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davids-cartoon-corkboard · 4 years ago

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I have said a Lot about the “Raph is a system” theory over the past several months, so this is something of a compilation post. It’s got some new stuff, it’s got some old stuff. (You’re reading Part 1) (Part 2 is here) (Part 3 is here)

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Firstly, “system” is the term for someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. (The term can also apply to some folks with OSDD.) Someone might develop DID after experiencing long-term trauma at an early age- roughly five or six years old. To paraphrase the DSM-V:

1. We’ve seen three (possibly four) distinct personality states who speak, act, and perceive others differently.

2. The personality states, or “alters”, don’t necessarily share memory, and Donnie insinuated in “The Clothes Don’t Make the Turtle” that Raph has a bad memory in general.

3. Problems arise when alters don’t get along or aren’t on the same page. That none of them seem to be quite aware they’re a system doesn’t help either; it’s hard to work on communication and cooperation when you don’t know they need to be worked on!

4. This whole situation isn’t a normal part of a broadly accepted cultural or religious practice, or just Raph playing make-believe. (Though I wonder if he had “imaginary friends” when he was younger...)

5. It’s also not because Raph’s been smoking the devil’s lettuce or whatever. “Pizza Puffs” was one long weed joke and he was the only one “sober” (not poisoned) throughout! We don’t see this happen to other mutants, so it’s not a bizarre side effect of mutagen either.

(I’ve seen a few people joke that Mikey has “multiple personalities”, but that’s a tad yikesy and also just plain incorrect. His “doctor” personas are something he does deliberately, and youngest siblings are just Like That.)

So yeah, Raph is pretty heavily DID-coded. We’ve seen four alters so far:

“Host” Raph (HR): He’s our everyday Raph. A “host” is an alter who fronts most of the time and takes care of “business as usual” situations. They are often unaware of past traumatic events, such that they can appear “normal”. (Ex: the host of a child who lives with an abusive parent could be unaware of the abuse. Otherwise, they might cry or be uncooperative whenever the parent is near, further invoking their wrath. This unawareness allows them to be a “good child”, and stay under the parent’s radar sometimes.) Some systems have more than one host, but that the others have shown up so rarely in this story suggests HR is the only host (for now?).

Savage Raph (SR): Debuting in “Man vs. Sewer”, he’s a survival-oriented alter. HR probably could have defeated the Sando Brothers on his own under normal circumstances, but being in the middle of a breakdown doesn’t do much for your fighting skills. SR got pulled to the front to deal with them instead.

“Red” Raph (RR): “Red” is just a placeholder since we don’t actually know his name yet (or even if he has one, not all alters do), though I’ve also heard folks call him “Angel”. He’s got a “tough love” approach to problem-solving, which was probably a helpful thing in the past. LDM were no doubt rowdy children! We were (officially) introduced to him in “Pizza Puffs”.

Mind Raph (MR): MR could just be a manifestation of HR's thought process via Cartoon Goofery, but that possibility doesn’t give me anything to work with so I’m ignoring it. He’s pretty similar to HR, maybe a tad more upbeat. We (officially) met him in “Raph’s Ride-Along”.

When “Pizza Puffs” first aired, I was like “ah yes, this is the alter who has the cranky edgelord tendencies we’ve seen in previous iterations of Raph. He probably broods on rooftops in the rain when he’s in a bad mood.” Combining that with the whole “Red Angel” thing gives off some Batman vibes. And, of course, SR is similar to the Hulk. Those two heroes are pretty different, but they do have one major thing in common...

A sudden, violent loss. Given how prevalent rushing water is throughout “Man vs. Sewer”, I’m thinking a flood came through and separated Raph from his family. (You could probably argue that turbulent water symbolizes a turbulent subconscious? 🤷) Again, DID stems from long-term trauma, so Raph must have been gone for... a while. A couple of months, maybe more? It’s hard to say exactly; we have a little wiggle room when applying human developmental psychology to a human/turtle mutant. Since Splinter still needed to care for the other three, he wouldn’t have been able to devote much time to searching for Raph, and the New York City sewers go on for miles and miles. The longer Raph was alone, the more convinced he would have been that the others had drowned and he was the only survivor.

How old would he have been? I know the turtles are “different ages”, but they were all mutated at the same time so I’m pretty sure Splinter was just like “the littlest one is the youngest, the biggest one is the oldest, and the medium-sized ones are the middle children.” They’re all probably fourteenish by “Finale”. Back in “MvS”, Leo said, “You know how savage Raph gets when he’s alone”. He didn’t say anything like, “You know how savage Raph gets when he’s alone ever since such-and-such an incident happened”. This suggests that LDM straight-up don’t know something traumatic happened to Raph; they were too little to retain concrete memories of that time. In their minds, Raph has always been like this. Draxum isn’t known for his patience, so even though he wasn’t able to immerse the hatchlings in mutagen for long, they probably mature a bit faster than humans. And since humans usually can’t remember anything from before four years of age, three sounds about right for the turtles, though they would have been stronger and steadier on their feet than any human toddler. I doubt Raph would have survived otherwise.

I think he’s sort of... “stuck” back in that trauma. Catching food, building a fire, making a weapon, and getting camouflage aren’t the behaviors of someone who’s only been gone for a few minutes.

When SR called for help, I don’t think he was expecting anyone to answer.

But Raph did manage to hang onto something as he was swept away! It wasn’t much, but that little ragdoll gave him comfort while he was scared and alone.

(The rabbit design on Bruce’s pajamas is probably a coincidence, but...)

Raph seems the type to have sympathy for odd-looking toys. His knockoff Mrs. Cuddles plushie was the emotional crutch he needed back then.

And then he was separated from that as well. Lowkey associating Mrs. Cuddles with this traumatic event would explain why HR was so scared of her. That he doesn’t remember the trauma means he has no context for this fear, making it seem silly and baseless to him (and to the rest of his family), which is why he denied being scared at all in the first part of the “Mrs. Cuddles” episode. It would also explain why he collects teddy bears instead these days, they are a “safe” toy. (The moral of the story is to not make fun of triggers that seem silly.)

(I wonder what would happen if Mrs. Cuddles encountered Savage Raph? Perhaps he’d be quite sympathetic towards such a lonely little raggedy thing! Timestuck as he is, he probably wouldn’t question why a stuffed animal can talk... and it wouldn't be hard for her to persuade her “new bestest fwiend” to get rid of some “mean ol’ nasty sewew monstews” for her.)

That whole “sewer monsters” thing suggests Raph ran into... something while he was wandering alone. Y’all have heard those rumors about alligators living in the New York City sewers, right? Encountering Leatherhead could trigger a flashback.

It would be pretty easy to introduce Leatherhead into the narrative. One of the episodes the Rise crew had planned was titled “The Island of Dr. Noe”, and alligators have very impressive teeth. The Mirage comics had a story where Leatherhead and several cryptids were brought to an island to be hunted for sport.

Noe seems to have quite a few cronies/friends/rivals he could entertain this way. Since he’s got that obsession with Raph, Noe captures him as well, knocking him out with those darts so he can’t waste his energy trying to escape too soon. (Let’s just assume everyone’s powers are glitchy because they all hit another wave of puberty, meaning they can’t just curbstomp the lower-level villains lol.)

HR wakes up on the island and, of course, starts to panic because he’s lost and alone. While wandering, he runs into Leatherhead, which would trigger a flashback to getting attacked by that alligator all those years ago. But Leatherhead doesn’t want to fight! He’s just as scared and confused as HR is, and could really use a partner to help him survive this island.

HR and SR come into conflict because Leatherhead is/isn’t/is/isn’t/is/isn’t a threat. HR eventually wins out, reasoning that even if Leatherhead is that alligator, it wouldn’t be fair to judge him for what he did back when he was an animal.

But time and dissociation can make memories unclear. That our first look at Leatherhead was in Draxum’s “bluh bluh I’m gonna mutate all the humans” bit in “Bug Busters” means he’s a human-base mutant. He wasn’t the alligator back then, but the hunter tracking it. Leatherhead isn’t one of Noe’s targets, he is one of Noe’s guests! And he wants no one to interfere with his quarry, so he’ll play nice long enough for him and the snapper to take out the rest of the hunters and the freaks. Then the two of them will have the island all to themselves...

Years and years ago, Jack Marlin was a big game hunter prowling the New York City sewers in search of an alligator. He did manage to find and kill one, only to realize it had also been hunting! He had inadvertently saved the strangest little turtle creature.

Marlin had become too skilled at this point, the hunt held no challenge for him. This turtle sounded very young, and he was quite big and strong already. An adult could be tough and intelligent enough to entertain him. Marlin tried to get Raph to lead him back to “the others”. But Raph had been lost for some time, and as far as he knew, his family was dead. Hearing that put Marlin in quite the sour mood. A little mutant snapper is a better catch than none at all, so Marlin tried to haul Raph off. Raph fought back and bit off Marlin’s hand. He escaped, but lost his rabbit in the scuffle. Marlin retreated as well, taking some time to recover, scheme, and hunt other game. (And to pocket that rabbit. The blood loss had made him woozy, and he wanted to have some kind of proof he hadn’t just hallucinated the snapper.) Perhaps he turned that alligator’s hide into a vest, which provided the genetic material for his mutation when he eventually got bit by an oozesquito. Like his Mirage counterpart, Marlin didn’t take losing a limb as a sign he should retire, and instead got a tricked-out prosthetic. Who knows what he could do with it in such a mystic setting as Rise.

Raph eventually reunited with his family, but those distrustful, high-strung survivalist traits he had picked up weren’t helpful anymore. He once again had to be the good and patient big brother who didn’t bite when someone play-tackled him or shook him awake at three in the morning because they’d had a nightmare. Those two states gradually got partitioned off more and more, and now they know little, if anything, about each other.

So Leatherhead and HR are chasing away some mothmen or whatever, and things are going pretty well... until one of them knocks Leatherhead over and a familiar ragdoll rabbit falls out of his pocket. SR realizes that Leatherhead is Marlin and switches in to fight him off again. They’re evenly matched, or perhaps SR is even in danger of losing, when LDM arrive to provide support. Leatherhead is enough of a tactician to know that he should retreat. Donnie and Mikey pursue him while Leo stays behind, placing the rabbit in his stunned brother’s hands. “Remember when Pops made this for you? You were always really gentle with it, ‘cause he wasn’t good at sewing back then...”

(This thing really needs patching up, he’s got sewing stuff for whenever he needs to fix his bears/Blue isn’t a threat on his own/Wasn’t he just back at the lair?/Blue gave back the rabbit/Why does he feel like he got hit by a train?/Blue doesn’t want to fight?/ ...Leo?) And that’s enough for HR to switch back in. He’s probably missing memory from his whole time on the island, so while Leo does his best to tell him what happened, they don’t have enough puzzle pieces between them to truly figure out what's going on.

They defeat the bad guys, release the cryptids, save the day, etc. (Leatherhead managed to lose Donnie and Mikey in the woods. A battle for another day.) Once they return to the lair, HR gets help from Draxum to modify the memory spell from “E-Turtle Sunshine” so he can try to fill in the gaps. Surely he wouldn’t get rejected by his own subconscious... right?

Cue part three in the saga of Raph Punches Himself In The Face. SR isn’t happy that HR is essentially trying to poke at an improperly-healed wound, and attempts to chase him off. HR assumes that SR is just a psychic white blood cell like the Lou Jitsu constructs in Splinter’s mind, and retaliates.

But, of course, fighting is not the answer here. All that accomplishes is giving the body bruises. Eventually HR realizes “stay away” and “back off” are a little different than “get out”, and that SR is just scared. So HR tries another tactic. Over the following days and weeks, he tunes in to calmer memories and just sort of... talks. About what happened yesterday, about his teddy bear collection, about how he finally managed to get a good picture of that pizza pigeon. It takes a while to establish a connection, and even then, it’s spotty at best. Using the spell too much can cause headaches and nightmares. There are days when SR is nearby, and days when he’s not there at all. But he shows up when he can.

And then there’s awkward, stilted conversation and questions neither of them know how to answer and questions neither of them want to answer and more scrapes and bruises and strained silences and apologies, but they finally, finally reach a compromise. SR still doesn’t let HR near those memories, but he tells HR what happened as best he can. (The audience would see those memories, with SR as a voiceover.) Afterwards, HR still visits the mindscape that’s starting to become more solid. They talk some more, they watch light and shadow flow around them, they listen to half-forgotten lullabies on scratchy old cassette tapes. Eventually, HR doesn’t even need to use the memory spell, meditation is enough.

They’ll never get along all the time. But it’s a start.

(SR is going to be so clingy when it finally clicks for him when he finally lets himself believe that his family is alive.)

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This took eight million years lmao. Parts 2 and 3 will come out eventually, they’ll focus more on MR and RR. Let me know if I need to tag this stuff as anything.

The usual disclaimer applies, I am not a system or a mental health professional so if you’re one or both of those things then feel free to give me some of that good good constructive criticism.

#you called for help... but nobody came.#rottmnt #rottmnt theory #the 'raph is a system' theory #rottmnt raph #savage raph #mrs. cuddles #leatherhead #jack marlin #plot bunnies free to a good home lmao #long post

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filmhistorymptv1145 · 4 years ago

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Examine the ways in which films deal with social, political, cultural, and economic issues, both in direct and indirect ways. What is the political impact of cinema on audiences around the world and how do we see it? Should filmmakers directly engage with these kinds of issues or do so subtly? Discuss any of the films we have watched so far from this perspective, and draw upon other examples if necessary.

Social commentary exists in many forms. We read it in books and hear it in music of every genre. It does not discriminate, covering every issue from politics to economics. As film grew into its own medium, it became a new platform for artists to utilize in portraying their visions of the world. Whether they be whimsical and over the top, or down to earth and stunningly realistic, movies grew to become one of the largest entertainment industries. Directors and screenwriters, whether inspired by or displeased with their surroundings, came to use film as a method of sharing their thoughts and emotions. Be it through direct or indirect means, they would criticize politicians and governments to historic and current world events. Certain countries were more limited than others in controlling the content of films, pushing creators to become even more crafty and thoughtful when conveying their opinions on screen.

With the Motion Picture Production Code in full effect in the US, film makers who wanted to touch upon political issues in American society had to do so in a very subtle way. Take Force of Evil, for instance. On the outside, it reads like a classic gangster movie that was commonly seen in the 1940’s. However, it is deeply critical of the money and power-hungry American underbelly of society, digging into the Capitalism that has overtaken the country even in these earlier years. Irony is found in the two main characters, a pair of brothers. Joe is a lawyer who runs dirty deals with gang members, using his education and career to further their unsavory deeds. His brother Leo believes that his own line of work is earnest and respectable, when in reality it is not. Leo runs a ‘bank’ for the small number rackets that exist in New York City, mainly centered around bets that are placed on horse races. Leo strongly feels that he is not as morally corrupted as his brother, despite being in charge of an illegal business.

The mise-an-scene of the film is what really drives home the underlying critique of money and its corrupting force. Joe takes Leo’s former secretary Doris for a walk on Wall Street, taking her through a church cemetery. The church building is completely dwarfed by the towering buildings of Wall Street’s capitalist businesses. The implied message here is that money is the new God, that the hold it has over people is nearly as strong as religion.

For Polonsky, who was put on the blacklist by HUACC for his leftist ideals, this message is as true to him as it gets. In Polonsky’s eyes, people no longer feared God as much as they did losing money in capitalist America. Considering what the entire world had just lost three years prior in World War Two, it is almost insulting to showcase people like Joe and his associates on screen. Money grubbing is not what America wanted its people to think they had fought and died for, just the opposite. Justice and morality is what America wants people to think it stands for, not capitalism and the desire to supersede the people in their lives. Force of Evil is astoundingly subtle and simultaneously gritty, holding true to the film noir standard of the times.

At the end of the film, when Leo is killed by Joe’s nefarious associates, Joe goes to retrieve his brother’s body. Stairwells are used as a metaphor for an internal moral struggle. In a voiceover, Joe laments ‘I just kept going down and down. It felt like I was going to the bottom of the world.’ The decrepit area beneath the bridge is the exact opposite of the organized, shining city above. Finding his brother’s body is Joe’s moral rock bottom, both literally and metaphorically. It is a slap in the face for Joe, stripping away all of the justifications he has held for his less than moral behavior and actions.

Polonsky cuts to Doris as Joe says, ‘He is dead,’ juxtaposing the image of a living woman with the realization that his brother Leo is gone. It is jarring, but it also suggests a dual motivation rising within Joe. Inspired by Doris’ love and Leo’s death, Joe turns to make his way back up the enormous staircase. This finale leaves the viewers with some hope that Joe can possibly redeem himself after his selfish actions, but will it be as quickly as he ran down the stairs towards his brother’s corpse?

One wouldn’t think that in 1950’s America, a bold film would tackle such a hot social issue: equal rights for African Americans. Especially with the Motion Picture Production Code still in full effect. Typically, when reflecting on movies from that decade, our minds are filled with images of romantic melodramas, as well as musicals and other bright, cheery content. The Defiant Ones not only tackled the issue of racism in America, but it also set the standard for the ‘buddy’ films that are commonplace today. Two escaped convicts are chained together at the wrist, one white and one African American. The film goes back and forth between Johnny and Cullen’s escapades whilst on the run, and the officers who have been assigned to track them down and take them back to prison. The tone of the film is established in the first few minutes, when one of the officers refers to Cullen as the n-word. Later on in the movie, when Johnny and Cullen are apprehended by a group of townspeople after attempting to rob their general store, they start stringing up two nooses. Johnny is mortified, looking around at the townsfolk with terror in his eyes. ‘You can’t lynch me, I’m a white man!’ he pleads. The message is clear: lynching is something white people do to black people.

