#I just get absolutely destroyed by the end of each chapter that I can’t comment-

[thegreateventof1928]

man I’m too tired to post anything or talk to anyone- finals are coming up I’m sleepy I need to focu-

(Sins just posted another chapter)

-WELL HELLO THERE!! DONT MIND IF I DO

Oh, it's so over for y'all.

For those who have been following my fic, All Our Stolen Summertimes... I've written the Cherik kiss for the next update. Be prepared. IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING. 43k words in. And there's so much more to come. The plot is not over. The love is not over. I hope you enjoy it SO MUCH. I've been building to this for ages.

Catch up on the newest chapter first!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33086503/chapters/82134211

[redlittlefoxari]

To The Ends Of Faêrun: Chapter Fifteen: Shadow Purge

This series is book two of a fanfic I have already written called Astarion Epilogue: An Adventure in Making Life

Master List Here for Books One, and Two

*List includes a prequel that is essentially one-shots of their adventures over the fifty years after the battle at the end of the game*

Warnings: Blood, Sex, Violence, NSFW 18+, Smut

Summary: After a week's journey, the party finally makes it to the Last Light Settlement to meet Halsin.

A trip that would typically take more than a week took only five days on horseback. Tav recalled when they had made the trip from Moonrise to Baldur’s Gate over fifty years ago, and how they nearly collapsed from exhaustion, racing to beat the armies of the Absolute. This trip was definitely more pleasant than that it was, as the roads were empty primarily due to the cold weather, and thus, they were left undisturbed the whole trip, which had Tav sending up thanks to whomever was watching over them. 

She had been on edge with Apple, keeping to the back of the line with Gale in the middle and Shadowheart leading the charge. Tav watched for any signs of danger and constantly had to tell Apple to keep her head down or, at the very least, put up a protection spell. Astarion sat behind her on the horse they shared, and Tav received more kisses on the back of her head and gentle rubs against her armor than she could count over the last five days. He, however, was just as tense as Tav was. Late at night, the two would sit up, holding each other until Apple fell asleep, and then they would take shifts watching for any sign of danger. 

Gale taught Apple almost every night for two hours so that she wouldn’t fall behind when she finally returned to her classes. Giving Tav and Astarion the opportunity to hunt for something to eat. It was primarily for Astarion to eat, but no one complained when they returned with rabbits or other animals that filled their bellies. They still kept where the blood came from away from Apple, who just thought it came from the bag of holding that Tav carried at her side. 

After five days of being on constant high alert and watching Apple on rotating shifts, Tav and Astarion were thrilled when they caught sight of Moonrise Towers. What was once a dark and desolate place had turned into something that resembled the glory it once held before Shar and Ketheric had destroyed it. Now, there was the sound of children playing in the streets, people laughing, and so much color everywhere they looked. 

“Gods, it doesn’t even look like the same place.” Astarion looked around in awe. 

“It looks like the shadow curse never touched this place at all.” Shadowheart dismounted from her horse. “If we didn’t know what happened here, I would be hard-pressed to believe it.” 

“Truly, we did the right thing.” Gale misty stepped off the back of his horse. 

“If we didn’t, I’m not sure we would have ever found Astarion’s ring.” Tav grabbed his hand and squeezed. 

“So it all worked out in the end to benefit me.” Astarion flashed a smile to no one in particular. “Can’t say I’m unhappy with how it all turned out.” He leaned down to whisper in Tav’s ear. “It led to the best thing that's ever happened to me.” 

“What would that be?” Tav leaned into him, turning her head slightly to get a better look at him.

“Our wonderful family.” He kissed her ear, and she smiled at his comment. 

Apple stayed in the cart, not daring to leave until Tav or Astarion told her it was all right. “And you all, including Auntie Karlach and Uncle Wyll, broke the curse?” Apple looked at Tav and Astarion. 

“Yup!” Tav jumped down from her horse. “And Grandpa Halsin… speaking of which…” She looked around for the big wood elf. “Where do you think he is right now?”

“I’m sure he’s off somewhere pretending he’s a real bear.” Astarion motioned for Apple to get out of the cart. “He did always prefer that form over having to wear clothes.”

They all looked around in wonder at the change only just over fifty years had done. Where there was once death and darkness, there wasnow light and happy people going about their day. Halsin hadn’t been boasting when he had talked about turning Moonrise Towers into housing for others and that the settlement looked utterly different from what the party would remember. Even when Tav and Astarion had come through the settlement in search of the ring that allowed him to walk in the sun, it was nothing compared to what it looked like now. 

“I like clothes just fine, Astarion.” 

A large booming voice came from behind the group, and as they all turned, knowing exactly who it was: Halsin came into view. The now over four-hundred-year-old elf looked much the same since the last time he paid Baldur’s Gate a visit. A little more tired around the eyes, but still full of strength and wisdom from years of hardship and leadership. He stood wrapped in furs and carrying a bundle of firewood tied together with some rope, allowing it to stay together for more accessible transport. 

Over the last six years, Hasin had come to visit them in Baldur’s Gate many times, bringing Apple gifts that he had hand-made or found along the way. She had so many wooden ducks, cats, owlbears, and other animals that it was hard to keep track of them. Halsin had become the grandfather that Apple lacked since Astarion didn’t know where or if his parents were even still alive and had no intention of finding out, and Tav only had her mother. Though if her father were alive, she wouldn’t let him near Apple. Tav would have killed him on the spot if he had even tried if Astarion hadn’t gotten to him first. Luckily, they didn’t have to answer that question as Tav’s mother had killed him a long time ago. So no,w Halsin had taken up the role with great pleasure and was the perfect fit for Apple. 

“Grampa Halsin!” Apple broke from the group and barreled towards him, arms stretched wide to wrap him in a bear hug. 

“My little Apple!” Halsin dropped the wood and knelt down. She collided with him, and he took her into his arms, standing and spinning her around in a circle. “How have you been, my sweet little cub?”

“Good!” She giggled. “Well, I got into trouble, but we are fixing it.” 

“I know a little about the trouble.” Halsin looked at Tav and Astarion. “Let us get inside. We have set aside some rooms in the inn for you all.” He nodded towards a young man. “Grason will ensure your horses are housed and fed for the night.” He moved Apple so that she sat on his shoulder.

A thin teenager appeared and started gathering up the reins. “I’ll be sure they are taken care of, and no one messes with them.” He bowed and walked away. 

“Thank you!” Tav called to him. 

“He is a good boy, and I have told him that he is to take care of the horses before he gets to join in on the festivities this evening.” Halsin signaled to follow him. 

“Festivities? Are you throwing a party?” Tav looked around and just now noticed the decorations being strewn about. ”I hope you’re not throwing a party on our account.” 

Halsin laughed. “No, but your arrival did match up perfectly.” He turned slightly to speak. “With everything going on, I’m not surprised that you don’t know what day it is.” 

“Are you going to tell us, or do we get to guess?” Astarion had a small bite to his words. 

Tav looked around to see strings willed with dried cranberries and citrus fruits. Cinnamon, pinecone, and evergreen wreaths hung from every door and post that was physically possible. Large vats of mulled wine, hot apple cider, and food of every kind littered tables as they passed. In the almost two weeks that had passed and with everything that had happened, Tav had forgotten what celebration was coming up. 

“Midwinter?” Tav said as she looked at Astarion. 

“Correct. I’m not surprised Tav figured it out just by looking around.” Halsin smiled at Tav and then returned to where he was going. 

Grasping for Astarion’s hand, Tav laced his fingers with hers as the rest of the party made small talk for the remainder of the walk to the inn. On the way, Tav looked around in wonder at just how much everything had changed and the life that had been breathed into everything around them. The thought that they had done this was something that filled her with wonder and pride that they had done good. 

After a ten-minute walk, they made it to the Last Light. What was once a broken-down beacon of hope was now completely restored. The outside stone looked like it had been polished and cleaned, but spots still had moss staggered, which Tav could only guess was because of Halsin. As they crested, the stoop of the inside front door looked like a lodge. Gone were the holes in the floor and the smell of decay. Now it looked new with the smell of pine and citrus, no doubt from someone making spiced cider for the party later tonight. 

“Gods…” Gale's breath hitched as he took in the sight. “It doesn’t even look like the same place.”

“It’s not.” Shadowheart touched the wall. “They have gone and made it anew.”

“You have the room right there to your right.” Halsin pointed towards the large room that had once been used as the infirmary. “We have put some walls up so that it is a little more private.” He walked towards the door and opened it. It led into a hallway with multiple rooms tucked away. “I’ll let you get settled before we talk about the matter at hand.” 

“Thank you, Halsin.” Tav gave him a large smile as he put Apple down. 

“It’s nothing after what you did for this place.” Halsin gestured for Tav to go. “I’ll be waiting at the table when you are ready.” He pointed to a set of tables and chairs by the fire.

Tav walked down the hall and looked in every room to see what was available. Several rooms had single beds, while only one in the back housed a bed large enough for two people. She looked to Astarion, a question in her eyes. Are we taking shifts? He gave her a slight nod before placing his bow down in the corner and leaving the room. Tav longed to feel him against her skin at night and missed snuggling up to him as she fell asleep. They just feared that they needed the added protection just in case something happened. There were several times on their adventures both while fighting the Absolute, and on the adventures afterwards that they had been woken up by a stranger leering over them in their sleep. Tav chuckled as she remembered that, one of those times, it had been Astarion.

Everyone picked their spots and quickly made their way out to Halsin, who had a small gaggle of children around him, begging for him to come and play with them. Tav could feel Apple vibrating with energy beside her. Her eyes filled with the desire to go and ask to play with the children. It had been almost two weeks since Apple had seen any of her friends, and Tav could tell that she missed them terribly. Tav looked to Astarion, another question in her eyes, and as he looked from her to Apple, he melted a bit and mouthed the word okay.

Tav smiled at him. “Apple.” 

Apple turned towards her. “Yeah, Mamma?” 

“Why don’t you ask them if you can play with them while we talk to Halsin.” Tav patted her head. 

“Really!?” Apple’s eyes lit up with excitement. 

Tav felt a pang of worry. “Just stay where we can see you.” 

Apple ran off toward the other children and expressed her interest in wanting to play with them. It’s not as if Tav didn’t want Apple to make new friends. She was just worried about introducing Apple to strangers that she did not know. Astarion and Tav needed to meet the parents back home before letting her go to their houses. The same went for if Apple wanted to have friends over to the house. Tav let out a long sigh of resignation, knowing that she needed to loosen her leash on her child. Otherwise, the next few weeks would be torture for everyone. 

As Apple ran off with the other children, going to play in the square right outside the Last Light Inn, Halsin motioned for everyone to sit. “They really are good children.” He gave Tav and Astarion the largest smile he could muster. “I would be more worried about what she would do to them.”

“We’ve just never taken her this far out of the city before, and traveling with her on the road...” Astarion paused. “You know all too well what can happen.”

“I do, but there is nothing to worry about here.” Halsin leaned forward in his chair. “I keep everyone in line for the most part.”

“The most part?” Tav could feel fear rising in her chest. 

“Again, nothing to worry about.” Halsin leaned back. “Mostly teenagers who have a rebellious streak in them, and again, I’m sure Apple can put them in their place.” He looked to Gale. “She attends your school. Do you not teach them how to defend themselves?” 

“It is true Apple knows a few offensive spells, like Fire Bolt, Magic Missile, and Thunderclap, but she knows far more defensive spells as she is only six.” Gale stroked his beard. “She is extremely bright for her age, but that often doesn’t equate to common sense.” 

“Which is how we got into this situation in the first place,” Tav cut in as her fear was replaced with pride as she heard all the spells her daughter knew. “We need to ask you a few questions about the local forest and if anything strange has happened.”

“Ask away!” Halsin seemed delighted to be asked anything about nature. “You should start from the beginning so that I am in the loop.” 

“Of course.” Tav nodded. 

Over the next thirty minutes, Tav explained everything that had happened. The goddess, the quest, what they knew about Mielikki, anything and everything that could help them locate her. They didn’t know much about Mielikki, the goddess of the forest, only that she didn’t like to stay in one place for too long. She had her favorite spots, to be sure, but they needed to know if any of those locations had been acting strange. It would do them no good to just wander around with no clear direction to random forests that would eat away at too much time. This time, they did know how long they genuinely had. 

“That is quite the tale.” Halsin fell into silence as he absorbed all that he was given. 

“It is…” Tav took a deep breath and looked over to check on Apple, who had summoned dancing lights for her new friends. “We need to find Mielikki and return her to Angharradh before something horrible happens.” Tav turned back towards Halsin and the others. “I will not let Angharradh take Apple.” Tav straightened her spine. “It will happen over my cold, dead body.” 

“If we could avoid making Apple an orphan, that would be nice,” Astarion cut in. “Because I would be right next to Tav, fighting tooth and nail.” His eyes dilated. “I’ll rip out Angharradh’s throat myself.” 

“That might be a little harder than you think.” Halsin gave a sad smile. “She is queen of all the elves and is the reason for our very being. If the lore is to be believed, if she is slain, so is all of elvenkind.” 

“That could just be something she made up so no one would try.” Astarion waved his comment off.

“If it is true, then tell us if you know anything about where we can find Mielikki?” Tav Looked into Halsin’s eyes. “Any dying forests? Sightings?” 

Halsin thought for a few moments before replying. “A couple of high elves came through here the other day with their son, telling a tale about how Evereska forest was dying.” His face changed into something serious. “That the great trees that many homes and buildings were built into have dried up and started dying, and that even the surrounding forests have started to do the same.” 

Evereska was a major city where elves and other fair folk came to mine and produce great healing potions from its waters. It was one of the only places where elves and dwarfs got along due to it being a refuge. If it was dying despite thriving for centuries, it was highly suspicious. It was a place favored by many gods, particularly Mielikki, due to the harmony the locals shared with the wildlife, who chose to live with the trees instead of cutting them down. Building many of their homes in the giant blue-leaved trees that covered the city. 

“Alright then, I say we head there first thing in the morning.” Tav gave Halsin a smile. “Thank you, Halsin.” 

“Don’t thank me just yet.” He stood, his tall frame towering over everyone at the table. “I wish to join you.” 

“I don’t know if that is a good idea…” Tav thought about the poor horses. “We don’t have a horse large enough to carry you.”

“You are large enough that you could carry one of them,” Astarion put in. 

“I am only a little over four hundred years old!” Halsin bellowed. “In my bear form, I can keep pace with any horse in walk or a trot.” 

Tav considered what he was saying. He and Shadowheart were middle-aged by all rights. Elves typically lived for around seven to eight hundred years. Him being just over four hundred placed him in the same position as Shadowheart, and Tav was letting her come along. Her only argument was his size, and he had already thought of a way around that. With breaks to eat and rest along the way, he wouldn’t slow the party down due to his size or age. 

“I have no more excuses for why you couldn’t come.” Tav shrugged. “Plus, it would be nice having another elf. Astarion and I have been taking shifts watching at night.” She looked to Astarion. “Maybe we can actually get to sleep next to each other again.” She gave him a small smile. 

“The two of you have been sleeping separately the whole time you have been on the road?” Halsin looked appalled. 

“Well, we can’t really ask the old wizard and Shadowheart to watch the gods know they need all the sleep they can get.” Astarion gave the two in question a long look.

“You know words can hurt, correct?” Gale placed a hand over his heart. “And you have no room to talk; you’re older than Shadowheart and I combined.”

“I’m also an eternally young vampire, sooo.” Astarion drew out the last word and tilted his head as he gave Gale a cocky smile. 

An argument ensued between Gale and Astarion about respecting your elders and who demanded more respect. Tav just sat back and watched the two throw insults back and forth, trying to laugh at the absurdity of it all. As she felt eyes on her and not on the men bickering before her, Tav turned to see Halsin assessing her with the eyes of someone with wisdom well beyond her years. She gave him a small, nervous smile, and motioned towards the epic word battle, rolling her eyes to emphasize just how ridiculous they were. Halsin, however, still didn’t move his eyes from her, and instead looked as if he had made a choice. Tav had no clue what that was, as he didn’t share it with her before speaking again. 

“So it is decided!” Halsin sounded cheerful as he switched gears. 

Gale and Astarion stopped their bickering at the sound of his voice. 

“And what’s that?” Astarion asked. 

“Tomorrow, we set off to Evereska, but tonight!” Halsin paused for dramatic effect. “Tonight, we celebrate.” 

Tag list:

@ofmyth-andmagicart @lunaredgrave @littlekidsteve @omnia--mea-mecum-porto porto @ayselluna @myreadingmanga123 @kismet-of-the-divine @nicalysm @justlilpeaches21 @five-salty-bitters @lenarosic88 @caydevakarian @supervrgnsokay-blog @ravenswritingroom @kalypsoox @foxiecelery @wisteriaofthegraves

[blue-pastel-cat]

Xiaobedo Fanfic Recommendation

Welcome to my personal “if you are new to xiaobedo peeps please read these” list. As said before this is my personal list so please feel free to reblog/comment/hit me for not including any gem here. I might miss a lot of them because I am drunk or blind. (mostly have them on my to read and then forgot as I am being assault by real life shit).

I would like to say first that so far there are 150+ Xiaobedo fics on Ao3. I can’t review all of them but I can say that I have read a majority of them. Most of them are just pure love and I would like nothing more than a thousands thank you for all the fic writers who spent their free time writting these gems for us to read for free. But these...these takes the cake as it finds a special landing spot in my heart that I would just thrust them into someone’s hand if they say “I am new to this ship can you recommend me?”

1. Orange dust by bobamilkteas (Wes)

In which Xiao learns to open himself up to the world a little more after the collapse of Rex lapis's contracts but it was not always easy for a soul doomed to eternal damnation. Meanwhile, Albedo liked to tempt fate where the extraordinary are concerned.

If only the traveler's comrades are made of saner bunch.

Comment: Long ago when I like both Albedo and Xiao as a character, I was wondering hmmm....will anyone actually even write about them lmao they never met each other. I am surprise to see this one as the 3rd fic in the whole 3 Xiaobedo fic on Ao3 (yeah back when there’s literally only 3 fic for this couple). I was like I’ll read it for the curiosity, I’ll probably won’t ship them. And that people is how I put my clown make up on my face upon finishing reading it. This ONE fic alone convert me into a devotee of Xiaobedo. Please consider joining me in this circus if you want to know what is Xiaobedo. I would put this as the first of my “Big 3″

Orange Dust also come with its compliation of short stories over the course of the game and a big sequel to it. Please also consider reading ALL OF THEM.

2. Solar Wind by birdpriestess (Sparrow)

For the yaksha, his duty was his life, and his life was his duty. No human could ever hope to understand the eternal war he fought out of sight and in silence.

So why, then, did he feel that Albedo would understand?

---

Finding himself at death's door once more, Xiao is saved by a surprising person, setting off the unlikeliest of adventures.

Comment: Do you like crying? Do you like the feeling of getting your heart ripped into pieces as the author destroy your emotions over the end of each chapter as the story picked up the climax? Yeah, this one is for you masochists. The action, the characterisation, the drama THE EMOTIONS OH WOW. I kid you not that it was so good I read this while workinng when I am not suppose to me. Also, this fic has my favourite characterisation of Gold ever. I love that dramatic queen Mad Alchemist. AND DAIN. I LOVE DAIN IN THIS FIC. Our dearest Sparrow manage to toy with our feelings like how I bully ruin guard for big numbers lmao. This is the secound of “Big 3″ of my Xiaobedo list.

Again, just like Orange Dust, Solar Wind comes with its own compliation of short stories of what came after that. Please also consider reading ALL OF THEM.

3. Castle of Glass by AlchemicalStardust (Morgie) 

A black shadow rises over Huaguang Stone Forest. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Albedo flees the shaking ground and the crash of boulders tumbling form the sky. As the dust settles, Albedo finds a young man – an Adeptus – amidst the carnage. Despite the karmic agony ripping his body from the inside, Xiao’s only question is “How?” How did a human survive after witnessing his battle?

Comment: The last of the “Big 3″ of my Xiaobedo list. And it is still on going! Castle of Glass? More like I AM IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTIONS! Have you read a fic about 2 people yearning, longing, reaching out for each other so damn well that you just want to throw your phone in the air as they both had their impending doom coming down upon them? Yeah this is one of them. You will like want to be stuck in the moment they express how much they just yearn for each other’s love and care that you want to shake the author for what comes next. Like...everytime Morgie update I am expressing my gratitude at the end of the chapter by writing on Xiaobedo discord “MORGIE COME HERE AND LET ME BONK YOU WHY ARE YOU ENDING IT THERE”

trust me when you read you will def feel the same. With just Big 3 and their compliation alone that would give you like a LONG list of reading already LMAOOOOOOO

4. Find a place to call it home  by yamajiroo 

Our room, he said. Xiao’s brow twitches. Zhongli never said anything about this. But then again, perhaps he should anticipate this from the beginning...

Xiao looks over at Albedo, who is now tilting his head, his look as innocent as ever.

“Are you not okay with sharing a room?”

Comment: College AU for Xiaobedo! One thing that I love this is the slow burn and what made me LOVE LOVE LOVE this fic more is how cute Klee is in this fic. Their relationship in this one is very simple, but that simplicity highlight why their chemistry work. Xiao is someone who was just very gentle, who was largely misunderstood by his lonesome nature. Albedo was someone who like peace and quite in his introvert bubble. And how they respect that bubble that each other has actually made their relationship work. I love it when fic highlight this and this one captures it.

5. I Can't See Your Face From the Other Side of the Classroom by MissWeaver  

When Albedo and Xiao unexpectedly start eating lunch together, they begin to find that they have more in common than anyone would have realized. They both struggle in their own ways with blossoming feelings, too many assignments, and annoying classmates as they navigate a relationship for the first time.

Comment: I’ll be honest, I usually hate high school au just because its so cliche. I don’t even watch and drama/anime surrounds high school student anymore LMAOOO (unless it’s very good). So if there’s an high school AU that I actually keep come back and read after a couple of chapters, it means that the cliche that I hate wasn’t there or barely was there at all. The pinning in this fic makes me want to bang their head together sometimes LMAOOO The tag wasn’t kidding when they said both Xiao and Albedo are bad at feelings. Also that’s a lot of heart broken caused by these two idiots XD

6. new world, same me, same bullshit  by  bobamilkteas (Wes)

At the belly of Dragonspine, Albedo lost control to the festering corruption that permeated his senses and watched, from the recesses of his mind, as his devoured body turned his allies into enemies. Before his rampage reached its climax, he is sealed in a crystalized confinement by the last hand of Reindottir, where he then reawakens centuries after, in a rebooted Teyvat.

Comment: Yeah I know it was list in Orange Dust but here me out. This sets out in an entirely different universe. And if you like Polyamory, this one has Zhongli joining the duo and I love it because I also love ZhongXiao with my life. Time Travel is my biggest kink. Especially when I am the person who love it when people explore Archon War era/ Alatus!Xiao. So this one hits double of my kink. Of course it is still on going and I will bully Wes whenever I can to see that new chapter. Albedo is a total fucking badass in this story and I completely agree from using him in Abyss so often. Everyone should write badass Albedo.

7. misplaced heart of mine by  inkburn           

“If you are ill, then you should be resting at home. In Mondstadt.” He emphasized Mondstadt with a pointed look in his direction.

“I assure you I won’t be troublesome, Adeptus Xiao,” Albedo said, “You’ll find I’m a rather low-maintenance traveler.”

“Travel,” Xiao scoffed, “without airstep?”

Albedo looked him up and down. “Are your legs just for decoration?”

(albedo is sent to liyue on mandatory vacation. xiao is his unfortunate bodyguard.)

Comment: Most of the time you will see Albedo and Xiao starting their relationship with one of them taking interest in another. But this one took another approach, they starting off by make them hating each other’s guts LMAOOOO and I live for every second of it. There’s only 1 chapter so far but wow it was SOOO GOOD. I am really really excited for next chapter and is waiting patiently ;w;

8.  Blossom of Grace  by birdpriestess  

One day in Liyue Harbor, Albedo watches a street performance by an enigmatic dancer named Xiao. And he becomes completely obsessed.

Comment: Have you ever look at Xiao fight and thinking that he’s one of the most beautiful deadly thing ever? How it was like he was dancing around the battlefield? How about actual dancer Xiao being so absolutely beautiful and perfect and that slow burn of Albedo falling in love with that beauty with a touch of Modern AU and cute Ganyu as the Wing woman. Yes, Sparrow delivers yet again another beautiful slow burn and while it’s still ongoing it is worth the read.

9. i think we could make this work (could get used to this) by outspaced               

“Xiao? What are you doing out here?”

“I—”

“It’s raining,” Albedo says, as if it isn’t obvious. “You could get struck by lightning.”

“What are you doing out here then?” Xiao does the only thing he knows how to do, he challenges Albedo. “It’s raining.”

Albedo just hums. “If I get struck by lightning, it’s for science.”

Comment: A short one-shot where I read the summary and went “This is it... this is their relationship.” I am sold immediately. Oh god Albedo why are you like this.

10. Ephemeral by criedprinz        

“It’s not for your investigation, is it?” Aether asked mildly.

Albedo traced a finger around the sketchbook, considering the question. “No,” he admitted finally. “I... I just want to see them again.”

He opened the sketchbook to reveal the drawing he’d just finished. Aether nodded, clearly recognizing the sharp golden eyes.

“Xiao,” he said. “You were rescued by an adeptus.”

When a visit to Dragonspine goes horribly wrong, Albedo is rescued by an unknown stranger, wielding powers he's never heard of. Led on a search to find out who it is, he finds himself in the middle of an unforgettable encounter..

