#Sorry this is a very fast lore update and it got really long for no reason | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

terraclae · 8 years ago

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An Introduction to Court Paramo pt. 3

[Part 1]-[Part 2]

Start off the day with a nightmare.

Lore Pinglist: @yuushanoah-fr @cityofinoue

This wasn't the castle. Wherever he had found himself was a place he didn't remember going to, or wanting to go to. The iron like stench of the place made him feel even sicker and number than he already was. He was standing knee deep in something he hoped wasn't what he thought it was. Then again, if it was something else he didn't want to know it either. '... Hello?' He called out into the impenetrable darkness around him. 'Is anyone there?'

'What's… Who?'

A rough and tired voice reached Arodan's ears. 'Oh, good, someone!' He started to push his way through the thick black sludge below him. 'I think I might be lost, what is this place?' He himself seemed to glow, so at least he could clearly see his hands and where he was setting his feet down. 'However, also know I'm not afraid to use force if you mean harm.'

'Y-You… Shouldn't be here.'

He stopped, and narrowed his eye. 'What do you mean?' Finally he spotted a faint glow within the darkness and continued his approach. 'Give me an answer, are you alright?' He had the distinct feeling that he was being watched by multiple people.

'No, but just-'

A cough echoed through the darkness and Arodan followed the sound, along with the light he had spotted. 'Hang on, I'm coming.' This had to be a dream, he realized. The only odd thing was he only rarely dreamt of being in his bipedal form, and pondered if he'd be quicker if he shed it now. 'Who are you? Give me something-'

'Go!'

He ignored the warning and pressed on until he was met by a vision…

'W-What is this?'

Before him, a presumably male figure was suspended to the nothingness by black chains. Countless of spears that seemed to ooze the same black liquid as Arodan was standing in protruded from his back with one more intricate one piercing their heart. His wings and tail were bound by similar chains but strangely enough to Arodan the most harrowing thing was what the stranger's face looked like; Desperation, excruciating pain and shock had twisted their face into what seemed more like a grim mask, black tears running down their cheeks. Most notably to him, they had golden eyes, filled with fear. They looked as if they had been stuck here for weeks. 'Oh gods-'

'Don't stop now, t-turn around and run idiot!'

By all means, Arodan should have ran, his reflexes kicking in by this point. This time, he did not and soon he found himself grabbing onto the spear lodged in the other man's chest, attempting to pull it out. 'I don't know what is going on here but I am not planning to stick around.' He said through grit teeth. 'And whoever you are, you're coming along.' Gods, this thing wasn't budging huh? Wait, how much would this hurt the other then?

'Cut that shit out, I'm not looking for a hero!'

Well, that didn't sound like anyone who could be in more pain than he already was. 'Just answer me, who put you here? Who are you!?'

'It doesn't matter, I-' He screamed as the spear Arodan was pulling at finally seemed to show movement. 'That's...' He stared down in disbelief and then back at Arodan, who was still pulling. The man was momentarily unable to speak, able to struggle, but ceased the latter as Arodan continued his attempt at dislodging the spear. 'What's your name?' He asked weakly, frantically, yet somehow calmer.

'Arodan, Dan will do!' He yelled in return. Arodan wasn't blind (well, almost) or dumb, he had taken notice of what was happening around them. The darkness around them seemed to move in it's own manner, swirling and pacing. Ever so often, it seemed to draw closer.

They weren't alone in this place.

Arodan's gaze only momentarily flitted from the shadows, and back to his current objective. There had to be a faster way of getting the spears out, this was only the first and he was already having difficulties. An idea came to mind and he hauled himself up at the spears, his feet setting themselves against the other man's hips, which earned a grunt. 'I am so sorry for what I'm about to do.' Immediately he pushed himself off by his feet while firmly gripping the spear with his hands. Feeling how far in it was, if he pulled once more then that should be the last time the stranger would have to suffer excruciating pain at his hands. 'Almost!'

'Almost what?'

Arodan froze. He knew that voice, and didn't want to turn to peer at the face that belonged to the lilting tone of those words. Yet, he caught himself looking, and witnessed a familiar sight. Not the imperial with purpled hands and rose eyes that could be called charming, but a horrifying, oozing monstrosity with eyes in places they shouldn't be. 'A-Altair?'

'Not in the flesh, but this will do.' He said, with what might have been attempted as a soft smile. Instead, it looked as if his face split and oozed more harshly. 'What are you doing with my property Arodan? I thought we talked about this.'

'Your-Your property?' Actually, he wasn't going to ask what he meant by that, and he didn't want to think of it. Instead he frantically glanced back at the the chained figure, feeling as if his chest might as well implode in on itself, his heart seeming to escape from between his ribs. This had to be a nightmare.

'Altair, he has nothing to do with this!' The man screamed, a note of hesitance to his voice. 'Leave him be!'

'Actually, this has everything to do with him, Senna. You and him both belong to me.' Altair cooed, inching closer. There was something inherently wrong in the way he moved or how his spine was currently aligned. 'He became involved the moment he met me on that stupid boat.' He tilted his head in coy fashion. 'Arodan, won't you speak to me? Let's talk this out honey.'

A strangled squeak escaped Arodan at that, and he clung tighter to the spear. As this conversation was progressing he was fearing the worst outcome with no possible way out. Or well, it seemed that way until the figure named Senna somehow managed to speak to him in an oddly soothing voice. 'Arodan, was it, right?'

'Yes.' He answered faintly. 'I'm so sorry.' He could hear Altair approaching behind him, an invasive humming reaching his ears that seemed to dull his senses.

'Dan, listen, I need you to shut up and pull out the spear.' Senna said sternly, glancing over Arodan's shoulder. 'Right now.'

'Now?'

'Now!'

Arodan did as Senna told him, giving one more strong pull to the spear. It fully dislodged, Senna wailing as it did. Seemingly, at its tip it had taken along… a heart. It was vibrantly red, the color of it streaking across the space. At the very moment the spear left Senna's chest the nightmare seemed as if it collapsed in on itself, Arodan falling only to never hit the ground. Instantly the darkness evaporated and made place for a blinding white. He focused on Altair initially who seemed vulnerable surrounded by light, but only donned a look on his face that was only mildly annoyed. As soon as he focused back on Arodan he went right back to smiling. Senna on the other hand, seemed to be clawing to get the heart in his hands, a panicked look to his face. Instead it landed in Arodan's hands, and he didn't let it go.

Once he did hit a solid surface of some sort he awoke screaming and coughing, the coughing devolving into hacking until whatever felt stuck in his throat dislodged. Upon his lap fell a necklace, with what he assumed to be a ruby set in gold. The strangest thing about it however was that it felt as if it had a heartbeat, and closely listening to it even revealed the sound. Arodan held it up completely mystified.

Then it occurred how messed up all of this was and he promptly drop the necklace onto the floor, the moment he instantly was hyper aware that he was sweating and that his own heart was hammering. The entire situation was finally underscored by the door slamming open and Atlas storming in wielding a halberd that seemed too large for him to handle. 'Are you okay, where's the intruder?!'

'I'm okay, I'm okay, you're going to lop my head off swinging that thing!' Arodan yelled, ducking down just in case. 'Why would you come storming in like that, you madman?!'

‘I thought you were in danger.’ Atlas’s ears fell flat and he lowered the halberd. ‘Sorry, I guess that was a little brash of me.’

Arodan winced a little at that. ‘Don't be sorry, I should be.’ He crept out of his bed, picking the strange necklace off the floor in his ascent. He rubbed his temple, a fierce headache settling in the front of his head. ‘Nothing’s wrong, just had a nightmare.’

‘Yeah, you look like you've been mauled by bears.’ Atlas said, tilting his head. His stare grew more concerned. ‘Do you need to talk about it?’

‘No, I think I need to take a walk for a bit. Just… Silence.’ He pressed both his temples now and swore he could hear voices. ‘Still… Stay with me okay?’

Atlas said nothing, and only withdrew a richly adorned ring of keys, jingling it. ‘Want to go outside?’

Arodan stared blankly at the keys for a moment, then quickly ran to grab his journal, a bag and a coat. ‘Yes. I think I'd like that very much.’

‘Well then, what are you waiting for?’ Atlas said, flashing his brightest smile. Once he was certain Arodan was following him he led away through the long and straight halls of the castle, out of the west wing towards the south wing. ‘I think you'll like it, it's been a week for you now right?’

‘Week and a half, actually.’ A week of mostly being cooped in the library stacking books and doing his own thing. A week of dreamless sleep, above all that. ‘Atlas, why did you immediately come running to my aid?’

‘Well, it's my job, isn't it?’ He sounded vaguely offended at being asked such a question. ‘I am a shield to others.’

‘Yes but… I wasn't kind to you initially.’ That was what kept him from speaking to Atlas more over the week, beyond that he wasn't yet completely comfortable with the place and it's people. ‘I want to apologize for that.’

‘Dude, I was never mad with you. Anger doesn't faze me.’ Actually, not a lot was surprising to Atlas but that was besides the question. ‘There's nothing to apologize for.’ He rounded a corner, bringing them into a room which could only serve as a dining hall judging the many tables in it on which a few plates were stacked. The candles that illuminated the space gave off a dim and dying light. ‘I ran to you, because I was nearby and heard you scream. Things have been so high strung lately that I've caught myself bolting to whoever made as much as a squeak of distress.’

