#(-oh look at this FAMOUS PERSON we were able to hire ��� yeah ok. sure wendy. i want to know if this film is quality or not.)

[uniiiquehecrt]

Voice actors are NOT the same as actors.

It takes a specific kind of skill-set and training to be able to warp and meld the voice. It takes a certain kind of talent and dedication to hone that talent into the ability to meld the voice and invoke emotion with one's voice alone. Actors are used to using their voice secondarily to their body language and their facial expressions. It's all mirrored back on camera. They do have nuance. But it's a different kind of nuance and a different kind of training to produce that nuance.

Voice actors might get their likeness transposed on their character's design, and maybe their mannerisms might seep into the character's animation. But when it's all said and done: their presence is in their voice. They are bringing a character to life, showing that emotion in their voice, trying to keep a specific accent, drawl, pitch, tone in that voice and keep it consistent for their recording sessions.

The voice actor is like a classically trained musician who can play first chair in a competitive, world-renown orchestra. The actor (who fills the voice actor's role) is like a moot who played violin in beginner and intermediate high school orchestra and thinks they can get into Juilliard with that 2-4 years of experience.

This doesn't mean that the HS orchestra moot can't play. They can even be really good at it. Maybe they won competitions and sat first chair. But they are not in the same league as the person who's been training their whole lives and lives and breathes to hone their craft using the instrument and all of the training they've ever acquired to perfect it. They are not meant for the same roles. They are not in the same caliber. You do not hire the HS equivalent when you want to play complex music in a competitive orchestra.

Actors are not the same as voice actors.

And furthermore, actors - especially big name actors - taking the roles of animated characters for big budget films or TV pilots makes no sense anyways when - at least in the case of TV pilots - there's not a point to hiring a big budget actors anyways. That money could be used elsewhere (like paying your animators), and the talent that is brought onto the screen for X character could then be hired on to voice said character no recasting required.

I wouldn't say voice acting as a profession is in danger exactly, but it's certainly being disrespected and overlooked for celebrity clout, and this has ALWAYS been an issue. Shoot, even Robin Williams knew that much - which is why he tried so hard not to be used as a marketing chess piece for Aladdin and got royally pissed off when it happened anyways. People shouldn't go to any movie (but especially not animated films) because "oh famous actor is in it". People should go because it's a good movie and the voice acting is good.

People who honest to god think that voice actors are replaceable because "oh well anyone can voice act" or "I like xyz celebrity so naturally it'll be good" ... Honestly I just wish you'd reassess your priorities because you're missing the point and are part of the problem.

Voice Actors ≠ Actors.

[softyoongiionly]

BlackHeart Bakery

Who says Halloween can’t be romantic?

Pairing: Emo! Jungkook x Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Genre: fluff

A/N: HI OMG IM SO SORRY THIS IS LATE. I love you, I hope you like it. I’m sorry it isn’t longer but, I still can’t wait for you to read it.

-you never imagined that the quirky lil bakery down the street from your university would change your life  

-But it did

-“Omg shut up, you’re so dumb.”

-“Rawr xD”

-“Did you just say rawr xD out loud??? That totally defeats the purpose of its existence...”

-“Don’t cite the deep magic to me witch, I was there when it was written.”

-“And now you’re quoting the chronicles of narnia- alright just go back to sleep you big dummy...”

-“Mmm but you married a big dummy so what does that say about you”

-“Jungkook don't spoil it oh my god!”

-“Like they don’t know what’s coming already- spoiler alert losers! I get the girl.”

-“I hate you...”

-“Mm yeah- I love it when you talk dirty to me baby. The last time you said that- we ended up fuc-“

-“Ok! That’s enough! Our story begins...”

-Jungkook’s bakery was quite famous around your city

-If people didn’t come for the gaudy Halloween decorations  

-They came for the music  

-Exclusively pop punk, if you’re wondering

-It was like 2009 everyday  

-Which was comforting, considering the world has gotten a little

-Tricky

-Since then

-But anyways

-If they didn’t come for the music or the decorations

-They came for the AMAZING espresso  

-And the spooky themed treats

-But if you’re being honest

-You think the main thing that keeps them coming back

-Is Jungkook  

-If his sweeping black hair didn’t get you

-Or the adorable cheeky twinkle in his eyes

-It was the tattoos and the piercings  

-He looked like he walked right off of a black veil brides music video set  

-He was hot

-This was obvious

-But he didn’t seem to think so

-You had come to the conclusion that he was oblivious  

-he shoved his feet into his big black doc martens every morning  

-Slipped on his beaded bracelets and studded chokers

-Pulled his fall out boy t-shirt over his

-Massive

-Tattooed

-Biceps

-And just thought hm

-I’m pretty average I guess (lol)

-That’s a direct quote from him btw

-Men truly are hopeless

-Jungkook opened the bakery two years ago

-He had mentioned to you that he had saved up money from his 3 part time jobs to put a down payment on the building  

-Which was wedged between a sex shop

-And a thrift store

-And honestly his bakery

-Blackheart Bakery, if you’re being specific  

-Fits right in

-Jungkook refuses to hire new staff

-“They won’t do it right.” He whined to you one day

-“One time I tried to hire this guy and he put the sugared googly eyes on the cookie skeletons ALL WRONG”

-“How do you put googly eyes on wrong?” You had giggled

-“you just do- i- See? This is exactly why I can’t hire anyone...”

-You had started chewing on the end of your pencil in the midst of your laughter

-It was an unconscious habit

-And it makes Jungkook shift uncomfortably, his hands moving off of the top of your table

-“Don’t do that...” he had muttered, smirking to himself as he walked back behind the counter  

-he did that a lot

-He’d mutter something  

-Mildly flirtatious under his breath and then  

-Just walk away

-It was quite confusing

-But honestly you had a feeling he was just a filrty person  

-You certainly weren’t the only girl he smirked at

-Not that you pay attention

-Ok  

-Maybe you do  

-Kinda  

-Pay attention  

-but it’s not your fault!!!!  

-You just  

-Can’t help but feel a little jealous

-You kiiiiiinda have a little thing for him

-Ok

-Maybe it’s a big thing  

-Maybe it’s a massive

-Gigantic

-Towering  

-Crush  

-But look at him!!!

-You simply couldn’t be blamed

-It was his fault  

-Yep

-That’s what you’re going with

-It was Jungkook

-And his tight t shirts

-His ripped jeans

-His dangly earrings

-His tattoos

-His big

-Stupid boots

-Ugh ok

-Focus  

-You have work to do

-The whole reason you began coming to Jungkook's cafe was so you -could find a consistent place to study for your exams

-You were in school to become a teacher :)  

-And teachers have to study very very hard  

-Educating the youth is no easy feat  

-Jungkook had asked what you were studying during the first week you arrived at his spooky house of baked goods

-“Oh I’m an education major”

-“Ahh so you’re getting an education about...education.” He concludes

-“I love it.”

-“So meta.”

-“Are they educating you on the disparities between impoverished children and wealthier children?”

-His wide eyes were brimming with genuine curiosity  

-You kind of got a kick out of how candid he was about such heavy conversation topics

-“Not as much as they should be but, I’m actually writing a paper on a similar topic right now...”

-This caused a brilliant grin to come over his face

-It was almost blinding really

-And it made your heartbeat all wonky  

-“Of course you are. You look smart like that...”

-He had backed away from your table then, seemingly satisfied

-Had you passed the vibe check?

-“I’ll leave you to your paper.” He nodded to your laptop but as he walked away, he pivoted back towards you on and the heel of his combat boot, “welcome to Blackheart Bakery by the way, let me know if I can get you anything.”

-Another brilliant smile is sent your way  

-“Thank you.” You had smiled back, sending a tiny wave his way

-Which in turn, made HIS heartbeat all wonky  

-You’re cute

-Like really cute

-And despite how often it may seem like his eyes are elsewhere

-They are ALWAYS on you

-Every chance he gets he is glancing your way

-Smirking to himself at how endearing you are

-Brow furrowed

-Lips pouted in concentration  

-Completely oblivious to his gaze

-He has to remind himself to look away  

-He doesn’t want to be a creep

-“Creepy men deserved to get kicked in the teeth...”

-He’s said this to you before when another patron had made you uncomfortable

-Jungkook kicked him out immediately  

-“If you don’t leave, I’ll have no choice but to kick you in the teeth. One, because I can’t compromise my personal philosophy and two because you’re making my favorite customer uncomfortable.”

-Oh look there goes your heartbeat again

-WONKY

-The guy leaves in an angry rush, flipping Jungkook off in the process

-Saying something about leaving a bad Yelp review  

-He doesn’t care tho

-He definitely doesn’t want to be a creep

-You’re just so  

-Pretty

-Ugh

-He rolls his eyes at himself behind the espresso bar

-The latte in front of him neglected  

-In need of a bit of foam

-“Focus Jeon, she’s just a chick...”

No wait

-“She’s just a woman. A woman who I respect, like I respect all women...”

-He’s been watching a lot of feminist theory on YouTube

-He likes staying educated  

-And also fuck the patriarchy

-The man waiting for his drink has arched a brow at this point, wondering if his barista has lost his mind

-“Uhhh medium...” he checks the cup for his awful hand writing, “ghostly toasted marshmallow latte!”

-“Thanks.” The guy mutters, throwing a judging look Jungkook's way  

-He gives him a lazy salute as the guy struts away with a briefcase in tow

-“Thaaanks.” Jungkook mocks him, his face scrunching up in annoyance  

-Stupid man

-With his stupid briefcase  

-As Jungkook is pulling out a batch of cream cheese frosting stuffed pumpkin muffins  

-Or as Jungkook calls them

-PUNK-in Muffins

-Movement at the counter catches his eye

-is that

-”oh shit...” He grunts, hastily wiping his hands on his apron and rushing over to the counter

-normally he would meander

-stroll

-or even slump to greet any new guests at this hour

-and by this hour

-he means 45 minutes before closing

-Jungkook’s bakery is open til midnight on weeknights

-9pm on Sundays

-and 3am on Saturdays (for the culture of course, gotta keep it spooky)

-tonight happens to be a Friday night and the person awaiting his assistance is

-you

-”You’re still here?” He gawks, the black polish on his nails glimmering as he punches in a few keys on the register

-You offer him a tired and slightly amused smile, “No. Y/N died around 4:30, you’re speaking to her ghost. Please leave your message after the tone.”

-Jungkook cracks a smile, his palms resting on flat on the counter, “Do ghosts check their voicemails?”

-“Oh of course not but, I will be checking yours because you have access to caffeine.”

-Jungkook laughs

-no...he giggles  

-and it’s fucking cute

-but you digress

-“I feel like I should cut you off...this is your 4th latte; I’m pretty sure you’re 80% caffeine at this point...”

-“Noooo, don’t do that.” You whine slumping against the counter, “I just need to finish this one page...”

-He quirks a brow as he scribbles something on your cup, unimpressed with your statement, “You said that three hours ago. I’ll make you another one but I’m not putting an extra shot in.”

-Your face turns up in protest but he click his tongue against his teeth , shaking a manicured finger at you

-“Ah ah- nope. I don’t want to hear it. You either take that or I’m making you a hot chocolate and shutting the buildings power off.”

-With a dramatic sigh, you concede

-“Ugh fine. Here-” You go to hand him your debit card but he shakes his head

-“Put that away.”

-You want to protest but given the fact that he’s made the rules thus far during this interaction, you doubt you’d be able to stop him.

-A smile appears on your face then, appreciative of his generosity

-“Thank you.”

-He merely grins, waving you off before rolling up the sleeves of his black Blink 182 shirt

-as soon as his tattoos are out

-all the moisture leaves your mouth

-you try your hardest not to stare at him

-expertly, he eases the espresso shots into the milk, tongue poking between his lips in concentration

-and you

-being sleep-deprived

-and a little loopy

-decide to  

-flirt????????

-if you could even call it that

-which you could but you shouldn’t

-“For the record, when I finally dig my way out of this of mountain of death I’m stuck in, I will definitely take you up on that hot chocolate...”

-Jungkook’s brow quirks at the tone of your voice, his hands suddenly itching with nerves

-was that

-was that flirty?

-should he flirt back?

-“My hot chocolate is legendary. You won’t be disappointed.” His lips display a small grin as he places the lid atop your finished latte, “Also mountain of death is a great name and I WILL be stealing it.”

-You giggle

-again

-“and I WILL be suing you for copyright.”

-He laughs now, wiping up the bit of milk he spilled

-the sinewy muscles in his forearm tensing and untensing

“Good luck getting me to show up to court.”

-and that’s kinda how it was between you and Jungkook

-for like six months

-it was a little bit flirty but never anything to push either over you over the edge.

-and speaking of being on edge

-recently, you had gone from vacationing in your timeshare on the edge

-to signing a 35 year mortgage contract  

-4 bedrooms

-2.5 bathrooms

-of pure

-unrelenting

-stress

-you could feel it in the middle of your back

-shoving itself up between your shoulder blades

-your body seemed to ache with it

-the worst part being

-it was Halloween

-You should be out with your friends, having fun

-wearing itchy costumes and drinking sugary drinks

-but instead, your headed towards the bakery to work

-Jungkook was behind the counter, smiling happily at a family dressed like the cast of scooby doo

-from what you could see he was wearing a skeleton onesie

-his jet black hair tousled perfectly above his head

-he looked adorable

-(and hot)

-He notices you instantly, his face turning up in surprise

-you offer up a small wave and head over to your table

-you know he’s going to say something about you being there but

-you don’t really have much of a choice

-this work has to be done

-it takes him a second to spot you but when he does

-he seems to perk up

-his smile brightening as he looks back towards his customer

-as you’re setting everything up, you feel a presence (not the spooky kind) at the end of your table

-it’s Jungkook and he has your regular order in one hand, along with something wrapped in skeleton-patterned parchment paper

-“I know, I know.” You acknowledge before he’s even able to chide you for being here

-He smirks “What are you doing studying on the holiest day of the year??”

-You giggle

-“The holiest day of the year huh?”

-“Of course. Halloween is the one night a year that the homies can dress like total -sluts and no one can say anything about it.”

-This makes you giggle again

-“And you went with slutty skeleton huh? I love it- it’s like as naked as you can possibly get.”

-He chuckles, gesturing to his costume

-His floppy black hair getting in his face

-“Damn right baby.”

-The way he grins tells you the pet name is a joke

-But the deepening of his voice gets to you anyway

-“Thank you for this. I promise I’ll get out of your hair early tonight.”

-“The only thing I’m worried about getting out of my hair is this white spray paint. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”

-He’s put a streak of white spray paint in his raven locks

-Why? You’re not certain

-Does it look good on him, like everything else does?

-Absolutely

-Its been a few hours since your night of studying began

-Jungkook’s dropped off two free lattes since you’ve arrived  

-As well as a slice of his ‘I write cinnamon not tragedies’ bread

-Which was equally hilarious and delicious

-You caught him glancing over at your table a few times but you didn’t think anything of it

-He’s probably just checking to make sure that no one needs your table

-His bakery is packed most nights but Halloween is a special night at Blackheart Bakery

-He has a trick or treat counter set up with free (homemade) candy

-A photo op complete with a fake haunted house backdrop

-A Halloween playlist

-And a bunch of discounts on his signature lattes and food

-you watch him amongst the chaos

-He is completely unfazed

-He seems elated at the amount of customers he has

-he grins and laughs at something a man dressed like Thor says at his counter

-he seems entirely in his element

-you realize that the denial tactics you’ve been trying out haven’t been working

-because this floppy haired, tattooed, slutty skeleton/baker kind of has a hold on your heart

-you’ve been friends for a long time now

-he always makes sure you’re taken care of

-he always asks if you’re ok

-he always gives you this little grin

-it feels like a secret sometimes

-but maybe it’s been his way of letting you know where he stands

-he’s been bringing you lattes and pastries for months now

-he never charges you full-price

-he always reminds you not to work too hard

-he

-fuck

-he likes you doesn’t he?

-you look back over at the counter to see him bending over and handing a skeleton cookie to a little girl dressed like Captain Marvel

-he laughs at something she says

-his eyes focused entirely on her and whatever she seems to be proclaiming to him  

-your heart goes wonky again

-alright

-enough is enough

-you’re doing this  

-Jungkook’s done so much of the work thus far

-it’s time for you to seal the deal

-and if he rejects you, well…

-you can just crawl into a hole and never come out again

-easy peasy

-You can feel his eyes on you as you get up to take your place in line

-luckily there isn’t anyone else behind you

-rejection with an audience would certainly be worse

-Jungkook has his witty comment ready for you as you approach the register

-“I know for a fact you haven’t finished your third latte and I’m not making you another one until-“

-“I’m not here for another latte.” You laugh, trying to ignore the thrashing of your heartbeat

-“No? Well, are you finally going to try my Welcome to the Blackened Chicken Parade Burger then? I’ve been asking you for like three weeks…”

-god he’s fucking cute

-“I’m here to ask you out.”

-Jungkook swears he feels his heart stop

-“You’re here to…”

-He repeats the first part of your response as his he didn’t hear you

-his black fingernails anxiously tapping against the countertop

-“I’m here to ask you out- on a date.”

-Jungkooks face seems to go through various stages of confusion before a shy smirk presents itself on his pretty mouth

-“Me? You’re asking me-“ He places a hand on his chest, “-out on a date?”

-“Yes!” You laugh, slapping the counter a bit too hard, your nerves getting the best of you, “Are you down?”

-He shakes his head but his answer contradicts his movements

-“So down, beyond down. There is no one on Earth who is more DOWN than I am. Yes. My answer is yes. 50000% yes.”

-you can’t help the smile on your lips

-“great. So are you free next Friday then?”

-He grins with his teeth this time, nodding emphatically  

-“Consider the shop closed.”

-and so it was

-you returned to your table moments later  

-feeling on top of the world

-you did it

-you asked Jungkook out

-and he said yes

-and now you

-NOW YOU HAVE A DATE WITH JUNGKOOK

-LOOK AT YOU GO

-TAKING CHARGE

-you try your best to engage with your studies but with Jungkook on your mind

-its really hard

-roughly two hours later, things at the bakery have finally started to slow down

-“Hey uh- Y/N?”

-Jungkook's voice that pulls you out of your studying trance

-he’s standing at the entrance of his back room, waving you over with his hand

-and who are you to deny him?

-you make your way over there, annoyed at the instant increase in your heartrate

-he stands awkwardly to the side and gestures to the boxes on the metal rack

-“I just remembered that I’ve never given you a tour of the place. I give all my regulars a tour of the stockroom and my office and uh-”

-he cuts himself off and clumsily cups your cheek

-he pulls you into a kiss

-a really good kiss

-his lips are so warm

-he smells like cinnamon

-you could literally die happy

-The ridiculous nature of his first attempt to kiss you, makes you giggle into his mouth

-you feel him smile, his hands smushing your cheeks together as he pulls away

-“Ok I lied. There is no tour. I’ve just been watching you focus on your computer for the last two hours and you’re just really fucking cute and-”

-this time, it’s you who cuts him off

-“You better give me an actual tour next time. How else am I going to steal your secret recipes?”

-he scoffs in mock offense

-“Ah ha! So that’s the only reason you asked me out huh? Should I be calling you Plankton instead of Y/N? Ew no wait- that would make me Mr. Krabs and he’s a dirty capitalist...”

-You laugh, “Oooh good point. Guess you’ll just have to be Karen, my computer wife.”

-This makes him laugh now and the sound warms your soul

-“I could live with that- I like your last name better anyways.”

-with another kiss, your adventure with the emo baker of your dreams begins

-It may have been Halloween but it sure felt like Christmas to you

[bisexualsforprompto]

Maribat March Firsts

The Gotham trip was a trip of firsts for Marinette. First time in America. First time being in a different country without her parents. First time being left behind on the day she was supposed to go back to her home…

In reality, she should’ve seen it coming. After all, when Chloe had asked her to grab her makeup bag that she had “left” in the hotel, Marinette should’ve seen it coming.

Chloe didn’t leave anywhere without her makeup bag, but Marinette didn’t think about that, she just thought it would be the nice thing to do to go get it. Adrien was going to, but Lila was clinging onto him for dear life.

Normally, getting Chloe’s items would be Sabrina’s job (as proclaimed by Chloe), but Sabrina wasn’t able to make it on the trip. As if Chloe asking Marinette to do something wasn't a red flag enough, Lila had been getting real chummy with Chloe.

Regardless, Marinette went to get the makeup. When she had gone to the hotel lobby where Chloe said she left it, Marinette found only dust.

The concierge eyed her warily, but because it was Gotham, Marinette wasn’t surprised. Marinette was however surprised to call Alya and get a frantic answer, “Marinette! Girl! Where are you?!”

“I’m getting Chloe’s makeup...which is nowhere to be found.” Marinette said, her mind working on overdrive.

“Ok, well get here fast! Lila told everyone that you were already on the bus, so Bustier told the bus driver to leave! We’re on our way to the airport!!!” Alya exclaimed.

“What?!” Marinette shrieked, getting dirty looks from the concierge. She ran outside of the hotel. Where there bus had been parked down a few blocks further was nowhere to be seen. “Can’t Miss Bustier come back for me?!”

Marinette started panicking. She paced up and down the sidewalk, debating whether or not she should run around Gotham trying to find the bus, or wait for Bustier to come back for her.

“Adrien and Nino are trying to get her to turn the bus around, but we’re stuck in major traffic girl! And this bus driver is ancient! He can’t hear what Nino and Adrien are yelling at him to do!”

“Oh what am I gonna do?! What am I gonna do?! Alya!” Marinette whisper-shouted walking towards the end of the block. “Alya?! ALYA?!”

Marinette pulled her phone back, and was met with a pitch black screen. She pressed the on button frantically. She was out of battery.

If Marinette cursed, she’d be cursing enough to make Batman blush! But instead, she was racing up and down the sidewalk, hoping Miss. Bustier would come back for her.

In her panicked frenzy she ran into a dark haired woman with a formal business suit on. “My god!” She exclaimed.

“I’m so sorry, miss!” Marinette shouted with wide eyes.

“It’s alright!” The woman assured, “What’s got you in such a frenzy?”

Marinette took a deep breath, “Somyclassisonthisfieldtripandtheresthisliarandshemadeeveryonethinkiwasonthebusbutimnotandtheyleftwithoutmeandnowimgonnabestuckingothamforever!”

The woman gave her a dumbfounded expression and her eye twitched, “Could you slow down a bit, honey?” She asked calmly.

Marinette breathed out raggedly and nodded her head. “I’m from a visiting class from Paris. We’re on a class field trip to Gotham, but today was our last day, and the bus just left without me! They’re on their way to the airport without me! And my phone just died! So I can’t call for help!”

“Honey calm down.” The woman said, kneeling on the sidewalk and holding onto Marinette’s shoulders, “My name is Betty Bates. I’m the district attorney in Gotham. Is your class going to the Gotham Airlines?” Marinette nodded silently.

“Ok, well I can take you. Are you comfortable with that?” Betty asked her. Marinette nodded again. “Alright, let me bring you to my car, we’ll have to be quick though, I’m not sure when your airplane leaves.”

Betty took Marinette’s hand and led her around a corner. Betty smiled at her and pointed to her car, Marinette was just about to place her hand on the door when she heard a scream.

It was Betty. Marinette turned around to see the Joker, in all of his psychotic glory, laughing maniacally at Betty who was writhing on the ground laughing too, after being hit from one of his guns.

“Wow girly!” He shouted, “You could pass as a Wayne!” He eyed her up and brought his hand to her cheek. Marinette slapped it away and ducked underneath his grasp.

“That wasn’t very nice.” Joker pouted before laughing again. Marinette scowled. “Oh come on! Put a smile on that face!”

Joker aimed his gun at her. Marinette dodged in the nick of time again, she tripped, being far more clumsy as her alter ego. She tumbled around in a somersault-like fashion until she crashed right at the feet of one Harley Quinn.

“Leave the kid alone!” Harley yelled, patting her baseball bat. Catwoman and Poison Ivy were at her side.

“It’s not nice to pick on defenseless kids Joker.” Ivy said with malice in her voice.

“And who are you to stop me?!” Joker cackled.

“We’re not.” Catwoman said, “But they will.”

“Who?”

In a flash Batman and his family surrounded the Joker. Marinette heard blows land, but she didn’t see a thing. Harley had picked her up and was ushering her to safety.

Marinette couldn't process anything. Everything was beginning to be too much, too much. The last thing she heard was Harley saying,

“The kid doesn’t look too good!”

•~•~•~•~•

Marinette woke up being cuddled by two hyenas.

“Bud, Lou, shoo! She’s wakin’ up!” Harley exclaimed, running over to Marinette.

“Thank god, I did not want to have that call to Bruce.” Catwoman said, “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me he adopted another one.”

“A-Adopted?” Marinette asked groggily.

“You are one of Bruce’s kids aren’t you?” Poison Ivy asked, suspiciously.

“B-Bruce?”

“Bruce Wayne?” Ivy said with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t- I don’t know any Bruce Wayne’s.” Marinette said, “My parents are back in Paris...Paris! Oh kwami! I need to get to the airport!”

“What?!” Catwoman shouted. The other women were starting to pick up on her accent. “Oh my god…”

“We basically kidnapped a kid!” Harley pulled at her pigtails, “Bats is gonna kill us!”

“Babe, calm down.” Ivy said walking over to Harley. She focused her attention onto Marinette next, “You said you’re from Paris?”

Marinette nodded.

“What's your name?”

“Marinette.”

“Marinette, is your school here on a trip?”

“Yeah...but they left me behind, and they’re on their way to the airport without me! Kwami! Their plane has probably already left by now!” Marinette exclaimed.

“They left you behind?” Harley asked in disbelief.

Marinette nodded, starting to panic more.

“They behind in the crime capital of the world?!” Catwoman seethed, barely hiring her anger. She reached for her phone and started angrily punching numbers in. “Bruce? Yeah, it’s me. I need you here right now...Not like that you idiot! Just...get here now! And bring some of your dumbass children, I could use them.”

Catwoman hung up her phone with a sigh, “Bruce is on his way.”

“Good. In the meantime, tell us some more about your class little miss.” Harley said, bringing her baseball bat into her arms.

“Well there are these two girls. A liar and a bully. They’re dead set on trying to make my life miserable.” Marinette began.

“Did ya tell your teacher?” Harley asked.

“I...have, but she doesn’t really help. She sides with them most of the time.”

“Oh really? Why?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “something about me having to set an example. ‘Taking the high road’ and all that.”

“What?! That’s absolute bulls-“

Harley and Catwoman shut Ivy up with a glare.

“I have a couple friends in the class, but the liar hangs on Adrien all the time, he can barely ever get away from her! Alya and Nino try to help me, but Chloe always finds a way to rile Alya up and then Nino has to make sure Chloe isn’t murdered an-“

“So does that make Chloe the liar?” Catwoman asked.

“Yeah,” Marinette huffed, “I was okay at handling her until Lila showed up— she’s the liar.”

“What does she lie about?” Catwoman asked with genuine curiosity.

Marinette sighed, “Me bullying her mainly. She lies to my class about knowing a bunch of famous people, the lies could be disproven easily, but my classmates just trust her!”

“They’re really that dumb?” Escaped from Ivy’s mouth before she could stop it.

“Yeah,” Marinette shrugged, “Miss Bustier has been our teacher ever since we started school. She’s the kind of teacher who tells people that everyone is a good person. She doesn’t prepare anyone for the real world.”

“Then it’s sure foolish to come to Gotham of all places.” Harley muttered.

“Yeah, why would anyone plan a trip here?” Catwoman asked.

Marinette’s shoulders sagged and she got a tired expression on her face, “I planned another trip. I made the deposits and everything. We were going to go to Spain, but the moment I announced the trip Lila burst into tears and made up some illness she had, saying that she wouldn’t be able to go.” Marinette rolled her eyes, “And of course we had to make a new trip just because of Lila. The school lost so much money from non refundable deposits! According to Miss Bustier, Gotham was the only place we could afford.”

“They seem like real bitches! Really, lying about something so stupid and then your teacher making you plan a trip.” Ivy huffed. Catwoman and Harley cast her dirty looks, “What?”

“Well, I’m actually the class representative, so it was my job to plan the trip to Spain.” Marinette said, “I had a lot of really nice things planned.”

The group could hear the exhaustion and disappointment in her voice.

“Sweetheart, that environment is toxic! Trust me, I have a PhD in psychology, and no teacher should ever be putting that much on a student!” Harley said, ruffling Marinette’s hair.

“Can you tell us the liar, the bully and your teachers full names?” Catwoman asked, uncapping a pen.

“W-why?” Marinette asked with fear in her voice, “I don’t want them to get in trouble.”

“Hey,” Harley said softly, “They can’t just get away with what they’ve done to you. I can tell there’s more too, PhD remember? You’re baring more than a kid should ever be, I can see it in your eyes… Catwoman’s friend Bruce, has lots of connections, he’ll be here soon and I’m sure he’ll be able to look into them. I know you’ll feel better if they get what they deserve.”

“O-okay. The liar is Lila Rossi. The bully is Chloe Bourgeois. And my teacher is Caline Bustier.”

“Thank you sweetheart.” Harley said, pulling her in for a hug. Ivy raised an eyebrow, Harley just gave her a smirk, “I’m a natural with kids.”

At that moment a knock came from outside.

“That’s Bruce.” Catwoman confirmed as she went to the door.

A tall man in a suit and tie case in, “Catwoman.” He greeted. Three others followed in behind him.

“That’s it?” Catwoman furrowed her eyebrows, “I know you have more.”

“Well you didn’t give me much notice. Cass was...practicing and Tim is still at work. What do you need anyway?”

As Catwoman and Bruce discussed, the three boys that had followed him in came up to Marinette.

“Hey there!” Exclaimed the tallest one, “My name is Dick, that’s Jason, and the smallest one is Damian.”

“TT.”

“We’re Bruce’s sons.” Dick said politely, “Who are you?”

“M-Marinette.”

“Nice to meet you Marinette!” Dick smiled dazzlingly. “Where are you from?”

“France.” Marinette said, slightly amazed that Dick had realized she wasn’t from Gotham without Marinette saying more than her name.

“Oh! Are you the Paris trip that came here?”

Marinette nodded.

“Weren’t you supposed to leave today?” Dick asked, cocking his head to the side.

“She was, but her teacher left her behind.” Ivy butted in.

Dick scowled, “Really?”

“She didn’t even do a headcount?” Jason asked.

“If she did, she probably would’ve come back for me.” Marinette murmured.

“Disgraceful.” Damian turned up his nose, “But are you incapable of getting there? You could’ve called a cab, or one of your peers.”

“Damian, don’t be rude.” Dick warned.

“My phone’s dead.” Marinette grumbled.

“And we just saved her from an attack by Joker. We brought her here because we thought she was one of yours.” Harley said.

“You’re right.” Jason examined Marinette, “I sure hope you have parents kid, or Bruce will adopt you.”

Marinette giggled, “I have parents.”

“Shame, could’ve used a little Pixie as a sister.” Jason teased.

“Dick,” Bruce yelled, startling the everyone out of their conversation, “Check to see if the flight to Paris has taken off yet.”

Dick pulled out his phone and began to type rapidly. Marinette waited with baited breath. “B...It left…”

Marinette deflated.

“When’s the next flight to Paris?”

“Two days from now…”

Bruce sighed. “Alright, we’ll take the jet.”

“Jet?” Marinette wondered out loud.

“Yep,” Jason said popping the p, “The Wayne family jet.”

“Father if we leave now, we can make it to Paris before the other plane.” Damian said, looking at Dick’s screen.

“Is that okay with you Marinette?” Bruce asked.

“Yes please, that would be amazing, thank you.”

“Okay, we’ll go now. Alfred is in the car, so we can head straight to the airport.” Bruce said.

“Wait.” Dick said, “I don’t think I can spare seven hours, you know with our nighttime activities.”

“Right…” Bruce trailed off, “Jason and Dick, Alfred will take you home once we get to the airport.”

“TT. What about me, father?” Damian asked, folding his arms.

“I’ll be flying the jet, and I’m sure Marinette would like some company.” Bruce suggested. It seemed like a command to Marinette.

“Fine.”

“Alright.” Bruce brightened, “Let’s get going then.”

“Thank you Catwoman, Harley and Ivy!” Marinette called as she walked out of the door, trying to keep up with the Waynes.

“You’re welcome sweetie!”

•~•~•~•~•

Marinette sat in silence across from Damian, the only noise being the humming of the jet. She felt awkward, but at the same time, the silence was comforting, it gave her time to process.

And boy, did she realize that she had a lot to process.

If only I hadn’t given Adrien Kaaliki, she thought. She hadn’t expected to get separated from him, so in case there was an akuma they could go together, but obviously that didn’t work out well.

Marinette almost sighed, maybe if she was a better guardian and less reckless she would be on the plane with her friends, and not be wasting Mr. Wayne’s time.

“So,” Damian began, breaking the silence, “Father told me about the liar in your class. Why didn’t you stand up to her.”

“Well it was a mixture of things,” Marinette sighed, “She’s got my class wrapped around her finger, and my teacher too, plus I didn’t want to get her akumatized, that wouldn’t have looked good, and-“

“Akumatized?” Damian asked.

“Yeah, you know? By Hawkmoth!”

“Who is that?” Damian asked, scrunching up his nose.

“Paris’s supervillain...you really don’t know?” Marinette was shocked.

“TT, I had no idea such a thing existed in Paris.”

“Yeah, the mayor tries to keep it under wraps.” Marinette sighed, “Plus I think the magic of the miraculous makes keeps it covered up, if that makes sense.”

“Interesting…” Damian said, “Tell me more about your home.”

Marinette’s eyes lit up, “Well besides Hawkmoth, we actually have a lot of really amazing things! For one, the Eiffel Tower, but that’s the big attraction! We have many others too, the Louvre, the Sacre-Coeur, André’s ice cream and my parents bakery is one of the best in Paris!”

“Interesting. What kind of goods do they sell?” Damian asked.

Marinette gave him a funny look, “Your average pastries, bread, and sweets! Chat Noir and Ladybug have eaten there before!” Marinette proudly stated on behalf of her parents.

“Chat Noir...and Ladybug?”

“Oh right!” Marinette facepalmed, “They’re the heroes of Paris!”

Damian paused for a minute, “What do you think of them?”

“Pardon?”

“Are they good heroes? Could they use more help?”

“I think they’re pretty capable.” Marinette said a little more defensively than she wanted, “S-sorry, it’s just...Their our heroes you know?”

“I understand.” Damian said, “I’d react the same way if someone who didn’t know the situation in Gotham asked that about our heroes.”

Marinette sighed, “It’s so weird that these are the times we live in. Supervillains are just normal.”

“I suppose it is…” Damian pondered thoughtfully, “It’s odd for me, some things that aren’t normal for most are normal for me…”

“H-how so?” Marinette stuttered out, “I d-don’t mean to pry! You have to tell me. I mean you don’t have to tell me. I’m sorry.” Marinette was as red as a tomato.

Damian let out a low chuckle and smiled slightly, “My life has been surrounded by a lot of death.”

Marinette’s face dropped, “I’m sorry. That must be hard to talk about, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“I feel at ease with you Marinette. I know that’s forward, but it seems I don’t mind talking to you.”

“Really? We’ve only known each other for like an hour.” Marinette said quizzically.

“I suppose I’m odd as well then.” Damian gave her an expression that she couldn’t quite place.

She was surprised that he had felt like that with her.

She was surprised that she felt the same.

She looked at the boy across from her. His skin was a rich, dark, toned tan that complemented his piercing emerald green eyes. His face has defined features and his cheekbones could cut through steel. His black hair was naturally spiky and tousled in a way that made him effortlessly beautiful. She could tell even from his conservative black turtleneck that he had muscles.

Marinette blushed inadvertently, realizing how handsome the man before her really was, “S-so what else is special about you?”

“Special?” Damian smirked.

“Ummm...Sorry I just mean-“

“You don’t have to apologize all the time.” Damian said, “I was...teasing.”

Marinette held back a smile, he didn’t seem like the teasing type.

“Well you’ve met Todd and Grayson, but I have another brother, and a sister, and a few honorary family members.” Damian explained.

“That’s so amazing. I’m almost jealous, I wish I had siblings.” Marinette said tracing the hem of her skirt.

“They’re not all their cracked up to be…” Damian grumbled pushing his black hair away.

Marinette laughed and beamed, “You’re funny, Damian.”

“That’s not how most people would describe me.”

Marinette’s expression turned to worry, “How would they describe you?”

“Cold. Off putting. A demon of sorts.” Damian said blankly.

“I-I’m sorry. That’s awful.” Marinette said, “If...If it makes things better, I don’t see you that way.”

“It does...Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger than people you’ve known your whole life.” Marinette remarked.

“You’re a lot smarter than you pretend to be, aren’t you?” Marinette blushed. “I can tell your facade you put up isn���t really you.”

“Oh?” Was all Marinette could muster.

“You’re a lot stronger than you look.” Damian said, “And clever. Am I wrong?”

Marinette shook her head, “I’m underestimated a lot I guess...or used.”

“Hmm.” Damian tapped his cheek, “I think the clumsy baker’s daughter is a protection. They’re your walls because you’ve been used. You are a lot like me in that respect…Am I hot, or am I cold?”

Before Marinette could stop it, “You're very hot!” Escaped her lips. She clamped a hand over her mouth and blushed.

Damian chuckled, “Thank you Angel.”

“Angel?” Marinette blushed.

“Well if they call me a demon, you must be an angel, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I’m not sure my class would.” Marinette said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Then they’re idiots. You’re obviously a sweet person who looks out for everyone, isn’t that why you were left behind too?”

Marinette nodded.

“Then who cares what they think?” Damian scoffed.

“I have a feeling I’ll learn a lot from you.” Marinette mused.

“And I you.” Damian said, “Actually...I’m sure I can convince father to let me stay in Paris for a while when we drop you off, maybe we could go out somewhere?”

“Is the sly Damian Wayne asking me on a date?” Marinette teased. Red flooded Damian’s cheeks and danced away quickly.

“Well I suppose, if you’d like it to be one I would not be opposed.”

“Then I would like it to be one.” Marinette smiled. “Maybe you can meet my parents!”

“Wow, meeting the parents already? Aren’t you rather forward, Angel? I don’t even know your last name.” Damian smirked.

“Well I’ve met your father.” Marinette pointed out, “And for your information, my last name is Dupain-Chang.”

“Beautiful.” Damian remarked.

“Actually if you put it together it means ‘to make bread.’” Marinette laughed. The color came back to Damian’s cheeks.

“Well your first name is beautiful.”

“T-thank you.”

“Of course Angel.”

•~•~•~•~•

Seven hours passed more quickly than Marinette could’ve ever realized, Damian was so easy to talk to. By the time she knew it, they had landed in Paris.

“Father.” Damian said once he had helped Marinette off the jet, “I’d like to request some time in Paris before we depart again, Marinette and I are...going on a date.”

Bruce held back a smile, “You can have a few hours, I need to fuel the jet back up anyway. Have fun.”

Damian took Marinette’s hand and started to lead her away.

“Oh and Marinette.” She turned back to Bruce, “I’m glad we met.”

“Me too Mr. Wayne!” Marinette exclaimed before going off with Damian.

Marinette led him towards her bakery only to see her classmates walking her way.

Damian had been right, they had arrived in Paris before them, and from the shocked look on Lila’s face, it was clear they were surprised she arrived at all.

“Marinette!” Alya exclaimed, embracing her, “Why didn’t you answer your phone?! I was so worried! And how did you get here? And who’s this?”

Adrien and Nino approached them. “My phone died Al, sorry! Mr. Wayne flew me here, this is Damian.” Marinette motioned to the boy beside her.

“Wait Mr. Wayne...and Damian? Marinette did you meet the Bruce Wayne?!” Alya squealed.

“You know him?” Marinette asked. Adrien snorted.

“You really don’t know any celebrities out of fashion do you?” Nino laughed.

“Wait celebrities...that’s why you had your own jet?!” Marinette shrieked.

Damian held back a laugh, “You didn’t know?”

“No?!” Marinette said still hysterical, “No, I didn’t!!!”

Alya laughed, “This’ll take a while for her to process. Anyway, we have to drop our bags off, I’m so glad you're safe and here.” Alya hugged Marinette again, “Enjoy your date!”

“How’d you know?” Marinette asked.

“Well I didn’t before.” Alya winked, “Have fun you two. And if you break her heart, I break you, got it pretty boy?” Alya shoved a finger at Damian.

“If I break her heart, I will gladly let you.”

“That’s the correct answer. Bye Mari!” Alya waved walking off with Adrien and Nino.

Then came a scream of unbridled rage. It was loud. It was long. And it was undeniably, Chloe’s.

“I can’t believe this! Dupain-Chang is going on a date with a Wayne! And our plan didn’t work!”

“Plan?” Damian asked.

“Oh don’t act so surprised!” Chloe spat, “Lila and I planned right from the beginning to make sure your little girlfriend wouldn’t make the trip back, but it’s not fair that everything worked out for her!” Another scream, “I’m calling Daddy!”

Chloe stormed off.

“She’s lying!” Lila exclaimed as the rest of the class turned to her, “I had nothing to do with Marinette not showing up on the bus!”

“Even that is the case, which I doubt,” Damian started, “You’ve still lied about many things. That’s slander Miss Rossi. Father has already had his lawyers start compiling a case on you when he learned about you.”

“Is that really necessary Mr. Wayne?” Miss Bustier asked nervously, “Lila wasn’t causing any harm.”

“Oh? Like how you weren’t causing any harm? You’ll also be hearing from my lawyers. Negligence will be easy to prove against you. There is an obvious duty for a teacher, you obviously breached it, and I’m sure the Wayne lawyers will be able to prove that it was the causation of Marinette’s harm.”

“I-I…” Miss Bustier stood paralyzed in a dazed stupor.

“Come on Angel.” Damian said, extending his arm. Marinette took it and they walked away from the chaos and destruction Damian had just wreaked.

“Let’s go on that date, shall we?” Marinette smiled, creating the newest chapter of her story.

In the end it really was a day of firsts… First time Lila’s lies crumbled before her. First time Caline Bustier was called out for everything she had done. First time Marinette went out on a date.

But for all the firsts that Marinette had that day, none of them would be the last.

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 24 - The more its restored, the less like the original it becomes.

K: This is Dir en grey's Kaoru, starting this episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome....*points to Joe with his bare leg showing*..Errr, are you hot?

J: No, I mean, its hot isn't it?

K: Yeh, it is.

J: How do you feel about Summer? Im really bad with Summer!

K: Well, I don't like the heat, but I don't really go outside all that much.

J: Really? By the way, what are your favourite seasons, Kaoru?

K: Autumn and Spring.

J: Well, yeh right? Which do you hate the most? Winter or Summer?

K: Im really sensitive to hot and cold.

J: Oh really?!

K: But, hmm, which one? Maybe Summer is better.

J: Summer is better? Ehh? But in the winter you can always put on extra clothes if you are cold..but in Summer...we have our limits, right?  Summer is...

K: Can't you just put the aircon on?

J: I do...but..

K: If you go outside, right?

J: Outside is also hot, and if you leave the aircon on constantly inside, you'll catch a cold. Its hard, I really don't like summer at all!

T: Haha

J: You're also limited in what you can eat, right? You have no appetite, you get bored of eating soumen noodles every day.

K: Yeh, that does get boring.

J: In winter you can have big hot pots, and all sorts!

K: I eat hot pots in the summer too.

J: Really?!

T: Ehh?

J: Incredible! Ah, but on the other hand, yes, that kinda works.

T: Wouldn't you feel cooler? After eating it?

K: I feel hot.

J: You feel hot? haha.

K: Hahaha

J: Its is hot!

K: I get really hot! Haha

T: Do you eat it with the aircon blasting?

K: Well, even with the aircon blasting, I still sweat a lot.

J: Its hot, right? But doing that feels good? Conversely?

K: What have you been eating?

J: Salad, basically.

K: Did you say you were on a diet?