Comment: A really really well written one-shot that I love. The yearning oh godddd the yearning from Albedo side is just so so much that I have to put it here. (I think you can see the trend here lmao. I am a sucker for yearning). And the moment they get to meet each other again is just chef kiss. MWHAA

11. Idle Yaksha, Brilliant Yaksha by Pit0fTheEarth

Alatus didn’t have a lot of responsibilities to keep. He spent most of his days dancing across the sky and eating away all nightmares that plagued a person’s sleep.

But one fortunate encounter led to too many unfortunate ones, taking his carefree existence and plunging it in darkness. His wings, stripped from him. His gentle touch, replaced by an unforgiving grip of destruction.

There was a lot of blood on his hands. With each passing moment, it became harder for Alatus to recall the last time someone gently held him.

Comment: This is one of the ongoing fic where I am very very much excited on the take of Naberius. And the way the author portray Xiao when he’s still the innocent Alatus is just *clench fist*. Baby ;w; Baby why do you have to lose all that innocence. Also the fic has long LONG flashback to Xiao past and his relationship with Naberius. We are unwielding more what happened to both of them and why perhaps does this have to do with Albedo.

That’s it for now, might add more later! Thank you <3

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

Part two of three. Izuku has a new goal for this tournament, and Shouto’s getting a vibe check.

[No. 39 - Todoroki Shouto: Origin]

We start off with a brief flashback from a younger Shouto’s POV, ith Rei saying that that’s fine, he’s not…

Shouto’s narration wonders when he forgot what came after that. In the present, Shouto demands to know what Izuku is planning. Everything he’s got… did his bastard of a father pay him off or something? Shouto is pissed, and dashes forward, thinking that Izuku won’t be able to deal with him at close range. Izuku reacts by dashing forward as well, ducking low as he gets close. 

In the stands, Katsuki has also notices Shouto’s slowed down, likely because of the frost covering his body. It’s different than Katsuki’s limits - kind of like magic points in a video game. The scale of that attack against Sero was probably the most he could muster.

Shouto panics just a bit, realizing Izuku had moved the instant he raised his left leg. Izuku himself is furiously muttering to himself about imagining the microwave, don’t let it explode, even as his powered-up right arm comes swinging, landing right in Shouto’s stomach. 

Of course, Izuku isn’t entirely unscathed, Shouto managing to get some ice on Izuku’s left arm at the elbow before being flung away by the force of the punch. Present Mic makes a comment on things heating up, while both Izuku and Shouto take a moment to recover from the backlash of that punch. The crowds are shocked at Izuku landing a blow, but also note that he’s the one who can barely stand. 

Shouto coughs, commenting on how now Izuku is on the offensive. He’s wondering how (I’m guessing on how Izuku finds the strength to keep going?), sending out another weak burst of ice that Izuku leaps over. Izuku comments on how Shouto’s not just slowing down, but his ice is weakening too. 

Cementoss asks Midnight if he should stop the match. It seems like Izuku’s going all out because he knows he can be healed no matter what. And he’s not feeling all the pain he’s in because his adrenaline’s pumping. But those injuries… a single healing session won’t be enough for a full recovery. Even if he wins here, he’ll be in no shape for the next match. Midnight has no reply.

Aizawa thinks back to the quirk assessment, where he told Izuku to learn to control his quirk. In the present, he notes that that control is starting to come, even if it means weaker attacks. He’s not just blindly going wild out there. In order to win, this is the best strategy for him at this point. But… even if he does know he can be healed, putting himself through all that pain takes a hell of a lot of guts.

Toshinori, however, has caught on to what the others have not, wondering what it is that’s motivating his successor. Which is a small little thing that I find neat! Toshinori’s known this kid for just over a year at this point, while the rest of the staff have only known him a few weeks.

Izuku can’t make a fist with his right hand anymore. So when Shouto sends another up-close ice attack, he puts his thumb in his mouth and uses that to flick it, destroying the ice with a crack that is equally likely to be from the thumb as it is from the ice. During all that, Shouto (or Izuku?) thinks back to Izuku’s words, about wanting to be like All Might, and for that, he has to be number one, he has to be the strongest. It might seem like a lame motivation compared to Shouto’s, but.

Shouto asks Izuku why he’s going this far. Izuku dashes in, saying he’s just trying to meet expectations. A smiling, dependable, cool hero - that’s what he wants to be. 

Shouto flashes back again for a brief instant, providing enough distraction that Izuku gets in another hit. Izuku states that that’s why he’s giving it everything! For everyone! Shouto’s experiences, his determination - Izuku can’t even begin to imagine what all that is like. But if he becomes number one without giving it his all, then Izuku doesn’t think he’s serious about denying Endeavor everything. 

A longer flashback. Endeavor tells his son to get up. He won’t even be able to defeat third-rate villains, let alone All Might, if he gets knocked down by a hit like that. Rei begs Endeavor to stop, that Shouto’s only five years old. Shouto looks up from where he’s kneeling on the floor in his own vomit, just in time to see Endeavor slap Rei out of the way while stating that Shouto is already five, and to get out of his way.

Present Shouto tells Izuku to shut up, his right side absolutely coated in frost. 

More flashback. Young Shouto is curled up in his mother’s lap, saying that he hates his father, he doesn’t want to be like him. Someone who bullies mommy - he doesn’t wanna be like that. She rests a hand on his head, noting that he wants to be a hero, right? That’s fine, he’s not… 

In the present, Izuku takes another swing, thinking back to… someone’s words about if you have a future you’re striving for, while out loud declaring that that’s why he has to win. Which I guess clarifies the earlier reasons that everyone might think this is about winning the match. Toshinori, however, is cottoning on to what’s actually happening, thinking back to his talk with Endeavor, and how Shouto won’t use his left side because of his conflict with his father, which means Izuku is…

Izuku lands his hit while stating he has to surpass Shouto. 

While the other Todoroki children play soccer under the supervision of an elderly lady, Shouto watches on from the window. Endeavor grabs him by the arm and yanks him away, telling him not to look, that his siblings belong to a different world than him. 

Shouto stumbles across his mom talking on the phone to her own mother. She states that she knows it’s not right, but she can’t do it anymore. The children, they’re like him more and more everyday. And Shouto, his left side - sometimes she looks at him and hates what she sees. She can’t raise him anymore; she shouldn’t raise him. The kettle rattles as Shouto peeks into the kitchen, nervous and overwhelmed by what he’s hearing. Rei… does not react well.

Shouto, a bandage over his left eye, asks Endeavor where his mom is. Endeavor states that she hurt him, so he had her put away. He calls her a fool, during this crucial time in Shouto’s development, no less. Shouto weeps, furious and upset, stating that he’ll show Endeavor, that it’s all Endeavor’s fault. 

In the present, he starts to talk about how he’ll show his father, only for Izuku to interrupt - 

Not quite the same line as the anime! Which I was surprised by, to be honest. Like, I get why the line was changed up for that, and both have the same meaning, but there’s… something interesting in the original version of those words as well. 

We flash back again, to an All Might interview Shouto is watching with his mother. All Might states that quirks are naturally passed from parent to child. However, that’s not the only thing that matters. It’s not just blood ties - instead, one must recognize and appreciate oneself! That’s what he means when he says it - when he says ‘I am here!’

(Not gonna lie, that bit of All Might interview actually has me thinking. That comment on blood ties makes me wonder whether he’s thinking about Nana, and that line about how one must recognize and appreciate oneself seems like a lesson both Toshinori and Izuku are needing to internalize in the current manga.)

Rei notes that Shouto wants to be a hero, right? That’s fine. Shouto isn’t bound by Endeavor’s blood. He can decide who he wants to become.

Shouto is practically in tears as he wonders when he forgot that. Flames lick at the corner of his eye and cheek, right before his entire left side goes ablaze with great force.

Everyone spectating is in shock. Tenya thinks on how Shouto had stated he’d never use his left side in battle, remarking on how he’s using it now. Toshinori realizes Izuku was trying to save Shouto. Endeavor is elated by this development. 

As Izuku flinches back from the heat, Shouto comments on how he thought Izuku wanted to win. So why is he trying to inspire him? Which one of them isn’t taking this seriously now? But he wants to be a hero too. Shouto and Izuku grin at each other, and so this chapter ends.

Not gonna lie, I kind of vibe with this version of The Line. It’s still similar to the more popular anime version, but it’s also just different enough that I am. Thinking. Mayhaps it shall be used one day in a fic somewhere.

Anywho, character sheet incoming. Rest of the Izuku vs Shouto match on Friday. See y’all then.

[iaintyourbro]

The New Red Herrings: Biggs and Zack and How Avalanche Tells Us the LTD is Dead

Biggs and Zack are seemingly alive at the end of FFVII Remake Part 1 - so what does that mean? Will they live throughout the story? Maybe they’ll be like Wedge and escape death initially, only to be forced to face it shortly after?

There’s also interesting similarities on the death scenes of Biggs and Zack, A while ago I took screenshots of the “death” scene of Biggs and thought it was interesting how they had Biggs touch Cloud’s head and also made him promise something. 

And how are all these things connected to the LTD? 

Now, clearly, neither Biggs or Jessie had as dramatic of a death as Zack or Aerith. We actually see the initial injury or incident that causes each of them to die. Cloud comes upon Biggs while he’s already sitting down injured. Cloud and Tifa come to Jessie after she’s under the rubble and try to save her. 

We know Cloud pretty much loses it when Zack dies. He collapses mentally. He’s already been through enough shit to fill a lifetime, and now his only friend, his best friend, and the guy who saved his life, dies trying to get them back to Midgar. 

Why Zack is Important to Cloud

Relationship wise, Cloud obviously had a much deeper connection to Zack. At the point that Biggs dies, he doesn’t know any of that, but I think his death definitely triggers something in him. Biggs saw through Cloud’s front. We know Biggs dealt with the kids at the Leaf House, and most likely acted like a volunteer in the Big Brother program. He tells Cloud he’s got a lot in common with the kids at the Leaf House.

Zack had Cloud take on the responsibility to be his living legacy. Of course we all know he shuts down about five minutes later. Biggs had Cloud promise that this wouldn’t all be for nothing. In both cases, it doesn’t work out. He forgets what Zack told him and the Sector 7 plate still falls. 

Zack’s death has a major impact on Cloud - it’s ultimately what breaks him. It also gives us these really sad moments of somebody who’s already been through so much and is breaking now. 

Cloud is upset about Biggs. He was becoming his friend. The three Avalanche members really did accept Cloud and tried to be his friend. He was included with them - in most cases. Of course there’s the Avalanche party that he’s kicked out of (mind you - he does this to himself by acting like an ass to Barret and them) and then during Chapter 4, he’s separated to go steal Jessie’s dad’s ID. 

Ultimately, though, we know that Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie all like Cloud. They seem to see through the hard exterior pretty easily. So Cloud loses another person in his life.

The ending of FFVII Remake takes an interesting turn. Anybody who played OG or CC knows what is supposed to happen to Biggs and Zack.

But, Remake’s ending seems to imply that they survive the event that was supposed to take them out. 

Did Zack survive the last stand? Is this a case of the Last Stand in CC being combined with OG where as they walk away, Zack ends up getting shot anyway? 

So we also see Biggs.... wait, wrong picture.

That’s the right one. We get a shot of Charlie Sheen Biggs waking up in a bed in what looks like some type of either infirmary or large room. In OG, we know that all three of the Avalanche members die during the Sector 7 plate fall. In Remake, the only one we get confirmation on is Jessie, and that’s only in the Chapter description. 

Wedge we know survives until the Shinra building, where the Whispers ultimately take him out since he defied fate. 

So, what will happen to Biggs?

The biggest thing talked about seems to be the ending. Zack surviving created a lot of buzz. Is there a second timeline? Is he going to just simply walk another 10 feet and get shot in the back? Did her survive in the first place? Why does Stamp look different on that bootleg chip bag?

Will we have a beautiful Zerith reunion? 

In the OG, the Love Triangle illusion was the red herring. This was mostly to trick and distract the player to focus on something, so later they can destroy you with major twists. It also was used to get the player to like Aerith so her death would be more impactful. In addition, it makes the whole Northern Crater confession from Cloud about Tifa’s opinion being the only one that matters a slam in your face of holy shit what is going on?!

At this point, everybody and their mother knows Aerith dies. It’s not something that was kept a secret. It’s referenced in various materials. The one thing not openly referenced is what’s going on with Cloud. They never reference the Lifestream, the fake persona, or anything outside of the OG and Ultimanias. I think this is a shame since it’s such an important part of his character arc, but I get that they want to try and leave the element of surprise in play.

I think everybody would agree that the moment you find out Cloud was just a grunt that was WITH Zack during the Nibelheim incident is super powerful. I still get chills all these years later. Letting this be a well known thing would take away the element of surprise from new fans. Of course, people can go online and read blogs like this one and know all of this, but for somebody - especially future generations - who may just be looking for a new game to play, you’d want this element of surprise to stay in tact. 

We can’t use Aerith as the only red herring anymore, and we can’t use the love triangle. For many reasons. Everybody knows about it and the love triangle was a poor choice for something like this because some people missed the point completely.

Now, FFVII Twitter is always on fire. 

Also, even though the Lifestream and Cloud’s true identity are pretty well kept secrets in terms of printed media, most of the people who played FFVII Remake played the original game, they know what happens. People who were new and played Remake first most likely went and bought OG and played it. So now they know what happens. 

They knew this, or they probably wouldn’t have shown Cloud in this state, but even for those who don’t, the alternate timeline theory is born. Biggs enhances this theory because he’s alive too. How can Cloud walk past them AND be carried by Zack in some catatonic state?

It keeps us distracted. They want us to think that fate can be changed. In the case of Zack, they’re even saying that the past can be changed. 

Ultimately, whatever they do, it’ll be shocking to most players. I do trust that the devs aren’t being deceitful when they say they are going to keep the major plot points the same and FFVII will be FFVII going forward. Part 1 keeps major plot points but adds substance to a lot of things. They took out unnecessary parts and enhanced others. They also removed a lot of the love triangle stuff. 

Another striking thing with all of this is the Jessie factor. The Chapter screen tells us she died - it only says Biggs was seriously injured. That hasn’t stopped speculation.

The ending shows gloves on the table next to Biggs’ bed and a lot people said oh it’s Jessie’s left glove! And it does appear that it is. There’s only one glove. To me, this seems like they recovered her body and were able to pull of some personal affects of hers to leave with Biggs. Both articles look damaged or faded. 

Faded could mean they’ve been sitting in the sun for a while. The incident happened a few days ago, though we don’t have a definitive time on when we’re shown Biggs. This could be a future look.

They also could simply be damaged and full of dust from the plate collapse. 

It is implied in Chapter 4 if you listen to the conversation between Jessie’s mom and the gang that Biggs and Jessie have a different relationship than Wedge and Jessie. 

I have some thoughts on what this may mean:

Biggs is Jessie’s BFF and her mom likes him.

Jessie and Biggs dated at one point and decided to not tell her mom that they no longer are or that its casual.

Jessie’s mom was hounding Jessie about finding a man so she picked Biggs to be her pretend boyfriend and he agreed.

Biggs and Jessie are secretly dating and only her mom knows.

Which one do I think it is? Well, knowing Jessie, I can definitely see her doing #3. I can absolutely see her acting like Biggs is her boyfriend to get her mom off her back. I think #1 and #2 are also huge possibilities. #4 is far fetched, but they could cover it up by having Jessie flirt relentlessly with Cloud and appear to be single. 

Some people think that Jessie will end up at the Gold Saucer singing. Personally, I really hope not. If they keep a bunch of people alive (even if it’s for a short amount of time), it really takes away one of the major themes of FFVII which is death and moving on. In addition, I think it’s too many people they’d need to kill off later. Jessie is a very popular character, so I hope they don’t take that as an incentive to change that aspect of the story. 

Aerith’s funeral and Jessie’s death are similar as well, so I think it is foreshadowing some things. 

We get a princess style carry here. Aerith and Jessie both get these in Remake. Jessie’s second one ends in her death. Will Aerith get a second princess carry by Cloud? Will it be to take her to her final resting place?

Maybe she won’t even go to the lake - maybe to the sky?

We know Tifa was super upset in OG, and they really don’t touch on it much. We only see her run away crying after this moment. You learn in Case of Tifa that she’s really upset about, but a lot of people don’t read Case of Tifa, so they only know this scene. 

We know that she gets very upset over Jessie’s death.

I think Aerith’s death will be much worse. 

It seems Jessie’s death is a reference to how Aerith’s death was handled in the OG.

Will it be handled the same? Maybe. I think they’re going to make it seem like she’s going to be okay, and then boom.

So the ending gives us hope that we have two friends that are alive. It makes us think that we can save Aerith. I do think Wedge’s death towards the end and comments that Red XIII made in Chapter 17 may also be hinting towards the fact that you cannot change the past and you cannot change fate. 

Over on Discord, @anesuna​ brought up a good point about Wedge’s cats. Biggums survives the plate collapse along with Wedge. The other two cats - Reggie and Smalls - sadly perish (::cries a lot::). This could also be a reference that Biggs survived while Jessie and Wedge do not. 

So what about the LTD?

I think this is a heavy reference to the old OG love triangle. Don’t fall for it! They’re warning players now instead of wanting them to fall for it. 

Why do I say this? Aerith seemed to think the love triangle was fun. Thing is, Cloud wasn’t all there at this point, so it was just an illusion. Since players didn’t seem to get that the first time, they’re going to make it clear now. There were a lot of aspects they seemed to take from Aerith and give to Jessie. Overly flirty (with Jessie they added thirsty) and being overly childish at times. Aerith in remake is still somewhat childish, but not completely.

Oblivious Cloud is Oblivious. Yeah, he was oblivious in OG that Aerith and Tifa had feelings for him. He has no idea what Wedge is talking about now. Earlier in this same conversation he thinks that Wedge is telling him not to come around because people will gossip about Jessie being in Avalanche, but the player knows really what he’s referring to...

I think this is probably a reference to the Gold Saucer date because of the stage part. I take things at face value and don’t really dig too deep, but I think this exchange with Wedge is supposed to tell the player not to fall for these false loves early in the game.

It’s brought up again during Aerith’s resolution scene.

Earlier Wedge said not to fall for Jessie’s trick, because it was a game to her. It wasn’t real love. Aerith is now telling her that if Cloud thinks he falls in love with her, it’s not real. 

We have two separate instances in the game where they’re telling you to beware of the false love. It’s two times the word love is used. 

After all of this, the ending presents us with two guys who should be dead that appear to be alive. One of them is directly connected to Aerith.

This was their way of trying to shut down the LTD and replace it with different red herrings. Will it work as well as the LTD? Well, it seems that the majority of FFVII Remake fans have talked about the ending.

Yes, a lot of people talk about the LTD, but I think the majority of players are more interested overall in what happens next and what’s up with Zack. I think the majority of the fandom is also ready for the LTD to officially be dead so we can actually focus on everything else and stop the madness. 

It’ll never fully stop, but at least it’ll be clear for anybody who plays the game and alleviate the bulk of the chaos. 

Say hello to your new red herrings: Biggs and Zack. 

Say bye to the LTD.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 278: MOMO IN CHARGE

Previously on BnHA: Deku and Kacchan were all “SIR, THAT’S OUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SENSEI” and got really ferocious and made a very passionate attempt to blow Tomura up and it was great. It basically did nothing, but it was still great. AFO was all “COME HERE LIL BRO”, and Tomura was all “silly Sensei, you can’t just take over my mind and body just like that”, and he was very confident of this despite there really being no evidence to back it up, but okay! Gran was all “time to make the fandom mad at me” and grabbed Tomura by the collar and yelled at him about Nana a bit, and then Bakugou and Endeavor made an even MORE passionate attempt to blow up Tomura, which may or may not have done some actual damage. The chapter ended with Gigantomachia battling Mt. Lady, just kinda out of the blue, which is FINE, but she had better be all right, though!

Today on BnHA: Everyone is all “WAUGHH IT’S GIGANTOMACHIA” and running around freaking out about it. The U.A. alums all kick some ass, and pretty much everyone else not from U.A. does jack fucking shit. Mt. Lady, who I plan on naming all of my future children after, does her best to stop Machia but he keeps flinging her aside. Kamui Woods is all “here I come with Midnight to put Gigantomachia to sleep!” and is PROMPTLY FUCKING MURDERED!? by Dabi because he’s a flammable tree man, and so Midnight falls all the way to the ground and is badly injured. So then she’s all “well I better call the most competent person I can think of to fix this mess” and dials up YAOYOROZU FUCKING MOMO, who proceeds to take charge LIKE THE BOSS SHE IS, and mobilizes the rest of the kids. And honestly I have more faith in them than in any of the adults at this point, so yeah, you know what? Let’s do this.

so I am possibly a bit spoiled on this chapter because I did a “top five predictions” post earlier this week, and someone replied to that yesterday on Thursday saying that they were mostly correct. I don’t know exactly how close to the mark I was though, and in any case most of the predictions were just “so-and-so shows up, probably”, so it’s not too bad. we’ll see how it goes!

OH THANK GOD MY BABIES ARE SAFE

I mean, CLEARLY they’re all about to be in horrible danger, seeing as Jirou is about to inform them of the whole “THE BIG GUY EVERYONE WAS AFRAID ABOUT WAKING UP WOKE UP” thing, but in the meantime at least Kami and Toadette and Honenuki made it back to the group safely

also Kaminari’s use of “Jirou-Jack” here is fucking inspired and I want him to teach a class on nicknames. isn’t he the one who coined “Yaomomo” as well? this boy has a gift and it needs to be appreciated

so Jirou is all “SOMETHING REALLY BIG IS COMING”, and actually she says “INSANELY HUGE”, which if anything is still an understatement, hard as it is to believe

WOW

“A BAD GUY IS HEADING THIS WAY?? SOUNDS LIKE IT’S TIME TO ABANDON THE CHILDREN IN THE WOODS” kjlfakh okay you know what?? fine!! you weren’t even going to do anything anyway so let’s not pretend!!

holy shit it’s like Mt. Lady isn’t even there

look at those speed lines!! goddamn. I just felt this huge rush of empathy for Mt. Lady though. like can you imagine growing up with this super-destructive quirk, and managing to become a hero with it against all odds, and having to put up with the manga making fun of you all the time just because sometimes you have a tendency to DESTROY A LOT OF STUFF, but it’s not like you can help it!! but the upside has always been that when your quirk is on, you are fucking UNSTOPPABLE though. so even though it’s been a hell of a rough ride for you, it’s worth it because you’re a complete badass and the number of people who can beat you out in terms of sheer physical strength is probably in the single digits. and you’re working really hard too, and lately you’ve been moving up through the ranks and actually becoming a damn fine hero if I do say so myself (and I do), and it’s like, about time though?? like finally, finally it is all starting to come together for you. and then this snarling trashrock person suddenly comes stampeding along and you put your all into trying to stop him, and it doesn’t even do a damn thing. like, holy shit. that’s just not fucking fair and YOU DESERVE BETTER, MT. LADY

anyway so she’s still hanging in there for now though so let’s check in with our villain squad riding on his back

lmaooo they’re all “I don’t even understand what is going on here”

YOU GUYS, THIS IMPLIES THAT THEY WERE ALL PLUCKED OFF THE GROUND BY THE SCRUFFS OF THEIR NECKS AND THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO SAY IN THE MATTER OMG. like I’m picturing Spinner being held by his cape pinched in between Machia’s thumb and forefinger, and awkwardly trying to lecture him like a mom with his hands on his hips all, “BAD GIGANTOMACHIA! NO! NOOOUAGH -- !” and cutting off with a yelp as he’s dropped onto his back

and I am glad they got Toga some clothes! I like to think Gigantomachia grabbed those for her as well. so thoughtful

wow Skeptic actually wants to go back to Re-Destro??

color me legit impressed. I underestimated your loyalty my dude. and let me also just take this moment to extend my gratitude toward Horikoshi for leaving the rest of the MLA out of it because good fucking riddance to them, goodbye forever hopefully!!

I guess they’ll be needing Skeptic’s quirk down the line for some reason? maybe he is meant to be like a new, less out-of-control Twice. smdh y’all out here trying to replace your dead buddy like a pet goldfish

who is this “they” Dabi is referring to

do you mean the heroes? lol yeah I guess they’re pretty distracted by the literal fucking kaijuu you’re currently piggybacking on

SIGH

“the Jakku team must’ve made a mistake” BOY, I’LL SAY. you know what, don’t even talk to me about that yet. it’s still too fresh. suffice it to say that your suspicions are correct and things in Jakku are not very daijobu right about now

anyway here’s a closeup of this bubble person just cuz

they are everything and I want them to be my friend. also there’s a squid person a few paces behind them who can probably do anything a squid can do. or they might actually be a shark person, actually. I don’t know. either way I love them

GETEN PLEASE GO AWAY

WE ARE PHASING OUT THE MLA!! MOVING FORWARD IT’S ORIGINAL LOV ONLY!! I’M SORRY BUT YOU DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT. we already have an ice character so shoo

OH DAMN MY MAN CEMENTOSS HAS HAD ENOUGH OF HIS NONSENSE TOO AHHHH YESS

1) hey so Cementoss is legit terrifying who’d’ve thought

and 2), did Cementoss always have a mouthful of gigantic perfect teeth each the size of a slice of bread, or is this just something I’m only noticing now because I’m behind the curve. either way, let me just say sincerely, DKJDLKFJLSKJG

RE-DESTRO YOU GO AWAY TOO!!