‘You're both mad and noble.’ Arodan responded, catching himself staring around the hall. ‘But I think those are good qualities to have as someone who wishes to protect people. Just keep yourself in mind too.’

‘That's rather thoughtful of you.’ Atlas hummed, pocketing his hands. ‘I didn't think you could be soft.’

‘And like that you've lost me.’ Arodan nudged Atlas with a grunt. ‘Don't call me soft.’

‘Okay then.’ Atlas said, laughing in a strangely high pitched and airy way. ‘Rugged then? Or scraggly?’

‘Neither! I don't want any adjectives to my name!’ Arodan snapped, crossing his arms in a denying gesture. ‘Do you do this for fun?’

‘I like teasing people like you a little yes. Y'all need to-’ He rolled his shoulders and bounced on his feet. ‘Loosen up.’

‘Says the person who's apparently stressed enough to come running at the first distress signal.’ He caught himself rolling his shoulders in similar manner to Atlas. ‘Hey, tell me… What is the prediction of when Lux Laterna will arrive at this city?’

‘We have about three weeks.’ Atlas flatly responded.

'Oh.' Arodan murmured.

That put a screeching halt to the rest of the conversation. Only the sound of their feet echoed now, as did Atlas’ keyring until they reached a humongous vault door similar to the one Arodan had seen when he first arrived. Atlas turned the key in one small slot, then where a panel with numbers opened up he proceeded to start turning the knobs. ‘Can you turn around for a moment?’ He threw a quick glance at Arodan and waited until he was certain Arodan wasn't looking. It took a while for him to finally unlock the door but when it did a low scraping noise resounded through the halls, the sound of 25 tons of steel moving being near deafening. The door slid sideways, but only ended up opening wide enough for a dragon in bipedal form to narrowly elbow through.

‘You coming?’ Atlas said, squeezing himself through the gap. He beckoned Arodan to follow him with a mild impatience.

‘Doesn't it open any further?’ He squeezed through in similar fashion. How Atlas had gotten through was a mystery, judging how he almost got wedged between the door and the wall to get through, which was a little embarrassing. ‘This is a massive door and it only opens this far?’

‘This is how far it's allowed to open if one goes outside not for evacuation or battle purposes.’ Atlas was already busy unlocking a second set of doors that didn't look as sturdy but intimidating nonetheless. ‘You wouldn't want an army storming in now do you? It's not a door that closes particularly fast.’

‘Yeah, but if the entire city is like this, how do people ever get in and out then? The people of Paramo?’ It occurred to him this was a thing typical to the inhabitants of the Southern Icefields perhaps. ‘Do you all just roam underground for the rest of your lives?’

‘Well, the city has public gardens actually, sustained by lightning flight tech and light flight magic. King Balam wants the city to be as safe as he is, so it is only able to be entered via vault doors.’ Atlas said. ‘So it's not completely without an illusion of the outside world. For those who want to go outside for real though there is one vault door that will always be open, protected by a squadron of guards around the clock.’ The doors finally creaked and opened. ‘There's also a secret evacuation passageway, newly built for the citizens, able to be entered via several places in the city.’

‘Well, that's good, but… It sounds sheltered.’ Arodan followed Atlas, light streaming in through the opening doors. A cold breeze rustled through his feathers but he didn't shiver, didn’t wince at the change in temperature. He had more trouble adjusting to the natural light he didn't know he had missed, and his walking slowed to a halt as he gaped at the view.

Before him he saw the ocean, which stretched over the horizon, endlessly vast. Bathed in the gold light that came just before true sunrise, wonder filled his heart but made his body feel immeasurably small before the sea. ‘Woah.’

‘Some people here don't know better than what's inside these halls.’ Atlas’ white hair glistened brightly in the light, his wings unfolding. The crystalline coat on them caught and reflected even more light and he might as well have been a living, breathing star on Sornieth. ‘But if they're happy, then why would you want to take that away?’

Arodan was staring at Atlas like a fool at this point, unable to tear his eyes away. For too long, his gaze was stuck, on just a little uneven footing with his book and the necklace held tightly to his chest.

‘Like what you see?’

That took him out of his moment and briefly Arodan couldn't tell whether Atlas had caught on to him staring or if he was referring to the view. A mumbled ‘yes’ escaped him, uncertain how that might be perceived.

‘Good. Sea air is good against nightmares, soothes the soul doesn't it?’ Atlas grinned, and turned away from Arodan. Sneaky bastard, that was a double sided question, wasn't it, Arodan thought. ‘Usually the postman arrives here too but he has his own secret passageway into the castle. Aaand, a lot of the strategists discuss things here too, or scream at the ocean.’

‘They… Scream at the ocean?’ He could hear the door open behind them and not quickly after a figure stomped onto the viewing deck. They were clad in black, with a pair of red shades sitting on their nose.

‘The audacity! I devote my life to our lord and god and this is what thanks I get?!’ They immediately started screaming as soon as they reached the railing, Atlas and Arodan both plugging their noise at the horrifying sound. After a minute or two too long they ceased screaming and hung panting over the railing.

‘And there-’ Atlas started, unplugging his ears. ‘Is your example.’

‘What?’ Arodan didn't want to ask what Atlas had said, the figure that had just come storming in immediately whipping upright again, their clothes and hair magically settling back into model. ‘Um…’

‘Hello boys, having fun?’ In a sharp movement they whipped out what seemed like a strange design of pipe. ‘Atlas, the viewing deck is not made for wooing your boyfriends.’

‘I don't remember it being for screaming at the ocean either but here we are.’ Atlas said with a far too self-satisfied grin, shrugging. ‘Besides, Arodan here is just our librarian Kassa, be a little nice.’

‘Doesn't look like one.’ They took one long hard look at Arodan and immediately stepped forward. ‘Ugh darling, they sure put the worst old rags on you, this won't do.’ They held a handful of Arodan's coat up. ‘Typical.’

‘Hey, hands off, it's too early for this.’ Arodan snapped, more annoyed than anything. ‘Sir-Madam, I don't appreciate being touched.’

‘Both will do darling.’ They drew back their hands, setting them on their hips. ‘Really though, once this entire mess is sorted out you really should stop by my office, I don't know who dressed you but you're not running around in whatever hobo suit they gave you.’ Kassa hissed the last part of their sentence, clenching their jaw in such a way that it looked as if it might shatter their teeth.

‘Kassa, leave him be.’ Atlas stepped in front of Arodan protectively. ‘Besides, you're crankier than usual, probably you should catch some sleep. You've been at it all night.’

‘Ugh, its horrible sweetie, everyone is falling over each other like headless chickens! Alexander this, fall of the city of Paramo that, no one has faith in their own plans!’ Kassa responded loudly, throwing their hands in the air. ‘Except for me, but that's ooh, dangerous, and “a risk to the safety of the city of Paramo”, because why not?!’ They paced in circles now, claws scraping the floor with a dull sound. ‘We should be using their own weapons against-’

‘Kassa, that's enough.’ Atlas held a finger to his lips to shush the angry wildclaw before him, his gaze darting back and forth between them and Arodan. ‘We don't talk about that.’

‘Hm, fine.’ Kassa hummed in resigned fashion, twirling their pipe between their fingers. ‘Then we will just talk fashion won't we? Where are my manners?’ They extended a gloved hand towards Arodan. ‘Pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Kassa, strategist and fashion mastermind.’

‘Also they're the one who commissioned the balconies because they're hideously claustrophobic.’ Atlas added, which earned a stark glare from Kassa that could be felt from behind their glasses.

‘Pleased to meet you too, I'm Arodan, librarian.’ Arodan said, shaking Kassa’s hand. ‘If it stops people from making remarks about my appearance then please, make me fashionable.’

‘Darling, I can't fix aura. I can fix that eyepatch though.’ They scanned over Arodan once more as if observing a chunk of rough marble that was yet to be carved. Before their eye even had properly settled their hand had already reached out and grabbed the necklace from Arodan's hands. ‘What's this?’

‘Hey give that back, I haven't disinfected that yet!’ Arodan helped and immediately started to reach and claw for the necklace Kassa held far from his grip. ‘I just found it!’

‘A heart, huh? I haven't seen those in ages.’ They remarked quietly, a sinister little smile parting their lips. ‘Who's your sweetheart dearie? I love these things, very rare to get by, powerful stuff.’

‘I don't have a-’ He said this almost sarcastically, still jumping to get the necklace back. ‘Sweet-heart.’ It only then occurred what Kassa had said. ‘Wait, you know what it is?’

‘It… Isn't yours?’ They held it lower and looked at it, fascinated. ‘Then whose heart did you steal struggler?’ They lowered their voice, and behind red tinted glasses equally red and violent eyes honed in on Arodan. ‘And you don't even know what this is?’

‘If you'd tell him, then he'd probably give you a straight answer Kassa.’ Atlas said, folding his arms. He took a good step back and surveyed the situation. ‘Get to the point.’

