will check out the western ones.

She-Hulk: “You and Starfox, huh? That’s rich... the All Flirt Squad!”

Pfft.

Cap(tain America) isn’t feeling the humor and tells She-Hulk to save her jokes for when they don’t have a job to do.

Minutes later, the Avengers land a Quinjet on the front drive of the Wizard’s Long Island estate. He has one of those.

Cap: “Come on Avengers -- let’s get this over with!”

Good attitude, Cap.

Wanda notes that the grounds look neatly tended considering that the estate has been empty for the past several years but She-Hulk thinks a gardener was probably kept on retainer.

The Wizard was stupid rich.

When they get inside, Cap changes his tune. The place looks too tidy and ready for occupancy to be empty so maybe the Wizard is here.

So he pulls a ‘lets split up gang’ and splits up gang with each Avenger taking a wing.

Cap: “Oh, and She-Hulk, try not to break anything if you can help it. This is private property!”

Priorities!

Granted, She-Hulk is known to break things. Why just today she broke some dude’s car.

The Wizard is watching all of this on his home security system and springs individual traps on the individual Avengers.

She-Hulk finds herself in a series of identical small non-descript rooms, each more identical than the last.

So identical that its the same room, looping.

Wizard: “Through the circuity in that doorway, I’ve activated a dimensional matrix which will keep your walking back and forth ad infinitum through the same room!”

Except without seeing herself leaving which you’d think she’d be able to see.

It’s a smart way to trap a Hulk, provided they don’t run out of patience or get frustrated and smash something.

Meanwhile, Cap gets locked in a chamber where an anti-gravity field has been activated, leaving him flailing through the air.

Oh, and dozens of high-intensity laser torches pop out of the walls and start trying to carve up Cap.

Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch’s individualized trap is the most individualized of all.

Because She-Hulk’s and Cap’s could be used on any number of people really. But Wanda’s feels like it was created to counter Wanda. Pretty on the ball from the Wizard considering he doesn’t often fight the Witch.

When Wanda enters the room she suddenly starts spinning out of control, flies across the room, and lands in a chair.

Wizard: “Marvelous! I’ve ensnared the Scarlet Witch within something against which her astounding hex powers are useless. My field effect devices have generated a pocket of non-causality within that test chamber! Within the area, all actions have an equal chance of occurrence. Therein, all probabilities are skewed. She won’t be able to stand, much less cast a hex!”

Wow! That’s some high octane comic book nonsense science!

The point being that every time Wanda tries to do something, something random happens instead because its all equally likely. She tried to walk into a room and ended up standing on the roof. She tried to back out of the room, she started spinning. She tried to stop spinning and she flew into a chair.

Sure.

With the Avengers all trapped, the Wizard turns his attention to deciding how to dispose of them.

Except, as cleverly foreshadowed by my snide comments, She-Hulk’s trap is only as good as Jen’s patience.

Which is good forrrrrrr. Two dozens loops.

At that point, she’s sure some bullshit is up and scratches the wall with her nails to leave a tangible mark. When she sees the same mark in the ‘next room’ her suspicion is confirmed.

And now that she knows someone is jerking her around, she decides to ignore Cap’s suggestion to not break private property by breaking private property and rips the doorframe (and the dimensional matrix) to crap.

There’s a backup trap that drops slabs of six-inch omnium steel around her but yeah she’s a hulk and she’s not playing considerate anymore. She starts KRUNGing the walls with her fists.

Meanwhile, Cap uses physics to get out of his jam. He throws his mighty shield to break some lasers so action/reaction will propel him backwards and he can jump off the wall, grab his shield back, and uses one of the broken-off lasers against the others.

Also, meanwhile, Scarlet Witch tries to figure out her own, incredibly specific trap.

Scarlet Witch: This is like a nightmare! Whatever I try to do, something else happens. Just in making the attempt to call on my hex power, I wound up falling flat on my face! I can’t even... wiggle my fingers? I... I can! Oh, but only very close to the floor! Whatever is causing my actions to go awry must be weaker near the room’s outer surfaces! Then there’s HOPE -- !”

Wizard must have gone cheap on the pocket of non-causality projector for that room if it’s not completely covering the area. Sure, the area it doesn’t cover is relatively small but now what’s about to happen is going to happen.

So Wanda gets as low as she can go to the floor and uses her probability-altering powers.

This causes the non-causality field to reverse because why wouldn’t it? And causes feedback through the circuitry which causes the master control to shock the Wizard.

It also causes every logic circuit in the master control to overload and the whole dang thing explodes, Wizard barely flying out of the control room in time.

Right in She-Hulk’s path.

She’s not happy. He’s not going to like her not being happy.

She-Hulk: “After what I’ve been through, it’s gonna be a real pleasure to pound that helmet down around your ankles!”

Wizard nopes right out of her way and decides to abandon fortress.

Then Scarlet Witch probability alters his battlesuit flight controls to malfunction to halt his escape and make him crash to the-

...

I’m pretty sure his neck is broken now.

I mean, it’s apparently not because he keeps talking and moving and living but he look at that panel. Guy should be dead as movie Zod.

Y’know, if the Avengers are going to kill the Wizard, the FF should really get them back and kill one of their villains. I suggest Grim Reaper.

Anyway, surrounded by Avengers, Wizard pulls his trump card.

Wizard: “Your confidence is ill-founded, Captain America. There is one resource I can yet draw upon. There is a thermonuclear devise beneath my house -- powerful enough to destroy half of Long Island and make the remainder very unpleasant for a very long time. Much as I hate to see this place destroyed, I would press the button, so to speak.”

“You being such renowned public heroes, would hate that even more. But unless you allow me to go unharmed, I shall active the timing sequence of the bomb’s detonator.”

And Cap is like ‘do you mean this detonator’ and pulls out one he prepared earlier.

HAH!

You know, ironically, if he had just hidden in a safe room or on the roof or something, the Avengers probably would have came and went without noticing him. Springing traps on them really backfired in oh so many ways.

The threesome return to the mansion, presumably after turning Wizard over to the authorities, and Wasp comments that it sounds like they had a bit of excitement (Starfox grumbling to himself more excitement than he had searching the Bronx with the Wasp ha ha).

Cap(tain America): “You’ll be glad to know, Wasp, that your instincts were correct. The Wizard had indeed gone home. He gave us all a pretty good challenge... a welcome challenge, I dare say.”

Wasp: “Looks like I assigned the right people to search the right place, huh?”

Cap: “Yes, Ms. Chairwoman, I’d say you did!”

And elsenow, Wanda goes to the medical bay to check in on Vision and relieve Captain Marvel.

Scarlet Witch: “Can you hear me, darling? I hope you can. I was feeling awfully blue today... And I was given a duty that first seemed annoying, and later became dangerous. But I didn’t give up... I came back, and I won. I know that you can come back, too, darling! It’s just a matter of time... and hope.”

“It’s funny! I thought the Wasp was silly for sending me on that mission. But -- in a way --it was something I need. I think the others needed it, too!”

Captain Marvel: “Then that’s why she sent you, Wanda... because she knew what you needed! And that’s why she leads the Avengers!”