@waywardfacegarden​ you asked the other day which are the characters I actually dislike, and this is one of them lol. he’s just a big ol’ prick, and on top of that has the audacity to not even be interesting in any way so as to balance it out. anyway so apologies to any Re-Destro stans out there but I basically spend every panel he’s in hoping that someone will punch him in the face hard enough to finally make him shut up

anyway so my man Edgeshot is here though, finally!! but of all the people for him to fight! this is a real predicament for me. the most soothing character in the series contrasted with the character who grates my nerves the most. Edgeshot’s sexy ASMR voice is gonna be drowned out by all of RD’s punching and self-important ranting in the anime and I’m lowkey devastated but I’m gonna pull myself together and read on

SPEAKING OF SELF-IMPORTANT RANTING

Edge, if you can liberate us from having to put up with his insufferable ass once and for all I will be so grateful to you. can you do this. please. for me

and it looks like some other boring MLA villains are following along behind Machia so I’m gonna need someone to kick their asses as well. please

-- YESSSSSS

okay so now I see what that comment on my prediction post was referring to lol. I did indeed have my fingers crossed that these two would show up again, and sure enough! THE GANG’S ALL HERE YAY

and Mt. Lady is being sumoed aside!

anyone want tonight’s lotto numbers. during this brief fleeting moment of having my predictions be actually credible, I would just like to say that Hagakure is the U.A. traitor. thank you and goodnight

OH NO KAMUI IS WORRIED

HE LOOKS SO PANICKED?? OUT OF THE BLUE I SHIP IT SO MUCH?? I keep forgetting they’re on the same team and stuff and wow, I need to calm down

LOL MIDNIGHT IS ALL “NO TIME FOR SHIPS!!”

I wonder if her quirk will actually be enough to take him down? this is something I’ve been itching to see for a long time, actually. just how powerful is she? we know her quirk is more effective on males than females, but is anyone actually capable of resisting it? imagine if she really did just knock Gigantomachia out after all of this buildup. that would be some god-tier shit omg, DO IT

(ETA: I am just going to assume that since Horikoshi had to go to elaborate lengths to take her out of the fight, this means that her quirk really was capable of knocking them all out. another tragic case of Too Badass For The Plot. y’all better respect Midnight.)

YESSSSSSSS

is she stripping. you know what -- don’t think about it. I won’t let you ruin this for me Horikoshi. Midnight’s gonna be a badass because the ladies are fucking ruling this arc and that’s all there is to it

NOOOOOO

DABI GET BACK HERE I JUST WANT TO TALK!!

oh thank god, she’s all right. BUT KAMUI ISN���T THOUGH DLKJSFLKSJDG??!

did Kamui Woods just... die

(ETA: okay but for real, is there an actual curse in effect on the Billboard Top Ten right now, though?? did one of them accidentally disturb the tomb of some ancient king??)

...

( ･ั﹏･ั)

oH MY GOD!?!

NOOOOOOO WHY ARE YOU SO QUICK TO SLEEP ON MAJESTIC, LET’S SEE IF THEY CAN DO IT!! GIVE US MAJESTIC GOD DAMMIT

(ETA: Horikoshi is seriously just yanking our chain at this point. when Majestic finally does show up, he or she better have the coolest fucking quirk of all time, that’s all I’m saying.)

okay how badly injured is Midnight here, though?? she just fell all that way?? DO I NEED TO BE REALLY MAD. I CAN WORK MY WAY UP TO IT PRETTY QUICKLY, JUST SAY THE WORD. I’M ALREADY HALFWAY THERE HONESTLY. WHERE’S KAMUI WOODS

!!!!!!!!!!!

AND JUST LIKE THAT MY ANGER EVAPORATES INTO THE NIGHT, YESSSSSSSSS!! MOMOOOOO

holy shit. “a quirk that can stop that thing,” she says. and goes and calls YAOYOROZU FUCKING MOMO y’all I am barely holding myself back from SCREAMING right now I...

you guys

you guys. if Midnight and Yaomomo team up to take down Gigantofuckingmachia using some sort of MOMO MADE A MACHINE TO SPREAD MIDNIGHT’S QUIRK strategy, or whatnot?? I will fucking die on the spot. you can end the manga right there. Kacchan you can keep your quirk I don’t even care

“IT MIGHT BE AGAINST THE LAW” lmaooooo insert John Mulaney “WE’RE WELL PAST THAT” gif here. holy shit. listen, that is fine. if anything it’s even better

WHAT THE FUCK

DO I NEED TO START GETTING REALLY MAD AGAIN!?!?! FUCKING WHIPLASH, IS WHAT THIS IS, BUT YOU JUST TELL ME WHAT SORT OF OVER-THE-TOP REACTION IS NEEDED HERE AND I’LL GO FOR IT

(((( ;°Д°))))

[GRABS HORIKOSHI BY THE COLLAR] listen, you. if you only just now, for the first time ever, gave us a lady hero actually mentoring another lady hero, which we have somehow NEVER HAD BEFORE in almost three hundred chapters, only for you to then KILL OFF THE MENTOR IN THE MIDDLE OF HER GODDAMN SPEECH TO THE MENTOREE, I will... there’s... I’ll... okay, listen. DON’T. THERE WILL BE A RECKONING. CAPSLOCK SUCH AS THIS WORLD HAS NEVER WITNESSED!!

ヽ(#ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ┌┛

I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO REACT TO ANYTHING IN THIS CHAPTER AND I’M LOSING MY MIND OVER IT

so the other kids are all “what the fuck” and “so Momo’s in charge??” which, YES!!! IT’S THE ONE GOOD PART ABOUT ALL THIS SO DON’T YOU DARE QUESTION IT

MOMO NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE CRIPPLED BY YOUR ANXIETY, YOU CAN DO THIS GIRL I BELIEVE IN YOU

hell, it’s not even just an “I believe in you” thing, because it’s not just belief, it’s fact. you motherfucking can do this, you are the most capable and brilliant student in 1-A, you just gotta have faith and let yourself shine!!

so now there are some more panels of Machia running and the villains and heroes fighting, blah blah blah. and Momo screwing up her face as she makes her decision...

YESSSSSSSSS

my baby girl is all grown up and TAKING THESE MOTHERFUCKIN REINS and MOMO I WILL LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU JUST SAY THE WORD!!

lol she’s all “Jirou use your ears and scientifically calculate how long it’ll take him to get here”, and Jirou is all “I can literally fucking see him, he’s gonna be on top of us in like two seconds” WELL OKAY THEN

thank god there are no adult pros left to fuck this up. is that weird that this is a real and honest and completely sincere thought that just ran through my head? like, at this point if any of the adults were around I’d just be afraid of them dying honestly. but with the kids I actually feel real hope that they’re somehow gonna do this. of course it helps that unlike the adults they’re pretty safe from being killed off

also! way to represent the entirety of class 1-B there Honenuki lulz. sorry, The Rest of Class 1-B

OH MY GOD

MT. LADY I WILL LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU AS WELL!! YOU HAVE MY LOVE AND FEALTY!!

I’M STANNING HER SO HARD I’M GONNA EXPLODE SOMEBODY HELP!?!

JIROU SAYS THAT MACHIA HAS SLOWED DOWN!! YOU GUYS I’M ABOUT TO GET “MT. LADY FOR PRESIDENT” TATTOOED ACROSS MY FOREHEAD

lmao at Shouji using his power of “putting some extra eyeballs on my arms” to inform everyone that Gigantomachia is Right Over There and Very Big

good job Shouji

oh my glob I have so much love for Momo right now that it can’t even fucking be contained. brb wildly flailing my hands around a little to try and release some of this excess excitement

maybe Momo can be president instead and Mt. Lady can be the vice president

NO THE CHAPTER IS ENDING I’M NOT READY

AND JUMP IS ON BREAK AGAIN NEXT WEEK TOO, FML!!

okay!!

Kaminari is so fucking brave right now I just want to crush him in a hug?! we know he’s still scared!! look at his eyes!! and he was freaking the hell out earlier too, and now the situation is much worse! but he doesn’t give a fuck because his friends need him! he is ready to be a hero, my little baby boy is all grown up and I’m so proud??

Mineta’s face in the bottom right corner is everything. I know, I know, boooo Mineta, but that’s still the best face anyone has made in the entirety of this manga

Tetsutetsu’s out here all “I humbly request to also represent class 1-B” and Momo is all “okay fine I guess we can have two of you guys”

can we all just stop for a moment to appreciate how KamiJirouMomo is alive and well. like, we had interactions between all three of them in this chapter, in all possible permutations? do you know how happy this makes me?? I am vibrating with joy??!

I really can’t stress this enough -- I have no clue at all what these little soda can things are (anesthetic, I guess??? you know, like how you sometimes buy cans of anesthetic at the supermarket?? what do you mean you don’t do that??), or what they’re gonna do with them. I have like negative clues. but DAMNED IF I GIVE ONE SINGLE FUCK. the next chapter can be them all fucking hurling them at his face for all I care. THE DETAILS OF HOW SHE KICKS HIS ASS DO NOT MATTER!! GOOD MORNING TO YAOMOMO AND YAOMOMO ONLY!! MY MOMO ACADEMIA

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

[tomione thing] Thanks for the recs! I actually was looking forward to the rant, I like how you break things apart so they make sense in a very unique way.( I don't have any strong feelings to the pairing if that was your concern, I just think the stories about them have the potential to be fantastic because I enjoy intelligent characters going through life and solving problems and, usually, in fanfiction there's focus on only one smart character.

So, you people are just poking me with sticks to see what ridiculous opinions spew out then. I’m onto your game.

With that said, let’s get to answering then, and know that you bring this upon yourself.

I loathe Tomione. I put up with it, sometimes, because I will read almost any fic featuring Tom Riddle as a main character. (Want the Carnivorous Muffin to read your fic? Tom Riddle as a main character. Even if I disagree with 110% of your premise I will probably still read your story.)

However, it’s extremely telling that my recs the other day were hilariously small, and one was actually Hermione/Loki. The Tomione exists, I just hate it.

This is for two main reasons. First, I just don’t believe the ship would ever work under any circumstances and the pair are naturally doomed to loathe one another. Second, fanfiction has a collection of tropes associated with Tomione that are in unbearable (likely caused unconsciously by the first, Tomione doesn’t really work, so we do terrible things to make it work). 

Tomione Doesn’t Work: Change My Mind

So, remember we’re living in Muffin-land for this. I’ve explained some of my headcanons regarding these characters, and I’ll offer brief explanation for why I think what I do here, but I’m not going to expand on it too much.

Tomione has appeal under the premise that either you or someone else previously mentioned: they’re both so smart, of course they belong together.

The trouble, Hermione’s not nearly as smart as she thinks she is. What we see of Hermione’s cleverness boils down to having a very good work ethic and reading a lot of books. She tends to outsmart Ron and Harry because she actually puts in the work to do her homework and, my god, read her text books. Also, as I’ve covered before, Harry’s an idiot, so that’s a low bar.

Because Hogwarts can be passed by the likes of Crabbe and Goyle, and the curriculum seems to boil down to “pronounce this fake Latin correctly, ooh look, a spell”, actually reading her books not only gets Hermione by but skyrockets her ahead of her peers. Who, apparently, have no ear at all and don’t understand the swishy motions are important and probably never bothered to read their books.

This isn’t to say she’s stupid, she’s by far one of the more intelligent characters in the series, but it says a lot of not so good things about Hogwarts that Hermione is the “brightest witch of her generation”. In my mind she has never compared to characters like Tom Riddle, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, or Albus Dumbledore.

Hermione never questions how magic exists, why wands work, or why pronunciation is so weirdly important and why we’re using spells that are gibberish Latin instead of English or simply Latin. She never takes that step outside the box I would expect a truly intelligent person to take.

An example, Hermione completely throws out the entire discipline of divination. This is part because she believes it’s stupid, but she also only spends about two seconds thinking about it, and she doesn’t appear to be any good at it. If Hermione’s not good at it then it must be a stupid subject for stupid people.

Now, that alone doesn’t doom her, but it does put a huge chink in the major appeal of Tomione: they’re both just so brilliant that they’d be great together.

What dooms them is that Hermione both a) thinks she is as brilliant as all these other people and b) has this pervasive need to be the smartest person in any room she walks into. Hermione comes across Tom Riddle in the past or just chills with Voldemort in the future, she will inevitably try to show him up. This isn’t just to assure us that good is better than evil, but because she can’t help herself, because being the smartest is how she defines herself.

As a result, especially if we’re in the time travel/school setting, she would inevitably get in competition with him to prove she’s so much better/smarter than he is. It would undoubtedly be on her terms, probably revolving around school work, and she’d throw a fit when Tom wins because he understands the value in being concise where Hermione would quite easily write a hundred page Potions’ essay (that had a five page limit) with the subtext “PRAISE ME” written on every page.

I can’t imagine Tom Riddle would find this anything but completely obnoxious and a waste of his time.

Now, part of this goes into headcanon land, but I have always imagined, 100%, that Tom Riddle in Hogwarts was treated like a muggleborn, that he didn’t find out his ancestry until at least part of the way through, and he never confessed to being the Heir of Slytherin. I can back this up, but that’s another story for another day, I’ll just say that no matter what Dumbledore says any other backdrop makes no damn sense.

So, Tom has clawed the respect of his peers into reality with bleeding hands, he came from nothing in a way that even the ‘good’ purebloods wouldn’t have sympathy for. Even the muggleborns I imagine thought they were better than him. Tom is an impoverished orphan, so poor he has to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays, he was not having a fun time at school.

Tom has ambitions, is mired in hatred, and is not really all that wrapped up in Hogwarts except to get him where he wants to go.

Now, imagine Hermione suddenly shows up in front of this Tom. Suddenly he’s being challenged to essay competitions, she probably leaves cryptic remarks all the time about how evil he is and how amazing she is because she’s not evil and smarter than he is, and if he thinks he’s smarter than her then he better find time to prove it.

It’s like talking to a Dumbledore he can never escape from.

Tom doesn’t have time for this bullshit.

Tomione not only insists that he does but that he lives for this bullshit. Forget Voldemort, Hermione making weird comments about how Tom has a mutilated soul, or that Dumbledore is so much cooler than he is, is where it’s at. 

As for Hermione, ultimately, I don’t think she’d ever really be attracted to Tom Riddle because he’s too much competition. The guys we’ve seen Hermione with are all safely much dumber than she is, Hermione likes being in relationships with men she feels in some way better than. Tom Riddle is not that guy. 

Add on top of this that Hermione’s righteousness would never allow her to even think about dating someone like Tom and we get her, at best, trying for the sake of destroying him (if she seduces Tom then she destroys Voldemort!) but ultimately failing.

Because the thing is, circling back to where we started, there are different kinds of intelligence, different levels of intelligence, and intelligence alone isn’t a reason to get along. Smart people might gravitate towards smart people, but they still have to have compatible personalities. Reading books isn’t magical glue that can bind people together.

No matter what way I look at it, Hermione and Tom would absolutely loathe one another in every capacity. 

Hermione ends up back in time accidentally and goes to Tom with Hogwarts: utter loathing.

Hermione ends up back in time on purpose and tries to save Tom’s troubled soul or else murder the shit out of him: utter loathing with an extra dash of “what the fuck?!” on Tom’s end.

Hermione ends up back in time after Hogwarts when Tom’s a store clerk: utter loathing (Hermione walks into Tom’s shop to tell him how cool and interesting she is to enter into the typical Tomione mind games, all Tom wants is commission.)

Hermione enters into deals with devils with the horcruxes: utter loathing complete with Tom’s triumphant/Nelson laugh when he inevitably betrays her to get his own body.

A young Tom Riddle somehow winds up in the future and is forced to attend Hogwarts because Dumbledore does what he wants: utter loathing (Tom has to sit there and enjoy Harry and especially Hermione telling him how evil he is and how Hermione’s so much smarter than him because she’s muggleborn and reads books.)

Lord Voldemort takes Hermione hostage during the horcrux hunt: utter loathing (though this would be sadly less irritating to Tom than the others, I imagine, if only because Hermione would probably be more terrified and less righteous. But she’d hate him with the fire of a thousand suns and inevitably pull a horrific revenge scheme on either him or his Death Eaters. No one crosses Hermione. No one.)

You name it, I think it’s going to end with the pair hurling chairs at each other and just being completely and utterly uninterested in every capacity. 

Now, onto how Tomione is typically written, which just makes it so much worse.

Tomione Fics Breed Awful: Change My Mind

Tomione, to me, is born from a few things. It’s born from the author’s desire to have an intelligent, female, borderline SI lead and to shove her together with another edgy smart person with some degree of a bad boy persona.

In this way Tomione fics are very similar to Snape/Hermione fics, are similar to Lokane from Thor/Avengers, are similar to Zutara back in the earlier seasons of Avatar the Last Airbender, etc. 

As a result the fics almost invariably spiral into: “Hermione is so smart, she’s so much smarter than everyone else, she impresses Tom because she is so smart. Tom is so smart but so evil, he sexy growls at her, and confesses how much he hates love every other chapter.” 

Only, as I noted above, while there are many interpretations of Tom’s character (and mine certainly doesn’t agree with the vast majority) I can’t help but think every single version would hate her.

To make him not hate her the author will often turn him into one of two Tom Riddles: Emotionally Deficient Robot Tom or Growling Sexy Sociopath Tom. Emotionally Deficient Robot Tom will often have paragraph long tangents to remind us he doesn’t compute your human emotions, “Beep boop” but despite this Hermione’s out of control hair makes him feel urges “bloop bloop”. Growling sexy sociopath Tom usually goes on a rant about how love is beneath him, backs Hermione into broom closets, and growls as he sexily makes out with her in a non-romantic manner because “ew love”. 

In other words, Tom is made an unbelievably flat character. He becomes a base archetype of sexy villain character. He never really gets redeemed, even if the story insists he does, he usually doesn’t have a reason for the way he is (”um, love potions!” the author often cries), and he and Hermione always think they’re much more important than they are.

The story rarely, if ever, goes anywhere because the entire point of the story is mind games between two sixteen-year-olds who think they’re smarter than everyone else. So we get a lot of chapters of Hermione and Tom running around, being very clever to each other, but doing nothing.

Sometimes authors do deviate from this, we will have an actual plot where we’re not just in Hogwarts again or it’s not just centering on ridiculous mind games. However, even then, Tom is usually is some variant of a very flat cartoon villain while Hermione is... Well, one would think the way she’s described that she’s the smartest, best, most beautiful, most brilliant thing to ever grace this earth.

TL;DR

Tomione is not my jam.

[fantasyinvader]

Beat Binding Blade tonight

So, right off the bat I'm going to admit. I abused the arena and save states. This is a really, really hard game. And while I enjoyed it, I'm going to give three things I didn't like about it.

1)Enemy reinforcements arrive at the end of the player phase, and can attack during the enemy phase. That is unfair, especially when I assume that parking a unit on the spawn point will prevent them (It doesn't) or my healer just happens to be in the area. I like difficult games, but when I fail at something in those I want to feel like it's my fault for doing so. When I die in Bloodborne or lose a unit in Fates Conquest, I'm willing to accept it because I felt it was fair (plus I'll just restart the chapter in Conquest anyway). I could have not died if I had played a little better. This game was not fair when it did that.

2)The supports. A lot of the stuff about the characters is locked away in their supports, since this is one of the old Fire Emblems where it throws units your way because it's assuming you didn't reset the game when one died. They don't get cutscenes to be important, and with only five supports per character (barring if one dies, then any unit that had supports with gets those supports back). And even then, getting an A rank doesn't pair up any units except for Roy. So you don't get to play love doctor here, it's only really there for the stat boosts. But in the case of my boy, he needs those supports in order for his character to fully come through.

3)I can take 8 units into the final battle, and they're the only ones who get full ending cards. Everyone else just gets a single line. Kinda weak if I use someone like Fir for most of the game, but bench her at the end to give Rutget Durandal.

Even with my cheating, I still enjoyed this game. Mostly for the story. When Fire Emblem first appeared in Smash Brothers Melee, as a kid it instantly caught my attention. Roy and Marth just looked so cool with their swords and armor (true fact: My favorite design for Link is the Skyward Sword design, simply because it has chainmail under the tunic. I get it, the tunic is iconic but SS's Link just looks practical), and I preferred Roy because I though his fully-charged shield breaker hurting him was cool. I even keep a Cipher card of his in my wallet for good luck. I wanted to know what Fire Emblem was, what kind of game it was. My friend showed me a screenshot of the upcoming GBA game in Nintendo power, which I got for the following Christmas (sadly, I didn't get Sacred Stones as I got a PS2 the following year). I loved that game, but the idea that I was playing as Roy's father always was a bit of a sour point for me. It's because of that game when I got a 2DS a decade later, because I wanted to game but kept getting pulled away from my console, I eventually went back to Fire Emblem.

And, I'm going to admit, Binding Blade hurt me because I played Blazing Blade first. It really did. I mean, Hector dies early on, Lyn is presumably dead hell a lot of my old comrades probably died in this war, Eliwood's wife dies shortly after they are married while Eliwood is more useless than ever, the kid I saved in Bern becomes a genocidal maniac, and the fact that the characters of Blazing Blade kinda caused this to happen by releasing the seals on the Legendary Weapons in their own quest... It kinda bugs me that the Legendary Weapons I used in Blazing Blade are in their trap filled storage places. Like, who returned them there? And if I have characters from that game returning in Binding, I find it strange they don't comment on needing them again. But this is a case of the game trying to be a prequel to a story that wasn't written with it in mind.

But at the end of the day, one thing just kept popping up in my mind. Binding Blade is the antithesis of the Crimson Flower route from Three Houses. I know they said Genealogy of the Holy War was an inspiration, but I can't help it. I've seen so many people try to praise that said route as some sort of denouncement of the rest of the franchise. That it's about putting power in the hands of the people (it's not) instead of having some Lord be the good king. Granted, the Mandate of Heaven seems like it's a running theme of the series, so without understanding what that is I can understand why people don't grasp what that part of the message. But Binding Blade, it just hit so many things on the nose that I needed to say something.

So without further adieu, I'm just going to bring up a few points.

With Regards to Humanity

It's interesting how both Zephiel and Edelgard come at this from different angles. Sure, they both lead wars of conquest across the entire continent, and I'm guessing Zeph didn't tell his troops what he was planning on doing once he won so there's likely a level of deception going on there as well. He really doesn't care for his fellow man, and the game goes out of it's way to show us why. Hatred, greed, or even selling out your people in the name of self-preservation. The game doesn't shy away from showing us any of this, saying that it's wrong and thus why Roy has to kick some guy's arse. Zephiel knows this, but in Edelgard's case? She's out there fighting for absolute power, destroying anyone who won't bend the knee to her while those who do out of self-preservation like House Gloucester are rewarded for it.

In essence, Edelgard is everything Zephiel saw wrong with the human race, she is why he felt we needed to go extinct. The very things he condemns humanity for are the things she reward. Zephiel would have actually handed over power to those he felt deserved it if he had won, whereas Edelgard is demonstrably shown to hold onto power until near the end of her life. One wants humanity dead, the other wants all the dragons. They even oppose each other in their classes. Edelgard is based on the red emperor archetype, she wears red, her class is the heavily-armored Emperor and her weapon of choice is an axe. Zephiel is a king, armoed but wearing purple and he uses a sword in battle.

Even if they both have screwed up history with their family's due to their father's inability to keep it in his pants, they're both presented as villains despite being ideologically opposed which goes to show with Fire Emblem the method IS the message.

Ancient Wars, Super Powered Weapons and Lies.

War of Heroes vs. The Scouring. The former is an event where the full details are shrouded in mystery, up to the player to piece together the clues and figure out the truth for themselves...or in Crimson Flower's case, ignore the truth and act out in your ignorance.With Binding Blade though, when the truth starts coming out, it hits hard. I mean, right from the beginning of the game we're told man was the one who broke the peace by attacking the dragons, but then we learn that those legendary weapons messed up the environment, resulting in dragons needing to use human forms only to be slaughtered by man. Dragons were blamed for the environment, the people who used those weapons were revered as heroes. We don't know why mankind launched their attack, but we do know that they weren't able to slay the Demon Dragon, one who had her soul destroyed in order to control her, because the Heroes felt sorry for her. It's making dragons out to be the victims here, much like the dragons in Three Houses. But Crimson Flower only serves to demonize them, acting like they can't understand humanity when the dragons in that game are a lot closer to humans emotionally than the ancient dragons in Elibe.

The Elites in comparison weren't heroes, and that lie has been confirmed as Rhea trying to make peace.

The good ending for Binding Blade is being able to save the dragon whose soul was destroyed, whereas Crimson Flower ends with slaying a dragon after you've spent the entire game triggering her (and is the ending that leads to oppressive rule under Edelgard, in addition to the only ending without sunlight. What? You thought you'd get the good ending when her final boss theme was playing on the last stage?). Also, you need all the Legendary weapons in order to unlock the final stages, which all play into the big mystery. Crimson Flower requires the player to not understand that the world-building was done to support fighting against Edelgard instead.

Merits of a leader

Let's not beat around the bush here, Roy will not carry you through Binding Blade. His bases are low, and while he has good growths he is unable to promote until the very end of the game. Even then, you need to save the Binding Blade's usage to ensure you get the good ending. Roy is also very unsure of himself, thrust into a position of leadership despite his young age. But look at what happens when he succeeds, he manages to overcome the odds and take down the mightiest army on the continent. At the end of the game, he's shown himself as more than capable of leading. Not to mention, he also believes that humans and dragons can live together, even seeing this in Acadia (and if Ninian was his mother, he's unknowingly proof of this as he is 1/4 dragon himself. May explain his poor bases). If he marries Liliana, he even becomes a King for likely much of the same reason Byleth does in SS/VW (most leaders are dead following the war, plus combining his territory with Ostia which had already taken over Lyn's land after she abdicated/married Hector). Roy learns the truth as already established.

