#I'm always scared to go back through my old drawings. I don't know what would be scarier

[arttsuka]

how do you art so well

I don't really think I art very well but (not to sound super lame) practice. Wanting to make nice stuff to look at.

I also started to color my drawings more idk

[skufdaddyswansea]

Mouthwashing, Dual Protagonists, and Captain Curly

While the vast majority of Mouthwashing is shown from Jimmy's perspective, the events leading up to the Tulpar's crash usually follow Curly. There are several interesting reasons for this, but there's one reason in particular that I'd like to focus on.

By setting Jimmy and Curly up as dual protagonists, we're invited to draw comparisons between them. Not only are they the lenses through which we view the story, they pass the role of Captain back and forth between their chapters.

It's easy to feel sympathy for Curly, given the state he spends the larger part of the game in. It can also be easy to gloss over his more subtle shortcomings when measuring him up against Jimmy.

In this post, I want to take a closer look at Curly's character. And more specifically, how he relates to one of the game's most obvious themes.

Is Curly able to deal with the consequences of his actions? Does he realize his own failures and how they harm the people around him? What does he do with the power he's granted over others?

Does Curly take responsibility?

Jimmy's fixation here gives us a good jumping-off point. It's certainly possible that he's only really been told this once or twice, but because he's Jimmy he's blown it out of proportion out of spite. It's also possible he's entirely making it up because he's projecting, but I think the former is more likely if anything.

And, if I had to take a guess where he heard it from, I'd put my money on The Pony Express itself.

In the eyes of The Pony Express, a "great leader" isn't someone diligent or able to meet the needs of his crew. The real reason Curly was able to rise to the top of the ladder and become captain is because he gets the job done without rocking the boat.

I'm establishing all this because I think it's worth examining by what metric he's being judged. Because, while it may be Jimmy who most often digs this point up, Curly doesn't disagree with him. Even in the depths of his ennui, it's important to him that not only is he the Captain, but a good one at that.

When comparing the two, that can again seem difficult to argue against. Jimmy is quick to lash out and shift blame. His resentment and insecurities often drive him to pick fights. Curly prefers to avoid conflict, but knows his position doesn't always allow him to do so. He tries to pick his battles, but when he has to get involved he focuses on de-escalating the situation.

But although their similarities are few, they do exist. And they greatly influence the narrative. Because it is from their shared selfishness, callousness, and cowardice that the entire story is born.

It's time to address the elephant in the room. We can't draw any conclusions about Curly's nature, his character, his role in the story, and his relationship to its themes without digging into his handling of Anya's assault, and the chain of events that follow.

I find it interesting that we never see the initial conversation Anya has with Curly about the assault. We simply know that she confided in him. He is the Captain, after all. The crew is his responsibility.

The thing is, we don't really need to know the exact conversation they shared, because we can imagine it went quite similarly to their conversation about her pregnancy.

She tells him how scared she is. She fears for her life. It never even occurred to him that she was upset about anything other than losing her job. He swears to her that everything will be fine. They'll fix this. All he has to do is talk to Jimmy.

He does not talk to Jimmy.

Maybe the first time he really did intend to. He just needed time. Jimmy has always had... struggles. If we want to, we can be generous to Curly, we can assume his old problems were much less vile. Otherwise, he would have never pulled the strings to get him this job, never put him in a position of power over vulnerable people. Right? But now, this was whole new beast altogether. Because he and Jimmy go way back, he had to process this, figure out what he was even supposed to say.

But at the same time, The Pony Express had just gone gone under. He'd been struggling with dissatisfaction and indecision for so long, and now his hand has been forced. He has his own problems. And Anya seems fine, doesn't she? If she hadn't said anything, he'd never have even known there was anything wrong. It just doesn't seem that important.

Anya talks to Jimmy herself.

She's scared, she fears for her life. But now she knows now that Curly won't defend her, nor give her the means to defend herself. Still, he promises her, they'll fix this. He just has to talk to Jimmy.

Things are different now. He can't sit by and wait for things to work out anymore. After all, it's not only her problem anymore.

Now it's Curly's problem too. How is he supposed to find another job with this on his record? There's only one other person on this ship who understands what he's going through.

He talks to Jimmy.

And he understands. Not that what he did was wrong, of course. Not that he'd done something horrific, irreversible, cruel. But that it now had consequences, and that he wouldn't suffer them alone.

Curly made his decision. He chose his paper-thin illusion of peace and his eroding friendship with Jimmy over the safety and well-being of his crew. And when it all came tumbling down, he decided it was better to bury them all under the rubble than to face the struggle to rebuild.

If Jimmy hadn't been there, hadn't been his co-pilot, Curly almost certainly would not have been able to bring himself to actually follow through with something so selfish and reckless.

But Jimmy was there, and Curly made sure of that.

So, it's time to ask again. Does Curly take responsibility?

Well, yes.

But it's too little, too late.

As much as Mouthwashing is about Jimmy fighting furiously against the consequences of his actions, it is also about Curly being forced to watch them unfold anyway. His silence and inaction, once a choice, are inflicted upon him by his mangled body.

Jimmy may have crashed the ship, but Curly gave him the keys. And so it's fitting in the end that Curly is made to take the full weight of responsibility by the man who he helped avoid it so many times.

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

okay so TENATIVE predictions for season 4: it looks like they're going to be playing into the mandela effect. half the universe remembers the umbrella timeline, half the universe remembers the sparrow timeline, and the ONLY thing both groups remember is Ben.

I've been praying since day one that Ben will have memories of both lives in his head, and judging by the fact he appears to be Going Through It in the trailer I assume that'll be the case.

since Ben is at the center of the conspiracy, I almost want to say he's who they're supposed to be rescuing? like, maybe instead of One Ben Two Lives, it's Two Bens One Cup. I don't think they'll do that, though. They're probably trying to rescue Jennifer. HOWEVER I do think it would be really sexy if Nick Offerman and Megahn Mullally weren't playing a couple but were instead playing the same person from different universes (hence being named Gene and Jean), and they somehow found each other and that's why they're leading this conspiracy.

Mystery Jennifer is stressing me out. obviously by the glowing she's got something going on. I'm thinking there's a possibility she was erased from the family's memories after Ben's death- the trailer makes it seem like Reginald made Allison rumor them after the fact. there's probably a decent chance they all knew her, she lost control of her powers, Ben died, Reginald locked her away and erased all traces of her. maybe in the sparrow timeline she died instead, or maybe she was always locked up there and Ben was drawing her from memories that were already starting to leak through from the og timeline, but either way probably in trying to uncover how Ben died they figure out they have to save her. idk!

also, six is like. a random number of years I'm sorry. why wouldn't they just say five years later? maybe another thing to do with Ben bc umbrella Ben was number six? I'm probably reading too much into that one.

I'm truly SO scared they're gonna reveal none of them have spoken during the time skip. Five doesn't deserve that 😭😭. in my perfect world him and Viktor have an apartment but the show writers 100% forgot they said those two were best friends when they were kids judging by the rest of the series rip. when the Gene and Jean characters were first announced I thought maybe Five got stuck in the foster system and they took him in, and that could still be the case (maybe that's how they noticed the universe is a lie in the first place, the boy loves to Yap) but I think it's less likely now idk

if Diego and Lila's daughter isn't named Gracie....what was this all for. what was this all building towards. what's the point. LMFAO I know the popular fanon one is Anita (personally in my head I've been calling her Poppy and I Don't Know Why) but like Gracie is the only name that makes sense, Diego is Too Much of a mama's boy to accept anything else.

this one isn't a prediction it's just a demand- I DEMAND a white violin icon moment set to extraordinary girl by green day. they can 100% get away with just doing an instrumental version since Viktor's not a girl lmfao, but it literally Haunts Me that they didn't do that at the end of season 1 (or at LEAST play the opening of letterbomb when Viktor was in the basement hallucinating) so they NEED to make up for that. it's the last season. play the fucking song oh my God.

there might be too much going on to bring the sparrows back in any meaningful way, but like! I liked them! I especially wanted more Marcus last season, he and Viktor had good chemistry. and Fei was an icon. Why Are We Hiding Sloane Tho. I considered maybe they were rescuing Sloane, but like, Luther just seems a little too happy for that to be the case? that's why I also think Diego and Lila's kid isn't the one being rescued like I saw some theories suggest- Diego is so excited and Lila's grinning in the car scene. can't imagine their 5 year old is missing.

Five is absolutely gonna die. like I'm sorry since episode 1 there's never been a believable outcome where everything's okay and he lives. HOWEVER I think there's a very strong chance the series could end with the timeline is finally saved and set right, and grandpa Five died- but then right at the end 2002 baby Five shows up and gets stuck in the safe timeline. Five has been a walking paradox the whole series. it'd be bittersweet to lose the Five we love, but know that he's still technically getting a happy ending because he doesn't have to live through the apocalypse and become an assassin. I think that's like the best outcome we can hope for.

I think it'd be EXTREMELY funny if Reginald is just super nice now that Abigail is back. like the entire excuse for 30 years of insane behavior was that he missed his wife. bestie there are better ways to cope than abusing superpowered kids </3 but lmao I'm intrigued by him and Viktor being together in both trailers! I've always gotten the feeling that Viktor is one of his 'favorites' (to the best of his ability anyway), and from the brief childhood flashbacks we see that he had baby V acting as an assistant for him, so I'd like to see their relationship expanded a little bit. honestly I just want a lot about Reginald cleared up- he does give off the distinct impression that he actually cares about his kids, even though he's abusive. I'm assuming the explanation will be something along the lines of 'well I always planned to bring you back and safe in the New Universe', that he was approaching it as a 'they have to suffer now to save the universe, and then they can be happy' mindset. that would be interesting. but I'm also a little worried they'll wave his behavior off with 'oh he's an alien he just can't understand how he affected them', which, would suck writing-wise.

I'm worried about Allison- I'm sure they're gonna want her to have a full redemption by the end of the series, but what she did to Viktor and Luther last season...like I just don't know that they'll pull off a meaningful redemption, to where it's believable that they forgive her (other than the fact they're both softies and push overs). not with the shorter season, anyway! I *think* the person Viktor was punching in the trailer was Allison. but I'm worried that instead of actually fixing the issue the writers will just have her do a sacrifice play. especially since, bless her, she's the least sacrificial person in the family, so I could see the argument that it'll be a meaningful character growth moment, but like...if they don't actually have her believably fix her mistakes it'll just feel like a lazy writing move. also, I love her and I don't want any of them to die. as I said, the only death I'm willing to accept is Five's WITH the promise of baby Five getting a happy ending.

I want the Handler to come back, even if it's only for one scene. sorry, I think her absence was one of the low points of season 3.

I think if Grace appears in this season at all it won't be the robot version we're used to, but an older version of her human self that Diego met in the 60s. could be very bittersweet. I just don't think the robot exists in this universe bc honestly if my husband revived me from the dead but then I found out he's been living without me just fine, but made a robot copy of a pretty young fling he had after my death and seemingly can't live without her. I'd be a little pissed! sorry! lmao that said I also have personally been headcannoning that Grace is actually a cyborg and not a robot this whole time, the kids just don't know because of all the insane protocols Reginald set up, so if they do something with that instead I'll be really excited.

Diego and Lila's daughter deserves powers<3

alright I think that's all I got for now. but I wanna hear more theories!!

[pwyzzaori]

Where do people think they're going to get by harassing old Hellpark Ri mods?