J: Yeh, my belly is getting round.

K: Weren't you going to the gym?

J: I am going to the gym!

K: Haha.

J: I started with squats, and when I lifted up, it was so hard*1.

K: Hahaha

J: My muscles hurt a lot today. I can't walk up the stairs.

T: Hahaha

K: At 50, you're like...

J: Getting my teeth out...

K: Getting your teeth out..

T: Doing squats...

J: Yeh, well im divorced, and im aiming to remarry, so this is my last spurt. If I havn't reached my goal by age 55...

K: You've entered a plan to reform yourself?

J: Yes, I have.

T: Joe, you're young!

J: If I havn't managed it by 55, I'll give up...*gestures to camera* So, please,  everyone.

K: Why are you smiling?

T: Hahaha

J: I've kinda been wanting to do that.

K: Hahaha

J: Lets cut that bit.

K: No, we'll show it

J: Hahaha

K: We won't cut it, haha. Ok, Joe san. Today's news please.

J: Yes, this is today's news. We talked about this news a little bit once on the radio show, didn't we?

K: Yeh, we did.

J: Right? Well this is news about how "The more it was restored, the less like the original it became". So in Spain, its been disovered that  an amatuer tried to re-touch a famous work of art, and failed twice. The altered work is a oil painting copy of the 17th century piece by the Spanish Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. The title of the work is, 'The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables'. The owner of this piece, an art collecter based in Valencia, who paid 1200 euros for it, had requested an employee of a furniture repair company to clean the painting. But during the cleaning, the Virgin Mary's face changed. After not one, but two restoration attempts, the painting was completely ruined, and the owner was apparently very angry. So, if you search for it, you will be able to find the images online. We can't show you them here due to the issue of image rights (*On screen text: Search for Spain painting restoration*). But...yehh..

T: Its incredible, isn't it?

J: This is shocking!

K: They weren't looking at how the picture is supposed to be, were they?

T: *Looking at his paper* Is the top picture the first restoration attempt?

K: Yeh, the one on the left is the original state, and on the right is the first restoration.

J: The top right, yeh.

*Lots of giggling*

J: This has zero sense of Maria! It looks like some vandalism.

K: Its looks like those pictures they stick up outside the police box *2

J: This first attempt is bad enough...

K: Its terrible, really bad!

J: But it generally still fits with the original Maria's line of gaze, right?

K: Yeh, but like, you can see the whites of her eyes. The top half is totally black.

J: If this is restoration work, it means they took money for it?

T: ??? *3

J: Really!

K: How did they actually do it though? Normally you have to use a matching colour to the original, and just do it like this, right?*imitates dabbing paint finely*

J: I think so.

K: But it seems like this person has just gone like "Gahhh' *imitates waving a paintbrush around roughly*

J: They re-painted it, right?

K: They are just slapping paint on, you can't see much detail.

J: Re-writing it! Its terrible!

K: They were somehow trying to remember what it used to look like.

J: At least they could have taken a photo..

K: Without that, this third try is never gonna work.

J: Everyone, please search for these images online. The third image is shocking!

T: The second pic is still looking upwards and kinda has a bit of the orininal feel to it, but the third pic is just staring straight forward!

K: Its the same person who did them both, right?

Kami: Um..I just..

J: Ah, Kami is here.

Kami: Um, I had a look at it, but where did her clothes go?

J: Huh? (*looks at paper*) Ohh, her clothes?

Kami: Yeh.

J: In the original, the area from Maria's chest and up is visible, but by the third picture, the clothes cover up to her head. This is awful!

T: Its scary, isn't it?

J: This is...well, where is the real problem? Even this kind of person has the authority to do restorations, even people at this level.

K: I dont know if they had the authority, they were just asked.

Kami: Yeh, the owner asked a furniture business to do it.

J: Yeh, someone from the furniture business came to restore it.

Kami: If you ask a furniture store to do it, this kind of result can't be helped.

K: For sure. ????*4

Kami: Maria got really ugly.

T: Ahh, I see! Originally, they were supposed to be just cleaning it right? Like, removing the dust.

J: Yeh, that might have been it. Like the painting was deteriorating, and in order to stop it getting worse, or something like that. They must have thought it was ok to go ahead and re-paint it.

K: The person who did it was quite eldery weren't they?

J: Ahh, I see.

T: This is crazy

J: But after seeing their first try, they should have given up trying to fix it for a second time. Somehow, that would've been better.

K: The owner shouldn't ask the same person to fix it, right?

J: Right!

K: But, well, it won't go back to its original state will it?

J: No, it won't.

K: Even if a new person could get to back to this (*points at the first restoration attempt*)

J: ??? Its like hell if you keep going, and hell if you stop. In the end, its like ??? *5, it would be no good...Well, its an impressive thing.

K: Yeh, but imagine if you wanted to keep viewing the painting, as for the first restoration,   if you look at it from far away, it kiiinda still resembles the original a bit. But the second one is no good at all.

J: Yeh, its no good. In the first one you can kinda still see that they were trying to paint the virgin mary, but in the second restoration, it looks like an old woman..not even a proper portrait.

T: Her nose is well defined though, haha.

J: Well, yeh...Isn't the Virgin Mary a friend of Kami's?

Kami: Well, the one in the original is my friend. The third one is totally different.

J: Its no good?

K: That kind of old woman, really.

J: Do you consider this to be a profanity? Is this ok?

Kami: Well, its ok, isn't it?

J: Hahaha.

Kami: That kind of thing.

J: Ah, its ok.

Kami: The original is really well painted isn't it?

T: Mm, yeh.

Kami: Yeh, I think its a really good picture.

K: Its a copy though right? There is someone who painted this as a copy?

T: Yeh, there is a proper original.

K: It would be pretty expensive to hire that person to fix it, right?

J: I think they were trying to save money. 140000yen was too much for them. I wonder how much it usually costs to have a painting decently restored? How much did they save?

K: It probably takes quite a long time to do.

T: I think it takes a really long time.

J: Yeah. Well, when they saw how it ended up, it says the owner was angry, well, yeh, he would be angry wouldn't he?

K: Yeh, he would. Cause its his precious painting that he just wanted cleaning.

J: Yes, thats it.

K: I can only laugh at this, haha. Its a total disaster, really.

T: It really is.

J: Well, the lesson to learn from this is that a ricecake maker makes ricecakes. If you want anything repairing properly, hire a professional..otherwise this type of thing will happen.

T: Thats it.

J: Don't be stingy!

T: Its problematic if they pretend to be a pro, then take your money. But in this case they were just a furniture store.

J: Asking a furniture store to do it was the mistake. Why did they ask a furniture store?

T: But they still said, 'Yes, we can do it', right?

J: Hmm, yeah.

K: They had the look of someone who could do it. The owner was fooled.

J: Its like 'The Guild', they may have had the look of a craftsperson. You have to be careful with appearance too.

K: Well, I think we'll finish here. Please subscribe. Thank you very much.

J: Go Hanshin Tigers!

*1, 2 Couldn't make out the last words, but i think its something like this.

*3, 4, 5 Couldn't make out.

[munsonsduchess]

So. I re watched The Magnificent Seven again because I’m at home self isolating until my housemates covid test comes back in a couple days so I made some notes. Presented below as I watched the film … again

Teddy looks like he wants to say something to encourage Matthew not to speak but like he just can’t find the courage to speak up

Everyone turning to stare at Sam as he rides through the town. Like they aren’t used to seeing a man of colour make something of himself.

The bartender who tells Sam they don’t serve ‘that kind’ as a direct insulation that they don’t serve Sam’s kind. Which could have just been because Sam is a lawman and the barman is an outlaw but could also be more than that

Faraday isn’t as stupid as he looks. He knows exactly who Dan is and what Sam’s purpose was. He could tell something was happening and was ready in seconds with a gun drawn to help Sam.

He sticks around after everyone runs out because he knows Sam’s occupation and seems to want to know more.

Emma has obviously been searching for someone who could help for a long time. Teddy stopping her from talking to Sam and her acceptance seems to imply that they’ve spoken to people before but that no one has taken them seriously. Maybe because Emma is a woman

Emma is clearly ready to offer up anything she can to find ‘righteousness’. It also seems like she’s more than ready for a fight.

Sam had decided upon hearing Bouge’s name that he would take the job and then when Emma shared her convictions he knew he could pass off his intentions as unselfish if anyone asked

Faraday cheats at cards and is scared of the dark confirmed. He’s also clever enough to use his wits to get out of a situation when he’s seemingly at the mercy of two other men

Faraday has issues around killing people. He clearly shows remorse for his actions. He doesn’t seem to like violence but he’ll use it to get what he wants if he needs to

Does Faraday know who Joan of Arc is?

He’s also apparently willing to throw his life away for strangers

Emma is not here for your shit

Teddy is a good boy and he’s here to help his friend on her vengeance quest as all good friends should

Vasquez wants Sam to know that he’s not the type of man who kills in cold blood. He uses Emma as leverage because a white woman’s death will look worse for Sam

Sam offers to tear up the warrant to get Vas on his side but I have the feeling he would have done it anyway

Vas taking a minute to decide and figuring if he works with Sam there’s a possibility of him going free and not having to run anymore

GOODY! That hip swagger

“That’s ok son you just pay me double” Goody is a respected member of the community and his reputation proceeds him so there is a level of fear there at offending him or anyone associated with him

Faraday is clearly interested to see how people react to or behave around Goody. To see how the man stacks up to the story

Goody very interested in who Faraday and Teddy are and what they have to say. Putting them off their game by speaking in the middle of the saloon while he’s getting a shave

“I keep him employed and he keeps me on the level” clearly Billy has been helping Goody with his demons far beyond what we see later

Goody and Sam being friends warms my heart

That good old southern breeding. Goody can’t resist being charming

“Ain’t no such thing as a Texican” that’s one hell of a loaded statement right there

“This is not going to end well” couldn’t have said it better myself Goody

The Famous Pigeon Brothers who weren’t famous for very long

“I believe that bear was wearing peoples clothes” Joshua the man was snuck up on in the dead of night, had a boulder smashed over his head and has been tracking the culprits for two days. I don’t think you’d be in your right mind either

“Don’t call the alligator big mouth till you cross the river” Goody just has all the best advice

IT’S MY BOY!

There’s obviously something Faraday is trying to drown in all that whiskey and Teddy knows it which is obviously why he tells Faraday to keep it

Emma doesn’t trust Farday at all

Goody knows what’s up although he’s not one to talk about the battle behind him

MY SON! HE’S SO PRETTY I WANT TO CRY

Sam giving Vas the gun so he’s less threatening to Red. Same way he left his gun outside when they went after Vas

I love that Martin cut his hair off to be historically accurate but damn what I wouldn’t have given for a long haired Red in this movie

Peace offering or trolling? Both? Both.

“Yeah ok I trust you now”

Can I also say I love how Martin learnt to ride bareback for the historical accuracy? Like historical accuracy is my jam. Now I just wonder how accurate the costumes are

“Oh good it’s a black man and an Asian man quickly call your children inside for who knows what havoc they might bring”

I do love how the racism is never as overt as someone using a slur but it’s always there just under the surface

“Manservant? Really?”

Did they practice how they were going to come into town and look imposing or do they all just instinctively know how to pose? I know Goody does anyway

I cannot keep a straight face when Farday calls himself the worlds greatest lover

Sam has no time for these Blackstone men and I am here for it

Sam’s horse is just called Horse

Goody having PTSD flashbacks before the shooting even starts since he’s clearly triggered by just the situation

A western staple where the bad guys always miss and the good guys never do

At times like this Mal Reynolds comes to me speaking words of wisdom “shoot the man not the horse, a dead horse is cover, a live horse is a whole lot of panic”

Faraday and Vas being very gay and poor confused Red like “tie him up what?”

“Lincoln like the president” and goody just “oh damn”

Someone please give Emma a better shirt. She’s gonna spill out of that one

“Seems I was the only one with balls enough to do so” damn right you were

Emma just breaking down when there’s no one around to see her use she has to be strong

“Fame is a sarcophagus” “what’s a syllable?”

TABLE MANNERS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TABLE MANNERS

Goodbye to the working girls the town isn’t the same without them

Emma has a better shirt! She still looks like she’s gonna spill out though

Shooting lessons with Goody and Faraday

“The way of northern aggression”

Billy’s class just running away because he’s way too good

“Make me some eggs”

“GET SOME GRAVEL IN YOUR CRAW!”

Faraday trying to goad Goody into proving himself. Sam’s wariness and Goody turning around and showing Faraday just why he got the title he did despite the reasons why he doesn’t pick up a rifle anymore

Do any of them know what Jack is talking about?

“So far so good”

We’re to assume it’s Goody picking off Bouge’s men at the mine since he’s the only one who could make those sorts of shots which means Sam has talked him into doing it even though he’s seen what happened to Goody during the initial fight

“I’ve always wanted to blow something up”

The look on the faces of the people who live in town as the miners come through. They’ve always lived separately from these men and now they’re forced to look at their faces and see just how they’ve all been living

Sam putting the dynamite in the hotel like it’s no big deal

Poor Peter Skarsgard. He’s the bad guy or the poor Dad in a horror movie while his dad is spooning Colin Firth on a boat in Greece

“I worked for my money. I wasn’t given a million dollar loan. I’m a good guy”

Emma can shoot just fine. She does not need you Faraday

“I had a father thank you” “I didn’t” proceeds to show off as if to prove himself

“They say the nightmares never go away” no they really don’t ask Goody

“Avenge me!” Yeah faraday it’s not that hard

“I am to fight” “it comes to that and we’re all dead” excuse you Sam but Emma is the one who brought you here and she’s the one who’s been raring for the fight since the beginning but sure put her with the women and children

I’m also so mad they cut out of the scene of Vas and the school teachers kid talking

“I have three Maria’s!”

I’m afraid of owls too goody you aren’t alone

TABLE MANNERS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

How long had Bouge been in Rose Creek and making the residents live in fear? That it had to be the seven who were able to show them how to live their life again

Those loose white shirts though 👌🏼

Squinting into the sun as the realisation dawns

Sam knows Goody better than Goody knows himself and Goody knows Sam better than Sam knows himself

Sam doing his best to help his friend with his PTSD but Goody just can’t

“It looks like he’s started to drink” that’s because Goody was his friend his best friend and there are untold emotions and god knows what else between them and now that man had left but not just that but left him behind is torturous

“I’m hungry” You little shit!” Red Harvest. Professional Troll

Sam seeking refuge in what’s left of the church. Feeling the proverbial noose tightening as he clutches at his neck

Emma reminding us what this whole endeavour is for. How it all started. How it’s going to end

Bouge sitting back because he’s sure his hired men will be enough. He’s never faced opposition before so he’s confident he still won’t. Or at least that his money will solve all his problems

Also if Red only wears his war paint for special occasions and if he was tracking the group prior to joining them does that mean he put his war paint on specifically to talk to Sam

Another man in Goody’s spot in the bell tower because presumably he’s the second best shot with a rifle or the only other person they could trust up there

A+ use of Fox holes though

Jack reciting his prayers as he goes absolutely feral

Faraday’s happy little smile when he finally gets to blow something up

Jack trying to help as many men as he can, men who are fathers, husbands, good honest men

Bouge who doesn’t seem to care one ounce that the people in the village are being slaughtered and bringing the battling gun out just for extra overkill

“You ok güero?” “So far so good”

“We still have men there sir” proof that Bouge does not care one single ounce for human life that isn’t his own

That rebel yell

“The devils breath” I can only imagine how a Gatling gun got that name especially from a war vet who’s likely seen countless friends allies and enemies alike be blown down by this devil

Faraday being concerned for the children even though he’s injured himself

Jack protecting Teddy at the cost of his own life. Defiant of Denali to the end But accepting his death with a sigh believing in his faith that he’ll be rewarded in heaven and reunited with his family

“I knew you’d be back” Billy has so much faith in Goodnight and I’m gonna cry

Emma with an empty gun putting herself in front of an injured man between the injured man and Denali

Denali ain’t shit!

“You’re a disgrace”

“My daddy used to say a lot of things” these two I cannot cope

“I might need a new vest” Faraday you reckless idiot

“Hit the steeple”

“I got him!” “Oh Goody” I’m not crying you’re crying

I know there’s a lot of talk about Chris Pratt being the worst Chris but he was so good in this movie I swear. Which yeah I know doesn’t change anything but when you see him playing Faraday in that last scene where it’s all down to him. I can’t

“I’ve always been lucky with one eyed jacks”

Nope definitely not crying. Not me

Bouge’s complete disregard for human life as he surveys the town

Bouge V Sam

“If god didn’t want them sheered he wouldn’t have made them sheep” says a man who feels no remorse at all for the blood on his hands

This time it’s Bouge who’s going to feel the noose tighten and I am here for the cinematic drama of it all

God won’t save you now Bouge. Run into the church you like. It’s not going to help

“Ask for forgiveness” The reveal of the rope mark. What Sam has been doing in Rose Creek this whole time. Why he took the job at the mention of Bouge’s name

[myhockeyworld87]

Nervous Regrets - Tyler Seguin - Part 16

Word Count: 3655

POV: Tyler

Warnings: Soft Smut, swearing

Notes:  Not really anything but I like this chapter better haha. And I like the way 17 is going too. As always feedback is welcomed and appreciated. Peace. Love and Hugs Y’all

Of course, your sex hold out on (Y/N) didn’t last long at all; in fact it wasn’t even twenty-four hours. It was impossible to resist her charms when you got home from the game, and when she mentioned it would be one of the last times the two of you would be together in the house; all your resistance melted away. She fell asleep almost immediately afterwards; whereas you stayed awake watching her, paranoid that she would cramp or something worse. At some point you must have fallen asleep, for the next thing you knew you woke up and (Y/N) wasn’t next you. You panicked. “(Y/N)?” you yelled out. You listened for her answer, but nothing came. Jumping out of bed, you ran into the bathroom; thinking she was there. She wasn’t.

Dashing out of the bedroom, you shouted again. “(Y/N)! Babe, where are you?” Still no response came. You checked the kitchen, then the office; she was nowhere to be found. You were just coming from the garage checking to make sure her car was still here; when she opened the sliding glass door and came in from outside with the dogs. “Jesus, babe you scared the shit out of me? What the hell were you doing?”

 “Relax, Ty. I was just outside playing with the dogs. We waited for you, but at eight o’clock we decided to go outside without you.” She came over and kissed you. “You must have been exhausted last night to sleep through these guys this morning.”

 “I couldn’t fall asleep right away. How are you feeling?” You touched her belly and the small little life growing inside her.

 “We feel amazing. Were you worrying about us last night? I told you, I felt fine.”

 “I might have been a tad worried.” You answered her sheepishly.

 “Ty, I think that first time was a fluke; plus I promise to tell you if happens again. Now go get your butt dressed before they start coming to pack this place up. They’re supposed to be here shortly.” The movers were coming today to get the house ready for the big move tomorrow, though (Y/N) had packed some things already. “I’m going to head over to the new house here in a bit to start labeling where I want things to go. Did you want to come?”

 “Yeah, we don’t have to be at the arena until later to go over film; so, we’ll have to take two cars. We should probably take these guys to get used to the place.”

 “Ok well go get ready. I’ll make you breakfast real quick.” Heading back into the bedroom, you grabbed a quick shower; then ate the breakfast (Y/N) prepared for you. By the time you were finished the movers came and (Y/N) got them started on packing things before the two of you headed to the new place.

 The dogs were in the car with (Y/N), since she would be staying longer and then heading back to the old house later. You walked over and opened her door, before she could get out. “Sit tight boys, there’s something mom and I have to do first.” (Y/N) eyed you skeptically, hesitating as she got out of the vehicle. You scooped her up in your arms easily as you headed to the front door. “I told you I was going to do this once this house was ours.” She giggled, yet looped her arms around your neck.

 “Ty, you don’t have to do this.”

 “Yes I do. It’s tradition, plus I like carrying you.” The two of you stepped across the threshold of the empty house. “Not quite like the last time we saw it.”

 “Nope, it’s better; because it’s ours.” She brought your lips down to hers in a kiss that left you breathless; though she pulled away too soon. “Ok put me down so we can go get the rest of the gang.” Setting her down you headed back out to the car to the dogs. “Ty, would you grab my stuff in the back.”

 You kept the guys on their leash until they got the lay of the land. “I’m going to go take them out in the back; so they get a feel for the yard.” She nodded then started taking her pre-made labels and placed them throughout the kitchen. By the time you came back into the house, about thirty minutes later; the kitchen was littered with pink post-its. “Geez babe, this is a lot.”

 “Well I talked to the designer last week, and she suggested doing these so things could be placed where we wanted; when they unpack.” She surveyed the room. “Yeah I may have gone a bit overboard.”

 “Maybe a bit.” As you looked at the labels, you saw where she had the silverware drawer labeled, where the dishes should go, as well as the wine glasses. Everything had a placed marked, it was probably a smart idea. “Did you do this for every room?”

 “Well just the main ones. You know our bathroom, the bedroom and a couple other things. I’ll let her do the rest. Though it feels weird telling someone where my underwear should go; so I’m bringing those and some other personal things over myself.”

 “Just don’t overdo it. In fact, you should wait till I get back and I’ll bring whatever you want over.” The dogs start roaming around the house, though Cash stayed beside both you and (Y/N).

 “I’m sure Cash and I can handle it.” You frowned at her. “But I guess we can wait for you too. What time is Jamie’s party tomorrow night? I’m trying to figure out where and how we can get ready for this thing in the midst of the move.”

 “It starts at eight. I’ll talk to Jamie and maybe we can just all get ready over there; it would probably be the easiest.” You bent down and scratched Cash’s ears. “I gotta run, or I’ll be late. It should only be a couple hours. I’ll meet you back at the old house around two.”

 “Sounds good hun.” She leaned over and kissed you soundly, before you turned to head out the door. “Come on Cash, let’s go label the closet.” You heard her saying as you shut the front door.

  By the time you returned home at two-thirty, most of the house was packed up. There were boxes everywhere; and it looked like a UPS store instead of a home. The dogs were sitting by the door outside, whining to be let in; but you knew that probably wasn’t a good idea with the chaos going on inside. At least a dozen or more people where shuffling furniture here and there, some of it being carried out to the truck that was parked in your driveway. It took you a good ten minutes before you found (Y/N). “Looks like they are making good progress.” She was on the phone, yet gave you a quick kiss before she continued her conversation. You had a quick chat with the head mover who explained things were moving ahead of schedule and wanted to know if you wanted them to start moving everything out of the house. Which meant there would probably be nothing here for the two of you tonight. Not wanting to make that decision you said you needed to speak to your girlfriend first. Patiently you waited for her to get off the phone.

 “Tell me again, why we are moving right now?” She breathed as she hung up the phone. “I just spent the last twenty minutes talking to the furniture store about when the new bed and stuff will arrive and at the moment, they can’t be sure.”

 “Isn’t that the designer’s job?”

 “Well I haven’t been able to find her since I came back. Apparently, she went to handle another crisis with the kitchen table. I don’t even want to know about it right now. Everything’s a cluster fuck.”

 “Then I suppose you don’t want me to ask if the movers should take the bedroom and put it in the truck right now.” She looked on the verge of tears, so, you grabbed her waist and pulled her close to your chest. “Babe, just breath, everything will be fine.”

 “How is it going to be fine? They can’t find our new bed; they want to take our old one. Where are we going to sleep Ty? Oh, and they broke a set of the dishes.”

 “We’ll buy new ones. It’s not that big a deal.” You stroked her head soothingly, hoping to calm her down. “And we’ll just have him take the bed in the morning; or we can sleep in a hotel. Whatever you want to do? Just stop stressing, it’s not good for you or the baby.” You could feel her relax a bit in your arms as you peppered her forehead with kisses. “Did you have lunch?”

 She looked up at you, searching her mind for the answer to your question. “Ummm…now that I think of it no.”

 “Babe, you need to eat. You’re probably just hangry right now.” She gave you her famous side eye; the one she reserved for when you’d said something she didn’t like. “Ok, here’s what we are going to do; I’m going to go talk to the movers. I’ll tell them to leave the mattress, and tv. We’ll camp out here tonight one last time. Then you and I are going to go grab something to eat.”

 “What about the dogs? We can’t leave them here; they’re sort of freaking out with everyone going in and out of the house. That’s why I put them in the backyard.”

 “We’ll go to the café, where we can sit outside with them. See its fine.” You tried to keep your voice nice and calm as you spoke. “As for the rest of it, we’ll deal with it as it comes. Ok?” She nodded her agreement. “Alright, you go get the dogs and I’ll speak to the movers.” Tapping her on the butt, you sent her on her way.

 An hour later you were seated outside the quaint little café, when (Y/N)’s phone rang. “It’s the designer.” Silently you’d hoped she had good news, as (Y/N) was finally starting to forget about all the chaos going on.

 “Put her on speaker.”

 “Mr. and Mrs. Seguin, I wanted to give you an update on how things are going.” When you’d first hired the designer she had the impression you and (Y/N) were married. The fact that (Y/N) never corrected her pleased you beyond words. “So good news, they found the new bedroom set and bed. It was on the truck ready to be delivered tomorrow morning.” Visibly, you saw (Y/N) breathe out a sigh of a relief. “I know that’s a huge relief to you. Unfortunately, I don’t have good news on the kitchen table. They actually made it the wrong height; which I’m not sure how that happened, as I double checked the measurements myself. They’ve assured me that they’ll have a new one ready within forty-eight hours.”

 Hoping to prevent (Y/N) from freaking out, you answered. “Well we can live without a kitchen table that long. We can eat at the island.”

 “That’s very true, Mr. Seguin. The movers should be finished getting all the furniture out of the house within the hour. I know that’s not what our original timeframe looked like; but since you had a lot of stuff already packed, it was easier than they expected. They have left the mattress and a few things per your request. They’ll be at the new house around nine in the morning if that’s good with both of you.”

 “That sounds perfect. Thank you so much for everything.” (Y/N) hung up with the designer, with those final words. “Well looks like we’ll be camping out tonight.”

 “It will be fun. We can pretend we’re at the lake house; sleeping under the stars.” She didn’t seemed convinced that it would be as much fun, as the picture you were trying to paint.

 “I just thought our last night in this house would be different.”

 “I thought you weren’t really in love with that place?” She’d been none too thrilled when you made her move into the house after the accident; knew it held bad memories for you both.

 “Well, I didn’t initially want to go back and live there, after everything that happened. But, over the last few weeks, it just reminds me of all the happy times we spent there.” A ghost of smile played across her lips. “I guess I just wanted to have one last nice dinner there with you, or something along those lines. I just wasn’t thinking though; everything would be packed up anyhow. It was stupid.”

 “Babe, it’s not stupid. We can still have a nice night tonight. We’ll make it special, I promise.” You weren’t exactly sure how you were going to do that but you’d do anything to make her happy. “Come on, let’s head back over to the house; grab those boxes you wanted to take over, and get them unpacked.”

 “Alright.” A plan started to formulate in your head on the drive over. Finding the designer, you pulled her and the mover aside to ask them a few favors; while (Y/N) was busy answering a few other questions. You loaded the car up with the stuff (Y/N) wanted to move in personally and headed over to the new house with her. It took about an hour longer than expected, as you were trying to give extra time for your plan to be implemented. Finally around seven, you all headed back to the old house for the evening.

 When you walked in the door, (Y/N) gasped. “What the…?” Your mind echoed her exact sentiments. The movers had moved your mattresses onto the living room floor; while the designer had transformed the living room into a romantic setting. There were twinkle lights strung up along the ceiling; a small table and two chairs draped in fabric, set off to the side of the room for the two of you to eat the dinner you’d ordered out. She’d also had the mattress covered in vibrant pillows and blankets; almost as if you were on an intimate camping trip in India. The designer had definitely gone all out, and you’d definitely be compensating her, for all her troubles. (Y/N)’s eyes sparkled as she surveyed the room. “Ty, did you do this?”

 “Well, obviously I didn’t do it; but it was my idea.”

 “Oh my god, Ty it’s perfect.” She went up on her tippy toes and kissed you. “This is like some sort of dream.”

 “You said you wanted tonight to be special.” Holding her around the waist, you deepened the kiss; letting (Y/N) know how much you loved her. The doorbell rang and the two of you broke apart. “That must be dinner.” It wasn’t the same as making one last dinner in the kitchen, but it was from (Y/N)’s favorite restaurant.

 “I can’t believe you did all this for me.” She was taking the food out of the containers and placing them on the plastic plates that had been left out on the table. “The chicken Madeira smells wonderful. Babe, you’re the best. I love you so much.”

 “I love you too, (Y/N).” Wrapping your arms around her, you asked. “Are you happy?”

 “You know if someone would’ve asked me that six or seven weeks ago; I would’ve told them, I didn’t think I’d ever be happy again. But right now, in this moment; I’ve never been happier.” She leaned back into your chest. “It’s all because of you, you know?”

 You rubbed the baby, growing inside her. “I think it’s both of us babe; and well maybe this one right here too. I gotta agree with you, this is the happiest I’ve ever been. There’s only one thing that would make it better.” She looked at you questioningly. “For you to marry me, and before you start; I’m not asking. I’m just putting it in your head to think about.”

 “I know Ty. We just need some more time.”

 Tamping down a frustrated sigh, you said. “You’re right. We’ve got all the time in the world babe. I’m not going anywhere. Well, except to the new house; but we’re all going there. Come on let’s eat before this gets cold.” Dinner was amazing, as the two of you talked about what room to make the baby’s and when you were going to go shopping for all the furniture. Once you’d both eaten and had desserts, you looked at the beautiful woman sitting across from you. “Dance with me?”

 “What...There’s no music?”

 “We don’t need any, but if you insist.” Pulling out your phone, you scrolled through the playlist, until you found a slow song; then hit play. “Shall we?” She took the hand you offered, and you swept her into your arms, and swayed to the music. Leaning down, you kissed her forehead, as the two of you twirled around the living room. You spun her around, then dipped her back in your arms; giving you a nice view of her cleavage. With the make shift bed behind you, you gently laid her on the mattress; then leaned down and kissed her.

 She tasted faintly of chocolate from the dessert you’d just shared, as you swept your tongue inside. Her hands skated down your back, untucking your shirt so she could feel your skin. You pressed your hips into her and she moaned. “Mmmm...you feel so good Ty.” Nibbling down her neck, you ran your hands along the sides of her body, softly caressing her as you went. Wiggling a hand between your bodies, you cupped her sex feeling the warmth there. Your fingers stroked her through her leggings, and her nails dug into your back. She was panting, wanting more; hips rocking into the palm of your hand. “Ty...I...need...”

 “Shhh, babe. I know what you need.” You slipped your fingers into her waistband, and found her clit; flicking the little nub with your thumb as you slid two fingers into her. “God, I love how wet you always are for me. Do you know what that does to me?” You pressed your hard cock into her, letting her know how much you wanted her, as you scissored your fingers inside her. She moaned louder, the sound drowning out the music playing in the background. She jerked up seeking more. “Come on baby. Cum for me.” Your thumb pressed down on her clit, as your fingers hit her g-spot and she screamed. Legs shaking, as her pussy contracted around your fingers. You pumped your fingers in and out gently as she came down from her orgasm.

 She kissed you hard, as you slipped your fingers out of her; and she whimpered into your mouth. Her hands went down to your shorts, pulling them down. “I need you inside me...now!”

 “Greedy, aren’t you baby?” She lifted her hips as you took off the leggings; both of you still clothed from the waist up.

 Her hand wrapped around your cock. She stroked the hard length and you sucked in a breath through your teeth; her movements going faster aa you pumped into her palm. “Who’s greedy?”

 “Stop teasing me babe.” Taking your hand, you nudged her legs further apart. Placing your cock at her entrance, you thrust slowly into her; she sighed. She wrapped her legs around you, pulling you deeper into her. “Damn, you feel so good (Y/N).”

 She rained kisses along your jawline, as you started to pump in and out of her. The two of you building up a rhythm; your hard shaft pounding into her wet pussy. The sounds of your love making filling the room. She bucked up against you causing you to drive into her harder and faster, until you were both moaning. (Y/N) shattered first, her orgasm sweeping over her body, as she writhed from side to side. You swallowed her moans in a passionate kiss, as she quivered around your cock; and with one last thrust, you followed her into bliss.

 Both of you were breathing heavily as you rolled onto your side, taking (Y/N) with you. “I think I can safely say we are leaving this house with a good memory.” She whispered, as she dropped a kiss on your lips.

 “Agreed, babe. Though it’s been awhile since we were both so rushed we didn’t fully undress.” You were playing with the hem of her t-shirt, trying to get it off of her.

 “Mmmm. It’s like we’re teenagers afraid to get caught.”

 You laughed at her words. “Well, there’s no one here to catch us but the dogs; so, we can get rid of this now.” Slowly she sat up and removed her shirt and bra, then laid back down beside you.

 “Ummm, what about you there Mr. Seguin?”

 “Your wish is my command Miss (Y/LN).” You whipped the shirt off, tossing it across the room. Then loomed over her body, raining kisses all over her; making your way down to the baby, where you placed your lips reverently. “Hi little one. Are you ready to move into your new home? You’ll never get to see this one, but someday I’m going to tell you all about it. Even the part where daddy was stupid, but don’t worry I’m never going to be dumb again. And you and me and mommy and the dogs are going to be a big happy family in our house. I love you baby, be good in there.” You looked up to see (Y/N) smiling at you but one little tear sliding down her cheek. “I love you too, (Y/N) and can’t wait to start this next part of our lives together.”

[ruthoakenshield]

The Lady in Black Leather (chapter 4)

The Lacy in Black Leather (chapter 3)

You flip your hood up as it is raining again, and head East towards the restaurants Todd said were a few blocks away.

As you walk, you text Scarlett that you got a job, and the owner is a retired cop, who is the twin brother to the Officer Sand you met last night.

You ask her not to tell anyone, not even Aiden, where you are working, yet. You tell her your boss knows some nice apartment owners nearby and has offered to take you to meet them and to look at some apartments.

She replies back that she is happy you found a job and that she is sorry to hear you won’t be staying in the apartment with them.

You text back that the apartment is too far away from your job and you don’t want to have to get rides back and forth from work or have to take public transportation. You prefer walking to and from work.

You ask her how things are going and what all they did this morning. She tells you she got to meet a bunch of famous actors who are friends with Aiden, and that Richard was asking about you. She tells you he wants to see you again and was worried whether or not you got home ok. She tells you Aiden told him about what happened, and Richard was upset, but calmed down when Aiden told him you were safe now and that the ex was in police custody.

She asked if you were going to be needing a ride back to the apartment, and you told her you weren’t sure. It depended on how things went with the apartment hunting.

She texted to let her know and they’d come get you when you were ready if you needed them to.

 You arrived at the intersection of the block and your jaw dropped. To the left and the right was all kinds of little shops with different themed restaurants. Chinese, Taiwanese, Burger joints, Pizza joints, Sushi, chicken, ice cream, tacos, steak, all kinds of different tastes.

Your mouth began to water. You wanted a cheese burger and fries, so you headed to the closest burger joint and got a cheese burger meal to go with a chocolate shake. You looked at Todd’s order and he wanted Chinese, so you head there next and order his food to go. You hand the cashier the $20 and she gives you the change, stowing it and your phone in your inner pocket of the trench. You take the food and head out into the rain and walk quickly towards the shop.

You aren’t paying much attention to your surroundings, when you hear people ahead of you talking and you keep your head down. You hear someone give a cat call, which you ignore and keep walking as they pass you talking and laughing in the rain.

You look up when you hear a familiar voice behind you and you glance back and see Graham looking back at you. He gives you a wink and turns back to talking with the group of people he was with. The one next to him you think might have been Richard, who was engrossed in a conversation with someone next to him. You see Graham elbow him and say something and you quickly turn and keep walking.

You hear footsteps behind you, getting closer and you feel someone put a hand on your shoulder gently stopping you. When you turn and look to see who it is, Richard is standing there, holding an umbrella and looks down at you. You look up and see him smiling at you. “Hi!” he says.

“Didn’t think I’d see you so soon. I realized after you left last night, that I didn’t get your name or phone number. I was wondering if you’d like to go out for coffee or tea or something sometime. I had a good time with you last night.” He said nervously.

You smiled. “I had fun too, Richard.” You reply and smile when you see his face brighten at you remembering his name. “I’m Harley.” You tell him.

His eyes get huge. “You’re the Harley that Aiden and Scarlett were talking about?!?” he asks surprised.

You duck your head and nod. “Yeah. Though, I don’t know what all they said about me.” You say quietly.

Richard turns to face you and gently lifts your chin to look at him. “They said your ex attacked you last night and you had to call the cops and stay at Aiden’s with him and Scarlett.” He tells you and sees you cringe and nod.

“I’m sorry you got attacked, Sweetheart. That’s why I wanted to take you home. I was worried about you for the rest of the evening after you left, wondering if you got home okay.” He tells you.

You blush and look down, but he keeps his hand under your chin. “If you need a place to stay till this works out, I have a flat close by. You’re welcome to stay there. I know Aiden lives quite a ways away from here.” He tells you.

“Thanks, Richard, but I’m looking at some apartments tonight with my boss. He’s a retired cop and knows some people who own apartments nearby.” You tell him. “His brother is handling my case with my ex.”

Richard nods, and hands you one of his cards with his name, phone number and personal e-mail. “If you need anything or want some help moving, let me know, ok?” he tells you. “Or if you get lonely and just want to talk or hang out.” He says with a grin. “I gotta get going and get some lunch now, we’re on our break from filming.” He informs you. “Good luck with the apartment hunting.” He says as he gives your arm a gentle squeeze, then takes a step away and looks down at you.

You look at the card and then back up at him. “Thanks Richard.” you tell him and put the card in your coat pocket. He nods and hurries to catch up with his friends, who had stopped to wait for him.

You kept walking and before you turned to the coffee shop, you glanced back to make sure they were not able to see you turn in. They had gone around the corner and were no longer in sight, so you entered the bookstore/coffee shop with lunch for you and Todd.

 You stood in the doorway for a moment to let the water run off your jacket. Todd looked up when the bell rang and came over to get the food from you. He chuckled when he saw the bag with your burger and fries. “well that’s gonna make for an interesting smell with the Chinese!” he teases, making you giggle.

You took your coat off and carefully shook off the water, hanging it up behind the cabinet after you came into the kitchen area.

Your phone started ringing and you look at Todd questioningly. He replies, “Go ahead and answer it, Sweetheart.”

You answer it and it is Alex. He tells you the judge approved the Restraining order and he has the paperwork for you. He also informs you that someone anonymously posted bail for your ex and that he is on the loose again. He tells you to NOT go back to your old apartment.

You gasp when Alex tells you your ex is free from Jail and your knees buckle. You drop to the floor and sit there stunned. Tod comes running over and helps you up and sits you on the chair at his desk.

He asks what is the matter, and you just hand him the phone. He says, “Hello? Oh, Hi Alex! Yeah, she is here… yeah, I hired her… thanks for sending her here… What?!? Oh no!!! Yea, bring it here. We were gonna go look at the apartments the O’Malleys own after work…Ok. See you in a few.” He replies and hangs up.

You’re sitting on the chair trembling. “How could they just let him go like that after what he did?!?” you ask as he hands the phone back to you. He sighs and squats down, his knees popping.

“If someone posted bail for him, Sweetheart, they had no choice but to release him. However, he is required to show up for his court hearing or they will put a warrant out for his arrest. You have the restraining order, so he is not to come near you no matter where you are.” He tells you.

You put your head in your hands and cry. “A piece of paper like that means nothing to him. If he finds me, he will attack me and rape me like he threatened to. To him, I’m nothing more than a fuck toy, now that I can’t have babies.” You say as you cry.

He tries to comfort you and hears the bell at the door. “Stay here, Sweetheart, I gotta go get this.” He tells you and heads to the front to see who came in.

A minute later, Alex is coming back and finds you with your head in your hands crying quietly.

He squats down, and rubs your back. “I know, Sweetheart, those of us who were there to arrest him last night are not too happy about this. The judge didn’t make the bail high enough for us to keep him in custody.” He tells you.

“I need to get my stuff out of my apartment. How am I going to do that now? He will be somewhere near the apartment now, waiting till he sees me and then will follow me to find out where I’m staying!” you cry.

“I’ll tell you what, Sweetheart, let me check with the guys who were with me that night, maybe we can go and pack up your place for you and take it to a secured storage facility until you get a new place, then we’ll help you move into it.” He tells you. “That way your ex won’t see you and won’t be able to follow you at least from that point. And since you’re now on the other end of town and employed by an ex-cop, you’ll be safer than if you were on your own.” He says.

“The O’Malleys are a great Irish couple who worked with us on the beat. Mr. O’Malley was a detective for our precinct, and will keep an eye on your ex and you if we tell him what is going on. Ok? They live right on site and their buildings are secure and quiet.” He tells you.

“Here is the restraining order for you. Keep it with you at all times.” He tells you.

You nod. “Thanks.”

Alex sighs, “I gotta get going, Harley, but my big bro will be here with you, so you have nothing to worry about, ok?”

You nod again. He gives your shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll keep in touch with you and let you know what my co-workers say about helping you with the move. See you later.” He tells you and heads out to the front.

You hear him talk with Todd and then you hear the bell ding when he leaves.

Suddenly you aren’t hungry for your burger. You take it and put it in the fridge for later. You take out the fries from the bag and open the top of the shake. You absentmindedly dip your fries in the chocolate shake and munch on them. Then you text Scarlett and tell her what happened.

She replies “OH NO!!! Now what are you going to do!?!”

You reply, “Officer Sand is going to see if his co-workers will help him go to the apartment and pack up all the rest of my stuff. They said they’d put it in a secure storage facility and will move them into my new apartment when I find one.”

She texts back, “Are you still going to look at the apartments tonight with your boss?”

You reply, “Yeah, apparently the owner is a former detective that worked with Officer Sand and his brother. They say I will be safe there. He is Irish and they said they will inform him on what’s going on and what to look out for. Apparently, the owners live on site and keep the apartment secured pretty well.”

Scarlett replies, “Ok, keep me posted. Richard says his offer still stands, by the way.”

You reply, “Will keep you posted. Tell Richard, thanks.”

 Todd comes back after a couple minutes to see how you’re doing. He finds you dunking french fries into your chocolate shake and chuckles.

“You ok, Harley?” he asks as he sits down next to you.

You shrug, “Just kind of shocked, I guess. And very scared now.”

He sighs, “Yeah, these judges just don’t understand the emotions and fear they cause when they release these guys to such a low bail. If it was their daughter being attacked, the guy would never see the light of day, but since it’s some person with no face to put to the name, they seem to care less.” He tells you.

“We arrest them, the judges give em a low bail amount, they make bail and are back out on the streets, often in the same night they were arrested! A day or two later, we’re arresting them for the same damn thing again!” he tells you, frustrated.

“It’s one of the reasons I asked to retire. Got tired of working in a broken system.” He tells you. “We’ll do our best to keep you safe, kiddo. You’re gonna need to learn to be mindful of your surroundings, though. Do you know any kind of self defense?” he asks.

You shake your head, “All I have is this…” you tell him, pulling your knife out of your corset’s underside.

He chuckles, “After work one of these evenings, let me and Alex show you how to defend yourself with this so your ex doesn’t end up using it on you. Though, I’m glad you have this. It’s more than what most women carry these days.”

 You finished eating your fries and shake and then clocked in. Todd showed you how to check in and out the books and how to sell them when people wanted to buy them, and how to do trades, when someone brought in a book to trade for a different one.

He let you run the front while he took his lunch break. You only needed his help a couple times, which impressed him.

After he clocked back in, the two of you talked and you made another sweep of the bookshop looking for dirty dishes left behind by customers.

You brought them back and washed them then set them on the drying rack to dry. You came up to the front and wiped off the tables and chairs to have something to do. You straightened the books and magazines on the tables and swept the floor.

Todd talked with you while you tidied up.