Compare this to Crimson Flower Byleth. Byleth leads the Black Eagle Strike Force, but credit for it goes to Edelgard. Byleth never gets any recognition for this, no position of authority despite proving themselves, instead that goes to Caspar Jenkins of all people, and ends the war continuing to fight TWSITD from the shadows to support Edelgard's regime. And if you read between the lines, Edelgard is NOT a good leader, resorting to bribes, threats, cronyism, secret police, propaganda, and even TWSITD's support and later stolen tech in order to maintain her rule. Byleth lost whatever emotional development they got from White Clouds during this route, once again becoming the Ashen Demon, and is even willing to let themselves die if they can't keep their “humanity” in check showing a distaste for their own draconic heritage (showing humans and dragons can't live together in this timeline). They didn't grow into being a leader, they devolved into being Edelgard's unthinking muscle. Byleth never learns the truth in this route, falling for Edelgard's manipulations resulting in them losing Enlightened One/Nirvana status.

Not to mention, Heroes Relics have really low weapon levels. In theory, they can be used by anyone but only safely by those with Crests and most fully with a matching Crest. Legendary Weapons, on the other hand, can be used by anyone with an S rank in their type. Your characters have to EARN the right to use those things and you'll need them to deal with all the Manaketes during the final level, whereas Relics aren't exactly that level of broken.

Honestly, seeing the ending of Binding Blade and Idunn recovering put at least one tear in my eye. Crimson Flower's just made me feel like the game was calling me an idiot (which considering the Nirvana/Enlightenment thing, it kinda was). I would love if Binding Blade got the Echoes treatment, or even if they just did a GBA collection for the Switch. But after all these years, one thing is as certain now as it was when I was a kid.

In this house, ROY'S OUR BOY!

[themollyjay]

Miscommunication vs. Lack of Communication

(from my Patreon page)

One of the tropes I absolutely despise is when the conflict in a story could be resolved if the characters sit down and talked to each other for five minutes. I bring this up because last night I got Mail Order Bride back from the editor, and one of her comments was “I am delighted to say that all of the conflict comes from young people trying to find their own way forward, and not from the usual lack of communication.”

To say I was delighted by this comment was an understatement, but ironically, I got the comment at the exact moment I was working on a chapter in The Master of Puppets that focuses on a rather major miscommunication, and it got me thinking about the difference between a Lack of Communication and Miscommunication.

The chapter in The Master of Puppets arises from a cultural misunderstanding. The Master of Puppets, and in fact the entire War of Souls series is about the relationship between a human woman and an alien woman. At the end of the previous character, the human makes a small gesture of gratitude for something the alien had done. However, in the alien culture, because of differences in anatomy, the gesture holds a much greater significance, and the resulting misunderstanding becomes the central focus of the following chapter.

This does raise the question of why, if I hate lack of communication so much, I am building part of a plot (even a relatively small part) around a miscommunication. The answer is, there’s a difference between lack of communication, and miscommunication. A miscommunication happens when people are genuinely trying to talk to each other, but for whatever reason, what one person is saying isn’t what the other person is hearing. A lack of communication happens when people just don’t talk to each other.

Both miscommunication and a lack of communication happen in real life, and both can destroy a relationship and cause all sorts of trouble, but why is one more tolerable in fiction than another. Why is miscommunication cause for anything from hilarity to tragedy, while a lack of communication will just end up annoying your reader and turning them off to your story?

The answer is agency. In order for readers to really get invested in characters, those characters need to have agency. Bad things can happen to a character, a character can make a mistake, a character can make a horrible decision, and readers will still get invested in them. But the one sure way for a character to lose the interest and sympathy of the reader is for a character to do nothing. No one wants to read about a character who sits there and passively lets plot happen to them.

Which brings us back to lack of communication vs. miscommunication. Miscommunication is a mistake. The characters are trying. The characters are active. The characters have agency. Miscommunication is something that happens while the characters are doing something. Lack of Communication is passivity. The characters aren’t trying. The characters aren’t active. The characters don’t have agency. Lack of Communication is the characters sitting there, passively letting plot happen to them.

Again, lack of communication does happen in real life, but fiction isn’t real life, and passive characters will drive your readers insane. I can’t begin to count the number of times I have ended up screaming at a character to do something. To do anything. I also can’t begin to count the number of stories I just did not finish because the characters couldn’t be bothered to do something about the plot happening to them. The last thing you, as an author want, is for your readers to experience that kind of frustration with your characters. Unless your name is Mary Shelly and your book is titled Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, in which case, more power to you.

One final caveat to this. While miscommunication can be a useful plot device, and it won’t drive the readers to distraction the way a lack of communication will, there comes a point at which miscommunication becomes a lack of communication. In order to avoid that, it’s important to remember that a miscommunication must be resolved. Not necessarily at the first opportunity, but the longer it lingers, the more it risks transforming into a lack of communication, at which point, you lose your readers.

In my case, the chapter I was writing centers around the discovery of the miscommunication, and while the miscommunication itself does not linger, the impact of the miscommunication, however brief, will last for the rest of the series because the miscommunication shifted a character’s perspective. It forced them to look at something in a different context, and once that happens, they can’t go back to their old way of thinking.

Which, I think, is the best way to use miscommunication as a plot device. Have it stick around just long enough to have the desired impact on the plot, then have it cleared up. And, if you can, get a few laughs out of it, because really, the moment when your normally calm and levelheaded character stops and screams “I did WHAT?” is always going to be fun.

[pines-troz]

Weekend With The Warners Chapter Four - Animaniacs & Pinky and The Brain

Summary: When the CEO assigns Pinky and The Brain with the important task of watching over the Warners for the weekend, Brain is prepared for any antics that the children have in store. What he didn’t take into account was forming a familial bond with the kids. 

TW: This chapter features a brief scene of vomiting near the second half. It doesn't go into great detail, but I would rather highlight this now in case anyone is squeamish or uncomfortable with that.

Word Count: 9,664

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849962/chapters/70318416

The golden rays of the morning sun seeped through the curtains of the hotel room. The Warner siblings slept peacefully in the queen bed near the door. On the other bed, Pinky stirred in his sleep. Crinkling his nose, the tall mouse awoke from his peaceful slumber. As Pinky batted away the sleepiness from his eyes, his gaze focused on the one thing he loved most in this world: Brain, still fast asleep making that cute whistling sound while he snored. The smaller mouse nestled his chubby head close to Pinky, clinging onto his chest with a fistful of fur on his right hand. Pinky watched as Brain’s body moved with each breath he took, utterly mesmerized by his peacefulness. The lanky mouse’s blue eyes trailed to the small river of drool pooled on his purple robe. Another trait of Brain he found to be absolutely endearing. 

Pinky smiled at his sleeping partner. Brain was usually grumpy and grouchy when he was awake, but all of that melted away when he slept. Instead of a scowl, Brain snoozed with a contented smile. There was a serenity to the eloquent mouse’s face that revealed his soft and vulnerable side, the part of him he always tried to conceal. It was that softness combined with Brain’s desire to anchor himself onto his partner that captivated the taller mouse’s heart. 

“Poit! Brain looks so adorable when he’s asleep!” Pinky thought to himself as he gazed at his partner with adoring eyes. 

The lanky mouse was so enamored with his slumbering partner that he was compelled to shower him with love. Pinky quickly planted a kiss on Brain’s forehead, hoping this small gesture wouldn’t disturb him in the slightest. But the smaller mouse’s nose twitched upon feeling the tender kiss and his eyes fluttered. As Brain slowly awoke from his rest to find Pinky smiling at him. 

“Good morning, Pinky.” Brain mumbled sleepily. 

“Good morning Brain!” Pinky lovingly replied as he leaned in and nuzzled his nose into Brain’s. The smaller mouse chuckled contentedly at the affectionate gesture. 

Brain’s eyes darted downwards to his hand, still gripped onto his partner’s chest. He noticed the pool of saliva on Pinky’s robe and blushed. Using the sleeve from his blue robe, he wiped away the excess drool from the corner of his mouth. After cleaning himself, Brain let out a huge yawn as he stretched out his arms. He slowly got up from his sleeping position and started to scratch his back, but stopped when he felt a warm hand caress his forearm.

“Oh Brain, don’t get up just yet. Can’t we spend five more minutes in bed together?” Pinky pleaded softly. Brain looked at his partner’s sparkling blue eyes. He would surely be a cad to refuse such an enticing request. Entranced by Pinky’s soft sapphire stare, Brain gave him a tired smile. Pinky received his answer when he felt his partner pull him close, resting his large cranium against his chest. Pinky’s cheeks warmed when Brain snuggled up to him. 

“Ten more minutes, Pinky.” Brain responded with a blissful sigh. The pudgy mouse contentedly closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his partner. Pinky smiled at Brain and closed his eyes, cherishing the loving gesture. Pinky gently wrapped his arms around Brain. The bed felt so much warmer now. 

The two mice held each other close. Brain wasn’t sure how much time had passed since he returned to his partner’s warm and loving embrace. Ten minutes, twenty minutes perhaps. But he didn’t care. 

“You know Pinky, I could stay like this forever…” Brain sighed as he tightened his hold around Pinky, snuggling up to his partner. The taller mouse hummed in agreement. But Pinky soon thought of something that would go against his partner’s proclamation. 

“But Brain, what about taking over the world?” Pinky asked softly with a worried expression. 

There was a moment of silence before Brain came up with a compelling response. Liberating his right hand from underneath his partner’s back, Brain gently cupped Pinky’s left cheek and stared into his beautiful blue eyes. “How foolish of you to assume that I haven’t done so already.” He said with a sly smile. 

Pinky’s brows shifted to a bemused expression while he took his left hand and placed it over Brain’s hand. “What do you mean?” 

Brain hoisted himself over Pinky, pulling himself closer to his partner until foreheads touched. “To put it simply, you are my world Pinky...” He admitted right before he leaned in for a kiss. 

Pinky was stunned to hear such a proclamation from Brain. He was aware of how important his dream of world domination was for the ambitious mouse. But for Brain to hold Pinky in such high regard made him feel all soft and gooshy. Once their lips broke away, the lanky mouse gazed into his partner’s rose-pink eyes. 

“Naaarf.” Pinky purred as he felt Brain tuck himself underneath his chin once more. Both mice closed their eyes again and resumed their peaceful embrace, resting for ten minutes more. 

But the intimate moment between the murine beaus was shattered when a big pillow fell on top of them with a quiet thud. Their screams were muffled as they were engulfed by the surprisingly soft darkness. The mice tried to escape, but the pillow was quickly lifted off of them. Pinky and Brain looked up to see Wakko, still in their blue footie pajamas, swiftly holding the pillow behind their back. Dot stood by holding her smartphone. 

“Oops, sorry dads.” Wakko sheepishly apologized. “I was actually aiming at Dot because she was acting like a creep!” He explained while pointing at their little sister. 

“I wasn’t acting like a creep!” Dot growled at the middle child, flashing her fangs. “I just happened to notice how cute they looked and wanted to capture the magical moment.”

“Ooh, could I see?” Pinky asked eagerly, clapping his hands. The Warner sister’s anger melted away upon hearing the mouse’s cockney accent. She turned to face the mice with a bubbly smile and sparkling eyes. 

“Well, of course, Pinky!” Dot happily replied with a charming smile. She showed the mice a series of photos of them entangled in their embrace as they snoozed together. As she swiped her finger across the phone, each picture proved to be more endearing than the last. 

Pinky’s blue eyes glistened as he gazed at the pictures. “Aww Brain, we look so cute together!” He gushed as he patted his partner on the shoulder. 

Brain while secretly thought that Dot had a good eye for detail and captured their beautiful moments of intimacy, merely rolled his eyes and turned his attention towards the Warner sister. “Promise me that you won’t post those photographs on social media?” He begged with pleading eyes. 

“You have my word!” Dot affirmed. “I already posted your lovely duet from last night on most social media platforms, which is trending last I checked.” 

“You what?!?” Brain screeched with bulging eyes as color flooded his cheeks. 

“Here, let me show you.” Dot explained as she pulled up the Insta-Gratification app on her phone. Brain and Pinky watched themselves sing passionately on Yakko’s palms while he zoomed around the room. Brain’s anger simmered down as he relived the magical moment from a third-person perspective. Even Wakko took a seat next to their rodent guardians as they watched the duet play out. Once the video ended, Pinky stood up and clapped. “Encore! Encore!” He chirped. 

“And just look at these accolades.” Dot added as she scrolled down the comment section, which was flooded with colorful heart emojis, thumbs-ups, mice, stars, and various smiley faces. 

Pinky’s eyes lit up as he gazed at the parade of positive emojis. The lanky mouse was thrilled that the world loved Brain’s singing as much as he did. Perhaps he should repurpose his social media account from teaching the world how to wrap their toes with various foods to one where he and Brain could sing along to Top 40 hits! Brain simply nodded at the praise. Despite his insecurity over his own singing, he preferred to be trending over a lovely duet with his partner rather than being assaulted by the various elevated mountain ranges on the globe. 

“Okay, I’ll let this one slide.” The eloquent mouse firmly declared. “But from now on, all videos and photographs you capture of me must receive my consent before you showcase them to the world.” 

“You got it!” Dot comprehended with a thumbs up. 

The bathroom door swung open and Yakko emerged, still in his green pajamas. He had a toothbrush in his mouth and some specks of toothpaste on the sides of his lips. “What’s all the commotion?” He mumbled through the toothbrush. 

“Dot was creeping on Pinky and The Brain while they were having a romantic moment!” Wakko shouted, pointing at their sister. 

“Wakko assaulted Pinky and The Brain with a pillow and destroyed their moment of intimacy!” Dot cried out simultaneously, pointing at her sibling. 

Before Yakko could act as a mediator between his younger siblings, Brain stepped forward and interceded. “Now now, Pinky and I understand that you two had no malicious intentions for startling us from our slumber. So please cease your quarreling and get dressed already.” Brain addressed the siblings in a slightly stern tone. “We have a long day ahead of us, and I’m certain that we’re all eager to have some continental breakfast downstairs.” 

Yakko took out his toothbrush and pointed it at Wakko and Dot. “Alright sibs, you heard Casanova. Let’s get goin’!” Yakko advised in his ‘responsible-big-brother’ tone. He quickly turned his attention over to the mice and flashed a playful smile and pointing finger guns at them. Brain frowned at the realization that the oldest Warner most definitely peeked in on his romantic moment with his partner. Pinky eagerly returned the gesture by pointing his finger guns while making beeping sounds. 

The mere mention of breakfast excited Wakko, who hopped over the bed and right into his suitcase to get dressed. Seconds later, he leaped out of the suitcase, dressed in his regular attire. Yakko ran back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Dot noticed this and barged over to the door, angrily banging for her brother to open up. The doorknob jiggled and Yakko exited the bathroom dressed in his brown slacks.��

“Patience, dearest sister,” Yakko playfully quipped as he walked past Dot. The Warner sister let out a humph as she strode into the bathroom. About a minute later, Dot emerged from the bathroom wearing her pink skirt. The girl smiled as she adjusted her yellow flower hair tie. 

Pinky and Brain simply took off their robes and tossed them onto the bed. Brain climbed up the robotic suit and hopped into the pilot seat. After their run-in with those pesky punks from the previous night, the mouse knew that it was wise to take precautions and arm himself with his technologically advanced suit in case they were to run in any trouble. He guided the suit over to the nightstand to retrieve the hotel key, placing it safely into his pocket.

Pinky bounced over to the Warner siblings, where Wakko picked him up and placed him on top of their red hat. Soon everyone exited the room, with Brain closing the door behind him. 

As they walked down the hall, Wakko and Dot skipped merrily down the hall while Yakko took Brain aside. “I know who you li-ike!” He sang to the tune schoolyard chant children use to tease others. 

Brain looked over at Yakko and gave a feigned shocked reaction. “Well shoot, you discovered my deepest, darkest secret.” He drawled sarcastically. “I’m romantically enamored with the mouse I’ve been dating for the past few months.” 

Yakko chuckled and back slapped Brain’s robotic suit. “For all the years that I’ve known you, I never assumed you’d be the romantic type.” He remarked. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me Yakko.” Brain retorted. 

“Now you sound like you’re hiding some actual deep dark secrets there, Brain.” Yakko bantered. “Have you made any powerful enemies? Murder a man? Plague your internet history by visiting some saucy websites?” 

The eloquent mouse released an exasperated sigh but decided that it was better to humor the boy by satiating his curiosity. “To answer your inquiries: The Yakuza are still on my trail, no, and yes, but I’ll have you know that I only visited those websites for research purposes.” Brain answered dryly. 

“Uh-huh, sure. ‘Research purposes’.” Yakko replied with a sly smile and waggling eyebrows. He quickly retrieved a pen and notebook from his pocket. “Now before I forget, wherein that big old head of yours did you come up with those swoon-worthy pickup lines, and can you give this hopeless romantic some pointers?”  

Brain let out another exhausted sigh. “I hate to rain on your parade, Yakko, but I’m not in the mood to instruct you on the art of wooing potential romantic partners.” He gently declined. “Perhaps some other time when we’re not mozying about in public.” 

“Right, you don’t wanna freely give away your valuable advice to any curious onlookers.” Yakko understood as he put away his pen and notebook. 

The elevator opened and Wakko, Dot, and Pinky filed in. Wakko held their foot out by the door while Yakko and Brain entered the elevator. Once everyone was inside, the elevator doors closed and they made their descent. 

The mice and the Warners enjoyed a contented continental breakfast together. Yakko had a stack of pancakes covered in syrup. Wakko had three plates full of waffles, eggs, french toast, and bacon. Dot enjoyed a nice plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered toast. Pinky and Brain both had a plate of eggs and onion bagels smothered with cream cheese. 

After they finished their meals, they made their way through the lobby and exited the hotel. 

Once they hit the streets, Wakko and Dot immediately grabbed onto Brain’s robotic hands while Yakko placed Pinky on his shoulder. He bounced in front of Brain and started to walk backward, casually placing his hands behind his head. 

“So Brain, what’s on the docket for today?” Yakko asked with a playful smile. 

“Well, I’ve already planned out an extensive schedule of engaging activities, with some input from Pinky.” Brain took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over to Yakko. The eldest Warner opened up the paper and read the schedule the older mouse created whilst Wakko and Dot sprinted over towards their older brother and looked over his shoulders. 

10:00 AM - Visit the Library

12:00 PM - Lunch at Denny’s 

1:30 PM - Go to the Movies

4:00 PM - Stroll through the Mall

6:30 PM - Dinner at The Puce Fedora

8:30 PM - Return to the Hotel 

“Taking you kids out to Denny’s was my idea! Troz!” Pinky chirped while looking at Yakko. 

“Well sibs, looks like we have a busy day ahead of us,” Yakko commented as he glanced at Wakko and Dot. “Then lead the way, my good man.” The oldest Warner addressed Brain with a dramatic bow, gesturing his arm towards their path. 

Wakko and Dot then perched themselves on the right and left shoulders of the robotic suit, with Brain settled between the siblings. “Onwards!” Dot commanded, pointing out to the horizon. Wakko flashed an eager grin with their tongue bouncing out. 

Brain looked over at the cheerful siblings on his robotic shoulders. “As you wish,” The eloquent mouse replied with an amused grin. 

The group walked through the city streets, with Brain shifting the controls to keep up with Yakko’s pace. The mouse noticed the fascinated glances from the other pedestrians and onlookers that passed by. The mouse ignored their curious stares and kept his attention on Yakko, who was showing off his parkour skills to an easily-impressed Pinky. The taller mouse carefully held on tight as the eldest Warner demonstrated his great athleticism. Yakko swung on the lamppost and flung himself onto the mailbox and did a backflip, landing gracefully on his feet near the edge of the sidewalk. Wakko and Dot clapped at their brother’s performance. Yakko turned to his audience and bowed. Brain gave the eldest Warner an impressed smile.

“Egad Yakko, that was amazing!” Pinky praised. “Hey, I should give this parker thing a try!” The lanky mouse hopped off of Yakko’s shoulder.

“Actually, it’s pronounced Parkour, Pinky.” Yakko gently corrected the enthusiastic mouse.  

Brain looked over at his partner with a skeptical expression on his face. “I don’t think that’s a particularly wise idea Pinky.” He warned. “You already pulled the muscle in your head, and the last thing I need is for you to injure yourself further.”

“Oh fiddleyposh,” Pinky dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I’m in great shape for someone my age!” 

The tall mouse eagerly hopped from the sidewalk’s edge shouting “Parkour!” before landing flat on the street with a hard thud. The Warners and Brain winced at Pinky’s rough landing. The mouse tried to pick himself back upon his feet but felt hissed at the painful bruises from his fall. “I’m fine!” He assured the others. 

Brain shook his head. Using the controls in his suit, he gently picked Pinky up with his metallic hand and carefully placed him in his coat pocket. The mouse steered the controls and continued to walk down the sidewalk, with Wakko and Dot perched on his shoulders. Yakko followed suit and kept up with the robotic suit at a casual pace. 

Ten minutes later, the group approached the main grounds in front of the Central Library. The Warners oohed and ahhed as they walked through the Maguire Gardens, observing the trees and the shallow pools that lined the small stairwells. Their eyes scanned upwards beyond the trees that filled the park and to the building, whose grand tower was crowned with a mosaic pyramid. 

“Ah, the public library.” Brain sighed blissfully as he gestured towards the building. “The beacon of literacy, accessibility, and community. A place where people of all backgrounds can easily access books and other materials for free use as well as utilizing other programs and services.” 

“So in other words, they’re socialist book lenders.” Yakko quipped with a smug smile. 

Brain’s brows furrowed at the smart aleck’s comment until he realized that the teen had a valid point. “More or less.” He answered while waving his robotic hand. 

When they approached the doors, Wakko and Dot hopped off of Brain’s robotic shoulders and landed both feet on the ground. The siblings then held onto Brain’s hands, with Wakko holding the right hand and Dot holding the left hand. Yakko opened up the door and allowed Brain and his siblings to enter first. 

Once the group entered the library, they were in awe of the beauty and grand scale of the interior. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot bounced along the black and white checkered tile floor as they marveled at the magnificent interior design of the library. Brain already took into account what kinds of shenanigans the Warners, and by extension Pinky, would partake in without his supervision. Bouncing around the quiet areas and potentially plotting revenge against anyone who would dare be rude to them. After careful consideration of the varying scenarios, he concluded that it would be best if they stayed in the children’s section, where the rules concerning indoor voices and energetic movement were not as strict. 

The mouse guided the siblings away from the more austere sections of the library and towards the vibrant and inviting aura of the children’s section. They ventured over to the children’s section, which was more colorful and inviting. The Warners gazed at the various soft sofas, colorful posters promoting various library programs appealing to different age demographics, and gorgeous displays promoting new books. They learned from various TV shows and movies that libraries were mostly authoritarian places where silence was always enforced upon patrons by stuck-up librarians. But they saw many young children talking and giggling to their friends and parents at a reasonable volume and decided that libraries could be fun and weren’t as bad as the media made it out to be. 

Brain noticed how entranced the siblings were and allowed a smile to escape. “Enchanting, is it not?” He humored. “Now that we’re here, I’m sure we’ll make the most of our time at the library. And the first order of business is to obtain some library cards.” 

“Yay! More snacks!” Wakko exclaimed. 

“No, Wakko, they’re not meant for consumption.” Brain told the middle child. “Library cards are used to check out books, movies, CDs, and other materials so you could bring them home for a reasonable period of time before returning them.” 

“Oh,” Wakko noted, nodding their head in understanding. “I think I get it. So I use the library card to take out the library books, and then I get to eat the books!” 

Brain simply shook his head, causing the middle child to let out a disappointed sigh. 

The group approached the front desk and were greeted by a young librarian who had wavy brown hair in a loose ponytail, wore pink round glasses, a rainbow-striped long-sleeve shirt, a long magenta skirt and glittering star earrings. The Warners were immediately captivated by the librarian’s vibrant appearance. Perhaps not all librarians were uptight middle-aged snobs. Another library stereotype had been shattered. 

The librarian noticed the mice and the Warner siblings walk up towards the desk and she immediately greeted them with a friendly smile. “Good morning!” 

“Good morning Miss Librarian!” The Warners and Pinky chorused. 

Pinky climbed out of the suit’s front pocket and hopped on the table. He approached the librarian with a friendly smile. “Yes, I would like to order a number four meal with extra cheese and no onions, and-” But Brain squeezed Pinky into his fist (a little harder than he intended) to shut him up. 

“Forgive my partner’s inane ramblings,” Brain apologized as he placed Pinky into his coat pocket, giving him a gentle pat on the head to compensate for his earlier transgression. “My children here are eager to have their very own library cards.” The mouse said as he gestured towards the siblings. The mouse took another glance at the rambunctious kids clamored by the desk. The jubilant faces were evidence enough that they took no offense to his statement. 

“Yes,” The small mouse pondered, “they are my children…” 

“Alrighty, let me get you the registration forms and you kids will be all set!” The Librarian replied as she opened up the drawer in her desk and retrieved the necessary papers. 

The Warners accepted the forms and quickly filled out their information. They handed their papers over to the librarian who typed in the information into the computer. After a couple of minutes of waiting, she authorized three library cards and gave them to the siblings. The Warners eagerly took their library cards, and Brain courteously thanked the librarian for her service. 

Yakko played around with his library card in his hands, smiling at the prospect of taking out new books to read. Wakko licked his library card before giving an ambivalent shrug, placing the card underneath their red cap. 

Dot eagerly grabbed her own library card and inspected it. The realization dawned on her that she could borrow any book she would like for free as well as picking out any book she desired from the library’s vast catalog. “So this is what true power feels like...” She said to herself with a devilish grin. 