Secret friend mastermind Janet van Dyne sends you out for punch therapy when you need to punch something.

Reminds me of when Captain America picked a fight with Goliath Hank Pym to lift his spirits. Except with a lot less fighting her own friends and more pointing them in the right direction.

Something I love about this era of Avengers and with the big shift in Wasp after Hank’s court-martial is that while her character has changed she’s still recognizably and uniquely herself. She’s still a bit goofy. She’s still playful. And on top of that, she’s proven that she’s a good leader for the Avengers. It’s not mutually exclusive.

Cap (previously Wasp’s biggest supporter as leader) started this issue grumpy and even had his own ideas what the best tactic for searching for the Wizard would be, but by the end he agrees that Wasp made a good decision.

Despite playing the ditz for a long part of her career, Wasp isn’t dumb. And she’s got a good head for the interpersonal challenges of running a team too.

I’m reminded that during the much later Busiek run, when the Avengers need to expand and modernize to match up to expanding challenges, Captain America turns the leadership of the team over to the Wasp.

My point being, I was worried that there’d be snapback on Wasp being leader because she is flighty and silly. But instead, she can be flighty and silly and still a good leader.

I’m pleased with this take, Stern.

Follow @essential-avengers​ because there will probably be more Wasp being a good leader. Fingers crossed. Also, like and reblog this post maybe if you also like Wasp being a good leader.

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 77: Reluctantly Home

Lance and Keith have a lot of adjusting to do. Especially Keith.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: - brief mentions of self harm brief mentions of substance abuse

Basically, Tavo has more routine questions about Keith’s physical and mental health

First  Previous  Next

Upon return to Altea, Adam and Pidge are led to a temporary medical station while Keith and Lance are ushered into a small room off the flight deck, where Tavo stands waiting, dressed in a body suit that includes a sealed hood and face shield. There’s a cart with some medical equipment on it, and a portable scanning arm and platform in the middle of the room.

“Welcome back, your Majesties. Crown Prince Lancel, kindly stand on this platform for a full body scan.” Lance does as he’s told, waiting patiently as the arm spins around and around. The scan takes several doboshes. When it’s Keith’s turn, the scan is significantly shorter.

“That’s it?”

“I don’t want to subject you to a full scan’s radiation,” Tavo explains. Not that that qualifies as an explanation. The physician gestures to a pair of chairs. “Please, your Majesties.”

Keith sits next to Lance, eyeing a tray of ten syringes. He tenses, discovering that he’s developed an aversion to needles, likely a result of all the injections he suffered during his last growth spurt.

“I have a few questions for you. Have either of you been experiencing: yellow pustules on the shins, loss of scales, loss of hair or fur, flaking or crusting skin, nasal congestion, obstructed vision, unexplained bleeding from any orifice including pores and tear ducts, chills, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and/or vomiting?”

Lance shakes his head, visibly apprehensive. Keith nods. “Some fatigue last quintant and especially this one.”

Tavo makes a note on his datapad. “Headaches? Nausea? Changes in diet? Excessive and/or frequent urination?”

“No.”

Lance seems a little confused, but takes note that Keith is calm, collected, and completely unphased by Tavo’s questioning.

“Excellent. Let me know if you experience these or any other new phenomena.” Tavo writes something down on his datapad, then turns his attention to his tray of syringes.

“Now. Crown Prince Lancel, this is a nutrient serum to make up for certain deficiencies you may have acquired on your travels.” Lance removes his vest and tight shirt, lets Tavo clean a scaleless patch on his arm. The injection takes a long time, the fluid thick, viscous like glue or resin. That done, Tavo offers Lance a small cup with two tiny pills. “Excellent. Swallow these. They may give you diarrhea.”

“I beg your pardon?” Lance asks, not moving to take the pills.

“They will give you diarrhea if you have parasites. The parasites may kill you.”

“Diarrhea it is.” Lance takes and dry swallows the pills. “What’s next?”

“An antibiotic, and immune system booster, and boosters of various vaccines you both received either at your last physical or your arrival on Altea.”

Keith watches quietly as Lance receives seven more injections, three in that same arm, three in the other. Then he sits quietly for his two.

“That’s it. We’re all finished.” Keith notices that Tavo is being gentle with him, seems to sense his unease even before the needle pierces his skin. “Crown Prince Lancel, I must speak with Prince Yorak privately. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Lance rises from his seat, goes to stretch his arms over his head, only to think better of it. Instead, he kisses Keith’s cheek. “I’d better go and explain away our new pets. And that we will be receiving a gift in the form of some livestock. Meet you in our quarters?”

“Yes, thank you.”

After the door slides shut behind Lance’s retreating figure, Keith looks up to the physician expectantly.

“You have some small scars here on the inside of your arm. What are those from?”

“Oh. Those are from a port. I needed it during my growth spurt because I needed regular injections to help me grow.”

“I see.” Tavo makes a note on his datapad. “So you have no history of substance abuse or self harm, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And the skeletal abnormalities detected in your scans are related to…?”

“The inherited growth disorder from my mother that affects my growth plates and metabolism. It’s believed to be a gland abnormality, but the cause is still undetermined… It’s so rare, my disease doesn’t even have a name.”

Tavo’s already kind face softens. Keith wonders if he understands what that’s like, to not be able to name what’s wrong with his body. “I see. Forgive my questioning. Substance abuse can affect the health of a fetus, and your safety and well-being is also key.”

“Thace spoke to you?”

“He did indeed. I have this here…” Tavo hands over a sheet of foil cells. “In each of these cells is a daily prenatal vitamin. Just press down on the bubble, and the tablet should pop through the foil on the other side. We have a few options, all determined safe for both Alteans and Galra, so you needn’t worry. We’re starting you early, but we’d like you to keep us apprised of if they make you feel unwell, or if your body starts to reject them.”

“You mean if they make me puke?”

“Yes.” Tavo smiles. “We chose these because Thace said he could not smell or taste them, even when taken with water. I modified them a bit to accommodate an interspecial fetus.”

Keith nods, watches Tavo take and record some extra vitals.

“You’re actually in pretty decent health, given your… we’ll say ‘limited’ medical history and recent difficulties. I’m sure Thace has mentioned it, but we are concerned about your caloric intake. You’re a bit underweight as it is. Do you have any goals for your personal health during pregnancy?”

“Didn’t we go over this?”

“Yes, but now you are alone. No one is here but yourself, and a licensed physician bound to confidentiality. Even his Majesty the King would find it difficult to force information from me. He’d have to prove malicious intent.”

Keith nods. “I want to improve my personal physical condition in these early phoebs, then maintain that condition until delivery.”

Tavo nods. “I think that’s an appropriate expectation. Were your child fully Galra, they’d likely already have a heartbeat, but my scan detected nothing. This means you’re looking at a longer pregnancy.”

“Okay.” Keith yawns, quite suddenly very sleepy.

“Have you been feeling a lot of fatigue lately?”

“Only the past quintant or two, like I said. I'll be just fine and then- falling asleep on the spot.” Keith shrugs. “Why?”

“It’s one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. Do not ignore your body when it speaks to you. You may find yourself desiring Altean foods. If you can eat them, do so.”

