#'hmm well that's not very relevant to my situation at hand but thank you for sharing your story :)'

[honey-dont]

Can we see Doctor in B2 or Penny in A3?

they ran into each other in the mall

[introvertedlass]

You are honestly the most reasonable blog on here (that believes in PR). Some of the others I've seen used to be respectable but now are veering scarily/dangerously towards Qanon, which is a shame, bc it's discrediting a lot of good blogs who understand PR in HW is hardly an abnormality.

PR stunts/relationships are supposed to make the audience confused as to whether or not it's real or not. That's kind of the point.

Back in 2020, I remember seeing Ana De Armas and Ben pop up and for months, I went back and forth wondering about them. On the one hand, they were doing pap walks daily and annoying literally everyone with how seemingly out of touch they were (not staying inside, not wearing their masks correctly, just being extra all around), but it just went on, and she kept getting involved in things with him, and she showed up places with him and I honestly just wondered if "she was the new one" after his divorce with Jen Garner. Then they broke up and I look back thinking, oh yeah, that was a stunt that lasted too long.

I don't follow Sebastian or Henry's careers/lives, but I did follow a Tumblr blog that posted daily about their relationships. Sebastian's thing also gave me Ana/Ben vibes bc at times I was like, is this real? Then it felt fake with all the pap walks. But then every time the blog would post more updates about "sightings" from DM - and there would actually be candids of him/her at a park or walking somewhere (blurry from the back). I think Celeb-as-fuck was the blog detailing everything because she was a fan of him, but anyways, they had a lot of tracking on this and everyone was riled up EVERYTIME something would happen. It also seemed to last on and on and they didn't appear to be breaking up, so I was like, hmm. Maybe it is real. They eventually broke up so it's not a big deal anymore, but their relationship, as many ppl have said, at times very much reminds me of this CE/AB situation.

On the flip side, CE/Lily James def felt like a one-and-done PR stunt but what was weird was him appearing in the UK a month after and seemingly being near her, and there was some hotel that followed them both at the same time and that got real weird. We all know how that ended so it seemed like it was just a fluke situation. Though, NGL, I remember thinking: "If Henry/Sebastian/Ben Affleck are in these relationships, I wonder how long it'll be before it happens to Chris Evans?"

I REALLY regret thinking that LOL...but I did wonder. I just had a feeling it was going to happen to him as well bc he was the ultimate internet BF for so long, and perpetually single to the public. I had weird thoughts that celebs were going too off the rails during peak COVID for it to just be a bunch of privileged ppl acting out of touch. Something was in the water and it wasn't just COVID-19. The industry was floundering and they needed to make some huge commotions to stay relevant.

Again, none of this really matters. But I really stand by my thoughts that in HW, nothing is really what it seems. And I DO think that celebs will go as far to PR engagement and marriage (RE: Kim K and Kris Humphries) if they need to prove a point. I know some other blogs on here keep spouting out that stuff doesn't happen anymore, but I'm not terribly convinced that these charades can't still happen. I do also believe that celebs can be in a PR relationship/marriage while having secret/private lives BTS. Anything is sadly possible in this industry, which is exactly why you continue to hear celebs go on podcasts, write memoirs, even do-tell 2020 style interviews where they all mention, "This industry" in cryptic ways. They're all alluding to the shit that goes on but they can't necessarily say it out loud. But you know if they could, they would.

I've always thought his interaction with Lily was to be his PR rs. That sighting with them was around the same time as Seb and Ale.

Also, thank you for kind words. I try to be level-headed by I certainly have my moments, too and have to rein myself in.

[plumblossomcafe]

The Whispers of the Crane and the White Rabbit (1/2)

Paimon: Hmm, where do we go from here...? What's the plan?

Ayaka: Aether, Y/n, Paimon. Hold on.

Paimon: Huh? Ayaka?

Y/n: What's the matter?

Ayaka: Something has come up, and I would like to request your guys' assistance. But you both ought not be nervous. This is not coming from the Yashiro Commission or the Kamisato Clan. It is my own individual request.

Paimon: Individual request? You mean... personal stuff?

Ayaka: Correct. It concerns my mother. This may seem a little sudden... but in my view, you are the only people I can entrust this to.

Aether: Can you give us any more details?

Ayaka: A few days ago, I was sorting through some old family belongings when I found a notebook that belonged to my mother. She wrote about all kinds of things, mostly of little consequence. But what drew my attention was a name — it is one that I have never heard before, so the fact that she mentions it so frequently... it makes it difficult for me to ignore...

Paimon: Probably your mom's best buddy, right?

Y/n: You'd really never heard the name before? Not once?

Ayaka: Never. Although my mother and father passed away many years ago, both my brother and I are familiar with the vast majority of their acquaintances. So... I am very curious about this mysterious individual. I would very much like to meet them. According to the notebook, their name is "Tsubaki." This seems to have been someone very important to my mother. Someone with a lot of personality, who liked to have fun.

Paimon: Hmm... Paimon thinks it sounds like a girl's name.

Ayaka: That's what I thought, too.

Paimon: So, what do you want us to do? Do you need us to find her for you?

Ayaka: No, no, her address is given in the notebook — we can head straight there. I wanted you to assist me with the preparation of greeting gifts......Please keep everything I have told you in strict confidence. The proper course of action would be to involve my brother and visit her together, but he is terribly busy at present, and... on a more selfish note, I don't wish to involve anybody else from Inazuma in this matter.

Aether: Hence why you came to us, outlanders.

Ayaka: Exactly. That, and you are also a kind, well-mannered person with a genuine concern for other people... not to mention trustworthy. I would not feel comfortable with anyone else in this situation.

Paimon: You can count on us! We've done greeting gifts before, so we should be able to help. In terms of payment... just treat us to some delicious food, and we'll be more than happy!

Ayaka: Wonderful — in fact, I was hoping to take this opportunity to show you both around. If you don't mind, of course?

Paimon: Oh, we don't mind! We don't mind at all! Do we, Aether, Y/n?

Y/n: Not in the slightest.

Ayaka: Thank you kindly! Shall we head off, then? Ogura Textiles & Kimonos is our first stop.

Paimon: Alright! Sounds great!

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Ayaka: Hm? This must be...

Paimon: It's a festival promotion. Hey, speaking of — we haven't been anywhere fun since we arrived in Inazuma!

Y/n: It's been so long since I've been in a festival!!! I want to go!!! Oh, did you want to go, Ayaka?

Ayaka: N—No, what made you think that? Ahem... Festivals are a common occurrence here in Inazuma. We in the Yashiro Commission are very well acquainted with these sorts of customs. Each season brings its own festival... and each festival, in turn, brings a fresh challenge to the task of maintaining public order... So, while festivals are undoubtedly joyous and lively occasions, for us, they are also a cause of concern... Oh! My apologies, I should stop thinking about work. This is hardly relevant to the matter at hand. This store here is the place I wanted to visit.

Paimon: Oh, so you weren't checking out the promotion... Well, let's take a look inside then.

Ogura Mio: Welcome, I have all the latest styles. Please take a look! Oh! It's Miss Kamisato — with guests from overseas! Welcome to Ogura Textiles & Kimonos. Are you here to purchase fabric or for tailored garments?

Ayaka: Oh! Greetings to you, too. I have a design here for a garment. Would you be so kind as to take a look?

Paimon: Ohh, Ayaka came prepared!

Ogura Mio: Let me see... Hmm? Hmm, this could be...

Ayaka: Mm-hmm? Could be?

Ogura Mio: —Oh, it's a very fine design! ...Miss Kamisato — you'd like us to make a kimono following this design, yes?

Ayaka: Please, if you could.

Ogura Mio: I'm honored that you'd choose Ogura Textiles & Kimonoos for your tailoring needs! However... there is one rather difficult problem... Based on the design, this kind of kimono would require silk made from the Silk Flower. The majority of Inazuma's silk is imported from Liyue Harbor, but given the current climate... *sigh* As you well know, Inazuma is currently under a strict lockdown. In all honesty, the impact on the textiles industry has been quite significant. We're struggling to import high-grade fabrics, so much of our tailoring business has been put on hold indefinitely. But of course, where our customers are able to provide the fabric themselves, we can still be of service.

Paimon: *sigh* So you're saying, we need to go and buy some silk first?

Ayaka: If even Ogura Textiles & Kimonos can't get ahold of high-grade fabric... where would we buy it from?

Mio: You could try the International Trade Association. They are a little better connected than we are — after all, the association brings together merchants from all over the world. The only thing is their prices... they're not the cheapest. In times like these, though, we're lucky to even have an option of getting hold of the things we want in the first place.

Paimon: Huh, so even just getting clothes made is an ordeal in Inazuma... Wait, the International Trade Association? That's Kurisu's thing, right? We haven't been to Ritou in a while.

Ayaka: Hmm... It looks like that will be our next stop. Thank you ever so much. We will be back once we've acquired the fabric. In the meantime, I have one other very small request. Could you... *whispers in her ear*

Paimon: Why's she being so secretive all of a sudden?

Mio: Mm-hmm... Absolutely.

Ayaka: Much obliged.

Mio: My pleasure, Miss Kamisato. Honestly, I'm just as excited as you to see the end product! We haven't made a silk kimono for the longest time now, and this is a beautiful design...

Ayaka: That's very kind of you, thank you. Goodbye for now. Traveler, Paimon — let's try our luck at the International Trade Association.

After dealing with what was occurring in the International Trade Association (I'm sorry, I just want to shorten this to the best of my ability, I'll post a master list of the story quests when I get the chance but since Ayaka and Yoimiya's story quests are part of the main story, I want to shorten them)

Paimon: Hey there, we're back!

Mio: Welcome back! So, any luck at the International Trade Association? Did they have any silk in stock?

Ayaka: Yes, they did. Here.

Mio: Excellent news! So, apart from the silk, I think everything else I need, I've got in store already... I just need to go and take stock of our material — it won't take me a moment. I'll be right back.

Paimon: They'd better be all there!

Ayaka: I do hope nothing else is missing. Aether, Y/n, on the subject of garments, I've been meaning to acquire new outfits for you both, too. It's just... I wasn't sure how you'd feel about the idea of dressing in Inazuman attire...

Aether: It's a kind thought, but I'm fine with my current outfit.

Ayaka: Oh? Are you sure?

Aether: These clothes are special to me. If I'm too concerned about my appearance, I'll lose my edge in battle.

Ayaka: Is that so... Impressive... So, travelers of your stature hold themselves to a dress code, as well as a code of conduct.

Paimon: Hmm... More like, when you're away from home, you've gotta live by certain rules to survive, whether you like it or not. But Paimon would still love to check out some Inazuman outifts!

Aether: Do they do Paimon sizes here?

Paimon: Just what is that supposed to mean? They make them in whatever size the customer asks for!

Ayaka: Hahaha, ah, your interactions are so adorable to watch... Ahem! I mean, um... I can certainly find someone to tailor a Paimon-sized outfit if Paimon wishes.

Y/n: Ayaka, you're too kind.

Ayaka: Hm, well, if you're sure... As you wish. I almost forgot, what's your opinion on dressing in Inazuman attire, Y/n?

Y/n: I've always wanted to wear a kimono. In fact, I've always dreamed of wearing a sakura themed one since sakuras and glaze lilies are my favorite flowers.

Ayaka: Alright then, I'll make arrangements for a sakura themed kimono for you Y/n.

Y/n: Thanks

Ayaka: Something else I've been wondering is... how do people in other nations dress?

Aether: They dress very strangely.

Paimon: It's so true — people dress in all kinds of ways!

Y/n: Some people like to wear a hood, some cover up half their face with a mask, some just straight-up dress like a peacock... Oh, and some have their tummy on show, others wear skin-tight leotards and leggings... If you can imagine it, Paimon guarantees that someone out there is wearing it!

Ayaka: Really? So there is no single standard, and people just dress however they like? So fascinating... Somehow, I feel a little envious...

Paimon: Wait, so you wanna dress like a peacock now?

Ayaka: No, of course not! I—I just mean... I admire those who are able to do as they please. I would very much like to travel across the seven nations... and see how people live.

Mio: Sorry to keep you waiting! I've checked my inventory.

Ayaka: Thank you. Is there anything else you're missing?

Mio: Fortunately not! I have all the materials I need. As for the size — would you like me to go by the dimensions given on the design?

Ayaka: Yes, please. Also, can you please do some measurements on her, please? *points at Y/n* I also want to ask if you could make a sakura themed kimono for her.

Mio: Understood, I'll get to work shortly. In total, that'll be... this much! *shows her the price*

Ayaka: Here you go. *hands her the mora* Is it possible to treat this as an urgent order?

Mio: Well, luckily, we don't have any other urgents at the moment, so I can begin work right away. It will still take me some time, though, so please come and collect it later. Until then, I'm sure you'll find somewhere nearby to pass the time. Please come with me, miss

Y/n: Sure *turns to the others* I'll see you in a bit.

Aether: We'll be waiting for you.

Y/n: *leaves*

Paimon: Let's check out the whole area. We don't wanna leave any loose ends.

Ayaka: Haha, there will be no loose ends while you're in my company. I already decided where to go while we wait. For our next stop, I'd like to take you for a meal.

Paimon: Fooood! Ooh, Paimon likes this plan!

Aether: Perfect, I'm getting a little hungry myself.

Ayaka: Mm-hmm, I picked the venue especially for you guys — a humble local eatery called Kiminami Restaurant. I thought that the relaxed atmosphere there would suit our day much better than the prohibitively formal one of a high-end restaurant. Shall we head off?

Paimon: Yup, yup, Paimon can't wait!

Aether: I'll go in a bit, I'll wait for Y/n

Paimon: Alright.

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Paimon: Are we here? Ooh, it's one of those streetside places! Looks cute and cozy!

Kiminami Anna: Welcome!

Ayaka: Miss Kiminami, how do you do?

Anna: Aha, Miss Kamisato! Perfect timing. Your booking was for... Well, right now! And the other guests?

Ayaka: I believe so. We'll be sticking to the order I placed in advance. As for the other matter we discussed... Thank you for your help. As for the others-

Y/n: Paimon! Ayaka!

Paimon: Hey!! Over here!!!

Ayaka: It seems like they arrived.

Anna: Excellent, no problem. And everything you asked for is ready and waiting. Travelers, tiny customer, please wait here for a moment while I prepare your food.

Ayaka: Go ahead and take a seat. There's something I need to take care of, but I'll be back momentarily.

Y/n: Is something the matter? Is it a fight? Do you need backup? *worried*

Ayaka: Ahem... It's nothing of that sort. I just have a few minor things I need to attend to. I won't be long. *quickly leaves*

Paimon She sure left in a hurry... Whatever it is, it must be pretty urgent.

Anna: So, you three are Miss Kamisato's friends? Haha, well, we serve all the classics. Sure, there are fancier-looking places out there, but the food here speaks for itself! Hope you enjoy it. Over the years we've been in business, we've gotten to know the Kamisato Clan quite well. Miss Kamisato and her brother are both fond of our food. They're always sending staff down here to order something and take it back to them. Her table booking surprised me — not least because it was a group reservation! This is the first time I've ever heard of Miss Kamisato going out for dinner with friends!

Paimon: The first time ever!? Whoa... Guess that makes us pretty important people, huh!

Anna: Sure does, and I'm probably crossing the line here, but... I'm just telling you what others have told me. Apparently, Miss Kamisato doesn't have a lot of friends.

Y/n: ...That really surprises me.

Paimon: How is that possible? She's so kind and polite to everyone, Paimon would've thought that would make her really popular.

Anna: That's what I used to think, too. But it turns out the rules of social interaction are a bit more complicated than that. Nobody in the neighborhood has a bad word to say about her. They all say she's beautiful, elegant, graceful, not to mention that she belongs to one of the most illustrious clans in the land. In short, they see her as a model young lady. But that's just it — people look at her and see a model of perfection, and they don't feel like that's something they can relate to. So the majority of kids from ordinary families don't dare even try to talk to her. So you see? On paper, she sounds like a girl everyone would want to get know, but in practice, she finds it difficult to make friends...

Paimon: Huh, Paimon never would have guessed...

Anna: We don't speak all that much, but we do go quite a way back. I've always admired her for taking on so many responsibilities at such a young age. So it makes me really happy to see her here with friends today!

Y/n: Either way, I don't like the idea that just because she's a role model or someone from a powerful position, that doesn't make her any different than any other normal human being...

Anna: Anyway — relax, enjoy your meal, and... please talk to her as much as possible. I know she'll appreciate it. Consider it a favor for the whole neighborhood... Look after her for us!

???: Ah...!

Paimon: Huh? That sounded like Ayaka...!

Ayaka: *sigh* I'm so sorry, Aether, Y/n... *next to them*

Y/n: *worried like an older sister* What's going on?

Ayaka: *surprised* Could you join me over there for a minute? Um... I need your help with something.

They head towards the great noise...

Ayaka: I'm sorry! I didn't want to drag you away all of a sudden... I, um... I just had a cooking catastrophe...

Paimon: Ooh, so that loud noise we heard came from the cooking pot...

Ayaka: As you can see, this house is right next to the restaurant. It's where the owner lives. Actually, this whole compound is the family's private property. I asked Miss Kiminami to prepare some ingredients and utensils for me so that I could cook a special dish here.

Aether: Why would you be cooking?

Paimon: Right! If there's something you wanna eat, you could just order it from the menu!

Ayaka: Actually... I wanted to cook something as a gift for Tsubaki. My mother mentioned in here notebook that Tsubaki enjoys food from all over the world. So I thought, if I'm going to meet Tsubaki, perhaps a dish from overseas would make a fitting gift...

Paimon: A dish from overseas? So anything from outside Inazuma counts, right? If so... then we've got lots of options, don't we?

Y/n: I could cook, I'm great at cooking

Paimon: Right!! Y/n is an amazing cook! Whenever Paimon eats Y/n's delicious cooking, Paimon feels like Y/n is Paimon's mother since she treats Paimon like a sister like figure!

Ayaka: Can I leave you to finish this task, then? Just as a personal favor... I—Is that okay...? I'll be indebted to you!

Y/n: Sure thing.

Ayaka: Great! But... what kind of overseas dish would make a suitable gift? It needs to survive a journey from the kitchen to the recipient's doorstep...

Paimon: Oh, Paimon knows! There's one dish out there that was practically created for this purpose! Pizza~!

Ayaka: ..."Pizza"?

Paimon: It's an assortment of toppings and sauce spread over a bread base and cooked in the oven. And it's so good!

Ayaka: ... That does sound pretty good.

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Paimon: Oh, it's ready!

Y/n: Here it is.

Ayaka: *sniff* It smells delicious... You're an excellent cook, Y/n. *sigh* I would love to be able to master dishes from all over the world...

Paimon: Well, all you need to learn is a recipe. We can bring you some more recipes in the future, if you like.

Ayaka: Great! I look forward to learning from your culinary expertise.

Kiminami Anna: How are you all doing? Whoa, is this...? Miss Kamisato, this must be the dish you were talking about?

Ayaka: Yes, an overseas dish cooked by Y/n. Could I trouble you to package it for me?

Anna: Sure, no problem! Ooh, it smells good! I bet it tastes amazing. Aw, now I really want to put something like this on our menu...

Paimon: Hehe, want us to teach you how to make it?

Ayaka: Oh! Could you?

