#Mona talking about Trails Ships

[seabreeze2022]

Danube River Cruise, Part 7.

Durnstein and Melk Abby.

Another foggy start to the day. Three swans swim up to our window, to welcome us. Being on the very bottom deck of the boat we were eye ball to eye ball with them. They work along the edge of the boat eating the algae.

We climb to the Durnstein Castle with the help of a local guide. King Richard the LionHeart was held for ransom here in 1192 while returning from the Crusades.

View from the donkey trail to the castle. Durstein is a very, very small village. I believe only 40 local people live here year round. Most shops are owned by outsiders.

Walking into town.

A city gate into the city.

This was a self serve Riesling wine spot on the trail through town. Just put the cash in the tin on top and grab a local wine.

Apricot orchard.

The doors in town had very ornate handles.

We returned to the ship for lunch and a day cruise to Melk. Above you can see Durnstein in our wake.

Countryside is beautiful but it is cold outside.

Warm red wine and breaking out the blankets on deck.

Sharing blankets on deck as we sightsee on the Danube.

Left to right: Christina (England), John and Sarah (retired American pilot and Pediatrician), Nancy and a fellow American passenger.

Beautiful little towns and villages on the banks of the Danube.

More deserts served top side.

Ho hum…Another castle overlooking a small village.

This is one of two car ferries we saw. It is the black thing to the right of the photo. It does not have an engine, but it is attached by a cable tether to a main cable stretching across the river. I believe they just turn the rudder and the current moves them across the river to the other side, as their tether slides along the cable.

Beautiful wine country.

Very small castle perched on the very tip top of a rock.

About to pass another ship going the opposite direction. Passing port-to-port is standard procedure. Due to the curves in the river we are now passing starboard-to-starboard. Besides talking to the other ship and coordinating which side to pass. The Captain has deployed the blue panel with a light in the center, signaling a starboard-to-starboard pass. Once the pass is complete he will stow it horizontally out of sight.

With a quick stop in Melk, Austria we jump on a bus to tour the famous Benedictine Melk Abby founded in 1089.

It is now a coed school with approximately 900 students. We took a walking tour, but are not allowed to take photos in many of the rooms.

So here is an internet photo. Eight pounds of gold were used throughout the abby. The actual cathedral was beautiful as you would imagine.

The library has over 100,000 manuscripts and is a national Treasure. Researchers from around the world come here to read the original manuscripts. The illusionists artist can make a flat ceiling look rounded as above.

Ever walk from one side of a room to the other in front of a huge portrait painted by the Masters. The eyes will follow you and stare directly at you, no matter where you stand in the room. It is called, “The Mona Lisa effect.” It is simply how our brain interprets a two dimensional painted portrait to look three dimensional. The eyes are actually painted looking strait ahead. We just interpret it as looking our way.

This is the ceiling of the “Marble Room.” One of the most interesting rooms, it was the size of a basketball court. The queen would sit dead center in the room and read from the light of a window directly in front of her. When she looked at the painted ceiling above her. It would appear to her that the twenty or so painted gothic columns were reaching up to heaven and the gods. The columns are all angled differently to appear pure vertical when looked at from her chair alone. Here the ceiling is curved but painted to look flat.

While we were at the Abby our ship had continued to Linz, Austria. So our bus drove us to the ship, arriving after dark.

Tomorrow we will tour Linz.

[asoulofatlantis]

Guess whos back? Back again? Monas back! Tell a friend! XD

All jokes and Eminem-Songs aside (did I just date myself? XD) after 3 blissful weeks off, I have reached my last weekend before my very much hated much calls me back to earn the money I need to afford being able to play games. And with recent Kai CVs and stuff and so close to Kais release, I feel like I have reached the usual point were I can only play one thing: A Trails game. And with my Twitter-Timeline (X? What is that? Never heard of it ;P) reminding me of all the great moments from the Sky-Games I've decided to finally go back and try to finish my rerun. (I probably kick my ass if a remake really will be revealed at the end of the year tho XD)

I am not really sure why I did stop were I stopped. Playing such an old game with not many quality of life improvements and some crashes here and there is surely not easy, but when I finished the last chapter I actually posted that it was nice. So why stop there? Well anyway... we have yet to met my second blond angel, so lets return to the land of Liberl...

Oh! We are not so far away from Tita, it seems...

Kloe was able to face and rethink her decision regarding a certain throne thanks to Joshua and Estelle. Thanks to them and their assistance she saw that her country needed her and finally started realizing that it was egoistic of her to refuse the throne and give it to her... uh... uncle? No... great cousin? No... Uh... he is the Queens Nepthew so... uh... her great Nephew? Oh whatever! You know what I mean! The man only ever thinks of himself and uses his position for his own benefits and that man is supposed to become King of Liberl one day because Kloe didn't feel up to the challenge and wanted to live a normal life.

Despite all my anger and frustration at her... I do understand her a bit tho. We've seen what the pressure of being heir to the throne can do to someone with Cedric. And we also saw multiple times the dangers such a title entails. I would likely be scared of it too... so that is one thing I certainly would not hold against her. But its still good that her experience with the Bracers made her rethink her situation.

We Trails-Players shall love all of our animal companions/mascots very much! That is the rule of Trails ♥

This tunnel gives me some serious PTSD because of the Dungeon it will eventually lead me to and I guess I remember now why I would stop here, so shortly before FINALLY meeting Tita.

Because Joshuas first kiss belongs to Estelle. His lips only belong to her. And we very much fight hard for her to finally kiss him, just to... yeah... I am getting ahead of myself here XD

Oh my dear sweet Trails-Protagonist... XD

Why oh why could she feel relieved about the fact that Joshua and Kloe did not in fact Kiss? What reason could there be? If we only knew... XD

Seriously tho, the way our Trails protagonists handle their feelings is ridiculous.

Estelle Siblings-Zoned Joshua, trying to ship him with every girl but herself until it FINALLY clicked with her that she wanted to be shipped with him.

Lloyd thought that he could bot be with Elie because she came from such a good prestigious family and he wasn't worthy or her and in the process of only thinking but not telling her that he digged himself a hole.

Rean on the other hand, rushed to save Alisa from an unknown danger and even tho it brought him a slap in the face and some dreadful weeks of wondering how to fix this little problem... it ended up absolutely in his favor with Alisa being THE girl of all girls for him and he still managed to obliviously flirt left, right and center with the girls surrounding him even if you make it so he does no other bonding events with any girl but Alisa XD

And then there is Van... talking about his relationship with Elaine like its just been them misjudging their feelings, being absolutely oblivious to that Dancer girl having feelings for him and not seeing Agnes as a woman and... we will see how this will play out but even if he ends up with Elaine (which is most likely the case - much to my dismay...) it still has been some road to get there ^^'

Tita! My girl! My child! My Angel! My Baby! I missed her so much! And look how adorable she was as a child. She is so darn cute!

Look who we have here! Many familiar faces today XD

I'd say I did miss you Killika, but you are still not dating Zin so... yeah... not so sure about missing you until you have done that XD Jokes aside, it is weird seeing her in that Asioan dress, given how she looks like a businesswoman in Calvard these days ^^'

XD

Professor Russel is seriously the only sane one among all those old geezers who do sciences and engineering ^^' I mean look at Alisas father... or Professor Smidt (how was his name written again?) and their is something screaming SECRETS about Hamilton as well - and no, that is not just me being paranoid because its always the guys with the labcoats XD

All jokes aside... Professor Russel might be the only sane person among the old guys, but his daughter on the other hand... how she could have produced my sweet angel Tita is still beyond me ^^'

Uhm... uh... maybe I take it back that he is the only sane one among them ^^'

Oh! Dorothy! I totally forgot that we see each other quite often. And that she is... a bit of a magnet for trouble XD

Its actually mandatory for a Trails game to have some sort of hot spring or hot bath or something like that. It makes me want to go to a hot spring one day too XD

[kneipho]

Hope Springs Eternal Part Two.

--

One should be cognizant of tread marks of a different kind that await all of us.

But attitude is key. A timeless trait.

More fodder this for that colourful cryptic creation I’m churning about in my brain.

One could not help but notice the dwellings in this compact charming but claustrophobic town.

They were spreadeagled to a fault with scant regard for privacy or personal space.

Neighbours like nodding polders wave from their aluminum polycarbonate verandas.

The sort with integrated guttering and moulded frames.

All packed together like crates in a warehouse.

A carbon copy of some construction company’s catalogue.

The trailing shrubs, wilting flowers in mosaic porcelain propagators, superimposed trellises and overstocked pools to name but a few.

They only served to reinforce their stylish if somewhat stifling similarity.

I was mindful of today’s appointment thanks to my tarnished gold watch and the sonorous chiming of the nearby chapel clock.

Of course one must not overlook Mr and Mrs Ispy as they were nicknamed locally.

The naughty snoops who were minding everybody’s business bar their own.

Adam and alma ahern were their names.

Aunt Virginia had some scathing words about their type.

“Some people base their whole world around tittle tattle.

They are grounded in matters that smart folk view with Olympian disdain.”

One can just imagine the cocked ears and protruding noses feasting on every scrap of scandal real or contrived.

Theirs was an in-built antennae always aligned for mischief of the murkiest kind.

They had an ubiquitous presence.

You never knew what hedge or door they might pop out of.

They sniffer dogged their way around every trail, route, and byway in pursuit of some scurrilous rumour.

Encylopaedic were they on shenanigans of all kinds.

A satellite dish for backstabbing and intrigue.

Some were even so unkind as to suggest that they spied on each other.

They knew everybody and wormed their way into everyone’s confidence when they could!

Gossips at the cutting edge of trivia.

“Oops ….oh no! I’m about to crash.”

I said with my voice trembling.

Lost concentration for a minute.

My notepad and pen skating on a footpath that resembled a small scale ice rink.

Aunt virginia’s word’s about focus were never more valid.

“There goes my poem on …a mudpatch.”

Despite this sudden intrusion I kept my balance but maybe lost something valuable.

A tumult of events on the ground and overhead took place.

Shrill birds chirping and circulating in the sky, swooning and swooping like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

As I slowly regained my balance I walked wearily and warily towards the diary with said verse.

The lines were smeared with mud.

Uncannily like a lady’s mudpack.

The heartfelt lines were still legible.

Well, just about.

My heart was beating for various reasons now.

I had a 4pm deadline to meet with forty or so minutes to spare.

Yet there were so many distractions.

An embarrassment of diversion sometimes towered above that stultifying uniformity which threatens even the most imaginative town architecture.

Or was my mind playing tricks on me with all the soundscapes and stimulation of the senses?

The downside of being a poet and writer perhaps?

Virginia’s words of wisdom coming back to haunt me but would I listen ?

The real world and fantasy can segue into one another with distinctions blurred and the usual proneness to exaggeration.

Were the exotic whiffs of Bombay mix recipes emanating from a market place bazaar or some nearby dwelling?

Were they just an illusion with factual elements mixed in?

Either way a favourite haunt of both the Ispy’s and the teen couple I had spoken to earlier was a marketplace.

Both had their own agenda with the aherns being the

more devious!

“Pumpkin seed baps on spits reeking of sesame oil with the most aromatic seasonings wafting everywhere or so I thought.

Incense and Moroccan spices taunting the nose of this stroller on a mission. But also setting off rumblings in the tummy that couldn’t be sated immediately.”

A very vivid image of Virginia with her Mona Lisaesque demeanor appeared.

I was juggling her insights on punctuality and other matters and trying to act on them.

Was I clutching at an ebbing twilight zeal or a burgeoning young at heart momentum?

Distractions make inroads into time but I felt I was being drawn to them.

Did I hear the raucous sound of docker’s voices barely audible but imaginable above the booming traffic?

Were they coming from somewhere close?

Maybe the ships trademark foghorn was setting off an overactive mind or had I supernatural powers at this point in my life?

Whatever the truth, there’s been many a threadbare naval yarn I’ve overheard.

The type that has been twisted, embroidered, embellished even marinated on seas high and low.

Gag induced guffaws billowing upwards as smoke from a chimney stack.

Uproarious bonhomie drowning out the offloading of fetid fish catch.

The vortex of a spiraling timeline giddy with impulse and image drove me on in defiance of their colour and charisma.

But before I knew it a wafer thin voice called out from the corner shop, the location of my rendezvous.

“Hello. Hope spring. I’m your date.

Bang on time both of us.”

A spritely lady in her late sixties with profuse greying hair.

Her eyes were so expressive and sparkled with life.

“Don’t know if I shared my last name when we first met.”

“You did.” I replied.

Virginia, would be proud of my recollection.

“Did you get my call earlier this morning reminding you of the date?”

Hope Spring queried.

“I must have missed it.” Said I archly.

“I also wanted to ask how the poem was going?

We started talking casually as you were writing it.

You were having trouble naming it.”

She said.

“I couldn’t think … how about?���

We both spoke at the same time and laughed.

“Hope ….hope springs eternal!”

The good of it all had us in stitches. I doubt my aunt Virginia would have approved with her dislike of such humour.

“Have you got the poem with you?” Hope enquired.

“No. Sorry, hope some of the lines are a bit muddied.” A reply that made me blush.

Virginia would have scowled.

“Maybe the next time we meet you’ll have it done.” Hope again.

That sounds promising I muttered to myself.

“Yahoo…..you two love birds.

Have fun. See you at the local coffee house.”

Sonia and Winifred’s message as they passed by on their bicycles jolting us out of our conversation.

“Lovely people. Maybe we should take their advice and head off that way.”

Hope placing her right hand on mine.

I nodded in agreement.

“I’ve had this strange feeling all day that I’m being watched… another presence.

Ever had that feeling?” Miss Spring enquired

innocently.

“As I haven’t been in this town for long

it seems more intense than the usual curiosity.”

She continued.

“Shortly after I arrived in this

area I met a charming couple called the aherns.

They warned me of gossips who fed on eavesdropping and misfortune.

Maybe that’s it. I’m certainly grateful for their warning.” Said Hope.

I could barely restrain myself at this bizarre twist that Virginia would definitely

have found amusing.

At that I walked towards the cafe with Hope while craning my neck, taking in all all my surroundings and noticing everything!!

–

Sunday Submission: @mantrabay

Photograph and short story part two by mantrabay copyright protected

[tchallasbabymama]

M’Baku’s Love- Chapter 9

Hey y’all. here’s the next chapter of M’Baku’s Love. It’s a shorter one, but we’re almost at the end of our journey! 

Check out my masterlist HERE to catch up and to read my other stories including my new fic “Ménage `a Trois”, a T’Challa x  OC x M’Baku throuple fic that’ll be starting this month. Check out the preview here!

Word Count: 3385

“JJ, stay where mommy can see you, ok?”

“Ok mommy!”

Monae watched with a relaxed smile on her face as her three year old ran around playing with the other kids. They were new to the playground, so all of the adults kept eyeing Monae from a distance. She felt very uncomfortable having all those white people staring at her, but the park was in her neighborhood, one that white folks only started moving into a couple years ago. She grew up playing in that park with other kids who looked like her, and now they were the only Black people there. One of the gentrifiers got brave and decided to come over and introduce herself.

“Hi, I’m Tara. The curly little redhead in the overalls is mine.”

“Cute,” Monae shot her a quick smile that didn’t even reach her eyes.

“Well I just wanted to welcome you since you’re new around here. What’s your name?”

“Why?” Her voice went flat.

“Just being friendly, no need to get hostile.”

Monae rolled her eyes and Tara walked back to the huddle to report her findings and no doubt complain about the new girl’s “attitude.” Monae checked the time on her phone and got up to go grab her son when someone across the way caught her eye. She’d recognize that gait anywhere, and the two fierce-looking bald women flanking him were a dead giveaway. She watched him exit the old abandoned school building and walk around the outskirts of the park, presumably on his way to a car that would take him to who knows where.

 “T’Challa...T’Challa!” She quickly found JJ and placed him on her hip before she made her way closer to the King of Wakanda to get his attention. “T’Challa!”

This time he turned around, and when he saw her his eyes lit up.

“Monae! How are you?”

She set JJ down and they hugged like old friends. She turned to Okoye and Ayo, hugging them both tight as well.

“I’m making it. How are you? What are you doing here?”

“Well a little birdy told me about a certain neighborhood that could use some Wakandan assistance and I figured I’d come see it for myself. I’m thinking of opening an Outreach Center here and a couple other cities since we were finally able to get Oakland back up and running, which is almost exclusively thanks to N’Jadaka. What are you doing here?”

“I moved back after The Blip, so now I live about four blocks that way,” she pointed behind him. “So how are things back home?”

“We are still trying to restructure everything, it is a mess since we lost over half of our people...not to mention the ones we love.” The king’s eyes lowered to the ground as grief briefly flashed across his face, making him catch a glimpse of the child standing partially hidden behind his friend’s leg. “And who might you be?”

The king crouched down to his level and he cautiously came out from behind Monae.

“It’s ok baby, he’s a friend of mommy’s.”

T’Challa’s ears perked up and he looked at the boy’s face, taking in his strong brow and slightly downturned mouth...and then the boy smiled and the gap between his two front teeth gave it away.

“Everyone calls me JJ, but I’m Jabari.”

“You sure are.” He chuckled before looking to Monae then back to the little boy. “I’m T’Challa.”

“Challa?”

He chuckled, “Yes, Challa. How old are you, Jabari?”

He held up four fingers and Monae reached out to push his pinky back down.

“I’m three. How old are you?”

“Thirty four.”

“Woah, that’s old!”