“I will. May I be excused to take a nap then?” Seeing Keith’s playful quirk of the lips, Tavo chuckles, nods. “Thank you.”

When Keith finds his way to his quarters, Lance is waiting, passing him a hot cup of tea.

“Thank you… When did we start drinking so much tea?”

“No idea. What did Tavo want?”

“Kit stuff. He wanted to know if there was anything I hadn’t felt comfortable saying in front of you. Just asked how I was feeling, if there was anything I wanted. He gave me some vitamins, and asked if I’m normally as sleepy as I am.”

“Sleepy?”

“Very.”

“I take it that’s not normal,” Lance chuckles.

“Not at all. You know me: I sleep when you sleep. Right now?” Keith sets the tea down, settles his head on Lance’s collarbone with a happy sigh. “I could sleep standing up.”

Lance laughs, kisses his ear. “Okay, well how about we at least make it to the bed, huh?”

At Keith’s nod, Lance leads him there, an arm around his shoulders. “Will you join me?”

“I have some messages to respond to, but I’ll join you, yes.”

“Oh, did you need help?” Keith crawls into bed, the smell of fresh sheets pluming where he settles his weight.

“You can help when you wake up.” Lance picks the wolf cub up off the floor and into Keith’s reaching arms. “He’s already been out by the way.”

“M’kay.” Keith settles in, snuggling up to Lance until his head is in his lap, a purr thrumming deep in his chest. He can hear BleepBloop playing on the ladder to his loft. “Lance?”

“Beloved?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Lance reaches around, rubbing Keith's belly. “And you, baby.”

“You know it’s just a wad of cells, right? It doesn’t even have a heartbeat.”

“Maybe so, but I love that little wad of cells with all my heart.”

Keith yawns, tongue curling, legs stretching stiff till they tremble, before he tucks his legs close to his chest, snuggling into the blanket Lance throws over him. The wolf cub mimics his behavior, yawning and stretching before curling up against Keith’s stomach.

“Lance?”

“Yes, beloved?”

“I love them too. So much.”

Lance’s fingers find his hair, the base of his ear, and Keith purrs louder as he starts to drift into sleep.

“I know you do, beloved.”

It’s a couple movements before Lance and Keith manage to get the kingdom back in order -mostly-, and subsequently a couple movements before Lance is able to meet Hunk and Shay’s new baby. Once he does have an opportunity, he doesn’t want to wait.

“You sure you’re okay by yourself?” Lance asks, eyes his husband with concern as he removes his cloak from their closet, putting his arms through the sleeves. The final phoeb of winter before thaw is the coldest. "I can wait."

Keith nods. “I’ll be fine. I think I’ll read or take a nap. My stomach isn’t feeling too good.”

“It isn’t?” Lance frowns. “It seems a little early for morning sickness.”

“It’s a little early for fatigue like this too, but here I am.” At Lance’s worried expression, he presses the issue. “Really, Lance. I’m just a little queasy, and not up for the ride. You can go. Wolf, BleepBloop and I will stay and rest.”

“Okay… Call me if you want me to come back, alright?”

“I will.” Keith kisses his mate, helping the man with his gloves. “Stay warm. I’ll see you soon.”

It’s a short, frigid walk out to the stables to where Bruna and Calik have been accommodated. Alfor was displeased with their presence, but ultimately admitted that they were cool after watching them rip apart a klaanmural. Coran was delighted from the very beginning.

Lance trots down the mountainside into the city, the elk carrying him much faster than a shreika every could. But, as Bruna carries him among the residential district, he has to admit that if Keith’s nauseous, the animal’s gait definitely won’t help...

“Hel-lo. Hel-lo. Oh, Ancients, aren’t you perfect!” Lance grins down at the little baby. Lance boops the infant’s nose, grinning. “Welcome to the world, little one.”

“We named her Nephele, after Shay’s grandmother,” Hunk says, leaning over the prince’s shoulder.

The infant looks like her parents: olive skin, golden eyes, brown, cartilaginous growths on top of her head. Her skin lacks the bumpy texture of her parents and older sister, presumably to ease birth. She sleeps soundly in Lance’s arms.

“She’s beautiful. Congratulations, man.” Lance grins so big that the corners of his eyes crinkle.

“Thanks, buddy.”

The infant starts to fuss, wriggling in Lance’s arms.

“Oh, okay. Okay, sweetheart. Here you go.” He passes Nephele back to her father, who rocks her.

“So… Where’s Keith?”

“He’s sleeping. He’s been feeling a bit under the weather for the past movement or so.”

Oh?- Oh! Really?”

Lance takes a deep breath, grinning even wider.

“Hey, that’s awesome! Well, it’s not awesome that he doesn’t feel good, obviously, but… That’s awesome. Seriously.”

“Yeah…” Lance smiles. “We’re really happy about it. We have gifts for you from Daibazaal, but I couldn’t carry them on Bruna. I’ll have them brought to you soon.”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that!” Hunk grins, still holding his newborn.

“Oh, please.” Lance waves away Hunk’s protest. “It was our pleasure. Keith picked most of them, including a windchime for Nephele.”

“Oooh, that sounds cool! Say, what did you think of Daibazaal? Was it scary? Were the people not nice?”

Lance grins, sits down at the table, eager to talk all about the six movements he spent on Daibazaal. He talks until nightfall, until it’s time to put Nephele to sleep. Lance pokes his head into the bedroom, giving Shay a brief goodbye before letting her go back to sleep, taking advantage of Rosetta spending the night at a friend’s house.

“Alright, buddy. Have a good night now.” Hunk pulls his friend into a bone-crushing hug. “And let Keith know that if he feels up to visiting, he’s welcome. Or he can just come visit me in the kitchens.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be doing the second one,” Lance chuckles. “Of course I’ll let him know.”

When he returns, he finds a very frustrated Adam marching up to him through the thick frost. “So your husband is throwing a tantrum.”

“Oh? What about?”

“I told him to go eat something. He didn’t like that.”

“Were you incredibly indelicate?”

“I was the normal amount of indelicate.”

“Right.” Lance followed his attendant up to the castle, passing him his animal-scented, frost-dampened cloak to take to the laundry. He knocks on their bedroom door before entering.

“Hey, beloved. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” the Galra bites, glaring down from his loft. “Tell Adam that he doesn’t own me.”

“I think he got the message, seeing as he came running to me the moment I left the barn.”

“Oh, so he thinks you own me? Is that what you guys think?”

Lance strips off his damp clothes, pulling on some of the clothes they brought back from Daibazaal. “Of course not, beloved.”

Lance is confused. He’s not at all sure why Keith is acting this way. He has some idea, of course, but either way, Keith is upset and Lance wants to fix it.

“What would you like to do?” Lance asks.

“I’d like to be left alone!”

“Okay.” Lance opens the doors to the garden, lets the wolf cub out to use the bathroom. BleepBloop is watching him from one the loft ladder, his new favorite spot. When the cub’s finished, Lance closes the doors to keep out the cold, and flops down on the couch in front of the fireplace to read Lanval’s latest report. “I’m going to take care of a few missives before I get some dinner. If you want to join me, you’re welcome to.”

