#(bashing my head into a telephone pole)

[ratatatastic]

something of a curse you can say

[clumsiestgiantess]

Day 8: Puzzle

These are the true events that happened to an other-worldian named Wes. He was abducted during the invasion of giants donning hazmat suits. The full version of this sneak peek I posted a while ago.

It’s been almost a month since I announced this so if anyone here is still interested, read away! (@ndrogyny, @not-a-space-alien, @bittykimmy13, @itrenchcoati, @smolghostbot, @kindii, @agh-agh-agh, @hellbreakher, @littlescaryinternetguy, @endersyneart, @pablozqui, @waitisthatgt, @patrocolus3, @truegears, @jakersdaboss, @prettykittyfox, @yeerkkiller96)

(tw this stuff is torturous horror fuel; a lot of people will be punished/die unfairly)(these ‘giant’ people are the antagonists of the story for good reason)

Life had always been so monotonous that I desperately wanted something, anything to change.  I didn’t mean like this.  It had happened so suddenly I couldn’t even properly react.  Gigantic beings clothed in sterile yellow-white hazmat suits and large filtration masks stepped out through a deep abysmal tear in the sky.  How is anyone supposed to react to that? 

They were taller than any building or tree as far as the eye could see — emotionless giants that trampled right over streets and houses as if they weren’t there.  The invaders tore off roofs, bashed out walls of buildings, and shredded open cars.  People were snatched hundreds of feet in the air, writhing and screaming.  Cages awaited them in the hands of other gigantic beings.  

I only regained my senses after something nearly missed falling on top of me from above.  It landed with a heavy thud behind me, nearly startling me into a fetal position.  I flinched away and whirled around to find a body; shattered bones tore through their skin, having been ripped open by the impact of the fall.  It wasn’t even a gorey mess — barely any blood either.  The body had simply been impaled by none other than its own bones, head bashed flat against the well-kept lawn.  I turned and ran as another limp form collided with a telephone pole, jerking and coiling around involuntarily at the incredible surge of electricity coursing through it.  I’d dodged the strike of the pole, but the electric snap it made alerted one of the giants in hazmat suits.  I ran for a nearby car as fast as my legs could carry me, scrambling beneath it with the thunderous sound of impossible footsteps right behind me. 

My labored breaths echoed around the underside of the car as I looked madly around all sides of me.  The thick-soled boot disappeared.  They’d lost sight of me.  I took a shuddering breath of relief, keeping watch for anything else.  Only a moment passed before I watched a pair of legs my own size dash toward my hiding place.  A kid about half my age got down on his knees and reached beneath the car.  “Please!  Let me hide here wit-  AAAAAHHHHHHHH!”  I threw my hands over my ears as he screamed.  Fingers as thick around as his body curled into him, dragging him up and out of sight.  The shadow of his kicking legs slid down the street and over the roofs of nearby houses as he was lifted, the rest of his body engulfed in the shaded blob of a gigantic fist.  I watched the shadow for as long as I could until it was too distorted by the distance to properly see much of anything else.  All the while, the kid’s pleas grew fainter and fainter until they disappeared entirely.

There was a brief moment of deafening silence before a loud thud startled me.  Long black rubber coils slid beneath the car, creating an awful metallic groaning sound as the entire vehicle was torn off the ground and into the air before being launched across the street.  Those coils were actually large fingers, now reaching for me.  I could barely get up before I was pressed against the flesh-warm rubber of the thing’s gloved hand.

The beginnings of a shriek escaped my lungs before it was squeezed out of me by fingertips digging into my back and chest, pinching me with crushing pressure.  Briefly, I tried to wriggle and claw my way out, fight or flight instinct kicking in and immediately choosing the latter.  Then I looked down.  A dizzying drop was laid out before me.  No wonder there were bodies falling from the sky; people were so desperate to escape the giants’ crushing grip that they were throwing themselves out into open air, and a long, deadly fall to the ground.  

Breathing as shallowly as I could, I managed to make it to my destination without falling unconscious from the pressure on my lungs.  Briefly, I made out a plastic cage with a wire mesh door — just like the kinds used for shelter animals.  The cage was opened for a split second and I was thrown roughly inside, landing against something hard and warm.  Whatever- whoever I landed on groaned painfully and I quickly tried to get off them.  It wasn’t easy.  The cage swayed as the giant moved somewhere else to get another victim, sending me and the person beneath me colliding with the side of the carrier.  A sob wrenched out of them as I finally scrambled back.  A woman who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me stared up at me from the floor.  Her chest heaved and her eyes moistened with tears.  She whined as we were again jostled around, gripping her leg as her eyes squeezed tightly shut.  I glanced down at it and gagged.  Her whole right leg was twisted nearly backwards.

My shock was interrupted by the terrified screams of new people falling into the cage.  I backed up against the wall and tried to take in the place.  Between the humid, rancid air and the various sounds of people giving up on life, it was a grim picture.  Dull slitted lighting gave the whole thing a hazy waking-nightmare-like feeling.  Beams of light occasionally landed on awful scenes that made my skin crawl.  There was everything from people scream-crying to people vomiting or wailing in pain to people who just sat in wide-eyed silence, staring at nothing.

The next time the cage door was opened, I noticed in utter horror that some people were waiting by the opening, throwing themselves out intentionally just to ensure their death over capture.  A dying shriek reverberated through the air as an unlucky person got stuck between the metal bars as they fell closed.  Only half of them landed back in the cage, spraying everyone in close proximity with blood and gore.  Their severed legs writhed for a second before spasming and falling limply to the ground.  

My eyes were torn away from the awful scene by a familiar sob that came from beside me.  I turned slowly, still in shock, finding the woman with the mangled leg staring at the bleeding piece of body in distraught and terror.  Her whole body shook violently, and the wet glint of tears slid down her cheeks.  I slid a hand down and reached for hers, trying to comfort her.  She flinched away from me, eyes darting back to mine.  Recognizing what I had intended to do, she dragged herself closer, wrapping her arms around me and clinging to my side like a scared child.  I didn’t blame her.  I hadn’t expected it, and shied away from her touch at first.  However, the ride was long and she refused to let go for anything.  With all the nightmarish events happening around me, I soon found myself returning her frightened grip.

The cage was so jam packed within only about a half hour that people were trampling and climbing over one another because there wasn’t enough room for everyone to stand.  Bones and limbs were torn up or broken left and right as they were stepped or fallen on.  Most of it couldn’t be helped.  The cage swung along to the giant hazmat suit creature’s gait with no particular care for any of us passengers inside.  The stench of such close quarters made everything all the more unbearable.  Thank god I managed to get a spot against the wall and the thin breathing slits.

The woman at my side clung almost desperately to me then, trying to sidle her hurt leg between us so it wouldn’t be torn up further.  “What happened?” I asked her, gesturing at her leg.  It was the first thing I actually said to her.  She seemed slightly shocked that I’d spoken, and glanced down at it before forcing her gaze somewhere else.  “I- I was trying to hide under a stairway.  One of those g- giant things grabbed me by my leg, but I held on to the railing.  When I wouldn’t let go, they-”  She took a shuddering breath, “They yanked and twisted it until I let go.”  I sucked in a shocked breath of air.  “I- I’m Tanya.”  “Wes,” I replied.

We sat together in a small huddle as things continued getting worse around us.  What did the giant hazmat creatures want with all of us?  Why did they want so many people?  Where did they even come from?

Unfortunately, we found out where they came from soon enough.  With the cage full, the giant that held us stepped back through the tear in the sky.  The transition made my hair stand on end.  For the brief moment we passed through, everything became deathly cold, and I felt like I was being choked.  It was like a whole other world opened up on the other side.  I wasn’t close enough to the cage door to see anything outside, but the temperature dropped like we’d stepped into an air conditioned building, and echoes of unnaturally loud voices and footsteps bounced off walls.  Along with the sounds of normal activity, there was an awful cacophony of begging, screaming, and crying, warped into one raucous sound by the sheer size of the large room.

The cage was roughly placed on a rolling belt of sorts, sliding down into some unknown space.  Moments later, everyone was thrown partway into the air by the momentum of our cage hitting another in front of it.  Soon enough, a similar chain reaction happened as another cage hit ours from behind.  People started talking again, even yelling to those in other containers, searching for someone they knew.  The spiking panic never quite went away though we were now left alone on the conveyor belt; it couldn’t.  There were still the awful tortured noises, and with every move the belt made to pull us further, the closer the sounds became.  

Theories were thrown around as to what would happen to us come the end of the line.  Some thought we would be cast into a furnace and burned for energy, others thought we would be dissected alive.  Neither idea made much sense — the beings would take everything, not just us, if they were feeding a flame-powered engine, and if they were dissecting us alive.. surely they wouldn’t need thousands of test subjects, would they?  Despite neither guess being very logical, people were too scared to doubt anything.  Along with theorists, there were others banding together at the entrance, trying to scale their way up to the lock and pick it open.

For the entire tenuous time we waited, Tanya and I had our own quiet conversation, which was mostly me trying to disprove the deadlier theories, and her nursing her twisted leg.  However, after what might’ve been hours, the cage in front of us was hauled away.  A brief glimpse of a large glass holding cell flashed in front of us before a cover slammed down over the belt tunnel, stopping our cage from rolling any further.  Anxiety prickled through the crowd as more screaming and begging came from the voices we’d heard in front of us.  Everyone got quiet after that.

At last, the screaming briefly stopped, but that was worse.  The cries had always halted just before another cage was taken.  We were next.  Everything was suddenly hauled into the air, cage door thrown open.  All of us went tumbling into the basin we’d caught a glimpse of earlier.  Tanya fell on me that time, but neither of us cared much at that point.  We just wanted to know where we were.  Some people were unlucky enough to land at a very wrong angle.  Of them, there were a lot of broken bones and dislocated limbs, but a very unlucky — or maybe lucky — few had landed upside down, snapping their necks or spines in the process — dying pretty much instantaneously.  One of them was miraculously still alive, though.  They wheezed out choked tears before a gloved hand descended from above.  This glove wasn’t a thick rubber hazmat glove, but rather a thin steril blue one.  

All of us watched stunned as the person was lifted up by the gigantic appendage.  Frankly, I wasn’t even fazed by the near-dead person; I was fazed by the gloved being.  No one had been able to see them before.  They were covered head to toe in hazmat gear.  This one wore nothing but a doctor’s mask and surgical gloves, as well as a crisp white shirt with a small logo in the right corner that I couldn’t read.  Besides the being’s impossible size, it looked exactly like a person.  She looked like a person.  

The giant woman examined the wheezing, writhing person in her hand with a near deadpan expression.  With one swift move, she pressed their spine between her fingers and squeezed, effectively snapping the person in two.  Gasps and whimpers rose up around me as we all watched her casually toss the body into something below the tabletop where we sat, then dust off her hands like she’d taken care of a piece of trash rather than a dying human being.  Afterwards, her gaze landed on us.

She replaced her gloves with a fresh pair, then reached into the container.  Everyone scattered, trying desperately to avoid the hand that had just killed so easily.  Some poor soul was swept away, and they became the new spectacle for the rest of us to watch.  The man was strapped to a swiveling platform tray and brought beneath a large magnifying glass, lit up and attached to the side of the table.  She examined him, tested his reflexes, drew blood with an incredibly thin needle — it was like being seen by a gigantic doctor.  His blood samples were stuck into a machine for a minute while the giant continued to inspect his health.  Finally, as the blood samples returned, he found the courage to speak.  

“P- Please!  What do you want with us?”  The giant glanced up at him briefly, then finished reading the test results.  Without looking up, she replied.  “I want to make sure you’re in good condition.”  Confused silence.  “You are, by the way.  In good condition.”  Jotting something down on her clipboard, she looked up at the man strapped to the tray in front of her.  He squirmed slightly under her gaze.  “Why?”  She shrugged, “Pays well.”  Her massive gloved hands reached for him and he struggled as she undid his restraints and placed him in a different container.  It was smaller than ours and made of metal.  The side was labeled ‘passing containment’; there was another bin beside it, but the label was blocked by medical equipment.  “Alright,” the woman said with a sigh, “Who’s next?”

Everyone still evaded her grasp to the best of their ability, but someone was caught in the end.  They were strapped down and examined in the same way.  Her willingness to speak with us sent up a lot of questions from the group, but the giant ignored all of them.  The only one she did answer was the question of the person on the lifted tray in front of her.  “What will happen to us after this?”  Quietly, she drew their blood and stuck it in the machine again.  “I don’t know; that’s not my job.  I just make sure you’re healthy when you come in.”  “What if we aren’t?” someone called from somewhere to my left.  She glanced at our container.  “You go into that bin.”  A long finger pointed out the second metal container.  “Again, I don’t know where you go after that.” 

The machine dinged, signifying the blood sample’s results were back.  The woman turned to check on it, then huffed and checked again.  At last, she turned back to her ‘patient’.  “Do you know you have lung cancer?” she asked them.  The guy sputtered, looking around as if he expected the question to be part of some cruel joke.  “Wh- What?  No I don’t!”  “Says here you do.”  He shook his head angrily.  “Well, it’s wrong.”  The giant shrugged, reading from the machine.  “I’ll run the test again if you like.”  After another few minutes, the results remained unchanged.  “Well, into the unhealthy bucket for you.”  “What?!  What does that mean?!  What’s gonna happen to me?!?”  He panicked, trying to squirm out of her grip.  “I told you, I don’t know.”

Every person was subjected to the same basic checkup, and were tallied down on whatever papers the giant had on her clipboard.  All of us had to take a turn.  All of us were afraid she'd find something wrong.  Tanya shook me gently, “What happens when she gets to me?”  There were a few people with broken bones or dislocated shoulders that had gone through the giant’s evaluation.  She’d slid their tray into a black box-looking device and sat them in there for ten minutes or so.  Some people took more time than others, usually the ones with more severe injuries took the longest.  When they came out, their bones were perfectly rearranged and rebuilt.  Others with more serious problems — illnesses and missing limbs — were thrown into the dreaded other bin.  Funny; I doubt many of those without certain limbs had that issue before they were abducted.  “They’ll probably just stick you in the healing machine,” I told Tanya quietly, “You’ll be alright.”

I let her go first.  I wanted to be able to see what happened to her; if anything happened to her.  The giant went to strap her to the tray like usual, but hesitated as she noticed her twisted limb.  Her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Tanya’s leg as she held it between two fingers.  I held my breath the entire time, eventually letting it out in a relieved huff as the giant finally strapped her to the tray.  She hadn’t immediately put her in the reject bin, or whatever it was.  However, instead of reaching for the syringe to take blood, or the tweezers to move limbs, or even the small dull hammer to check reflexes, the woman reached into a drawer beneath those tools, hand retreating with a sharpened scalpel.  My stomach dropped and Tanya struggled in her bindings.  “Wh- Wait!  What is that for?!”  The giant bent over her, “I need a better look at your leg,” she mumbled, not exactly to her.  

With expert movements, she cut a long thin slit down the length of the twisted pant leg.  “Wait.. what are you-”  Swapping the scalpel for tweezers, the giant pulled her leg out of her clothing, holding it up to the magnifying glass pinched between the metal prongs.  Tanya cried in pain, and I had to turn away.  Her leg looked so much worse without clothing to hide it.  No wonder she hadn’t stood up since I met her.  Not only was it twisted backwards, it was jammed up through her side, bone nearly impaling skin.  The awful image of the person who first fell from the sky flashed through my mind.  

“Yeah I.. don't think this’ll work,” the giant mused, “You’d probably die of shock if I stuck you in the Patching and Reworking device.  I’ll just stick you in the unhealthy bin.”  I spun back around just as Tanya started begging.  “No!  No, please!  I- I’ll do it!  I’ll try it!  If I die, I die!  Just don’t-”  Her voice cut off in a pained sob as she was taken from the tray and lifted into the air.  “Just let her try it!” I chimed in as she was lowered into the bin.  The giant turned to me with a surprised expression, but it quickly faded into a pitying one as she reached for me.  