A group of actors from the studio came in just as you were finishing and one gave the same cat call as before, and you recognized a familiar voice. You froze with your back to them and looked at Todd, who noticed your reaction.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” he asked.

You moved behind the counter, keeping your back to them and went to empty out the dustpan.

You snuck out the back and into the bookshop. You took a damp rag with you to wipe up some spills you noticed. You could feel a pair of eyes following you and you tried to ignore it.

You had just finished wiping up a spill on one of the tables in a nook of the bookstore when you heard a warm Scottish accent right behind you. You stood and turned, seeing Graham with a book in hand and a cup of coffee. He grinned and gave you a wink.

“You work here, Lass?” he asked.

“No, I just enjoy cleaning up in various businesses.” You say sarcastically, making him laugh.

“Yer a little spitfire, aren’t ya!” he teased.

You just smirked. “You have no idea.” You thought.

He chuckled again and set his coffee and book down on the table you just had wiped down.

“Are ya doin ok, Lass?” He asked. “Aiden told us what happened the other night.” he said as he gently held your arm.

You shook your head. “I was doing all right till after lunch. Officer Sand called to tell me he got my restraining order against my ex signed off, which he delivered to me a little while ago, but he also told me my ex made bail, and is back out on the streets again.” You said with a shaky voice.

“Aww, Lass, I’m sorry!” he said as he rubbed your upper arm. “Is there anything we can do for you?” he asked.

You shook your head. “Not really. Officer Sand is going to see if his fellow officers are willing to go with him to my old apartment to pack up what I left behind. They are going to put it in a secure storage facility until I find a new apartment. My boss is a retired cop, and he knows some apartment owners who are Irish and were detectives for the precinct that Officer Sand works for. He said they will keep an eye out for my ex and will keep me safe at my apartment if I choose to live there. We are going to go look at it after work tonight.” You tell Graham.

“I’m afraid to go anywhere now. If my ex sees me, he will follow me and wait for the perfect opportunity to attack and rape me. A piece of paper telling him to stay away from me means nothing to him. It will do no real good other than give the cops another reason to arrest him. It will do nothing to protect me.”

Graham frowned. “Sounds like you need a body guard or a guard dog to protect ya, Lass.” He tells you.

You laugh, “Do I look like I have funds to afford that, Graham?” you reply.

He chuckles, “You may not, but others do.” He says with a wink.

You roll your eyes, “I have to get back to work.” You tell him. “Please don’t say anything to anyone that I’m working here. At least not yet.” You ask.

He looks at you funny for a moment, then nods. “Okay, Lass. But You can’t evade him forever. He likes ya and is worried about yer safety. I know you’ve had a rough time with men according to Scarlett, but give Rich a chance. He is a great guy and will treat ya well.”

You look at him surprised. Then duck your head. “I’m just not ready for anything like that yet. I know he likes his privacy and my life is such a mess right now, I don’t want to drag him into it. He doesn’t need that right now.” you say quietly.

Graham gently grabs your face and tilts it up to look at him. “Let him decide if he wants to enter the mess, sweetheart. Sometimes it makes it easier to clean up if you are not doing it alone.” He says and raises an eyebrow.

You sigh and nod.

“Go look at your apartment, but give him a call. Even if it’s just to talk, ok?” he suggests.

“Ok, Graham.” You reply.

“Now go get back to work, so I can read my book.” He teases and lets your face go.

 You head back to the front and see Todd. You hold up the rag and he nods.

You come around and help take orders while he fills them. By 7pm, you both have everything cleaned up, have shooed all the customers out, and are locking the doors.

Todd leads you to the back entrance and you grab your jacket and backpack. You put them on since it’s raining again, and he grabs his jacket and you both run for his truck after he locks the back door and sets the alarm.

He drives you about a mile away and pulls up in front of a nice apartment building. He gets out and comes around to help you out of the truck. He leads you up to the apartment building and buzzes the O’Malley’s buzzer.

Mrs. O’Malley answers and he tells her it’s him. She squeals and tells him to come on in and up to the apartment.

Todd leads you up one floor and rings the doorbell. A short, raven-haired woman answers the door with a strong Irish accent, and she invites you both in. She gives Todd a hug and he introduces you to her.

“Meg, this is Harley, she is the one Alex called and talked to you about.” He tells her.

“Oh!!! Yes, I remember! Had a rough patch with an ex?” she asked. You nodded.

“Well, you’ll be safe here, Sweetie! Everyone in the building knows not to let anyone in who is not their guest. If they do, they run the risk of being fined and held responsible for any outcome, or damage the person inflicts or causes.” She tells you.

You nod.

“Jack went to take care of a plumbing issue in apartment 5 so I’ll show you the apartment. It’s right across from us.” she tells you.

The three of you head out the door and across the hallway. She unlocks the door and opens it to reveal a lovely one bedroom unit. It has a bright open floor plan for the living/dining/kitchen area and it faces south and west. The bedroom and bathroom are off to the west side and are bigger than you thought they would be.

You like it immediately. The bathroom is a retro one from the 1950’s and has a powder blue bathtub, sink and toilet. The tub and sink are really deep and you could easily dunk your head into the sink to wash your hair if you wanted.

You came back out and looked around again, trying to think of the furniture you left behind. Picturing where each piece would go. You nod.

“Mrs O’Malley, do you allow pets here?” you ask.

“Well, it depends on the pet, why?” she asks.

“A friend of mine suggested I get a dog that is trained to be a body guard / protection for me since my ex is out on bail and I’m positive he won’t abide by the restraining order. It sounded like my friend knew someone who wanted me to have the dog and wasn’t going to take no for an answer when it comes to my safety. I would make sure the dog is quiet and doesn’t bother anyone and I would clean up after it, so no one is stepping in dog poo.” You assure her. “It would be coming with me when I go places, so it won’t be left home alone.”

“Well considering the circumstances I would be fine with that, but will need to run it by my husband first. Would you be all right with paying a pet deposit just in case there are any pet related damage?” she asks.

“If it is what you require, I guess that’s reasonable.” You reply.

She nods. “Do you have a vehicle? Your unit comes with a garage.” She tells you.

“No, I don’t have a vehicle. I walk most places that I go, unless I’m with my friends, they all have cars.” You reply.

“Well, the garage is yours to use for storage then if you need it.” She tells you. You nod.

 “Well, what do you think, Harley, is this someplace you’d like to live in?” Todd asks.

You look around again and nod. “It’s lovely. How much is the rent and what all is included?”

She tells you how much the rent is and that all you have to pay is electricity, cable, internet, and phone.

You frown. “That’s a bit more than I was paying. I’m gonna need to sit down and figure out my expenses before I make a decision.” You tell her.

“That’s fine, Sweetheart.” She tells you. “This time ‘o year, apartments aren’t in much demand. Just let us know soon.” She replies.

You thank her and head out with Todd. “You need a ride back to wherever you’re stayin?” he asks.

You sigh. “No, Scarlett said she’d come get me.” You tell him. “We can just go back to the shop, if that’s ok.” You reply. Todd nods. “Ok.” He replies.

 You text Scarlett to come get you. She replies “UM, WHERE?”

You laugh. You tell her to meet you at the corner by the studio’s gate.

“Todd, can you drop me off on the corner by the studio?” you ask.

He raises an eyebrow, but nods.

“Tomorrow, we’re closed since it’s Sunday. So, I’ll see you on Monday at 7am?” he asks. You nod.

“Let me give you my cell number. If you decide to get that apartment from the O’Malley’s let me know right away and I will call and tell her and we can set up a time to get you there to sign the lease and stuff.” He tells you.

He tells you his phone number as he is driving, and you plug it into your phone with his name. When you reach the corner by the studio gate, you see a car already waiting. You hop out of Todd’s truck and thank him for everything. He grins and tells you he’ll be in touch and to have a good weekend.

@fizzyxcustard @queenofmankind @dumbassunderthemountain @thetherianthropydaily @daisy-picking-lady @spookybunny @emrfangirl @midnight-reader-morning-sleeper

[three-houses-text-files]

byleth/leonie

c-s support + paired endings + night of the ball

c

Leonie: Phew… Oh, Professor! Are you training too? L: I was just about to finish up, but if you want to join in, I can stick around a while longer.

>You don't have to stay just for me.

>I might be here a while.

L: Oh, no. It's fine! Just do your thing. Don't mind me. L: Come on. Don't be shy. L: Phew! I'm beat...but we're finally done. L: You didn't have to stay for my whole routine. L: I was...already training when you got here, and I... finished right alongside you... L: Guess I...outlasted you, huh?

>It's not a competition.

L: Speak for yourself! I'm always looking to improve. L: By the way, Professor. Something I wanted to ask.

>Let's hear it, then.

>Ask me whatever you want.

L: Are you really Captain Jeralt's kid?

>I don't know.

>That's what I'm told.

L: That's a pretty detached tone to take about your own family. L: What's your opinion of him, then? You must look up to him, at least?

>I respect him, of course.

L: Hm. It doesn't sound like you really appreciate him. L: You didn't even know until you came here that he used to lead the Knights of Seiros, did you? L: If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be half the person you are now. L: You've probably never even thought about how lucky you are. L: Ugh! OK, this really bothers me! L: Listen up. I don't care if you're the teacher and I'm the student. I'm going to outshine you. L: I know you were some famous mercenary before you came here, but let me tell you something... L: I'm going to be better than you ever were! L: In fact, I'll surpass you in no time at all, so don't blink. You might miss it.

>...

——————————————————————————————

b

L: Hey, Professor. Got a minute? L: Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you. I didn't mean to lose my temper. L: I was rude to you. I should have known better.

>It's all right.

>I wasn't offended.

L: Hah. I thought you might say that.

L: In that way, you're just like Captain Jeralt. You accept other people. You don't let petty details get under your skin.

>How do you know my father?

L: Well, when I was a kid, I kind of latched on to him. I've been calling myself his apprentice ever since. L: He spent some time in the village I grew up in. Actually, you weren't with him back then. Why not?

>I don't remember.

L: Huh. Maybe he left you with a relative or something. L: Anyway, back then, Jeralt's job was to deal with poachers—well, they were bandits—but we called them poachers. L: Nobody in the village could stand up to them. But your dad? He took them on like it was nothing. L: I was so impressed! All I could think was how amazing mercenaries were. L: I'd lived in that tiny village my whole life, so to me, Captain Jeralt was nothing short of a legend. L: So I went right up to him, and I told him I was going to be his apprentice. L: He didn't stick around long after that, but he did teach me a lot while he was with us. L: Tactics, strategy, training routines—it was all so new and exciting! L: So after he left, I kept at it. Kept training. Just like he taught me.

>I'm glad you got to see him again.

L: Me too. I always planned to meet him again, once I became a top-tier mercenary. L: But I'm just glad I got to see him. To thank him properly and all. L: I've spent my whole life working to become a great mercenary like your father. L: There were so many times when I wanted to ask his advice, but I couldn't. I just had to make do. L: That's how I've made it this far. Just hard work, all on my own. But then you come along... L: And it's like you don't appreciate Captain Jeralt at all, or how lucky you were to have him around your whole life! L: Ugh! It still really bothers me! L: You might be his kid, but I'm still his best apprentice! Got it?!

>…

*i’ve heard that leonie’s supports are time-locked, but i’m not sure up to when. if anyone can confirm this, i’d be very grateful!

——————————————————————————————

a

L: Hey, Professor. Can we talk? L: I feel terrible about the last time we spoke. L: I was trying to apologize, and just ended up losing my temper again. I'm really sorry.

>It's all right.

>I don't mind.

L: I figured you'd say that, but I still feel like an idiot. L: Somehow, I just have a hard time keeping my feelings in check around you. L: And I think if I don't just tell you what I'm thinking, we'll never be able to have a normal conversation. L: So, let me clear the air. L: I want us to, uh...engage...

>Engage in what? A duel?

L: Yeah! Exactly.

>You want to get engaged?!

L: Yeah, I—wait, what?! No! I mean in a duel!

L: I know it's a sudden thing to ask, but I'm not going to feel settled until I know where I stand. L: Would you do that for me?

>All right.

L: Good. Don't hold back, OK? I want to see you at your absolute best! L: Phew! You got me. I'm completely outmatched...

>Sorry.

L: No, don't apologize! This is what I needed.

>You held your own.

L: Maybe, but you were definitely stronger. Honestly, that's what I needed to see.

L: You're a true successor to Captain Jeralt's style of swordplay. I almost felt like you were him. L: I thought I was competing with you...but that's as pointless as competing against him would've been. L: So instead of that, I'm going to focus on keeping the promise I made to him.

>What promise?

L: Captain Jeralt said that, if anything should happen to him, I'd have to support you in his place. L: He didn't sound serious at the time, but it was right before he...you know. Before we lost him. L: So, I've decided. I'd like to do just what he said. L: I know I'm not as strong as I need to be. But I swear to you...I'll train until I am. L: What do you say? Can I call you my employer?

>I know I can count on you.

L: Yes! It's official! I'll protect you, no matter what!

——————————————————————————————

s

L: Professor? What are you doing here?

>I could ask you the same.

L: I was talking to Jeralt. L: The sky feels so close...like you can almost touch the stars. I thought my voice might reach him.

>What were you saying?

L: That the war's finally over. L: And that his kid and his greatest apprentice did an amazing job out there! L: Haha, maybe I'm overselling the part I played.

>You were amazing.

L: Thanks, but I was nothing compared to you. I feel like an idiot for ever thinking I could surpass you. L: I have managed to keep my promise though. L: So, how would you feel about hiring me again? L: Can't exactly go and break my word now, can I?

>Your promise is already fulfilled.

L: The war's over, but the enemy might still be lurking! What if they're waiting until I'm gone to attack you?!

>I'll be fine.

L: But— Oh, I get it. You're probably pretty tired of me always trailing after you, huh?

>Not at all. In fact... I love you, Leonie.

L: Love?! As in... As in the way a commander loves his soldiers, right? Of course that's what you mean... L: Oh, that's...that kind of love! Can this really be happening? You want to marry me?

>...

L: I... Of course I will! You are being serious, right? That would be an awful joke... L: I'm sorry. I should have been more honest. L: All that stuff about my promise a minute ago, it was mostly just an excuse for wanting to be near you. L: But I'm not really the romantic type, so I had a hard time coming out and saying it. L: Are you sure this is what you want though? I know I'm not exactly conventional. L: Guess I'm really wearing this ring, then, aren't I? L: But I do still have a promise to keep with Captain Jeralt too. L: You've got a big job ahead of you, building a whole new Fódlan. L: I'm going to support you through all of that. Make sure it never gets to be too much. L: Then that's that! I promise to protect you until death parts us! And...I'll be happy for you to do the same for me.

——————————————————————————————

paired endings

Byleth announced his marriage to Leonie shortly after becoming leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan. Though she accepted the status of queen, Leonie disliked the pageantry of the position and refused to part with her weapons. She avoided court and instead founded the Jeralt Company, an elite group of soldiers hand-picked from the royal guard. They mostly busied themselves by hunting down bandits and monsters, but they also stopped the remnants of the Imperial army from organizing a revolt. It is rumored that one knight of rare skill who fought alongside Leonie in the Jeralt Company was none other than the king himself. (golden deer + church route)

Byleth announced his marriage to Leonie shortly after being named archbishop of the Church of Seiros. Though she accepted the status of the archbishop's wife, Leonie disliked the formality of the position and refused to part with her weapons. Avoiding involvement with the church, she founded the Jeralt Company, an elite group of soldiers hand-picked from the Knights of Seiros. They served as guards to the archbishop in peacetime, and were first to respond to reports of bandits or monsters. It is rumored that one knight of rare skill who fought alongside Leonie in the Jeralt Company was none other than the archbishop himself. (blue lions route)

Almost immediately after Byleth and Leonie had finished their lively wedding ceremony, the struggle against those who slither in the dark began in earnest. Leaving the Black Eagle Strike Force behind, the pair formed a new group called the Jeralt Company and invited all their friends and allies to join them. The group fought all across Fódlan, cementing the Empire's victory by cleaning up its enemies. With Fódlan secure, all but two members of the Jeralt Company returned to their homes. The couple continued their careers as mercenaries, taking on all kinds of tasks, from monster hunting to tavern security. Their strength and humility were well loved. (black eagles route)

——————————————————————————————

night of the ball

L: Hey, Professor. You all alone here? L: I mean, you're not waiting for anyone or anything, are you?

>Actually, I'm meeting the archbishop.

L: Liar. I saw Lady Rhea just moments ago. She was in the reception hall.

>Manuela should be here any moment.

L: Yeah, right! I just passed her flirting with some guy on my way up.

L: Anyway, I saw you heading to the tower, so I thought I'd drop by. I figured you might be lonely.

>You figured that, did you?

L: Hey, don't make it weird! By the way... Have you heard the legend about this place? L: They say if a guy and a girl make a promise here together, the goddess will make sure it's kept.

>I've heard.

L: It's a pretty well-known legend.

>I had not heard that.

L: Really? It's a pretty well-known legend.

L: Thing is, the way the story goes, it doesn't work all the time. It has to be the night of the ball. Tonight. L: So, since it's just you and me here, what do you say we give it a go? L: I mean, I don't know if the goddess will really take the time for a pair like us, but it's worth a try.

>What are you suggesting?

L: Well—you know! Let's make some kind of promise! We've got the chance, it'd be a shame to waste it. L: I mean, not something romantic or anything. That'd be weird. L: We could promise I'll become a top-tier mercenary! Though I guess that's more of a wish... L: Let's see... OK, I've got it. L: I solemnly swear to meet you once more, on this very ground, as a mercenary beyond compare! L: Oh, but that was all about me. No fair. You probably have something you want to promise too.

>No, I think that covers it.

L: Hah. You really do take after Captain Jeralt—always putting others first. L: All right, then, Goddess. You heard the promise. It's a done deal. L: Say, Professor...why did you come out here, anyway?

>I just wanted some time alone.

L: Ah. Well, it is pretty crowded down there. L: I guess I shouldn't have interrupted. I'll leave you to it. L: But don't stay out here too long, all right? You'll catch a cold!

[msbeccieboo]

Arrow 7x18 brain dump

And we’re back from hiatus! Unlike a few that I see, I really enjoyed this episode! Sure the main story was clunky, and a lot of the dialogue was cheesy as hell, but the theme and notion behind it of women coming together to save the day was just everything that Arrow, and the whole Canary concept up until now has been missing. As usual, this got long, and gif-heavy, so apologies if you get bored haha!

Felicity

Yes of course we’re coming to Felicity first! Our (Smoak) Queen absolutely ruled the show this week! I still remember the fandom reaction when we heard the episode title…it was something along the lines of:

(gif from my gif keyboard-sorry no link!)

And then the episode rolls round and it’s awesome (mostly) and Felicity is at the centre of it!! Amazing! In fact, it was so hard to separate this review into character/theme sections this week, as Felicity was intertwined so closely with all of them.

Felicity was at her finest this week. We saw her both as Overwatch and literally saving the day in the field. We had wifey Felicity, loyal friend felicity, mama Felicity, flirty-flirt Felicity….the list goes on!! And in an episode called Lost Canary??

Continued under the cut

It was Felicity’s heart and famous empathy that really shone through for me this week. From start to end she tried her best to win Black Siren back round, to clear her name, and save her from herself. Our girl literally reached across time to help her friend. Now whether or not BS had earned/deserved that much effort on Felicity’s part is another thing altogether, but one thing that prevails is Felicity’s huge heart, her compassion and her unwavering belief in those she calls her friends. Her ability to see the good in people, even at their worst, is probably my favourite thing about her. And whereas Dinah was right to an extent about Felicity having ‘blinders’, she just wants to see the best in people. This is why she is the heart of the team. This is why Oliver fell in love with her. This is why I fell in love with her. The moment where she shouts at Dinah “we should be helping her not hunting her”, just epitomises Felicity for me.

It was ultimately Felicity’s stalwart belief in her that made BS turn ‘good’ in the end. Our girl literally put her and her unborn child’s life out there and dared BS to kill them to prove she was evil. In doing this, Felicity ultimately saves the day! Sure, we see Felicity being a badass every week, but watching her lead a team of women in the field was super emotional for me to watch.

Source: smoaktechs

This did start to feel like a goodbye to Felicity, especially with the Sara scene, reminiscing and commenting on how far she has come. I imagine the timing of Emily’s announcement was planned to precede this last run of episodes for this reason. I’m still coming to terms with Emily leaving, and I haven’t been able to write anything about it yet (and not sure I will tbh), but episodes like this make me realise just how different (and by different I mean shitty) this show would have been/will be without her in it and I’m simply not ready still 😭😭😭

Olicity

We only got two Olicity scenes this week, which was actually far more than I thought we would get, and they bookended the episode so beautifully!! I still don’t think I’m over the cuteness this week!!

In the first scene we got a beautifully babbly Felicity; “Are you sure that you are ok, now that you know that your sister is evil and tried to kill you? Too soon?” 😂😂, along with a little of her own horn-tooting haha:

Source: felicitysmoakgifs 1 and 2

Oliver’s little smile after that was just 😍😍

We had a cute little smooch, and touching!! It was so nice to see them being truly affectionate and comfortable around each other again!

Source: olicitygifs

Then Oliver being all Protective Daddy!Oliver, asking Felicity to take it easy and look after her PRECIOUS CARGO!!!!!

NVJDFNVJDKVNFDVKND!!!! Honestly this will go down as being one of the great Olicity quotes for me! His little belly gesture, and then her adorable “I know” I can’t handle the cuteness guys!!!!!!

Oh and then there was the cutest Olicity scene everrrr!! Felicity returns from her bird adventures to find a sleepy adorable Oliver laid out on the couch 😍🔥😍

Source: lucyyh 💗

OMGGGGG her face when she sees him, and tells him she’d missed him….hgfidsbodsnfv!!!

Source: olicitygifs

The mystery remains as to just why Oliver is that exhausted…as I talk about in the next section, he and Dig didn’t do an awful lot this episode. The only acceptable answer is that they spent the rest of their time in the episode putting together an endless amount of baby furniture…I now decree this as FACT!!

Anyhoo…back to snuggly Oliver. Ughh this man does not stop being adorable (even with this hair)! He sits up and pulls Felicity into him by the bum (we all see you Oliver 👀) and smushes himself into her chest for a hug, kissing her shoulder, telling her how he will take care of her 😍😱 😍😱, then Felicity promptly asks for a foot rub, to which he happily obliges.

Source: 1-crazy-dreamer 💗

I AM DECEASED!!!!

Combined with the ending of 4x08 this confirms that the Green Arrow is a cuddleholic, and I will watch this scene on a loop FOREVER!!! I could seriously watch the rest of this season/show just of them being affectionate and domestic like this. Your OTP could never!!

Oliver/Dig

Oliver goes on a little boys trip with Dig to try and find the killer of Emiko’s mother. I’m sooo glad they didn’t waste much time on this, and gladder still that they wasted no time at all on Emiko! Turns out the responsible party was one of the Longbow Hunters (yes them again), that Felicity found for them.

Source: ebett

I love how Dig/ARGUS/NTA spent the first part of the season trying and failing to capture these guys, then Oliver rocks up and takes him out with a tranq arrow in 2 seconds flat, and has no clue who he even is haha!

Source: feilcityqueen

They work out pretty quickly that Dante hired him, then promptly leave and that’s the end of that! I really like how the men weren’t minimised or side-lined entirely (except Rene *shrugs*), they just weren’t that significant in the episode. Boss Beth and her team did a great job here of not taking away from them in order for the women in the episode to shine, something that previous writing teams on this show have done over and over again in the reversed situation *cough* MG *cough*.

Sara

Sara frikking Lance is back!!!!

That entrance though...it was everything!! The way all the glass shattered was reminiscent of her first cry scene where she saved Oliver at the DA’s office in 2x03.

Source: supercanaries

I do think though that it was absolute bullshit that BS could beat Sara in a fight!

Then we got the previously teased Sara/Felicity scene. OHMIGOD I loved this scene so much!! I really miss Sara in Arrow, and this scene was just so perfect!! I loved their little friendly flirty-flirt!!

Source: felicitysmoakgifs

Putting together the two people in the Arrowverse that have killer chemistry with everyone was an inspired choice here, and it just makes me long for the Smoakingcanary friendship that we never really saw fully developed! We have a lighter Sara now, so they could not have had this level of friendship in S2, or even S4, but I always loved their relationship, even back then.

Source: eloquence-of-felicities

Sara has grown so much since she left for the Waverider, she is so much more reflective and a wiser woman now. I like that she doesn’t acknowledge BS as LL, but sees herself in her and still wants to help, and to honour Quentin. Lance sister scenes were always my favourite of Laurel’s, and the Sara/BS scenes have the same energy about them. I loved Sara’s speech to BS at the graveyard about redemption. Sara still doesn’t see herself as completely worthy, but acknowledges that she has grown into a hero, through her years of trying. So I cheered when she told BS “You think you deserve a medal for trying to be good for 5 seconds? Redemption isn’t a destination it’s a journey”

Source: canarygifs

Oh, that’s just the theme of the entire series!! Yaaaaassss!! Go Sara! I really hope we get to see her again this season.

Black Siren

Straight up, I was worried when I saw the opening scene…the overacting, yelling, annoying music, ridiculous unbelievable ass-kicking and then that title card?? 😬😬 ‘Evil’ BS is so campy in the worst way…I like ‘good’ BS, so that opening?? Yeah I had my doubts haha!

I enjoyed Black Siren’s struggle within the episode; what she really wants is to be seen and accepted as the good person she is trying to become. As soon as she was doubted last episode, her instinct was to revert back, an ‘if they think I’m evil, I’ll just be evil’ mentality. The problem is, as Sara told her, she was trying to be a good person for like a few months? She has a long way go to redeem herself and earn back the trust of people who know what she did as Black Siren before (see: Dinah 😬). Her beacon of hope (see what I did there?) is Felicity. She has been ever since she approached her at the start of the season. BS saw in Felicity an opportunity to avenge Quentin initially, and eventually, through falling for Felicity’s friendship charms (doesn’t everybody?), do good, and be that better person that Quentin and Felicity thought she could be. And despite Sara’s (awesome) talk with her, it’s Felicity in the end that persuades her which side to fall on in the end.

In the end, Black Siren realises/decides that in order to continue on her redemptive path, she needs to go back to where she started, Earth 2, and do some good there. How this fits with her appearance in later episodes in the season (spoiler pics) and her apparently large storyline next season is yet to be seen. Felicity’s face when she hears BS is leaving is heart-breaking 😭😭 Their friendship has been one of the unexpected highlights of this season for me; it has been so nice to see a female friendship on this show! I also liked how through all of her short-lived evilness, she never revealed Felicity’s pregnancy, even covering for her back in the lair at the end of the mission!

Extra BS moments:

BS pushing Felicity out of the way in the final fight scene 😍

Shadow Thief: “Which one is Felicity?” BS: “The chatty one” 😂😂

Source: minibetta

Source: plotbunnyshipper 

Dinah

*Dramatic sigh* Ugh Dinah. She continues to drive me mad! She has some real moments of warmth (but I think that’s just Juliana shining through), but for the most part she’s just super annoying! She has a constant condescending tone, a terrible attitude, is massively hypocritical, and is so back and forth with her standpoints that she leaves me with whiplash most episodes!

I hated the way she talked down to Felicity throughout the episode, for believing in Laurel. Dinah believed in Vinnie, and the Team had her back (until BS killed him 😬). Dinah MURDERED PEOPLE TOO, and the Team had her back. She should have empathy for BS, having been in the exact same situation, but she doesn’t see it that way. I loved Felicity serving her up the tea in the bunker scene, it’s about damn time!

Felicity’s overall snark at Dinah this week was on point!  Her “Please hold” and “Good chat, really love our chats” 😂😂 our girl really knows how to deliver a burn and still look cute doing it haha!

Flash Forwards

I have missed my flashforwards baby OTA!! Unfortunately we were missing William, Connor and Roy this week, cos Girl Power ✌ and all that jazz! But we did get to see some more Mama Felicity. Future Felicity is definitely more stoic and detached than our Felicity, but that changes when her kids are around; I loved the mother-daughter hug when Mia returned!  

Source: felicitysmoakgifs

I’d forgotten about the whole helmet thing to start with, when I first saw it I thought it was Dig!! But helmet guy basically shows up at the start of the FFs and kills a boatload of Canaries. Did I giggle at the notion that anyone can be a Canary in the future, and that therefore they are totally interchangeable and dispensable in nature? Yes I did 😂 Anyway, Mia’s determination to track and take down helmet guy, to honour the dead birds, led to more Oliver (and later, Felicity) comparisons, which I am always here for!!

Dinah later actually gives Mia a really inspiring speech about the Canaries. That they are girls taking care of girls; a support system for women, so that they are there for each other when needed most. Dinah references a time when she did not do that (for Black Siren, presumably), and that that following that she changed how she worked. I’m hoping this means that Dinah will become more likeable in the present timeline for the upcoming episodes, but I’m not holding my breath.

Mia still isn’t used to relying on others, but she does ask Dinah for help and is refused, so her reaction to Dinah’s talk was just ‘yeah….no’, pretty much, with the line “Too bad I’m not a Canary”….and the Smoak burns keep on coming this episode 😂 😂

Source: amunetblack

At the end, as Mia nearly meets her end taking down helmet guy (as if he could have taken her!) she is saved by…Future Black Siren!!! Who is obviously alive still, back on Earth 1, and a goodie!! Yay!! I love that BS ‘saves’ Mia in both timelines in the same episode, nice touch! She gives Mia the helmet for Felicity, along with some sage advice:

Source: jaces-clarissa

I’d have liked to see her and Felicity interact, but you can’t win them all!

Bonus moments

Felicity: “Fake heat signatures? That is devious and impressive!” Lolololol!

That table slide!

Source: seeing-red-arrow

Source: smoaktechs

(I love that Felicity delivered the birds line 😂😂)

“To ladies taking down ladies”

And that’s it! Four episodes left 😭😭😭 I AM NOT READY!!

Thank you to all the wonderful gif makers! This episode has yielded SO MANY amazing gifs, so thank you for sharing them with us all! 💗💗💗

[acaseforpencils]

Arnie Levin, Part One.

Today’s Case is not in the usual survey format, because a little over a week ago, I called Arnie up on the phone, and we had a wild conversation about cartooning. I’m posting the interview in two pieces. The first part (which you’re currently reading!) is focused on his background, and the second part will be mainly about his art supplies and drawing process. Arnie has lived a life just as colorful as his art, and I hope that you have as much fun reading about it as I had interviewing him!—Jane Mattimoe

Jane Mattimoe: Hi Arnie!

Arnie Levin: Hi Jane, I was just talking to you in my head before you called.

J: Well, I hope this interview lives up to the interview you were just having!

Find this print here!

J: How did you get into art?

A: Well, my grandfather was paralyzed, so when I was very small, he used to paint and draw—he could move that part of his body—so I watched him. My uncle was a commercial artist. He did very tight controlled stuff. He had a great hand—he was a specialist in hand lettering, so he had a very formal way to work. I went to a high school—it was a trade school— and I just happened to luck into an absolute incredible instructor, whose thinking was that you draw to your feelings, and that not every artist draws the same way. So there weren’t any tight rules for how to draw.

J: So it was very different than your uncle’s style.

A: Yes, and my uncle’s style of drawing— he once tried to hire me...he had a perfect hand, you know, and he tried to hire me and get me into the business, and I was so loose, and I just couldn’t do what you had to do to do real hand-lettering.

J: Well, you were too creative, probably!

A: Yes, which was fine for me. I decided I was gonna be a painter. We were taught drawing exercises, and they were just to get our hands and our mind working and there was no, “This is what you do, and you have to do this, and you have to do that...” I was very fortunate that there were hours and hours of learning to just do gesture drawings— drawings that were very quick, but that were able to catch the feeling and the movement, rather than particular incidents. So it was a fine arts direction.

J: I think I read somewhere that you were a competitive dancer in high school, and I was wondering how that informed...dancers are very grounded in their body, and they have a really good sense of motion— do you think that affected how you viewed motion in your drawings?

A: Oh, absolutely. When I danced, it was all rock and roll dancing, which was different than the preceding years, which were more box step— you did this, you did that, you did the other thing. I created my own steps and just did them, and sometimes changed them in the middle, because I always wanted to create something that was live— not just, “here’s a pencil rough, and we trace over the pencil line very carefully, and we make a picture.” I also didn’t like the idea, especially when I got into cartooning, of so many situations where there were talking heads in cartoons. I like to do sight gags— ones that you just look at, that are funny.

J: So you don’t want it to be people delivering the joke, you want them to be part of the joke... like Sam Gross likes to say that there’s a difference between drawing funny and funny drawing.

Find this print here!

A: Yes, did he mention to you… We had a thing, where there were four of us, I don’t know if we ever mentioned this, I would get together with Sam Gross, Bill Woodman… once a month we’d all meet at Sam’s apartment, and we would sit down and we would open the phone book— we’d get the yellow pages, and then we would just blindly put our finger down. For instance we’d end up with plumbing,“Ok, we’re gonna do a plumbing gag.” We would drink afterwards. So we’d pick three topics to do cartoons on, and then we would just sit and just quickly sketch out cartoons and show each other.

J: That’s smart, cause that takes you out of your head— it forces you to consider things that wouldn’t have necessarily come to you if you were just sitting down coming up with gags.

A: Exactly, it was perfect to keep your head open. Though sometimes we’d get to the drinks slightly before we’d finish drawing, and so the drawings got looser as the session got on. But it was always a lot of fun. You’d spoken to Sam, and he’s just like... volatile energy. He’s a real character...brilliant.

Find this print here!

J: So you’re telling me this, and you told me you don’t like rules, but I read you went straight into the military after high school, which doesn’t seem like something I’d expect you to do.

A: Believe me, it wasn’t what the military expected when I got in. What happened is, at that time, men had to serve in the military somehow. You had to serve a certain amount of time. In high school, I’d go in on Saturdays and Sundays— there were certain times I had to go in and serve in the Reserves. So at sixteen, I was in the Marine Reserves. And it was sort of a maturing thing— the other kids my age were goofing around, but I was into… more serious stuff. You had to go two weeks in the summer, and just after I turned seventeen, I said “you know, I want to get out into the world.” I was living in Miami—we had moved down from New York. I had basically come from Brooklyn and Manhattan, and we moved down to Miami, which, to me, wasn’t that particularly a stimulating place to be in. I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. Two weeks after I turned seventeen, I was in the Marines officially. They sent me to Jacksonville School.

J: That’s where I was born! My dad was in the Navy.

A: NAS Jacksonville! Naval Air Station Jacksonville. I know it well. The other reason Jacksonville was good for me was because I lived in Miami, and on the weekends it’s 395 miles from Jacksonville to Miami, and I used to hitchhike. Friday night, I’d leave the base, and I’d hitchhike to Miami, and then hitchhike back to Jacksonville.

J: I wouldn’t recommend that today!

A: Not today, no, but in those days... Hey, It was acceptable! I guess we were just fearless, or just stupid, I’m not sure which. It may have been a mixture of both. So I did a lot of hitchhiking in my early years, and I hitchhiked across the country— New York to California, from California all the way to Miami… I also felt that being an artist, you really should get a broad view of the world, not just a local situation, or one kind of thing.

J: Weren’t you a part of the beatnik crowd, with Jack Kerouac…

A: Yes, and another reason I got into the service was when you got out of training, you could go to school, and they supplied a certain amount of money, so my dream had been to go to the Art Students League in Manhattan, and just the name, “The Art Students League,” sounded so great to me, so that was my goal, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. So I started to go, and I took painting. The classes were little old ladies, and they didn’t take to me doing “action painting,” spraying paint all around the room— de Kooning! Pollock!

Find this print here!

There were lots of Japanese students there, and they befriended me, and I befriended them. I spoke absolutely no Japanese, and they spoke very little English, but they were sort of mature, which made me wonder why they were there. Well, it turns out that around that time, Japanese painters wanted to show in New York galleries on Madison Avenue. They had to have a reason for staying in New York, so they went to The Art Students League. They didn’t ever do anything there— they just signed in twice a week. These guys were already professionals! They were all sponsored by Kenzo Okada, who was a very famous Japanese action painter.

J: So that probably helped you, being around these professional artists, who were doing the style you were more interested in.

A: They were much more restrained. They were very organized, and they did more structured work. I made friends with the Japanese painters, and I had no idea that these were the top painters in the business! It was wonderful!

J: That’s really awesome!

A: Yeah, it was really lucky. I had also befriended a dancer from the Martha Graham studio, and I would come from The Art Students League with an oil painting, and one day she dragged me up to the studio to meet  Martha…

J: What?!

A: The painting had just been done, and you know how oil paints reek, and so here are all these dancers, smelling this… so she showed it to Martha, and she liked it.

J: She was one of the preeminent modern dancers, and you were showing her your modern work...

A: Yes! She seemed to like it. She said, “This is very nice.”

Find this print here!

J: That was an incredible time to be an artist in New York, because the rent was so cheap compared to now.

A: Well, if you didn’t have much money, yes. One of the artists I met, who was actually a model at The Art Students League, we got to be friendly, and he lived on 9th Avenue, just below 42nd street, and one day, he said, “You wanna go to a great [coffee house]?” There was a great coffee house between 42nd and 43rd, on 8th Avenue, and [it] had painting and poetry and stuff, and I said sure, so I went [there]. It was run by just this incredible guy who was a dropout kind of person, and we would have art shows there at night, and I would serve coffee— I ran the coffee machine. And you can look this up on the internet, cause there’s pictures of me from that time, from 1959. We would sleep on the tables in sleeping bags. We pushed the tables together…

J: You lived in the coffee shop?

A: Yes! We slept on the tables because of the mice.

J: It doesn’t sound like you’d pass a health inspection!

A: Well, look, 9th Avenue is Hell’s Kitchen, you know, but the poetry— Allen Ginsberg came up, and Kerouac… all of the New York poets, and we had the painters and photographers. So I was right in the middle of it. And my partner— and I eventually became a partner in the coffee shop—had all of these great friends, and people we hung out with. My partner eventually became a character in one of Kerouac’s books, and he would go up to Big Sur... and I eventually moved to the Lower East Side, and hung around more with Allen Ginsberg, and so did a lot of the other poets on the the Lower East Side. We would all walk up in the afternoon, and we’d walk up to the Madison Avenue galleries-- and Ginsberg was incredible, he was just the nicest person in the world. And they all got a kick out of me, because I always kept a running commentary, and I was kind of goofy.

Find this print here!

J: You weren’t into cartooning at this time?

A: No, I wanted to be a fine artist. Eventually, I used my GI Bill, and started studying with Bob Blechman, with another cartoonist, Charles Slackman. I took night classes. I would do that, and I was a messenger in Manhattan, which I absolutely loved, for two reasons. One, I got to know the middle of the city very well, and two, I got to drop off people’s portfolios at different ad agencies and magazines.

J: So that got you a foot in the door, huh?

A: Yes, and I knew the secretaries, so if I dropped off a portfolio, they’d be like, “I’ll make sure he gets it.”

J: That’s awesome!

A: That was terrific. I did that for a while, and one day, I was taking night classes with Bob Blechman and [Charles] Slackman, and they gave an assignment to do a storyboard, to do an animation. I overdo things sometimes, but everyone came in with two pieces of paper, a little storyboard, or rough storyboard, and I did four full boards—248 pounds! [laughs] Meanwhile, Blechman had gotten me a job at Pushpin Studios... there was Milton Glaser, Seymour Chast, Isadore Seltzer, Jim McMullin... all the big illustrators that were in Pushpin, and I would get on the back of the bus to deliver things, and I’d take all of their drawings and study them.

J: People would kill for that!

A: Absolutely! You know, when I was hanging around, I had another friend, and he wanted to be an illustrator, and when I left Pushpin, I said, “Hey, would you like this job? It’s a great job,” and he said “No, I’m not a messenger, I’m an artist.” Never heard of him again.

Find this print here!

A: So I got the job as the messenger, and I was going to night school, and like I said, I did this huge storyboard, and the next day, or day after, I went into work to messenger, and they said, “How would you like to work in a film studio? How would you like to do animation?” And I said, “Let me think about this— messenger or be in animation… I said,”Yeah!” 

So Milton sent me up, and I walked into the studio. They sat me down at a drawing table, and it had an animation field guide to do the stuff and they said, “Do a storyboard.” So I did a storyboard. I laid it out, I designed it, I directed [it]… the second week, the head of company came by and said, “How would you like to be an animation director?” And I said, “Yeah, that’s even more better!” So I got myself into the animation business.

J: It almost sounds lucky, but you put in so much work making these connections, and going to school... so while it seems like an overnight success, you worked so hard to get to that point.

A: Yeah, and I had a very deep background.

J: I’m sure the guy who rejected the messenger job said, “Oh, he got lucky,” but there’s more to just making art when it comes to being an artist, and I think that’s important for people who are reading this blog, and who are just starting out, to understand.

A: Yes, and like you say I was fortunate in a couple ways, and one of them is that I had the talent, but I was also able to have the instruction, and being able to understand what I did. A lot of cartoonists, start off when they’re kids, and all they draw are cartoons and strips and panels…

J: But you didn’t start cartooning up until the ‘70s right?

A: Well, on the way, I was living in Florida, and got into a car accident and I had dislocated both shoulders, and I had a pin in my hip, and bones knocked out of my eye socket, and I was pretty much a mess. And so I was recovering at home in Miami, in a little 6x6 foot room, sitting on the edge of the bed and not having anything to do. My mother had Writer’s Digest, because she wanted to be a writer, and so I sat down and it said, “If you wanna do cartoons...” and since I couldn’t move around, I figured I can’t make a mess, I’ll do that. So I asked my mom to get a bamboo pen, some india ink, and a bunch of typewriter paper. I started to draw cartoons, and [Writer’s Digest] said, “You put twenty in a batch and you put a return envelope, and you put postage, and blah blah blah…” So I said, “Okay!” And I just did these drawings. I did forty drawings. Then I started up for New York, and I gave my drawings to my mother, and she sent half of them.

So, I’m in New York, doing the messenger stuff, and suddenly, I get a thing, “Playboy wants three finishes.” So I immediately thought the obvious, “What is a finish?” So I said okay, so I did that, and so that was my first published stuff. I sent half the batch up to them, they bought a couple.. But what happened was, you’d send it, and it took months for this process to happen, and so one drawing you got 80 dollars, the second one you got a five dollar raise to 85, and then you got one for 90 bucks. The whole process was about six months, and I thought, “This is not gonna be a way to make a living.” So I stuck my hand in the cartoon world.

Find this print here!

J: How did you get into cartooning from animation?

A: I gave up cartooning at Playboy, but when the animation business went sort of down for a while, I talked to Bob Blechman once again, and he said, “Do you have any cartoons?” I said “No,” and he said, “Put some cartoons together.” So I put the cartoons together and some cover ideas. I wanted to do covers for The New Yorker. Also in the middle of this, I forgot, I had a rep, and she took my stuff around. I started to illustrate for all kinds of magazines, Life, Time, Business Week... doing spot illustrations in watercolor, and then everything just went flat, and I didn’t have anything to do, so I did these drawings at home, my own work, and my wife would go off to studios to do her own ink and paint work, and I showed them to Blechman, and [he] sent me up to The New Yorker.

J: To Lee Lorenz?

A: Yes, and I showed him some of my cover ideas and he said, “Ok, do a finish. We’re interested in buying two covers for The New Yorker. And I completely choked. “I said, Oh no, The New Yorker, what am I going to do?” I kept bringing in these drawings, and they just weren’t right. Meanwhile I had all these gag cartoons and little drawings. I was just doing funny drawings—they weren’t really cartoons, so I took them up, and they said, “We’d like to publish one.” So I started submitting cartoons, and I started selling.

Find this print here!

If there's anything that motivates me, it’s selling. I mean if you have a place… you’re focused, and I focused. By the end of the year, I sold a number of black and whites, but no covers, but it just kept going on. I just kept doing it and doing it, and ever so often putting in a cover... and finally I sold one cover, two covers, three covers… just doing New Yorker stuff

J: So you weren’t cartooning for anyone else?