Y/n: Sure could.

Paimon The most satisfying meals are the ones you share with other people. So Paimon thinks that our friends in Mondstadt wouldn't mind us sharing this dish with Inazuma.

Anna: Really? Aw, that's great, I've always wanted to learn how to cook some international dishes! If you can write down a recipe for me, I'll add it to our menu and put a promotion where everyone will see it! Since we became a closed nation, people haven't had the chance to try anything new. Y/n, you're the best! I'll go pack up this dish for Miss Kamisato. Please make your way back to the restaurant whenever you're ready, the food will be waiting for you.

Ayaka: You could have sold that recipe for a high price, but you selflessly gave it away for free......You're a wonderful person.

Y/n: *a little embarrassed* Well, I always believed that if I'm nice to others, the kindness will always come back to me in some way.

Aether: That's Y/n for you.

Ayaka: I mean it... I admire you a lot, and I'm so proud to be friends with someone of such fine character. Well, you should probably write down the recipe now, no?

Paimon: Yeah, Y/n, let's make sure we include all the details and then give it to Miss Kiminami!

After writing down the recipe, giving it to Kiminami, and returning to Ogura Textiles

Ogura: Your garment is ready, Miss Kamisato. I've folded and packaged it for you. Oh, and the other items we discussed — that's ready too! *hands Y/n the kimono* You could step inside the dressing room to get changed, I'll help you put it on.

Ayaka: Thank you very much.

Y/n: *excited* Thank you!

Ogura: No, thank you! It is a beautiful piece of clothing, and it was a pleasure to work on. See you again next time! *hands Y/n the kimono* You could step inside the dressing room to get changed, I'll help you put it on.

Y/n: *excited* Thank you! *steps into the dressing room*

Ayaka: Aether, I have a gift for you and Y/n. I'll give Y/n her gift when she comes back. *hands him a hairpin*

Aether: Hmm? really?

Paimon: Whoa... Looks super fancy! Is that for wearing in your hair?

Ayaka: It's a hairpin in the style of a white heron. As well as a hair accessory, you can also use it as an ornament. I couldn't ask for your guys's help and offer nothing at all in return, so this is my gift to you and Y/n.

Aether: *puts it away* I will take very good care of it.

Ayaka: I'm glad you like it!

Paimon: Speaking of white herons, that's what your title means, doesn't it? Shirasagi Himegimi. So this gift is like a little piece of yourself. It's just as elegant and beautiful as you are.

Ayaka: Hehe, you flatter me, Paimon. If this gift reminds you of me, that is all I could ask for.

Y/n: I'm back. How do I look?

(Pretend that's you)

Aether: *blushing* ...

Paimon: You look beautiful, Y/n!!!

Ayaka: *noticed Aether's reaction* ... "I guess I shouldn't have had high hopes on having a crush on him. If he's happy with Y/n, then that's fine. Infact, I'll be happy for her since Y/n reminds me of my mother or a sister figure that I've never had, and I'll support her, I'll try to convince my brother to see if he's willing to meet her and date her" You look very beautiful, Y/n, Inazuman clothing suits you.

Aether: Y-You look great!

Y/n: Thanks, this is the first time wearing something like this. I feel weird wearing this at first, but I'll get used to it. I like the kimono either way.

Ayaka: *placed the white heron hairpin in Y/n's hair* There.

Paimon: Alright, well, now we've got what we came for, we can set off. Time to go meet Tsubaki!

[twofrontteethstillcrooked]

3 Oct. Suptober: Rainbows

With his finger, Dean traced the outline of one of the rainbows arced on Cas's knee. "Is it weird that rainbows remind me of you?"

s15 au; deancas

In hindsight, Cas was preoccupied, not only by the task at hand but by the person he was undertaking it on behalf of, which was likely why he didn't realize he had company in the bunker kitchen until Sam said, "Hey, Cas," and Cas almost fumbled the glass into the sink. 

"Oof, sorry," Sam rushed to say next. 

His expression was a variety of things, none of which Cas clocked as fundamentally apologetic while he refilled the glass. 

Sam cleared his throat. "Whatcha doing?"

Cas squinted at him. Maybe Sam was drunk, or ill. "Just getting a drink of water." He left the statement there; Sam had seen him consume water before.

Sam fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt and did not look at Cas. "Sure. You." He made some kind of gesture with his hands that did not seem relevant to anything. "You seen Dean lately?"

"He's asleep," Cas offered, since he knew it to be correct.

"In his room?" Sam's voice cracked on the second word.

Cas drew out the word 'yes' into something of a question. What was Sam looking at on the ceiling anyway?

"His room. Which. You just left?" Sam bounced on the balls of his feet for a second.

Cas looked around for intruders, hex bags, strange fogs, spooky auras, blood stains, a bucket of empty beer cans -- something that might explain why Sam was speaking like someone who'd just learned English. 

"Yes, Dean's room." 

Cas suppressed a smile that wanted to surface as his thoughts quickly flitted to Dean -- Dean curled boneless beneath a body-warmed blanket, his eyelashes fanned dark against the tops of his freckled cheeks -- and back again. He sat the glass in the sink and stepped toward Sam carefully.

"Uh huh. Okay." Sam took a step backwards. His line of sight popped back up to the light fixture. "Wearing. ...What it is you're wearing?

Cas glanced down past his bare chest to the flannel covering his legs. "Pajamas?"

Sam nodded a series of tight little nods, like an invisible puppeteer controlling him was getting restless. "Okay. Okay. And Dean is." He didn't trail off as much as seem to run out of ideas for the rest of the sentence.

"Asleep," Cas reminded him. 

Another Sam nod. "Right." 

"He tends to fall asleep for a while within thirty or so minutes after we--"

"Dude," Sam said. 

Understanding clicked into place. "Ah. I apologize, Sam," Cas said, with a small sinking sensation in his stomach. "I did assume Dean had told you." 

He was leaving out some words, and he didn't mean to play coy; it just seemed like perhaps Sam would prefer fewer details over more with regards to -- how to say diplomatically? -- recent developments.

"Dean tell me? Really?" Sam stared at him directly for the first time the whole encounter. His pupils were big black dots reminiscent of the ones he'd had when they were all cartoons for a while.

"No." Cas paused. "But I did think maybe you just knew." 

An honest confession, since Sam, a skilled hunter with decades of experience beneath his proverbial belt, was often quite good at discerning patterns beneath the surface of verbal communication. Cas had not always been as certain of his own feelings as he was in the present. Indeed, it had taken years for what he felt for Dean -- unfamiliar, prismatic impulses occasionally strong enough to almost bring Cas to his knees -- to coagulate into something fierce and unshakeable that could in part be described in words, much less translatable to more tangible actions. Just because Cas had been slow to realize the depths of his own emotions didn't mean Sam had been.

Except.

Sam's eyebrows jumped into his hairline like worms fleeing chicken beaks. 

"What," he choked out. "Why. No. How would I have known about--" He was flinging his hands around again. "--This?" The hands flew toward Cas like Sam was casting a spell at him. "You are like my brother."

"Um," Cas said.

"And Dean is my brother."

"Uh--"

"And I have literally heard him refer to you as our brother."

"Right.”

"Like, we're all brothers here." Sam gave a helpless chuff of laughter.

"Okay."

"So you understand," Sam continued, "why I might be concerned that my two brothers are apparently sleeping together." The volume of his voice went lower in direct counter to its pitch by the end of the sentence.

Cas chose not to comment on this, nor on the shadow that lurked in the doorway and then dissipated. He said instead, "I don't really sleep all that much, but I take your point."

Sam buried his face in the palms of his hands. 

"I'm." Cas swallowed. He stood a bit taller, the way a soldier might when either respectfully yielding to an enemy or accepting that opponent's surrender -- not that Sam was a villain here. "I'm sorry you found out this way, Sam."

"It's." Sam took a deep breath, then coughed once. "You don't have to apologize."

"Sam, could you... There is nothing on the ceiling that could be that interesting."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Sam spoke like he meant it, or at least wanted to mean it.

Cas let out an inward sigh of relief. "All right."

"The stress," Sam said. "What we do. Monsters. Apocalypses, plural. It's-- I know it's a lot." Now he had slipped into hunter wrangler mode, all rallying the troops and leftover law school pragmatism. "And I can see how the two of you might, you know, need to blow off some steam. Sometimes."

"Sam--"

"Dean always does get a little antsy when he goes a while without." Sam shook his head like he'd realized this was absolutely not a topic he wanted to think about. "You know."

"Sam," Cas said sharply.

"I'll stop talking now."

"I'm in love with your brother, Sam." Those truest words were spoken so easily that once upon a time it might have bothered Cas; in the present, it assuredly did not. He let Sam gape for a moment and then softened the statement with, "It's not just a casual, friends with insurance sort of thing for me. For the record. If that helps."

Sam looked like the human equivalent of the little tri-colored beachball that would spin and spin onscreen when one of his computer tablets got overwhelmed. Finally, his eyes cleared. "All right." His mouth quirked. "The phrase is 'friends with benefits.'" 

Cas blinked. "Insurance is often a benefit extended to citizens in the United States, isn't it?"

"Less often than's helpful," Sam said.

Cas nodded. The two of them stood there by the sink, not really looking at each other. A thought came to Cas.

"I love you too--"

"Dude," Sam said.

Cas held up a hand. "--But I'm not in love with you." This distinction was one that had taken him a long time to understand; it seemed worth sharing.

The ceiling had recaptured Sam's fascination, but he was smiling when he said, "I know." He clapped Cas on the shoulder. "I love you too."

Cas returned the smile. "You, and Dean, and Jack -- you are all my family."

"Yeah." Sam ducked his head, as if pleased. "Yeah, I know."

Cas picked the glass of water up out of the sink. He raised it to Sam in a small toast. "Okay. I'm going to go back to Dean's room now."

"'Night, Cas."

Cas padded back down the hallway, opened Dean's squeaky door, and crept inside the room. The bedside lamp had been turned on. He watched the blanketed lump in the middle of the mattress for movement before asking quietly, "How much of that did you hear?"

"Most of it." Dean sat up and yawned. He scratched at the side of his head where his hair was sticking out. The blanket puddled below his pelvis. Cas glanced away like he hadn't personally and enthusiastically pressed those hipbones into the mattress less than an hour before.

When Cas walked around and put a knee on the bed, Dean said, "I also wanted water."

Cas bumped his arm with the glass. "This is for you."

"Oh," Dean said, taking it from him. "Thanks."

"Because I don't drink all that much water."

"Right."

"Because I don't sweat as much as you do."

"Hmm. You sweat some," Dean said, a hint of slyness in his tone. He leaned away to leave the water glass on the bedside table.

Cas sat on the edge of the mattress and let Dean scoot up to him. "Are you bragging about making me sweat?"

"Mmm," Dean said, splaying his hand over Cas's clavicle. 

"You should probably talk to Sam in the morning."

"This is the morning."

"Later, then."

Dean wrapped his arms around Cas's waist like he owned the span of it. "Yeah, that's not going to happen."

"Maybe you could just--

"Nooo." 

A sharpness tapped underneath Cas's ribcage, an angel blade's point pressed with deliberate aim. It took a minute before he could speak. He gathered his courage. "If you want to stop--"

"No." The word fell from Dean like Cas had knocked it out with his fist. His eyes were fever bright and anguished, and another, better ache flooded Cas's chest at the sight. "No."

"I am very much in love with you." Cas took a breath. "Sam's reaction, I know, wasn't entirely out of nowhere." 

Dean tipped his forehead to Cas's. "I don't think he was objecting so much as he was surprised--"

"I'm only saying, I have thought of you both as my brothers, at various times in the past." Cas studied, not for the first time, a collection of freckles on Dean's shoulder. "I still think of Sam as a brother, in a way. He may not be incorrect that the situation, as it has evolved, is something a bit… Atypical." He considered a further implication. "And each of us is one of Jack's dads."

Dean huffed, a bluff since his fingertips were memorizing Cas's vertebrae like he planned to sketch them later. "Well. We can't all be the goddamn Waltons, or whoever."

Cas agreed, "We definitely do not live on a farm." He let himself sway toward the ardent way Dean was looking at him. "It might be nice to live on a farm, with cows and ducks, maybe some sheep--"

"And I am very much in love with you too," Dean said softly. He pressed his lips to Cas's cheek.

"Yeah?" Cas's eyes felt hot.

"Yep."

Cas thought to say, "You know, Sam is exactly who you raised him to be: a good man."

At that, Dean squeezed his eyes shut. "New rule," he said hoarsely after several seconds. He wiped his eyes and shook his head. "We cannot talk about Sam, like. When we're not even dressed."

Cas stretched out his right leg and wiggled his foot. "I have on these pajamas pants. Can no-one else see them? They're covered in so many things."

This was an understatement. Technically, the pattern contained no less than the following items: rainbows, unicorns, blue whales, yellow stars, shield-wielding pugs, and anti-whale flags, whatever and why-ever those were. Put simply, the pajama pattern was like an indecipherable code of images that seemed to illustrate the illicit drug use of the manufacturer's designer.

With his finger, Dean traced the outline of one of the rainbows arced on Cas's knee. "Is it weird that rainbows remind me of you?"

Cas thumbed a spot on Dean's throat, his mouth going dry with the desire to taste the pulse fluttering there. "In my celestial wavelength form, I suppose I would be more closely related to a visually-deducible electromagnetic wave than I would be a pug riding a whale into glorious battle."

"These pajamas are a work of art," Dean contended, kissing Cas's temple. "Hmm."

"What?"

"I guess that story about God -- Chuck -- using a rainbow to seal a promise about never again destroying earth with a flood is just apocrypha, huh?"

Cas thought about it. "Yes. Unfortunately." He tried not to sigh. "Sometimes I have to remind myself Chuck created some beautiful wonders despite...being who he is."

"Yeah. Going out after a hard rain and seeing a rainbow's colors arching through the clouds -- still seems hopeful." Dean started pulling Cas down beside him on the mattress. "Maybe that's what reminds me of you."

Unable to speak, Cas tucked his face into Dean's throat. 

Dean's fingers were slipping beneath the waistband of the pajamas, ever so slowly. "Anyway, these are mine." Cas hummed an affirmative. "I would like them back," Dean said.

"Now?" Cas heard himself gasp.

Dean pressed him onto his back to nose his way down the line of Cas's breastbone, his warm breath teasing over cooled skin and coaxing out a shiver Cas felt splintering through his whole body. 

"I would settle for you just not having them on at the moment," Dean said, using both hands to reclaim his property, and before raising up to kiss anything Cas might have wanted to say in response entirely out of his mouth.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 303: And What, Pray Tell, Is a “One For All”

Previously on BnHA: The Todorokis (really just Enji) looked at their children and went “how can we screw up all four of them in uniquely different ways” and proceeded to do just that. Touya was all “just because practicing how to set myself on fire better hasn’t worked to win my dad’s affections YET doesn’t mean it will NEVER work”, because child logic. Turns out setting oneself on fire real hard isn’t so effective at winning affections, but is actually incredibly effective when it comes to burning oneself to death, so there’s that. Back in the present day, the Todorokis basked in their various misplaced (again, except for Enji) feelings of guilt, and were all “anyway but get over yourself already Enji, you still have to do something to stop this kid”, and Shouto was all “I’ll help too”, and Enji was all “(╥_╥)”, and Hawks and Jeanist were all “[surreptitiously listening in from outside the door]”, and that’s basically where we left off.

Today on BnHA: Hawks and Jeanist are all “mind if we join you on this family journey?” and proceed to stroll in uninvited with their puns and their perceptive insights. Hawks is all “so to sum everything up, we’re fucked, but at least you have us here to help you out! by the way, no clue why I’m the first person to ask this in three hundred chapters, but wtf is One For All.” We then cut to Deku, who’s still all “[(－－)]z”, and All Might, who is all “I’m just going to ignore the extremely loud racket going on right outside this room.” Which, btw, is happening on account of Bakugou, who is all “(╬◣Д◢)” as Satou, Tsuyu, and Mineta cart him away. Anyway so that’s a lot of antics, and also it looks like Hawks has gotten tired of the Todorokis refusing to put the pieces together on their own about OFA and so he is fast-tracking that shit. And meanwhile Deku is chatting it up with the Vestiges exactly like we all thought. And now we have to wait another whole week for updates on all of this. This really is not fair.

omfg lol

“our bad, we were kind of accidentally listening in on purpose.” like I said last week guys, no fuss. it’s a tradition

OMG

I am absolutely fucking floored. Hawks literally said that so casually that it’s impossible for me to rewrite it so as to be even more casual. that’s literally what I would write in the “today on bnha” section. in fact I probably will write that

(ETA: just for laughs I tried it and it really worked.)

a couple more things to point out about this panel: 

“TOP 3” omg yes. more like “top only” at this point, honestly. interested to see how that goes

Hawks’s phone is freaking the fuck out about something, calm down there

I know this is a standard Jeanist hair-fixing gesture that he does all the time, but I can’t help but form hypotheses about this being a stress reaction because Hawks’s hair is making him internally freak out. Hawks, if this man tries to get you alone with him and some hairspray and a comb, please for the love of god do not listen to him. get out of there and call the authorities

omg Shouto’s face

okay confession, I wasn’t really sold on the whole “Shouto has a schoolboy crush on Hawks” thing until exactly now, when I became 100% sold on it. that is adorable

and heck with it, gotta show Enji and Rei’s reactions here as well because lol

“omg my son who’s not my son, and he just overheard everything about me being a terrible shitty father and person overall, oh and plus my actual-son set him on fire and called him out on a national broadcast. I’m just gonna stare at him baffledly.” versus Rei, who is all “hmm, who are these people”

so Hawks is all “I got released from the hospital after one day for some reason so I made Jeanist drive me around places while we talked about life” but uh, heyyyyy, what’s Rei doing

okay, uh

SO FUCKING FORMAL OMFG. “SORRY MY KID TRIED TO BURN YOU TO DEATH, APPARENTLY HE DOES THAT” REI NO IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT

HAWKS IS ALL “I’M JUST GONNA LAUGH SINCE THAT’S MY DEFAULT RESPONSE TO BEING PROFOUNDLY UNCOMFORTABLE”

let me tell you a secret Hawks, it’s my default response too. ahahahahahahaha oh thank god Jeanist is helping her up -- AND MAKING A JEANS PUN, OF COURSE. IT’S BEEN ALMOST THIRTY SECONDS. MY MAN WAS DYING

“WTF IS ILLEGAL DENIM” he’s talking ‘bout them counterfeit jeans, Rei. Antoine Bugleboy knows

THANK YOU JEANIST!! OUT HERE ASKING THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS

damn straight. we’re not gonna sit around waiting another 300 chapters for this information on this man’s watch

now Hawks is telling Endeavor he used to watch videos of him all the time, and calling him his “childhood obsession” I can’t

OH MY SWEET STARS AND MOONS

1000% CANON. “SO CLOSE...” ARE YOU SERIOUS. YOU REALLY PUT THAT THOUGHT BUBBLE THERE AND EVERYTHING. “GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, SO JUST IN CASE YOU WEREN’T ALREADY AWARE, TODOROKI SHOUTO IS NOT ACTUALLY STRAIGHT.” HORIKOSHI KOUHEI I AM LITERALLY DUMBFOUNDED. THIS IS AMAZING

and meanwhile that look on Hawks’s face while he casually-but-not-really-casually-at-all asks this question. that phone app better be using his actual voice. I’m not sure I could take this scene in the anime at this point if it was like Alexa talking or something

that look in his eyes is basically saying that so far, based on the information he has absorbed up until this point, Hawks is prepared to view his former childhood obsession as a flawed but changed man. however I get the distinct feeling that depending on Endeavor’s answer now, he would be willing to drastically shift some of his opinions on him

(ETA: this is maybe my favorite panel in the entire chapter. the fact that his question isn’t addressed to anyone in particular, but his eyes are zeroing on on Endeavor. and the way his leaning-on-Shouto pose manages to be simultaneously nonchalant and yet ever-so-slightly protective. there’s so much going on in this one question and gesture and I’m mildly obsessed with it.)

however, Rei is all “that was me” and ONCE AGAIN WITH THE FACES IN THIS CHAPTER holy shit

Hawks definitely did not see that one coming sob. it’s so fun watching him frantically recalculate his ideas about this family every two seconds

DAMN IT HORIKOSHI I UNDERSTOOD THE PARALLELS ALREADY, YOU REALLY DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS

yes, Hawks, you get it. it’s not exactly the same, but it’s close enough. though unlike your shitty parents, Rei and Enji are at least trying

OKAY I SERIOUSLY CANNOT WITH ALL OF THIS

fljkdlaskfjlwkjl okay we’re doing the bullet-points breakdown here

first of all, the fact that poor little Shouto’s heart is still thumping away at this proximity and all he can think is “CLOSE” all intelligently as he stares at him with that face omg

and meanwhile Horikoshi has these STRATEGIC BANDAGES WRAPPED AROUND HIS CHEEKS TO HIDE ALL OF HIS SHOUJO BLUSHING omfg. SENPAI NOTICED YOU SWEETIE!!!