Not only does the movie look at the harsh reality of life for African Americans at the time, but the relationship that develops between Johnny and Cullen is in itself socially and politically charged. Over the course of the movie, the two convicts go from being at odds with one another to developing a close friendship. Not even Johnny’s mistake to trust the woman they holed up with can break their bond. Johnny leaves the woman behind to rescue Cullen from the dangerous swamps. At the film’s end, Cullen is cradling Johnny, who is wounded from a gunshot to the chest. They are collapsed on the grass together, sharing a cigarette while Cullen sings and the police detective approaches to apprehend them.

Not only has Johnny moved past his racist ideals, but one could also say that their positioning at the end of the film is borderline sexual. The way Cullen holds Johnny is almost as if it is in a lover’s embrace. Cullen’s portrayal in the film is especially bold, since he was portrayed to be well-spoken, intelligent and overall good. A far cry from films like Birth of a Nation where African Americans are put in the most negative light possible, portrayed as thieves and rapists while the Ku Klux Klan members are seen as heroic and noble. The Defiant Ones, supported by Sidney Poitier’s phenomenal acting, gave rise to a much more positive role for African American actors to portray on screen. Though the ‘righteous Black man’ did end up becoming a trope in Hollywood for many years, it was still a positive step in the right direction for civil rights.

Outside of the US, films were not constricted by strict standards of morality and content. They were much freer to openly criticize the societal norms and political atmospheres that were in place at the time of their creation. Hiroshima Mon Amour is a French made film that touches on the devastation of the nuclear bomb drops in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the movie itself seems to be mainly centered around a couple who cannot be together due to extenuating circumstances and their own inner demons, it is also direct commentary on how Japan remembered the bombings, and how different it is from the perspective of the rest of the world.

The first ten minutes of the film are composed of an almost poetry-like sequence of shots of Hiroshima before and after the bombs paired together with the two main character’s voice overs. The characters, a French woman, and a Japanese man, are in bed together in a loving embrace. The opening shot features ash falling onto their naked bodies, which we can infer mimics the death ash that fell onto Hiroshima after the atomic bomb’s detonation. This frame cross fades into nearly the same image of the naked couple, but the ash is gone from their bedroom.

The woman is stating that she knows all about what happened in Hiroshima, from having seen the newsreels that aired after the bombs had been dropped. The man argues that she has no idea what really happened. She states that in the newsreels she viewed, bugs were already crawling up through the debris and dirt on the second day and that flowers were growing all over Hiroshima just a few days after the bomb had been dropped. This voiceover is paired with the footage of a young boy being treated for burns and lesions on his skin, the exact opposite of new life springing forth from the ashes. The obvious pain that the boy is enduring is starkly contrasted to how the French woman describes all the different kinds of flowers that began blooming after the bombs had been dropped.

The Hiroshima that exists in the French woman’s mind is completely different from the Japanese man’s. This speaks to the overall theme of the movie, that collective and individual memories, as well as one’s identity can be corrupted. That the human brain is not a perfect organ and at times, it can even be our worst enemy. The French woman protests that she has seen Hiroshima. She had been to its museums, she knew how it had been over ten-thousand degrees in Peace Square at the time of detonation, and she had seen the films that had been made about the devastation. Her partner states over and over during this intro sequence that, ‘You saw nothing in Hiroshima. Nothing.’ Her experience of the disaster when compared to his is hollow, a clever way of illustrating how two people can think of the same event so differently.

Even if the trend of filmmaking has changed, shifting from film noir and melodrama to the blockbuster and action movies, social commentary still persists throughout the media. As the world around us changes and moves forward (be it for better or worse), so does the real-life content that directors and screenwriters are inspired by. Seeing politically and socially charged movies, whether they are extremely subtle or right up in your face, helps us both cope with world events and immortalize what occurred. As if to say, ‘We were here. We saw what took place. This is how we remember it.’

#abraham polonsky #force of evil #the defiant ones #hiroshima mon amour

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kdotan · 5 years ago

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My Jason Grace Headcanons (part 1)

He can seem really cold and unnerving when you first meet him. I mean, he’s the son of Jupiter, Champion of Juno. He slayed the Trojan Sea Monster and defeated Krios by himself, and rose the ranks to Praetor. But, when you actually get to know him, he’s a enormous dork.

He’s actually a pretty powerful demigod, but doesn’t like to show it a lot for fear of intimidation. He has control of air pressure and can sort of sense the air patterns if that makes sense?? And he can create tornados!! Also it’s a major hc of mine that he can talk to birds and that birds (especially eagles) flock to him.

This bitch has terrible self-care. He’s always busy helping other people and planning temples that he just forgets to eat sometimes?? And also sleep too. The reason why he gets knocked out so easily is because he’s always tired as shit. Reyna has to drag him to bed and position of her dogs there so he doesn’t try to get up again.

SPEAKING OF REYNA, you cannot tell me these two are besties!! I mean rick like set their friendship up at the end of TLH and then forgot about it? They dated for little while when they were younger (not really serious) but then decided they’d be better off as friends. Jason definitely cried when they reunited. Just gimme platonic Jeyna pls.

He doesn’t like to cry that often? He has that Gifted Kid(tm) thing where he thinks his trauma isn’t that bad bc other people have had it worse. He doesn’t like to let out his emotions in a healthy way and bottles everything up until he becomes unresponsive.

When he gets into battle mode, he’s absolutely feral. I’m talking about sparks flying, rain falling, wind blowing in your face. It’s probably the being-raised-by-wolves thing.

He has like 0 self-esteem. His confidence really struggled with being held up as the son of Jupiter and trying to live up to those expectations. Also, he’s low-key suicidal, and thinks of himself as expendable.

His favorite type of weather is probably thunderstorms. Piper has found him just laying in the middle of one multiple times. It just fills him with calm.

His favorite place to visit in new Rome is the book store, run by a legacy of Providentia. He used to make trips there all the time with Dakota and Reyna to get information on mythology and just rant about special interests.

Speaking of which, his special interests are codes (and args in general), Roman history, and physics.

Juno and him have a... complicated relationship. He’s obviously a bit annoyed with her for stealing his memories, but she’s still his Patron and he respects her. Sometimes she pops in and checks if he’s eating or not.

((Also, he gets a bit high-key annoyed by Annabeth, who refuses to give Juno/Hera respect. He gets it, but still, she’s a goddess, one who is a bit temperate, but still has redeeming qualities))

At CHB, he spends a lot of his time either at Bunker Nine with Leo, or in the Zeus Cabin.

He’s actually a good artist somehow?? Like he sucks at drawing people but tell him to draw a bird or like, a tree, and boom. Bitch will give you a realistic drawing in 10 minutes flat.

He also draws really complex maps of CHB and new Rome. Annabeth flips her shit when she sees them.

He’s biromantic asexual. It’s funny because Reyna’s the same so they joke a lot about that.

He literally trips over his own feet. We Stan one clumsy bitch.

He looks messy, but in a cute/handsome kinda way. His hair is always ruffled by the winds, and his eyes are a bright sky blue. He has very subtle freckles that rest on his nose and around his cheeks.

His expression is mostly very serious. Pensive and soft, his smile’s always a little melancholy. He carries an air of sadness around him.

Around when he was 12/nearing 13, he found out who his mother was. She had just recently died in a car crash, he was very silent that week.

Surprising to no one, he’s a dog person. He always tries to get the wild wolves to come talk to him and gets super sad when Reyna’s dogs ignore him.

He has ADHD, Dyslexia, C-PTSD, GAD, and clinical depression.

He’s very hard on himself. Criticises himself to no end for simple mistakes and constantly apologizes.

He’s very touch-adverse. He only allows close friends from the fifth cohort, Reyna, Leo, and Piper touch him without explicit permission.

#jason grace #heroes of olympus #hoo #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #piper mclean #annabeth chase #leo valdez #hazel levesque #frank zhang #headcanons #pjo headcanon #my bb boy deserves some love

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narkito · 5 years ago

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Mcdanno, #39. Long distance relationship??

Thank you for giving me a prompt!! :D

This story takes place in the “Chosen” universe, but you needn’t have read that to understand this little piece. Hope that’s okay

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Steve scrambles for the phone, jumping over the coffee table and almost landing on one of Charlie’s Lego structures.

“Yes, hello,” he pants into the receiver, as he plops down into the couch, his leg already sore from the exertion. “Hello?”

The line crackles, followed by, “hey, babe.”

Steve sits up, never minding his cramping leg. “Danno! How are you?”

“Better now that I’ve got a hold of you.”

“Awww, you really think that sounds romantic, don’t you? I pity your game.”

“Oi, I have ten minutes to use the phone, you sure you want to use it up insulting me?”

“Maybe?”

“Yeah, kinky, but, how about not.” Steve pouts in response, and Danny continues, “tell me, how are you? How are things? The leg? The kids? My parents? Did Nahele find his lucky socks, did we bring them from Hawaii? How about—

Steve blinks, adjusting to the change of pace. This is not how he envisioned a long-distance relationship with Danny.

“Okay, hold your horses there, more conversation, less interrogation, okay? The kids are fine, or as fine as they can be, your parents are lovely as usual, and absolutely delighted to have the kids around.”

Danny snorts (and it does not sound pretty over the phone).

“You’ve been dumping them with my Ma every week, huh?”

Steve takes a beat before answering, “dumping sounds harsh, it’s more like…”

“Sorry, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the kids on a semi-regular basis.”

“Yeah,” he nods to himself, “much more dignified, that works.”

Danny snorts again. Steve can almost see him shaking his head.

“But in all seriousness, Steve, how’s the leg?”

“It’s fine, Danno, much better than last time we saw each other. I’ve been doing PT and everything.” Steve strokes his thigh as he talks, remembering how it used to be less than a year ago. “Today I walked all the way from the kids’ school to your parents’ house.” Steve wiggles his eyebrows satisfied with his accomplishment.

“Oh, wow, that’s actually a lot more than I expected,” Danny says, a huge smile in his voice. “Congrats for you.”

“Thank you.” Steve answers, satisfied smile of his own dangling from his lips. “So, uhm, how’s your thing going, you adjusting to training well?”

“Uuuuh, yeah, people are, you know, a bunch of average joes for the most part, and a good part of them wash out in the first week, so I’m holding my ground, comparatively I’m okay.”

Oh, that’s code speak for I hate it, Steven, I hate it so much.

“Does that mean you’re objectively a klutz and your drill sergeant hates you?”

“Ha-ha, very funny. Naah, I’m fine, I’m five-oh, we know how to keep it cool and interesting, you know?”

“Riiiight, you bored out of your mind yet?”

“Maybe.” Steve can sense the way Danny shrugs only one shoulder and finds it endearing.

Next to the telephone, there’s a whole wall of salvaged pictures in mismatched frames. There’s a handful of people there he’ll never get to see again, whose voice he’ll never hear again. Some of them were gone way before They came, but some other, he just couldn’t save.

There’s a shift all around him, reality sets in, the strangeness of it. Danny deployed, Steve pining for his boyfriend, unable to help, still convalescent from his various wounds.

“Did they test you already?” Steve blurts out, unable to rein it all in, profoundly aware of how these things go, it is after all what he does as a “hobby” since Danny went; get as much information as he can on the situation. He couldn’t pretend the test wasn’t happening at some point, all people who present the gene and are clearly not wash-outs, are tested. Danny was bound to get tested as soon as the alliance could get their hands on him. His background as a LEO is a huge asset that can’t go ignored.

There’s a small fraction of a second where the line goes silent, and then it connects again.

“Yeah, yeah, no, sure, I mean, yeah. I got tested. A bunch of us did.”

Steve frowns, that’s Danny deflection 101.

“How was it?”

One more time, the line goes silent for less than a second.

“Hmm, uhmm, babe, look, I’m pretty sure this call’s been monitored and as you know we can’t really discuss… the process: it’s classified.”

Steve huffs. He hates that ultimately, he can’t truly know, because he’s not there.

“Sucks been told that, huh?” Steve rolls his eyes, trust Danny to keep grudges alive

for the better part of a decade. “Can’t believe it took a major world-wide disaster to get you back on that one.” Danny tries to keep it light, but even before he says it, Steve knows whatever Danny comments will fall flat.

There’s a short silence where neither of them talks, and Steve can hear the hub dub behind Danny—wherever he is. It sounds familiar in a disorienting way.

On more the one occasion he had told someone from outside to not purposefully make it hard on his team guys. His stomach clenches, and Steve takes a deep breath as he racks his brain for safe topics to talk about.

“How about the food? We can talk about that, right?” He exhales after the last word, ordering his body to relax.

Danny clicks his tongue. He knows what Steve’s up to, and he’s game.

“Oh, yes, we can! I don’t know what’s the deal with these guys, one week everything is delicious and hearty, makes you want to go for seconds and thirds, some seasoning has been so inspired it I use my free time trying to figure out the recipes.”

A distant memory flashes behind Steve’s eyes, Danny cooking back in Pikoii street, barefoot and carefree. Steve sniffs against his will and has to cover his mouth with the back of his hand as to not disturb Danny.

“And then for a few days or a whole week, bland crap, gruel, Steven, veritable gruel—makes me want to go in an involuntary diet. Yuck.”

Steve swallows thickly. “Sounds like regular military experience if you ask me, in fact, above regular, all I ate was gruel for the first four years of my service.”

“Nu-uh! Impossible, I know from a good source you were happy to eat rations in the comfort of your own home when good steak was readily available.”

Steve swallows again, tears spilling over his hands.

“It was Italian food actually,” he croaks.

“Even worse, babe, you’re really not helping your case.”

“What can I say, I get nostalgic sometimes.” He trips mentally on the nostalgia and a sob slips past his tight emotional control.

Danny sighs. Heartbroken as well.

“Babe, babe, Steve. I’m sorry, please don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” he sniffs.

“I know I just mean…”

“I know, I’m sorry too.”

“Look, I don’t mean to beat you while you’re down…” Danny trails off, but Steve can connect the dots.

“Basic training is extending then? You gonna be a specialist now?”

“Ugh, you’re killing me Steven. It’s cla—no, you know what, fuck this shit, whoever is out there screening my calls, you listen to me you son of a bitch,” Danny yell-whispers to the third party on the line. “I’m talking with my boyfriend right now, who I would have married if not for the giant clusterfuck we are all living through right now, he’s the father of my children and my best friend, so I’ll tell him whatever the fuck I want, you censor this call and I swear I’ll hunt you down and bash your head in, you hear me?!”

Steve chuckles wetly, this is the hothead he loves.

There's a soft clicking sound in the background. It sounds definitive. So, he chooses to believe the censor’s gone.

“You would have married me, huh?”

“Of course.”

“What if I said no.”

“Pfft, please, you were a sure thing.” Steve wants to protest, but Danny keeps talking

over him. “Look, now that the censor is gone. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“What?” Steve rushes to ask, fearing the worst.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. What else?”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you more. What else?”

“I already made it through basic and I’m being fast-tracked to pilot.”

Even though he suspected, having confirmation is like a punch to the lungs. No wonder the censor left, a pilot has different privileges, a pilot scares people away, even if they’re being hoisted as the only chance they have left.

“Steve, you there?”

“You’ve never been one to pull your punches.”

“No, I haven’t. Which is why, once I’m done with that I’ll be coming home for a whole month, okay?” Danny pleads, “I got special leave. I’ll be home for Christmas, okay?”

For Steve, it’s like the world’s ending all over again. The future path folding in on itself in front of him, rearranging into a yawning void made of the fearful and the unknown.

Christmas.

Christmas is only two months away. He can foresee his life up until Christmas. He can push through to that.

“Christmas it is.” He sniffles again.

“Yeah, Christmas. Look, I still have about five minutes on the line, why don’t you tell me about the kids, they adjusting well?”

More tears run down his face, but he talks. About homework, about tantrums, about movie nights, about burnt popcorn, about the kids begging to get a dog, about shortages of chocolate and coffee, about going insane with the bickering and the meaningless fights, about never doing so much laundry in his life, the herb garden Charlie and Nahele are doing together as a school project, Grace’s dissertation and newfound interest in nursing. Steve talks and talks, enough to carry Danny home, safe and sound, only two months away.

–

*beams* I’ve been wanting to expand this little verse forever, thank you again! :D

#h50 fic #narkito #chosen universe #mcdanno #long distace relationship AU #dystopian AU #pterawaters

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lovemesomesurveys · 4 years ago

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Animals Do you prefer cats or dogs? I’m a dog person for sure.

If you had to choose, which animal would you like to be reincarnated as? A dog.

Some say peoples personalities or looks resemble animals. Whats your animal? Probably a sloth, ha.

Books Which book series was the first you read? As a kid I loved Nancy Drew, The Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, and Goosebumps.

What was the last book you read? I’m currently reading Autumn’s Game by Mary Stone.

Would you rather write a book or direct a movie? Write a book.

Characters Which TV show/movie/book character do you think you are most like? Hmm. I don’t know.