Lance reads Laval’s report in full, annotating carefully, then reading it again to find connections within the information. The overall reaction to their return is relief. Altea just isn’t the same without the princes. It hasn’t escaped the court’s notice that they’re much closer than they were when they left. Gossip is rampant. At least, more so than usual.

He’s interrupted when Keith parks himself in his lap, burying his face in his shoulder. He sniffles.

“Hey, beloved.” Lance tugs on Keith’s hair, the way he’s done since that barely even knew each other. “Feeling better?”

“No.” Keith sniffles again. “Poor Adam. I was so mean.”

“I’m sure he understands, beloved.” Lance tosses his datapad aside, drawing Keith closer, wrapping him up in his arms. “Are you having mood swings?”

Keith nods, cuddles in as close as he can get. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. It’s okay, beloved. I know you didn’t mean it. I bet it felt awful.”

“It did,” Keith sobs. “I’m so sorry, Lance.”

“It’s alright, beloved. I forgive you.” Lance kisses the base of his ear, holding his husband while he cries out his tumultuous emotions. “Do you want anything? Some tea? Something to eat? I’m about to send for some dinner.”

“Okay,” Keith sniffles. “I can- I can eat something… Hold me?”

“Of course I will.” Lance squeezes him tight. “I adore you, beloved. With all my heart. No matter what.”

“I adore you, too.” Keith settles in with a hum, closes his eyes as Lance rubs at the base of his ear, kisses his forehead. They’re still like that, Keith curled up against his chest, Lance’s fingers in his hair, lips travelling his face, when their food arrives with Adam. The Atlean says nothing, only rubs Keith’s head between his ears like a little kit to try and make him smile.

It doesn’t quite work, but it helps, and by the end of the night, Keith’s nibbled his way through his meal and a snack, and seems to be feeling a bit better.

Definitely well enough to tease Lance about all his stupid new earrings.

[knightdale-secret]

Today I learned a haunting truth about a secret hidden right in my very neighborhood. An ugly truth that has been hidden, covered up and mostly forgotten, until now.

In Knightdale, North Carolina the prominent plantation owner, Charles Lewis Hinton, purchased and built a plantation home for his son David Hinton and his new wife Mary Boddie Carr as a wedding present on a stretch of land that would come to be known as the Midway Plantation because it was halfway between two other Hinton family properties. The beautiful, two-story Greek Revival plantation home was built in 1848 as a forced-labor farm. A slave plantation.

I’m not certain how many people were enslaved there over the years, but I do know that at least 130 of those slaves were buried on a site that would later be knowingly built on top of to create Widewaters subdivision. MY neighborhood.

Right behind the community pool and club house there is a strange white gravel path that leads up a slight hill to a black wrought iron fence gate that is always latched. There is a rickety wooden fencing surrounding a wooded area on a hill. This is in the middle of the neighborhood. There was never any explanation for it - for why, in a development, this overgrown patch of trees is fenced in and gated off, untouched, where normally there would be another few houses perhaps. I pass this area almost daily in my car or on leisurely walks. I had noticed the fence but thought maybe it was part of someone’s property. I didn’t think too much of it.

But that changed today. Today I was bored and looking up about local plantation owners in the area because history has always interested me. I learned a little about the Shoppes of Midway being built where the plantation house once stood and that the original house and its outbuildings were moved 2 miles up the road so a Target could be built and the ever expanding road wouldn’t keep encroaching on their lawn. This made way for growth in Knightdale. And grow it has. What was once a small town on the outskirts of Raleigh has become busier and more built up as available housing in the city has decreased and people leave it in search of quieter suburbs to live and raise their families. So as I was researching for no reason in particular other than personal interest, I stumbled upon an article about Midway Plantation and it stated that there was a slave cemetery that was surveyed and a neighborhood was built on top of it. It said it was across the street to the east from where the Midway Plantation house originally stood and that all that was left of the cemetery was maybe 50 graves on a hill in some trees surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. The article states that after the building of the subdivision was started, it was clear that houses were more important than the graves of the many slaves that worked the plantations. And yes, the builders did know about the cemetery. It was surveyed and it was signed off on to be built over. I think this is when the downplaying, lying and covering up started. A letter was reportedly written according to the below article when the preparations for the subdivision were being made that said that such a large slave cemetery couldn’t have existed in this area based on the shaky reference that the present owners didn’t have enough slaves to have this type of burial ground and no church could be identified on the grounds (cause cemeteries only are constructed on church grounds?) this mysterious letter writer conveniently failed to recognize that the land was originally Hinton land and they had slaves numbering in the hundreds here and could most certainly have amassed a deceased slave population of that size over the years it was in operation.

There is a saying about guilt : “A given excuse that was not asked for implies guilt.” If this letter writer submitted this without prompting from any public outcry than he was already defending a guilty mind. He was trying to persuade people away from the truth and to avoid any public outrage over the very wrong they knew they were committing by building here.

That article link is here: http://www.knightdalehistoric.com/pdf/plantations3.pdf

This was the only article or snippet of information I could find about this cemetery that very clearly under my neighborhood and whose remaining grave sites lie just mere feet away from our community swimming pool. This disturbed me greatly because to date, this site is unmarked and unrecognized. So i first decided to submit a request for a historical marker to be made for the site. I was met with an emailed response by a very helpful administrator for the NC Marker Historical Society who said that they no longer do markers for cemeteries but she would contact the National Register for Historic Places and see if the cemetery could be added to the Midway plantation that is already registered as a historical place. She has been talking with archaeologists who are working on this and she’ll be in touch. I also emailed someone in archives to see how I could find the site survey that was done but haven’t received a response yet.

Next I decided to post this information on Facebook to the local community groups and see how they felt about it, and to inform them as well as pose that a marker be made and that I would try to get that facilitated. An outpouring of support and offerings to donate to help fund its creation were given. I knew I was onto something that was important not just to me as a person living in a neighborhood with a secret of this magnitude, but to a community of people who would also want this recognized.

Now, I myself am not African American. I am pretty much as white as they come, I have the genealogy report to prove it. I struggled with the idea that I would be lambasted as trying to be some sort of “white savior” or something by trying to make this happen. I felt guilty that I was the one that found this information and had to be the one to put it out there. I felt like this belongs to the descendants of slaves. this is something that would affect their community,feelings and hearts maybe more than the white community’s in its ramifications and would of course be more important to them on a more personal level. Who am I to come in and make a big stink about something that isn’t even my history someone might say,but it is America’s history. It is the history of the land I now inhabit. And it is an issue that I hold dear to my heart because these men and women and children that lived, worked and died here were not just property or possessions, they were people and their graves should be respected just like anyone else’s. More so I think. Their graves can serve as a reminder of the great bloody sins that occurred in the building of this country. In the building of the south. The only monuments I’d like to see in the south would be to commemorate the slaves, not the enslavers and the people that tried to tear the country apart. The hero slaves that helped build this nation against their will and with great laboring and suffering due to an abhorrent institution that stains our history. They are the ones that should be remembered. Their stories told.