NOBODY CAN STAND THIS ANYMORE, IT'S ALREADY REACHING AN ABSURD LEVEL, and the most we can do is write loooong texts asking these people to stop AND THAT'S NOT ENOUGH

It's okay if you don't like the project, no one is obliged to like it, BUT ANY NORMAL HUMAN BEING WOULD DO IS IGNORE IT AND MOVE ON, BUT NO, THERE ARE PRIMATES DOXING US AND SPREADING LIES

in fact, you don't even need two brain cells to realize that you won't get anywhere doing this SINCE THESE PEOPLE NO LONGER HAVE ANY CONNECTION WITH THE PROJECT

I don't know what goes through these people's heads to commit this type of act, because it is a VERY SERIOUS thing

We already have to go through so many things every day for countless reasons and now this?

The worst part is knowing that many of the mods that were there were minors who just wanted to have fun drawing their favorite characters, doing redesigns and giving ideas for the story

I really hope this doesn't affect them like it affected me some time ago and recently it's affecting more people

Please leave us alone, we no longer have any involvement with this project, stop doxxing old mods, it won't get you anywhere

thank you(my english sucks sorry)

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

I also wanted to vent a little, it's not a very recent situation but it started happening again these days and it's bothering me A LOT

When I discovered Hellpark I fell in love with the artstyle and started to practice drawing with it, consequently I reached a level where if someone saw my drawing without analyzing it, they could come to the conclusion that it was an official drawing (people have actually told me this already)

At first I felt very special about it, but as soon as I joined the project, DMs from all my social midia (except Discord) started to arrive from people asking if I was Wire

I always answered: no, I'm not Wire

and I started to get afraid that people would start to bother Wire themself, or idk some of the og mods from Hellpark (I don't know if this kind of thing really happened, but I hope not)

These messages didn't stop until I completely disassociated myself from the project (after the old mods left I ended up staying on the project for a few more months to help peeks while new moderators didn't join), but a week ago not only ppl started asking if I was Wire again, but they also started literally insulting me or asking me to come back to the project via discord like whaaaat

I've never given my primary Discord account username to anyone other than acquaintances

and now I'm a little scared to be honest

like this morning I got one message from a person I've never even seen in my life

I just changed my username and left some servers related to Hellpark. I hope this solves it, I really don't want to have to change accounts

I just wanted to vent about this, on one hand it's kind of worrying because someone literally leaked my old username, but other than that nothing too "horrible" happened to me :p

[svuobsessed]

Elliot Stabler X Child Victim reader

Started March 1st - Finished March 5th

thought of this idea.

summary: A Little Girl comes to the station, the team find out she is a special victim and forms a bond with Elliot.

Third person pov...

The Team apart from Elliot were going through paperwork, Olivia sighs as she takes a break from writing and reading. Rubbing her eyes, she takes a sip of her now cold coffee.

They had just closed a case they had been chasing for a week straight. "Officer?" Came a childish voice from next to Olivia.

This made the woman look up, a smile on her face as she sees a child no older than 8, she had H/C hair and wide innocent E/C eyes.

"Hey there" she smiles at the girl, the

H/C child smiles back at her. "Hi!" She giggled, this made the others look over at Liv and the girl.

"Are you okay sweetie?" She asks the girl, the girl looks down a scared look on her face and shakes her head. Liv was worried.

"Why not sweetie did something happen?" She asks the girl, the H/C child looks back up at Liv tears in her E/C eyes, she nods her head.

Liv eyes Munch and Fin behind the girl. "Can you tell me what happened sweetie?" She asks gently, the girl holds her hands over her mouth.

Live face pales the worse comes to mind. "You can't tell me" the girl nods her head hands still covering her mouth.

Liv is soon explaining to the team and Cragen, Elliot had arrived after something to do with Kathy. "We dont know anything about this girl, do we even knkw her name?" Asks The Captain, Liv sighs and looks at the young girl in the child's interrogation room.

After the girl had told her something happend she closed up and didn't say anything else, they don't even know her name.

"Not a word, she closed up after talking to me"she explained, then she looks at her partner. "El why don't you try a crack at it, you have daughters?" She tells the man.

Elliot nods his head and walks to the room the girl was in, she was currently sitting at the table drawing with the crayons. The two detectives walk in together.

The girl looks up when they walk in, she smiles at liv recognising her as the woman she spoke to before. "Hey there, I'm Olivia. This is Elliot my partner" she tells the child.

"Hi" whsipers the girl, Elliot smiled at the girl and took a seat on the chair on the other side of the table, Liv stood by the wall. The girl went back to her drawing.

"Hey there, what's your name?" Asks Elliot, the H/C girl doesn't look up from her drawing. "Y/N" she says. Elliot and Liv look at each other, they are getting somewhere.

"Hi Y/N, My partner told me you came here for help right?" He asks Y/N, he watches as thr 8 year old flinches at the question.

"I didn't, I didn't say anything" She says quietly. Putting the crayon on the table "sweetie if your in trouble you need to tell us" Liv says gently. Y/N looks at her unshed tears in her eyes.

"No you can't help me" she cries, sobbing into her hands. Liv kneels next to the girl, as she got closer she saw a purple mark just below her neck, Y/N was wearing a shirt with a collar so it wasn't visible.

Eyes wide Liv looks to Elliot. "El" she motioned with her hand and the two stand up and wlaks away from Y/N to talk. "El she's got bruises"

The man stared at Olivia. "Shit, you thinkin' abuse?" Olivia nods her head,

Y/N had stopped sobbing loudly but hadn't stopped crying.

Elliot rubs a hand down his face. "Okay, you let Cragen know, search ti databases for any missing kids by her name see what comes up" Liv nods her head agreeing, once she left the room Elliot sat back down with Y/N.

"Your right" whispers Y/N, Elliot looks at her "what do you mean Y/N?" The girl lifts her head and looks at the man. "I need help" she cries leaning into him.

Cautiously Elliot wraps an arm around the young girls shoulders as she cried, eventually Y/N told him about her Mum how she was always drunk, she would never feed her and would beat her, how she let her horrible boyfriend touch her.

After his conversation with Y/N Elliot left the room to tell the team what he found out, by the end everyone was pissed off with what Y/N went through.

Suddenly the door slam open and in walks a woman with H/C hair and E/C eyes much like Y/N, straggling behind her was a tall skinny man.

"Hello! I'm here for my daughter" she exclaims, Olivia walks over to the two. "You must be Y/Ns Mother im Detective Benson" she says to her, Y/Ns Mum points a finger at Liv making her step back.

Elliots goes to intervene but stays back to watch. "You give her to me, that little liar. I bet she's been telling all sorts of lies about me and my boyfriend to you" she yells attracting attention from everyone.

Elliot looks at the woman yelling then back to the room Y/N was in. Confused he walks over to the woman. "You mean she's lied before" he asks her, the woman nods her head.

"Since my husband left 5 years ago she's started telling everyone and anyone a load of lies to get attention" she explains waving her hand, her skinny boyfriend nodding his head next to her.

Liv looks at Elliot they have a conversation with their eyes before Elliot leaves and Liv directs the worried woman to the table upstairs ro ask more questions.

Elliot walks back to the room where Y/N was sitting, the girl was staring out of the window playing with her sleeves, the man sighs before opening the door making the girl jump.

She smiles at the Detective as he walks in. "Hi Elliot everything okay" she asks seeing the look on his face. Frowning Elliot grabbed a chair and sat in front of the girl.

"Y/N, your mothers here to take you home-" panic appears in the girls eyes she begins shaking as he continues shaking her head at him Elliot continues.

"-she says that you've lied before, is that true?" Y/N shakes her head so quick Elliot grabbed her shoulders. Wrong move as she cried out is pain, Elliot quickly let go.

Sobbing Y/N curls in on herself. "I'm not lying! You have to believe me" she sobs to the man, Elliot doesn't know what to believe.

When silence greets her Y/N stands up Elliot goes to move but Y/N begins to pull up her sleeves showing off her arms to him. Elliot eyes widened at the bruises that marked her skin.

Tears rolling down her face she yanks up her trouser legs more bruises where on her skin. "I'm not lying! Please believe me. She tells everyone I lie so they won't help me" she sobs falling to her knees.

Elliot holds the girl in a hug as she clung onto the man tightly sobbing into his shirt.

After this new piece of information came out, Elliot and Olivia interrogated both Y/Ns Mother and her Boyfriend. After hours of interrogating they found out the truth.

The two where arrested for Child abuse and Molestation of a child they were sentenced for 20 years no chance of parole, The boyfriend got an extra 10 for molesting Y/N.

Once her Mother and Mother's boyfriend in jail Y/Ns was sent to live with her Father, who had been trying to get custody of Y/N fir years but was always turned down because of his exWife getting in the way.

After that Elliot got letters from Y/N thanking him and the team for their help and how happy she was to be with her Dad.

The end!

Hope you liked this oneshot, sorry for the wait. And sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Requests are open!

Word count: 1405

[mlmxreader]

My Best Ally | Aragorn x gn!reader

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ “You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.”With Aragorn please ❞

: ̗̀➛ Aragorn has an alliance with the general of an army, although it isn't just politics

: ̗̀➛ blood, injury, war, violence

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

There was no surrender, and there was no way that withdrawal would work either; the flap of the coat of arms flew high above you, displaying a great red dragon with claws as big as mountains and teeth as harsh as sunlight. There was only one thing to do - drive them through the hills, and out of your lands.

Just as your ancestors had done for years, it was now down to you to follow in their footsteps; it was down to you to ensure that the white flag with a red cross never took over. You would die before seeing your countrymen perish to those dogs.

Drawing your sword, you turned to your men, and took a harsh breath.

"This is the killing field!" You bellowed. "This is where we show them no mercy! Ride with the wind!"

They cheered, although you clenched your jaw in a vain attempt to stop your heart from hammering in your chest; with an absent hand, you reached up and touched the small chunk of metal around your neck.

The small necklace that Aragorn had given you, inscribed with an old elven saying, was always around your neck when you went to battle.

The men fell into line in their respective battle positions; cavalry at the front, archers at the back. All wearing bright red armour made from dense dragon scales.

They were never fearful of what may come, knowing that if the battle was lost then those bearing the white and red flag would take over everything; they would flood villages and ban the language, outlaw and violently suppress the culture and traditions. They would not allow the land of the dragon to flourish and thrive.

Your men could not afford to be scared.

"Ride them down!" You called out, getting up on your horse with a huff. "Hunt them until the last man!"

It was true that your battle tactics were always less than merciful; you always left one man alive to go back and warn his countrymen, and he was always on the brink of death.

If he refused, his horse would be sent back, dragging his body as his shoulder blades were forcibly pushed up and out of his skin, and they would always find rats feasting inside his stomach.

You were very good at breaking the enemy's will.

You charged with the cavalry, herding the enemy lines into a small circle so that they were completely rounded up with no escape; you liked to watch them beg for their lives with fear in their eyes as they dropped to their knees.

As they surrendered, you gave the order, and they perished.

But while the rest of your men stood tall as they marched home, you did not; you gave word to your right-hand, telling him to look after the group, before heading towards the woods.

You left your horse at the edge, and felt relief wash over you the second you stepped onto the mossy ground.

"Aragorn!" You called as you wandered down to the little bridge, taking a seat and letting your legs dangle over the edge as you waited.

He was never very long, always running out of some of the bushes before smiling and letting out a quiet laugh. "You lived."

"As always," you nodded, waiting for him to sit down before you rested your head on his shoulder. "Good thing about dragonscale armour - you don't get killed."