“Jabari-”

“It is ok,” he chuckled before standing back upright. “He looks just like him.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” She smiled fondly down at her little gift from Hanuman and the Ancestors and rubbed her hands along his messy locs as she made a mental note to retwist them later.

T’Challa had time to sit and talk, so they went back to the playground to give JJ more time to tire himself out. He ran around the jungle gym while the four of them kept an eye on him, and they all noticed how distressed the white people looked after the arrival of the Wakandans. Must have been too many Black people for their tastes. 

“I take it this is not the crowd you grew up with?”

“Not at all, they used to avoid this neighborhood like the plague.”

T’Challa nodded before changing the subject, “So, Jabari, JJ-”

“Either one is fine.”

“I think I’d like to call him Jabari then...rolls off the tongue, you know?”

Monae chuckled at the king and nodded her head.

“Does he ever ask about him?”

“All the time now. His school let him start pre-K early, so he’s met some of the other kids’ dads and wanted to know where his was. I told him he died, but I didn’t tell him how...I can’t even understand it myself.”

“Mm. I was there and I don’t quite understand it either.”

“There?”

“Yes, when the snap, excuse me, ‘The Blip’ happened.”

“What...what happened?”

Okoye looked to the king questioningly with an eyebrow raised, unsure of if he should tell her the truth, but he ignored her glances.

“Long story short: an alien wiped out half of all life in the universe with a snap of his finger in a very special gauntlet.”

Monae was silent as she tried to process his words.

“Was that related to the second alien attack in New York? The one right before it happened?”

“Yes, they were looking for a piece of the gauntlet.” 

Monae thought back to how scared Jazz was when she called her that day, frantically screaming about a ship in the sky.

“Wow...I knew after the first New York attack that things were gonna get weird, but this is something else. Half of all life?”

T’Challa nodded, “In the entire universe.”

Monae sighed and sat back as she watched JJ run back over to them.

“Mommy!”

“Yes, JJ?”

“Can I go on the swings?”

“Sure baby, just give me a moment to talk to my friend first.”

“Ok!” his little legs ran back towards the carousel and he sat in the middle as some slightly older kids spun him around. 

“He’s such a happy child, you’re doing a good job.”

“Thank you. It’s not easy, but I have my Aunt Sarah and my sister is thinking about moving back, so I have at least some support system...it’s just hard without him.”

“You know he’d be ecstatic.”

“Oh my god, he’d make him into his own little mini-me.”

“He would definitely have him running around learning how to be a little Jabari warrior…” T’Challa’s voice trailed off as something dawned on him.

“Monae,” he turned to face her directly, “you do know that he is the heir to the Jabari throne?”

She froze, having foolishly hoped it wouldn't come up.

“I-I know,” she hung her head before a realization hit her and she jumped up. “You won’t take him, will you?”

“No, I wouldn’t dare. Not unless you were willing to come with him.”

“Maybe when he’s older-”

“Mommy!” her son said impatiently as he walked back over to them.

“Just a minute, JJ.” 

T’Challa stood and straightened out his suit, buttoning it back up in the process.

“Well I don’t want to keep you. Here,” he pulled out a card and scribbled something on the back before handing it to her. “That is my personal line, call if you need anything at all, Monae. I mean it.”

He pulled her in for another hug just as JJ made it over to them. The king crouched down and held his hand out for a high five. JJ’s little hand slapped his much larger one and Monae smiled as the king stood back up.

“I’m sure I’ll see the two of you soon. You know, if we do end up opening here, we’re gonna need all the help we can get…”

Monae’s face lit up as he and his Dora walked away. She had been working as an art teacher again, and though she loved it, nothing compared to the Center. The thought of working in one in her own community warmed her heart. 

“Mommy I like him, he’s nice.”

“He is, we used to work together...and we might be again soon,” she spoke to him as they walked over to the surprisingly empty swing set.

--------

About a year later, T’Challa announced that he would be opening up Outreach Centers in various cities across the country, including one in North Nashville, just like Monae had suggested. After another year, the Center’s doors opened and Monae, the new Director of Social Outreach, was loving her new position. It felt like everything she had wanted to do her whole life was finally coming to fruition, and since she had been working so hard lately she decided she would treat herself to a day off. She took the morning to herself, getting her signature fade dyed seafoam green and stopping by the nail salon for a manicure before getting JJ out of school a little early.

“Wanna go to the Adventure Science Museum or to a movie?”

“I want to climb in the heart!”

“Museum it is then,” she chuckled thinking about how much he loved the body exhibit at the museum. Kids could crawl through a model of the human heart and lungs, and JJ made sure he always got a look at the “cool insides.”

They made it to the museum and JJ made a beeline for the climbing jungle gym tower in the middle of the museum that would take him up to the body exhibit. Monae followed him from the stairs and felt her phone buzz, she looked down to see it was a message from T’Challa.

“Get home.”

No context, just “get home,” but she knew the king well and heeded his advice. She looked up to the tower and saw JJ climbing up a net wall.

“JJ, baby, come back down here.”

“But the heart-”

“I know, but come on. Now.”

JJ could tell something was wrong, but his little shoulders still slumped as he climbed his way back down the netting and through the tunnel that led to Monae’s spot on the third floor landing. However, before he got to her the strangest thing happened. A cloud of dust appeared before his face and formed into a kid not too much younger than him. He screamed and Monae looked up from her phone, closing her message to T’Challa.

“JJ? JJ?! Baby whe-”

Then she saw something she never thought she would see in her life, much less twice. People were forming all around them in clouds of dust. Lost children, frantic parents, a crying baby, and museum staff all swirled around Monae as she tried to sidestep their forms and get to her scared little boy. She couldn’t see past the reappearing children on the tower, but she knew he had to be close.

“Mommy!”

She heard him yell and looked up to see him on the landing above her with tears in his eyes as he watched the unexplainable. Monae ran to him in no time flat and grabbed his hand before they bolted down the stairs as best as they could without running into anyone’s reappearing body. The parking lot was just as tricky, and she tried to drown out the sounds of the worried parents looking for their children and the wailing children scared of being alone. She grabbed JJ’s hand tighter and pulled him along as museum staff and some of the calmer adults rounded up the children and brought them inside. When they made it to their car there was a woman standing by the door and looking into the window, so Monae’s hand landed on her pepper spray just in case.

“Can I help you?”

The woman jumped upon hearing her voice, and when she turned around Monae could see her face was still forming.

“I-I’m sorry, I was just about to unlock my car door and…” she trailed off, looking around trying to take in the scene.

“Ma’am, if you go back into the museum they might be able to help you.”

She nodded and walked towards the doors in a daze.

“Mommy, what’s happening?” JJ’s face was covered in tears and snot and as soon as she got him in her carseat she found some tissue to take care of it. 

“I-I don’t know, baby.”

She knew, kind of, she just didn’t have the words at the moment.

Monae carefully drove them home through the chaotic streets and when they got there she checked all the rooms just in case. It was just the two of them and Juju now since Aunt Sarah passed a few months ago, but JJ kept the house lively enough for it to not feel empty. Juju, completely unaware of the hysteria of the outside world, came up to greet JJ, her favorite person in the whole wide world. Monae believed the cat would probably kill for JJ and she was happy to have her little scrappy behind around. 

Just as she sat on the couch and took a breath, her phone rang. She answered without even looking and the voice on the other line cracked as it spoke.

“They’re back.”

“I-I know. Me and JJ were at the museum and...T’Challa it was horrible. I mean, it’s a good thing, but the chaos and the screaming...I don’t know how to explain to JJ what he saw, I barely understand it myself.”

“Monae, you’re about to have a lot more to explain to JJ…”

“What do you-” it dawned on her and she dropped the phone. M’Baku was back.

--------

The Jabari mountains were abuzz with the news that their chief had returned. For the past five years the council had been running the tribe just as they did when he spent time in Oakland, and although they liked how things were going, they were glad to have M’Baku back.

To M’Baku and the other “Dusted”, as the Jabari called them, they were only gone mere seconds. When he materialized on his throne he was still saying whatever it was he started saying five years prior. The looks on the council’s faces confused him and he noticed they were all of a sudden wearing different clothing.

“What is the meaning of this?”

He looked to his right as saw Ada reappear before him.

“Mama? What- somebody explain this to me at once.”

“Great Gorilla, we have missed you. You and your mother along with half of the world were gone...disintegrated,” Abiola, one of the elders, spoke up.

“That...this makes no sense,” he shook his head as he reached out for his mother's still-forming fingers. 

His kimoyo beads rang and he answered the call, the king appearing before him.

“It’s good to see you again, brother.”

“I saw you just yesterday, but hello. My king, what is-”

“I will explain everything, but first we are needed in battle.”

On the other side of the world, Monae tried to keep her cool as she cooked dinner and JJ watched Moana in the living room so she could still keep her eye on him. She knew it was probably a ridiculous thought, but she feared the snap could happen again and she could lose him at any moment. She didn’t want him out of her sight. 

She absentmindedly stirred the spaghetti sauce as she listened to him singing along with Maui. Her eyes shifted to her phone every few seconds and she tried to get herself to stop, knowing that T’Challa was probably busy fighting the aliens again or something equally ridiculous and dangerous, but she couldn’t help the nagging feeling in her gut that said to call him.

Dinner came and went and just as she was getting herself ready for bed late that night her phone rang. She ran from the bathroom with her face mask only halfway washed off to get to it in time and when she saw “T” on her screen she almost cried in relief. 

“Hello?!”

“Monae, are you alright?”

“No I’m not alright, what the fuck is going on, T’Challa?”

“The aliens came back, but this time we won.”

“That’s it…?”

“I could give you all the details, but that’ll take like six hours and right now I’m tired from fighting said aliens. But you should know I spoke to M’Baku. I didn’t tell him about JJ, but I told him to call you.”

Monae was silent as she took in his words. She’d be hearing his voice soon. After all these years she’d get to hear him laugh again. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she and JJ would have the opportunity to have him in their lives, but here she was, waiting for his call. Her line of thought was interrupted by a beeping on her phone. She pulled it from her ear and her heart dropped into her gut.

“T’Challa he...he's calling right now. I have to go.”

“Good luck, my friend.”

He ended the call and she took a deep breath before pressing the little green symbol on her phone screen.

“Hello?”

There was silence on the other end, but she could hear the sound of shuddering breaths.

“M’Baku?”

“Monae,” his voice cracked and tears rolled down her face.

“Hi.”

“I...I did not mean to leave you for so long, I-”

“I know, you got snapped...you were gone for five years, M’Baku.”

“I know...so tell me, what have you been doing in that time?”

“Well,” she cleared her throat, “I moved back home and now I’m the Director of Social Outreach here at the Nashville Outreach Center. Jazz is about to move back too, so she’ll be staying with me to um….help with...M’Baku there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh no, are you married? Don’t tell me Juju passed...”

She laughed, remembering how much he loved the temperamental cat. 

“No, Juju is more than fine. It’s um...M’Baku this isn’t easy for me to say...are you alone right now?”

“Yes, I am in my chambers. Tell me what is wrong, babygirl.”

She closed her eyes tight and the tears sprung forward at hearing him call her that name again. She had compartmentalized enough to be able to go on without him in the world and now hearing his voice was just all too much. “Babygirl” was the final straw as she cried into the phone.

“I-I’ve missed you so much, M’Baku. You have no idea, he...he looks just,” she broke into sobs again and he waited for her to finish. She took a deep breath to compose herself before speaking, “Baby...you have a son. I found out I was pregnant after everyone disappeared...you’re a baba.”

M’Baku was silent as he processed the new information. In his mind, he just left her in Oakland two months ago and now he has a five year old son.

“M’Baku?”

“Yes, I am here...I just...a son?”

“Mhm, and he looks just like you. Here, I’ll send a picture.” Monae quickly scrolled through her camera roll before sending off her favorite picture of the two of them at the park, taken by Uncle Challa of course. When M’Baku opened the picture he was in awe of both of them. Monae was thicker in the waist and her hair was a striking black, the closest she’d come to her natural hair color in years. Her clear-framed glasses slipped down her nose as she smiled wide right next to a little boy that looked just like M’Baku did as a kid. He had Monae’s doe eyes, but everything else came from his baba, right down to his stature. 

“He is beautiful...you both are. What is his name?”

“Jabari, but he mostly goes by JJ.”

A smile appeared across his face, “Jabari, huh?”

“Yeah, well I figured he should have some sort of connection to his baba’s side even if he wasn’t here.”

“When can I see him?”

“When can you get here?”

Next Chapter

Taglist:

@theblulife @maddeningmayhem @devnicolee

[zettasserda]

How the Mighty Fall (in love) - (1/2)

Poppy x MC

words: 1,662

rating: m (swearing)

a/n: alright so as i’ve said in the sneak peak, i’m not a writer and when i do write, it’s rarely so bear with me. i had this idea concept of a confrontation between poppy and mc that happens in the bathroom while mc is being already late to kingsley’s class and poppy wants to have some fun with her. 

i hope ya’ll enjoy

Sitting on the toilet and doing her thing, Bea looks around searching for any trace of vandalism. A graffiti here, a renaissance inspired dick drawing there and maybe even a letter plus another letter carved into the wooden bathroom stall - the ultimate modern symbol of love. All of the artistic things she had easily found in at her previous college and grown to love.

She zones back in as she hears someone enter the bathroom, stopping at the sink. Realizing she was done with her thing, she dresses back up and pushes the door open, exiting the stall.

And the person that stands in front of the mirror like on a fucking fashion show, is none other than the Bloody Mary herself. It makes Bea suppresses a shudder, as she approaches the sink.

"I wouldn't want to inhale radioactive particles emerging from your way, villager." Poppy states not even bothering to look at the other girl as she puts her fabulous cherry lip gloss on. Bea rolls her eyes at that, but moves to the next sink in the row. She does a small curtsy in Poppy's direction, which makes the blonde glance annoyingly at the girl's reflection in the mirror.

"Weren't those outlawed in the eighties for being totally lame? I mean, your whole look is so depressing. I may actually be dead right now." The Queen B points the tip of her lip gloss at the new girl's brown sneakers as she gestures at them.

Bea lets out a low hum of disappointment as she turns the faucet on and starts washing her hands, but doesn't ever bother to glance at the blonde.

Her lack of response brought a certain amount of impatience and displeasure on the shorter girl's face, as she taps her foot a few times disapprovingly against the bathroom floor. She checks herself out in the mirror as she starts speaking again.

"Everything about you screams pig mud. It's exhausting to look at you." Poppy pushes, continuing to delicately trace her lips using her favorite beauty weapon. Bea sighs as she finally gives in and pleases the girl with a remark and a question of her own.

"Do you ever get tired tearing other people down?" She prompts the blonde.

"No, not really." Poppy answers nonchalantly as she finally finishes putting her lip gloss on, not before letting out a small pop. There is a short-lived silence between them, until surprisingly Bea cuts the haunting but weirdly satisfying tension first.

"What, no oompa loompas in their Loubuttons following your spoiled ass around today?" Bea throws a curious glance over at the Queen B, wiping her hands with a paper towel nearby.

Poppy glares at the taller's girl reflection on the mirror, shoving the lip gloss in her handbag more hastily than intended. God, this woman infuriated her. Realizing that silence was her only answer, Bea continues pushing and the roles reverse, as they always do. She thrives on testing the other girl, knowing she is the only one who can put her back where she belongs. And it is beautiful and freeing - a great revelation in Bea's life.

"Are they finally aware of the fact that you sleep in a casket and live off the blood of villagers?

She smirks at the blonde after disposing the used paper towel in a trash can, never letting her gaze wander off of the other girl. Bea expects an answer - no, not an answer, more of a snarl, an animalistic growl. She certainly had a lot of training from all that yelling at the poor maids.

"Or maybe they're still chained up at the wall in your hidden dungeon." The new girl folds her arms over her chest as turns to fully face Poppy, lifting her left brow, "When do you take them out for a quick walk?"

This gets her attention, as Poppy turns almost too quickly around to finally lock eyes with Bea.

"Don't be jealous at the fact that I actually do have friends here. And your only known way of making them is snorkeling with Becky the cow in vicious, underhanded local gossip and rolling around in mud." She belts it out like a song and Bea lets herself chuckle at that, because how can she not at the bratty girl?

But the bratty girl doesn't plan on stopping there.

"Also that lame version of Janelle Monae girlfriend of yours is gonna drag your rep down like an anchor to the depths of Freaksville." Bea's sudden smug smile turned cold stare can cut Poppy's petite figure in half, as the blonde only snickers at that motion.

"I mean, how damaged does a girl have to be, to be into someone as annoying as you, Fetus Face." She snorts as she concludes her voiced thoughts.

This fucking girl, both of them think at the same time.

Bea continues staring at her as if she was analyzing a brilliant cut diamond, until she opens her mouth.

"Oh wow, pretty little liar isn't even aware of the fact that her minions don't see her as anything more than a self-proclaimed magnet for popularity and reputation based on levels of fear factor." Bea uncrosses her arms and starts waving her hands in the air as if she was demonstrating a rather unknown history fact to her class. Across from her, Poppy furrows her eyebrows down so hard luckily they don't combust on the girl's face right there.

"What the fuck are you babbling about, treasure trail? They're my friends, they listen to me, they care-" She tries to simultaneously stop Newbie from saying whatever next she had planned and anger-management her way through the girl's sarcastic tone and elaboration.

This time, Newbie doesn't plan on stopping herself.