I have always been a sympathizing person. My first hero in elementary school was Martin Luther King, Jr. I gave an oral report on him and did papers later in junior high. I have always been the type of person that hates seeing injustice done to people and the hatred that divides communities and people over nothing more than color or ignorant biases. It never made sense to me and I never understood why people can’t be kind to one another and celebrate differences rather than fear them.

Some people made the point that many cemeteries have been likely built on over the years including white cemeteries, which I also think is awful, but in this situation PART OF THIS CEMETERY IS STILL HERE! Part of our history, this city’s history is still here in OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. We pass it every day! It is here with us and it should be recognized. It should be visited and reflected on. It should be acknowledged.

I visited the cemetery site today and saw the indentations in the ground and the old stone markers left on some of the sites where the slaves were buried. I couldn’t believe that this was just here, between houses and a pool, not in a historical site that you had to pay to see. No fanfare or brochure handouts. Just dusty old bones in the ground marked by grey stones in a patch of trees in the middle of a subdivision, silently waiting to be seen. I whispered to them before I left that I would do all I could to make sure they were not forgotten. That a marker in their honor would be made so they could be remembered. I sincerely hope I can make that happen.

Thru my posts on Facebook, I met a man named Keith Gibbs who has apparently already done a lot of work to try to have this cemetery recognized with a small group of others but they hit many roadblocks. He told me that there are cover ups and corruption surrounding the area from higher ups and people that don’t want this information out there. He was unsuccessful in his journey to get the site recognized, but he has agreed to hand over his research and findings to me in hopes I will be the one to get something done. ME, a curious girl with no real clout, lol. Yeah, ME, I’m the one. I’m the one that will make this happen where others failed. RIGHT?? Right.

Now, it should be said that I have never really been the figure head for anything in my life. I have never been the spokesperson, the leader the public person, the socialite. I am a shy person that works best from the shadows, behind the scenes. The one that does the work but doesn’t get the credit. And I have largely been okay with that role. It’s less stressful. But now people are looking to me to lead them on this issue. To call the shots and take the donations and create the marker. And that was all fine and dandy…. until CBS 17 messaged me asking if I’d like to do a story for them to help get attention and funding for the marker. I got excited and also nervous. I let her know that would likely be a good Avenue to take to get it done but I am still in the information gathering stage. I let her know of my meeting with Keith and told her I’d get back with her when I knew more. She was okay with that.

Honestly, I was relieved I had a reason to stall. I’ve never been on TV before! Cameras DO NOT love me unless its a selfie photo with a Snapchat filter that i’m taking of myself lol. I’m no public speaker. And also I still feel like it shouldn’t be me. I mean, it should since I discovered it and put it out there for the masses, but how can I be the face of this? Me, a white girl from small town Pennsylvania, be the face of a covered up slave cemetery? I feel guilty but also I do feel like there is something to white privilege and power and I hope to only use it as a force for good in this world and to help those with less privilege than I where I can. We only live once and I think a whole lot about how I want to be remembered when I am gone. When someone is building houses over my grave. I’d like to know somewhere out there I might be remembered fondly for doing something that was right in this world of wrongs.

I’m terrified to do the story, but I feel like it is my duty now and my responsibility. I am just so scared of fucking it up. What if I say something stupid or that can be taken out of context? This is such a touchy issue after all. I just want to do them justice. God help me. I just want them to be remembered.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 135

135

Standing at the terminal for the private airport, Keith was fighting the urges telling him to stay. Curtis was there. Shiro was there. Kosmo was there. Krolia, James, Ryan, Nadia, Ina, Matt, Rieva and Kolivan were all there... but the one person he wanted there the most wasn’t. Lance was with Mami at VOLTRON. His boyfriend opting to stay there for the next few days before he went into hiding with Mami. They were all going ahead. Allura would be coming with Lotor in a day or two with his generals that’d been barely saved in time by a team sent to the airfield, there just some things they needed to wrap up in Platt first. Leaving Lance hurt. Lance hadn’t been too well the night before. His boyfriend tried to reassure him at least a hundred times that they’d be able to talk over the phone and he’d answer all Keith’s calls once he had a second number. Coran would organise that, and Keith wasn’t allowed to know where Lance was going until he’d got there safely. He couldn’t tell the Vatican what he didn’t know.

Hearing a wolf whistle, Keith spun round. Pidge and Hunk coming towards him. Krolia seemed to expect this

“Finally! I thought you two were going to miss the flight!”

Pidge laughed at Krolia, though it was probably more the bewilderment on Keith’s face

“What are you two doing here?!”

“You didn’t think we’d miss this opportunity, did you?”

“But... what?”

“Lance told us to come. Because apparently you can’t tell your two best friends you’re off to Rome. Sheesh, you’re so rude”

“But you were... weren’t you staying in Garrison?”

“Pfft. We still are. We came to say goodbye to you, dummy”

As far as Keith knew the pair of them would be staying in Garrison. They were going to look after Lance’s house and his cow and Blue... and Lance. What about Lance? He’d thrown around the idea of asking them to go with Lance, but Lance didn’t want to interfere. Apparently this didn’t count as interference? He didn’t want to make a scene about leaving

“What about...?”

Pidge snickered at his failure to articulate the questions in his head

“Chillax, dude. It’s all sorted. Blue’s back with Lance now, and we’re gonna check on his house for him”

When did that happen? He hadn’t been able to see them much. Weren’t they mad about that?

“But... why?”

“Because we’re friends, doofus. Plus, have you met my brother? Leave him alone for too long and he gets all stupid in the head. Someone has to remind him he’s not as smart as he thinks he is”

From the group, Matt called out

“Fuck you, Katie! I’m smarter than you!”

“Go lick your balls!”

James and the others snickered. Somehow they managed to get along with Matt rather well. James had been less of dick towards him too. Maybe the mutt was scared of Lance? Because accepting him seemed too far of a stretch. Reaching out, Hunk pulled him into a hug, Keith returning it, still slightly shocked that his friends had made the effort to come see him when he’d tried to sneak away

“You stay safe, man. And let us know what’s going on”

“Thanks. I will. I’ll be back as soon as I can be”

“We know. We’ll take care of Lance the best we can until you come back... when he comes back... it feels like everyone’s leaving”

“Lance said “This isn’t goodbye, it’s see you later””

Pidge wrapped her arms around them both

“He’s right. We’re coming to Rome to get you ourselves if you think you can skip out on us”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way... I’m sorry... that we have to...”

Pidge stomped on his foot, scowling up at him when he looked down at her questioningly

“Stop it. Look. We don’t blame you over what happened with Lance. We don’t blame Lance either. Sendak was a bad man. What we want is both our friends to be okay”

Hunk backing Pidge up, though sounding super nervous

“You are okay, aren’t you? You’re not in some kind of super trouble?”

Maybe a little? For being distracted and letting Sendak get the drop on him...

“Not that I know of. I’ve been trying to stay outside the loop for Lance’s sake. Lance can be pretty forceful when he has to be”

Pidge nodded, dropping her head back down as she replied

“He’ll be okay. He’s going with Mami and he’s got Blue now. Are you going to have the same number?”

