#GUS J FINALLY DID IT

[sketchthetofu]

Rabbit looks at Destined in surprise, well that was a completely different situation than he thought it was!!! He just thought Noir liked the real world better than his own, not that he would die if he went back!!! That’s awful!!! “HES GONNA DIE???!!! That’s awful D:!!! I thought he, I don’t know, just didn’t like his world! Not that! I bet you guys can figure something out, but still uagh….. :(“ Rabbit couldn’t think of William dying again, it made him sick to think about but to Destined that was an overclouding threat to all of them going home…. He wouldn’t go home if it was going to kill his William, yeah it would suck, but still, he’d rather William alive than be selfish. “Yeah stinky dude…. I’m glad I wasn’t mutated when I ate him because, oh boy! That would’ve sucked with my double enchanted senses-“ Rabbit scrunches his noise thinking about it, yuck!!!

Rabbit melts into Destined attaching to him, his instincts fully latching onto Destined in this empty awful room, he was his burrow mate, just a different version of him but still, Rabbit felt safe and that he could rely on Destined to watch his back even though they had just met recently, which was… odd… odd but good. “A wizard… hah neat! He kinda had a hero costume that was like a wizards, kinda- your dad is magical? I met my Vyncents dad but he was strung up on a wall and wasn’t doing good, I was able to talk to his mom though!!!” He mentioned like it was an afterthought, just another fact of his world, Vyncents dad was evil, and he almost died because of it, but! Vyncent didn’t seem too caught up about that anymore so Rabbit won’t be either, there’s other things to worry about, though maybe he should check up on Vyncent some time soon about it. It was getting a bit harder to talk, a fuzzy feeling slowly creeping into Rabbits mind with the back and forth Destined and he had, the comfort and safeness he felt, but he still pushed forward for now. “I’ve been in box before, not fun… but! It’s okay with you here, this is okay, nice.” Seeing Destineds joy and excitement made Rabbits goofy grin stick as he giggles which stumble and tumble into a louder, but still comfortable, purr, Destineds energy being contagious as Rabbits tail continues to go a mile an hour. “Yeah!!! We can figure out how to get in there!!! My William hasn’t gotten into all this au stuff so I haven’t been there before, but we can make it work somehow!” They are just so happy and safe and comfortable- wueuweuweyweuwue-

Slides into your ask box, Hi sketch!!!

I wanna slowly hand you Isekai!Vyncent (still need a specific name for all these people 😭) to Rabbit Dakota cause Isekai Vynce is especially creature coded and I think it would be fun if we put them in a box…. YIPPE

HIIIII WELCOME TO THE RP CHAOS HEHEHE

Loooovvveeee putting Rabbit in a box, my favorite past time <3. And creature coded characters my beloved… U want feral Rabbit or regular Rabbit :D? (Feral Rabbit: SOOO jumpy and skittish and stuck in his instincts)

[awniie]

PRAISE W/ SUGURU GETO ୨ৎ

꒰ summary: geto fucking the absolute daylight outta you ♡

ㅤㅤㅤ⭑ content: porn no plot, praise kink, crybaby reader, fem!reader, sub?readerrr, kinda rushed so not proof-read <33

ㅤㅤㅤ⭑ notes: tysm @d0nk3y-k0ng for the req, ly pooks :3

"Sugu…feel s-soso good..” you hiccup, stealing breath in between each thrust, just for him to fuck it out if you again. He had you saddled on top of him, this position allowing his cock to reach spots you didn’t even know could be reached. You struggled to keep up after a while, and just held on. He kept a hand on each side of your hips, squeezing into the fat of your ass which was sure to leave if mark but it’s nothing you cared about right now. “Taking me so well baby, aren’t ya’? Pussy squeezing me s’ tight….fuck” his heavy hand quickly fell on your ass, stealing a strangled moan from your wet lips. This duality made you crazy, his was pounding up into you with no remorse leaving no spot in your cunt unfucked, but then he would say things like; “Doing so well for me baby. Love you ‘n this pussy so much.” or “Good girl” with that undeniably sexy purr that rolled off his tongue, almost making you cum on cue. His words made you want to keep pleasing him, as if that was your sole purpose. You greedily took in all his sugary-sweet words, leaving you wanting more. You’d get on your knees for this man, just to feel that moment when your stomach flipped at the smallest bit of attention. Another harsh slap on the your read brought your back from your lust-hungry thoughts. You let out a whine to which he replies to another deep thrust. Wayyy too deep. “F-fuck sugu…sugu..sugu..” you babbled, his name the only thing that could spill out of your cock-filled brain. You were close, you could feel the build up of your impending release. You squeezed tighter around his length, drawing out a loud groan for him. That only egged him on though, ruthless thrust after thrust in your cunt. You were sure you were nothing more than dead weight that way he fucked the light out of you, but if you were he showed no struggled in bouncing you up and down on his cock.

“O-oh m’ go-odd…suguuu…m’ gonna cummmm…” was the most coherent sentence you’d let out in the last few minutes. “You gonna come baby, gonna come all over m’ cock right?” He asked, as if that wasn’t something that was settled on a while ago. You’d only let out a sob in response, which was good enough for him.

He was familiar with the way your body worked before an orgasm. The way your breath hitched and made your fits bounce, and the way your cunt spasmed right as you were on the delicious edge. He thrusted even harder, echos of skin meeting skin filling the room. “hey, hey baby. Look at me, look.” your boyfriend suguru instructed, before grabbing your fucked-out face and made you look him. His voice was breathy and your stray hairs stuck to his forehead, but god he’s never looked better. “Go ahead and cum f’me baby, finish all over my fucking cock.” He’d groan, and that’s what fucking sent you. You let out a series of moans and cries, eyes squeezing shut and breathing all heavy, pussy fluttering and pulsing before you finally slumped against his chest. After a couple more sense-muting thrusts, he finished, heaving and feeling the way his dick softened while inside pussy. He watches the way your closed eyelid twitch and how her breath is ragged, surprising still (mostly) conscious. He pets the top of your head and peppers it with kisses. “Did so good for me baby. J’s like you always do.” He smirked at the way you squirmed at his praise and lifted your sweat-glistening face to look into his eyes. “Thank you su-gu..” you murmured, eyelashes drooping with crystal-clear tears. “L-love you.”

“Love you too baby, love you so fucking much.”

[demifiendrsa]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth details Gold Saucer, Corel Prison, Vincent Valentine, Cid Highwind, and more detailed

■ New Art

■ Regions of the World

The world is comprised of multiple regions, each boasting unique environments for players to explore and experience on their adventure.

Gold Saucer

Referred to as the gilded paradise, the Gold Saucer is a resplendent amusement park on an epic scale. It is divided into seven areas, called “squares,” each with their own unique attractions. One such is the Skywheel, which takes guests high above the Saucer for an unforgettable view of the park, and has proven to be a popular date spot.

Corel Prison

A sprawling slum that infests the base of the Gold Saucer. It’s almost as if the Saucer’s glimmering façade acts a beacon for vagabonds and ne’er-do-wells the world over, as they have flocked there in droves. So dangerous is the Dustbowl—Corel Prison’s slightly kinder sobriquet–that those who enter its limits are said to never return.

■ New Characters

Vincent Valentine (voiced by Matthew Mercer in English)

“Who dares disturb my slumber?”

A self-proclaimed “security” guard who hibernates in a coffin deep below Shinra Manor. This man of mystery is swathed in a red cape and boasts the genes of a monster—as well as a hidden connection to Sephiroth.

Cid Highwind (voiced by J. Michael Tatum in English)

“Shinra don’t own the skies! They couldn’t stop me even if they tried.”

This rogue pilot of reputable skill runs a shuttle service out of various abandoned airstrips. After Cloud and company flag him down, he flies them around the globe in his beloved Tiny Bronco.

Dyne (voiced by Dave B. Mitchell in English)

“You took everything from me. Everything and everyone!”

Dyne was once Barret’s closest friend, back when the two used to make their living in the coal mines of Corel. Now, he is a wanted man with a gun grafted to his left arm, and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Dio (voiced by Ian James Corlett in English)

“As park director, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to our gilded paradise.”

The charismatic owner of the Gold Saucer. Famous for his brawny physique and handlebar mustache, Dio is often found participating in his park’s parades, flexing his muscles before throngs of screaming guests.

Doctor Sheiran (voiced by Lloyd Sherr in English)

“Won’t charge for my services, but I wouldn’t turn down a blood sample neither.”

Though his clinic in North Corel may be small, Doctor Sheiran’s heart and intellect are anything but. Lately, he has been caring for the black-robed figures that have stumbled into town, and is attempting to uncover the truth behind their mysterious illness.

Solemn Gus (voiced by Jonah Scott in English)

“I’ll help…but only if I get a little something from you first. Understand?”

The sleazy kingpin of Corel Prison, Gus is as flamboyant as he is smooth-talking. Add to that a healthy dose of showmanship, and it’s little wonder that the dregs of the Dustbowl have flocked to him.

Biggs (voiced by Gideon Emery in English)

“Why in the hell did fate pick me?”

After surviving the fall of the Sector 7 plate, Biggs awoke to find that he is the last remaining member of the ill-fated anti-Shinra rebels, Avalanche. Having recovered from his injuries, he now seeks revenge against the company that murdered his comrades.

■ Combat: Synergy Skills

Synergy Abilities

Powerful attacks in which two characters team up to turn the tide of battle. More abilities will unlock as you increase the party level─a numerical expression of how closely-knit your team is─and deepen the affinity between party members. Fill the synergy gauge by using abilities, then unleash a synchronized assault!

—Cloud / Aerith: “Firework Blade”

Cloud uses Aerith’s magic to unleash a ranged attack.

—Tifa / Caith Sith: “Moogle Dunk Shot”

Tifa swings Cait Sith’s moogle around and launches it at an enemy.

■ Combat: Summons

Summons

Setting summoning materia will grant access to the power of the gods. A conjured deity will follow the player’s lead and fight enemies automatically, but you can also instruct them to use special abilities. Before they depart the battlefield, summons will unleash one final attack that will wreak immense havoc.

Titan

A titanic colossus whose arms of solid stone can rend the earth—and your enemies—asunder.

—Titan excels at both powerful melee strikes and area-of-effect attacks, such as Boulder Hurl.

—Upon leaving the battlefield, Titan unleashes Earthen Fury, calling forth giant pillars of rock from deep within the earth. This imposing magic attack harnesses the power of nature to cleave your enemies’ resolve.

Bahamut Arisen

A massive dragon covered in resplendent red scales. It cuts off any possible escape routes with its lightning-quick speed, and decimates its enemies with both sharp claws and a veritable arsenal of weaponry.

—Bahamut Arisen excels at attacking in rapid succession, but can also obliterate foes with charged magic attacks from its limbs. Once its Umbral Bombardment lands, it releases two orbs of magic that fan out and annihilate all surrounding enemies.

—When it leaves the battlefield, Bahamut Arisen activates Gigaflare—an extremely potent attack that sees the dragon unleash beams of magic from its wings and maw, burning any nearby foes alive.

Phoenix

A bird possessed of exquisite beauty and wings of brilliant flame. Phoenix not only flies about the battlefield assailing foes with its blisteringly hot attacks, but also heals the party’s wounds.

—In addition to engulfing enemies in flames with its wings of wildfire, Phoenix can grant buffs with healing effects. It can also revive incapacitated allies and fully recover their HP with Arise, allowing them to return to the front line and continue the fight.

—When it departs the field of battle, Phoenix unleashes Rebirth Flame, which recovers the party’s HP and spells a fiery death any foes within its wide range. A single feather falls from Phoenix’s wings, enveloping the battlefield in burning flames, after which the bird rises from the cinders to deal the final blow.

■ System: Relationships

Bonds of Friendship

Cloud’s actions and the way he responds to other party members while conversing with them will affect his relationship with them.

With a strong enough bond, you may even reap some benefits, so whenever you’re faced with a decision, you might want to think hard before responding—especially if it concerns your favorite character.

Loveless

A theatrical production based on the classic epic poem Loveless.