"Do they really listen to you? Maybe your wallet more? Or maybe you offer some weird sexual fantasies equal to dark fetishes of a sloppy divorced businessman in exchange for a rank level up." She moves a step towards Poppy, who doesn't back down yet, even if she probably wants to vomit at the already close proximity between the two of them. Bea continues pushing, "Maybe the possibility of you throwing a hissy fit when it doesn't go your way which results in somehow expelling innocent students and your so called friends, lingers in their mind every time they look at you, Tinkerbitch."

Poppy seems distraugh as she looks at the brunette hesitantly.

Struck a nerve.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Lumps." She says finally through gritted teeth, after finishing stabbing Newbie with a stiletto in her mind.

Bea decides to do the ultimate move and get up all in the other girl's face as she moves yet another step forward. Now she is standing in front of her, the edges and tips of their clothes almost touching. Their faces inches away as they share the same breath, making Poppy's worst nightmare come true. And Bea's reveling in the feeling.

"Did I struck I nerve? Because make no mistake, Legally Blonde. Every time you open your bitchy mouth to shit on someone for no reason at all except your own dissatisfaction and low self-esteem, you take one step closer to everyone seeing that you are actually pathetic."

Bea doesn't smirk or smile this time after ending her sentence. She gazes down at the girl in front of her with a more sad kind of look. It's pity and Poppy can smell it, making her lower lip tremble in rage.

It takes all of mother nature's willpower and strength not the end the pig girl right in that moment, to take her by her disgusting lice infested curly brown hair and completely destroy her in the academy's meticulously clean bathroom. What a sad death that would be though. For the bathroom's tiles surface, not for the pigsty standing in front of her.

"First of all, your hideous sneakers are provoking me." She composes herself after snapping out of her thoughts, but doesn't back away, "Second, your mustache is thicker than Borat's", she throws a glance at the taller girl' lips and lingers a bit longer than intended before quickly looking up at Bea's eyes again, "so you might want to do something about that." She smiles proudly, thinking of how spot on that reference was on and Bea rolls her eyes at that.

"And third," the blonde continues, "you fucking rustic scarecrow, ship yourself back to Losertown or whatever sad country you came from. You don't know me and you don't know what you're talking about."

Bea doesn't say anything at that. Poppy celebrates her victory.

The taller girl stays mute as she just looks at her curiously for a bit, which unsettles Poppy as her stomach drops a little. Any kind. Then Bea does something that probably almost no one at Belvoire Academy dared to. She glances at the blonde strand of hair on Poppy's forehead that moved there while she was going all berserk with her speech. She casually grabs it between her fingers and softly tucks it behind the blonde's ear.

Poppy blushes uncontrollably at the action as they lock their gaze once again.

"Let me write you a reality check, Ritchy Bitch. Your two apostles? They don't give a fuck about you. Honestly, no one at this academy does." She ends it with a shrug and Poppy hisses, "You don't fucking know anything, you filthy skank." She almost spits at the brunette in front of her, boiling with frustration.

"Do you really think the foundation of a relationship is based on fear and disrespect? How fucking dense can you be?"

"I don't give a fuck about your free lessons on ho-" A hand covers her mouth suddenly which startles Poppy, but keeps her in her place as intended. Dark brown eyes appear even more closer than they were before, as Bea's face was inches apart from the blonde's own.

"I'm talking, shut up." Bea orders and Poppy complies.

—— —— —— —— ——

tagging people that wanted to be tagged and shamelessly tagging those who i think might enjoy this fic:

@uhh-the-green-thing @origmansello​ @ save-me-the-last-dance @ ognenniyvolk @ imdreamingof-you @ nias-missellarious @ uselesslesbianfr @ jkeiontheworks  @somewillwin @kamilahtrash @poppysminion @captain-hanadeleine @simpforpoppy @poppysmc

also happy queen b day!

[yusuke-of-valla]

like rats fleeing a sinking ship, pt. 3

intermission i

A/N: “intermission,” basically just means I couldn’t get a Whumptober prompt in there.

TW: mentions of being shot

<-Previous Next->

AO3

After a bit of arguing, Akira gives his bag to Haru with Morgana inside it, and takes Akechi with him to Crossroads. If given the choice, Akira would have preferred leaving Akechi at Takemi’s apartment to rest, but over the last three days since the notice for the Phantom Thieves’ arrest went out, Akechi has proven that he will refuse to sit still even if it’s for his own health, so he’s coming with Akira.

Akira lets Akechi get a seat on the train and stands up, watching the people on the train mutter amongst themselves. The news bulletin is giving updates about the “dangerous thieves at large.”

“...my aunt had a change of heart before she collapsed...”

“I heard they’ve given mental shutdowns to children too...”

“...put her name on the PhanSite. I hope Shido catches those thieves before something happens to her. She may be a bitch but I don’t want her to die.”

“So quick to turn on their supposed heroes,” Akechi mutters.

Akira hums.

Crossroads is empty when they arrive, save for Ohya and Lala, as usual.

When the door opens, Ohya perks up, her eyes going from Akira, then quickly settling on Akechi. “What’s he doing here?”

“He’s on our side,” Akira says. “Shido doesn’t like him either.”

“Sweet. The enemy of my enemy and all that.”

“I suppose you boys aren’t here for a social visit?” Lala asks, pouring them each a glass of water.

“I’d really like this to be, but we can’t.”

Ohya sits up. “Right. It’s not great.”

“Sources don’t have a lot of info?”

“It’s not that. The ones I can get in touch with are happy to talk about how their search for the Phantom Thieves won’t rest until they’re dealt with and explaining some of their procedures like setting up checkpoints in and out of the city. They’re also teaming up with some tech company to monitor phones and texts.”

“Lovely,” Akechi says, “things we could’ve already deduced. Do you have anything that isn’t coming from propagandists?”

“You can tell a lot from what people don’t say as much as what they do. They’re talking a big game, but only have Sakura-san’s arrest to back it up so it’s safe to say they haven’t gotten anyone else. They’re focused on the major areas, the subway, Central Street. Stuff like that. And they’re being flooded with tips, so even though people are happy to turn you in, they also don’t have time to go over everything.”

“So the mob’s working against them,” Akira says.

“Right,” Ohya winks. Then she gives Akechi a pointed look. “And I still have some inside info. Like apparently Shido’s been fighting with this one government agency for awhile now, blocking funding and access for them. They’re called the “Shadow Ops,” and Shido is putting a lot of effort into getting them out of the way.”

“And how is that helpful to us now?" Goro asks.

“Enemy of my enemy,” Akira suggests.

“Well if we can figure out how to get in touch with them that’ll be fine, but it’s still more trouble than it’s worth.”

“What is your problem?" Akira snaps.

“My problem is we’re wasting time! You’re supposed to be the leader yet you can’t conceive of the bigger picture.”

“Akechi you’ve been shot.”

“Stop pretending you’re holding back for my sake,” Akechi says, rolling his eyes. “We could go into the Metaverse right now and get this healed. You just can’t do anything without your ragtag bunch of misfits around to sing your praises.”

“Then why don’t you go.” Akira asks. “Why haven’t you left? Is it because after we played you like a damn fiddle and you were betrayed by your boss you realized you might not be as strong or as clever as you thought?”

Akechi crosses his arms and glares at Akira. “Fine. You’ve got me. I don’t think I can take Shido on my own. I could use your help. Yours. But the others are superfluous, we don’t need them.”

“The others have saved my life on more than one occasion, and they’ve saved yours before too. One week, and we go in and fight like hell, but since you need me and you kinda owe me for that little ‘attempted murder incident’, we’re doing it on my terms when we’ve found as many members of my team as we can.”

“Does the thought cross your mind that gathering them all in one place might just be putting them in more danger?”

“I have to know they’re safe.”

They stare daggers at each other.

Akechi gives in first, getting up with a huff. “If you have any useful information, Ohya-san then please let me know. Until then I’ll be waiting outside.” He strides out the door, and lets it slam shut behind him.

“I’m sorry about that,” Akira says to Ohya and Lala, who he’s just realized heard that entire conversation.

“No problem. You okay, kid?”

“I’m fine. Any other news?”

“Not really. I can tell you that the police have the big public areas covered, but I doubt you’ll be going to any concerts any time soon.”

“Nah. But seriously thank you, this’ll help us plan our movements.”

“Stop by tomorrow, I’ll see if I have anything new for you.”

“Actually, do you mind if one of my friends does it? She’s closer at the moment.”

“Sure, just tell me what to look for.”

Akira gives Haru’s description, thanks Lala again, then heads out.

“Are we done?” Akechi asks.

“One more stop in Shinjuku.” Akira leads Akechi a few blocks down to Chihaya’s booth.

“Akira! It’s good to see you!” Chihaya says.

“Hey Chihaya. We’re here for a reading.”

“Do you know everyone in this city?” Akechi mutters.

Chihaya lays out the cards in front of them. “Do you need a specific reading?”

“Can you give me a reading that’ll tell me where my friends are?”

“I’ll do my best!” Chihaya says. She flips the cards over one by one, and there’s a familiar sensation like something snapping. Even Akechi seems caught off guard by it. Chihaya looks at the spread and frowns. “Hesitation will be your undoing, but don’t be reckless. And I’m not sure about the nine of swords, something to do with Gemini?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Akira sees the way Akechi’s eyes widen at that, then he quickly cools his expression again.

“That’s all I can see,” Chihaya says.

“Thank you.” Akira says, getting up.

Akechi walks back towards the train station quickly, and Akira trails behind. He pauses at the sight of a familiar blue prison door.

“Hey inmate!” Caroline says. “You wanna go in?”

Akira considers it, but shakes his head. He doesn’t want to see Igor right now. “Hey, Caroline, how much do you know about stuff that’s going on. You obviously know more than I do.”

“Well duh! How’re we supposed to help with your rehabilitation if we’re as clueless as you?”

“Then do you know where my friends are?”

Caroline’s grin fades. “W-we couldn’t tell you that even if we did know!”

“Alright, thanks.”

“What are you waiting for?” Akechi calls.

Akira waves at Caroline, and runs to catch up with Akechi.

~_~_~_~

After parting ways with Akira and Akechi, Haru at least takes a little joy in the familiar weight of Morgana in her bag. When they arrive in Aoyama-Itchome, Haru hangs back in an alleyway as Morgana pops his head out of the bag.

“Alright, wait until there aren’t as many students leaving, then slip around the back way there.” Morgana says, helping Haru slip in the same way Akira had been getting up to the roof to meet her while he’s presumed dead.

Her first stop is her vegetable garden. Despite everything, her babies have been growing pretty well.

“It’s too bad we can’t bring the whole thing,” she says picking the tomatoes and pulling up the carrots.

“We can see about starting a garden at Takemi’s,” Morgana offers. “There’s one windowsill that gets a lot of really nice sunlight, even in the winter. I like to take naps there, but I’m willing to give it up for your vegetables.”

“Aw, thank you Mona-chan,” Haru gives him a pat on the head before bagging up the rest of her vegetables. “You’re up next.”

Haru slips out the back and heads back to the alley, watching the school until Morgana comes out, Kawakami trailing behind him.

“Hey, slow down kitty, I’,- Okumura?” Kawakami stares at Haru taking in her new hair and clothes. “So that is Kurusu’s cat?”

Haru smiles and picks Morgana up, helping him back into the bag. “Yeah, he’s a very smart little guy.”

“So does that mean Kurusu’s alright, at least?”

“Yes. But we still need to find the others.”

“Any way I can help?”

“Do you have Shiho Suzui’s address?”

Kawakami’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, then she seems to understand. “Oh yes, I suppose that makes sense. I should be able to get it. Hold on.”

Kawakami walks back into the school, and ten minutes later comes out with a sheet of paper. One has an address on it, the other has a phone number.

“Here you go. And if you need anything, give that number a call and ask for Becky. I’ll know it’s you and be right over.”

“I can’t ask you to get more involved in this,” Haru says.

Kawakami laughs. “I’m already neck deep in the Phantom Thieves business. You’ve helped me and so many others, and more importantly, you’re my students. It’s my job to make sure you’re all safe.”

Haru holds the sheet of paper to her chest. “Thank you. Your support means more than you know.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

Haru grabs a tourist map from the train station and follows the address Kawakami gave them. The Suzui residence is a nice small house near one of the smaller parks.

“Ready to go Haru?”

“Yep.”

Haru knocks on the door, and a middle aged man opens it. “Hello, who are you?”

“I’m here to return your cat!” Haru says, holding Morgana up to the man’s face.

“We don’t ha-” Morgana leaps out of Haru’s arms and runs into the house.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Haru says.

The man curses. “Stay here,” he says, running after Morgana.

There are more voices, and then…

“Morgana?”

“Lady Ann! So you are here!”

“Ann!” Haru calls, running in the direction of the voices. She finds an open door leading downstairs, and the man from earlier is there, along with Ann, Morgana, and a girl who must be Suzui, who immediately steps in front of Ann protectively.

“Who are you,” Suzui demands.

“Shiho! It’s fine, this is Haru,” Ann says, “she’s part of the team.”

“Haru Okumura?” the man— Suzui’s father, probably— asks.

“Yes, we’re so sorry for the disturbance,” Haru says.

Mr. Suzui waves her off, and then pinches the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine, I guess. Would you like some tea Okumura-san? You and Ann probably have a lot to catch up on.”

“That’d be great, thanks!” Ann says. Haru nods as well, and Mr. Suzui heads back upstairs. Once he’s gone, Shiho shuts the door and Ann gives Haru a hug. “Good to see you! I thought you booked it for the countryside!”

“A little misdirection on my part. It’s a bit of a story.”

“We have so much to tell you!” Morgana says.

“I’m sure.” Ann says, picking him up.

“So, I’m guessing this is the famous Morgana?” Suzui asks.

Morgana perks up. “Oh? You told her about me?”

“How could I not,” Ann laughs, “I mean you’re kinda important to the whole story.”

“I’m important!”

“Wow, you can really understand him?” Suzui asks, stepping closer.

Haru nods. “Yes. How much has Ann told you?”

“Everything, pretty much,” Ann says. She and Suzui share a look, before Suzui pulls up some bean bag chairs.

“C’mon, sit. I’m sure things must have been crazy for you guys.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Haru laughs. “But do you want to tell your story first?”

Ann nods.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 78

Okay, I checked. This is actually chapter 78 :)

Thank you, again, to @zommbiebro for the name of the colony. This will be way more important than people realize.

As runners-up, @baelpenrose and @iguessthisisme, thank you for the names of Else’s new habitats. While the reason isn’t given (you are free to mention them in the comments), they did rank as the runners-up.

I made an appointment with Miys to continue our talk about other species next week and sent messages requesting a small meeting in my office.  When I arrived, Alistair already had everyone seated and was handing out drinks. Dropping into a chair, I grabbed the one Tyche passed me and took a deep sip, narrowly avoiding a sputter when I realized my coffee had at least one shot of whiskey in it.  “Geez and fuck, Worthington, what are you trying to do to me?”

Taking the cup from me, he inhaled deeply before apologizing. “It was meant to be coffee with Irish crème, not Irish coffee.”

“Whatever, give it back.” Pinching the bridge of my nose to avoid the looks I was inevitably getting, I made a blind grabbing gesture with the other.  “By the time this conversation is over, I may need this to be sans coffee.”  I inhaled deeply before looking up.  “We have a problem on the Ark.”

“That’s nothing new,” Tyche pointed out.  Beside her, Antoine gave a regretful look of agreement along with an eloquent shrug.

Groaning, I arched an eyebrow at Arthur Farro, who sat across from Tyche, on my other side. “You see how often this kind of shit happens?”  With that, I launched into what happened in the corridor with Miys, specifically the crowd of people plowing into us. When I finished, I held up a hand to stop the outpour of questions from Farro and focused on Antoine. “Can the update to receive proximity alarms be disabled?”

“In theory, yes,” he answered hesitantly.  “But I’m uncertain if the entire implant would have to be disabled in order to do so.”

“Our hosts should be able to tell us if the implants can be turned off,” Alistair pointed out.

“Mmmmm… you would think so.  But I asked, and apparently they didn’t even think we would be able to understand any of their technology, much less futz around with it on the scale needed to create the proximity alerts in the first place,” I explained.

Tyche nodded firmly. “That means we use our secret weapons.”

“Derek?” The question came from our resident former-warlord, who was still not used to our shorthand.

“And Zach to run herd on him,” I confirmed.  “If we can determine whether it’s just the update or the entire implant that’s disabled, Derek can turn the right thing back on and lock user privileges down so they can’t be messed with again.”

Raising one hand for attention, Antoine ventured a point. “Are we - is the Council - okay with the ethics behind forcing people to use the translation implants?”

My head dropped heavily onto the tabletop. I hadn’t even thought about that, but he had a point.

“We can argue ethics later,” Tyche interjected. “First, we have Zach and Derek determine what part of it isn’t working.  If it’s the update, there isn’t anything to worry about, since the Council already agreed that it was in the best interest of the ship as a whole to make the receiver software compulsory.”

Thank you, little sister. When I lifted my head after a silent prayer, I saw Farro giving Tyche an evaluating glance before turning to me. “So. Were these the same people you two mentioned at the dinner?”

“I think so.” Opening my datapad, I pulled up the questions he sent me. “So, on that note, since that’s why you’re here…. ‘How large are the groups?’ I would say three to seven people.” I tipped my hand back and forth in a vague gesture.