A: No, but afterwards, sort of as I was doing this, I learned I could take the leftover roughs that they didn’t buy, and go to other magazines with them.

J: Wasn’t that kind of a social event, where cartoonists would go to all the different magazines in the city?

A: Well, Wednesday was called “Look Day,” and Sam [Gross] was very involved in that—of course Sam was involved in everything. And then there was the Cartoonists Guild, and I got involved in that.

J: Mort [Gerberg] was the president of that.

A: Yeah, and I got to be around cartoonists, and I was selling mainly to The New Yorker, so I just focused on that. After a while, they signed me to a contract, and I had years when I would sell 77 black and white cartoons.

J: That’s more than the issues they have per year!

Find this print here!

J: I was wondering, because you were already a mature artist when you started cartooning, did you experiment a lot with your style, or did it gel into place relatively quickly for you?

A: Well, there is a little space that I left out of this, which is while I wasn’t selling cartoons in the early days, I had notebooks, and I used to hang around in an art store in [Greenwich] Village, and I would fill them with funny drawings, and travel around, and when I was messagering… so I was really cartooning, but I didn’t have any place for them.

J: So as soon as you found a home for these drawings, everything came together?

A: Yes.

Find this print here!

J: With your career, you’ve been building towards things your whole life, and it almost seems like it just happened overnight, but it was actually years worth of working at it.

A: The first drawing that I sold, when I used to put stuff in the art show in [Greenwich] Village, the guys in the coffee shop, the beatnik guys, we would take some of my little sketches, and we would make little mats, and at the end of the end of the art show, people would leave, and leave spaces, so we would just throw my stuff up on the walls.

J: That’s one way to get into an art show!

A: I even got a write up in an Italian newspaper! But as soon as we’d make enough money for dinner, we’d head to the clam house—The Bocce House. That was a good time.

Find this print here!

Stay tuned for part two, which will be up next week! In the meantime, find more posts about art supplies on Case’s Instagram! There is a Twitter as well. If you enjoy this blog, and would like to contribute a dollar or so to labor and maintenance costs, there is also a Patreon, and if you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee, there is a Ko-Fi account as well!

[rpf-bat]

Dance Alone To The Tune Of Your Death

Pairing: Frank Iero x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Romance

Summary: Request fic for @chloethebinch.  “I was wondering if you could do a fic where the reader is Frank's friend and he suggests that she could be Helena in the music video and he gets a huge crush on her in the Helena dress?”

The dance studio at your college's fine arts building was empty, except for you. You weren't surprised. It was past midnight. What other student besides you was crazy enough to be pirouetting at this hour? 

Maybe other people would think it was weird, but, when you were stressed, dancing always calmed you down. You slid on your ballet slippers, tying the ribbons tightly so they wouldn't slip down your ankles. You put a CD onto the stereo and hit play. A normal ballerina would have used classical music. To be honest, you should probably be using the soundtrack to Swan Lake, since you were going to be performing in your school's production of that ballet later this year. Instead, for some reason, all you wanted to dance to was your friend Frank's post-hardcore band, My Chemical Romance. 

Frank had dropped out of college to be MCR's rhythm guitarist full time. At the time, you were worried he was making a mistake (and, of course, sad that he wouldn't be your classmate anymore). But, his decision seemed to have paid off. His band had been signed to a major label, and last summer, they'd traveled the country as part of Warped Tour. Part of you wondered if Frank was going to forget all about you now that he was getting rich and famous. 

Don't worry about that right now, you told yourself. Just dance. 

You pointed your toes and began a spin as the opening notes of 'Helena', the first track on the CD, began to play. You did a demi-plie as you let the sound of Frank's wild instrumentals wash over you. The vocalist, Gerard, was great, too, but when you listened to MCR, your focus was always on Frank. Maybe it was because you had a bit of a crush on him.

So do ten thousand other girls, at this point, you frowned, and threw yourself harder into the dance to distract yourself from your negative thoughts. You whirled and twirled across the floor to every song on the album, and by the time the last track concluded, you were panting, brow streaked with sweat. 

You froze, and gasped, when you heard the sound of someone clapping. 

Who the hell is in here?! you wondered, turning around in shock. Your jaw dropped when you saw Frank Iero standing there in the doorway, grinning at you. 

"Frank?!" you gaped. "When did you get into town?"

"We just got back from tour," Frank explained, "so I had to come and see you."

"But, how did you know I'd be here?" you wondered. You nervously tucked a sweat-drenched strand of hair behind your ear. Great. First time Frank sees you in months, and you're in your grimy workout leotard. 

"Cuz I know you," Frank laughed. "I went by your dorm, and you weren't there, so I figured this was the only other place you'd be." 

"It's good to see you again," you said, stepping closer and giving your old friend a hug.

"Good to see you, too, Y/N," Frank said into your ear. "I missed you."

You blushed and pulled away. 

"Your dancing's gotten better," Frank complimented.

"Oh, no, I still need lots of practice," you shook your head humbly. 

"No, I mean it, you're really talented," Frank insisted. "Actually, that's part of what I came here to talk to you about." 

"What do you mean?" you asked, puzzled, as you sat down on the floor and took a swig from your water bottle.

"You know my band's song 'Helena', right?" Frank asked, sitting down beside you.

"Yeah, it's my favorite song on your new album," you nodded. 

"Well, the label's decided we need to make a music video for it," Frank explained. 

"Wow, so this will be your second big-budget video shoot, right?" you replied, remembering how crazy it had been when you saw Frank - your Frank - on MTV last September when the video for 'I'm Not Okay' came out. 

"Yeah, it's nothing like the dinky little video shoot we did with Eyeball, back in Jersey, for 'Vampires Will Never Hurt You'," Frank compared. You still remembered the day Frank and the guys shot that video. It was a couple years ago now, but it felt like more. 

"So, what's the concept for the new video?" you asked curiously. 

"It's a funeral scene," Frank revealed. "We're all there to bury Helena." 

"That's going to give me deja vu of the real funeral," you frowned. 'Helena', was, of course, named after Gerard and Mikey's grandma, who had died several months prior. You'd accompanied Frank to the memorial service, to support the Way brothers. It had been such a sad day.

"Me, too," Frank admitted sadly. "But, the video director said he doesn't want Helena to be played by an old lady, like the real Elena Way was when she passed." 

"For real?" you blinked, surprised.

"Yeah, he says if it's a young person, it's more emotional," Frank shrugged. "The idea is that, during the video, she'll open her eyes, and get out of the coffin, and start dancing towards the door, like her spirit is leaving for the afterlife." 

"That sounds beautiful," you whispered, impressed. "I'll watch the video when it comes out, for sure."

"About that," Frank said, a smirk crossing his face. "I don't want you to watch it." 

"What?" you said, confused. "Why not?"

"I want you to be in it," Frank declared. 

"What?!" you gasped.

"I want you to play Helena," Frank clarified. 

"There's no way!" you cried. "Frank, I'm just a student. This is a for-real music video, that's going to cost tons of money to make, and be on TV, and everything. You need to hire a pro. I'm sure any experienced dancer from, like, the New York City Ballet company, for instance, would love a chance to work with....." 

"But, I don't want somebody from the New York City Ballet," Frank interrupted with a smile. "I want you." 

"Why?" you argued. "I know how important the song is to Gerard and Mikey. I mean, it's about their grandma. If I screwed up a role that important....."

"I already talked to Gerard and Mikey," Frank assured you. "They don't think you're going to screw up. They want you in the video, too. And after seeing you dance tonight, I'm sure it's the right decision. Please, Y/N, will you do this for me?" 

You looked at Frank for a moment, uncertain. His eyes were pleading. 

".....Ok," you decided, heart pounding. "I'll do it." %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The day of the video shoot finally came. You had to let all your professors know you'd be missing a week of classes, and reserve a plane ticket to Los Angeles. But, when you drove from the airport to the church where 'Helena' was being filmed, Frank was there on the steps to greet you. 

"Are you ready for today?" he asked, hugging you in greeting. 

"I'm nervous, to be honest," you confessed when you pulled away. 

"You can do it," Frank assured you. "I believe in you, Y/N. Come on, let me introduce you to the director." 

The director, Mark Webb, and the choreographer, Michael Rooney, were polite and friendly to you. There were several other dancers milling about, but Mark explained that you were the one the camera would primarily be focusing on. Your heart thumped anxiously, but you reminded yourself that you'd been practicing your dance routine for weeks. You could do this. 

"You'll need to get changed into your costume soon," Michael suggested, handing you a garment bag. You took it and went into the church's bathroom to get changed. 

Your costume was a black and red dress. It was sleeveless, which made you a little self-conscious, because you didn't usually wear outfits that bared your shoulders. Plus, it showed a little more cleavage than you were used to. Not a lot - it was supposed to be a burial shroud, after all - but enough to make you yank up the top of the dress, a little embarrassed, as you exited the bathroom. 

"Whoa," a familiar voice gasped as you entered the chapel. You turned and saw Frank, dressed in his own costume: a three-piece suit, with a fedora that made him look a bit like a Mafia boss. 

"Whoa, what?" you asked shyly, still fidgeting with your dress.

"Whoa, you look gorgeous," Frank said, eyes panning over you slowly. He'd never stared at you like this before. 

"Th-thank you," you blushed, not sure what to make of this unusual attention. "You look nice, too." 

"Well, I....." Frank wasn't able to finish his statement, because suddenly the makeup artist Mark had hired walked over to you. 

"Your makeup's going to take a while, so we should get started, Y/N," the woman told you. "We've got to make you look nice and dead." 

"Isn't that an oxymoron?" you laughed.

"I'm sure you'll be the nicest-looking dead girl I've seen," Frank joked. "Um, I guess I'll talk to you later, Y/N."

"Right," you agreed, and headed towards the makeup chair. You wondered why your face was flushing. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

It felt extremely weird to climb into the coffin near the pulpit. You lay still, eyes closed, doing your best corpse impression. The camera man stood over you, leaning over your prone body so he could capture the shot of your eyes opening. 

"Cut," the director called. You sat up and looked over at him. Had you done something wrong? 

"Y/N, that was very good," Mark complimented, to your surprise. "Before we film your dance, we're going to try and get some shots of the band playing, alright?"  

"Alright," you shrugged. You propped your elbows up on the coffin lid as you sat and watched Frank and the other band members pretend to play their instruments. Even though it was just a fascimile of the real thing, Frank was putting so much heart into it, like he always did. You'd always admired his energetic playing style. 

"Cut," the director called again. "Gerard, loving the emotion you're giving the camera, alright? Ray, Mikey, you're doing good, too. But, Frank, I need you to look at the camera for me, please." 

"I was," Frank argued.

"No, you weren't," Mark disagreed.  

"Dude, he's right," Gerard admitted, crossing his arms. "Your acting was good, but you kept looking over at Y/N the whole time." 

"I-I did not!" Frank denied, turning crimson.

"Frank, we need you to focus," the director advised. "You can talk to your girlfriend after we're done filming this scene."

"Y/N, uh, she....she's not my girlfriend," Frank stammered. He wasn't usually a stutterer. Why would he be acting like this?

"Oh?" Mark blinked. "Well, my mistake. Let's take it from the top." %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Eventually, the guys wrapped up the scene focusing on them. It was time for your dance. The song played from a stereo in the background, to set the mood and help you sync your steps with the beat.  You were nervous. You didn't want to mess up, and make the whole camera crew start over with a new take. 

But, then, you thought of what Frank had told you when you got here this morning: You can do it. I believe in you. 

Summoning your nerve, you opened your eyes, climbed out of the coffin, and began to dance towards the pews. You resisted tears when you thought of the symbolism of your movements - when you tilted and grasped at the 'funeral attendees', it was meant to be Helena wistfully reaching towards her loved ones, who were mourning her. You glanced at the band. Gerard looked emotional, too. But, Frank was just staring at you, looking completely riveted. The unguarded adoration in his eyes surprised you, and you almost stopped moving. 

Could Frank.....like you?

There wasn't time to process this. Knowing that the cameras were trained on you, you continued the dance, taking care not to forget any steps. When you were done, everyone in the church clapped. You flushed, feeling proud of yourself for pulling off such a complicated routine. And you were going to be on national TV! 

"Y/N, that was amazing," Frank said, running over to you as soon as the director yelled cut.

"Thank you," you smiled. "You, uh, you looked like you were enjoying it."

Frank's expression changed, and now he looked embarassed. "You were looking over at me?"

"I'm always looking at you," you confessed.

"Y/N....." Frank asked quietly, not wanting the rest of the video's cast to hear. "Do you like me?"

"I mean, of course I like you," you mumbled. "We've been friends for years."

"You know what I meant, Y/N," Frank said, looking at you seriously. 

Your face reddened. "Why are you asking me this, Frank?" 

"Because I realized today that I like you back," Frank admitted, and, suddenly, he was kissing you, in front of his band, the camera crew, God, and everybody. You were embarrassed by this large audience, but you didn't resist. You'd wanted this for so long, and it was even better than you'd imagined. 

"Yes," you said breathlessly when Frank pulled away at last. "Helena likes you very much."

[laughriotgrrrl]

Iliza is wrong. But it’s not her fault (kinda).

By Bobbie Oliver On Twitter: @TheBobbieOliver

Iliza Shlesinger begins her interview in Deadline Hollywood ok, “a big part of my comedy is wanting to speak to women and people that are my age in a funny and relatable way. I think the landscape of what’s available out there for women is not as extensive as it could be.” So far, so good (except the limiting it to people her age). But, then she goes on to say:

“I’m so glad you asked that [the way she portrays female comedy in her new project] because I put in those sketches and no one’s ever asked me about it because I think people were too busy laughing in agreement. As a comedian, I have a set of morals. I have a specific point of view. I think a lot of what I see out there, out in comedy clubs, watching contests, watching TV, watching movies—gathering data from these different matrixes…

When you’re a woman in comedy and you get a break, people get so excited about it, but while we have to work hard to get that attention, I do think many women think, “Oh if I just act like a guy, if I go for that low hanging fruit…” Everything’s about sex, or how weird I am. It all just kind of runs together.

I could walk into The Improv, close my eyes, and I can’t tell one girl’s act apart from another. That’s not saying that 30-something white guys don’t all sound the same sometimes, but I’m banging my head against the wall because women want to be treated as equals, and we want feminism to be a thing, but it’s really difficult when every woman makes the same point about her vagina, over and over. I think I’m the only woman out there that has a joke about World War II in my set. I think shock value works well for women, but beyond that, there’s no substance. I want to see what else there is with such complex, smart creatures.”

I included the quote so no one could say I misrepresented her words. Those were her exact words. Since this was released, Iliza has been bombarded with responses from female comics (myself included) because it turns out people weren’t just “laughing in agreement” and that she did not succeed at talking to women “in a relatable way.” Did Iliza look at those comments, think ‘hmm maybe I am missing something and should listen to these women’s collective experiences?’ Spoiler! Um, no. She doubled down; she attacked; she ranted and raved and blamed women with (since deleted) tweets to the effect of ‘women shouldn’t complain about what I said; women just need to get better; my experience is more valid than yours; I worked TEN WHOLE YEARS and nobody gave anything to me; everyone is just jealous; if it doesn’t fit you, don’t be offended...’

There is SO MUCH to unpack there, and I may be all over the place cause I’m pissed I have to sit down and blog about this shit AGAIN. I just got finished producing the 3rd Annual Laugh Riot Grrrl Festival, which features over 100 female comedians each year in a week’s worth of shows and activities. I was feeling pretty good about the state of women in comedy (rare for me) and thinking we just smashed the Patriarchy, even if it were just a little. And then, I turn on my computer to see yet another dick dissing women in comedy, setting us back instead of propelling us forward- and this time that dick was a fellow female comic. I am angry, yes, but mostly I am disappointed. But, Iliza said this is her experience and we have to take that as gold. Well, here is my experience...

I started doing comedy in college at 19 years old in 1988 (a little longer than TEN WHOLE YEARS). As a elder in the comedy community (I am 49, been doing comedy for 29 years, teaching comedy for 13 years, wrote a critically acclaimed book about comedy, own a comedy school, was on the road for years on the East Coast and moved to LA 20 years ago, etc), I feel like it is my OBLIGATION not only to create as many opportunities for women in comedy as possible (in addition to my women’s comedy fest, I produce women-only open mics, feminist comedy shows, etc), but to elevate other women as often as I can ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC INTERVIEWS. No, I am not rich or famous. Probably never will be. But, I have made my entire living off comedy most of my adult life and my experience matters, too.

Saying women shouldn’t be offended by her lazy answer in an interview if it doesn’t apply to them is like Trump saying Mexicans are rapists and black people are criminals but don’t be offended if you aren’t those things. Nice try. And women just need to get better?? Seriously? Do you know how tired you sound? How many racists have said, in response to being confronted on lack of diversity in their school, business, organization, ‘black people just need to earn it like the rest of us.’ Yeah, cause Obama was the first black man to ever be qualified to be President? Not even close.

Iliza, your experiences are a lot more limited than you realize. Ten years is nothing in comedy and you know that. It is a well-known adage in comedy that it takes 10 years just to find your voice. Getting to your level of success in 10 years thanks to Last Comic Standing (and yes, I and many female comics voted for you, and don’t regret it) is a fast track to the top, bypassing decades of work that other women have put in. Did you deserve that? Sure, why not? You deserve it as much as anyone. But, don’t pretend it didn’t come fast and relatively easy. Because of that, you haven’t worked in as many low level rooms as most of us, so your experience is limited mostly to comedy clubs. Comedy clubs rarely book women, even more rare to have two or more on a single show. All the years I was on the road, I was only in a comedy condo with another woman TWICE. The comedy clubs that do book women are not booking a representation of the best female comedy. Just like Justin Bieber being mega rich and famous is not a representation of the best in music.  A more accurate comment would have been, ‘I walk into the Improv and they only book a few women and all the same kinds of female comics. Comedy clubs need more diversity.’

Iliza was right when she said that the “landscape of what’s available out there for women is not as extensive as it could be.” Therein lies the problem. But, you don’t begin by basing the state of female comedy on the “handful” of women you see around. For one thing, I know women who have been unbooked from shows with Iliza because her ‘people’ told them she doesn’t like to have too many women on a show (if those emails are false, she should take that up with her people). Also, most headliners, Iliza included (in my experience) don’t stay in the room and watch all the other comics. I am guilty of that, too. It’s easy to roll up in the club right before your set and leave the room right after. I mean, what comedian wants to watch every other comedian? But, that limits your ability to accurately report on the state of comedy. Because I produce so many events for female comics (and have to be in the room), I see hundreds of women perform yearly in open mics, standup shows, festivals, sketch groups, etc. By producing events like my yearly Women in Comedy Roundtable, I get to/choose to listen to women A LOT. Those women are trying to speak now, and we need to listen and really hear them.

Let’s also talk about smart comedy, low hanging fruit and using our comedy powers for good or evil. I have mutiple degrees, am extremely well-read and follow politics very closely. I don’t think I’m unusual. Most comics make it a point to have informed opinions. Iliza boasted that she’s the only female comic with a WWII joke. Well, she’s not. And, even if she were, what the fuck does that matter? I talk about politics, rape culture, feminism, homelessness, as well as marriage, kids, my Trump-supporting  dad, and occasionally, will make a pussy reference if I goddamn feel like it. Men are never policed on their dirty joke subjects, on their ‘bad language’ so I will not be, either. All the hateful rape jokes men tell, and we are worried that a women said, ‘pussy,’ really?? And my pussy does not hang low, thank you very much.

Iilza, like every person you ever hear say women aren’t funny enough, is a victim of the Entertainment Industrial Complex. Art is not TV. If you see a limited number of women and those women all make similar jokes (all jokes that Iliza herself has made), you are not seeing a fair representation of women. You are seeing the ones that made it past the gatekeepers in one way or another. Perhaps they are funny, but perhaps they are also hot, don’t rock the boat, know their place or were in the right place at the right time and got lucky. I have always rocked the boat, never accepted their idea of my place and have never been hot. I do feel lucky because I make a living performing standup and writing jokes for other comics. And I can tell you that I am AMAZED by the state of female comedy. Absolutely flabbergasted at the depth and talent and wit of the incredible women I get to (because I make it a point to) work with weekly. Right after the festival, I was quoted as saying that the only way I was able to get through 14 shows in one week is because every women was not only hilarious, but SO DIFFERENT from each other. My husband, comedian Chris Oliver, said the same. We also book tons of men and, frankly, some of them run together in my mind. Sometimes I can’t remember who made which shitting my pants in traffic joke and which ones told which rape jokes. I mean, let’s face it, MOST COMEDY IS HORRIBLE. It is. It’s painful. But, a lot of those comics get better and wiser and more likeable. Some are given regular spots at the Comedy Store (by some, I mean men, of course) and have an opportunity to grow and reflect and change and improve.

Feminism is already “a thing,” and we are equal, no matter who acknowledges it. As feminists, we need to use our comedy powers for good, to help a sister out. Iliza mentioned hiring women on her show and as openers for her. That’s great. Honestly. It is. Does it make you Feminist of the Year? No. In that major public platform, Iliza was given a chance to be heard by more people than most comics, especially women, ever get. She did not widen the landscape for women, she relied on tired old easily-disproven stereotypes that will not elevate us a profession, but will serve to help keep us as second class citizens in comedy. That statement validated every person who thinks women aren’t funny enough. I mean a famous female comic said it, so it must be true.

There is nothing wrong with misspeaking. We all fuck up. But, after the shock and anger wears off, it’s time to take a real look at our own misconceptions and the role we play in the fight as a whole. And did anyone ever figure out what that “one point” about the vagina is?

[niallsexyback]

See You Again - AU Where They Didn’t Get Back Together

A/N - So I decided I wanted to write something about where Niall and Erin didn’t get back together. For this story Riley is about 9 years old and Niall is about 30.

Another day I found myself behind my desk working on paper work. It was tax season so everything needed to be in its place. No one ever tells you how stressful this time of year can be when you start your own business. After this year, I really think I need to hire someone to do this job for me. If nothing else it would keep me more sane.

As I looked through the month of November’s receipts and bills, Riley walked into my office. “Hey bud, do you need something, finish your homework?”

He took a seat in the chair opposite my desk, shifting uncomfortably. “Um yeah…you know how you always said I could talk to you about anything?” I had always stressed to him that no matter what it was, he could always come to me and I would try to understand and not become angry. I wanted us to have an open relationship. With it being just the two of us, I thought it was important for us to be able to tell each other everything.

“Of course, what’s on your mind?” I questioned, putting down what I’d been working on.

“Well at school we have a project we have to work on where we interview our parents. Then explain what they do to the class and tell them if we would do our parents job.”

Okay that didn’t seem bad, so why was he acting so uncomfortable. He’d come with me to work countless times so he knew what I did. “So you want to work on that?”

He paused. “I know what you do so I was actually wondering about my dad.”

“Oh.” I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting him to ask about his dad. Only a few times when he was younger did he ever ask about his father. When he first started school, it was why does everyone else have two parents and he only had one. Then there had been a few other questions but nothing much was every said. So this was out of the blue and a bit of a shock. Not nothing I thought I’d be talking about on a Tuesday evening.

“If you don’t want to talk about it we don’t have to.” Riley was standing to leave, thinking he’d upset me.

Even if I had put my feelings far behind me, to say this was going to be easy would be a lie, but I wanted to do it for him. “No Riley, if you are curious we can talk about him. What do you want to know?”

“Well first do you know who he is?”

“Yes Riley I know who he is, we were in a relationship at the time.”

“Does he know about me?”

“He knew I was pregnant and your aunt Katie had told him when you were born but as far as I know that is all.”

“Why didn’t he want to be a part of my life?”

“At the time, his career was very important to him and having a baby would have cause a lot of problems so we broke up. To make it easier for him.”

“What did he do that was more important than me?”

“He was a singer.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you don’t think you got all that musical talent from me do you? He was in a band that was very popular at the time.”

“Have I heard of them?”

“Their songs have been on the radio a time or two, but lately they haven’t done much. I think most of them are currently more worried about their personal lives.”

“Do you know where he’s at now?”

“Roughly. It’s not like I still keep track of him but I’ve seen updates on him here and there.” It’s true, even after ten years people are still concern about what’s happening in their lives. I’d be looking though the news and something would pop up. Or on the radio when they played one of their songs and they give an update on them so it had been hard not to know something about them, even now.

He was very nervous, even more than when he first walked into my office. “You can say no if you want, but would you let me meet him? I want to ask him why he never wanted to get to know me, why he wasn’t ever there?” He had always been a strong willed child. He always knew what he wanted, and once he set his mind to something, it was unlikely you would change it. “I just want to know.”

“If you want to meet him than I will help you. How about I do some research about him and then once you finish school for the year we will try to meet him? I’m not going to promise you anything but I will try. And if we do meet him I don’t want you getting your hopes up.”

“I won’t. Thanks mom, I love you.”

“I love you too, now why don’t you go finish your homework.”

“Okay.” And he happily exited the office.

Even though it was probably going to bring back so many emotions and memories, I told Riley I would help him so that was what I was going to do. This wasn’t for me, but for him.

Turning towards my computer, I opened the internet and typed into Google the name I thought I would never think of again. Niall Horan.

As the car rolled to a stop, I placed it in park. Staring at the large tan house, I took a deep breath. My hands slide over my thigh, trying to calm my nerves but they still shock. I hadn’t been this nervous in a very long time.

After many hours of research, I had found this house was where the father of my child lived. The man I thought I would never see again. Maybe I could just return to the hotel and tell Riley he didn’t want to see him, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. I had promised I would do this for him and there was no stopping now. We travelled all this way. I was sitting in front of his house. So pushing my feelings aside, opened the door and walked up the front steps. There was a brief pause before finding the courage to finally push the doorbell. The ringing was heard coming from all parts of the house. There was no way if anyone was home they didn’t hear it.

When there was no answer in the first two seconds, there were thoughts of running away. But when I heard the foot sets, I knew there was no way to escape.  They would see me running to my car and that would be even more embarrassing than what I might face on the other side of the door. The door open but I couldn’t bring myself to look up from my feet.

“Can I help you?” I knew that voice all too well but he didn’t recognize me yet. Slowly I allowed myself to look, our eyes locked. “Erin?” He questioned. So many memories flooded back to me.

“I know I am probably the last person you expected to see standing at your door today,” I said softly.

“Erin?” He asked again.

“I’m not here for myself, but my son…our child,” that was harder to say than I thought, “wants to meet you. Five minutes of your time.”

Just than another person emerged in the doorway. “Niall who is this?”

With my research I knew who she was, she was his fiancé, Gabby. And right there on her left hand was a large sparkling ring. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at his left hand to see there was an absences of any ring.

He finally said something more than my name, “Umm…she umm works at the local orphanage and was collecting a donation. Can you grab my wallet?” Only a few seconds later she returned and handed it to him. “Thank you, why don’t you start that movie, I’ll be right there.”

When she walked away, he turn back towards me. Quickly he dug through his wallet and produced a business card and handed it to me. “Meet me here at one o’clock tomorrow and bring him. I have to go.” And just as quickly as it opened, the door closed.

Swiftly I returned to my rented car, finally able to breathe again. I hadn’t even looked at the card until I was buckled in. Turning it over, on the front I found the address to a recording studio with Niall’s name.

“Now Riley dear, I don’t want you to get your hopes up about today,” I explained to him.

“I know mom.”

“I just want you to not have too many expectations about what’s going to happen.”

“Yes mom.”

“Ok then if you’re ready we can go.”

As we drove to the address I was given, I wasn’t sure if I was nervous for myself or Riley? I knew how much he wanted this meeting to go well. I just didn’t want him thinking everything was going to change. I knew he want a stable man in his life to look up to, someone that could teach him things. When he was younger he had asked several time for a dad or when was I going to have a man in my life.

When we arrived at the building, it was a simple brick building. No name, nothing. I really hope this was the right place and not him sending us some random location to avoid us.

We walked to the door, hesitantly I knocked. The door almost instantly opened. “Quick inside,” Niall said before ushering us in. The door shutting before we were barely through the threshold.

Turning to look at each other, this was the first time in ten years that I really looked at him. He was just the way I remember him. Only a few wrinkles present around his eyes and his hair dark now with a few spots of gray present. And if I had to say so, somehow more handsome.

He turned his attention down towards Riley. “Hi I’m Niall.” He offered his hand for Riley to shake.

“And I’m Riley.”

“It’s nice to meet you Riley.”

“Is this yours?” Riley asked looking around the room filled with musical instruments, recording equipment, and memorabilia.

“Yes.”

“Mom told me you do music.”

“Yeah I’m a musician and this is my studio.” He turned on a light switch and illuminated the recording studio.

“Wow that’s so cool!”

“Would you like to look around?” Niall questioned.

“Can we?”

“Of course.” Niall opened the door to the recording booth and allowed us inside. Riley was blown away by what he was seeing. “Riley do you play any instruments?”

“Yeah the drum, piano, guitar, saxophone, and violin.”

“That’s a lot, which is you favorite?”

“The guitar.”

“Mine too. Would you like to see some I’ve collected over the years?”

“Sure!”

Niall started to lead Riley around and tell stories about each of the guitars that where around the room. The one he played on their first tour, one that was given to him by someone famous, and the list went on. I stood back and watched, having heard many of these stories already myself many years ago.

“What about that one?” Riley asked pointing to one guitar that was hanging high on the wall, above the rest.

Niall paused. “Oh that one, that one was given to me by someone very special. Only played it about a handful of times.”

“Why haven’t you played it more if it’s so special?” Niall reached up and grabbed it off the wall.

“You see, I wanted the person who gave it to me to be the first person who heard me play it.” He sat on the nearest stool, place the guitar on his leg and began to play.

“How come you played it for us then?”

I knew the guitar very well, he’d been eyeing it for weeks before I bought it. “Because your mum gave it to me.”

Riley turned towards me. “You did?”

“Yeah I guess.” Did I want to tell him? “It was supposed to be a Christmas gift but we didn’t make it to Christmas for me to give it to him. I had left it at a friend’s house because I couldn’t have hid it in ours with him finding it.”

“Harry gave it to me shortly after you left. Never felt right playing it so I’ve kept it ever since, hoping to someday be able to play it.” Niall stared at me.

“It is beautiful,” I mentioned.

“That it is.” Turning away from him, I pretended to look around the room, but really I was hiding my smile, and probably blush. “Riley do you want to play a little and I can record it for you?”

“Really?!”

“Yeah go ahead, we’ll be just outside.”

Niall and I left the room. Riley found a guitar he liked and sat down before playing. For a long time we sort of stood there not knowing what to say or do. Instead both watching Riley play.

Niall finally broke the silence. “He seems like a great kid, you have done a great job raising him.”

“Thanks.”

Another long pause before he spoke again. “I am truly very sorry for what happened between us that day.” I finally turned to look at him. “This is not how I wanted things to happen between us, and I’m sorry about that. I umm I should have found you and been a part of his life.”

“There’s nothing you can change about that now.”

“I know, and now that I’ve met him, I would like to be part of his life. As much as you want me to be. Even if it’s just his birthday or something. I want to get to know him.”

“I just don’t want to get his hopes up because you visited one time and then never show up again.”

“I’m not going to do that. I want to see him.” He stared at me. I could feel him burning into my soul. “Erin you have to believe me, I wanted to come find you but after so long I figured you didn’t want me there so I stayed away. For a long time management convinced me to stay away, and then it was years later.”

“Niall we both made mistakes that we can’t change.” I didn’t really know what else to say. Did I say that every day I hoped he would knock on our door? Did I tell him every time when Riley was three and asked for a daddy that it broke my heart? Did I mention how much Riley reminded me of him?

“I know and I’m sorry.” We settled into silence again as our attention went back to Riley.

When Riley was finished he walked out and joined us. “How was it?” He asked.

“You were great Riley, but we should really be going.”

“What? But I want to stay.”

“I know you do but Niall has other things to do,” I explained.

“Will I have ever see you again?”

“I hope, if your mum let’s me.”

“Please mom?” He begged, his big blue eyes staring up at me. I hadn’t noticed until they were both standing next to each other looking at me, just how identical their eyes were.

“Yeah he can come visit if he’d like.” I quickly found a piece of paper and pen before scribbling my phone number down. “And I have yours. Next time you’re free maybe we can make time for you to visit.”

“Thank you, I’d like that.”

“Okay Riley, time to go.”

The next day we had free. I’d planned an extra day just in case it was harder to find Niall than I thought. Originally I scheduled a bit of sightseeing. That was until I received a message asking to come to his house and to bring Riley. After debating with myself for a long time, I decided to do it.

When we arrived the house was quiet. Riley had been bouncing in the back seat as soon as I told him what we were doing. As I was about to knock of the door, it flew open. “You!” Niall’s fiancé yelled at me. “AHHH!” Both Riley and I stood there in shock before she stormed off to her car and drove away.

The door was open so I peeked my head in, “Niall?”

“In here.”

We followed the sound of his voice into the kitchen. Niall was on the floor holding his foot as blood dripped from it. Out of instinct I started to rush towards him.

“Wait! There’s glass on the floor.”

“Riley find a bathroom and bring a towel and some tape.”

Carefully I made my way through the field of glass to Niall. “What happened?”

“I told her,” he admitted.

“Told who?”

“I told Gabby, everything. I told her about you, about Riley.”

“Is that why she screamed at us as she stormed out.”

“That and because I told her I couldn’t marry her and we were done. And that’s when she started to throw dishes at me, and why I cut my foot.”

“I’d throw things too if I had that type of news dropped on me out of the blue.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Let me see your foot.”

“Why?”

“Really Niall? I want to see how bad it is.” I examined his foot, determining the severity of his injury. “You’re going to need some stitches, that’s a pretty deep gash. And you’ve ruined a perfectly good pair of shoes.”

“Come on, these are brand new.”

“You just ended your engagement, have a deep cut in your foot, and you’re concerned about a pair of socks?”

“Yeah,” he answered sheepishly.

When Riley returned, he handed me the towel and roll of tape he found. I quickly taped the towel to Niall’s foot. Then I helped him to his feet and supported him on his way to the car.

After having gotten Niall to the emergency room, we now sat with him waiting. Once they had cleaned his cut and stitched the wound, they went to work on paperwork and get him some antibiotics.

We were in a small room, just the three of us. Riley had fallen asleep on my lap while my fingers ran through his hair. Niall was laying across the bed with his foot up.

“Thank you,” he mentioned.

“For what?” I asked.

“For bringing me here, for coming to finding me, for letting me meet Riley, everything.”

“Bringing you here was me, but seeing you was Riley. I always said if he wanted to meet you I would let him. Never wanted to keep him from you if he wanted to get to know you. Thank you for seeing him, you didn’t have to.”

“There was never a day I didn’t think about you two. Wondering how you where, what you were doing, what he was like. I wanted to find you, but after so long I figured I was too late and tried to move on, though it never really worked.” He laughed awkwardly.

Just then a nurse walked in. “All finished Mr. Horan, you’re free to go. Here are some crutches since you won’t want to be putting any weight on that foot for at least a week. I’ll give your antibiotics and papers to you girlfriend and you’re free to go.”

“Oh I’m not his girlfriend,” I quickly corrected. The nurse gave me a questioning gaze. “Just a friend, an old friend.”

Once we got Niall home and settled onto his couch, it was time for Riley and I to leave. Our flight left early in the morning and we still needed to pack.

“Thank you for coming to see me Riley.”

“Will I see you again?” He asked.

I answered for Niall, “Yeah if he would like, Niall can come visit us.”

“I’ll come see you soon.”

Riley quickly ran and wrapped his arms around Niall, shocking both him and I. “Thanks Niall.”

Hope everyone enjoyed it. Part 2 anyone?

[bad-draft-stuff]

det. au 10

Arsé-kun: Arséne: -- All in all, you only missed so much.