Aragorn laughed softly, although his eyes soon caught the spatters on your armour. "Did you get hurt?"

"It isn't my blood," you whispered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come to see you before-"

"It's alright," he murmured. "You seem tired."

"It seems the more they try to take our lands, the more tired I become," you started, "it's difficult, disgusting work... slaughtering them like cattle... but we are only trying to stop them from destroying our land."

"I know," Aragorn nodded slowly, letting his hand rest on your thigh as he cleared his throat. "One day, they will sings of you."

"I sure hope not," you laughed quietly. "I do not want to be remembered."

"You have no choice," he mused. "You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die. I will never let you be forgotten."

"Now you're just rubbing it in," you joked.

He gave your thigh a little shake as he hummed. "You know, the woods are whispering again."

"Really?" You asked. "What is it this time?"

"They say that there is a war coming," he explained, "and that your lands will have to unite with the rest of Men in order to save the world."

"I would do it on one condition," you admitted.

"Which is?"

"It would be under your banner," you told him plainly. "You have my alliance, Aragorn, just as you have my heart. If you want my men, you will have them - but only under your banner."

He nodded slowly. "I hope it does not come to it."

"As do I," you breathed out. "But you know as well as I do that the woods are not wrong. Can't you feel it? Something... brewing."

He nodded slowly, chewing at the inside of his lip. "I feel it. But where there is anxiety, there is hope."

You extended your hand to him. "If you shall ever need an ally, promise you will call upon me."

He held your hand tightly, kissing your knuckles. "Always. You are my ally in every way, General."

You nodded curtly, daring to smile at him. "And you are mine, Ranger."

He smiled back, licking his lips. "Shall we walk?"

Slowly, you stood up with him, and linked your arm with his. "I might be a little slow, today..."

"I'm aware," he whispered. "You are fresh from battle, I wouldn't expect differently."

"Thank you," you told him softly. "Really, Aragorn, thank you."

"Anything," Aragorn insisted. "Anything that I can do for you, I will, always. You are, after all, my best and favourite ally."

[roxanneslosteyez]

Z-Scylla ~ The Siren aka Calypso Sirena

(With and without her eels)

Bio:

6'9 ft tall

30 years old

She swims pretty fast

She mimics voices to lure anyone to her hiding spot

Her eels buddies normally seek any victims

Her eels all have names and she will call them by name.

Her songs can hypnotise anyone.

She does have a "lure disguise" where she would appear as a mermaid, this disguise is just a illusion she created to disguise her true form when she is around people to make herself look more friendly and approachable. (She got that ability from her sea shell necklace)

She is mixed with:

• A vampire squid

• A type of Shark

• A type of frog

• A mimic octopus

• And a Sacabambaspis

Her lore:

Calypso is a hostile that can turn passive entity, its unknown if she doing it out of survival or just hates people for the trauma she been put through. She lives in flooded areas, she does have an area for her own but it's hidden.

She was once a bubbly young woman however she was framed for a crime she didn't commit. Her personality changed when she was under Urbanshade's supervision. She became scared and quiet.

After her transformation, She came more colder and heartless. Due she came untrusting of others. There is only a few that she trusts

under Urbanshade's supervision (left) and Before Urbanshade's supervision (right)

(note: I didn't draw the background for Before Calypso, I used Ibis paint free background images since I am not good at drawing backgrounds 👍)

Calypso and Sebastian dynamic:

If the player is killed by Calypso, Sebastian would be quiet for a bit and gives the player her files and will say "I never thought you would be killed by....her."

Calypso can follow the player if she sees them, the player can go to Sebastian's shop where she would follow the player. Calypso would stop trying to hunt when she sees Sebastian. Sebastian and Calypso will have a conversation.

Calypso: "Oh! Hey Fishy!"

Sebastian: "Why did you bring her here?! Are you dumb?! You are supposed to run away from hostile entities not bring them back to my place?!"

Calypso: "Relax, Fishy. I was too busy hunting them. I didn't know that would take me back here, heh destiny works in funny ways doesn't it?"

Sebastian: "I told you to not call me that..."

Calypso: "Come on, I know you like it!~"

Sebastian: "I don't know what you are planning, Calypso but I will let you stay here for a bit."

Calypso would stay in Sebastian's shop for while in multiple player until the game ends. She will stay in Sebastian's shop always in single player. She will come passive, but she still hates the player. Calypso can be still sleeping on the floor in Sebastian's shop on rare occasions.

If the player tries to talk to her, she will say: "I'm only doing this for Sebastian, if he wasn't here I would have eaten you already. A gal has to eat, you know. Just because I'm not a threat to you anymore doesn't mean my eels are not a threat anymore. They are still hunting for you."

And that's all for now!

[mikuyuuss]

Waaaah~! Thank you for reblogging my ask game, Unni!

Since you're open to answering questions, can I ask 4, 18, and 20 for Akari?

AHHH thanks for the ask as always Erika!!

4. Why did you give them the name they have? Whats the in universe reason for their name?

Im gonna be honest IM BAD AT NAMING THINGS 😭😭 So I happen to choose Akari because it's a common girl's name and it sounds pretty (surely if it's a common name it won't have a weird meaning RIGHT???!!!) At first I was scared bc apparently the "aka" in akari can also mean red which like, Akari's obviously not a red girly 😂

But her name actually ended up having a beautiful meaning to it (Thank God) The "明" in her name stands for "light" or "brilliance" I believe. Coincidentally, I also have "明" in my name too. I believe it's associated with smartness (at least in chinese culture) So I believe Akari was given that name by her parents because she is the light in their life, and they want her to grow up as a brilliant person.

18. Imagine meeting your oc what would you imagine you'd say to them or do with them

It's gonna be SO messy and complicated if she knew that I created her. In all seriousness I don't think Akari would like me at all. Anyways that aside.. If things were a little simpler, I'd love to just hang out with her, play dress up and do cosplays and other fun stuffs. I could give her words of encouragement about the things that I wish I could tell myself too, but in reality I think I will just go :

She can do it because she's fast and I'm as slow as a turtle.

20. Share a random piece of trivia about the creation of your oc (scrapped idea or changes you didnt expect to make)

This is her old design:

Initially, her vibes was a lot darker and edgier, but somehow she got softer and pinker the more I drew her.

Tbh Akari looks way cooler here, but her design feels a little messy. There were many cool ideas but nothing came out of it. In the end she's just kinda there. I originally wasn't gonna ship her with Giyuu bc I was a giyuu x shinobu shipper back then and thought they would be canon XD (I just prefer them as bros now) It doesnt help that I was so busy with school and its the pandemic, so my creative juices were little to none. But one idea that has always stayed is Akari having a good relationship with the girls, especially Mitsuri. After that I forgot about her...

Then I took a year off university, so more time to draw. I was on my way to moving on from kny, until I saw the swordsmith teaser and was like "Okay this show helped me get through pandemic, why not post some art to pay tribute at least." one art became more and suddenly I realized I wanna revisited Akari again bc omg this oc has so much wasted potential I need to fix this 😱 Guess I wont be moving on from kny soon 🤡

I thought about different breathing styles, illusion, star breathing etc. I decided that Akari is a battle seamstress character so I thought of silk breathing bc you know silk but I was like: "ok shes a seamstress who does seamstress powers?? thats it?? she needs something more specific" Eventually I settled for Camellia flowers bc I think its perfect for her in every way.

[thegeeksideofsr]

Keeping Secrets

I had an idea about Eliot and a single mom of an eight year old, and I couldn't get it out of my head. I hope you enjoy!

Takes place around season two.

Content: mention of a kid slipping on a flight of stairs, bruises, and single parenting

" Look, we need this for the job. I know it's short notice, but you said you have some on hand."

"I said I had half finished ones. It would take at least six hours of painting to finish. Then the process to make the paint cure and ageing takes another four. I can't Nate." I say into my phone as I add cut carrot to the pot of soup on the stove, then turn to glance at my daughter drawing at the table. "I have priorities that are outside the team that are more important then conning someone."

" Alright. I talk to Hardison, see what he can cook up."

"Good plan. I'm sorry I couldn't help. See ya."

I pull the phone away and hangup, tucking it into my pocket. I turn back to the pot on the stove and give the contents a stir.

The call with Nate still on my mind after dinner, even though I tried to punch it out of my mind and focus on Odette

After she went to bed I texted Hardison to make sure it was all good, which it was of course, but the guilt of not telling the team was starting to get to me. Especially not telling Eliot.

He and I would flirt and dance around each other all the time, we have since I joined the team. But I still keep my life private, being one of the best forgers is dangerous. Even if it's part time.

The next morning I bring her to school, making sure to sign her field trip permission slip, then give her a long hug, before sending her inside.

I head to McRory's to check in and do some legitimate work.

I walk into Nate's apartment, finding him and Hardison there with security feeds on the screens.

" Hey guys. How's it going?"

" It's going. Managed to pull something together. Not as good as yours but it's getting the job done." Nate says with out looking at me.

"I'm sure he did a great job." I reply as I pull out my sketch book to work at Nate's dinner table.

"Nice of you to join us." Eliot's voice cracks through the comms.

"Nice hear you too, El. Sorry I couldn't help last night."

"S'alright. Hardison managed. But I'd love to hear about what kept you busy."

"Was it a date?" Parker asks.

" Kinda."

"Oh? Who with?"

"Somebody special. Now can we stop talking about my personal life?"

The rest day passes with out much excitement. The team comes and goes and soon enough we are all down in the pub. I note that school let out thirty minutes ago, but Odette has a practice for a school play for an hour and a half after school. Meaning I hang out for another half hour with the team, then head to pick her up, and grab some take out on the way home.

A light touch at my elbow makes me jump and turn to see Eliot grinning at me.

"Didn't mean to scare you, darlin'. I was just asking if you had plans later."

I let out a sigh and look down. This isn't the first time he's asked that, and I doubt it will be the last. He's asked me out before, but the thought Odette getting attached to him like I have, or getting caught up in something scares me enough to not risk it.

" I do. I'm sorry, Eliot."

"With the someone from last night?"

"Yeah. But please, Eliot, I want to keep my private life, private."

" I understand. I won't push it, but I wish you'd tell me why we do this dance, yet you always have mysterious plans."

" I know. But I can't tell you, El."

" Because you don't trust me?" His voice is low as he looks at his feet.

I step close to him, I cup his cheek and make him look at me.

"Eliot, I trust you with my life. But this is something I can't risk, this part of my life shouldn't touch the other side."

"What do you think would happen?"

"I don't know, and I am terrified to find out. But if something changes, you will be the first to know, okay?"

A small smile crosses his face, I return his smile and press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. I wish I could let my self fall for him with out a care, kiss him properly, but I can't.

I pull away and step back, taking a deep breath, I grab my stuff and turn back to him.

"Good night, Eliot."

"Good night."

I turn and head out the door and once in the safety of my car I relax just a little. I check the time, almost an hour to kill till pick up, I drive over to Odette's school and park. I pull out my sketch book and wait.

*************

A rapid knock on my car window pulls my attention away from work to find my daughter's face pressed against the glass making a face, causing a laugh to bubble out of my chest.

When she pulls away I roll my window down.

"Hey kiddo! How's was today?"

"Good. Miss. Anne read to us and we got to make a recipe form the book."

"Cool! Hop in and you can tell me more on the way home."

She grins and runs to her side of the back seat, tossing her turquoise backpack next to her. She buckles in and kicks of her shoes before she begins retelling her day of school, while I drive towards home, stopping for take out on the way.