‘Fine.’ They held the necklace in two palms, close to their chest. Within their palms it softly beat. ‘This necklace is the sign of an union, of love, a bond. It means a pair that wished to truly connect with each other sought out one of the few mages capable, and swapped their hearts metaphysically. This-’ they held up the necklace. ‘-is a physical proof of this union.’ They leant in, their eyes narrowing. ‘So if it isn't yours, who did you steal it from boy?’

‘It's…’ The realization hit Arodan like a warhammer to the temple. It hadn't been a nightmare, but a connection with a chained figure. The same figure who no doubt the heart belonged to, that somehow had ended up with him by what could only be the Shade’s doing. ‘... I think it was an accident actually. And I think I know who it belongs to.’ He yanked the necklace out of Kassa’s hands and continued. ‘An imperial, a man, I think, of the light flight and with black obsidian wings and a scarred side... No, burns.’

Atlas and Kassa exchanged looks and while Atlas looked mildly surprised Kassa’s mouth hung open. 'My plan, my plan!' Kassa screamed near ecstatically, and they immediately bolted for the door. ‘Hold on to that necklace closely Danny! It'll serve you well soon!’

‘Kassa, no, whatever you-’ The door slammed shut before Atlas could stop them, leaving him reaching and dumbstruck. ‘If they're going where I think they're going, they'd better not be.’ Atlas turned to Arodan and gently took his shoulders. ‘This got super confusing, and I'm sorry for that, but I also have to chase after them, Kassa is a little… Eccentric.’ He pat Arodan's shoulders and drew back. ‘I have to keep an eye on them.’

‘Go, I can wait here.’ Arodan said, attempting not to stammer. He held his hand up in assuring fashion and watched Atlas move away from him. ‘Don't worry about me.’ At that Atlas glanced over his shoulder at him, seemed to sigh, and then disappeared through the door. Arodan was left alone, standing on the balcony by the sea. The sun now illuminated the world more clearly, still in its early morning ascent. He sauntered towards the railing and leant over and it, feeling the sea breeze.

Despite everything, despite the questions, despite the secrets being kept from him, he felt as if he was going to be alright, with one palm clutching the necklace, and the other wrapped around the spine of his book. He slung the necklace around his neck, and slowly his hand left the necklace to take the book in two hands. He held the side on which a golden eye was emblazoned towards the sea. ‘Beautiful, isn't it?’ He flipped it open slowly onto a black page.

‘It is very pretty. I should record this.’ The book wrote on itself on a new blackened page. Before Arodan could respond, a drawing of the scenery appeared in gold. ‘It would be better if you painted it.’ Appeared under it.

‘I am not good at painting.’ Arodan said. He studied the little drawing closely and thought it conveyed the feeling of a sunrise very well. ‘So… You can understand me by speech now?’

‘It seems so.’ The response appeared in a smaller font than usual, as if mimicking a quieter tone. ‘Do you mind?’

‘Not at all.’ Arodan tilted his head sideways in curious manner. ‘I'm gonna put you back in the bag, salty air isn't as good for books.’

‘Okay.’ The letters appeared in an even smaller font this time around. However, before Arodan could close the book, something else popped up on the page. ‘Someone is watching you.’

Slowly Arodan turned his head to look around him, and quickly found a nocturne, sitting on the railing with his claws folded awkwardly to his chest. He wore a scarf that was just a little too big for him and seemed to have enhancements strapped to his legs that sparked from time to time. ‘Can I… Can I help you?’

‘Oh! I um… You seemed to be having a moment, so I didn't mean to disturb you, I…’ He dropped off the railing onto the balcony, shifting to a more manageable and smaller form. The enhancements on his legs reshaped but still seemed to function to strengthen the Nocturne’s legs. ‘I'm the manpost-postman! Postman, I mean- dangit…’ He huffed, and took a deep breath. ‘You're Arodan, right?’

‘That's right, you're Langdon, aren't you?’ Arodan hastily stuffed his journal away and walked up to Langdon. ‘Do you have any letters for me, I'm kind of-’

‘Yes, just a moment please!’ Langdon stammered, his knees bending a little as if he was afraid something would hit him in the head. He dug through a neatly organized bag filled with mail, every little compartment having its own some in label categorizing the urgency of the letter. ‘Stolas of Clan Canephora was first to mail you back!’ He held out a letter that looked roughly sealed.

‘Oh thank gods.’ Arodan breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly took the letter from Langdon’s hands, who looked like he wanted to read along. He held it out of reach and immediately tore open the letter, it barely being out of its envelope as Arodan started to read. His crests fell flat as soon as it began about the state of the boat, who had passed away, and who had gotten injured. Yet, what was a far more warming feeling, a soft fuzziness that settled in his chest, were Stolas’ words of comfort. He was happy to know he was alive.

Again, it felt as if everything was going to be alright.

‘Langdon?’ Arodan quietly mumbled as soon as he finished his letter. The nocturne attentively had waited by his side, as if expecting another letter, and now looked up at him. ‘It's nice to meet you.’

‘It's nice to meet you too sir.’ Langdon answered, bowing his head. ‘Are you… Are you stuck out here? Did they give you keys?’

‘No, Atlas said he would pick me up later.’ Although it was starting to get a little too frigid for Arodan's tastes. ‘... You wouldn't happen to know another way in, do you? Or have the keys?’

‘Follow me, I have a great soup recipe that'll pick you right up.’ Langdon eagerly jumped up and down, clasping his hands as if he wanted to stop himself from flapping them like he would with his wings. He jumped up on the railing, already shifting back to his nocturne form. ‘If you'd like to, of course, I don't mean to-’

‘It's fine.’ Arodan stuffed the letter in his bag, and took his skydancer form. He rolled his shoulder, his wings stretching and folding themselves with a satisfying soft crack. ‘Lead the way.’

As the two flew along the cliffside, a bright blue gaze quietly admired them from a separate balcony. The words of war, and trouble echoed through his head, but as long as they were happy, he would be.

#my lore #ch: Arodan #ch: Langdon #ch: Atlas #ch: Kassa #Sorry this is a very fast lore update and it got really long for no reason #Also Kassa's name was chosen by my bro #ch: Altair #(well I guess he's here he's an awfully casual cult leader)

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dappercritter · 4 years ago

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Godzilla vs Kong: Brutally Honest Thoughts

(Took me long enough, eh? Depending on home video releases be like that.)

So first things first, I have a confession to make: I spoiled the movie before I watched it. I was impatient and they had only announced an HBO Max premiere in the states and a theatrical run in Canada at the time. Afterward, I got heads-up from a friend and immersed myself in the opinions of those lucky enough to see it early. I’m just saying that I have some preconceived opinions that I’m sticking to.

That said, Godzilla vs Kong turned out to be more fun than I expected! But you already knew that. Everyone did. The two kings of movie monsters had their rematch and this time it was with glorious Hollywood SFX powering it this time.

The human story was fun but it’s clear they stopped trying at this point. Team Kong stole my heart, especially Jia. Team Godzilla (although the Conspiracy Crew would be a more fitting term since they spend more time chasing down mysteries than trying to back or understand Godzilla) was more fun than I expected and their dynamic was surprisingly enjoyable. Bernie is actually kind of funny, it's nice to see Madison acting more assertive, and Josh was fine--he was the only sane man of the bunch but he was also the butt of the jokes. Still, all the hardcore conspiracy jokes got old fast and it feels off seeing the daughter of two scientists turn into an edgy conspiracy crackpot. Why not an edgy science major?

Team Apex are fun villains, especially Walter Simmons who's a great megalomaniacal CEO type, but Ren Serizawa is a joke. I like his actor's performance but he's just another footnote. Nobody bats an eye at his last name, although the only heroes he interacts with are Nathan Lind and he just misses Team Godzilla. He really could have just been any other villain, but instead, they had to sully Serizawa’s legacy further while robbing a good actor of some interesting material. (As is, it turns out he was just an egotistical jerk with daddy issues--an easy puzzle to solve on day one--after all...)

However, I still cannot and will not approve of the fact that somebody thought it would be a good idea to make the heroes of a sci-fi story into hardcore conspiracy theorists in this day and age. Likewise, I’m not a huge fan of how they essentially made the Hollow Earth into its own universe complete with a crazy portal and an environment with its own laws of physics, nor am I totally crazy about the huge leap in technology that was made between this and KOTM, or G’14 for that matter.

The monsters as awesome as they are, are the biggest mixed bag in the show.

Kong is at his best in ages, and while I am all for the new heroic warrior character that Legendary have crafted and I acknowledge that making him a worthy opponent for their god-tier Godzilla was going to be a hurdle, I think they did a splendid job. Seeing Kong using agility and acrobatics was a glorious sight to behold, and something about Kong becoming a tool-user and weapon wielder just feels right. It’s a far better demonstration of Kong as a “thinking animal” (*wink, wink*).