It depicts a hero’s fight against the Dragon King, the tyrannical ruler of Guardia, as well as his love for Princess Rosa.

Thanks to the latest in VR technology, the Gold Saucer’s Golden Theatre brings this play to life like never before. Depending on your relationship with your fellow theatergoers, the person playing Rosa may even change—along with parts of the script.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second game in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, will launch for PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024.

[waywardsunlight]

It’s been a while since I watched TOH but I think it’s really funny how many hits Belos took before they actually killed him. He barely did any regen- at most he drained energy from Hunter and some dead animals/a grimwalker?? He was at like 1500 hearts or smth because he had to a) get his magic drained, b) get liquidized by being slammed into a wall, c) get hit by a car, d) take damage from Vee/Amity/Willow/Gus/Luz, e) get drowned, f) crash a magical star into the pavement, g) take major damage from Raine, h) get yeeted by Luz with god powers, I) melt from toxic rain, AND FINALLY j) get stomped to death.

It’s funny how much he goes through not to mention he was ALREADY dying BEFORE any of this. Absolutely unfair boss bar my dude 😭

[kandisheek]

*bats eyelashes* Stony drunken Tower shenanigans? Your choice if it's pre or post getting together. 😊

Drunk shenanigans, ey? With pleasure 😁

---

Tony heard rambunctious laughter as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, his lips twitching up in a smile. He’d had the kind of shitty day that deserved to be drowned in alcohol, so a pick-me-up was much appreciated.

Tony rounded the corner, a hand raised in greeting. “Hey, gu-” He stopped dead as a glass hit the door frame in front of him, shattering on impact. Tony cautiously leaned forward, poking his head into the kitchen.

“Another!” Thor yelled, leaned so far back in his seat that it was a wonder he hadn’t fallen off yet. Tony’s eyes automatically swerved to Steve who seemed to be laughing too hard to do anything else, slumped over on the table with tears of mirth streaming down his face. Clint was balancing a bottle on his nose, and Natasha was stacking more and more bottle caps on top. Apparently the team had started without him.

Tony knocked on the door frame. “Did someone order a genius?”

“Tony!” Steve shouted happily, throwing his arms out wide. Tony had about two seconds to be surprised before he got dragged right into Steve’s lap, manhandled like a ragdoll. Tony stiffened, trying to act natural even as his mind chased itself in panicked circles. Oh god, Steve was piss drunk, wasn’t he? He’d never be okay with any kind of PDA otherwise.

The rest of the team didn’t even know they were together yet.

“Heeey,” Steve said, stretching the one word to at least four syllables. “You smell good. I missed you.”

“Hey, Cap,” Tony said, his high-pitched voice drawing the attention of Natasha whose eyes instantly narrowed.

“What are you doing?”

“He’s so soft,” Steve sighed, squeezing Tony’s middle as he nuzzled his neck, which - okay, rude - but Tony was focused on fending Natasha off when she got out of her seat, wobbling a little. Christ, were all of them hammered?

“No! It’s okay, stand down!”

“He’s groping you,” she growled, and - dear god, was that a knife?!

“It’s fine! I promise it’s fine, please sit down.”

She stopped, her steely glare wandering from Steve to Tony. “Are you taking advantage of him?”

Oh shit. “No! No, he’s - I mean, we’re -”

“Oh.” Steve tensed at his back before he turned his chair, making Tony flail as he was tugged along for the ride until Steve had positioned himself between Tony and Natasha, glaring daggers at her. “You can’t have him. He’s mine.”

“What’s happening?” Clint slurred as he finally put down the bottle, a look of unholy glee crossing his face when he saw the knife in Natasha’s hand. “Are we sparring?”

“No! Absolutely not! No weapons!” Tony rushed out, surging to his feet. Steve sat with his arms still outstretched, looking like a kicked puppy.

“Why?” he asked miserably. “Don’t you want me?”

Great. Natasha was looking between them like she didn’t know who to threaten anymore, and Tony sighed, wiping his face with both hands.

“All of you, knock it off. Steve, we’re leaving.”

“Poppycock!” Thor yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. Tony winced at the spidering cracks that appeared in the wood. He’d just bought that table. “Drink with us, friend Tony! Partake in the revels!”

“I wasn’t aware we had revels,” Tony said, grabbing one of Steve’s hands to try and tug him off his chair, to no avail. “Fucking Christ, would you - where’s Bruce?”

Clint blinked. “Where is Bruce?”

“Lab,” Natasha said, and Clint made an ah sound so long it was practically an acceptance speech.

“J, tell Bruce to come up here? We need to wrangle these idiots into bed,” Tony said, and Steve’s eyes lit up as he jumped to his feet, almost knocking Tony off balance with the sudden motion.

“Bed?”

“To sleep,” Tony said firmly, and Steve pouted. Literally stuck out his lip, the fucking - okay, yes, it was adorable, Tony couldn’t lie. “You’re drunk, Steve.”

“You’re drunk,” Steve said mulishly, and Tony sighed.

“I wish I was.” Tony patted his arm before he turned to Clint, offering him both hands. “Okay. Up and at ‘em, Merida, we’ll -”

Tony blinked when he was suddenly in the air, lifted by a firm grip around his waist. “What the -”

“He’s not coming to bed,” Steve said firmly, glaring at Clint as he carried Tony over to the door. At least he still seemed coordinated enough not to run them into a wall. Small mercies. “Just us.”

“Steve - come on, we need to - Bruce!” Tony called out when the man himself stepped out of the elevator, giving them a bewildered look. “Tell Steve we need to put the others to bed!”

“What?” Bruce asked, and Steve gripped Tony tighter, practically growling under his breath.

“You’re not coming either. Tony’s mine.”

Bruce’s eyebrows rose to his hairline as he looked at where Steve was holding on to Tony. “Uh. Is this a kidnapping, or -”

“Totally consensual, I promise,” Tony said, and Bruce nodded slowly.

“Right. Okay.” He gave Tony an amused smile. “I’m happy for you? I think?”

“I’m happier,” Steve said petulantly, now cuddling Tony like an oversized teddy bear, both arms wrapped around him. “Happiest.”

“It’s not a competition, big guy,” Tony said, barely holding in a hysterical laugh as he stroked Steve’s forearms. To Bruce he said, “The others are just as fucked up. Give me a second, I’ll -”

“No, it’s okay, I got it.” Bruce’s eyes twinkled with mirth as he turned away. “You’re occupied. Have fun.”

“Thanks, Bruce,” Tony shouted as Steve carried him into the elevator where he buried his face in Tony’s hair, grumbling under his breath. Tony chuckled. “You know, you’re kind of cute when you’re drunk.”

“You’re cute,” Steve mumbled, and Tony laughed, patting Steve’s hands before he pressed a kiss to them.

“Sure am, Cap. I sure am.”

--

You can also find an extended version of this fic on AO3, right here :)

[slamminslamminmcgill]

ALSO UGH huge fan of ur gus hcs u_u i like to imagine gus being a bit 'nicer' if his partner is new to those dynamics like, the man isnt a saint but he is patient and knows the rewards of a good submissive so i imagine hes a bit praise heavy at first but definitely brings up punishments and lets it hang over their head a bit, yk, for future endeavors <3 makes his partner squirm but also wants them to trust him too just so they can rely on him lil (or a lot, depending)

- j. 🐇

PLSSSS YES god gentle doms are gonna be the death of me 🥺

combining w/ this ask too

Maybe you were in over your head.

You were on your knees, in your underwear, in front of your boss Gustavo Fring, inside his office, and, under his command, you had a collar around your neck. He was crouching down to adjust it, slipping two fingers in between the leather and your skin. "Not too tight?" he asked.

You shook your head.

"Good. Let me know if you need me to loosen it." He clipped a chain leash to the hook in the front, and slid the length of it through his fingers as he stood up. "Now, throughout these sessions, there will be times when I ask you for a color. Green means you are alright to continue. Yellow means you need to take a break, and I will pause until you say green. Red means you need me to stop everything and end the session. Do not be afraid to be honest with me. I will not be upset if we need to stop. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." you mumbled, still in disbelief that you agreed to this. At least you knew you had the option to back out if things got out of hand.

"Very good," Gus smiled, "And, if you are unable to communicate verbally for any reason, there are hand signals you may use instead." He held up three fingers, "Three for yes," then two, "Two for slow," then one, "One for stop. Does that make sense?"

It did. "Yes, sir," you repeated.

"Perfect. Finally, there's just one more thing I need to address. If at any point, I do this..." He tugged the leash hard, causing you to yelp and fall onto your hands and knees. His tone was much darker, "...consider it your one and only warning. You will come to find that I do not tolerate delinquency under any circumstances. Any disobedience will be punished. Is that understood?"

You didn't look up from the floor. "Y-Yes... sir..."

"Look at me," Gus knelt down to tilt your head up to him. You held your breath, unable to read his expression. "Do you understand?"

There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. He held your body, your entire being, in his hand. You nodded, and let the tension rush out with your breath. "Yes... yes, sir... I understand..."

Gus's expression softened, a warm smile on his face, and he petted your hair in approval. "Good boy. I'm sure you'll make me very proud. Now, stay right where you are," He stood up, walked around to your backside, and crouched down to slide your underwear off, "and let me take care of you."

[roxie-roo]

Day 5: Interviews

@majickth it's finally here! Enjoy ! <3

__________________________________________________

[ The following is a transcript of notes taken from the online journal of GRIAN ████. Certain words have been removed per request, but the remaining text is otherwise unaltered. ]

I've finally managed to sit down and interview a few of the survivors of The Watchers. It's thrilling that they want to talk to me. I'm excited to see what knowledge they'll bring to my investigation, and the insight they can provide. Hopefully, and we're crossing fingers pretty tight here, it'll bring me closer to the answers I want.

I'll update when the interviews are done!

[Transcript of James Tek interview, conducted by GRIAN ████. The following is prohibited from being viewed by the public.]

G: Can you please state your name for the records?

J: Uh,, James- James Tek. Everyone calls me Jimmy..

G: How did you first come across the Watchers?

J: Honestly, it wasn't my choice.. a friend of mine got involved with them... I was in a rough patch, mentally.. it meant a lot that a friend was reaching out, with intentions to help... He introduced me to someone, Exae,, he said they'd be able to help me. If I just gave in.

G: Gave in to what?

J: To Them...

G: The Watchers?

J: .. yeah.. We were marked. Branded... Like that mark you have on your wrist.. Except more scarred over.

G: My wha-... oh... right- uh- continue.

J: It was how we proved that we "gave in" to them. We were lead away from everyone else.. weren't allowed to talk to anyone else... It was terrifying, I was alone-... scared... People tried to contact us, friends, family, our phones were destroyed so we couldn't talk to them. My friend, though? He couldn't see it like that... he thought they were helping. He was blinded by their promises. Until- of course.. that fateful day we escaped. The sacrifice, some guy I didn't know, was murdered. In cold blood... Hah... I guess that snapped him out of it. He helped me and this other guy, Martyn, get out of there... and for our efforts, Martyn got stabbed, and... poor Taurtis got blinded. Literally..

G: -.... did you say his name was Taurtis? The friend you knew?

J: Yeah.. Why- do you know him?

G: Th the name just sounded familiar, that's all- Thank you, Jimmy, that'll be all-

[End of transcript.]

[ The following is a transcript of notes taken from the online journal of GRIAN ████. Certain words have been removed per request, but the remaining text is otherwise unaltered. ]

Holy shit... I knew Taurtis was blind, I didn't think this was what happened to him. I know he's still alive and shit, but gods....

Am I in too deep with this?

[Transcript of Martyn Littlewood interview, conducted by GRIAN ████. The following is prohibited from being viewed by the public.]

"Can you please state your name for the records?"

"Martyn Littlewood, frequent visitor of the Hollow. It's almost like having a vacation home.. if vacation homes were in creepy small towns."

"How did you first come across the Watchers?"

"Like I said, I'm not from the Hollow.. But a good friend of mine lived here, so I figured I'd come see him while I was down here. Pix ran the radio station here, Hermit's Hollow Recap.."