Tyche nodded. “I tend to watch my data pad as I walk but the groups aren’t too big. Five-ish? Sometimes more sometimes less? Not suspiciously big though, that I can say for sure.” She opened her own copy and tackled the next question. “Any frequent meetings...The clusters seem to be everywhere, but it's the whispering and watching that make me uncomfortable. I'm face-blind, though, so I couldn't tell you if these are the same groups.

“To be honest, meetings happen all the time on the Ark.  Granted, there are generally fewer after the misunderstanding with Else - “ Alistair scoffed so hard I was worried for his sinuses, but I ignored him and plowed on. “but I would definitely say nothing overt enough to stand out.”

Before I could reference the next question, Farro pre-empted me. “Have you noticed people from these smaller groups interacting with each other? Or groups combining, mixing?”

I had to roll my eyes that one. “Dude.  It’s literally my job to get people to interact, so the only answer you’re getting to that one is ‘all the damned time’.”

He turned to Tyche, eyes hopeful. She just gave him a smirk. “What do you get when you mix an elephant and a rhino?”  When he looked perplexed at her non sequitur, she leaned forward. “Ellephino. Faceblind, remember?”

Scowling, he shook his head. “You handle staffing… how the hell do you do your job?”

"I do it damned well, if I do say so myself," she waved off his complaint. "Which I do. Voices, body language, key accessories... Been doing it my whole life."

“Fair,” he shrugged, seemingly satisfied. “Sophia, have you noticed if it’s always the same people who are clustered up?”

I couldn’t stop the groan that question elicited. “Arthur. There are over nine thousand people on this ship. It would be nearly impossible to be sure.”

He grumbled something about ‘no self preservation’ and ‘what happened to proper paranoia’ before asking the last question. “Please tell me someone at least noticed if they got noticeably quieter when any outsiders came near them?”

My sister and I exchanged glances before I responded. “Eyeah. Kind of why they stand out.”

How did Farro avoid getting dizzy when he rolled his eyes that hard?

Antoine cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. Leaning forward in his seat, he ran a tired hand through his hair. “Tyche mentioned these groups to me a few days ago. I’ve been keeping an eye out and while they aren’t the same groups, there are the same people with new groups, sometimes two at a time in the larger gatherings. Much like a very hushed spreading of word about….something. I have no idea what of course. I’m usually on my way to either medical or a client.”

“Wait,” I held my hand up for a moment. “Same people with new groups? What do you mean? Like, intermingling groups of these people?”

“Think of a social butterfly, but more secretive. There are some I recognize from other groups, but surrounded by different faces. Mingling but spookier.”

Tyche nearly choked on her drink. “You’ve been around me too much. ‘Mingling but spookier.’”

“At least someone noticed something useful,” Farro grumbled.

“Hey!” I complained. “I get that you’ve got a theory, but you don’t have to be rude.” I scowled at him.

Okay, maybe I pouted.

After a moment of deadlock, I took a drink of my coffee and arched a brow at him. “You know. If you told us what exactly your theory was, this would go a lot better. I get that you’re used to working on your own, but you’re asking questions that are leaning into things we aren’t going to notice.  It’s like… asking a vet if they’ve noticed any fleas lately.  Even if they don’t just ignore them outright, it’s nothing remarkable.”

“A cult,” he admitted, sitting back and taking a drink of his tea, only to glare at it like it betrayed him.  Getting up, he went to dispose of it and asked the console for a hot, fresh cup. “People suddenly acting weird, closing off others unless they make the first move? Cult, all day long.”

“That’s pretty overt for a cult though. Most of the time, it’s hard to tell when someone is part of one. They were surprisingly common back Before,” Tyche immediately interjected, having suddenly gone eerily serious. “I’ve known former members. They creep in.”

“Not that overt,” he pointed out. “Scientology.”

“A fake religious movement, that if not for a certain celebrity wouldn’t have gotten so much attention.”

“Oh, completely fake. Not even the founder believed the bullshit he was slinging,” Farro agreed. “But, it was also a very overt, definitive cult.” He started counting on his fingers. “There’s also Jonestown and the Manson family, as far as cults that withdrew from society, although the somewhat limited space of the Ark makes it easier to just get quiet instead of trying to isolate.…” he trailed off before seeming to snap out of his thoughts. 

Tyche groaned at the point. “And the non-religious ones, such as multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes.”

“Of which there were several in the latter half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries,” I pointed out. “Very famous and popular ones, actually.  So.  Being overt doesn’t mean this couldn’t be a cult.” My stomach twisted at the idea of something like that forming in the midst of our chance to be everything good we had the potential for.  It felt like someone doused the Mona Lisa with acetone.

“To be fair, it could also be a more harmless, mysticism based situation like the legionary sect of Mithras in ancient Rome, so we don’t necessarily need to assume the worst - just plan for it, in case.”

“If we concede that this could be a cult,” Alistair volunteered, “I feel it would be wise to discuss the matter with Councillor Hodenson.”  Deafening silence followed his statement, broken only when he squinted at our group in confusion. “Grey Hodenson? The Councillor for Research and Sciences? Who was raised in a cult?” Another emphatic squint before he sighed and threw his hands up.  “Unbelievable.  For a group of supposed geniuses, you all show a breathtaking capacity to overthink things.”

“I believe we should also include Councilor Kalloe,” Antoine advised. “As the Councillor for Health and Safety, it is imperative that she is kept abreast of the situation, even if it is unfounded.”

“It would also give us a stronger likelihood of a majority in the Council if it came to a vote,” Tyche confessed. “We’d already have three out of six, would just have to convince one more.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” I groaned.  “But yeah, subject tabelled for now, until we can reconvene.” I forced myself to sit up straighter. “Now, enough bad news.  Tyche, Antoine, someone, give me some good news.”

Antoine spoke first. “The portion of Else that is not in coldsleep is adapting well to its new habitats.  It is quite pleased with the compromise, and reports excitement at the opportunity to speak to more humans.”

My eyebrow arched before I could stop myself. “Do I even want to know why that is in your purview?”

“Therapy is therapy,” he shrugged eloquently. “Adjusting to new environments is stressful for all living creatures, even those not known to be sentient.”

Alistair added, “Additionally, a nebula has been located that is determined to be sufficiently large and ferrous enough for Else to colonize.  They have determined to name the nebula Esperia, to symbolize their origins with humanity and their hope for the future. When we locate a similarly suitable planet or planetoid, they have decided upon Redemption, or the equivalent in whatever language they have evolved by that point.”

“Wait,” Farro stopped my assistant. “You mean to tell me that a bacteria decided on a name for two colonies before we could decide on one?”

“Only by a breath,” I smirked, opening an alert on my datapad.  “Apparently the name for our new home was just approved by the Council. Good news indeed.”

Several seconds of silence followed as everyone stared at me intently, with Tyche and Alistair pointedly ignoring the similar updates they had just received. Finally, my sister broke. “Are you going to share, oh mighty Councillor, or does everyone have to wait for me to leave and spill the details?”

Laughing, I gestured my concession.  “The name that was agreed upon, by a five to one majority within the Council, is Von. ‘In Norse religion, Ragnarok is the end of the world, followed by a period of rebirth and renewed hope.  Our world has already ended, this we agree upon to point that we have all simply named the chain of events Before, The End, and After.  The new colony will be our renewed hope, our opportunity to be reborn as a better people.  In that spirit, I put forth the name Von, which simply means hope or expectation in Icelandic.  Nothing could be more fitting for our new home, after our own Ragnarok’.”

Heads nodded in agreement. “That’s a good name,” Alistair admitted. “Not my suggestion, but still good.”

<< Prev  Masterlist  Next >>

[dyketectivecomics]

The Legends Playing Among Us IRL (set-up first):

So Gideon, Constantine, Zari & Ray all work together to set up magic “vents” at key points on the ship, add task-related minigames for crewmates to complete and set automatic silencing/unsilencing spells for gameplay and when someone reports a “body” (no Sara we’re not Actually killing each other. Pls don’t use any freaky assassin moves) or calls a meeting.

They use the game itself to help guide other guidelines ofc and try a couple rounds of playing with Two Imposters, but ultimately decide One is best after Ava and Sara wipe the floor with the rest of the team lmao

So to start each game they all draw a card from a pile that tells them whether they’re a crewmate or imposter ofc. Once they’ve got it down, the card doubles as their list of assigned tasks OR, as the hacking “device” they need to further sabotage the ship (it activates dormant minigames for others to complete) imposters can kill just by showing another player their card and everyone’s on an Honor System to Play Dead (& wear a sheet over their head if they’re gonna be a Ghost Completing Tasks aksjsk)

So now let’s go by Character & how they play!!! (I’m mostly including the crew from s3/4 bc thats the crew im most familiar w/ obvsly): 

(also under a cut bc this is LONG im SO SORRY)

When Sara is the Imposter she wins Every Time. It’s gotten to the point that if even ONE person suspects her, she’s getting Ejected that round. When she’s a crewmate, she’s trying to complete the tasks as quickly as possible and she’s trying to gain their trust back by talking frankly during meetings. She’s not a detective ofc, but she keeps things from blowing up too much haha, after awhile everyone figures out her Tell (she tries Not to kill Ava if she’s the imposter, so it’s a pretty good bet that it’s Not Sara if Ava is one of the bodies found)

Ray is too much of a sweetheart and loves his friends too much to kill them lmao. So when he’s the imposter he tries to win by sabotaging the ship. And surprisingly it works most of the time!! Zari’s usually the one to pick up on this Tell though and calls a meeting when she suspects Ray (who for the life of him can’t lie haha) when he’s a crew member he’s working super hard to complete his tasks, but still way too trusting of his other members. Usually one of the first picked off but also he doesn’t mind being a ghost

Mick is good at Imposter! And he enjoys watching everyone debate who it might be. His poker face is impeccable so anyone who asks why he’s being so quite this round is usually met with an “I’m always quiet” or “thinking about a plot point”. He sows just as much discontent when he isn’t the imposter too, BUT when it comes to the tasks, he really only likes two or three of the minigames, so he seeks them out first and will camp out in a room with his typewriter for the rest of the game. It’s an agreed upon rule that imposters can just put a sheet over his shoulders and let him keep writing away (& anyone who Reports his body is Obligated to open with “Mick died doing two of the things he loved, writing and drinking 😔”)

Jax loves being Imposter & throwing a wrench in everything that the rest of the team does lmao. He doesn’t play often with the group, but when he pops in on occasion, he and Zari talk shop on ways to improve both the game and the ship itself. As a crewmate he’s one of the first to complete his tasks and he likes to keep an eye on everyone else to try to figure out the imposter might be first. (Since he plays the actual game sometimes in his free time, he’s gotten really good at the strategies needed to win)

Nate is abt 50/50 as an imposter, but sometimes he can come up with Just Enough of a solid alibi to skate by. Likes to use the game to stretch some of those Detective Skills, he’s part of the reason they started implementing shorter discussion time limits. Not bc he Figures Things Out but bc he sometimes ends up going in circles too long lmao

Zari is rlly good at being Imposter! I mean she helped set up the game afterall haha. She’s very methodical abt balancing sabotage and kills and it got to a point that Gideon had to readjust some of the cooldown times for her. When she’s a crewmate she is RUSHING to complete tasks. She’s got a competitive streak! She wants to win! One of the few ones to remember to use the ‘Admin’ console to keep an eye on player movement to help deduce who the Imposter is.

Ava’s a good imposter, but like Ray she’s a bit more prone to sabotage than kills. Usually gets the win through the timer than by getting enough kills, but if she’s not paying attention to others around her, sometimes she’s been caught. as a crewmate she usually forgoes tasks for trailing people she suspects are imposters. this has gotten her ejected on more than one occasion haha

Bless his heart, but Gary is just really bad at the game. He accidentally vents directly in front of people and cant lie about it to save his life. He tries his best with the tasks but can only really get the hang of a few games, hes usually the first one picked off bc he’s never sure where to go first for his tasks, but he absolutely LOVES being a ghost & running around with that sheet. on more than one occasion he’s helped them win at the last second by simply completing tasks in time

Charlie’s good at being imposter, and maintains her cover usually by not adding much to the conversations in the first place. One of those “you can vent me next if (so-and-so) isnt the Imposter!” kinds of players if things get really desperate though haha. As a crewmate, will finish tasks at a pretty average pace, but also likes to wander around and sow seeds of doubt as to who’s Actually the imposter. loves to egg on pointing fingers and supporting absolutely WILD accusations.

Despite helping them with the set up, Constantine usually isn’t up for actual gameplay. But he comes around eventually! Doesnt play often, but often enough that he’s pretty good with being an Imposter, or even just getting pretty far as an imposter. As a crewmate he does his best, but he really shines when the team is together discussing who might be the imposter. He’s a con-man afterall! He knows when people arent being truthful or are acting suspisciously! So he’s a pretty big asset for when he’s playing as a crewmate (or for keeping everyone off his trail when he’s an imposter haha). Pronce to using the security cams to help trail people.

Similar to Constantine, Nora took some convincing to join the game, and she enjoys being an Imposter more than at being a crewmate. Tries to keep pretty quiet from round to round unless she’s 100% sure others are onto her or that she knows who IS the imposter. Can be prone to seeing a ‘body’ left behind and doing an about-face instead of reporting to avoid being accused of self-reporting (which is one of the more common accusations haha)

Mona isnt that GOOD at doing the imposter thing, but she does her best and she’s having fun and thats what really matters! As a crewmate she’s working hard at her tasks, but usually also ends up being one of the first ones killed :( she just gets really absorbed in the minigames lmao

Bonus: 

Wally may have only been part of the team for a Hot Second but hes part of the team and he’ll play too! Surprisingly only got Imposter Once, and he fared pretty well! (was caught about halfway through his kills though bc he ran a bit too fast around a corner & was accused of venting (they basically got a little lucky there haha). As a crewmate they have to remind him not to use his speed to breeze through the tasks or to figure out who the imposter is, but he’s usually good unless he starts to get a little too excited about Winning 

[bro-stoevsky]

The Story of Lt. Michael Fitton and the Shark Papers

(@pilferingapples​ @thiswaitingheart @twofrontteethstillcrooked​ and @artificialities​ thank you for your Shark Papers support. @plinytheyounger​ as always thank you for listening to me BREATHLESSLY relate this on mobile during the workday.) and now

IT IS TIME for the story. The story of.....

Lt. Michael Fitton and the Shark Papers.

This story has every element necessary to a good story, those being: 

 Breakfast

 Sharks

 Paperwork

I accidentally stumbled upon the story of Lt. Michael Fitton and the Shark Papers last night in the following nigh-inscrutable anecdote about HMS Abergavenny:

“The tender Ferret and the cutter Sparrow were involved in a curious incident in which Ferret's captain, Acting Lieutenant Michael Fitton, served a shark to Lieutenant Hugh Wilie, captain of Sparrow and then surprised him with some papers.”

Reading this I have no idea what the fuck. You served someone a shark and “surprised him with some papers”? Like fine but. Why? Let us find out.

DISCLAIMER: I should warn you that this is not a legitimate academic inquiry into the Shark Papers, and certainly there are Shark Papers experts more expert than myself. But do they have my current feverish Shark Papers enthusiasm? I think not! Also it seems that the story of the Shark Papers, as with many good stories about sharks and/or papers, has split into many apocryphal directions. Still. It is time for the story......of Lt. Michael Fitton and the Shark Papers.

The year is 1799. The place, the Mona Passage. The West Indies? Very confusing trade wise. America? NEUTRAL in the war between England and France (despite fighting an undeclared war with France) honestly because we were busy with, I assume, an escalating workplace prank war between John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. 

This was, in general, a very unsafe region in which to be an American merchant ship, fearing as they did not only harassment by the French but also sometimes the Royal Navy, Spanish, and Dutch as well as the prospect of returning home to find that Adams had superglued Hamilton’s wig to his head or released bees into his desk drawer. 

Into this tense climate sails a brig called the Nancy. 

A Lieutenant Hugh Wylie of HMS Sparrow, finding it suspicious in some way captures the ship and escorts it to Port Royal to find out exactly what is going on. 

The captain of the ship, whose name is Thomas Briggs, insists that he has done nothing wrong. In some versions of the story his insistence is based on just straight the fuck up telling Wylie he and all his crew are Dutch. In other versions just his paperwork is Dutch, authorizing him to trade some goods in Curacao.

Either way, this story/paperwork/situation seems to check out with the prize court, and involve Holland somehow, and Lt. Wylie leaves Port Royal in disappointment. 

Two notes on the character of Lt. Wylie (courtesy of Mr. Fitton): 

(1) He seems to be dehydrated: 

(2) Although he abhors the pope, he would save the pope from drowning if the pope happened to be drowning nearby: 

HMS Sparrow rejoins the unfortunately-named HMS Ferret, which is being commanded by Acting Lieutenant Michael Fitton, of whom we know much more. He got up to a lot in his career, including the capture of some “30 or 40″ enemy ships and a great deal of derring-do, most notably during an action with the Spanish Santa Maria during which: 

“Lieutenant Fitton leaped overboard; and, with his sword in his mouth, followed by the greater part of his crew similarly armed, swam to, boarded, and after a stout resistance carried, the Spanish schooner.”

He shows up injured twice, once after having been run over by a gun and once after falling down a hatch during a hurricane. Most intriguing of all is the delicious but, it seems, receipts-less tea spilled on wikipedia: 

“Fitton never received a promotion beyond the rank of lieutenant. Not only did he lack a powerful patron but there is some suggestion that he may, by injudicious conduct early in his naval career, have made a powerful enemy.”