I’m much less thrilled about their treatment of his greatest opponent ever. After everything they’ve done to build up Godzilla as the incredible force of neutral good fighting to maintain balance and all the build up to ancient rivalry debating back to a great Titan war--even going as far as putting his name in front Kong’s this time!-- they’ve reduced Godzilla back to glorified bully for Kong. He only gets the minimum amount of sympathy from the cast of his movie before they go off to deal with the conspiracy plot or focus on Kong and the Hollow Earth. Worse still, he is somehow more powerful and more aggressive than ever for a good chunk of the movie which leads to an outcome I’m sorry to say we all saw coming. Somehow, I suspect that the reason behind this was how Wingard cited Godzilla vs. Mothra, vs. Destoryah, and Shin-Godzilla as influences for the monsters scale and story, which while cool and all, are all movies where he was played up as a mostly stoic antagonist rather than a three-dimensional character like Kong. (Though ironically vs. Destoroyah and Shin did a better job of making Godzilla feel more sympathetic and in both of them he was a walking nuclear reactor meltdown.)

Due to the unfortunate time constraints of the three-way deal between Toho, WB, and Universal at the time this was in production, Kong was unable to secure a proper sequel that could develop his skillset like Godzilla’s did. Nevermind the fact the filmmakers completely surrendered to the “nothing matters but the monsters” mentality that a chunk of the fanbase has been spouting since this universe unofficially kicked off almost 10 years ago. (Sidenote: Oh god, I’m turning in an old fart already.) As a result, the movie trips over itself trying to set up Godzilla and Kong’s rivalry as well as building up Kong as a worthy opponent to Godzilla while expanding on their shared lore, and as a result countless plot points set up in in the previous movie and tie-in movie are thrown out the window. I’m sorry to say but in spite of all hopes and illusions of grandeur, it’s safe to this damn thing is a Kong movie with Godzilla as the bad guy.

...at least until HE shows up. Yup, Mechagodzilla. The biggest spoiled twist of the centuries steals the show so the movie can pull a Dawn of Justice. But! It does it much better than the fractured DCEU’s most controversial entry ever could. Mechagodzilla’s inclusion gets a decent amount of build up thanks to Team Godzilla/the Conspiracy Crew, and when he shows up, does he make an impression! At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about his inclusion or his design, but I’ve come to like this one. He’s basically a kaiju terminator built in Godzilla’s image made purely out of heavy machinery piloted by the best Ghidorah head. It’s a jarring change of pace compared to previous MechaG’s but it grows on you after a while. With the abundance of weaponry stuffed into him, he feels like a fitting update of the original killing machine, and even if his inclusion feels like an easy way out of the big showdown, it’s fun to see him played as a literal colossal heel for the kings to team up against. Not to mention he looks shockingly good with those red highlights. However, one still can’t help but wonder how and why he was made in this universe, or how he feels like pure heavy machinery one minute and then an extra-large Ultron unit the next.

As for the the big throwdowns we’ve all been waiting for... well, we’re still in the mixed bag deparment. While the fights are all exciting and excellently choreographed, and benefit from some more eclectic lighting and cinematograph, I’m sorry to say that as far as the rematch of the century goes they dropped the ball on this one.

Don’t get me wrong, the fights are all great in their own ways, but there’s a drastic change in the feeling of weight and power with the monsters. Godzilla, Kong, and even Mechagodzilla all feel strangely floaty in most of their fights. One moments they feel like true behemoths shaking the very earth with every movement and then it’s like they’re in Godzilla Unleashed, running, jumping, and throwing each other around with speed that feels that almost makes you wonder if the Hollow Earth’s gravity inversion stuff is leaking out into the world. While it’s all perfectly cool, you can’t help but wonder how Kong is able to leap between aircraft carriers and buildings, when Godzilla got the ability to blow a hole through the Earth itself, or how a colossal machine is able to move so nimbly or why it has to be flashing blue all the time.

It’s fascinating and fun but you just can’t help but wonder how we got from almost posthuman disaster and war movies exploring how we’re at the mercy of the ancient almost mythical forces beyond our comprehension, we’ve found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Bayformers meets Jurassic World levels of Hollywood absurdity where anything and everything can and will happen in the name of getting to the monster fights. Although I can’t say I’m surprised given the director’s take on Death Note made some questionable choices with it’s take on the infamous cast while still coming up with some genuinely inspired choices. Still, all things considered we could have gotten worse compared to ther cinematic universes made by WB and Universal.

As for some misc. thoughts to close up this rambling mess:

-The soundtrack is fantastic. A great continuation of the feel of Skull Island’s mixtape with some truly wonderful picks. Special mention goes to the opening and ending songs, and they GOT AN ELVIS PRESLEY SONG IN HERE! YES!!! The three kings of pop culture together at last!

-While this movie didn’t need to be any more overstuffed, it would have been nice if the rest of the Titans didn’t disappear entirely from this movie. I get that Godzilla: Dominion already explained what happened to them all more or less, but it really is a missed oppurtunity that we never got to see another Titan war. Or Rodan attacking Kong to avenge his pterosaur bretheren from days long past. Speaking of which...

-“Save Mothra” jokes be damned, Mothra would have been a welcome gues star, not just to help break up the big fight, but to show off Godzilla’s softer, more protective side. And yes, I want more Mothzilla. Shut up, we deserve it.

-Boy, Monarch sure does a whole lot of nothing up-top, huh?

-The cinematography is a great update but there’s a little too much neon lighting, especially in the Apex HQ and the Hollow Earth throne room. It feels like they’re trying just a little too hard to sell the more futuristic, Hollywood sci-fi feel.

-The score is... great but not that great. Of course, I’ve always had mixed feelings about Tom Holkenburg (AKA Junkie XL)’s music. I liked Kong’s themes, but they REALLY dropped the ball with Godzilla’s theme. Mechagodzilla’s works really well as long you ignore that it’s just Godzilla’s theme in this movie with an ominious choir added in.

-The new Hollow Earth creatures are all perfectly fine. Actually, I thought they were another highlight! Especially the Warbats, Hellhawks, and Doug the Titanus Foetodon Man.

-I want to do a release the extended cut campaign but I don’t think any of us have the energy for that s**t anymore.

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genshin-djinn · 4 years ago

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Genshin Impact Chapter 1 Act 3: A Reaction.

Chapter 1 Act 3 is what took my experience with this game from “good game” to “masterpiece”.

THIS POST CONTAINS MANY, MANY SPOILERS FOR GENSHIN IMPACT CHAPTER 1: ACT 3

Genshin Impact has some problems— actually, it has a shit ton of problems. But during the fight against hordes of Fatui, with the Adepti channeling their abilities through my gang, flying through them as Oz, decimating them with Diluc— I just thought, this is the best time I’ve had in a mobile game in my life.

This game might not be perfect now— it’s only a quarter of the way done if we’re counting Karenri’ah. But it will be a fucking masterpiece once it’s all out. If this is the level of quality we’re getting for our archon quests, this game is going to be an amazing time on story alone.

KEQING

I love Keqing with all my heart. If she were alive today she would be a socialist here to topple the ruling 1%. When ningguang asked Aether who they trusted more, her or Keqing, I hit the Keqing button as fast as possible.

I think one of my favorite things about Keqing is that she’s so completely honest, which is unusual for a Liyue politician. If she doesn’t like something, she’ll speak out against it. If she thinks something else should be happening, she’ll make it happen. She can probably be deceitful at times, but in general she’s straightforwards in that she wants a government for the people and by the people.

I can’t wait for her story quest!

NINGGUANG

pretty.... voice pretty....

Ningguang is cool. Her JP voice is very pretty, like she could do ASMR videos online or smth. One thing I decidedly did not like about Ningguang is how her personality just ???? flips? In the middle of the quest, for no reason other than “because plot”.

It’s established that Ningguang cares about two things more than anything— the Jade palace and Mora. Why, then, would she destroy the Jade palace for the sake of Liyue? I get that she’s a good person at heart at all, but I want to see more of her indecision, her brain saying “mora” and her heart saying “Liyue”. The way she just flips on a dime isn’t really strange but it does contradict with her preexisting characterization.

Childe’s Boss Fight!

The section of this quest from Childe’s fight to the Adepti + Qixing battle is just nonstop adrenaline.

Childe is IMO a lot more fun than Dvalin (sorry Dvalin). I’m at WL5 and have a tendency to play fast and loose with important mechanics like.... dodging, for example.... and Childe’s Mask Electro form ended up destroying my team. I killed him with Guoba because everyone else besides Xiangling was dead. I

Another thing I really enjoy about Childe’s boss fight is that in the irrationalities of Childe as a character, it actually makes sense. Genshin is decent at making weekly bosses logical excursions— Andrius wants you to get stronger, Dvalin’s weekly fight is ~~all a dream~~; but tbh sometimes the weekly bosses don’t make sense. Andrius wants to train us, not murder us! How does dvalin, a dream slash memory that doesn’t exist, manage to knock someone out?

Childe as a weekly boss actually makes perfect sense. He’s an adrenaline junkie addicted to the thrill of fighting people— to put this in modern AU terms, he’s the guy who’s first in line to ride the rollercoaster that failed all of its health and safety checks. Childe wants to befriend the Traveler entirely because they’re stronger than him, so that he can fight them over and over again until he’s the strongest. Of course, this will never happen, because the Traveler is the MC and therefore is stronger than all others. However, in this way Childe being a repeatable boss makes 100% perfect sense— he actually wants to fight the Traveler again and again and again.