Arsé-kun: Arséne: There was assault and murder at a theater troupe, but Sherlock and Watson cleaned it up rather quickly. The quirky kids crew was involved, I am told? After this, Sherlock went ahead and apologized to the professor, as well as updating him on recent events. Even the Napoleon of Crime didn't know entirely what Twilight was about. In the background, Impey provided insight on the professor and his son- They're vampires. More people to be irrationally terrified of for me. *he pauses, hoping Impey didn't hear that bit. Or Nyar. Or... a lot of people, lets be real.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Nyar proceeded to confirm that angels exist. While this is mostly irrelevant to any cases, it's worth noting. Sherlock is still banned from using the oven freely. Anyway. After a tiny success for myself, we made a truce with Azathoth himself to get the extra soul removed from Sheepy. It took a bit longer than I'd hoped, and I saw things I don't want to see again, but it worked. That is why Sheepy is allowed to sleep in today. Sheepy: Tom: woah Arsé-kun: Arséne: We also learned that Azathoth has absolutely no moral compass and a limited ability to tell fiction from reality. I'd rather Watson use this information than myself, though it may come in handy. Sheepy: Tom: hes nice Arsé-kun: Arséne: Is he? Sheepy: Tom: he gave me a nice outfit Arsé-kun: Arséne: I see. It's very cute. Sheepy: Tom: thank you Arsé-kun: Arséne: At the last minute, the Saint finally took pity and shared his knowledge with us. Twilight was an experimental group split off of Idea- Who is apparently able to bully eldritch beings? They've apparently got assassins, so going after them is a big non, non, NON. As well, the Saint was once part of this group, explaining his fighting ability. Twilight is no longer the primary problem- Idea is. ... Also, Saint is capable of some healing? Sheepy: Tom: why is idea the big problem Arsé-kun: Arséne: Because we spoke with Azathoth. He may be rethinking things, so we can take some time to focus on the original group. Sheepy: Tom: but what did they do to us? Sheepy: Tom: someone might be related to a group, but just because this person is our enemy doesn't mean that the original group is our enemy as well Arsé-kun: Arséne: Their leader had someone close to some of us killed. The full group may not, but.. Sheepy: Tom: ... Sheepy: Tom: ok. Arsé-kun: Arséne: .... This is getting ridiculous. I'd really like an unrelated case. Sheepy: Tom: then find one Sheepy: Tom: it shouldnt be too hard Sheepy: Tom: crime happens every day. you just need to advertise yourself better. Sheepy: Tom: "a detective that rivals the abilities of sherlock holmes!"... something like that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: How rude. Why would I want to challenge him? Sheepy: Tom: ? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Maybe I'll go looking for trouble myself. Sheepy: Tom: because you live next to him Sheepy: Tom: if you live next to detectives worse than you you'll be chosen instead Sheepy: Tom: but youre living next to a famous detective Sheepy: Tom: so youre at a great disadvantage. Arsé-kun: Arséne: .... Yeah, you're right. Sheepy: Tom: heres the many possibilities Sheepy: Tom: they dont like sherlock so they go with you. sherlock is busy so they go with you. sherlock lacks an interest in the case so they go with you. sherlock drags you along. they hire you expecting sherlock to come along. they fear they cant afford his work so they hire you. you are less known and thus better for secretive work and thus they hire you Sheepy: Tom: they come when sherlock is sleeping so they hire you Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Merci. That makes me feel kind of better. Sheepy: Tom: i believe in you Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thank you. *he goes and pats Tom's head* Sheepy: Tom: no problem Sheepy: Tom: if you ask sherlock he may be willing to give some cases to you Arsé-kun: Arséne: Those are his, though. Sheepy: Tom: i dont get it Sheepy: Tom: because they expect him? Sheepy: Tom: they still need help Sheepy: Tom: anyway ive got a good feeling Arsé-kun: Arséne: Eh? Do you? Sheepy: Tom: yes. about you getting a case Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then it must be so. Thank you. Sheepy: Tom: no problem Sheepy: Tom: ill root for you Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he pats Tom's head* Sheepy: Tom: if you get desperate you can create cases of your own Arsé-kun: Arséne: Tempting, but no. Sheepy: Sheepy: You should go out with a sign that says "free trial for detective work". Sheepy: Sheepy: But the trial only lasts 5 minutes. Arsé-kun: Arséne: No. Also, good morning. Sheepy: Sheepy: Bad morning since you won't take my genius advice to heart. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Maybe push it up to an hour? ... Oh, but I'd rarely be home if it kicked off. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good. Sheepy: Sheepy: I mean, bad. Arsé-kun: Arséne: What do you mean "Good"? You'd be coming with me. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ehhh??? Why? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You're my assistant, aren't you? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I'd like you to come with me for anything we do. Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, okay, I guess. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess you do need comic relief to add levity to the situation and make you sound smarter. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Th-that's not why I wanted you with me at all. It does help, though. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then why? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You help. Sheepy: Sheepy: I do? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Certainly. Sheepy: Sheepy: I can't see how, but whatever you say. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You damn know better than that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Whatever you say. Sheepy: Sheepy: What're your plans for today? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Not deal with current events. Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, okay. How do you intend to go about that? Arsé-kun: Arséne: No idea. While you're there, go get your... What did we decide? Being your brother doesn't exactly make sense.. Sheepy: Sheepy: I don't know where he is but I'll go look for him. Sheepy: Sheepy: *He goes hunting for Randy!* Arsé-kun: *no luck so far!* Sheepy: Sheepy: *Where is Randy??? He's nowhere to be found...* Arsé-kun: *Keep looking?* Sheepy: *Yes* Arsé-kun: *Sheepy eventually finds a locked door. what's this?* Sheepy: *Interesting! A lock to pick!* Arsé-kun: *He's gonna do it isnt he* Sheepy: *Yes* Arsé-kun: *easy success* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he picks the lock and emters* Arsé-kun: *This is... Saint Germain's room. Oops? Anyways, he's not awake... And neither is Nyar, who's curled up with him. Nor is Randy, who kinda took over the rest of the bed. It's his city now* Sheepy: Sheepy: *OH TIME TO LEAVE* Arsé-kun: *remember to close the door on the way out* Sheepy: *Sheepy closes the door* Sheepy: *Sheepy returns to Arsene* Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Eh? Didn't find him? Sheepy: Sheepy: I did. Sheepy: Sheepy: He's asleep still. Sheepy: Sheepy: I picked the lock of the room and it turned out to be Saint-Germain's and he's still asleep. Sheepy: Sheepy: So is Nyar, who I wasn't aware had to sleep. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then again... Azathoth does, so... Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... ... They were together? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Sheepy: Sheepy: Together together. Arsé-kun: Arséne: A lot has been explained to me in that answer. Sheepy: Sheepy: Like, you and Sherlock level. Arsé-kun: Arséne: The mystery of some of Nyar's statements has been solved. Thanks, assistant. Sheepy: Sheepy: I did it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You sure did. Sheepy: Sheepy: Now what? Sheepy: Sheepy: I want to help on a case like you offered but you don't have one. Sheepy: Tom: ask sherlock for one of his cases Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Well, I suppose. You seem to be insistent I do that. Sheepy: Tom: well how else are you going to get one Sheepy: Tom: as i said a famous detective is living next door and despite his clumsiness in cases he still ends up getting the presumably right answer, bringing a lot of cases in Sheepy: Tom: so he probably has a lot on his plate as is and if more come in he'd probably be happy to hand them over to you Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suppose. *he picks Tom up* Lets go find out ourselves. Sheepy, you come too. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. Sheepy: *They go!* Sheepy: Sherlock: Hullo! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Bonjour! Sheepy: Sherlock: What's going on? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Tom is encouraging me to snag a case or two from you. Sheepy: Sherlock: Hmm...... so you haven't been getting any cases recently? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Non. It doesn't help we've been busy or out a lot- I could have missed potential cases from it. Sheepy: Sherlock: Well, I'll think about it. Sheepy: Sherlock: The one I have I've currently "sunk my teeth into". Sheepy: Sherlock: But if I get another one today, I'll hand it over to you if the client's fine with it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: How kind of you. Thank you. Sheepy: Sherlock: No problem! Sheepy: *There's knocking at Sherlock's door...* Sheepy: Sherlock: Hullo! Come in! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he puts Tom down and slicks his hair back. Priorities* Sheepy: *An old lady bursts in! She looks frantic!* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he immediately abandons his seat for her to sit in* Tu fais quoi? Sheepy: *The old lady doesn't seem to register what he said, let alone the fact a seat is open* Sheepy: Old Lady: M-My daughter...! Arsé-kun: Arséne: What about her? Please, mademoiselle, do take a seat..! Sheepy: *The old lady sits* Sheepy: Old Lady: She's ... she's being accused of murders she didn't commit... I know she didn't do it! You have to believe me! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I certainly do. *he pats Tom's head before looking to Sherlock* I'll handle this. Sheepy: Old Lady: Thank you, thank you...! Sheepy: Sherlock: He's a good detective, a great detective. There's nothing to worry about. Sheepy: Old Lady: Yes, yes, of course...! *she turns to Lupin* Thank you, Mr. Holmes! Where do I start...? Do I bring you to the scene of the crime...? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Oui. That, or by covering what exactly occurred. Sheepy: Old Lady: My daughter works at our family-owned cafe. ..Well, cafe isn't quite the right word since we specialize in tea and herbs. Sheepy: Old Lady: Recently, people who have been drinking the tea she makes have been dropping dead...but it's not what it sounds like? She doesn't have a murderous bone in her body! Sheepy: Sheepy: That's good. It'd be weird if your own bone murdered you. Arsé-kun: Arséne: sheepy no Sheepy: Old Lady: The point is...! It can't be her! I know she's the one making the tea, but it has to be someone else! Arsé-kun: Arséne: There's a high chance that's true. Sherlock, any opinions? Sheepy: Old Lady: ...? Sheepy: Sherlock: There's two potential possibilities. First being that the poison is being added before she uses the materials to make the tea. Sheepy: Sherlock: The second is if the poison is added afterwards. Sheepy: Sherlock: The former would imply it's whoever grows, sells, or provides the tea leaves or tea bags. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then it'd be far more widespread. I'll treat it as the latter for now. Sheepy: Sherlock: The latter would imply it's the one providing the tea to the customers, such as the waiter. Sheepy: Sherlock: Not exactly. Sheepy: Sherlock: If it's a family owned business, they may grow their own tea. Sheepy: Sherlock: Hmm...tea... Arsé-kun: Arséne: Touché, I suppose. Work on your other case, you poodle, and brush your hair. Don't get sidetracked. Sheepy: Sherlock: I'm hungry... Sheepy: Sherlock: Fine, fine. Sheepy: Old Lady: If you aren't Mr. Holmes... are you Dr. Watson? Sheepy: Sheepy: Don't insult Watson like that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I'm almost hurt. *he ruffles Sheepy's hair* My name is Arséne Lupin. At your service, mademoiselle. *he politely bows to her* Sheepy: Old Lady: He did recommend you I guess.. Sheepy: Old Lady: Please save my daughter. Sheepy: Sherlock: Hmm... cafes... Arsé-kun: Arséne: I'll do my best. Sheepy: Sherlock: Perhaps I should quit my job and open a cafe... Arsé-kun: Arséne: .... Not to be scathing, but I think it's better I do handle this. You seem.... distracted. Sheepy: Sherlock: Scathing hot like coffee. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Okay, enough. Sheepy: Sherlock: I can't think about my case. I have a lot on my mind. Sheepy: Sherlock: Cases satiate my hunger for puzzles but not for food. Sheepy: Old Lady: Is there anything else you need to know? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Just one thing. Where exactly does she work? Sheepy: Old Lady: *she states the name and address* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Merci. Sheepy, get my hat and your coat. We're going. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he does so* Do you want me to put it on your head too? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You can try! Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm too short Sheepy: Sheepy: Bend down. Sheepy: Sheepy: If you think I can try to put it on your head, at least give me a chance. Sheepy: Tom: i want to come Sheepy: Sheepy: And we're bringing you. Sheepy: Tom: i want coffee Sheepy: Sheepy: They don't sell coffee Tom. Arsé-kun: *Arséne bends down for Sheepy* Sheepy: *Sheepy hops onto Arsene's back and puts the hat on his own head.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: That's not my head. Sheepy: Sheepy: Let's go. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Give me my hat Sheepy: Sheepy: *He puts the hat on Arsene's head* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Now we can go. Sheepy: *They go to the cafe!* Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah, it looks like an old people place. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Thanks. Sheepy: Sheepy: You're an old person, so you should lead the way. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I was going to ask Mrs. Clover here to do so. Sheepy: *Heather Clover, AKA Old Lady, enters.* Sheepy: *Thus leading the way.* Arsé-kun: *and so, Arsene enters, half dragging sheepy along with him* Sheepy: Sheepy: I can't enter old people places or I'll become an old people. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Quiet, you. Sheepy: Sheepy: Where are we starting, boss? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Up to you. I'm thinking in the back. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good idea. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Check everything over. Ask everyone who works back there. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sure, sounds good. Sheepy: *Sheepy heads to the back.* Arsé-kun: *Arséne follows him* Sheepy: Waiter: ...Ah... Sheepy: Sheepy: It's people to talk to! Arsé-kun: Arséne: m-hm. Shall we split up to interview? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yup. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Fantastic. Meet you here. Sheepy: *The two split up.* Arsé-kun: *arsene goes to speak with everyone in the kitchen* Sheepy: *Sheepy goes to talk to the waiter and waitress!* Arsé-kun: Waitress: Good afternoon, sir, but nonstaff are not permitted in the back! Sheepy: Sheepy: So if I get paid I can be back here? Sheepy: Sheepy: I've been hired to look into the deaths connected to this cafe. Sheepy: *The waiter looks uncomfortable but says nothing* Arsé-kun: Waitress: Oh, but you're so young..! Shouldn't you be in school? Sheepy: Sheepy: No, I'm an assistant to a detective. Sheepy: Sheepy: The law doesn't have time for school. Sheepy: Sheepy: That being said, I want to ask some questions. Arsé-kun: Waitress: Certainly. Sheepy: Sheepy: Starting with your and his names. Arsé-kun: Waitress: He's Oliver. I'm Bella. Sheepy: Sheepy: How long have you been working here? Arsé-kun: Bella: I've been here since it opened. Sheepy: Oliver: Uh...a month or two. Sheepy: Sheepy: What is your relationship with the accused? Arsé-kun: Bella: Younger sister. Sheepy: Oliver: Cousin...? ...Probably... Arsé-kun: Bella: I was told cousin. Sheepy: Oliver: Then...maybe? I didn't even know I had one... Sheepy: Sheepy:...Uhuh. Sheepy: Sheepy: How much contact exactly do you come into with the tea you serve? Arsé-kun: Bella: Retrieve and hand it to the customers. Sheepy: Sheepy: Your shift schedules? Arsé-kun: Bella: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 11 until close. Sheepy: Oliver: Uh... it's unpredictable...so when I'm needed. Sheepy: Oliver: So when it's crowded, I'm called in. I'm still learning from Bella so I can't handle a shift alone yet... it's complicated work. Arsé-kun: Bella: You should be able to work alone by the end of the month. Sheepy: Oliver: I don't know if I'll stay until the end of the month...I can't really stomach the fact that the tea that we served killed people... Arsé-kun: Bella: That's a good point.. Sheepy: Sheepy: It's not as though you're responsible for murder or anything. Sheepy: Oliver:.... Arsé-kun: Bella: That would be downright terrible. Sheepy: Sheepy: Of course. Arsé-kun: Bella: ...? I heard something. Excuse me for a minute. *she goes further back* Arsé-kun: *it's awkward.* Sheepy: Sheepy: What were you needed for? Sheepy: Oliver: I told you, when it's crowded I come in. Sheepy: Sheepy: A place like this becomes crowded? Prices are high, the focus only meets very specific people's tastes, and I've never seen it advertised in my life. Sheepy: Oliver: W-well, I don't know. I've only seen it crowded a few times.... Sheepy: Sheepy:...And yet, you're only here when it's crowded? Sheepy: Oliver: ...No...I'm only here when Bella calls me here... for when she needs help. Like... when it's crowded. Sheepy: Sheepy:......... Arsé-kun: *And then something makes contact with Sheepy's head, hard. CLANG.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Ugh! Sheepy: *Down he goes!* Sheepy: Oliver: Did you need to do that...? Arsé-kun: Bella: Of course. Do you want to get me caught? Sheepy: Oliver: W-well, it wasn't right, so... Arsé-kun: Bella: Thank you, captain obvious. You really think so? Sheepy: Oliver: People died. Arsé-kun: Bella: It happens. Sheepy: Oliver: It shouldn't, though... Arsé-kun: Bella: People die every day. It's not much different. Now make yourself useful and dump him in the closet or something. Sheepy: Oliver: But what if he can't get out? Arsé-kun: Bella: Shit happens, claim he trapped himself or something. Sheepy: Oliver: But he didn't. Arsé-kun: Bella: You'll be joining him if you keep this up. Sheepy: Oliver: I will...? Arsé-kun: Bella: Do I have to do everything myself?? Sheepy: Oliver: ?! Arsé-kun: Bella: .. Are you stupid, too? Hurry up! Sheepy: Oliver: Maybe we could just explain to him what's going on...! Sheepy: Oliver: We don't have to put him in a worse situation! Arsé-kun: Bella: You are stupid?? He's a detective. Sheepy: Oliver: Yes, but... Sheepy: Oliver: He's just a detective's assistant. Arsé-kun: Bella: That's even worse. Sheepy: Oliver: The detective probably knows he was talking to us... so if he disappears, the detective will come after us. Sheepy: Oliver: So...maybe we should just apologize and explain the situation...! Arsé-kun: Bella: Not if we get the hell out of here they won't. Fine, you stand guard. *she bends down to grab Sheepy's wrists, and drags him into the janitor closet* Sheepy: Oliver: H-hey, be careful. You might hurt him. Arsé-kun: Bella: *she drops him and comes back* You seem to forget that I don't care. Sheepy: Oliver: You should! He's a human being just like us! Arsé-kun: Bella: Stop talking. Sheepy: Oliver: I'm sorry... Arsé-kun: *Bella considers the kettle.* Sheepy: Oliver: But you should really try to stop hurting people. Arsé-kun: Bella: I'll consider it. Arsé-kun: *She considers this as well. She then picks up the kettle to look it over- before smacking Oliver with it. Hard.* Arsé-kun: *She grabs him and dumps him in the closet, too. She goes to leave when she notices an extension cord.. One long enough to be an effective rope. One tie-up job later, she closes the door and probably leaves.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *He stops faking being knocked out and begins to untie himself* Amateur...Hey, wake up. Arsé-kun: Oliver: .... ..... .......? Sheepy: Sheepy: Wake up. *He nudges Oliver* Arsé-kun: Oliver: ...... *he groans* Wh...? Sheepy: Sheepy: She hit you pretty hard. Sheepy: Sheepy: Don't scream. Keep your voice down. I'll deal with this. Arsé-kun: Oliver: ... She did...? *he goes to raise his arm and, of course, can't* ... ? Sheepy: Sheepy: *He finishes untying himself and takes out his phone* Sheepy: Sheepy: [Text: to Arsene] IM IN CLOSET WITH WAITER. WAITRESS IS MURDERER. Sheepy: Sheepy: [Text: to Arsene] SHE RAN AWAY. MAY NEED HELP GETTING OUT. ITS DARK. Sheepy: Sheepy: *He finishes untying himself and takes out his phone* Arsé-kun: Arséne: [Text: to Sheepy] Im coming right now hold on Sheepy: Sheepy: [Text: to Arsene] YOU KNOW WHERE I AM RIGHT Arsé-kun: *and the door swings open a few moments later, by Arséne, who looks downright terrified. how could this happen.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Hi, I'm alive. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Are you all right?? Sheepy: Sheepy: She was an amateur. Sheepy: Sheepy: She hit me with a teapot but couldn't even knock me out. Sheepy: Sheepy: This guy helped in the murders but didn't seem willing based on what I grasped. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I see. *he starts untying Oliver, making sure to support him so he doesn't end up lying on the floor.* Sheepy: Sheepy: He's hurt. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Noticed. Sheepy: Sheepy: I am, too, but I'll just shake it off. Sheepy: Sheepy: More important is catching up with that waitress before she runs off. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ah, y-yes, of course. Let me just... *he sends off a quick text and glances away* I'll go after her. Make sure nothing happens. Don't play dead again unless necessary. Sheepy: Sheepy: Hey, hey, I kinda had to. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Now I know. Hold down the fort. *and he runs off* Sheepy: Sheepy: Sure. Sheepy: *Sheepy, as Arsene asked, holds down the fort, watching Oliver closely.* Arsé-kun: *Oliver seems a bit tired, and in a lot of pain, but okay otherwise* Arsé-kun: *after.. a while, i guess, a Watson arrives. it's him. he's here. He's probably not alone because that's a bad idea* Sheepy: Sheepy: Hi, we both got hit with a teapot. Sheepy: Sheepy: Really hard. Sheepy: Sheepy: Don't focus on me. Focus on the waiter. Sheepy: Sheepy: Apparently, playing dead means you'll be locked in a closet, so unless it's necessary don't try that. Arsé-kun: Watson: That doesn't surprise me at all. Sheepy: Sheepy: It surprises me a little. Arsé-kun: Watson: If a suspect thinks you're dead or unconscious, they tend to try and immediately dispose of you. ... I learned that the hard way. Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmm... Sheepy: Sheepy: Good point. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... What, you're not even going to ask about that? Sheepy: Sheepy: Did you get put in a garbage compactor? Arsé-kun: Watson: I would not be here today if that happened. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then why would I ask if it's not about garbage compactors? Arsé-kun: Watson: This is the first time you've brought up compactors. Sheepy: Sheepy: Tell me a more exciting adventure than being thrown into a trash compactor. Sheepy: Sheepy: Being buried alive is not an answer. Arsé-kun: Watson: Nearly being burnt in an incinerator? Sheepy: Sheepy: I want details. Arsé-kun: Watson: In a moment. *he finishes up and pats Oliver's shoulder* You're good to go. I highly suggest you take the rest of the week to recover. Sheepy: Oliver: But...but, I should turn myself in... Sheepy: Oliver: She blackmailed me into helping her...but I'm just as responsible as she is...since I didn't go to the police... Arsé-kun: Watson: But you can get a severely reduced sentence for turning yourself in and explaining. Sheepy: Oliver: That's not why I want to turn myself in. Sheepy: Oliver: I'm not looking for a lighter sentence. Arsé-kun: Watson: I was simply stating a fact. Sheepy: Oliver: I did something wrong so I should take responsibility and be punished for my actions. Sheepy: Oliver: Because... the fact that I was blackmailed won't bring the victims back. Sheepy: Oliver: Do I just go to the nearest police department... Sheepy: Oliver: or is there someone present..? Arsé-kun: Watson: No, no. I'll bring you myself. It's safer that way. Sheepy: Oliver:...Thanks. Sheepy: Oliver: I didn't know her until recently...she claimed that I was her cousin so I could work here...I never knew I had a cousin... Arsé-kun: Watson: We'll see about that. We'll just have to check records. Sheepy: Oliver: Maybe I should have done that... Sheepy: Oliver:...Probably... less people would have died potentially... Arsé-kun: Watson: Possible, but no guarantees. Sheepy: Oliver:...Yeah. Sheepy: Oliver: I'm ready...I think. Arsé-kun: Watson: Great. *he looks to Sheepy* Come here and let me check. Sheepy: Sheepy: Darn, I nearly got out of having to be checked. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm fine. Dr. Tom checked and he said it's fine. Sheepy: Tom: you've come down with terminal 7 brain cancer and you have three hours left to live Arsé-kun: Watson: Tom isn't even h- ... .... I see you brought him along. Sheepy: Tom: im a gangster who studies medicine on the side Sheepy: Tom: if you take a medicine and a medicine youll die Sheepy: Tom: but if you pay up we may be able to help you just a little Sheepy: Tom: thats my doctor advice watson Arsé-kun: Watson: *he approaches Sheepy to check his head, and also to hide his smirk from Oliver* Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm being attacked. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm fine. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Yes, it seems just like a bruise. You get off lightly. Sheepy: Sheepy: See?? Sheepy: Sheepy: Now stop acting like a doctor towards me. I hate doctors. Arsé-kun: Watson: I'm not. I'm acting like a detective's assistant, making sure there are no injuries to note. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah but I hate doctors. Arsé-kun: Watson: I'm hurt. Sheepy: Sheepy: Why should I consider you an exception to the rule when you do the same thing as other doctors? Arsé-kun: Watson: I'm being harassed. Hello, police, a child is verbally attacking me. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm no child. I'm an assistant detective. Arsé-kun: Watson: Close enough. Sheepy: Sheepy: Just because I'm not a prodigy like Iris or an old man like Sherlock doesn't mean I'm a child. I have my skills! Sheepy: Sheepy: Like... ... ... Sheepy: Sheepy:............. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ehhh... Sheepy: Sheepy:...Anyway! Arsé-kun: Watson: I'm going to take this man with me. Will you be okay alone? Sheepy: Sheepy: I don't need a babysitter anymore. I'm independent, have a job, and have no intent to use the stove. Arsé-kun: Watson: Good to hear. Sheepy: Sheepy: Now shoo so you can't ruin my fun. Arsé-kun: Watson: I'd love to. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm the boss of this shop now. Sheepy: Oliver: Um..when are we going? Arsé-kun: Watson: Right now. Sheepy: *they go* Sheepy: *Sheepy waits for Arséne.* Arsé-kun: *Arséne returns finally!* Sheepy: Sheepy: You took fooorever... Sheepy: Sheepy: Watson called me a child too! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Désolé. I had to hand her in. Sheepy: Sheepy: Let's go. Sheepy: Sheepy: As in, home. Watson is turning the Waiter in. Sheepy: Sheepy: He said I was fine, too. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Did he? That's good. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah Sheepy: Tom: hes going to die Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Thanks, Tom. Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, yeah, everyone does. Sheepy: Tom: woah Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Lets go. Arsé-kun: *they start going home. Arséne seems Particularly Sour* Sheepy: Sheepy: What's up? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... If you'd actually been harmed, I wouldn't have known what to do. Sheepy: Sheepy: What do you mean? Sheepy: Sheepy: Watson would've just patched me up and I'd be okay. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... ... More than that. You keep getting hurt when I bring you along. Sheepy: Sheepy: That's just my job, isn't it? Sheepy: Sheepy: Whether you bring me along or not I get hurt. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You're not angry about me dragging you into these kinds of things? Sheepy: Sheepy: Why would I be? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Thank you. I got a bit worried. Sheepy: Sheepy: People's lives are fragile things, sure, but if you worry about getting hurt, you'll never improve as a person. Sheepy: Sheepy: If my life is ended before it's supposed to be, that's fine, too. It'll probably be while doing something important to me, which is better than slowly dying off from old age. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I'm not worried about me. I was worried about you..... Why are you the way that you are? Sheepy: Sheepy: Why am I? Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmmmm... Arsé-kun: Arséne: We just don't know. Sheepy: Sheepy: You. Sheepy: Sheepy: Probably. Sheepy: Sheepy: How much do you value your own life? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Mine..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Sheepy: Sheepy: Who else do you think I'm talking to? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Tom. Sheepy: Sheepy: No, I'm talking to you. How much do you value your own life? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Enough that I'd like to keep it. Sheepy: Sheepy:...Hmm. Sheepy: Sheepy: For me... Sheepy: Sheepy: I don't. Sheepy: Sheepy: Perhaps that's just me being a kid. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he stops entirely* .... P-perhaps it is because of Randolph's influence? Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'll be happy if I make even the tiniest impact on the world before I die. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You already have. Sheepy: Sheepy: Have I? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Absolutely. Sheepy: Sheepy: How? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You've made huge impressions on others, right..? Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess I have. Arsé-kun: Arséne: None of this "I guess". You have. Sheepy: Sheepy: But that's because of my looks, right? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Perhaps at the beginning. Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmm. Maybe. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ..... Look, I'll be frank with you. Sheepy: Sheepy: What's up? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I don't know if you've noticed, but you're probably the most important part of my life. If I lost you, I'd probably have no will to go on. *he shifts his hat to cover his eyes* Now enough of this depressing conversation. Sheepy: Sheepy:...I seriously don't understand you. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I don't mind that. Sheepy: Sheepy: You shouldn't worry about filling that gap. I'm pretty expendable. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Enough. Sheepy: Sheepy: Fine. Sheepy: Sheepy: Juuuust trying to help! Arsé-kun: *and so, the rest of the trip is made in complete silence- at least, Arséne is* Sheepy: *Sheepy is silent as well...* Sheepy: *Upon their return, Sherlock looks up from whatever he's doing.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Hullo! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he grins* Bonjour! We have returned and were successful today! Sheepy: *Sheepy mumbles something along the lines of, "like him" and walks off. goodbye sheep.* Sheepy: Sherlock: That's good! Sheepy: Sherlock: I've accomplished.... Sheepy: Sherlock:.... Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... You've barely moved. Sheepy: Sherlock: I slept after you left. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thrilling. If you don't mind, I'm going to head upstairs. Sheepy: Sherlock: Go ahead! Sheepy: Sherlock: Rest well! I'll be here. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thank you. *he heads up* Sheepy: *Sheepy heads to Nyar and Saint.* Arsé-kun: *I'm not quite sure what they were up to, but they're both sitting in chairs across the room from each other when Sheepy enters* Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you two dating? Arsé-kun: Germain: *he nearly chokes on his tea* Pardon me?! Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you two dating? Sheepy: Nyar: Uhhhhh... Arsé-kun: Germain: *his answer is to look horrified- and red- before he hastily attempts to regain his composure. failed step one* Sheepy: Sheepy: Is that a yes? Arsé-kun: Germain: .... Yes. Yes, it is. *he puts his face in his hands* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh. Okay. Sheepy: Sheepy: So are you dating him as a human or as Nyarlathotep? Sheepy: Nyar: Wow. You really like to get into people's personal lives, don't'cha? Sheepy: Sheepy: Uhuh. Sheepy: Nyar: *he turns his direction to the rubiks cube he's fidgeting with. ah. he's already solved it. unfortunate.* Well, don't let me butt in. Arsé-kun: Germain: No, please, butt in. Sheepy: Nyar: Okay, sure. Do the rubiks cube thing for me. Arsé-kun: Germain: But you solved it already. Sheepy: Nyar: No, no, unsolve it. Arsé-kun: Germain: Ah. Sure. Throw it over. Sheepy: *Nyar throws the rubiks cube at Germain* Arsé-kun: *Germain neatly catches it.* Sheepy: Nyar: While you do that, I'll deal with Fluffy. Arsé-kun: Germain: *he starts messing with the cube* Sheepy: Nyar: Okay, kid, ask me anything. Sheepy: Sheepy: How do you heal the emotional scars caused by having a deeply depressed person harboring your body for your entire life? Sheepy: Nyar: Next question. Arsé-kun: Randy: I am so sorry. *he leans in the room. there he is* Sheepy: Sheepy: Hi, Arsene was looking for you earlier. Sheepy: Sheepy: And, don't apologize for things that you aren't responsible for. Sheepy: Sheepy: Neither you nor I are responsible for it. No one here is. Arsé-kun: Randy: Maybe not, but my depression directly caused yours. Since I'm here and not there, it should get better, right..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Uhuh. Sheepy: Sheepy: Don't worry about it, though. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'll get it worked out. Sheepy: Sheepy: Anyway, as I said, Arséne was looking for you, but I'm pretty sure he wants some distance from me right now. Arsé-kun: Randy: I hope you do. Sheepy: Sheepy: I upset him by accident, but I was telling the truth. Arsé-kun: Randy: It happens. Sheepy: Sheepy:...? Does it? Arsé-kun: Randy: Sure. Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth, no matter what it may be. Perhaps that was one such thing. Sheepy: Sheepy:.....I guess. Sheepy: Sheepy: But hurting him isn't my intent. Sheepy: Sheepy: And there's nothing I can say... Arsé-kun: Randy: There's always something you can say. It just may not be wise. Sheepy: Sheepy: What do I do? Arsé-kun: Randy: Maybe reword whatever it was you said. Maybe it came across poorly. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'll go talk to him. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he heads upstairs...* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he's sitting on his bed, shuffling through papers* Sheepy: Sheepy: Hi. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Bonjour. Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you busy? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Not at all. Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you still upset? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... A little. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he comes over and sits down next to Arséne* Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... I overreacted before. My apologies. Sheepy: Sheepy: Don't apologize. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Too late. Sheepy: Sheepy: You have your own views. I have mine. In the current emotional state I'm in, I won't understand why you value me so much. One man's trash is another man's treasure, right? *he lets out a pained laugh...* Sheepy: Sheepy: This isn't me and I know that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ..... I suppose you are right. Sheepy: Sheepy: It's just... really stressful. Crowded. I'm tired emotionally and physically. You know when you have a huge amount of work that's causing you to lose sleep? Sheepy: Sheepy: And then you finally finish it and you just crash? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... All too well. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess that's how I feel right now. But since that "work" is technically gone, after the crash I should recover. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Glad to hear it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Hopefully that made you feel better. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It did. *he ruffles Sheepy's hair* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he grins* Good. Now stop being so mopey. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh? What's this? Sheepy: Sheepy: You're mopey like you think you're to blame. Sheepy: Sheepy: I mean, you apologized, so you do, right? Arsé-kun: Arséne: That isn't what I was going for at all. Sheepy: Sheepy: But are you a cultist? Have you been hiding this all along? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oy vey, I certainly hope I'm not! Sheepy: Sheepy: Then you aren't responsible! Sheepy: Sheepy: I mean, technically, you kind of are for me feeling crowded and overwhelmed, but you're the least influential in that respect. It's everyone else. Arsé-kun: Arséne: But I'm not irresponsible, either! Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess you aren't. Arsé-kun: Arséne: More importantly, what was that on your face? *he pokes Sheepy's cheeks* That was no frown. What was it? Sheepy: Sheepy: I don't know, what was it? A mouth, presumably. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he lightly pulls on Sheepy's cheeks* What was it! Sheepy: Sheepy: A smile. Arsé-kun: Arséne: A rarity! I declare a national holiday in honor! Sheepy: Sheepy: Does that mean I need to smile on this day every year? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Non. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then I can get behind its holiday status. Sheepy: Sheepy: This is an important part of the holiday. Sheepy: *Sheepy hugs Arséne! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Integral! *he hugs Sheepy in return. excellent* Sheepy: Sheepy: Sooo, what're those papers? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Legal papers. Don't worry too much. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay, if you say so. Sheepy: *...Meanwhile, downstairs. There's faint singing.... it's getting closer...* Arsé-kun: *Horrifying.* Sheepy: *The door whips open! Crow takes a pose!* Sheepy: Crow: Crow has arrived! Sheepy: *Sherlock screams and falls out of his chair. RIP* Arsé-kun: Watson: ... You've also probably given at least three people cardiac arrest. Sheepy: Crow: I forgot to pay you two the other day! Arsé-kun: Watson: This may be a new record in fastest payment. Sheepy: Crow: And it slipped my mind until earlier, so I flew here as fast as my wings could carry me! Arsé-kun: Watson: Yes. Money can be exchanged for goods and services. Sheepy: Crow: I don't know how much I was supposed to pay! Arsé-kun: Watson: *he considers this, working out the math. this should be mycroft's job, but he's at HOME* Arsé-kun: Watson: .... ... *he gives up* How much do you want to pay? Sheepy: Crow: ...??? Sheepy: Crow: Money is no substance to a fallen angel like me! Sheepy: Crow: So I don't understand it! Sheepy: Crow: So it's better to ask someone who does. Sheepy: Crow: Actually! I could ask someone who might know. Sheepy: Crow: [Text: to Rom] How much do I give a detective for solving a case??? Sheepy: Crow: [Text: to Rom] Is $5 a lot? Arsé-kun: Rom: [text: to Crow] No???? That is nowhere near the proper amount. Tack a few zeroes on the end, pal. Sheepy: Crow: [Text: to Rom] But I don't have any zero dollar bills... Arsé-kun: Rom: [text: to Crow] NOOOOOOO. $500? Maybe throw another zero at the end there? Sheepy: Crow: Rom said $500! Are there $500 bills? Arsé-kun: Watson: Uh, no. Do you at least know basic addition? Sheepy: Crow: I do! Sheepy: Crow: I was asking because I didn't know if there was a simpler way to do this! Arsé-kun: Watson: There isn't. Sheepy: *Crow begins hunting through his wallet...* Sheepy: Crow: ........................... Sheepy: Crow: This is $500! *He hands over $500 worth of $5s, $10s, and $20s...* Arsé-kun: Watson: .... .... Well, it's still better than the time someone tried to pay entirely in coins. Sheepy: Crow: Eh? Did you want coins, too? Arsé-kun: Watson: Absolutely not. Sheepy: Crow: Is there anything else I need to do? Arsé-kun: Watson: Not at all. Sheepy: Crow: Then! *He strikes a pose* This fallen angel will descend once more! Off, away! Back to his newfound home! Sheepy: *Crow leaves!* Arsé-kun: *don't bump into that tree. wasn't it closer to the other window before?* Sheepy: Crow: ....? Sheepy: Crow: Oh! Moving trees! Arsé-kun: Adam: ... ... *he stops cleaning the window and looks down* Oh, it's the ant again. Sheepy: Crow: Eh? Ant?? No, no! I'm the fallen angel! Not the fallen ant! Arsé-kun: Adam: Maybe I should borrow a magnifying glass from the detective, because I can barely see you. *sick burn. he seems proud of himself* Sheepy: Crow: What're you doing here? Arsé-kun: Adam: I... Live... Here? Sheepy: Crow: Huh? Sheepy: Crow: But the detective does. Sheepy: Crow:...Ah! I know! Sheepy: Crow: These are these "apartment" things I've heard about! Arsé-kun: Adam: Y.. Yes. Sheepy: Crow: In apartments, people all live together like one big, happy family! Sheepy: Crow: I wasn't here because I live here, though! There's a detective. Sheepy: Crow: I paid my first "bill" today. Sheepy: Crow: *He puffs up with pride* No longer do I need people to do the paying for me! Sheepy: Crow: Tree! Sheepy: Crow: We should go somewhere together! Sheepy: Crow: Since that's what friends do. Arsé-kun: Adam: ... Can I at least put the cleaning supplies away, first? Sheepy: Crow: Yes! Sheepy: Crow: I'll wait here. Arsé-kun: *And so, Adam does exactly what he said he was going to do.* Arsé-kun: Adam: ... *he returns* .... You're still here. Sheepy: Crow: Why wouldn't I be? I said I'd wait so I am. Arsé-kun: Adam: ... I was under the belief someone would spot you and chase you off. Sheepy: Crow: Well, that's a good point. Sheepy: Crow: But it didn't happen. Arsé-kun: Adam: ... I see. Sheepy: Crow: Where should we go? Arsé-kun: Adam: ....... I don't know. Sheepy: Crow: Then... Eh.... Sheepy: Crow: ... Sheepy: Crow: [Text: to Yaiba] Where's a good place to go? Arsé-kun: Yaiba: [text: to Crow] Not here, hence, good luck. sheep: Crow: [Text: to Yaiba] I don’t know where to go... Sheepy: Crow: [Text: to Yaiba] You can't recommend anywhere? Sheepy: Crow: I could ask Rom but he's at work, and Aion doesn't leave home often because he's scared of the outside world. Sheepy: Crow: We could ask that detective! Sheepy: Fran: *He joins Adam's side, unsure of what's going on* Are you looking for someone? Arsé-kun: Adam: Ah... No. Sheepy: Crow: *he strikes a pose* A crimson flash in an unwavering - Sheepy: Fran: Ah, so he's a friend of yours? Arsé-kun: Adam: .... Apparently. Sheepy: Crow: W-wait! I wasn't done...with my introduction...! Arsé-kun: Adam: ... Do you want people noticing you? Arsé-kun: Adam: Then shush. Sheepy: Crow: Normally, it's fine! But today I have come on a very important mission. Sheepy: Crow: Glasses-man, where is a fun place to go? Sheepy: Fran: I, uh... Sheepy: Fran: It depends on your hobbies... Sheepy: Crow: My hobbies? Sheepy: Crow: Tree! What're yours? Arsé-kun: *Adam is considering this.* Arsé-kun: Adam: ...... I don't do very much. Sheepy: Crow: You photosynthesize right? Sheepy: Crow: That's why you're tall. Arsé-kun: Adam: .... Um. No? Sheepy: Crow: But aren't you part tree? Arsé-kun: Adam: No? Sheepy: Crow: Then why is your name Tree? Arsé-kun: Adam: It is not. You decided that yourself. Sheepy: Crow: Then what is it? Arsé-kun: Adam: It's Adam. Sheepy: Crow: Like from "Adam and Eve"! Arsé-kun: Adam: Yes. Sheepy: Crow: Okay. Who's that then? Arsé-kun: Adam: Victor..? Sheepy: Crow: Victor... Sheepy: Fran: Frankenstein. Sheepy: Crow: Ah! Like the green zombie guy who goes "grr"! Sheepy: Fran: No. Sheepy: Crow: ???? Arsé-kun: Impey: Not too far off! What's happening over here? Sheepy: Crow: But then who's the zombie guy? Sheepy: Crow: *he poses* Arsé-kun: Adam: That would be me. Sheepy: Crow: Oh! So you're the Frankenstein! Sheepy: Crow:... Sheepy: Crow: I never watched it. Arsé-kun: Adam: .... Me neither. Sheepy: Crow: I! *he poses* am a crimson-hearted angel, burned by the darkest flames of sin! Fallen from false crimes, I have descended to Earth, unable to ascend once more until my name has been cleared! Sheepy: Crow: I am Crow! Sheepy: Fran: You spoke too fast for me to understand you. Arsé-kun: Impey: *he glances upwards. Somewhere in that general direction is Iris squeaking. probably* Sheepy: *She is. It's her current favorite singer!* Arsé-kun: *Does she. Does she want to come downstairs?* Sheepy: *Iris comes downstairs* Arsé-kun: Impey: *he's tempted to call her a squeaky toy, but alas he does Not. He moves out of the way* Sheepy: Iris: Hello! Sheepy: Crow: You're the person with the cat! Cyan likes your cat. Arsé-kun: Wag: *in the distance* mrow Sheepy: Iris: Yes! Sheepy: Crow: Adam, do you know her cat? He's a calico. Arsé-kun: Adam: *he glances inside after ducking a little* I can see him from here. Sheepy: Crow: He's cute. Arsé-kun: Wag: *the door! It is open! I will. put a single paw on the doormat.* Sheepy: Crow: *!!!!!!!!* Arsé-kun: Wag: Mrooooow! Sheepy: Crow: *CAT!!!!* Sheepy: Iris: Who were you visiting for? Sheepy: Crow: The detective, but my business is done. Sheepy: Crow: I know where we should go! Sheepy: Crow: Here, here! Follow me! Anyone else can come too, though. Sheepy: Crow: We're going to a shop! Sheepy: Fran: Adam, did you want me to come? Arsé-kun: Adam: .... Actually, yes. Sheepy: Fran: Okay. I will, then. Sheepy: Fran: *he looks over to Impey. Is he coming, too? Arsé-kun: Impey: ... What? Sheepy: Fran: Oh, uh, you don't seem like you're in a good mood, nevermind. Arsé-kun: Impey: ? ? ????? Sheepy: Fran: It was about joining me, but you don't have to. Arsé-kun: Impey: Why would I not?? Sheepy: Fran: Well, okay. Arsé-kun: Wag: nya. Sheepy: Crow: *he leads Adam, Fran, and Impey to the sweets shop* Arsé-kun: Minako: Good afternoon- Oh! Hi, buddy! Sheepy: *Crow poses* Arsé-kun: Minako: *she poses back at him* Sheepy: Crow: I'm trying to befriend them! First thing is bringing them somewhere, right? Arsé-kun: Minako: You've got that right! That and feeding them is always a big plus! Sheepy: Crow: Well, then. Let me treat you! Arsé-kun: Impey: No one is stopping you! Sheepy: Crow: Crimson passion makes one unstoppable! My fiery soul will burn through all boundaries! Arsé-kun: Minako: Except the law. Sheepy: Crow: Huh? Sheepy: Crow: Law... Sheepy: Crow: Well, I can't break that. Sheepy: Crow: Decide on what you want and I'll get it. Sheepy: Yu: There's more to friendship than that. Sheepy: Crow: Of course. Sheepy: Yu: A friend is someone you're comfortable to talk to. You start off by discussing a topic you both find important and go from there. Arsé-kun: Minato: Thanks captain friendship Sheepy: Yu: Compliments help, too. Sheepy: Crow: Praise isn't something to just throw around. One has to earn it for it to be worth something. Sheepy: Crow: Otherwise, the words are meaningless. Sheepy: Yu: No, they can make people feel comfortable if used right. Arsé-kun: Minato: Both are valid. Now shut up. Sheepy: Crow:...OK. Arsé-kun: Minako: Anyways! Browse as long as you'd like to! We're open until super late tonight! Arsé-kun: Minato: No, we're no- Arsé-kun: Minako: We're open until decently late tonight! Sheepy: Fran: I'm sorry, we don't mean to impose on you. Arsé-kun: Minako: Don't worry about a thing! Sheepy: Crow: *he plops down at a table* Arsé-kun: Adam: *he considers this... and sits on the ground. it's much easier* Sheepy: Crow: Huh? You don't want to sit in a chair? That's fine. *...He joins Adam by sitting on the floor as well.* Arsé-kun: Adam: I don't quite think I would fit well. Sheepy: Crow: Then! I'll sit on the floor with you. Arsé-kun: Adam: .... Oh, but then you'll get your pants dirty. Sheepy: Crow: I'll wash them! Sheepy: Crow: What's your occupation anyway? I'm the lyricist and singer for Shingancrimsonz. Arsé-kun: Adam: .... I've guarded the jail, but that's about it... Sheepy: Crow: Well, that's a vital job, isn't it? So it's not measly. Arsé-kun: Adam: It's the only thing I was able to do... Sheepy: Crow: Well, there's no problem with that. Arsé-kun: Adam: ... Do you think so? Sheepy: Crow: Uhuh. Arsé-kun: Adam: ... Good to know, I suppose. Sheepy: Crow: *He turns his attention away from Adam and to the doorway* Oi! Aion! It's not as cursed as you think! It's only minimally cursed! Sheepy: Aion: ............................*He's trembling in the doorway, his hand clutched tightly on the front of his face...* Sheepy: Aion: The Black Monster will be swallowed up by the cold, drab abyss if he takes one step forward! Arsé-kun: Minako: There's no abyss in here! Just a small black hole, it's called his stomach! *she points at Minato. he flips her off* Sheepy: Aion: Only the dark sun god can see it! He! *he points to Adam* is a guard of the Frozen Abyss, harbringer of the Black Monster's demise! Sheepy: Crow: Stop being such a drama queen, Wimpion. There's no abyss and no guardian. Sheepy: Aion: Rodent! Your sins have blinded your view! Someone so tainted with guilt such as yourself could never even sense it! Arsé-kun: Adam: *I have no idea what is going on.* Sheepy: Crow: *he groans and looks to Adam* Don't mind him. Wimpion just has... burdens like the rest of us. Sheepy: Crow: He rarely leaves his room because of it. He's just scared of the unknown. It puts him out of his comfort area. Arsé-kun: Minako: That's fair. Well, he can come whenever he wants! It won't be unknown if you've shown up multiple times, right? Arsé-kun: Minako: at least, I think that's how it works Sheepy: Crow: Mhm. He'd be more comfortable if it was the entire gang, but Rom's at work and Yaiba is...*he shrugs* Arsé-kun: Minako: Busy? It happens. Sheepy: Crow: I guess. Sheepy: Aion: *He still looks downright terrified, trembling in the doorway. What a brave lion.* Sheepy: *Crow gets up, takes Aion's free hand, and leads him over to where he was sitting. He takes a seat. Aion seems wary of Adam, standing behind Crow as though he's an impenetrable wall or an invisibility cloak.* Arsé-kun: Adam: ... *he glances at Aion, before looking elsewhere. whoop di do.* Sheepy: Fran: *he looks to Adam. You ok?* Arsé-kun: Adam: ... Yes, Victor? Sheepy: Fran: *his worried expression turns to a flustered one upon being prompted* It's nothing, really.. Arsé-kun: Adam: If you say so. Sheepy: Fran: I-I do! Arsé-kun: Adam: *he briefly considers the scene, with Impey blocking Fran's path. He decides to not comment.* Sheepy: Crow: ...So this is Aion. He'd the other guitarist. Sheepy: Aion: ....... Arsé-kun: Minako: .... Not feelin' it today? That's okay. Sheepy: Aion: I... *his hand begins to relax some* Yes. Sheepy: Crow: So then, are you not coming to practice later? Sheepy: Aion: I still am. Sheepy: Aion:.... Sheepy: Aion: *He once again puts on his cool, aloof air* The dark sun god will consider it, Rodent! Arsé-kun: Minato: .... .... *he grabs Yu's shirt collar and tugs it down. Get down here, you asshole* Sheepy: Yu: ? Arsé-kun: Minato: *he lowers his voice* I'm gonna eye 'em. Sheepy: Yu: ...OK. Arsé-kun: *Minato does so. He looks at Aion. Nothing. Looks to Adam and raises his eyebrows. Looks to Fran and Impey, then decides THAT IS ENOUGH OF THAT* Arsé-kun: Minato: ..... That was interesting. Sheepy: Yu: Was it? Sheepy: Yu: What'd you learn? Arsé-kun: Minato: That this discussion needs to take place upstairs. Sheepy: Yu: That's fine. Arsé-kun: *and so, yu gets dragged upstairs. not to the second floor- to the third* Sheepy: Yu: What's up? Arsé-kun: Minato: How good of hearing do vampires have, again? Sheepy: Yu: ...Vampire? Arsé-kun: Minato: m-hm. Just one. Sheepy: Yu: Which? Arsé-kun: Minato: Redhead. Didn't get any aggression, though. Sheepy: Yu: Hmm. Arsé-kun: Minato: Maybe we should get new references. The vamp one is a couple of years old.. Sheepy: Yu: Good idea. Arsé-kun: Minato: It'd be good for our accuracy. On the other hand.. I'm not exactly sure what I was looking at before that. Sheepy: Yu: What do you mean? Arsé-kun: Minato: It was a mess. Didn't recognize what it was. Sheepy: Yu: Huh. What about the black monster or whatever? Arsé-kun: Minato: Human. Arsé-kun: Minato: ... I'd go take a second look, but.. heepy: Yu: But? Arsé-kun: Minato: Don't feel like splitting my head in two and we don't have the ice for it. I don't think we've had that much ice since the time we had that minifridge with the yuki-onna in it. Sheepy: Yu: That's unfortunate. Arsé-kun: Minato: Isn't it? That was a nice minifridge, too. Sheepy: Yu: It was. Sheepy: Yu: There's something off about the big guy though. Arsé-kun: Minato: Who did you think I was talking about when I said I wasn't sure? Sheepy: Yu: Maybe he's some kind of creature we haven't seen before. Arsé-kun: Minato: We can't just ask. Sheepy: Yu: True. Sheepy: Yu: We could watch from a distance. Arsé-kun: Minato: I hope you don't mean stalking. Sheepy: Yu: No. Sheepy: Yu: He's in the store so it's okay Arsé-kun: Minato: That's still... Sheepy: Yu: He's a customer though. Sheepy: Yu: We need to pay attention to him to serve him. Sheepy: Yu: Although, I doubt he'll order anything. Arsé-kun: Minato: Yeah, you're probably right. Sheepy: Yu: It's worth a shot. Arsé-kun: Minato: M-hm. Arsé-kun: *they go back downstairs* Sheepy: *Crow is babbling on and Aion seems fidgety.* Arsé-kun: *Aion wants to go home probably* Sheepy: Aion:...*that he does. he's keeping a close eye on Adam.* Arsé-kun: *Adam has a bit of interest in Aion, but is keeping to himself.* Sheepy: Aion: *he puts his hand in front of his face* You are a demon like myself, aren't you? Arsé-kun: Adam: I'm not, actually. Sheepy: Aion: ?! Sheepy: Aion: Then, how are you so big? Sheepy: Crow: Sometimes, people are tall. I don't know the secret because milk hasn't helped! Sheepy: Aion: No, Rodent, this is different. Sheepy: Crow: Not really... Arsé-kun: Adam: The best I can offer is being part Dutch and part Norse. Being German does not help, either. Sheepy: Aion: *he appears confused* Sheepy: Aion: What are those? Arsé-kun: *a moment passes where someone could potentially yell "WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOSE?!". No one does* Sheepy: Aion:....??? Sheepy: Crow: They're places with people. Sheepy: Aion: I know that, Rodent. Sheepy: Aion: What is norse? Arsé-kun: Minako: Isn't that kinda both? Sheepy: Aion: The Black Monster wouldn't know, for his memory has been erased of most of his life. Sheepy: Aion: Before bestowing my power upon the Shingancrimsonz, I, the dark sun god, was trapped in a cageof death and despair to supress my powers so I may not unleash my reign of terror upon the world. Sheepy: Aion: Thousands of years were wasted in that jailcell. Sheepy: Aion: The Black Monster broke out of his prison, lacking memories of more than his life in that cage, his powers drained by those who held him hostage. Sheepy: Aion: I am sure I interacted with these "Norse" at a point of time, but the memories of it have been stolen. Arsé-kun: Minako: Does the dark sun god want anything while he's down there? Sheepy: Aion: Hm? ... Sheepy: Aion: Cake. Arsé-kun: Minako: *she disappears into the back. where th cake at* Sheepy: Aion: And you? Sheepy: Aion: You must have a story. Sheepy: Aion: Unless you don't remember it. Arsé-kun: Adam: I do. Sheepy: Aion: I see. Arsé-kun: Adam: Do you know how evil places are always guarded by a large creature of varying attributes? I'm the creature. Sheepy: Aion: ! I understand! Sheepy: Aion: We two have been displaced from our homes, left wanderers! Eternal wanderers! Sheepy: Aion: I understand your pain. Sheepy: Crow: *He appears to be getting fidgety. Perhaps he's feeling left out, or...* Arsé-kun: Minako: I found cake! Who wants some? Sheepy: Aion: *he raises his non-face hand* Sheepy: *Crow doesn't appear too interested, meanwhile, instead focusing his attention on his bottle of milk* Sheepy: *Aion continued to babble on, seemingly enjoying himself. Adam has made a potential friend! Crow, meanwhile, once Aion got started, shut up and kept to himself. His attention was mostly kept on the (quickly emptied) milk bottle he had and fidgeting with the horned skull pendant on his choker. Fission mailed? Perhaps he'll be friendlier next time.