He is the main character in the 11 novels of the “Lieutenant Michael Fitton Adventures” which I have not read but have very disappointingly thwarted my nascent ambition to sit down and write 11 novels about him. 

Unknown is whether he would save the pope from drowning if the pope happened to be drowning nearby. 

On Wylie’s return, Fitton invites him to breakfast by signal and while killing time waiting for Wylie to come over he notices a dead cow in the water and associated sharks (Ferret was a tender ship to Abergavenny, and presumably on supply ships you do end up with a few dead cows in the water from time to time). One shark in particular catches his eye and  and decides he wants a shark cartilage walking stick, apparently must-have accessory: 

He catches the shark and gets a guy to butcher it. Inside the shark they discover a metal container and inside, some papers tied up with a string. The sailor who had been butchering the shark makes a joke:

In the retelling of this story, this joke remains, but gets less funny. By 1820 we hear nothing of this sailor’s “old blowing”: 

Interestingly enough Fitton does not seem to be exaggerating his role in catching the shark, as he repeats it under oath: 

We never know if he got his walking stick. 

Fitton, figuring any papers you find inside a shark are probably worth something, dries them out and reads them, and discovers they relate to an American ship Nancy.

In some versions of this story this alone is the required proof -- the ship is American. In others, it shows her original orders, which are French and not Dutch. Fitton just calls it “mercantile affairs.” The most likely version, because it is the most complicated, and because it has as its end goal the acquisition of coffee, is that the shark papers formed part of a paper trail proving that the ship deposited its original, legal cargo on Aruba, where it took on illegal cargo, armaments which were sold to the French in Haiti (for coffee). 

Either way, the shark had given Fitton receipts on the Nancy. Wylie, throughout this course of events, has still been rowing over. By now he has made it.

And he wants breakfast:

Fitton drags it out and some more delightfully period dialogue ensues: 

You’ll be a boy all your life-time, Fitton!

They go back and forth and Wylie is increasingly frustrated by how much Fitton seems to know about the Nancy (his disappointment at losing the prize presumably still fresh) and STILL wanting breakfast. Hilariously, he seems fairly convinced that the American supercargo is in fact Dutch because his last name is Schultz, lending some credence to the “fake Dutch” version of events: 

Fitton explains (but very annoyingly) that he knows all of this because he read it in the Shark Papers. Wylie cannot wrap his mind around the Shark Papers, which are in fact pretty far-fetched, and having heard Fitton explain the situation one too many times, STILL with no breakfast in sight, finally loses his patience with the breakfastless situation. I know people like this. Do you know people like this? 

The story is almost over. 

Wylie gets breakfast. In most cases, this breakfast is the shark. In every case, gratifyingly, the breakfast exists, which is a nice thing to know about a man in 1799 who so ardently wanted breakfast. 

Then he rows back to his own ship and apparently goes about his day for a while before it all dawns on him that Shark Papers are just the smoking, sharky gun he needs to reverse the prize court’s finding about the Nancy, and immediately orders Fitton to accompany him back to Port Royal, where they and the shark papers are deposed, and the captain of the Nancy convicted of smuggling. 

It is possible that the Shark Papers were only half of the evidence, the other half being provided by additional papers discovered in a pork barrel: 

So hard drove........into the pork? or in the barrel?

In some versions, news gets ahead of them (though I can’t imagine how?) and Briggs escapes, leaving the Nancy behind. In a fictionalized account that one hopes is inspired by the real thing, he blames the shark, “...swinging out of court, exclaiming, 

Wylie made £3,000 and Fitton £1,500 for his role in uncovering the Shark Papers. 

But our hero is not done yet.

The shark jaws remained in Port Royal until they were lost after an earthquake; the Shark Papers were still in the museum of the Royal United Service Institution as of 1889, but my google image search of “royal united service institution museum shark papers” only yielded pictures of sharks. 

Here ends the Story of Lt. Michael Fitton and the Shark Papers. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk on/Drunk History episode about this important subject. 

I think there are morals to this story: 

1. Sharks will eat anything, even and especially your secrets. 

2. If a shark has eaten your secrets, your secrets are not necessarily safe.

3. If the pope is drowning nearby, it is a mark of good character to save him, even if you don’t like him

4. Sometimes all that’s standing between you and a shitload of prize money is your annoying friend, a dead cow, the desire for a walking stick, some patience with fishing, and one shark.

  .

  .

  .

  .

Addendum: Fitton’s career began with the discovery of some secret papers in the ocean, too. When he was 14, having just entered the service as a Captain’s Servant on HMS Vestal:

“...he witnessed that of an American packet having on board Mr. Laurens, ex-President of the Rebel Congress, who was proceeding to Holland with a secret treaty of alliance with the Dutch. This treaty, previously to the actual capture of the ship, had been thrown in a bag overboard, and would never have been discovered but for Mr. Fitton, who, being at the moment employed in furling the fore-top gallant sail, observed what he considered to be a man overboard, and instantly made a report which led to its recovery. A declaration of war against the Dutch, and the immediate sweeping of their numerous vessels from the face of the sea, were thus the momentous results of Mr. Fitton’s keenness.”

Michael Fitton, pulling receipts on from the ocean and its sharks since 1780. 

[douxreviews]

Legends of Tomorrow - ‘The Eggplant, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ Review

“Mikey! Mikey, Stop!”

Legends continues to ramp up the action as it moves into the final phases of its too short fourth season, and on the way makes the most important statement about relationships that's ever been uttered on genre television.

Have I mentioned how much I love this show?

One of the most consistently impressive things about the way Legends of Tomorrow tells its stories is the way that they're able to take what should be standard, if not cliched, plot set-ups and somehow turn them into something unexpectedly fantastic. Last year, Zari's turn at reliving Groundhog Day gave us the amazing 'Here I Go Again'. This week we get that thing that genre shows love to do wherein one character physically enters another character's mind in order to 'save' them from whatever has caused them to fall unresponsive, and therein finds a world built almost entirely of visual metaphors that help them work through a bit of character development before we get back to the season's larger plot.

So, yes. It's essentially Sara Lance as Willow Rosenberg in 'Weight of the World'. With the small difference that Ava, our Buffy-surrogate in the set-up, is actually able and willing to have a profoundly frank and adult discussion with her inside the, for lack of a better term, 'dreamscape'.

And really, I know that this gets mentioned in these pages a lot, but that's the greatest strength that Legends of Tomorrow has; the way that all of the characters are allowed to behave like rational and emotionally available adults, despite also being time travelling superheroes. It's sure as hell that none of us saw that coming, back in the Vandal Savage days.

Case in point, look at the way that they completely skated past the obvious 'everyone but Ray blames Nora for Hank's death' plotline here. That was obviously what we were being set up for back at the end of 'The Getaway', and yet within the first couple of scenes this week we have the Legends find out that Nora is on the Waverider, she says 'I swear I didn't kill Hank', and Constantine essentially responds, 'Yeah, we totally already figured that out. It was actually fairly obvious, and just the tiniest amount of follow-up on our part established what was really going on. We're totes good, Nora.' And everyone immediately gets on the same page on the issue, because they're all behaving like reasonable adults. That is huge. That just doesn't happen on television.

Even Nate only needs to take the smallest of moments questioning whether or not Nora is guilty before he processes what he's being told and accepts it, and that's the one instance in which they could have legitimately gotten away with a character responding in a destructive way because he was responding emotionally to his father's loss. But they didn't go there, and it cannot be overstated what a positive and refreshing example that is to see.

It's particularly clever of them, because of the way that they pulled the rug out from under us at least twice this week regarding the heavily foreshadowed Nate/Ray schism that we were all bracing ourselves for. Nate finds out that Ray has been harboring the woman he thinks killed his dad, and he responds by listening to what his friend is telling him, accepting what he's being told, and reaffirms their friendship. A little later on we see him accidentally punch Ray in what we assume is going to be the beginning of their 'Civil War' style breakup, only to immediately get ahold of himself, apologize, and embrace his friend. An apology that Ray accepts without hesitation, I might add, because Nate's actions were both completely understandable under the circumstances and immediately apologized for.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the world's greatest ever example of positive male friendship. I'm starting to believe that if we can just get enough people to watch this show, we might actually find a way to counter toxic masculinity. Wouldn't that be nice?

All of which is a roundabout way for me to get to the point that I've been growing to realize that it's really the character relationships that make this show. Witness, for example, the curious level of kindness that Constantine shows to Gary when he wants to hold vigil for Ava. Gary, by rights, should be pure dorky comic relief. Constantine, as a character type, exists almost solely to deflate that kind of comic relief character. And yet when push comes to shove, John goes to Gary's D&D nights. John cares about Gary. That's a nice detail. Similarly, it's notable the way that Mick is willing to help out Zari in something as trivial as crafting sexy text messages to Nate. Mick of even two years ago would absolutely not have been doing that.

Which brings me back to my initial point as regards that important statement about relationships. After a truly enjoyable series of sequences in the 'evil purgatory Ikea', Ava and Sara have some incredibly frank and direct talk about their relationship. And during that talk, they're both so amazingly emotionally available to one another and so willing to be vulnerable with one another. I honestly cannot think of a healthier relationship on television, ever. Not in the sense that they don't have problems, because they clearly do, but in the way tat they're willing to acknowledge them, and admit when they're in the wrong. It's messy, and it's real, and I love every second of it. And just when I think it can't get any better, Ava says;

"Let’s be honest, neither of us needs anybody. But you are who I want."

Yes. That. A million times, that. Can we amplify that message about a billion times, until it drowns out all the rom-com 'I need you to complete me' bullshit? Because that would be wonderful.

Be more like Nate and Ray, people

So what have we learned today?

To stop including this section in the reviews, because trying to condense a logically consistent universal rulebook of how timeline changes work in this fictional universe is absolutely nothing compared to what we should be learning from the character relationships. Also, clearly no one involved in the show is worrying about it.

Everybody remember where we parked.

This week the Waverider pretty much stayed where it was in Washington D.C., 2019. At least, it logically must have been sine Zari could send texts to that year, and Ray bounced back and forth between the ship and the Time Bureau.

Sara, meanwhile, went to actual literal purgatory to rescue Ava's soul. Purgatory, in this case, being an obvious Ikea knock-off called 'Megastor', complete with umlaut.

Quotes:

Ray: "Hey Sara! Great news. Hank was killed by a demon!" Nora: "'Great' was not the word he was looking for."

Ray: "She’s not a liability. She’s a survivor."

Sara: "You two are with me. (To Zari) Woman the ship."

Gary: "Conspiracies, embezzling, paper trails. I feel like Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich."

Nate: "If this is my dad’s mistress I’m gonna jump out a window."

Sara: "Ava, if you check out, you die." Ava: "Well that’s kinda on the nose, isn’t it?"

Charlie: "Being honest, wind powers- just not that scary." Mick: "Yeah, you’re like a magical hair dryer."

Nate: "Yeah, hi. We’re looking for Mr. Uh… Mr… T."

Zari: "I don’t even know why I’m talking to you two about it. You don’t even date humans." Mick: "Love’s love."

Nora: "I know how hard it is to watch someone you love become a demon." John: "Yeah, well too bad there aren’t any Beebo’s around to hug it to death."

Mick: "Here. Use words. It’s erotic, but vulnerable."

Bits and pieces:

-- Yes, I realize that they were actually in purgatory, where her soul was currently stuck, but all the semiotic rules at play here clearly were working on the understanding of 'dreamscape'.

-- So apparently Neron wanted Ava's body to host somebody called Tabitha, I assume she's his demon girlfriend.

-- The trope of the bad guy having a favorite whistle-tune so that we can identify what body he's jumped into later is super clichéd and tired. I still didn't see it coming that he'd end up in Ray though.

-- You should absolutely never pay less than $800 for a mattress. Under any circumstances.

-- It's not clear what actually happened to Nora in that ritual. Are she and Ray going to end up as Tabitha and Neron? I'd be down for that.

-- Absolutely nothing about Hank's magical creature zoo makes sense, and he certainly wouldn't have needed a demon's help to set it up. I hate everything about that plotline, with the exception of Mikey T, who is awesome.

-- Zari, Charlie and Mona giggling about texting boys shouldn't have been charming, but was completely 100% adorable.

-- Dirty secret time, I adore assembling flatpack furniture. Honestly, it's my favorite thing in the whole world. I'm not kidding.

-- The effect of aging and de-aging as the sat on the mattress was really nicely done. A very clean low tech solution which worked well.

-- I'm actually really surprised at how quickly Mona has begun feeling like a natural part of the team.

A really good episode with a lot of really positive things to say about adult relationships, both romantic and otherwise. I just wish it hadn't involved the stupid magical creatures zoo plot, because it's stupid and muddies the waters as to what Neron actually wants to accomplish.

Three out of four flatpack dressers.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

[asoulofatlantis]

You always say that you are a shipper and that ships are very important to you. So lets talk about that. I ask you for your top 5 moments/scenes of each of the following trails ships: Estelle and Joshua. Rean and Alisa. Elie and Lloyd. Cedric and Shirley. Millium and Jusis. Swin and Nadia. And I want an explanation of why every of those scenes is in which place (but maybe try to make it short)

(Me? Making it short? As if! XD)

Lets start with Estelle and Joshua.

Joshuas and Estelles reunion Sky 2

I don't really think I need to explain this one. There was something amazingly satisfying about the whole scene. First of all because we waited forever for this moment, but more so because of the fact that Joshua has acted like Estelle didn't mean that much to him anymore in the previous chapters, in fact, for a small moment it even looked like he was considering a future with Josette. So seeing that he still cared about her, that he still wanted to protect her, still loved her and that despite everything, nothing of his feelings for her has changed, was just... as I said before, so damn satisfying to watch.

2. Joshuas and Estelles reunion (part two) Sky 2 (Beach scene)

One might argue that that scene basically belong to the scene above, but I really think we should see them as separate scene, as this was basically the moment were Joshua has brought Estelle to safety and decided it was time to leave her again, just for her to  give him a piece of her mind and him ending up crying with her arms around him and then they FINALLY had a real true loves kiss and it was so... hach... magical. Shipping-Heaven and all. All was well again all of the sudden (after almost 6 chapters of pure utter suffering) in the World of Trails in the Sky ♥ (One might ask why that is not my most favorite scene, but the moment of screaming "FINALLY!" when Joshua came to save Estelle can not even be beaten by a kiss XD)

3. The painful love-confession Sky 1

Even tho the scene was somewhat bittersweet, I think the final scene between Joshua and Estelle in the first Trails in the Sky game was romantic in etwas very own way and deserves the third place in this list. After we started out with Joshua OBVIOUSLY being in love with Estelle and Estelle being as oblivious as Trails-Protagonists can be, it was so great to see her finally revealing her feeling to Joshua. And on the freaking rooftop of a damn castle. (Seriously, these guys have the best places for their best moments. I mean, how many people do get a sweet reunion kiss at a beach?) We also get a kiss in this scene, obviously, although that was the final nail in the "something is off here" - coffin, it was still kind of nice. How often do we get kisses that early on?

4. The scene were Joshua was supposed to kill Estelle Sky 2

Guys, the panic. The pure, absolute and utter panic you feel when you think of the fact that Joshua who FINALLY got reunited with his beloved sun, is about to kill her in a state where he has no control over himself and that when he gets back to his senses will have to face that he killed what he loved most in the world with his very own hands. But thank god the boy saw that one coming and suddenly, kneeling over Estelle, Sword on her throate and all (if you are into that kind of stuff, with no people around and all, that would have been the perfect moment to start making a smut out of this scene - and now you know my dirty secret XD), comes back to his senses and reveals that he knew that Weissmann would try to make him kill the love of his life and found a way not just around this, but also to break his stigma. The way the scene played out was really wholesome.

5. Joshua getting angry because Estelle was attacked Crossbell-Arc

I honestly can not remember the full scene or what exactly happened anymore - the Crossbell-Games are a blur to me mostly, to be honest - but wasn't it that Estelle was intervening in a fight and was attacked by Wald or so because he wasn't having her stopping him? In any case, what I do remember is how our dear, rational, calm and collected Joshua got pissed of because of that and I was like: Ah yes, the ship is still sailing quite well XD It seems like a rather small scene compared to the others, but after a while it was quite satisfying to see.

Honorable Mentions: Their link event (subtle but cute) and Cassius asking Joshua when he is going to marry Estelle in the Hajimari special - because for once in my life I did actually agree with Cassius damn Bright XD

Next is Elie and Lloyd and that is actually a hard one, because I can barely remember anything from the Crossbell-Saga. But I do try.

Their reunion-hug Hajimari

Most of you obviously saw that coming miles away but I loved their reunion in Hajimari. After waking up with Rixia in Crossbell, Elie is the first one Lloyd gets reunited with and its with a wonderful tender embrace and and absolut moment of blissful happiness for those two and I LOVED IT. (Doesn't have anything to do with them mirroring a certain scene in CS3 between Rean and Alisa that will definitely not at all get mentioned again here soon XD) Definitly the most heartfelt of Lloyds reunions and it speaks volumes how easily he falls into that hug and hugs Elie back with the tender voicedrop and all. Hach... being a shipper is great ♥

2. "I support you with my heart" (or something like that) Hajimari

Not so much after our sweet reunion we get Elie having some doubt because she couldn't protect KeA whom Lloyd loved so much and that she feels like some sort of mother figure towards. Well, true to his Trails-Protagonist-Status, he came to assure her that everything will be alright eventually, telling her what he thinks about the path she has chosen in life and ending up with her squeezing out of him that he supports her with his heart, while his hand was on her shoulders for like 5 minutes or so. Absolut gold and speaking volumes about the state of their relationship, even tho no one says it out loud.