The one question I have about Childe is how in the living feck are the Fatui letting him join the Traveler and fight for them *against the Fatui*??? I think this might be touched on in Childe’s Story quest, which I’ll do in a bit, but like????? They let him keep his delusion and just walk over to Aether like “aight fam I’m on your team now”? How?

Jade Chamber/ Guizhong Ballista vs Sea Monster Fight!!

Basically, all my charged adrenaline from nearly dying to Childe just came to a head in this one huge fantastic fight.

And Xiao :)

I absolutely loved seeing the Adepti and the Qixing work together. This fight was probably my favorite fight in the whole game— the music was amazing (soundtrack where), the graphics were so nice, the adepti were so feckin cool, using everyone’s abilities was n I ce. My adrenaline was reaching its highest point at this fight and it was just perfect. It was just so fecking fun after days of WL5 pain, having to pop like five ultimates to kill one hillichurl, to be able to just demolish swathes of enemies with Fischl and Diluc, run around like a madman thanks to Xiao, have infinite health idr who did that for me but bless them, just absolutely destroy.

Ever since I hit WL5 I haven’t been able to really just go insane during a fight and stop caring about HP/ when to use skills/ dodging and this have me that opportunity.

Zhongli’s Deal

*punches Zhongli across the room with the power of being the player character* I love this man so much.

Zhongli Zhongli Zhongli Zhongli Zhongli. I AM VERY ANGRY AT HOW THE PLOT RESOLVED HIS STORYLINE. But it also makes a lot of sense. And I think, for once, Zhongli should be allowed to be selfish.

Because choosing to leave Liyue was a bit selfish. He’s leaving the country that adores him, loves him, gives him shit for free; to its own devices and then to a completely unknown fate once the new Geo Archon becomes god and takes over. But he made a frankly fantastic plan and can now leave the country, for now, in peace.

I was absolutely delighted to see Zhongli in Morax form. Making deals with La Signora, being a complete and utter puppet master who set this entire situation up and played Childe like a kazoo; but just like his dear friend Venti, I think Zhongli is happier when he’s just Zhongli, the eccentric mortal. He seems so much happier and so much more relaxed when he’s forgetting about mora and eating dinner with Aether and Paimon. Rex Lapis might have just put Liyue through the wringer, but he can now put down his 3000- year long reign and just be the happy, eccentric Zhongli.

Zhongli’s little bit of insecurity over being a “bourgeois parasite” makes perfect sense now— he doesn’t want to be seen as Morax, a superfluous god who’s using his name to get whatever he wants from the humans he watches over.

But also the part of my brain that feeds off lore nEEDS to KNOW what Zhongli got from Tsaritsa. What could be worth a gnosis? His own happiness isn’t enough— Tsaritsa is likely going to use his gnosis to try and destroy Liyue. What could be worth that?

My main thought would be either “someone’s protection” or “another gnosis”, but I don’t think the latter is possible. The former could be possible but doesn’t really make sense either— a) whose protection is worth putting an entire country, much less the world, in danger and b) the Fatui are out to kill everyone who isn’t Fatui, so they won’t agree to spare a major player in the war to come like that. Brain go brrr.

I’m very hyped for Zhongli’s story quest, which I think is coming with his banner on Dec 1, when Childe’s banner ends. I really hope that Zhongli visits Mondstadt and chills with Venti for a while, but anything with this guy would be fine lol.

LORE

We got a lot of lore this update and I am delighted by it.

Firstly, we get a tiny hint of how Visions are bestowed— “if a person shows true strength of will at a desperate and fateful moment in their life, the gods will look upon them with favor.” Vague but more than we had before.

Next we got some neat lore about Inazuma— firstly, that it’s led by a god named Baal and secondly that it steals everyone’s visions. I’m very hyped to visit because guess what fam aether doesn’t have a vision.

Final Thoughts

In case you can’t tell from my insane ramblings, I loved Chapter 1 Act 3 and I absolutely cannot wait to play through Childe’s story quest and Chapter 2 and beyond.

The Prologue in Mondstadt set the stage for Genshin. We started out in a fantasy environment with a fantasy tale of an immortal bard and a dragon. Mondstadt was an excellent introduction to the world of Genshin.

And now? We’re starting to build on that. Chapter 1 brings us another story of another god and their relationship with the country they watch over. Liyue is much less of a traditional fantasy setting and takes the darkness we saw in Mondstadt— a friendship ruined by manipulation and suffering— and build on it. Now we don’t just see the Fatui more often but we also see more of the Treasure Hoarders and the way both groups kidnap and experiment on humans.

Mond started to introduce us to the Fatui, but Liyue is where they really start bringing continuous plot relevance. Inversely, we saw much more of the Abyss Order in Mondstadt than we did in Liyue. I’m extremely disappointed we didn’t see any more of the Princess this chapter, but it makes sense given that Chapter 1 was really more about the Fatui than the Abyss Order.

All I’m trying to say is the Liyue arc was an excellent continuation to the stage Mondstadt’s arc set. Now, we’re on to the world of the Eternal Shogun, Baal! I’m really excited to meet new characters and experience new stories of Inazuma, but I hope we’ll continue to see Mondstadt and Liyue in the future. Mondstadt is likely going to be the most “boring” of the countries we experience, cuz it’s just so classically fantasy- themed, but it will always be the first country we explored in this world.

After Inazuma (if I had to take a shot in the dark, inazuma’s arc will take from December 23 to maybe March or April) we’ll go to Sumeru, which I am really extremely hyped for because it sounds extremely different from Mond and Liyue and we’ll meet Cyno and possibly even Collei! (just me extrapolating lol). I can’t wait to see where Genshin Impact goes story- wise, because its first major update has brought so much to the table.

#genshin impact #genshin spoilers #gi spoilers

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dearsheroozle · 4 years ago

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1, 7, 9, and 69 for the d&d character ask! Dealer's choice on which character

hey anon,

thanks again for asking this

i think... i will do Both characters that i’ve actively played a bunch. bc... i want to.

under a read more bc this will probably get Rather Long (update: it did.)

1. why did they choose their class(es)? their subclass(es)?

- for Llyr, my half-elf paladin, she was kind of, ah, chosen? i guess? the way she thinks it happened was that she did something heroic and her goddess came to her in a dream, and the next day she woke up with a holy symbol tattoooed on her body. she was a kid, then, but eventually did take an oath. she’s oath of the ancients, because the tenets of sheltering and kindling light means a lot to her. fuck off, darkness, basically. she’s multiclassed into warlock, mainly because she caught the attention of an archfey. her ex was wreaking some havoc with some water stuff, and the archfey had a vested interest in not letting that happen, so Llyr was again....,,., chosen. in a sense. kind of.

- for Art (full name #ART920304690201), he was created to be an artificer. a warforged, created to fix other warforged soldiers. he became a battlesmith because he wanted to make a friend. and also be better with weapons, because he loves weapons. his steel defender is a baby elephant named Patches. he multiclassed into a twilight cleric, because he and his party were all cursed by Shar. in his research, he discovered she had a twin sister named Selune, so he prayed to her for help, and dipped into cleric. it was something i had kinda meant to happen, since his arc was how he came to terms with his own soul. can’t be a cleric without a soul, right?

7. which party member do they understand the least?

- oh, man. for Llyr, i’m tempted to say Erimenthea, Minty for short, our halfling wild magic sorcerer. but they actually have a lot in common because of they both have connections to the FeyWild, and Llyr kind of thinks she understands Minty quite well, lmao. it’s honestly probably Ja’el, our half-elf shadow monk/death cleric. they’re really good friends, but they do tend to clash sometimes because of how different their lives and experiences in the world have been. they’re both half-elves, but the way they tend to look at things is... extremely different. like, they’re bros, though.

- for Art, he probably truly understands Wu Guei, tortle wild magic barbarian, the least. not because they don’t get along, but Wu is less forthcoming about things, and Art is not very good at social interactions. in fact, Wu intimidates him immensely. so yeah, probably Wu Guei.

9. do they care about their appearance? how much effort do they put into presentation?

- i wouldn’t say Llyr cares about her appearance. she just... happens to be extremely hot. sorry, i don’t make the rules. bitch has 20 strength and 18 charisma, so yeah, unapologetic jacked queen. the 18 charisma is just how hot she is. she actually can be kind of awkward when she speaks, but she’s so hot it doesn’t matter.

- Arty boy is a rusty-lookin’ fella. he doesn’t care about his appearance very much, and it shows because he didn’t really do much upkeep. several decades of wandering a desert will mess a guy up, physically.

69. how would they describe their party members?

- ooooh, boy. i mean, i already talked about Minty and Ja’el. Llyr would call Minty chaotic, but fun. super smart, super crazy magic user. she loves animals, and is always the friendliest, even to her detriment. Ja’el would be, well, her homie. he’s paranoid, but means well. despite his best efforts, he cares so much. kickass fighter; really fast, really sneaky. Eldon, halfling lore bard, she would call hilarious. she finds him really funny, but she would also call him talented and creative, even though he’s young and it shows. Maz, shifter beastmaster ranger/grave cleric, she’s probably closest with currently. mom friend, definitely, but also like a little sister. really wise and dependable, but frustrating, because of how similar she is to Llyr in a lot of ways. like holding up a mirror you don’t think you wanna look at lmao

- and lol i already talked about Wu Guei. like i said, Art finds them intimidating, but admires their strength and convictions. Art feels safer with them around. Luc, high elf bladesinger wizard, Art can relate to because they have a lot of the same interests. he would say Luc’s really resilient, with all he’s lived through and seen. smart, too. Py, drow/wood elf swashbuckler rogue, also really funny. the sneakiest, best darts player ever. also would not want to face him in hide and seek. Py’s got a big heart, and the longest arms. Aurora, drow light cleric, has probably the strongest personality. she’s extremely friendly, and is always there to listen, even when she has no idea what you’re talking about.