"The radio station that burned down?"

"An act of retaliation, I think.."

"For what?"

"Not being a good enough sacrifice. Yeesh.. that sounds harsh now that I say it, huh."

"A tad, yes... tell me more about the sacrifice thing?"

"Well- see the branding here? Yeah- his was... well- less like a branding, more like a birth mark? And- and it glowed, kinda, when he was in the circle! It was freaky as hell.. But, the Watcher Spirit- or whatever they said, I tuned them out, was taking too long to possess him? So they killed him. Right then and there. He tried to fight back, tried to tell them this wasn't fair, but they killed him.... I- I watched my friend get killed.... wow-.. that's.. that's really fucked up, isn't it.."

"Very... I'm so sorry to hear about that.."

"Eh.. But- some guy, Taurtis I think, told us to run. I mean- a lot of good running did me, I got stabbed. Annoying, right? But hey- we got out of there with our lives... even if that poor Taurtis guy got his eyes gouged out- like proper gouged, it was gross, something out of a horror movie-.... sorry, you alright there? You look a bit green 'round the gills."

"I- I'm fine.. that's.. enough questions for now.. Thank you, Martyn.."

[End of transcript.]

[ The following is a transcript of notes taken from the online journal of GRIAN ████. Certain words have been removed per request, but the remaining text is otherwise unaltered. ]

I learned something rather interesting, not just about the Watchers, but in the ways that people handle trauma and being questioned about it.

While both clearly were effected by what had happened, Jimmy was more bitter and angry, making biting comments while I asked questions. Meanwhile, Martyn was more lighthearted, and tended to use dark humor to deflect his actual feelings about the events that transpired.

In the end, these interviews at the very least gave me more information about the Watchers, and allowed me to gain a bit more insight into how they have effected people who have managed to escape. This gives me at least a little hope about possibly finding these missing people.

It also presents me with a problem. Jimmy pointed out to me that I now bare the mark of the Watcher's Vessel. I've heard about what happens to these folks and it doesn't sound like fun.

Pixl Riffs, the owner of the HHR station, was.. as Martyn had said, murdered in cold blood. But that was because he "wasn't a good sacrifice". What happens if you are a good sacrifice?

Do I even want to know?

.....

Wish me luck in trying to get this off.

... I'm gonna call Taurtis.. just to check in on him.

[End of transcript.]

[arcadekitten]

BIG OL BH SPOILERS.

You got 5 seconds to high tail it out of here before I show you the entire plot of a game that I played a few months. Very amazing game btw.

I feel like we stay on the same characters for the appreciation train, so Let's ask about some BH characters!

Where did Mallory get Catsby? Was it a gift from a loved one? Is there a story there?

Why does Gus like Marshmallows on burgers? (The monster /j)

How did Griindel get into his current position, protecting the spirits at the hospital? (Nobody tell Rune about that one)

Which is another question. What did Rune do? How? What?

I don't have a question about the Australian, sorry

Is Lucky a good boy?

And finally, just what happened to Aubrey and how did Reginald devise the mix up with Mary? (To be assumed that he was fully at fault, which I believe the game states but I could always be wrong)

Thank you, I'm so happy you enjoyed it!! ♡

Catsby was a gift from her family! Probably her parents or grandparents. He's her favorite toy! ===

Gus can eat just about everything!! And anything!! I think he loves all sorts of wacky food combos!! ===

I imagine when Griindel died he encountered the very many troubled spirits of the afterlife, and his caring nature took over and he took to trying to look out for them and keeping them feeling safe. He got into the medical field because he cared about helping people, after all. ===

Don't worry about it :-) ===

Lucky IS a good boy!! A very good dog indeed! ===

While I can't go over too much about his decision to do it, accomplishing it wasn't that hard. Most people haven't seen Mary and there's not much public information available about her. If you look at the picture frames in Dr. Tetra's office, one of them is empty. That's because he just took the picture of himself and Aubrey out of the frame. Aubrey herself is fine. I imagine she's already been discharged from the hospital before the beginning of the game.

[amidst-wonderland]

final fantasy: rebirth {a mess of emotions, not in chronological order}

this is more story-based, so heads-up spoilers below.

“question. does that make me a dumbass?”

not aerith asking about reno

chadley nearly outing cissnei and cloud getting real confrontational about it.

cloud is so much more conversational in this, i felt in remake he was bordering on joker level’s of player-character. he’s a lot more laidback, which is understandable since he didn’t really know anyone but tifa and midgar’s only like what a week long?

the game now feels like an ensemble piece rather an a cloud simulator.

cloud not realising he’s the one loner friend

americans aren’t the best swearers - put to much emphasis on the swear itself but cloud does it so well.

he’s a prickly, backchatting bitch in this game and i love every single second of it. he’s not mopey, stubborn and grumpy. he’s ‘i’m going to actively make myself your problem if you cross me, so don’t.’

barret immitating yuffie?! or, “oh, wow. tell us more.” it’s giving abridged.

yuffie’s little naruto run!

yuffie and cloud’s growing sibling dynamic is the cutest shit. like, he should be be pissed at her but immediately protected her from the captain.

all i hear is priscilla’s dad’s irish accent from abridged when ever someone says her name or, “mr dolphin, ye daft bastard.”

rufus shinra… the man that you are.

every rude and elena scene, just, yes. her with the ice-lolly, the corneo fight, rude’s pub club?! babysitting palmer. (also, they call it the clean-shaven club when rude literally has a beard).

i genuinely thought we were gonna at least get that iconic reno and rude scene outside of gongaga (and as a long-shot a reunion with cissnei - i stand by the fact tseng absolutely knows where she is.)

that final turks training facility was a bitch to find.

don’t get me wrong, yuffie, barret, tifa and red’s trials were sad but aerith’s absolutely wrecked me. like i’ve got a stuffy nose already and i literally couldn’t breathe with the tears.

same with dyne and barret, like what you mean you want me to fight palmer?! i’m sitting here ugly crying about two men who love their daughter and have been through hell and back.

i’d love to see cissnei and leslie get involved with the wutai turk team-up

as much as i love aerti’s ‘improved over og’ friendship. it’s not passing the bechdel test anytime soon.

fuck queen’s blood.

cloud saying “down boy” sir- THE WHIMPERING!

the kids locking yuffie in with the hooded men on the cruise.

nanaki walking in the cabin on two legs fucking kills me. i also caught barret admiring himself in the mirror.

the fact the name tag is, “???” when we can hear yuffie cheering on cloti.

did they kiss?!

so, we finally see loveless and it was everything i ever wanted. genesis, i’m sorry, you were right.

“death doesn’t suit a turk”

cloud jr is too cute and i love my chocobro protagonists

speaking of, i’m in two heads about ffxv. you can see a lot of the inspiration the team got from that game but i think they left out the one thing that made ffxv perfect, which was the constant chatter during traversal

cloud turning on tifa during the gongaga reactor mission is giving the ffxv: omen trailer

i need a tonberry robot for my desk

jessie’s poster! i really thought she’d be alive with biggs

cloud calling gus a prick is when it clicked for me, like cloud’s got bite

i need esther’s red boots

cid is played by j. michael tatum?! sebastian- france- kyouya-

elena stuck in the heat yelling at rude, omg this is the turk moments i love.

as someone who is scottish, i can’t believe i witnessed cait sith tell cissnei to “wheesht”.

not the biggest fan of cissnei’s new colour scheme. would’ve gone with browns, accented gold buckles and mustard yellow personally

wished they’d’ve put in an turk easter egg in her house.

cosmo canyon’s lantern scene is so pretty.

gold-fucking-saucer. woah

sitting at the water tower with aerith felt wrong, and i know that was intentional.

omfg vincent, why he kinda dressed like gyuvin in en garde?

jesus, roche.

still not keen on seph’s voice - mainly because i don’t like tyler and also zack is better but i’m still not keen

symbiote!peter to “OMG GUYSSS HAIIII” is like fucking whiplash. two minutes ago we were crying over harry, now hotels?!

i knew that’s what marlene saw! and now zack knows! i am not okay!

was low-key waiting on elena throwing the keystone to reno to catch for a grand intro but he kinda just appears, and i loved every second of it.

the way both tifa and aerith have had to stop cloud murdering a turk.

cloud with blood by his own hand on his face is such a chilling image. it’s like seeing someone like superman with it.

avalanche versus reno and rude’s fight was giving advent children, like specifically reno and rude’s fight with loz and kazoo. (which i rewatched recently. rude’s face when reno steps on his glasses is the funniest thing in that film, also i can’t unhear fred from scooby-doo when loz speaks even though i know it’s not frank welker - it’s the dude that plays corneo).

[charizardstolemynickname]

Season 3 episode 2 reaction babyyyy!! Part 1 (i hope of 2)

I will just go straight into this, AH

NO ARE WE STARTING WITH THIS SCENE!? FUCK YOU, I CAN'T HOLD BACK TEARS FROM KING'S FINAL WORDS ANYMORE

Lilith using hooty as a form of jetpack is making me laugh, I am sorry. BUT LILITH I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE OKAY, I love you dearly YOU TOO HOOTY. God what a way to start the episode. I assume it will be the counter pov to the Human Realm. So I think it will be Eda, King, Collector, Lilith and Hooty pov? OO that's fun! And it will have ep3 as the final, both sides reunited?

HOOTY NO! LILITH! COLLECTOR KIDDO, NOT COOL, DON'T DO THAT, GODDDDDD WHERE DID YOU PUT THEM!?

RAINE IS ALIVE! Hallelujah! I was getting worried they would die because they used their last bit of energy saving Eda, BUT EDA AND RAINE LIVE ON!

HARPY EDA IS BACK LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND OTHER GUESTS! SHE IS BACK AND RAINE IS SMITTEN!

God no, the curse, shit, well nobody thinks to plan emergency potions when the world IS LITERALLY BEING RIPPED APART, fair enough

Oh woah, Luz is in this episode, huh, well that's funky! Well there goes my idea, but damn, I am excited. MAYBE TIME WORKS DIFFERENTLY IN DIFFERENT REALMS, oo

"This Mama is hungry for vengeance!" "Now THAT is a fight I'd watch" took the words out of my mouth Gus, HELL YEAH, GO KICK BELOS' BUTT CAMILA

.....Okay, LISTEN, "The collector is evil blah blah" YEAH, well, maybe not, BUT THEY HAVE DONE BAD ACTIONS... However this version of bonesborough looks cool! Well, not cool, maybe nostalgic? Reminds me of children's lullabies, SO I LIKE IT!

Turning people into dolls tho, that's bad

Belos! Always lovely to see your.... slimey, gross, figure! But lets not kill innocent butterflies, alright pal? And damn, you get hallucinations of your brother? Also this feels like common sense BUT DON'T CLONE YOUR BROTHER WHO YOU MIGHT HAVE KILLED?! LIKE THAT DAGGER LOOKS VERY LIKE YOU KILLED HIM WITH IT PHILIP!

My guy starts melting and says "I need a new body", like just deal with it, humans only get 1 body, stop getting several! Leave some for the rest of us. damn.

Camila, Gus and Willow just having a conversation trying to find the best way to support Luz awakened something inside of me, especially the "He wasn't disappointed in me, but I didn't want to fail him" LIKE DAMN, WHO IS SPYING ON MY LIFE TO MAKE THIS TOO DAMN RELATABLE

"Don't worry about me, like Gus said, I'm the reliable one" 1) AGAIN, WHO IS SPYING ON ME and 2) I have heard that one before Willow AND I KNOW YOU ARE 1 MORE "Are you okay?" AWAY FROM SOBBING, its okay Willow bestie, you can cry too

I hope we find out what Luz's Palisman hatches too soon, I am wayyyyyyyy too impatient for this, I AM DESPERATE

THEY GOT MATCHING JUMPERS AND HOOTY GOT A MATCHING BOWTIE?! FUCKKKKKK, nobody touch me, I am sensitive right now, GOD this found family is so important to me!!