Which superhero is your favourite and why? Iron Man, Spiderman, Ant-Man, Star Lord, Thor.

What's your favourite fairytale character? Is Alice in Wonderland a fairytale?

Dreams Do you usually remember your dreams? I’ll remember it briefly and then it like vanishes. My dreams are like a Snapchat.

Are most of your dreams good, scary or just plain weird? Just plain weird, man.

What dream that you've had has stuck in your head the most? Describe: The nightmares or the ones that make me wake up crying and shaking don’t like to vanish, unfortunately. Those get saved to the camera roll.

Emotions What emotion do you find yourself trying to hide from others? I’m definitely not as good at hiding my emotions anymore. They took over and control me now.

How emotional/sentimental would you say you are? A lot. I’m so damn moody.

Do your emotions control you or do you control your emotions? Like I said, they definitely control me.

Fun What do you do for fun? May not be considered fun, but my days are spent checking my social medias, watching YouTube, watching TV, reading, scrolling through Tumblr, doing surveys, spending time with my family, lounging around, and perhaps a little coloring. I like doing those things, though, so it works for me.

Which is more fun: cycling, watching tv, roller coaster ride or cooking? Uhh, the only thing I like out of those choices is watching TV.

What is the funnest game to play? I love board games.

Geometry Nearest square thing to you? The throw pillows on my bed.

What was the last circular thing you ate? Cookies.

Is there anything triangular in the room you're in right now? I’m sure, but nothing triangular is popping out at me at the moment and I don’t feel like really looking around and thinking about it.

Height Are you taller or shorter than average? I’m 5′4, which is short, but not shorter than average I don’t think.

Is your Mum tall or short? How about your Dad? My mom is about 5′5 and my dad is about 5′9.

Do you wish you were taller or shorter? I wish I was taller.

If... If you became pregnant or your partner did, what would you do? Well, I can’t get pregnant, sooo.

If you lost something your friend lent to you, what would you do? I would feel really bad, first of all. I’d be nervous to tell them, especially if it was something that was special and unique. I’d of course have to tell them, though, and I’d replace it if possible. If it wasn’t replaceable... I don’t know what I would do. All I could do is apologize immensely and somehow try to make it up to them. I’d be super careful if a friend lent me anything, though, regardless of what it was. I also probably would just not borrow something that wasn’t replaceable or expensive to avoid all of that.

If you had to talk about 1 subject for a minute live on TV, which one? Yikes. That minute would feel like forever, I have no idea. Pass.

Jokes Do you normally tell jokes or listen to the jokes? I’m not a joke teller except maybe some cheesy, corny one I might have heard now and then.

What is your sense of humour like (dry, dark, sarcastic etc)? I laugh at a lot of things. I like puns and clever humour but I also like dumb things and dry things too. I think it's just really easy to make me laugh. <<< Yeah, pretty much.

Kisses Do you put x's in your text messages? No.

When did you last have a kiss? 8 years ago...

Does your grandma give you big sloppy kisses when she sees you? No. She gives me a big hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

Language How many languages can you say 'hello my name is...' in? Three.

What language do you think sounds the nicest? I think they’re all unique and interesting.

What language do you want to learn more of? I’d love to be fluent in Spanish. I can only speak and understand a little. Brushing up on it by helping my mom do her Duolingo everyday for the past few months has been helpful.

Marriage Do you ever want to get married? No. I truly don’t see that happening for me.

Church or Registery Office? Dream wedding?

Names Your closest friends names? I don’t have any friends.

What names would you ever call your kids? I don’t want to have kids.

What name is the cutest for a little black and white doggie? I’m someone who needs to see and get a vibe from the dog first before naming them. And not just something that has to do with their color.

Order Are you tidy? I’m not a messy person, like I don’t have clothes or stuff on my floor, I put my dishes in the sink after using them, I throw stuff away when I’m done, etc, but my room has become disorganized and a bit cluttered. I just have too much stuff and not enough space.

Do you colour code things or put them in alphabetical order? No.

Do you have any form of OCD? No. People throw that around loosely.

Promises Do you make promises often? No.

What was the last promise you made? I don’t even remember.

Do you plan to keep that promise?

Quizzes What types of online quizzes/surveys do you like taking? I like surveys with random and interesting questions that allow me to elaborate. And vent and ramble, too. I like ones like this that are divided up into categories. Themed surveys are fun as well.

Have you ever made a quiz? What was it about? No. I made a survey once a longggg time ago.

Have you ever taken an EQ or IQ test? If so, what did you get? I’ve taken IQ tests and got “above average.”

Responsibility Do you class yourself as 'responsible'? Not as much as I should be at 31 years old. :/ These past few years especially I really feel like I haven’t been responsible with a lot of things that I should be.

What do you think defines a 'responsible' person? Someone dependable, keeps their commitments, and handles their business. They get shit done.

What is it that you are responsible for? Paying my bills, taking care of myself (haven’t been doing very well with that...), my doctor appointments, cleaning up after myself...

Secrets Do you have a lot of secrets? Not really. I’m quite boring.

"A secret isn't a secret if you tell one person." Is this true to you? Uhhh, that does make sense. You think of a secret as something you don’t share with someone else. I guess if it’s something you tell someone or a few select people that you trust that you wouldn’t want getting out to anyone else it could still be a secret, right? Something you don’t want everyone to know. *shrug*

Thought Provoking If you knew you had a high chance of dying, would you kill yourself before disease riddled you unable or hope for the best? Jeez. I don’t want to think about that.

Choose a box: 1 has a large amount of money, the other either a wish or fear of yours come true. Which do you pick? The money is tempting, but I might go with the wish...

An angel comes to you and offers to show you one thing from the future or the past; past or future and what is that thing gonna be? The future terrifies me, I’d be afraid to know a lot of things regarding my future. But I already know my past, so I don’t know what I’d ask them to show me. I don’t knowwww.

Unlucky

Would you say you are more unlucky or lucky? I don’t believe in luck. I would say I have had a lot of bad cards dealt to me and I also am fortunate in other ways.

A leprechaun pops up and offers to plant some luck on you but it could go either way. Risk it or dismiss it? Dismiss it.

Violence When did you last hit or punch someone? I haven’t hit or punched anyone.

When did you last get hit or punched? Never.

Are you more likely to be verbally aggressive or physically? I’m not an aggressive person.

Warnings Do you listen when someone gives you a warning? I want to say I would likely listen to a warning, but I guess it would depend what it was about.

What warning has someone gave you that you wish you'd have listened to? That I should have taken care of some things sooner and not ignored/put them off for so long.

What warning has someone gave you you are glad you didn't take? I’m blanking right now. XXX

Have you ever had sex? No.

Have you ever accidentally saw someone having sex? No.

YouTube Do you go onto YouTube? I spend a lot of time on YouTube.

What is your favourite video of on YouTube? I don’t have just one favorite, I have a ton. I’m especially into ASMR.

What channels do you go on the most? I’m subscribed to several people---ASMRtists, vloggers, lifestyle videos, Disney related channels, a mukbanger, a drama commentary channel, and a channel that does videos on abandoned places and the rise and fall of former businesses that are no longer around.

Zodiac What's your starsign? Leo.

What are the traits of that sign? Do you have them? Leos are described as being very opposite of me that’s for sure. I don’t believe in that stuff anyway, though.

What zodiac sign do you think you suit the most? I don’t care.

Number 1 Name me 1 person who has changed your life for the better? My mom.

Name me 1 object that's in your kitchen right now? My Keurig.

Name one creature that freaks you out/scares you? ALL bugs.

Number 2 2nd person that you talked to today was... I haven’t talked to anyone yet, it’s 820AM and my mom is asleep and my dad and brother are at work.

What is 2 times your favourite number? 16.

You and two of your friends have got in trouble with the law. Who are the 2 friends you have got in trouble with and what did you do? No friends, sooo.

Number 3 3 words that don't describe you at all: Healthy, ambitious, confident.

Who is 3rd in your contacts list on your phone? I don’t feel like checking.

In 3 more days, what will the date be? It will be January 25, 2021.

#personal #text #survey #surveys #categories

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torivmod · 5 years ago

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Aquarius New Moon ♒️

-January 24th 2020-

If you were looking for a better time to let any baggage go, it’s today. This month, the New Moon in Aquarius is urging us to ask “What am I working towards” “Am I making myself proud?” “What/who can I give thanks to that has made the climb so easy for me.” This first step is the key to reaching a state of understanding to the current world around you. These are gifts handed down from your ancestors to help achieve something better in your own personal timeline. And this is the time our Skills really shine because we are put in an environment of change. Aquarius is a sign of the future, all types of physical ways of seeing energies and technology, so this New Moon gives us a whole makeover on our relationship with the collective consciousness.

More specifically this Aquarius New Moon is asking us to look at our relationship with the past in order to reconcile the future. Whatever we’ve been holding on to our Ancestors are looking at us like “But you have so much to be complaining about how hard your life is” They never imagined you’d turn out so advanced and futuristic with opportunities they never got to experience. They are proud. These gifts from our ancestors set the stage for what we are meant to continue in this lifetime. These gifts that they have laid out are significant to getting past this New Moon with Flying colors.

Your Moon sign and Maybe even Rising Sign can give a better clue as to what to look for:

Aries Moon/Rising: This new Moon might be showing you that you might not be addressing the right gifts for yourself something is making it hard to reach your own uniqueness due to, knowing Aries, probably fighting for the wrong thing. Remember that sometimes we fight for things that are just hard to let go of. Often due to some hurt coming back and or fear of losing something in the process, whatever it is this new Moon is here to tell you to put your focus back on yourself, and give yourself and your issues some space to work out anything you’ve been putting off, close those mental tabs and take yourself a little more serious. this way you come back to the realization that you are original no matter what you do you fiery demons...

Taurus Moon/Rising: With the square to Uranus this new Moon is urging you to really assess your Mental well being. Right now the Taurus energy is going through major uprooting and in order to compensate with it, we gotta work with the erratic energy we’re given even if it’s scary for us. We’re used to a certain kind of pleasure and stability and this month the Moon is throwing us into our own past and testing us to see if we really learned anything. The way to get out of it is by using the skills we’ve learned so far to help ourselves. We’re on our own so this means we must basically drop some stuff and cut out things that are not good for our future. You can be very self sufficient in the most dire of times, nows the time to use that sense...

Gemini Moon/Rising: Your ancestors have been watching you basically ignore them and this month they are putting people in your life to try to get you back to yourself. Not because you have been bad but because you have strayed a bit off the path that’s yours. As a Gemini you’re used to straying off but this month the Moon is urging you to return to your personal path, return to your center. “What was I doing before that whole mess?” You may ask yourself suddenly realizing you went on over a dozen tangents. To really find your originality just remember your personal code...

Cancer Moon/Rising: Poor cancer Moon this is not the best time for you, this is the time when you feel the least yourself but it’s good because this is the time you use to evaluate your emotional well being and consider whether it’s time to let go of certain energies or keep them (at your own risk). But this month you have been turning a blind eye to some fact in order to continue feeing like you’re in control. The Moon is asking you to accept it. Accept whatever’s been burdening you and realize that your originality comes from this acceptance, no one else can take facts and implement them in their life like you do, it’s time to accept and change this is your gift...

Leo Moon/Rising: drop the sword honey, it’s not your season. This month the Moon is asking for you total surrender, this is a time to listen and ask yourself some questions. Evaluate yourself, what are you doing? and what are you gonna do about it? Where do I need work? And How can I change for the sake of my goals? As a Leo Moon, much like the Taurus Moon you must evaluate for the sake of, “Is this really what’s gonna make me happy?” The world is changing and so does the idea that we need to have the attention of everyone, just remember that your originality stems from the pursuit of creativity, so how do you use this power for the benefit of Other’s?

Virgo Moon/Rising: it’s a learning period for you Virgo Moon, with the Moon in the 6th house’s 6th House, this period is a whole new period of cleanliness. There’s like so much to clean, “why is this world such a mess right now?” Because everyone else fucked it up, sorry Virgo... this month the Moon is asking you to really buckle down on your stances. There may be consequences where your beliefs or sanity are tested but you got it, this month is just a refresher on the idea that you have the ability to make it through the storm. (The trine with Uranus might help), maybe because it’ll be something that at this point you’re kinda used to. Good job Virgo

Libra Moon/Rising: Libra you always got a lot of vague answers, but this month the Moon is urging you to make the decisions, deal with your karma and make sure you deal with it right. This New Moon is pushing us out of our comfort zone, not because we want to but because we need to. If you have been the type of Libra to be complacent and just play devils advocate while you let others figure it out, this is not a good time for you. The stars are putting you in situations where you have the answers but the question is will you be spontaneous enough to pick a choice. You’d be more aesthetically pleasing if you just choose a god damn option.

Scorpio Moon/Rising: I know the Uranus opposition might make you feel like reality is going crazy but that’s no reason to become complacent with life. Sometimes we gotta get out there and get organized. Even if our own sense of stability seems like it’s wiggling a bit. This month the New Moon is asking us to take things one at a time, while the world is going from one thing to another (and we are bad at going from one thing to another without letting go) The universe will put situations forth where it would be best to slow our world down so we can analyze our “mess” and we can understand better our issues.

Sagittarius Moon/Rising: Get ready for a huge change of pace, with Mars sextiling in Sagittarius we have a lot of fire on your side ready to change whatever direction you were going. This New Moon the universe will place situations that test out your sense of adventure, is what you’re hoping for still on your mind. Sometimes things in our lives change and we have no say and no power to change it back, and we are put on a standstill asking ourselves, “Welp, that road’s fucked up, gotta turn back and regroup” and if you feel like the work you put in now makes you feel like it was a waste, remember that every change we are met with is a door to an even better reward if we trust in the ever changing world. Just know something good always comes after any personal shake up.

Capricorn Moon/Rising: It’s time to let it go! (Thanks Elsa) if the recent Capricorn conjunction wasn’t clear enough, your way of living is kinda outdated (not in an insult kind of way, many talk about the resurrection of the Devine Feminine, so it felt fitting) this New Moon is asking you specifically to step outside of your box for a second and really feel the energy that comes from allowing new energy to flow in. Whatever box you came out of is too cramped for you. The very least you can do is find another box. Your originality has always come from the idea that no one can take control of this place except for you, but what happens when you let others take the lead? or watch yourself step out of the common instructions and experiment? Nows the time to get that new box to play Commander in.

Aquarius Moon/Rising: Happy Lunar Return! Being your season, it’s fitting that the New Moon would ask you to really feel out your emotions, it’s not always easy to feel those tears aching as only one drop comes out and your tear ducts are stinging from lack of use. Really take this time and understand that you feel the energies around you the most from an analytical perspective. You may feel like it’s a silly thing to cry things out or get angry at things but the point is to accept that you have these feelings, no one understands these emotions at a high analytical rate than you do. The universe will place situations where you are being asked to love respect and accept your feelings and emotional world.

Pisces Moon/Rising: this month the Moon is asking you to remember yourself, you may have been escaping your problems as usual but that has happened and gone and in order to take in this energy we are being asked to come back, I’m sure the Capricorn energy has Neptune in Pisces feeling rather serious, and in doing so has made Pisces energy sorta Jello like, and Fish can’t really swim in Jello as far as I know, so this month, thaw (i think) yourself out and come back to new waters, the old waters were tainted with bone meal... maybe you strayed too far from familiar waters? Maybe you got trapped in someone’s fish bowl? Maybe someone has you hostage in a plastic bag and it feels like they keep shaking you, whatever the cause of unhappiness, remember you have the power to walk away and find something that is more filling for you, your originality comes from this idea that the world and its emotions are a mess but you don’t have to be stuck with them.

Remember to look at your past to give you hints about your future. Aquarius is supposed to be the garden at the end of the path, and whatever you find here has been built from your own understanding of the world, and it can change at any moment.

#astrology #astrology post #new moon #new moon in aquarius #aquarius #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #rising sign #tarot #interpretation #new moon spread #astrologer #tarot reader #tarot cards #month

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luciferpens · 5 years ago

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( CAMILA MENDES , FEMALE, SHE/HER ) ⌇ have you seen RAYE TORRES around icaria? they are the 30 year old child of HADES. they remind me of THE THEATER MOMENTS BEFORE THE CURTAIN OPENS, COLD NIGHTS WITH A DRINK ON THE ROOF, and A SILKY SMOOTH VOICE. They’ve been on the island for 7 years.

BASICS

FULL NAME: Raye Torres

NICKNAMES: Ra, Tor

FACE CLAIM: Camila Mendes

AGE: Thirty

SEXUALITY: pansexual & panromantic

DATE OF BIRTH: July 21

GENDER/PRONOUNS: cis female she/her

EDUCATION: Masters in communications.

OCCUPATION: Voice actress. Theater director of Deadpan Theater.

GODLY PARENT: Hades

GODLY POWERS: Pyrokinesis is & phobokinesis are her strong suits. She can create any sort of flame she wishes, along with control or elicit fear in those around her. She can’t fully see ghosts (its more like a shadow) but she knows when they are around her and is working on her ability to truly speak to them.

BIO + BULLET POINTS

Martina Torres was a drug addict and a horrible mother. She abandoned her infant child to the system and avoided any contact Raye has ever tried to make with her

She was adopted by Richard and Gale who feared their daughter. Richard started to abuse Raye as her powers started to show.