HAWKS YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO OBLIGATION TO WASTE ANOTHER SECOND OF YOUR LIFE WORRYING ABOUT THESE TWO ASSHOLES WHO NEVER SPARED YOU THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF REGARD OR CONCERN IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. THE NICEST THING YOUR MOM EVER DID FOR YOU WAS BUY YOU A $2 ENDEAVOR PLUSH FROM THE DISCOUNT BIN TO KEEP YOU QUIET, AND YOU WERE SO AWED BY THAT ONE ACT OF SORTA KINDA APPROXIMATE KINDNESS THAT YOU SHAPED YOUR ENTIRE WORLDVIEW AROUND IT. PLEASE LET ME PICK YOU UP IN A BIG HUG FOR JUST A SEC, YOU DESERVE THE WORLD AND YOU WERE ONE THOUSAND PERCENT JUSTIFIED IN LEAVING THEM IN THE DUST THE SECOND THAT YOU COULD

but all that said, he immediately recognizes that Shouto would also have had cause to do the same in his situation, and yet hasn’t. and so he has that much more admiration for him all of a sudden, which is just super sweet, and fully appropriate. Shouto does deserve props. I’m choosing to take this as an “it takes a lot of strength to be able to forgive, and people who choose to do that even though they’re not obligated to are really amazing" type of thing, as opposed to “people who don’t forgive other people who severely wronged them are bad.” and if I’m wrong and Hawks’s line here is meant to be seen as actual failing on his part, well then fuck that, but we’ll move on

SO NOW, DOWN TO BUSINESS!

I am so, so curious as to what kind of strategy Hawks has for this (if he even has any), so I’ll just be quiet now and read

so Hawks is summing up basically what we already knew -- that Tomura and his inner circle (curious that there’s no mention of AFO, because if Hawks doesn’t know about him, that implies almost no one does) are still on the lam with a few PLF stragglers and some High Ends; that a bunch of prisons have been “liberated” (I assume this means all of the inmates escaped, so if that’s the case then where’s Kurogiri??); that the HPSC is fucked; and that heroes are resigning all over the place, and so civilians are taking matters into their own hands

OH DAMN!?

does this mean we’ll actually see some international heroes?? I will LOSE MY DAMN SHIT omg

(ETA: apparently people who paid more attention to the first BnHA movie than I did recognized the silhouettes as belonging to some background characters from Two Heroes. so maybe they were just cameos and they’re not actually new characters who are soon to join us lol. oh well.)

anyway so Hawks agrees with the other Todorokis that Endeavor has no choice but to fight

awww

DON’T WORRY ENJI THEY’VE GOT YOUR BACK. WITH YOUR FLAMES, AND JEANIST’S PUNS, AND HAWKS’S BOYISHLY GOOD LOOKS, THE THREE OF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MINDS TO

so Enji is very pertinently asking why they’re standing by him in spite of the... [gestures vaguely to everything]

oh my lordy lord

Shouto you had better do something to combat this soon, or this man will sneak past you on my favorite character ranking after all. his face. his cheeky lil finger gun. the fact that he sums it up so fucking simply. “if someone is trying to do the right thing, I want to support them.” exactly. exactly

(ETA: and one last thing I love but forgot to mention, which is the fact that Hawks calls it a team-up despite the fact that he is clearly in charge.)

meanwhile Jeanist is all “as for me, at this point I just straight up don’t give a fuck”

I can’t handle how fucking cool this chapter is you guys

so Hawks is all “you good?” at Enji. and Enji...

if anyone needs me, I will be building myself a discourse-proof fort made entirely out of problematic characters. I don’t even care. I will go on living my life very happily in here

lol at Natsu being all “BUT DON’T THINK THIS MAKES US FRIENDS”

I’m living for this weird and no-doubt entirely unintended implication that Natsu and them all are gonna join in the fight with the rest of them. I mean, they do presumably all have very powerful ice quirks. and Natsu has medical training on top of that, and Fuyu is skilled at getting eight-year-olds to behave which could be a useful talent for dealing with Tomura hahaha I kid, but I’M JUST SAYING. who needs hero licenses anyway

OH SHIT FINALLY SOME DISCUSSION OF AN ACTUAL STRATEGY. even if it’s just a PR strategy

WHAKLHL

and now for some reason we’re flashing back to Natsu and Fuyu’s attempts to navigate through the media crowd outside the hospital

well I guess this is why I’m not the mangaka. if I were writing this I would have done something trite and predictable like using that “One for All” line as an excuse to cut to Deku!! as opposed to this entirely unrelated scene!!

seriously though why do we need to see this lol

no one in this crowd has ever heard of Alexander Dumas huh. or even the popular 2007 Disney Channel original movie, High School Musical 2

so now there’s an entire page of Hawks saying they need to know what One for All is, and Endeavor having one of those patented Todoroki WHOOSH realizations lmao look at this

just wait until this man figures out that one of the scrappy new interns he took on three months ago was actually the main character all along

SKDFIOHWIERLKSJGLWLK!!

NOW IS PROBABLY A GOOD TIME TO ASK MYSELF WHY I CHOSE THIS CHARACTER WHO KEEPS DISAPPEARING FOR SIX OR TWELVE OR FORTY CHAPTERS AT A TIME TO BE MY FUCKING FAVORITE. WELCOME BACK SON PLEASE DON’T SCREAM YOURSELF TO DEATH YOU STILL HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR TORSO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(ETA: can we just take a moment to appreciate how Bakugou even got so close to Deku’s room in the first place though. in this giant hospital with no idea of where to even go. does he have Deku Radar or something.)

YOU SIX ARE OFFICIALLY ON MY HIT LIST!! SPARE ME YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS!! MY BAKUDEKU REUNION KEEPS GETTING POSTPONED WEEK AFTER WEEK!! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE HEROES WHERE IS YOUR CONCEPT OF MERCY

(ETA: btw just to be clear, I’m not actually angry lol; it makes total sense that they don’t want this rampaging feral toddler who was still in his own coma all of fifteen minutes ago to come and start screaming at the other coma child until he tears all his stitches out. if there’s anything we Bakugou fans should be familiar with by now, it’s being patient.)

also, Tsuyu wrapping her tongue around Bakugou’s still-healing torso wound absolutely can’t be hygienic at all. also wait is that Inko??

(ETA: pretty sure it is her. she got all of one line smdh.)

Iida is all “thank god Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight pulled through, I thought for sure he was a goner back there”

for the record this is actually really sweet to see how relieved he is. he’s one of the few people who saw the original injury close up, back when he was still at the battlefield and unconscious, so I imagine it really did freak him out quite a bit

JIROUUUUUU

“sometimes I just like to stand here and tug on my imaginary suspenders, what of it”

how come you guys get to loiter around Deku’s room but Kacchan doesn’t. god fucking dammit. AND WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN

I BET KACCHAN COULD WAKE HIM UP FROM HIS COMA WITH THE POWER OF RIVAL INTENSITY!! BUT NOOOOOOOO, [is dragged away back to my fort]

OH MY GOD!?!

"this seems to be an entirely normal and above-board situation that we have just stumbled onto”

I see Jeanist comes from the Iida Tenya school of respectfully using people’s full names

Jeanist becoming one of the main characters is the best thing to ever happen to this series

EXCUSE YOU, IIDA

BUT I’M SURE HE’D MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR KACCHAN THOUGH!! [elbowing my way back out of the fort] HAWKS, PLEASE --

DON’T GO ALL OMINIOUSLY PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER ALL ON YOUR OWN GODDAMMIT

“there’s absolutely no way this angry wriggling shoulder burrito kid here could answer literally all of my questions, so I’ll just ignore him”

OH MY GOD WE’RE FINALLY CUTTING BACK TO HIM BUT THE CHAPTER IS ENDING

[jumps up, throws a folding chair at Iida and the rest of the gang, and then runs]

oh my god. actually this chapter was awesome. but I’m so fucking mad at this cliffhanger though lol

at least we got a couple of answers! and some hints and teases! poor Deku looks so worn out even though he’s asleep dlwkjl my little green baby. and is it just me or is his quirk activated?? All Might’s all “I can feel it” as if it isn’t obvious just looking at him, why are you trying to be all mysterious dude

anyway! so at least we finally have confirmation and a date for those vestige antics at long last. looking forward to meeting Mister The Fourth next week so we can finally ask him “hey dude, what the fuck”

[nevertheless-moving]

Suicidal Misunderstanding XII

Part I - - - - - - Part II - - - - - - - - - - - -  Part X - - - - - - Part XI

Star Wars Time Travel AU #27

“We cannot delay much longer” Master Ki-Adi-Mundi said gravely. “Rumors are spreading like wildfire throughout the temple, and Master Kenobi’s absence is not going unnoticed among the troops.”

Master Fisto sighed and his hologram rippled. “As much as I dislike deliberate falsehoods, I think it might be best for morale if we keep- the truth, as we understand, under wraps as much as possible. Young Ashoka is deeply shaken. I myself...” the Nautolan sighed again, running a hand through his tendrils anxiously.

“Not to mention the fact that Master Kenobi might have a valid reason for mistrusting the Chancellor so strongly” Master Gallia added darkly. “Of course I’m not saying we should charge him with anything based on Kenobi’s scattered words alone, but given the chance that this was proceeded by some hypernaturally prescient event, some form of precaution seems warranted.”

Yoda hummed in reply, looking weary. “Fallen ill, Obi-Wan has, tell the Chancellor and the Admiralty, we shall. Incapable of visitors. Still unknown to us, the cause is. Overwork, we suspect. Truth, it may be?” he finished, turning to Master Windu.

Mace leaned back. “I’ve shared everything relevant. We still don’t know anything with absolute certainty. It is my hope that the healers will call upon our more powerful telepaths for assistance later today, should their other efforts continue to prove unsuccessful.” he added with a glance at Master Koon.

"In the mean time,” Master Tiin interjected. “We must discuss the situation in the Expansion Region! As much as we had hoped to delay the Unumbran until Master Kenobi was capable of leading the 212th-”

“That is no longer plausible, if ever it was.” Plo-Koon interrupted softly.

“You may be best suited for the task, Master Tiin” Windu offered. “Your 407th was intended to accompany the 212th, in any case.”

Saesee Tiin reared back, alarmed. “I’m honored, but as I’ve already explained to the council, my skills as a pilot and Shocktroop leader are best utilized at a lower command level. I’m certain there’s a better suited replacement for Kenobi, at least for the short term. What about Skywalker? He is Kenobi’s protegee, and more familiar with working directly with the 212th.”

“You are a veteran with considerable more experience than young Skywalker. You would truly trust his judgement over your own?” Shaak Tii asked skeptically.

“As a General? Absolutely. I’ve seen what he’s capable of.” Master Tiin confirmed.

Koon pushed back, disapproving. “Regardless of his skill, I don’t believe he is in the best mindset for such a task at the moment.”

“Will he be held back from the front entirely?” Master Koth asked, frowning. “That would mean reworking our forces considerably.”

Before Mace was forced to add his own concerns about Anakin’s role in the war, they were interrupted by a priority message from the Chancellor’s office.

Exchanging looks, the assembled council straightened in their seats, nodding one by one at Master Windu, who finally accepted the incoming call.

A full scale live holo of Chancellor Palpatine opened at the front of the room.

“Ah, I see the full council is here. I thank you humbly for accepting my call so quickly.” He said to the room with a smooth bow of the head.

Exchanging a glance with Mace, Master Yoda answered, “Of course, Chancellor. Serve the senate, we do. Help you how, can we?”

A troubled expression crossed Palpatine’s expression. “I recently heard the most terrible rumor about poor General Kenobi. I was hoping the Council could clear up the truth of the matter.”

“Hmm. Dangerous things, rumors are. Careful with them, you are wise to be.” Yoda said. Everyone in the room expertly stifled a smile at Yoda’s unrivaled skill at vague topic evasion.

The Chancellor was far too practiced a politician to allow irritation to cross his expression. “Thank you for that wisdom Master Yoda. Now what exactly is the condition of the High General of the Third System Army?”

Yoda’s ears drooped. “Plagued by sickness, Master Kenobi is. Unable to wake him, our best healers are.”

Palpatine gasped. “How horrid! Surely this must be some insidious Separatist plot! What else could have felled such a powerful Jedi.”

“Immune to illness, Not even the Jedi are. Still investigating the cause, are we. Discussing who should care for his troops, when you called, we were.”

“Oh, how dreadful, that we are forced to discuss such mundanities as troop movements when a good friend’s life might hang in the balance! Please, if there’s anything I or the Senate can do to help, you have my personal support in accessing the finest healers.”

“Very kind of you, that is. But well cared for, Master Kenobi is. Will help, a rest from the stress of war, we hope. Do our best to keep the news contained, we shall. Risk inspiring fear in the public, we do not wish.”

“Indeed! That is very wise thing to fear. Do not worry, I will ensure that any security leaks are taken care myself if need be.”

Master Windu finally spoke, tone and posture absolutely neutral. “Thank you, Chancellor. If there’s nothing else, we will return to planning our strategy during Master Kenobi’s unfortunate but necessary leave of absence from the front.” 

“Of course! When you are finished, would you be so kind as to send General Skywalker to brief me on what you decide?”

“That won’t be necessary, Chancellor. I’m more than happy to come in person to brief you myself” Windu replied in the same placid voice. 

“Oh, I’m certain that as Master of the Order you have more important tasks to do than talk to an old man such as myself! And as you know, I consider Anakin a friend of mine. It will do me good to check in on him myself, I’m sure you understand.”

“As you have so kindly reminded us in the past, nothing outweighs a Jedi’s duty to the Senate of the Republic. As Master of the Order, I consider discussing the matter with you a top priority. And as for Skywalker- your concern is of course appreciated. I’m sure, given your friendship, you will respect our decision to give the young man some time off from council obligations to meditate over his concern for his friend and former Master. We would be happy to pass on an informal invitation to meet with you, if you wish.”

Palpatine was silent for a moment. “How...very kind of you to respect their close bond with one another. Yes, please do pass on my personal invitation of support to Anakin. And my offer of non-Jedi medical consultation.”

“I will do so as soon as our meeting has finished. Thank you again Chancellor.”

Palpatine nodded briefly then closed the connection, hologram winking out of existence.

“Unaware, I was, a leave of absence from his duties, we were giving Knight Skywalker.” Yoda said with a raised brow.

“The full matter will need to wait until Master Kenobi wakes, but for now, trust me when I say that we should at least discuss possible replacement leadership for both the 212th and the 501st.”

The council grumbled at that, but Mace quelled any arguments with a severe look. 

“Very well.” Shaak Tii relented, pulling up a datapad. “Jedi Masters currently without troops to command include several shadows that we could hypothetically pull from their duties, as well as Master Krell after the tragic loss of his last division...”

---

“My Lord! This is an unexpected honor! How may I-”

“Save your simpering, Tyrannus.” The hooded figure hissed. “It appears we have a new player in the game.”

“To whom are you referring, my lord?” Dooku responded, thinking quickly. Of course both Sith were constantly instigating power plays amongst the Republic and Seperatist leadership, but nothing dramatic came to mean.”  

“You mean to tell me you don’t know?” Sideous replied with a wicked smirk. “How disappointing. I had thought your spy network better than that, particularly when it comes to your favorite lineage member.”

Dooku paused. “I was aware that Kenobi had missed the most recent major mixed war briefing. Do you mean to tell me he has begun to move against you, my lord?”

“My, my. Your sources truly are failing you, Darth Tyrannus. Quite the opposite is true. It appears that someone has managed to land a blow where our combined efforts had previously proven fruitless.”

“A blow against Kenobi? On Coruscant? That is...an interesting development” 

“Indeed. Find out everything you can. Whoever has succeeded has done so in such a manner as to utterly rattle the High Council. I’ve never seen them so deliciously shaken.”

“I see. And what of your favorite of my lineage? I assume you are managing to use the situation against him gracefully as ever.”

Palpatine’s smirk fell into twisted snarl. “The boy is despondent of course. My lack of warning means that I was unable to position myself advantageously in advance. And now he is refusing to answer messages, while the council has chosen to give him time off. Bah. Of all the times to attend to their Chosen one’s emotional wellbeing...”

Dooku drew himself up, expression betraying nothing. “Forgive me my lord, but any information you can provide me would help in my search to find our ‘new player’ as it were. I have never known the council to be so...soft with a knight when his former Master was simply in sickbay. Do you mean to tell me that Obi-Wan Kenobi has passed into the force?” His tone, haughtily impassive throughout the conversation, grew a touch disbelieving at the very end.

“My sources tell me he is ‘unwakeable’ but given the boy’s anger and grief, not to mention the fact that his force signature is practically non-existent... I suspect his condition may very well be critical. Find out the rest.  Do not fail me again, Tyrannus.”

The connection cutoff abruptly, leaving Dooku alone in the dimly lit room. He strode out, sealing the private chamber behind him and calling out. 

“Ventress! Attend me at once- I have an urgent assignment for you...”

Part XIII

[2manyfandoms2count]

I love you (not) - Chapter 15

It's already September and I can't believe this fic isn't finished yet, I swear May was like. Last week.

Anyway, this chapter is full of soft touches because yes, hope you enjoy!

First | Previous | AO3

---

Chapter 15: In which the real pining begins

“Hey Chat, it’s LB, I might be a little late for tonight’s patrol, I’ve been running all day and I still have a couple of things I need to take care of… Could you maybe get some pastries? I’m starving, you’ll forever be my absolute hero (and of course I’ll pay you back, I just can’t swing by a bakery right now). See you in a bit!”