"I will find Eda and King, no matter how long it takes" "ITS EDA AND KING" fucking hell Hunter way to ruin the adventure (/j) (Yes I did start laughing when Hunter said that)

..........Okay, erm. Well. Collector. I see what you have done. And, I question your methods! As this feels like, idk, maybe a tad illegal and morally wrong? Idk though might be wrong, but turning people into dolls is erm.. less quirky and more, wrong.

......................Okay. Right. I DON'T THINK MASS CONTROLLING EVERYONE TO PLAY PRETEND WHILST YOU BE A HERO IS VERY MORALLY GOOD EITHER! Listen, I get the urge to play hero and so and so, I did that as a kid! WITH DOLLS! WHO WERE ALWAYS, DOLLS! NOT HUMANS! God, you truly are a kid, you would be like, 5 in the human realm. WHERE IS YOUR MUM!?! DAD?! PARENTS?!

Fucking Plant Lady Coven head having to play Eda and (seems to be) the only one not controlled by the Collector and not be a doll, is fucking hilarious, 10/10

"Eda has a more, cool-aunt vibe, who pretends to be all cold-hearted but actually cares a lot" SEE, THANK YOU COLLECTOR, THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING SINCE DAY 1

Oh! Well. Most directors when they don't like the actors just fire them, but you do you Collector!

CAMILA ALSO JUST LOOKING AT KING AND LOVING HIM IS SO REAL, I adore him too Camila, don't you worry

WOAH ALL THE STUDENTS ARE OKAY?! Damn. That's one good school. Well, apart from the 2 that didn't. And all the staff went. BUT STILL, poor kids though. THEY ARE JUST KIDS. Also damn, we start to like Bump and that poor guy hasn't had a break since

...I don't even want to talk about that "man-tholomule" joke

THE BUMP STATUE IS THE GREATEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN, 10/10 Bump and Eda would approve, "Princy Bump"

ED MY PAL, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, "not empty! There were rocks at the bottom!" God I missed you Ed

Talk about being haunted by your past, damn Belos, you've killed a lot of people bro, oh and "Oh shut up!" IS NOT A GOOD RESPONCE TO SEEING THE GHOSTS OF WHO YOU HAVE KILLED. it is funny tho.

AMITY'S MUM!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE. God, you really have 0 morals huh. YOU ARE ACTING AS THE COLLECTOR'S MUM!?! Listen I know your kids hate you BUT YOU DIDN'T NEED TO REPLACE THEM WITH A BEING WHO IS TRYING TO DESTROY ALL WITCHES IN A WEIRD WAY!

"Clean the planet and scorch the air" Well that might be useful later!

I will ignore ALL of the corruption happening at Hexside right now BUT HOOTY! AND RAINE! AND EDA! AND DARIUS! AND- Yeah I'll stop now BUT YEAH

EDA THANK GOD YOU AREN'T A WEIRD DOLL, and sweetie, I get wanting to visit your partner BUT YOU'VE GOTTA STAY SAFE! All the coven heads (except plant lady) Being weird security now? Kinda cool! Confusing, but cool!

WOAH LILITH! WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING A DOLL?!... And no longer being ginger, and having long hair? I am very confused BUT HAPPY YOU AREN'T A DOLL!

....Okay I know they are probably comedic relief BUT LILITH AND HOOTY'S FRIENDSHIP IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME OKAY!

"With her real family" HUSH EDA, YOU ARE APART OF THAT REAL FAMILY

"You are actually a great leader" "Did you have ever have any doubt in your mind?" "Yes. Many many doubts" fucking mood Gus, you always get the greatest lines. I am stealing this

WOAH BELOS MY PAL, I get that your "grow your own clone" guy wasn't ready yet, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU STEAL RAINE'S BODY YOU PRICK

.....Don't say that about Flapjack HE IS STILL ALIVE, HE WILL MAKE IT.... RIGHT?!

I knew you were 1 step away from a breakdown Willow, I have been on that path don't you worry

AND I JUST REALISED I WENT OVER HALF THE EPISODE AND THIS IS A REALLY LONG POST SO, part 2 in like, half an hour

[the-s1lly-corner]

Retirement with Bump

GUESS WHOS BAck

Okay so my TOH brainrot isnt totally back

It's more like.... in the horizon, just out of reach

And also I'm thinking about my TOH ocs, again... I did NOT spend half a year developing them to not at least dwell on them

(Moots you totally shouldn't ask me to info dump ab them)

Anyways!! Hc time!! I'm a lil rusty for writing for bump so bare with me!!

General hcs btw!! I'm stumped for romantic stuff with bump rn SOBS

Obligatory "we see him gardening and wearing a gardeners outfit after the timeskip, so his new main hobby is gardening"

You guys have a garden, mostly flowers and some veggies! I feel like Bump would dip his toes into others kinda of magic after getting his seal removed! Plants magic, obviously

But I also feel like he'd be a potions man, idk, could be my bias for potions since it's like cooking and I LOVE cooking

So hes also growing potion a few ingredients

He has a lil .. thing .. set up in the backyard for frewin to free roam!! Not quite a play ground but more so a little area for the lil guy to stretch his legs and get that enrichment

While he's no longer Hexsides principal, he offers to upkeep some of the plants around school grounds to keep it presentable (see the finale)

Other than that he's just

Living his life, doing DIY projects at home! The aforementioned palisman enrichment thing being one of them!

Offers to tutor any young witches who come his way; though given the fact hes still new to other types of magic, he primarily helps with abominations! He's not yet confident enough in his potions or plant skills to pass on his knowledge to the impressionable youth... for now

Will definitely give some tips on what's he's learned, though! just not full on teaching <\3

Begrudgingly teaches glandus kids/j

Probably pops in as a last minute sub for hexside, I think that'd be funny tbh

This dude would be CRYING his eyes out at the hexsquads (minus gus since hes younger) graduation

Like I'm talking BAWLING

Like yall know how he was crying when they were expelled

Yeah it's like that all over again

Mostly happy tears, though

[igniting-quill]

Hiiiii

So for the fanfic writer ask thing (definitely didn't forget what it was called), i'm asking you about, surprise surprise, your arc 6 fic haha

Her captain, unbelieving, leaned forward until her forehead almost slid up against Beryl’s. Remeny’s electric blue eyes glared at Beryl. The red-head did her best to pull Beryl’s defenses apart. Cute as the captain was, Beryl didn’t break. “Seriously. I didn’t cheat.” Beryl said, her tone taunting, beckoning her captain to make that accusation. She used a hand to push against the captain’s shoulder to give them a bit of distance. Remeny continued to back away, eventually slumping into her chair while Beryl continued, “After all, I’m not as vile as you are. I’m not going to be shoving my playing cards anywhere else… suspicious” “You're making fun of me.” “Yes Remeny, because using your cleavage to hide your playing cards is not as clever as you think. Especially when you’re drunk out of your mind and have terrible sleight-of-hand.” The sky pirate captain, a legendary leader who single handedly led her crew through numerous successful feats of crime, shut her mouth, scrunched her nose, and pouted at the insult. Beryl's smile grew wider. “It’s just the truth, captain.” "Ahhh— you're so smart Beryl!” Remeny said as she swiped the stack of cards from the table and aggressively shuffled them for the next round. “That’s why you're our crew’s quartermaster. Now, if I was quartermaster, we would have all been dead a long time ago.” That was such a Remeny compliment. After all, it was rare to hear something so humbling from someone with such a big ego. Beryl chuckled goodheartedly as Remeny passed out the cards for their next game.

Okay so ... This is just... Impressively in-character, i just... Wow. Like you know that meme that's like "he would not fucking say that"? Yeah, well this is "they WOULD fucking say that".

anyway i guess this is an ask so how did you manage to read these characters' minds and how can i do it /j

Yes! The question I’ve been waiting for! 

Lea is asking about a writing ask which I reblogged here. 

Onto my complementary below the cut, SPOILERS by the way. If you want to read this for yourself first, check it out on ao3 here.

First of all, you’re compliments are so nice haha. I don’t think I can give you the best answer to how I managed to “read these characters' minds” lol, but perhaps you can clean something from what I write down here.

Some background before I get into the scene itself.

I had this structural idea for this fic, which was done sorta well (I had no idea how to do it for Solas). I think we’ve both heard of the “life flashing before your eyes” before death, and here I wanted something like that for Beryl. But her life consists of her pirate crew, and finally in this fic, herself. Each flashback scene consists of a memory of a member from the crew: Remeny, Lottie, Kipp, and Kix (a small one for Salas, if you want to count that). 

I had different “triggers,” some more obvious than others, to initiate a flashback. In the one you chose, the flashback with Remeny, begins with Remeny collapsing in real time. Each other time a flashback occurs, someone is either dying, or in the case with Kipp I just had his flashback sequence come as Beryl was dying herself… I couldn’t find the perfect place hahaha. Additionally, each flashback ended with an ominous reference to death in some sort of way. I mean look: if DM Gus didn't nerf his combat (good choice), Death is what would have happened for everyone in a TPK. 

And well, I like to think of my fanfic of the version in which DM Gus didn’t adjust. The player characters in my fic have trouble speaking, continually take “cold damage” from the water, and Beryl ends up dead.

Alright, let me transition into the section you asked about specifically.

I was thinking of what would fun moment could link Beryl and Remeny together, and I immediately thought of the scene that happened during canon Arc 6. Them playing cards, (I think?) Remeny winning, and Kix doing this preprogrammed Beryl vs Remeny scoreboard. This means that Beryl and Remeny? They have HISTORY with this. They fucking love playing cards against each other, and they’re like rivals about it. So I had to choose that as the backdrop to Beryl’s flashback with Remeny.

But any memory with Remeny would be a moment filled with chatter/teasing/roughhousing/accusations but in the best way possible. Like, in the way that you’ll call your best friend a “Bitch” and roast them, but it’s all in good fun and you don’t actually mean the insults. (We see how this dynamic is bad during Arc 6 Episode 6, but most of the time this is the extent of how far Remeny will go.) So I had to have Beryl and Remeny banter. Of course the first thing Remeny would do if she lost would be to accuse Beryl of cheating.

Now, this next part I’m going to talk about is funny, because it wasn’t until talking with you/ reading your fics (of course other people were part of this too) that I started seeing Remeny/Beryl as a like. Ship ship. Which is stupid, because they literally have all the pieces and parts that would make any large fandom squeal with delight (gay rivals to lovers!). Although this fic is posted without any romantic pairings, I really leaned into that. This scene was meant to be read as possibly romantic. My treat for ya ;)

That’s why Remeny leans forward, and they’re foreheads are touching. It’s tension: are they going to kiss? Her eyes, I nearly settled into the fanfic trope of overembellishing them, but I think electric blue is exactly the vibes I wanted. In my head, I think Remeny wants to kiss and is pushing her luck… that is before Beryl pushes her captain away, and that’s why when Remeny relents she’s slumping in her chair (Like “dammit Beryl, a kiss just this once?” / “No. Kissing me won’t make me get rid of your loss.”)

During this physical moment, they keep up that friendly banter I was talking about earlier (in fact this banter continues throughout this whole section haha). The best thing for Beryl to do is bring up one of Remeny’s past cheating schemes, because let’s be honest Remeny’s definitely cheated before, and is smart about it. Like, Remeny is being hypocritical for calling out Beryl for cheating when the captain has done it before. But of course, I mentioned they’re rivals with inside jokes right? So Beryl’s going to choose the most embarrassing moment she can muster which for the writer (me) I had to ponder a bit. So like. What the fuck would Remeny do? 

Of course it’d be cheating by hiding cards with her boobs.

And like, damn that’s a good roast, so Remeny let’s Beryl have it (captain cannot think of anything else to roast Beryl back and concedes that Beryl won without cheating), and in her lack of a comeback she also admits that Beryl’s smart: that’s why she wins in cards (and wins Remeny’s heart but also this isn’t explicit).

And finally, my odd foreshadowing of death to end the flashback. “Now, if I was quartermaster, we would have all been dead a long time ago.” ← that’s what I mean. 