He threatened to kill her at a young age

Raye ran away from home and lived on the streets.

She got addicted to drugs

Delilah found out and her family took her in, got her clean and loved her.

She started to show an interest in acting and was scouted at 17.

Raye started to do voice acting and after 5 years she had become well known among actors. She was allowed to move wherever as long as she had a home studio.

Hades moved her to Icaria -- and set her up with Lyric.

Lyric and Raye dated for 3 years. But things fell apart and they both realized they were better as friends.

Raye then met Wesley and they fell deeply in love, marriage was on the horizon until Raye met Ava who told her there was a chance of her love dying. Raye panicked and made up a lie to protect Wesley.

She vanished to LA and only returned because Hades forced her.

TW: Miscarriage -- Raye was pregnant but had no idea until she was mugged one night and ended up in the hospital and found she miscarried. Its been a year and shes not told anyone.

Maria Torress was not what you’d call a good mother. In fact, she was a piece of shit woman who Raye denounces at literally any turn she gets. Maria was an alcoholic and a druggie from the age of 20 till -- well as far as Raye knows, now. Maria has tried over and over again to get clean but within a couple of days falls back into drug use. It was during one of these times that Maria was out at a Halloween costume party when she met Hades. The two hit it off and had a night of fun together.

He was gone the next day. Maria ended up on drugs one again. Three months passed and it was clear that the little bit of weird sickness she was feeling wasn't from the drugs and instead from pregnancy. She didn’t care much though, but she did stop the harder drugs and instead just drank herself silly. When 9 months passed and Raye was born Maria returned to her druggie ways and left Raye to the system. She was an infant addicted to drugs and alcohol and she spent three months under the care of the hospital before she was deemed safe and given to the system.

She was placed in a foster home, Richard and Gale, and things seemed well for the infant until she was about 4 years old. Like any other toddler she had fits and crying fests, but at 4... her fits started little fires. The family was shocked and terrified. Richard said she was a devil child, Gale agreed but said they needed to try and “save” her. At 5 Richard snapped when she set a towel on fire and he smacked her; Gale never knew. Any time she set something on fire and Gale wasn’t around she was smacked. A year passed and at 6 she had started school, started to learn that being hit by your parents wasn’t normal, that what she could do wasn’t normal. She had another temper tantrum and this time her father threatened to kill her if she didn’t stop with the fires. This installed true fear in the child, a feeling she had never truly felt. This fear triggered another power lingering in the child and when she wanted or needed to, she could toss her fear or create fear in others. This ability was wild and uncontrollable like her pyrokinesis. But this fear, these powers reacted whenever Richard was home, putting them into a deadly spiral. Her fear and fire jumped to them, their fear and anger made her fear stronger and on and on and on.

When she was 13 Richard found out that she had gotten a bad grade on a test he smacked her so hard she fell into the table and busted it and part of her face. She set the table remnants on fire, along with the carpet in her anger and fear. Raye ran into her bedroom, grabbed her go-bag, a bag she had put together when she was 10 and just switched out items over the years, and ran.

She lived on the streets for a year and a half, sleeping in parks, showering at the school gym every day, and finding random odd jobs to do around the city to afford any food she might need other than her school lunch. In the midst of all this, she made some bad friends, ended up on drugs, luckily for her they weren’t the worst of the worst. When trouble came for her she defended herself with her fire, and when she burned someone and gave them 3rd degree burns she panicked. That night Hades came to her in a dream, he told her he was her father and that her powers weren't a curse given by the devil but instead a gift given by him. She was good at keeping her appearance normal, at not letting anyone know of her situation. Well, that was until she met Delilah, Delilah saw through her lies and saw that she was suffering, she brought the girl home and there --Delilah’s grandparents took her in helped her get clean.

Raye lived quite happily with Delilah and soon the two found out that they were related in another way -- they shared a father in Hades. The two became thick as thieves, and when Delilah’s grandparents realized the connection the girls shared -- they more or less adopted her on the spot. Raye adores the Sun family and they are the only people besides Hades himself she calls true family.

The Sun family pushed Raye into acting when they realized her love for the art. She started acting in school plays during the year and in the summer was doing community theater. She was 17 when a scout arrived at their small local NYC theater, he recognized her talent and within six months he was her agent. She started doing voice acting and small bit roles in tv shows filmed around the city. Raye spent the next 5 and half years making a name for herself within the community and traveling the world for conventions. Her love for travel was well known among her employers and as she neared 23 she was told she could move wherever she wanted. So long as she had a fully built and to code sound recording booth. Figuring that was easy enough she decided to try a more -- tropical area and Hades suggested Icaria considering it was a demi-god safe zone.

After a couple of months, Hades set her up with Lyric, another demi-god child in hopes the two would fall in love and maybe marry one day. There was a deeper plan in place and Ava knew that. She knew there was a reason her father wanted her and Lyric to be together, what that reason was? She had no idea. And for a couple of years, it actually worked out, the two were close, rather in love and happy. But slowly, things fizzled out and the two slipped into a comfortable friendship and realized -- they were truly better as best friends than lovers. They broke up but continued to be best friends, even when Lyric went into the peace corps and Raye moved on. He was one of the first to hear about Wesley, one of the first to know they got engaged -- and one of the first to know about their breakup too.

And sure -- while they were happy....Hades and Aphrodite weren’t.

Raye hadn't known what would come from meeting Ava, if she had even had a lick of an idea of what would spiral from it she would have avoided the other woman’s warning. But luck, that was not on her side. Tragedy and fear seemed to always surround her, just another great thing as a present from her father. The two women had bumped into one another at the end of one of her plays and dived into deep conversation. Slowly it turned to relationships and the future when Raye noticed Ava seemed highly nervous, the woman ended up explaining her powers, how she saw strings and how a frayed almost broken string of fate meant one side of the string was close to death. She warned her to be careful and conscious of what was happening around her.

Fear rushed through her -- she was the daughter of the god of death. Death surrounded her normally, from ghosts to fear and depression, that was normal for her. But to know that one side of a string, that either her or Wesley were close to death? Fear overload her brain and she panicked knowing that her father wouldn’t take her but -- Wesley? Wesley, he might take as punishment for disobeying him. She knew she had to get away from Wesley, it was the only way she knew to keep him safe. To keep her father from revenge.

She rushed to her best friends told them what she had been told and multiple plans formulated. First, she needed to break up with Wesley. Second, she had to move off the island and far away to keep her father’s attention on her, not Wesley. She would move to L.A. would continue her job -- it was easy enough to convince her employers that being in L.A. for a bit would be better than being in Greece for a while. Hell, she did have a premiere coming up -- no one would question it...

But the part she knew would be hard would be that break up. There was no way to leave Icaria without Wesley chasing her; that was to be expected -- he was her fiance. There was nothing she could say to convince Wesley to let her leave without him coming with her.... at least.... nothing that would be harmless. So the plan went into motion, they had to pretend she cheated, that she slept with another person... It ripped her soul apart but it was for his safety.. so Leo agreed and the plan was in motion. She told Wesley she had to go to L.A. for a couple weeks for work -- nothing out of the ordinary... then at the airport she broke the “news” told him what she had “done” and they were over. She got on a plane, moved to L.A.

TW: Miscarriage, Violence & Depression

It was a short train ride from her house to get to the studio and every day she took the same path to and from the train at about the same time... Her routine grabbed the wrong person’s attention. While walking home one afternoon two men jumped her stealing her purse, jewelry but somehow missing her engagement ring that hung around her neck and under her shirt. She screamed and screamed until she passed out and they ran off. He screams had gotten the attention of a neighbor who found her beaten and bloody, passed out on the street. She rushed her to the hospital. She awoke in a hospital bed under heavy sedation, an IV in her arm, three ribs were broken, she had a concussion and she was covered in bruises. A nurse rushed in when her heartrate spiked and they realized she was awake.

The Nurse checked everything and then got the doctor and the two of them broke the news that she had lost her baby. Now, this was news to her -- she hadn’t even known she was pregnant and to find out she had been... only to learn instantly that she had also lost it... Raye was not in a good place mentally. The nurse, Ally, sat with her for the next couple hours, despite being off the clock, as she worked through the first wave of emotions. They signed her up for a miscarriage support group and got her signed up for counseling. she stayed in the hospital for another four days before they released her into the care of a coworker who had become one of her closest friends while in L.A. And for the next couple of months, she went to see her therapist twice a week and she started taking anti-depressants to quell the dark thoughts that were lingering in her mind.

End TW

Despite all of this, L.A. was still a great place to be, at least for her career. It took off in a whole other path. She worked on more and larger name shows, throwing her voice into tons of cartoons and online shows, she appeared on tv itself in multiple shows when she had the time and was generally... making a small name for herself within the voice acting community. Raye had pretty much decided that she would stay single forever now, not ready or willing to move on from Wesley. She wore the ring around her neck on a necklace and never took it off. Sure she got questions from fans and the occasional interview but she never spoke on it, never mentioned him, not wanting the fans and reporters to try to hunt him down.

She was content with what her life had become, settled in it, and ready to deal with what became of it when Hades appeared to her one night and forced her to move back to Icaria. So she did. She uprooted herself, her studio and her work and moved back to Icaria only a little over a year after she left in the first place.

HEADCANONS/WANTED CONNECTIONS

Anyone from his childhood. Especially anyone would might have thought something was weird about him

An ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who knows of what his family does.

Someone he’s helped over the years!

Friends of the family who know what he does.

#icaria: intro #wow this is late #Raye

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phagechildon · 6 years ago

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Turdday - Chapter 3

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Summary: When Leo doesn’t show up to work (aka his surprise birthday party at Libra headquarters), Zapp goes to check on him only to find he’s been caught up in yet another shitstorm. With creatures that only he can see pursuing him, the Libra members find it hard to protect him when Leo can’t even remember who they are or how to use the All Seeing Eyes of the Gods.

----

His consciousness slowly started returning to him, only making him wish it hadn’t. His throat and the inside of his nose felt absolutely raw to the point where merely breathing made him want to sob in pure agony. It felt like he had been mummified and left in the Egyptian desert where it proceeded to dry out his entire body despite the fact that the rain beat a little heavier than earlier against him.

What the hell happened to him? The last thing he remembered he was talking to K.K. and Klaus, and then one of those things came out of nowhere and grabbed him. His memory was a little hazy after that. He had this vague sensation of nearly drowning, but how was that even possible?

Shifting a bit, he choked on a pained cry as pain shot through his right arm - the arm he was laying on.

Crap, was it broken? He really didn’t need a broken arm on top of the other shit he was dealing with.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, he slowly pushed himself up, the pain still flaring. Nausea quickly overwhelmed his entire being as he threw up, tears gushing down his cheeks as it felt like his throat was bleeding from the acid tearing the dry skin apart.

He wanted nothing more than to have unconsciousness claim him again. Of course he wasn’t that lucky.

He didn’t move until he was absolutely sure his stomach was settled enough, not wanting to experience that horrific pain again.

Someone brought him here, and considering he had a rough landing, the other person could be hurt too. He had to see if they needed help.

Licking his lips that were surprisingly dry despite being in the rain, he tried talking. “Klaus?” His voice wheezed, making him violently cough a few times.

No response.

“Klaus?” He tried again, almost desperately.

Still nothing.

Well shit, did he break his only life line already? Bringing his other shaky hand up, he felt around his ear and nearly sobbed. The ear piece was broken in two. Once again he was all alone in this hellscape. His only hope was to find the lady that saved him.

Unlike the last time he stirred, getting up almost proved to be impossible. Every organ in his body literally screamed at him as he tried getting to his feet, making him fall face first back into what he was sure was grass. He groaned, clenching the blades with his good trembling hand.

It would be so easy to just give up right now, but… it didn’t feel like an option. There were people who were counting on him even if he didn’t remember them. He had no clue if Zed or K.K. were even still alive, but he owed it to them to keep moving forward.

Somehow he managed to get back on his feet, his body swaying dangerously from side to side. But he was up, that’s all that mattered.

Surveying the area, he realized he was in some sort of park by a few sets of large bushes. The playground was quite a ways away, meaning no one probably even saw him land there. Honestly he was okay with that, the less people he had to deal with the better.

That being said, he looked around a little more, not even seeing a trace of another person near him. Maybe she landed a little further away?

Taking a deep breath, he started forward, his balance completely off but he merely shrugged that fact away. He could do this. He had to do this.

He searched around the park, staying as far away from other people as he possibly could. That being said, he also didn’t see the young woman who saved him either.

Did those things get her?

“Leo?” He heard a man call, making him instinctively turn. Across the street was a man with fluffy brown hair wearing a long tan trench coat. He sort of reminded him of a detective from one of those old film noir movies, just without the top hat. He looked drastically different compared to the other Libra members he’s met so far. This person almost seemed normal.

Seeing him confirm his identity, the man ran across the street, making Leo take a few cautious steps backward.

This man looked a little too normal.

“You look like shit, are you okay?” He asked, seeing the way Leo was clenching his right arm as if it were injured. He really hoped that wasn’t his blood on him.

“U-uhm.... code word?” He asked, taking another step back. Unlike the others, he wasn’t getting that same safety vibe from this man either.

The man raised an eyebrow, seeming confused as to what he asked. “Oh right, your memory, I’m Daniel Law, a Lieutenant of Hellsalem’s Lot Police force-” he stopped, seeing Leo take a few more steps back looking like a terrified puppy.

He didn't know the code word - he was avoiding the question-!

“I’m not part of Libra but I begrudgingly work with them sometimes-”

Sometimes- Leo’s eyes widened in fear as he ran, ignoring the way his body literally screamed in protest.

“Wait, Leonardo-!” Daniel hollered as he took off after him, cursing under his breath. Klaus said the kid lost his memory not his nerve, but in this city he had no clue what’s he’s run into or what he’s experienced. He could be running away with a good reason.

Leo glanced back, seeing the man nearly catching up, making him whimper. Why couldn’t he catch a break, was that too much to ask?! If this man was a police officer, or posed as one, he was probably in great shape. Despite not remembering a lot, Leo was pretty sure he still ate a bunch of junk food, meaning he definitely was not in shape.

He had to lose him, and fast.

Looking left and right, he realized his best bet was to lose him in the crowd right outside a bustling theater. Even then though, the only chance he had was to use his eyes.

“Leo stop - I can take you to Klaus-” the kid kept running, his words only seeming to frighten him more. “Leonardo-!”

He watched the young Libra member enter the crowd, bumping into a few people which evidently slowed him down. There, this was his chance!

Daniel sped up and reached out for him-

But his hand went right through him.

He skid to a stop, looking around desperately. Where’d he go? He literally just had him - how’d he literally slip through his fingers?

Unless-

Shit. The kid used his eyes on him.

Taking out his phone he dialed Klaus, still searching through the crowd just in case. “I saw him right outside the HL theater on Green Street and 9th Avenue, but he didn’t recognize me and ran.”

Of course he wouldn’t trust him, he didn’t know the code word! Zed’s been right about everything else so far, so why wouldn’t he listen to him now? Granted he didn’t get a change of clothes like he instructed, but that would’ve required him to steal due to the time constraints and he wasn’t about that life.

For now, as annoying as it was, he just had to keep walking until another Libra member found him, even if the guilt was literally eating him alive.

‘Nothing’s changed since then,’ he mumbled to himself, clenching his fists tightly despite the pain. No matter what anyone else said, he was still a coward. While all the others were literally putting their lives on the line to protect him, he was simply running away, not even sticking around to see if they were okay.

His pace slowed, his head lowering in anger.

He was angry, he was furious with himself. How could he just keep running while the others were in danger like that? Even if he was normal, he could’ve thought of someway to help.

“I won’t run, not anymore,” he said, clenching his fists. He couldn’t let anyone else get involved. He’d face those creatures head on so no one else would get hurt.

‘You’re acting like a reckless fool right now-’ Leo quickly turned, expecting to see Zed but saw no one. ‘I don’t wanna see you get yourself killed.’

Wait… was this a memory? He sort of remembered standing in the middle of a street, his back turned to two people, Zed and… that woman who disappeared while saving him? Why was the name Chain coming to mind?

’You’ve always seen yourself as just a normal kid, and you’re right, that’s exactly what you are.’

His eyes widened as emotions from that moment came flooding through him, making him stagger backwards a bit. Fear, guilt, loss, determination and warmth-

‘You’re normally caring, normally cheerful, and you’re normally nosy. You have a strong moral compass, concern for you friends, and honor. I know you don’t see this, but what’s normal to you, well it’s far from it. Everyone else would call it courageous and noble, it’s because of the person you are that you don’t think twice about your own safety when it comes to your friends, ‘cause that’s just normal to you.’

He couldn’t move, his feet were planted in place as his head hung low.

Huh… he really did mean a lot to the people at Libra, they weren’t just saving him because he was their coworker - he was their friend. Despite how much he didn’t want to get more people involved, they were all counting on him to stay alive and out of those creature’s clutches.

And he was determined not to fail them.

Considering he didn’t know where another Libra member was, he needed to find a place to hide. Those things kept appearing everywhere, if he laid low for a while maybe they’d search somewhere else, giving him enough time to track someone else down. With some rest he hoped the persistent fever would go down too.

He couldn’t be reckless, he had to play it safe.

Starting forward again, his eyes caught sight of a very familiar scene, one that made him stop walking again and lightly hold his hazy head.