“Sorry, little guy.  If any of you come to me alive, I have to keep you that way.  I can’t do it if it might kill her.”  She explained it to me as if I were a little kid, her voice lilting and patronizing.  “You snapped that first person’s spine!  The hell are you talking about?!”  She froze for a split second, eyes briefly darting to the bin beneath the counter.  I could see it now that I was high enough in the air, and I immediately regretted it.  There were way too many corpses in there.  Like, really too many — more than the population of the whole town.  How many places have they been to?  How many people are here?!

I couldn’t even speak as I was strapped down and checked over.  I was given the all clear fairly quickly, but I wasn’t worried about myself.  Struggling in the giant’s hand, I tried to peer into the ‘unhealthy’ bin as I was whisked overhead.  There were a few people lying on the floor, so I couldn’t even find Tanya before my vision was cut off by the metal walls of the bin.  The last of the people in our group were checked; a few were reunited on this side, happy just to be together, others looked like they wished they’d jumped out of the cage while they had the chance.  

With everyone done, the woman pressed a buzzer on the wall and finished up her work, dumping all the collective dead bodies that had complied during our trip into the bin beneath the table with the rest.  Soon, we were taken out of the room by another giant.  All anyone could see was the underside of our carrier’s head as they walked.  Some people tried to ask what was going on, but we were all ignored.  Our bin was deposited in yet another room.  We couldn’t see anything beyond the ceiling high above, but we could hear the voices of other people like us.  There was constant yelling, but that was nothing new.  All I and anyone could do was wait for our turn to find out what was happening.  My thoughts were preoccupied, though.  The only thing I could think about was what might happen to Tanya and everyone else in the other bin.  They weren’t being killed, right?  I had to hold out hope that they were being brought somewhere that could treat them with another strange miracle machine, and not anything else.  Please don’t let it be anything else.

Not that I really had the privilege to worry about someone besides myself.  The assembly line reached our bin.  Ten at a time, people were scooped up and shoved into shelving that lined the wall.  I ran away from the oncoming hand like everyone else, but where could we even run to?  What was the point of delaying the inevitable?  

I was shoved haphazardly into one of the shelves, which turned out to be a normal-sized room, decorated with nothing but a few rows of cots and two vertical empty tubes that stuck through both the floor and the ceiling.  One small section with a sink and a toilet was blocked off by a curtain.  All the walls were an empty, clean white except for one.  The wall on the opposite side of the opening was made of glass so we could be viewed by whoever was passing by.  It made my adrenaline spike for no reason other than the uncanniness of it all.  A few others — nine others to be exact — were locked in with me.  The final white wall fell closed on us with a dull click.

We all stared around at eachother — took it all in.  There were three women, one of which sank to her knees and started bawling.  The other two just glanced around uneasily.  Three other guys beside myself stood around as well, two of them helped the crying woman onto a cot.  The others were just kids.  One of them was glued to the side of a man that hadn’t moved, and the last kid stood alone in the furthest corner.  She might be closer to adulthood, but there was something about her features that made her seem younger.  

It was about four days until our room opened up again, but I learned quite a lot in those first few hours alone.  The younger kid was only nine years old, and the man he refused to let go of was his father.  They were Jim and Darian.  I thought the mother might have gotten separated from them during the day we were abducted, but she’d actually separated from them long before then.  

The woman who’d cried throughout the whole first day had been taken from her wife and two kids, and she was fully convinced they were in the room next door.  After calming down from crying, she began to call through the walls.  Everyone kept trying to quiet her — the walls were soundproofed — but nothing could stop her from trying.  She was Lucille.  

The oldest person, the other man who’d tried to help Lucille up, had complained the most about her whining, and quickly began to resent her.  He resented everything, though.  That was Mr. Ferguson.  

The two other women were about my age, as well as the other guy.  We formed a sort of apocalypse committee where we hatched plans to escape.  Well, Brendon, Sylvi, and I came up with escape plans.  Emma, the eldest of us, shot them down.  We let it slide though, because she was basically the mom of the group.  She was practical, and reasoned with everyone, even Mr. Ferguson, without losing her temper.  No one knew why or how, but it was nice to have someone who wasn’t freaking out.  The older teen I never got the name of.  She hasn’t spoken a word since she was put in here.

Our first night, we claimed beds and Emma assured us that we would be alright here.  They’d checked our health and gave us a place to stay, which was a pretty clear sign they wanted us alive and well.  For what, no one knew, but at the very least we weren’t strapped down or kept in those awful cages.  Brendon determined that the best thing was being able to understand our captors.  His first plan of many was to try and guilt-trip one of the giants into letting us go, but everyone thought that was an awful idea.  None of them seemed very apathetic to our situation.  

While we argued over what we could do, the pipes rattled in the wall.  Our conversation came to an abrupt halt as water sloshed into a basin that jutted away from the tube.  Moments later round pellets scattered down the second tube, falling into a similar basin.  Everyone glanced around uneasily.  The food smelled unappetizing at best, and the way we were fed was so eerily similar to a small animal or pet that it made my hair stand on end.  Now that the idea was in my head, the entire room looked like a cage in a pet store, minus the cots and bathroom amenities.

Just as all of us began getting used to the new routine, things changed for the worse.  Again.  Mid-morning, shortly after the next round of water and pellets made their way through the tubing, the back wall was pulled away.  All of us raced to the opposite end of the room, pressed up against the glass.  A gloved hand reached in for us.  I was pressed tightly between the others, all of us desperate to get back.  

Despite our warnings against it, Brendon slid to the front to speak.  “When can we go home?” he asked, “We’re thankful you’ve given us a place to stay here, but we don’t want to stay!  Whatever you want with us — will you take us back afterwards?”  The human sneered, hand retreating from the room.  A moment later their head ducked into view to look at him.

“Sure, we’ll release you once we’re done with you.”  Before anyone could react, the giant’s hand reached in and dragged Brendon out into the same type of bin we’d been carried there in.  The rest of us were gathered up shortly after.  I don’t know what I expected to happen to me, but it certainly wasn’t what did happen.  I was stuck in a small room even for my own size, and given a ridiculously long exam.  Yep.  A paper bubble sheet and booklet exam where the booklet of problems was as thick as a novel and the answer sheet spanned several pages.  I started taking it when I was told to by some giant outside the room, but after a while, I got up and wandered around.  There was a metal box in one corner that I hadn’t investigated.  Turns out, it was a fridge with concessions.  A suspicious amount of concessions.

Hours in, I’d taken about a quarter of the test out of boredom, when at last I heard another voice.  It was a giant walking by.  “Wait!  Hello?” I called, hoping they’d stop, “When is test time up?  When do we finish?”  I didn’t plan on taking the entire exam, which consisted of math, grammar, science, mechanics, illusions and puzzles, almost anything you could think of to solve.  It was way too much for something I could care less about.  “Your time is up when you finish,” came the giant’s response.  “I..  Do you really expect me to finish all of this?  This’ll take days!”  I heard an annoyed huff.  “Then you better speed it up, then.  I’m not allowed to let you out until you’re done.”  Just to spite them, I filled in all my remaining multiple choice answers as C, and any free response ones with whatever shit I could think of to write the giant overseers.  It still took me a while just to do that and chuck all of it into the bin that slid out of the wall once I answered everything.

I was met with an extremely unamused look when I was let out.  The giant above me lifted me up between two fingers, frowning at me.  “Really?  You didn’t even try.  That’s going to mess up your results.”  I tried to say something back, but I could barely breathe, and all I could do was wheeze.  “Oh!  You can’t..  Here.”  Their hand opened, letting me fall into a palm the size of a small car.  “Th- Thanks,” I said weakly.  “I would've tried a bit harder if you’d let me have a fucking break.”  The giant shrugged, bouncing me up and down with the large movement.  “You could take as many breaks as you wanted; you just had to stay in the box.”  

He ended up putting me back in my new room.  It wasn’t that much of an improvement.  No one else was even there.  I guess none of them had figured out that they could just bullshit every answer to get out early.  Remembering Brendon’s idea, I tried one last brief conversation.  This was a giant I hadn’t met before — one that had the decency to stop crushing me to death, which was still awful, but it was better than the others.  It couldn’t hurt to try.  

“Hey!” I yelled before the wall was closed, “When do we get let out of this room?”  When will you be done giving us stupid tests?  Why are you even-”  The giant’s face darkened, and I quieted anxiously.  “W- What?”  My voice echoed almost fearfully in the empty space.  “Nothing,” he responded with a quick shake of his head, “I just...  Don’t count on going back to your world anytime soon.”  With that, he shut the door.

“Wait!  WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!”  It was no use shouting now.  The soundproofed walls would’ve kept him from hearing anything.  I sulked in silence until someone came back.  Sylvi was tossed back in a hurry almost four hours later; she’d been fighting through the two-handed grasp the giant had on her, caught inside the tightly enclosed space between their palms.  She spat a few curses before the wall was sealed off.  A shuddering breath escaped her lungs as she knelt on the floor where she’d been tossed, and I was scared that she’d start crying.  She snapped out of it the moment she spotted me.  “How did you get back so early?” Sylvi asked, quickly rubbing her face while she was turned away from me.  I explained to her how I decided to finish the test; she had a good laugh at that.  

The next to come back was the youngest kid’s father.  He paced back and forth the entire time until his son came back.  He was the last one because he’d actually been trying his hardest.  It took him a day or two to actually finish everything.  Again, Brendon, Sylvi, and I all argued over why they’d given us that test.  Even Mr. Ferguson offered his opinion.  The consensus was: we had no fucking clue.  Abducting probably hundreds of thousands of people just to test them didn’t make sense.  That night we all managed to get some decent sleep with everyone returned back.  It’s a good thing we did.  The following day we were all taken out again.

One by one, we were all stuffed away into a large container with others in the same row.  I flinched as someone started sobbing behind me.  Lucille rushed over to a woman huddling two kids close to herself and threw her arms around all three of them.  The other woman — her wife, presumably — pulled her beneath her chin, kissing the top of her head.  My heart wrenched in my chest knowing they’d be separated again.  Memories of Tanya hugging me close threatened to make my eyes water, but I shook away the pain.  She’s being healed up.. somewhere else.

Our group’s destination was a gigantic room about the size of a stadium, yet it was still dwarfed by the giant-sized room it sat in.  We were all dumped in and sealed up inside.  I tried searching for anyone I knew from before all this, but there were way too many people to pick out any familiar faces.  A few billboard screens flickered to life around the room minutes after we were left alone.  Welcome to your first assessment! a voice cheerfully greeted us from the speakers, In this trial, your goal is simple: leave the room before time runs out!  

First an exam, now an escape room?  Along with a way out, there will be numerous surprise chests scattered throughout the room, which reset every time they’re opened!  You can win all sorts of cool prizes!  Examples of them flashed across the screen, showing more comfortable amenities, private rooms, better meals, medication, and so on.  What caught my attention was the prize of choosing a roommate.  Sure, I could pick someone I knew, but if Tanya was somewhere worse off, I could at least get her to my uncanny, but otherwise tolerable place of living.

But watch out! the automated voice warned, Some of the boxes can spring punishments instead of prizes, so choose wisely!  An animated stick person opened a chest onscreen during the warning.  Moments later the cartoon effect of being zapped with electricity made their skeleton flash briefly across the screen.  

The introduction video seemed so innocent it almost didn’t seem real, like this was all something pretend.  But don’t worry; none of the punishments are lethal, so try your best!  Despite the obvious dangers, I swore to myself that I’d try it at least once, just to see.  Remember, get out before time runs out, and good luck!  With that, the entire stadium rumbled to life. 

Giants herded everyone into different hallways that had opened up around the stadium.  People started yelling, getting separated from others they found in the crowd.  I was corralled down a hall where I knew no one, but it didn’t matter much to me.  We’d be put back in our weird rooms at the end of it all, anyways.  

When we finally stepped out, the automated voice said: Trial Start!  And the whole place lit up.  Smooth grey walls shot up from the ground in random patterns, creating a labyrinth of hallways and cutoffs.  I stared in horror as people rushed past me, driven by the timer flashing above our heads.  Everything had clicked in my mind.  This isn’t an escape room, it’s a maze — a maze of incentives and punishments for comparatively small living things to navigate for the gigantic scientists watching everything just outside.  No wonder we’d been tested.  No wonder we were kept in uncanny pet store rooms with little fucking food and water dispensers.  We’re lab rats.  All of us.  And no one’s going home.

My existential crisis would have to wait, though.  I’m on a time limit.  I wandered the plastic halls searching for the exit before remembering the potential prizes.  I didn’t want to give the scientists the satisfaction of learning some sort of lesson, but at the same time, the prizes were hard to pass up.  The next time I came to a dead end in the maze, there was a small box at the end of it.  I hesitantly stepped up to the podium where it sat and threw the lid open as fast as I could, bracing myself for something to happen.  Nothing.  Looking down, there was a small slip of paper inside.  GOOD FOR ONE MODIFIED COT it read.  Damn.  Not the one I was looking for, but I’d definitely take it over electrocution or whatever else had been rigged.  

When I came across the next box, I was nearly shoved to the ground by someone wanting to get to it first.  I watched from against the wall as they flipped open the lid and reached inside.  This was followed by the noise of a mechanical lock. “Shit!  Not again!”  The person who shoved me strained to move away from the box, but their arm was locked into it by a metal clamp.  A punishment in action.  I’d heard people yelling about them, but I hadn’t seen one actually happen.  It didn’t seem all that bad.  

On my search for a different box, I came across the exit.  There were a good deal of people already outside, but I wanted to try one more box, so I turned and headed back into the maze.  I opened the next box expectantly, only to be blasted in the face with a bucketload of freezing water.  Damn the psychology of this maze bullshit.  I’m going back to the exit.  What direction was that again?  

I glanced up at the timer; five minutes left.  Surely I could find it by then.  As I raced back through halls I might’ve been down before, I caught sight of a group of three panicked people.  Two of them were desperately trying to get the other’s arm out of one of those traps.  If it didn’t unlock soon, they’d have to leave them there and make a run for the exit.  That’s if they knew where the exit was.

Thankfully, I managed to find it with a little more than a minute to spare.  I didn’t know what would happen if I was in there past the time limit, but I didn’t want to find out.  The second the timer ended, a wall slid up from the floor of the maze and blocked the opening.  Those of us who’d gotten out were congratulated by the automated voice and herded into another bin before being lifted away.  Through the hazy plastic, I could catch what the punishment was for not making it out.  

The whole maze had shifted.  Walls had gone up everywhere so the interior of the box was filled.  For a brief and terrifying moment, I thought they’d filled the box completely, crushing anyone still left inside.  Then I noticed little pockets of space.  They couldn’t have been bigger than six by six foot squares.  Anyone who didn’t make it out was forced to sit in a little claustrophobic box within the maze.  Who knows when they’d be released.

I was lifted out of the container a while later and scanned by some sort of machine before being placed back in the room.  I’ve never been more relieved and repulsed by a place in my life.  The others were all put back too.  Well, almost all the others.  Mr. Ferguson hadn’t made it back.  Each person shared some sort of story about what they saw except Lucile, who sat on her bed in teary-eyed silence.  Emma’s story was the worst.  She saw someone — still sopping wet from a water-based punishment like mine — get an electrocution punishment back to back.  They’d spasmed and hit the floor unconscious.  She’d rushed over to help them, but had to leave them behind.  

“They were still breathing, thank god.  But I couldn’t do much else for them.  Hopefully they woke up before time ran out,” Emma said with a shudder.  “We.. we’re being experimented on, aren’t we?” Sylvi asked, glancing around at everyone, “This is far from over.”  “We’re just lab rats,” I added solemnly.

Everyone was in a pretty gloomy mood after that, but right before dinner, the wall behind us opened up again.  A jolt of anxious fear spiked through me.  I thought we were being dragged off to another test.  “Any of you want to cash in a ticket?” the giant asked.  I forgot about that.  Digging into my pocket, I pulled out mine and hesitantly raised my hand.  “Alright, give it to me.”  Their outstretched hand slid into the room and everyone backed off.  From as far away as I could, I passed them my slip of paper.  The giant stuck it into some kind of reader, then nodded.  He reached for something below what I could see, and brought up a whole bed.  “Which one is yours?” he asked, nodding to the cots.  I pointed it out and he replaced it.  