3. The rooftop-scene (not sure if it was Zero or Ao tho...)

What would a Falcom-intended-ship be without a heartfelt talk while watching the nightsky? Lloyd and Elie have that one covered for sure and even tho I have my qualms with this scene and how Lloyds character kind of ruined it, it still was a really nice moment for shipper to see them have that kind of semi-romantic canon-moment.

4. The talk in the morning after (once again, no Idea if it was Ai or Zero)

So after some teasing from our dear Randy, Lloyd pointed out that he and Elie would never be a thing and while the scene was kind of ruining the shipping-vibe he and Elie gave at that point, it was still so damn hilarious to watch Lloyd digging himself a hole deeper than any Rean has ever been in while this whole time (and that is what still makes the scene somewhat worth being in here) he never claims he is not interested in her, in fact, he just thinks he is not worth her, actually hinting that he would be interested but feel like its useless because she deserves better than him. Laughing aside it also makes the scene kind of bittersweet.

5. Elie basically being the mother to KeA who sees Lloyd as some sort of father Zero & Ao

KeA was for me personally an absolut turning point for the Crossbell-Saga as she brought something to the SSS that it has been lacking before. As a shipper tho, the best thing KeA brought was the fact that after she basically chose Lloyd as her father figure, Elie was naturally taking on the position of a mother figure and it worked so well with Lloyd and it felt absolutely meant to be this way. Your ship kinda raising a child together is somehow a next level-happyness moment for me as a shipper, so it needed to be mentioned here.

Honorable mentions: The optional scenes: Elie and Lloyd going to that party together dressed all fancy, the almost kiss at the IBC and the heart to heart on the Mekaba.

Next are Swin and Nadia. (I am obviously not following the order, because I want to save the best for last XD) They didn't have that much screentime or shipping-scenes, despite being obviously intended to be a ship, so this will be even harder than Elie and Lloyd.

1. Swin pulling a Joshua on us Kuro 2

Probably no surprise to you that for Swin and Nadias best moment, I chose the moment were he jumped in to attack the fake Ace in favor of protecting Nadia after leaving her behind for so damn long. And of curse the hug that followed after it. After everything those two put me threw in a game that wasn't even their own I deserve a thousand more of those hugs I tell you. But for now, that one was more than satisfying for me as a starving shipper. Also, I kind of liked the idea that they more or less copied what Joshua did with his Stigma, to protect Estelle. Because it says a lot about the direction Swin and Nadias relationship is going in.

2. Nadia sleeping on Swins lap Hajimari (and Kuro flashback)

It was so freaking cute ♥ I mean, if you have read 3 and 9 (which you should) you already knew that Nadia can only properly sleep when she has Swin closeby, like... body-contact closeby works best, but seeing it firsthand was so damn cute. And I loved that when she woke up and called for Swin, who had been checking on things in the cockpit, he immediately returned to her. I mean, guys lets face it, was is cuter then character A laying resting with their head in character Bs lap?

3. Their reunion-hug Hajimari

The whole mess of Swin and Nadia as well as Rufus and Lapis being separated by whatever force has wonderfully shown how far our other groups have come in the meantime and how far Rufus team still has to go. However, the greatest part about it was Swins utter panic about not being able to protect Nadia and how Rean made sure to keep him calm until they could actually reunite and then, when they finally did have their reunion, Swin might have been surprised by the hug, but he certainly hasn't pushed Nadia away and the whole situation was all in all really cute. (Bonus points if you have noticed Reans silence after Swin said Nadia was like a sister to him - I felt like he was thinking the same thing that went through my head back then: "Yeah. Sure. Keep telling yourself that. God, this line is getting old at this point." XD)

4. Schoolfestival dance 2.0 Kuro 2

With the weird mix of Shizuna and Aaron and me not being sure about Feri and Quatre dancing together either, Swin and Nadia dancing too kind of made that scene a lot more enjoyable, especially since Nadia looked so happy. And dance-scenes certainly are an important part of any shippers greatest shipping-dreams and many ships will never ever get a dance scene (especially given how Van didn't dance with either Elaine or Agnes) so one must enjoy moments like these.

5. Riding on a motorbike together Kuro 2

Its once again really just a small moment, but I found it so cute to see Nadia hugging Swin from behind and enjoying it so much, while they were sitting on a bike together in the last Connect-Event with Van. Its small moments like these, for small ships like these that makes you happy.

Next is Millium and Jusis. They also don't have that many big moments, but they gathered a hand full of small moments over the cause of 5 games, so that should be doable.

Honorable mentions: Their introduction scene in Kuro 2s opening. Nadias reaction when it looked like Swin was stabbed in Kuro 2.

(By the way... how was I supposed to keep that short with so many ships? However, funny enough, Tumblr just told me the text is too long, so I have to make a separate post to answer the rest of the ask ^^‘)

[mantrabay]

Hope Springs Eternal Part 2.9

One should be cognizant of tread marks of a different kind that await all of us.

But attitude is key. A timeless trait.

More fodder this for that colourful cryptic creation I’m churning about in my brain.

One could not help but notice the dwellings in this compact charming but claustrophobic town.

They were spreadeagled to a fault with scant regard for privacy or personal space.

Neighbours like nodding polders wave from their aluminum polycarbonate verandas.

The sort with integrated guttering and moulded frames.

All packed together like crates in a warehouse.

A carbon copy of some construction company’s catalogue.

The trailing shrubs, wilting flowers in mosaic porcelain propagators, superimposed trellises and overstocked pools to name but a few.

They only served to reinforce their stylish if somewhat stifling similarity.

I was mindful of today’s appointment thanks to my tarnished gold watch and the sonorous chiming of the nearby chapel clock.

Of course one must not overlook Mr and Mrs Ispy as they were nicknamed locally.

The naughty snoops who were minding everybody's business bar their own.

Adam and alma ahern were their names.

Aunt Virginia had some scathing words about their type.

“Some people base their whole world around tittle tattle.

They are grounded in matters that smart folk view with Olympian disdain.”

One can just imagine the cocked ears and protruding noses feasting on every scrap of scandal real or contrived.

Theirs was an in-built antennae always aligned for mischief of the murkiest kind.

They had an ubiquitous presence.

You never knew what hedge or door they might pop out of.

They sniffer dogged their way around every trail, route, and byway in pursuit of some scurrilous rumour.

Encylopaedic were they on shenanigans of all kinds.

A satellite dish for backstabbing and intrigue.

Some were even so unkind as to suggest that they spied on each other.

They knew everybody and wormed their way into everyone’s confidence when they could!

Gossips at the cutting edge of trivia.

“Oops ….oh no! I’m about to crash.”

I said with my voice trembling.

Lost concentration for a minute.

My notepad and pen skating on a footpath that resembled a small scale ice rink.

Aunt virginia's word’s about focus were never more valid.

“ There goes my poem on ...a mudpatch.”

Despite this sudden intrusion I kept my balance but maybe lost something valuable.

A tumult of events on the ground and overhead took place.

Shrill birds chirping and circulating in the sky, swooning and swooping like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

As I slowly regained my balance I walked wearily and warily towards the diary with said verse.

The lines were smeared with mud.

Uncannily like a lady’s mudpack.

The heartfelt lines were still legible.

Well, just about.

My heart was beating for various reasons now.

I had a 4 pmdeadline to meet with forty or so minutes to spare.

Yet there were so many distractions.

An embarrassment of diversion sometimes towered above that stultifying uniformity which threatens even the most imaginative town architecture.

Or was my mind playing tricks on me with all the soundscapes and stimulation of the senses?

The downside of being a poet and writer perhaps?

Virginia’s words of wisdom coming back to haunt me but would I listen ?

The real world and fantasy can segue into one another with distinctions blurred and the usual proneness to exaggeration.

Were the exotic whiffs of Bombay mix recipes emanating from a market place bazaar or some nearby dwelling?

Were they just an illusion with factual elements mixed in?

Either way a favourite haunt of both the Ispy’s and the teen couple I had spoken to earlier was a marketplace.

Both had their own agenda with the aherns being the

more devious!

Pumpkin seed baps on spits reeking of sesame oil with the most aromatic seasonings wafting everywhere or so I thought.

Incense and Moroccan spices taunting the nose of this stroller on a mission. But also setting off rumblings in the tummy that couldn’t be sated immediately.

A very vivid image of Virginia with her Mona Lisaesque demeanor appeared.

I was juggling her insights on punctuality and other matters and trying to act on them.

Was I clutching at an ebbing twilight zeal or a burgeoning young at heart momentum?

Distractions make inroads into time but I felt I was being drawn to them.

Did I hear the raucous sound of docker’s voices barely audible but imaginable above the booming traffic?

Were they coming from somewhere close?

Maybe the ships trademark foghorn was setting off an overactive mind or had I supernatural powers at this point in my life?

Whatever the truth, there’s been many a threadbare naval yarn I’ve overheard.

The type that has been twisted, embroidered, embellished even marinated on seas high and low.

Gag induced guffaws billowing upwards as smoke from a chimney stack.

Uproarious bonhomie drowning out the offloading of fetid fish catch.

The vortex of a spiraling timeline giddy with impulse and image drove me on in defiance of their colour and charisma.

But before I knew it a wafer thin voice called out from the corner shop, the location of my rendezvous.

“Hello. Hope spring. I’m your date.

Bang on time both of us.”

A Spritely lady in her late sixties with profuse greying hair.

Her eyes were so expressive and sparkled with life.

“Don’t know if I shared my last name when we first met.”

“You did.” I replied.

Virginia, would be proud of my recollection.

“Did you get my call earlier this morning reminding you of the date?”

Hope Spring queried.

“I must have missed it.” Said I archly.

“I also wanted to ask how the poem was going?

We started talking casually as you were writing it.

You were having trouble naming it.”

She said.

“I couldn’t think … how about ?”

We both spoke at the same time and laughed.

“Hope ….hope springs eternal!”

The good of it all had us in stitches. I doubt my aunt Virginia would have approved with her dislike of such humour.

“Have you got the poem with you?” Hope enquired.

“No. Sorry, hope some of the lines are a bit muddied.” A reply that made me blush.

Virginia would have scowled.

“Maybe the next time we meet you’ll have it done.” Hope again.

That sounds promising I muttered to myself.

“Yahoo…..you two love birds.

Have fun. See you at the local coffee house.”

Sonia and Winifred's message as they passed by on their bicycles jolting us out of our conversation.

“Lovely people. Maybe we should take their advice and head off that way.”

Hope placing her right hand on mine.

I nodded in agreement.

“I’ve had this strange feeling all day that I’m being watched… another presence.

Ever had that feeling ?” Miss Spring enquired

innocently.

“As I haven’t been in this town for long

it seems more intense than the usual curiosity.” She continued.

“Shortly after I arrived in this

area I met a charming couple called the aherns.

They warned me of gossips who fed on eavesdropping and misfortune.

Maybe that’s it. I’m certainly grateful for their warning.” Said Hope.

I could barely restrain myself at this bizarre twist that Virginia would definitely

have found amusing.

At that I walked towards the cafe with Hope while craning my neck, taking in all all my surroundings and noticing everything!!

Photographs and short story extract mantrabay copyright protected.

Thanks as always for reading and viewing my posts.

I appreciate that.

[tedddy-exe]

Jonathan

Jonathan.

[Inspired off the movie Annie 1982. This book is an H20VANOSS. Other ships will be included]

Characters replaced 

Annie – Jonathan

Sandy – Squirrel Bryce – Molly

Ryan – Pepper 

[All other characters will be the same, others have been added. I’d like to say this story is in between 2010 to 2014.]

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

Chapter 4

‘Intruder’

A car engine could be heard from outside, it was very loud. Jonathan looked to the front door from the main hall with a confused face. “It’s only Mr. Warbucks don’t worry now.”, and off went Grace.

“Bark bark!”, Squirrel ran down the stairs in the main hall, running past two men who were unloading a box and the camera man. He was covered in soap and bubbles from jumping out the bath when Drake was cleaning him. Jonathan grabbed the dog before he could leave anymore trails, a small smile fixed on his face. Jonathan watched as Grace greeted the man who came storming in, “Good afternoon sir”.

A butler also came out from one of the many doors in the main hall and held a tray.

“Did my painting arrive?”, the older man strutted with a bad attitude. “They’re just unpacking it sir”.

It kind of scared Jonathan, so he hid behind one of the pillars with Squirrel. The men that were unboxing something from the stairs were now at the bottom holding up the painting with a cloth when Mr. Warbucks came to a stop to look at it, they removed the cloth and there on the painting was the one and only, Mona Lisa. Jonathan looked closely at it from afar, it was actually really nice, but Jonathan thinks Mr. Warbucks doesn’t think the same as him. “Hm”, a grunt from Mr. Warbucks, he started walking backwards to get a far away look at it, Jonathan had too move over a bit.

“I don’t like it! Send it back!” He waved fingers. The men started going back up stairs to put it in its box, “Any messages?”.

“Uh, yes sir. Mr. Rosenberg called 3 times today, he said it was very urgent.”

“Everything is urgent to a democrat, what else?”

“Uh well-”

Mr. Warbucks bald head suddenly shifted its gaze toward the Mona Lisa, “Wait! There is something interesting about that woman’s smile, I think I might learn to like her. Put her in my bathroom!”.

The two men carrying the painting changed their route and headed for the bathroom. “Now tell-”

“Wait, I’d like you to me-”, “And send it up to my room at midnight!”. Mr. Warbucks moved around him, and the camera man took a photo of him, “Arrugh!”. Mr. Warbucks took the camera from his hands and threw it away, Punjab had come in not so long ago to watch the scene unfold, Grace let out a few cries of panic, “What the devil is going on here!”.

“Oh, Mr. Warbucks, the press sent him to take photos of your image!”

Mr. Warbucks angered face disappeared, and he put on a smile. “Oh yeah”, Mr. Warbucks laughed, “Pick him up Punjab and get him a new camera”.

Mr. Warbucks started sniffing the air, “Why do I smell wet dog?”

That’s when Jonathan thought it would be perfect timing to come out from behind the pillar, “Because we gave Squirrel a bath”, his face displayed worry, the man’s face reminded him of Ryan’s grumpy one.

Mr. Warbucks looked him up and down, “What is this?”.

Grace laughed slightly, “Jonathan, sir. This is the orphan who will be staying with us for a week”

“Orphan? What are you talking about?”, his eyes still trained on Jonathan, “Well, they wanted to take photographs of you sharing your home with an orphan, don’t you remember. Its only for a week!”

Jonathan watched as they talked back and forth, “this doesn’t look like a boy!”, Jonathan touched his hair, gosh; people really did mistake him for a girl too much. “Sir, Jonathan is a boy”.

Mr. Warbucks gave Jonathan another look, nodding. “So, he is”, he noticed his mistake.

Jonathan stepped forward, “I’ve got an interesting smile too, sir. Don’t you think you can learn to like me too sir? Hang me in the bathroom?”, Jonathan smiled big and his own joke.

“Take him back!” Mr. Warbucks yelled; Jonathan shrank away from him loud voice.

“But, sir! He only just got here!” Grace fought against his order.

“it’s okay Miss Farrell, we’re okay. Anyhow it was really nice meeting you, I sure do like your place”, Jonathan swung his arms around while looking around. “Thank you, Jordan”.

“Jonathan, I’ve already had swell time already. The car that took us here was as big a train, Mr. Warbucks, and Punjab put a spell on Squirrel, we made Drake sneeze, played your pipe organ, Squirrel got a bubble bath and well I’ve had enough fun to last me for years. it’s a very clever idea, a wonderful idea to have an orphan over for a week Mr. Warbucks, really, even if its only for your image, even if I’m not an orphan. I’m glad you’re doing it!”

Mr. Warbucks nodded, “I’m glad you approve”.

It was silent for a few moments before Mr. Warbucks screamed again, “Alright back to work!”.

Two men and Grace followed him, men holding suit cases.

“Oh, couldn’t he stay, please Mr. Warbucks!”

“Whatever, but only for the week!”. Grace turned to give Jonathan thumbs up, his goofy smile returned to his face. He was going to stay at a billionaire’s home for a week!

Rooster made chicken noises, Startling Miss Hannigan. Lily sat beside him, “Rooster?”. He stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, “Hi Sister”.

“You’re supposed to be in jail”.

“They let me out early”

Lily butted in, “in account of his good behavior”. Her posh accent burning like cigarettes. “I want you too meet a friend of mine, Lily St. Regis”

“Name from the hotel”, he expensive outfit was also burning its way through, so was her hair, bleached blond and frizzed up into curls. “Room service”, it is what Miss Hannigan replied with.

“Sis-”

The two began talking to each other as Lily started rummaging through Miss Hannigan’s stuff, taking some things and stuffing it down her bra.

“-So, I need money”, Miss Hannigan shook her head, she took a swig from the bottle she was holding. “But I’m sure Miss sticky hands over here could lend you some”.

“Excuse me?”

Miss Hannigan put out her hand. “Give me back my stuff, toots”

Lily rolled her eyes and pulled out the bracelet from her bra handing it over, Agatha coughed starting her boobs. Lily reached in again pulling out a couple of long necklaces.

“Right, Rooster. If I give you five bucks will ya take hotel and get outta here?”