* Arsé-kun: Minato: *he drops into a seat next to Crow, sliding him another milk bottle* Why the long face, angel? Sheepy: Crow: *he takes it and opens it* Thanks. I have very mixed feelings. I'm not sure if they're right or wrong. Sheepy: Crow: Certainly, I'm happy that he found someone he's comfortable around, but I can't really relate to what he's saying so I just feel... left out. Arsé-kun: Minato: You don't have to. *he shrugs* I don't. Sheepy: Crow: *he frowns but doesn't comment verbally.* Arsé-kun: *Crow can deal with not being the center of attention for ten fucking minutes* Sheepy: *you clearly dont know crow. im kidding* Arsé-kun: *This is getting boring. You know what it's time for? That's right? Going to characters we haven't even seen before!* Sheepy: Jack: I hope we find ancient jewelry! A lost past! Or just money, that'd be nice too. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I, for one, am particularly hopeful for the jewelry. Sheepy: Jack: We'll just take what we find. Some of it should have value. Arsé-kun: Rupel: And if it goes poorly? Sheepy: Jack: Uh, run? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Steal the entire site? Sheepy: Jack: How? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Didn't get that far. Sheepy: Jack: And what would we even do with it? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Put it where it doesn't belong. Watch news. Profit. Sheepy: Jack: Excellent idea! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Thank you. It'll infuriate our foxy man, too. Sheepy: Jack: Now we just need to come up with the process. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Big shovel machine and a zeppelin. Sheepy: Jack: I've got the latter. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I know the old fart has a diggy thing. Sheepy: Jack: Mhm, although I wouldn't call him that to his face. He can be...scary. Arsé-kun: Rupel: What's he gonna do, kick me into 3017? Sheepy: Jack: Potentially! Sheepy: Jack: And then hurt his back... Arsé-kun: Rupel: Then I'll be stuck. Sheepy: Jack: Exactly. Fox will be ticked too. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Maybe lets not do it. Sheepy: Jack: Let's not. Sheepy: Jack: So we get the digging thing, dig up the place, have the digging thing put it on a platform, and fly off with it after attaching the platform to my airship. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I suppose. Sheepy: Jack: Great! Then let's start with step one. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Getting the thing? Sheepy: Jack: Yes, that's what I mean. Sheepy: Jack: Let's do that. Arsé-kun: Rupel: All right, lets get our power shovel! Sheepy: *The two go to Silver Heart! Who's doing Silver Heart things. Fox is there too but he's flopped on the couch and has a newspaper over his face. What a good secret agent.* Arsé-kun: Rupel: *he beelines for the sofa and sits on Fox while picking up the paper* Did anyone do the crossword for today? Sheepy: Fox: Hrk! *His eyes snap open. That's one way to wake him up. He puts a hand on Rupel's face and pushes him some* Get off! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Ah, you are alive! *he gets off, taking the paper with him* Sheepy: Fox: Why wouldn't I be?! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Who knows?! Sheepy: Fox: Why is your solution to thinking I'm dead sitting on me? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Because in no way would you allow it were you among the living! Sheepy: Fox: So if I was dead for real, you'd just use me as a seat? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Maybe for a few minutes. Sheepy: Fox: Ah, I see. What a terrible ally you are. Sheepy: Fox: Now that I know you have very little concern for my life, I'll make sure not to ever need to rely on you. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Grow a sense of humor. Sheepy: Fox: I have one. Arsé-kun: Rupel: You'd need a circular glass just to see it. It's so tiny... Sheepy: *In the background, Jack is getting the diggy thing but that's unimportant.* Sheepy: Fox: No, you're just not funny. Arsé-kun: Rupel: And you're a hobo Sheepy: Fox: No you aren't. Arsé-kun: Rupel: You're right, I'm Rupel. Sheepy: Fox: How would I feel? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Sad? Sheepy: Fox: Possibly. Sheepy: Fox: You'll twist what I say so there's no point in saying it. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Oh? Sheepy: Fox: As I said, you'll twist it. Sheepy: Fox: *he thinks for a moment on how to word it before speaking up* If you weren't here, I feel as though something would be missing. An unfillable hole. Arsé-kun: Rupel: That's much better than I had anticipated! Sheepy: Fox: And what did you anticipate? Arsé-kun: Rupel: You not caring. Sheepy: Fox: Not caring is the harshest emotion. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I expected the worst. Sheepy: Fox: Why? Arsé-kun: Rupel: So I'm not disappointed. Sheepy: Fox: I could give you the worst if you want Arsé-kun: Rupel: Please don't. Sheepy: Fox: You already expected it so I don't want to let down your expectations. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I don't want it. Sheepy: Fox: Why ask for my opinion if you only want your truth? Arsé-kun: Rupel: I didn't want the worst option, but I expected it so I couldn't be surprised if it was true. It's not, I'm wrong, I'm happy. Arsé-kun: Rupel: You like the sound of that? "I'm wrong?" Bet you do. Sheepy: Fox: You finally admit it about something Sheepy: Fox: How would you feel if I wasn't here? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Lonely. Sheepy: Fox: Lonely? Arsé-kun: Rupel: You're the only one around my age here. Old man Silver's gonna kick it one day, and Jack's probably going to make a solo attempt. Sheepy: Fox: You say the latter like he isn't going to be here anymore. Sheepy: Fox: Do you think Jack would just leave us after a solo attempt? He can't live alone... Arsé-kun: Rupel: Yes, but I still expect it. He'd probably return quickly, but.. Sheepy: Fox: But? Arsé-kun: Rupel: But he'd still be out, and you wouldn't be here. Sheepy: Fox: True. Sheepy: Fox: Then I'll strike you a deal. Sheepy: Fox: I won't leave you if you don't leave me. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Deal. Sheepy: Jack: I've got it ready! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Great! Sheepy: Jack: Now what? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Let us be off, Jack! Sheepy: *They go!* Arsé-kun: *onto the zeppelin, which has a bulldozer in it now. cool* Sheepy: Jack: We're here! Arsé-kun: Rupel: We sure are. Why else would we land..? Sheepy: Jack: Uh..I don't know. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Me neither. Did either of us scope this area out ahead of time? Sheepy: Jack: Nope! Arsé-kun: Rupel: We'll just have to be extra careful. Sheepy: Jack: Mhm, it's probably abandoned. Arsé-kun: Rupel: "Probably" is the keyword. Sheepy: Jack: It slipped my mind, okay? Arsé-kun: Rupel: It's fine. I also did not check. Sheepy: Jack: I have my cards if we're desperate. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I have my cane. We should be fine. Sheepy: Jack: *he gets out of the airship* Arsé-kun: *Rupel follows* Sheepy: Jack: Where to go first.. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Not the lake. It's too late to start carelessly diving in. Sheepy: Jack: Good point. Sheepy: Jack: Let's go that way. *he points* Arsé-kun: Rupel: Sure. Sheepy: *They head in that direction.* Arsé-kun: *in that direction is an abandoned house. It was cleared out, apparently.* Arsé-kun: Rupel: Of course. There must be something of value. Sheepy: *Jack rushes inside!* Arsé-kun: *Rupel follows him in, but not as fast.* Sheepy: Jack: Hmm.......do you see anything of interest? Arsé-kun: Rupel: No. Sheepy: Jack: Darn. Sheepy: Jack: Nor do I. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Perhaps we've been beaten here. Sheepy: Jack: Anything good is probably gone Arsé-kun: Rupel: Yeah... Shall we continue on? Sheepy: Jack: Well, there's no point in giving up! Sure. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Hmmm... Have we checked everything here? Sheepy: Jack: I don't know. We could look over one more time? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Just in case. Sheepy: Jack: Right. Arsé-kun: *Recheck!* Sheepy: *They find a hole!* Arsé-kun: *It is indeed a hole- Covered by a trapdoor, which was covered by a carpet, in the basement. Detail!* Sheepy: Jack: I found a hidden passageway! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Oh? Interesting. Shall we explore it? Sheepy: Jack: Yeah. Arsé-kun: Rupel: *he raises his cane and shifts his grip to the middle of it. At some point during that gesture, it became a flashlight* Great. I'll go first. Sheepy: Jack: I'll follow in case someone tries to jump us. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I hope you follow. I don't intend to go alone. Arsé-kun: *With that, Rupid descends into what appears to be a cave system Hoo boy.* Arsé-kun: Rupel: Interesting.. Sheepy: Jack: What is? Arsé-kun: Rupel: That this is here. I wonder what it leads to. Sheepy: Jack: Maybe a secret base. Arsé-kun: Rupel: We could steal some secrets..! Sheepy: Jack: Yeah! Sheepy: Jack: Or we could steal a map to treasures! Or a super secret weapon. That'd be concerning. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Oooohh.. Sheepy: Jack: ...Ooh, what's over here? Sheepy: *Jack takes a sharp right!* Arsé-kun: Rupel: What's what? *he turns the flashlight in that direction* H-hey, wait! Sheepy: Jack: Just walk faster! Arsé-kun: Rupel: *he breaks into a run to catch up* What?! Sheepy: Jack: My treasure senses are tingling! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Oh? Mine aren't.. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Am I getting old..? Sheepy: Jack: You already are old, old man! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Not as old as Silver! Sheepy: Jack: True. Arsé-kun: Rupel: *he looks around* I don't see anything.. Sheepy: *Jack picks up a notebook on the ground* Sheepy: Jack: This was making my treasure senses tingle! Arsé-kun: Rupel: *he shines the flashlight on it* Do open it. Sheepy: *Jack opens it* Arsé-kun: *it has writing in it. a lot. quality varies. language varies. shitty drawing of a spiked slug varies. like someone used ten pens on that* Sheepy: Jack: Wow! That's good art! Arsé-kun: Rupel: I can't read some of this. Can you understand this page at all? Sheepy: Jack: Ummm...Nope. Arsé-kun: Rupel: A catepillar? I don't know Sheepy: Jack: Oh! Or an alien. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Do aliens even exist? Sheepy: Jack: How could people get abducted by aliens if they don't exist? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Who said they were actually aliens though? Sheepy: Jack: The victims Arsé-kun: Rupel: ok true Sheepy: Jack: Seems like my senses were wrong, unfortunately. Arsé-kun: Rupel: It may be valuable in some regard. Lets hold onto it. Sheepy: Jack: Sure. Now what? Arsé-kun: Rupel: We keep going? Arsé-kun: *they hear voices and stop.* Arsé-kun: Aza: ---Tell me that there was no effort on anyone's part? I had been under the impression Yog had been watching you. Sheepy: Nyar: "Watching" is used very loosely. Sheepy: Nyar: So no, there wasn't. Arsé-kun: Aza: Ah. Not surprising. We only really developed the ability to care for young after watching others do it. Arsé-kun: Rupel: *he backs away to hide. adios* Sheepy: Nyar: You could make up for it. Sheepy: Jack: *he follows Rupel's example* Sheepy: Nyar: But... Now's not the time for that. *he glances around* Where is he anyway? Arsé-kun: Aza: I don't know. You tell me. Sheepy: Nyar: Why would I know? Sheepy: Nyar: You think I've got a slug detector? Arsé-kun: Aza: How should I know...? Sheepy: Nyar: You've interacted with him more than I have.. Sheepy: Nyar: So you'd know better than me. Arsé-kun: Aza: .... ..... *he leans on Nyar* ... Yes..? Arsé-kun: Rupel: ..... *he waits for them to get out of earshot and uncovers the flashlight* What was that all about...? Sheepy: Jack: Seems like they were looking for something... Sheepy: Jack: One of them mentioned a slug...? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Slugs live down here, I guess..? Sheepy: Jack: Maybe, but slugs live above ground, too. Arsé-kun: Rupel: They certainly do. Sheepy: Jack: So why look for them down here? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Rare slug? Sheepy: Jack: Oh....maybe...? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Oh, well. Not our business, unless its super valuable.. Sheepy: Jack: I doubt it.. Arsé-kun: Rupel: ... True. Arsé-kun: *... A light turns on in one of the caverns. It's not the one Nyar and Aza went into, and it's not the way Rupel and Jack came from..* Sheepy: Jack: What's that? Arsé-kun: Rupel: ... I'm not sure. Sheepy: Jack: Should we check it out? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Perhaps. Arsé-kun: *They start going towards The Light. it's pretty.* Sheepy: *It is! That makes Jack more eager to check it out!* Arsé-kun: *As is Rupel, who puts his arm around Jack's shoulder as they approach.* Arsé-kun: *Except, he didn't..? He's holding his cane and the notebook..* Arsé-kun: *But that probably isn't important. The Light is More Important, Jack* Sheepy: Jack: What'd'ya think it is, anyway? *He seems to think that that's Rupel. Also, he approaches the pretty light* Arsé-kun: Rupel: I'm not quite sure.. *he stops and proceeds to look at Jack* Hey, wait! Sheepy: *Jack stops and looks over* Arsé-kun: Rupel: Something's on you! Sheepy: Jack: Wh-what? Where?! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Shoulder! Sheepy: Jack: That wasn't you!? *he looks to his shoulder* Arsé-kun: *the tendril sitting on his shoulder stays put.* Sheepy: *Jack, understandably, screams and tries to get it off* Arsé-kun: *It comes right off and lies on the ground. Maybe it's dead?* Sheepy: *Jack makes a beeline for Rupel* Arsé-kun: *More tendrils extend from the darkness behind The Light, wrapping around Jack's waist and easily lifting him up* Sheepy: *Jack is no longer interested in the light! Struggling is his top priority!* Sheepy: Jack: Get off, get off! Arsé-kun: *It does not Get Off. Instead, it does the next best thing and smacks Jack against a wall* Sheepy: Jack: Ugh! Arsé-kun: *Rupel steps in to help! ... Only for the grounded tendril to grab his ankle and trip him.* Sheepy: Jack: R-Rupel! Arsé-kun: Rupel: I'm fine! *he hurries back to his feet and tries to reach Jack* Sheepy: Nyar:....My, my. You humans reaaaallyy know how to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, don't you? Sheepy: Nyar: *he approaches the scene* Glaaki, drop him. Arsé-kun: *Glaaki does not do this. Glaaki ignores him, in fact* Sheepy: Nyar: You're being a thief, you know. You're giving me a reason to steal from you. Arsé-kun: Glaaki: Y'nw. Y'nyth. Arsé-kun: *They do not let go of Jack still* Arsé-kun: *Meanwhile, Azathoth wanted to interfere and was easily distracted by The Light.* Sheepy: Nyar: My sight, my playthings. Sheepy: Nyar: And I saw them before you did. Sheepy: Nyar: *he looks to Rupel* Get behind me. Sheepy: Nyar: -So if you won't give me that one, you need to give me two of the ones you've infected. They're worth less than the ones you haven't. Sheepy: Nyar: *he steps on Aza's foot. heellooo, wake up!* Arsé-kun: Aza: ...! Arsé-kun: *Rupel goes behind Nyar, albeit warily* Sheepy: *Nyar puffs his chest out some to further emphasize his air of confidence.* Arsé-kun: Glaaki: ... ... nafl-hai. Sheepy: Nyar: Sorry, did I hear that right? Sheepy: Nyar: *his grin widens* You meant "Yes", right? Arsé-kun: Glaaki: Nafl-mg. Azathoth athg k'yarnak phlegeth. Arsé-kun: *being rupel is suffering, meanwhile. HEARING r'lyehian can fuck someone up hard. i think* Sheepy: Nyar: And so when he gives you that information, you'll drop the kid, right? Arsé-kun: Glaaki: nafl-tharanak. Sheepy: Nyar: I only work on contractual deals. Sheepy: Nyar: You either give the kid back and get the information or you don't get the information. Arsé-kun: Glaaki: ... h'-ya-nyth Arsé-kun: Azathoth: ... *he feels like this is the Absolute Worst time to share anything with Glaaki- Specifically that he was going to end the deal, since he no longer needs toxins from Glaaki.* Arsé-kun: *and then he remembered something important. Glaaki is a telepath.* Arsé-kun: *Which means Glaaki heard that. And whatever Nyar is planning, probably? No guarantees there. I doubt it though* Arsé-kun: Aza: ... Uhm. Son, I have news that is bad, and some that is not so bad. Sheepy: Nyar: What is it? Arsé-kun: Aza: ... Well, Glaaki picked up what I wished to tell. Arsé-kun: Aza: ... Which means I no longer need to. However, I do not think Glaaki is particularly approving of my decision. Sheepy: Nyar: *he shrugs* Stinks for Glaaki. Arsé-kun: *and so, Nyar gets grabbed and slammed into the ceiling. eat shit bitch* Sheepy: Nyar: Ugh! Arsé-kun: *and he's dropped to the floor.* Sheepy: *Nyar quickly pulls himself to his feet* Arsé-kun: *... something drips on him* Sheepy: Nyar: *He looks up* Arsé-kun: *the ceiling is leaking... it seems to be plain ol water.* Arsé-kun: *And now, a casual reminder of how gravity works. More water seems to be spilling through that crack..* Sheepy: Nyar: ................. Sheepy: Nyar: *He looks to Glaaki* Arsé-kun: Glaaki: ... *they have noticed it as well* Arsé-kun: Glaaki: ... Uln ya ep-hai. *they start wrapping more tenrils around Jack..* Sheepy: *Jack continues to struggle* Sheepy: Nyar: You mean you're still willing to make a deal? Arsé-kun: Glaaki: Ep-hai. Sheepy: Nyar: ...Fine. Arsé-kun: Glaaki: *they cover Jack's face and at least one of their eyes looks at the ceiling, which is beginning to fail...* Sheepy: Nyar: Isn't it high time you leave? Arsé-kun: Rupel: .. Huh? *he glances up as well* Certainly.. Sheepy: Nyar: And don't you worry about your friend. However, there's always a price to be paid for assistance. Just remember that. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Ehh? Arsé-kun: *And with a thunderous crash, the ceiling gives in, allowing the tunnels to almost instantly flood* Sheepy: Nyar: Oh dear. Arsé-kun: *aza opts to stop existing on this plane.* Sheepy: *Nyar goes octopus mode and escapes* Arsé-kun: *Glaaki turns around and leaves with Jack* Arsé-kun: *Poor Rupel gets swept away* Sheepy: *RIP Rupel* Sheepy: *Later on, Diego is busy taking a walk.* Sheepy: *He is in good health and has moved out of the apartment he temporarily housed in and has been staying in his mansion. With all of the Twilight nonsense being removed from his life, he's had a rather peaceful month.* Arsé-kun: *Good for him!* Sheepy: *Does he see something during his walk?* Arsé-kun: *Probably. He has eyes and generally uses them.* Sheepy: *Okay but I mean plot related* Sheepy: *Like Rupel's existence* Arsé-kun: *well now I don't have to say it* Sheepy: *Diego approaches Rupel. How is he?* Arsé-kun: *The exact opposite of well. He collapsed at some point. Anything else, other than Rupel looking downright ragged, would have to be observed up close* Sheepy: Diego: ...! Sheepy: Diego: Hey! Are you okay?! Arsé-kun: *No reply* Sheepy: *Diego lifts Rupel up and because he's smart rushes to the nearest hospital.* Arsé-kun: *Man with the most common sense of the year award.* Arsé-kun: *Anyway, Rupel is freezing cold. ♪He's still alive but he's barely breathing♪. And not shivering.* Sheepy: Diego: *He busts into the hospital. Blease Diego* -This man needs help! Arsé-kun: *Diego continues to do things Properly. Where was he when everything else was happening?* Sheepy: *Probably just going on a walk or something I dont know* Arsé-kun: *Good point.* Sheepy: *Anyway, Diego sticks around the hospital because he's worried about this stranger he just picked up... ... ... he takes out his phone and goes to text Lupin. Perhaps he'll know something about this?* Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] I'm not busy. What's up? Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arsene] I'm currently at the hospital and not for myself. Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arsene] I found a collapsed man who may have been freezing to death. Do you know of anything about this? Is this something that's been going on in one of your cases? Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] Non, and no. Do tell me more, though. Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arsene] He was barely breathing and cold to the touch. Despite being cold, he wasn't freezing. I was on a walk and found him on the ground, collapsed. I can't think of much else. Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] I suspect foul play. Maybe someone dumped him into the lake? Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arsene] Good idea. I can ask him once he's awake... Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arsene] I'll update you when he is. Just stay safe, alright? Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] Of course. You too. Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arsene] Don't worry about me. I can handle most things. Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] Except not putting the letter Z on everything. Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arséne] I can.... Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] And my son is friends with aliens. Meanwhile, I'm the king of russia. Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arséne] :( Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] Only one thing I said there was true. Anyway, I mean it. Stay safe Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arséne] I will...! Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] Good! Sheepy: *Nyar struts in, looking pleased with himself* Arsé-kun: Arséne: What did you do now. Sheepy: Nyar: My dad acknowledged me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Good job. How many people died because of it? Sheepy: Nyar: Not because of it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Meanwhile, then. Sheepy: Nyar: No clue. Sheepy: Nyar: A slug kidnapped someone and a guy probably drowned? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... .... How... Convenient. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Might I ask where? Sheepy: Nyar: *He states the location* Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] wait I'm back, was it by the lake you live closeish to? Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arséne] Yes. Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] Never mind, I know someone apparently knows. Hold on Arsé-kun: Arséne: They survived, Nyar. Sheepy: Nyar: Of course the one stolen by Glaaki did, but I'm kind of surprised about the other guy. Arsé-kun: *in the background is a suddenly concerned randy. carry on* Sheepy: Nyar: But what's important is that my dad acknowledged me. Me! Arsé-kun: Arséne: That's fantastic. Sheepy: Nyar: Isn't it?! Arsé-kun: Arséne: But what happened now? Sheepy: Nyar: We were attending to business and then a kid with a mask got picked up by a slug. Arsé-kun: Arséne: And then..? Sheepy: Nyar: The slug smacked me into the ceiling and water started pooling in. Arsé-kun: Arséne: And someone else was there..? Sheepy: Nyar: Yup. Arsé-kun: Arséne: So, what? They got pushed out of the super secret alien cavern or something? Sheepy: Nyar: Naw, it got flooded, as I said. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I meant by the water pressure. Sheepy: Nyar: I left because there wasn't a reason to stick around. As did Glaaki and my dad. Sheepy: Nyar: So I wasn't paying attention to something as insignificant as them. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Harsh. Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Diego] He was exploring a cavern near the lake and it flooded, I'm told. Sheepy: Diego: [text: to Arséne] So it wasn't an act of violence... Good. Sheepy: Nyar: It's not harsh. Arsé-kun: Arséne: From a human perspective, it's harsh. Sheepy: Nyar: Imagine you're me, the messenger of Azathoth, okay. Sheepy: Nyar: My job is to go around talking to creatures that are so old that they make this Earth look like it's still in its diapers. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I never doubted you. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Instead, I hate how used to this I've become. Sheepy: Nyar: So why would I care about someone I don't know and has no impact on me? Sheepy: Nyar: Really, humans interest me because they're so egotistical and so weak. Sheepy: Nyar: They're greedy, foul creatures. Faceted. Not like us. Sheepy: Nyar: We're all simple idiots who bumble about our lives with little thought to give meaning to our actions. That being said, as much as I find you humans interesting,I'm notgoing to waste my time on ones I don't care about unless it outright benefits me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Is that where you got egotism from? Sheepy: Nyar: Yes. Sheepy: Nyar: I'm not like them Arsé-kun: Delly: *in the far, far background* he can walk through walls disappear and fly, he's much more unique than the other guy Sheepy: Nyar: He isn't wrong... Sheepy: Nyar:...Mostly. Sheepy: Nyar: Not so sure about the disappearing part. Arsé-kun: Delly: Try harder! Sheepy: Nyar: I could if I was whole. Sheepy: Nyar: But for now all I can do to compensate is use camoflouge. Arsé-kun: Randy: ... *he steps Out* Sheepy: Nyar: Actually, if I was whole, I wouldn't need to rely on you to solve my problems. Speaking of solving my problems ... Arsé-kun: Arséne: Good luck on those. Sheepy: Nyar: Actually, I need help. Arsé-kun: Arséne: From weak humans? What is it? Sheepy: Nyar: As I said, I'm not whole, so I'm stuck relying on you and your friends. Sheepy: Nyar: Don't rub it in any more than it's already been rubbed in. Sheepy: Nyar: I need to take the kid back from Glaaki. Arsé-kun: Randy: *he leans back in* Dibs Sheepy: Nyar: Have fun with that. Arsé-kun: Randy: I won't. *he ducks back out and beelines straight to Sheepy* Hey, do you wanna go rescue a man from a mysterious alien slug? Sheepy: Sheepy: I sure do! Arsé-kun: Randy: Neat. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then let's go. Arsé-kun: Randy: Yes, lets. *he checks his pockets, and removes his cat from one* You can't come. Arsé-kun: *Shaggy meows and trots away. Adventure!* Sheepy: *Sheepy waves to the cat. Bye cat.* Arsé-kun: *goodbye, human* Sheepy: Sheepy: Let me get ready first. Arsé-kun: Randy: Okay. Sheepy: *Sheepy goes to get ready and returns in his Joker outfit* Arsé-kun: Randy: Lookin' cool, Joker. Sheepy: Sheepy: Thanks, I don't try. Arsé-kun: Randy: I know. Sheepy: Sheepy: Now let's go. Arsé-kun: Randy: Hold on. Now I feel like I stand out too much. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. Arsé-kun: *Randy exits scene, and returns with a mask of his own. I think he just used rubber bands and paper. Randy.* Sheepy: Sheepy: ....... Sheepy: Sheepy: Um, I'll make one for you later. Arsé-kun: Randy: :') Arsé-kun: *You tried, Randy, but stick to writing.* Sheepy: Sheepy: It looks painful. Arsé-kun: Randy: It's uncomfortable. Sheepy: Sheepy: Don't wear it then. Arsé-kun: Randy: Do you not want me hiding my face like you are? It might get you caught.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Why would it? Arsé-kun: Randy: ... Only being cautious. Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, keep wearing it if you want. Arsé-kun: Randy: ... I'll find something else. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. Arsé-kun: *Randy exits and enters multiple times, offering different- and mostly ridiculous- headgear. He's just entered with one of Arséne's spare masks.* Arsé-kun: *... Not being told no, this will be his equipment for tonight.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Let's go. Arsé-kun: *ONE CARTOON BATMAN TIMESKIP SWIRLY SCREEN LATER, SOUND EFFECT INCLUDED* Sheepy: Sheepy: So where is this slug? Arsé-kun: Randy: From what Nyarly said, somewhere in these tunnels.. Sheepy: Sheepy: My guess is that it'll ve in the last place we expect to check... Arsé-kun: Randy: That's a good rule to live by. Arsé-kun: *So they go into the caves. It's wet. The ceiling was somehow repaired. Don't ask questions.* Arsé-kun: *There is a psychic lovecraft slug that can turn people into zombies here, that wants human followers at all times, and it's from space. We don't think too hard about these things too hard* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he seems hesitant...* Arsé-kun: *As does Randy. What if they're captured? What if the kid is already dead? What if they drown? What if they die? What if they go insane? What if...* Arsé-kun: *And that has been your casual reminder that Randy is the most depressed human being on the planet. Maybe not actually, but pretty close. Also anxious.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *He sneaks further in. Where's the slug* Arsé-kun: *Fuck if I know. Probably at the bottom.* Sheepy: *Time to get to the bottom of this mystery. ha. haha* Arsé-kun: *HAAAAAAAAA.* Arsé-kun: *in other news, it smells like shit.* Sheepy: *Sheepy is disgusted by this.* Arsé-kun: *And so is Randy, but bad scents he can deal with. Maybe.* Arsé-kun: *oh and thats a dead body* Sheepy: Sheepy: *OH* Arsé-kun: *it's green and falling apart and occasionally still moving a little. No wonder Glaaki needs replacements so often.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *THAT'S DISGUSTING* Arsé-kun: Randy: ... That poor person. Sheepy: Sheepy: Th...this is messed up... Arsé-kun: Randy: *he nods* Sheepy: Sheepy: ...Let's just...find him... and get out. Arsé-kun: Randy: Y-yes, lets.. Sheepy: *...Eventually they find where Glaaki is I guess?* Sheepy: Sheepy: ....We don't have a plan, do we? Arsé-kun: Randy: Nope. If anything happens, run. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he didn't like that idea.* Arsé-kun: Randy: You're probably faster. Okay, new plan. We go in on a count of three. Sheepy: Sheepy:...Three... Arsé-kun: Randy: .... Lets... Just go. Sheepy: *Sheepy stalks in.* Arsé-kun: *It seems like Glaaki doesn't notice, except one of its eyestalks turn to look at him. Oops. Glaaki definitely noticed* Sheepy: Sheepy: *No point being sneaky now* Hi, Mr. Slug. We came 'cause Nyarly is lazy and pushed his work on us. Arsé-kun: *Glaaki turns another eye towards Sheepy. ...* Sheepy: *Jack hits the third eye as hard as he can!* Arsé-kun: *Glaaki is PROBABLY used to this, but doesn't bother using any other eyes to watch Jack.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he doesn't appear to notice nor care Jack's actions, who, meanwhile, is slowly staggering away from Glaaki* Is there anything you want in return for letting him go? Arsé-kun: *Sheepy is promptly thrown out. Jack is thrown our directly after. Be goooooone* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he helps support Jack, who's understandably unsteady on his feet* Let's get going, Randy. Arsé-kun: Randy: That went surprisingly well... Oh, yes, lets. Sheepy: *the three exit the tunnels* Arsé-kun: Randy: ... Lets not ever wing it again. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sorry, didn't expect to be seen. Arsé-kun: Randy: It's fine. I expected to be of more use. Sheepy: Sheepy: You were of help though. Arsé-kun: Randy: Moral support..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Mhm. ...Ah, right. Sheepy: Sheepy: I should tell Arséne... but my phone is dead. First thing's first is to bring him to the hospital I think. Sheepy: Jack: Rupel... Sheepy: Sheepy: Eh? Sheepy: Jack: Where's... Rupel? Sheepy: Sheepy: Hospital, where you're going. Sheepy: Jack:.....But.... Arsé-kun: Randy: At least for a little bit. We can claim you were trapped in a cavern, and caused your condition. Arsé-kun: Randy: ... You'll have to lie, though. I don't think I would be able to pull it off. Sheepy: Jack: .... Sheepy: *Jack nods. He doesn't appear to have much to say.* Sheepy: Sheepy: No problem. Arsé-kun: Randy: Thanks.. *he joins in supporting Jack* Sheepy: *Eventually, they get him to the hospital* Sheepy: Diego: *he looks up* Oh, you found his friend.. good. Arsé-kun: Randy: m-hm. Sheepy: *Some [visibly overworked] hospital attendants come and take Jack away* Arsé-kun: Randy: ... I don't like this place much. Sheepy: Sheepy: Why? Arsé-kun: Randy: It gives me a bad feeling. Where's all the staff..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Out because they're sick maybe? Arsé-kun: Randy: I hope so. Sheepy: ?: Actually, they've been disappearing. Maybe dying. Arsé-kun: Randy: That would explain some things. Sheepy: Sheepy: That last part was a joke, right? Sheepy: ?: *His smile would be visible if it weren't for the flu mask, but he doesn't answer Sheepy''s question* Arsé-kun: Randy: ... Most likely not. Considering what we just encountered..? Sheepy: ?: ...You found the one who's causing the disappearance? Sheepy: *His eyes light up, visibly interested. His fists are clenched...* Sheepy: ?: Tell me who they are and I'll cause their disappearance. Arsé-kun: Randy: I can't. It's not safe. Sheepy: ?: I don't care if it's not safe. Arsé-kun: Randy: I cannot allow you. It would lead to a fate worse than death. Sheepy: ?: The people here are my responsibility and I'm useless if I don't deal with the one who's- *he turns his head away and goes into a coughing fit. ... The white flu mask he's wearing is now dyed red...* Arsé-kun: Randy: ... And that will only attract their servants. Sheepy: ?: ... Sheepy: ?: Servants? *he looks back to Randy* Arsé-kun: Randy: ... Yes. *he shakes his head* I truly do not recommend it. Sheepy: ?: ...Whatever. It's not like I'm up to it anyway Sheepy: Sheepy: You've got a little something on your face. Sheepy: ?: You don't look sick. Arsé-kun: Randy: Not physically, in my case. Sheepy: ?: So then you're here for other reasons. Arsé-kun: Randy: We just dropped someone off. Sheepy: ?: ...OK. Arsé-kun: Randy: ... If you wish to assist, though... Do prevent staff from visiting the lake. Sheepy: ?: Sure. Arsé-kun: Randy: Thank you. Perhaps try to get the area well lit. Sheepy: ?: It's difficult without much funding. Arsé-kun: Randy: Hm. Sheepy: ?: This place also is just a bad omen. Sheepy: ?: ...Apparently. I don't care about that. Arsé-kun: Randy: I can understand why. Sheepy: ?: It's understaffed and underfunded, which leads to people avoiding it and crime, which leads to loss of staff and funding. Sheepy: ?: ...Maybe not crime. Sheepy: ?: But the disappearances count as crime. Arsé-kun: Randy: I'll have this detective assistant put a few words in. Sheepy: Sheepy: Death is bad. Arsé-kun: Randy: Thanks, Sheepy. Super. Sheepy: Sheepy: Don't worry about it too much Sheepy: ?: I'm not worrying. Arsé-kun: Randy: Good, good.. Sheepy: Sheepy: As for the whole lack of staff and funding, if Watson mentions this place in one of his books, wouldn't it raise interest? Sheepy: ?: ...Oh, him. *a look of disgust spreads on his face* Every time I've had the misfortune of dealing with him it's always about how serious my condition is and how I need to- *he goes into a hacking fit* Arsé-kun: Randy: ... That is the exact opposite of what we want, Sheepy. Considering there is a cult as well as.... It, down there. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ooohh... true, but... Sheepy: Sheepy: People still need a good hospital to go to... Sheepy: ?: It's a fine hospital. I'm stationed here. I know. Sheepy: ?: You wouldn't know because you probably haven't been here before. Arsé-kun: Randy: Oh, we have. Sheepy: ?: ...I haven't seen you around. Arsé-kun: Randy: And I have not seen you. It doesn't change anything. Sheepy: ?: *cough* I'm here all the time. *he's eyeing Randy suspiciously...* Arsé-kun: Randy: That does not mean you are in the exact same place I would be, though. Sheepy: ?: You've got a point. Sheepy: ?: But it's still my duty to make sure you aren't related to the disappearances past knowing the perpetrator. Arsé-kun: Randy: I am not. Sheepy: ?: I'll believe you. Just don't do anything to make me shake that belief. Arsé-kun: Randy: I won't. Sheepy: ?: Isn't there anything you can do about the perpetrator? I'm not a patient but I'd still rather not let this place stay threatened. Arsé-kun: Randy: We can give it a shot, but no guarantees. Sheepy: ?: Good. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... *he wisely does not get involved. He has better things to be doing than chasing the fucking samurai wannabe around* Sheepy: ?: *he looks to Watson* ...Ah, you. Sheepy: ?: ... ... *he goes to say something before going into a coughing fit briefly. if you were curious how he's doing, Watson: that's your answer* Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Mask is on? Then I will not complain. Sheepy: ?: I haven't improved at all. *he huffs, irritated* Arsé-kun: Watson: It's almost like you refuse to take your medication. Sheepy: ?: I don't like the taste of it...! Arsé-kun: Watson: Okita, I swear to god. Once you're cured, you won't have to taste it ever again. Sheepy: Okita: It's so bitter... Arsé-kun: Watson: So are my feelings about the matter. Sheepy: Sheepy: Watson is here! I have someone to who I can have an intelligent conversation with now. Sheepy: Okita: Bitter means it's poisonous. Sheepy: Okita: My body knows what's up. My taste buds say it's bad so it's bad. Arsé-kun: Watson: You said the same thing about dark chocolate. Sheepy: Okita: Dark chocolate is disgusting! Arsé-kun: Watson: Point made. Sheepy: Sheepy: Nevermind, I don't think you're capable of intelligent conversation anymore. Arsé-kun: Watson: It was not my personal opinion. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then what is your opinion? Arsé-kun: Watson: irrelevant. Sheepy: Sheepy: Awww... Sheepy: Okita: You actually bond with your patients past nagging them to take their medicine? Arsé-kun: Watson: Surprising, isn't it? Arsé-kun: *randy, going to find the bathroom in the background,* Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm not his patient. He's my uncle. Arsé-kun: Watson: ...! Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Hey, wait a moment! You still are. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay, then I'm not just your patient. Sheepy: Okita:...Uncle? Arsé-kun: Watson: A... Apparently? *he seems just as confused as Okita* Sheepy: Sheepy: When Iris says this stuff it's considered normal but when I say the same thing from the bottom of my heart it's considered weird and a source of distraught. Arsé-kun: Watson: It did startle me, I will admit. Speaking of being a patient, I haven't checked that old wound of yours for a while. Sheepy: Sheepy: Go ahead, I don't care. Arsé-kun: *And so, Watson does* Sheepy: Sheepy: How does it look? Arsé-kun: Watson: It healed well. Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, that's good. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Didn't think I was looking, Okita? Don't sit on the floor. It's filthy. Sheepy: Okita:...I'm tired, I'll sit where I please. Arsé-kun: Watson: You'll get the floor sick at this rate. Sheepy: Okita: Floors don't have feelings. Arsé-kun: Watson: Or the ability to fall ill. sheep: Okita: *he hesitantly pulls himself into a chair, grimacing* sheep: Okita: *he coughs and mumbles something along the lines of, "I’ll kill this cold"...* sheep: Sheepy: Pretty sure you don’t have a cold. sheep: Okita: Kids really like to stick their noses where they don’t belong, huh? sheep: Sheepy: First, I’m probably as old as you are. Second, from all things I’ve seen thus far, I at least act like an adult because I don’t turn my nose up at medicine that could save my life purely over its taste. not sheep: Okita: *he huffs but otherwise doesn’t respond* Arsé-kun: Randy: *this is what he came back to* ... So anyway..! Sheep: Sheepy: Randy, breaking up heated debates is no fun. Arsé-kun: Randy: I don't mean to interrupt. I'm rather lost now. Sheep: Sheepy: This guy is calling tuberculosis a cold. Sheep: Sheepy: I corrected him and he didn’t appreciate it. Sheep: Okita: Tuberculosis is fatal. I’m not dead. It’s a cold. Sheep: Okita: Even if it were tuberculosis, the medicine that keeps being shoved at me is bitter snakeoil and isn’t going to cure the incurable. Arsé-kun: Watson: But it can be... Sheep: Okita: The medicine didn’t help the time I took it. If it was tuberculosis it would’ve since it’s medicine for tuberculosis. Arsé-kun: Watson: It doesn't work if you only take it once! Sheepy: Okita: Why not? Arsé-kun: Watson: Because that's not how medication works..! Sheepy: Okita: Nobody told me this. Arsé-kun: Watson: I've told you this before.. Sheepy: Okita: Then why don't I remember? Arsé-kun: Watson: How should I know? Sheepy: Okita: *cough, cough* The days and nights mix together. Arsé-kun: Watson: Speaking of Nights, it's starting to get a tad late. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, you're right. Arsé-kun: Watson: You two get going. Unless you'd like to wait a bit for me. Sheepy: Sheepy: I want to wait for you. Arsé-kun: Watson: Then find somewhere to sit down. As for you, Okita.. Back upstairs with you. Sheepy: Okita: Why? Arsé-kun: Watson: Because you need to eat something. When was the last time you ate? Sheepy: Okita:........ Sheepy: Okita: ............. Sheepy: Okita: I'm not hungry. Arsé-kun: Watson: Load of shit. Lets go, before I get you a wheelchair. Sheepy: Okita: *he stands* I don't need one. Arsé-kun: Watson: I'm glad to see that. Sheepy: Okita: I wouldn't sit in one anyway. Arsé-kun: Watson: So you say. Sheepy: Okita: What evidence do you have that I would? Arsé-kun: Watson: Necessity. Sheepy: Okita:...Sure. Sheepy: Okita: I'm going now. I haven't had an appetite all day. I still don't. Sheepy: Okita: The food they give us tastes like nothing. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Don't tell the nurses I gave you this. *he hands Okita MONEY* Go buy yourself something decent for once. Sheepy: Okita:...?! Sheepy: Okita: I can have this? Arsé-kun: Watson: Yes. You're not going to improve much if you're only given the same thing, day in and day out. Sheepy: Okita: *cough, cough* ...I really don't know what I want...I'm not that hungry... Arsé-kun: Watson: Please eat something. Even if it's junk. Sheepy: *Sheepy plops down in a seat* Arsé-kun: Randy: *he follows suit* Today was... Something. Sheepy: Sheepy: Tiring. Arsé-kun: Randy: Exhausting. Sheepy: Sheepy: Stressful. Arsé-kun: Randy: Yes, that's the word. Sheepy: Sheepy: I hope the guy we rescued is okay, though. Arsé-kun: Randy: As do I. Arsé-kun: *meanwhile, somewhere more well lit, and neater, and generally better. maybe* Sheepy: *Rupel receives a phone call!* Arsé-kun: Rupel: ... *he groans and reaches for his phone. Answers it* Bonjour..? Sheepy: Fox: Rupel! Where are you?! Arsé-kun: Rupel: ... Hm..? Sheepy: Fox: You've been gone for a long time! Arsé-kun: Rupel: .... Huh? Wait, what? *he sits up and looks around* Eh?? Sheepy: Fox: You've been gone for a while. Arsé-kun: Rupel: I heard you the first time... I'm just not sure how I got here. Sheepy: Fox: "Here"? Arsé-kun: Rupel: Uh.. Yeah. I forgot the word for it... Big health place. Sheepy: Fox: Hospital?! Arsé-kun: Rupel: Yes, that. How did I get here...? Sheepy: Fox: I don't know but I'm coming to get you. Is Jack with you? Arsé-kun: Rupel: I don't know... Sheepy: Fox:...Don't worry about it. Just stay put. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Uh. Okay. Sheepy: *Fox rushes over to the hospital!* Arsé-kun: *Rupel stays where he is. He's not entirely sure what happened.. He recalls the flood. That must be why he's here. He doesn't recall what happened to Jack, though, and calls him up* Sheepy: *Jack is probably still conked out...* Arsé-kun: Rupel: ... *he doesn't try again. Instead, he realizes he lost his hat. A shame.* Sheepy: *Fox arrives at the hospital!* Sheepy: *But has no clue where Rupel is. Meanwhile, Okita is actually eating (and took his medicine), but that's unimportant.* Arsé-kun: *It is a christmas miracle* Arsé-kun: *Anyway. Fox, you gonna go in the dark and scary hospital?* Sheepy: *He goes in!* Arsé-kun: Watson: ...? Sheepy: Fox: Is my friend here? Arsé-kun: Watson: There is a possibility. Who are they? Sheepy: Fox: One's named Jack Jones and he wouldn't reply to his phone at all. The other one confirmed that he was in the hospital. His name is Rupel and he has long, purple hair and wears fancy clothes. Sheepy: Diego: Actually, I brought him here because he was collapsed... Arsé-kun: Watson: Both are here, definitely. Sheepy: Fox: Where are they? I need to make sure they're okay. Arsé-kun: Watson: Both are upstairs. I'll bring you to them. Sheepy: Fox: Thank you! Arsé-kun: Watson: Quite welcome. Arsé-kun: *So Watson brings Fox to Rupel* Sheepy: Fox: Rupel, why are you here? Arsé-kun: Rupel: ... Fox? I... There was a flood. I made it out, I think.. Sheepy: Fox: Flood?! ...Really, I shouldn't be surprised considering where you were, but... Arsé-kun: Rupel: ... *he glances away.* .. Have you seen Jack yet? Sheepy: Fox: No. Arsé-kun: Rupel: Neither have I.. Sheepy: Fox: The one who showed me to your room said that Jack is here as well. Arsé-kun: Watson: He is. Sheepy: Fox: Is he okay? Arsé-kun: Watson: I believe so. No injuries. Sheepy: Fox: Thank goodness... Arsé-kun: Rupin: That's good.. Sheepy: Fox: I should let you rest. Sheepy: Fox: I'll wait in the lobby for you. Arsé-kun: Rupin: Don't leave me here! Sheepy: Fox: Huh? Arsé-kun: Rupin: I'm coming too..! Sheepy: Fox: Alright. Arsé-kun: *And so, Rupel jumps up to join the party. He's still a bit chilly, so he takes a blanket with him. Best thief* Sheepy: *Fox and Rupel go to the lobby.* Arsé-kun: *no running in the hospital lobby* Arsé-kun: *Watson arrives a bit after them, carrying Jack* Sheepy: Sheepy:....*he looks up* Watson, you shouldn't be doing that. Arsé-kun: Watson: Why not? He's not hurt. Therefore, there's not really a reason to stay. Sheepy: Jack: *he still seems a bit on the disoriented side.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm not concerned about him. Sheepy: Sheepy: I mean that you shouldn't be the one carrying him around. Arsé-kun: Watson: Point made and noted. *Fox wins a free Jack. here you go* Sheepy: Fox: Thank you. Sheepy: Fox: We're going now. Arsé-kun: Watson: That's fine. Stay safe. Sheepy: Sheepy: We'll leave when you go, Watson. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... I was going to stay put because no one else did. Sheepy: Sheepy: We'll stay with you. Arsé-kun: Watson: If you'd like. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Arsé-kun: *A wild timeskip appeared* Sheepy: *The three eventually return home, Sheepy never having contacted Arséne that he was okay...* Arsé-kun: *Which means that Arséne is at his desk, trying Not To Worry. Failed step one.* Arsé-kun: *Step two was to Not Rush Sheepy on Entry. FAILED STEP TWO* Sheepy: Sheepy: Woah! What's wrong?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Where have you been?? I've been trying to call you all morning..! Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah. My phone died. I was at the hospital. Arsé-kun: Watson: And not for himself, either. Sheepy: Sheepy: I was Watson's escort. So was Randy. Arsé-kun: Randy: Randy is going to bed. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sleep well. Arsé-kun: *Randy trudges out, stage right.* Sheepy: Sheepy: We saved him and the slug was nice to me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Well done. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sorry for worrying you though. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Forgiven. I should be more used to you being out at night. Sheepy: Sheepy: But I should have been back sooner. Sheepy: Tom: *stare* Arsé-kun: Arséne: It happens. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'll try to make sure it doesn't again. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'll keep an eye on my phone. Sheepy: Iris: ...Oh! Daddy's back! *Iris, overjoyed, bounces over to Watson and hugs him.* Arsé-kun: Watson: Hello, Iris! Sheepy: Iris: Hello! Arsé-kun: Watson: Sorry for only getting home now. I had the late shift. Sheepy: Iris: I babysat Holmsies for you. Eventually Herly took over. Sheepy: Iris: It's okay! Sheepy: Harley: Never leave me alone with him ever again. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Someone's being salty this morning. Sheepy: Harley: I'm tired. Sheepy: Harley: He never shut up. Arsé-kun: Watson: It's better than the sad violin. Sheepy: Harley: That's true.... Sheepy: *Speaking of violin, there's the violin. At least it sounds pleasant?* Sheepy: Harley: When you like someone, it's much easier to put up with their shenanigans. Sheepy: Harley: Hence, my difficulty with Sherlock. Sheepy: Sheepy: I can understand that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Just because you're his brother doesn't mean you like him. But... perhaps, it isn't a problem with him but you. Sheepy: Harley: *glare* Sheepy: Sheepy: You blame yourself because of what Sherlock became after his head injury. He has a brilliant mind damaged by a brain injury, causing his clumsy, forgetful nature. All you see in that is your past mistakes and inability to protect him, despite you probably not being at fault. So you convinced yourself that you hate him with a passion. ...But is that fair to him? Is that fair to you? Sheepy: Harley: Who gave you the right to decide my reasons? Sheepy: Sheepy: Juuuust pointing it out~ You can just ignore my input as always, 'cause I'm just an annoying brat. Sheepy: *A smug grin flashes on Sheepy's face. Iris's attention is caught by this. She puts her hands on his face and tries to make it come back. So, the norm.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he returns to his desk and rests his head in his hands. Same old, same old* Arsé-kun: *Meanwhile, in the background, it's cooking with your local neighborhood vampires. Mostly Impey though. Delly can't even reach the counter.* Arsé-kun: *Also meanwhile, Germain is watching out a window, as if he expects something. Or someone. Van is nearby, and about twice as bored* Arsé-kun: *Other things of note: While Sheepy, Watson, and Randy were out, someone finally picked up the Jackson kids. Finally* Sheepy: *The bickering eventually stops. Also, Fran is here to help cook but he's not good at it.* Arsé-kun: *Fran can Learn* Sheepy: *Which he is doing.* Sheepy: *There's a scraping and rattling noise outside.... there's a knocking at the door...* Arsé-kun: Germain: Ah. I'll be going now. *he goes to the door and cracks it open* It's both of you, yes? Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Arsé-kun: Germain: Back up. I'm coming out there. Sheepy: *Hansel backs up* Arsé-kun: Germain: *he opens the door enough to slip out, and closes it* It's been a while, hasn't it? Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Sheepy: Hansel: Too long. Arsé-kun: Germain: My apologies. Sheepy: Hansel: Fine. Sheepy: Hansel: It is unfortunate how things turned out. Arsé-kun: Germain: It is. I'd have let you in, except.. Well, you read my message. Sheepy: Hansel: Unfortunately, apologies will fix nothing... according to Guinevere. Arsé-kun: Germain: It's a formality. Sheepy: Hansel: I see. Sheepy: Hansel: How are you? Arsé-kun: Germain: I've been well. Yourself? Sheepy: Hansel: hungry. Arsé-kun: Germain: Other than that. Sheepy: Hansel: I've been myself. Arsé-kun: Germain: Have I missed anything of importance? Sheepy: Hansel: Lady Omnibus has been doubting Nyarlathotep's loyalty, understandably. Sheepy: Hansel: So...the norm. All is well. Arsé-kun: Germain: Nothing has changed. That is good. Sheepy: Hansel: Guinevere baked. I have brought some for you. The mediocre ones were made by me. Sheepy: *Hansel hands Saint baked goods wrapped in fabric to make a bag. I dont know the word* Arsé-kun: Germain: Thank you. Sheepy: Hansel: What is the situation with Twilight? Arsé-kun: Germain: The human experimentation should be stopping, I hear. Sheepy: Hansel: Good. Sheepy: Hansel: Lady Omnibus will be pleased. Arsé-kun: Germain: M-hm. So we no longer have to worry about that. Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Good. Sheepy: Hansel: Why do you live here? Arsé-kun: Germain: Because Carter's mansion got ransacked. It being his is no secret anymore, so... *he shrugs* It got lonely by myself. Sheepy: Hansel: I see. Sheepy: Hansel: It's been lonely without you. Arsé-kun: Germain: ... *he tips his head to Hansel. He Is Sorry* Sheepy: *Hansel doesn't react to this. He probably doesn't understand it.* Sheepy: Hansel: Guinevere has been out often. Arsé-kun: Germain: ... Has she? *he straightens up* Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Arsé-kun: Germain: Out working? Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Arsé-kun: Germain: Hm. Sheepy: Hansel: I am not useful for most missions due to my tendency to leave evidence, but I don't mind. Arsé-kun: Germain: .. And you, Gretel? Arsé-kun: Gretel: *she presents herself from the fork* I don't mind it either! Sheepy: Hansel: We're happy. Sheepy: Hansel: *he looks over to the window and waves. hello. is he that interesting?* Arsé-kun: Germain: *he looks as well* .. ..... I am not even remotely surprised by this. Arsé-kun: *Nobody eavesdropping moves an inch. Iris and Watson are staring. Everyone else is piled on each other like hellhounds waiting to devour raw meat, while heavy metal music plays to incite violence* Sheepy: Hansel: The hate they feel for me slipped my mind. Arsé-kun: Germain: This is precisely why I wished to speak with you out here, and not in there. Sheepy: Hansel: *he looks directly at Watson and Iris* ...I'm sorry. It doesn't lessen my guilt, but I had no choice in the matter. Arsé-kun: Gretel: Neither of us did. Our orders were absolute. Sheepy: Hansel: I tried to find a way out of it... there wasn't one. Arsé-kun: Gretel: It was either do what we did, or let someone else raze the house to the ground. Sheepy: Hansel: In the end... it was two lives or three. I knew this. Sheepy: Hansel: As Gretel mentioned...and considering she was in the house at the time... Arsé-kun: Gretel: We're not children killers. Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Sheepy: Hansel: We aren't guiltless, but we have no violent motives. It's fine to hate us, but please don't be afraid of us. Sheepy: Nyar: Kid, you failed your mission anyway. You killed the wrong target. Arsé-kun: Gretel: what. Sheepy: Nyar: The baby survived. Arsé-kun: Watson: *he promptly goes and grabs Nyar by the collar* And this is the first time you make mention of it?! Sheepy: Nyar: You really think a mother dying can stop my father from using her unborn child? Sheepy: Nyar: Ah? Oh, you're here. Sheepy: Nyar: I guess it must've slipped my mind. Sheepy: Nyar: Here's the deal. Sheepy: Nyar: Our powers are never positive to humans. Sheepy: Nyar: Yeah, the mother died. Yeah, my dad took the kid. You think he's actually human anymore? Arsé-kun: Watson: Removing a fetus doesn't miraculously change its species, no matter the age. So until proven otherwise? Yes. Sheepy: Nyar: If he was human, he'd be dead. Sheepy: Nyar: You've interacted with him. You don't remember it but you have. Sheepy: Nyar: Hmmm..that's all I'm in the mood for sharing. Figure out the rest yourself. I've got more important things to deal with. Sheepy: Nyar: Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you let go of my collar. Arsé-kun: Watson: Real damn helpful. *but he lets go.* Sheepy: Nyar: You really don't get it, do you? Arsé-kun: Watson: If I did, I wouldn't be asking, would I? Sheepy: Nyar: Information is the strongest weapon you can have. Sheepy: Nyar: Why would I sacrifice what makes me useful when I still need you and your friends to help me just a little more? Arsé-kun: Van: *he levels his shotgun with Nyar's head* Stop talking. Sheepy: Nyar: *he doesn't appear too bothered by it* So, then, that's a no. Unfortunate. Sheepy: Nyar: I don't know anything it seems. Arsé-kun: Germain: *he opens the door* You stop that. Sheepy: Nyar: Saint-Germain. I'm not sacrificing something precious just because someone wants it. I've given enough as it is. Arsé-kun: Germain: Not that. Sheepy: Nyar: What? Arsé-kun: Germain: Van, put that gun down. Nyar, you do know things, but you tend to share them at downright awful times. We've been over this. Sheepy: Nyar: I don't know anything in terms of this topic until I get the help I want. Sheepy: Nyar: Upon being threatened, I understood that there's no way I'll get it, so I'll simply leave it at "I know nothing, nevermind". Sheepy: Nyar: Which is unfortunate, because if I knew something on the topic, I'd certainly release everything. Arsé-kun: Germain: "I only tell things when it's entertaining or necessary". End quotes, you. Sheepy: Nyar: Ah, using it as a negotiation tactic is necessary. Sheepy: Nyar: People don't do anything for free, after all. Arsé-kun: *Gretel just kinda looks at Hansel. This is stuff that is happening* Sheepy: Hansel:....*he mumbles "Im hungry"* Sheepy: Nyar: Anyway, Dearie, help me and I'll reunite your son and you and reveal all of the circumstances, thanks! Sheepy: Nyar: But right now I've got better things to do~ Arsé-kun: *Watson groans. He doesn't turn it down, though* Sheepy: Nyar: But before I go! Sheepy: Nyar: Phil sold his emotions away stupidly along with his ability to lie and while trying to help him I accidentally got stuck serving the one who tricked him. Sheepy: Nyar: She took part of me as well, hence my inability to just deal with my problems myself. Sheepy: Nyar: Also, if you think about it, if I were whole and could deal with everything myself and not need to rely on humans to help me, this whole thinvnever would have happened and you wouldn't have met most of your friends 'cause I'd be working for Twilight and not interacting with you guys at all. Sheepy: Nyar: So! In a way, my mistakes helped many and caused true love to bloom. Surely, a sweet story to throw up about because it's stomach ache inducing sweet. Arsé-kun: Delly: Gross! Now stop saying so many words! Sheepy: Nyar: But, anyway, if you help me, I'll reward you generously for assisting me. OK, I've got to make sure my dad's fine and nor being dumb. That's just how it is, being born with the explicit purpose of serving him. Sheepy: Nyar: Toodles! *Off he goes!