“Anyone else?”  Jim lifted his hand hesitantly.  “I- I have a lone room, but I..  Can I bring my son with me?”  The giant narrowed his eyes in thought.  “Hmmm…. You won it, so I guess you can decide.”  Jim nodded happily, “In that case, you can take my ticket, and I’ll bring my son.”  He handed off the ticket and both he and the little guy were taken to a different room.  None of us ever saw them again, and frankly, I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing.

Mr. Ferguson finally returned as the rest of us were going to bed.  Brendon dared to ask him what had happened, and he mumbled under his breath something about having to repeat an entirely different maze before he was allowed to leave.  He only spoke one other time to ask where Jim and Darian were before silently going to sleep.  Speaking of, that night was the first night I’d slept longer than an hour at a time.  My new bed was no joke.  It felt like a normal mattress from the beds back home.  It probably is.  They probably stole it.

The next day was apparently a rest day.  Brendon, Sylvi, and I tried again to come up with a plan of escape.  Even Emma got involved.  She was beginning to doubt her own idea that the giants wanted us safe.  They wanted us alive so we could be experienced with.  “What if we just refuse?” I asked the group, “I did that for the test and all the punishment I got was a stern talking to.”  “Or they could pour boiling water on you,” Sylvi interrupted me, “or fucking blind you.  That’s how they punished me in the maze.”  I groaned, “But that was when you were playing their game!  What if we decide to just sit out?”  “Somehow, I don’t think they’ll let us do that anymore,” Emma said solemnly.

“I’ll try it.”  Everyone turned to the person who’d spoken.  It was the teen who previously hadn’t uttered a word.  She slowly glanced between each of us like she was confused why we were all staring at her.  “I’ll refuse to do the next test.  I don’t really care what the giants will do to me, anyways.”  We all glanced worriedly at eachother.  “A- Are you sure you want to try that?” Emma asked, “They.. can do a lot worse than what they’ve been doing if they wanted to.”  She nodded, and it was settled.

The following day we were all dragged off again.  Another maze awaited us, only this one was filled with visual puzzles.  Another automated video explained the different systematic sections of the game, but I could hardly concentrate.  Again I searched the waiting room for someone I knew.  There were less of us today.  I recognized two people from my town, but I didn’t know them well enough to bother going up to them.  When the gates opened, I stayed towards the beginning for a second, watching the teen.  She stood unmoving at the entrance.  A giant told her to go in, but she shook her head; I watched her speak to the giant, then yell at them.  Their fist slammed into the ground beside her and I flinched.  Miraculously, she remained still.  

In one swift movement, the giant picked her up by her arm and dragged her inside it himself.  I dashed behind a corner to watch how things played out.  Despite being literally manhandled, she still refused to move from wherever the giant put her.  The only way she’d complete the puzzles would be if the giant did them for her, and that would defeat the purpose of our little experiment.  “Do the damn puzzles you little bitch!” the giant growled angrily, “Or I’ll put you in an experiment that you can’t refuse to participate in!”  A forced experiment?  They have those?  Briefly I zoned out, thinking through what that might look like, when I heard a loud yelp.  The angered giant had snatched up the girl rather forcefully, taking her away to some other place.

I tried to complete the test as fast as possible, hoping to see what happened to her, but the puzzles became too complex to speed through them.  The first part of the maze was a mirror maze, similar to the ones in funhouses.  That would end, and I’d be given another one.  About five mazes in, I realized they all had the same layout, and rushed through.  My sixth attempt, some scientist must’ve realized I’d solved the puzzle because the next room was completely different.  Similar little mindfucks were presented to me throughout the day.  I was starving by the time I made it out.  When I was placed back in my room, there were food pellets waiting for me.  It was the first time I enjoyed eating them, though their taste was still horrific.

All of the others were returned one by one.  And finally, lastly, the teen who’d refused.  I still don’t know her name; I don’t think she’s given it.  Everyone was anxious to hear what happened to her, especially since she was sopping wet — a sign of a few of the punishments.  All of us crowded around her as she relayed her story.

“It-  They put me somewhere different,” she told us, “I refused to do any of the maze so they put me into one where I.. I didn’t have a choice.”  She choked on her last sentence, taking a shaky breath.  “I.. I killed someone.”  Her whisper sent chills down my spine.  I could feel the hair on my arms prickle against my clothing.  “It wasn’t my fault!” she exclaimed suddenly, “They-  The test, it- it made me!  I-I couldn’t save them!  I tried!  I really tried!”  “What are you talking about?” Mr. Ferguson asked.  “What.. What do you mean you killed somebody?” Brendon asked quietly.  “They.. It’s..  There’s this deep empty basin,” she exclaimed.  “The giants tell you that you have to climb out, which is easy enough; there are footholds in the side of one of the walls.  Then they…”  She took another breath and Emma sat down beside her, offering some comfort.

“They put another person in there with you, right as they announce that the trial is starting.  The other person.. they were covered in chains and weights.  They could barely move.  They were angry and confused, and I tried to explain what was happening, but then the water started coming in.”  She was silent for a bit.  “They were weighed down.”  Her voice grew quiet again.  “They started drowning.  I- I tried to help them up the wall, but they were too heavy.  Th-They begged me to help them, b-but I couldn’t lift them!  They- I-  I had to let them go!  Don’t you understand?!  I would’ve drowned too if I didn’t drop them!”  The girl broke off and started wailing.  Emma hugged her close with a darkened, faraway look.  The rest of us stared around at eachother in horror.  There were worse punishments.  A lot worse.

Throughout the week we were tested over and over again, except for that teen.  Every single day she was put in a basin with another person chained up.  Every single day she had to watch someone die in front of her, knowing she couldn’t save them.  One day, she didn’t come back.  No one wanted to ask why, but Lucille did.  “Oh,” the woman who’d come to get us responded, a bit shocked she’d been spoken to.  “The one in the Basin Trials?  She died — drowned trying to save someone she couldn’t.  It was an anomaly case.  Usually she gives up on the victim eventually, but that time she didn’t.”  She shrugged, “Our hypothesis is that she might’ve known them, but we can’t be sure.”

I don’t know how long it’s been since everything started; time seems.. I don’t know.. blurry?  It’s not definite anymore.  Now time is based on whenever food and water get delivered, and when the day’s trial happens.  Sometimes it’ll be just you alone in a room — tested physically, mentally, or both.  Other times you have to work with or even against others.  I don’t know what I did to attract attention to myself.  I think it’s because I keep solving the logic puzzles too quickly, either that or it’s because I helped someone with theirs.  Whatever the reason, suddenly I was brought to a completely different test.  Alone.

The ever-present automated voice told me what to do while I stood in an empty room.  It was uncanny.  I hadn’t had time alone since.. I don’t know.  The screen in front of me showed the rules to the game, which was basically Tetris.  I had to stack and clear rows of differently-shaped blocks without letting them hit the top.  If I did, I would be punished.  I’m familiar with the punishments by now, not that I’m used to them.  They’re still awful.  

When the room opened up, a slim glass box sat in front of me, as tall and long as a gymnasium, but only thin enough to fit two people shoulder to shoulder.  The pieces would fall in from the slot at the top, and I had to control where they fell in the box with a joystick and button console in front of the giant glass box.

I stood at the controls, expecting the voice to announce the game’s start, but it was still silent.  Suddenly, a back door opened, and three people were shoved inside.  They all stood at the bottom, where I had to stack blocks.  “Wh- What?!” I gasped, looking around for a giant supervisor — there was usually at least one.  That time, there weren’t any.  “I…  Why are there people?”  The automated message again stated how to win.  “I know how to win!  B-But there are people down there!  What do you want me to do, kill them?!”  The only response I got was: Trial Start!

A large block about four feet tall slid down from the ceiling, and everyone inside panicked.  They couldn’t see me on the other side, but they knew someone was controlling things on the outside.  That first run was too confusing; I just piled all the blocks in one long line at the opposite end of the glass box from the people inside.  One of them was significantly slower at moving than the others — I had to be wary of her.  The game ended rather quickly as I stacked a pile up to the ceiling.  The moment I did, electrical currents ran through the floor, briefly burning me from the inside out.  I spasmed, falling onto the controller in front of me.  Gasping for air, I glanced up at the people trapped between the glass.  Did they know what was happening to me out here?

I stumbled over, reaching for the glass.  My heart jolted in my chest as I got a good look and the designated victims for the first time.  The slower one.. it was Tanya.  I wasn’t sure at first; I hobbled over to the glass beside her, putting a shaking hand against it.  It really is her.  Her leg had healed all wrong, and she couldn’t even bend it.  “Tanya!” I yelled for her, but she didn’t react.  You’ve started a losing streak! the automated voice stated cheerfully.  The more times you lose, the harsher your punishment will become!  Let’s start another round!  “I- I don’t want to do this anymore!” I shouted at the machine, “This isn’t right!  I…  Why do you want me to kill them?!  This isn’t an experiment; this is torture!”  Trial Start!

Again, I stacked the blocks in a single line up to the top.  I didn’t know what else to do.  Obviously, I wasn’t going to hurt the people trapped in there, but there weren’t many alternatives.  For my next punishment, they’d upped the voltage.  A shriek exploded from my lungs as waves of electricity tore through my skin, leaving parts of me burnt.  I lay on the ground, wheezing for ragged breaths.  If I keep this up, I’ll die.  If I don’t keep it up, they die.  What if..  What if I just try building around them?  I can still complete rows above them, I just have to get the right pieces to suspend the rest of the blocks.

The next time the machine said Trial Start I put my plan to work.  The designated victims couldn’t hear or see me, so I had to herd them with blocks to somewhere safe.  It was hard, but I managed to build a small space for the three of them to huddle in while I filled up the rest of the board.  I began scoring points.  Enough of those and I can secure a win, breaking my nasty streak of losses.  However, my plan began failing after only a few minutes.  The tight space I’d left was surrounded in layers of Tetris-like pieces, sealing off air from getting in.  Around ten minutes after enacting my plan, the victims began banging on the glass walls of their accidental prison, shouting that they couldn’t breathe.

In a panic, I let the pieces stack up and ended the game.  I hadn’t won, but at least everything would clear away.  All three people collapsed thankfully to the floor as their airtight box vanished.  Relief briefly calmed my heart before I was thrown to the ground by another large shock.  It hurt so badly I myself couldn’t breathe, and when it finally ended, I cried out in fear and staggered upward.  I couldn’t see.  Everything was dark and swirling like my eyes were closed, but I knew they weren’t.  A minute or two of cursing and crying, my vision finally cleared.  A smile involuntarily spread across my face, relieved that my vision had returned.  Trial Start!

I wanted to violently bash whoever was controlling this game with a fucking baseball bat.  Desperately, I tried to form another plan, trying to build a staircase out of blocks so the people inside wouldn’t be stuck at the bottom, but keeping up an even staircase was hard to do without accidentally stacking pieces a bit too high.  Even then, it was pointless.  Tanya couldn’t get up the makeshift stairs in time thanks to her damaged leg.  The others did try to help her, but only after they’d gotten themselves out of the way first.  I was only a few pieces away from losing again.  Fearing for my own life, I quickly spammed the buttons on the controller.  Rows cleared.  Blood trickled down them.

I won the game with enough points, but the game wouldn’t end.  Looks like there’s still a hazard left on your game board!  Your game will continue until it’s cleared!  Tanya was still on the board.  She was the only one I spared.

She lay on a flatter part of the stacked blocks, hands over her head like she expected to be crushed at any moment.  I tried to avoid her as long as I could.  The game just kept going.  Twenty minutes in, and she just sat there staring at the glass, confusedly watching piece after piece fall around her, but never on her.  All that effort, only to hit the top and lose.  “Wait!  Wait, please!  I won!  I got almost double the points you wanted me to!  You didn’t say I had to kill everyone to end the-”  My open mouth frothed out saliva as I was electrocuted again.  I spasmed and shook and foamed at the mouth like I’d gone insane, then passed out.

Blindingly bright light gleamed directly into my eyes when I woke up, making my head throb.  A moment later, it was blocked out by someone sitting above me.  “T- Tanya?  Did.. I save you?”  She sobbed, gently lifting my torso up so she could hug me.  “Oh god, it was you out there.  I.. I wondered why the controller kept trying to keep me alive.”  I tried to speak, but only coughed.  Tanya lowered me back down.  “Where are we?” I asked faintly.  Trial Start!

Adrenaline spiked through my veins, getting me up in an instant.  There were glass walls all around me, two of them much further away than the others, like the inside of an ant farm.  A shadow passed briefly overhead before sliding somewhere else.  “What…?”  My stomach dropped as a larger-than-life Tetris block thudded to the ground behind me.  Oh.

I glanced back at Tanya and she gave me a heartbroken expression.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.  “I…  I think we’re going to die.”  Tears welled in my eyes and I brought her close.  Another shadow fell over us and I dodged it, dragging Tanya along with me.  I tried climbing the side of some blocks like stairs, but she couldn’t do it.  Tears slid down her cheeks and she shook her head.  “No.  No, I’m not letting this happen!” I yelled frustratedly.  Rushing back down the block, I hoisted her into my arms, and climbed up the side of it carrying her.  Her eyes widened — tears stopping briefly as she stared up at me in shock.  We managed to bide our time for a bit longer that way, but eventually my arms gave out beneath her and we landed in a painful heap.

“Wes,” she addressed me in a defeated whisper.  “Thank you, but you have to leave me.”  “N-No, I-”  “Please!  If.. If there’s a chance you can make it out of here…”  “No, no, no, there’s no point!  Get out and do what?!  Come back here tomorrow to crush more people to death to earn points in some sick fucking game?!  I just-”  My voice cracked as a shadow slid over us.  “I want to stay with you.”  

I was pulled forward suddenly, lips suddenly locked with mine.  Tanya’s breath was hot on my face as she kissed me with a passion that could only be brought out in someone’s last moments.  Darkness gradually surrounded us as the lights above were blocked by a descending object.  I returned Tanya’s affection, sliding her up until she was pressed against me.  My eyes squeezed shut as the last of the light died out.  I focused on the two of us — bodies close, breath synched, mouths locked on eachother.  Then it was over.

[clown-demon]

"Ahahaha~! With my Overcoat, taking things like supplies and cat trees is VERY easy for me to do~! I have stored many heavy things in my coat. Trees, bulls, cars, telephone poles, explosions, dirt, and so on~! Storing a big cat tree and kitty supplies would be super easy-- plus we don't gotta pay~! I just shop lift most of my stuff." His ability WAS very convenient for shop lifting. He did it for whenever he went out to buy stuff. Though, he refused to shop lift from small family owned businesses and the sorts.

He nodded his head, "You can come over whenever you feel like~! My mansion is HUGE~! And I have a giant TV and all kinds of consoles~! I also have a hibachi grill and a giant kitchen~! I think you'd have fun exploring my house alone~! I also have a swimming pool, trampoline, and other odds and ends.." Yeah, the man had it all.

"Oh, I meant-- I am most definitely an extrovert~! I just don't have many friends. I have trust issues and I don't exactly like to have friends. I am one of those-- prefer smaller but closer friends than many friends that I don't know well~."

Nikolai blinked and then smiled a little more. "Ah, Sigma defected from the Decay of Angels. I am not entirely sure what happened to him, but he's else where. I am sure I'll run into him again~. But yeah, he's a serious type-- can't take a joke~."

The clown chuckled darkly, continuing to try to push her off the road. He would veer off and then bash into her again. Due to Yoshi and Peach both being medium weights, it wasn't as bad as a heavy weight character bashing into her.

"Are you sure? I mean I'll help of course." She wasn't going to let him do everything by himself, it wouldn't be fair. "I'll probably have to have you come with me to get supplies, because we'll need things like cat trees and shelves and beds and stuff... There's so much to get. And those cat tree boxes can get big and heavy." She had to get a big one for them too, it's only fair.

"You'll have a lot of night visits if that's the case. I struggle with sleeping at night and only sleep during the day sometimes. I don't sleep all day though, just for a few hours. Hopefully having cats to take care of will cause me to sleep normally so I can care for them properly." She didn't really mind the idea after all. 

"...No I haven't. I don't look much into that sort of stuff." There's a pause as she tilts her head slightly. "Well I mean, you don't have to have friends to be an extrovert. I think it's just talking to people a lot that really defines it. I take it this Sigma person doesn't like you too much though? That's kind of a shame, you're fun to be around in a way..." When he's not terrorizing people anyway.