“I would pretend you didn’t already have my work number but I know you do”

“And Shiro’s... and Curtis’s... and Krolia’s Don’t think I won’t blow up their phones if you stop answering us”

“What do you expect? Daily reports?”

“Exactly! Hunk’s getting his passport processed. I’ve got mine. Rome isn’t too far to go to kick your arse”

He didn’t deserve his friends. He really fucking loved both of them.

Matt came over to them, lifting Pidge up off of him like she was rag doll, Pidge screeching at the sudden motion

“You put me down, Matthew Holt!”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I’ll burn all your stuff while you’re gone if you don’t put me down right now!”

Matt placed the angry gremlin down, ruffling her hair as she tried to straighten it up

“Don’t be mad because mum said you couldn’t come with us”

Pidge crossed her arms

“I didn’t ask her”

“We both know that’s a lie”

Pidge raised an eyebrow, seeming smug that Matt was wrong

“Actually I asked mum if I should go with Lance. She’s the one who said he needed a little time with his own mother instead of us”

Keith wished Pidge and Hunk were going with Lance. Lance only vaguely agreed if that Keith wasn’t going to be back for Christmas they could meet up with him. Keith was totally going to be back for Christmas. Three and a half weeks was plenty of time. He hoped it would go faster than it sounded out loud

“She’d be right. He needs a vacation, not to be babysitting you”

“He doesn’t babysit me”

“Remind me, did he not used to go ahead and check out the places you wanted to go ahead of time to make sure you wouldn’t be hurt”

“No one asked him too”

“All I’m hearing is a grumbling gremlin”

Pidge stomped on Matt’s foot. Rieva giggling at the pair of them. The werewolf seemed happier... and Loturd was to blame for it.

When they’d bumped into Matt and Rieva at VOLTRON, Lance had wound up ignoring his need for sleep in favour of having the pair over to the apartment. Where he went and fell asleep anyway after he and Rieva had made dinner for the four of them. Both Matt and Rieva were worried about Lance, Keith not wanting to talk about his boyfriend behind his back, but instead kind of sort of did, maybe a little jealously. Lance defending Lotor made his head hurt and his heart feel ugly with jealousy. Rieva having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that monster she’d heard so much about had seemed to soften into something almost human. She still hated him. Loathed his family. Wanted him to fuck off back to Europe and stay there with his family forever, all of which making Keith smile at her description. She liked him a tiny bit better now that he’d given her some answers about why her biological parents had to die.

It turned out Lotor was looking into it in his own way.

He couldn’t very well approach his parents and demand a list of everyone they and their underlinings had personally killed. It was disgustingly and shamefully long, Lotor actually admitting that to Rieva, as he hung his head before her. Part of his niceness still seemed like an act. Rieva didn’t trust him. He acknowledged that she had no need to and no need to forgive her. Her parents murders were nearly a footnote in Lotor’s research. Simply murdered because they were the wrong friends of friends of friends who’d lost a child to Honerva’s crazed experiments. Zarkon wiping out the chain of evidence back to them. He’d found a photo, giving Rieva something tangible of her parents. She and Matt were coming with them long enough to give statements, again, then going on to spend some time with Rieva’s adoptive parents, with the plan being to return home for Christmas. Krolia had personally promised them her protection... then Kolivan turned around and did the same. His mum could be scary when she wanted to be. Keith wishing he could have seen her scolding Kolivan who’s facial expression never really seemed to change that much.

Everything had changed since he’d last been standing here. It was only him and Shiro then. No Pidge. No Hunk. No Krolia he thought of as his mother now. No Lance as his boyfriend, just Lance that needed a bullet in his brain. No twins. No... friends... that he believed he’d never have because everyone left him in the end. No Kosmo or Blue. No good thoughts of vampires and werewolves. No Mami and her rebel antics. No apartment filled with memories to come back to. No house filled with love waiting a little further down the road for all this to be over and him to move there to be with his pregnant love. None of that. He was going to miss Lance so much. Pidge and Hunk too... but Lance... he missed him deeply already.

“Sorry, kids. It’s time to go. Keith will let you know when we get there. Take care of yourselves until we’re back”

Krolia hugged Pidge and Hunk, both of them hugging her back. They’d bonded. He used to believe as long as he had Shiro he had all he needed. The two of them. The two Paladins as Shiro would call them. Now there was 5 of them... Him, Lance, Shiro, Pidge and Hunk... and some kind of weird family bond between them all. Lance was right, as he usually was, it was past time putting this Sendak mess to bed. Keith knew at least two Blade agents were staying behind to deal with the spot fires left from Sendak. But Coran had that handled. For a weird old fae, he was kind of very special... He could be flaky, he could be slow, he could be frustrating, and his stories didn’t need to see the light of day again, but he did care. And fuck, he loved Lance so much. Everyone loved Lance so much... He hoped he was doing the right thing here. He hoped his boyfriend wasn’t crying his eyes out. He’d cried enough last night and into the morning. His morning sickness had seemed to almost double with stress. Keith didn’t want to spend their last night in the infirmary, but Lance had been so sick that he’d agreed maybe it was for the best. He and the twins were going to be okay... They were going to be okay and he was going to come back home to where he belonged.

Hugs did the rounds, Keith hugged by Matt who simply shrugged. Matt had the same kind of flare for dramatics as Lance. He loved love. Saying goodbye sucked, so it was “see you later”. Fresh determination in Keith’s steps as he led Kosmo over to the private jet. His doggo an idiot, trying to be part of the wolf pack... who were all in human form... He really was surrounded by idiots.

*

Cuba was hot. Hot and just the right place to be to forget how badly he missed Keith. Cuba was the holiday Lance’d wanted to take Mami and Keith on, but coming back with Mami was worth it to hear the way she lit up at the prospect of an adventure.

He’d cried so hard the day Keith left. Regretting letting him go without him. Mami held his hand, confined to bed thanks to dehydration. Keith had worried so much about leaving that Lance wondered if he would. Coran helped him make a gift for Keith. A small album of ultrasound photos and tummy photos from his phone, and surveillance footage. They’d had to get creative or he’d have had three full blank weeks there. He had another two albums. One for him and one for Mami. Mami getting into this baby thing too much. The knitting needles coming out and him being told to mind his own business. Luis had nearly lost his shit when Coran came to pick her back up. Mami had a few choice words about her overbearing son and the banning of her occasional nightcap, and he didn’t take her to church.

Picking up their rental car, Coran had organised it all. Special clearances, careful of customs, a nice hotel room with ocean views for a month, giving Keith the chance to come down and experience this with them before heading back to America. The only way to get a Cuban passport was to be born there or to marry a Cuban. Mami had hers, Lance her American born grandson... funnily enough named Lance. Amazing. It was also really the only time he could take this holiday with Mami. He could still hide his belly. He was small. He’d googled and seen some of the sizes of normal bellies, worrying his was to small for their twins. Mami called him an idiot for it told him “before too long he’d be wishing he was small again”. Seeing Keith didn’t need all his clothes in Rome, Lance had borrowed some of his... and packed the same body wash his boyfriend used... and Keith’s stinkiest jacket to stench up his luggage so he wouldn’t lose his scent.