* Sheepy: Hansel: I see. He's disloyal. Arsé-kun: Gretel: I hear. Are we going to do anything? Or shall we let this play out? Sheepy: Hansel: Our job is to follow her orders. I don't know. Arsé-kun: Germain: I planned on letting it happen, if it helps any. Sheepy: Hansel: I'm sorry that you've gotten involved in this mess ... ... ...Watt-sen. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... It's fine. I would have been dragged into something equally as ridiculous, I bet. Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Sheepy: Hansel: Technically. Sheepy: Hansel: There is a possibility that much like with Gretel, Lady Omnibus could bring your wife back. ... But. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're desperate. Arsé-kun: Watson: Don't bother. Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. I understand. Sheepy: Hansel: Because she would force you to inflict the same suffering on others. Sheepy: Hansel: Again. I'm sorry. It's not much, but if you need help, you can call on Gretel and me to protect you unless you are opposing Lady Omnibus in that situation. Arsé-kun: Gretel: And I'm already dead, so I probably can't do much there. Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Sheepy: Hansel: She is my mother. I can't simply betray her, but I also don't agree with her. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wouldn't want to be the child of a horse-pulled car. Sheepy: Hansel: *he doesn't respond. a brief look of confusion appears on his face but it's quickly replaced by a look of boredom* Arsé-kun: Gretel: huh Sheepy: Sheepy: Those horse-pulled cars from back then were called omnibuses. Arsé-kun: Gretel: oooh! Arsé-kun: Gretel: Hansel. Shall we share what we came across on our way? If we are lucky, the trail remains for us to follow. Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Sheepy: Hansel: There's a detective, after all. Arsé-kun: Germain: There are multiple. Go on, though. Sheepy: Hansel: We came across a murder, along with a few birds. They ate my bread crumbs.... Arsé-kun: Gretel: All of them? There must be some left.. Sheepy: Hansel: There might be. Sheepy: Sherlock: Murder? Sheepy: Hansel: No, I'm pretty sure they were pigeons. Arsé-kun: Gretel: No crows! Arsé-kun: Germain: No, no, you two. Sheepy: Hansel: What? Arsé-kun: Gretel: The actual murder? Sheepy: Hansel: Yes, an actual murder. Arsé-kun: Germain: Where...? Sheepy: Hansel: Ah, it was this alley with graffiti. Sheepy: Hansel: It was a fresh corpse posed in a way to look what seems to be thr last moments. Very bloody. Arsé-kun: Germain: ... Sherlock? Sheepy: Sherlock: ...... Sheepy: Sherlock: I'll look into it. Sheepy: Sherlock: Watson, you should rest, meanwhile. You worked the night shift last night. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Oh, fine. Sheep: Sherlock: When you’re feeling more rested up I’ll bring you along. Sheep: Sheepy: I’ve been wondering. Are you two the ones from Hansel and Gretel?? You wandered into the forest because of your stepmom and found a gingerbread house? Sheep: Hansel: Gingerbread... ... ... I’m hungry... Sheep: Sheepy: And then a witch happened and you killed her? Sheep: Hansel: I wonder what Guinevere will cook for dinner... ... *he gives Sheepy a blank look, apparently having snapped out of being hungry* There was no gingerbread house. Sheep: Hansel: Gretel starved to death. I was on the verge of it. Omnibus gave me a second chance at life and granted my wish. She reunited me with Gretel and adopted us. Arsé-kun: Gretel: I'm hungry. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he doesn't seem too interested in this, instead getting ready to go* Arsé-kun: *Meanwhile, Impey's squatting on the roof. Get the fuck down from there. Something has his attention.* Arsé-kun: Impey: .... *he glances up at the sky. It's still broad daylight. He frowns and jumps down to the lawn* Yo, Sherlock, hurry up! Sheepy: Sherlock: Sorry, I'm ready. Arsé-kun: Impey: Neat. I think I've got a handle on where it is. Kinda. Sheepy: Sherlock: Right, I'll follow you. Sheepy: Hansel: We'll come with you. Sheepy: Hansel: We can show you. Arsé-kun: Gretel: Yep. Sheepy: Hansel: *he starts heading to the scene of the crime* Arsé-kun: *Gretel returns to the fork. No one needs to see her floating around* Sheepy: *Sherlock follows Hansel hesitantly* Arsé-kun: Impey: *he strides on ahead, takes a big sniff, and considers leaping a building when he recalls that the rest of the party can't do this* It's, uh, this way, I think. Sheepy: *hansel leads them to an alley. there's a dead body* Arsé-kun: *also knocked over trashcans, graffiti, and is generally a mess.* Sheepy: *And Yusuke, who's trembling, horrified* Arsé-kun: *This is the second time he's been traumatized this year, and this time he got to watch. This is the thing Watson would turn his attention to if he were present.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Hansel. Can you take him back to Watson please? Sheepy: Hansel: *he silently takes Yusuke's hand and begins to lead him back to the office* Sheepy: Sherlock: Tell Watson that he discovered the body. Arsé-kun: Impey: *he wrinkles his face* This paint is fresh, smells awful. Sheepy: Sherlock: Mm. Looks like the victim was making graffiti before being attacked. Sheepy: Sherlock: The graffiti appears to be unfinished. Sheepy: Sherlock: It's possible the murderer painted this, but I'm doubtful due to its unfinished state and the fact that the victim was in this alley in the first place. The paint canister further suggests the victim drew this. Sheepy: Sherlock: This is where the victim died. As you can see, the body wasn't dragged anywhere. Instead, it looks like it was posed to appear as though the victim was begging for his life Sheepy: Sherlock: *he puts his goggles on and hits a switch on the side. A photo pops out of a slot on his bag! He takes pictures from different zoom levels and angles.+ Sheepy: *Hansel, meanwhile, has left with Yusuke.* Arsé-kun: *Impey bends down and inspects the body once Sherlock is done* Sheepy: Sherlock: I'd say the victim was played with before being killed, like a mouse being toyed with by a cat. This is suggested by the small nicks on the victim's face and neck, specifically near the eye. Eventually, the killer grew bored and killed the victim once and for all by slicing their wrist and allowing them to bleed out. This would explain the cut on the victim's wrist that is currently elevated. Arsé-kun: Impey: I'd agree with most of that, but you'd want to lower a limb to make it bleed more. If you raise it up like so, it'd take even longer.. Sheepy: Sherlock: That's a good point. Sheepy: Sherlock: It appears as though the killer tried to recreate the last moments before death... shoddily. Maybe it was the point at which the killer gained the most satisfaction... Sheepy: Sherlock: Was it for enjoyment's sake...? Arsé-kun: Impey: *he shudders* How messed up do you gotta be to enjoy that? Sheepy: Sherlock: I've seen worse. Arsé-kun: Impey: Well of course you have. Sheepy: Sherlock:....There's a word here... Sheepy: Sherlock: By the victim's feet Sheepy: Sherlock: "Longing". Arsé-kun: Impey: What is this, an entry piece for art school?? Sheepy: Sherlock:....! Sheepy: Sherlock: Impey, you genius! Sheepy: Sherlock: That would explain the pose! Arsé-kun: Impey: Huh? ..I mean, I am, aren't I? *he puffs up a little. +2 confidence* Sheepy: Sherlock: So then, our culprit is an artist... or thinks that they are one. Sheepy: Sherlock: And they attacked someone who was drawing...painting? Sheepy: Sherlock:....Jealousy? Opportunity...? Arsé-kun: Impey: Being a nutcase? Sheepy: Sherlock: Possibly... Sheepy: Sherlock: Well, certainly, but that isn't guaranteed to be the motive. Arsé-kun: Impey: Oh, yeah. Maybe it was personal or something. Sheepy: Sherlock: Right. We'll need to ID him, but that's up to the police. Sheepy: Sherlock: For now, I'm going to look around a little more and then I think we should go talk to the one who discovered the body. He seemed to be going through shock, though. Arsé-kun: Impey: What do you mean "shock"? Like, electrical? Sheepy: Sherlock: Emotional. Sheepy: Sherlock: The kid's mother was a victim of another case of mine - a recent one. Sheepy: Sherlock: I ... can't fathom how he feels right now. Arsé-kun: Impey: Probably really bad. Sheepy: Sherlock: Definitely. Sheepy: Sherlock: So in this case if Watson is awake and clear minded I'll ask the witness a few questions. Otherwise, I'll leave him alone until Watson is ready. Sheepy: Sherlock: Also, it'll do him no good to be out here. Arsé-kun: Impey: Yeah. Hope forkguy didn't get himself lost! Sheepy: Sherlock: I don't see any clues, so I think it'd be best if we head back. ...And that too. Arsé-kun: Impey: Righto. You wanna walk back? Sheepy: Sherlock: Yeah. Sheepy: *The two head home!* Sheepy: *Hansel is there and is watching Yusuke silently, leaning on his fork with an absent expression in his eyes.* Arsé-kun: Impey: Lively. Sheepy: Sherlock: What is? Arsé-kun: Impey: *vague gesture. this room. the activity levels!* Sheepy: Sherlock: Ooohhh... Sheepy: Sherlock:....Why is he still here? Sheepy: Hansel: My mission isn't over yet. Sheepy: Sherlock: Mission? Sheepy: Hansel: Is not over. Arsé-kun: Delly: Then get your ass moving! Go, shoo! Sheepy: Hansel: You stated that I must return Yusuke to Watt-sen and tell him that Yusuke saw a dead body. Sheepy: Hansel: However. Sheepy: Hansel: I returned him here, which does not constitute as returning him to Watson. Sheepy: Hansel: Furthermore. Sheepy: Hansel: Lastly... ... my trail has been eaten by birds, so I cannot return home Sheepy: Sherlock: Why don't you just use a map? Sheepy: Hansel:... Sheepy: Hansel: My trail is all I can rely on. Sheepy: Hansel: And... if I return home, Mother will be worried because I did not inform her of my departure. Sheepy: Hansel: Simply, I've been rebellious. Sheepy: Sherlock: Aren't you an adult? Actually, what do you even consider a punishable offense? Your mother is just fine with you murdering people. Sheepy: Hansel: Sometimes when I'm feeling particularly rebellious ... ... Ah, you'll tell her, so perhaps it'd be best not to reveal my dark secrets. Sheepy: Sherlock: I won't. Sheepy: Hansel: You'll tell Saint-Germain then. Arsé-kun: Germain: Or you can say it directly. Sheepy: Hansel:?! Sheepy: Hansel:..Sometimes. Sheepy: Hansel: When I'm feeling particularly rebellious. Sheepy: Hansel: I stay up an hour later than I'm supposed to. Arsé-kun: Germain: ... Is that all? Sheepy: Hansel:...No. Sheepy: Hansel: Sometimes I sleep in later than I'm supposed to. And sometimes I wear my robes in the middle of Summer even though Mother tells me not to. Sometimes I wear my shoes on the wrong feet even though I'm supposed to wear then on very specific feet...or I don't tie them. Sheepy: Hansel: I'm sorry, Saint-Germain. Arsé-kun: Germain: ... ... *try not to laugh. succeed step one* ... Hansel, none of that was awful. Sheepy: Hansel: What? Arsé-kun: Germain: It's not worth getting antsy over. None of that is. Sheepy: Hansel:...I see. Sheepy: Hansel: Why not? Arsé-kun: Germain: It's so.. Mundane. It doesn't harm anyone. Sheepy: Hansel: It doesn't? Arsé-kun: Germain: It doesn't. Sheepy: Hansel: Then why are these rules enforced? Arsé-kun: Germain: Because the last time I asked, you said you were ten years old. Sheepy: Hansel:.. Sheepy: Hansel: I see. Arsé-kun: Delly: Gee, do you? Sheepy: Hansel: Do I what? Arsé-kun: Delly: Do you see? Sheepy: Hansel: See what? Arsé-kun: Delly: You said "I see". Do you? Sheepy: Hansel: I do. Sheepy: Hansel: I see with my eyes. Sheepy: Hansel: How do you see? Arsé-kun: Delly: With my special eyes. Sheepy: Hansel: Where? Where are they? Arsé-kun: Delly: *he points to his face* You tell me! Sheepy: Hansel: ...? Arsé-kun: Delly: .... What do you think?! Sheepy: *Hansel looks to Saint-Germain. Where are the special eyes?* Arsé-kun: Germain: .... Hansel, he just pointed to his own eyes. Sheepy: Hansel: Ah. Arsé-kun: Delly: Woooooooow. Sheepy: Hansel: What? Arsé-kun: Delly: This is why humankind isn't ready for immortality. Humans can't tolerate it. And you're an idiot. Sheepy: Hansel:... Arsé-kun: Gretel: .... Sheepy: Hansel: I see. Sheepy: Hansel: Are you enjoying yourself? Arsé-kun: Delly: Absolutely! Sheepy: Hansel: I would like to ask you something. Sheepy: Hansel: Why do you believe that I am the face of immortality, or that immortality is a good thing? Arsé-kun: Delly: I never said you were. You happen to be one of many that I notice fit the cri.. crit.. fit the damn thing. Didn't say it was good, either! Use your ears better! Sheepy: Hansel: "Humanity isn't fit for immortality". Sheepy: Hansel: It's that statement that reveals everything. Sheepy: Hansel: Lady Guinevere and I never wished for immortality. We wished to save those we could not - those we caused to suffer, to die, from our own clueless actions. Arsé-kun: Delly: You needed help knowin' my eyes are in my head. You're still clueless. Sheepy: Hansel: I did not understand "special eyes". Sheepy: Hansel: And perhaps I'm clueless because all I've learned all my life is how to be a weapon. Sheepy: Hansel: Before judging, consider the other's situations. Arsé-kun: Delly: How am I supposed to know that?? Sheepy: Hansel: If someone is struggling and you make fun of them, they'll give up all together. Sheepy: Hansel: Perhaps you should try clarifying what you mean or not playing mind games with someone who is clearly struggling with things you consider simple. Arsé-kun: Delly: *he considers this.* Sooo.. What you're saying here is you're not a stupid person, just troubled. Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Arsé-kun: Delly: That'd be nice to know beforehand. *he gives a pointed glare to Germain. Germain ignores him* Sheepy: Hansel: Sorry. I didn't know to tell you. Sheepy: Hansel:....Why are you staring at Saint-Germain? Should I stare as well? Arsé-kun: Delly: I was expecting. A response. From him. About that. Sheepy: Hansel: Ah? Arsé-kun: Germain: ... Delacroix, it's not my place to share the issues of others unless it's of the best interest. Do stop glaring at me as such. Arsé-kun: Delly: Peh. *but he does stop* Sheepy: Hansel: Ah. Sheepy: Hansel: Thank you, Saint-Germain. I overshared. Sheepy: Hansel: My mistake... Arsé-kun: Delly: Oh, I've got an idea. Arsé-kun: Delly: You're a guide when you're not being told to commit homicide, right? Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Sheepy: Hansel: Why? Sheepy: Hansel: I'm....not told to do it often, as I said, because I leave too much evidence and I mess up. Arsé-kun: Delly: Well, you'd perhaps be of assistance with that job of yours. It wouldn't be weird for you to be bringing someone around. Sheepy: Hansel: What do you mean? Arsé-kun: Delly: I mean, I have somewhere to go, but cannot go myself. Sheepy: Hansel: Where? Arsé-kun: Delly: To my Father's. The journey would be too much for anyone else, and you're not a pussy. Sheepy: Hansel: Where? Arsé-kun: Delly: I can't share that all willy-nilly! Get.. Hold on! *he gets up on a chair, so he can whisper to Hansel. he almost said 'get down here' but that is not Fitting of the Vampire Prince now IS IT* Sheepy: Hansel:? Arsé-kun: *and delly tells him* Sheepy: Hansel: I am unsure if I'll be allowed to... Arsé-kun: Germain: You could excuse it as part of your day-job. Just.. A child asked you to guide them back home, as they've got no trail of their own. Sheepy: Hansel: ... Is that my day job? Arsé-kun: Germain: Well, I suppose so. Sheepy: Hansel: ...I see. If it is my duty, I must do it. Sheepy: Hansel: When? Sheepy: *Sherlock, meanwhile, is pacing back and forth, lost in thought. Harley is pulling a Sherlock and taking a nap in one of the chairs, Wilson on his lap. Nyar hasn't had attention for 0.2 seconds.* Arsé-kun: Germain: ... What, Nyar? What is it you want? Sheepy: Nyar: I don't know, what do you want? Sheepy: Hansel: Why are you here? Sheepy: Nyar: I don't know, why are YOU here?? Sheepy: Hansel: Because- Sheepy: Nyar: I don't actually care, kiddo, don't answer that. Arsé-kun: Germain: Don't do that to Hansel. And I want to know why you're giving me the insulted nightgaunt baby stare from across the room Sheepy: Nyar: Because I'm looonely. Sheepy: Hansel: Why would you ask me a question and then tell me not to answer? Sheepy: Nyar: Here's an idea, kiddo. Sheepy: Hansel: No. Sheepy: Hansel: Mother told me that your words are full of lies and that you're a pathological liar. Sheepy: Hansel: Simply, I can't accept any advice you give or follow any orders you command. Arsé-kun: Germain: I want to know what she's said about me. Sheepy: Hansel: Ah. Sheepy: Hansel: That you are a good apostle, a trustworthy one so long as I analyze your words clearly Sheepy: Hansel: ...But. I trust you fully, no matter your words. Arsé-kun: Germain: ... I hate to break this to you.. But do you think she's honest either? Sheepy: Hansel: What? Sheepy: Hansel: Of course she must be. Arsé-kun: Germain: Are you sure? Sheepy: Hansel: Is there something you know about her? Sheepy: Hansel: She is my mother, so why would she lie to me? Arsé-kun: Germain: ... Because she isn't an honest person. Sheepy: Hansel: What? Arsé-kun: Germain: I already said too much. We don't want her thinking you're up to anything suspicious. Because she would. Sheepy: Hansel: I don't understand. Arsé-kun: Germain: That's fine. Lets leave this matter alone. Sheepy: Hansel: ... Sheepy: Hansel: ...Anyway, I’ll try to bring you there. Sheepy: Hansel: When? Arsé-kun: Delly: How about... Now? Sheepy: Hansel: Fine. Sheepy: Hansel: Come, take my hand. Arsé-kun: Delly: *he makes a face, but does so* Sheepy: *And Hansel leads him to the closet.* Arsé-kun: *Which is hysterical out of context.* Arsé-kun: *and they exit scene with aforementioned closet. ooooooooo magik* Sheepy: Hansel:...? Sheepy: Hansel: It's...big. Sheepy: Hansel: This is it, correct? Arsé-kun: Delly: Yeah! Sheepy: Hansel:.....I'm not confident in my ability to not get lost, so I'll follow you. Sheepy: Hansel: Because I...don't like getting lost. Arsé-kun: Delly: Who does? Weirdos. That's the list. Just weirdos. Sheepy: Hansel: I suppose so... Sheepy: Hansel: So. Lead the way. Arsé-kun: Delly: .... It's a straight line forward. Sheepy: Hansel: So, lead the way. Arsé-kun: *and so, Delly does..?* Sheepy: *Hansel follows, dropping bread crumbs on the ground as he goes.* Arsé-kun: *It's not that close, but they'll get there one day* Sheepy: Hansel:...Why are we here? Arsé-kun: Delly: I wanted to go home. Sheepy: Hansel: Ah... Sheepy: Hansel: I understand. Sheepy: Hansel: Before I can...I must mull over Saint-Germain's words and find my way home. Sheepy: Hansel: He has never lied to me. Sheepy: *The guards are on high alert due to the rattling and scraping noises Hansel's fork is making...* Arsé-kun: Delly: *he raises his voice and* Chucklefucks, open the gate or fight me! Sheepy: *They quickly open the gate* Arsé-kun: Delly: New record! Arsé-kun: Delly: *he looks up at Hansel* Well, you did the guide job thing! Sheepy: Hansel: Yes. Sheepy: Hansel: Do I follow you? Lady Guinevere said not to enter homes unless I have explicit permission from the owner, one of the apostles, or Mother.... Arsé-kun: Delly: No. Go home! Sheepy: Hansel: ... Sheepy: Hansel: Then, how will you get back? Sheepy: Hansel: I've left a trail, but by the time you leave, the birds will have eaten it already. Arsé-kun: Delly: I'm going inside. I don't think I'd need such a thing. Sheepy: Hansel: No, no. Sheepy: Hansel: To the detective's home. Sheepy: Hansel: How will you return? Arsé-kun: Delly: You know? That's a good question. I'll probably just use a damn map! Sheepy: Hansel: ... Sheepy: Hansel: Then. Sheepy: Hansel: I'll return home, but your return won't be as fast as how you got here. Arsé-kun: Delly: No shit. Sheepy: Hansel: And you still want me to go home? Arsé-kun: Delly: You're an adult, you decide! Sheepy: Hansel:.... Sheepy: Hansel: I'll stay here and wait. Sheepy: Hansel: I know very little about you but I don't like the thought of you potentially getting lost on your way back. Sheepy: Hansel:...So. I'm going to wait for you. Right here. Sheepy: *Hansel sits on the ground* Arsé-kun: Delly: Don't do that Sheepy: Hansel: I need to mull over some things before I go home. Sheepy: Hansel: Where do I go, if not the ground? Sheepy: Hansel: Do I have to stand while I wait? Arsé-kun: Delly: Go home!! Sheepy: Hansel: *he frowns and heads off.* Arsé-kun: *adios Hansel* Arsé-kun: *And now, an indeterminate amount of time passes. It's actually like a day.* Sheepy: Sherlock: -Eggs? I don't recall anyone by that name. Sheepy: Sherlock:..Although. Sheepy: Sherlock:.......Eggs... Sheepy: Sherlock: I want Eggs. Arsé-kun: Impey: ... Yeah, me too. Sheepy: Sherlock: Harley may knkw Eggs. Or Iris. Sheepy: Iris: Holmsies, Eggs is Professor Moriarty's son. Eggs Benedict. Sheepy: Sherlock: I'm hungr....Moriarty? Sheepy: Sherlock:... Sheepy: Sherlock:..What were we talking about again? Food? I'm hungry. Arsé-kun: Impey: I agree! C'mon, lets take over the kitchen again. Arsé-kun: *and so, impey and sherlock hijack the entire kitchen. this is normal* Sheepy: Iris: Why do you need Moriarty's son anyway? Sheepy: Harley: I'm pretty sure Mycroft is friends with him. Sheepy: Harley: I could call him for you if you want? Sheepy: Harley: Actually, I should anyway... I haven't checked on him in a while. Arsé-kun: Delly: Because I'm dragging people to an important meeting, and I've been "informed" of his general absence. That's why! Don't ask more questions! Sheepy: Harley: So is that a yes or a no? Arsé-kun: Delly: Yes. Sheepy: Harley: Fine. Arsé-kun: Delly: Fine! Sheepy: Harley: [Text: to Mycroft] ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ Arsé-kun: Mycroft: [text: to Harley] o/ What is it? Sheepy: Harley: [Text: to Mycroft] Delly wants to get into contact with Moriarty's son. Not sure why. (´｀;) ？ Do you know where he is? Arsé-kun: Mycroft: [text: to Harley] In my line of sight, waiting for the copying machine. I'll speak to him when I'm on my luncbhreak. Sheepy: Harley: [Text: to Mycroft] Thank you. (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑ Don't bring it up with Sherlock, though, he's getting upset over the mere mention of him. By upset I mean he just went into the kitchen to avoid the situation. I'm afraid of what will come of it. Arsé-kun: Mycroft: [text: to Harley] 2x noted. Will text back when I have the time. Sheepy: Harley: [Text: to Mycroft] Hope everything goes well. (*^▽^*) Ah, and now that I'm thinking about it, don't ever allow Sherlock into your kitchen. Just...don't. (,,꒪꒫꒪,,) I've seen him do terrible things through the power of science. Things I want to unsee. Arsé-kun: Mycroft: [text: to Harley] 3x noted Sheepy: Harley: He's with Moriarty's son right now and will talk to him later. Arsé-kun: Delly: Fine. Sheepy: Harley: Fine. Sheepy: *Harley goes back to what he was doing.* Sheepy: Iris:...By the way, Delly. Did thd Fork Man threaten you at all? Arsé-kun: Delly: Pffff, him? Threaten anyone? Cute! Sheepy: Iris:?! Arsé-kun: Delly: He acted like a five year old! Sheepy: Iris:... Arsé-kun: Delly: It's like.. Giving an idiot kid a knife and telling them to poke someone. But stupider. Way stupider. Sheepy: Iris:....*She appears frustrated* Sheepy: Iris: But.... Sheepy: Iris: ...So, the actual target was my baby brother and he didn't even really know what he was doing? Sheepy: Harley: Obviously not, considering he stabbed her in the chest. Furthermore, Nyar mentioned that his father somehow salvaged the child, so the assassin couldn't even do that right. Sheepy: Harley: Sherlock and I were hunting for her killer on the side, but now that we've found him... I've got a sense of... Sheepy: Harley:...Disappointment? Arsé-kun: Delly: Lets group thinking. Fork was told to do it by someone else. Lets go beat up his boss! Sheepy: Harley: No. Are you stupid? Arsé-kun: Delly: You got a better idea? Sheepy: Harley: All we can do for now is cooperate with him along with Nyarlathotep and hope that we somehow manage to take the organisations down by... "manipulating" them. Sheepy: Nyar: Woooooow, you reeeaallly think highly of yourself, don't'cha? Arsé-kun: Delly: Woooow, shut up! Nobody asked you! Sheepy: Nyar: Do you hope to get on my good side by being nasty towards me? You humans really are funny. Arsé-kun: Delly: Vam-pi-re! Get it right! Sheepy: Nyar: What's the difference really? Arsé-kun: Delly: A lot! Don't group me in with 'em! Sheepy: Nyar: One's the predator and one's the prey, but the moment we go one level higher, there's barely any difference. Sheepy: Nyar: At that level, they're both playthings. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Stop saying words, the both of you. *here he is, the star of the show! just to drop into his seat and stare* Sheepy: Nyar: Don't order me around. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Please stop, then. Sheepy: Harley: How is it, Lupin? Arsé-kun: Arséne: A mess. A good and awful mess. Sheepy: Harley: How unfortunate. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It'd do you good to help me later today. Sheepy: Harley: He should have considered your feelings more before sticking you with that, but he said it was boring. Sheepy: Harley: What do you mean? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I mean exactly what I said. Sheepy: Harley: Do me good in what respect? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Getting outside without Watson breathing down your neck. Sound good? Sheepy: Harley: It does, but I have a feeling it's not going to be that easy. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Step one: Leave building. Profit instantly. Sheepy: Harley: Just don't be his stand in and we've got a deal. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Deal. Sheepy: Harley: If you nag me about my health I will leave and personally solve the case without your presence. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That's almost tempting. Sheepy: Harley: Don't. Sheepy: Harley: I don't want it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I won't, I won't! Sheepy: Harley: Good. Sheepy: Harley: Let's hope he doesn't decide to follow. Sheepy: Harley: When are you going out? Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm no longer Arsene's assistant so you don't need to worry about me. Sheepy: Harley: I was not referring to you. Arsé-kun: Arséne: :< Sheepy: Harley: I was hoping Watson wouldn't go, not you. Sheepy: Sheepy: What, why are you frowning? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You're still coming with, Sheepy. Why would I not bring you? Sheepy: Sheepy: You have Harley now so you no longer need comic relief. Sheepy: Harley:...What's that supposed to mean? Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, you're such a big joke that none of mine can compare. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... Well. Sheepy: Harley: You-! ... *he breathes in. calm down.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: The only currently running joke is his current detective work. The thing even the police are doing more of. Sheepy: Harley: .... Arsé-kun: Arséne: And that's ending when he comes with us. Sheepy: Harley: *he doesn't comment, instead looking away* Arsé-kun: Arséne: A real joke goes like this: Sherlock's cooking. Sheepy: Sheepy: Here's a joke: Arsé-kun: Arséne: The police. Sheepy: Sheepy: Your ability to improve sitiations you just damaged without a second thought. Sheepy: Sheepy: No, wait. Sheepy: Sheepy: That's me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Stop that. Sheepy: Sheepy: If you kick me in the crotch I'll move out and not come back. Sheepy: Sheepy: Which is not necessarily a threat to you, but it's a threat to Arsene, Sherlock, Watson, and Iris. Arsé-kun: Delly: *he kicks the trashcan* Fight me over it! Sheepy: Sheepy: I can and will do it Arsé-kun: Delly: I'm already kicking your junk! *he kicks the trash again* Sheepy: Sheepy: Wow, that joke was so unfunny that I can't even bring myself to pity laugh. Arsé-kun: Delly: Then shuttup. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. Arsé-kun: *then it was awkward for a minute* Sheepy: Sheepy: So, when're you going out? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Eh... Sheepy: Sheepy: Eh? Sheepy: Sheepy: Eh isn't a time. Arsé-kun: Watson: *hello, I exist?* Sheepy: Harley: *He doesn't comment on Watson's existence.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, hi. Arsé-kun: Watson: Hello. The kitchen is toxic again. Sheepy: Harley: Consider it Sherlock's feelings about Moriarty- Sheepy: Sherlock: ? Sheepy: *...Sherlock's got perfectly normal looking food, for once...* Arsé-kun: Delly: He doesn't smell like poison at all! What gives? Sheepy: Harley: Sherlock, what did you do? Sheepy: Sherlock: ? Sheepy: Sherlock: I did something? Arsé-kun: Watson: ? Arsé-kun: Watson: It wasn't him this time. Sheepy: Harley: Ah, of course, you didn't cook that. Sheepy: Sherlock: Yes I did. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ouais? Sheepy: Sherlock: Of course. Sheepy: Harley: Are you sure? It actually looks like food rather than a science experiment. Arsé-kun: Arséne: But is it edible? heepy: Sherlock: Yes. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh yeah, what's that smell? Arsé-kun: Watson: Van's cooking. Sheepy: Harley: ...Someone is worse than Sherlock...? Arsé-kun: Watson: Horrifying, I know. Sheepy: Iris: Daddy, can you be poisoned by the smell of bad cooking? I'm worried about Abby. Sheepy: Sheepy: You're the little one, and size is important when it comes to poison. Sheepy: Iris: You're not much taller! Sheepy: Sheepy: Pshh, I'll hit a growth spurt sooner or later and then that won't be true anymore. Sheepy: Iris: You've been saying that for a year now! Sheepy: Sheepy: You have to be patient when it comes to perfection. Arsé-kun: *arsene and herlock exit scene like ninjas* Arsé-kun: Watson: Bad cooking, no, not usually. Whatever just happened doesn't classify under bad cooking. Sheepy: Sherlock: Arsene left you behind, Sheepy. Is Harley well enough to go out? Because he did. Sheepy: Sheepy: I told everyone I'd be replaced and it was taken as self-deprecation. Now it's come true. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he comes back in, picks up Sheepy, and leaves again. ah* Sheepy: Sherlock: Have a safe trip! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Merci! Sheepy: Sherlock: Keep Harley out of trouble. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Absolutely not. I'm not a babysitter. *and he actually leaves* Sheepy: Sheepy: Where are we starting? It's been a day since the crime occurred... and it's not necessarily our job to do anything. Sheepy: Sheepy: Technically, since we don't work for the police, we need to be hired by the police to check into this in order to be legally allowed into the crime scene. Sheepy: Harley: Stop. Arsé-kun: Arséne: If we get yelled at, we mention that Sherlock found the site in the first place. Then we come back later tonight. Arsé-kun: Arséne: And while I'm speaking. Harley, thought you'd be up for banter, didn't mean to be a dick. Sheepy: Harley: Fine. Sheepy: Harley: All you were doing was stating my feelings about the situation. Sheepy: Harley: There's nothing wrong with stating the truth. Sheepy: Sheepy: There's nothing wrong with needing time off to recuperate. Sheepy: Harley: There's something wrong with contributing absolutely nothing with one's existence. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I wouldn't say you were useless. You did things around the house. Sheepy: Harley: I did, yes. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then you've already done more than half of the household in a week. Sheepy: Sheepy: What's that supposed to mean? Sheepy: Sheepy: I do schoolwork. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I was insulting Impey, for one. Sheepy: Sheepy: Doesn't Impey cook??? Arsé-kun: Arséne: That's the most I've seen him do. Sheepy: Sheepy: ... Now that I think about it? Sheepy: Sheepy: Does Impey even have a job? Sheepy: Sheepy: Does he just bum off of us in exchange for food? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oui, to both. I'll pummel him if he doesn't get back to making us vests. Sheepy: Sheepy: What was Twilight even kidnapping him for? Sheepy: Sheepy: Although, Fran contributes less than Impey... Arsé-kun: Arséne: His armory and building skills, I'd suppose. Not his personality. Sheepy: Sheepy: ...I think. Sheepy: Sheepy: I never see him leave his room.......I doubt he's got a job. Arsé-kun: Arséne: He's a scientist. Sheepy: Sheepy: But scientists work in labs. Sheepy: Sheepy: Is he a freelance scientist? Sheepy: Sheepy: Or is he just a mad scientist with a sweet outside? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Non. I suppose 'alchemist' is a bit closer to truth, but... Now, would you describe him as mad? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Sheepy: Sheepy: There's a difference between "mad" and "insane". Sheepy: Sheepy: "Mad" kind of implies that they were pushed into their current status, while "insane" means they're naturally like that. Sheepy: Sheepy: "Mad" also implies doing something that they should not be doing - something mankind has not accomplished, but perhaps, it's not our role to accomplish it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: But does he fit either category? That is the main question. Sheepy: Sheepy: Creating artificial life is kinda in the mad scientist category. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Can't deny that. Arsé-kun: *ok enough chat here's the crime scene. stinky* Arsé-kun: *about half an hour later they ACTUALLY get into the crime scene. smart-talking police, throwing sheepy over a fence, the usual moves.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Wow, looks like it was a gruesome death. Arsé-kun: Arséne: From Sherlock's observation, it seems to have been "artistic". *air quotes included* Sheepy: Sheepy: Doesn't look it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: According to the notes.. *which he pulls out* On discovery, there was a title written next to it. I can't read half of this. Sheepy: Harley: *he looks* Arsé-kun: *it's sherlocks handwriting mixed with writing really fast* Sheepy: Harley: Sometimes I think, "Ah, this must be Watson's handwriting. He's a doctor"... Sheepy: Harley: ...But then I remember that Watson's handwriting is actually legibile. Arsé-kun: Arséne: mhm Sheepy: *There's singing.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Can the police do their job and keep innocents out? Sheepy: Crow: -Crow is here to help!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he moves to block the view* No, no they cannot. This is a crime scene. Sheepy: Crow: ? Sheepy: Crow: Why not? Sheepy: Sheepy: Who even let you in? Sheepy: Crow: Let me in? Sheepy: Sheepy: It's really illegal for you to be here! Sheepy: Crow: I've heard mention that my uncle's an attorney so I should be fine? It's for the good of the people to use my angelic powers for justice! Arsé-kun: Arséne: We need a new police force. So badly. Sheepy: Crow: Whaaat??? No! I like them! Sheepy: Crow: I looked into the Sherlock Holmes books but they got really boring fast~ There's no mention of his cat anywhere! But~ The point is! Sheepy: Crow: Nowhere is it mentioned in what I read that he went through detective school! He just decided to be a detective one day, probably! Sheepy: Crow: So following my sense of crimson justice, I will assist you as a detective angel for a day! Sheepy: Crow: By proving my passion for justice, I will prove that I am innocent! Sheepy: Sheepy: That's a logical fallacy. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I've lost IQ. Call me when this makes sense. *he turns around to actually work* Sheepy: Sheepy: ARSENE! You can't leave me with him! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I haven't left. He lives with the witness. Be of use. Sheepy: Crow: ? Arsé-kun: *someone gives crow a short, legal version* Sheepy: Crow: Ooooh! Sheepy: Crow: So find Yusuke and question him! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Too soon. Sheepy: Crow: Why? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Let the licensed professional do that part for us. Sheepy: Crow: fine. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... *he sighs* You still want to come with us? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sell yourself. What can you do that we cannot? What would make us want you to join us? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Other than what you've already said. You weren't very clear. Sheepy: Crow: Eh? Sell myself? Why would I do that? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Because I'm not convinced that you'd be an asset yet. As far as I'm concerned, you're a curious civvie. Sheepy: Crow: ? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Civilian. Innocent. Etc. Sheepy: Crow: So, you believe me to be innocent! Good, excellent! Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... It's kind of a given. Innocent until proven guilty, after all. *he glances back. harley, sheepy- help* Sheepy: Harley: You're obnoxious. Sheepy: Crow: That means I'm accepted to help, doesn't it? Be ready to see my crimson passion, my cattle! Sheepy: Harley: You're obnoxious. Sheepy: Crow: That means I'm accepted to help, doesn't it? Be ready to see my crimson passion, my cattle! Sheepy: Sheepy: We never said yes... Sheepy: Crow: *He is more focused at looking at the crime scene.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... I suppose we could have a word with his uncle afterwards, to prevent a repeat. Sheepy: Sheepy: You know who he's talking about? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Not a damn clue. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ugh... well, if he drops the guy's name, you can go ahead and do that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Already intend to. Sheepy: Crow: The artistic passion behind this is overwhelming! Every strike was filled with the creativity of their soul! ... Simply, the killer's someone obsessed with art. Arsé-kun: Arséne: .... You've proven your use. The notes left about it also suggested it had that intent. Sheepy: Crow: Great! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *@sheepy* Also, I told you so. Sheepy: Sheepy: Told me what? Sheepy: Sheepy: Ehhh..right. Arsé-kun: Arséne: .. Nothing has been changed at the crime scene. Hmm. Sheepy: Sheepy: Why would it? Sheepy: *Harley is busy investigating. He sniffs at the title* Sheepy: Harley: Who would name their murder? Sheepy: Crow: Once you give something a name, you give it power. Sheepy: Crow: And so, by naming it, he gave his art piece a personality and identity of its very own! You can see it as: Sheepy: Crow: "This person is incomplete, impure! Ugly and a waste of potential! They don't even deserve their name! However, I will turn them into a masterpiece! I will dye their clothes a crimson red and give them a new, eternal form! With that, they will be given a new name that will make them live on forevermore!" Sheepy: Crow:...And so on. Sheepy: Harley: You are really loud and make no sense. Sheepy: Crow: Well, that's what they were thinking. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I'm not even going to try and translate that. Sheepy: Crow: You don't need to, huh? Because you understand an artist's soul! Sheepy: Sheepy: No, it makes absolutely no sense. Sheepy: Crow: Well that's what they were thinking! Sheepy: Crow: Basically, a name justifies something's existence. It gives it presence. That's why songs, paintings, sculptures, and people all have names. Sheepy: Crow: By stripping away their name and labeling them with a new name, the killer's not only putting their inspiration into their "creation", but they're also showing that they have more authority than their victim or their victim's parents. Sheepy: Crow: Once you give something a name, it also becomes immortalized. Such as! Sheepy: Crow: ...Eh, what's a book's name? One that's beeen around for a while? Sheepy: Crow: Or, even better! The Mona Lisa. Sheepy: Crow: Without a name, how would humanity remember the Mona Lisa? How would it live on in history? Sheepy: Sheepy: Now's not the time for philosophical questions. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oui, merci. Tais-toi. Sheepy: Crow: *He tilts his head* Isn't their motive worth anything to you? Arsé-kun: Arséne: It is, but there was no need for three paragraphs worth of it. Sheepy: Crow: I was telling you what I could tell. Word for word. Sheepy: Crow: It's not right to force your own beliefs about a poetic piece on others! It comes from the heart of the poet! Arsé-kun: Arséne: mmmmmmmhm. Sheepy: Harley: If you're so magical, why don't you just find the killer and be done with it? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Because I've already got a plan for that part. Sheepy: Harley: For which? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Step one: Get forensic results. Step two: Can't say this part with civvies around. Step three: Conveniently jump into an open window and arrest a man. Profit. Sheepy: Harley: Good idea. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thank you, thank you. I'll take my award now. Sheepy: Crow: *He appears frustrated.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: ... *he seems to be thinking* Sheepy: Crow: I've given you a lot! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ah. I've got something. Sheepy: Crow: They're attention seeking, creative in their own mind, and probably takes a while to prepare for their next murder. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You have been very helpful. However, I think from this point on, you'd have the best role in assisting the witness. I believe you know them, after all. Sheepy: Crow: Where can I find Yusuke? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Back at the office. He should be with the Doctor. Sheepy: Crow: I'm going to go see him! Good luck! Sheepy: *Crow runs off, which is incredible considering that he's in 4" heels.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: .... I'm almost jealous. Sheepy: Sheepy: Of what? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Eh? Never mind. Arsé-kun: *and so, we now return back to The Office, our regularly scheduled program* Sheepy: Crow: *He enters, announcing his presence through song* Arsé-kun: Watson: ............ You can knock. Sheepy: Crow: Isn't that boring? Arsé-kun: Watson: Excruciatingly. *he turns his chair back to the laptop* But it needs to be done. Sheepy: Crow: Why? Arsé-kun: Watson: Because it does. Sheepy: Crow: You're like my uncle. He shoots down perfectly good questions with "Because I said so"... Arsé-kun: Watson: There's a proper answer, but I'm a bit busy. Sheepy: Crow: Where's Yusuke? Arsé-kun: Watson: Upstairs. Door with the tape where the knob once was. Knock first. Sheepy: Crow: Aw, okay. *He strolls over to Iris's room and actually knocks.* Sheepy: Iris: Who is it? Sheepy: Crow: It's me, Crow! I'm here for Yusuke! Sheepy: Iris:! *She opens the door* Hello! Sheepy: Crow: Tree!! ... I mean! Adam! Arsé-kun: Adam: Ah. Good afternoon. Sheepy: Yusuke: Crow. You're here. Sheepy: *Yusuke stands and poses...* Sheepy: Crow: Yusuke! *he does the same pose* I, the fallen angel Crow, have come unto you to deliver my assistance! Arsé-kun: Cyan: Nyaa! *she pops up from around Adam and also poses at Crow* Arsé-kun: Cyan: Surprise! Sheepy: Crow: I tried to help solve a murder and they told me to leave. Sheepy: Crow: They said that I made no sense. Uncle solves murders all the time and nobody comments. Sheepy: Crow: What am I doing differently? Arsé-kun: Arséne: That's not what I said at all. *he strolls in, carrying Food* I've also been asked to bring this up. Sheepy: Yusuke:! Sheepy: Yusuke: *he has locked eyes on the food* Sheepy: Crow: It's what the purple guy said! Arsé-kun: Arséne: He's a jerk. Don't let it get to you. *he gives the food to he who is looking at it like a hungry velociraptor* Sheepy: *Yusuke takes a portion and eats.* Sheepy: Crow: Then why work with him if you don't like him? Sheepy: Crow:...And! That doesn't answer why my uncle gets to solve murders. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Because it pays to have different perspectives and because he probably studied really damn hard. Sheepy: Crow: I don't know. Sheepy: Crow: He fell and disappeared. Sheepy: Crow: But I've seen him. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Can I at least get a name? Sheepy: Crow: Barok. Arsé-kun: Arséne: .... N.. Noted. Sheepy: Iris:?! Zieksy's your uncle?! Sheepy: Iris: But he's so pouty all the time! And he always looks angry! Sheepy: Crow: Oh, that sounds like him. Sheepy: Crow: Why do you ask? Sheepy: Crow: Did you want him for something? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Perhaps I do. Sheepy: Crow: So you're going to go see him...? Sheepy: Crow:...Um. I want to see him too. I've tried to get into contact with him. I haven't had much luck. It must be because he's busy. Arsé-kun: Arséne: He seems to be very busy, yes. Sheepy: Crow: How can I get into contact with him? Sheepy: Iris: Sometimes Holmsies and Herly see him. Sheepy: Iris: I think Holmsies annoys him. Sheepy: Sherlock: *sigh* Sheepy: *Sherlock is sitting in the corner nearest to Arsene, pouting* Sheepy: *And moping* Sheepy: Sherlock: I just annoy everyone, don't I? Sheepy: *...When did he get here, anyway?* Arsé-kun: Arséne: You stop that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he picks up Sherlock. this is normal* I'm stealing this. Sheepy: Sherlock: Do I annoy you? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Of course not. Sheepy: Sherlock: Really? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ouais. Sheepy: Sherlock: Are you sure? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oui, yes, certainly sure, mon cher. Sheepy: Sherlock: But I'm annoying. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Shut up. *smooch* Sheepy: Harley: It doesn't matter if you're annoying or not, because the people who are annoyed by you aren't worth the time. They've given up trying to relate to you and instead blame you for their own faults. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh? What's this? You care? Sheepy: Harley: Of course not. Arsé-kun: Arséne: owo Sheepy: Harley: I don't care about anyone. You know this. Arsé-kun: Arséne: OWO Sheepy: Harley: S-stop! Sheepy: Harley: Stop staring at me like that. Sheepy: Harley: It's creeping me out. You're creepy. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh, I'm creepy? Eh? Sheepy: Harley: Yes. Arsé-kun: Adam: Do this somewhere else please. Sheepy: Harley: Fine. Sheepy: Harley: I only showed up to make sure the witness was safe and secure. Not because Sherlock was upset. I've confirmed the witness is fine so I'm done here anyway. Sheepy: Sherlock: Harley really does hate me... Arsé-kun: Arséne: :I Arsé-kun: *and then adam kicked them out* Sheepy: Sherlock: What did I do to make him hate me? Sheepy: Harley: Stop talking about me like I'm not right here. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then stop acting like you don't care. At least to him. At least! Sheepy: Harley: I'm not going to fake how I feel. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Stop lying. You're damn awful at it. Sheepy: Harley: Am I? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You are. Sheepy: Harley: If I'm a bad liar, you must be oblivious. Arsé-kun: Arséne: And we're the kings of the arctic. Sheepy: Harley: What do you mean? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I mean, you're full of bs. Sheepy: Harley: I don't understand your point. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You care. We know you do. This isn't the first time we've discussed this. Sheepy: Harley: ....Is that why he keeps trying? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes. Why should he stop? Sheepy: Harley: He should stop trying. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Get your head out of your ass. Sheepy: Harley: Or maybe you should stop being oblivious to the truth. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I'd kick your ass if you weren't considered injured. Sheepy: Harley: What would it change? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Nothing. Like your statements! Sheepy: Harley: I'll accept it's not working. Sheepy: Harley: And that's fine. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Great. Sheepy: Harley: Because I always have a backup plan. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Leave the building and I'll keep Wilson for myself. Sheepy: Harley: I'm bringing Wilson with me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I'll tell Watson. Sheepy: Harley: Tell him all you want, I'm sure he'll understand. Arsé-kun: Watson: Watson is completely unwilling to deal with any of this. *he enters scene with some paperwork, which he smacks Arséne with (he's closest)* You've got work to do. Sheepy: Harley: Fine. I'll work on that and then leave. Sheepy: Sherlock: I don't really get it, what did I do? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he puts sherlock down, which frees his hands to go onto his face. facepalm x2* He's being distant. You're fine. Sheepy: Sherlock: But why? Arsé-kun: Arséne: If I knew that, I wouldn't be so annoying about it. *and Arséne gets smacked with the papers again* Ow! Why?! Arsé-kun: Watson: One of you take this so I can go on break. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he takes it* Arsé-kun: *And Watson exits scene. Finally, he can eat and take a nap.* Sheepy: Harley: Watson, make sure to eat and drink. Do you need anything- Arsé-kun: Watson: ... No, but I appreciate it. *and he actually exits scene proper* Sheepy: Harley: *watson appreciates him?! he's beaming.* Arsé-kun: *Harley's happy?? A rarity. Look how cyute he is* Sheepy: *He is!* Arsé-kun: *IS GOOD* Arsé-kun: *THEY NOW HAV THE INFORMATION THEY NEED. IT IS TIME TO DO SOMETHING* Sheepy: *They use the info to find.... the killer's house!* Arsé-kun: *Disclaimer: Forensics does not work this way, or any way similar. All issues with that scenario are due to not giving a damn about time constraints. Thank you for your time.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: This it, you think? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yup. Sheepy: Sheepy: It's menacing rnough. Sheepy: Harley:....Hm. Sheepy: Harley: Let's get it over with. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Lets. Sheepy, with me. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sounds good. Sheepy: Harley: And I'll go with Saint-Germain. Arsé-kun: Germain: And I with you. I'm honored to have been chosen for this mission. Sheepy: Harley: Good. Sheepy: Harley: This'll be my last case around here, after all. Arsé-kun: Germain: *he completely disregards all of that* Is there any specific role you need from me? Sheepy: Harley: Just do you. Arsé-kun: Germain: That's doable. Sheepy: Harley: Excellent. Let's get going. Arsé-kun: *and so, the team splits up* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he heads to the backyard, expecting Sheepy to follow* We've got the plan down, yes? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yup. Sheepy: *Sheepy and Arsene presumably head in?* Arsé-kun: *they do head in the back* Sheepy: Sheepy: So we just find evidence. Arsé-kun: Arséne: While they keep the suspect distracted, yes. Sheepy: Sheepy: Let's hope they succeed. Arsé-kun: Arséne: m-hm. Arsé-kun: *And, of course, a few minutes into their Absolutely Legal Search, someone screams. Seems everything is going well, as per usual.* Sheepy: Sheepy: ?! Arsé-kun: Arséne: For the love of..! I'll meet you downstairs! *and he opens the window and leaves that way. is faster* Sheepy: *Sheepy rushes downstairs* Arsé-kun: Germain: This is fine. Do stop screaming. *he's got a knife in his chest. nice, man* Sheepy: Harley: You've been stabbed! Sheepy: Stephano: ...Stabbed? Arsé-kun: Germain: Not again. Are you going to want this knife back? Sheepy: Stephano: ... Sheepy: Stephano:...No, no, you won't do at all. Sheepy: Stephano: You're ugly. Unnatural. Even in the face of death, you feel no fear. Sheepy: Stephano: If I can't bring out your fear...I can't turn you into a masterpiece.... Arsé-kun: Germain: Well, that's certainly a shame. Sheepy: Stephano: What must I do to bring you fear? Sheepy: Harley: Back off or I'll shoot. Sheepy: Stephano: ...*he grins* You have so much potential! Sheepy: Stephano: There's so much disgust and terror on your face! What should I do to you? How should I complete you? Sheepy: Harley: I will shoot! Sheepy: Stephano: You don't have any bullets. Sheepy: Harley:... Arsé-kun: Germain: ..... You're only encouraging him. Can't we settle this over tea? Sheepy: Stephano: You disgust me. Sheepy: Stephano: Your hideousness taints my place of musing. Arsé-kun: Germain: I'd gladly scream for you, but there seems to be a knife in my chest. Sheepy: *Stephano removes the knife* Sheepy: Stephano: You... are like a broken canvas. Sheepy: Stephano: No one loved nor cared for you... Sheepy: Stephano:...So you wore down. Arsé-kun: Germain: I didn't know I signed up for therapy. *he glances down at his wound, which is now allowed to bleed on everything. nice* Sheepy: Stephano: And now that it's finally come time to use you to create a masterpiece, you're too broken. Sheepy: Stephano: I can do nothing with you. Just bleed out, and perhaps I'll use your body for scraps in my next sculpture. Arsé-kun: Germain: Will there be a next? Sheepy: Stephano: Of course. Sheepy: Stephano:...You, my purple-haired model, are my next work in progress. Sheepy: Harley: Tell me. Why did you attack that man in the alleyway? Sheepy: Stephano: I didn't ATTACK them! Sheepy: Stephano: I made them beautiful! Sheepy: Stephano: He doesn't understand that. He tells me not to. But he doesn't get it. Arsé-kun: Germain: That's awfully vague. Who can we thank for the privilege of seeing your artistic visions? Sheepy: Stephano:..... Sheepy: Stephano: He won't let me create art, so you can thank me! Sheepy: Stephano: That director wouldn't know art if it hit him in the face! Sheepy: Stephano: Just because he gave me a place to stay after I was released in exchange for killing those in his way.... doesn't justify his inability to understand beauty! Sheepy: Harley: "Released"? Sheepy: Stephano: My work in progress, I used to be a photographer. But one day...he found me...and opened my eyes. *he tilts his head, causing his hair to move and reveal his right eye is missing* Sheepy: Stephano: And now...I must share his artistic sense with everyone! I can't possibly ever become like him....never, but I can strive to create a masterpiece that he would bat an eye at! Arsé-kun: Germain: ... ..... (I've got the sudden urge to strangle an eldritch being.) Sheepy: Stephano: I will turn you and your friend into the image of inspiration! So he...So the masked man will finally look upon me once more! Arsé-kun: Germain: So what you're saying is you're trying to be noticed by senpai? Sheepy: Stephano: I don't understand what you mean, but you will help me achieve my goal! What he created... was so impressive. Arsé-kun: Germain: ... I'm inclined to agree, presuming I know the one which you speak of. Sheepy: Stephano: You know of him? Sheepy: Stephano: How well? How well? Sheepy: Stephano: I need to see him again! I must learn from him! Become his protege! Arsé-kun: Germain: .... I don't think I wish to answer that question in public. Sheepy: Stephano: How well?! Arsé-kun: Germain: Intimately. Sheepy: Stephano: I need to see him...! Sheepy: Stephano: He must teach me, a lowly artist! Arsé-kun: Germain: Perhaps you should attempt a self-portrait. Sheepy: Stephano: I cannot, since I feel no fear. I will forever be hideous. Arsé-kun: Germain: But you said even hideous things can be part of art. Sheepy: Sheepy: *From behind the nearest door, in Nyar's voice* Before I simply accept you willy-nilly, you need to prove yourself able to follow directions. Sheepy: Stephano: ! Sheepy: Stephano: My teacher! Arsé-kun: Germain: Oh? I didn't think you'd show. Sheepy: Sheepy: For your first act of loyalty, how about you leave my protege alone and walk outside? Sheepy: Stephano: Your protege! So this man is... I apologize, I didn't know. Arsé-kun: Germain: *he grins* Even the hideous are accepted, don't you worry. Sheepy: Stephano: Good, excellent! I will do as told! *..He exits.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *He heads over and pulls the knife out of Sanchan* Arsé-kun: Germain: I didn't even notice it re-entered my torso. Sheepy: Sheepy: Here, now you've got your very own artist-busting tool. *He hands Sanchan the knife* Arsé-kun: Germain: I do hope whatever plan you have will succeed. *he takes the knife* I don't think I can do much more. Sheepy: Sheepy: Is your injury really that bad? I kinda just assumed that you were a weird non-human who can't actually get hurt. Arsé-kun: Germain: Oh, I can absolutely be hurt. *and he sits down on the floor* Arsé-kun: Germain: Y'know how.. Uh.. Cats? Nine lives? I'm like a bunch of cats, sort of human shaped. But not that at all. I'm not any cats. Sheepy: Sheepy: Does that mean I'm supposed to treat this wound? Arsé-kun: Germain: Of course not. You've got better things to be doing. Go help your dad. Sheepy: Harley: S-sorry, I'll help you. I know a little from Watson. Sheepy: *Sheepy goes to find Arsene.* Arsé-kun: *Arséne's just. Lying on the pavement. At least there's no knives* Sheepy: Sheepy: Arsene! Sheepy: *Sheepy rushes over to his side and kneels down* Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you okay?! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oui. He surprised me is all. What the hell happened in there? Sheepy: Sheepy: Saint-Germain got stabbed, Nyar is the cause of him being the way he is and he really wants Nyar to notice him... Sheepy: Sheepy: And Harley seems shaken. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Why can't we have normal cases anymore? Sheepy: Sheepy: Because Nyar. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Dammit. Sheepy: Sheepy: I'm conflicted. I'm happy Iris has made all of these friends, but I really wish none of this nonsense ever happened. ... I guess? Sheepy: Sheepy: Either way, let's try to find where he ran off to. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Right.