"Hey that's not fair!" It totally is, but she's trying to push back at his attempts to bash her off the road, if she's going down, she's not going down without a fight.

[sloppyzengarden]

I am so unbelievably angry. I've waited 13 years for @avatar : The Way of Water. We went to go see it today but due to power outages the movie was interrupted 3 times only to stop not even halfway through after 4 hours. We got the refund but it's not the money I'm worried about. I spent the last 13 years beyond excited for this exact moment. I read every single piece of work or fanfic I could find. I've watched Avatar 8 times already, it's been my favourite movie since I was still a small toddler. I can't get back that excitement for those beginning moments. I feel so angry and so hopeless and now I am going to write the most gut wrenching fanfic, the type that makes you cry your eyes out and refuse to exist anymore. Because that is how I feel right now.

[binbogummy]

Would you mind sharing your headcanons for how some of the Habiticians hug/what it's like to hug them? It can be anyone you like, but if you don't mind, I'd love it if you included Boris and Kamal too.

It has been a while since I filled an official request but I finally got around to finishing this one since I thought it was so cute. Counting Boris and Kamal, I only did five, but I'd love to do some others at some point too.

Boris: As you've probably gauged from my writing, I'm a firm believer that this man gives out the best hugs and gives them out at an excess. We're talking, of course, after he's had time to actually heal and develop relationships and boundaries with the FK (you) and Kamal.

Boris' hugs are full-bodied and long, with the intention of holding his friend as physically close to him as possible. His arms are long too so they wrap around your back and rest on your sides. Most of the time he squats down to better envelope the person he's hugging, but if he's excited he may pick you up as well, and if he's feeling playful then be prepared to go for a spin.

11/10; one of the best hugs you can receive if you want just that, a good, close hug.

Pros : The genuine physical closeness - very warm - smells sweet - rests his head on top of yours - If you're upset/crying, no one will even be able to see you under the giant literally guarding you with his life.

Cons : Very frequent (but he means them) - He doesn't like to let go - It tends to be his go-to method to comfort people just because hugs always make him feel better, but has trouble coming up with a follow up if it doesn't help.

~

Kamal: In direct contrast with Boris, Kamal is not a very cuddly person at all. He cares very deeply for his friends but overall you won't receive a lot of physical affection from this guy outside of playful nudges, hair ruffles, and the occasional arm wrapped around your shoulder.

Since leaving the Habitat he has become more accustomed to receiving it. Before he tended to tense up when hugged and even a peck on the cheek would leave him a flustered mess. Living with Boris however, has helped him get used to it. You'll still receive a small blush and a bashful "Aww geez", but he honestly doesn't mind it, at least not when it's from his close friends. Too much will still absolutely melt him though.

Hugs from Kamal are quick and tight, usually not lasting for longer than a second or two and given out when he won't see someone for a long time, but he might draw them out longer if he's comforting someone who's upset. When that happens, it gives you time to notice how un-used to it he is, even as he speaks comforting words with confidence he kind of hugs like he's holding onto a telephone pole for dear life.

4/10: If I'm rating purely his ability to give a good hug then I'm afraid he's below average, but the heart is there and he offers companionship in a lot of other ways.

Pros: He doesn't hug a lot so you know when you get one it's because you're important to him -  If you needed a hug because you're upset than he's great to talk to.

Cons: Very stiff - Pretty rare - Hugs are very brief .

He and Boris make an incredible team when they work together on someone who's upset. Ideally, Boris traps you in a hug from behind while Kamal sits in front and talks you through it; it's their signature move.

~

Jimothan: He's not really a hugger and doesn't like to do it in public, so he usually opts for a half hug and a hearty pat on the back. But he has hugged Parsley in public on multiple occasions just to embarrass him.

"What's wrong? Gotten to big to give your old man a hug?" This always ends with Parsley in a choke hold and Jimothan noogying him.

When he actually hugs, he's a dad and he hugs like one. Not often but with a lot of force. He's fairly tall and his hugs are very firm. It's a little robotic, kind of like he's hugging how he thinks he's supposed to, but the feeling is there and somehow he's always the one that pulls away with the red on his face. Always ends them with a "So, you feeling any better now?" or "Now get back out there!". Probably to try to distract the person he just hugged from the fact that he just showed any kind of vulnerability.

8/10; overall very solid and safe feeling.

Pros: When he's trying to comfort someone he absolutely acts like their dad the whole way through - Will offer you ice-cream afterwards - Might call you champ.

Cons: You'll have to pry that vulnerability from his cold dead hands - He needs to hug his son more - Smells like cigarettes and bar food - Might call you champ.

~

Parsley: He's not one to initiate hugs but he loves to receive them (from everyone but his dad). He's completely okay with casual affection and if you hug him a lot he'll probably start doing it back and is totally okay with it as a normal greeting.

His hugs are very loose and feel a little more like he's just resting his arms over your shoulders while he leans on you. He also won't pull away until whoever he's hugging does first. The poor guy is really tired and might fall asleep against you if you catch him on a hard day.

5/10; he doesn't put in a lot of effort into his hugs but he'll never turn one away and he enjoys getting and giving them.

Pros: Not scared to show affection for his friends.

Cons: Super clingy when he's drunk - Also kind of sloppy - Hugs are very weak.

~

Mirphy: This gal isn't a hugger and isn't particularly a fan of them. She's more indifferent to physical affection and doesn't like to be touched by people she's not close with. Unless she considers someone a friend she keeps her hands to herself and expects others to do the same. You'll know it's safe when she's okay doing little gestures like tapping you on the shoulder, guiding your hand to help you adjust your camera, even leaning against your shoulder.

She'll probably never go in for a hug but the first time someone else does she can't help but laugh and return it. She's still not big on hugs but if she likes you she wouldn't mind you doing it once in a while, and she always returns them, even if it's followed by a snarky comment on how clingy you are.

Her hugs linger for a few seconds but don't have a lot of force behind them. She's more likely to just rest a hand on your back and smile down at you while you do your thing. Look up and be met with the flash of a Camera.

6/10; again, not a lot of effort put forth when it comes to the actual hug, but she's there for you anyway.

Pros: Very respectful - Pats your head - Thinks it's cute when you just hug her for the sake of hugging.

Cons: Few and far between - It takes her a while to be okay with it - Very lanky so there's not a lot to hug

~

Tim Tam: You'll have to catch them first. As soon as they see someone approaching them with any sort of intention they make a break for it. Manage to catch them however and they go completely limp, like when you grip the scruff of a kitten. It's almost worrying until their eyes finally move to focus on you.

They won't hug you back but they will cling to your leg and you won't be able to get them off. Their grip is solid, shake your leg and try to pry them off all you want, they're not letting go until they want to.

2/10; They're so small it feels like you're hugging a teddy bear, but I'm not sure I can consider holding your leg hostage a hug on their part.

Pros: They're clinging to your leg so your arms are free.

Cons: They won't let go - You end up going home and going to bed with them still on your leg - They grab onto random things the whole way there and try to trip you - Be sure to empty your pockets of anything valuable before attempting.

Sometimes when you're sitting around, they will approach you and stare until you lift them into a hug. They still don't hug back or react at all really, but strangely enough, they seem to enjoy being held.

[100yearoldcomics]

April 9, 1922 Krazy Kat by George Herriman

[ID: Officer pupp climbs a telegraph pole outside Ignatz's house and cuts his telephone line with a pair of large scissors. Ignatz, inside, frantically tries to call out. /end] Ignatz: Hello, hello. Mr. Kelly? Hey, hello. Say, what's the matter with this phone? Hellohellohel-- Pupp: He'll order no "brick" from "Kolin Kelly" today. Not over no phone, he won't. Dern'im.

[ID: Ignatz throws his phone out the front door and stands on his doorstep to confront Officer Pupp. Pupp just walks away, down Ignatz's front walkway, threatening the mouse with his baton. /end] Ignatz: Smart "kop," aren't you. Cutting my phone wire. Smart kop, huh? Pupp: Shuh-tupp!!

Caption: But fate allows no soul, however sinful, to suffer long. "Don Kiyotti," Hidalgo of Andalusia, suave scion of a noble line of ornery & ancient nullities, purrs a soothing proposal into Ignatz Mouse's doleful ears. [ID: Ignatz sits in Don Kiyotti's living room, the both of them on wooden bench seats. /end] Ignatz: Do you mean to tell me, "Don Kiyotti," that you can fix it so I can "phone" to Mr. Kelly, without telephone wires, or poles, or centrals, or wrong numbers, or any of those things? Don: I do indeed, Señor Mouse. For $3.62¢, I will fit you up with an outfit with which you can talk to the world. And there will be no wires, no poles, no central, no wrong numbers. Thus can you talk with that soft-eyed gentleman, the señor "Kolin Kelly." He of the "bricks."

Caption: In time, a deal was dealt, in which a radio outfit & $3.62¢ change hands. ⨁. [ID: Ignatz sits by a small radio box with a long antenna on the back and a gramophone horn-shaped mouthpiece sticking out the top. He wears a large pair of over-ear headphones. The antenna sparks to illustrate the signals it receives. Don Kiyotti walks off with the money. /end] Ignatz: Hello, hello, is this you, Kelly? Well, well, well. Send me over one of your choicest bricks. Yeh. Deliver it by the old "smoke tree." I have business there today with a "Kat." Don: Now, you can laugh at the low law of that krazy kop, Officer Pupp.

Caption: And now: it may, or may not please you to know that "Don Kiyotti" has done considerable business in "radio outfits" among the dwellers of "Coconino." And they are all imperishable & accomplished radio listeners. "Walter Cephus Austridge" [ID: A long sea-serpent-looking animal lies back in what could either be a lake or a sand dune, almost totally submerged. His feet, gut and head poke out of the surface of whatever he's in. He wears a pair of headphones with a trident-shaped antenna on top. /end] "Joe Turtil" [ID: A turtle stands up in a pond, wearing the trident-antenna headphones. A crescent moon shines in the night sky above. /end] "Bum Bill Bee" [ID: A small bug carrying a hobo's bindle over his shoulder. He, too, wears the headphones. /end] "Mrs. Kwakk-Wakk" [ID: A duck in a button-up shirt stands at the bottom of a cliff, wearing the headphones. /end] "Officer Pupp" [ID: Officer Pupp sits behind a large rock, calmly listening to the headphones. /end] "Dr. Y. Zowl" [ID: An owl perched up on a tree branch wears the headphones. /end] "Sam Krane" [ID: Sam stands in ankle-deep water, in a lake beside the tree Dr. Zowl sits in. He, too, has the headphones. /end]

Caption: "Ignatz," full of triumph, fares forth to keep his tryst. [ID: Ignatz struts proudly down a long road, following a sign that points "To the old smoke tree." /end] Ignatz: Ah science, thy wonders are sure wonderful.

[ID: Ignatz arrives at the smoke tree to find Krazy fast asleep underneath, a brick laid next to his head. Also there awaiting him is everyone in town who also owns one of Don Kiyotti's radios. /end] Ignatz: And what has brought all you people here, huh? Listeners: RADIO. Pupp: Yes, "Mouse," "radio."

[ID: Officer Pupp bends over, holding his baton behind his back, to speak with a bashful Ignatz. /end] Ignatz: Be a good sport, "Officer Pupp," and let me take my brick back. I'll promise not to nick that "Kat's" noodle with it. Pupp: Take it, and I'll see to it that you keep your promise.

[ID: Don Kiyotti sits in a saloon somewhere in Coconino. He leans back on his table and turns toward the center of the room, signaling for a waiter. Ignatz sneaks up to the front door, hefting his brick. /end] Ignatz: Ahh, poltroon. I have found you. Don: Boy, another bottle "jinja ale," quick.

[mieohmy]

𝖬𝖺𝗉 𝗍𝗈 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 | 𝖫𝖾𝖾 𝖩𝗎𝗒𝖾𝗈𝗇

PAIRING: spy! lee juyeon x spy! fem reader

GENRE: fluff, humor, angst, strangers-to-somewhat-lovers?, spy au 

WC: 3.3k 

NOTES:  mentions of violence, weapons

SUMMARY: to be honest, you had no idea how you became a spy with your horrible direction skills. thank goodness for an extremely cute guy that comes to the rescue. 

૪

You groan in frustration. Why is this thing so complicated? You’re sure you’ve spent at least 30 minutes (30 minutes and 44 seconds to be exact) trying to figure out how to work this stupid GPS. You curse your horrible directional skills.

It all started with a new case assigned to you. Your boss had called you in and, after naming you “one of the best spies we’ve ever had,” decided to give you a new undercover case. With a new partner. You had no idea who your soon-to-be partner was, not really paying attention to what your boss said oops, and deciding just to study the case later.  

After skimming the case file, you took note of the important parts and just threw it aside, putting it to the back of your mind. Which you now regret since you had absolutely no idea how to get to the very high-class party you were attending under a cover, along with your new partner you were supposed to meet up with at the entrance that you were supposed to be at in 8 minutes sharp. You being a very capable spy, knew almost the whole city through and through, but this party was in the more nicer part of the city that you weren’t as familiar with.

Which leads to you now, standing in the middle of the street at night. In a very revealing and glamorous dress that you would never wear but were required to for the case (but mainly because your best friend Yeji said that you should “loosen up more” and “you never have fun”). You would disagree, you considered your job extremely fun and satisfying. It wasn’t every day that you could bash bad guys’ faces in.

Shivering from a sudden gust of wind, it caused you to focus on the task once more. Your phone in hand, you had typed in the address in maps and were sadly still trying to figure out how to get there. You squinted at the screen. Which way were you facing? Is that left or right? You continued walking, still staring at the screen and not paying attention to your surroundings (your boss would be shaking his head if he saw).

You let out a sound of frustration. Why were maps so hard to read? You took a few more steps until you heard a “Whoa!” and an arm reached across and grabbed your shoulder, effectively cutting you off and stopping you abruptly.

You immediately look up, eyes focusing on a lamppost right in front of your face. You glance down at the arm blocking you and then at the person who just saved you and your face (but mainly your pride).

Of course, it had to be an extremely attractive male who saved you from almost face-planting into a pole. You immediately back up and bow at him, muttering thanks and apologies. He laughs, just brushing it off and asking, “I noticed a pretty girl like you all alone and walking, but I never thought you would almost walk straight into a pole.” You blush in embarrassment, from what you almost did or the compliment, you’re not sure. You cough before replying, “I was actually trying to find my way to this party, but I’m afraid I have no idea how to get there.” You study him for a moment, his black hair styled up with gel and wearing a very expensive suit that you’re sure costs more than your car. His body posture seems relaxed so you’re able to put your guard down a little.

His eyes widen for a second before he says, “Actually, I’m on the way to a party as well. Could it be we’re going to the same place?” Turned out, you both were. And luckily, he knew the way. So you were going the right way, you think as he continues on past the telephone pole, you one step behind him.

The mysterious guy introduces himself as Joel, and you comment on his name before he tells you he’s originally from America but moved here to Korea to build his own business. You tilt your head, noticing he didn’t have any kind of accent, but you brush it off. You introduced yourself under your cover name, a daughter representing your father who owns a successful business in printing.

You get along pretty well with him for the 4 minutes that you’re walking together. It didn’t seem awkward or uncomfortable. To be honest, you didn’t really have time or luck for romance with your job, so talking with him made you feel jittery? Not to mention his good looks too. You admired his tall physique from behind as you two continued walking.  

You subtly take your in-ear piece tucked in your secret dress pocket and hold it in your hand, waiting until you get closer. When you near the entrance, you turn the earpiece on and put it in, hoping no one saw. You wait until you hear Yeji’s voice coming through. “Can you hear me?” You clear your throat as a sign of confirmation so Joel didn’t suspect anything. As you near the steps to the entrance, you turn to him, “Thank you for guiding me to the right place. I would’ve messed up if I didn’t make it here on time. You don’t have to wait for me here, I have to take a call before going in.” You really would’ve screwed up, you thought. Spies didn’t tolerate lateness and you hoped your partner that you still haven’t found yet did.