“Sorry sis”, And they left. Miss Hannigan hiccupped, and she walked over to her bag to see her purse was taken.  “ROOSTER!”

Upstairs where all the other orphans slept were wide awake, Ryan signing. It was odd, but he knew if Jonathan wasn’t here to sing, who would?

“Betcha he reads, betcha she sews. Maybe she’s made a closet of clothes for me, maybe they’re strict as a line, don’t really care as long as their mine. So maybe now it’s time, and maybe when I wake. They’ll be calling my ‘baby’, maybe”.

Jonathan felt wide awake in his new bed, Squirrel under the covers with him, he sat up. The wind has hollowing from the open widows. “This rooms bigger than anything I’ve ever seen”, Squirrel barked his thoughts agreeing, A plant fell over which gave Jonathan a fright, He grabbed onto Squirrel pulling him and running out and into the hallway, “C’mon Squirrel, c’mon!”

Jonathan ran his long nightgown following behind him, he ran into Mr. Warbucks’s office, passes Punjab and Asp who were playing chess just outside Mr. Warbucks’s office. Punjab placed his piece and leaned over the table watching Jonathan rush by, Jonathan could now hear Mr. Warbucks’s loud voice, Squirrel was the first to enter the door of the office then Jonathan who looked around the fancy room filled with decorations and more fancy stuff.

Squirrel was up at the table sniffing everything he could his tan tail flicking everywhere, Grace was sat in front of Mr. Warbucks’s table, writing things down as quick as she could.

Jonathan gazed upon the two, his nose scrunched up and eyebrows low, confused.

Mr. Warbucks spotted Jonathan as he came up to his desk, “What’s this?”, he asked, it was way past 12:30 and Jonathan was put to bed by Grace almost 3 hours ago, which would have been 9 pm. An early time to be put to bed but Jonathan thought it was just right for him, he was one to get sleepy very quick after a day of being such an energetic ball of light.

But he was having a hard time falling asleep without Bryce and Ryan. And because it was a new environment.

“Uh, Squirrel’s not used to sleeping on his own, he gets lonesome”. That was a lie, Squirrel was underneath Jonathan’s covers before running into the office after getting scared of a plant falling over, truth was he was the lonesome one without his close friends, he wonders if Ryan and Bryce are sleeping well.

“Awh, well, where were we?”, was his reply.

“Uh, advisers. Sir”, was Grace’s reply.

Jonathan butted in, “Are you getting a lot done?”

“I’d get a lot more done if certain-”. Squirrel’s barks interrupted Mr. Warbucks answer, “-Sandy, Scroll, Squirrel would leave me alone!”. But Squirrel’s barks were only getting louder.

“Hm, whatcha talking about anyways?”. Mr. Warbucks liked Jonathan’s interest and told him then shouted on Punjab, “Punjab!”.

He walked in, stone cold face. “Remove this animal and this young man with it”.

Mr. Warbucks started recording a message on his recorder, suddenly a smoke bomb came flying in through the window, Asp picked it up throwing it to Punjab who threw it over the balcony, where it exploded.

Both Grace and Jonathan jumped watching the thing explode, Squirrel jumped through the hole now in the window grabbing the hooded mans leg in his mouth, growling.

Asp then came out made a weird warrior cry, jumped kicked him in the face and then punched him in the stomach, all the while Mr. Warbucks kept recording his talk.

Punjab grabbed the man and pulled the intruder away into the halls to go back downstairs and chuck him out, Asp also followed, his black hair still slicked up.

Grace held onto Jonathan watching the man get dragged away, he seemed to be chanting something, but none could make out what he was saying, it was all slurred. Must be drunk.

Squirrel jumped up on the other side of the table were Mr. Warbucks ended his message, Mr. Warbucks patted the dogs head with a smile.

Jonathan looked around, “What was that all about?”.

“Well done, Squirrel”. Mr. Warbucks praised the German shepherd.

“Is that man trying to kill you?” Jonathan started asking more questions, “That’ll be all Miss Farrell”, And with that she nodded and pulled Jonathan away. “Come along dear”, She pushed him gently by his shoulders leading him back to his room, Squirrel followed.

“It is way past your bed time, I put you to sleep almost 4 hours ago”, She checked the clock that the past on the way down the hallway. It was now midnight. “I know, but I’m finding it hard to sleep without Ryan or Bryce”, Grace smiled at him.

“I’m sure your friends miss you too”.

“yeah”, Jonathan’s reply was sad. They had entered Jonathan’s room by now, Grace knelt and hugged Jonathan. “Go to sleep Jonathan, we need you up and early for breakfast in bed”.

She helped Jonathan back into bed, Squirrel seated at the bottom, she had just tucked him in.

“Your 16 and act too much like a 10-year-old on a sugar high, I’m literally tucking you in”, She laughed silently.

Jonathan looked up to her, “Is that a bad thing, Ryan says I’m to hyper”. Grace smiled even more, she kissed his forehead, “Definitely not, I think it defines you greatly. Now sleep”. She picked up the fallen plant, “Maids will clean up the dirt, Goodnight”, and with that she left closing the door behind her.

[the-erickson-labrynthian]

Stories of Sabyn IV, Officer Santamona Eelila (2)

(The fourth in a ten part series set on the planet of Sabyn from my novella Nathan and the Allex Cube. I hope you enjoy, read the rest, buy the book, or support me in any way. It’d be pretty cool. Idk. Here you go:)

Officer Santamona Eelila (2):

The long night never seemed to end as Officer Eelila found herself interrogating a drunken slob, drooling on the desk. She repeated once more, “Tell me everything you know about a man, no, a terrorist, known as William James Briggs.”

“William James Briggs?” Alan laughed, “You guys finally deluded yourselves enough that you think you can catch him?”

Officer Eelila clenched her fists and leaned over the table, “I need you to tell me where you think he is. You are the last living man who knows anything about him. Tell me, now!”

“So I can die too?” He shook his head, “I’m no fucking fool, I know what happens when his name shows up.”

“This is national security. No matter how much you hate the government, you have a civic duty to uphold. Tell me.”

“Civic duty? Are you insane?” He continued to laugh, still drooling, “I’d be killed for getting anywhere near that ass again.”

She started to pull on her hair, “Listen, we are running out of time. I have to find this man soon. This is not some petty crime like your drug cartel. This is nothing that anyone on this planet is prepared for. We are talking about the apprehension of weapons capable of destroying a continent!”

Alan stopped, “He’s… finally going for the nukes. He told me about that plan for months on end. Talked about disabling them to disarm the government.”

“It’s a lie,” She spat, “He wants to use them so that he can gain power. He wants to control the planet. He’s a terrorist. You say he told you about this? You need to tell me anything you know about the plan.”

Alan dragged his arm across his face to wipe it, saying, “I hate that man. I really do. But, that man is not a liar. Not by a long shot. He’s just dangerous, because of the power he holds. But if you would have only stepped out of his way… no one would have to die.”

“That is asking an entire government to bow to the whims of a maniac! I cannot do this. You cannot do this. That man has caused lifetimes of damage to countless of planets! And he would sacrifice any life to give him power.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” The man chuckled, “Fuck you. Of course I know that. Do you know what happens when William Briggs enters your life? Do you?”

Eelila went blank as a flash of fire entered her mind, that burned through the field, unstoppable by any man. Then a tunnel, which held darkness so deep it consumed her. Then a ship, floating off into the distant void of the universe. Then water, that washed everything away. Good and bad. All memories. And then… the darkness of the room around her, the end of her life, at a job that could never satisfy.

Alan continued, “He has surrounded my whole life. Ruined everything I was. Made my family hate me. Killed somebody I loved! And he wasn’t sorry! Not really. He wanted to be. You could see it in his eyes, that he wanted to be sorry for what he did, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t be. That is what drags you back! Because he wants so badly to change that he makes you believe you can change him! But it’s nonsense! He can never change! He’s the Devil! And he killed my…” Alan stopped, “He is fire, and he destroys everything he touches. Everything. You want to stop him? Then burn. But, leave me out of the fire.”

The eloquence of this man proved that he was never really the slob she saw before her. That demeanor when they first met, it was a facade, he was no rat. He was just a broken man. She tried to comfort him.

“He took things away from me, too. And, I saw that same hope you did, Alan. I saw a man who could change the universe, had he chosen a different course. But, he didn’t, Alan. He has become a monster, and he must be put away. If you know anything, please, tell me, and end this fire. Forever.”

Alan began to cry, “I never wanted things to be this way.”

“No one ever does.”

“There’s no stopping him.”

“If we don’t try, what are we?” She broke the usual code she had and touched Alan’s hand, “If he really wanted help, then he wants to be stopped. If we wish to save the world, we stop him.”

“What could stop a man like that?”

“You. Tell me anything you can think of. Anything. Please.”

He paused for a moment, reflecting. Eelila’s heart raced as he pondered, anxious for any chance to catch the man that had plagued her life for so long. She looked outside; the moon held constant in the sky. Waning gibbous. She hated to waste one of the few nights she had on a gibbous.

“Okay,” Alan said.

Eelila broke her gaze at the moon and turned to him, “What?”

“I’ll tell you, on one condition.”

She grabbed his hand again, “Anything. What is it?”

“Arrest me.”

“W-what?” She stumbled through her words, “Why would you do something like that?”

Now he grabbed her hand, though it was through the cuffs he was sealed in, and he said, “Look at me. Look at what I’ve become. I lost everything…” He trailed off, “Everything. That man took away my life. William left me with nothing. He gave me money, of course he did. He gave me his name, and promised he would be there, but he never called. And even if he did, I would never answer. I lost everything.”

“But why do you want to be arrested?”

“It’s the only life I know. I don’t want to live on the streets, losing even more of myself. I want a second chance. This is it. It’s the only path I can take. Once I do this…” He paused again, “It’ll all be over. Maybe I can be forgiven for what I’ve done…”

A tear fell down her cheeks. She hated when that happened. She squeezed his hand, “I forgive you.”

“Then set me free.”

She thought he had such kind eyes. What kind of life could he have lived, if William hadn’t put his hands onto him?

The same life you might have lived, Mona…

“Okay. It’s a deal. Tell me.”

“When I was working with him, he led me to his base of operations, where he stores everything he has. If he has anything, it’s there. He should be too, I hope. He never could get away from his machines…”

“Where is it?”

“Right… it’s at Recompense Ave, 24601. A green house with broken windows, and a bright red door,” He closed his eyes, perhaps having his own difficult memories of this place he was describing.

“Thank you,” She whispered, “I promise I will stop him.”

He nodded and began to cry. Eelila pulled herself up and left the room to see Officer Bureau on the other side, waiting.

“What did you hear?” She asked him.

“Enough to know I heard nothing, but you’re breaking protocol.”

She grabbed Bureau by the chin and pulled him closer, “The first thing you need to learn about this job is that people matter more than rules. And, even horrible people deserve relief. And freedom.”

He said nothing.

“Good. Now, take him in. I’ve got a lead, and I’ve got to clear it out with Adams.”

Bureau spoke again, “He’ll never let you go take him out. He knows you’re too close to this case.”

She laughed, “No one else is handled to kill that man. Only me. Now, I told you to go take him in. I’ve got one more belligerent ass to handle before I can do what is my right to do.”

He went silent once more, only nodding, and pushing behind her to open the door. Eelila watched as he went over to Alan, saying, “Alright, Mr. Reigns, your luck has run out.”

Alan looked at her, and she smiled, content with what she had done. Next, Eelila watched the two of them walk out of the room and off to the left, where the cells were, before inmates were taken to prison. She went to the right, and upstairs, to the boss’ office.

I’ve almost got you, William Briggs.

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Escape, pt4

Word Count: 2133 Tags: @shewhorunswithfandoms @distinguishedqueenofbooks @anyakinamidala @anotherotter @little-study-bug  @rampant-salamander @goodnightwife @wanderingkat77 @bluebird214 @superwholockedbeauty @eyeofdionysus @all-time-foes @girl-next-door-writes @feelmyroarrrr @castiels-ass-butt-1967 @haven-in-writing @sistasarah-sallysaidso @dolamrothianlady @from-kitten-to-kitsune @geeksareunique

Author’s Note: I promise I’ll have a masterlist made for this tonight after work. Betcha can’t figure out who Jinx is face-cast as ;)

The remains of the city were in exactly the condition Peter would have expected based on Yondu’s tale. Walls were crumbling; the remains of corpses lay haphazardly where they’d fallen. Rocket touched one and it turned to dust before them. A shiver ran down Peter’s spine. He’d left the iPod on the ship with Gamora. She’d offered to stay behind to keep an eye out for other scavengers and unsavoury types that might come along. Peter wouldn’t say it, but he appreciated the gesture. At the same time, he missed having music while he worked. It was impossible to listen to music, scavenge and listen to Rocket though, so he’d opted to just leave the iPod behind.

“My tail is twitching. There’s no atmosphere here. Why would my tail twitch?” He rambled. “You know why, Star-Lord? Because that’s a prime A loot detector, that’s why!”

“You are more advanced than I’d expected. Can your tail give us directions to the target?” Drax glared at Rocket. Rocket rolled his eyes and kept walking deeper into the city. Peter scanned the buildings around them, but none of them seemed opulent enough to house any kind of loot whatsoever. And the Kree had lived here millions of years ago; there was nothing to really suggest that there would be anything of value left. Rocket disappeared into one of the stone houses, while Drax and Peter continued moving through the city. Somewhere, Peter reasoned, there had to be a house where the leader of the Kree had lived. Rocket rejoined them silently, his paws empty.

Peter saw it, ahead of them. A large edifice, with two round towers at each side. It looked important. He quickened his pace and Drax and Rocket followed. They slipped in the entry in silence. There was an altar at the far side of a large open room and floating above it was an orb of some sort. It glowed with a soft yellow light, almost like it was nothing but light. Rocket scoffed.

“It’s always got to be some goddamn ball. I wonder what painful torture is inside that one?” His fur still had out of control static electricity from helping Peter harness the energy of the Power Stone.

“Maybe it will cut out your tongue,” Drax suggested. Rocket shot him a dirty look. He glanced back at Peter. His eyes were narrowed, staring at the orb.

“It’s just pure energy. There’s nothing to that thing. How can we take it if we can’t grab it?” Peter wondered aloud.

“You feel like absorbing some more mystical magical crap, Star-Lord?” Rocket taunted. Peter stepped closer to the ball of energy, tilting his head to one side. He narrowed his eyes, and glared at it. Nothing. Just a ball of energy.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t think it’s in the interest of my health to grab it. But there must be some way of harnessing whatever it is.” Peter placed a hand on either side of the altar. A cloud of dust rose up, some of it becoming suspended in the pale glow of the sphere. He looked down to the altar and swept his hand across the angled edge and revealed some sort of runes. “Is this Kree?”

Drax leaned over as far as he could without actually getting any nearer to the altar. He sighed and took a step closer. “Clear it more.”

Peter leaned down and blew across the inscription, sending up another cloud of dust. The light of the glowing orb grew dimmer with the particulate suspended in it. Drax ran his hand across it lightly.

“Kree is all lines and circles. This is not Kree.”

“Do you recognize it, Drax?” Peter pressed. Drax’s fingers traced the symbols. He sighed and rocked back on his heels.

“I should. But I cannot fathom why,” he admitted. Peter gawked at him. It was the most normal thing he’d ever said. Rocket stepped up to the table, his eyes narrowed.

“It ain’t Skrull. Could it be Cotati?” Rocket’s ears twitched and his gaze snapped up to the energy ball. The particulate from the dust was not dropping out of it, but coalescing into some sort of solid. As it did, the light from the energy became dimmer. He picked up a handful of dust and blew it toward the orb. As the dust got closer, it almost appeared to suck into the light, converging with the other dust to form a solid. He picked up another handful, and another, until the light was all gone, and a large lump of light dust-formed rock floated above the altar. The rock began to vibrate, and Peter pulled Drax and Rocket down just in time. A sudden bright flash of light shot across the room, and the rock fell to the altar with a thud. Peter peered over the edge of the rock surface, but the pale rock was gone, replaced by the biggest gemstone he’d ever seen.

“Is that a diamond?” Rocket reached for it. Drax smacked his hand away.

“Don’t touch it. You have no idea what it could do.”

“I think it’s finished whatever metamorphosis it was going through, Drax.” Rocket reached for the clear stone. It looked like a diamond. There was a heat coming off it that made Rocket suspicious. He reached into Peter’s pocket and pulled out a metal cylinder. After pulling the top off, he slid it along the table until the stone was at the lip of it, then he flipped it inside with the lid and handed it back to Peter. “You’re bigger. If it explodes.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Should we see if there’s anything else here we can sell?”

Drax nodded and moved out of the altar room, Rocket and Peter trailing him.

“Hey Star-Lady. Rumour has it that you’re leaving us for the Astronauts.” The tall redheaded man plunked a coffee in front of Roxanne as he slipped into the backroom. She met his eye and shook her head. He was wearing his sunglasses. It was overcast out. She knew he’d been partying in a glance. His tatty union jack t-shirt suggested he had been using his accent to pick up girls again. She could almost hear him correcting her in her head - ‘Union flag, Roxy. It’s only a Union Jack at sea.’

“What? Leave this life of glamour? Jinx, seriously?” Roxanne laughed. “I love that some tabloid idiot who wasn’t even at the concert has decided this is the next big news item. Hasn’t Miley done anything outrageous lately?”