Faint laughter and chatter echoed through multiple memories as he stared at a place called Dianne’s Diner. His heart felt so warm, feeling nothing but happiness radiating from it.

This place was very important to him, which meant he needed to get as far away as possible from it. He didn’t dare put innocent people at risk even if there was a chance someone from Libra would search there.

Spinning on his heels, he headed in the other direction, feeling as if his body was on autopilot.

He needed to find a safe place, a place out of sight and out of mind… even without his memories, he seemed to know where that said place was.

After a few blocks he blinked, seeing a colorful butterfly fluttering past him, and he didn't even think twice as he followed.

Somewhere safe, somewhere away from innocent people...

----

Two hours had passed since the last time anyone saw Leo, putting everyone on edge. Not knowing if those things got to him or not was absolutely maddening as they weren't sure if searching the streets was a waste of time or not.

“The kid’s sick and scared, he’s not going to stay in one place for too long,” the young blonde heard Zapp point out on the secure phone line as he nervously tapped a finger against the desk he was leaning against.

“He’ll probably try hiding out in a place that feels familiar,” Zed added, his exhaustion evident. They found him unconscious inside a dumpster, thankfully still alive, just injured. “He tried clinging to me instead of waiting in the store since I was the only thing that comforted him.”

No one said anything for a moment, the anger far too overwhelming as they imagined their best friend clinging to anything that sparked even the faintest memory, no matter how little it was.

It made the blonde grit his teeth and clench his fists angrily, feeling useless. He should be out there helping the others search for him, but he was ordered to stay put.

“I already checked Dianne’s Diner; Vivian said she hasn't seen him all day but would call if he showed up.”

He’d never get a call though, the blonde was certain of that as locks of hair fell in his face, smudging his glasses and hiding his bright blue eyes. Leo would never put others in danger like that even if it saved his life. Black was more than sure he was hiding somewhere secluded and away from others. He was too kind hearted for his own good.

“He hasn’t shown up here either,” he mumbled bitterly, clenching his fists as he glanced back up at the live feed cameras that were facing each of Libra’s secret entrances, not seeing anything. Part of him wondered why he was even listening to their orders in the first place; they needed all the help they could get to track him down before those things found him after all. He wasn’t the same weak kid the King of Despair possessed. Yet the other part of him knew why he had to stay. He wasn’t the only one invited to the surprise birthday party, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to the other guests.

“William,” Klaus called, pulling the blonde back into their conversation. “Do you have any ideas as to where he might’ve gone?”

He was honestly surprised Klaus was asking him, after all Zapp spent more time with Leo than him considering he no longer lived in Hellsalem’s Lot. Then again, it was probably because Zapp spent the most time with him that he was asking. The idiot might care about Leo, but he was still a jackass. The brunette needed a sanctuary not even Zapp knew about to unwind.

“Not really,” Black hated to admit as he crossed his arms, feeling useless. “Aside from the hospital and theater in the park, we just went to Vivian’s. I doubt he’d be at any of those places though.”

“At this rate we’ll try anything,” Klaus said with a heavy sigh. “Thanks to Chain’s rescue attempt, we know he’s at least in familiar territory now.”

That wasn’t good enough though. “Let me help-” Black quickly blurted out, slamming his hands against the table. “We’re running out of time and we have no idea what state Leo’s in right now-”

“No,” Steven interrupted, making Black grit his teeth angrily. “You need to stay with Michella in case anyone’s found out she’s here. We may have our security system, but it’s useless when the enemy’s invisible.” Black clenched his shaking fists as he glanced over at Michella, who sat next to him looking just as pissed off as her starry night eyes shimmered with determination.

They awkwardly met for the first time this morning as they all prepared for Leo’s surprise birthday party - the mission Leo never showed up for. Klaus mentioned she was coming, but nothing could prepare him for meeting her. She reminded him so much of his own sister it was hard to believe they hadn’t been friends. It should’ve been painful for him, especially since this was only the second time he’s come back to visit Hellsalem’s Lot after the second Great Collapse where he lost his twin sister.

But it wasn’t. Just like Leo, she had this way of making him feel oddly safe and comfortable, not to mention laugh. Her dark sense of humor even reminded him of his sister’s, giving him a sense of peace he didn’t know he was missing until now.

“I’ll let you know if I think of anything else,” Black bitterly replied, realizing Steven was waiting for his response before putting their microphone on mute. After what happened a year ago, he didn’t dare do anything that even remotely put Michella in danger. It pissed him off that Steven kept pressing those sensitive buttons just to prevent him from leaving. He knew those creatures wouldn't even think twice before using Michella as a hostage against Leo if they found out she was in Hellsalem’s Lot, but that’s what the defensive system was for! Besides, while there was a very small possibility of that happening, there was a dangerously high probability that Leo was being dragged into the depths of the Alterworld never to be seen again. He had to help find him before it was too late!

A gentle hand cuffed his own, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Don’t worry, my brother doesn’t give up easily,” she reassured, making the psi user look down at her. She was smiling as a flicker of hope remained ignited in those starry night sky eyes. She was blind and paralyzed from the waist down, yet she still had that hopeful glint in her eyes.

He didn’t know how she did it.

“I know,” Will sighed as he looked back at the microphone, gently squeezing her hand back for comfort. She reminded him so much of Mary. “That’s exactly why I’m worried.”

“Me too,” she admitted as her smile fell a little, gripping Will’s hand back just as tightly. “I still have nightmares from the last time I was here, but no matter how bad it gets, my brother won’t give up, and neither will his friends.”

Black frowned as he looked away, his grip loosening. He knew the others could save Leo, but something wasn’t sitting right with him. What everyone was describing made him think this mess was caused by someone powerful, someone who couldn't be found in Hellsalem’s Lot.

“They always do,” he agreed, unable to deny that. “But something just doesn't… feel right.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, tilting her head to the side worriedly.

Black bit his bottom lip, not really sure how to answer that without getting too deep into his past. “It’s… complicated.”

“Black,” her tone made him stiffen as she literally did a one eighty. Before her voice was soft and warming, now it was insistent and stern. Just like Mary, she was stubborn. It was useless trying to hide anything from her.

“This whole scenario feels familiar,” he said, trying desperately to form his jumbled thoughts into words. “Like it’s happened before, but back when I was possessed by the King of Despair so I don’t really know any details. I just know it happened.”

It was honestly very frustrating. The time spent being possessed by the King of Despair was complicated, and overall hazy. There were times where he had been somewhat lucid, seeing, hearing and feeling what was happening around him, and sometimes he’d just be asleep. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for it, it just happened. Of course, even when he was aware of what was going on, the King of Despair was one of the Thirteen Kings, being far too powerful to overwhelm and force aside; not without him being severely weakened.

“The only thing I know for certain is that the Alterworld is directly involved somehow.”

Michella’s eyes widened in fear yet again, making him regret saying anything at all. But instead of freaking out, she merely took a deep breath and remained calm. “He’ll be okay,” she said, her voice full of hope. “Do you know why I call him my tortoise knight?”

Black blinked a few times before shaking his head. “Leo’s mentioned it, but says he doesn't even know why you call him that.”

Michella couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at that. “Did you know tortoises can’t move backwards?”

“No, can’t say I did,” Black admitted, trying to piece it together before she could finish.

“My brother is just like them. Even if his knees lock up and he can’t move, even if he’s frozen in place with doubt, he never runs away. He just hunkers down and endures it until he can take a step forward.” She said, recalling what she told Klaus not too long ago.

His bright blue eyes slowly widen, the teasing term now holding meaning. She was right, he was exactly like a tortoise, sometimes in more ways than the ones she described.

It gave him an idea.

“I think I know where he went,” Black beamed excitedly as he looked around, making sure they were the only ones in the room.

“You do?!” Michella gasped in relief, looking at him with growing hope as he went to the table that held the equipment Gilbert was handing out earlier.

“Yeah, I think he was led there.” Picking up a bluetooth earpiece, he quickly synced his phone to it before placing it in his ear. Seeing her worried gaze, he walked back over to her and gently ruffled her hair. “He’s fine, don’t worry. It’s sort of a sacred place for us. If he’s there, there’s a slight chance he’ll even vaguely remember me.”

“And maybe it’ll slowly make him remember everything else,” Michella’s hope glistened as she looked up at him almost desperately. “I won’t tell the others, just be safe, and bring him back okay? I’ll have Toby watch the cameras and open the elevator for you.”

Determination flashed in Black’s eyes as he nodded. “Thank you, I will.”

----

Leo’s body trembled and shook even worse than before as he threw up for fifth time in a row, making him huddle against the corner of the half demolished church. Despite not having anything left in his stomach to let loose, there was a mass that would start to move as he heaved, only to settle back down towards his stomach. It made him choke and sputter, which in turn made him try to heave again with no success.

The hospital was right there, he could get help, but there were so many people there, so many helpless people that he didn’t dare so much as glance in its direction fearing those things would come tearing through it.

He wondered how the others were doing… he hoped they were still alive. He knew what the others saw in him, but it was getting harder to see why they’d still go through all this trouble just to save him when he was already giving up on himself.

‘Getting your ass handed to you, and giving up, they’re completely different things,’ he vaguely heard himself say in a memory, making him close his eyes. Since when did he get so wise? Giving up seemed like a pretty good option right now even if it was cowardly. Dying from dehydration and starvation seemed like the better alternative to being drowned by those creatures.

Yet… giving up didn’t feel right. It made him wrinkle his nose in distaste. Despite not remembering everything, he knew there were so many people that counted on him besides his sister. For example, he was literally the only one that could see those creatures that were hunting him down. If he died, how would the others from Libra deal with them? They couldn’t even keep him safe and it wasn’t due to the lack of trying. He wasn’t even sure if they were even still alive. The mere thought made him clench his teeth and fists in anger.

He didn’t even remember them, but they still threw their lives away trying to help him. If he gave up now, all their efforts would be in vain.

And that was unacceptable. Even if he couldn’t do much against those things and would probably end up dying anyway, he still had to try. Trying was better than just giving up and letting death take him without a fight even if it was reckless.

‘Stay here until you die, or you go free until you die. Either way you’re gonna die sooner or later.’ Despite the way that voice sent waves of uneasiness into him, he couldn’t help but agree. Whoever said that was right. If he was going to die, he would go out fighting the bastards that did this to him. It was better than giving up.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, he moved to stand only to stop midway. Breathing literally became impossible as he felt something wrap around his lungs, making him let out a strangled cry that morphed into desperate coughs and sputters as he tried dislodging whatever had a tight grip around his lungs. Tears of pure fear fell down his cheeks as he watched his sight slowly go in and out.

What the hell was happening to him? Was something really inside him?!

The grip around his organ slowly started to loosen just as he nearly lost consciousness. He couldn’t help the whimper that left him as he curled up on the ground, unaware that he fell over during the attack. Ever since the creature tried drowning him with it’s goo, his symptoms felt like they got ten times worse to the point where he swore there was a living thing crawling inside him. The mere thought terrified him, but he tried not to focus on it. He had enough to worry about on the outside world as it was, like the colorful butterfly that landed on a rock next to him, seeming to try to comfort him.

Butterfly… was it strange that he felt like he knew it somehow?

“Leo?” A soft voice whispered, making his eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. Did that voice… come from the butterfly? “Leo-” No, that wasn’t the butterfly. Reality came rushing back at him as he glanced up, seeing a boy around his age with short blonde hair that slightly covered his face and bright blue eyes that were hidden behind perfectly round silver frames. His choice of clothing made him blink in shock realizing he literally picked out the same outfit at the store just in different colors.

Now that he thought about it, did he subconsciously pick those clothes out to match this guys? The flannel he picked out was also white as the base color, but while the blond’s stripes were black and gray, the one he picked out had been orange and brown. He even picked out jeans despite never really owning a pair, and the hoodie looked the same except while his was black the one he picked out was white.

White… Black…

A sharp pain shot through his head, making him gasp and clench it. Yes, he knew this person, it was someone who meant a lot to him. If he understood his emotions correctly, they literally went through hell and back, losing someone dear to both of them.

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw the male kneeled down in front of him now, calling his name softly. “Leo, Leo can you hear me?”

“Y-yeah,” he hoarsely managed out, coughing a few times to clear the acid from his throat. “You… I know you?” He asked, his voice so rough it sounded like he was a long time smoker.

The other looked shocked before nodding despite the frown that made its way to his face. “Yeah, we’re really close friends, you even saved my life,” he smiled warmly. “I guess my soul is more accurate.”

Soul… why did this sound so familiar?

“I… what’s the code word?” He tried, watching as the other’s face contorted in confusion for a moment. Asking was instinctive at this point, like carrying around a security blanket. Somehow he knew he didn’t have to ask, but not asking made his anxiety worse.

“Oh, I’m not part of Libra, though I know the code because I’ve been working with them to find you.” Leo tensed slightly. He wasn’t part of Libra? They’ve been the only people he’s been able to trust so far, then again they’ve been the only people he’s trusted so far. Zed told him not to talk to anyone else, but.. what about this guy? He even felt the need to protect him, though he had no clue why. Surely he could trust him… right?

The colorful butterfly fluttered up, gracefully landing on the newcomer’s shoulder. He waited for the other to notice, but it seemed like he was the only one that could see it.

If it trusted this person enough to land on him despite being frail, surely he wasn’t bad, right?

“Considering you’re not surprised, they told you about my memory,” Leo said, watching the frown return to the other’s face.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, a glare hiding his eyes behind his glasses. “I’ve been really worried about you. This City, no, this entire state is too dangerous to be in without knowing how to live in it. It doesn’t help that your eyes make you an even bigger target. You can say I’ve been terrified for you. The both of us have been.”

Leo tilted his head as much as he could on the ground, confused. “Both?” Was he referring to the butterfly?

“Yeah,” he said, the glare leaving his glasses, the warmth in his eyes coming back. “Do you know what today is?”

Leo couldn’t help but glare at him. “Didn’t we just go over this-”

“No, because you have a tendency to forget this day even with your memory intact,” the other said, his voice rather harsh. “At any rate, we should get going, I’d rather not give those things anymore more time to find us. Do you need help getting up?”

Leo groaned, realizing he had to move and really didn’t want to. This was his best shot of getting out of here alive and to safety, he had to take it.

Taking a deep breath, he moved, trembling as he pushed himself to sit up. His hoodie was completely caked with throw up, making the other cringe.

“Wait-” he said, making Leo watch in confusion as the other clumsily took his black sweater off. “They might smell you if we don’t ditch yours.”

The brunette would’ve been insulted if he wasn’t right. Besides the other probably didn’t want to smell him all the way back to the hideout.

“So,” he said as he struggled taking his own off, trying his best in his sickly daze not to rub the throwup in his face and hair. “What’s your name?”

“William Macbeth,” the other responded as Leo tossed his sweater aside, watching as the other’s face heated up in a blush before turning away. That’s when Leo felt his own face flush, feeling the nice cool breeze against his hot skin. He wasn’t wearing a shirt under his hoodie like he normally did. Then again, he didn’t remember he wasn’t the one that dressed himself this morning.

“B-but I uh, I go by Black.”

“Black huh? That’s definitely different than William,” he commented as he took the black hoodie and slid it on. It was surprisingly a nice fit. Unlike his own that literally hung off his body, this sweater clung to him and showed off how skinny he really was.

Black looked away, and if Leo didn’t know any better, it was to look at the butterfly that still rest against his shoulder despite the clothes change. “Yeah, there’s a story behind it, but hopefully I won’t have to remind you.”

“I hope so too,” Leo admitted as he slowly went to stand, only to gasp as his lungs were squeezed again.

Black instantly came forward and caught Leo just as his knees gave out, fear coursing through him as he wasn’t sure how to help as his friend wheezed, choked and sputtered. “What’s wrong!?” Black desperately asked, knowing the other couldn’t provide an answer. If he knew what was going on he might be able to help-! It sounded like he was choking, but there was nothing Leo could have choked on! With his chest pressed against Leo’s, he noticed the other wasn’t taking deep breaths, or maybe he couldn’t. In fact he basically wasn’t breathing at all.

Desperate Black started patting Leo’s back as they both slid back to the floor, Leo’s body completely slumped against his own as he beat even harder against him. He wasn’t even sure if it was helping but he had to try something! “I’m sorry-” his whispered into Leo’s soft hair, feeling tears of fear slip past his cheeks. He couldn't lose Leo too, he refused to lose him- he’d do whatever it took to keep him alive!

The brunette suddenly took a desperate gulp of air, Will finally feeling him take a decent deep breath. “Y-yes that’s it - that’s it-” He choked on his tears, holding Leo tightly against himself, afraid he’d disappear if he loosened his grip.

He let Leo take all the time he needed to catch his breath, listening and feeling his chest slowly find its natural rhythm again as his forehead burned through his shirt as his head nestled into the crook of Black’s neck. The heat only made him worry even more.

“B… Bla...ck,” he heard Leo almost whimper after a few moments, making the blonde clench the hoodie he let him borrow.

“I’m here,” he said, trying to sound composed.

“Happened… again…” he whimpered, trying so hard to stay conscious.

Black bite his bottom lip, trying his best to remain the strong one right now. “What happened again?”

The terrifying silence made Will want to cry, assuming Leo passed out on him. He thought he could handle this, he thought he could save him, but he was wrong. He couldn't save anyone.