*********

"Are you okay, Mom?" She asks suddenly during dinner.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine, just thinking about work."

"Just work?"

I let out a sigh.

"I got asked on a date tonight before I left."

She lets out a shriek of excitement and starts bouncing in her seat.

"Was it Eliot? Did you say yes? Please say you said yes !!"

"Yes, it was Eliot, and no, I didn't say yes."

Her excitement fades, making my heart ache.

"But why? You like him a lot. You talk and tell stories about him all the time. You've even drawn him."

"Because it's complicated, love. We work together and it might end badly and mess up the friendship we have. And you. I don't want you to get hurt."

"But you like him!"

" Odette. It's not happening. I'm sorry."

She lets out a dramatic sigh and slumps back in her chair.

It's silent for a few minutes, then she starts telling me about something that happened during the play rehearsal.

*********

The con had been rough to say the least. A mark with trust issues, a head goon who was actually good at his job, and a forged master piece all part of Nate's plan. At least I wasn't a main option grifting or thieving.

Hardison, Parker and I were sitting in a booth while Nate and Sophie talked with the client. I was laughing at something Parker said, when out of the corner of my eye I see the flash of my phone ringing.

My heart drops to my stomach when I read her teacher's name.

"Shit." I mutter as I pick it up to answer.

"What? What's wrong?" Hardison asks as he looks at me concerned.

I ignore him as I put it to my ear.

"Hello? Anne, what's up?"

"Hi, Y/N, I'm calling because of an incident that happened during the field trip today."

"What happened? Is Odette okay?"

"We were at the top of the steps to the second floor of the museum, the kids were a few steps ahead of Rick and I, and her foot slipped on a step. And she fell about four feet to the next landing "

I try to stand, but the table of the booth stops me in my tracks.

"What?"

"I know, it's not the best news. And I feel terrible that it happened but she's ok. A small scrape on her knee and some bruises. I wish it had never happened but it could have been so much worse."

"Are you back at the school? Should I come get her?"

"We are at the school. She asked me to call you to come and get her. She seems ok for the most part, I think it just scared her."

"I'm on my way. I'll be there in twenty."

"Alright, I'll let her know. See you soon."

I pull the phone away from my ear and shove it in my pocket. I grab my stuff, slide from the booth, and head for the door.

" Yo, where you goin'?" Hardison calls after me.

" It's private. Tell the others I had to cut out early."

I head for the door of McRory's trying to dodge people, but failing as I run in to someone, nearly falling on my face.

But a familiar scent of warmth and spices floods my nose as a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist. Eliot.

"Careful, darlin'. Where you off to in such a rush."

"I'm sorry it's hard to explain. I have to go." I say to him as I detangle my self from his arms and rush out the front door.

I make it to my car and toss my bag in the passenger seat, start the engine, and pull out of my spot and head towards the school.

************

I practically run through the school to Odette's class room. I open the door to find her sitting on a beanbag chair with her teacher and a book.

She looks up when I enter, and starts to wiggle to get up. Once on her feet she runs over to me, and I drop to my knees to hug her tight.

"Hey, baby."

"Hi, momma." Her voice muffled by my shoulder.

I pull away from her and look over her arms and see a bruse forming on her upper left arm, some on her leg, and a few scrapes on her knees. I cup her face and kiss her forehead.

"Let's get you home, okay baby?"

She nods, then pulls away to grab her backpack.

I look to her teacher, who is now standing, then walk to give her a quick hug as well.

"Thank you, Anne, for taking care of her."

"You're welcome. I took her to the nurse when we got here, nothing broken, just bumps and bruises."

I offer her my hand, which she takes and holds tight, then we say goodbye to her teacher, and head to the car.

I give her a nod, then turn back to Odette who looks all too ready to go home.

Once she's settled in her seat, I get in as well, and head home.

A few minutes into the drive my phone starts to ring, I answer without looking at the contact.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I just wanted to check in. You flew out of here like a bat outta hell." Eliot grumbles with a concerned tone.

"Yeah. I'm okay. But it's personal. I might be out for a day or two."

" Hardison said it sounded serious. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just-"

My sentence is interrupted from the back seat, loud enough I know Eliot hears.

"Momma? Can we get pizza for dinner? With olives? Please?"

I glance at her in the rearview, she's barely awake, her eyes heavy and head lulling to the side.

"Sure thing, love." I say to her, receiving a sleepy smile in return.

Eliot is still silent on the other side of the line. I let to go a second longer, then start to speak.

"Look, I have to go. I see you when I see you."

I hear him try to say something, but ignore it and hang up. I know is rude to hang up on someone like that, but he already heard Odette, and it was the only way to not have to answer his questions.

************

As I pull into the driveway, I see Eliot leaning against the side of his truck, arms crossed and staring a hole into the ground.

I park next to him and shut the car off. I let out a sigh as he looks at me through the window. I toss my keys in my bag, swing it to my shoulder, open my door to climb out, then shut it quietly so I don't wake Odette.

I walk around to the front of the car and stand a few feet in front of Eliot. We stand in silence, just starring at each other.

"Hi, Eliot."

"That all you got to say. You ran out of the pub, then when I called to check in you brush it off, and then to top it off I hear a kid your car call you mom."

His tone is calm and even, but I know him well enough to know he's boiling under the surface.

" It's complicated, Eliot."

" Is it? Is that what you have been keeping a secret all this time? Why?"

"Because she is my whole world, and if something happened to her because of a job I would never forgive myself."

"Is she the reason you always said no?" His voice quiet and heartbreaking.

I take a step closer to him and cup his face in my hands.

"Eliot. You have no idea how many times I have wanted to say yes to you. How many times I have dreamt about what would happen if I did. But if I take that leap and something happens, it won't be just me who would be heartbroken."

"You think I'd hurt you?"

"Not on purpose. But with the jobs we pull, and the danger we put ourselves in, there are somethings we can't control. And if something happened to you during a job, and you didn't get back up."

I stop short, the lump that had been growing in my throat making it hard to speak. His hands come up to hold my head.

"I get it. I do. But you can't live with that fear forever."

"I know, I just-"

I cut off at the sound of a car door opening, and a sleepy voice calling my name.

I pull my head from Eliot's hands and turn to look at Odette, who looking between us confused and tired at the same time.

"Hey, baby." I hold my arm out to her as I take a step back from Eliot. "Come here, I want you to meet someone."

She walks over to us, never taking her eyes of Eliot. She hugs my waist, and I wrap and arm around her shoulders.

"Odette, this is El-"

" He's Eliot. I recognize him from your drawings." She says with a cheerful tone.

I feel my face heat up as I close my eyes, a low chuckle come from Eliot, causing me to open my eyes.

He's trying to fight a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkle as he looks between Odette and I.

"Not a word."

He raises his hand in surrender, then squats down to be eye level with Odette, offering his hand to her.

"You're right, I'm Eliot. And who might you be?"

" I'm Odette." She says shaking his hand.

"It's good to meet you."

I watch the interaction with a smile on my face. It's going better then I ever could have hoped. My feelings for Eliot growing more intense as he talks to Odette.

Odette's voice pulls me from my thoughts.

"Momma?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Can Eliot stay for supper?"

She has a pleading look in her eyes. I look to Eliot who is already looking at me with a soft smile.

"Sure. You asked for pizza earlier, you still want that?"

"Yes!"

"Alright," I laugh at her excitement, " go get your backpack and we'll go inside."

She lets out a squeak, then runs to the car. I look to Eliot as he stands up.

"Are you sure you want to stay?" I ask him.

"Yeah. I'm sure. I got win her over if I want to date you don't I? You come as a package."

We share a smile, then when Odette comes back with her backpack, we head inside.

Once inside I take Odette to her room to change and to give her a once over my self. She has bruises and scratches all down her side and on her arm and leg. The scrapes all ready treated my the school nurse.

"Oh baby. I'm sorry you have so many bruises. Do they hurt?"

"A little. But not bad, just when I poke them like this."

I watch as she pokes a dark bruise, then flinches. I pull her hands away, and hold them.

"Well don't poke them if they hurt. Why don't you pick out some comfys and get changed. Then we can go make Eliot watch a Disney movie. I don't think he's ever seen one."

She lets out a shocked gasp then runs to her dresser.

I leave her room and walk back to where I left Eliot in the living room. I find him looking at the wall full of photos from the day Odette was born, to one I took at the beginning of the school year.

I watch at he stops at a picture of me holding Odette when she was maybe eight months old, with matching grins on our faces.

"That one is my favorite." I say to him.

He spins around like he got caught looking at something he shouldn't.

"She looks like you."

I nod, walking forward to stand next to him.

"She also looks like my dad." I point to to picture of him and I.

Eliot nods, then takes a breath to say something, but let's it out without a word.

"What? What were you gonna ask?"

"Where's her dad? I don't want to step in anything."

I shake my head, slip my hand into his and give it a squeeze.

"You aren't stepping in anything. He was a one night stand. I don't think he ever even told me his name."

"So you did it all on your own?"

"Pretty much. My family helped as much as they could, and I took as much legit work as I could find, but then when Nate approached and asked for a favor, I said yes. Plus the paycheck was nothing to laugh at."

His face scrunches.

"You knew Nate before you joined the team?"

"Yeah. He and my dad worked together at IYS. My dad left because he couldn't stand Blackwell. But he kept in touch with Nate over the years."

He let's out a huff of a laugh, and shakes his head.

"I ordered a pizza while you were in there."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. Made sure it had olives." He gives me a knowing smile.

"Well then you have won Odette's heart already."

"What about yours?"

"You won that a long time ago." I lean up and press kiss to his cheek.

I pull away when I hear little feet pound down the hallway, into the living room, then she bounces onto the couch.

Soon enough the pizza arrives, and we enjoy dinner in the living room. Eliot and Odette getting along like they've known each other for years, rather then an hour and half at most.

After dinner, and clean up, Eliot tries to leave, but Odette uses her professional puppy eyes get him to give in to her pleas for him to stay.

He finally caves and sits rigid of the couch while Odette diggs through our movie collection, and settling on Lilo and Stitch.

We manage to Eliot to relax, jacket and boots by the door, and sitting on the couch next to me, Odette squeezed between us, and a blanket over the three of us.

I notice Odette stops wiggling half way through the movie. I turn to check on her, and find he asleep, her face pressed into Eliot arm. He looks more relaxed then I have ever seen him in the entire time I've known him.

He turns to look at me and we share a smile.

When the movie is done, I turn it off, then get up and go to scoop Odette to bring her to bed, but Eliot raises a hand to stop me.

"I got her."

He moves slowly, so he doesn't wake her. Cradling her head, then lifting her into his arms resting her head on his shoulder.

I lead him to her room and open the blankets for him to lay her down. He lay's her among the blankets like she's made of glass. I pull the blankets up and tuck her in snugly, press a kiss to her head, then we both creep out of the room, latching the door behind us.

We walk back to the living room, sitting close enough the our legs are touching. He leans his head on the back of the couch, exposing his neck. It's a position I had never seen him in before, probably because it left his neck vulnerable, but it also made me want to kiss his neck. He looks peaceful. Head back, eyes closed, body completely relaxed.

" I can feel you starring."

I breathe out a laugh, then shift to sit on my knees, lean over him, cupping his face in my hand, turning his head gently towards me, the scruff on his cheek is rough against my palm. I lean down and kiss him. I feel him take a deep breath, then his hand comes up to hold the wrist of the hand on his cheek as he kisses me back.