But it felt too cruel and ominous to end the flashback there. I mean, that’s not what the memory felt like! I didn’t want to warp it like that when the current “present” scene was so tragic, so I ended it off with them continuing onto another game. Past Beryl and Remeny are having a great time. And that’s what makes their deaths feel worse.

Thank you so much for asking! This was incredibly fulfilling and I appreciate your choice of my fic haha. Now, onto my sad irl responsibilities :p take care everyone!

[achitka]

Doors - Chapter 48

Anselmo (God's Divine Protection)

Well hello,

It's been a hot minute since I've updated this story. You'll discover the ending of the last chapter was slipped into this one as well with a little more depth. That can happen. Anyway, on with the stuff. Mirabel's curiosity may be the end of her. Isabela feels like she's getting the hang of imperfection. Bruno is discovering what it's like to be not exactly correct when his Gift clashes with another. As for the end - well it's bound to happen eventually.

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

Anselmo (God’s Protection)

Félix sat with his cuñado as the pair commiserated on the state of their oldest daughter’s current love lives. Gus was drinking a glass of wine as he told Félix about his conversation with Isabela that had ended in a staring contest until his wife intervened.

“Julieta says I’m being dramatic. I’m not overreacting, am I?”

Félix let out a chuckle, “Maybe just a little, hermano. Isabela does appear genuinely taken with Señor Márquez. You have to admit, he is nothing like those that have pursued her in the past, and at least he seems like a good person. I’ve never heard anything bad about him, and even Alma seems to like him. You have to admit he’s been very polite and conscientious.”

“True,” Agustín said and laughed a little, “You would think I’d be less worried considering she was supposed to be married by now.”

Félix smiled. Isabela’s prior betrothal to Mariano Guzmán had come crashing down with Casita and now Isa’s former intended was engaged to his baby girl. He had to admit Mariano had adjusted rather well to Dolores’ needs. He was far quieter than he used to be and sincerely appeared to love his daughter. He glanced over at Agustín and noted his melancholy and said, “On the upside, Isabela is finally going back into town, so perhaps she’ll spend a little less time focusing on her sister.”

“There is that,” Gus said and took a sip of his wine.

But more to the point, what do you think of him?”

Agustín pulled his wine glass a little closer and replied, “I haven’t actually spoken to him yet. Seems like every time I think I’ll have an opportunity, something will happen. ”

“Ah, well, I understand he’s living with the Aguilars. You could just pay him a visit.”

“That’s true,” Gus agreed and fell silent for a time, then said, “There is something I could use your help with.”

“Of course, what do you need?”

“Julieta asked me to see if the old shoe shop might be a viable solution for Bubo’s housing problem.”

“Jorge’s shoe shop?” Félix asked, as he reflexively crossed himself.

“Yes,” Gus said and took another drink, “I’ve been given the dubious task of seeing if Bubo will agree to that. I looked at it earlier and aside from being very dusty, it looks solid. I was hoping to get your opinion as to any needed repairs.”

Félix nodded and said, “That might be a hard sell. Do you plan to tell him about Jorge?”

Agustín tapped his mostly empty wine glass, added a little more to it and said, “Probably should.” Then asked, “Did you have a chance to look at that vision tablet Bruno created this afternoon?”

“Actually, no. Was there something concerning?”

Gus nodded and said, “Miguel Rodriguez appeared to be speaking angrily to Mirabel. But what worried me more was that Mira was in her bedclothes.”

“Has Bruno said anything?”

“Not yet. I plan to ask him the next time I see him. Where is he anyway?”

Félix shrugged and replied, “Probably feeding his rats somewhere.”

Agustín nodded as he took another drink and yawned as he changed the subject, “Dolores and Mariano picked a date yet?”

“Not that I am aware of, and Pepi would have made sure I knew that.”

“Pepa still getting on with Señora Guzmán?”

“Mostly, though truthfully, I stay as far away as possible while those two sort that out. Did Juli tell you that we’re probably related to Tuli through Rodrigo.”

“How?”

“According to Pep, Rodrigo is the nieto of Alma’s sister, Juliet, and he also is José’s primo.”

“No kidding. That’s the woman Julieta was showing me a picture of just before Tuli fainted. You know, I never considered that Alma would have family outside the Encanto.”

“I’m still a bit astounded there is a world outside the Encanto. Not gonna lie, I really am interested in visiting a few of the cities nearby. The new folks talk about electricity like it’s everywhere now and there are these gadgets called telephones.”

“Telephones?”

“Devices you can use to speak directly to someone far away.”

“That does sound useful. You know, you should come with us to Bogotá. Get a look at some of the appliances that Bruno told us about.”

“Not a bad idea,” Félix said as he got up.

Agustín rose, then, finished his wine, and together the pair left the kitchen.

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

Bruno watched Mirabel leave and when he was sure she was all the way down the stairs, he let out a sigh of relief. “Tío?” came a muffled question behind him. Bruno hopped off the table and Antonio popped up, scattering some of the clothes he’d been hiding under. He jumped off the table as Parce came down from the upper tower, and he ran over to the jaguar. After giving the jaguar a good squeeze, he scrambled onto Parce’s back and Antonio yawned as he asked, “So what’s next, Tío?”

“For you?” Bruno replied. Antonio nodded and Bruno said, “Bed.”

“Awww…but I’m not tired,” he said, stifling another yawn.

“No?”

Antonio shook his head and another yawn escaped, causing him to blink his eyes.

“Either way, we’ll just say it’s because you’re six.”

“Six and a half,” Antonio corrected, arms crossed.

“Fine, six and a half, but that changes nothing.”

“But-” Antonio started to say until Fura popped out of Bruno’s ruana and started squeaking furiously at his sobrino. Bruno wasn’t sure what set the rat off, and he stroked her in an attempt to calm her. However, Fura did not relent, and Antonio’s face was now set in a frown. Parce chuffed loudly, and the rat went silent. Bruno noted the big cat’s hackles were up.

“Sorry, Toni. Don’t know what’s gotten into her today,” Bruno said nervously as he continued to pet Fura, “Tomorrow is soon enough to do the other stuff.”

Antonio sighed and did not hide his disappointment as he patted Parce’s neck and said, “Okay, Tío.” Parce let out a low growl, and Fura instantly returned to Bruno’s ruana without another sound. Satisfied, the big cat chuffed again then turned and headed for the stairs.

“Buenas noches, Toni, and thank you for your help,” Bruno said a little weakly. Fura was shivering against his neck, and Bruno wondered if Parce had said something threatening. Still, Parce never interfered unless he felt Antonio was in harms way. He was a good friend. Antonio only waved as he disappeared down the stairs. Bruno turned and looked at the mess of clothing he’d created and almost set about fixing that but just the thought made him tired so he too, headed down the stairs.

Fura poked her head out as Bruno looked both ways before heading to his room. He really did not want to explain what he was doing up in the tower. He heard Isa and Gus’s voices, but couldn’t really hear what they were saying. This was good as they were much less likely to notice him as he hurried to his room. Once inside, he set Fura on the pillow that was on the corner of his desk and pet her until she settled. As he did, he noticed the corner of a vision tablet peeking out from under some sketches. He didn’t remember putting it there, but this afternoon was still pretty hazy. He sat and set aside the sketches and examined the three pieces the tablet had broken into when he’d stepped on it. As he picked up each, he tilted them until he found the one with Antonio. The image of his sobrino was dim and the animal he was speaking with was not in view.

Bruno tapped the cracked tablet. It chimed pleasantly, so he tapped each piece five times, and left his fingertips on the last. The reverberation made his hand tingle a bit; it was one of the things he’d found endlessly fascinating when he was still small. This vision had shown Bruno the same things, but during the making the order of it would get muddled, and it always came back to one person. Antonio. His sobrino would pop in and out of view. Always on the periphery, and like that butterfly of Mira’s vision before the breaking, Antonio’s coloring would waver from green to gold. Usually just before Antonio talked to one animal or another. It was clear he was watching, waiting for something to happen. Like his prima, Antonio would collect information. No one really paid attention to his sobrino’s animal friends. They were everywhere and would tell Antonio things, then he would ask them to ‘do stuff’ for him. In his visions, the animals would vanish, but something small would change. Nothing obvious, but it would prompt Bruno to do the vision again. It had made him dizzy as his eyes struggled to keep up.

Antonio wanted to be a part of whatever their family was doing. Just because he was six and a half did not mean he wasn’t able. Bruno wasn’t sure if Antonio knew that Tuli was not physically a girl, and if he did know, he gave no sign. Every stitch of clothing he picked out would customarily not have been suitable for a boy. There was always a chance his friends had told him and he accepted it. But it was challenging to know just how much knowledge of Tuli’s situation the youngest of the Madrigals had.

He’d asked Dolores to keep an ear on him, and the things she heard were puzzling to her to say the least. Most of it was apparently reports of what Mirabel was up to. Mira hadn’t been able to spend much time with Antonio lately, so that did make sense. He was also getting reports about his friends. She also mentioned that her little brother’s afternoon naps were getting longer, making her think he was on the edge of overusing his Gift. With the school being closed. Antonio had been able to do pretty much what he wanted, but that would change tomorrow. There was an unwritten rule that all the Madrigals followed to not use their Gifts during school hours. Too much of a distraction.

He didn’t really have the energy to redo that vision he’d forced earlier. Truthfully, there was no reason for him to ask Antonio to stop what he was doing either. Nothing had happened that was actually bad, just unexpected. Bruno tapped the vision tablet to start it ringing again. It calmed him enough that he decided, not much would likely change between now and breakfast. Still, Bruno found it was intriguing. He was used to his Gift being immutable. The things he saw, unchangeable. He liked that now it was actually a definite, maybe. It was nice to know that he could, in fact, be wrong. He did not, however, want to burden Antonio with too much. He would need to talk to Félix and Pepa about how best to include their youngest child.

Bruno looked down at the center of the image. The cracks weirdly separated the three main parts of the vision. One part held what he decided was the tree Isabela had grown earlier. The name Anselmo stuck in his head for some reason, though he couldn’t really say why. One section was devoted to Casita shut up tight, not a shutter ajar. The last was of Mirabel speaking with Miguel Rodriguez. Initially, he had been far more concerned because Mira was in her bedclothes, but his sponty before supper showed him Isa’s part in that. Bruno knew there was no way Isabela would allow any harm to come to her hermanita.

Bruno opened his sketchbook and looked at the image of the laughing child. There was no question that was Tuli. Perhaps Tuli would, in fact, get to stay in the Encanto. This last sponty had also shown him Tuli when she returned to Casita with her Tío. She did not look at all unhappy and Bruno, at first, mistook the stuffed rat on Tuli’s shoulder to be Fura. The toy look remarkably similar to her. He glanced over at the rat still asleep on the pillow. She’d disappeared for a time after dinner until Antonio brought her to him.

He was pretty sure Rodrigo was also able to understand the rats. It made him wonder if only closely related members of that family could understand them, or if any relation could learn. Bruno was also curious to know if he could learn, it would certainly make his rat novellas easier to direct. He’d asked Antonio about it while his sobrino was picking out clothes and Antonio said Tuli had told him that their family’s magic was weak, so Bruno might be able to. Bruno had no idea what to make of that statement.

He turned his attention on the section with Mira. Chances were that this would be happening very soon, since his sponty showed Isa was wearing the same clothes she had on for her date with Bubo. Looking at it made him a bit nervous, but Mirabel did not have an expression of fear or concern. If anything, her stance reminded him of her mother. Julieta was very used to telling people things they did not want to hear. But she did it in a way that was gentle, and you knew she was listening. Not like the look Mirabel gave him as he handed her the bundle, this told Bruno he’d said way more than he intended when he let slip that Antonio picked out the clothes. That girl held on to information like a sponge, and would sort it as new information came in. Eventually, he knew that Mirabel’s curiosity would get the better of her, and then she would ask him some random question. Bruno would probably tell her something unrelated, and she would still figure it out.