“In...side-” Leo’s frail voice pulled him back to reality, making his eyebrows knit in confusion. “Something inside… every time I try to get up-” he coughed a bit weakly, almost wheezing. “Squeezes, my lungs.”

Black’s eyes went wide, looking down at Leo’s hair urgently. His lungs - something was wrong with his lungs? Did he sustain an internal injury while on the run or was this damage the drugs caused? Or was there something else going on?

The reason didn’t matter right now, he needed to get Leo back to Libra’s headquarters and to Dr Estevez.

Taking out his phone, he quickly dialed Klaus’s number, the call connecting to the bluetooth earpiece. They exchanged information before he left the state just in case the King of Despair tried rearing his evil head.

No answer, which was out of character for the Leader of Libra. He was probably fighting those things or that Blood Breed from earlier.

“We have a doctor back at headquarters waiting for you,” Black reassured as he tried to think of the best way to do this. Leo could easily pick him up, but he wasn’t as strong as him. At least physically.

Taking a deep breath, he focused. Leo started floating in midair, allowing Black to reposition himself, letting his powers gently rest his friend against his back. His hands quickly looped around his legs as Leo’s head nuzzled into the crook of his neck again, that abnormally hot forehead sending shivers down his spine.

“Before you freak out, I have psychic powers, and yes, you knew this before you lost your memory,” he said, not wanting the other to waste his energy asking questions. “Sit tight, and if you can, help me keep an eye out for those creatures okay?” His light blue eyes lit up a little with power as he willed the hood to cover Leo’s head. It wouldn’t do much, but at least it made it harder for those things to recognize him.

He took to the streets, but avoided the major ones. The one good thing about being possessed by the King of Despair was learning how to get around without being seen, something Leo was horrible at doing.

A few shady people glanced over at them, but knew better than to get in his way. They tried having their way with the King of Despair and quickly learned to appreciate the fact they could still breath. Most turned away as soon as they recognized him while others fled in the other direction. Their fear used to make Black feel guilty and disgusting. For once he was grateful for it.

Leo’s breathing started getting worse a few blocks away from the hideout, making Black push himself to walk even faster. He realized he didn’t even know how to get into the hideout. When they were coming in Gilbert somehow made a handprint scanner appear which then opened the door to the elevator. The only problem was Black didn’t know how to even get the scanner out in the first place.

‘I hope you’re watching out for us Michella,’ he tightened his hold around Leo’s legs, making the other groan softly into his neck. Black blushed deeply before a loud metal crashing sound made him freeze. He didn’t have to look, he threw up a barrier to his right, instantly hearing something splatter against it.

They finally found them.

Okay, he couldn't mess this up. He got tired really easily while using his powers, so he had to make each time count. “Leo, are you awake?” He asked as he ran, though it wasn’t much faster than his speed walk.

The other groaned against him, but nodded. “If you can, please be my eyes. We’re literally just three blocks away from safety and unlike your friends I’m not well versed in self defense.”

Three blocks away…? Were they really that close? He tried moving his head, finding his eyes could open slightly. All he could really see was Black’s shirt though. Maybe… he could try something else.

Black nearly skid to a stop as he felt something wrap around his eyes, his sight becoming blue and purple hues. He quickly recovered and kept running, looking left and right, seeing one of those creatures hopping from roof to roof, getting ready to dive down. He saw a flicker of movement further up, seeing another one of those creature’s skeletal faces as it crawled out of a large trash can, blocking their path out of the alley.

That face -

their bodies-

The one above them didn’t even get close to the edge of the next building before it literally splattered in midair, Black’s eyes flickering with powerful light in his pupils as his features resemble a face the King of Despair would make when he was thoroughly pissed off. The other one burst as well before it could even attempt to pounce, painting the walls black.

These creatures - they looked sickeningly familiar to something he saw during one of the many trips the King of Despair’s took to the Alterworld. The only reason he remembered them was because even Despair thought they were disgusting tools and threatened to blow them all up. The pain and choking sensation Leo was describing made sense now even if he wished it didn’t.

This whole situation was far worse than they could've ever anticipated. He honestly wasn’t sure how they were going to help Leo, which only made him more determined not to give up.

First things first, he needed to get him back to the hideout, even if it used up all his energy.

Closing his eyes he stopped walking, concentrating on the hidden door in the alley way that took them to Libra’s headquarters. Normally it took awhile for him to concentrate, but with Leo’s borrowed vision, he saw it almost instantly. ‘Please be watching,’ he begged as he let his energy flow, stumbling and bumping into the new hidden cramped alley wall as they teleported. His arms felt like jello as the hold he had around Leo’s legs started to falter, much to his annoyance. Glancing around, he let out a sigh of relief seeing the red door.

“Michella-” Black called out, unable to help it as he dropped to one knee. Only pure determination stopped him from letting Leo go and falling on his face. “Please-”

She was way ahead of him. The door opened to the elevator, Dr Estevez and Anila running out to greet them. Black smiled up at them the best he could as Dr Estevez threw one of Leo’s arms over her shoulder and dragged him to the elevator.

“Can you stand?” Anila asked, her dark brown curly hair bouncing against her dark cheeks.

“I might need your help,” he admitted, feeling her drape one of his arms around her in a similar fashion as they limped to the elevator. Black watched with bated breath and Leo’s eyes until the elevator closed, letting out a sigh of relief.

He did it; he finally got Leo to safety.

“Press it now Toby,” Anila ordered, the alarm blaring right after.

“Security alert, Defcon Level 1 now activated. Please do not leave the building and stay away from the windows.” The security system confirmed as Anila pulled out her cellphone.

“This is Anila, Leonardo Watch has been recovered and Defcon Level 1 is now activated.”

“What?!” Black heard Steven on the other line. “Did he wander over there himself?!”

“Let me talk to him, it’s important,” Black said, the women looking down at him, unsure.

“William found him, he wants to speak to you.” She handed the phone over as the elevator reached their floor. Dr Estevez immediately ran out and headed to the room she was given to work on him - the conference room - much to Black’s protests.

“She needs to hear this too,” he grumbled as Anila helped him down the hall.

“I’m listening!” The doctor called back, much to his surprise. He didn’t expect her to hear him. “Those creatures, I’ve seen them before when the King of Despair was possessing me,” he started, everyone becoming silent and grave. They already knew this wasn’t good news. “They’re creations from a Collector in the Alterworld who sells his pieces on the black market. If I’m remembering correctly, he’s the one in charge of the auction he sells his ‘pieces’ at.”

“Do you know his name?” Klaus asked, not wasting a moment. Everyone knew how dangerous collectors from the Alterworld could be, especially if they worked with the black market. “Unfortunately no, but he’s very popular with powerful people like the 13 Kings, hence why the King of Despair was involved with him,” Black informed, staring at Leo’s panting body as Dr Estevez started her work. “Those creatures are his hunters. They stalk the Collector’s prey until they find a chance to essentially mummify the victim by filling them up with that black goo, literally preserving their life and force them into becoming comatose dolls.” Anila and Dr Estevez’s faces went pale as they recalled the story from Chain and K.K. about the creature trying to ‘drown’ Leo. “The Collector then either keeps them or sells them, allowing the new owner decide if they want them to stay comatose or turn them back to normal.”

“That would explain the fevers-” Dr Estevez said as she felt Leo’s forehead again, clicking her tongue when he was still dangerously warm. “His body is trying to fight off the intruder, but it doesn’t know how to so it’s been trying to get him to eject it.” She stopped as she saw Leo open one of his eyes, the godly glow dim.

“Something’s in.. my chest,” Leo breathed out, trying his best to wrap his mind around the disturbing and disgusting revelation. “My lungs…”

“I think it was trying to stop you from running away by essentially petrifying your lungs,” Black said as he came up to his side, knowing the other wouldn’t remember Dr Estevez and didn’t want him to freak out. “But it can’t affect just one of your organs or you’ll die, so it did it just long enough to keep you incapacitated. Their deadline must be coming up if they’re getting this desperate.”

“But how does that explain his amnesia?” Dr Estevez asked, mostly to herself. “Unless we assume it first targeted the brain. Maybe it tried attacking Leo last night, but he was able to fight off.” She turned to Black, seeing if he could approve the theory or not with what he knew.

“That would make sense,” Black admitted. “Those creatures can’t even be seen by other Beyondians due to a massive cloaking spell the Collector created. So when they found out Leo could see them and fight back by controlling their vision-”

“They found a way to make it harder for him to fight back.”

“Anila,” Black heard Steven call, making him quickly put the phone on speaker so she could hear. “Call the forensics team, see if they can find any trace of that thing in the bile samples. If they can prove there’s traces in his system before Zapp got there, that’ll help us piece some of this together and maybe find a way to treat Leo.”

“On it,” she said as she took the phone back and made to leave. “Is there anything else you want to add?”

“Not right now,” Black said as he collapsed in one of the conference room chairs, no longer having anyone to support him. “I have Klaus’s number, I’ll call if I remember anything else.”

“Thank you,” Klaus’s voice came from the phone this time. “Sorry I missed your call, I was taking care of the Blood Breed.”

“It’s fine,” Black reassured as the Libra agent left, his eyes going back to Leo who went quiet and stiff. He was obviously uncomfortable. “Leo this is Dr Estevez. She can clone herself in order to be in more places than one, so don’t freak out if you see double of her.”

“Thanks,” Leo weakly responded, making Black frown. He sounded so frail and fragile like that.

“Go ahead and rest, you’ve earned it,” Dr Estevez reassured the brunette, both watching him fall asleep almost instantly. “You too William,” she said, side glancing over at him. “We’ll need you in case those things somehow find a way in here.”

He wanted to protest, but he couldn't disagree with that logic. “Yeah, sounds like a good idea.”

----

To the Alterworld they went. There were no records of someone like the man William described, but that meant this guy must’ve avoided Libra’s radar until now. There was only one person Klaus trusted to get reliable information about someone dangerous like this: Don Arlelelle Eruca Fulgrouche.

Zapp tapped a finger against the cast his arm was in impatiently, his eyebrows twitching in irritation. The chief had been in the room for only thirty minutes and he was already losing his goddamn mind. “Why can’t we just beat the information out of the shitbag?” He grumbled under his breath, not really caring if the guards heard him or not. K.K. elbowed him hard in the side, making the other whimper.

“Because he’s one of the most powerful and influential mob bosses in the Alterworld. You don’t want to get on his bad side.”

“Tch, he’s about to get on mine. Why didn’t I volunteer to go with Steven?! It would’ve been less boring than waiting for the stupid door to open!”

----

Steven and Chain walked around the Underworld markets, the fog so thick they had to stay really close to each other so they wouldn't get lost or separated. They got a small lead that a few punks were selling something that could lead anyone to the All Seeing Eyes of the Gods. Typically they ignored these kinds of rumors considering they were always scams, but they couldn’t take a chance right now.

“What do you think? This seems like the general area the flier described right?” Steven asked the Invisible Werewolf who nodded, her eyes staying peeled despite the small blush that stained her cheeks. She didn’t realize how close she’d have to be by Steven during this mission.

“Yes,” she confirmed, her eyes narrowing on an alleyway where no stalls seemed to linger.

Why was it always alleys with them? “Look over there, it’s the blue star from the flier,” she pointed at the graffiti on the wall, slowly advancing forward. The second in command nodded, hardly able to see it himself, but trusted her with his life.

“I honestly don’t know how these people can live down here,” the ice user admitted, seeing the fog not bothering them at all.

“They’ve learned to cope with it as their reality,” Chain said, signalling him to stop. “Let me go first.” Slowly her body phased into the building before the alley like a ghost. No one screamed, so it must’ve been vacant.

“There’s only two and they’re unarmed, but they have a sonic speed monkey. It could be Sonic,” her eyes sterned in anger, watching as Steven’s followed suit.

These guys were obviously involved somehow.

“Cover the back exit, I’ll do the talking.”

Both the suspects seemed to be part of the same species, though Steven honestly wasn’t sure what they were. They resembled medium sized goblins, though while one of them was red, the other was blue. Just like all the other creatures from the Beyond, they were wearing clothes which were really baggy on them. They didn’t look like much, but he knew better than to assume anything.

“Hey you two, heard you had something interesting for sale,” Steven said as he walked up to their janky makeshift table that looked like it’d fall apart at any moment, his hands casually stuffed in his pockets. Immediately the sonic speed monkey they had in a cage jumped up against the bars and dramatically cried, a hand stretched out towards him as if begging Steven to get him the hell out of there.

Yep, that was definitely Sonic.

The two immediately straightened up. “Our first customer-” one of them whispered happily as the other elbowed him.

“Yes we do Sir. We have something that’ll help you obtain the powers of the gods themselves!” The other one pointed to the monkey in the cage, to which Sonic glowered back at them. They obviously haven’t been treating him well; he looked ready to bite of their noses.

“A monkey?” Steven asked with a raised eyebrow, making sure his voice was filled with doubt, watching the two punks eat it up.

“But this isn’t just any ordinary sonic speed monkey, it belongs to the owner of the All Seeing Eyes of the Gods! Not only can it lead you to him, but you can also use him as a hostage!”

So that was their game. They obviously couldn’t kidnap Leo so instead they were selling a way for others to get a hold of him. He wondered if this is how the Collector learned about him in the first place.

“That is a very tempting offer,” he admitted, his face turning sour as he dropped the charade. “But how do you think the sons of bitches that purchase the monkey should handle the other Libra members when they come knocking?” Both of the men froze, their eyes widening in terror. They weren’t stupid, they managed to kidnap Sonic after all.

“Th-they should beg Libra to show mercy a-and offer to do anything to let them live!” The blue one cried, doing nothing as Steven reached forward and pulled the rusty cage open with minimal effort. Sonic wailed as he crawled up Steven’s shoulder and hissed at his two kidnappers, probably cursing at them in his own language.

“So tell me, how did you two idiots manage to kidnap him anyway?” He asked, his voice softer again, but still held that icy malice that made them shiver. “And know if you try to scream or escape, you’ll feel my icy needles crawling through every inch of your body.”

Both of them gulped, the blue one peeing his pants. “W-we saw him w-walking home-”

“The monkey?”

“The kid!” The red one shouted out of nervousness.

“Y-yeah, the kid, we saw him walking home a-and followed him. We really need the money, so we… came up with a plan.”

“What money?” Steven interrupted, making them jump at his sternness.

“The bounty money!” They stammered. “Th-that’s why you’re here too, right?”

A bounty was pretty typical for all the members of Libra. Most of them were literally worth millions of dollars dead or alive. So what was so special about Leo’s bounty that got him into this mess? He’d grill into that later. “Go on, what did you idiots do next?”

“His white haired friend kept getting in our way and scared us, so we came up with a plan-”

“A really elaborate one,” the red one continued, seemingly proud.

“We noticed the air conditioning broke, so we kept turning the heater on-”

“Which forced the tenants to leave their doors and windows open to get any relief.”

“It was seriously hot in there, they were better off outside-”

“But the brat wouldn’t leave his fucking door open!” The two kept alternating, almost making it hard to follow along.

“So we followed him to the store, and bought Pepsi labels to put on our sodas.”

“And tricked him into thinking there was a package for him downstairs so he’d leave the door unlocked-”

“And switched his soda with ours.”

Steven’s eyes narrowed. “You switched his soda out with ones that were drugged.” Both of them looked up at him, the red one wetting himself this time as he could almost feel that icy glare piercing his nerves.

“Y-yes… b-but we didn’t want to hurt the brat, we just needed him unconscious long enough to transport him,” the blue one stammered.

“But he wouldn’t drink the fucking soda!” The red one angrily said despite the fear. “He kept opening them and putting them off to the side until he opened half the pack, then he finally drank half of one. But that’s not nearly enough in his system to do the job!”

“So we had to improvise. Luckily we still had some left over Hellfire from our last job.”

Hellfire- it was a drug for Beyondians that was nearly too strong even for their own kind. Not only did it make them higher than a kite after one inhalation, it also had a horrible side effect that paralyzed most of the drug abusers who used more than the recommended amount, the paralysis sometimes becoming permanent. Those who didn’t suffer permanent paralysis often became violently ill and died of severe dehydration because they couldn’t become coherent enough to take care of themselves.

“The tenant right above his room moved out because of the heat, allowing us to slip in and use a rope to drop down to the brat’s open window when he fell asleep-”

“Where we released the drug into the room. But that’s when this stupid shit head got in the way!” The red one angrily pointed to the monkey who hissed at him again.

“It saw us and alerted the brat, but the drug made it hard for him to even sit up without falling over, so that thing jumped us and attacked-!” Both their faces caved to fear after that, shaking.

Steven rose an eyebrow, not understanding their sudden fear. “Sonic scared you that bad?”

“N-no-” the blue one whimpered as the red struggled to speak.

“That’s when… that’s when it showed up.”

“It?” Steven pressed, though had a sinking feeling he knew what it was.

“We couldn't see it… but the kid screamed and fought against something, even using those eyes of his. Then this weird black stuff came out of nowhere and dripped into his mouth. That’s when our rope broke.” The blue one shivered. “We don’t know how we survived the fall, but we did.”

“But we were empty handed.”

“We were tempted to go back in there and collect him, but we didn’t know if that thing was still in there, and if it was, we wanted nothing to do with it. So we settled with taking the drugged monkey instead.”