Checking in, the hotel was ridiculously nice. Clean. Lots of white and arches, the smell of the beach in the air. Mami pointing out everything that had changed since she’d been there, even trying to send them down roads that no longer existed on the way to the hotel. Thank god for inbuilt GPS. Setting up their room was put on hold. The first thing he did was set up his laptop, using the hotel wifi. He had the phone Coran told him to take which was an encrypted Blade phone, as well as the laptop which he’d personalised a little with pictures of Keith, Blue and Kosmo. His own laptop, normal, and work phones locked away at VOLTRON. None of that mattered. His first port of call was logging into his “what’s app” with his new account just for him and Keith. Rome was 6 hours ahead. Making it 3am. He’d told Keith he’d call him when he’d arrived, like Keith had called him when he’d arrived and was able to.

Keith had been waiting up for him. His boyfriend nursing a cup of coffee, Kosmo trying to butt in over his shoulder. His fur son missed him... being a bad father, Blue was staying at VOLTRON. He couldn’t bring her down to Cuba, and she deserved to run and play, and he was paranoid about leaving her with Pidge

“Hey, babe. Hey, Kosmo!”

Keith pushed Kosmo off him, huffing

“How come he gets a happier hello?”

“Because he is best boy, and you are sleepy boy”

Keith sighed at him

“You know I had to wait until you landed before I could sleep”

“I know. Mami tried to get us lost”

Shooting a glance at his Mami, she was already making tea in the rooms kitchenette area

“Is that Keith? Hello, my mijo!”

Lance sighed, shooting Keith a look

“Hey, Mami!”

“Now who’s getting all the happy welcomes? How was today?”

“Boring. Long. I miss you”

“It’s only been a couple of days”

“Too long. How are my twins?”

Lance stood up, pulling his shirt up for Keith to see his belly

“Still in there”

“Hello, my little macaroons. Daddy loves you”

Lance rolled his eyes as he pulled his shirt down and sat back down

“They know. They have to hear it from me all the time”

Kosmo made another attempt at Keith’s laptop. Keith nearly spilling his coffee

“He’s a menace. Everyone keeps giving him treats and he’s stopped listening to me”

“That sounds about on par for him. Anyway, I only really called to let you know we got here safely”

“I’m glad... I really miss seeing you”

“You see me everyday”

Yeah. He missed Keith. He missed him so fucking much that he had to keep from crying during their calls

“You know it’s not the same”

“Yeah. It really isn’t but it’s not for that long”

“That’s true but it feels like forever”

“You’re not hanging up before I see my handsome son are you?”

Keith snorted at Mami, Lance had to fight for private Keith time

“I’m going to call him later”

“I want to see him”

“He’s still on the call!”

Lance groaned. All he wanted to do is talk to Keith

“Don’t hang up!”

“I’m not hanging up...”

“Good... Come make the tea so I can talk with Keith”

“He’s my boyfriend”

“Pish you”

The perils of your mother loving your boyfriend

“It’s okay, babe. Make the tea and come back”

Swapping place with his mother, Lance grabbed his suitcase of blood bags. Hopefully no one was going to be opening the hotel fridge... or that would be awkward. Coran had booked them a really, really nice suite. That Lance didn’t care about exploring until the following morning. The flight had been fine. Mami giving him a slight headache with her directions. They’d gotten in about 8pm. Perfect time for vampires to be flying. He had his box of grave soil. And he had his photos of Keith and his friends. Packing seemed like too much effort though. Especially with Keith right there on the laptop...

Bringing Mami’s tea over, he had his own blood bag in his teeth. Mami was filling Keith in on how nice the private plane was. She was gushing over how she’d be able to brag when they visited the family. Their holiday pretty much consisted of two weeks of being forced to “meet” everyone. Though he would be able to silently judge how they’d all aged. She was so excited. She’d been too excited really. Totally prepared for code names and assumed identities. She was going to be “Lola. The famous dancer with her younger, handsome, partner”. Coran dashed her hopes. They weren’t doing very many things other than seeing their family, so normal names were fine.

“Anyway, when are you coming down to see us...”

“Mami! We’re not allowed to tell Keith where we are!”

Mami chuckled at him

“You’re such a fuss pot”

“And Keith isn’t allowed to know where we are for his safety too. Sorry, babe...”

He’d love to tell Keith he was back in Cuba, waiting for him there. Coran would tell Keith when Keith was finally allowed to come see them

“It’s alright. I’ll just add to all the secrets Mami and I share”

Great. They were co-conspirators against him. If he wanted to be in danger, he’d still be in Platt

“I can’t win. Mami, go drink your tea. Keith, I’m sorry”

“It’s fine, babe. You look pretty tired...”

“I’ve been sleeping. These two are still keeping me up, but it’s okay”

Keith’s face softened. Lance wished he could reach through the screen and hug him

“I wish I could be there... It’s all grumpy people here”

“Grumpy people with dog treats”

“Yeah. There’s that. Fuck... I have to be up at 6. It’s inhumane”

Idiot. Keith was an idiot. He wasn’t going to be functional at all

“Babe! Go to bed. Put the coffee down and get some sleep!”

“I will now I know you’re okay. Oh, I’m supposed to say hi from the others”

“Tell them hello from us and we’re okay and I’m safe... ish”

His Mami smacked his arm

“He’s perfectly fine. He’s been a big baby without you”

Keith snorted. He was a traitor... a traitor Lance wished was waiting in the bed for him instead of in Rome

“I’m sure that’s not the case. I’m going to go, but I love you, babe. Love you too, Mami, and I’ll try call later”

“I love you too, give Kosmo extra hugs from me”

“He doesn’t need them. He’s a total himbo”

“He is best boy living his best life”

“Right. I’ll remember that the next time he pees on the bed. Anyway, I’m happy you’re safe. I love you”

“I love you, too. See you later”

Lance closed the chat with a sigh. He should have gone to Rome. He should have been there with Keith, and not with his boyfriend stealing mother

“Keith seemed tired”

“It’s 3am there, Mami”

There was a time difference she was forgetting

“What’s he doing awake then?”

Lance sighed again. They were barely in Cuba and he wanted to go home

“Because he wanted to know when landed safely. I know you’re excited, but we really can���t talk about Platt or about him”

“I know. Relax, mijo. I know. Let me be happy to see our Keith”

Ugh. He wanted to be happy to see his Keith. He didn’t want to share... Allura, Lotor, Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor had left on an earlier flight. They thought he was going north to Canada, where he was just a border away from coming back home if he needed to. He hadn’t even told Hunk and Pidge, only that Mami was coming with him and they’d be home for Christmas

“I know you know. I’m just being stupid. I’ll get unpacked and we can go to bed. I know Aunt Sarah’s supposed to see us tomorrow morning”

“You worry too much, mijo. I’m a tough old bird, and I finally get to show off my handsome son again”

“Grandson”

Mami shot him a look. Okay. Let a man worry

“Yes, yes. I know the story. Be a good boy and drink your blood up. We want those twins as health as they can be”

“They’re fine. They’re not doing much but taking up space rent free now”

“You’ve become much bossier. What happened to my sweet little boy?”