It doesn't last long, but it's enough to take my breath away. When I pull away, he's already looking at me, his blue eyes fulls of confusion and hope.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time." I whisper, rubbing my thumb along his cheek.

" So have I, darlin'. Can I kiss you again?"

I nod, leaning into him again. He wraps and arm around my waist, lifting and dragging me into his lap, wrapping both arms tight around me.

"Can I take you in a date?" He asks, pulling away just enough to mumble against my lips.

I humm in response, then lean in for another kiss.

Time seems to disappear as we sit there, making out like teenagers. We eventually separate, trying to catch our breaths. It's quiet, until he asks something I hoped he'd forgotten about.

" Did you really draw me enough that she could recognize me?"

I let out a groan and drop my head to his shoulder, his laugh ringing through the room.

××××××××××××××××

Eliot Spencer Taglist:

@katbratsupernaturalwhore @fictional-hooman

[hotpinkrathian]

TPD and LoK headcannons?

HELLO ANON I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR FILLING MY INBOX

Okay but I have been thinking about the practical uses of TPD for LoK since its release (I've listened to the entire anthology like 5 times now) and some of my *thoughts* are a little disorganized but here they are as they come.

Kya watching Lin and Tenzin grow together and become a couple has her DOWN BAD and I would like to write something in the future, maybe a one shot drawing inspiration from this.

Fresh Out the Slammer is so Suyin/Kuvira coded, whether it's platonically or romantic idc but to me it is THEM. Specifically after the show when Kuvira is feeling empty and alone and trying to get back into her old life but she has to accept that it's not going to work and she has to start all over again.

I Can Do it With A Broken Heart- immediately thought of Asami. Not because of her relationship with Mako or Korra but because of the relationship with her dad. That was such a painful moment for her in the series and sometimes I feel like it wasn't shown enough, her grief was never really processed and maybe she struggles a bit in the beginning. Of course Korra helps her through it : )

Kyalin The Alchemy need I say more.

I feel like there's big potential for an angsty Lin-centered one shot inspired by Cassandra. I haven't fully developed this yet but it's brewing.

thanK you aIMee is another one I feel like would work well with Kuvira. I could see an angsty piece about her slowly building up to the events of season 4. I feel like maybe she has some growing resentment over her childhood and maybe that gets taken out on Suyin or just the Beifongs in general.

For shits and giggles Korra sing smallest man who ever lived to Zaheer because my guy short as fuck

And for non shits and giggles "Who's Afraid of Little old Me" this is AVATAR KORRA. This song I see in the moment before she takes down Kuvira. Like Kuvira is cocky and is convinced she's already won because she's bested korra multiple times now. And Korra is a force of nature. There's room for a powerful dissonance there between season 3 where she as the Avatar is a target. Zaheer wants to get rid of the avatar to restore chaos because the Avatar is too powerful. Korra doesn't understand this, she would never use her powers for evil, she would never use them to hurt people... until she has to. She IS the Avatar, she is the strongest being in the world, and part of her healing process is claiming that power. I can see a conversation going something like this:.

Korra: I don't get it, Asami. It's like no matter what I do, how many times I show these people I'm on their side... someone is always out to get me. It's like they're afraid of me or something.

Asami: Korra, you are the Avatar. The only thing standing between them and their fucked-up ideal "world", is you.

Korra: I don't want people to be scared of me, I want them to feel safe. To feel like I'm an ally.

Asami: and you are, but... I don't know, Korra. Maybe it's not all bad if some people fear you. If Kuvira, or Zaheer had been more afraid maybe... maybe things would've turned out differently.

And then the bad guy is all "you think you scare me?" And Korra is all

"No, but I should."

(I could also see this trope working well with Rangshi but you requested LOK )

Annyywwwaaaayyyyyyy

I hope I delivered

[contentloadingandstuff]

How do you think yae and ei would react to their kids starting to date? Or them finding the others kid on a date that no one knew about?

Parenting headcanons: Ei & Miko and their views on dating

A/N: Hi Anon. Hope you enjoy!

CW: None.

Ei

An eternity of solitude is the last thing Ei wants for her child, be they male or female. She had to experience that herself, and the shogun wouldn't wish it upon anyone. 

As such, Ei's not going to be keeping them away from romance, unless it's with a mortal being. She will be very, very hard pressed to convince her child to let them go, in fear of what mental havoc their unavoidable death will wreak upon their mind. She knows just how destructive grief is. If the love would be especially strong, however, she will let up. She loves her child too much to harm them this badly. 

Ei is very tolerant when it comes to her child's selections of partners. Just not if they're much older gods, especially ones she met during the Archon War, or the conflicts that followed. She's going to be very, very unsympathetic towards gods more loyal to Celestia than the others. She will always be wary of them, looking out for both humanity and her son/daughter. 

She would be so happy to be a grandmother, so if they turn out to swing a different way, well… she'll be very sad, to put it lightly, but will get over it eventually. At least her kid's happy, right? 

How did she find out her child is dating? She was told by them. Ei doesn't do a whole lot of digging in her kid's personal life. Unless it's  blatantly obvious that they have a crush, she'll remain in the dark. 

The first meeting won't be anything special - just a formal dinner in the palace. She's going to ask about their work, interests and some soft opinions about less controversial topics. If that were the old Ei, she would have certainly scared the S/O away with her uncomfortable, awkward questions. But she's luckily not that oblivious anymore. There still will be rough patches, but it'll be okay. 

Ei sips her tea. Across the table sits her son, Takeshi, dressed in decorative armor picked out specifically for this occasion. He's also drinking the brew, looking up at her and the girl next to him. 

She is quite smaller than Takeshi. Her hands, the only part of her not covered by her white kimono, give off a soft glow, similar to that of fish scales viewed in sunlight. The woman surely noticed Ei's (unintentionally) intense gaze, and is visibly uncomfortable with it. She keeps staring at her tea, too shy to look up or start a conversation. Ei draws an easy, forgiving smile. 

"What do you reign over, dear?" She asks. 

The girl shifts around, and looks up carefully. 

"I-I…um… I'm the princess of small sea life, your Highness." She looked back down again, her right hand traveling down to grip her clothing. She rolls it around in her hand in an attempt to calm her nerves. 

"Oh? Princess of sea life? Well, I do like General Crabs a lot, and they do have my emblem on them." She chuckles in good spirit. "Surely you're not willing to contest their loyalty?" 

"No! N-no your Highness. I-I would never h-hope to challenge you…" 

Her panicked assurances are cut off by Takeshi's hand enveloping hers. They look into each other's eyes, and Ei's heart just melts at the view. 

"Hey, don't worry. Mom was just joking, alright?" 

Ei hums in confirmation, but then she smiles. A mischievous thought passed through her mind. 

"Yes, of course. Or was I?" 

The girl squeaks, and leans towards her son. Takeshi brings her closer, and facepalms.

"Mom! You spend too much time with Miko, I swear…" 

Ei can't hold back a soft laugh. " I'm so sorry, Niko. Miko was right, though. It is fun to tease.. ."

The goddess seems to finally relax a little. 

"Oh, and please, call me Ei. Takeshi has been saying so much about you, and from what I heard, you feel for him as well. Ah, you make such a cute couple…" 

Both of them blush at her words, and Ei feels her heart melt even more. They're just too adorable!

Yae Miko

Her life motto is "live while you're alive", and she wants her kids to live that way as well. There's no way she would limit their life like that. She made the mistake of not indulging in real romance for most of her life, and she wouldn't want her litter to lack that element. 

When they more or less grow up, she will let them go on and find love no problem. Despite her mean comments and teasing, she will keep an eye out on particularly suspicious individuals, with a bit of help from the eldest kids. 

She doesn't give a thought as to their sexuality. She has ten kids, so at least one of them has to be straight, right? Miko isn't worried about having grandchildren in the slightest. 

Kitsune are territorial by nature, essentially in every aspect of their lives - food, territory and partners. Despite being more distinguished, Miko and her young keep a lot of their instincts. And the Guuji will abuse the living daylights out of that. 

Nobody is safe from teasing, not even her joys. Is that mean? Of course, it's not even a question. She will have a limit though. It doesn't mean that she won't be an absolute menace. 

Miko circles around the man. He stays still, keeping his gaze away from the priestess. She can easily feel how tense he is - even his breaths are as quiet and unassuming as possible. His ears twitch occasionally, turning towards her at all times. She looks at her daughter, Naomi, who watches her actions. Miko smirks. 

"Hm… Tall… Muscular…Handsome…Well groomed… Young, and such a strong musk.. ." 

The mother turns sharply towards her daughter, whose displeasure is clearly visible. That's what she is after. But still, she keeps her wits, and Miko just can't have that. So, she turns back to him, and looks right into his eyes. With her index finger, she tilts his face to the side, meeting no resistance. 

"You've got quite the catch on your hands, Naomi…"

Is it the mocking, semi seductive tone she spoke in, or the fact she was touching Naomi's mate? Whatever the reason, the younger fox swiftly moves between the two, and nearly growls. She parts her lips, revealing the fangs for her mother to see. Miko puts on a shocked face, and steps back a little. When she sees her daughter's anger drop and expression turn into one of genuine worry and regret, Miko immediately bursts out in laughter. 

Naomi looks down, just a little ashamed she fell for her mother's tricks once more. The fighting spirit doesn't fade, and the girl bites back. 

"You're done mom? Good. We're leaving." 

"Oh, my dear… are you getting… jealous, perhaps?" 

"I… N-no.. . Not at all." 

Miko sighs, and approaches her daughter. This time, her movements are much less intimidating and friendly. 

"Don't be silly, Naomi. I was merely teasing. No harm done, yes?" 

She exhales, a little frustrated sure, but overall glad Miko let go. Before they leave, Miko turns to the male. 

"Nice to finally meet you, Gozan. Take good care of my daughter, now. She's a good young woman. Keep her away from trouble, will you?" 

"Of course, Lady Guuji."

She crosses her arms over her chest, but her tone and expression remain friendly. 

"You can go now. You have my blessing." 

With a polite bow, Gozan leaves. He joins Naomi on the stairs, and the pair starts descending the Shrine. Miko smirks. 

She just can't wait for an actual, formal introductory dinner. Oh, she has a plan already… 

Thanks for reading!

[diplonimbodocus]

lee spock and ler kirk content pretty please with cherry on top? <3

Comin' right up!

Thank you so much for your ask, I was so excited to get it! Plus lee!Spock is simply *chef's kiss*, I do approve of your taste.

I'm not sure if your preference would be TOS or AOS, but I think on this occassion we'll go... AOS, simply because I do think a lee!Spock is brilliant in the Kelvin timeline. Although everyone is free to imagine things as they wish!

This was just a quick little thing, I hope it's ok! Please enjoy! Without further ado -

"Doctor, I request that you do not question why I am here and you do not disclose to the captain my whereabouts." Spock said as he had suddenly marched through the medbay doors at pace, sparing not a glance at the doctor. Though tidy and matter-of-fact as ever, he held a manner of urgency about him.

"What in the - Spock! What are you talking about?! I've a routine examination in 20 minutes and I don't have time to waste on-"

"Doctor." Spock fixed Bones with a look which stayed his verbal assault. He then tucked himself quite flatly behind a cupboard which protruded from the internal bulkhead.

Bones threw his hands up in the air and grumbled, "Not even an explanation, fine then!"

Not a moment later, the sliding doors opened once again to reveal an agitated James Kirk, a little out of breath but Bones thought he detected a sparkle in his eye, the kind he had when there was an idea in his head.

"Did Spock come in here?"