#uhhhhhhhhhh this is what happens when y'all let me talk about dnd #i get #verbose #Sheree feels feelings #SK5 #Doomed Patrol #i don't think i regularly tag the party names but like #it's fine #dnd #for my personal records #oh Llyr #does this unit have a soul?#thanks again anon i'm sorry you truly do not have to read all this #i hope the formatting isn't a Nightmare #Anonymous

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surrogate-gaia · 5 years ago

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Looking back: Part 3 - Craftworld Aeldari

The Psychic Awakening event was kind of a disappointment. Nothing really major happened within these books and the focus of most of them involved stories about Space Marines. The Xenos factions got it very bad in most of these books, but none as bad as all of the Aeldari.

I feel so sorry for what Aeldari players have to deal with in the hobby. Most of your range is either still in finecast or in metal, and you haven’t had a major model release in about 8 years. The entire Craftworld range definitely needs an update.

I must be honest; I don’t care that much about the Aeldari. I’ve never been particularly interested in elven races, save those that go full ahead with the nature aspect. This is why I prefer the Wood Elves and Exodites, over races like the High Elves or the Lumineth Realmlords.

So I will put a disclaimer on this post; Aeldari lore is not my strong suit. In fact, I find it sometimes quite confusing. I might make mistakes or misinterpret the lore of these units. I hereby apologize for this.

Let’s begin...

Spiritseer:

Aeldari Spiritseers are Warlocks specialized in the preservation and care of Aeldari souls. They are the ones that guide Aeldari spirits inside of Wraith Constructs. In some way, you could call them a form of necromancer.

They walk the “Path of the Seer”; one of the most dangerous Paths for the Aeldari to walk. On this path, they develop their psychic abilities and learn how to control them. They’ve also (if I’m correct about this at least) previously walked the “Path of the Warrior”, which gave them the necessary experience to control their impulses and emotions.

This Spiritseer got released alongside the Wake the Dead box-set, which pitted the Spiritseer Qelnaris and the forces of Saim-Hann, against the Ultramarines. I can’t find what the conclusion of this battle was, but guessing from the way that the Eldar have been treated this edition, I would say they probably got stomped by the Ultramarines.

Normally, this Spiritseer is not something specifically to write home about, as he looks as you would expect a Spiritseer to look like. However, looking back upon their older model, I can see that this new version is quite an improvement. The pose is way better and the proportions seem to have been fixed in this version.

My favourite thing about this model is the mask. I love when Eldar in any form look otherworldly and alien, and these domed masks work perfectly for that.

8/10

Howling Banshees:

Howling Banshees are a form of Aspect Warrior; Aeldari who walk the “Path of the Warrior”. As an Aspect Warrior, the Howling Banshees embody a certain aspect of Khaine, the God of Murder. Specifically, the aspect of aggressive close quarters combat.

As the name would imply, their Aspect is inspired by the mythical Banshees, who, with their wails and cries, heralded doom and death.

They go into battle carrying Shuriken Pistols and Power Weapons (mostly swords), and they certainly know how to use them. Howling Banshees are freakishly fast and precise, but what makes them unique is their Sonic weaponry. The mask they wear is called a Banshee Mask, and it amplifies their war-cries into some sort of psychic screech. Those that hear this become disoriented and paralyzed because their nervous system can’t handle this amount of psychic energy.

The Howling Banshees are what I think of first when someone mentions Eldar. It would only be fair that they became the first Aspect to be updated. From what I see, it doesn’t disappoint so far. They remain faithful to the source material and the poses are overall better compared to their predecessors. They also have a more decent proportioned waste now.

The inclusion I most of all like is the separate Aspect Relic, and I believe it is an effigy depicting Morai-Heg, The Crone Godess. The website encourages you for using it as an objective marker. I love it when the designers give us these little extra’s that can be used as set pieces. I hope every new Aspect Warrior gets a symbol like this in the future.

9/10

Howling Banshee Exarch:

Exarchs are Aspect Warriors who specifically have become lost and trapped within the “Path of the Warrior” and become the High Priests/Guardians over their specified Aspect Shrine. Think of them as teachers who train their squad in the way of their Aspect.

Their armour is more ornate than the rest of their squad and they’ve forgone their Shuriken Pistol in favour of going fully melee focused. They then can carry either two Mirror-Swords, an Executioner Power-Glaive or, they can mimic their Phoenix Lord and carry a Triskele (the three pointed boomerang-thingie). Their overall skill- and power-level is way above that of anyone, probably capable of dueling the best warriors that the Imperium could throw at them (if GW wouldn’t be so biased in their campaign books).

The Exarch kit contains a seperate head that doesn’t wear the mask. This apparently is an Ynnari Exarch, who walks a way different path than that of the Craftworld Eldar. I can’t find much information about this, but it is at least interesting that the Ynnari don’t need to wear their War-masks.

I’ve seen discussions and complaints about the way that the maskless face looks and let’s just say a few things.

Men can become Howling Banshees, though will still wear the same type of Aspect Armour (which includes the breast plate).

Women don’t need to look feminine when they are actively at war, and it doesn’t make them any less feminine.

If the Mechanicus can have non-binary members, then the Aeldari most certainly can have them as well.

These are technically part of the Howling Banshee kit, so the same points can be applied to these two. I do think that the Glaive looks way better on this model than the Mirror-swords. The Exarch looks a little “out-of-balance” when dual wielding. I did wish though that they got some more weapon options. The Triskele isn’t in the kit, and I also saw a concept piece for an Eldar Power-Axe, which the Aeldari just deserve to have in their arsenal. Give Howling Banshees Power Axes. That would look so cool.

8/10

Jain Zar:

Phoenix Lords are by far some of the most ancient and powerful members of the Aeldari race. They were former Exarchs who have fought for so long, that they don’t have an Aspect Shrine or Craftworld left to protect. Instead, they wander from Craftworld to Craftworld and arrive to fight alongside their kin when the need arises the most.

Whenever a Phoenix lord falls in battle, their soul is transported inside of the spirit stone of the suit. Then, another Eldar warrior will don the suit and become possessed by the original Phoenix lord. Most Phoenix lord armour contains the souls of dozens of Eldar, all who’ve sacrificed their lives in order to resurrect their respective Phoenix Lord.

Jain Zar is of course the Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees. In fact, she is the founder of her Aspect and according to legend, became the first Exarch. This makes her the second Phoenix Lord to come into existence, with the first being Asurmen. She is considered one of the most active Phoenix Lords to roam the galaxy and has an active hatred for Chaos. After the rise of the Ynnari, she became one of the biggest advocates of their cause.

Jain Zar carries the Jainas Mor and Zhai Morenn. The Jainas Mor is the Three bladed Triskele, which is “Sharper than any mortal blade”. The Zhai Morenn is her Power-Glaive, and it is a relic from before the Fall of the Eldar. Her Banshee Mask was the first of its kind and every Banshee mask that has followed is a copy of hers.

During the Psychic Awakening, Jain Zar protected Yvraine from Drazhar and pursued him. This proved fatal and got her sliced in two. A new Exarch donned the armour and Jain Zar was reborn. She then got a rematch with Drazhar and became victorious. Eventually the infamous battle of Iathglas happened, where she, together with Yvraine and the Visarch barely managed to defeat a HOLOGRAM?!? of Shalaxi Hellbane. (goddamnit Geedubs).

Jain Zar’s new model is such an improvement over her older one that I am excited to see what any of the other Phoenix Lords might look like in the future. I love her proportions, her pose, her appearance... everything is so good. I’m not even bothered by the hair and I don’t care that it is too long or impractical in combat.

One thing I would’ve preferred though is that they would’ve kept her original paint scheme. I prefer the black/red paint scheme over the white/red one. I get why they changed it, because it fits better with the scheme of her Aspect.

10/10

--------

While the Craftworlds didn’t get much this edition, what they did get has been very good. I’m excited for what may come in the future for the Aeldari.

Games Workshop. Could you just make more Eldar models? People have been begging you to update them for over a decade now. Listen to them. Most of the Aeldari range is still finecast or metal.

Next up: Primaris Vanguard Infantry

previous posts: Primaris Mainline Infantry, Death Guard Infantry

#warhammer 40 #warhammer 40000 #Aeldari #Craftworlds #8th edition #Eldar #Aspect Warriors #Jain Zar #Howling Banshees #warhammer #Range overview #rating

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2bstudioblog · 4 years ago

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Konami’s wheels are turning... slowly

Lot’s of interesting news heading to our heads this Monday from what I heard from Yong Yea’s video about Konami wanting to outsource their IP’s to 3rd parties.