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 9 - Housewives living in Yamagata prefecture referred to prosecutors for insulting Kawasaki Nozomi.

K: Hi, This is Dir en grey's Kaoru, getting started with another episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san,Tasai san, welcome.

J, T: Pleased to be here.

K: Ok, so today's theme, Joe?

J: Yes, lets take a look at this news. 'Insult to Kawasaki Nozomi. "She gives me the creeps". Housewives in Yamagata prefecture referred to prosecutors....

A 39 year old woman from Yamagata and a 45 year old female medical worker from Osaka are being referred to Tokyo area prosecutors by Harajuku police station. According to staff at Harajuku police station, the pair are suspected of exchanging insults like "She gives me the creeps" about Kawasaki on an online public parenting platform between the 8th and 9th of April. They both admit to the charge.'

Just from reading this, being referred to prosecutors for saying 'she gives me the creeps' is a bit..

T: Well, yeh, but if you look in more detail, over three years they actually wrote on this parenting forum stuff like, 'She should miscarry' or ' 'she's creepy', also 'she's insolent', 'lets set fire to her house', *1, quite extreme things.

J: So we don't actually know thier reason for writing this stuff do we?

T: They wanted to send a message to Kawasaki Nozomi's husband's blog, but they were blocked, or unable to do so for some reason, im not sure. This made them angry and they directed thier rage towards his wife.

J: They probably shouldn't target his wife, and getting that upset because they couldn't send a message..I don't really know.

K: Its not very clever, right?

J: Yeah, its really not.

T: Also, 'defamation', I havn't heard this in a while.

J: Yeh, well Kawasaki san probably felt some damage to her honour, and in reality, if they come near her house, its coming close to interference in her business. The police probably thought this kind of 'defamation' was grounds for referrering the case to prosecutors. Another possibility is that  Kawasaki san hired a lawyer, who may have said they same thing....So, this happened on an online forum? I think we talked about this happening with someone else before, but how far can slandering be forgiven? I mean, in this case its being reffered to prosecutors, so, well, when does it become a crime? I think this is a really difficult point. This kind of thing hasn't been made clear in detail, but it may have similar requisites as harassment. But like, how far do you have to go for it to be sexual harassment?, how far to..???*2. This type of thing isn't specified in criminal law. I think this is a problem that will have different interpretations, that will change depending on the information. So, Kaoru, as an artist with your name and face in the public eye, you must get lots of supportive messages. But at the same time, you probably also get some not so supportive messages. How far can you tolerate those? Of course, even one nasty thing can hurt, but what what would you consider worth talking to the police about, for example?

K: Well, I havn't had anything as bad as this, but...???*3 seems creepy to me.

J, T: For sure 

J: And in this case, Kawasaki san hasn't even done anything! She's just in the wrong place. Right from the start its like, 'Why me?!'

K: Yeh, cause she's pregnant isn't she?..with that..its scary isn't it?

J, T: It is.

T: So, Kawasaki san is a former AKB 48 member, and after she quit, she started up her own company and was quite successful, she's been categorized as a winner, there might be people who are jealous of her. But to this extent..?

K: Well, they wrote it thinking that they wouldn't be exposed, didn't they?

T: Do people get exposed?

K, J: They do.

J: But why would they intentionally write this on a public forum? Wouldn't you normally spout your jealousy at a bar or something, after a few drinks?

K: But this is the same as that.

J: They simply write it?

K: I think so.

J: Like a kind of public execution?

K: No, I don't think they are thinking that much about it.

T: I think people need to be more aware of how scary SNS can be.

K: People are writing stuff with no thought, so i also think its ok to ignore it really. Its a person writing wierd stuff off the cuff, its all over...I mean, recently.???? There are tonnes of people writing stuff without thinking. And then people see all these comments just like that...writing just like that, and seeing just like that. Strangely, you need to be able to ...???, and you need to be able to brush it off . You'll still always encounter SNS or online info, thats how I feel about it *4.

J: I see.

T: There have been sucides in Korea, famous people have committed suicide, because they got affected by what people wrote online. So it happens in other countries too.

K: Well, it does affect you, the first time you see it.

J: Well, yes. When I do radio I get called all kinds of names *the others laugh*, recently, ive gotten, '????', to one of my shows. And these people get carried away, right, so it just increases more. They just come out with insult after insult*5, like 'are you still at it?!' ...well, i think, at least they are listening, so im kind of thankful.

K: Yeah, yeah.

J: Like, im just always talking, it could be kinda annoying, so if theres someone out there listening, im grateful. *T laughing*

T: Doesn't it bother you, Joe?

J: Not usually, no. But sometimes they hit in a sensitive spot, right? *K, T laugh*

J: It shouldn't be a big deal ...but....right? Some people will even cry on the train home. Even though it hasn't been a big deal until now, some people will cry about it. Especially if im also having a tough time with work or personal life, it stings.

K: Well, you are only human.

J: Right.

Kami: It happens to me too.

J: Oh, Kami's here.

Kami: Yeah, that happens to me.

T: You're not bothered by that though are you?

J: Yeah, you're a god.

Kami: Well, they say im no big deal, unreliable, or useless or something like that, loads of things are said about me...'you cheater ' and such.

T: *laughs*

J: You cheater?

K: Cheater..? What did he do?

J: Yeah!

K: No, I havn't done anything! I havn't done anything. Maybe its because, they'll give thier shrine donation but I don't do anything in return.

J: Oh, that more like a case of money trasfer fraud in the end?

Kami: Well, yeah.

T: Are you doing well at your part time job   Kami?

Kami: Yeah, im doing well.

J: Are you?

Kami: Yeah, I am, i am.

T: A pseudo account...

K: He's writing on one, right?

Kami: No, if stuff happens to my displeasure, I'll give out bad luck..as a fortune.

K: Did you say, 'I'll give out..' *laughs*

J: Kami, you're scary.

T: He is.

Kami: The people who insult me will go home with bad luck.

J: But there must be people all over the world saying stuff about you..

Kami: Yes, yes, yes.

J: It must be tough to search online for yourself?

Kami: Yes, that is tough.

J: Right?

K: He said once before that he searches for himself online, didn't he?

J: He did..I wonder how many hits you get per day with the god hashtag?

Kami: There are people saying this god is good, or that god is good, or there is only one god, or stuff like that. I don't even know which one they mean.

K: But aren't there many gods, but one in charge, right?

Kami: Who's in charge..im not sure.

*everyone laughs*

J: He doesn't even know?! Maybe you're a cheater because you're not even real?!

Kami: Some people say that about me.

J: Ok, prove to us now that you're real. At least, show us something that you've achieved. If not...if i mention it now, we've never seen you in person since the start, you just came down from the sky, and we just thought you were a god.

K: He just came all of a sudden, right?

J: Right! We've don't even have any proof that you're a god. We've had no choice but to believe you.

Kami: I'll refer it to prosecutors.

J: Eh? What do you mean?

T: Scary!

Kami: As defamation.

*laughing*

J: Oh, if we say stuff about you?

Kami: Yes, yes, its defamation. Bad luck for Joe.

J: Eh? Really? ...by the way, how for would you tolerate people badmouthing you, Kami?

Kami: Badmouthing?

J: Are there any insults where you think, 'This is really awful!'?

Kami: No, the things that are said about me are, im no big deal, that im unreliable, not in existence, or useless. That type of thing..'he's a cheater' and such. 

J: I see.

T: Now that you mention it, thats sometimes said about Tokyo Sports too.

J: Yeahh

T: 'Go under'.

Kami: Yeh, its like Tokyo Sports.

J: Do people really say that to you? But you said before, right? Apart from the date, everthing is false. *everyone laughing*. Thats amazing, you can sell papers and make money like that? Is Tokyo Sports originally just like fake news?

T: Well, people all over the world like a good story don't they?

J: I see. Well, it excells in the field of sports newspapers. Tokyo Sports has tonnes of fans, doesn't it?

T: Yeah

K: Tokyo Sports is like, the different one.

J: Yes, its different.

T: Well, im grateful..

J: Really!

T: On the other hand, we aren't respected. The level of respect we get is really low. *the others laugh* But I want to keep eating, so I'll recommend it.

J: Ah, ok. Are you hiring..at Tokyo Sports?

T: No, not really.

J: You're not?

Kami: A normal newspaper puts articles out, right?

T: Yeah.

Kami: But Tokyo Sports is creative.

J: Ahh, yes. They are stories, right?

Kami: Very much like a god.

J: Tokyo Sports like a god?!

T: Will you come and work for us, Kami?..hourly rate 25% bonus.

J: Ohh, 1250yen!

K: What will you make him do?!

Kami: Hmm, hmmm.

T: He could start with cleaning the toilets.

Kami: A night shift would be more money. *laughs*

J: Kami, how about cleaning Tokyo Sports' toilets?

Kami: It would be an outrageous guy who makes a god clean the toilets.

J: No, that would be the real Toilet God*6.

K: ?!...You were aiming with that!

J: Err, yeh...kinda.

*everyone laughing*

K: It seemed on purpose

J: No, no, it just came to me. I thought it would be too good.

T: You sounded serious.

J:I've been exposed...I took a deep breath before I said it. My shoulders moved.

K: His face looks so camp now....Ok, well, lets finish up here. Err, everyone, please subscribe  to this...show?

J: This channel.

K: Please subscribe to this channel..See you next time.

*1 Im not massively good at Japanese slurs.

*2,3 Couldn't catch these bits.

*4 He spoke so fast it all kind blurred onto one, difficult to understand.

*5 He's running off a list of slurs which his listener sent to him. Im not advanced enough in Japanese slurring to grasp each individual one.

*6 There is a toilet god in Japanese folklore, have a google :)

[lagroupie]

Interview: Lucas Fitzsimons from The Molochs

The Molochs in Lausanne

A few weeks ago, I had a little chat with Lucas a few hours before his show with his band the Molochs at Le Bourg in Lausanne. He tells me about his life in Los Angeles, touring, my favorite songs from his album America’s Velvet Glory and his EP AVG Sessions, Jacques Dutronc, and much more. Later on, the friendly crew from Le Bourg invited me to join them and the band for dinner, so I helped setting the table and we had spaghetti together before the show. Many thanks to Le Bourg and The Molochs for this fun night!

Firstly, I just wanted to get to know you a bit better. What is your life in the US like when you’re not touring? I know that you guys are from California, but where exactly?

Lucas Fitzsimons : Los Angeles. At the moment… especially since we started touring, we’re not doing much- we’re not playing too many shows in LA. I started this band 5 years ago, in 2012. We’ve just played a lot over the years. Basically, for the first 4 years we were doing a lot of stuff by ourselves with little results other than experience. It was fine, I’m not saying it wasn’t. So when we finally got a label and stuff and started touring, we decided to slow down a little locally, just trying not to overplay. I play a lot of shows by myself sometimes, and that keeps me going in that way. But otherwise I’m always writing songs, things like that.

Do you manage to live off your music?

No! (laughs) Ryan has a full-time job working at a factory, a record-pressing plant.

That sounds nice though!

Yeah, it’s related to music at least! We have a pretty cheap apartment, so I can get by- our friend has a record store, and I work there a little bit. But it’s hard, especially since we started to tour. It’s harder to get a more serious job, because if you let them know that you’re somebody that goes on tour they don’t want to hire you. So that happened to me, I tried to get a few jobs- there was a couple times when I thought I was going to get it, and at last minute they decided that it was not really going to work out or something. It’s funny because you get to a certain point where you can start touring, so it feels like we’re getting more successful, but then that actually keeps you from being able to sustain yourself because you can’t have a real job. But you’re also not really making money off the music yet. So it’s a really weird position to be in. I’ve just kinda realized it in the last year.

I think that’s unfair.

Hmm… I guess so, but I don’t know how else it would work- unless you become famous overnight or something, then all of a sudden you’re making money. But it seems like a lot of bands have this sort of middle-period. Hopefully it means we’re heading somewhere better. But it just means that you’re not quite there where you can live off music, but you’re also sacrificing a lot of your time. That’s all you’re doing, just sacrificing your time- of course it’s worth it! Look at me, I’m in Switzerland! (laughs)

Yeah, I was going to ask you about this as well- are there any big differences between touring in the US and touring in Europe?

Hm-hm, big differences. In the US, for a band at our level - we’re not that well known around the country – it’s hard because you don’t get the same kind of treatment. You feel like you’re on your own. First of all, in Europe they provide accommodation, a hotel or something, which is really nice. And food, everything. Over there it’s not quite like that. You just show up, you play the show, you maybe have some free drinks, sometimes food… maybe. And then you’re just off you know. That’s why a lot of bands that tour the USA end up meeting a lot of people. So in a way there are other benefits, but it’s only because they don’t have anywhere to sleep, so they end up meeting people at the show to let them sleep at their house you know. They help save money, otherwise you’re paying for a hotel all the time. Obviously, if you’re a bigger band it’s probably better. You’re making more money and you just have a bigger budget. I mean, we did tour with an actual agent too. There’s all kinds of bands that book their own tours and stuff. It’s just different you know. It was really fun, because you feel like you’re on some kind of adventure.

I also wanted to talk about America’s Velvet Glory if that’s okay with you?

Of course!

I mean, it’s been a while since it came out so I thought you may be tired of talking about it.

Ah! I’m not tired of talking about it. Well, you know… maybe I think it’s tiring sometimes to play the songs and stuff. But if someone is interested in it there’s no reason why I should complain.

Okay, so I wanted to know if there was a particular meaning behind the title?

Yes and no, because I kind of figured it out backwards haha! I’ll tell you how I thought of it. One night I was alone in my apartment and I was writing songs - or just trying to write- and having some wine. And… the way it works sometimes is that when I start it’s pretty good, very creative. I feel like having ideas. But then, as the night gets later and I’ve had more wine… at one point I think “okay, I’m not gonna think of anything good anymore”. But I just thought of the phrase, I can’t remember why. I think I was writing a song and I gave it a quick name because of what it reminded me of, or something like that. It’s kind of a non-sensical term, it doesn’t really mean anything. I wrote it down when I was kind of drunk, and I just forgot about it. And the next day, I came up to the page and I noticed it. And when it came time to think of an album title I just found it again and I decided to use it.

I also wanted to talk about my favorite song from the album, The One I Love. What’s the story behind it?

Hmm… I think- Of course it came out of a personal experience, but it was more of a thematic thing I was thinking of, which was caring for somebody in a way that’s not selfish. And that’s just the idea that came out of me. That’s maybe the simplest way to say it. But it’s about somebody that I wasn’t even with anymore. I was thinking about the past.

I’m sorry!

No, that’s okay! Something came out of it, so…

Yeah. I really like it!

Thank you!

I have a question about two of your songs- No More Cryin on the album and Something’s Got a Hold of Me on the EP. Do you know a bit about the French 60s, the yéyés? Because they reminded me a bit about this kind of music. Especially of Jacques Dutronc!

Yes! Hmm… I don’t think that was really on my mind for No More Crying. And Something’s Got a Hold of Me… I wrote the lyrics first in a car, without any music in mind. And sometime later I wanted to use the lyrics, so I came out with the song. But I think maybe that was on my mind, yeah! That’s cool. I don’t know too much of that style, or too many artists, but Dutronc is definitely one I know and like a lot! I think that I… Maybe I wasn’t thinking of him specifically and it was very subconscious. But that style- those chords and stuff, it’s just very of the time you know. I think I just wanted to do something very classic like that.

Is it ok if we talk about the EP, AVG Sessions? I thought it might be the name of a studio, but I looked it up and couldn’t find much.

Yeah, that one was kind of weird because it was recorded at the same time as the album. We had 15 songs and couldn’t fit them all into the album. So we had to choose which ones to omit from the album, which was hard for me because I liked all of them. But we still wanted to release those 4 songs left, and the label did too. But it’s funny because for someone that doesn’t know that, maybe it sounds like something completely different.

To me it did, although it’s maybe because of the first song. I sounds more acoustic.

Oh yeah, it was supposed to be a track that stood out on the LP, a more acoustic song, more story-like. So I was sad that it couldn’t make it on the record! I like that you asked me about that EP, because I wasn’t sure if that was the best way to do it- because I don’t think people were aware of it as much. It was announced and everything, but it didn’t seem like- I guess I thought it would be cool, or it would make an impression of “there’s more, cool!”. I underestimated how much time it would take for people to let the album sink in. Maybe it was too soon.

Can I also ask you about Maisie’s Dream? I really liked the lyrics!

Thanks! I had fun writing that. I remember eventually having the melody in my head, and I wanted to write lyrics to it. The idea was just in the back of my head. Sometimes you carry the thought that “ok, I want to do this at some point in time”. And then, it eventually hits you and you can just write it all at once. It’s kind of how it happened. Maisie is the name of my cat!

That’s adorable!

Aw, maybe I ruined the mystique! See, sometimes I wonder if I should explain that, and just let people…

But it doesn’t change the way I perceive the song too much for me personally.

Oh okay, that’s good.

Finally, if you could record an album in an unrealistic place, what would you choose between the Moon, McDonalds and hell?

Man, these are very different things! Hmm… I like the Moon!

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