Chat Noir paused as he finished listening to Ladybug’s message, slowly wrapping his head around the fact that she probably wouldn’t be the only one arriving late, despite his best efforts at being early. He looked at her profile picture pensively. His partner had absolutely no idea, but even she was trying to get him to do the right thing, namely: sending him to Marinette.

Well, to a bakery, but he knew very well that he wouldn’t find it in him to bring anything less than the best pastries in Paris to his Lady, especially if it meant getting a grip and owning up to his actions.

Because yes, he was ashamed of admitting it even to himself, but he’d been a coward ever since the fight against Hostzilla. He’d avoided Marinette for almost two weeks (as Chat Noir, obviously, although the past few days had seen his guilt increase so much that he’d struggled to even hold her gaze at school), partly because of last minute additions to his schedule, but mostly because he’d gotten cold feet anytime he’d come remotely close to her building.

It was time this stopped and that he bit the bullet. It wasn’t like Marinette could easily make the first step; even staying up to scrutinise the skyline would have been fruitless: he’d made some convoluted detours on his way home from patrol to avoid a rerun of the fateful night that had brought them into their fake - no, not fake, complicated  relationship.

He’d had enough time to mull it all over, and it was clearly time to do something about the situation.

This tiptoeing around the issue ended tonight.

---

The bells jingled quietly as he pushed the bakery door. The warm backlighting and the sweet smell of rising dough welcomed him and made him relax a little, as did the sight of Marinette tiredly stretching behind the counter. He smiled softly. There really was something about this place that made him feel at ease, safe, even.

Marinette straightened up at the sight of Chat Noir awkwardly shuffling near the entrance of the shop, leaning forwards to take a look at one of the displays, and bit back a smug smile at the thought that her plan to lure him in had worked perfectly. His stomach grumbled and she stifled a giggle. The sound was enough to draw his attention; their gazes met, and both felt their cheeks pinken.

“Hey, Chat,” Marinette said almost breathlessly after what seemed like a thousand years of just staring into each other's eyes. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Even though her tone had been void of any accusation, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, making her melt slightly. “I’ve been pretty busy lately.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but he still felt bad about leaving her hanging for so long.

“It’s alright, being a superhero is a full time job, after all." She cleared her throat. "How can I help you today?” She winced imperceptibly at her cowardice. They were the only ones in the bakery, it was stupid to ignore the elephant in the room. Still, she grabbed a paper bag and a pair of tongs, and looked at him expectantly.

“Oh, erm, I need pastries. I’m on snack duty for patrol.” He chuckled nervously.

“Ah, well, I can't let our beloved heroes starve, can I? I wouldn’t want the responsibility of another Feast on my hands.” She winked.

"Don't remind me.” Chat shuddered at the memory of the sentimonster’s gooey tongue.

“Is there anything I can get you in particular?” She stifled a giggle at the same image.

“Well, you know me, I can’t leave those chouquettes on your hands, it would be a waste.” He eyed the relevant basket hungrily.

“Are you sure you want all of them? This is... 500g, the equivalent of six portions.”

“And?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Right, nevermind.” She shook her head, an amused smile spreading to her lips. “Anything else?”

“Hmm, could I have a collection of macarons for Ladybug? Anything but passion fruit, she always gives those to me so I’m not sure she likes them, and since I already have the chouquettes... I think I'm covered.”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she picked the sweet delicacies for herself. Leave it to Chat to believe that her leaving his favourite macarons aside was because she didn’t like them.

“Will that be all?” She cocked her head to the side when she was done packing the box.

“To ring up, yes.” He paused. “But I was actually wondering if you purr-haps had time for a quick chat?”

“With you? Always,” Marinette flashed him a relieved smile as she handed him the pastries and signalled for him to follow her towards the back. She saw he was about to protest, so she added: “If you’re thinking about paying for this, I’m pretty sure my parents would cut me off if they found out I’d sold anything to you or Ladybug, so I'm not risking it. And don’t worry, it’s been a slow night so I don’t have to stay at the counter - we’ll hear if anyone comes in. You said that this was going to be quick, right?”

“I did.” Chat scratched the back of his head nervously as they sat down on the bottom steps of the building’s staircase.

There was a pause as the both of them tried to organise their thoughts and put them into words that would lead to a definite, yet delicate rejection. Marinette smoothed the fabric of her apron as she did, while Chat fiddled with the pastry bag.

“So, the other night, huh?” He awkwardly cleared his throat, wincing at his sudden lack of eloquence. He decided to go for the half-lie route rather than delve straight into their kiss. If he was already this tongue-tied while keeping his thoughts about it at bay, who knew what mentioning it would do. “I couldn’t find you at the hotel after the fight… Were you hit by the akuma?”

Marinette’s head shot up and she squinted at him, calculating her next move. Chat’s hypothesis provided good foundations to build on. Maybe he’d even get to the conclusion she wanted him to reach on his own.

“You can tell me, I promise I won’t be mad.” He smiled softly.

“Fine,” she sighed dramatically. “I overheard Hostzilla say she was looking for me just after you left, and I thought I could placate her a little so I went out in the open. She didn’t even see me, I got knocked out by a fancy table almost just as I came out of the hotel.” She rolled her eyes, hoping her lie was believable enough.

“Meowch.” Chat winced, before gently cupping her chin and tilting it to either side, trying to assess any remaining damage.

“I’m fine though, don’t worry! Ladybug’s cure got me right back on my feet.” She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then reluctantly pushed Chat’s hand away.

“I knew it wasn’t like you not to show up at some point during the fight.” He smiled triumphantly to himself at the thought that his vigilance during the battle hadn’t been completely uncalled for. He frowned and cleared his throat before continuing. “But it’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about. I’m not entirely sure why you were targeted this time, but I’m just afraid that if we…” He trailed off, suddenly unsure of what to say next. They’d never actually elucidated their relationship status; if they went forward, would they be continuing to date, or just starting? Would Marinette be offended if he used the latter?

“If we… continue on our set course?” Marinette offered.

“Yes, exactly, thank you.” He flashed her a quick smile. “I’m afraid that if we continue on our set course, there might be more opportunities for you to get caught up in fights, especially if word about our relationship gets out. I don’t want to put you in harm’s way, Marinette, I couldn’t bear you getting hurt because of me.”

Marinette was struck by the apparent anguish in her partner’s eyes as he looked at her. She instinctively reached for his hand.

“And I don’t want you to have to worry about me. I… I got my hands on footage of that battle, and I saw how distracted you were. You already have so much on your mind… I wouldn’t want to be a burden and put your safety in peril.”

“You could never be a burden, princess.” He absentmindedly ran his thumb across the back of her hand, but smiled sadly. “But I suppose you’ve reached the same conclusion I did.”

“Taking this relationship further would be a mistake.” She nodded gently.

“I’m sorry, Marinette.”

“Whatever for?” She took a deep breath and smiled bravely. “It’s not your fault. Just… Bad timing, I guess. If a hero-civilian relationship was ever supposed to work.”

“You're probably right.”

Marinette sighed and looked at her watch. “Anyway, you should probably go, Ladybug will wonder what happened to you.”

They both stood up, and walked slowly towards the bakery door. Marinette opened the door for him, but he paused and turned around before he’d crossed the threshold.

“For the record, I really enjoyed being your boyfriend while it lasted.” He felt his heart rate pick up as the words tumbled out of his mouth.

“It was really nice.” She smiled gently. Then, feeling a burst of braveness, she took a couple of steps forwards to stand face to face with him.

She stood on her tiptoes before she could process exactly what she was doing and lose her nerve, tenderly kissed his cheek, and took a step back with a soft, if slightly sad, smile. Chat gasped slightly, his hand flying to his cheek. The point of impact of his… friend ’s lips felt like the epicentre of a wave of warmth, just like it had the last time she’d pulled something of the sort.

“Maybe we can make it work one day.” She looked down and blushed, rocking on the ball of her feet.

“Maybe one day,” he echoed.

He gave her one last, longing look before taking off into the night, afraid he might throw all caution to the wind if he stayed any longer.

[the-cheese-writes]

I wonder ~ Prinxiety

Requested by: @_becxmoonsy on Wattpad

TW: None

Word count: 1895

{Masterpost}

----------

To say that Virgil and Roman’s relationship was complicated was an understatement. It didn’t kick off smoothly if you wanted a base to start from.

Roman had been the first to meet him, and although Virgil had, somehow, greeted him, he didn’t exactly welcome him well.

‘Hey there, Princey!’

‘Oh… kay. Can’t stand that guy.’

And those were the first words they said to each other. Obviously, they had started off on the wrong foot (which was evident in later episodes where they argue and bicker constantly), but after Roman changed, so did Virgil and so did everything else.

Whether it was subtle differences like trying to nickname each other more nicely or bigger switch ups like Virgil’s style, it was apparent that they had both changed for the better and, seemingly, each other.

But with their development, came new emotions and feelings, especially for Roman. Seeing a spike of confidence in Virgil the day he donned a new appearance, sparked something in the prince, something he had never felt before or for anyone previously for that matter.

It was… a good feeling. It was exciting and sweet, like candy, but also a little nerve-wracking and it made him giddy inside as well as out. Roman loved it and he felt it the most around Virgil. He never dared speak a word about it to anyone though. Secrets like these were best kept hidden; they were fun to hide anyway.

Unfortunately, for Roman, he wasn’t exactly the best at concealing things, which was how the cat got out of the bag. (No, don’t worry it’s not a real cat. Patton’s allergies will be fine.)

***

“Hey Virge! Whatcha doin’?” Roman said as he approached his friend. Looking up from his phone for a second, Virgil smiled.

“Just scrolling through Tumblr, as usual,” he replied, patting the empty spot next to him, indicating to Roman that he wanted him to sit down.

The prince happily obliged and when he took his place next to Virgil, he laid down onto his lap. As he stared at the ceiling, Roman wondered about what he and Virgil were. What they did with each other normally happened around romantic couples, but they were just being friends… right?

They always hugged, and cuddled together, leaned on each other’s shoulders when they needed to and spent almost every minute of every day together. The only thing missing was the kiss.

His eyes then shifted from the ceiling to Virgil’s face. It was illuminated slightly by the light emanating from his phone and his expression was so… peaceful and he was smiling a little, causing Roman’s heart to jump a few hurdles.

Virgil was gently playing with his hair, softly stroking it routinely and massaging it occasionally; these actions made Roman wonder if they would mean anything more if they were a couple.

Nothing would really need to change, right? They would continue to do what they normally did around each other except then, they would be romantically involved. Would there be anymore significance?

His eyes then flickered to Virgil’s lips: always soft, always a little chapped but always kissable. In that moment, Roman wanted nothing more than to seize his face and drown him in affection, but obviously he couldn’t do that and he pushed himself off of Virgil’s lap and away from the sofa as quickly as he could to halt anything too… impulsive.

“Ro? You good?” asked Virgil, raising an eyebrow at him in confusion at his sudden movement.

“Uh, yeah. I just remembered that I needed to do something,” Roman lied, raking a hand through his hair. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

And with that, he dashed up to his room, leaving Virgil completely baffled.

Briskly walking into his room, Roman closed the door, his back facing it, and sighed heavily. He looked ahead and tried to clear his mind of any thoughts of Virgil, but there was no use. He was there, imprinted and glued and Roman would just be wasting his energy trying to get him out.

But Virgil stuck in his head wasn’t such a bad thing though; at least his mind was, in a way, doing him a favour with images of his crush.

Being the creative side he was, Roman suddenly got an idea to place the scenario that had appeared on his head on a canvas - he had nothing better to do anyway. He grabbed his headphones and played one of his playlists on Spotify named ‘Virgil💜🔮🎵’. (It was called that because he would listen to it whenever he thought of him and what they could be.)

With a snap of his fingers, Roman conjured a pot of paint brushes and some paint and set to work constructing his mind’s image.

He started with the base of the painting first - the sky - with midnight blue which faded to a lighter shade as it descended. Then, he created the grass, using black paint since it would only be a silhouette and set it just below the halfway point and in the middle, he painted a bench with two people sitting on it, who he imagined to be him and Virgil.

Roman smiled at the thought of them stargazing together with nothing to interrupt them and their picture perfect moment but the occasional breeze. After making the trees on the side and the moon in the twilight sky, Roman tied the whole piece together with the addition of stars.

During this time, the song ‘Wonder’ by Shawn Mendes played and he grinned, seeing how relevant it was to his current situation. As he dipped his brush in white paint and flicked it across the canvas, Roman sang the words, not as passionately as Shawn did, but with as much energy as he wanted - which was a decent amount.

Unbeknownst to him however, Virgil had been listening outside the entire time. After his puzzling retreat to his room, the emo followed him, but what he heard when he was just about to knock on his door was a lovely surprise.

Roman was singing, as per usual, but what he sang intrigued Virgil. At that time, it was ‘Would You Be So Kind’ by dodie. He sunk behind the door, quietly singing with him and thought about how it tailored to their relationship. He had never been vocal about it, but he had always had a little crush on Princey, ever since the beginning; he wondered if he too felt the same way.

After a couple songs and unknown duets between them, Virgil finally decided to knock. When there was no response, he opened the door and Roman was still singing - a song he hadn’t heard before, but he listened to the lyrics. 

As he stepped closer, he realised what Roman was doing and admired the painting from afar. It was absolutely beautiful and from what he could see; it looked flawless and not a single stroke was out of place. Virgil didn’t really expect anything less than excellence from Roman’s work though. As the prince, he constantly strived for perfection.

‘I wonder what it’s like to be loved by you,’ Roman sang and Virgil instantly froze. They probably weren’t, but he couldn’t help but wonder if those words were meant for him?

‘I wonder why I’m so afraid,

Of saying something wrong, I never said I was a saint.

I wonder, when I cry into my hands,

I’m conditioned to feel like it makes me less of a man.

And I wonder if someday you’ll be by my side,

And tell me that the world will end up alright.’

Virgil thought that he might be getting to the end of the song, so he shyly approached him.

Clearing his throat, he said loudly to get his attention, “Princey?”

Instantly, Roman turned around. He was fixated to the spot for a few seconds, before he took off his headphones and set his brush down.

“Virgil!” he said, smiling awkwardly. “How- how long have you been standing there?”

“Not very long. I just wanted to see if you were okay ‘cause you left really quickly downstairs,” Virgil answered, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

 

“Oh, no yeah I’m fine. I just wanted to do… this!” Roman then pointed to his artwork, showing it off and giving Virgil a clearer view of what he had seen only a little of earlier.

“Wow,” Virgil sighed, stepping closer. “It’s lovely.”

“Thanks.” Roman grinned, proud of his work. Virgil glanced at him for a moment, then quickly looked back down, both of their cheeks tinting cherry red.

“Who are they?” asked Virgil, pointing to the black silhouette of the two boys seated on the bench.

“Um no one. Just characters,” Roman replied quickly, blushing and fiddling with his fingers. Noticing his flustered state, Virgil smirked and decided to dig a little deeper.

“Hmm. They look awfully familiar,” he teased, rubbing his chin thoughtfully then turning to Roman who tried to play it off as innocently as he could.

“Oh they do? How interesting.” Virgil smirked and stared at him for a bit longer, but soon realised that he wouldn’t be getting anywhere if he kept it up. So, he tried something else.

Sheepishly, he walked up to Roman, keeping his hands in his pockets and looked at him through his bangs.

“You once told me that everything you say, do or sing has a meaning behind it. Well, almost everything. What were you singing about earlier?”

Roman turned away and fiddled with his sash. “You heard?”

Virgil hummed in response, then he sighed and decided that now was a better time than ever.

“Those words, those lyrics. I sang from somewhere. Someplace only I know and hope to share with someone one day.”

“Someone? Who is…”

Roman was on the edge of the cliff. He could see the crashing waves below and knew that if he didn’t have faith in his wings, he would plummet down, but if he clung onto that hope hard enough, he could soar through the cotton clouds and the exhilarating breeze to the ends of the earth. All it took was a jump.

So he held his breath and leaped.

“You.”

Virgil froze. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped; he was speechless, he didn’t know what to say. All these years of what he thought was once hopeless crushing and longing for something that he believed could never be, turns out he was wrong all along.

As Roman braced himself for the worst, the little smile of Virgil’s starstruck face grew and he lunged at Roman, embracing him in a tight hug.

The prince was surprised, but didn’t at all complain and hugged him back just as tightly. Even still, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

“Virge?”

“You wonder what it’s like? To be loved by me?” Virgil said as he pulled away, meeting Roman’s eyes. He glanced at his lips and Virgil noticed, so he swiftly leaned in and softly kissed him. But it wasn’t long before the kiss grew more passionate, making it clear to them both that they had waited far too long for this to happen.

When they eventually parted, they stayed close, gazing into each other’s eyes. Both boys then grinned blissfully at each other, satisfied in the moment that they wished would last forever.

“That’s what it’s like.”

[the-hopeless-haze]

Someone Whose Feelings You Spare (Being Alive Chapter 8)

A/N: Two things! I suggest listening to “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain before you read this because it will make a lot more sense - yes it’s cheesy but go with it lol. Second - forgive me for any courtroom inaccuracies! I love Rita though and I gotta give her some love in this series (even if she’s lowkey a bitch to the reader haha)!

Word Count: 3.5k

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

AO3 Link

The defense had gotten word. And it was your fault. Maybe it’s just how it goes, a domino effect: one person finds out and then another person finds out and then another... It wasn’t all the defense attorneys in Manhattan at once, thank God, but it was the one and only Rita Calhoun, and you were set to testify tomorrow. You’re in his office like a bat out of hell the second you get her message, complete with a picture of the two of you closer than what was appropriate outside the courthouse, most likely taken at an inopportune moment from Rita’s cellphone when you kissed him despite his half-hearted protests. Rafael wonders how much ibuprofen he can take before his liver starts sending him death threats as he stares at it, takes a deep breath, and then looks up at you.

“Well. This isn’t great.”

“Not great? This is terrible, Rafael. And it’s my fault. Now what’s going to happen?”

“I don’t know,” he sighs, leaning back in his chair.

You narrow your eyes at him. “Why don’t you seem as concerned about this as I am?”

“I’m concerned. Believe me, I’m concerned. But this was bound to happen, (y/n). Both of us knew that.”

“But I mean... if it comes between our careers and our relationship...” you say, anxiety bleeding into your tone as you fiddle with your watch. “What are we going to do? There’s no outcome where it’s fair if it comes to that.”

See why it’s easier to be alone? This would’ve never happened if you just let him be. But he swallows that down with two pills and a swig of coffee and doesn’t verbalize it.

“It’s not going to come to that,” Rafael says, even though he doesn’t quite believe it himself. Your worries weren’t completely unfounded, especially since he had no idea how Rita was going to play it in court. It could very well come to that. But you didn’t need to hear it from his mouth.

“What are you going to do, then?” you ask; your hands on your hips.

“I believe it’s what ‘we’ are going to do, cariño, since we’re both in this mess, together. Right?”

You shoot him a withering look before you start pacing the room. “You’re unbelievable. Why are you not stressed about this? You’ll get strung out about a bad headline from some no-name journalist or a slight glitch in a case but this? You’re making jokes? Do you not care if we have to end it? Is that it?”

“No, (y/n). Sit down. Of course I care, but I’m not a miracle worker or a mind reader.”

“So then call Rita! See if you can work something out with her.”