Jinx flopped into a bentwood chair across the desk from Roxanne. He stretched his long legs out in front of him, his butt barely balanced on the edge of the chair. The chair was horribly uncomfortable, but she had to hand it to him for at least trying to get comfortable. He slid his sunglasses up his forehead to see better in the dim light.

“What are you doing?” He nodded toward the turntable and laptop on the desk.

“I’ve been inspired by a recent customer,” she shrugged.

“Was he hot?” Jinx raised an eyebrow. “The muses usually are. Look at the Mona Lisa. Stone cold fox, that one.” Roxanne laughed despite herself.

“He was not unattractive,” she admitted. “But that wasn’t what inspired me. He brought in this mix tape, straight outta the eighties. Weirdly, it was all seventies music. But it made me think about all the great music that is just being converted to mp3 and thrown into an online music store. What is it that we are always complaining about?”

“Groupies aren’t as hot or young as they used to be?” Jinx winked.

“You’re such a dick. That music has lost some of the depth since we pitched vinyl.” She threw the spill-stopping stick from her coffee at him. “Anyhow, Pete wanted to repair this mix tape, and obviously you can’t once the tape is all stretched to hell. So I ripped the songs off their vinyl albums, and put it on an iPod for him. But now I want to rescue some other awesome music and put the dirt and crud back into the tracks. So I’ve been going through my favourite albums and ripping them to mp3. Not cleaning them up, not making them pretty.”

“To what end?”

“Not sure yet. I’ve sent out some feelers to some of the groups. See if their interested in a compilation. I’ve been asked to do that podcast with that dude. Maybe I could bring in a playlist. Talk about how remastering is ruining music,” Roxanne shrugged. She wasn’t sure why she was so compelled to continue, but it had started with the bonus tracks she’d thrown on Peter’s iPod.

“Wait, did you just say dude wanted to repair a mix tape? What fucking rock has he been living under?” Jinx sat up and blinked, like the thought had been painful.

“He says he travels a lot. I guess maybe he hasn’t kept up,” Roxanne shrugged.

“Easy for you to say. You don’t even have facebook,” Jinx snorted. “Your disturbing aversion to technology is not actually that common, Rox.”

“I’m not having this argument again, Jamie. You know my reasons,” Roxanne warned. She humoured his desire to be called by his stage name most of the time. It made using his real name that much more powerful.

“If your father wanted to find you, he could have. Like, a million times in the last ten years. Irregardless of facebook, twitter, or anything else.” Jinx rolled his eyes.

“Regardless.”

“Regardless what?” His English accent got unusually pronounced when he was confused.

“The word is regardless. Irregardless is not a word,” Roxanne corrected. Jinx rolled his eyes again.

“Sure thing, Shakespeare.” He pulled his sunglasses down and took a deep breath. “So, Star-Lady and the Astronauts. You gonna really release that?”

“No way. It’s for shits and giggles. There’s not a real big market for space music that includes songs with physics equations in it,” Roxanne laughed.

“You could play convocation at MIT.” Jinx was teasing her again. Roxanne shook her head and restrained herself from throwing a cassette tape at him.

“Don’t you have to be somewhere? I’m sure there’s a groupie just waiting for you to be a disgusting pig about her bra size. Somewhere,” Roxanne dismissed him. Jinx stood up and took his sunglasses back off.

“Roxy, why you gotta be that way?” He asked. “Honestly, it was once!”

“It was while we were married!” Roxanne laughed. “A girl doesn’t forget that kind of thing.”

“And here I thought we were past all that.”

Roxanne stood up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You wouldn’t still be in the band if I wasn’t over it, Jamie. There’s a lot of other mediocre drummers out there looking for a gig. Now hustle your ass out of here before your groupies find out you’re here. Unless you’re planning on sticking around and signing autographs.” She shooed him toward the exit to the floor of the store. He playfully swatted her ass.

“Alright, lovey. I’ll see you later.” He bent down and kissed her forehead. As he turned to leave, he bumped into an equally tall guy who was just standing there. Gawking. “What’s wrong, mate? Never seen a rock star before?”

“Hey! Pete! I wasn’t expecting you back so soon!” Roxanne smiled brightly as Jinx sidestepped Peter. Peter shook his head a little and focused on Roxanne instead of Jinx.

“I was hoping to thank you again for the tape,” he started, and glanced back at Jinx. “I didn’t realize that you –“

“Oh god, no mate! That ship has sailed, she’s all yours.” Jinx interrupted and clapped Peter on the shoulder. He turned and winked at Roxanne. “And that is my cue to leave.”

Roxanne let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. And then chastised herself in her head. Despite scoffing at Jinx, she was curious about Peter. She felt a flush creep up her cheeks and forced herself to meet his eyes. “Your trip must have gone well.” It was awkward. She felt awkward, and her words were awkward.

“Uh yeah. Well, no. I don’t know. I wanted to let you know I really enjoyed the other mix you threw on the iPod for me,” he started. Roxanne grinned.

“I have another one started if you feel your musical education is ready to progress?” She winked. Peter smiled.

“I was thinking maybe I could take you out. To a movie? I found a theatre showing Goonies. Do you remember that movie?” He asked.

“Pete, we’re in Oregon. Everyone here remembers that movie,” she laughed and immediately felt bad as his smile fell. “I haven’t seen it in years. I’d love to go.”

[never-a-tale-of-more-poe]

CHAPTER ONE: MIRROR IMAGE

Title: Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Depravity Fandom: Pretty Little Liars Characters: Spencer Hastings, Alex Drake, Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, Alison DiLaurentis, Mona Vanderwaal, Ezra Fitz, Toby Cavanaugh, etc. Summary: Alex Drake is in love with Aria Montgomery, and she will stop at nothing to take over Spencer’s life.  Note: Hey guys! This fic starts in 7x20, after Alex Drake has revealed to Spencer that she has also kidnapped Ezra and admitted to killing Wren. I am borrowing the twin storyline and the events that happened up until then.

From that point on, this story will be my own. I will not follow the same route as the episode when it comes to the endgame ships, except for Emison. That being said, Haleb, Ezria and Spoby will not be endgame. 

The only other time Spencer could remember having this severe of a headache was a week after she and the others had been rescued from Charlotte’s twisted dollhouse. At the time, she had thought the worst of this whole fucking ‘A’ fiasco was over, but this? This was more insane than anything she could have come up with in even her most warped dreams. She had just found out she another goddamn sister, no –– an identical twin sister –– and the bitch had kidnapped her.

“Spencer!” Alex’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, and Spencer’s head snapped in her sister’s direction. “What?” Spencer deadpanned. “What could you possibly want?”

“Well now, there’s no need to be so rude. I thought we were becoming friends,” Alex snickered. Her thick accent made Spencer’s head spin and her stomach twist in anxious knots. 

“Anyhow…” Alex sat back down in her chair and leaned against the wall, propping her legs up in the same position she’d been in when Spencer had first woken up. “Who’s your best mate?” “What?” Spencer asked, eyeing Alex warily. She was so tired and her head was throbbing. Surely this was all just a crazy dream, right?

Alex rolled her eyes. “For someone so smart, you’re a bit dull, aren’t you? Your best mate.”  Alex tilted her head back to gaze up at the ceiling. “You got lots of ‘em, you know? There’s the blonde one..” “Hanna?” Spencer sighed. The knot in her stomach tightened.

“No, no. Not the fat one. The other one.”

Spencer flinched. “Hanna is not fat,” she snapped. “And the other blonde you’re thinking of is Alison, but that is as much as you’re going to talk about my friends. Keep their names out of your mouth.”

Alex grinned at her. “Ah, right. Hanna, Alison, Emily,” she listed each one with a tick off her fingers. “And the little one..”

The knot in Spencer’s stomach coiled, and bile bubbled in her stomach. “Aria,” she all but whispered.

Alex met Spencer’s gaze and her lips curled up into a sly smile.  “Aria,” she repeated. “ I rather fancy her.”

Spencer glared at her. “How long do you plan on keeping me here?”

Alex tilted her chair back and forth before standing up and letting it clatter to the floor behind her. She crossed the room and sat down on Spencer’s bed, delighted when Spencer moved away from her.

 “For as long as I want,” Alex said in a uh, duh, tone. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be. I believe Miss Montgomery is waiting for her fiancé, but…” Alex exited the small room and hit a button on the wall on the other side of the hallway.. The mechanic doors slid open with a whoosh, and revealed another person lying on a cot identical to Spencer’s. Only the person passed out on it was..

“Ezra!” Spencer cried out. “What the hell have you done to him?”

Ezra was unconscious, and even from a distance Spencer could see the bloody wound on the side of his head. His face and the parts of his hands that she could see were covered in nasty cuts and bruises.

Alex shrugged, looking down at Ezra’s unconsciously form carelessly. “He’s rather annoying,” she simpered.

“Alex,” Spencer spat. “You can’t do this! You can’t kidnap people and hold them against their will!”

“Charlotte did,” Alex scoffed. She hit the buttons on the electronic keyboard to lock Spencer’s door and smirked at her through the air holes. She cleared her throat locked eyes with Spencer when her sister looked up. “I think you should wear your hair up for the funeral.”

All the air left Spencer’s lungs and she sprang up so fast she almost fell over. It earned a snicker out of Alex, and Spencer’s eyes narrowed. “Funeral?” her voice came out high-pitched and fast. “A funeral for whom?”

“A funeral for whom,” Alex mocked.

Spencer shivered. Alex sounded just like her.  Even though they were twins, Spencer was hoping for some kind of identifier that would separate the two of them. 

“No one will believe you,” Spencer called out before she could stop herself. “My friends will never believe you’re me. If you think you can get away with this…”

Alex hummed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Oh, honey.” Her eyes turned cold and her voice sharp. “I already have.”

By the time Alex had arrived at the altar, worry over Ezra’s disappearance had gone full swing. The guests were restless, whispering amongst themselves as their fingers flew over their phone screen’s keyboards –– obviously posting about what a tragedy it was that the groom had seemingly stood up the bride –– and Alex thought it was hilarious. She breezed past the anxious guests and slipped through the back door to the lobby where she knew she would find Aria and the others.

“Spencer, there you are! Where have you been?” Hanna was at her side in an instant, her expression a mixture of confusion and annoyance. “One of your best friends is going through an existential crisis, and you decide to pull a Houdini?”

Alex sighed. “Sorry,” she said. “The law firm called. I had to take a call.” She rushed over to a crying Aria and crouched down next to her, putting a comforting hand on her knee. “Are you OK? I can’t believe Ezra would do this..”

“Maybe he’s hurt? I’m sure he wouldn’t intentionally do this to you, Aria. He loves you.” Emily offered weakly. She and Alison stood side by side, each bouncing one of their daughters on their hips.

Alex rubbed Aria’s knee in a comforting gesture and stood up, arms outstretched. “Can I hold her? You look like you could use a break.” Emily smiled gratefully and passed her daughter off to her friend. “Thanks, Spence. That’s Lily. I’ll be right back. I just need to use the bathroom.” Alex cradled Lily in her arms, cooing down at her. Merlin, she looks just like Wren. And to think that ungrateful bitch carried around these poor dears. Her eyes flitted up to Alison, and she shot her a soft smile, which was returned immediately. Bloody idiot. 

Baby Lily grasped at her finger and Alex grinned. It really was a shame poor Wren would never meet his daughters, but that was the price he paid for going against her.

“What if he’s really hurt?” Aria’s broken voice tore through her. “What if he’s dead?” Alex fought the urge to snort. She shifted Lily to her other hip and ran her fingers through the baby’s thin hair.

“Spencer?” A hand touched her shoulder, and Alex jumped, whirling around. 

“Whoa!” Emily held up her hands mockingly in self-defense. “Can I have Lily? Ali and I are going to take the girls for a walk around outside to try to get them down for a nap. We don’t know when…” she trailed off and glanced in the direction of Aria. “You know..”

“Sure, Em. I’d be happy to take them on their walk if you want?” Alex offered, her tone hopeful yet casual.

Emily shook her head. “It’s fine, really. They can get pretty restless when they’re tired.”  She walked over to the girls’ stroller and strapped Lily in a seat. Alison followed suit with Grace.

“Hanna? Wanna come with us?” Emily asked.

“No,” Hanna grumbled sourly.

“We’d like it if you came with us,” Alison added, with a pointed look. “Fine…”

As soon as they were alone, Alex plopped down next to Aria. Aria’s eyes were red and puffy; her cheeks stained with old and fresh tears. “Hey, it’s okay. Look, Ezra will show up eventually. He’s probably just got cold feet. It’s very common for men to doubt the marriage on the day of more than women. That or he got lost in a bookstore,” she joked.

A small laugh escaped Aria and she sniffled, resting her head on Spencer’s shoulder. The two interlaced fingers automatically, and she felt Spencer squeeze her hand affectionately. 

“I’m so stupid,” Aria mumbled. “To actually believe I could have a happy ending..” A flash of annoyance shot through Alex. Obviously Aria had every right to be upset, but she was trying to create a moment here, and the Aria could only focus on Humbert Humbert’s younger brother. “You’re not stupid,” she said softly. “Aria, you are one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. It’s Ezra who is the stupid one. He’s an idiot.”

Aria lifted her head up, surprised. She knew Spencer wasn’t the biggest fan of their relationship, but she had never been so blunt before; that job usually fell upon Hanna. “What?” Alex swallowed. Shit. “I mean, he’s an idiot for leaving you like this,” she back-peddled. “You don’t deserve this.”

Aria opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut. She knew Spencer was right. “Yeah, I know,” she muttered quietly. “I just…maybe he changed his mind, and he decided he really can’t stay with a barren woman.”

Alex’s nostrils flared. “Then he is a goddamn moron, Aria! If you think he would leave you because of an unforeseen, biological anomaly, then he really fucking doesn’t deserve you. Any man who would leave his girlfriend or wife just because she can’t bear his lonely sperm deserves to be strung up and hanged.” 

The words flew out of her mouth before Alex could stop herself, and she smacked her lips together.  Aria’s eyes widened. “Wow..” She wasn’t used to hearing Spencer swear so much. Alison was actually the most vulgar of their group. 

Alex winced. “I-I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I’m just…angry. I’m so angry that he would do this to you. I didn’t think he actually had the balls..”

There was a brief moment of silence before Aria burst into giggles. She leaned against Spencer and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I can always count on you, Spence. You always know how to make a girl feel better.” Alex’s heart slammed against her chest and she lifted Aria’s chin so their eyes locked. Aria’s eyes were wet with tears, but still shone bright. “I will always be here for you, Aria. We’re Team Sparia, remember?” The word felt weird leaving her tongue, like was a nasty phrase one should never say. No doubt Spencer came up with this stupid gem…

“Always,” Aria hooked her pinky through Spencer’s. “I love Team Sparia.”

“And I love you,” Alex murmured against Aria’s ear.

For some reason the comment made Aria shiver. Spencer’s breath was warm on her skin. “I love you, too, Spence.”

The phrase didn’t hit Alex like she thought it would. Instead it kind of stung. Of course, Aria thought she was talking to Spencer. She was about to answer when Hanna, Alison and Emily returned with the girls, who were asleep in their stroller.

Alex glanced at the wall on the clock. Bullocks. I suppose I should go feed the little bastards. Can’t have ‘em dying on me. “Is anyone hungry? I’m going on a coffee run. Does everyone want their usual?”

“I’ll come with you.” Hanna grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

“No!” Alex said, much too quickly. Eight pairs of eyes fell on her. “I mean,” she swallowed, “it’s fine, Han. You should stay here, okay? It’s just easier if one of us leaves. People might start to get more antsy than they already off if they see the bridesmaids leaving in pairs..”

Disappointment flashed across Hanna’s face, but she sighed and settled into a chair. “You’re right. I don’t want everyone to freak out. Half of them probably think Ezra is dead in a ditch anyway.”

“Hanna!” Emily and Alison hissed in unison.

A smirk tugged at Alex’s lips. Maybe she’s not such an idiot after all. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised. Before anyone could say anything else, Alex scampered off.

When she arrived back at her hideout, Ezra was still unconscious and Spencer was sitting on her bed, just staring at the wall. She let herself in Spencer’s cell. Spencer barely glanced up at her. “Aw, come now. Don’t I get a greeting?” Alex asked slipping back into her accent. “Are all Americans this rude?”

Spencer snorted. “I don’t think you have any room to gripe about politeness when you’re holding two people against their will. I’ve been to London, so I know it’s not common treatment. You just must be a bitch.” Alex smirked. “Oh, love. I know you’ve been to London.” She sauntered over to Spencer and bent down so the two were eye level. “If I were you I would be more gracious to your host. Did you know the human body can go three weeks without food, but only three days without water?” She ruffled Spencer’s hair. “Think about that while I get your food, yeah?” Spencer blinked. “What?” she gasped. “How the hell do you know I’ve been to London?” Alex was already halfway out the door, but she paused and looked back at Spencer over her shoulder. She tapped her fingers lightly against the frame of the doorway and sighed almost blissfully, like she was recalling a wonderful memory. “How do you think the vials of blood got in your bag? Not much of a thinker, are ya?” Spencer’s face turned ashen. “T-that was you?” “Brilliant move, wasn’t it?”  Alex shrugged and pursed her lips. “It was rather a delight to watch. I even have your reaction on camera. Would you like to see?” Spencer sat there, mouth agape. She exhaled and pressed her fingers to her temples. “You’re truly unbelievable..” “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Alex winked at Spencer and punched in the code on the keypad. And then she was gone, and Spencer was left staring at the space where Alex had just stood, her heart pounding and her hope for freedom slowly dissipating.