Joel nods in understanding, “Then I’ll see you inside perhaps?” You give him a shy smile before nodding back. He grins, giving you a thumbs up before ascending the stairs. “Who was that?” Yeji questioned. “Nobody, just a cute guy that helped me get here,” you reply, looking around the place for any sign of your mysterious partner. You hear her gasp faintly. “You actually called a guy cute?!”

You roll your eyes, deciding to go up the stairs and look. “Yeah, well it doesn’t matter right now. I’m looking for my co-worker, and I have no idea who and where they are.” Yeji makes a sound of disapproval. “You don’t know who they are?” You hear the typing of her keyboard before she responds, “Lee Juyeon. 23. Under Cre.ker branch. He goes by the code name of Joel Lee if you meet him inside.” You raise your eyebrows in shock. “Shoot. The guy that I was talking to earlier was him. And he just left.” Yeji groans. “You didn’t know who he was? And he didn’t either?” And you two are supposedly our best spies...” she mutters off.

Lee Juyeon. The name sounds familiar to you, but you guess you’ve never met him before since you would’ve known if you had seen a face like that before, and he didn’t recognize you either.

You sigh before climbing up the rest of the stairs and giving your invitation to the man waiting by the entrance before heading in. It’s enormous. Elegant. Extravagant. Exactly how you expected it. There are fancy people, food, decorations. You would be lying if you said it didn’t take your breath away still.

Focusing on the task at hand, you scan the area. Where is he? You get distracted by a couple of waiters offering you extremely fancy drinks (which you gladly accept). You are finally able to locate him talking to a group of people.  You notice he’s definitely engaged in the conversation but occasionally looks up and scans the room, possibly searching for you?

You hoped he figured out that you were his partner. You honestly wanted to smack him and yourself as well since neither of you guys realized that you were working together. As you study the place, you notice some shady guys in the corner, talking amongst themselves. You don’t know what it is, but they seem off. You narrow your eyes at them, making a note in your head to keep an eye out. “Yeji,” you murmur, “there are some guys to my left that are giving me weird vibes.” “Okay, if you need backup, let me know.”

You recall what your boss had said to you when giving the mission. “-don’t forget that you two have to act like you don’t know each other. You can interact, but don’t make it obvious, alright? ...... “-you two escape through the vents, and you know it from there?” You remember yourself faintly nodding. Your boss gives you a look. “You know what to do if you fail—”

Then you’re interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. You spin around, and there’s a man. He bows and introduces himself as Lee Sangyeon. You return the bow, and Yeji speaks in your ear. “Lee Sangyeon. Vice-chairman of the man you’re after.” Exactly who you’re looking for. You talk for a little more before giving him a sweet smile, blinking up at him. “Would you be so kind as to introduce me to your boss?” Not forgetting about Joel or Juyeon?, you find him looking at you as Sangyeon guides you to your target.

You return your attention to Sangyeon, who leads you to what seems to be the chairman. Target acquired. Middle-aged, slightly drunk, but you can see the gleam in his eyes when he meets you. You bow, trying your best to seem elegant. When the chairman grins at you, you remember his profile. Attracted to innocent girls that play hard-to-get. Strangely specific, you thought at the time, but now you’re grateful for it. “What’s a beautiful girl doing here at a party like this?” You smile in disgust bashfully and recite your story. Perfectly memorized to the bone.

As the party continues, you continue to get closer to the chairman, laughing at whatever he says. You’re not sure what Juyeon is doing at the moment, but music begins to play. The chairman asked you to dance, and of course, you accept. You two dance for a couple of minutes(which you felt extremely uncomfortable but tried not to show it) until Juyeon surprisingly cuts in and asks if he can dance with you. You let out a sigh of relief. The chairman laughs, giving you away with a shoo as he leaves, but you can tell his eyes are still watching you.

Juyeon’s hands naturally go on your waist, and you put your hands around his neck. You’re not sure why you feel so nervous though, heart beating faster for some reason.

You take the chance to look at him. How did you not see such a handsome guy at work before? He smirks, noticing you staring. “What is it?” You blush again, but this was not the time to get distracted. You introduce yourself properly. He quirks his eyebrows in confusion before you reach up to whisper in his ear, “We have to pretend we’ve never met before, Lee Juyeon.” He looks shocked, confused, and almost scared before it clicks in his head. “I’m glad I got a pretty girl like you as my partner,” he replies with a grin, eyes staring deep into yours. You think you hear Yeji squeal.

You two continue swaying, occasionally scanning the area. It felt natural like you could continue dancing with him forever. But you were on a mission, and as much as you wanted to keep dancing, you needed to focus. “I’m gonna go to the door on your right, 2 o’clock, follow me in 3,” you murmur. Finally stepping back, it suddenly feels colder now that you’re not in his arms.

You walk towards the door, but not before being stopped by the chairman. He really won’t let you go, you think. You smile and quickly tell him you have to take a quick call, and he lets you go. Once you twist the knob, you scan the surroundings. It’s an empty hallway, with two doors on the left and one straight down. You wait for a little until you heard the door click.

You turn and Juyeon’s there, and so you talk. “How did we not know who each other was?!” He lowers his head in shame, “I didn’t really take the time to look up who you were..” You laugh before continuing. “ it’s my fault too, anyways, do you know what we have to do?” He nods, about to reply until you hear voices getting closer to the door. You immediately grab him and pull him into the nearest room, shutting the door.

You hear the doors open, and the sound of men’s voices cut through. “Do you have it ready?” “Yes, set to 15 minutes.” There are more murmurs that you strain to hear, but it’s very faint. After a couple of minutes, they leave the hallway. You sigh in relief, having completely forgotten about Juyeon. When you try to turn, you realize what position you’re in. You were leaning against the door, ear pressed to it, and Juyeon was over you, one arm by your head, bodies almost pressed together.

You catch his eye and notice them flick down to your lips. You think you’re slowly leaning in, closer, you can almost feel his lips, until Yeji suddenly asks, “What happened?” Your eyes fling open, and you regain your composure, suddenly clearing your throat. He immediately steps back, allowing you to open the door as you reply to her and go back out into the party, sending him one last look.

The chairman finds you again, no surprise. You suddenly stumble, and he catches you, concerned. You suck in a breath. “I’m... not feeling so well. Is there a place I could rest for a moment?” You look at him underneath your lashes, hoping he would take you to the right room. “Of course, of course, you can stay in my study.” He guides you slowly, hand on your back, to the correct room. He takes out his key and unlocks it, letting you in and placing you on his couch. He puts his hand on your exposed shoulder, and you want to smack it away. “I’m afraid I can’t stay in here with you, but I’ll check up on you in a bit. Let me know if you need anything.” As he closes the door behind him, you immediately get up and go to his desk.

Where is the flash drive? You search through every drawer, moving swiftly as your time is limited. You hope Juyeon is out there, distracting the chairman and doing what was assigned. You continue ruffling through papers until you spot it. “Got it Yeji.” You hide it under your dress. “Great, now-“ She’s immediately interrupted by a loud BOOM from outside the room. Then screams and crashes follow. You immediately rush outside.

It’s chaos. People were running everywhere, trying to escape. And then you see the men from earlier, guns out and shooting. You roll your eyes in frustration. What do they want? Of course, people were messing up your mission. You search for Juyeon, but he’s not in sight. Beginning to panic, you look around. Do I help people or escape? Your boss’s words echo. The mission always comes first. You let out a sigh before comming Yeji. “We need backup. Now. Those guys set off a bomb and have guns.” “On it,” she replies.

Then Juyeon comes into your vision. Once he sees you, he immediately rushes to you, checking over you. “Are you okay-“ You put your hand over his, reassuring. “I’m fine, got the drive. Just follow me, alright?” You run one of the doors. Luckily there’s so much happening no one notices you. You kick it open, and he follows behind you, briskly running through the hallway into the restroom.

Once you get in there, you turn to Juyeon. His ears are red, you notice, probably from being in a restroom with you, but you ignore it. “Juyeon, can you get in that vent?” He looks extremely confused, but the look in your eyes must’ve told him. He climbs on top of the sink and hits it. The door falls down, and he looks at you before climbing in. You climb onto the sink ungracefully, cursing your heels. Juyeon looks down at you, and you reach out your arms, signaling for him to help you up. He grabs your arms and easily pulls you up.

Even though you’ve done countless missions, some far more dangerous than this one, you immediately let out a small shriek at the dirty vents. “Y/n, what is going on?” You sigh, “I don’t have time to explain, just keep going forward until you hit the end.”

You continue crawling in the nasty vents, praying for your very expensive dress.  “Just a little more,” he grunts. Once he finally reaches the end, you direct him to open the vent, and he busts it open and crawls out. He politely helps you get out, and you’re about to comment, but you suddenly hear noises below you.

You look around. You’re both on the rooftop, wind blowing past and ruffling your dress. There’s a door leading up to the rooftop where you think you heard the sounds coming from.

“Shoot. I think they’re coming up here.” You grab Juyeon’s hand and lead him to the edge. “What are you doing?” he asks, eyes wide. “Just trust me,” you reply. You position yourself so your back is facing the edge, and you’re in front of him. “Y/n- what-” he splutters. You wrap his arms around your back and place your hands on his shoulders, inching closer and closer to the edge. You think you hear the door burst open and shouts, but you close your eyes, praying this would work, and fall back, pulling Juyeon with you as you rush through the air.

For a second, all you can hear is the rushing of the wind and your hair blowing past, and then you hit something hard, letting out an oof. When you open your eyes, you see Juyeon on top of you, eyes squeezed shut. The only thing heard was the sound of breathing from you two, mixing in the air.

“Juyeon,” you call softly. He slowly opens his eyes, meeting your eyes, somewhat dazed. “Are you okay?” “Wh-what just happened?” he shakily responds. “Since our plan kinda got messed up, this was the backup that I called for. Sorry I didn’t get the chance to tell you..” You unconsciously play with the back of his neck. He says nothing, dark eyes just staring into you.

You open your mouth to ask him to get off you because he was kinda heavy, but you got cut off by Juyeon leaning into you, wrapping his arms around you. You freeze, shocked, before hugging him back. He stays like that for a moment before murmuring, “I’m extremely scared of heights, but thank you.” You were about to ask him why, but whatever you two landed in came to a sudden stop. Honestly, you were so distracted you didn’t notice it was even moving in the first place.

You look at your surroundings. You two were in the back of a truck. Luckily you had landed on top of a covered tapestry(?) to break your fall, but you knew you would be sore after.

You hear a voice, and both your heads turn toward the sound. It was Eric, coming around the back and suddenly seeing you two. “You guys alright-“ He suddenly stops at the sight. You quickly tap Juyeon’s shoulder, and he lets you up. You slowly sit up with a groan. Eric was still frozen so you raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh. Right. Yeah, um we’ve got everything covered. The people are taken care of, and everyone’s safe. I’m guessing you guys are ok?”

“Yeah,” Juyeon suddenly says, getting up and helping you off. He takes your hand as you two continue walking, not letting go. You two share a look before carrying on back to turn in the flash drive, still safely tucked under your dress. Only confused Eric noticing your bashful expression and Juyeon’s red ears as you two walk off.

[bowieandqueen11]

Bully / Stan Uris Imagine

Request: Hello love! I was wondering if you could write a 2017 IT Stanley Uris where the reader is sort of in Henry’s gang and they see the lads bullying the losers so she steps in and yeah. Possibly could Stan be slightly older (15-16). Thank you. :) 

Of course my darling @confusedmilcc​, I hope this is okay! I’m sorry if imagines are a bit slow after this, I have some Uni stuff to do but hopefully I should be able to write as well

Warning, some strong language! The Losers are also around 15 in this one!

Summer break couldn’t have arrived any sooner for the Losers.

The last bell of the day had only just rung, but the halls of the schoolway were already filled with tons of kids ready to go home. Richie knocked his glasses back up his nose as Greta Bowie bashed into his backpack and nearly knocked him back down the stairs.

‘Yeah, and a happy summer to you too Greta! Do you wanna sign my yearbook? Dear Richie, sorry for being such a rat’s ass towards you-’

‘Beep beep Rich’, Eddie mutters as he runs up next to him, Stanley not even two steps behind as he elbows both of them out of the way to stand in the middle.

‘What do you guys want to do now?’

Laughter sounded along the halls, joined with excited conversations and shouts. Stanley ducks as a football flies above his head, between two jocks in varsity jackets. He doesn’t notice Bill run past the two lads, running past groups of high schoolers leaning with one leg pressed against the lockers, laughing and causing all kinds of ruckus. 

‘I was thinking we could go and train at the arcade?’

‘I thought you guys were going to come to the B-B-Barrens with me’, Bill pipes in from where he joins at Richie’s hip.

Stanley sighs to himself, shifting his yarmulke back as Richie’s elbow knocks into it again, his arms gesturing wildly as he argues against Bill to no avail. Stepping out the school door, he blinks against the steps: there is no sky today, only a rough woollen blanket of mottled grey smothering the sky and sweltering the air in a thick dullness. Stanley shivers lightly at Eddie’s oncoming words, a sense of fear in the air that makes his heart start thumping.

‘Do you see them?’, Eddie asks, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his inhaler. ‘Bowers is waiting at the bottom of the steps.’

‘They’re probably waiting for that new kid’, Richie adds with a frown on his face.

‘Why is Y/n with them?’ 

Stanley folds his arms as he looks down at you. Although a familiar face around the school, and a known member of the Bowers’ gang, he had never seen you out for blood like Henry usually is. You always seemed so sweet, so different from the rest, it seemed so out of character. His heart thumped so hard that he swore it was audible, your eyes meeting for a second, and only a second. But in that moment, you had offered him a smile - only a small smile, but it was enough to make Stanley go weak at the knees.

‘No other way, I suppose’, Richie sighs. ‘We’ve got to go through them.’

~

‘Why are we doing this Henry? Can’t you just leave these guys alone. What’s Ben done to you?’

‘What, you have a crush on him? Shut your mouth before I shut it for you, or just leave for all I care.’

Bowers and Patrick are resting against the wooden telephone pole with faces of utter nonchalance, as if they were merely waiting for the school bus on a spring day, switchblade in hand. Henry isn't slumped at all, yet it is just as relaxed as his face. He's almost smiling, grinning perhaps is more like it, smirking as if something good were about to happen. He doesn’t look at you, his eyes are too distant for that, the only sound Patrick’s hoarse chuckle and the swish of the switchblade as he closes it once again. 

You only let your eyes meet theirs for just a moment, giving a slight nod, then casting your eyes downward once more.

‘I’m just not on board with this-’

‘Shut up. Here comes fresh meat.’

‘Well, if it isn’t the fucking Losers. Nice frisbee, flamer.’

Eddie yelps as Belch grabs onto his oversized backpack and throws him backwards, managing to knock him and Richie down onto the grass in a tangled mess of bruised shins and bleeding elbows.

‘You s-s-suck Bowers!’

Henry clenched his fist, a vein popping out of his forehead.

‘You s-s-s-say something, Bi-Bi-Bi-Billy? You got a free ride this year 'cause of your little brother. Ride's over, Denbrough. For you and your friends.’

Before any of them could speak, his hand had reached out and grabbed Stanley by the corner, his eyes squeezing shut in pain. He lashes out at his hands, his collar tightening in Henry’s fist as his shirt began to ride up. He chokes as Henry leans over and licks the side of his face, and Stanley can’t help the groan of pain that leaves his mouth as he’s lifted slightly up the ground.

‘Henry, stop it! Your dad’s right over there!’

‘Yeah, well see if I care! These assholes need to pay!’

His yell was like a booming bark, it made even Patrick jump like a scared rabbit. I think he liked that. I think it made him feel mighty powerful.

Being brave isn't the same thing as being stupid. Often it pays to weigh up the pros and cons of action versus inaction. When a situation is intractable, when every move is a bad move, it can take courage to take yourself out of the equation. Right now, you can feel the fear. You take a step forwards. You feel the fear. But as you watch Stanley squirm, you take another step. Before you even know what’s happening, your hand has swung out and hit Bowers on the arm, and he lets go of Stanley in shock. Shuffling back, he bares his teeth, making as if to go for you, only stopping when he sees his dad staring at him from behind your head.

‘I’ll get you for this, Y/n. You and your loser friends.’ 