Brain noticed the Warner sister’s excitement and flashed his own manic grin. “Yes! Let the power of book borrowing privileges seep into your very soul!” The small mouse encouraged. He let out an evil laugh and was surprised to find Dot joining in with her own dark chuckling. 

Pinky watched the two chuckle and an astounding realization came to him. “So that’s what King Arthur meant when he said ‘having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card’! Narf!” The lanky mouse exclaimed. 

Brain ceased his laughter upon hearing Pinky’s misquote. “Pinky, King Arthur never said that, and there was certainly no mention of library cards in any variation of the Arthurian Legend!” He berated. “That quote was from that Arthur cartoon you’re so fond of!” 

The lanky mouse took a moment to register that information. “Oh, I guess it is...poit!” 

Yakko tapped his sister’s shoulder, who immediately turned to face her older brother. She joined him and Wakko as they started to explore the children’s section. Pinky hopped out of Brain’s pocket as he journeyed over to the picture book section. 

Yakko and Dot excitedly explored the shelves, eager to pick up some books for leisure reading. Wakko trailed behind as he did not share the same enthusiasm for reading as their siblings. As the middle child darted their eyes around the many shelves, he spotted a few circular tables near the reference desk, all of which had scrap paper and a box filled with colored pencils and crayons. 

Wakko immediately went over to the coloring table. He decided that he would spend their visit drawing. The middle child took a blue colored pencil and tapped their red hat, thinking of a perfect picture. After a moment of pondering, he became inspired. Taking a sheet of paper, Wakko grabbed a handful of colored pencils and went straight to work. He was determined to make an artistic masterpiece worthy enough to be displayed on the refrigerator door. The middle child was so focused on their work that he failed to listen to the pattering footsteps encroaching the table. 

“Aren’t you gonna look for a book?” Yakko asked his younger sibling. 

“Maybe later,” Wakko answered with a twinge of worry in their voice. Truth be told, he didn’t want to go through the stress of picking out a book he knew he wasn’t going to enjoy or take the time to finish. Instead, Wakko turned their attention back to the drawing. The middle child settled down at the table. “I’ve got some drawing to do!” 

“Okie-Dokie,” Yakko replied, holding his hands behind his back as he strolled through the children’s section. 

Over in the teen section, Dot perused through the shelves to find any popular YA novels but found the process to be quite arduous. Teen romances were either hit or miss, dystopian novels weren’t her cup of tea, and she greatly disliked any books told from the first-person perspective. However, the Warner sister managed to spot a few poetry books that seemed promising and a couple of mystery novels with intriguing set-ups. Dot sauntered over to one of the leather chairs and made herself comfortable. She opened up one of the poetry books and began to read. 

Unbeknownst to her, Brain took a quick glance over the shoulder of his suit to see her silently reading. The mouse was impressed to learn Dot’s bookish nature and her willingness to engage in more challenging reading material. 

The mouse then walked towards the nonfiction section to find Yakko browsing through the 900s books. The Warner brother picked up a book and inspected it, but ultimately decided that it didn’t catch his interest and returned it to its original spot. 

“Find anything of interest?” Brain addressed, trying to act as casual as possible by leaning on the shelf but figured that he looked like a complete goober. 

“Not yet,” Yakko answered. “but hopefully I’ll find some books on a specific person or time period to write some catchy educational songs about them.” 

“Good to know,” Brain nodded. He swerved the controls of the suit and continued to explore the shelves, allowing Yakko to resume his search for decent books. 

The mouse ventured into the fiction section in search of a particular novel in mind. Using the signs indicating the first letter of the last names, Brain moved towards the shelves where all the authors with last names starting with the letter S. With a pointed finger, he guided the metallic hand over to find a particular novel from a particular author. 

“Come on, come on…” He muttered as he trailed through the So’s over to the Sp’s until he landed on the book by Johanna Spyri. “Aha!” Brain cheered as he retrieved the book from the shelf and laid eyes on one of the greatest pieces of literature. He gazed at the illustrated little girl with curly brown hair in a red dress playing with two white goats on the grassy mountains of the Swiss Alps. “Heidi!” 

Gripping the book close to the robot’s chest, Brain decided to check to see how Pinky was faring. He hoped by Odin’s beard that his eccentric partner wasn’t causing too much trouble on his own. 

When Brain emerged from the fiction section, he was pleasantly surprised to find Pinky running up to him while lifting two books above his head. “Oh Brain, can I please get these beautiful books!” He asked as he dropped the books to show his partner. One had a picture of a family of bunnies wearing sweaters while the other book featured a parade of colorful elephants holding their tails together as they marched across a grassy plain. 

“Of course you can, Pinky,” Brain answered. “And need I remind you that despite your child-like mannerisms, you’re a grown adult with agency.”

“That’s odd, I don’t recall having an agent.” Pinky mused aloud. “Brain, do you think James Bond would be interested in being my agent? Or maybe one of the Spy Kids could be up for the job!” 

“No Pinky,” Brain groaned as he massaged his forehead. “what I mean is that you are an independent individual who is capable of making decisions of your own free will. In other words, you don’t need my permission to take out whatever books you want.”

“Oh, okay!” Pinky chirped with some comprehension of what Brain told him. 

With a shrug, Brain walked over to the table where Wakko was hunched over as he worked on his illustration. When the middle child spotted the mice approaching, he quickly turned their picture over flat on the table. 

“Are you enjoying yourself, Wakko?” Brain pleasantly asked. Pinky sprinted to catch up with his partner while carrying his books. Brain noticed his partner doing his best to lift up the books and quickly confiscated them from his tiny paws, placing them underneath his library book. 

“Yep!” Wakko eagerly nodded with their tongue out. “I’ve been working on my magnum opus! It’s still a work in progress, but I’ll show you once it’s finished.” 

“Ah, I see,” Brian noted with a smile. “Well, aren’t you going to find a book or two while we’re still here?” The pudgy mouse inquired. 

“Nah,” Wakko answered with uncertainty. He tucked their hands into the sleeves of their sweater and kneaded their fingers through the soft cotton. 

“What’s wrong?” Brain asked. 

Wakko nervously wrung his hands through his sweater sleeves and looked up at the big-headed mouse. “If I tell you, can you promise not to tell anyone else about this?”

“You have my word.” Brain solemnly replied. 

“Books can be kinda intimidating, you know?” Wakko blurted out. “There are too many words, and they don’t grab my attention.” 

Brain looked at the child with concern, raising his bushy brow upwards. “Well, I’m certain that there has to be at least one book that’s tailored to your interests.” He insisted. “What types of genres do you enjoy most?” 

Wakko rubbed their chin as they pondered. “Well, I did try to read some sci-fi and fantasy books, but they were too wordy and I couldn’t understand what was going on. And Yakko tried to give me a couple of easy-reader books, but they were too boring!” The middle child let out a dejected groan. “I don’t get it. Dot’s younger than me and she can read all these heavy young adult books and I can’t even bring myself to read a lousy chapter book!” Feeling overwhelmed, Wakko buried their head into their sweater sleeves. 

Pinky was saddened by Wakko’s plight and decided to help them as best as he could. After a moment of thinking, the mouse thought of an idea. He looked up at the middle child with an optimistic grin as he showcased his library books. “Oh Wakko, you should try reading these wonderful board books. There aren’t a lot of words and you can look at the pretty pictures! Zort!”

“But those are baby books!” Wakko complained. “I don’t think there are any books that are made for me!” He then buried their face in the crook of their elbow and let out a hopeless sigh. 

Brain gazed at the downtrodden Warner sibling and pondered. He needed to figure out a way to alleviate the middle child’s dilemma. The eloquent mouse scanned the library shelves and found a section dedicated to graphic novels. Perhaps those books should suit Wakko’s needs and capture their attention. 

“Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” Brain whispered to his partner. 

“Sure Brain, but did they ever show us how to get to Sesame Street?” Pinky mused aloud. 

“While that’s an admittedly fascinating rumination dear Pinky, we have more pressing matters to attend to.” Brain stated as he gestured his head towards Wakko. 

The smaller mouse approached the middle child and gently placed his robotic hand on their shoulder. “I think I found some books that you might be interested in.” Brain gently prodded. Wakko hesitantly followed the mouse over to the bookshelves full of graphic novels. 

Brain glided the metallic finger across the various book titles until he found one that would interest Wakko. Hilda and the Troll. The mouse took out the graphic novel from the shelf and handed it over to the middle child. 

Wakko’s eyes shone brightly as he stared at the book’s cover, which featured a young girl with blue hair wearing a black beret standing in front of the snowy mountains with her cute animal companion. He gingerly opened up the book and was immediately captivated by the artwork. 

“What is this?” Wakko asked with wonder. 

“Why, dear Wakko, what you are holding is a graphic novel.” Brain answered with an encouraging smile. “A literary phenomenon that utilizes comics content to tell cohesive stories similar to typical novels.” 

The middle child carefully read the page, following the text and admiring the illustrations “Woah, this has easy to follow words and pictures!” Wakko exclaimed. “And they’re real books?”

“Graphic novels are novels, Wakko.” Brain reassured the child, patting their head with his robotic hand. 

“Great! I’m gonna take ten!” Wakko cheered. He perused through the shelves and picked out a handful of books that piqued his curiosity. After taking out the rest of the Hilda series from the shelf, he picked out Roller Girl, Ghosts, and three books from the Dog Man series. Wakko wore a jubilant grin as he gathered their graphic novels while Brain and Pinky smiled at the middle child’s revived enthusiasm for reading. 

Meanwhile, in the teen section, Dot was invested in her book. Yakko saw his sister and decided to sneak up on her. He tip-toed over to the teen section and carefully approached the couch. He had his arms out, ready to scare his little sister-

“Hey Yakko,” Dot said as she looked over at her older brother. Yakko brought his arms down and snapped his fingers in defeat. 

“So I see you have your books,” Yakko mentioned, trying to change the subject. 

“Yep!” Dot chirped as she hopped off the couch. “How about you?” 

“I picked out a few books,” Yakko explained as he held them up. “One on European architecture, another on the Renaissance, and a book on the Sixties.” The oldest Warner also held up two paperback books from his stack. “I also picked out a couple of those Captain Underpants books for Wakko just in case.” 

Dot nodded in approval. “Speaking of which, we should probably find them.” As the brother and sister walked back together, they were pleasantly surprised to see Wakko carrying a pile of books. 

“Since when did you become an eager reader?” Dot asked playfully. 

“Ever since Brain showed me the magical world of graphic novels! They’re like comic books, but formatted like a novel.” Wakko explained with the confidence of a college professor. 

“Nice!” Yakko replied, elated by his sibling’s excitement. “I also got you a couple of books that you might like.” 

Wakko looked at the Captain Underpants books and smiled. “Oh cool! I can read those too.”

Pinky and Brain quickly joined the Warner siblings. “So is everyone all set?” Brain asked. 

“Uh-huh.” The Warners chorused while nodding their heads. 

“Excellent! At this rate, we’ll be able to check out our books and arrive at Denny’s at a much earlier time than I had planned.” The big-headed mouse mentioned as he started to leave. The siblings eagerly bounced behind. 

-                           -                          -                          -                           -

The group arrived at Denny’s at around 11:45 AM and were quickly seated in one of the booths. As they waited for their meals, the Warners and the mousey couple decided to pass the time by swapping stories. 

Yakko divulged some unusual anecdotes, from a wild goose-chase over who stole Wakko’s donuts from the designer donut shop to the crazy hunter who turned out to be Chicken Boo in disguise. 

The mice listened carefully to the ‘whodonut’ story. While Brain was not the least bit surprised to find out that Wakko was the one who consumed the box of donuts, Pinky thought it was a plot twist for the ages. However, Brain was shocked to learn that the hunter bent on capturing all of the Animaniacs cast members was none other than Chicken Boo. He and Pinky admittedly didn’t spend as much time with the giant chicken during the show’s original run, but Brain must have suspected the twinge of jealousy in the poultry’s eyes when the mice and the Warner children received carts full of fan mail on a weekly basis while he only received a few letters during the five years the show was on the air. The latter story prompted Brain and Pinky to explain their run-in with their weirdly deranged former co-worker. They were heading back to the lab from a candle-lit dinner date, holding hands when they were spotted by a peculiar man with a mustache. The mice were able to evade capture by using decoys. Brain put a nice paint job on his spare Noodle Noggin doll and retrieved old Pinky plushie made in the nineties to trick the hunter into thinking that he caught them. 

Dot engaged the mice in one of her other anecdotes where she consumed a kawaii cupcake that turned everyone and everything into an adorably cute version of themselves. Pinky and Brain also remembered that fateful month and told the Warners about how their reactions to their cuteness.

When the mice first took a glance at their kawaii forms, Pinky was overwhelmed with excitement at how cute Brain was and wanted to show the world how cute he was. Brain was inspired by Pinky’s proclamation and tried to use his and Pinky’s cuteness to take over the world. But the mouse was dismayed when he learned that it had no effect in an already cute world. Brain spent the rest of the month thinking about his new form was reminiscent of the disgustingly saccharine artwork from the ‘Pinky-Winky and Brainy-Wainy’ pitch he heard from a pair of aspiring TV writers during a failed scheme from the nineties. It didn’t help that Pinky remembered the theme song and kept singing it. 

“They’re Pinky and Brainy! They’re Winky and Wainy!” Pinky gleefully belted out.

Brain placed his hand on Pinky’s cheek, ceasing his singing. “Quiet Pinky or I shall have to hug you.” He commanded, which elicited some chuckles from the Warners. 

As they shared their stories, Wakko eagerly read one of his graphic novels. Brain was pleased to see the middle child so invested in their library books.  

By the time they got their food, everyone was mostly content with their food. As they ate, Brain noticed how Dot grimaced as she consumed her lunch. When Yakko asked her if she was okay, the Warner sister shrugged it off. But the big-headed mouse could see the pain she concealed with her adorable face. 

Once Pinky finished his meal, he excused himself to use the restroom. A few minutes later, Pinky was skipping towards the booth when a middle-aged man and woman were appalled by the fact that a mouse was in the restaurant. The woman shrieked while the man violently kicked the poor mouse into the drywall. 

Brain and the Warners were horrified by the assault. The smaller mouse quickly approached his partner, gently plucking him from the wall and cradling him in his robotic hands. Brain exited from the driver’s seat, scurried down the right arm, and carefully draped Pinky over his lap as he inspected his injuries. 

“Pinky, please speak to me!” Brain cried out. 

“Naaarf…” Pinky uttered. He looked over to his partner and cupped his chubby cheeks. Brain was relieved that Pinky was okay. 

The Warners sadly gazed at the mice with sympathetic eyes. They then turned their attention towards the perpetrators and snarled. The careless couple exited the restaurant with no remorse for what they’ve done. The siblings retrieved their weapons; Yakko took out his pen, Wakko retrieved his wooden mallet, and Dot flashed her flamethrower. 

Pinky and Brain watched in astonishment as the children busted through the doors and followed the couple. The mice heard two frantic screams followed by childish giggling from the siblings. After five minutes, the Warners returned to the table as if nothing happened. 

“How are you feeling, Pinky?” Wakko asked. 

“A lot better, actually! Troz!” The lanky mouse answered with an optimistic grin. 

“What happened back there?” Brain inquired. 

“You don’t want to know,” Yakko replied. 

“Let’s just say that those bozos won’t be bothering Pinky anymore.” Dot mentioned cryptically. With a gentle hand, she carefully caressed Pinky’s head. The mouse smiled as he accepted her loving touch. 

Brain gave a warm smile at the siblings. “Thank you for standing up for Pinky.” 

“Of course!” Yakko assured. “After seeing you stick up for us last night, it’s only fair that we return the favor!” 

The rest of their meal went off without any further issue. Brain rewarded the Warners for their solidarity by allowing them to pick out as many deserts as they so desired. Wakko had one of each, while Yakko picked out brownie cake. Dot graciously declined the offer, instead of ordering another glass of water. As Yakko and Wakko contentedly enjoyed their desserts, Dot continued to look a little uneasy as she sipped her water. 

After Brain paid for lunch, the group was on their way to the movie theaters to see an animated movie featuring the Furbies which was most certainly attempting to ride off the coattails of The Lego Movie. Yakko and Wakko were excited to go to the movies when Brain informed them that the theater will have assigned seats and comfy reclining leather chairs. Yakko was especially elated by this. They’ll have fewer chances of coming across a man spreader and have a more comfortable movie-going experience.  

While Yakko and Wakko excitedly bounced around on their way to the movies, Dot was unusually quiet compared to her older siblings. The Warner sister walked at a slower pace, clutching her stomach and looking down at the sidewalk. 

Yakko knew that something was up with his sister and decided to intervene once more. “Hey, you doin’ okay sis?” He asked concernedly. 

“I don’t think I’m feeling too good…” Dot admitted. She then felt something rise up from her stomach and started to panic. The girl spotted a trash receptacle and sprinted towards it. Gripping the sides of the can, she threw up straight into the trash. 

Yakko, Wakko, and the mice winced as they watched the poor girl spew out her lunch. 

Once she finished, she felt woozy. Brain took out the folded handkerchief from his suit pocket and offered it to Dot, who graciously accepted it and wiped her mouth. 

Overwhelmed with guilt, tears began to stream down Pinky’s face. “Poit! I’m so sorry Dot, this is all my fault!” The tall mouse cried. “This wouldn’t have happened if we went to The Cheesecake Factory instead!” 

“It’s okay, Pinky.” Dot assured, trying her hardest to sound confident. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.” 

Brain tied his best not to give in to stress and remain in control over the situation. “Okay, new plan: we need to return to the hotel right away so you could rest.” He addressed Dot and the rest of the group.  

The mouse consulted the map app on his smartphone and was thankful that it was only a ten-minute walk to the hotel from their current position. He looked over at Dot and realized that she needed some ginger ale after what happened. Fortunately, the group just so happened to be standing right next to a convenience store. Brain picked up Pinky from his shoulder and placed him next to the Warner siblings. 

“Pinky, you watch the kids while I go inside the store to fetch some ginger ale and crackers for Dot.” Brain explained as he dashed through the front doors. 

“You can count on my Brain! Troz!” Pinky responded, giving his partner a serious salute. Once the smaller mouse entered the store, he shifted his attention over to the Warners. 

Yakko and Wakko comforted their sister as they waited outside. Dot just stared down at the sidewalk, propping her head in her gloved hands.

“Why did this have to happen?” She thought to herself.

The girl felt Yakko’s hand ruffle through her hair while Wakko’s hand stroked up and down her back. Pinky, despite his short stature, went over to her knee and hugged it with all his might. Dot looked over at the lanky white mouse, giving him a grateful smile. She released her right hand from under her head and gently patted Pinky. 

The group was alerted when Brain exited the convenience store with a brown paper bag filled with a liter bottle of ginger ale, a box of salted crackers, and plastic cups. Additionally, he held a cold can of ginger ale in the robot’s right hand. Steering the controls, Brain knelt the suit on one knee and offered the ginger ale to the Warner sister, who wordlessly accepted it. She opened up the soda and took a generous sip. With the necessary goods purchased, the group started to make their way back to the hotel. 

“Do you need any help, sis?” Yakko asked. 

“No, I’m good.” Dot assured him. She was tough. After all, she was the one who marched to grant toons the right to vote and managed to sing an impressive song about the First Ladies of the United States in under two minutes. Dot was also strong enough to open up any jar lids for Wakko. Heck, she even saved Yakko’s life on Halloween night for crying out loud! A far cry from the sickly waif she played in Wakko’s Wish. While Dot knew how supportive and loving her older siblings were and she greatly respected the mice, the last thing she wanted was to be pitied by them. 

But the girl stumbled. She almost tripped, but managed to catch her footing and placed her hand on Brain’s robotic leg for support. 

Brain noticed this and immediately used the man-suit to pick her up, cradling her in his arms, an act that surprised Yakko. Brain gently adjusted his arm to properly carry her. Dot was too exhausted to put up a fight. Pressing the cold soda can to her forehead, she closed her eyes and surrendered to his concerned affection. Pinky made his way down the robotic arm and gently stroked Dot’s hair. The Warner sister gave a small smile, cherishing the care she received from the mice. 

Brain gazed at the Warner sister with worried eyes as he continued to walk back over to the hotel. Yakko and Wakko shared worried glances before catching up with the mouse. 

The group made it back to the hotel without further incident. But the somber mood from Dot’s sudden illness had rendered everyone, even the talkative Yakko, speechless. Brain couldn’t help but think of how strange it was to see normally energetic and loud Yakko and Wakko this quiet. It was an unnerving sight. 

When they arrived in front of their room, Yakko retrieved his hotel key and opened up the door. He allowed Brain, who carefully held Dot with the metal arms, to walk in first. The oldest Warner watched as the mouse brought his sister over to the bed. Brain moved the covers with one arm and gently lowered Dot with the other. Once she was in bed, she placed her magenta robe on. As she laid down on the bed, Brain placed the covers over her and adjusted them to her comfort. 

Yakko was still standing by the doorway, feeling surprisingly out of place. Normally he was the responsible one. Always taking care of his younger sibs when they were sick, making them breakfast, or enchanting them with bedtime stories. While he didn’t ask to play the part of the parent, he adapted to the role to the best of his ability. And for someone who had to watch over Wakko and Dot for over sixty years, Yakko thought he did a pretty good job. 

So why was he feeling weird about having an adult he knew to do his job for him? 

Brain placed the groceries on the nightstand, taking out the ginger ale, plastic cups, and box of salted crackers. Once the mouse emptied out the paper bag, he placed the library book bag on his bed and rode the suit over to the other side. After he parked the robotic suit, he got out of the driver’s seat and hopped onto the mattress.

“Pinky, you’re in charge of supervising Yakko and Wakko.” Brain ordered. “Why don’t you take them to the movies while I’ll stay here and keep a vigilant eye over Dot.”

“Sure thing, Brain!” Pinky said confidently, giving him a thumbs up. 

“Uh Brain, I can stay and help too,” Yakko interjected, trying his best to mask his worry. 

Brain noticed the boy’s willingness to help out. He tried to come up with a gentle way to assure him that his sister would be fine under his care. 

But before he could speak, Dot spoke up. “It’s gonna be okay, Yakko. I don’t want you to feel bad because I’m feeling under the weather. Now go on and have a fun time with Wakko and Pinky.” 

“You sure?” Yakko asked. “Cause I don’t mind staying here.” 

“Yakko, I understand how concerned you are of your sister’s well-being, but I promise you that she will be cared for under my vigilance.” Brain consoled. 

“But-” Yakko tried to make an argument but was quickly cut off by his little sister. 

“Brain’s got it under control.” Dot said a little more firmly. After seeing the worry in her brother’s eyes, she knew that he meant well. “Please Yakko, have a fun time, for me?” She softly told him whilst batting her eyelashes. 

Yakko realized that Dot was weaponizing her cuteness to her advantage and that even he was not immune to her adorable charms.  The last thing he wanted was to upset Dot while she was still ill. While the Warner brother didn’t want to leave her, he had to respect her wishes. “I will, sis.” He sighed. “But just call me if anything happens, okay?” He proceeded to playfully ruffle her hair. 

“I will,” Dot replied, giving her brother a small smile as she gently shoved her brother’s hand away. 

Wakko approached her and carefully squeezed her hand. “Feel better, dearest sister.” Wakko consoled before letting go. He then took Yakko’s hand, tugging him towards the door. On the way, he picked up Pinky and placed him on their red hat. 

“Take care, Dot!” Pinky happily called out. 

Dot giggled at the taller mouse’s enthusiasm. “Thank you, Pinky!” 

“And don’t worry Brain, I won’t let you down! Narf!” Pinky addressed with a wave. 

“I know you won’t, Pinky.” Brain confidently replied as he waved back. Pinky smiled at his partner as Wakko carried him out of the hotel room. The smaller mouse gave his partner a soft smile. 

Once the door was closed, Brain turned his attention towards the Warner sister. 

“Now, is there anything I can do for you?” Brain asked softly. 

“I’m all set for now.” Dot answered. “On second thought, could you turn on the TV?” 

With a click of the remote, Brain turned on the television set and the image of reddish stars decorating the darkness of space accompanied by soothing piano and synth music. The title of the program slowly appeared on the screen: Cosmos. 

“Wait, don’t change the channel!” Dot cried out. “I love this mini-series!” 

Brain was surprised. “You’re an admirer of Carl Sagan’s work?” 

“Of course! Where else would I get my scientific knowledge from? Mr. United States-Canada-Mexico-Panama?” Dot quipped. 

The small mouse couldn’t help but chuckle at the Warner sister’s snide remark. 

“And besides, I’m the witty one.” She playfully added. 

Brain smiled. “Well, I’m glad to have found someone who appreciates the sciences as much as I.” 

The smaller mouse and the girl turned their attention over towards the flat-screen television as they watched Carl Sagan discuss the hundred billion galaxies within the universe. Twenty minutes into the show, Brain heard the soft snores. He turned to find Dot fast asleep in her bed.  

The mouse sighed in relief, happy that she was resting, and used the remote to lower the volume. 

Brain then walked over to the book bag and retrieved Heidi from the pile of library books. Walking over towards the other side of the bed, the chubby mouse plopped next to the pillow and began to read. After a few minutes, Brain was becoming invested in the story when he heard his phone vibrate. He placed a bookmark in between the pages and trotted over to his smartphone. The moment he turned on the device, a text message from Yakko appeared on the screen. 

Is Dot okay? 

Brain understood the boy’s concern. As he reread the message he pondered over how Yakko had single-handedly raised his younger sibling for decades in the confines of the water tower without adult supervision or any assistance from the outside world. Brain could not imagine the emotionally harrowing task of having to tend to the needs of his siblings at such a tender age. After years of being the sole caretaker of Wakko and Dot, it would make logical sense for Yakko to be incredibly concerned over his sister’s well-being. 