He looked over at Fura, she was still asleep, so he turned to the other rats nearby and held out a hand. He hadn’t fed this group yet and motioned to them. They scampered up his sleeve and settled in his various pockets, with Tino sitting on his shoulder. There was a knock and Bruno saw it was Gus when Casita opened the door for him. He set the sketches back on the vision as Gus came in and sat on the nearby sofa.

“What’s up?” Bruno asked. Gus must have been the one to put the vision tablet on his desk. Of all the ones he’d made earlier, this was the only one he hadn’t destroyed outright.

Agustín was rubbing his knees, then patted them then pointed to the desk and asked, “I’m hoping you can shed a little light on... that. That Señor Rodriguez… he’s just a little too over the top, if you know what I mean. And you made so many… is there something I need to know?”

Bruno looked back over to the desk and replied, “I had a sponty earlier that showed Isabela was with Mira. Honestly, I don’t think Mirabel is in any kind of danger.”

Agustín relaxed a little, then took a deep breath and said, “Speaking of my oldest, there’s one other thing,” he paused until Bruno nodded, so he continued, “Julieta has tasked me with helping Bubo find a suitable place for him and Tuli to live. She said your Mamá brought up the shoe shop as a possibility. What do you think?”

Bruno sat back in his chair as he thought of his friend’s home. It was a small house with an even smaller yard. Thankfully, there was also no longer a shed in the back. That had been torn down over ten years ago. The house itself was in pretty good shape and was actually in a good location, having been swallowed up by the town, so it was no longer on the outskirts. It was also nearby the new school, and Pepa had even kept up the yard after he took to the walls. He really should thank her for that, Jorge had been a good friend to all the Madrigal triplets. Bruno smiled to himself and thought, it would be nice if there were people living there again and said, “It has been empty for a long time.”

“I know, then there’s the other...”

“Yeah, we’ll have to tell him about that.” Gus nodded and Bruno said, “I can do that if you’d like.”

“No, I was planning to speak with him anyway, given my daughter’s interest. Might as well see what his reaction will be.”

Bruno nodded and stood up. Tino and the other rats squeaked a little and Bruno said, “Well, I need to get these guys fed, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Agustín got up and they left Bruno’s room. Gus headed for his own, and Bruno headed down to the kitchen to wait for his sobrinas to return.

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

Isabela sat on her bed as she undid the intricate braid her mother had plaited earlier. She was feeling foolish after her conversation with her father. The standoff was only broken when her mother appeared and hustled her off to her room. Seriously, what did he think she was going to do? Isa paused when a random thought answered that question, and she blushed. She almost laughed at the irony, since conversations like that one hadn’t been needed when she was dating Mariano. She was never actually alone with him, and went out of her way to not be. That, and Señorita Perfecta would never have even dared to do such things. Obviously, it was her level of interest in Bubo that had prompted her Papá to well… be her Papá. This thought made her smile because it was proof to herself that she really was just like anyone else and still be alright. It could have been worse, but at least her father waited until Bubo had left with his Tío.

Her thoughts drifted, and she picked up the potted plumeria rubra she planted, and was very pleased to see three small leaves had unfurled from the cutting. She knew what its flowers looked like and resisted the urge to make the cutting bloom. She took it to the balcony and opened the doors to set it outside. The morning sun would definitely help green it up. She was adjusting it when something moving across the lawn caught her eye. Was that Mirabel? Was she sleepwalking? Normally, Isa would ignore this, but she thought she saw the shadow of someone else as she leaned over the rail. Maybe it was her imagination, but then again, Mirabel was now the focus of the magic of the Encanto. She sighed and asked, “Casita, did Mira ask you not to tell anyone she was sneaking out?”

The house clattered yes… then quickly clattered no.

Honestly, Isa thought. She looked at her shoes near the door and decided she didn’t have time for that. She poked her head out, the house was quiet, so she slipped out of her room. She went down the stairs and to the back door. She could hear her father and Tío Félix in the dining room talking, and growled when she found the door wasn’t budging. Casita clattered a tile or two and Isa whispered fiercely, “And you shouldn’t have let her wander off by herself, Casita. Now open the door.”

More tiles clattered angrily, but the back door popped open, and Isabela looked toward the voices, no one came out of the dining room, so she slipped outside and headed in the direction she’d seen her little sister take. Isa came around the corner of the house and stopped in time to see Miguel Rodriguez talking to her sister. Isabela had to admit her sister really had come a long way. Mira didn’t look afraid, or uncomfortable speaking with him. Luisa was a little too right when she said Isa was jealous of Mira and since yesterday’s debacle, Isa determined the best way for her to help Mirabel was to give her some tips for dealing with irritating folks. Teach her some of the ways of Señorita Perfecta.

Isabela noted that Miguel was swaying slightly and almost wanted to run over there. She moved a little closer, if it came down to it, she could wrap that pest up in vines so thick he’d be lucky to be able to breathe. Her fingers actually twitched slightly at the thought, so Isabela waited and watched. 

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

When Mirabel reached the oak tree, she looked up in its branches. It was still glowing, or at least to her it was. Slowly, she reached toward it and gently touched the bark. Her fingers tingled and she smiled. The tree glittered a little more, and Mira felt the peace of the tree. She pondered why that was happening. Was it representative of how much of Isabela’s energy had gone into its making? Was she adding to that somehow? And why so big?

Isa said she thought the tree had told her its name was Anselmo. Tuli had said it was surely a guardian tree. Mira didn’t know enough about that tradition to make any sense of that statement. She decided she would ask Tuli what she meant by that, or maybe her Abuela. The glow briefly intensified and this reminded Mira of what some of the kids in town had told her about how the main road, and even the cracks in the houses, repaired themselves in a flash of colorful light when the Encanto’s miracle was revived. Was this tree a part of that?

Mira smiled as she remembered the joyous quiver she’d felt when the doorknob clicked into place, bringing her Casita to life. She was curious if her Abuela had had similar experiences. Could she still feel when the magic was active? So many questions raced through her head. When she took her hand off the tree, the leaves above her rustled slightly, and that made her giggle. This tree was actually so much larger than the one she remembered, and she wondered if she’d be able to climb it.

“Beautiful evening, yes?”

Mirabel turned, then froze as the speaker came into view. Miguel Rodriguez had appeared harmless enough during dinner... but you never know, she thought as she pulled her robe a little tighter around herself. Showing someone you were afraid gave them power. A lesson she’d learned when dealing with her Abuela through the years, and Mirabel had grown to be an expert at hiding those feelings. Still, she really wasn’t expecting anyone to be out and this close to Casita at this time of night when she considered the direction he’d come from; had he been trying to get inside? Mirabel felt a moment of real anger that churned in the pit of her stomach. She’d never felt unsafe in the Encanto, but now… Mirabel almost sighed as she remembered she’d told Casita not to tell anyone what she was doing. Probably not the best idea, and now this one was between her and her home. A light breeze brought the smell of alcohol to her, and Mirabel was a little more concerned for her safety. Her Mamá always said; drunk people did stupid things. Keep your wits about you, Mirabel. She forced herself to relax. She was smart enough to deal with this situation, but had to work to keep the smile on her face. Feeling a little more confident, she nodded in response and said, “Buenas noches, Señor Rodriguez, out for some air?” She was amazed that that had come out so smoothly. More determined to remain calm, she thought of a saying her Abuela would use whenever Isa was nervous before some outing. ‘Que no te vean sufrir’ Never let them see you sweat. Definitely useful advice.

Miguel nodded and said, “Couldn’t sleep. Had a bit of indigestion.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Señor,” Mirabel said as she watched him fidget with something in his pocket. He tilted his head as he swayed a little. His expression appeared surprised that she was being conversational, as if he were expecting an entirely different reaction to his slight regarding the quality of the food at supper. Her nerves were building, and though she was now more wary, she still felt calm. He’d not actually done anything alarming, yet, as she added, “Well, I’m going to head back in. Getting late and I have a busy day tomorrow. Perhaps we’ll run into each other in town?”

He nodded again, so Mirabel started toward Casita at as normal a pace as she could manage.

As she passed him, he cried, “Wait!” and reached out for her arm. Mirabel side stepped and Miguel went down, flat on his face. Was he that drunk? Mirabel thought as she backed several steps away.

When his head came up, his expression was all anger, disgust, and fear as Miguel said angrily, “You little witch! You did that on purpose!”

Mirabel was glad she was well out of arm’s reach but noticed then that Miguel’s foot was caught on a root that was sticking out of the ground and said, “I didn’t do anything, Señor. You tripped on a root.”

“You’re lying! You used your devil magic..!” he stopped mid-sentence as Mirabel took another longer step back and almost jumped out of her skin as she bumped into someone behind her. A hand was on her shoulder and Mirabel looked over. To her great relief, she found Isabela standing there looking down at Miguel in full Señorita Perfecta mode. Mirabel’s anxiety evaporated seeing her sister there; beautiful and furious. She stepped in front of Mira as Miguel freed himself from the root and said sternly, “It’s time for you to go, Señor.”

Miguel scrambled to his feet and wavered again. He almost looked as if he was going to rush at them, but Isa fixed him with a look so dangerous that even Mirabel was worried. Miguel’s fear won out and his mouth clapped shut. He cleared his throat as if to say something, but nothing came out. He then made a brief show of straightening his clothes before turning then silently stalking away, and at the edge of town, started to run.

Isabela’s frown increased as she watched Miguel until he was out of sight and muttered, “Jackass.” She then rounded on Mirabel, and Mira took an involuntary step back. She shrunk in on herself, hands balled up in front of her as she waited for her well-deserved scolding from her older sister. To her great surprise, Isa no longer appeared angry as she gave her an actual hug and asked, “You okay hermanita?”

Mirabel blinked and nodded, saying, “Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry…”

Isa undid her hands, took one of them, and moved closer to the tree. “Don’t be. You didn’t do anything wrong beyond sneaking out of the house.” Isa said as she inspected the ground at the base and asked, “Did I hear correctly? Did that drunk idiot trip over this root and blame you for it?” Mirabel shrugged and watched her sister poke at it with her bare foot. The root slipped back under the grass as Isa continued, “Can’t believe he accused you of using magic.”

“I know, right?” Mirabel said with a bit of forced laughter. She squeezed Isa’s hand as she felt that odd twinge of remembered anger and jealousy. She pushed that aside then realized what Isa just said, “Wait, you mean you didn’t...”

“Oh no no no, I mean, I could have. I was actually thinking I should strangle him with some vines and feed bits of him to a sundew,” Isabela paused at Mirabel’s look of horror and continued, “Well, maybe not strangled, but the sundew part... Anyway, you seemed like you had it handled, except for at the end. But thankfully it worked out and by the way,” Isa said as they started toward Casita, “Don’t do this again.”

Mirabel frowned and nodded then she asked, “You’re not gonna tell Mamá or Pá about this?” she trailed off as Isa raised an eyebrow, Mirabel was astounded that her sister was still not at all angry. 

Isa looked back in the direction they’d come and gave Mirabel’s arm a squeeze as she said, “I have to.”

Mirabel sighed as she felt her panic rising. She adjusted her glasses and asked, “Please, can’t you just this once… not?”

“That man is not right, Mira, he’s dangerous,” Isa said, and Mirabel knew she was talking about Miguel. “Our parents need to know…everyone needs to. Who knows what that one would have tried to do if I wasn’t here? He hasn’t even been here an entire day, and he’s already trying to stir up trouble.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Mirabel said and sighed again. Resigned to her fate, she decided to think about anything else, and her thoughts wandered back to the tree. She didn’t recall seeing any roots poking out of the ground when she’d arrived. Had the tree helped her? And why Anselmo? “I wonder why it would use a Portuguese name?”

“Anselmo is Portuguese?” Isabela asked.

Mirabel didn’t realize she’d said that out loud but replied, “Yeah, I'm pretty sure it means God’s protection.”