“Can you trust me?”

“I don’t know. Can I?"

“Jesus. Have a little faith in me, will you, mujer?”

You roll your eyes but you finally stop pacing and sit across from him. “What’s your plan, then?”

“I’m not calling Rita. No, hear me out,” he says, glaring at your exasperated facial expression. “If I go running to her with my tail between my legs, then that just proves there’s something going on, and while that picture is incriminating... it’s not exactly proof.”

“So what? You want me to commit perjury? Have every case I ever testified in be thrown out because I’m not only in a relationship with the attorney who prosecuted them, but because I’m a liar to boot?”

“Can you calm down and just listen to me? Hmm? Do you think you can do that?” Rafael says, trying not to let his irritation show. You are pissing him off a little, though. Hysterics aren’t going to solve anything, and surely you know that.

“Fine. But you’re not saying anything I like so far.”

Rafael sighs and rubs his face with hands. “Maybe because you haven’t exactly let me speak, cariño. Now, I’ve seen this situation happen before, albeit not exactly like this. One of the other district attorneys in Brooklyn was married to a doctor who testified in a lot of her cases. Not exactly the most ethical arrangement in the world, either, but it slid. Some defense attorneys tried to bring it up and discredit him, but both of them had a good reputation and nothing much ever came from that.”

"This is a lot different, though, Rafael."

He shrugs. "In a way. It'd be worse if you were a higher rank, but you've only been on the squad for a year and you're not looking for promotions, right?"

"Even if I was, I wouldn't get one any time soon. But if this gets out, though, your political career—“

Rafael chuckles. "What political career? That's been a lost cause ever since I charged Alex. He made sure of that."

"I just feel so bad, though, honey. You're always telling me to stop in case someone sees—“

"Don't. We're going to figure this out, okay?" he says, looking at you intently. "Okay?"

"Okay," you say, exhaling maybe for the first time since you stepped into his office. "I really am sorry, though. God, I feel so stupid."

"Well, don't. You're not. Like I said, this was bound to happen. Maybe it's better if we just get it over with," Rafael shrugs, then reaches for your hand across his desk. "We'll figure it out.”

But wouldn't it be so much easier if you didn't?

——--

Carisi is outside the courthouse with you, a comforting arm around your shoulder. Rafael bites back a comment. You don’t need any grief today.

“Hey, Barba,” Carisi says. “You doing okay?”

“I’m not the one going up on the stand,” he says, feeling a sense of pride when you leave Carisi’s arms for his own, even if that's not the most appropriate place for you to be right now.

“This is insane,” Carisi says, shaking his head. “I can't believe Calhoun's going to bring this up. I mean, it's not like you give us any breaks because you're with her; if anything you're harder on us—“

"Shush," Rafael snaps, shooting him a dirty look. "We don't know if that's what she's aiming for, although I do suppose we have a good idea. She wants to confuse the jury, muddy the waters. You want to be a lawyer? Get used to playing dirty. You'll do it, too. Are you doing okay?” he asks, turning to you.

“Been better. We have backup plans for our backup plans, depending on the route she goes with. Just gotta get through it and not fuck up."

"Hey, that's the spirit," Carisi says, grinning as he squeezes your shoulder. The three of you walk up the steps and try to settle into your respective seats in the courtroom. But you never make it on the witness stand, because Rita calls to approach before you can be sworn in. Rafael is thankful for little blessings. Much better that this came up in the judge's chambers than in open court.

"Your Honor, I don't think that the next witness should be called given her personal relationship with the prosecutor of this case,” Rita says. "I have photos--"

"No need. She's not lying," Rafael interjects, glaring at her.

"You're welcome for the heads-up, by the way," she says, smirking at him. "But again, given the fact that Mr. Barba is dating the witness... how can he be expected to be impartial, especially since she is going to accuse my client of attempting to assault her while she was undercover?"

"Don't you think this should have come up earlier, Mr. Barba?" the judge asks, crossing her arms. "Now, I'll allow this because I know she worked on this case - but tread lightly. I don't want to have to call a mistrial."

"Won't be necessary, Your Honor," he replies, leaving the bench and heading back to his seat. You're sworn in, and he runs through the questions he'd already asked you a million times - where were you, how did you meet the defendant, what the defendant did to you, how you and the squad tied him to the rest of the victims. You do a phenomenal job, and Rita can only object once successfully.

But when Rita's allowed to cross... she doesn't hold back.

"So, Detective... would you like to elaborate on your relationship with the prosecutor of this case?"

"Objection? Relevance?" Rafael asks.

"I'll make my point clear."

"I'll allow it, but let's not make this a showcase, Ms. Calhoun?" the judge says, nodding to you.

"We're dating," you say, keeping your voice level.

"Right... and let's say something happened to you. Like any significant other, he'd be upset, correct? Was he there the night in question? Did he see this happen to you?"

"He wasn't at the club, no, but he did come into the precinct later on in the night."

"Right. So he saw you after the incident. Don't you think, maybe, tensions were high, you had just gone undercover... and the two of you read into this more than you should have?"

"Did the whole precinct? Because it was my sergeant who decided to bring him in for questioning before Mr. Barba even looked at this case," you say matter-of-factly.

"Let me rephrase. Did he talk to you or my client first?"

"He spoke with me first."

"So, before he even meets my client, he talks to you, and he has that in the back of his mind the entire time. Now, anyone would want to take the side of their significant other, and you thought that you were luring out a potential rapist. Of course, he's going to take your word for it: he loves you, doesn't he? So, from the beginning of the case, his emotions already ruled over his decisions."

"Objection. Speculation," Rafael states as he stands up. Fucking Rita, using the 'L' word before he'd even thought about telling you that.

"Why don't you tell us, then, Mr. Barba?" Rita says coolly.

"Enough, you two," the judge sighs heavily. "Continue, Ms. Calhoun, but get to the point."

"I think I'm all set. No further questions."

"I'm calling for a short recess after that lovely display," the judge declares, rolling her eyes. "Court will return in 30 minutes."

You're staring at Rafael as you step down from the stand, and you make your way over to him. "How do you think that went?"

"It went. We'll see," he murmurs, shrugging. "You did a great job, cariño.”

"So did she. I mean, there’s reasonable doubt—“

But you’re cut off from that thought because Rita’s walking over, a smirk playing on her lips. “This is cute, hm?”

“What do you want, Rita?” Rafael asks, sighing exasperatedly. “It didn’t work out so well for you. She still got to testify.”

“We’ll see how long that lasts. How long has it been for you two, though?"

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s not a good look. You work far too closely with SVU to be sleeping with one of their detectives. Surely you should know that?”

“I’m standing right here, Rita,” you mutter through gritted teeth.

“Well, the adults are talking.”

About a million emotions flash through your eyes, and Rafael just hopes to God you don’t start crying because that will only make it worse, and he knows Rita didn’t mean it to be bitchy. Her tone was light enough to be joking, and she probably meant it more along the lines of ‘the lawyers are speaking’, but he knows you wouldn’t take it that way. Thankfully, though, you manage to bite back your tears and nod.

“Well, then, I’ll let them talk,” you snap and brush past Rita out of the courtroom.

“(Y/n), don’t—“ Rafael starts but you don’t look back, and he sighs, glaring at Rita. “Was that necessary?”

“She’s emotional, hm?” Rita says as he starts to put his things into his briefcase. “Though I find most SVU detectives to be. At least she's pretty.”

Rafael snickers. “Thanks for your approval, but I didn't need it."

"Apparently you don't think you need anyone's approval. Don't you think this is an iffy situation at best? How long were you going to try and get away with it? Really, I think you should be thanking me for forcing it to come to light. McCoy must not be happy."

"Mm, yes. Thank you for harassing my girlfriend on the stand, Rita," he says with a grimace as he closes his briefcase. "I don't bring up your personal life in this courtroom and believe me, if I wanted to, I could find something. I expect you to show me the same courtesy from now on."

"Fine. We can play nice,” she says, following him out of the room. “But this is the last time her testimony is going to be admissible when I'm in this courtroom. I don’t trust either of you to be objective, and neither should any judge. You got lucky today.”

"I rarely ever call her for this reason, Rita.”

“Good. Glad we’re on the same page. Just know, if I ever find any evidence that you were anything less than impartial—“

“You’ll make sure the jury hears about it. I get it.”

“Good. What are you going to do when you get married? I mean, you can’t expect for both of you to keep your jobs.”

“Who the hell said anything about marriage?” Rafael asks, trying not to let his tone become too defensive.

“I don’t know. Isn’t that the logical progression of things? You two seem pretty close."

In open court, she’d want to do everything to make it seem like he had the tightest bond imaginable with you. But now, there was no reason to keep harping on this point, and it makes him wonder and worry about how deep that soft spot for you actually went. "I know you'd love to see me transfer out of this district, but it's not happening," he snickers. "I'll see you in 20."

"Oh, hey, Barba. Warning: she's pissed," Carisi informs him as he walks up to the two of you.

"I'm not pissed. Asshole," you protest, jabbing Carisi playfully in the side, to which he holds his stomach like you really injured him. "Although that was uncalled for on her part. And it would've been nice if you defended me..."

"You walked away before I even had a chance to - which I did after you left, by the way."

"Right. So what happens now?"

"Come with me,” he says, ushering you out of the hallway with an arm around your shoulder. He finds an alcove in the stairs, somewhere he’d hide and do his deliberation on closing statements right before it was showtime.

“Not a good look for you, being alone with me like this, you know?"

“Don’t you know I don’t care? They can say what they want to say, but there’s nothing anywhere that says I can’t date you."

“But they’re going to question every warrant you give—“

He silences you with a kiss, pitting an arm around your shoulder. “You’re a detective. Not a sergeant. Olivia’s the one who asks me for warrants.”

“They could still say—“

“Let them talk."

“Okay,” you say, leaning against his chest. “I'm sorry I accused you of not caring. I know you do. You're meeting with McCoy later, right?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, it goes well."

"Hopefully," you grin. You lean up, kissing the side of his jaw. He chuckles as your hair tickles the skin of his neck.

“You did a good job, bebita. I’m proud of you.” He squeezes your knee and you turn to kiss him. It’s a languid kiss, long and soft, filled with yearning. He almost forgets where he is, all he can feel is you, his hands threading in your hair. He wants to take you right here, but it’s not a primal urge, it’s a soft one, where he needs to be in you to feel you.

"You want to be the one that gets us into a mess this time?" you tease. "Regardless of what happens, it is probably best if we keep our distance from now on, at least in the courthouse."

"Not the easiest task, mujer," he whispers, running his thumb over your lower lip before kissing you again.

——

What in the hell kind of music were you listening to? Some woman was singing about how she didn't know her last name, and you were belting along, just off-key enough for it to be grating. But he doesn't say anything, because you were in such a good mood, chopping vegetables in his kitchen, and he'd hate to burst your bubble after that week the two of you had.

You reach up for him, kissing him gently on the mouth before he puts his briefcase down, and then you're back to your work at the cutting board, swiveling your hips a little to the music. The song switches over to another country song, and you're saying, "This is what a woman wants," slightly out-of-time with the recording. If it was anyone else, again, Rafael would be the first to point out how irritating that is... but it's you, and he'll spare you the smartass-remarks.

The song isn't what he'd prefer to listen to, either, but you're cooking his freaking dinner, so he's let you be the DJ more often. It's obviously meant for comedic effect - the singer's elaborating on all the things her man should do for her, and how it's okay if she doesn't reciprocate. And you're coming over to him, wiggling your eyebrows and squeezing his upper arms as she sings "better show me a teasin'-squeezin'-pleasin' kinda time".

All Rafael can do is chuckle and kiss you. It was rare that you got this enthused, not to say you were melancholy most of the time, but you were like him in that it took a lot to get you excited or cheerful. Maybe you had reason to, today, as McCoy cleared the two of you and said it was fine to continue your relationship, but Olivia had to keep tabs on you and Rafael would be watched with a closer eye.

Just another headache. Maybe it was worth it, though, to have you dancing in his kitchen at 9 pm while you make enchiladas and make his apartment feel like a home.

"And when I cook his dinner and burn it black, he better say, mm, I like it like that," you sing, cackling with laughter as he raises an eyebrow.

"You better not start burning my food now, (y/n). Your reputation precedes you. I know you can cook."

But maybe that's all anyone wants - and leave it to Rafael to try and analyze a song meant for comedic value - but everyone just wants someone to spare their feelings, someone they can come home to after a long day and who won't add to the weight of the burden the world put on them, at least not when the going's already tough. And couldn't he have that with you?

"Come on, Rafi, this is where you come in," you giggle. "Let me hear you say 'yeah'..."

And even though he feels beyond stupid, he plays along, attempting to harmonize with the male vocalists that come in despite not knowing the song. Then, you're dancing to the rest of it, "shimmy, shake, make the earth quake" - and yes, you're the sexiest woman he can remember ever being in the presence of - but you're also beautiful, happy, and so fucking alive.

His breath catches in his throat and he realizes what that is - it's been so fucking long since it's happened - but he knows now, he loves you. Should he tell you? This moment won't stay perfect forever, and it's fading as quickly as the song fades out, but what if he doesn't actually love you? Shouldn't he spare you that heartache, if he should ever wake up from this spell you had him under? God, this was why he always hesitated: how do you know, and how do you know if it will last? Besides, what if you didn't love him back?

But he'd never had anyone fight to be with him like you did, and you'd told him multiple times you'd look into transferring to a different SVU if it came to that. And, come to think of it, he'd never fought to be with someone, either. Granted, this was a unique situation not posed by his ex-lovers, but either Rafael or them proved they wouldn't be willing to go through a struggle to stay together by ending the relationship for whatever reason.

Still, Rafael can't get himself to say the words, simple as they are, and the moment slips through his fingers like maybe you will one day as the song bleeds into another one. He's tuning it out, though, kissing you and trying to stop his mind from running away with all his fears and doubts.

How long would you wait for him to be ready, though?

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

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I'm a Murderer, Not a Monster (Billy Loomis/OFC/Stu Macher) Part 1

This is a repost since I deleted my old Tumblr!

Summary: 

In this AU, Stu and Billy were never caught or killed. Their plan went off without a hitch, and once it was done, they hung up their knives. On the anniversary of Sidney’s death, they were forced to murder again to protect their cover; Tie up loose ends and save themselves from death row for good. Only problem is that the murders were spur of the moment and they have no alibi. On the fly, they choose a house at random and hope for the best. Which leads us up to now!

Author’s notes:

-I had a dream and it inspired this little thing. In this AU, Stu and Billy were never caught or killed. Their plan went off without a hitch, and once it was done, they hung up their knives. On the anniversary of Sidney’s death, they were forced to murder again to protect their cover; Tie up loose ends and save themselves from death row for good. Only problem is that the murders were spur of the moment and they have no alibi. On the fly, they choose a house at random and hope for the best. Which leads us up to now!

-AU takes place in a weird time convergence. Basically the timeline is made up and the worlds don’t matter.

-I’m a fool for bad boys who are soft just for a few specific people, so Billy and Stu will be a bit OOC here. If that’s not your cup of tea, this is your warning.

-Relevant facts: Billy and Stu are both 19-20ish now. Ginger the OFC is 24 and Poppy is 6.

-Ginger’s appearance is rather general but she is short and chubby because there is not enough plus-size character love in fics.

-I had to split this into two parts. This one is SFW, just cursing and mentions of murder. Part two will be NSFW smut!

~“I’m a murderer, not a monster. I don’t kill kids, and what life would a kid have without their mom, hmm?”~

Billy’s words played over and over in my head while I stood, trembling, at the kitchen counter with my hot coffee mug in hand as I sipped at the sweet caffeine for support. I had to put on a strong front. I know he said he wouldn’t kill us but that wasn’t very comforting when there were two serial killers sitting at the table with my daughter; All three eating pancakes like there wasn’t a care in the world.

“Thanks mama. I’m gonna go brush my teeth for school,” Poppy said, pushing out her chair as she collected her plate.

“Alright sweetie. Don’t forget to wash your face after,” I called to her.

She nodded in agreement as she trotted off, ponytail swinging joyfully behind her.

With her bountiful energy out of the room, I let my shoulders sag and swallowed hard. Fear and uncertainty were tearing up my stomach and making it hard to breathe.

“You can relax, doll. We’re not going to hurt you, and especially not her,” Stu commented, shoving the last bite of his pancakes in his mouth, “We’re not that kind of people.”

I cringed slightly at the way he spoke with his mouth full and gaping, but didn’t dare comment on it. Who would correct a murderer on his table manners?

“I know you said that but it’s just…. I’m terrified honestly. I don’t trust anyone in my home, around my kid, other than family and now there are two strange men staying here,” I explained quietly, keeping my tone as docile as possible.

Billy rose silently from his chair and immediately I tensed up as his dark eyes landed on me. He wasn’t insanely tall like his partner but he was beyond intimidating as he marched over and stood only a few inches from me. Even though he was shorter, he still towered over me and my five foot frame. It suddenly felt like there was a lump in my throat that I just couldn’t swallow past.

“We won’t be in your hair longer than we have to be. As long as you keep your end of the deal, everything will go smoothly. You have my word that we wouldn’t touch a hair on that kids’ head no matter what, but if you were to try to start some shit-”

“I would never!” I cut him off immediately, heart racing and pounding hard at the threat, “Self preservation is my strongest suit next to doing anything to protect her.”

“Good, then he’s right. You can relax. You have nothing to worry about,” Billy finished with a nod.

A little grin came to his face and he raised his hand. Instinctively I flinched but somehow managed not to jerk away entirely. He patted my cheek gently with a little click of his tongue before going back to the table.

“Say, Ginger, you got any scary movies here?” Stu chimed in.

…

A week had come and gone, and then a second until more than a month had gone by. After almost two months of Stu and Billy hanging out off and on in my home, it was as if they weren’t even that infamous killer I’d heard so much about on the news. If I hadn’t woken up to the two of them over my bed in the Ghostface masks with blood soaked cloaks and knives, I might have never believed that they were. They were both so… normal. Although Billy obviously had some brooding and anger issues, he seemed to just be a regular, albeit gorgeous, guy with a chip on his shoulder; And Stu was absolutely adorable, funny, kind, and endearing. Together they made a hilarious duo; Billy’s dry humor and sarcasm pairing perfectly with Stu’s overzealous comedy. I was starting to LIKE having them there; it was a scary though.

They were both also surprisingly respectful of our home, of Poppy and my general distrust of men around her; Ensuring they were never in another room alone with her, even if it was just the kitchen or living room. I appreciated their tact. It was becoming easier to make myself almost believe the cover story they had come up with about us meeting in a bar and them passing out in my house on the night of the murders.

I was still in wonder of just how they had ended up here though. We were about an hour away from Woodsboro and in a decent but not extravagant area. Why us? Why this house?

“What’s wrong, doll? You look down?”

My cheeks heated under the pet name and I quickly tried to push away the butterflies it gave me when mixed with the curious look on Stu’s face. There was no way I could begin to acknowledge my stupid little crush on him without it making me feel weird. Although I’d started to feel friendship or possibly more toward them, there’s was nothing to say that they were doing more than keeping up the pretenses of our deal and ensuring I wouldn’t rat them out. Not to mention, my self-esteem told me that two men who were so beautiful would never be interested in a woman of my size and appearance, much less since I was almost four years older than them.