But Brain wanted to assure Yakko that he no longer had to worry about carrying the burden of responsibility on his own. The eloquent mouse opened up the text message app and thought of an appropriate response to send. After coming up with words of comfort, he decides to type out his message. 

I commend your concern for your younger sister. Dot is taking a much-needed nap at the moment and she will be okay. 

Brain stared at the message with critical eyes. After a moment of musing, he concluded that it sounded too serious. He decided to spruce it up a bit with a smiley face, just as he always does with his usual emails and text messages. 

I commend your concern for your younger sister. Dot is taking a much-needed nap at the moment and she will be okay. : )

The mouse nodded at the message and pressed his paw on the send button. In seconds he saw the text message turn blue, indicating its arrival on Yakko’s phone. 

Putting aside his smartphone, Brain took another glance at the sleeping Warner sister and smiled at the peaceful sight. With everything under control, he opened up his novel and picked up where he left off. 

AN: This chapter was also originally supposed to be longer, but I decided to divide it because it was too long.

More fun shenanigans in this chapter. I wanted to explore Brain and Pinky slowly going dad mode in certain scenarios, with Brain being the more responsible dad while Pinky is the more doting parent. The library scene mainly started because I was curious as to what kind of books the Warners like to read.

I also wanted to explore more of the siblings in this chapter, especially their vulnerabilities while keeping true to their reboot characterizations. With Wakko, I wanted to touch on their insecurities a bit when compared to their siblings. With a capable and confident character like Dot, I wanted to put her in a situation where she allows herself to be cared for while acknowledging her strengths and intelligence. Then we have Yakko starting to question his own abilities as a parental figure to his siblings when he sees Brain taking care of Dot. This issue will be further explored in the following chapter, but I hope I’m doing my best to expand on these otherwise comedic characters.

Thanks for reading!

[harringtonstilinski]

You’ll Always Be My Hero - Chapter 39 ; Galvanize

Author: @harringtonstilinski​ Characters: Stiles Stilinski x Emma Thomas (OC) Word Count: 5,234 Warnings: angst (expect it from here on out this season, lol), little flashback action going on at the beginning, fluff if you squint real hard A/N: Hi, friends! Chapter 39 is upon us! AND SHE’S ACTUALLY ON TIME! I actually got my shit together this week, hahaaa! If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

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Stiles and I found ourselves walking to the school's locker room while he was on the phone with Scott. What he doesn't know is I already called Scott earlier and informed him on our little midnight adventure.

“Em?” Scott said.

“Scotty, listen,” I said, quietly. “Stiles and I are about to head to the school to play that prank on Bobby.”

“That's why you asked for his keys at school?”

“Precisely correct, my friend,” I sassed.

He chuckled. “What do I need to do?”

“Come to the school and scare the shit out of Stiles,” I explained. “He's making me lose precious sleep, so he can have the shit scared out of him. It'll be our little secret.”

Scott laughed a little louder. “No sleep for you equals sass?”

“Precisely correct again,” I said. “Now, get your ass to the locker room and hide, but make sure he can't hear you if he calls you.”

“Aye aye, Cap'n,” he said.

That's how we found ourselves here. At the school. At midnight. Operation Scare Stiles Cause He's Making Me Lose Sleep is a go.

“Get your ass down here now. We have a job to do,” Stiles told Scott over the phone. He had him on speaker.

“Dude, I'm already in bed,” Scott said.

“Aren't we getting a little old for this?” I asked.

“We do this for your uncle,” Stiles looked at me. 

“I thought we did this to him,” Scott and I asked.

“Whatever, okay? You both know he needs this,” Stiles said. “He lives for this stuff, ya’know. He loves it.”

“But it's the middle of the night,” Scott said.

The sound of Stiles' locker opening let me know he made it. I was trying so hard not to lose it. So hard.

“12:15 actually. Which means it's after midnight and officially Mischief Night/Day,” Stiles said, pressing the button on a drill a couple times.

“You just love it because it's got your nickname in it,” I voiced.

“That, too,” he said.

I looked around, watching Scott sneak behind Stiles like a cat would do before they pounced. Ironic that he's a wolf, I know.

“And by perfectly awesome coincidence,” Stiles continued. “It also happens to be Coach's birthday.”

“Shit, I almost forgot,” I whispered.

I watched as Scott glowed his Alpha eyes and just stood in the shadows near me.

“So if you are not down here in five seconds, I will destroy you. Okay?” Stiles said. “And I mean five, four, three, two...” Scream and backing into the lockers.

“One,” Scott said. Here's where I lose it, and I mean tears running down my face losing it.

“I hate you. I hate both of you,” Stiles said.

~~~

After Stiles and I went back home to get some much needed sleep, and after I told him about me telling Scott about him dragging me to the school, we ended up.... well, right back at school.

After Stiles parked the Jeep, he walked over to open my door and help me out. Yep. He was really trying to win me over, and damn it, it was working.

We walked hand in hand over to Scott just as he was talking to the twins. “You're back in school?”

“No, just to talk,” Ethan said.

“Oh. That's kind of a change of pace for you guys,” Stiles said.

“Seeing as how you're usually just hurting, maiming, and killing,” I added.

Stiles and I looked at each other, giving our Tag Team Go faces.

“You need a pack,” Ethan said to Scott. “We need an Alpha.”

“Yeah, absolutely not,” Stiles said.

“That's hilarious, though,” I said.

Totally disregarding both Stiles and I, Ethan continued talking to Scott like we weren't even there. “You came to us for help. We helped.”

“You beat his face into a bloody ass pulp. That's not helping. In my opinion, that's actually counter-productive,” I snapped.

“Why would I say yes?” Scott asked.

“We'd add strength. We'd make you more powerful,” Aiden answered. “There's no reason to say no.”

Stiles and I rolled our eyes, his more dramatically. 

“I can think of one,” Isaac joined in. “Like the two of you holding Derek's claws while Kali impaled Boyd. In fact, I don't know why we're not impaling them right now.”

Showing his Blues and fangs, Aiden growled and looked up at Isaac. “You wanna try?”

Isaac started moving forward until Scott grabbed his wrist, keeping him from moving any further, but that didn’t seem to help, so I decided to jump in.

“Isaac,” I said, voice soft. He looked at me and instantly backed off.

“Sorry, but they don't trust you,” Scott said.

“Plus, I think one hot-headed werewolf is enough,” I added.

Stiles looked at me, confusion lacing his features. “Who's the hot-headed werewolf?” I pointed over at Isaac. “Isaac.”

“And neither do I,” Scott continued.

All of us walked in between them to head inside. Right as soon as Stiles and Scott opened the doors to the school, a roll toilet paper flew at us... and hit Stiles... right in the face.

“Alright, that's my face!” he exclaimed. “Hey, dude, good decision, buddy,” he said to Scott, as the three of us walked to his locker. “Good Alpha decision.”

“I hope so,” Scott said.

“No, Scotty, you know so,” I said.

Stiles opened his locker and I noticed that Scott's attention was somewhere else, so I followed where his eyes were before I looked back at him with a playful smile. 

“What are you looking at, and why are you smiling?” Stiles asked us.

“Me?” Scott asked.

“You,” Stiles confirmed.

“He's looking at Kira,” I answered.

Stiles took an egg container out of his backpack and put it in his locker. 

“You like her?” Stiles asked.

“If he didn't, he wouldn't be looking at her. Trust me. I know from experience,” I sassed.

“No, I mean...” Scott started. “Yeah, yeah, she's okay. She's new.”

“So, ask her out,” Stiles and I said.

“Now?” Scott said.

“No. In ten years when she's married with a baby on the way. Yes, now!” I sassed.

Stiles put his lock back on his door, banging his fist against it once. He grabbed my hand and started walking down the hall, Scott and I in tow.. of course, I had no choice.

“Right now?” Scott asked.

“Right now. Scott, I don't think you get it yet,” Stiles said.

“You're an Alpha. You're the apex predator,” I said.

“Everyone wants you,” Stiles added. “You're like the hot girl that every guy wants.”

Scott stopped walking, making me and Stiles take a couple more steps to stop in front of him. Stiles released my hand for a second as Scott gave his dazed reply of, “I'm the hot girl?”

“You are the hottest girl,” Stiles said, putting his hands on Scott's shoulder before he walked away, winking at Isaac. I guess he didn't notice that I wasn't walking beside him just yet.

“What?” Isaac asked. He looked at me as I was smiling playfully again at Scott.

“I'm the hot girl,” Scott said, dazed.

“Yes, you are,” Isaac and I said.

Scott put his thumbs through his backpack straps and smiled happily at us.

“You’re such a puppy,” I said before I turned around and walked over to Stiles, who had stopped a couple of feet away.

I laced my fingers with his and we started walking to Coach's class. “Hey, question,” I said.

“Answer,” Stiles replied.

“If Scott's the hottest girl that every guy wants, what does that make me?” I asked.

He stopped right as we made it to the door of the classroom.“The most beautiful.”

I tried to stop my smile, but was ultimately defeated. He leaned down and pecked my lips before we both walked in the room and sat in our seats. Him sitting next to me on my right, and Scott would eventually sit on my left.

Scott came and sat down next to me about two or so minutes before we heard Coach's muffled yelling of “Son of a bitch!”

I looked at either boy and started laughing. Operation Prank Coach For His Birthday completed.

He came through the door from his office all pissed off. Just the emotion we wanted.

“Mischief Night, Devil's Night,” Coach said. “I don't care what you call it. You little punks are evil.”

I couldn't contain my laughter anymore. I was on the verge of having a full on laugh attack at the beginning of class.

“You think it's funny every Halloween my house gets egged?” Coach continued. “A man's house is supposed to be his castle.”

He came over to my desk and slammed his hand down on my book, making my giggles intensify. “Mine's a freaking omelet!”

He turned around and saw a box on his desk. “Oh, this?” he said, picking it up. “We're gonna do this again?” He dropped it, whispering, “I don't think so.” He stomped his foot on it, breaking whatever was inside. He bent down and picked a piece of a mug that had a picture of him on it reading #1 Coach. He set it down and picked up the card, reading from it. “Happy Birthday. Love, Greenberg.”

I heard a fly buzzing around my head, so I swatted at it. It wouldn't leave me alone, so I kept swatting.

“Emma, what are you doing?” Coach asked.

“There's a damn fly around me and it won't leave me alone,” I said.

He looked at me with confused brows, then shook his head and began class.

I looked up at the ceiling, as I was hearing electrical humming. My phone vibrated, so I pulled it from my back pocket and saw a text from Lydia on my lockscreen. 

Lyds: What the hell are you doing?

Emma Grace: There was a fly and now I'm hearing electrical humming.

Lyds: I'm hearing the electrical humming, too.

I looked back at her, seeing her with confused and scared eyes.

For some reason after class, I walked over to Coach's office right as Lydia and Aiden were running out. I stood there a second, looking at the door in confusion.

“Baby? You okay?” Stiles asked. He looked from me to the door. “Don't worry. We'll fix everything at lunch.”

“It's not that,” I said, shaking my head. “It's something else. I feel like... something is trying to... tell me something. I know, it sounds confusing, but so is the feeling.”

“Hey,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him. “We'll figure this out. Come on.”

He guided me down the hallway. When we turned to head down the hall, we saw our dads. We looked at each other and ran to them, asking why they were here. They informed us that William Barrow was seen.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Stiles said. “The William Barrow? The Shrapnel Bomber? Spotted nearby?”

We followed our dads down another hallway.

“You're way too excited about this,” I said.

Sheriff and Dad stopped and turned to face us. “A little closer than nearby, actually,” Dad said.

“How do we get down to the basement? I need to know where every entrance is. I don't want anybody coming in or out of the school,” Rafael said, walking with other FBI Agents.

“Daddy, what's really going on here?” I asked, fear starting to lace my voice. Stiles pulled me closer to him.

Dad sighed and told us about what was really going down.

~~~

We found Isaac, Lydia and Allison, telling them what our dads told us, Tag Team style.

“Barrow went after kids with glowing eyes? He said those exact words?” Isaac asked as we went down a set of stairs.

“Yeah, and no one knows how he woke up from anesthesia,” Stiles said. “Just that when they opened him up, they found a tumor full of live flies, which in any other circumstance would be all kinds of awesome.”

Lydia and I hung back as they kept walking. “Did you say flies?” we asked.

They stopped and turned around, facing us. “Guys?” Allison asked.

Lydia and I looked at each other, and I sighed. “All day I've been hearing this sound. It's like...”

“This buzzing,” Lydia said when I paused.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Like the sound of flies?” Allison asked. Her, Isaac and Stiles slowly made their way to us.

“Exactly like the sound of flies,” we said.

~~~

Stiles and I ran through the school looking for Scott. As I came back in front of Coach's office, I turned my head and spotted him. “There,” I said before taking off again. Stiles almost ran into a kid, poor thing, before gaining his footing and coming to me and Scott.

“Hey, dude, where the hell have you been?” Stiles asked.

Lydia walked up to us. “The police are leaving. Why are they leaving?”

Stiles and I looked at each other.

“The police?” Scott asked.

“They must've cleared the building and grounds--” Stiles said.

“Which means he's not here,” I interrupted, frustration lacing my voice.

“Who? What are you guys--” Scott started, but was also interrupted by me.

“He has to be here!” I exclaimed. I looked at all three of them, seeing concern lacing their features. Tears started brimming my eyes. “That sound... the buzzing I've been hearing? It's getting louder.”

“How loud, baby?” Stiles asked, putting a hand on my back.

I closed my eyes and heard the buzzing getting louder. “Loud.”

~~~

After Stiles and I took off running down the hall, we found our dads going down a set of stairs outside.

“Dad! Dad! Dad!” Stiles said.

“Daddy, you can't leave yet,” I said.

“We got an eye witness that puts Barrow by the train station,” Sheriff said.

“Let's go, Stilinski. Let's go, Thomas!” Rafael yelled.

“Family meeting here!” I exclaimed, before mumbling to myself, “Like you would know what that is.”

They started walking off. “Whoa, whoa. Dad, Carter, please just...” Stiles said, stopping when they stopped and turned to face us. Stiles looked at me then back to our dads. “Emma said that he's still here.”

“Did she see him?” Sheriff whispered, him and dad walking to us.

“Not exactly. No. Well, not at all actually. But she has a feeling. A supernatural feeling.”

They looked at each other while my dad and I looked at each other. I turned my eyes to Sheriff just as he turned his to me and I sheepishly smiled.

“Emma, you're not on the chessboard,” Sheriff said.

I guess he forgot our conversation at dinner. I sighed, “Well... I am now.”

“Yeah, and so is Lydia,” Stiles added.

“Kanima?” Sheriff and Dad asked.

“Uhm, Banshee,” Stiles said.

“Oh, God,” Sheriff and Dad said, looking above for a second.

“I know. I know how it sounds,” Stiles said. “But basically it means that they can sense when someone's close to death.”

“Since Emma's standing right here, can she sense that I'm about to kill you?” Dad asked.

“I don't know,” Stiles said, looking down at me. 

I hesitantly turned my head to lock eyes with him then looked at our dads. “Uh,” I started, before stating slowly, “Not at the moment, no.”

“Alright, look, we're not saying we don't believe, but right we're going with eyewitness over Banshee. No offense, Em,” Sheriff said.

I frowned and shook my head, holding a hand up. “None taken.”

Stiles did a nod shake movement with his head as our dads backed up and continued with their back and forth.

“We're leaving a few Deputies here, excluding me. The school's on lockdown till 3:00,” Dad said. “Nobody comes in, nobody goes out.”

Stiles made a noise like he wanted to protest, but his dad cut him off. “Buddy, that's the best we've got right now.”

“That's the best we can give you, Emma,” Dad said.

“You're leaving us here, that is not... that is the worst, Daddy!” I said.

~~~

Stiles, Lydia and I gathered Allison in an empty classroom, asking her if she can go home and look up anything she can about flies in her family's bestiary.

“The Bestiary is literally 1,000 pages long,” Allison said, opening one of the windows. “If I'm going to find anything about flies coming out of people's bodies, it could take me all night.”

Thought the windows didn't open because they're climate controlled? Yeah, me, too.

“And remember, the word in Archaic Latin for fly is musca,” Lydia said as Allison climbed out of said window.

“Got it,” Allison said, disappearing out the window.

Lydia turned to me and Stiles, eyes landing on mine. “Where do we start?”

“Upstairs,” Stiles said. He turned around and looked at the clock that read 2:35PM. “We gotta go,” he said, running out of the room, me and Lydia following.

We ran up the stairs and started checking every classroom up here. Lydia decided about halfway up the stairs that she was going to let me and Stiles take this one.

Stiles went into the Art Room, thinking it best we start there. I felt my phone vibrate, so I pulled it from my pocket, reading the text I received from Lydia.

Lyds: Just thought it would be better if you two searched alone. Give you a chance to talk things over with him some more. Love you <3

I sighed exasperatedly, repocketing my phone.

“Who was that?” Stiles asked.

“Lydia,” I said. “Just saying good luck on our search.”

He was looking behind a colleague of drawings done by one the students when I spoke up again. “Scott and Isaac are in the basement, right?”

“Yeah, with Ethan and Aiden,” he replied. “The plan is we meet in the middle, uh, in the boiler room.”

I looked at a picture of a mushroom cloud caused by an explosion, and sighed in exasperation, “Oh, my God. We're idiots.”

“Wha-- how?” he asked, looking under some more art.

“All of the wolves... all of the ones with glowing eyes are in the basement in the boiler room?”

He stood there for a second, thinking about what I just said. “Oh, my God! An engineer could use a boiler room to blow up the whole school.”

“We have to get them out of there.”

“Babe, we have to get everyone out.”

“How do we do that?” I asked in a duh tone.

He looked at the door and started running towards it. “I have an idea.”

I ran after him. “Is this idea going to get you in trouble?”

“Possibly,” he said.

We went down the flight of stairs we took to go up earlier. Walking down the hall, Stiles looked at all the walls, looking for something. When he found what he was looking for, he stopped walking. “A-ha,” he said, continuing his walk to his final destination. 

That final destination being a fire alarm. He pulled it with two fingers, and kept them there. Don't ask me why.

I looked down the hallway behind me then back in Stiles' direction, my eyes widening after I looked at him. 

He was going a little victory dance at his own idea working, but stopped when I made a noise. He turned his head and jerked back when he saw Coach standing there, just staring at him. “Wow.”

I was smart enough to grab our bags, handing Stiles his before Coach grabbed him by the ear and walked him outside.

“Pulling a fire alarm on Mischief Night is one thing. Doing it when there's a mass murderer spotted nearby is inSANE!” Coach said, stopping his steps and letting go of Stiles' ear. “If I was... four years younger, I—I'd punch you.”

“What? Bobby, that doesn't make sense,” I said.

“Oh, well, it does to me!” he said, doing a little sarcastic dance then walking off saying, “See you at dinner.”

I walked to Stiles' left side, standing in front of him.

“You've got some stuff to work on with him about me,” Stiles said.

“He'd have done it even if we weren't dating,” I said. I grabbed his hand and looked to my right, seeing the wolves.

“There.” Stiles situated his fingers so that they intertwined with mine as we walked towards them.

“We didn't find anything,” Aiden said.

“Not even a scent,” Scott said.

“It's 3:00, so school's over,” Stiles said. “If there was a bomb, wouldn't he have set it off by now?”

“Does that mean everybody's safe?” Ethan asked.

“I don't know,” Lydia said, scaring me.

“Jesus, where did--” I said.

“Em,” Scott said.

“Uh, right. Sorry. I don't know either. I just... I don't know.”

~~~

Stiles and I went home after school and he immediately got started on his crime board. He started it when the Alpha's were in town and Jennifer was doing her sacrifices.

I was sitting criss-cross on his bed, playing with one the balls of yarn. I wanted to mess with him about them. “Babe?”

“Hm?” he hummed.

“Can you remind me what the different color strings mean?”

“Different stages of the investigation,” he said, looking at me, shaking his head. “You know this.”

“I know, but just remind me,” I said. “I like hearing detective talk from you.”

He chuckled. “Alright. Green is solved, yellow is to be determined, blue's just pretty… like your eyes.”

I smiled a little before asking, “What about red?”

“Uh, unsolved,” he said.

“You only have red on the board,” I said, quickly pointing to it.

“Yes, I'm aware. Thank you,” he sarcastically said, looking at me. He turned back to his board.

I got up from the bed and wrapped my arms around his middle, placing my head on his shoulder blade, sighing. “Did you get detention for pulling the alarm?”

“Yep. Every day this week,” he said, putting his right hand on my arms, rubbing side to side. “It's okay, though. We were on to something.”

I pulled away and turned back to his bed, eyes filling with tears. “Even though we couldn't find any proof of Barrow being there?” I asked, voice laced with disappointment, which didn't go unnoticed by Stiles. I wiped away a tear as he placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me around to face him.

“Baby, look at me,” he said. I looked up at him, a tear falling down my cheek. “You've been right every time something like this has happened, okay? I know Lydia has, too. So, don't start doubting yourself now.”

“No scent. No bomb,” I said. “And I got you in trouble.” I looked down. He placed his left hand on the back of my head, pulling my head to his chest and wrapping his arms around me. I immediately put my arms around his middle, breathing in his scent.

“Okay, listen. Barrow was there,” he said. “Alright? You knew it. You felt it. Okay?”

I was falling more and more in love with him each day, it felt unreal. 

“And look, if you wanted to, I'd go back to that school right now and search all night just to prove it,” he continued.

I sniffled against him and moved my head on his chest. I stopped and looked up at him when I felt him move his hand from my head. “What? You can't be all sweet and then--”

“We're going to the school,” he said.

We ran out of the house and to my Jeep. She needed to stretch her legs. “Why are we going back to the school?”

Silence.

“Silent treatment while you're thinking. Awesome,” I sassed to myself.

When we got to the school, Stiles got out and waited for me at the front. He held his hand out for me to take, so I laced my fingers as we were walking inside the school.

“The chemistry room?” I asked.

“Yeah. I smelled my Sharpie and it made me think,” he said.

I just stared at the back of his head while he went to the storage closet. “So, what are we looking for?” I asked.

He opened the closet door with ease.

“Uhm, that was supposed to be locked,” I said, walking in after him. Something wasn't right here.

“Yeah. I know. Notice anything else?” he said.

“It smells like chemicals,” I sassed.

He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, turning on the flashlight. He was looking around the shelf in front of him for something before squatting down and searching on the bottom shelf as well.

Putting two and two together, I furrow my brows together. “They wouldn't have been able to catch his scent.”

He continued looking around the shelf before he looked down at the floor, shining his phone light on it, revealing blood. “He was here,” he whispered. “Performing very minor surgery on himself. You were right.” He looked up at me.

“Then why don't I feel good about this?” I asked, wrapping my arms around myself.

“Probably because he was here to kill somebody,” he said.

“But who?” I stressed.

“That's what we gotta figure out.” He stood up and put his phone back in his pocket. We walked out of the storage closet, going through the classroom.

“We could spread out, start looking for... anything,” he said, walking away from me. Yep, something definitely was up.

I looked around the lab station around me, obviously coming up short. I walked down the aisle, staring at the chalkboard.

I guess Stiles had noticed me walking by him. “Emma, what are those?”

“Atomic numbers. Don't you pay attention in Chemistry?” I sassed.

“Yes,” he said, walking around the desk to stand next to me. He looked at the board, and hesitantly asked, “Is it a formula?”

“Not really. 19's Potassium. 53's Iodine. 88's Radium. The first two make Potassium Iodide...” I picked up the piece of chalk that was sitting in front of me, writing K in beside 19. 

“Potassium is K?” he asked.

“From Kalium, the scientific neo-Latin name,” I explained. I wrote the letter I beside 53. 

“What's Radium?” Stiles asked.

I finally wrote Ra beside 88, saying, “R-A.”

I placed the chalk back down as Stiles said the one name I was hoping he wouldn't say. 

“Kira.”

~~~

After Stiles and I ran out of the school and back into my Jeep, I sped down the street. “Where could he be?”

“He's not answering his phone,” Stiles said.

I snuck a glance at him then back to the road. “Well, since Kira's name was on the board in atomic letters that someone just happened to write, let's try there.”

“There where?” 

“Her house. Duh,” I sassed. I sighed and drove to her house. I parked my Jeep and quickly got out, seeing a body laying on the ground. “Oh, my god. Scotty.”

Stiles and I ran over to him.

“Scott!” Stiles yelled. “Scott? Scott!”

Once he was coming back from Passed Out Land, he took a breath and sat up, thinking about the events that just happened to him. “Barrow, he took Kira!”

“We know. He was after her the whole time,” Stiles said.

Scott stood up with our help and called Isaac. “Hey, did Allison find anything? Alright, thanks.” He walked back over to us. “We have to think of something. He's going to kill her.”

“I knew he was there. How did I know that?” I asked.

“Because you heard the flies, right?” Stiles asked. 

“What do you hear now?” Scott asked.

I looked around at the ground for a moment before closing my eyes and sighing. “Nothing. I feel like I can do this. But I don't know what to do,” I said, looking at Stiles like looking at him would give me the answer. “It's-- it's like it's on the tip of my tongue, and I don't know how to trigger it.” I was starting to get a little frustrated. I put my hands in my hair, walking a couple of feet away from them. “I just... I swear to God, it literally makes me want to scream.”

It was quiet for a couple of seconds before I heard Stiles' voice. “Okay, then scream. Beautiful, scream.”

And boy did I. I screamed so high and loud and long, that when I finally stopped, I heard the electrical humming again. I looked up at the street light above my head.

“It's not flies,” I said. I quickly turned and faced Scott and Stiles. “It's electricity.”

Scott looked up at the street light as Stiles spoke. “Wait a second, Barrow was an electrical engineer. He worked at a power substation.”

“What substation?” Scott asked.