The pieces were coming together, proving their latest theories correct. Leo must’ve been able to fight the thing off and tried to text Klaus for help. The poor kid couldn’t even finish the text before the drugs and that black stuff took control. Part of him was glad Leo didn’t remember, that sounded like a nightmare.

“That bounty,” the ice user inquired, the floor beneath him now a slate of ice from his anger. “Do you have a copy of that poster?”

“Y-yes-!” The red one quickly fidgeted with his clothes, pulling out the half ripped and dirty rolled up piece of paper. Steven took it and unrolled it, clenching the paper angrily.

In big letters read ‘Leonardo Watch, Member of Libra, Holder of the All Seeing Eyes of the Gods. Reward: Crimson Elixir and $10,000,000.’ The fact someone was literally offering both money and Elixir meant they were trying to get as many people as possible to go after Leo so they didn’t have to. If the Creator was commissioned to retrieve him, it had to be by someone very powerful, dangerous, and influential. Someone who didn’t feel the need to leave the safety of their base of operations.

‘Crimson Elixir,’ he mumbled to himself, his eyes narrowing. Rumors say it can heal any wounds and illnesses, even allow you to regenerate lost body parts and grant someone eternal life. At least, those were the rumors that were going around Hellsalem’s Lot after the First Collapse. With that offer he was surprised Leo wasn’t attacked earlier and by more people. Then again, most people probably that it was a hoax.

“Thank you for cooperating. For that, you get to live.” The two creatures eyes widened before their eyes rolled up into the back of their heads, Chain easily knocking them both out. “Tell Gilbert to personally pick these bastards up. They’ll get what’s coming to them,” he growled. “I’ll fill everyone else in.”

#phage writes #kekkai sensen #leonardo watch #blood blockade battlefront

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cinning-at-midnight · 5 years ago

Text

Dramatic Leonardo Fanfic (Part 1 of 2)

Angst, romance, and revenge~!

"Cara mia," whispered words echoed in my mind. I rolled over in bed, briefly scanning the darkness around me. I shut my eyes again, and felt a warm breath on my ear. "Forgive me." The fog weighing on my mind cleared only after the door to my room clattered shut.

My throat and mouth were dry from sleep, but I tried to call out. "Leonardo!" I cried, but my voice cracked as my legs folded beneath me. I stumbled, trying to hurry down the hallway with only the light of the stars to guide me. I could hear talking in Le Comte's room, and I pressed my ear to the hardwood of the door.

"What about her-- your compagna provvisoria?" Comte Saint-Germaine asked. "It's best that I leave now, or else seeing her may change my mind." Leonardo responded. I heard footsteps coming to the door, but my body was rooted in place. "Send her back as soon as the door reopens." Leo instructed.

Le Comte swung open the door, and the light from the fireplace illuminated half of my face. The blond vampire frowned at the sight of me, realizing I had been listening in on their conversation. Leonardo noticed Me when Le Comte turned to the side. I hadn't known I was crying until I dared to speak.

"So, that's all I was to you?" I choked back a sob. "A way to pass the time until you made a proper decision?" I couldn't help the tears that began to trickle down my cheeks, but I didn't bother to wipe them away. Le Comte sighed and stepped out of the doorway in an attempt to excuse himself. I caught the sleeve of his waist coat. "And you-- how dare you convince me to go along with this?!"

My voice was now a shout, but I cared not for whomever would hear this discussion. Leonardo gently uncurled my fingers from Le Comte's arm. "Don't touch me!" I hollered. "You were about to run off in the middle of the night, just to send me packing!" I felt the heat building in my face, against the coolness of the falling tears soaking my cheeks. Leo looked at me with an anguished expression, and I bolted back to my room as fast as I could.

That bastard! I thought, as I slammed my door shut. Playing me like a fiddle, making me feel special; all he wanted was to buy some time before getting engaged to someone else. I fell on my bed in despair, using a pillow to muffle my cries. Just when I thought 'I love you.'"

***

I woke up sometime later to hands shaking my shoulder. "Hurry, get up!" This voice was not Leonardo's, and the thought that I would never hear him again crushed my broken heart. "Get up! We need to go!" I murmured indistinctly into my pillow before sitting up. Le Comte reached out for me and took me into his arms. "I know this is upsetting, but we need to go to the engagement ceremony."

I blinked away fresh tears, as the man lifted me into his arms bridal-style. "Le Comte, it's over. Leonardo made his choice, remember?" I was tired of crying, but my eyes had yet to cry their last tears. He looked at me, and this time he truly saw me, not just the clumsy mortal who accidentally found a mansion of vampires.

"If you'd like, you can stay here with me." I cocked my head at him, and felt my messy locks flop to the side. "Le Comte, I appreciate the offer, but staying here would be too lonely--" I wasn't capable of finishing my reasoning, because his tongue was retaining with my own. Leonardo had tasted of cigarillos, rouge, and vanilla. Le Comte tasted like chamomile, rouge, and licorice.

When the kiss was over, I touched my lips. "I love Leonardo," I whispered. The words hung in the air between us. Le Comte hung his head, "I know that, but eternity is a long time. I can offer that to you-- and maybe someday, you can return my affections."

My mouth hung open as I absorbed his meaning. "You'd make me a vampire?" I considered his offer momentarily. "That goes against Leonardo's moral code." My heart sank when I realized I couldn't hurt Leo in the way he had hurt me only hours before. Le Comte took me in his arms, "I will make it worth your while."

Our lips pressed together, and then his tongue probed farther, joining mine in a dance. The moment felt passionate and sinful, and the longer the kiss went on the more powerful I felt. I could live forever, I thought. Maybe one day, Leonardo and I could be together… I stopped the kiss, and smiled gently up at Le Comte's golden eyes.

"So, how soon can you make me-- uh, like you?" I asked.

His shining eyes darkened, "When you die, full of regret."

***

Planning to attend my ex-lover's engagement party, and my own death day was taking its toll on me. I had about a week to put our plan into action, but I couldn't squash my fears. I laid in bed next to Le Comte, whom I started calling, "mon amour." Mostly this was because my French is limited, and also because anything else felt too disingenuous.

As I rested my head on his chest, Le Comte kissed my hair. "Mon amour," the name felt sour on my tongue. He responded in a sweet tone, "Oui, mon coeur?" I lifted my face enough that we were nearly nose-to-nose. "What would happen if I somehow don't die full of regret?" I asked, searching his eyes for hints of dishonesty.

"I would never allow you to put yourself at risk, mon coeur." He planted a chaste kiss on the bridge of my nose. "You are my heart, mon coeur, my eternity." Le Comte smiled sincerely, but I felt cold inside. How long can I keep up this charade? I wondered.

***

A week passed and I was dressed in the finest apparel that money could by-- thanks, of course, to Le Comte Saint-Germain. We arrived at the engagement party for Leonardo and Madeline. I had never heard of her, and had no intention of ever speaking to her. Le Comte assured me that I'd have my chance to break Leonardo's heart-- assuming he ever had one.

I let my anger fuel me throughout every toast, every fake smile, and every curtsey. By the time the Happy Couple was to be announced, and the proposal made, I was seething. I wanted to rip my teeth into his neck, and I didn't even have fangs-- yet. Le Comte whispered in my ear, "Once she accepts, everyone will applaud and want to look at her ring." I nodded as he explained the rest of the plan. "That's when he will be easiest to sneak away; I'll get his attention and bring him to you." I smiled a wicked grin. "Thank you, I hope this works."

He kissed my cheek and then my neck and I leaned into his familiar, but in-electric touch. "I promise you'll get the satisfaction you crave." I managed a giggle at his double entendre, and listened for the proposal.

"Madeline, mon amour, mon cherie, will you honor me with your hand in marriage?" Leonardo asked. I scoffed, and several guests turned their heads in disapproval. I coughed, "I'm allergic to flowers." My fib earned an eyeroll or two, then everyone was standing. I went to the meeting place, while Le Comte retrieved Leonardo. Butterflies filled my stomach and my anger began to fade into excitement.

#leonardo da vinci #ikemen vampire leonardo #ikemen vampire #fanfiction

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tmnthpdisneyjurassicpark-blog · 6 years ago

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Meeting Mikey

Note: Sorry it took so long guys, I hope you like it! Might be a bit dark but there is some humor.

@callingyoutosayhello

Michaelangelo Hamato, goofball, best friend, adorable little brother, and the pranking king.

Not tonight.

Tonight, he couldn't afford to be carefree, couldn't allow his imagination get the best of him. He couldn't rely everything on his wits and expect to walk out alive.

Tonight, michaelangelo was gone.

It was time....

....for TURTLE TITAN!

Crouching on the building's edge, Michaelangelo- er, Turtle Titan gazed at the streets below.

He sneered. The city was sick, sick with a plague of hate, of violence, of a darkness that threatened to snuff out the light every day.

There were children playing in the park, just as there were gang lords having drug wars.

There were men and women who simply wanted to follow their dreams as a singer, writer, dancer, artist; just as there were secret corupt organizations claiming to be saving the world through torturing and murdering innocent mutants.

Turtle Titan saw it all, and did his part to keep his city safe.

To keep the light

Turtle Titan was a hero, but it was Michaelangelo who lived by the knight's code.

To protect those who couldn't protect themselves....

Mikey didn't feel like much a hero though, especially after what happened to Splinter a few days back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were rushing across the rooftops, chasing after Bishop's men. The jerk had somehow tracked the turtles back to their liar, and had ordered a strike. The turtles however, were out on their patrol during the attack. Bishop, in a fit of rage at missing his targets, had taken Splinter hostage. It wasn't until they had returned, hours later, to a broken home with a missing father. Donnie had checked the security feed throughout the sewers and had hacked the cameras of nearby shops to pin-point exactly what happened. He had found the license plate of the van used to kidnap Splinter.

From there, they realized the van was left in Foot territory.

It suddenly became clear that Bishop and the Foot Clan were working together, and that if the brothers did not get there soon, it would be too late.

"Come on! We need to get to Dad ASAP! Don, how is your software coming along?!" Leo barked out, leader mode in full swing.

"It's at ninety-six percent efficiency and is hacking into the foot head-quarters as we speak. It will also deactivate the EPF's main artelliry and leave them weaponless." Don responded, not looking back over his shoulder.

"Let's go get dad back." Raph growled, pushing past all of them in a speed unexpected of someone his size.

Mikey's heart was pounding hard. His feet were slapping against the pavement, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He had been sprinting for twenty minutes.

He didn't blink. He could barely breathe.

All the could picture was his poor father, at hands of Shredder and all the ways the jerk could possibly harm their agile dad.

Please don't be to late.....I'm coming sensei....

The foot headquarters came into view.

Mikey's world when black at the edges. He felt this dark and twisted need, a bloodthirsty urge to get to Shredder and just-

Mikey slammed his feet to the ground, skidding to a halt.

He was shaking, eyes wide in horror of what he wanted to do.

He wanted to kill Shredder. He wanted to actively take away a life and Not. Look. Back.

He almost lost himself in the darkness and he knew, the moment he stepped into that building, he would change forever.

His brothers stopped, several meters ahead of him, calling his name.

Rushing in there with no backup wouldn't be easy, even if Leo had devised a plan.

Not even a mile away was the mutanimals' secret hide out, close enough to keep an eye on the foot and the purple dragons but hidden in plain sight.

Decision made, Mikey turned on his heal and called out behind his back.

"Go get dad! I'll bring some help."

He ran as fast as he could, jumping over roofs and sliding down poles to get to ground level.

He pounded on the large silver door, calling out to leatherhead in a shaking voice.

The door slid to the side slightly and the giant-reptiles golden eye appeared. Once he realized it was Michaelangelo who was in need of assistance he pulled him roughly inside.

"Mikey, my friend, what is wrong?" Leatherhead growled softly.

"It's Bishop! His goons got Master Splinter! And they are working with the foot!"

"Then what are we standing around for? Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Hob blowed.

Slash nodded in agreement as the mutanimals took off towards the foot headquarters.

Mikey felt something tingle on the back of his neck and he knew something was off.

It was his connection with his brothers, their aura's almost entwined during a fight and he had only one thought.

Donatello

The world seemed to slow as Mikey burst past the others and towards the Foot Head Quarters.

FASTER MIKEY FASTER!

Five feet until the ledge.

"Mikey wait!" Leatherhead called out.

Three feet.

"It's too far kid!" Hob warned.

One foot.

"You won't make it." Slash roared.

He jumped.

The windrushed past him, full in his ears. In that moment mikey felt all his emotions boil up into the one single focus. He felt the joy of playing video games with Donatello, the happiness at pulling another prank on Raph, the comfort of his father's calm aura and the pride at seeing his eldest lead them towards another adventure.

He felt nothing but love.

The glass shattered.

The attack was unexpected as Mikey flung his nunchucks at the ninja. His chuck had hit temples, making several ninja's crumble to the floor.

Mikey had hit pulse points and had torn legiments, causing the other ninjas to cry out in pain.

Taking a step back, Mikey surveyed the chaos.

Leo and Raph were off to the left. Leo was holding an unconscious sensei in his arms while Raph had defended the pair.

To the right, Hob and Slash were defending an injuried Donatello. Mikey winced at seeing his brothers bent arm. He knew the elbow wasn't supposed to twist that way.

Finally he saw Leatherhead ripping into Bishops men, not holding back in the slightest.

That's when he saw her.

A girl, maybe about nineteen, with (y/h/c) hair bloodly and matted against your temples. Your (e/c) eyes were wide was fear as Shredder held his gauntlet to your throat.

"ENOUGH!" Shredder's voice boomed and the fighting ceased.

"Hand over Hamato Yoshi and I will spare her life!"

You had tears in your eyes but you held your head high. In the loudest voice you could muster, you cried out.

"Don't do it! He'll kill me anyway!"

A sharp flick of the Shredder's wrist and you had winced in pain, a deep wound across your right cheek.

Your eyes met the orange banded turtle, (e/c) against blue.

He sprinted towards you, not thinking twice.

The world around you two became a blur as Mikey rushed forward, his chucks in hands and he aimed the weapon right in Shredder's face.

Crying out in surprise at the bold attack, Mikey took the opportunity to sweep you up in his arms and throw several smoke bombs, giving his friends and family the chance to escape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A soft hand on Mikey's shoulder had the turtle nearly jumping out of his shell.

He turned around and found you there, giving him a soft smile.

His eyes were downcast and his breath was shaking. You knew Splinter- the rat you had learned raised the turtles practically from their 'birth' as mutants- was still unconscious. You knew Donatello, the sassy and technical genius had been in much pain from the fight and that Mikey blamed both of their pain on himself.

His fear that night that he confided in you, made him believe he was worthless.

You took his face in your hands and placed his forehead against yours.

He knew your name. He knew you grew up in a large, close-nit family. He knew of your parents divorce, the impact it had on your mental health, and that you moved to New York to pursue your dream of writing.

You knew his favorite food, color and video games. You knew his fake smiles from his real ones, you knew his joyful nature hid an array of darkness that threatened to snuff out his life.

He knew your eyes sparkled when you talked about something you were passionate about. He knew you were a huge fan of Harry Potter and Disney for the eternal magic they provide. He knew, deep down, you longed for a life of romance and adventure.

You knew each other for three days and yet, you knew each other better then you knew yourselves.

And in this quiet moment, on this rooftop, it was you and him against the world.

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flying-elliska · 6 years ago

Text

Skam France End of S3 Questionnaire - my own.

I am so ready to enjoy Imane’s season, I will also never stop talking about s3 (I think we can all do both!!). Ever. It’s one of my favorite seasons of TV and media experiences and I can’t wait to analyze it to death. (I’m going to do the s4 questions in another post bc i want ppl to read them and this is already super long, fair warning)

Favorite “big” clip : I already said Jeudi 17h32 (the bus stop farewell) but it’s such an understated scene, idk if it’s a ‘big one’. Apart from that, I love them all but ‘Vendredi 20h27 “T’es plus tout seul”’ just...did something to me on an almost spiritual level, I will remember it forever. It also give me a push on a personal level to reach out and explain some stuff to people. It made me believe in Love as the most important thing in the universe. I felt all my misgivings about being mentally ill and being worthy of love fall through the basket of my brain for one moment. Yeah. Also the parallel between God’s love and the Church and gay love, and that song, and seeing Eliott like that, and Maman Lallemant, and Lucas’ epic run, and the flashbacks, and the whole Petite Ceinture thing falling into place, dark/light and and and...yeah. Never will be over it.

Favorite “small” clip : Several come to mind but I have such a soft spot for “Lundi 08h43 - Terre Promise” where they uncover the mural ? First of all that thing was much more beautiful than I thought it would be, aesthetics on point, and Lucas and Eliott being so open and unashamed like that made me feel so warm and fuzzy after all of Lucas’ repression of his own feelings and sexuality. The music and the filming are great in this clip, and I loved learning Imane knew Eliott already and seemed so happy for them, and the whole ‘you ask about politics on Christmas’ gave me such a family vibe. The whole ‘it’s a butt - yeah we gave it our all, body and soul’ was super ridiculous but in that way you don’t even care about when you’re so high on love. It was just super cute.