"In the corner." Bones pointed over his shoulder with the stylus, going back to his datapad.

Spock quickly stepped out from his hiding place and froze facing Kirk, the two stopped at a distance. Keeping his eyes on Kirk, he spoke. "Doctor McCoy, I fail to see how you could misunderstand my clear instruction not to-"

"What did you really think I was gonna do? Use your logic, Spock."

The captain remained where he was, eyeing his first officer with that glint in his eye.

"So, Spock. Thought you could rely on old Bones to get you out of this did you?"

"Old?" Bones chimed in from the other side of the room.

"I did surmise he might be of some help." Spock said, body poised and sounding unsure of his words.

"Not your best idea, huh?"

"Evidently not." Spock said with a hint of facetiousness.

"Bones, lock the door."

Bones looked up in shock, before rolling his eyes and puffing his cheeks, moving to the door and exclaiming, "Fine! Whatever you two are doing, it better be done in 10 minutes. Some of us have a job to do!"

All the while, Spock had been watching intently for any sign of movement from the captain, and Kirk's eyes were trained on him. The two stood there, like a standoff. Bones watched, curiosity piqued. Everything was still, that is until Kirk moved his foot to step.

All in a moment, the room was suddenly a bustle. Spock leaped over a bed, Jim followed round it, Spock reached the other bulkead, past Bones, skirting the outside towards the door, doubling back when Kirk crossed the room to get there first.

Bones, in the middle of it all, shouted, "What the hell are you two doing?! This isn't a damn playground, it's a hospital!"

Jim was now advancing on a more and more cornered Spock, who had succeeded only in finding himself a small space at the back of the room to retreat to.

"Captain, I would request that you cease this endeavor and that we both return to normal activities immediately."

"Why Spock? You scared you'll let a little of that human emotion slip?" Jim grinned, though it was a clear taunt to draw Spock in.

"Jim. You know there is human in me. Why do you persist to attempt at forcing me to display it?" Spock replied in a more intimate tone.

"Because it's fun." Jim lunged forward, however just as he attempted to grab the vulcan, Spock crouched and slipped underneath his outstretched arms.

Always ready, Jim spun around on the ball of his foot and threw himself after the first officer.

"Gotcha!" He cried as he landed on top of Spock, his weight pushing him prone and keeping him there, on his face.

Spock fought against the heaviness holding him down, and given vulcans' strength, Jim was well near thrown off, but held on, grasping the other's collar as you would a rodeo. Spock said nothing save for the sounds of his struggles.

"So Bones... I've got a little question for you. Have you ever seen a vulcan laugh?" Jim practically grinned in his tone alone, and was met with renewed energy from the vulcan in question.

"Once, actually."

Jim threw a look of alarming question back at Bones.

"It's a long story." Bones replied.

Jim hesitated and then continued, still riding the bull.

"Well, you're about to see it again! Can you guess which vulcan on board this vessel can laugh, and has laughed today, and has been a pain in my ass for days, and incidentally, is insanely tickl-"

"CAPTAIN!" Spock suddenly shouted.

"-ish."

"You're not honestly telling me-"

"Isn't that right, Spock?" Jim put his hands onto Spock's sides below the ribs, and started squeezing up and down his flanks.

Spock shivered, and then went stiff as a board. Mysteriously not a sound had emerged, but the change was definite.

"Uh, Jim? Is he ok?"

"Don't worry, he'll come out of it in a minute." Jim said with certainty and continued pressing all along the vulcan's sides.

Rightly enough, a few second later Spock was shivering again, yet constantly, and a strange humming noise was coming from the floor beneath his head. Jim kept squeezing and the humming came in more sporadic bursts. Bones could see round the side of his head, and from that small view, he saw the corners of the vulcan's mouth were turned up.

"Holy..."

"Wait for it, Bones..." Jim squeezed up and down another time, before suddenly clutching on tightly around Spock's midriff, right over his ribs with both hands and vibrating his fingers firmly over those delicate bones.

"Hah!" Spock squeaked out before burying his face into the floor.

"C'mon Spock... Don't hold out on me!" Jim teased, smiling big as he continued to torture Spock's ribs. Spock was now starting to jitter over the hard floor as if electrocuted, hopping this way and that as the captain's fingers followed his every movement.

"CaHAHptain! DeHEsist immediHAHtely!"

Though the effects of Jim's ministrations were obvious, Spock had thus far managed to contain his reactions to short bursts of movement and sound.

Jim spidered his fingers further down towards Spock's waist and hips. Spock began to wriggle more noticably as the fingers descended. As they landed in the dips of his hips he suddenly and violently curled inwards and finally, broke.

"NOHOhohoho!! Cahahaptaihahain nohohohooo!!"

"Bones - vióla".

The doctor simply looked on with his mouth hanging open.

"E-E-ENOUHOUHOUHOUGH!" Spock appeared unable to fight back, as his body responded in a solely reactive way.

"But Spock, buddy! You love this so much!"

"CAAHAHAHAPTAIHAIHAIN!!!"

"Call me Jim."

"J-JIHIHIHIIIM!!"

"Little louder..."

"JIM!!!"

"Now a little quieter."

"JI- JihihiHIM!"

"Now, touch your toes!"

Spock shook his head hopelessly and melted into laughter as Jim lead a merciless assault all over him.

"Hey Bones, check this."

Jim scratched from top to bottom along the writhing Vulcan's spine, teasing along and to either side, only for his first officer to curl upwards, laughter turning to high giggles.

"Well wouldya look at that." The doctor said, crossing his arms over his chest. "A giggling vulcan. Cute."

"Yeah well if you think that then get over here and help me, he's gonna throw me off!" Jim now battled to stay on as he attempted to squeeze the backs of Spock's thighs.

"Actually, much as I would love to wipe the smile off - or on - that guy's face, I'm going to have to break it up. Before my patient arrives."

Spock nodded his head frantically, unable to hide his smile, a greenish-yellow undeniably coving his cheeks.

"Aw." Jim whined.

His hands came to a gentle stop and over the next 30 seconds Spock's breathing slowed to a much more normal rate. He said nothing, remaining lying down with his eyes closed as if he had perhaps fallen asleep.

There was a moment of hung silence before suddenly -

Spock's hands were on the ground beneath him, pushing up, slowly yet in a way which seemed unstoppable, like a glacier following its course down a valley, and Jim, still perched on his back was brought along with it.

Jim wobbled and tried to find balance, surprise on his face, before a look of realisation hit him and he scrabbled up to his feet and back.

Spock rose, picking himself up to his feet. He stood, dusted himself off and released a controlled exhale. Jim stood wide-eyed until the vulcan turned to face him.

Though his face had been trained back to a more characteristic stoicism, there was no doubt about the cock to his eyebrow, the tightness of his lips, the set of his teeth which gave away his true feeling.

"Captain. You have exactly until I have finished speaking to make your exit- "

Jim did not wait around to hear the rest.

[luvrlou]

Spy Deal

Pairing: Charlie Conway x fem!reader

Summary: Coach Orion has a little job for his younger sister.

Warnings: Charlie's anger issues lol

A/N: I think I'll make a part 2 for this.

Word Count: 1.9k

Coach Bombay had heard wonders about you, since he had met Ted Orion, to him you were the best marketer in the Hockey world, of course, Orion was a bit biased considering you were his younger sister. You had controlled advertisements for some of the biggest teams in the USA, even the National team. At your ripe age of sixteen you were really making a name for yourself.

"Y/N!" Your older brother called through to you, for a few years you had been living in Minneapolis with your brother, his wife and your niece, Jen.

You left your bedroom and walked down the wooded corridor to the living room, "yeah what's up?"

"I have a little research job for you, perhaps you could help me learn more about this new team I'm taking on this year," he told you, offering you a seat on the sofa across for him.

You were instantly interested, your work had been quiet ever since the local hockey team had moved on to bigger things, "yeah I would be happy to help, under one condition."

He let out a chuckle, despite being twenty-two years older than you, you always had a price when it came to a bit of help, "okay, okay, you help and I we go on a brother-sister laser tag and sweetie shop run. Just like the old days."

"Oh my god! Yes! We haven't done that since I was like nine!" You grinned, reminiscing about your ninth birthday where your parents both had meetings all day so Ted took you out.

He smiled softly before continuing, "I have a new team coming via scholarships, they like to call themselves the Ducks, they won the Junior Goodwill Games last season."

"I'll be through with whatever I find later, then it's shooting time buddy!" You chuckled, standing up.

"Whatever you say baby sister," he mocked, drawing his attention back to his television as you left the room.

You quickly ran back to your room and flung yourself into your office chair and turned on your computer, after a few minutes your home screen appeared. You hummed a little tune as you opened up the internet.

"I'm sure there will be some newspaper files about them," you spoke to yourself, finding the local Minneapolis news paper. Despite the world wide web being a new phenomenon the archives were easy to access.

You slowly grew more intrigued as stories of this so-called 'wonder team' popped up, you filtered the site to only show clippings that contained the words 'ice hockey', 'ducks' and 'Bombay', their coach and a close friend of your brothers.

More and more clippings came up, this team were incredible, you had noticed that they had 4 'star' players, Captain Charlie Conway, Adam Banks and the Bash Brother, Fulton Reed and Dean Portman. They had even beaten Iceland's team, which was coached by the Wolf, a well-respected genius in the hockey world.

• • •

Bombay felt much more at ease knowing his beloved team would be passed onto the great Ted Orion, and after learning of your work in the hockey industry, he was thrilled that the ducks could gain even more attraction.

However, the Ducks were not too fond of their new coach, he had stripped Charlie of his captaincy and had taken away the team's spirit. They were no longer the ducks, they were Eden Hall's JV team.

"They hate me it's impossible to work with!" Ted groaned as you were all sat around the dinner table, knees deep in yet another of his rants.

Jen, who always tried to see the best in a situation spoke, "who knows, they might just be scared of you?"

"Darling, I don't think so," he smiled almost sadly.

"How about this, I can come with you to practise sit at the side and see if I can get some information off of them, I'll try to see why they haven't taken a liken to you." You suggested, Ted seemed to enjoy this suggestion as he nodded slightly.

"Are you sure they would talk to you?" Your sister-and-law asked, "I mean you are the younger sister of their coach."

"Well I am the same age as most of them, they might feel like they could say something." You answer, hoping you were right.

• • •

"Gather round team," your brother called, before growing impatient, "god gave you legs for a reason, use them!"

They all grumbled while they skated over, stopping in a messy semi-circle around you and him, peculiar looks on their faces.

"You may be wondering who this is-" Orion began before getting cut off by a tall looking boy with brown hair.

"Y'all that's Y/N! That girl who made that team in Chicago mega-famous!" He shouted.

"The team can't be that famous if you don't know the name, Dwayne," another boy quipped back, this one had off-black hair and was shorter than this Dwayne character.

"Yes Dwayne, this is the Y/n and she is my younger sister, she's just here to supervise the game. She finally decided that lying in her bed all day fawning over Michael J Fox in Back to the Future wasn't being productive." He introduced you, his last comment making you shake your head and flush.

They all exchanged looks, before yet another boy, this time you recognised as Charlie Conway, spoke up, "What age is she, shouldn't she be a bit older if she's your sister?"

"I'm sixteen, our mum had him quite young," you clarified. "Okay Ted, I'm going to go sit down." The team's uproar started again after hearing that their new coach's name is Ted. You laughed, something so normal was causing quite the stir.