“No, not down, just thinking,” I explained, passing the popcorn bowl over to him.

He cocked his head to the side in obvious curiosity while he swiped some popcorn from the bowl.

“About?” Billy asked from the recliner across the room.

I shrugged but chose to be honest. I’d learned honesty was certainly the best policy with them.

“Why you came to this town when your hometown is an hour away. Why you chose this place of all places.”

Apparently that threw them both for a loop, Stu’s eyes darting to Billy while the other let mild-surprise run across his face.

“Well, I guess it was just fate. I’m pretty sure anyone else would have fought us by now and we’d have had to kill them. Which would have screwed up the whole plan, of course,” Billy vaguely explained.

I felt my curiosity pique at the mention of a plan and I hesitantly asked, “What is your long term plan?”

“A fresh start. Get away from all that shit that started this whole thing and try to do more with our lives,” Billy replied, eyes drifting back to the movie on the TV.

“It wasn’t like we planned on killing forever. Hell, we made it out for a whole fucking year before someone jeopardized our freedom,” Stu added in, “Had to do what needed to be done to keep people looking away from us though.”

He was obviously waiting for some kind of reply but I wasn’t sure what to say. Instead I gave him a shrug as I mulled over my thoughts.

“I can’t say I agree with, or understand, killing anyone to begin with, obviously, but I wasn’t in your situation either. That said, I CAN understand wanting a fresh start. That’s why Poppy and I moved here too; Away from a past life I no longer wanted a part of,” I responded after a while.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Billy asked.

I hesitantly met his powerful gaze before admitting, “I had to leave our old home for our safety. Let’s just say, there are worse things a person can do than end a life.”

The intensity in the room went up a level and I could almost feel both of them staring at my burning face, but I had already let out more than I wanted to. In this place, in my new world, no one knew of our past. They knew I was a single mom to a happy little girl, and that’s how I wanted to keep it. People’s opinions tended to change when they knew your dirty little secrets.

“Mama, are we still watching Rugrats tonight?” Poppy asked.

Her sudden appearance from the bedroom made me jolt and yelp in surprise. She grinned and stuck her tongue out at me, before clutching her tummy and letting out rolls of deep belly laughter.

“I scared you! I scared you! You scare so easy mommy!”

With a slight eyeroll of embarrassment, I waved away her hysterics before gesturing her over.

“Don’t make fun of me, butthead,” I teased, then added, “But yeah, as soon as Stu and Billy head out we’ll put on Rugrats.”

“Sounds like it’s time to skeedaddle, scoob,” Stu commented in a silly voice, “Gotta let the little princess get her movies in.”

Poppy grinned and nodded.

“Don’t forget, you promised to come back soon and play candyland with us,” Poppy reminded the two before climbing up onto the couch next to me.

“Yeah, yeah, pipsqueak,” Billy commented, unable to hide a little grin before he rose to his feet, “We’ll stop by again soon.”

I got up from the couch and walked them to the door out of habit, waiting until they were down the sidewalk before I shut and locked it.

“Okay, let the Rugrats extravaganza begin!” I cheered, scurrying back to the couch.

Poppy giggled and burrowed against my side eagerly as I flipped the TV over to the correct setting and pushed play. The familiar theme song blared from the TV speakers as the movie started and I settled back on the cushions more. Some parents wouldn’t admit it but I still enjoyed cartoons as much as I had when I was a kid. It was a nice bonding experience too, watching some of the shows I grew up on!

…

As the credits rolled, I shifted slightly and slowly lowered Poppy to the couch. She had fallen asleep about halfway through, as I had expected, but I wanted to finish up the movie anyway; It was one of my favorites!

Patting her shoulder gently, I set about picking up the remnants from the evening visit. Popcorn bowl, kernels, soda cans, and the like all barely fit into my arms so I rushed into the kitchen quickly as not to drop anything and let it down on the counter, sorting rubbish from dishes.

I had just got the sink water started to wash the dinner dishes when there was a loud crash from the garage.

“What the fuck?” I muttered.

I cut the water and dried my hands before shuffling closer to the garage door. Once I was almost a foot away, I heard hushed hisses and curses.

“Oh my god!”

As fast as I could, I flipped the deadbolt and door lock, only to be greeted to the sound of something slamming against the door.

“Oooohhhh ladies! I know you’re in theeerrreee,” a male voice sung teasingly, “Just wait ‘til I get you, you fucking bitch!”

Another slam against the door had me finally moving, eyes watering and chest burning as I held in a panicked scream. Without words I snagged Poppy and my phone up from the couch and sped into my room.

“Mommy?” Poppy groaned sleepily.

“Shh baby. I need you to stay as quiet as possible. Someone’s here. Hide in the nightstand.”

Her eyes instantly cleared up as fear marred her features. There was a sense of wisdom in her movements as she calmly and quietly crawled into the lower part of the bedside table, the cubby hole just barely large enough for her small frame. I turned it so the open side faced the wall and breathed out a sigh of relief. You couldn’t tell it wasn’t meant to be that way, nor that there was an opening on the other side. As long as she was still and silent, he’d most likely never find her.

“Whatever you do, don’t come out or speak unless I tell you to. No matter what. I love you.”

With Poppy tended to, I brought up my cell phone and dialed 911.

“This is 911. What is your emergency?”

“My name is Ginger Wallace. I live on 304 Cedar Knoll. Someone just broke into my house and threatened to kill me and my daughter,” I rushed out, hoping my words were clear enough for the operator.

“You said 304 Cedar Knoll, ma’am?” the woman asked.

“Yes, please, hurry and send someone,” I hissed.

Something slammed into the bedroom door and I jumped back with a scream as the pressed wood flexed under the impact. Hands shaking and heart pounding, I ran over to my desk and looked for anything I could use as a weapon. Another wall-shuddering thud hit the door right before the man spoke again.

“They’ll be too late, bitch. They always are. You wanna know all the things I’m gonna do you to before they get here? And to that little bitch too?!”

At those words, my blood ran cold.

“What’s taking so long?” I spit into the phone when I didn’t hear anything other than keys clacking.

“Okay ma’am, I was able to send out your location. An officer is on the way. Are you in a safe place away from the intruder?” she asked.

“Yes? No? I don’t fucking know. There’s a door between us.”

“Okay, I need you to stay on the line with me. An officer should be there about in twenty minutes.”

The door bowed under the pressure of what sounded like the intruder’s entire body being thrown against it and I felt my strength begin to drain, my knees going weak as I back up and leaned against the wall.

“Twenty minutes?!”

That was too long. Way too fucking long. Without much thought, I hung up the phone and dialed the first number I could think of. The intruders cursing was barely registering in my mind as I prayed for my only hope to answer. They had been renting out a place not too far away and with luck they’d still be awake, and thus the closest help.

“Ginger? It’s late, doll. What’s up?” Stu asked through the phone.

Another slam and cracking wood filled the air, along with a cackle that made me shudder.

“There’s someone in our house,” I whimpered, sliding down to sit on the floor as I felt panic set in hard, “He’s threatening to- to kill us. Are you guys able to-?”

“What?! Fuck, yeah. We’re on the way!”

I whispered a quiet thank you and tried to listen as he rambled something about being at the liquor store, but my attention remained on the crack slowly spreading down the door. I had to do something, but what?

“Hey! Ginger! Listen to me, sweetheart. Are you in a seperate room from him?”

Billy’s calming voice came through the haze like a beacon, and I quickly answered him that we were in my bedroom.

“Okay, good. I want you to barricade the door with whatever you have. Dressers, bed, whatever. Just keep him out until we get there. We’re less thab ten minutes away.”

I nodded, then realized with a frustrated sigh that he couldn’t hear that.

“Okay,” I finally murmured.

Climbing to my feet, I managed to pin the phone between my shoulder and ear and push the dresser at the same time. It wasn’t super heavy, but it was something. Next I maneuvered my vanity over. I barely had released it when the man slammed into the door again with a frustrated growl, tearing a startled scream from me as I stumbled back onto the floor.

“Do you have a weapon?” Billy asked suddenly.

“No,” I whispered.

“Is Poppy safe?” came the next question.

“Yes. He won’t be able to find her now,” I replied lowly.

“Okay, okay good. That’s good. We’re almost there.”

I heard a car horn honk from his side of the line and Stu swearing frantically, but then I stopped listening as recognition washed over me. The intruder was quiet, had been for a good minute or two.

As if my thoughts provoked his actions, suddenly the door was rammed again. The crack splintered farther down and I could swear there was light peeking through now.

“If you open up now, I promise to make the brat only watch! Hmm? How does that sound? Would you open up to save her?”

The guy sounded winded or hurt or something, but his threat was still bone-chilling nonetheless. I knew I stood no real chance against him weaponless. A terrified whine escaped before I could stop it and I felt my stomach lurch in disgust.

“We’re here! Right outside, Ginger. Don’t come out, okay?” Billy snapped sharply.

“O-Okay,” I whispered.

A door slammed in the other room and I heard the intruder let out a cry of shock before all three men were yelling. I couldn’t help but hide my head in my arms, unable to stand the sensory overload of the screaming onto top of all the other shit going through my mind. When a cry of pain sounded, my heart nearly stopped. I jumped to my feet when Stu yelled out for Billy, and nearly tore the furniture from the door to investigate the cause, but then came a loud thud; like a body hitting the floor.

I couldn’t make out what was being said at first, but then I heard my name.

“We got him! It’s okay now.”

With a strength I didn’t know I possessed, I shoved away the dresser and vanity as fast as possible and tore the door open, just to be greeted with the sight of Billy and Stu holding down a large man. A glint in the dark drew my attention to the blade at his throat, but my attention was quickly moved to the blood dripping from Billy’s nose.

Fuck. He’d gotten hurt trying to help me. A wave of guilt crashed over me, calmed only slightly when he spoke up.

“I should gut you here and now, you fuckwad,” Billy growled, “Slice you open and let you watch your intestines bleed out like a butchered pig.”

“Yeah! Teach you a lesson about messing with what isn’t yours!” Stu hissed, a terrifying look of glee on his bright eyes.

“No! Don’t kill him! No killing please.”

My shouts echoed across the room, over the man’s pained cries and the heavy grunts of Stu and Billy, and thankfully they both seemed to listen. On shaking legs, I slowly made my way over to them. The assailant was still stupidly struggling under the guys, but they gave him no quarter.

“Let’s do this the right way, okay? Remember, new start,” I whispered, carefully reaching out.

Billy tilted his head back, obviously weighing the options, before be nodded once. I couldn’t help but cringe as the blood dribbled down from his nose.

Damn that asshole for causing all of this mayhem!

“New start,” Billy agreed finally.

Hesitantly I rested a hand on their backs in a grateful manner, to which Stu surprisingly seemed to relish in.

I let out a yelp of fear as Billy reached out and suddenly slammed the man’s face into the floor, effectively knocking him out and silencing him immediately. Stu let out a snort then leaned lightly against my leg, his weight and warmth a welcome support in return, as Billy tied the man’s hands behind his back.

I let out a sigh of relief as we finally heard sirens approaching.

“Where’s Poppy?” Stu demanded suddenly, rising to his feet with an expression kin to fear on his face.

Billy swore harshly and growled out, “Did he hurt her before?!”

“No, no, she’s okay,” I reassured him quickly, “We hid before he got to us.”

Both men went limp in obvious relief as I called for her to come out. I heard nightstand scrape on the ground before she rushed out, barreling straight into my legs. I wasted no time hugging her back. After a few moments, she threw herself at the Stu. He brought her up in a bear hug, tossing a questioning look in my direction, to which I could only shrug. Why would I deny her comfort after what we’d just experienced? She clung to him like her life depended on it.

“We’re safe now, baby,” I murmured to her, reaching out and rubbing her back.

Her curls bobbed as she nodded in understanding. As she began to pull back, she instantly reached out for Billy, who was much more hesitant about holding her.

“Thank you. Thank you for saving us,” Poppy muttered into his shoulder.

“Of course,” was all he said eyes wide and glued to mine.

It was painfully obvious that he felt awkward and unsure of the familial affection, and I wanted to help somehow but wasn’t sure how. Stu shifted closer and wordlessly wrapped an arm around my shoulder, copying the motion on Billy, drawing us in. Poppy let out a little hiccup and a weak whimper as she fit snugly between the three of us. Feeling less awkward and even more grateful to them, I let my guard down and gave into my baser emotions; the dam breaking with the first tears that slipped out.

“Oh doll,” Stu muttered, squeezing me tighter when a little sniffle escaped my hold.

Eyes burning and chest aching with so many hectic emotions, I wrapped an arm around both their waists and held them tight; soaking up the feeling of complete and utter safety. As I rested my face against Stu’s chest, the tears flowed freely.

“You’re okay now,” Billy added after a few moments, “We’re not gonna let anyone hurt you.”

The sincerity in his tone took some of the ache away. I carefully drew from Stu and turned to face Billy, letting a frown curve at my lips.

“But you got hurt,” I murmured.

He looked surprised for a second before simply shrugging.

“This is nothing. I’d take worse if it’s what I had to do to make sure you guys weren’t hurt,” he replied.

Blushing, I swallowed hard and tentatively reached out, taking the hand that wasn’t holding up Poppy.

“Thank you. Let me go get a napkin and some ice for your nose.”

[onewingedxngel]

Sooooo, pre!, post!, and redeemeed!Seph's reactions once meeting Lucrecia? (On one hand, I feel like she'd be relieved he's alive. But on the other, that would mean her visions were true 😔)

Ello Anon, thanks for this. 

May I just start off by saying that I was so pissed off when Vincent told Lucrecia that Sephiroth was dead. I get that it would’ve been painful for her to know the truth, but JESUS CHRIST, JUST TELL HER THE TRUTH!! I mean, she’d be in great pain, but a) I want her reaction, b) she’s part of the reason that he exists in the first place, and c) I feel like, after all the explosion of emotion she’d go through, she’d want to find him, and...

... well, yeah, I’d love to see an interaction between the two. Hopefully the Remake will give us something like that; especially if it wants to tie up all the loose ends.

Pre-Nibel Seph

This will highly depend on context.

I won’t go into what would happen if she raised him alongside Hojo and Gast, since that’s a WHOOOOOLE other question, and trust me, this is already going to be a very long answer.

WELL. If she somehow met him just before the Nibelheim Incident, maybe when he’d entered the Library, hmm... I wouldn’t say he’d be super aggressive, but he’d be angry for sure. This is the moment where he realises his life is a lie, the moment which pushes him to the realisation that he is, ultimately, nothing. Although her presence may decrease the chances of him going on his rampage, they do not entirely negate them either. I must note that I believe that Sephiroth was going to destroy the town, with or without JENOVA’s temporary influence (I refrain from saying it’s a headcanon because I do have evidence to support this idea in an upcoming post).

He’d be angry. He’s ask questions. There’s a chance he may reject her in his anger. But there’s also a chance that she may manage to... well, not calm him, but do enough to prevent the deaths of Nibelheim villagers. Though, well, certain other deaths may still be on the table. His emotions are so powerful, and he knows so little on how to handle them, that this can’t ever really go over very smoothly. Especially when you consider the fact that he was raised a weapon. Hmm... maybe a few tears may or may not be shed if she encouraged him to be more open with his emotions, somehow (difficult but not impossible)

If he’d met her beforehand, he’d obviously be very curious and excited to find out about his mother. But the moment he finds out the truth would be the moment everything falls apart (especially if she keeps it a secret from him). He’d feel so betrayed.

The best way for it to occur would be for her to get him out of Shinra, essentially setting him free from the company, and be honest from the get-go. Again, it wouldn’t be easy, but the betrayal wouldn’t be as bad as the previous scenario, and he wouldn’t be trapped alone in a basement for days on end with thoughts of rage.

Post-Nibel Seph

Death, in 90% of cases I’d say. I mean, Sephiroth is faced with one of the three main players in his creation (other two being Gast and Hojo). However, even if I think he’d most likely kill her... I don’t think she’d go instantaneously, like with President Shinra in the Remake.

The thing is, this is his biological mother. The person from which he was born. The only person in the project who seemed to oppose it because they felt a personal connection to him. He’d want to know more. 

Psychological torture is a given, because when hasn’t he done that? He’d venture through every part of her thought process, force her to confront all the guilt, force her back into all the terrible memories. But what would make this interesting is that this would be a very revealing moment for Sephiroth too, because he’d be exploring one of the things that make him so vulnerable: his creation.

One may see more raw emotions from him. While he makes her face the horrors of her past, he’d be forced to face the horrors of his creation. And then, maybe, the questions, memories, and emotions he confronts her with may take a more explicitly personal turn. This is the very thing which pushed Sephiroth to do what he does, after all.

The main reason why I say the death rate isn’t 100% is because Lucrecia is, in my opinion, the only canonical character that would love Sephiroth unconditionally. Even if she’d be completely horrified by his actions, she still wouldn’t stop loving him, and would believe that it’s all her fault (which isn’t entirely incorrect).

I could see Sephiroth getting second thoughts in the deepest depths of his subconsious mind about killing her, but then stuffing them away. He might kill her without remorse, he might kill her precisely because of these uncertain thoughts, or, in the least likely scenario, he may spare her for the time being. He’d certainly deny it, but in at least some situations, her unconditional love may come to emotionally affect him in some manner.

But don’t get me wrong, if I’m incorrect and her love is not unconditional, then he’s definitely going to kill her (I’d elaborate but this has already gone on so long).

Redeemed!Seph

Well, since Redeemed!Sephiroth, you know... actually wants redemption, and as I explained in my post here (which also has a paragraph on Redeemed!Seph’s potential responses to Hojo): he is not inclined to kill. I go into detail about exceptions and special cases there, but in the overwhelming majority of cases, he will do what he can to avoid taking the life of both man and beast (which is easy, since his superior strength means he can take care of conflict without outright killing). This means that, unlike Post-Nibel Seph, he’s not going to approach Lucrecia with plans to kill her.

He’d feel a lot of emotions, all mixing together to the point where he’d be uncertain on how to describe how he feels. He wouldn’t be super warm to her, because even if she feels remorse over what she did, he still came into existence. And, as I’ve said a lot by now (don’t blame me, I love this concept): he would NOT EXIST if it hadn’t been for the experiment. Lucrecia didn’t randomly get pregnant and decide to experiment on her own child, no, as far as I can tell, THIS WAS PLANNED BEFORE CONCEPTION. Even if this was not the case, a Sephiroth without JENOVA cells literally would not be Sephiroth, but rather, a completely different person (I’d explain this more but I want to stay focused on the initial question).

Lucrecia felt bad because it was her child, not because of the ethical implications of creating a sentient being for the sake of exploitation/weaponisation, so I don’t think Seph would be super stoked about that.

Ultimately, though... I dunno, if she had a breakdown, he wouldn’t just leave her in such a state. He’d definitely want to talk to her, ask her questions, and I can’t see him rejecting her or the maternal warmth she throws at him (though he’d be quite awkward about it). But... he’d still very much feel bitterness over the nature of his existence and challenge her over her decisions. Hell, maybe go off to find Hojo alongside her too, for the sake of closure.

Since he’s nomadic, and would still be inclined to continue his travels (kinda relevant to the whole ~redemption~ thing), he wouldn’t stop for too long to spend time with her: but if she wished to join him (and I’m sure she would), he wouldn’t stop her unless he’s doing something particularly dangerous.