“He went and got pregnant. If I leave you alone with my laptop, you’re not going to get into mischief are you?”

“That’s for me to know. Now of you go. I’ll have my tea, then off to bed”

Great. What a great way to start a holiday. Would it really be too soon to call Coran and beg to come back? Why had he thought a family reunion was a great idea?

[hellzyeahwebwieldingreviews]

Untold Tales of Spider-Man 13: Arms and the Man – by Keith R.A. DeCandido

99% great!

Randall Andros, a noted writer of “celebrity life stories” (his previous book being on Tony Stark) wants his last book in his current contract to be on Dr. Otto Octavius. “[N]ot just Dr. Octopus,” as he tells his editor, “Otto Octavius. He was a respected scientist before he got his extra arms and went cuckoo. People talk about Doc Ock all the time. I want to let everyone know who Otto Octavius is.” After getting his okay, Randall decides to call his new biography, “Requiem for an Octopus: The Life of Dr. Otto Octavius.” He freely admits he “stole the title from Rod Serling.” (Serling’s teleplay is “Requiem for a Heavyweight.”) He researches Otto’s career from respected scientist to arch-criminal, leading up to his recent plan to poison the ink “that the New York Daily Bugle was printed with” (which occurs in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15, 1981. (The Continuity Guide tells us this story takes place right after that.) 

His next step is to interview friends and family. He tracks down “a paternal uncle named Karl Octavius, living in Detroit, Michigan and a maternal cousin named Thomas Hargrove.” Thomas previously worked with Otto at the United States Atomic Research Center, which has since been shut down by the Department of Energy. First, he interviews former USARC employee Brian Huss who tells him about Mary Alice Anders who dated Otto “but he broke it off. Rumor has it that he got her fired, actually.” After interviewing a number of former USARC employees and getting no consensus on Octavius, Andros decides he must track down Mary Alice Anders.Soon after, Randall learns that Mary Alice (Anders) Burke and her husband Ronald “had been among the victims in a nasty car accident on the West Side Highway a month previous. 

Mary Alice had survived; Ronald hadn’t.” Randall contacts the doctor at the hospital who agrees to let her know about his interest. He puts his research assistant to work tracking down Thomas Hargrove and Karl Octavius and goes to the Bugle to interview Ben Urich, Charley Snow and Jacob Conover, then J. Jonah Jameson himself (who tells him how Peter Parker once disguised himself as Spider-Man to save Betty Brant from Doc Ock). This process leads him to an old article on Octavius detailing a press conference by brain specialist Kevin Hunt who had reported that Otto had suffered brain damage. “But only three weeks ago, Hunt was interviewed on a local news program right after Octavius’s most recent capture, and he hedged a good deal more about the apparent brain damage.”Andros contacts Hunt who tells him that “while it could have been brain damage, it could also have simply been his cranial chemistry rewriting itself to accommodate these four new limbs.” He talks to Thomas Hargrove and learns little. Karl Octavius tells him, “My brother was a fat slob who married a fatter slob and they had a far slob of a kid who grew up to be a psycho chicken.” Peter Parker then contacts Randall and tells him that he not only dressed as Spider-Man against Octavius but that his Aunt once took Otto in as a boarder. Randall assesses what he has so far. “Was [Otto] insane or not? What kind of person had he been before the accident? What kind of person had he become afterward? Had he ‘become’ anything, or had he not changed?” Suddenly, these questions are in danger of remaining unanswered as the lawyers move in. 

Mary Alice Burke’s lawyer tells him she is suing Otto and shouldn’t talk. The Vulture’s lawyer also tells him his client will not speak. And Octavius’ lawyer gets a court-ordered “cease and desist with my research” because it could prejudice Otto’s trial.Soon after, Randall’s editor calls to tell him that he must pick another subject for his book but that Octavius wants to talk to him. “No tape recorders, no lawyers, no notes, just a conversation.” Even with the book cancelled, Randall can’t pass this up. He goes to Ryker’s Island where he meets Dr. Octopus. After demanding to know why Randall wants to write a book about him, Otto agrees to answer some questions. In the short interview, Octopus implies that the explosion that fused him to his tentacles was no accident. When Randall brings up Otto’s mother, the criminal quickly ends the conversation.Heading home, Randall decides that “the man I had talked to was many things, but crazy just was not one of them.” He tries to get a handle on Octopus but cannot. “Maybe it wasn’t possible,” he thinks, “Maybe you had to be like him to understand him. And I did not want to be like him. The very idea made my flesh crawl.”

When Randall returns home, he finds a man in his apartment. The man pulls a gun, says, “My name’s Niner. We got a mutual acquaintance in common, Mr. Andros. Name of Otto. He wanted to send a message to people who mess around with his life,” and then shoots. Randall lies bleeding on the floor, expecting to die. But then Spider-Man shows up at his window. As Spidey explains, “My old buddy Peter Parker said you were writing a bio of Doc Ock. I came by to chat about it – and tell you to pick another subject. Looks like I’m too late.” Randall asks Spidey why he’s always fighting Octopus. Spidey replies, “[P]art of it’s a kind of there-but-for-the-grace-of-God thing. I got my powers from radiation just like he did, but it didn’t make me nuts.” Randall grabs Spidey by his costume and tells him, “Listen!...Ock’s not nuts. I talked t’him, I listened t’him. Not insane. He’s aware of actions, he just doesn’t care.” Then he passes out.Randall wakes up in the hospital, brought there by Spidey. While there, he receives roses from Spidey with a note, “Best wishes for a speedy recovery. I hope you’re wrong.” When he leaves the hospital, Randall quits biography for fiction, never writing the last book in his contract. “And when I think back over my life – a frequent occurrence since almost losing it – I come to the same conclusion: the dumbest thing I ever did was tell my editor that I wanted my next book to be on Dr. Otto Octavius, aka the super-villain Dr. Octopus.”

This story is over all really good. The points of contention lie with the fact that Otto’s murder of Captain Stacy is such a huge plot point when in reality Otto didn’t kill Captain Stacy, he died in an act of self-sacrifice. Additionally I feel the story sort of just stopped rather than ended.

Nevertheless this was a great yarn set circa the Denny O’Neil run of Spidey and a companion piece to Otto’s origin from Unlim #3. In that sense it represents Doc Ock, unquestionably an indelible aspect of the Spidey mythos.

I feel cheated a little that we didn’t get to see Mary Alice but we did get more information on her nevertheless and the story was wonderfully meta. Otto in spite of being one of the most famous Spider-Man villain ever is one of the most inconsistent of all his rogue’s. The story takes advantage of that to explore a fundamental question of his sanity.

There was a brilliant retcon used to world build in the story too, specifically in establishing Otto’s ‘brain damage’ was in reality just his mind rewiring itself to operate his arms. The story’s conclusion is likely to rub some people the wrong way as they feel Otto is very much a MAD scientist, but I think the fact that he’s in fact someone terrible as opposed to simply going bad after a bump to the had renders him far more complex and compelling.

Aside from some tiny points of contention I’d rate this quite highly within the anthology and kind of wish it was turned into a canon comic book.