The practice wasn't anything interesting, just some drills and a mock game to finish. You were brought out of the trance, that you had caught yourself in when the sound of skates dragging to a halt in front of you.

It was girl who had a long plait in going down her back, "Hi, I'm Connie!"

"Y/N, it's lovely to meet you," you smiled.

She smiled back before pondering her next question, "does coach Orion always act grumpy?"

You laughed slightly, "no, don't worry, he does really want to see you all succeed but he just doesn't know how to get around it."

"Well he doesn't act like it, look!" Connie gestured to the rest of the team, who were all shooting at Goldberg as Orion barked out orders. That's when you noticed that one of the players who had played with them since the PeeWees wasn't there.

"Connie, is there not meant to be another boy, he's blonde, wears number ninety-nine?" You inquired, looking back at the girl.

She smiled slightly, "awe yeah, Banks, he plays for Varsity now." She spoke, almost proud of her ex-teammate. "Well, I better get back to practising, we need to speak again Y/N!"

You grinned, "definitely!"

the girl skated away, lapping around some of the other players, then shooting a puck past Goldberg into the net.

When practise finished Ted approached you, "so did you speak to anyone?"

"Only Connie, she's super nice, but she thinks you're dead grumpy." You answered, this made him frown slightly.

"I know this is a lot to ask, but do you think you could find Conway and try to talk to him?" He asked, a glint of pleading in his eyes.

You smiled, "yeah I'll speak to him, just because I love you so very much," you teased lightly, which caused him to gently slap the back of your head.

"You're a cheeky prick," he laughed, helping you up.

"That's what you get for having a sixteen-year-old sister when you're thirty!" You grinned back, walking off the ice with your beloved older brother.

• • •

You spotted the brunette boy in the distance walking out of Eden Hall, quickly, you jogged after him.

"Charlie!" You called out, which made him turn around.

He grimaced when he saw you fast approaching, "what do you want?"

"I just want to talk, you seemed kind of," you hummed. You tried to think of a way to make this sound like you weren't being bitchy, "agitated, earlier."

He huffed slightly, "Obviously, have you seen my coach!"

"Hey! Let's remember that's my brother!" You faked annoyance before laughing.

This made him smile, "Fine we can talk, under one condition."

"Woah there Conway, take me out for dinner then we can see where it goes!" You joked, making him flush under the blinding sun.

He shook his head sheepishly, "no! Not like that, I meant to buy me ice cream!" He scrambled out, "if you buy me ice cream, I'll talk to you about anything you want."

You pondered his requirement, "are you asking me on a date Conway?"

"It's a get-together, not a date! Don't be so silly!" He groaned.

You chuckled at his comment, "come on!" You cheered, beckoning him to follow you towards the seafront. Where an ice cream truck would roll on by tweeting out a chirpy tune at exactly ten past five every evening.

The pair of you reached the boardwalk next to the swirling sea just in time to hear the merry tune which signified it was ice cream time. Charlie immediately sped-walked over to where the truck would park and scowled at you as you slowly traipsed over.

"Okay, number ninety-six what are you for having?" You quipped looking up at the boy.

"Two scoops, chocolate orange and vanilla," he answered back after studying the array of flavours intently.

You only smiled at him before going up to the window, "a two scoop cone of chocolate orange and vanilla," you hummed, "and a rocket ice lolly for me."

"That'll be four dollars and fifty cents, doll," the woman in the truck said, handing Charlie both of the sweet treats while you reached for a five-dollar note then slid it over to her.

"Thank you!" You grinned, taking your ice lolly from Charlie.

"Since we never introduced ourselves directly to each other," you spoke before tasting your lolly. "I'm Y/N Orion, I'm sixteen and I grew up in Tampa."

Charlie gave you an odd look before reluctantly speaking, "I'm Charlie Conway, ex-captain of the Ducks and the USA team and I'm also sixteen. Oh and I'm from Minneapolis."

"Lovely to meet you, Charlie Conway!" You smiled towards him, a smile which he returned apprehensivley.

You grabbed his free hand and pulled him towards a free bench and sat down, indicating him to sit down next to you.

"So, Y/N what brings you to Eden Hall?" He asked.

"Well I don't go to school there but Ted just wondered if I could help him gain some information on the players." You explained, Charlie didn't seem to be fond of this answer.

"So you're only here right now with me for some sort of spy deal?" He accused, anger radiating off of him.

"No! Of course not, he just wanted to know how to get you guys working as a team!" You defended, hoping this answer would calm him down.

He scoffed, "well excuse me, we are a team, the ducks, it's just Orion is not a part of it!"

"Come on Charlie! He just wants whats best for you!" you pleaded.

He huffed again and silently got up and stormed away, you quickly followed him, "Charlie, he doesn't mean anything bad!"

•••

You trudged back into the Orion household, swiftly going to your room and slamming the door.

"Y/N you good?" Ted shouted over towards your room, there was a lengthy silence that followed which made him enter your room.

"Charlie hates me!"

[oboetemasuka]

Order of Attack (part 5)

You know the drill. Here first, AO3 after I do more proofreading.

Fuuta finally gets to speak. Well, I imagine it's very difficult and painful when he still has the partial thorax fracture on top of all of Mahiru's canon injuries. (I was not going to commute that to Amane. That's where I draw the line with her.)

In this chapter, all the forgiven prisoners (except Kotoko) visit him. I was going to get everyone, but this chapter got so long that I split it in half. Hooray, this fic just keeps growing.

Ooh, I'm such a bad girl. I wrote "hell". I know Fuuta doesn't really swear in the T2 voice drama, but- eh.

I guess the main thing of concern is that Fuuta repeatedly asks Shidou for an unsafe dose of painkillers in the beginning, which Shidou refuses. How do I tag that?

No Amane here. Sorry, that got pushed back in the chapter split.

----

"No, I cannot give you any more painkillers. You are already at the maximum dosage."

"I don’t give a-" Fuuta’s complaint died to a pinch in his lungs. He tried glaring at Shidou instead, but he felt his eyes incapable of showing any emotion past the pain.

"More painkillers will not help you any further. They would be very harmful, in fact."

"Like you care about…" As Fuuta tried to force the words out, Shidou looked back with a stone-cold face. "…my brain is f… …because you…" So many words tried to escape, only for his ribs to stab them all. "…left me bleeding… why… bother… saving…"

Through the whole strained spiel, Shidou stood there quietly. Once Fuuta had been silent for several seconds, Shidou spoke up.

"I'm sorry I sent Kazui out while I was tending to Amane. I-"

"That's not…"

Shidou paused. "Or is this because I kept it from you?"

"Mmhmm."

"Kajiyama-kun, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry I let you find out through Shiina-kun. I failed you, and I should have told you as such from the beginning."

Fuuta stared back. After several minutes, Shidou took a seat. Fuuta stared at the ceiling as the pain continued to bite.

"Hey," Fuuta whispered. "Get me more-"

"No."

-

Fuuta woke up to the creaking of the cell door. He turned his gaze to the side and saw the silhouette of Shidou resting in the chair in the corner.

The lights turned on, revealing Haruka and Muu's faces.

Haruka walked over to Fuuta's bedside. "H-hi… Fuuta-kun."

"What… are you…" Fuuta rasped.

"I-I was worried about you."

"You're not… Now that she…"

"Um, Muu-san-"

"You two… always together…"

Muu spoke up. "Are you angry at us, Fuuta-kun?"

"Like hell… I…" he managed to say strongly enough for Haruka to recoil.

"S-sorry, Fuuta-kun-"

"Haruka-kun, you don't need to apologize to him. He's just-"

"Some nerve… you two… coming here…"

"Let's go, Haruka-kun."

"But he-he's talking to us."

"…just had to go… who-knows-where… when I…"

"This visit isn't accomplishing anything. Fuuta-kun is just looking for someone to blame. It's not our fault we weren't in our cells during the attack."

Haruka turned his head back towards Fuuta as Muu led him to the door.

"I really am sorry, Fuuta-kun!"

Then Muu turned the lights off as they exited.

-

The next time Fuuta woke up, Kazui was sitting at his bedside.

"Kajiyama-kun."

"What do you… want… old man…"

"Shidou-san needed an extra set of eyes while he rests."

"Thought you were… with Amane…"

"Kashiki-chan and Shiina-chan are with her."

They sat in silence for several minutes before Fuuta spoke up again.

"Why did you… leave me to get…"

"To get Kashiki-chan and Shiina-chan? Shidou-kun said he needed more hands."

"You couldn't take five f… minutes to keep…"

"Yuzuriha-chan was out and about. We couldn't risk getting another patient."

"So I'm… disposable, huh?"

"No, that's not-"

"Get out. Leave me… again…"

"I'm afraid I can't do that while Shidou-kun is asleep."

"Make this pain… stop…"

"I really wish I could, but I can't."

-

"Hey, hey, Fuuta." Yuno hovered over him, and his eyes snapped open.

"Geez, you scared…"

"It's okay. Don't force it."

"Why would you…"

"I could tell you weren't asleep. I thought you could use some company while Shidou-san is resting."

"Like hell-"

"You know it's dangerous to leave a patient alone. I had a few words with Haruka and Muu when I found that they left while Shidou-san was asleep."

"What does that even-"

"Besides, some good conversation keeps the voices at bay. Though they've mostly subsided by now."

Fuuta was inclined to agree, only because the pain had gotten more intense.

"Why the h… you care?"

"Because nobody else takes the voices seriously. Not that I can say anything about the physical pain, but who am I to sit by when I know others are facing psychological torment?"

"Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"You… pretend to care…"

"You think this is all an act?"

"You weren't there when…"

"I told you, Mahiru-san came to me that day. I wasn't going to turn her down."

"…could've stayed in…"

"Look, I'm sorry I wasn't nearby when you were attacked, but I couldn't have known that Kotoko-san was going to attack you that day. Mahiru-san wanted the comfort of her own cell, and I had no reason to object. You can't blame me for things that were out of my control."

"Then don't pity me!" For once, Fuuta managed to make the tone he meant.

"Fuuta, the only one pitying you is yourself." Yuno got up as Fuuta stared back and Shidou began to stir. She looked to the side to see that Shidou was really awake.

"I'm done here," Yuno said, heading for the door.

The only one pitying myself? Fuuta thought. That isn't true.

[oyasumi-ashurii]

Okay, so it might be a little hard for me to cohesively put all my thoughts and feelings into why I care so much about Final Fantasy VIII, but because of the 25th anniversary and seeing a lot of you talk about your love of the game I'll try the best I can. So here's my embarrassingly and extremely long personal history with the game and why it will always be my favorite.

Before FF8 I was mostly a Nintendo kid. Mario and Zelda were all I really knew, and as a hyperactive as I was I didn't really have the patience for anything story-heavy that took a lot of reading. Though I did I get a PlayStation later on I hardly bothered with anything other than Spyro or Crash. Anything similar in graphics to FF7 or 8 was mostly foreign to me too, with maybe the closest being my cousin having the first Resident Evil and I was far too young and too scared to bother with anything like that. So you can imagine the complete and utter shock kid me had going to my uncle's and seeing him play FF8 for the first time. I don't think it had been out too long but he was already on disc 3 in Esthar and, bless his soul, he let me play his save for a while. Being able to fly around the map on the Ragnarok?? The realistic proportions and animations in battle?? The absolute BANGER of a soundtrack?! All of it had me excitedly begging my parents to buy me the game. Nine year old me didn't know roman numerals, though, just that it was called Final Fantasy with some weird lettering. I had no idea of Final Fantasy as a series and I didn't know it was the eighth game or that there were eight of them at all. I couldn't remember what the cover looked like either and my uncle not long after that was going through his own personal troubles so I wasn't able to visit or ask him. We didn't have internet at home until the early 2000s (it was AOL dial-up too, jesus, I don't miss that) and my parents were strict about internet use, so I was stuck. My dad did eventually buy me an FF game as a surprise when I was eleven, and lmao can you believe I was genuinely upset because it was Final Fantasy VII?! That being said, I have an INSANE amount of love and respect for 7. Considering how much easier I think the materia system is to understand for newcomers, having it as my first, full FF experience was a bit of a blessing lol. FF7 hit me in a different way than 8 did, and maybe I'll make a post about it sometime.