[gayspock]

omg some tng thought dump bc i havent shot anythin in the liveblog tag for a whilst now <3

- i literally have barely watched ANY tng this month bc of exams :( and am sooo sad bc of it </3 but ALSO bc my focus is through the window & i need to find sth to do with my HANDS whilst i watch but i cnt rlly think of anyhting right now grr grr bark arf arf so hmm to solve later

- which is also funny i think im jsut getting to this lull in tng? i think its jsut bc its a bingeing thing do u know what i mean, besties. the episodes are all very good at this point imo like theyre all sound as hell but i think the problem is trying to watchthem all like this when tng is still very episodic. like tos was eaiser for me i think because there was only 3 seasons of it and yah like... after 5 of tng - but then, with the first two which were so.... rough... - i jsut get a lil tired too quick </3 but i do wnna binge bc guh thats the only way i'll consume it you know girlies im broken in the head now :|

- anyways more relevant i think . like i said episodes are good now but hiii hellooo girls ?? helloooo? TAIL end of s5 has just been some straight BANGERS in particular. like middle of s5 is eh to me, but ohhh tail end besties like- SOME eps idc at all for (imaginary firned was extraordinarily mediocre, for example) but a lot of meat there ya know

- and like also. i am pulling the trigger early yah but like two eps left but i think ive heard good things abt the this one (the inner light) and the desc for the finale.. bestie, you know how i am about a data episode; im such a whoreee for it, it'll win me easy so im just counting on these girlies being good

- an yah so like literally not gong to talk abt them all but it slike

- the outcast yas i dont thnik it was perfect but i dont know man fucking hell i think its just strangely reaffirming to see like. a discussion on gender like that- when now that was like wht... 30 years ago???? omg

- cause and effect also had me obsessd i LOVE a good time loop story who doesnt but that all beng said i think theyre sooo hard to do like i think so many stories try to do a time loop bc it soudns cool but NO besties what makes it cool is pulling it off and they did that! go off! also beverly moments always obsessed

- the first duty is probs one of my favourite wes centred eps ive made my little comments on wesley before and well im not going over it al again now but this is what i want from hsi character ya know. and like even IF the ep isnt as standout as some of the others im mentioning it is bc like? again within the context of it bein, like, them doin wes in a way i actually like yah...<3

- the next phase had me like STOP it. STOP IT!!!!! STOP IT!!! ALL THE MAKINGS FOR SUUUCH A FAVE, BESTIES. first of all? centred on ro and geordi. insane behaviour. thanks im obsessed i am. and also its like- god i dotn know but... IVE COME TO REALISE, what i am qutie obsessed with the most is eps like this where the focus chars of the eps are isolated in a way like this like (where they cannot talk to the others, theyre in some seemingly impossible situation that they cant break out of ) you really GET to focus on the characters nad have them persevre like YES. its why i liked remember me so much . and its LIKE that ep and this one- its like? i dont thinktheyre EXTRAORDINARILY PERFECT but because theyre that kind of set up i love them omggg...........

- i also did love i, borg god yah baby i LVOE HOW GEORDI IS JUST THE BESTIE. THE BESTIE OF THE YEAR. WE LOVE GEORDI HE LTIERALLY JSUT MAKES EVERYONE LOVE HIM. NO OFFENCE BUT WHY IS GEORDI LIKE THE BEST THERE E-

- ACTUALLY SORRY ABOUT THE NEXT PHASE ALSO . DATA PLANNING GEORDI'S FUNERAL. CHRIST ALRIGHT! THAT DID SEND ME QUITE OFF THE EDGE THERE.

- althoguh speaking of god help me im starting to melt we havent had a data centric ep in YONKS it feels like and i assume the finale is data-centric from the desc but nonetheless im strating ro have withdrawals WHEN was the last one? was it hero worship? HELL that was so long ago

- anyways thats all the little thoughts ive had over the last quarter of the show peace and love mwah

[fizzingwizard]

Alright and now for episode 23! Which was a lot more interesting. Still lacking in pertinent ways but at least it got some stuff moving, and there were a few small but very nice character moments.

I took a LOT of Taichi spam this week you guys. The animation was slightly better than normal and my boy was just so good.

At parkour. He’s good at parkour.

More below!

We pick up where we left off last week, with Devimon arriving in his true form and picking a fight over Poyomon. He’s so threatened by a wad of jelly.

He does seem a bit weird though. More on that later.

The quintessential Taichi picture.

And just a cute one.

So okay, Devimon makes mincemeat of MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon. Like he wipes the floor with them. Even though they should be a level above him. I was like what’s going on. Clearly dark powers are giving him extra strength, but this still seemed like too much...

Yamato yells for Takeru to go hide. Taichi then yells for Yamato to go hide xD However Devimon has no trouble destroying all their possible hiding spots and attacking them.

Takeru worries about his brother :’<

Taichi quickly tries to think of a strategy but yup “Hide” is all he can come up with.

They communicate via digivice and Yamato has something of a better strategy but... it still just amounts to hiding.

Meanwhile their partners continue to get their butts kicked.

MetalGreymon: Hey watch it I just got this painted!

WereGaurumon: My nails! I just had them done!

Taichi: Would you two stop fussing, you’re so vain!

Taichi: We’ve got more important things to worry about! Like my hair!

Meanwhile in the real world... the four are together and Koushirou updates Jou and Mimi on the situation, which boils down to Not Good. The tank ships are still on a collision course. On top of that, Koushirou notices that the data being absorbed by Calmaramon’s... idk what to call it, data collection tower? thing, is being sent directly to the digital world. He guesses it’s going to be used to power the creature whose name I forgot they fought before.

This guy.

Koushirou also guesses this probably means Taichi and Yamato are in some deep shit rn.

Taichi is pretty smart too... he’s able to tell that Devimon is able to manipulate the dark mists and that’s how he’s able to find their hiding spots and attack them so easily.

Here’s the evil crystal that I would have thought was from Sailor Moon. Ahhh evil is so beautiful. And purple. Hmmm, the Crest of Knowledge is also purple, and absorption of data is converted to power.... GUYS KOUSHIROU’S GOING TO GO DARK.

Kidding, kidding. I would totally watch it though.

So the others go to fight Calmaramon and destroy the tower to help Taichi and Yamato. But, uh, they didn’t count on Calamaramon’s tentaclesx ;D

Kabuterimon makes the classic amateur mistake of DRAMATICALLY ANNOUNCING HIMSELF when he swerves in to rescue the girls...

... and he gets his just desserts. :P

Meanwhile Taichi and Yamato... are still losing. So who steps up to the plate but...

Takeru and Poyomon! Lol!

No seriously, this scene SCREAMED of the one in 99 where Hikari sacrifices herself to protect Yamato and Sora. I was really expecting Takeru to do the same thing here. “Leave my brother alone! Take me instead!”

But, I guess, since he’s a boy, he’s less self-sacrificial and more just... irrationally strong...

His conviction results in evolution!

Poyomon becomes Tokomon! THANK GOODNESS. I could not handle another “poyo, poyo!”

Devimon takes one look at this pink-cheeked thing and FREEEEEEAKS OUUUUUT.

“You remind me... of someone I once knew... you have... the same eyes... GRRRRRRRRR!!!!”

he didn’t say that but he totally should have lol. Now someone please make an edit of Angemon where he takes off his helmet and he has Tokomon eyes underneath x’D

Data readings on Koushirou’s computer start going haywire! The data is being sent somewhere fast!

I was expecting some kind of power up but I wasn’t expecting full on evolution. Because yup. That’s what goes down. Devimon evolves.

And here’s where he gets weird. His evolution seems painful. Unnatural. He doesn’t seem exactly pleased with it, to be frank. He’s really agitated by Tokomon but he doesn’t do much in the way of monologuing and it’s not even clear that the evolution is by his own design. It just kind of seems to happen. Then, once he does evolve, he’s much less talkative. This is generally not the sign of sanity or even sentience. It’s like Devimon is imprisoned by his evolution, which goes on a rampage.

Neodevimon. Actually, original Devimon is scarier but :P

Lol and then Tokomon gets blown out of Takeru’s arms and goes for a tumble while Takeru runs frantically after him xD Great moment.

Rollin rollin rollin, though the streams are swollen...

NeoDevimon is very powerful but y’know... WereGarurumon just STOOD there. This... this is totally his fault that he gets hurt here x’D

Taichi is displeased with this development, and yet, still cute in his displeasure.

Finally Koushirou manages to get through! Taichi is too preoccupied to jump for joy or anything but you can see that he’s excited. “Koushirouuuuu please save us!!!” basically that’s what’s going on

However he’s right away blown over and his digivice scatters and the signal drops...

Yamato is very Stressed.

However, contact with Koushirou has rejuvenated Taichi.

LIKE THE PHOENIX HE RISES FROM THE ASHES

Taichi: “FUCK THIS SHIIIIIIIIIT!”

His renewed conviction becomes power. Yeah, that’s a thing, we know.

Meanwhile, in the human world, the others have worked out that Taichi and Yamato are fighting and need help, and they combine the powers of their own passionate hearts in a classic shonen anime trope.

Koushirou gets a special moment all to himself! It’s really fast but still, the episode makes a point of focusing on Koushirou’s desire to connect with his friends and help them. I choose to believe this a nod to Koushirou’s significant role in the show and a way of saying “Sorry they’re not all together right now but they will be soon and characters other than Taichi and Yamato will get to do cool things in the not so distant future!”

Their partners are then able to defeat Calmaramon and destroy the data collection tower.

BOOM, baby.

Meanwhile our heroes who never sleep manage to defeat Devimon. Which, I figured, meant he’d retreat for now, but...

He freaking dies! Yup, that’s right! Disintegrates!! I was like what the heck?? This was a Boss Battle???? It had none of the signs of being a boss battle other than the boss being present and it wasn’t even that hard...

However, it’s not over till it’s over...

... Tokomon looks on NeoDevimon’s death kind of creepily. Like, the episode makes a point of showing us Tokomon’s reaction, not just the group’s. So... I feel like this is gonna be relevant. I COULD BE WRONG. But I just personally wouldn’t stick this bit in without it meaning something. But that something could be pretty much anything so we still don’t know much.

The sailors aboard the tankers whose control systems are restored at the last second are pretty darn relieved anyway.

This was my favorite moment in epiosde, Mimi flinging herself over Koushirou and knocking Jou out of the way to hug Sora in her enthusiasm over their victory xD awww Mimi

Yamato wants to know what’s with Taichi. Taichi’s like, “The others helped us from afar, I just know it...” AND THAT’S WHY HE’S BEST BOY.

Yamato gives Takeru an adorable pat on the head and tells him good job. Only thing that could have made this moment cuter would have been if he also patted Tokomon’s head. BECAUSE HELLO. KID JUST EVOLVED. SAY HI AND TELL HIM YOUR NAMES AT LEAST.

But then! Darknightmon uses the dark crystal thingy and...!

Le gasp! NeoDevimon’s corpse emerges from the ground...

Taichi has a flashback to another time they thought they won only for their defeated opponent to be infused with dark energy and resurrect...

... uh I forgot this guy’s name too >_>

Taichi: “Wow I never saw this coming!”

Well, I did. :P Due to being over ten years old...

We end with NeoDevimon’s mask cracking off!

Creepy!

Final thoughts... it now kind of looks like Darknightmon is the one pulling Devimon’s strings rather than the other way around. But my guess is that’s not the case. It could also be that Devimon told Darknightmon to do this - after all, Devimon used the stone’s power to evolve Darknightmon before, and this is just the reverse of that. Or it could be they are equals and in cahoots with each other. I definitely think there’s an even greater, bigger Bad out there that they either work for or are afraid of etc something like that, I think we probably all feel sure of that at least. But Devimon in this episode really surprised me in the ways he seems to lack agency. He seemed like a pawn of evil rather than the chessmaster himself.

So next week! Looks lit!

Devimon’s new evolution? or power up? whatever is creepier than NeoDevimon so that’s a relief.

BUT THIS IS EVEN CREEPIER HOLY CRAP TAICHI! Get some sleep, your eyes are all red! (And he’s injured. His hand is where he got hurt two weeks ago fighting Splashmon right? He got hit with miasma. I wonder if this is the same wound and if it’s somehow controlling him due to the dark energy getting into his system... But everyone’s more or less been hit with the dark energy at this point so maybe not. Anyway, CREEPY EYES, CREEPY CREEPY EYES.)

Also Yamato DIES. He DIES y’all. *funeral march plays* Hmm, Tokomon looks hungry...

Then we got this bit which in case you can’t tell is Takeru being awesome. So I figured, ahh, THIS is the boss battle, and we’re gonna see Angemon again already... weird as that sounds :P

HOW-E-VER

We also get this???? Taichi silhouetted against a brilliant light????? What does it mean? I mean we know Takeru has healing powers so I’m fully expecting that to happen but uhh are we also going to canonize Taichi next week? lol. Saint Taichi. I love him the best but I will be a bit miffed if next week IS the big boss battle and Takeru’s role is “power up Taichi so he can kill it” and that’s it... But I guess we’ll have to see.

It does rather look like they saved the animation budget for next week, the preview was nuts x’D Can’t wait.

[histrionic-dragon]

Scenelet

In the same continuity as Heroes are Easy, People are Hard. It would be a few months after the end of that story at least, though, because Bucky and Tony have to be at the point where they can, at least kind of, talk about It, albeit very obliquely.

Note that “It” includes not only Bucky killing Tony’s parents, but also Tony trying to kill Bucky, and Bucky being pretty OK with that. Bucky would also be willing to talk about It if Tony brought It up, because he owes Tony and will do whatever around It no matter how uncomfortable that makes him. Tony knows that, but Bucky’s guilty acquiescence to suffering bothers Tony in ways he finds difficult to describe, so he doesn’t do that. Result: they don’t talk about It.*

It is a workable and mostly comfortable equilibrium--after all, by the end of Heroes are Easy, they can have a conversation where the mere mention of Howard doesn’t send everything to a screeching halt. But both Bucky and (especially) Tony like to probe around the boundaries of things, so the following conversation eventually happens. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“...No, there’s assuming the worst and then there’s living the worst. It’s having contingency plans and bracing yourself versus acting like everything has already gone wrong before it does, which just confuses the shit out of everyone. That’s the kind of reasoning that results in a really awkward conversation in a forest in Myanmar. For example.” Tony plopped down on the couch, somehow not spilling any popcorn out of the heaping bowl he carried. “And I’m still offended about that.”

There was a little tension in Bucky’s shoulders and around his eyes, Pepper thought, but he answered casually enough as he leaned over to fish for the remote on the side table. “Look, I didn’t know you then. I was still kind of messed up. And Steve was sick and I was a little distracted by that.”

“Yeah, no, I know.” Tony’s tells were much more familiar. The lightness in his voice was forced, but not as much as it would be if he were going to tease Bucky or change the subject. “Just, you know what’s weird? I can’t tell if I’m more offended that you thought I wanted to kill you, or that you were so obviously just going to let me.”

Pepper got it  a second before Bucky did--his confused expression was just clearing when she groaned. “I’m staying out of this,” she announced, raising both hands as the men looked at her. “It’s not my business. I’ve said what I’m going to say to you both. Just--oh my God, Tony.”

“Hey, I built a flying suit of weaponized armor that the government wanted to take away from me,” Tony said, pointing at her. The indignation in his voice was only partly fake, and only mostly amused. Pepper shook her head, but shot him a reassuring smile before ostentatiously turning to her phone.

“A suit of armor I have used to fight against other suits of armor and aliens and robots and things much more intimidating than you,” Tony continued, looking at Bucky now. “I’m a bulletproof genius with ranged weaponry and I can fly. Hate to break it to you, but you’re just a regular human with one bulletproof limb. You don’t need to let me win. That’s just insulting.”

“It was symbolic,” Bucky grumbled. Pepper didn’t want to look at his face, but judging from his tone of voice, he was entering into the banter on more or less the same footing as Tony. Good. “Show of good faith.”

“Okay.” Tony shifted uncomfortably. “But you know I would win anyway, right?”

“Most likely.”

“Most like--?”

“Wait, did you read one of those ‘who would win in a fight’ threads again?” Pepper broke her own rule of noninvolvement, because the time Thor had read one of those in Tony’s hearing had led to weeks of spontaneous arguments. Granted, Thor had instigated at least half of those, but still.

“I may or may not have,” Tony said with great dignity. Bucky snorted.

“Okay,” Pepper said, putting her phone down. “To skip the first half hour of debating: combat situation, both of you aware of what’s going on and prepared in the manner of your choosing, both serious about fighting each other, no allies or other people involved in any way, terrain of your choosing. Who wins?”

“Me,” Tony said immediately.

“That depends,” Bucky said thoughtfully, and he looked--she thought--faintly amused as Tony bristled.

(Both of them were still slightly uncomfortable--but the debate was taking center stage. Good.)

“On what?”

“On definitions.”

It was Pepper’s turn to bristle. “I just told you everything relevant. Unless you’re actively looking for ways to nitpick--and if you are even when Tony isn’t--”

“Not trying to be difficult. It just depends on what counts as a win.” He turned to Tony. “Unless I had a way to get the drop on you before you got into the armor--”

“Which you wouldn’t because I have scanners--”

“--you would win in a fight.“

“Yes. Obviously. Thank you.”

“But if it’s like I thought it was”--and that took him some effort, Pepper thought; she was used to Tony’s circumlocutions, but it was odd seeing it in someone else--“if you were trying to kill me, then I win as long as I stay alive.”

“I fail to see the difference here.” Tony sounded a bit stiff, but still caught up in the silly argument.

Bucky settled back into the couch with a sly grin. “You’d have to find me first.”

“Oh.” Tony’s ruffled feathers faded and he leaned forward, interested. “I see.”

“I’m good at disappearing,” Bucky said. “Did it for years before Zemo, and then again with Steve. If I have no allies but also no constraints, any resources, any terrain--so anywhere in the world--” He spread his hands. “That’s a lot of hiding places.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “You vanished really well. Really well.” He paused, then-- “Exactly how much classified Hydra intel, agents, and networks did you know about?”

Bucky took a sip of his coffee. The smile in his eyes got that much more smug. “Not much reason to keep things from your assassin stored in the top-secret bases who forgets everything between thaws, is there?”

Tony was grinning the way he did when he was surprised by intellect: a trickier puzzle than he’d expected, someone being smarter than he’d thought. “Oh, damn. You’re good.”

“What’s going on here?” Steve asked, finally emerging from the kitchen with the big coffee carafe. “Refills?” Tony immediately lifted up his mug and made “gimme” motions.

“Emotionally maladaptive bonding,” Pepper replied, before either of the men could say anything.

Steve’s brow furrowed. “Natasha and Thor?” he asked over the reaction-noises from the others (an indignant squawk from Tony and a considering “yeah, fair” hmm from Bucky).

Pepper wobbled her hand in front of her. “More like--were you there the night Clint and Maria started talking about stakeouts?”