Rubbing your flushed nose with the back of your hand, surprise lines Stanley’s features as you come down to kneel before him, a protectiveness flaring up like hot flames.

‘Go to hell, Bowers.’ 

A smile twitches at Stanley’s lips as a soft ‘thank you’ bursts from them, his eyes glowing as he bashfully glances up at you. He reaches his hands out, looking at you with slight desperation behind his eyes as you hesitantly place your smaller fingers into his palm, his knuckles white as he closes his own around yours, as you pull the two of you up. 

‘No problem, Stanley.’

‘I’m sorry that Bowers is angry at you now, too.’

‘Well, I’d much rather be a loser than hang out with that asshole anymore.’

[racxnteur]

Wish the Internet didn’t make me want to bash my head into a telephone pole so often but here we are

[chuffyfan87]

Hiding. Part 72a

Cowritten with @disastrousintention.

-x-

"Are we there yet?!" Tilly whined from the back of the car.

Emily sighed, why had she gotten stuck sitting next to Tilly for the long car ride to their summer holiday by the beach?

“No Tilly, not there yet.” Charlie called back to his daughter.

“What’s wrong Emmy?” Lottie asked who was sat on the other side of Emily.

"I wanted to sleep." Emily replied with a sigh. "But she won't stop chattering."

“That’s just Tilly, Tilly never stops chattering.” Lottie replied as she smiled at her older sister.

"I wish I'd gone in mum's car now." Emily grumbled.

Louis put his feet up on the dashboard in the front seat, glaring out the window.

“What’s wrong with you, Louis?” Charlie asked.

"Wanna go home."

“Well you’re not, so please don’t spoil the holiday.”

"Fine." Louis sulked.

Over in the other car things weren't going much better.

"Mum! Oli stinks!" Jake complained.

"Oh not again." Duffy sighed.

Oli wasn’t feeling so good, he had a bit of a belly ache.

Peter shook his head, “Oli’s poo’d again?"

"Seems that way. I guess it could be worse..."

She'd barely gotten the words out when there was the sound of vomiting from the back seat.

"Ew! Gross!" Jake yelled.

"Can you call your dad and tell him we'll have to stop again?" Duffy asked Peter.

“Jake! It’s a bit of sick.” Peter nodded, “Yeah I’ll ring dad.”

"Its everywhere!" Jake complained.

Duffy sighed as she tried to find somewhere to pull over.

Oli began to cry, not liking the fact he’d been sick down himself. Peter tried to keep the tot distracted.

About five minutes later Duffy finally found a service station carpark to turn into, the sound of Oliver's screaming making her ears ring. She stopped the car and got out to take her youngest out of his carseat.

He was sobbing, resting his head in the crook of his mum’s neck. “Mama.” He kept saying.

Duffy stroked his back, relieved when she saw Charlie's car pull up alongside her own.

“Everyone alright?” Charlie asked as he got out, “Not tried to run anymore telephone poles down have you?” He joked to Duffy.

Duffy rolled her eyes at him as she turned Oli in her arms so Charlie could see him properly. "He's a little poorly." She explained just as the little boy was sick once more.

“Oh my poor baby” Charlie approached Oli and stroked his cheek, “Mummy's driving do that to you?”

"There is nothing wrong with my driving!" Duffy sulked.

"Can I ride in your car for the rest of the way?" Jake asked his dad.

“Why?” Charlie asked Jake.

"I'll swap!" Emily offered.

"The car stinks!" Jake complained.

"I don't care. Tilly is so annoying!"

“Alright, Deal.” Jake held his hand out for Emily to shake.

Emily moved to shake her brother's hand but instead pulled back and wrinkled her nose. "Ew, you smell Jake!"

“What?” Jake groaned. “Really?”

Emily giggled as she watched the panic on her brother's face. "Nah, not really!"

Jake shook his head fondly, “You’re so cheeky!”

"Got ya good!" Emily giggled.

Meanwhile Duffy and Charlie were arguing over who was gunna clean up Oli and who was going to tackle the car.

“I’ll take the car.” Charlie told her, knowing he’d never win.

"Thank you. Good luck with the stitching." She threw over her shoulder as she grabbed the change bag and took Oli inside.

Charlie tried to clean up the car as much as he could, it wasn’t easy.

Duffy returned several minutes later with a happier looking Oli. "Is he still grumpy?" She asked, referring to Louis.

“Yes.” Charlie replied, “Wants to go home.”

"Typical. I do hope he cheers up when we get there or its going to be a very long two weeks." She sighed, juggling Oliver onto her hip.

“Yes it will be.”

"Do you promise not to be sick or poop again?" She asked Oliver as he snuggled against her shoulder.

Oli yawned.

"Maybe he'll sleep the rest of the way." Duffy sighed optimistically, shifting him again so she could rub her lower back that was beginning to ache again.

“Is your back giving you jip?” Charlie asked as he rubbed her lower back.

"I think it's coz I've been sat driving for so long. Puts the baby in an awkward position."

“We can stop off for a bit? Feed the chaotic ones?”

"That's a good idea. Let them run off a bit of steam. Can you get the buggy out?"

Charlie went out of the car and got the kids out along with the pram. They spent a bit of time grabbing lunch and the younger ones had a play in the play area.

Oli snoozed through the whole thing, snuggled up in his buggy with a fresh blanket. Now he’d finished pooing and being sick, he felt much better.

"Look at me!" Tilly giggled, standing on top of a huge climbing frame.

“Tilly, please be careful.” Charlie swallowed, suddenly feeling very tense and anxious.

"I'm super girl!" She declared, standing on one leg.

"Tilly, for goodness sake be careful!" Duffy gasped.

“Tilly, please be careful.” Charlie begged his daughter. If she fell...

"Do you dare me to jump off Lottie?" Tilly yelled at her twin who was on the climbing frame below her.

“Don’t be silly, Tilly. You’ll hurt yourself.”

"Tilly get down!" Duffy replied sternly.

“But mum! I’m having fun!” Tilly protested.

"Just be careful, I don't want you to spend the school holidays in plaster."

“I’ll be ok mum. Look.” Tilly went to jump down from the top of the climbing frame but lost her footing. Luckily Charlie - with his quick reflexes - caught her. Both of them tumbled to the floor.

"Shit! Are you OK?" Duffy gasped as she came over as quickly as she could.

“Oft, Tots.” Charlie whispered.

"I'm ok. Daddy's squishy!" Tilly giggled.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Charlie asked Tilly, stroking her cheek.

"Bashed my arm." She admitted.

“Where?” He sat up with Tilly in his arms.

She pointed to her wrist.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Duffy asked Charlie pointedly as she crouched awkwardly beside him.

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine.”

"Hmm..." Duffy replied, unconvinced. "Please tell me you don't think its broken." She sighed.

“No, just a sprain. But we should keep an eye on it.”

"Oh Tilly you silly sausage!"

"Louis come back here now!" Peter yelled from the other side of the play area.

“What’s going on?” Charlie asked concerned about all the shouting.

"Louis wandered off again." Jake replied, a bored tone to his voice.

“Alright. How about we all get back in the car?” Charlie suggested, “And start the journey again?”

"Good idea." Duffy sighed, holding her hand out towards her husband.

He took her hand in his.

Duffy used her other hand to clamber back to her feet.

“Are you alright?” He asked Duffy.

"I'm fine. Don't fuss."

“Are you sure?”

"Yes. I just want to get to our holiday cottage and relax."

“Me too.” He kissed her cheek, “Come on kids! Let’s go!"

"And you stop being such a fuss bum!" She giggled, tickling his sides.

“I can’t help it.” Charlie protested.

"I know you can't but I'm fine. Just the usual twinges and aches."

“Ok, good.”

Luckily the rest of the journey was uneventful and they were soon pulling up outside the holiday cottage.

Duffy put her hands up in defeat and rolled her eyes as she saw the glares Charlie and Peter were giving her as she walked towards the boot of her car.

Peter helped his dad get everything out of the car and take it into the cottage.

The kids immediately tore through the cottage to check out the bedrooms. Whilst her siblings fought over the bigger rooms Emily slipped up to the small converted loft which had an amazing view out the skylight. Emily sat on the bed and smiled. It was quiet and peaceful up here.

Peter wasn't overly impressed to have to share with his two younger brothers but it was either that or the sofa.

“It’s only for two weeks.” Charlie told Peter.

Duffy decided to let Charlie deal with the arguments over the sleeping arrangements whilst she took the cup of tea she'd just made out onto the patio.

After about thirty minutes of playing referee, everyone eventually liked their rooms and stopped bickering.

Hearing Charlie appear in the doorway Duffy leaned back in her chair to catch his eye. "Everyone happy now?"

He sat down on the doorstep and nodded, “Everyone's stopped arguing... for now.” He laughed gently, Oli on his lap, the tot wanted to get down and play in the garden.

"That's good. He seems to have finally perked up." She smiled.

Charlie placed Oli down so he could play in the garden. “Two weeks of rest... can’t wait.”

"Hmm... Sun, sea and..." She smirked.

“Sex?” He smirked.

"...sand!" She finished with a giggle.

He rolled his eyes playfully, “Of course! Sand!”

"What else would you expect at the beach?"

He grinned, “Do you really want to know what’s on my mind right now?”

"I don't think I need to ask..!"

He chuckled, “Probably for the best actually darling.”

"Cover your ears Oliver!" She giggled.

Oliver giggled softly as he stared at his parents.

"He's such an independent little soul isn't he?" She smiled.

He nodded as he sat beside Duffy. “Far too independent.”

She sighed contentedly as she rested against her husband.

[goatsandgangsters]

Pokemon AU: Team NY Part Two (Elite Four)

—A collaboration with @meyerlansky —Though this is set in the Unova region, we said “fuck it” with regards to which Pokemon are actually found in what region—because that’s limiting and less fun —The Elite Four edits below were made in (*checks metadata*) jesus, 2016. Pokemon that are more recently released were not largely accounted for in our plan (though some Galarian pokemon were so good, we had to revise) —Part One (Trainers) can be viewed here —Edits are done roughly to scale with character and pokemon heights. There aren’t many good trainer makers out there, so I used (slightly edited) in-game character art for them

The road to becoming the Elite Four for the Unova region was not an easy one. While they grew as trainers and as friends, Charlie, Meyer, Benny, and Frank went head-to-head with some of the region’s toughest trainers and gym leaders—plus two warring Team Rocket factions competing for control of Unova’s robust underbelly. Along the way, they grew stronger teams, developed their type preferences, and fought their way to become the latest and strongest installment Unova’s Elite Four. 

BENNY SIEGEL, ELITE FOUR (Fighting/Fairy): 

Pokemon Team (left to right) with Pokedex entries:

Galarian Rapidash (psychic/fairy): “Little can stand up to its psycho cut. Unleashed from this Pokémon's horn, the move will punch a hole right through a thick metal sheet.” 

Primeape (fighting): “It will beat up anyone who makes it mad, even if it has to chase them until the end of the world.”

Florges (fairy): “It controls the flowers it grows. The petal blizzards that Florges triggers are overwhelming in their beauty and power.”

Pangoro (fighting/dark): “It charges ahead and bashes its opponents like a berserker, uncaring about any hits it might take. Its arms are mighty enough to snap a telephone pole.” 

Gallade (psychic/fighting): “Because it can sense what its foe is thinking, its attacks burst out first, fast, and fierce.”

Mienshao (fighting): “When Mienshao lets out a bizarre wail, you're in danger. A flurry of kicks and chops too fast to see is about to be unleashed!”

Benny’s team is the perfect mixture of flash and brute force—much like his battle strategy. As the first member of the Elite Four that trainers face, Benny’s battles are filled with heavy-hitting moves.

While most of his team is comprised of fighting Pokemon that match his own temperament and battle strategy, Benny surprises challengers with the addition of two fairy-types on his team. Early on in their days as the Elite Four, Charlie gave Benny a hard time about choosing fairy-type Pokemon. Benny’s Florges delivered one attack that knocked out all of Charlie’s dragons in one hit; he has since stopped commenting on Benny’s team choices. No one else in the League would say a word against him either—Benny is known to be short-tempered and eager for a battle. 

In addition to his love of battling, Benny enjoys collecting shiny Pokemon, ever since he caught his shiny Floette at the start of his journey. Now evolved into his small-but-powerful Florges, it stands alongside a shiny Gallade on his team. He also traveled to the distant Galar region to catch a Rapidash—purely because it “looks awesome,” to quote the Elite Four member. 

A battle against Benny is usually a short one. His Pokemon hit hard and fast, and they’ll do anything to win.

CHARLIE LUCIANO, ELITE FOUR (Fire/Dragon): 

Pokemon Team (left to right) with Pokedex entries:

Pyroar (fire/normal): “The males are usually lazy, but when attacked by a strong foe, a male will protect its friends with no regard for its own safety.” 

Goodra (dragon): “It's very friendly toward people. If you grow close to it, Goodra will hug you with its sticky, slime-covered body. Don't get mad.” 

Charizard (fire/dragon): “It is said that Charizard's fire burns hotter if it has experienced harsh battles.”

Tyrantrum (rock/dragon): “Nothing could stop this Pokémon 100 million years ago, so it behaved like a king.”  

Arcanine (fire): “A Pokémon that has long been admired for its beauty. It runs agilely as if on wings.” 

Houndoom (dark/fire): “Identifiable by its eerie howls, people a long time ago thought it was the grim reaper and feared it.”

Ever since Charlie’s first Pokemon, Charmander, his early affinity for fire-type Pokemon continued throughout his career as a trainer. However, the weakness to commonly found water-type Pokemon left him vulnerable. After discovering Mega Evolution that would change his beloved Charizard into fire/dragon, the new type speciality seemed obvious to strengthen his team. 

His team is a mix of both fire and dragon types. This approach was seen as unconventional at first, as members of the Elite Four have historically only specialized in one type of Pokemon. When pressed for comment on this break from tradition, Charlie shrugged. “What’s that got to do with me? My team’s stronger this way—ain’t that the whole point?” 

Along with his starter Pokemon (now evolved into a Charizard), his dragon-type Goomy and his fire/dark-type Houndour are still part of his team in their final evolution stages, having grown in strength over the years. The Arcanine was a natural addition among Charlie’s fire-type and dog-like Pokemon collection. Information is scarce as to how he acquired the ancient powerhouse Tyrantrum. Rumor has it that Charlie won an odd rock in a battle and thought he’d been ripped off; it was Meyer who recognized the ancient fossil for what it was. 

The fire-type Pyroar was originally trained by Meyer as a Litleo, then traded for Charlie’s Deino. This was Charlie’s idea, as he and Meyer developed their respective interest in fire and dark Pokemon. Both Pokemon are loyal and devoted to their new trainers—as much as the two trainers are to each other. 

Charlie is a fierce competitor who battles with a hard offense, though his ability to strategize has been honed over the years. His team of Pokemon form a strong and loyal pack, protective of their trainer and just as determined to win and prove their strength.

FRANK COSTELLO, ELITE FOUR (Normal): 

Pokemon Team (left to right) with Pokedex entries:

Staraptor (normal/flying): “It never stops attacking even if it is injured. It fusses over the shape of its comb.”

Miltank (normal): “Most people raise it for its milk, but it's quite tough and strong, so it's also well suited for battle.”

Ursaring (normal): “With its ability to distinguish any smell, it unfailingly finds all food buried deep underground.”

Bewear (normal/fighting): “This Pokémon has the habit of hugging its companions. Many Trainers have left this world after their spines were squashed by its hug.”

Kangaskhan (normal): “To protect its young, it will never give up during battle, no matter how badly wounded it is.”

Kecleon (normal): “A Pokémon that has the ability to alter its body colors to match its surroundings. A Kecleon reverts to its original colors if it is startled.” 

Frank has the distinction of being the first-ever Elite Four trainer to specialize in normal-type Pokemon. He considers them sturdy and strong, with minimal influence from type-based strengths and weaknesses. This allows Frank to focus solely on his battle strategy, using a range of careful defensive and stat moves alongside some powerhouse offensive attacks from his Pokemon team. 

He hasn’t changed his style much since his trainer days. But don’t let Frank’s understated presence deceive you—his Pokemon pack a punch. His Ursaring—once the tiny Teddiursa that accompanied him as a young trainer—is a hard fighter. Despite its cute appearance, Bewear is a Pokemon known for its incredible strength; it’s also known as a protective Pokemon that will go into a rage to protect those it cares about. 