Favorite romantic moment : There’s so many but I just can’t get over Lucas buying flowers and croissants for Eliott in “Samedi 9h53 - T’es pas comme les autres” even though he knows he might not appreciate it because he just wants to bring color and beauty at the edge of Eliott’s life ? As a mentally ill person the constancy and care and tenderness of it just moved me to tears. And it represents so much for Lucas’ journey beyond toxic masculinity too, and not being his dad, and letting his caring side out, and just. uggh.

Favorite kiss : The first one, still. The symbolic of it is just...ahhh. It’s a kiss but it represents so much more - going beyond comfort zones, mutual recognition, stepping into each other’s worlds, understanding, the meeting of two souuuls. And the whole under the rain at night thing is cliché but it just works so well for them because it makes you feel all the relief and strangeness and right-ness of the moment. Their love is like a force of nature.

Favorite line of dialogue : ‘Lucas, je t’aime.’

Favorite (non-Elu) character : Alexia Martineau, absolute bicon, I wish she was more present in the end of the season tbh. I love how colorful and confident and funny she is. Her style is goals, and as a bi plus-size woman the whole character is just therapeutic to me.

Favorite set : La Petite Ceinture ! I just love the creepy-cool-poetic vibe of it, how well it is used as a character building tool for Eliott, how it shows a different side of Paris as a place, gives them a place of their own, how they go back to it later, what they did with Polaris, etc etc. I love the whole poetry of decaying secret places in general, it reminds me of places I used to take refuge in as a teenager, and now I really, really want to visit it.

Favorite frame : The candlelit dinner in 19h25. That clip is a punch in the face, but visually, it’s so on point. It’s incandescent. The whole aesthetic of the clip (and the next) manage to be both romantic, and unsettling as hell. The whole idea of the houseboat with the fairylights and the light reflecting on dark water and the sounds of the boat moving.The intimate scenes that make them look like renaissance paintings with that golden light. The shots of that table in particular, with the candles behind the glass, and the two of them with the shotgunning and the blown pupils and the champagne glasses full of golden bubbles. The aesthetic is almost like religious iconography with the dark/light contrasts, light through glass ( the candle motif is repeated in the church scene) and the way it frames their feelings - it’s so f*cking intense, exhilarating, almost too much. It makes you feel both Lucas’ awe at being loved like that, how in tune they are, and the fact that Eliott’s manic episode is really about to surface, the brief descent into darkness to come. It does so many things. It’s gorgeous.

Favorite Lucas character arc moment : Well, the whole of the season obviously, and things I’ve said above, how he cares for Eliott after his episode, the Remember scene, living his love out loud, etc. But in particular what sticks out to me is the articulation of the Jeudi 1h48 night scene, his coming out to Yann, and the Intervention clip because that’s where his self acceptance goes through the hardest point and makes it through. He lets himself come to terms with his emotions, and figures out that even though the reaction of the world might be hard, his own self expression is still the most important thing. He’s so brave in those clips, and the acting brings it to an incredible level.

Favorite Eliott character arc moment : Again, the moment he says to Lucas he loves him. Because this is him, seeing Lucas and reaching out through his insecurities and telling him that what they had was real. But it’s also him validating his own feelings, believing in them, letting himself have this after a whole season of going back and forth out of fear of messing it up. He’s putting his own fears aside too, fears of being seen and vulnerable and daring for something better than a relationship that is just ‘okay.’ He’s finally going for it 100% and accepting Lucas’ love and his own capacity for it. It’s just...wow.

Favorite other character arc moment : Daphné’s gaining confidence through the foyer made me super happy. But tbh, my favorite is Yann. He’s very underrated in general, I feel. He’s not as ‘ideal bff’ as Jonas or Skam It’s Gio, but his arc feels very important and meaningful to me. Seeing someone mess up and admit to his mistakes is super important. Because I feel there are soooo many straight guys who can learn from this - that casual homophobia is in the water of our culture and sometimes you just don’t realize what you are saying. And i feel, even though this isn’t directly adressed (and i wish it was) that Lucas also learns from this re: his words about ‘crazy people’ and what compassion and growing up means. I love Leo’s acting in general. Yann has a very compelling presence, calm (but a bit loopy at times), he feels deeply, and his betrayal at Lucas’ not sharing and subsequent realization he had messed up felt very real and mature for a 16 yr old. And how he embraces Lucas afterwards made me feel all fuzzyhearted. I wish we saw more of their friendship tbh.

Favorite Axel acting moment : ummm every single minute he was on, like. He never once felt false. That guy is going places. One of my fave things is just the look on his face in certain scenes Lucas has with Eliott - how it completely lights up, and the contrast with his more closed off persona in the beginning. It’s like he’s a completely different person - younger, wilder, more alive, daring, unafraid, and absolutely thrilled to have found his soulmate. It’s beautiful. And the crying difficult scenes, how he’s not afraid to ugly cry and just go there and make it a real gut punch. He just goes through such a transformation throughout the season, too. It’s nuts to me they didn’t even film in chronological order. Lucas just seems so much more grown up and at ease in his own skin at the end of the season. Mind blown. But if I had to pick one : the look on his face at the end of Jeudi 17h32 - sadness to see Eliott leave, but so much happiness, and also like he’s coming to terms with his own journey and breathing for the first time ? So much in one frame.

Favorite Maxence acting moment : tbh i was a little less sure of him in the beginning, but I feel like his restlesness and slight awkwardness and being a little too forceful at times (which some might have called ‘bad acting’) was actually a good acting choice ? Because Eliott feels so much, he’s so sensitive, and it would lead to feeling a little out of place around others, there’s so much emotion brimming under the surface he can’t always regulate it properly (I would know. it was painful to watch at times.) He really outsold it in the scene in “Lundi 17:21 “On verra bien.” where Eliott talks about his illness. That pain in his eyes when he says “I’m going to make you go through hell.” ? Ouch. He’s really good with his eyes in general, esp in the beginning when Eliott is the ‘mysterious new guy’ and the way he looks at Lucas at the end of ‘Not necessarily a girl’ ? Daaaaaaaaamn.

Favorite (non-Elu) acting moment : Marilyn Lima as Manon. She was so good in every clip she was in. It almost made me want to watch s2 even though I hate Noorhell plotlines with a fiery passion. She just sold how bruised and sad and let down she was and it was a doorway to Lucas’ own empathy and feeling his own feelings, and reflecting on how true love should be supportive in the dark moments. Especially in the night time clip, they were so good together.

Favorite social media moment : they were really good at it (we could have had more clips though) and my absolute fave is what they did with Eliott’s insta - the hunt for it at the beginning with the code, the cool drawings, the queer culture references, the somewhat alarming poetry, it all helped flesh out Eliott’s character in a way that we didn’t have with Even and made us fall in love so much more. The moment where we were all waiting for Lucas’ to discover Eliott’s insta (and the hilarity of the (probably made up) moment where Matteo/German Isak followed him first) with baited breath, was the most brilliant bit of intermedia storytelling I have ever seen. It was so cool. Also Emma and Alex’s insta stories made me like a Chriseva pairing for the first time, lol.

Favorite music moment : Remember, obviously. The chorus, timeless feeling, epic rythm ? Just perfect. And Fête de trop : so powerful, thematically on point, made me discover Eddy de Pretto. Also brilliant use of piano music and how it’s related to them. I want a social media vid of Lucas playing ‘I love you’ again for Eliott at some point.

Favorite bts/cast&crew moment : so many of them. But tbh I am especially grateful for Maxence’s openness about his own issues and his process on how he worked on the Eliott role. His Actor Factory interview where he talked about how mental illness can be so fucking lonely but life can still be beautiful had me cry like a little baby in my favorite café. It just made me want to be around creative ppl more, and dedicate myself to my own creative process seriously ? And his lives are also so cool. The dude in general is so effing relatable. (well, and cute tbh ahahaha). I also really, really loved Niels’ insight in the writing process. I haven’t stanned a cast this hard in forever and now I want to give everything up and try to write my own series lmaooo.

Favorite fandom moment : all the theorizing and staying up late and shit was golden. I love talking with ppl and sharing the love. And it’s given me a lot more confidence in my own writing. But special love to the @renewskamfrance team and the whole thing, it’s been completely nuts and I am so happy we started this.

…

Most romantic moment : I am realizing this question is a double but whatever, there’s no shortage of them. Eliott drawing Lucas as a hedgehog, the smooth artsy motherf*cker. And the insta in general. If someone made a cartoon animal version of me, that was also that fitting to my character, I would just ask them to marry me on the spot. I live for that artsy shit. I understand why Lucas was so into it right from the start. And of course the timeless cloud of queer intimacy that was Samedi 09h17.

Moment that made you fall in love with the season : The piano scene, because it showed so much more depth in Lucas’ character. We were all Eliott then, falling in love with him and the season, and their ability to mix things up compared to OG.

Most heartbreaking moment : Tied. “Samedi 14h32 Intervention″ - I don’t think I’ve cried so much all season. I’ve been there, too, and Lucas’ anguish at being ostracized and judged for something he can’t control, and his thinking that Eliott didn’t care about him, and Mika saying ‘you will have to keep coming out for the rest of your life’ all felt so impactful but the ‘fuck them’ at the end, so empowering. It was heartbreaking in a good way, incredibly cathartic. Meanwhile “Vendredi 23:37 Une putain de lubie” is heartbreaking in the bad way lol, it stomps on your heart, the contrast with how happy they were only moments before absolutely brutal, and Lucille’s cruel words on top of it. Watching Lucas lose it like that was so difficult to watch, the panic of it, the absolute despair. But it was so well done. And of course “Jeudi 01:48 Viens on en parle pas″. So simple, so powerful, and we were all so tired when we watched it, it was super effective.

Most funny moment : The ‘discovery of the butt’ moment was hilarious, also loved the boys’ reaction to Lucas telling them Eliott was his bf, the vodka sunday scenes, and the entirety of the scene in the second-hand shop with the scary dolls, but I just can’t get over Imane and the tampons in “Lundi 8:53 Quoi moi et Emma” , that was just pure gold but it also shows how good she is at embarassing nosy ppl and inventive and it made me want to know so much more about her.

Most enlightening moment : The season as a whole has made me think so much about my own relationship to my emotions and love and self-expression. After the ‘Remember’ sequence I really had this moment of....I can’t hate myself anymore ? It was so powerful. And episode 10 in general. But in earlier episodes, ep 5/6 in particular made me realize how much I was also repressing my own feelings and how unhealthy that shit was. The whole thing was just in general a process. And after the last clip I had such a feeling of general tenderness towards the show, the world and wanting to give love more of a place in my life.

Best aesthetics moment : Like I said houseboat scene. The use of light throughout the season, incredibly beautiful, But of course the painting thing. It was just such a perfect use of aesthetics to make a point in the story (i don’t really care if it’s not realistic). Now they are finally living out loud in all the colors of life. It was such a radiant affirmation of love and pride and joy. And the mural actually looked really cool, suprisingly (I was expecting a brown-ish mess lol).

Best change from OG: The show was at its best when it changed things up. I love especially that they made their own symbolism. I love the whole concept of the Foyer and how much more integral they made it to the story than Kosegruppa, how it comes to stand for togetherness and diversity. I love the girl squad being more present and the role they gave Alexia. I love Lucas being a pianist and taking more initiative in going after Eliott (it’s not a diss against Isak, his awkwardness was so endearing and it made sense) but it made them their own characters. But I think my favorite thing is how they changed around the sequence of events slightly in the last episodes - Lucas coming out to his mom after Eliott’s episode and Basile’s talk is tying it together better, it feels like he’s thinking about how he’s treated his mother in the past because of her MI and it makes it part more of the learning process ; his mother’s loving reaction is a perfect example of ‘you have to let MI ppl speak for themselves.” And them spreading the ‘minute by minute’ concept over several clips gave us a more in depth look into Eliott’s condition, which I will be forever grateful for, the talk with Lucille as well as Lucas learning he needs to take care of himself, too.

Best similar scene to OG : Overall I liked that they kept the story structure of the OG, because honestly, it just works so well - the Isak character’s trajectory from repression to openness to compassion. Sana/Imane’s speech about hate coming from fear, not religion. The few episodes that focused on Lucas’ self-acceptance more than the love story.

Best group dynamics scene : Intervention. Loved the complementary of Mika as queer guru, Manon as nurturing presence, and Lisa as comical outsider point of view being so out of it. But also loved the ‘vodka sunday’ dynamics with Manon, Lucas and Emma getting wasted, complaining about their love lives, the sadness but also the solidarity, Lucas talking about his love life so openly and making gay jokes about himself, Emma’s whole messy girl thing and ‘he’s just a p*nis”!!!” had me laughing for hours.

Best glow-up : Lucas of course. More in terms of character perception, Mika. He really annoyed me in the beginning of the season, he was mean and uncaring and lacking in boundaries, it was toeing the line of cliché, and I love how they showed us more depth to him, that they let him be deservedly angry, and how caring with Lucas he became, while still being slightly annoying, and their sibling dynamic in general, slightly antagonistic but super supportive.

Best social awareness moment : Mika’s speech, Yann’s apologies, and Lucille and Basile’s talks about mental illness.

Best symbolism : Polaaaris. Also God is gay now. And the first clip/end clip parallel, with them counting minutes.

Best editing/filming/technical moment : the Remember sequence, and how they made the scenes used in the flashback a little longer, giving us the impression that their relationship is actually so much deeper than what we’ve already seen ; the parallels with the priest’s speech, the sunny vibe of Eliott laughing vs. his face in the ending shots, the music, the acting, the running, all of it.

Best/most interesting cultural adaptation : The Foyer storyline and especially the sit-in moment. So French. It gave me flashbacks to my whole class staging sit-in protests in middle school (at 13!!!!) already for the wackiest of reasons, already practicing saying fuck off to authority and being rowdy little shits. It made me miss my country.

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Least favorite clip/moment : Mercredi 13:38 annoyed the shit out of me lol. It started out so well, with the summer of love aesthetics and Elu being all cute, but that lasted all of 40s and then we had an extremely unpleasant moment of Basile disrespecting Daphne’s boundaries and Arthur and Yann pressuring her to ‘give him a chance’ and how the misogynistic song he sent her is actually cute’ and we’re supposed to feel sorry for him ? I liked the end of season glow-up for him, but this scene was just gross. And I don’t mind having a POV that’s a little bit more loose than in OG but in this clip, it just felt jarring, how Lucas just flat out disappeared. I wanted to see Eliott interact with the squad more, and I resent the idea that seeing them just be happy and cuddly is not worthy of screentime for some reason. UGh. That was the one moment that the show pissed me off. Also, in the scene where Chloé offers her apologies (good) I feel like they validated her outing Lucas so he had to come to terms with his feelings. (which is a really bad message and I wish they’d written that with a bit more nuance.)

Least favorite change from OG : Overall, this remains my least favorite boy squad. The insistence on Basile’s gross, creepy humor felt overdone, and I feel they spent too much time on him. The idea that he’s been taught bad things by society about what a man is, fits the overal theme, but did we really need to know that he wanted to bang his cousin ? Yikes. And Arthur and the 35-yr old too, what the hell ? I just felt that their banter was a lot less natural and flowed less well than in OG.

Least favorite similarity from OG : Really don’t know about this one. Most of what they kept was good.

Most disappointing scene : the banter scene between the boys in 18:14, I always loved the banter between the boys in OG. Magnus saying stupid shit about gay s*x and being shut down felt educative without being heavy. Here there was way too much of Basile being gross again. And it just didn’t flow as well, the pacing was way too fast. A lot of the scenes that were a bit disappointing to me this season had to do with timing tbh, too fast.

Something you wish they’d added : I wish they actually had Lucas say he realized he’d say messed up stuff about mentally ill people.

Thing you wish the fandom would take away from this season : Chill a bit before drawing conclusions, wait for the whole season ahahaha.

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French word you will remember : I am French but I have never felt so validated in my overuse of the word ‘putain’. also saying mec/meuf a lot more.

If you could steal one item from the set : Eliott’s camel jacket, I want one too, what a look.

Scene you wish you could live in your own life : a lot of the romantic ones but also ? I wish I’d breaken into my high school to have a party at least once in my life lol. There’s a club next to my place in an old renovated school i reaaaally need to check out.

Character you identify the most with : Eliott in general, Daphné for her overenthusiasm and awkwardness and spontaneity and optimism and drive to organize things. Lucas because of the whole trying so hard to control his image, being spiky on the surface and soft inside.

Character you want to be like the most : Honestly, Lucas. Not in the beginning but his courage and his emotional intelligence and openness as the season progressed really are goals. It made me want to use my past painful experiences to extend compassion and be there for others, and learn how to be better at it. He’s going to grow into such an amazing man. And honestly his newfound pride in his relationship and pettiness are also goals lol. Imane as well, for how protective she is of her friends. And Alexia in terms of demeanour and confidence and funky vibe.

Most relatable character moment : Lucas’ eyeroll. Emma and her lava lamp. Lucas being so immediately smitten with Eliott, because like, same.

Fave fandom theory : lol I cracked up so hard at the whole ‘Eliott is a ghost’ thing, thx Billy Maier. I really don’t know why we were all so set on a bullying plotline, like why do we do that to ourselves lol ?

Whew ! Well, if you read through all of that, you’re one hell of a nerd, and I love you !!! I’m doing S4 questions in a separate post because this is wayy too long !!!

#skam france #elu #lucas x eliott #skam #review #my meta #skam questions meme #skamfr s3

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