Obviously, Akira Yamaoka has kinda given away a strong hint that he’s working on a project with Bloober which in this case would be the long awaited SH remake or the direction they had with PT before it got cancelled. Akira Yamaoka also decided that (too late) he wanted to amend the article from his interview and release it later down the line. It’s very unusual that these news happen, but we all know Yamaoka is most famous for his music in Silent Hill.

Which brings me to a funny story about my own involvement of a Silent Hill game. I mentioned this on a podcast that I was part of 2 Konami-owned IP’s that went into another direction and killing off their franchises which have been like dead bodies in a morgue for the last 7 years.

I got the request to write industrial-metal music for a Silent Hill (of course at this time I only knew the IP and their most famous version of the game has been Silent Hill 2.) game. First I was of course very excited to be part of the series, but I jumped to early until I found out it was a Pachinko-machine (A japanese style pinball-game mixed with a touch-screen and a one-armed bandit and a slot-machine in one.), and my heart sank a little. I think I produced 4-5 cues for the machine, but I’m glad that nobody will be able to hear my “mediocre” masterpieces because all you would hear are metal-balls falling into a tray. But the thing about this machine, it had taken cut-scenes from Silent Hill 2, upscaled or even re-mastered/remade the graphics which would have looked great if it was its own game. But it was the same thing they’ve done with all their other IPs when those transfer over to this kind of entertainment. All what was left of it, Jim Sterling turned the game into a Meme and all I can hear is the -”HIT THE LEVER!” and the effects overpowering the music behind it. But I’m glad it didn’t go further then that. Technically here, Silent Hill(s) died with the arrival of the pachinko-slot machine and the series have tried to re-establish itself ever since.

Another game I was a part of was a Castlevania (Dracula in Japan) themed Pachinko-slot machine, with the revolutionary phrase “Erotic Violence” in it’s PR material and video-commercial. I mean, they took the music production part of this machine very seriously because I wasn’t aware of the “EV” part. I just thought it would be a machine praising the history of Castlevania. I was assigned to re-write and re-orchestrate a few songs from Neo-classical Metal music into more Progressive Metal style, and I was super-proud of this one because they had the sheet-music already available for me. All I had to do was re-arrange some parts for a string-quartet (1 cello, 2 violins and 1 viola) and I believe it was engineered and recorded by famed engineer Kenji Nakai who was under and working with famed engineer Mr Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones).

From that moment me and Mr. Nakai stroke a friendship because he has a passion for Progressive Metal and he asked me if I could send more songs his way. From this we both have been incredibly busy on both of our ends, but I hope we can be able to work on something in the future. I have a feeling that might be soon.

So a long story short, Konami spent a lot of money for recording, they approved everything and we were done. But when it turned out to be a pachinko-machine and not a world-wide videogame release, I just had to facepalm myself, asking the question why they keep doing so many poor decisions. Why leaving all those fans out in the cold and really start making Castlevania mean something. This void of “lots of fancy things, but no substance” started right here...

Konami are turning their wheels a little bit too late and too slow until now. After they got rid of Hideo Kojima (Who I believe was thinking of the international-market rather than the domestic one), Konami had only one thing on their minds: Making money quick and domestically. No more wasted time on translations, straight for the gambling crowd. No need to write interesting stories. No need to introduce kids to this adult material. They wanted to earn it back as fast as possible. But we all see their decisions put them on the map as a “black-company”, who mistreat their staff, shaming them out in the office for overstaying their lunch-breaks. Moving staff from one business to another, from a programmer to a Konami-fitness Center-staff, or as a toilet-cleaner at a Konami-owned pachinko-slot gambling hall. The management of the company has been horrendous for the full-time employee. I’m glad I was not part of these later projects and only wrote stuff for them for Pro Evolution Soccer series from 2009-2012. (My work on 2010-2012 was unfortunately un-credited work. :(

Metal Gear Solid V - The Phantom Pain In My Ass

When the playable teaser called Metal Gear Solid - Ground Zeroes, came out on the PS3 and later on the PS4, it was an introduction for the new graphics engine designed by Hideo Kojima’s team, simply called The FOX-Engine. Basically this “game” was more of a demo rather than a full-product. But it looked great and with a fantastic score by Akihiro Honda, Ludvig Forssell and Harry Gregson-Williams, it had everything going for it to become something really awesome. It became a standard approach from Hideo Kojima now to produce “Playable Teasers” to show a great concept while offering a 3-4 hour short campaign, showing off the engine’s graphical capabilities.

Still, the story was under progress and I knew early on that Hideo Kojima really didn’t want to do it after he always felt that Metal Gear Solid 4 was final. But here is the curse of the die-hard fans, and I’m sorry to say it. No matter how many Iron Man movies Marvel crams out, at the 3rd movie, I started to feel “This does not feel like Iron Man anymore”. But that’s what the fans wanted and is a standard in the movie industry. Always produce a trilogy. Indiana Jones has always been the 3 movies from 1981-1989. The 4th one doesn’t really need to be called Indiana Jones at all. It was there I felt, just like with Metal Gear Solid V, they were beating a DEAD RACE HORSE.

I can’t deny the talents on display for Metal Gear Solid - Ground Zeroes. It laid down some really cool foundations for the gameplay, but I still believe the better game-series for stealth was beaten by the likes of Splinter Cell and most recently Thief. Stealth in MGS has always felt a little bit childish and I only really enjoyed MGS 1, MGS 2, tried to play MGS 3 (still have it one my Vita!) and will try to finish it. MGS 3 has felt like the TRUE Zeroes experience, with the inception of the story and lore behind the cloning of Big Boss. MGS 4 finally brought it all to a great finale and I felt, there is NOTHING more to tell. MGS 1, 2 and 4 is the Trilogy, MGS 3 serves as the Prequel and I see nothing wrong with that.

Mission - Erase Kojima’s Legacy

The making of MGS V - The Phantom Pain is kinda true to it’s title. Can you feel the nostalgia? Or are we just imagining the sensation of a Metal Gear Solid game past it’s prime? The missing link? The missing limb? And with the worlds biggest cop-out of everything that had to do with story was completely missing.

Each mission is playing out every time the same, with an intro to a TV-show, giving away massive spoilers to who would appear in the mission, you do your thing (not so much of story, just a “go-here, do that approach, sneak back out, head to pick-up) rinse and repeat. I wonder how much of this was Kojima’s fault? I don’t think he was up to it. I’m sure he fought for more story but the big heads didn’t want to listen to what makes a MGS game a MGS game. The new management had now already played the hand to disown the man who put Konami on the map for games since the mid 80s.

The game is no longer marketed like before. The tagline “A Hideo Kojima Game” no longer exists and will never be part of Konami’s mission of erasing the person who gave them their fame and the recognition that a game carrying the name Konami was a brand of quality for any gamer out there. Me myself, personally only played PES because of the stellar animations, but its recently since 2012, I stopped playing the series. FIFA had already cheapened itself, PES likewise. Updating the graphics, but the same old animations have been recycled back to the PES3 days. Maybe there’s been an update in the collision engine, but otherwise everything stayed the same, with the huge amount of data collected from previous years of motion-capture, why do it all over when its all about the brand recognition? Saving money on processes wherever possible. Simple Math. And here it is. MGS V is not a MGS game.

We already knew it was going to be a massive budget behind the game of MGS V. But what can Konami do to save money on MGS V? They already have the Fox Engine running from Ground Zeroes. The assets for “Snake” (I’ll let you know why I put quotation-marks around it) and standard models will extend somewhat. Oh, yes, let’s save money on a character that doesn’t speak (Quiet), over-sexualize the character to start a fan-base of people who just dig character design, animated a sexy “shower” routine for the character for boys to go nuts over. What about voice? Let’s not really try to sync the voices to the mouths. Let’s have the guy from “24″ record his performances onto tape-logs. Kiefer Sutherland would have been a good “Snake”, but I understand now that you are not “SNAKE”. The game explains pretty soon at the end that you are just a Medic and all the tapes you’ve been listening to is the original Big Boss. You never where the character of Snake. Even though this all could have been handled better, Konami wanted to save money wherever possible. We also knew David Hayter was not asked or put forward to return as “The Voice of Snake”. But in this case I start to wonder myself, David Hayter might have dodged the biggest bullet in the most expensive, commercial and very controversial game of all time once Konami decided to kill everything that built up their reputation.

Even during production Kojima managed to start working on PT. The game Konami “silenced” after it was released on the PS-store. Guillermo Del Toro and his friendship with Hideo Kojima’s dream-game was put on ice. All because Kojima was about to get frozen out of the company that was according to Konami “Wasting too much bloody money”. I might get blacklisted for saying this, but once the new management started to mess with the other IPs for just domestic/gambling market, that’s where everything went sideways. Konami wasn’t treating their heritage with respect.