“Huh, that is interesting, so when did you learn Portuguese?” Isa asked as she tapped her chin, “You’re going to have to teach me.” When Mira didn’t respond, Isa poked her arm to pull her attention away from the oak and said, “I know you're curious about that tree; I am too. But you have to remember that things aren’t the way they used to be. We don’t know everyone in town anymore, and these new ones, some of them... ”

“That was pretty dumb, huh.” Mirabel said and felt the heat rise in her face as Isa only nodded. Miguel clearly had made up his mind that the Madrigal Gifts were the devil's doing. He did not know the family’s history and probably wouldn’t believe it if he’d been there to witness it. Chances were very good there would be rumors flying around tomorrow of how she’d hexed him or some other nonsense. She also remembered he seemed to have come from the direction of Casita. Isa was right, she was just going to have to face the consequences for sneaking out alone after dark. Her mother was going to kill her. Mirabel’s anger rekindled, knowing she was going to be lectured by every adult in the house once they learned of it. “Guess it’s time to stop hiding behind being Giftless.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’ve never been Giftless. Annoying, stubborn, foolish, definitely. But not Giftless.”

“Thanks?” Mirabel replied and gave her sister a gentle push as she almost smiled.

“You’re welcome, hermanita, now let’s go,” Isa said and chuckled as she turned Mirabel toward the house, “But seriously, Mira, you need to think things through before you go climbing out any more windows in the dead of night to look at a tree.”

“How did you know I climbed out a window?”

“Because that’s how you always used to go out after dark.”

“You knew about that?”

Isa only smiled and said, “Come on, let’s get inside.”

Mirabel nodded, and she realized her anxiety was building the longer they stood out there. So after a deep breath, together they slipped quietly into Casita. As they headed for the back stairs, a voice from the kitchen halted them, “Sobrinas, un momento.”

--------------------------- 

Mirabel froze, but Isabela rolled her eyes as she looped an arm in her sister’s and guided her into the kitchen. Tío Bruno was sitting at the worktable feeding leftover bread and cheese to his rats. Isa noticed he had darker circles under his eyes as he motioned for them to take a seat. He took out his sketchbook and flipped it to a page showing an angry Miguel, directing his ire at Mirabel. Her Tío frowned as he tapped it, saying, “First off, Mira, please don’t do that again, and please do not leave Casita by yourself until these new ones are better acclimated.”

Mirabel nodded as she sank a little lower in her seat. Isa poked her lower back, forcing her sister to sit up. Mira shuffled a little in her seat, but straightened and gave her an irritated glance. Her little sister needed to learn how not to be meek in the face of scrutiny from her elders.

“Now tell me why you were out there,” Bruno asked.

Mirabel shifted again but did not slouch this time as she replied. “Well, I just wondered if it was the same tree Abuela had Luisa pull down. You know, when I was seven... so I wouldn’t hide in it anymore,”

Bruno nodded and accepted that answer, he then turned to Isa and asked, “Can you tell if the tree was already there, or did you create it with your Gift?”

Isabela shrugged as she thought about what she was feeling when the tree began to grow. “When I ‘make’ something I can usually feel a beginning and an ending... like tying off a string, so I think the tree was already there, but it was much smaller, maybe just a sapling. When I use my Gift on already living plants, I feel a sort of fullness, and it’s not as draining. I didn’t feel at all tired afterward, if that makes any sense.”

Again, Bruno nodded and said, “You know, your Tía says that hers is much the same.”

Isa had never really thought about how her Tía’s Gift actually affected the weather but did remember her Tía Pepa would offer advice when she was having a tough time creating one flower or another. Creating weather from nothing had to be even more draining than making giant marigolds.

Bruno flipped a few pages and stopped on one that made both her and her sister lean in. It was a sketch of Señora Vargas, Tuli and Antonio. Isabela immediately wanted to wrap the woman in vines and squeeze the life out of her. The Señora was leaning over Tuli pointing at Antonio with an expression that made her think she was not saying kind things.

Bruno noted her frown and said, “I am not completely sure what’s happening, but it’s already been made clear that she has no love for those of us with darker skin. I don’t believe Tuli would be swayed by her nonsense, but she’s been through enough. She doesn’t need this one causing her grief.”

Mirabel nodded and asked for the sketchbook to take a closer look. Bruno hesitated before he pushed it to her. Mirabel adjusted her glasses as she sat staring at it. Her Tío looked nervous, and Isa wondered why. She glanced over at her sister and could tell Mira was concentrating very hard on the details as she ran a finger over the figures there. After a few moments, she asked, “Tío? Is this why Antonio picked out Tuli’s clothes for tomorrow? And is that Camilo?” she asked as she pointed to the child in the background. Isa leaned over and had a look, but the child she was pointing to was not very detailed at all. Isa looked back at their Tío. He had that knowing smile on his face, and Isa was surprised when he nodded.

Isa asked to see, and Mira pushed the sketchbook to her and set to tapping the table. Bruno was watching her with interest and asked, “Mira, have you talked to Antonio lately?”

“A little. Tía asked me to tell him about the ‘no Gift rule’.”

“She asked you to do that?” Isa asked.

“It just came up. We were talking about Doris’s kids starting school and I asked her about it when we were making dinner. She said she talked to him about it, but was worried because Toni’s been so used to talking to his friends. Since he gained and lost his Gift so quickly last year, she’s afraid he’ll get lonely.”

“That’s a valid point. What did you tell him?”

“I was actually just repeated what Tía had already said. That his friends would be there when he got out of school, so it was something he could look forward to.”

Isa was only half paying attention as she looked at a different sketch. This one showed Tuli with a floppy looking Fura on her shoulder. Tío Bruno tapped the table, and she shut the sketchbook and pushed it back to him. He took it and went back to feeding his friends. Isa and Mira exchanged glances and started to get up when he said, “Isa, there’s one other thing.” They both sat back down, and he continued, “Your father is going to visit Bubo tomorrow to help with finding him a place to live with Tuli if she stays.”

“Oh, she’s staying,” Mirabel said. Their Tío tilted his head as she continued, “The Doctor said she’s not well enough to travel yet, so Mamá suggested she stay with us.”

“Her Tío really agreed to that?” Isa asked.

“He probably only did because Bubo is here as well, since he plans to stay... ” she noticed Isabela’s scrutiny then and added, “I guess?”

“So she’ll be staying... ” Tío Bruno said this to no one as he began flipping through his sketches.

“Yes, but she’ll be living in Casita,” Mirabel said.

Isa wondered how Mirabel knew all that, since she was in her room with everyone else. She decided their Mamá probably told her when she was being talked to by their father. Again, Isa smiled at the thought of that happening. Bruno again went silent. Isa and Mira waited, but he was now very focused on feeding the rats. Isa tapped Mira’s shoulder. They both got up and Isa pulled Mira into the hallway.

To her credit, Mirabel resisted a little as she did this and when they got to the top of the stairs, Isa said as they walked to Mirabel’s room, “Remember, no more wandering out after dark by yourself.”

Mirabel smiled then hugged her, saying, “Thanks for looking out me.”

“You’re welcome, Humm,” she said and hugged her little sister back.  “I’m glad I was there to help. Now go to bed... for real this time.”

Mirabel nodded, and Isa waited until her sister’s door was closed before continuing to her own room.  She opened her door and was greeted by the buzz and clicks of the nighttime insects, and quickly got ready for bed.

Her bed no longer had those flowing curtains of flowers around it. And she smiled as the vines came down and attached themselves to the four corners of her bed. It lifted a few meters off the floor, and Isabela set the bed to gently swinging as she pushed her head into her pillows. It had been a good day, she thought. Very good.

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

With her daughters gone, Julieta came into the kitchen and sat next to her little brother as Bruno gave Maria an extra bit of cheese. They sat in silence for a while until Bruno flipped open his sketchbook to the very last page and pushed it to his sister. Julieta stared at it for a time, then brushed the face there. As she did, Pepa came in and sat down on the opposite side of Bruno. Julieta pushed the sketchbook to her, and a dark cloud formed as she looked at it. Pepa closed the book and returned it to her brother. Bruno tapped the cover five times, then stowed the book. The rats being sufficiently fed disappeared into his ruana and Bruno said, “Siempre estaremos juntos, hermanas.”

“Siempre estaremos juntos, hermano,” the sisters intoned as Julieta and Pepa slipped an arm around Bruno.

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

Next Chapter: Lost in my head somewhere.

Previous Chapter:

[psych---ologically-deranged]

psych 2x13 lights camera homicidio

Steve franks, chris henze, kelly kulchak, andy berman, james roday rodriguez, dule hill

Too many people, but at least most of them have distinct voices

Again with the names. Doing voices I can't hear who they are, & not getting their voices, I'll have a harder time telling who is whom.

Three weeks? Matt Shakman.

The team!

Ppl in costumes in this one shot

Production offices in vancouver babey!

Is it funnier to say guys dressed as toast & then see it, or see it & then say it? Why was it SO important?

Well done Dulé

Smallest waist on a man ever born. 23/43 /j

"Roday could not keep serious whenever Matt would speak in this scene"

SF: Great opportunity for James to ~exploit~ his latin [american] roots JRr: It was man, I was appreciative. I had a blast. Thanks Andy. AB: You are welcome. JRr: My father got a kick out of this too. DH: Did he? JRr: He hasn't heard me speak spanish since I was 4 or 5

"Help me please, whoever you are" JRr: Hey man, say this

Gus was initially supposed to be waiting in a hopsital room to deliver some product, & he was watching tv live, & he sees the stabbing. He was supposed to be in an argument with the woman next to him on whether this guy would cheat. Gus was supposed to say "He'll pay for it. one day he'll die" & then this guy was supposed to be wheeled in on a hospital bed.

*punches shawn in the boob* SS: *falls clutching himself* That was too hard

THE SPANISH THEME SONG

SF: I took no spanish whatsoever. I took french.

Gama Lobo, named after Tony Gama Lobo

SF: When I was in kindergarten, I had a friend down the street named PJ, & one day he just moved away. PJ, if you're wathing this, what the heck happened to you man? That's not how friends treat each other, not even telling me! AB: I'd like to take this opportunity to propose to my girlfriend AB: ... When I actually have that girlfriend SF: Andy, you should be on one knee AB: Should I put my pants back on?

DH: My aunt Tit. She's from jamaica. Her real name is Lavender Gooms.

Uncle Penis, Cousin Placenta, what is wrong with these people?

Was supposed to be another female detective. (Wow she was rude. Juliet was offering her assistance in, say, maybe getting to know the layout, maybe remembering people's names, not writing your own name here & now.)

SS: *would eat meatballs from the trash* Like a jackal salivates for a wounded possum

CH *sneezing attack*

Different kind of Shawn Vision

Adam & John, good music!

Their sound stage is that green one on the screen

JRr: The hardest I got Dulé all season. ...to break. I wish I got to see the extended scene, hip movements, DH breaking character, I wish.

Poor JRr got sick.

Lol the palm trees.

Ooh the dress from weekend warriors.

*actually does smell the dream*

Because they film things out of order, you can see JRr still has some chad makeup on him

Kelly *creeped out that the director pulls shawn's shirt open*

This was ACTUALLY their rops trailer.

*everyone watching DH react to seeing the ep for the first time*

That flier is for their DP's birthday party

That trailer there is DH's, fun fact "I'm only in my trailer all the time when it's cold!"

"We've done nothing but ridicule you for the past three commentaries"

verybody watches this show except for lassiter.

Juliet becoming a child when she's excited. I love.