“Oh. That kind of bonding. Okay.” He waved the coffee in Tony’s general direction, then settled into the couch himself when Tony snatched the whole thing away from him. “So what are we watching next?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Pepper follows this logic perfectly and kind of wishes she didn’t.

~~~~~~~~~

PS.  I can totally see Clint and Maria playing some kind of hypothetical scenario “in any given city, where would you protect/assassinate a target?” strategy game at Avengers HQ in the fuzzy time between TWS and Ultron, especially when slightly drunk. Natasha and Thor’s emotionally maladaptive bonding style is about comparing kills.

[agentnorthdakota]

It's A Lot so you don't have to do all of them obviously but all odd numbers for Lark and all even for Cauterize

Collin I’m love you <3 I may not get through them all and I’m gonna skip the less relevant ones but you bet I’m gonna answer a lot of them. Under a readmore because this is gonna be a Lot lol.

1. Lark - Why did they choose their class(es)? their subclass(es) When they were a teenager they went to see a powerful, retired bard named Marsha who offered magical fantasy transition to anyone who desired it. While there, they were inspired by how welcoming she was, and by her masterful piano playing. They learned the basics of music from her and continued that path after they left. (College of Lore bards just get the real good perks imo lol)

2. Cauterize - Before they met their party, what was their main goal? We haven’t played yet so he hasn’t met his future party members, but his goal is basically to earn a living and go unnoticed. And the past he left behind finds him, to burn it out and finish it off once and for all.

4. Cauterize - If they could learn one spell that isn’t available to them at present, which spell would it be? Well he’s a monk so he has very limited magical abilities. Fireball would be sick but very attention-grabbing. He would enjoy Vicious Mockery, but Disguise Self would prove the most beneficial (for low-level spells considering he’s level 3).

5. Lark -Do they follow a higher power? what are their thoughts on divinity? Hard no. They don’t put much faith in the gods, even though they know they exist. In Lark’s mind, the life they have is theirs to live however they damn well please, and they’re going to make the most of it, because nothing is waiting for them afterwards

8. Cauterize - What are three songs that suit them? He has a playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3FzJakPSGPq9KL4snLcqW6?si=a53d2c47077a4d5d But the three of my favourites for him are: Just One Yesterday (Fall Out Boy, Foxes), Prodigal Son (Rationale), and Sunrise (High Dive Heart)

9. Lark - Do they care about their appearance? how much effort do they put into presentation? OH BOY do they ever. Lark is absolutely the type to spend an hour getting ready every morning, even when adventuring. They're very particular about their fashion and overall appearance, and a majority of the time they're putting on some kind of performance to be more attractive/charming. They only really let their guard down around their party, and particularly around their partner. Sidenote that they don't like getting dirty ex. going into the sewers, but they will if they have to. It also took them some time to become okay with the prominent scars on their face, and the other nasty scars they've picked up during their adventuring.

10. Cauterize - How often do they lie? what situations cause them to be dishonest? HA! Like, all the time. He has his fair share of secrets to keep, which means lying and deflecting when anything personal comes up. He's also a criminal, so he has to be careful about what he says and to who.

11. Lark - What skills are they proficient in? why? As a College of Lore Bard, just like. So Many. Sleight of Hand (+7), stealth (+7), investigation (+6), insight (+11), perception (+11), deception (+15), intimidation (+10), and persuasion (+15). Most of them are skills they picked up from their time as a honeytrap, deceiving, seducing, and stealing from nobles. Perception they honed during their journey because the party needed someone with an eye for danger.

12. Cauterize - Have they ever been in love? Once. Or at least, the closest thing to love he's ever felt, he didn't get much of a chance to explore it.

13. Lark - What do they dislike about themself? why? Oooh this is a hard one for them, because they have a Bit of an ego. But I'd say their tendency to push people away, and how they worry they're always too close to having their bad habits slide into addiction.

14. Cauterize - What is something they love about themself? Oh see now this one's equally difficult! Because Aut does not have much of an ego, he's always careful to stay humble and is fairly pessimistic. Love is a strong word, but he's proud that he takes control of his own life and future.

15. Lark - do they trust their party? why or why not? At the beginning Lark (Virus) didn't trust anyone (except Rancor their familiar). Trust was foolish, and letting people in on your secrets gave them power over you. But they've slowly learned to trust their party member with their life and their secrets. Mostly thanks to Kairos' stubborn persistence and affection lol.

16. Cauterize - What are their feelings on the people who raised them? Ooh this one's too spoiler-heavy to really answer, but Not Good.

17. Lark - What do they dream about, when their dreams are their own? Hmm this is a tough one, I haven't given much thought to their dreams. Their nightmares definitely consist of the times they've had to kill people, and maybe the rare nightmare of their upbringing. In terms of good dreams, probably memories of past lovers tbh, and of music. Dreams of a quieter, retired life with their partner.

18. Cauterize - Do they see themself as a leader or a follower? Another tough one! Aut would hate to be forced into the role of a leader, but he's also to stubborn and opinionated to be a well-behaved follower. He's kind of a lone wolf rn. This would be an interesting one to see how things play out and where he falls on this spectrum.

19. Lark - What haunts them? what doesn’t? Definitely the people they've had to kill. They never used to kill, and don't want to kill unless that person is "irredeemable" or is too great a threat to them and their loved ones. They harbour no guilt over their thieving and honeytrapping tendencies though, especially because they use it as a way to steal from and blackmail the rich nobles who deserve it.

20. Cauterize - Which of the five senses do they rely the most on? Sight and sound. His monk training would have taught him not to rely too heavily on any one scent, but these two are the best suited for sensing danger and incoming attacks in combat.

21. Lark - Do they follow their head, their heart, or their body? Pffft. I mean... defs their body more than they should. But they're not a fool, and typically have enough sense to think things through first and weight the risks. They rarely follow their heart - almost never did until recently.

22. (Lark) - What is a promise they’ve broken? I don't think Aut has made many promises, and the one I can think of is a major spoiler lol. This is actually a really interesting question for Lark tho, because they have a strict moral of not making promises unless they truly mean them. They'll lie through their teeth and manipulate people without a shred of guilt, but as soon as they use the word "promise," that means they're dead set on keeping their word.

23. Lark - How do they feel about nicknames, titles, or labels that have been given to them? how do they feel about their name? Lark never really got any nicknames or the like tbh. They're proud of the reputation they've built (whether that's for being a clever fuck or a skilled bard), so anything related to that they'd get a bit of satisfaction out of. They chose the name Lark Freesia for themself, as it embodies them and is truly their name, and they'd never trade it for anything (though they would add to it when they get married lol).

24. Cauterize - Which of the four elements speaks to them the most? Okay this one's plain and simple - fire. I mean, he is a fire genasi. But also he hates being associated with the sun (for ~reasons~), and so he really leans into his association with fire, as... almost an act of rebellion against that.

25. Lark - What stories do they like to tell? what stories do they like to hear? As a bard, I think they'd have a talent for remembering grand tales they've heard from other bards, and like to add their own twist and dramatic flair to them. They're more of a musician, but I think their songs would tell stories, and their favourite would be of triumph, of freedom, and of found family - though subtly. They like to hear stories from those they love about their own lives, anecdotes that open a window into their history and happiness.

26. Cauterize - Who do they miss? Without getting into specific spoilers, the only family he ever had, and the man he loved.

(I’m gonna keep adding to this lol)

[darkestwolfx]

Brains VS. Brawns - Re-Review #52

Look at MAX with his weapon of choice!

Right, now I’ve got that desperate exclamation out of the way, let’s get to the proper part of the review.

This is the final episode of series 2. Goodness grief, I cannot believe we’ve made it this far already. But we have, and so once again, I will give out one of my massive thank you’s to you all for supporting the Re-Review Series (even though the author has been massively busy in lockdown [ironic, right?] and so has given you some rather poor ones some days).

But, let’s begin with this shot of the desert, which somehow reminds me of TOS ‘The Uninvited’. What was it Scott said in that episode about unfriendly places?

Yeah, Thunderbird One got shot down in that episode... and in this episode, someone is also shooting at it, but with a giant, very dangerous - if you remember Brains trying to tell us all the possibilities back in ‘Power Play’ (or Battle of the Bad Guys Volume 1, as I like to remember it) - very powerful laser!

Yes, the desert is a very unfriendly spot.

So yes, this episode if where we get to see Project sentinel, a weapon that was beyond The Hood’s realm of conscience. Personally, I think The Hood would have definitely used that laser.

I thought this shot from ‘The Uninvited’ was relevant to show what I meant about the desert. See, unfriendly place. And I officially respect Adam Wilkin of the interweb for making this! It fits perfectly with my current line of conversation and really looks like it could have been a TAG episode.

Anyhow, moving on from my line of thought from the title card, let’s get down to business. And by that I mean the rescue business! 

And let’s just casually take Thunderbird One out to the desert - even after everything we’ve just been discussing and looking at? Yeah, the desert and Thunderbird One aren’t friends, but folks, be reassured, we don’t get to see it shot down today! Live in reassurance that TB1 is fine. I couldn’t have a certain someone holding their breath all the way through the review to hear that nugget of knowledge.

“I’m tracking the source... oh no! We have a situation. A really, really big one. A massive laser satellite just showed up on scanners. Guys, I think The Mechanic’s Project Sentinel is online.”

Because these bad guys have really been quiet since ‘Home on the Range’ so what else could we expect for the series final? And if there was ever a time for the “we have a situation line” it was now.

“That laser blast revealed a hidden underground facility. my scans show one life sign trapped inside.”

Hmm... the cogs in my brain were already turning at this. An underground facility with no records available to John?

“John, where am I exactly?”

“I can’t find any record of it. Whoever built that place didn’t want anyone to find it.”

“Well, The Mechanic found it.”

Yeah, I was suspicious.

“Losing those power cells didn’t stop The Mechanic. He’s using the sun to power it now!”

Why would The Mechanic want to fire at the Sahara? Yeah, I was doubly suspicious.

Yep, and we’ve yet to find a way to stop solar power - especially if you’ve got your solar panels up in space right near the source. Let’s power the world environmentally and take a leaf out of The Mechanic’s books.

“Scott, the Sentinel is firing!”

Warnings are useful given in advance Brains!

I sort of felt that. It looked and sounded like it hurt... It’s always Scott isn’t it? I bet they’ll be more prompts going up after this reminder... I’m still working on the rockfall, they don’t give us (or Scott) much chance to recover here).

“That was way too close.”

Yeah, you’re telling me!

“It looks like the longer the Sentinel charges, the more powerful it’s laser.”

Basic solar energy principles, right there.

Throw back to Friday - you know, hypercars, Tycho, David Tennant - “he will knock four times”, remember that line (different fandom I know, but go with it).

* Knock knock *

And we only get two. Shame. See where my mind wanders?

“This is International Rescue. Open up. I’ve come to get you out of here.”

“Ah, Scott Tracy. It took you long enough.”

“The Hood!”

Bet no one saw that coming.

Oh, wait, me! I did!

Cue obligatory gasps.

*Gasp*

*Gasp*

“The Hood!”

“What are you up to Hood?”

Punch him, Scott, please punch someone for once.

(Reminder that this show is universally rated).

Or not.

Just let The Hood walk right past you.

Universal rating.

There’s a parallel world somewhere - I like to think - where Scott does punch that smug face.

“Isn’t it obvious? The Mechanic is trying to fry me with a space laser.”

I know he’s the bad guy, I know we’re not meant to like him, but that line was humour central, I laughed massively. I’d forgotten it completely!

“I’m waiting for you to rescue me.”

“Us rescue you?”

“You are International Rescue, are you not?”

Sorry, you must have dialed the wrong number, this is International Gardening, supported by the one and only Ned Tedford. The only thing we rescue is geranium’s, definitely not super villains. Just imagine that world for a second.

But uh, no, this is International Rescue, reporting for duty.

“And that makes you think we’ll rescue you?”

“I’m counting on it.”

Remember that quality of Scott’s we love? The calm thinking, forward pushing, forgiving;

“Who you are and what you’ve done doesn’t matter.”

Yeah, well here it wavers, because it matters. This is the one (possibly there’s more on Scott’s bad list, but I think The Hood is probably the one he really can’t see past - I mean, he forgives Fuse, but I’m saying no more because we’ll get there later) person that Scott cannot treat with the same attitude he faces the rest of life and their rescues with. Everyone has their limits and for Scott, I think forgiving and saving the person who killed their Dad is just a step too far. And I don’t blame his lapse, it’s completely understandable. Put in his position, I think I would have been the same.

“Scott he has a point. We have a duty to protect people from harm. We don’t get to choose who that is.”

“Grandma...”

“But- just because we have to save him, doesn’t mean he’ll like it.”

I like her thinking.

“International Rescue, my life is in your hands.”

“Just make sure you remember that.”

Yeah, and then take shots at them again in Series 3.

Right, so summarizing up until here;

Let’s save The Hood - because morals demand it, rightly so - but that doesn’t mean we can’t imprison him at the same time! See, Scott is kinda getting what he wants.

“To The Hood. You can hide no more. Give me what you want or be destroyed.”

The Hood is controlling The Mechanic! But he’s refusing! I love it when someone overcomes challenges. So the whole controlling thing, definitely changes the playing board.

“I don’t think International Rescue will let that happen.”

“He’s right, Mechanic. Stand down.”

“I’m not after you International Rescue. I only want The Hood. Step aside.”

“As much as I’d like to, I can’t do that.”

“Then go down with him.”

He’s not actually a bad guy deep down. I knew there was more to this guy than we ever saw in ‘Earthbreaker’. And now, for one of my favourite events - the TAG game of Catch The Hood.

“Thunderbird One is about to be toast.”

“Maybe Thunderbird Shadow could carry the weight for a while.”

“What are you doing?”

“This is where you get off.”

Ding. Going down.

“Where are you going?”

“To Thunderbird Three. I’m going to take out Sentinel and The Mechanic before he takes out a Tracy.”

Got to love this boys spirit. That, and he hates to be left out.

“Alan, that’s a terrible plan. Firstly, The Mechanic will be operating the Sentinel remotely, so we don’t know where he is. Secondly, it’s a giant laser. Thunderbird Three would be shot clean out of the sky.”

Brains’ practically really is a good at being crushing. But it is practical.

“Let Thunderbird Four take the package for a while. I hope you don’t get seasick Hood, because we’re going all the way down.”

“John, this isn’t working. We’re in hot water down here.”

“Don’t worry, Thunderbird Four help is on the way.”

“Our turn to play pass the parcel. Parker, active the magnetic bumpers.

“Yes, M’Lady.”

“Here that Hood. You’re going for a nice drive in the country. He’s all yours, Lady Penelope.”

“Parcel received.”

Honestly, there’s no better way to document this scene really, save the scene itself, so I’m trying my best here.

“The magnets locked hon but gaw hit’s ‘eavy. hI do ‘ope hit will ‘old.”

“Parker, that magnet could hold a tractor if it had to.”

“We know that M’Lady, but The ‘ood doesn’t.”

Loved that laugh, Parker!

Meanwhile, on the chase;

“Can’t we just ditch The ‘ood? Better him than hus.”

“That’s not very International Rescue now, is it Parker?”

“No, M’Lady.”

But I’m with him.

“Thunderbird Two couldn’t sit by and let you have all the fun.”

No, and Alan tagged along. Virgil probably - wisely - pulled him off the island before he exploded.

“Magnetic coupling detached.”

“Got it.”

“This is the most fun I’ve had in ages.”

I’m honestly not sure the being chased by a giant laser part is fun... playing catch with The Hood? Yes, that’s fun. Better with no fear of being blown up!

Sorry, the game of catch distracted me, let’s get to the Brains part of the episode. Little bit of jumping around to be had.

“I wonder what it is The Mechanic wants exactly...”

Well, why don’t you go and find out.

There’s was a full Brains and MAX gear up sequence. About time.

“No, MAX. This laser’s far too dangerous for anyone to be on board. Rockets disengaged. That should let us slip through undetected.”

And they’re nearly detected! Contradiction number 1.

“Quiet MAX. There’s no one here, but we don’t know what kind of alarms there are.”

You know, the amount of times Brains has very definitely said (I think we’re on three) that The Mechanic couldn’t possibly be here, is really making me think The Mechanic is actually going to be here. Any one else?

Remember what you were saying to Alan and MAX about remote operating? That looks like The Mechanic to me.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well?”

“I asked first?”

“It’s my satellite.”

“Yes. Good point.”

Adored MAX, head turning, not sure where to look. These two were meant to be besties. It’s the joint speaking that gives it away.

“What could The Hood possibly have that you want so badly?”

Yes, let’s get to the point.

“It’s not what he has. It’s what he does. What he makes me do.”

“His cybernetic eye! The Hood is controlling you!”

Well done! It’s only taken 26 episodes! I mean, I guessed by around 13, but okay...

“Not always. I’ve learnt to fight it. That’s much easier up here. But I can’t fight him forever.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this. International Rescue can help you. I can help you.”

“No one can help me.”

Why does no one ever take the help first off! Trust in Brains mate! Sorry, Mr Mechanic, Sir.

“Maximum power!”

Yeah, Brains, I’m with John.

“The Mechanic is powering up for a single shot that will take out everything in the vicinity of The Hood. Brains, it’s now or never.”

MAX being such a hero fighting the Meccas.

“There! I’ve shut down his controls.”

“You’ve ruined everything! now I’ll never be rid of him.”

“Mechanic, trust me, as Chief Engineer of International Rescue, we will find a way to make sure The Hood never has control over you again. You’re coming with me.”

“You want to arrest me that much.”

“I’m not arresting you. I’m saving you.”

This is the start to a beautiful friendship. Just wait another twenty-odd episodes for it. Sit back, kick your feet up,

“The Mechanic is not fully responsible for his actions. He must be protected from The Hood. International Rescue will be in touch, I promise. Engineer to engineer.”

All’s well that ends well.

Speaking of;

“Hood, you’re under arrest.”

“Yes, please! Just get me away from International Rescue!”

I know they’ve just thrown him here, there and everywhere, but somehow I don’t think The Hood would ever take to arrest that easy. Not without a plan... and let’s face it, he had one in ‘Legacy’, what’s the bet he pulls the same trick?

“It seems like we can’t say it enough. Thank you, International Rescue.”

Yes, because not seem rude, but you would probably have lost the world ten times over with what we’ve seen of the GDF’s ‘show of force’ so far. They didn’t even notice when Captain Foster wasn’t Captain Foster! Really, The Hood should have set his sights higher and tried to play Colonel Casey. International Rescue might have been the only ones to notice.

“With those two in custody, all of you might just get a break.”

“Well, to be honest, I’m looking forward to some good old fashioned rescues for a change.”

“Sea quakes.”

“Rock slides.”

“Runaway asteroids.”

“Petty thieves stealing classified technology.”

“Unruly Ambassadors.”

“Dog sitting.”

“And fused power relays.”

And there you have it. What International Rescue call a normal Tuesday.

And we’ve reached the end Series 2!

Oh, wait, it’s like a post credit scene (only before the credits) and look!

Handcuffs on the floor and tied up GDF officers? Well, here we go again.

I mean, is anyone surprised that he found a way out? I’m not. And look at these people in purple! We haven’t had much purple yet in this show - besides the fact Grandma Tracy wears it all the time, so I feel a little like they’re stealing her signature colour. Couldn’t they have gone for black like every other bad guy in TAG? Apparently not.

“Everything has gone according to plan. The Tracy’s have taken care of The Mechanic and now, nothing to stop us causing global chaos.”

Is that a hint dropped there, you know like an easter egg?

But that is the end of Series 2. New bad guys to be introduced properly in tomorrows re-review!