~~~

Stiles decided he wanted to drive my Jeep, so I let him. I did tell him that if he did anything to my baby then I was gonna have his head above my bed.

“Since I'm letting you drive my Jeep, you have to let me drive yours. It's only fair,” I said.

He snuck a quick glance at me.

“Okay. You have to teach me first since it's a stick, but still. It's only fair,” I added.

He chuckled. “Alright. I'll teach you.” He reached over and placed his hand on top of mine, lacing our fingers.

A few minutes later, us and Scott pulled up at the Beacon Hills Power Substation.

I went to get out, but Stiles’ hand tightening around mine stopped my movements.

“Wait here, alright?” Stiles said. “Call your dad and wait for him, my dad and the other cops to come.”

He leaned over and kissed my cheek before he let of my hand and got out of the driver's seat. 

“Wait. Why?” I asked.

He stopped his running and faced me. “I only got one bat,” he said, holding up his trusty bat.

I sighed and he ran off. “Wha-- how did you-- urg!”

I got my phone out of my pocket and dialed my dad, climbing over the seat to sit in the drivers.

“Emma?”

“Hi, Daddy,” I rushed. “Look, I need you, Noah and some more cops to come to the power substation.”

“Why?” he asked.

I was quiet for a moment, looking around sheepishly, not that he could tell.

“Emma Grace?” he said, sternly.

“Someone left a coded message on our Chemistry room chalkboard to kill Kira and that's where we're at now, so I need you, Noah and more cops to come before Barrow does in fact kill her,” I rushed out. It came out like one word.

Dad sighed on the other end of the phone. “Alright. You sit tight. We'll be there soon.”

I hung up and took a deep breath. I leaned my head back on the headrest about thirty seconds before I saw flashing lights inside the building. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes.

My phone vibrated in my hand, so I looked at it and answered it. “Lydia?”

“Where are you?” she asked.

“Power substation. Barrow brought Kira here, so Scott, Stiles and I came here to find her and-- and Stiles told me to wait in the car, so I did and there's flashing lights inside the building and I'm afraid something happened to him.” I was a crying mess at this point.

“Emma, the whole city is under a black out.”

“Lyds,” I said, voice no more than a whisper. “I don't want to find their bodies. I don't want to find Stiles' dead body.”