So other than the brief times on the internet (I was only allowed on for an hour or two before I was kicked off) and reading gaming magazines I had hardly any access or knowledge about FF8 until years later. I knew the characters briefly and read some small stuff here and there about the world, but that was it. Even so, I STILL loved it. I would draw them (I've drawn most of my life, and I still do occasionally as a fun hobby), write about what I thought they were like, so, so much of me embarrassingly obsessing over it and driving my small group of friends in school bonkers (oh lordy I just remembered my preteen username I had used on an FF forum and now I'm cringing.) You get it. So why did I cling to the game so much, even though I barely played it? Why did it mean so much to me? Because around the time I was twelve I was deeply depressed, and throughout my middle school and early high school life video games and their stories were the only joy and comfort I had. I'm not going to go into much detail because it feels too personal to write on tumblr about and I'd rather not think back too much. If you want the gist it was at a moment in time I was mostly on my own. I felt isolated and alone, and due to growing up in and around strict, conservative circles I struggled with feeling far behind my peers, so my personal and school life suffered. Things got better though and I'm happy in my life now, so that's really it.

As I got a little older I had played other FF's and RPGs in between that I also fell in love with (especially Kingdom Hearts) and funnily enough horror games, but I still didn't get my hands on 8 until I got it on my fifteenth birthday and I was over the moon. That night and many nights and weekends after that I played every single bit of that game. I had printed walkthroughs and a guide of the junction system, with overly-detailed notes I had scribbled down and highlighted. I had written down all the rules of triple triad, weapon upgrades, item refinements and what you get from monsters, side-quests, all of it. I had never went all in into a game before, but I did it because I wanted to experience the game that gave preteen me comfort everything it had to offer. And I remember vividly when I finished it I cried until I was almost out of breath.

But you know, I didn't get emotional because of the nostalgic school-like feel and inspired real-world setting, or the overall main plot with magic, sci-fi and sorceresses. It wasn't even the deeply interwoven love stories, the theme of fate or the gameplay either, though I grew to love all of those things dearly with time.

It was because I was a socially-awkward and lonely fifteen year old girl that watched an equally as awkward seventeen year old boy overcome his own deeply-rooted fears and trauma and come out at the end of it all on the path to healing.

And I knew I'd be okay, and ever since then this game has and will always be that reminder and comfort for me.

Thanks for reading.

[kevin--of-desert-bluffs]

Psssssst the into the mirror episode of WTNV sure would make a great paraody of TMA riiiiiiiight? /nf

Ok ok you've twisted my arm :) also remember I'm still not even on episode 30 of TMA so can only write in very early TMA style, it's not that I don't want to listen it's just execuative dysfunction kicking my ass about it for some stupid reason.

Anyway, here you go!

Statement of Cecil Gershwin Palmer, regarding an alleged supernatural experience with a mirror. Original statement given August 1st 2020. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement begins.

'I grew up in a lovely little desert town called Night Vale. As you can no doubt tell by my accent when I spoke to you it is far away from here in the good ol' USA. I can't really remember how I got here from there.

No matter. I want to tell you a story - a story about a mirror. I guess it's a story about me really but it involves a mirror.

When I was a child my mother told me that she was an oracle and that I should study a book she had so that I may one day understand the messages inside. There was a table with chipped corners and a mismatched wood stain on the tiny drawer at it's center. The drawer had a tarnished yet ornate brass knob. The book was inside of that drawer and I never opened it after she put it there.

The book frightened me. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was the handwriting that matched no known language. Or was it the drawings of serpents with human faces but innumerable teeth? It gave me a feeling of disorientation - seeing these faces contorted into a scream yet their eyes expressing nothing. Maybe it was the inscrutability which scared me.

I promise that all of this is connected though even I'm not sure how. My mother said a lot of things to me which didn't make much sense. I remember once that she asked me why I was crying when I wasn't real. I don't think my mother was very well.

By far the most frequent warning she would give me was about mirrors. She warned me that one day I would die and it would involve a mirror. This statement was made all the more confusing given the large ornate mirror in the downstairs hall which faced that table. If they were so dangerous - why did we own any? I always ran past that mirror to get out.

My mother died years ago. A few months ago my sister and I finally got around to sorting through all of her old belongings instead of leaving them to rot in a storage facility.

I did not get the table, but I did get the mirror. I felt that perhaps it was time to get over my fear of mirrors. So I looked into it.

It was just a mirror of course and at first there was nothing unusual about it - nothing more than one expects when looking into a mirror. A reflection of the self staring back. No more frightening than your own interpretation of the gradual changes of your own body only observable through that reflected world.

I hung it up in much the same place as it had stood in my childhood home. Every so often I would glance at myself to check that I looked presentable before heading out for the day. What else is a mirror for? I'd had a lifelong fear of mirrors due to my mothers frequent insistence that they were dangerous. It felt good to finally get over that fear and with a mirror that I had specifically feared as a child.

There was nothing wrong with the mirror. Nothing unusual. Never had been. There was no strange noise coming from it at night, no portal to the 3rd dimension, nothing.

Until yesterday...yesterday I saw something in that mirror. Something that shouldn't have been. I was getting ready to leave the house when I looked into the mirror as I had been doing - it was becoming something of a habit in fact - when I was compelled to stop and continue staring into the mirror.

I don't know why but I couldn't draw myself away from it. I looked at myself so long that I lost my ability to understand what I looked like. I want you to understand that when I said I couldn't move away I meant it. Nothing was physically stopping me and yet there I was, frozen in front of the mirror.

Perhaps it was psychosomatic. Perhaps I was a slave to my own mind. My thoughts raced, circling around themselves like snakes, confused and sometimes unrelated to my sudden paralysis.

I started to wonder whether I was looking at myself at all or perhaps it was someone else. How many hairs did I have? How many did I have yesterday? Are they the same colour, the same length? Are they the same hairs I had as a child? Thoughts like that.

I thought - should I be high if I’m going to ask myself these questions? Can you get high by behaving high? Are you a good person because you do good things? Does a qualitative assessment mandate empirical evidence to support its truth? If I point at something and declare it good, will I be crossexamined? And if so, am I to be held in contempt for refusing to answer?

I have no idea how long I was standing there thinking like that.

Then I saw something truly frightening. First it was just a pair of eyes and the curve of a head - human shaped but about a third of the size. I stared into those tiny eyes and watched as it reached it's long spindly fingers up to touch my shoulders and I understood that whatever it was - it was climbing on my back.

I screamed and looked away from the mirror, still rooted to the spot but able to look away at least. I wanted to touch my shoulder to see whether those fingers were really there. I couldn't feel them but maybe they were there all the same but I couldn't bring myself to check. It was like when you're at an ATM and it asks you if you want to check your balance before you withdraw money. You don't want to look because you don't want to know how little is actually in there, despite the fact that not looking won't change reality.

I stood there and thought about those long fingers, that small head, that little face with it's inexpressive eyes and flat lipless mouth...it felt familiar. Was it something from childhood? Or maybe it was from a dream I had?

I was starting to forget what it had looked like exactly so forced myself to look again. It was still there. I couldn't tell if it was friend or foe. There was a flickering behind the figure. I couldn't tell if it was sunlight oscillating behind moving clouds or if the figure itself was causing the effect.

The creature was climbing up my back. It had talons and wore black rings. It had a mouth full of too many teeth and a long tongue. A cry was leaking out of it's mouth, a horrible high-pitched mewling like it was imitating a child crying. What unholy monster cries like a child?

I managed to look beyond the creature and there I saw the table. Just as it had been in my childhood. I remembered every detail perfectly and I also remembered that I did not have the table in my house. Whose house was this mirror reflecting? Who and where and when?

I looked behind me and the mirror was not in my house. It was only in the mirror, holding it's dreadful secret within that drawer.

I returned my gaze to my own reflection. It had changed. It was me, but it was not me now. It was myself as I had been many years younger. It's movements did not match my own. The creature...the creature was sinking it's teeth into the neck of my younger self. Rivulets of blood ran down my neck and shoulder.

I remember willing myself to break the mirror. To break it into many pieces. I wanted to move but I couldn't. Yet...I heard the sound of glass shattering. I closed my eyes just for a moment and when I opened them there were glass shards all over the floor. Large shards that could only have come from a mirror. Yet...the mirror. The mirror was completely intact.

Inside the mirror I could still see my younger self, now curled upon the floor, mouth agape in horror and eyes glassy. I could move again and I'm almost ashamed to say that all I could think to do was to put the entire experience behind me. I got a blanket and put it over the mirror and then I swept the shards of mirror away.

And there by the door was the small antique table with the chipped corners and the small drawer. I had not taken it home. I was sure of that. But there it was. If I'm honest - I was afraid to touch it. I'm afraid of the table and the mirror even now.

I asked my sister, Abby, about the table. She confirmed that she thought the table was still in storage and agreed to take it off my hands, as well as the mirror. When she asked me about the blanket covering it I asked if there had ever been an incident when I was young - one involving a mirror. She said that she had come downstairs once to find me passed out and cold on the ground with a wound in my neck possibly from all the broken glass around. Broken glass she'd thought was from the mirror at first except the mirror was completely fine. I'd been fine too, after a trip to the hospital - she said and asked me why I wanted to know. I didn't have a good answer and hurried her away with the dreadful mirror and table.

She hasn't reported anything unusual about the mirror and says the drawer is firmly shut - possibly even fake.

I have a small hand mirror I use. I went upstairs after she left and used it to check my neck. There upon it was a ring of scars that had not been there the week before - I swear on this. In fact, I can prove it with this picture of me on vacation with my husband, Carlos. My neck is clearly visible up close and yet there is no scar. Now the scar is here, as you have seen and is visible in the second photo. A small ring, exactly like a bite mark.'

Statement ends.

By far the most interesting factor of Mr Palmer's statement is his claim to be from the town of Night Vale, located somewhere in the USA. This town has been mentioned in a not insignificant number of other statements given by residents from there despite how far from us it is. The second most interesting fact is the book which matches a volume by Jurgen Leitner that the Institute has not yet been able to get ahold of. Unfortunately, since we are unable to locate Night Vale there is no chance of locating the book even if we could afford a trip to the States.

As for the statement itself...it sounds to me like a man who has had a significant traumatic event at some point in his life and a memory or half a memory relating to this event was triggered possibly during an episode of psychosis. Even he admitted that his mother had mental health issues and it's possible that Mr Palmer also did.

It has proven absolutely impossible to track down Mr Palmer despite the relative recentness of his statement and it's possible that he has returned as he stated to his home town which nobody seems able to locate on any map. The pictures that were previously attached are nowhere to be found. Nonetheless, an eye shall be kept on this account and all those which mention Night Vale. Archiving them together might provide us greater insight into the believability of any statements coming from residents of the town, as well as into the town itself

Recording ends.