Frank’s Kecleon has also grown alongside him over the years. While it isn’t quite the powerhouse in terms of pure strength as the rest of his team, it does have the unique ability to blend into its surroundings and to change its type depending on the opponent. Over the years, Frank has mastered using Kecleon’s color change ability to undermine his opponent’s strategy and turn the tables on a battle. 

Frank is the third member of the Elite Four that trainers must face. He prefers being later in the lineup—being after Benny and Charlie means that he sees less action. While he has a sharp mind for battles and strong Pokemon at his side, Frank enjoys using the downtime outside of the League to tend to his berry patch.

MEYER LANSKY, ELITE FOUR (Dark): 

Pokemon Team (left to right) with Pokedex entries:

Golurk (ground/ghost): “It is said that Golurk were ordered to protect people and Pokémon by the ancient people who made them.” 

Bisharp (dark/steel): “Bisharp doesn't even change its expression when it deals the finishing blow to an opponent.” 

Sableye (dark/ghost): “Sableye lead quiet lives deep inside caverns. They are feared, however, because these Pokémon are thought to steal the spirits of people when their eyes burn with a sinister glow in the darkness.” 

Hydreigon (dark/dragon): “The three heads take turns sinking their teeth into the opponent. Their attacks won't slow until their target goes down.” 

Weavile (dark/ice): “They live in cold regions, forming groups of four or five that hunt prey with impressive coordination.”

Scrafty (dark/fighting): “While mostly known for having the temperament of an aggressive ruffian, this Pokémon takes very good care of its family, friends, and territory.” 

 The strongest and final member of Unova’s Elite Four, Meyer is a cunning trainer with a natural knack for strategy and a smile more chilling than the snowy town where he first started his Pokemon journey. His dark-type team is a force to be reckoned with, carefully chosen for strategy as well as strength. Each of his five dark-type Pokemon boast different secondary types, affording a wide range of powerful moves and posing an additional challenge to anyone who would battle him. 

The dark/ice Weavile from his original team embodies his specialty as a trainer, with its sharp claws and intellect. The little Scraggy from his trainer days has also remained a vital member of his team, now evolved into the no-less-tiny but far more powerful Scrafty. His team is rounded out by Sableye, a dangerous dark/ghost Pokemon with few weaknesses, and a disciplined and forceful Bisharp. The Hydreigon is evolved from the Deino he received from Charlie, in exchange for Meyer’s Litleo early in their journeys.

The only exception to his dark-type team is the ground/ghost Golurk; the bond between trainer and Pokemon has only grown stronger since that day many years ago when Meyer first found the little Golett in the snow. The ancient Pokemon is said to be a protector, and its strength coupled with Meyer’s natural knack for strategy has won them many battles.

Meyer is the final member of the Elite Four that trainers must defeat before going on to challenge the Champion. To date, only one trainer has ever managed to progress past Meyer. He has gone on record with the League stating that it will never happen again; so far, he has kept his word.

-----

The Unova Elite Four is comprised of four trainers who have grown together to become the strongest in the region. They were installed as the Elite Four under former League Champion Arnold Rothstein, whose psychic-based team never saw any action with these four guarding the path to the Champion. 

Only one trainer has ever managed to defeat them all—a woman from the Kanto region, with a strong, diversified team. The unexpected victor Margaret Rohan has been the presiding League Champion for several years since.

[homesteadchronicles]

49 and 50 for the writer ask meme .o.

1. What inspired you to write your WIP?

Kingdom Come actually started as an idea for an online roleplaying group. I got into D&D-style roleplay communities online in college, and after the Legend of Zelda-themed group I had been apart of for years shut down, I wanted to make my own for my friends and I. It was originally based on a group of people going into uncharted territory to find habitable space after a civil war devastated their homeland. Then, as I built the world, I realized I needed to actually, you know…decide what happened in the war. That war (which has changed DRAMATICALLY, as has what comes after), became Kingdom Come.

Fun fact: Knight Commander Elyk was one of the primary NPCs of that roleplaying campaign! And he would often have his son, Oeden, tag along with him. Only, we would have seen Oeden at a considerably younger age than he is now. You were gonna see the cuteness before the inevitable teenage angst.

Believe it or not, Nevermore was a massive conglomeration of ideas. First off, one of the primary protagonists’ stories came to me immediately after watching Black Panther…which is so strange because they have NOTHING in common. Secondly, my mentor and I sat down one day at lunch and talked about the possibility of making our own superhero universe. Of course, that specific universe was one where every single person on Earth had a power, but it was incredibly specific. Like, you could shapeshift at will…but only into a telephone pole. We made up these scenarios and tried to figure out how they would accomplish their missions - it was a blast! I kept making more and more of these superheroes by myself over time until I had a whole league of them. And finally? I had an oooooold story idea for groups of people of all different races, genders, cultures, social statuses, that were trained to reclaim land lost after a natural disaster, which was now morphed into a lot of the lore for this world. As to be expected, what with its diverse blend of genres, Nevermore is a big old mish-mosh of passion projects!

50. What’s your favorite thing about your WIP?

For Kingdom Come, it has to be that feeling of intimately knowing each and every one of these characters. As I’ve been crafting them, and the world they live in, for so long now, it feels like home whenever I work on it. Sure, the intertwining storylines make me want to bash my head into a wall and sometimes I realize I didn’t know the cast quite as well as I thought I did, but it always feels like finding there’s another layer to a close friend and having the honor of delving deeper into their heart.

For Nevermore, it’s…a difficult sensation to explain. Kingdom Come is a heavy, no-holds-barred story that gets incredibly dark at times. While Nevermore has a tragic background, there’s this sense of adventure and wonder that allows me to write within it for long periods of time. With KC, I have to take breaks because it affects my mind and spirit. But Nevermore is practically a playground. I find myself having much more freedom to maneuver as I please within this world instead of being so stringent to rules, and I’m actually having SO much fun writing it!

Thank you so much for sending in questions, my friend! If anyone else would like to join in on our fun for Author Thursday, feel free to send me questions from the “50 Writing Asks!” prompt.

[pbpress]

Fire and Ice: Chapter 3

By Brooklyn N. Dottin

MARTIN AUGUSTIN

“Fifty dollars to fix up that scratch,” said the disheveled, oily-overalled mechanic called Jasper Antwong, after examining the damage done to my car. She wiped her perspiring forehead with her hand, leaving a dark smear of grease. I’d taken my car to the mechanic that weekend, hoping to get the scratch fixed. Judging by how insignificant the scratch seemed compared to , say, a dent caused by backing into a telephone pole or whatever, I figured that I’d be able to just take my car there, get the scratch fixed, and be out of it. But, I was wrong.

        “Fifty dollars?” I sighed. “But that’s twice as much as I make in a month!”

    “Then you’ll just have to wait until you have the fifty dollars,” Jas said nonchalantly. “Until then, you’re just gonna have to live with the scratch for a while.”

      “Thanks a bunch,” I said, getting into my car.

The mechanic didn’t seem to notice my sarcasm.

      “Anytime, my man,” she said, going back into the garage.

     I smiled at the retreating figure. Although I would not outwardly-or even inwardly- admit it, I actually quite admired that mechanic, for four reasons: 1) Jas is the only female mechanic at that garage. In fact, she’s the only female mechanic in the whole county! 2) She’s no-nonsense, she never bothers with light-heartedness, and she’s knows what needs to be done, and usually does it. 3) She doesn’t care that people are more than a little weirded out that there’s a female mechanic, and 4) Despite the fact that she almost always wears oily overalls and always wears her hair in a messy, unkempt ponytail, she’s just about the cutest girl I know. She’s a freshman in college, and she’s going to a mechanical and technical school. She’s basically an intern at that garage, but she’s kind of above internship, by how hard she works there. She’s even helped to repair whole transmissions and engines and what-not for ten whole cars. So, I’m not so sure she’s an intern as much as she is an actual mechanic. 

      Do not judge me, but since ninth grade, I’ve had a huge crush on Jas.  We used to go to the same school in elementary school, but went to different schools for middle school. She’s two years older than me, so we didn’t cross paths often; as she was busy applying to colleges and basically doing older teenager stuff, I was still trying to settle down into high school life. But we visited each other as often as we could, and had lots of great times together. One time, when she was twelve, and I was ten, Jas’s mom took us both to Sea World during summer break. Jas loved marine life and wanted to become a marine biologist when she grew up. The first thing she wanted to do was check out the shark tanks. Now, I had, and still have, a deathly fear of sharks. So I wasn’t too enthusiastic about the idea of observing them from behind a glass window. I believed, with any luck, the sharks would bash in the window, and eat us all up. Of course, that is highly unlikely, but I still didn’t want to look at sharks. I preferred to look at something less harmless, like fish, or just go on a ride or something. But there I was, at the shark tank, with Jas and her mom. At first, we didn’t see any sharks, and Jas’ mom explained that they were just probably hiding. I started to relax a bit, but right when my guard was completely down, a shark met the glass headway. I screamed and ran outside, shouting, “SHARK IS ON THE LOOSE!! SHARK IS ON THE LOOSE!!!!”  But everyone just laughed at me. The shark hadn’t even cracked the glass. I felt like a complete moron then, and, whenever I think back on that time, still do. And Jas has never let me hear the end of THAT one.

    Despite that, we get along quite well. When she began working at that garage, she’d talk to me in a very short, professional manner while she was at work, but in her spare time, she’d be totally loose. I kind of prefer the loose side of her, ‘cause the professional side, at times, could be slightly obnoxious. Other than that, she’s a really awesome person. I hate to admit this, but in ninth grade I’d often fantasize about marrying her. I know it sounds ridiculous, but occasionally I still do. I mean, get a grip! You’re two years younger than her!

    I drove home, thinking all that the whole time. I wondered if my best friend, Blanchard Schwartz, was okay. She’s usually the most conscientious person ever, and she’s hardly ever distracted, yet, she seemed especially distracted on Thursday. What was up with her? Something must be up. I didn’t know what, but it had to be something. I mean, who forgets to close a car door before starting up the car? That’s literally common knowledge!

I could never forget to close my car door. 

  “Did it have something to do with Austin?” I wondered.  “There have been signs….But she’s not one of those girls who go buck-wild over cute guys! Unlike that Alessandra Firebrand creep! I heard from my brother who heard from Alessandra’s brother that she and Austin were making out in her room, and Alessandra may well have started the whole thing. There’s no way Blanchard would want to as well! But then again, she did seem to go a little scatterbrained whenever Austin walked by or talked to her. No, no, no, no, that can’t be-”

    MEEEEEEEEP!

A car horn interrupted my distracted train of thoughts. I realized I was drifting out my lane and quickly jerked the steering wheel hard to the right. A green SUV with a man and a couple kids in it went past. I pulled over to the side of the road, parked, and leaned on the steering wheel, breathing hard. I had to take literally a full half hour to fully get my head around what just happened. I actually slapped myself across the face for almost getting myself killed. Now I knew how Blanchard felt! Ugh!

     After fully getting myself back together, I drove towards home, this time fully alert, maybe over-alert. But the important thing is, I managed to get home without any damage done. 

[comicteaparty]

January 31st, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on January 31st, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on Apricot Cookie(s)! by Louis Lloyd-Judson.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Apricot Cookie(s)! by Louis Lloyd-Judson~! (https://apricotcookies.net/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustinbros

Hello!

RebelVampire

hey super~!

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Hi everyone This is late into the comic, but I loved the reveal of Apricot's family -- how it was treated as normal and matter-of-fact in-universe, because for her it is, even though it's a real Wham Moment for the readers.

Superjustinbros

Glad to be here!

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

(And that's gotta be the reason why she can't transform properly, right?)(edited)

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1265858 This oen gave me a good chuckle

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Yeah, I love all the self-aware genre jokes.

RebelVampire

i agree with erin. my favorite scene is when we find out that apricot's secret is that shes the princess of darkness. because i did not expect the secret reveal right then, and just like the entire process as things evolved was personally comical for me. cause first her dad shows up in this weird attire, then grandma darkness, then the helmet thing, and then just more from there. like it was a bunch of puzzle pieces all falling into place. if i was a cartoon character thats when a lightbulb and exclamation point wouldve appeared over my head.

Superjustinbros

the genral humor of the comic is top notch

and how it plays with stereotypes

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Ooh, it was totally unexpected. And most people would consider this as a possible reason why she can't transform! But it's perfectly in-character for her that she never spoiled the reveal by even thinking about it.

She's such a ditz, I love her.

RebelVampire

yeah. the humor of the comic is definitely top notch. this, imo at least, is parody done right. because its walking that fine line between mocking the tropes but having them and loving them anyway.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Definitely.

RebelVampire

i also love the reveal cause suddenly this page made more sense https://tapas.io/episode/274726

and i love that sneaky foreshadowing i didnt mark in my mind as sneaky foreshadowing

Superjustinbros

Yes^(edited)

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Ooh, nice.

RebelVampire

but yeah, i definitely think everything played out in a natural way for apricot. cause of course she denies all the things. cause her family doesnt fit into her tragic back story

which btw i love when shes talking about that and her dad is just sitting there reading the newspaper

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

A+ introduction there.

mathtans

I like how it all clicked together too. Though I think my favourite moment was on this page: https://apricotcookies.net/5/31 ... Not only a BTTF reference at the sake of fashion but also a callback to an earlier joke that I hadn't expected.

Superjustinbros

Time traveling movie references in a reference to a past joke. Genius(edited)

mathtans

Yeah, it's interesting the stuff in the background, not just that bit with her dad, but her sister in the background of one shot, and I was like, hmmmm wait? Then it all gets explained.

Missed the "An" bit though.

RebelVampire

yes. i love that this joke made a comeback. like this is the sort of attention to detail i love and that i think really makes the comic's humor top notch.

mathtans

Speaking of which, I will say, not impressed by the fart humour. I feel like it's (comic's) too clever to need to reach for the bottom shelf there. It's the one thing I shake my head over.(edited)

But that's me.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Nah, it's me too.

Superjustinbros

Fart humor in 2018/19?

mathtans

Back to the amusing, the line about her being "16 but 18 outside of Japan". OMG.

RebelVampire

that was way too topical and i loved that line

cause its so true

Superjustinbros

Indeed

mathtans

I was thinking about it again when she was in England. Like... hm?

RebelVampire

especially now with more companies cracking down

and suddenly all these 18 year old high school girls

mathtans

Yis. eyeroll

Superjustinbros

eyerolls

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

That's a good example of a joke that's clever and genre-savvy, it just happens to refer to something that's bad news IRL. In contrast to the "it's gross, that automatically makes it funny" bits.

mathtans

Yeah, there's lots of clever genre stuff.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

A little more seriously...I really liked Starlit Pony's whole arc. It's irreverent and wacky but there's actually something sincere underneath.

mathtans

Sorry, which? Abysmal with names.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

The trans one!

mathtans

Ah! I suspected but wasn't sure. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about that one, like I almost wish it had gone deeper. I wasn't sure if the dad was being sarcastic with the "son" comments near the start or not. But I agree there was some good consideration there.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

She's a great counter-example for the kind of people who say "what, you don't want us to make fun of crossdressing-boy characters?? How will we be funny now? You obviously just hate jokes!"

Like, no, you can be funny and respect trans people. Here's proof.

Superjustinbros

^

RebelVampire

i really liked they involved the trainers aspect more in that arc. because i also love the boys all card duel just as much as i love the girls are all magical girls.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

And her dad refers to her as his daughter eventually -- it's a happy conclusion, that he comes around to accepting her gender.

mathtans

Yup, smashing stereotypes through use of stereotypes. Or something.

Erin: Yes, but I wasn't sure if she was actually a girl who liked cards, or a boy who liked magic. Like, the way it was presented felt ambiguous, even through the dad's comments, until later.

Of course, I'm also sleep deprived.

Gawd I hate January.