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

A/N 2: gif credit goes to @eternalroleplay​. i couldn’t find it in the gif search, so i had to save and upload as my own, but full credit goes the blog mentioned! let me know what y’all thought! i’m so sorry that the uploading schedule is a little sparse as of late, i haven’t been feeling the best mentally and a lot is happening with the little’s t-ball season starting… thank y’all for being so understanding with this being late. i updated this form so pls take about a minute or so to fill this out for me..

~~~

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If you want to be added to the YABMH Taglist, just click here. If you’re tagged and didn’t want to be, please let me know. Tumblr’s trying to tag people for me, lol.

Italics wouldn’t let me tag 🥺

~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinski​.

All characters, story lines, and plot aside from Emma and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of Jeff Davis. Our home slice Emma was made up all by me. As well we her parents and their storyline throughout the series.

*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Posted on March 12, 2021

[theshy1sout]

Inseparable - Chapter 20

Tags: Not rated, Broppy Fluff, Slow Burn Fluff, Trolls Mythology Au

Ao3 here

Notes:  I can't believe I've finally written the whole fanfiction, from the very beginning to the very end. I'd never finished anything in my entire life. And I also wrote it in English! You have no idea how many hard was for me to learn another language. Guh, I'm so proud of myself. I know that the end isn't very satisfying. I mean, I suppose to be a fluff, and yes it is, but the end is a bit... Ambitious? I didn't want to finish it with a kiss, I planned to explain how the strings were created from the very beginning. Tell me your impression in the comments. Thank you for being my reader :)

_____________________________________________________________

- Dad, why do we have to sleep? - A little violet kid hides his face deeper into his father's shirt. - I thought you said once that Immortals don't have to sleep. But we sleep every night! It's... - He yawns. - ...frustrating.

Branch smiles at him, stroking his hair gently.

- I don't know - The blue god admits calmly. - I've never been a child. Ask your mother. She was.

A small girl looks up at the pink goddess, showing her eyes filled with surprise.

- You were a kid and dad wasn't? - She asks aloud.

- Dad came from Chaos - Poppy explains quietly, hugging her daughter a bit tighter. - And I was born just like you. That's why you have a grandpa and others don't.

- So why do Immortal kids have to sleep?

The last question comes from the oldest child, lying a bit aside from the rest. He doesn't like hugging that much. He prefers to sleep alone.

- I don't know, Aster - Poppy turns to him with a smile. - I needed it when I was a kid, that's all I know. We don't know much about immortal kids, they are really rare.

- That's why you are so special - Branch adds, smiling at his kid. He yawns, making everyone, one by one, yawning too. - You really need to sleep now.

- Are you sleeping with us? - A little girl lifts her sparkling eyes.

- Star, do we ever leave you during sleep?

- How can we know? - Aster points out. He really likes discussions. - What if you leave us when we get asleep and come back in the morning?

Star looks worryingly at dad.

- I swear we don't do that! - The blue god declares openly.

- Look, Happy is already asleep - Poppy glances down at the kid cuddled into Branch's arms. She takes a look at her daughter, kissing her on her light pink forehead. - Just close your eyes, little Star.

The girl smiles and listens to her mum. A few minutes later the grasshoppers' concert is disturbed only by calm breaths from children's mouths.

- That was fast - Branch whispers, gazing at his daughter. - What about Aster?

Poppy turns to her left where her son is lying a step or two from them.

- I think he's sleeping too - She announces.

They both look up at the clear nightly sky. They are staring at the twinkling stars for a while, listening to the soft melody of the grasshoppers' song. The light blue moon shines above them, watching the whole Earth from the sky. Everything is pleasantly calm.

- Let's figure it out again - Poppy starts out of nowhere. She doesn't have to explain she means their work. They both think about it most of the time. - What do we know about Love?

- The last time we separated six things it needs to be full and true - Branch starts listing. - Free will, awareness, affection, honesty, attachment, and emotionality.

- Six inseparable parts of Love - The goddess looks at the god, frowning sadly. - And trolls don't have even one of them.

Branch heave a deep sigh. He carefully moves closer to her, trying to not wake up his son cuddled to his right side. He slips his free hand under her head and embraces her shoulders, touching her to him. She has no hand to hug him back, but they both get used to it. They all like a “family” sleep hug, it’s really cozy and warm. Besides Aster, he doesn’t like hugs that much.

- I don’t want to repeat myself on and on, but I’ve already told you - The god says softly, gently touching her ear with the top of his nose. - We can do anything more by ourselves. We have to ask others for help.

- But what can they do! - The goddess huffs. - They will never agree to give trolls free will. It’s too risky. My dad especially will disagree. He told me about Creek and Chaz last time…

She stops, staring helplessly at the stars. From the moment they both became the goddess and the god of Love, they are thought of as the most powerful Immortals. Even if their main mission is to bring Love to trolls and teach them everything about it, other Immortals also come to them for advice and solutions to their problems. They have everyone’s respect and trust, they are welcome with open arms anywhere they go. Their kids are well-known and loved, their names are sounded with a warm smile on face.

If they can’t do something, who else can do?

And giving trolls free will and awareness, giving them an ability to feel and think independently, letting them choose… would open the door to wars and conflicts, like when Chaz came from the Chaos. Do they really want this for trolls?

- Don’t overthink this again - Branch’s low whisper in her ear gets her back to reality. - We all know how risky it is. But tell me honestly… - She feels his hand tenderly caressing her arm. She sighs calmly. Years passed and she’s still enjoying his touch as much as for the first time. - Isn’t it worth it?

Poppy turns to him, catching his sight. He smiles affectionately at her in a way that always makes her melt and want to kiss him. She can’t resist but smiles back gently at him.

- You think it’s so easy… - She says.

- I’m not - He drops his smiles, looking at her seriously. - My first step on the Fest wasn’t easy. But I’ve never regretted it.

She gazes at his blue eyes for a while, thinking.

- And I also needed help back then - He adds, moving his head closer to her. - Your help.

The goddess is still hesitating, staring at him in silence. She touches his forehead with hers. She sighs heavily, closing her eyes. They stay for a while like that, nodding off.

- Do you need one more night to think about it? - Branch asks softly, the care is hearable in his voice.

- No - Poppy says quietly. - You’re right…

- You don’t sound convinced - He points out after a moment.

- I don’t know - She admits. - I have bad feelings about that…

- Things worth effort are always challenging. Look at me and tell me if I was easy to bear at the first meet

Poppy smiles widely.

- It was always hard to not love you - She says, chuckling quietly.

Branch giggles heartily, grinning really wide. He presses his lips against her and they share a long, slow, passionate kiss.

- You’re lucky our kids are hugging us right now - Branch smirks at her when they finally go away. - I would not stop myself in any other case.

Poppy giggles gently, nestling her face into him. She sighs calmly, smelling his warm scent.

- We’ll ask others for help - She announces, now with more confidence. - Tomorrow.

***

- ...and in those circumstances we are helpless.

King Peppy looks patiently at Branch and Poppy from his high throne. In absolute silence, the sounds of kids playing outdoors are really hearable. There are not only Branch and Poppy’s children; after they taught Immortals about Love, many of them start building similar relationships and some of them also have offspring. There are six immortal children now, not counting Poppy. The youngest of them, little Star, as a Peppy’s favorite, is sitting on his lap now, taking an afternoon nap.

- We need your help - The pink goddess looks around, trying to address it to everyone gathered. But no one says anything. Immortals glance at each other, looking for anyone who would know the possible answer. Above their heads, the single thought is floating loudly in silence: “How could anybody know more about Love than the god and the goddess of Love as large as life?”. Poppy glances at Branch helplessly, knowing what this situation means for them.

- Well, if no one has any idea - The blue god starts slowly, looking around. - There’s only one other option. We have to give trolls what they haven’t got yet.

King Peppy opens his eyes widely at him in sudden realization.

- You don’t mean…

- Giving trolls free will. Exactly - Branch nods calmly.

- Is that necessary? - Delta Dawn, the goddess of Justice, asks, crossing her arms on her chest.

- There’s no Love without the free will - The god explains.

- But the ability to feel and think independently opens trolls the door to not only fight with each other - The god of Wisdom, Stacy, points out. - But also to kick out against us.

His speech wakes up murmuring all around.

- Listen, now trolls don’t understand how much we care about them - Branch goes on. - They don’t even know we love them. They can’t love us back. They are empty souls listening to our every order. They are our slaves.

His last words make everybody freeze in silence.

- I’m also scared of what will happen if we give trolls absolute freedom - Poppy finally finds her words, joining her lover’s speech. - They will reject us, fight with us, ignore us, tell us they don’t need our love for them. They will also fight with each other because Chaz’s seeds don’t disappear from their hearts, we all know that. - She holds Branch’s hand, looking into his eyes. - But… How long can we pretend that they love us back? I’m not even sure if they have ever been happy. They’ve never known what happiness is.

Branch smiles gently at her.

- We’ve never let them be themselves - Milton whispers thoughtfully from his seat.

- It’s not that easy - Queen Barb says with a low voice. - Those are very strong powers.

- It would destroy them! - Smidge takes fright.

- Umm… Can I… - Suki lifts her hand shyly to say something. - I’ve already got an idea…

- Tell us - Peppy nods encouragingly.

- We can use music - She beams, smiling unsurely. - I noticed that the feelings I put into my song stay in their souls for so long. If… If you help me I can make music that will be giving them those things partly, stretching it in time.

- Maybe we should put it into an instrument? - Minuet, the goddess of instruments, suggests. - Poppy says there are six elements of Love. we can put them into separated strings.

- We can make a harp then - Laguna, the goddess of Analyze and Math, writes something in her notebook.

- That’s a lot of work - Gust notices. - We will need a lot of hands to help.

- I can help! - Cooper beams.

- And I!

- I’m in.

- Don’t start without me!

Poppy smiles widely, watching Immortals joining in one by one. All fears she had in her heart slowly fade away. She squeezes Branch’s hand, making him look at her.

- You were right - She admits, watching his smile grows wider. - But I’m still scared.

- Me too - He plants a loving kiss on her nose. - But we’re in this together and that’s all I need.

She giggles, adoring his sweet azure eyes. She sighs briefly and nods with a confident smile.

- We’re gonna do this.

***

They were making Strings almost for the whole year. Every single Immortal was concerned. Stacy, Essence, Coffee, Prince D, and Lownote Jones created the violet string of the Attachment. Minuet, Dante, and Trollazart worked on the yellow string of the Awareness. Trolex, Synth, and Laguna made the blue string of Emotionality. Queen Barb, Riff, Val, and Demo created the red string of Free Will. Gust, Holly, Smidge, and Delta Dawn made the orange string of Honesty. And Poppy and Branch were coordinating the work on the last, pink string. The string of Affection.

When everything is ready, Suki puts all the Strings on the beautiful gold harp created by Satin, Chenille, Guy Diamond, and Minuet. The time is ripe, they need only a delegation. Someone who will handle the Harp to troll. Most Immortals want it to be Poppy and Branch, but they reject it. In that case, everybody votes for their kids to be delegates. But the goddess and the god of Love still persist, that it would be unfair. Finally, they all decide that all six Immortal kids will handle the Strings.

The moment is huge. Everybody’s watching in tension us Peppy and Gust, the god of Order, gather all existing trolls in one place. Six kids present the Harp in front of trolls and then put it down for trolls to reach it. The creatures don’t know what to do at the first moment. They are staring at the beautiful instrument in misunderstanding amazement. The Silence passes for so long and Immortals are patiently waiting. Then, a little shy troll goes from the crowd and unsurely comes to the Harp. He reaches the first string, the yellow one, and touches it carefully.

And then he pulls it slightly and the soft sound of liberatory music peals in the world, freezing all the trolls.

___________________________________________________________

Index

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Okay, I’ve got some things I feel I need to say about Rhythm of War Chapter 18 and Kaladin. [Spoilers for both the chapter and Sanderson’s commentary on it.]

And it is a thing passing strange to me that the healing hand should also wield the sword. - Warden of the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith, The Lord of the Rings

Kaladin working with his father as a healer is something I had been hoping for ever since he was relieved of duty. The conflict between protection and killing has always been a tension within his ideals, as has been the need to let go of those he can’t save, and I think that time as a surgeon with Lirin could help him - and Lirin - find new perspectives on both those things.

I don’t blame Lirin for his stalwart stance against killing - in fact, I find it shows great strength of character. Lirin is Alethi. Idolization of war runs through his entire culture, and yet he is able to reject it. We have to remember that the wars of Alethkar that its common people are immediately familiar with - and recruited for - are pointless civil wars of highprince against highprince, carried out by the lighteyes for glory or territory or political advantage; they are an utterly pointless waste of life. The war on the Shattered Plains was a war of vengeance at the start, and became a war for wealth, again one in which men’s lives - bridgemen and soldiers alike - were pointlessly thrown away. These wars are not admirable. These wars are not beneficial. In fact, the war on the Shattered Plains leads directly to the Desolation by making the Listeners desperate enough to call the Everstorm to avoid extinction! Lirin is absolutely right to reject such wars. 

And having had this perspective all his life, and reinforced by all the wars that have occurred within his culture, it’s not that easy to suddenly abandon it when a Desolation hits and fighting might be necessary. Even the Desolation isn’t as straightforward as you would think, as Kaladin finds out devastatingly in Oathbringer: the Singers are regular people with a legitimate grievance, not monsters. The fact that Lirin and Kaladin are among a very small group of Alethi who share that perspective on the Singers has the potential to become a valuable point of understanding between them.

And Lirin and Kaladin do have a ways to go in understanding each other. I will grant that Lirin is being insensitive to his son’s feelings in his failure to notice that Kaladin is unhappy with the idea of returning to surgeon training, however joyful Lirin may feel about it. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean this is the wrong thing for Kaladin at the moment. I am encouraged by Sanderson’s comment, in response to a comment on his chapter annotation, that:

Kaladin views this as somehow giving in...It is supposed to be sad tonally because Kaladin is sad about it. However, this is partially Kaladin not being quite able to see clearly. So I suggest waiting for a bit and seeing what happens next.

I believe this choice will be positive for Kaladin in the short term, even if it is not the role he ends up in permanently. And it will give him and his father a chance to build a stronger relationship with each other and come to understand one another as adults - Kal was just a kid when he was conscripted, so the adult Kaladin is still a bit of a stranger to Lirin.

The thing that Lirin needs to most understand is that being a ‘killer’ wasn’t what enabled his son to become a Knight Radiant. For the earlier days of his time with Bridge 4, Kaladin was trying to prot3c5 them with nothing more than leadership, determination, wits, and - crucially - the healing skills that Lirin taught him. Healing other members of Bridge 4 on the battlefield was what them start to trust and respins to him as bridgeleader. Healing members of other bridge teams what what enabled to to expand his focus beyond just Bridge 4. Right now, Lirin doesn’t understand this - he may not know anything of Kaladin’s time running bridges -and sees Kaladin as having gained his Knight Radiant abilities just from having been a good soldier. I think if they get to the point where Kaladin can confide this, it will help Lirin feel better about Kaladin being a Windrunner and about the real meaning of that. (Of course, Lirin being so judgey isn’t helpful in terms of getting Kaladin to share more of his experiences, so there will have to be some kind of event to prompt that.

Another thing they both need to understand, and which has the ability to draw Kaladin and Lirin closer together, is that the ideals that make Kaladin a Knight Radiant and the same ideas that were taught, instilled, and lived by Lirin when Kaladin was a child. I will protect those who cannot protect themselves. Lirin protects the townsfolk who cannot protect themselves, by healing them and asking no payment, living off donations, and continuing to do so even when turn against him out of resentment and for fear of Roshone. Because he cares about them and feels responsible for them, just as Kaladin does for the people he protects. I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right. Lirin saves Roshone’s life, even though Roshone is trying to destroy Lirin’s life, even thoygh he knows Roshone will hate him all the more for being unable to save Roshone’s son, even though Roshone’s hunt got two darkeyes pointlessly killed, even thpugh he could do it without anyone being able to prove anything. That’s a decision that Kaladin rejects at the time, thinking “some people - like a fractured finger or a leg shattered beyond repair - just needed to be removed”, almost exactly the same thing he thinks in WOR just before he chooses to allow Elhokar’s assassination; the moment he swears the Third Ideal is the moment he makes the same decision his father made with Roshone.

Kaladin being a Windrunner isn’t rejection of his father’s ideals and teachings; it is the direct product of his father’s ideals and teachings. And I hope that working together as surgeons will give them both the chance to realize that.

[natsubeatsrock]

What Mashima Could Have Done To Improve Nalu (And What He Should Do With Nalu Now)

What could Mashima have done to make Nalu work for someone like me? 

Wait, this isn't the rewrite...

I've wanted to make this post for a while. More accurately, I've wanted to make a post about this topic for years. Recently, I've gone through several different drafts of this post with drastically different types of approaches to this topic. However, I feel like this is the right direction to go about this topic.

Obviously, the vast majority of fans like this ship already and are counting the proverbial days until it becomes canon. But I know I'm not the only one who thinks the ship could have made more sense. And, it doesn't seem like Mashima isn't against playing around with the idea of this ship. (I'm not talking about specific spoilers here.)

So, I've decided to point out a few different ways Mashima could have worked Nalu into a better sense of becoming canon through the course of the original series. These are based on what I've heard regarding Nalu on both sides. Near the end, I'll include my suggestion for the best possible route Mashima could take regarding Nalu, especially at this point in the sequel.

Change #1: Natsu Leaving at Chapter 416

Let's get this one out of the way now. The big thing that turned me off to Nalu is how Natsu left at the end of the Tartarus arc, and I know I'm not alone in this. There are two camps of logic about why this is bad. Most people are in the Lucy camp which focuses on Lucy's broken bond with her friend. I'm more in the Natsu camp and focus on how his leaving betrays his ultimate goal of protecting his friends. Either way, Mashima didn't do much to make people who didn't already love the ship like it.

I don't think the argument should be made that Natsu shouldn't have left. He needed to leave to get stronger and if the guild was going to break up, their splitting up was inevitable. There are ways that Mashima could have handled Natsu leaving Lucy that aren't "write her a letter and leave". Given their relationship, he absolutely should have told her to her face that he had to leave and why. That's just a matter of being a good friend.

That's another reason I feel like it's important to start here. Mashima could work to further their relationship from a friendship to a romantic one. However, if their friendship is strained, there's no reason to start that in the first place. With that out of the way, let's talk about how Mashima could have made their relationship more romantic.

Change #2: Clearly Change their View of Each Other

It's not as if Natsu and Lucy's views of each other were consistently positive. It's weird to see that Natsu was dismissive and kind of exploitative was of Lucy early on in Fairy Tail. Of course, this changes throughout the series. Natsu and Lucy come to have a really cool friendship and one of my favorite partnerships in anime and manga.

However, there's no moment where Natsu or Lucy comes to a definite "Oh, I love them" realization. While the other ships in the Big 4 have at least one moment you can point to where the perception of a character towards the other noticeably changed, Nalu doesn't have that. The idea that they could be a couple is brought up every now and then. However, it's always treated as a joke and dismissed almost as quickly as it's brought up. If Mashima were to take Nalu seriously, this kind of moment would be crucial to their progression from great friendship to definite romance.

It's not even as if this couldn't happen. I've seen Nalu fans point to a few different places as possible moments for this to happen. However, my personal favorite moments happen during the Tenrou Island arc. At the beginning of the arc, Lucy looks at Natsu as he's sleeping and mentions how cute he looks. Later on, Natsu sees Lucy struggle against Kain and hears her say "It's more fun when we're together". I think both moments could have been reworked to start them on the trend of starting a romantic relationship with each other.

Change #3: Define Natsu and Lisanna's Relationship As Platonic

Depending on who you ask, we already got this during Tenrou Island. After all, Lisanna told Lucy to take care of Natsu before they went to fight Hades. A lot of people see this as the sign that Lisanna gave up on being with Natsu romantically. (If you can't tell, I'm restraining myself from arguing against this.) Mashima could have made this purpose of the moment more obvious.

Regardless, we didn't get a similar moment where Natsu and Lisanna realize their relationship has changed since Edolas and can't currently be romantic. All we got is a moment that might indicate that Lisanna thinks Lucy is a better romantic fit for Natsu. As someone who's been advocating for more of Lisanna, this change could lead to some interesting moments. Lisanna doesn't have problems with either Natsu or Lucy that would result in any ill will between them. I don't think that should change regardless of how feelings are written regarding Lisanna and the duo.

[insert discussion about Mashima's comment in France here] 

Change #4: Give Us A Real Confession

I've said this plenty of times already. We did not get a confession from Natsu at the end of Fairy Tail. The fact that people are arguing that a straight-up confession would be "out of character" for Natsu and Lucy is proof enough of that. If Nalu was meant to be, this would be an obvious inclusion.

Opinions are all over the place regarding how that ought to play out. Should Natsu confess first or should Lucy? Will their confession be more composed or frenetic? That's not so much of my concern. What matters most is that a confession actually happens for the reader to see.

Honestly, it's a shame that so many different romantic ships can get away with happening without seeing definite romantic confessions, especially in battle action shonen series. I've gone through 11 years of nonsense with these characters. If they end up a couple, I want to see the confession, at the very least.

And those are my suggestions for changes.

You'll notice that I haven't talked about romantic progression in this post. That should be obvious when talking about this kind of thing. I think it's hard not to write characters falling in love if you know you're building to a couple being romantic. Fans are more likely to see it in places it isn't happening. Mashima has proven himself capable of writing good romance time and again in both of his big running series. Of course, we're waiting to see if he'll do it again with Edens Zero.

Though, these are changes that would have to take place regarding the original series. If Mashima wanted to do any of these things, it would be too late to properly do them. With that in mind, here's what I think is the best thing Mashima could do with Nalu, especially at this particular time in the sequel.

Destroy Its Chances.

No, seriously.

To be clear, I'm not advocating for Mashima to give us less ship tease fakeouts or meaningless rejections. I'm not asking that he simply not make Nalu canon. I seriously wish that Mashima would make explicitly clear that Natsu and Lucy cannot and will not ever enter a romantic relationship with each other. I simultaneously wish he would stop playing with the idea that they may start one in stuff outside of canon, like Twitter sketches, omakes, and spin-offs.

I've had a lot of time to sit with Nalu as a possible ship. I've thought over and over about what's wrong with it. And I can't think of anything fundamentally wrong with Nalu. The worst thing about it is the nonexistent progression from friends to lovers and Natsu leaving in chapter 416. I'd add fanservice, but pretty much every Fairy Tail ship has egregious fan service moments.

When people talk about Nalu not being a good ship, there are worse things they could be talking about. They could talk about how one person is clearly pushing for a relationship the other isn't interested in. They could talk about how their relationship started off with one brutalizing the other. They could talk about how Nalu is incestuous or pedophilic. However, when we talk about the ships in Fairy Tail, these topics don't come up regarding Nalu.

Like, people don't like Gruvia because of the dynamic between them. For people to like that ship, you'd basically have to rewrite their dynamic entirely. I know someone who would only make Gruvia canon in its current state if it were an abusive relationship. My suggestions for Nalu don't even change that much about their relationship.

The real issues I have with the ship stem from the fandom itself. The Nalu fandom considers any and all moments that involve Natsu and Lucy as a sign that they can become a couple soon. This ranges from "understandable arguments regarding certain scenes in canon" to "irrational interpretations regarding Twitter sketches". All of it's treated with the same cavalier attitude of Nalu's impending canonization. This is all despite no confession, no indication of romance on either side, and an omake literally made to dissuade people from this idea.

I can't say that Mashima will never make Nalu canon. But if he plans not to make it canon, I want it to be clear that Nalu is never going to be a thing. Leave no sense of ambiguity for readers to argue that it might happen in the future after the series ends. When I read the last chapter of the sequel, I want Nalu's prospects to end with the series.

"But what about the fans who spent years following the series hoping for the ship to happen?"

What about them?

I'm not saying this as someone who has no interest in the ship or empathy for its fans. I could and probably should, especially given the stuff I've seen happen over the years. But I'm not. (People can just as easily point to any of the various extreme Nalu haters like... a certain someone.) No, I have no patience for this view considering another perspective I hold.

I came into the fandom enjoying Fairy Tail. I started this blog because I wanted to talk about the things I liked about it and places I disagreed with fans about it. As time passed, I started to like the series less and see more issues with it. Many of the things I came to like about the series started to annoy me more and talking about this series became more of a chore than anything else.

However, I came to have a renewed sense of love for the series as I revisited it. I found new things to like about it and reconfirmed my enjoyment of the things that previously annoyed me. Consider the ship I talk the most about positively on this blog is likely not going to be canon officially. I'm still here and I still love the series.

I find it hard to believe that fans can come this far into the series only because they want to see their ship happen. I get that this sentiment is popular to hear fans say. However, I can't believe that all those people are so deeply invested in Nalu being canon, as opposed to other aspects of the series, that the series would be ruined for them if it didn't happen.

This is a series that's almost a decade and a half old. We've had more spin-offs, omakes, and tie-ins than series many times more popular than Fairy Tail have received. We just got an anime game that actually isn't just another arena fighter and a sequel has been greenlit. There has to be SOMETHING that these people can come back to and appreciate about this series OTHER than Nalu.

And if there really is nothing they can come to like about this series than Nalu? If they really come to hate the series over their ship not happening? If we really see a fan meltdown over the ship not happening, then...

Good riddance to them!

I know plenty of fans who bowed out of the series after realizing the series wasn't great. I'm still following a few of them for other stuff. Almost every one of them came to the conclusion long ago that the series wasn't as great as they'd like it to be and moved onto other things that interested them. They handled it calmly and left the fandom without a ton of drama. A couple of them even drop in to make new fan content every now and then.

I can respect a perspective that acknowledges a series isn’t doing what you want it to do and decides to engage with only the elements that matter most to an individual. I can respect a similar perspective that decides to cut ties with a series or fandom over how canon plays out. I can’t respect or sympathize with a perspective that says canon is worse because one’s wishes for it weren’t fulfilled.

I'm not even saying that it's wrong to not like how Mashima handles a ship. I still don't like how Graytear played out. You're allowed to feel that Mashima's handling of any part of a series isn't great. However, I don't think the series is worse for what it did to Graytear. Fairy Tail wouldn't be worse if Nalu didn't happen.

I'd argue it would be better, but that's enough for now...

[julies-butterflies]

I must admit, sometimes I do feel like a ye olden solider, sending letters to my beloved across the waves during wartime. Oh my dearest Lydia, I hope the kudos and comments crops have been plentiful this season. Your last letter left me weeping. Why must you put poor Reginald through such pain?

(I gotta admit, I still can't believe that I'm talking to you. I've been looking up to your work for so long...it just feels a bit surreal, even now! Glad you like hearing my ramblings! And that you liked my vampire prompt! Did not realize you'd write back when I sent that in. Look at us now, huh?)

(Speaking of prompts, I sent those jukebox and willex ones too. And I loved them both so so much, I shall scream about them more when it is not 2 am because I need sleep)

(Oh and the update of If I Was You!!! Amazing, Stellar, Incredible, Reggie, Carrie, Julie shenanigans is my new favorite thing, DID YOU JUST DOUBLE THE CHAPTER COUNT, and I'm like 90% sure Trevor is in deep trouble with a certain angry jazz ghost. Seriously loving it)

I actually do not remember what it was like to send in 1/5 asks, because I did not get a Tumblr until very reccently! I've always been a nerdy person, but Jatp is my first time being really in a fandom. You gotta do something new in quarantine, right?

Ah yes. Luke and Emily. To me, it just seems obvious that there's so much love between them. Even with all the pain. You get it. You put it down so eloquently.

As for what kind of stories I like to read...it seriously depends on my mood.

I like niche aus, passion projects. Stories where you can just feel the author's love for the world they're inventing. But I tend to lean towards cannonverse. I like ghost stories, it's what drew me to this show in the first place. And I love exploring that concept. (Being forever gone, and always the same...it's just fascinating to me)

Platonic goodness is just WONDERFUL for this show. I will read anything with cuddles. I am touched starved and these kiddos are too, and I will cry about them puppy piling every damn day. Plus there's just some much POTENTIAL for future friendships! I love ones where Flynn and Carrie get to interact with the boys as well. And 90s content, from before and after the orpheum, just hits hard.

I really wasn't expecting to get invested in the couples on this show, but something about them is moving to me. So I do love to read about them. Watching two queer kids who lived during incredibly important areas of queer history find love together after death really hit hard for me, and there's just something so bittersweet about a girl and ghost deciding to love each other for the little time they're given.

I love family dynamics too. Anything with Ray and his seven disaster children, the band and Trevor.... I think Julie and Emily is one of my favorite dynamics to explore. A girl who lost her mother and a mother who lost her son, both grieving but with one able to speak to the dead...it's just very powerful to me.

(And of course, Luke and Emily, but I figured you already knew that)

Mostly...I like seeing the messy stuff. The unexpected consequences, the baggage. I want to see the messy emotions, the grief and anger, the jealously, the disorientation. I look for those glass shards, that might be too sharp to ever be addressed on the show. Not even the big, monumental plot lines just... the harder pieces of life, the little moments that don't fit neatly into a nine episode arc.

I just want to see them live you know? Love, laughter and loss all mixed together.

(One of my all time favorite tropes is "found family gets broken apart by trauma, only to find each other again and come back stronger than ever." I feel like this explains a lot of my taste in fiction)

Thank you for the writing advice. Your words were very motivating. I am trying to begin! I got up the nerve to start working on a little piece. Who knows if it will go anywhere. But it's been nice, to finally put some words on the page.

The POTC au is so freaking good man. The character dynamics are just on FIRE. Everything is broken and messy and the relationships genuinely tug at my heartstrings. It's such a fascinating story. Highly recommend, even with the cliff hangers.

OH HOW COULD I FORGET PAWPRINTER? Man oh man I love all her work. The wheelies art and steals universe is freaking amazing, not an avacado had me in tears (of laughter, till things got surprisingly sad). And All that Remains...slow burn Willex perfection. Jedi Alex and Pilot Willie have my HEART.

I don't think I've read firefall and weneedglitter (or if I have, I'm just not connecting the names to their pieces. I don't always remember author names. it's a problem). I will go look for them though! Cannot wait!

For more recs, I recently binge read We Found Wonderland. I was not mentally prepared for the sheer amount of feelings that gave me. Highly recommend, if you ever want an emotional rollercoaster with an incredibly satisfying end.

Going on to more serious subjects...I'm sorry your family doesn't see your grief for what it is: honest. Better to feel everything quietly, than make it an easily understadnable performance. Fake grief is so easy to spot.

I think of that scene from "Forever," when Buffy breaks down and tells Dawn that she has to keep busy, because if she stops, it means Joyce is really gone. There's a lot of truth there.

On a tangent here but.. there was a very long period in my life when I was told the ways I expressed my emotions were "incorrect". And I found that sometimes, no matter how you show your emotions, you'll always be criticized. Numbness can be called disinterest, but sobbing can be called attention-seeking too. Too big, too small: that jury was impossible to please This may not apply in your situation but...it's okay to feel however you can. It's the only think you can do, really.

As I've said before, Grief is such an odd trickster.

Don't you ever get tired of missing people... This past year, I've been so weary of grief. Sometimes it can be so sharp, but it's that dull ache. That ball and chain, no longer cutting through your skin, but rubbing it raw, weighing you down.

And people don't like to talk about that part, because it's long and tiresome, but oh, is it there. I find it hard to talk about my grief, because sometimes there's just so much of it. I could drown in it, and that fear keeps me from looking to close. To incorrectly quote Jane Austin: "If I missed you a little less, I might be able to talk about it more."

(Sometimes it's faceable. But sometimes you just can't bear it. And that's okay.)

But what you wrote in that eulogy...the love is there. It's in every word you write. I cried reading that section. I feel honored once again to see some of your jagged pieces. You're sharing your heart, and there's just so much love.

In the wise words of an author I know, "Love is like the snow Reggie. It never goes away."

And don't worry, I'm always with you.

Sending Love,

-LydiaStan7845 (aka Vampire Anon)

So...that Reggie and Nicky prompt

my god

my GOD

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

I think it's safe to say congrats, you've officially destroyed me! I was not prepared for that at ALL. I should know better by now I guess.

I can't get over that even though they all take place in very different universe, all your stories just feel so connected! The way this talked about those headphones, which you mentioned in the first chapter of Kill Your Heroes...it's just so cool. All the characterization and backstory is just so well thought out, and it genuinely blows my mind.

I didn't think I could love Nicky Peters more. I was wrong. The way you write about him...even though you never go into exactly what happened to him after Reggie's death, you can just feel how much it's shapped him as a person. And the trauma around his father, and how he fears becoming like that, was just so beautifully written. He's just so lovable and flawed and trying so damn hard and you made my heart ache for him. Again.

You always take these genuinely crazy situations and...you just make them feel so real. I love you explore the strains such a revelation would put on Nicky's own life, it just makes everything so compellingly messy. It seriously feel like I was watching a real-life account of a family trying to deal with such a massive complication.

That porch scene had me in tears both times I read it. Reggie's just always a big brother, even though Nicky is more than twice his age now. My heart was shattered, and then you slowly mended it, piece by piece. And for absolutely no reason at all, you wouldn't happen to have a reference for the porch, would you?

Just wow. Hope you're doing well. Sending love and applause

-Vampire Anon

i’m not even gonna reply, but i want these documented... on my blog... for posterity.  ( for any curious onlookers, i’m dating this anon now!! )

[cherrybloomn]

Delicate - Chapter 4

Alright guys, so here it comes.  I am not really sure if anyone is reading this story, but for me it’s a great joy of writing it. I’m not much of a writer, but it’s a nice thing to give it a go. If there is anyone that would like to be tagged, let me know and I will. As for now there’s no tag list as I’m not really sure anyone reads this, lol

Once again, HUGE thank you for my most wonderful beta and supporters @musings-sans-muse​ and @shellbilee​ <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 

Warnings: strong language, (it’s a slow burn so.. no more warnings as for now), a bit of a breakdown. 

Music inspiration: ( as I really love to discover all the music inspirations here on Tumblr, I’ve decided to put all the songs/music that have inspired me to write) -

1) Jacob Banks & Louis the Child - Diddy Bop -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxcsoynCkPk

2) Olafur Arnolds - Poland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIq55s61KAE

3) Ruelle, Fleurie - Carry you -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i39fan8ow-o

Storyline: Naomi Poesy is a TV host of the show about acting and contemporary cinema. She is living life to the fullest, but for some reason she promised herself, she will never do any relationships. Much to her surprise she befriends one of her guests. Will she keep her promise?

30th of July, 2020

Naomi was driving her car home from her pure barre classes, when her phone rang. She quickly switched the Bluetooth on and pressed the dial button.

“Hello, boy. How are you doing? It’s your last Friday of freedom! Are you still in London or have you already got to the countryside?”

Henry chuckled. “Thank you I’m actually doing very fine. I can’t wait to get back to work. Finally. I’m in the countryside already. I’m throwing a small party tonight. Just closest friends. Shisha included. Hope you’re on board. Colin said he could pick you up.”

It took Naomi a minute to answer that question, as she was distracted by other drivers’ weird actions on the road.

“What the fuck is he doing!” She looked to her right and gave the driver sitting in the other car the scary look. “Oh, sorry. The party. Yes. Well, no. I’m sorry, I can’t make it. I’d love to though, really. I know we won’t be able to meet for a couple of weeks now, but BBN has a new CEO. Tonight there’s this introductory dinner. I have to be there. To be honest I don’t really know how I feel about it. This guy is so… disturbing. He visited us two days ago and said that he would announce who is going to end their journey with BBN, and I quote,“Some of you have nothing to add to the company”.

“Naomi, come on! You don’t really think you are one of these people! You are nominated to the TV Rising Star Award! Come on!  But when itcomes to your presence at the party, well, I won’t deny I’m a little bit disappointed. I hoped we’d see each other tonight. But I do understand of course. Please let me know tomorrow how the dinner went. Oh, and I am keeping my fingers crossed on Monday. I sincerely think you do deserve to win the award.”

“Thanks. Alright, so, have a great time in the evening and don’t get stoned!”

“Thanks…” There was a short silence between them, Naomi felt like he wanted to add something more, but he didn’t, so she finally broke the silence:

“Ok. Oh, and Hen… I will sincerely miss you. I know how tight your schedule is” she stopped for a brief moment to rethink if she should ask for that, but decided to do so, and continued with soft voice “but just call me from time to time.”

“If I didn’t know you, I would have thought you fell in love with me, or something.” He joked.

Naomi smiled “Hm. I’m just curious. What makes you feel like you know me?” She asked playfully and grinned like a Cheshire cat at her question.

“Should I read between lines??” Naomi could only imagine him raising his eyebrow with the cheeky smile on his face.

“I don’t know. It’s you who said you knew me.” She giggled. “Ok, that’s enough. I’m almost at home, so I need to end this wonderful conversation. Keep in touch.”

“Absolutely. Now that you’ve admitted to falling for me, touching is inevitable.”

Naomi rolled her eyes and exclaimed quickly “Oh dear god, you did not just say that!” And also added with laughter: “Bye!”. She ended the conversation.

To fall in love with. Whatever being in love means. Naomi thought about it for a while. She didn’t really remember what that meant, how it felt. Was she in love with anyone right now? She knew she wasn’t in love with her fuck friend – James. Henry – on the other hand – was important to her. She thought about him every evening beforeshe went to sleep, she thought about him every morning. His messages made her smile, and the thought of their meeting made her feel warm inside. She knew that with every meeting, she wanted more – longer conversations, just one more movie to watch, another joke to share, another (un)accidental touch. She shivered at each thought of his touch. It has always been so casual and innocent, yet so powerful and soothing. Oh, fuck. Enough of this. He’s so not my type. Her own thoughts terrified her, so she tried to push them away.

***

The evening came very fast. Enveloped in a black, knee-length, silky dress by Dior and Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, Naomi found herself in a cab on the way to the dinner. Her hair was styled in soft waves and her lips painted red. She was very stressed about losing her job, but tried to do as much as possible to make herself presentable and appealing. What a pathetic circus– she thought.

Just before leaving the cab Naomi fixed her makeup. She entered the Ritz, and quickly headed to the hostess, who waited to lead the guests to the tables. The young girl welcomed her with a glass of champagne, which Naomi politely accepted. She took a small sip. Let the shit show begin. Both women headed to the small room just behind the main chamber of the restaurant. Much to Naomi’s surprise the CEO was already sitting at the small table prepared for two. His posture was relaxed, his jacket hung over the backrest of the chair. He must have been waiting here for some time. He was a handsome man in his fifties, but his mischievous smirk was very disturbing. He didn’t bother to stand up to welcome Naomi.

“There you are! Our shining little star. Our nominee. Come closer, darling. Let me finally take a proper look at you.” He beckoned her. Naomi approached him and extended her hand for a professional handshake.

“Mr McKenzie, very nice to meet you.” She faked her sweetest smile and looked around. “Where’s everybody? I was sure I'd heard it was a meeting with all of the presenters.”

“Surprise, surprise!” He exclaimed and took a sip of his whiskey. “Darling I want to talk with you and only you. YOU are our future. I want to transfer you to the news section and make you the main news presenter. Excited?” He looked her up and down. “Turn around”.

“Excuse me..?” She looked at him with her eyes wide open. That request caught her off guard. She quickly looked around. All of the tables were occupied, and Naomi felt like everyone’s eyes were settled on them.

“Darling I said just turn around for me. I want to see you.”

The shit-show indeed. Naomi slowly sat down in front of her boss, never ceasing to look him in the eyes. “No, Mr McKenzie. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” She gave him a sly smile.

“Disobedient. I don’t like disobedience.” He slowly poured whiskey to the empty glass standing on Naomi’s side, and after filling it with the liquid he handed it to her. “Here’s to our new news star.” He took his glass of whiskey and clicked her glass. With his other hand he grabbed her chin and turned her head to her right side and then back to the centre, forcing her to look at him. “You’re so perfect. I will make a star of you. Just be good and obedient.” He let go of her chin and sat comfortably in his chair.

Naomi, usually so outspoken and forward, didn’t know what to say. At the very moment she felt exposed. Vulnerable. Fragile. Lonely.

“Mr McKenzie, I’m sorry but I don’t really see our cooperation like this. I am very grateful for the given opportunity, but I really love my show, and I have put so much effort to make it work. People like it, the guests like it. It’s not just another talk show, it touches important issues in theatre and film industry, it gives information about acting methods. I think it’s very refreshing and I have only got positive feedback from our viewers. We also have the social media account and the show has the biggest number of active followers. People like it and they associate the show with me. I wouldn’t like to give it to anyone else. I feel like it’s my child.”

“Naomi. I don’t really give a fuck about the number of viewers or comments made by spoiled, cocaine addict celebrities. This show is running to its end and you either become the face of the evening news on my terms, or you can consider yourself jobless.”

“Well, if so… I guess you will have the one and only chance to look at my ass, just as you wanted to. I’m sorry, but I can’t take this offer.” She half whispered all these words. She worked very hard on her composure, but inside she felt like bursting out. She quickly stood up, held her bag and left the restaurant. Just when she caught the taxi and sat inside, the tears started running down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she was deprived of her beloved child, just because someone decided to destroy it.

She gave the taxi driver her home address but after just a minute she changed her destination. Henry.

An hour later, she was standing at the door of Henry’s rented countryside house. She could hear laughter and screams from the inside. She slowly wiped her tears away, trying not to destroy the remains of her makeup. It must have been destroyed, as she felt her cheeks burning from crying. She took a deep sigh and knocked a couple of times. After what it felt like eternity, Henry opened the door.

“Naomi! You made it!” He looked her up and down “You look absolutely amazing! What a sexy dress. It’s more of a sweatpants party, but no worries. You will fit just perfectly.” Henry was in a very good mood, which made her smile a little. When he asked her in, he noticed her puffy eyes. Suddenly he got all serious and frowned at her. “Hey, come here.” He wrapped his big arms around her. He started to gently stroke her back with his left hand, and with the right one, he moved her hair to the side and placed the palm of his hand on the nape of her neck, pushing her even closer towards himself. When he felt that she started sobbing into his chest, he rested his chin on her head. “Do you want to talk?’ He asked gently.

“Not now.” was all she was able to say.

“Henners it’s your turn! What the fuck are you doing with the pizza deliv…” One of Henry’s friends ran into the hall, to check what was going on. “Ouch.. it doesn’t look like pizza delivery.. Sorry, sorry. Take your time guys. I’ve seen nothing.” He quickly got back to the living room. “Hey guys it’s not pizza delivery, it’s a lady!”

The comment kind of lifted Naomi’s spirit. She cry-laughed, and stepped backwards, breaking the embrace. “I’m sorry. Thank you.” She extended her hand and touched his arm. “Thank you. I feel much better now. We’ll talk later, ok? I need to relax. And I should change. I feel so overdressed.”

“Of course. I have my ex’s leggings and t- shirts here, if you want you can wear them. How about me preparing a good drink for you and you in the meantime taking a hot shower and changing?”

“Sounds perfect.” She said with a weak voice and gave him a faint smile. She looked defeated. She felt defeated. After a minute Henry brought her a pair of leggings and white tank top. Naomi took her time in the shower, she then fixed her makeup, dressed up and headed to the living room.

“Hello everyone. To those of you I don’t know yet, I’m Naomi” She smiled and waved her hand. She knew some of Henry’s friends, as they have all met a couple of times at the parties.

When the time passed, this small gathering made Naomi feel much better. Some got burnt down with shisha and weed. One of Henry’s mates was taking the piss at Henry being referred to as “daddy” on the Internet. Another one of his friends, excited with this news, went on the literotica website, picked up some spicy story and both guys started to read it aloud pretending it was about Henry. Naomi found it extremally stupid, but couldn’t stop laughing. Henry was just rolling his eyes and smiling, he was obviously embarrassed.

“Alright, enough!” He shouted after a minute and everyone got silent.

“Oh my god, Henry. That was so dominant” Naomi purred in a seductive voice and everyone started to laugh dramatically. Naomi just couldn’t breathe. “I’m so sorry, oh god. This is too good.” She covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry…but I have just found out about that kink I had no idea about!”

At around 2 am, when everyone left, Naomi sat with Henry in the kitchen. She told him about her evening. He didn’t talk much, but was very supportive. He was listening to her carefully. He furrowed his brows and grabbed her hand. “I’m really sorry.” He whispered. They talked about it for another hour, and Naomi finally said: “Alright. I’ve got to go. Not that I need to prepare to work or anything, but still.” She laughed bitterly. In the meantime she ordered the Uber.

“You can stay, you know that.” He was still holding her hand gently brushing the inside of her palm with his thumb. Once she realized that, Naomi quickly withdrew her hand and stood up.

“No, you need to get rest before the big day.” Naomi grabbed her dress and high heels and headed to the main hall. Henry followed her.

Once Naomi went out, Henry stopped her by holding her wrist and said “Girl, don’t worry. You are strong. You’ll survive”. He kissed her on the cheek. “Let me know when you arrive home.”

These two sentences crushed Naomi’s heart. She’s heard it before and she’d never forget it. You are strong. You will survive.

As a child, Naomi’s biggest dream was to become the Principal of the Royal Ballet. At the age of three, she started her first ballet classes. She was a natural, and not long after she was accepted to the national ballet school. She was very talented. This is why she started to work in the Royal Opera House at the age of 12.

One summer Naomi had an accident. She fell down from a tree and crushed her ribs and knee. She also suffered a spinal injury. She had to have an operation. She had to spend two months in the hospital.

In the last week of Naomi’s hospital stay, her beloved teacher – Mrs Selena Kurylenko visited her. When Naomi’s mentor entered the room, she quickly exclaimed: “I just cannot wait to get back to school and on stage!”.

Selena Kurylenko sat on the small chair next to the bed. “Naomi. What are you talking about, my silly girl? You are not going back to school, child. After this accident, you will never dance again as a ballet dancer. I only came to bring your stuff and say goodbye.” She said with her thick, Russian accent. Mrs Kurylenko put a small bag on the counter next to the bed. “Your pointe shoes. Keep it as a souvenir.”

Even as a grownup Naomi still perfectly remembered the chills running down her spine on that very moment.  The chills that felt like needles. She still remembered Mrs Kurylenko’s last words: “It’s a shame your mother didn’t tell you that you won’t go back to school. She is a weak woman. Unlike you, Naomi. You are strong. You always have been, and you always will be. You will survive”.

You will survive. Naomi just nodded, said goodbye to Henry and quickly sat inside the car, which had arrived.  The driver asked for the place of destination, but she did not hear him. She hid her face in her palms, and couldn’t help crying. She was so fed up with everyone expecting her to be the strong one.

Suddenly she heard someone knocking on the window, which was followed by opening the car door. She quickly wiped her tears and looked at Henry leaning his shoulder on the opened door.

“I’m sorry, I just needed a moment for myself.” She said to both Henry and the driver.

“Naomi, get your ass out of the car.” Henry turned to the driver “I am very sorry for that situation. Here’s for the drive.” He gave the driver some money. “My friend is a little burned down and it’s better she stayed here. Thank you very much for your service.” Henry extended his hand to help Naomi out of the car. “Come on, get out.”

Reluctantly she went out of the car. The driver was a bit puzzled, but quickly disappeared, probably thinking that the party must have been pretty rough.

Henry raised his eyebrow at her and wrapped his arm around her “Come”.

“Noo.. I’m going home.” Naomi said with a small smile and tried to get out of his embrace. It was more of a tease than a real need to break the embrace of course.

He didn’t let her go and tightened his embrace. He also leaned forward and whispered into her hair: “Don’t push your limit baby girl, daddy will be pissed.” He gave her the strict gaze, but after a split second both of them burst out with laughter.

“This is sooo wrong Henry! So wrong!” She said, shaking her head. She finally got out of his embrace and went inside the house.

They’d been watching the most ridiculous horror movie, and at some point Naomi dozed off on the armchair she was sitting at. She woke up at around 4 am, and with sleepy eyes she looked at Henry, who was lying on his side on the sofa. He must have fallen asleep too. She slowly and silently knelt on the floor in front him and studied his face for a moment. He wasn’t her type, but sure thing he was an extremely attractive man. Naomi smiled at the sight of his curls getting into his eyes. She gently moved a strand of his hair to the side. “Are you sleeping..?” She half whispered. He didn’t react. “Hm.. maybe that’s true what you’ve said in the morning. Maybe I am falling for you after all. Too bad it would never work out though.” She stood up, and covered him with the blanket hanging on the sideboard of the sofa. Afterwards, she called the Uber, and once it arrived, she went home.