KK: I'm so glad that you spoke fluent spanish for this JRr: My spanish was... a little rough. *strangled sounding* I know what you mean buddy, my french is so rusty. KK: Aren't you sick? Are you kissing people? JRr: There's not a whole lot of lip touching in there

SF: A lot of people don't know this but the way Shawn's hair is in the episode is actually how James wears his hair in real life KK: Always the blow dried little flip right in the front JRr: Finally I get to do it normal style SF: Are those artificial side burns? JRr: I believe those are my own side burns SF: My mom's favourite line was that you learned all your spanish from Charles on The Love Letter (my deaf ass unable to hear what he's saying) SF: Her favourite episode is Cloudy Chance of Murder, Andy Berman JRr: I had a blast on that episode

Good old Hornstock

"You're like a little bag of granola"

*the board behind them filled with "bad" ideas*

Love Henry seeing Shawn on the tv

Same bed from Black & Tan

I can't hear a word they're saying

Juliet is asking how they got on the friends & family list bc she's trying to make a friend

KK is right, why doesn't Juliet want to be friends with the other female officers

I love it when they don't talk just watch & laugh

Network: He couldn't have read five years worth of scripts (in this amount of time) & remembered that line, & where it came from KK: He's just a good detective

"thumper" ok bestie

I like how they reference the fact that Shawn has been in jail

*puts up his hand & shares a nod*

Her desk is just... at the bottom of the stairs

CH (tho it might be AB): If you listen closely, you might hear me staring at Kelly right now. Thousand click stare

"20 degrees & raining, but that's santa barbara" Me: Do you mean it's a hot rain? (where I come from, rain is cold, I was shocked when my friend from the USA said she was able to wear shorts in the rain.) Do you alternatively mean that it is cold bc you are using fahrenheit not celsius & it's a joke aboutvancouver not being santa barbara? "& James is very sick at this point"

they have indeed mentioned the turkey stuffing sandwiches by Kelly in Craft Services on the commentaries before

DH: There's James Roday's car JRr: Actually that's my best friend Todd's. They named the Harthin's house after that guy

*Takes a picture with a family. They don't know who he is.*

CH: If you ever meet Dule on set, he's walking around with those tissues in his collar

People need to work on literacy. Understanding the difference between fiction & reality is not inherent like some people claim, it is a very simple skill that people need to have.

I forgot that henry said he is not one of shawn's/chad's fans, "I barely even like you" like girl, my man is blurring the lines between fiction & reality & saying this to his son, wow, wowww. I mean, when my older brother introduced me to psych he did say his dad traumatized him into being a good detective. First ever shot I saw was of shawn & henry & I said "I thought they were estranged"

"I want your baby!" 'I don't have any female fans?' I mean

*playing cats cradle*

"Ceramic mug?"

Love it every time they share a phone to talk to the prisoner

Editing the episode, making sure there are subtitles for when anyone speaks spanish & even when not.

Penny, just tell Juliet you feel like she is suffocating you, or tell the chief & say "This person is harassing me. Make it stop before I file a charge." Like, girl. Juliet, go say sorry instead of trying to continue making a friend. (Tho tbh looking at how Juliet is... I could see Penny getting weird vibes. It's the adhd & lack of social understanding.)

We ARE friends we just can't BE friends

She literally didn't ask tho.

the pencil there lol

"Wow" in captions XD

*the most unflattering pose ever*

the chair by Lassiter: Crystal Ball Henze

I love it love it when they stop the commentary to just watch the show

cue cards disappearing

high school spanish comes back to haunt him

"her heart is too big for her chest" *ppl look at her... heavy chest*

Oh all the inside jokes I don't get

His pillow his ricking pillow the pillow on his lap

Good job selling the depth of the well

His spanish XD

Great job

[nyc-uws]

Women’s History: Augusta Stetson and the Church at 96th Street and Central Park West March 3, 2023 HISTORY

By Pam Tice

In this month of promoting women’s history, it’s a good time to remember an Upper West Side woman who entered the public sphere in New York City more than 100 years ago. Working for the Boston founder of Christian Science, Augusta Emma Simmons Stetson came to New York City and built the First Church of Christ, Scientist at Central Park West and 96th Street. Soon it will become the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, plans you can view here.

Augusta Simmons was born into a modest family in Maine in 1842. She married Captain Frederick J. Stetson, a shipbuilder associated with a company in London. For a number of years, the couple lived overseas in London, Bombay and Burma. Captain Frederick’s ill health brought them back to Boston where Mrs. Stetson enrolled in a school of oratory, hoping to become an elocutionist at a time when the public lecture circuit was popular. She is described in many biographies as tall, elegant in appearance, with a charismatic personality and a resonant voice. At a time when women were not afforded an opportunity to be in the public sector, she appeared to be breaking barriers.

In 1884, she met and was then recruited by Mary Baker Eddy to be trained at the three-week Massachusetts Metaphysical College, founded by Mrs. Eddy to teach the metaphysical healing she called Christian Science. At a time when the medical profession did not have a solution to many health problems, this method of healing appealed to many people who were suffering.

In 1886, Mrs. Stetson was dispatched to New York City to establish the new religion here. Others were organizing here too, especially Laura Lathrop who became Stetson’s rival. But Augusta Stetson (named “Fighting Gus” by some) was successful, developing a devoted following, and organized the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in 1887. Lathrop would organize the Second Church, building her church further south on Central Park West at 68th Street.

Stetson became controversial as her power grew, challenging Mrs. Eddy’s leadership, and declaring her church to be the only one in New York City. She developed a domineering attitude and called people names who disagreed with her. Her personality and many of her actions make it hard to celebrate her, but we do recognize her accomplishment of building one of our finest landmarked churches.

Scholars label Mrs. Eddy an ambivalent feminist, founding a radical church but placing its management in the hands of an all-male Board. As more complaints about a despotic Mrs. Stetson grew, Mrs. Eddy used her Board to try to deal with her — changing the rules to control her, eventually publicly reprimanding her, and finally excommunicating her.

Augusta Stetson began to raise money for her church building, laying its cornerstone in 1899. Initially, the church was to cost $500,000, but soon grew to over a million dollars, as expensive design choices were made, including the use of  Concord granite and the installation of two elevators. In 1903, when the church was dedicated, Stetson flaunted her accomplishment of raising such a hefty sum, unlike her rival Lothrop who had a mortgage on her church.

The First Church’s wealthy congregation sought a building that would signify respectability, choosing the prestigious architects Carrere & Hastings, and using the finest materials throughout the internal structure. Famed artist John LaFarge made the stained-glass window over the main entrance. The Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group has uploaded a copy of a real estate brochure with photographs of the Beaux Arts interior of this beautiful building before it was gutted.

The year after the Church was dedicated, Stetson’s devoted congregation built her a mansion just behind the church on West 96th Street. Designed by Hunt & Hunt, the architectural firm of Richard Morris Hunt’s sons, the mansion had a one-story portico with marble columns at its side entrance.

In 1909, with the First Church welcoming overflowing crowds, Mrs. Stetson began making plans to develop a second church building at Riverside Drive at 86th Street. However, this violated guidelines set by the Board of the Church in Boston, and the plan was dropped. An investigation of Mrs. Stetson also began that year, looking at her unorthodox views of Church teachings, her practices, and the fact that she gave false testimony in a court case. The Boston Board revoked her license as a Christian Science teacher and practitioner, excommunicating her from the Church. When Mrs. Eddy died in 1910, many expected Stetson to return to head the church, but she did not. She kept her mansion, and kept her title as principal of the New York City Christian Science Institute.

Stetson continued to publish pamphlets on her views of Christian Science, often attacking the “Mother Church” as “exhibiting spiritual decline.” Many New Yorkers continued to follow her, with as many as 800 attending her lectures. In 1918, she formed a Choral Society as part of the Institute, and took on a cause: changing the third stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner because it was too militaristic.

In 1921, Mrs. Stetson was in the news again regarding a suit against the First Church to stop them from erecting a brick wall at the rear of the church that would cut off her light and air.

Stetson purchased a radio station in 1925, broadcasting five times a week. She promoted ugly propaganda that was anti-Catholic and antisemitic, advocating white supremacy and traditional American virtues.

Although she had once claimed immortality, Augusta Stetson died in 1928. Her residence was demolished soon after, and an apartment building replaced it in 1930.

As for the First Church, its congregation shrank over time, not unlike many other neighborhood churches. The building was declared a New York City landmark in 1974. In 2005, the First and Second Churches finally combined. The Crenshaw Center East, a nondenominational church from Los Angeles, purchased the First Church building in 2004 and held services there for a decade. In 2014, a developer purchased it with the intention of converting it into condominiums, but the project failed to get approval. Now the Children’s Museum of Manhattan will convert it and join the neighborhood’s other important institutions.

The mansion behind the church

[arrowheadedbitch]

And now for

Quotes from Discord!!!

Apollo: “and that’s Gus’s best friend. Have I mentioned Gus is everything to me. I should imbue him with the gift of prophecy. But the prophecy is always ‘Shawn this seems like a bad idea’ and then it is.” -aba-dabba-do

"Everyone thinking Shawn is like an Athena kid or something because of his Detective skills but he's just like "nah, my mortal dad was just a fucking weirdo lol""

"Oh, I'm NOT an Athena kid, haha, yeah my Dad was just a Detective is all and he made sure to teach me EVERYTHING starting at the age of 6, haha, don't look at me like that, I don't want *your* sympathy or *your* pitty, anywho, Gus, this place fucking sucks-"

"Cause he be fucking!"

When they finally find out its Mnemosyne they're like "Okay, so all of that shitbwas just???? UNRELATED??!?!?!??"

"Oh, the cryptid? Wait, he's just a guy??? Tf you MEAN he's just a guy? MNEMOSYNE???!?!??!?!?! HOW"

He flirts his way into the pentagon and they think it's charm speak but he's actually just THAT GOOD

"Okay, he solved the case but he also lost 6,000 dollars, is that still a point for Athena or???"

"Who's your mom?"

"Madeleine"

"Wtf"

"That's what she told my dad"

"What's her REAL name"

"Oh, I don't speak greek."

"You don't have to speak Greek to say her name?????"

"And also YES YOU DO?????"

"I don't speak greek"

*speaks 8 languages including greek*

It'd honestly be funnier if he looks exactly like Heph and their all just like "no relation"

When Percy's gone, Shawn is the go to guy in capture the flag bc no one know *how* he's winning, but he's winning and that's all that mattera

he doesnt know hows hes winning either-@j-snapdragon

Detective skills + genius + how the fuck did I do that + charisma

Okay, I've been discussing ideas about a PJO Psych crossover and it is now time to share my findings

Okay, so once upon a time Henry Spencer met a woman who when posing as a mortal went by the name Madeleine but she was actually a goddess, they had a kid, she was a minor goddess, so she was able to stay for a while, but eventually she left.

Yes, of COURSE Shawn thinks it's his Dad's fault

The goddess was Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of MEMORY and the mother of the muses (works perfectly, right??!??!?!)

And Gus is his Satyr protector!!!

Henry does all the same training with Shawn to be a cop and such

Shawn gets his eidetic memory from his mother, the goddess of memory

I've also decided he gets taskmaster powers (can do anything he sees from memory) because that fucks hard

Shawn gets the record of fastest kid to get claimed as his mother officially claims him before he even leaves for camp

Here's her symbol by the way!

Anyway, when Shawn gets to camp, he's a total little shit

At first, the other campers think he's just not being claimed, depending on how you work the timeline here? Percy is pissed

Then Gus and Shawn explain that he actually got claimed before he even showed up (Percy vows to personally thank his godly parent for being an actually decent person)

So, they ask who it is, and Shawn WILL NOT TELL THEM

Why? Because it's funner that way!

They have an ongoing tally and betting pool of who his godly parent is, no one guesses it

He also keeps sneaking Mr D alcohol because it's funny and no one but Dionysus is happy about that

Gus is still his best friend that he drags into things, obv, they probably end up soul bound just like percy and grover

Juliet is a child of Athena

Lassie is a child of Ares and if your going by the show there's a super funny joke about how he looks exactly like Hephaestus but is the son of the guy he hates most, haha

Shawn KILLS at capture the flag

No one believes him when he says he doesn't have charm speak

Instead of becoming a SB Psychic, he ends up being this crime solving traveling cryptid (he's gotta keep moving bc monsters) (dont worry, he still visits camp pretty often and likes to drop by Santa Barbara to solve crimes and piss off his dad)

There was also a lengthy convo about each gods opinion of him of any of you wanna hear that

Shawn is the muse of doing weird shit

Also art lover shawn 🔛🔝, he's got plenty of muse talent, yall

Instead of pretending to be a psychic, he's pretending to NOT be muse adjacent

And now, a list of Gods people keep guessing for Shawn

Dionysus, Hermes, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo

And finally, gay people real???

As you can see, we mostly talked about Shawn lol