Superjustinbros

As someone that dislikes stereotypes anything that's used to bash/take shots at them is welcome by me

I know that feel

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Well, she's a girl who likes magic. But she has the card-based powers because apparently those are divided by biology, not gender identity.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. One of the main aspects of the comic is to parody manga and anime in a comedic manner. Of all the parodies so far, which one do you think is the most accurate? What about its execution in the comic do you think makes it work as a parody? Additionally, which of the parodies did you find the funniest? Outside of the writing, there are also plenty of visual gags. Visually speaking, which moment stood out to you as particularly comedic? Lastly, what do you personally feel the underlying commentary is saying about manga and anime? Has any parody in the comic made you think about manga or anime in a new light?

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

It's really funny that there's this whole card-game-based conflict going on in the same world, in the background to the magical-power-based conflict.

Like, that's how the industry as a whole feels sometimes -- though obviously it's not along such a rigid divide (much as marketing companies wish it was).

mathtans

The visit to the Convention was rather amusing. There's these times when the creator pokes fun at themselves, visually or otherwise. (eg "No one does these things in full colour").

Superjustinbros

lol

Yeah, doujinshi are rarely drawn in full color

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Yeah, that was good. I love that even the in-between pages have that kind of self-referential gag. "This is best read out loud, in a crowded place, such as on a train."

mathtans

I had feels for the artist when Apricot critiqued. Though Apricot also seems to appreciate things that are "hard to draw".

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

XD

mathtans

Yeah, the explanation pages are clever. I like how it's actually a different character and bird each time.

I still remember when they were looking at that post with all the wires too.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Usually "that looks hard to draw" is a cartoonist's lampshading of the fact that they're fudging their way out of drawing something. Here, nope, we get to see the whole thing.

Superjustinbros

This^

RebelVampire

i love thatd moment where they took a moment to look at the electrical telephone pole

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

("They", I say, as if I'm not included in this group, heh.)

RebelVampire

for the hard to draw thing

A+ joke

mathtans

I liked the dark lord muttering about having to watch teenage girls too. With the globe he got and everything. He probably would prefer Anzu to be doing it as part of her training.

Actually, his intros are hilarious.

I'm not sure what it parodies, but it works.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

He seems like a riff on the standard Video Game Final Boss to me.

RebelVampire

i think my favorite parody of them all is the one where apricot actually does wake up late and then takes the time to go get bread, and etc. etc. cause its just so drawn out in how long it takes. but its true, you cant go late to anime school without toast in your mouth.

Superjustinbros

lol yes

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

...realizing now that I don't actually have much personal experience with Video Game Final Bosses, I'm basing this impression mostly on how they get parodied in other webcomics. Like RPG World, or Adventurers.

mathtans

Heh. That was clever (the toast). I felt like it went on a bit long was the only thing. (Also, in the background, 11-11. Subtle.)(edited)

The language thing (are we speaking Japanese or English) felt like it went on a bit long too. I think it only stands out because usually the pacing feels very good.

I don't play the Video Games, I only watch Let'S Plays.

RebelVampire

i also loved the translation bit. it did go on for a bit, yet i think what sold me on it was the OK that was supposed to be english was actually changed to the correct universal font for trying to show things in english

mathtans

I did notice that. Another clever detail.

RebelVampire

he seems most assuredly a riff on video game final bosses, especially considering everyone mistook him for sephiroth at the convention

Superjustinbros

lol

mathtans

Do not challenge him. He will summon your parents.

Superjustinbros

that would be amazing

RebelVampire

one of my fave visual gags is probably this page https://tapas.io/episode/483838

mathtans

The navigation is also really clever (on the main site). My first time there, I just clicked right arrow. It brought me to the first page again, and I had to actually read what was going on.

RebelVampire

where shes telling jacques shes surely pretty under that helmet

but nope

Superjustinbros

those eyes tho o_o

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

And the "sorry if you were looking for recipes" in the header cracks me up.

mathtans

Jacques is creepy. Another nice detail with the missing a leg in human form, but like, wtf with birds.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I'm so glad she put the helmet back on

RebelVampire

yes i really loved that detail in the header

mathtans

Header's good too, yup.

RebelVampire

but makes me wonder how many ppl have gotten to this site wanting apricot cookie recipes XD

mathtans

I like how "Anzu" means "Apricot". Though it just adds more language confusion.

RebelVampire

oh lol, i didnt know that. never crossed my mind to translate her name XD

mathtans

I suspected, so I went to a translation program.

Superjustinbros

god bless translations

RebelVampire

smart. thats a great detail then

https://apricotcookies.net/5/21

i enjoy the last panel

about the adaptions

especially cause the hollywood one would be terrible

too accurate

but i also appreciate the art style switch in the next page

cause that takes some skill

Superjustinbros

yes

RebelVampire

and i love the filters kind of effect on it that references the kind of shit quality 90s anime had

mathtans

I'm bad for noticing art stuff at times.

Interesting how she started blonde though.

RebelVampire

i assume the blond is their natural color, and their hair only becomes black when infused with dark power

so ya know

typical anime stuff

QUESTION 3. The comic features a slew of colorful characters with even more colorful personalities. Which character at the moment is your favorite and why? Further, of the comedic moments related to them, which one do you think was the best? What sort of scenarios are you hoping to see this character in in the future? Finally, what do you think their relationship with our protagonist Apricot adds to the story? Speaking of relationship dynamics with Apricot, how do you feel like those dynamics in general might change between all the characters as the story continues? Overall, what typical manga scenarios are you hoping to see addressed in the comic, and which character are you hoping to see participate in them?

mathtans

It amusing that Apricot wants her parents to be dead in her backstory, but her real story is kind of messed up too.

Superjustinbros

Design wise, Meal Deal and Moonlight Spritzer.

mathtans

Cream ftw. For definite.

Can't beat teleporting and quipping like Spiderman.

I'm bad for noticing designs too.

Superjustinbros

Especially with a name like Cream

RebelVampire

im really sad there wont be more moonlight spritzer cause shes now an office lady

Superjustinbros

r.i.p.

mathtans

... ... I had always pictured it as "cream and sugar" until you said that ...

I was amused by "that doesn't count". I'm not a motorcycle fan though. ^.^

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I was thinking whipped cream. To go with the other desserts.

mathtans

I guess I was automatically onto the tea or coffee mindset.

Wait, butter's a dessert?

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Butter cookies are?

They're not all desserts, just several of them.

mathtans

Did not even pick up on that. Point.

Superjustinbros

mmm, butter

mathtans

Speaking of, Apricot's interest in Butter, like trying not to look at her transforming or how she reacted to the idea it was just the two of them at a sleepover... that amused me. Because of the yuri implications. ^.^

Though I guess Apricot's turned out to be... pansexual?

RebelVampire

they at least all have a food theme i think.

mathtans

Not sure if that's the right term.

RebelVampire

i assume apricot is just into whatever although i doubt were gonna get any actual ships going on alas.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Bisexual or pansexual would both work. Unless she uses a specific word in-universe...and AFAIK there aren't separate words in Japanese.

She just says she's into "men and women...and trains."

mathtans

Bisexual implies male or female to me though, versus the trains thing. ^^

RebelVampire

apricot x trains otp

mathtans

apricot x ships?

Superjustinbros

apricots on ships sounds liek the name to a song

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Eh, there are straight and gay people who talk about weird xeno attractions too.

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

Geh. 9A9 I'm late! jumps in anyway

I like the Apricot x Butter ship. XDDD

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

So many anime with trains/planes/boats/etc personified as sexy moe girls...

Superjustinbros

^

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

Much agreed with Erin. ; v ;

RebelVampire

i wonder if jacques plays hatoful boyfriend

mathtans

Erin: ... Point. I hadn't even gone there yet. O.o

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

It would be some epic planning if the endgame ships turned out to be foreshadowed by "they're named after foods that go together well."

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I've had Apricot Butter before... 8L

mathtans

Well, the girls seem to go for harem-style guys (aside from Butter).

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I do have to say, I didn't expect Butter to be called Butter because she's got a blue scheme going.

Superjustinbros

In before there's a yellow-themed girl called blueberry

mathtans

I wonder why Butter sleeps underwater.

RebelVampire

yeah butter's mostly blueness really stood out to me. but maybe reflective that you dont want too much butter

Superjustinbros

Yeah, lol

RebelVampire

cause you put too much butter on something and it tastes icky

mathtans

I can't believe it's not Butter.

Superjustinbros

Too much butter on something is kinda gross tbh

I can't believe I missed that reference/joke Math just said

RebelVampire

the character i really want to see more of is jammy smasher the head bully. cause she and apricot need to have that arc where they become the true best friends who still constantly bicker but are on the same team and all those shenanigans. cause im really interested to see what punches the comic throws at all those tropes

mathtans

Just gotta put Butter on Apricot.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I'd be into this Jammy Smasher arc.

mathtans

I could see that, Rebel, though it might get subverted.

ShaRose49

I only read some of the beginning so far but I wanted to say all it’s breaking of the fourth wall was great. I liked the lord of darkness guy the best or whatever his name was

mathtans

I'm still on about Cream. She knows more about Apricot's family now, could be relevant later.

Superjustinbros

always love me some good fourth wall destruction

ShaRose49

@Superjustinbros sometimes it needs to be broken

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I actually got a bit confused when I started out reading because I thought Lord of Darkness would be the main character. XDDD

RebelVampire

he can be the main character in your heart

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

True, true. ;v;

RebelVampire

and im sure hed be the type to tell you everyone is the main character of their own life story

mathtans

Dude can't even figure out slide shows, let alone the internet. (Though I guess now we see where some of Apricot's incompetence comes from.)

RebelVampire

and his mom did say his love story with his wife would be like a 10 year manga so he can be the protag of that

and 100% its gonna get subverted cause this is a parody comic. no way theyll play it straight. i half expect apricot to turn to jammy in the climatic bond moment where they admit they arent so bad and apricot just goes "just kidding youre a bitch"

Superjustinbros

well stories aren't limited to just one main

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

That too~~. XD

Superjustinbros

Sometimes you get a side character or two that has such a large impact on the story that they become a major fofure

RebelVampire

i really did like the opening introduction though where the lord of darkness treats it like a business meeting and such.

although

who exactly are we in this context. like what if this isnt just a fourth wall break, but were just first person cameraing a character

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I actually felt like I was being thrown back into the days when I was in Uni. XDDDD

Like, Lord of Darkness felt like a professor and his powerpoint struggles... ; v ;(edited)

RebelVampire

i enjoyed that he called tech support XD just wasting more of the time. and i enjoy that panel where hes crying about the wasted hours he spent on a powerpoint that doesnt even work

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

RIP oh great Lord of Darkness. XDDD

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Apricot’s one true dream in the story is to become a magical girl. Do you think that Apricot will achieve her dream eventually and learn to transform? If so, what measures do you think she might have to take to ultimately achieve this dream? How might this affect Apricot’s relationship with her family? Alternatively, will she eventually come to accept her role as the Princess of Darkness? Regardless of which event occurs, how do you think Apricot’s friends/school mates would react to finding out who her parents are? Do you think they’ll find out or will it stay a secret forever? Finally, what shenanigans do you think Apricot will get up to in general throughout the story?

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I havent' read that far, but I think Apricot will become a magical girl at some point.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I think she's gonna get a Devil Homura type of magical-girl form. And it'll be epic.

Superjustinbros

Yes

mathtans

(Back - little one's entered a fussier time of the evening.)

RebelVampire

that would be awesome if her form just winds up being pretty evil looking. as long as all the others comment loudly about it. like "Wow who would expect the ditz girl to have a form like this." "Isn't this form a little evil looking?" and apricot just has to flail assuring them nah its fine, perfectly normal

mathtans

The others are all aware of a great power when Apricot tries to transform. Thing is, didn't someone say at some point that Princesses couldn't transform? I think she'd need to renounce her throne for it to work. Which she might do, but then regret.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I thought it was "only the Princess can transform without relying on her bird companion."

mathtans

I'm torn between thinking her form would show off too much, or like practically cover her entirely like a snowsuit. (There's few in betweens with her.)

Erin: Oh, that might have been it, good call.

Maybe that's the important thing the bird had wanted to tell her, the power's in you, I'm only holding you back.

RebelVampire

it was specifically the princess of light though. who can transform without a bird companion. and her sister is the princess of light and i assume its a there can only be one thing.

Superjustinbros

Hmm

Is that so?

RebelVampire

although idk what would happen if the parents decided to have a third child

very convenient they stopped after two

mathtans

Princess of darkness might have similar restrictions.

What if it was a boy? Would darkness have a deck of cards?

Superjustinbros

What about the princess of in-between?

RebelVampire

yes i support this if the third child is a boy. a boy who is destined for a magical cube that contains the soul of an egyptian pharoah. and that even as a baby he becomes the best dueller in japan.

and you cant have a princess of in-between. theres only light and darkness. this isnt real life where all the things are actually gray and cant be fit into two boxes O_O

Superjustinbros

Are you sure about that

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I get the impression there could be multiple light/dark Princesses within the family -- it's just that this kind of power can't manifest outside the family.

Superjustinbros

Aah ok

RebelVampire

definitely can agree it cant manifest outside the family.

i def cant wait to see the fallout when others find out apricot's secret. not that i expect huge amounts of drama

but no way they wont react

i could actually see them encouraging apricot to accept her role

cause once her dad retires what are they supposed to fight if theres no ruler of the darkness

director of darkness

cause suddenly remembered the appropriate title

Superjustinbros

Director of Darkness sounds badass

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Maybe at some point they'll meet a girl who hates being a frilly magical girl and longs for a dark evil powerset. (With parallels/foreshadowing in how Starlit was born with the deck-of-cards powerset but wanted the frilly powerset.) And then she and Apricot can engineer a swap somehow.

Superjustinbros

Lol

Well not every girl wants to be some sweet and dainty rightly colored girl that's for sure

RebelVampire

this does seem like a potential arc, but more like the kind thatll blow up in their faces and not work out. XD

mathtans

(Back again.)

RebelVampire

i really hope chapter 7 is about cream though. cause as i think math mentioned earlier, i want to see cream deal with being the only one who knows at the very least that almond and apricot are sisters

mathtans

Maybe the family decides to adopt.

I just want more Cream! ^.^

Superjustinbros

*ads more cream to Math's dessert

mathtans

I wonder, if students transfer to Japan, do they get wrapped up in this stuff? Because there aren't magical girls in the UK, as Cream indicated.

RebelVampire

i think cream is evidence that yes

Superjustinbros

What about in the US?

RebelVampire

yes they do

it is destiny

the comic hasnt said anything about the US

mathtans

So what if they move away? Powers are sealed?

(Reminds me, they're able to toe the line rather neatly, what with tentacles and rope tricks, without crossing over.)

RebelVampire

thats basically what is implied. that they dont get to use their powers anymore. since cream was barely there a few mins before the visa kicked in

i was looking at earlier pages

https://apricotcookies.net/1/8

i wanna know who the figure is that got her own panel

cause that is the chara who shouldve been butter if we go by color scheme XD

mathtans

Oh yeah, the figurine. I'd forgotten about that.

Also, sleeping in hair ties for branding. Hah.

Superjustinbros

If only we had known

mathtans

(Was it Cream who said "in the name of the spoon?"... I forget but it sounds like something she'd say.)

Maybe the figurine is Mom when she was younger.

Superjustinbros

Anyways since the tea party's ending I'd like to wish Louis luck on continuing the comic, this is a great read so far and I'l looking forward to what happens next

mathtans

One last wondering, is Apricot's last name "Cookie"? Or is that a web cookie pun? Because her real last name is "Hikari", right?

Superjustinbros

Lol, that'd be one hell of a last name

RebelVampire

i assume its apricot's pre-chosen magical girl name

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Same.

RebelVampire

considering her first name is anzu

not apricot

Superjustinbros

Fair enough

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

But anzu means apricot, yes? So that's just a translation thing.

RebelVampire

yeah but still her actual first name. i dont think its necessarily just a translation joke

mathtans

I suppose. I wondered about translations.

Superjustinbros

Anyways cya (edited)

mathtans

Anyway, final remark is the recipe if people hadn't spotted it yet. With 3D printing. Well done. https://apricotcookies.net/specials/2

All very clever.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Louis Lloyd-Judson, as well, for making Apricot Cookie(s)!. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Louis Lloyd-Judson’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://apricotcookies.net/

Louis’ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Louistrations

Louis’ Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/louistrations

Louis’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Louistrations