It took them 7 years to realize their mistake! And now, for those who wants to be part of 3rd party developers who would get a crack at a new Castlevania, a new Metal Gear Solid (remake I hope), Konami has realized that the only way they will survive (Yeah, Metal Gear Solid Survive killed them HARD) is to let other’s take over. Maybe my dream of scoring a Metal Gear Solid game would be somewhat more possible now rather than working in the confined space of limitations posed by the higher ups at Konami. Let 3rd party developers breathe life into the IPs because I know there are smarter ways to tell a story and I would gladly like to see the return of David Hayter in the seat, without having to deal with the blank-face approach that he was faced with every time he had to audition for Snake in MGS 2, 3 and 4! David Hayter is a fantastic writer, actor and voice-actor. He has the chops and I think we are all ready for either a re-make or a better follow up to MGS 2 and the time between that one and MGS 4.

#Metal Gear Solid V #the phantom pain #Konami #Hideo Kojima #Akira Yamaoka #Yong Yea #Castlevania #Pachinko #Silent Hill #PT #Ground Zeroes #harry gregson williams #ludvig forssell #3rd Party #Bloober team #remake #Metal Gear Solid Remake

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steve0discusses · 5 years ago

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Yugioh S4 Ep 18 pt 1: California Public Transit can Take you to Hell, but it Can’t Take You to the Freakin Mall

Apparently Tumblr did an update, joining the throng of techie websites that chose a godawful very open and round sans fontface that creates a hell ton of white-space.

Aaaaaa

Not quite sure why every website feels like they must make all websites look like a mobile site. I do enjoy having a dark mode now and that’s nice, but man...I miss the bold font we used to have for titles on text files. Really told you “this is a title.”

Not like it matters since y’all are reading this on my own blog where I have control of how it looks, but man...that awful typeface where there kerning is nice for short stuff but just...too wide for serious reading. It’s everywhere I go.

And speaking of bad kerning, like I saw this ad for a gym that was called “49ERSFIT” (because that’s our football team, in case you don’t know) but the kerning was reallllllly narrow so I looked at it and all I could see was “49ERSHIT” and like...I can’t unsee it. I can never unsee that.

Anyways, enough about how I’m haunted by font, lets talk about Yugi, who used to be haunted by Yami, up until he died this morning. So now Yami is just kicking it all on his own for a total of....maybe a few hours now, and has already destroyed an entire Caltrain, and whatever ecosystem was in this lake.

Seto Kaiba would be so proud.

Somewhere in the Ocean, or over the ocean, or...wherever the hell Atlantis is, Darts has decided that Pharaoh is NOT dead after all, and sends Rafael to finish the job, because youknow--Darts won’t move his lazy ass until all of his lackeys are fully dead. It’s an anime.

And then we have a jump cut to this tent scene. I don’t know how much time has passed. It’s suggested it’s enough time to fully sleep. So...a full day?

And Yugioh pulls the most unexpected plot turn out of their pocket because why not, it’s Season 4. This season is just about “how many strings can I pull and get away with” (I mean have you SEEN the Death Count lately?)

........

there’s a lot of things I expected out of this kids show.

This was never one of those things I thought I would see with my eyes--one of those things I could cap with my prt scr button, and one of those things I could paste into Photoshop and be like “wow this is really a thing that was made canon.”

Like for how long I had to cap this photo of Yami and Tea sharing a bed together, the people who made this show, spent THAT much longer having to animate it. What is just mindboggling about Yugioh, is that no one on the entire team was like “oh did we just...” and this set-up happens--and they treat it like NOTHING is happening.

Like, how is that humanly possible to write your flagship pairing into the same bed and then just not even recognize it? Like I get how it’s physically possible, I just watched it, but as a writer, as an artist, as someone who tells stories, how is it possible to resist poking fun at this?

Like the RESTRAINT on the Yugioh team, y’all.

(read more under the cut)

I hope you enjoyed this trope that flashed on the screen for all of like...a minute. Lets throw a giant dog at it.

So fun fact, the Egyptian god that is shaped like a wolf is Wepwawet. He’s best known for guiding people through the underworld, which fits nicely into this episode. But, did the writers know that? Is that why Skye is here? To be a reference to Wepwawet? I have no idea. But this dog is here, and every time his eyes look directly into the camera they are drawn--a little bit wrong. Not as bad as when they drew horses, but wow they did not really enjoy drawing this dog’s eyes when it’s straight on.

As for Chris and old man in this episode, I don’t know where they got this outfit style from. It sure ain’t traditional Ohlone. It’s...I mean it’s what happens when you don’t do your research, honestly. And I get the sense that these two aren’t supposed to be any Native American tribe as recent as Ohlone, and might be Atlantean from things they say later in this episode, in regards to cards and the spirit realm or whatever--but uh...

...where did these outfits...come from? I just want to know their research. Chris has a 1920′s hat for some reason. The old man has a staff with poofy bits on it. He dresses more like a 1960′s hippie than he does an indigenous person. Questions. I have questions.

Chris leads us outside to where this old biblical-looking character is collecting all of Yugi’s dropped cards. No idea where Weevil’s went, including the card of his that currently contains his soul. Probably underneath that Caltrain somewhere.

What does Kaiba make these cards OUT OF?

Yami has decided, after this card shunned him once, that maybe it’s time to remove it from his deck.

(Pretty sure he did not decide to remove the Orichalcos, however, which is still in there, as we see later. Thing is, I just realized that Oricalchos would basically be Yugi’s soul, right? So maybe he just keeps it around for company? Takes it out occasionally and waves at it?)

Iron Heart kind of seems like that type of old guy who used to be a hippie and now teaches Physics to High Schoolers. I say this because I’ve had a couple of teachers a lot like Iron Heart where like you’d look at them and it’d be like “Yo you have to be like 600 years old, but like, all you talk about is all the drugs you did during the Hippie Era, how are you even still ALIVE?”

Speaking of people that shouldn’t be alive (although unlike my physics teacher, this guy is deffo dead...)

And then just completely out of no where Yami demands a Spirit Journey.

Like what the hell, Yami? That’s like...a crazy blunt assumption to make. Mind you, if I had asked my High School Physics teacher for a spirit journey, he would have had a lot of stories for me. He regularly told us that he could kick the ceiling (but couldn’t do it right now because he had to go to his special chiropractor first and get the right medication for that.)

Sorry my bro also had this Phsyics teacher and he just told me that he witnessed this 70+ year old man kick the ceiling and like...I don’t know if he’s lying. Either way, that is an incredible chiropractor.

And then, adjust your seat belts folks, because then this happens,

WOW!

WOW THAT’S A LOT OF LORE!

WOW HELL IS MY BACKYARD!

LITERALLY HELL BACK THERE!

Wow. Maybe that’s why California is on fire so often, amiright?

Man. In the Yugioh Universe 1.) The Loma Prieta Earthquake never happened so the Embarcadero is still multilevel 2.) The Bay Area industry got completely wiped out by Pegasus/Darts/Kaiba and is a literal wasteland 3.) The Caltrain actually goes fast 4.) Hell/Spirit Purgatory is located somewhere between the bedroom communities of San Jose and Millbrea.

The Yugioh Alternate California Universe is kind of awesome.

Ah, welcome to Yosemite, now conveniently placed in South Bay.

It also has Hell for some reason.

And then Yugioh decided to use a background from some other anime to save costs.

Speechless, I’m absolutely speechless.

This is a good season, I don’t know what some of y’all were complaining about.

Anyway, I split this one into two because it felt like...too long for one update, but the other one will be hopefully up this weekend, that’s right--I’m getting back in to the swing of things. Sort of. Kind of.

but anyways, if you just got here, this is a link to read these in chrono order from the beginning.

#yugioh #Yu-Gi-Oh #ygo #yami #yugi muto #tea gardner #darts #hell for some reason #california #some trippy old guy who looks stoned as hell #and some random girl who has a very large dog and a bowler hat #S4 #Ep18

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wafflewarriors · 5 years ago

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Quality FanFiction Recommendations!

Quarantined? Bored? Itching to read? I have just the thing for you. I have around 100+ fanfic recommendations with descriptions!!! Yay!

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Disclaimer: None of what is below is mine. Not even the descriptions. :)

I have read all of these though and I can promise they are very good!

WARNING = Possibly triggering. Rather be safe than sorry, but you can certainly ignore these.

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Fics for Superwholock, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Avengers, Merlin, Sherlock and Miscellaneous below.

Superwholock (and Variations)

Second Chances: When Sam Winchester finds himself stuck in New York City with new abilities he doesn’t know how to use and a recent life-changing event he can’t remember, the last thing he expects is to find friends and allies in the city’s resident heroes. But Sam isn’t the only new arrival to New York: the supernatural world doesn’t want to let Sam go, and their plans extend beyond just Sam and the city. Sam is going to have to bring together every hero he can to save New York—and maybe along the way, he can save himself, too.

New York City has been referred to as the City of Dreams, but for Sam Winchester, it’s more than that—it’s also the City of Second Chances. (VERY VERY GOOD AND STILL UPDATING; I’M STILL READING IT)

Breaking the Cycle: The TARDIS materializes at the Broward County Mystery Spot on a Tuesday.

The Other Loki: There’s a new Trickster in town. Tony and the other Avengers aren’t sure what to make of him.

The Tomato in the Mirror: Loki body-swaps with Sam. Later, things get weird.

Don't Blink? No Problem: Castiel meets a Weeping Angel. It's not a fair fight.

Supernatural

Road Song: Dean attempts to calm the reader with a drive in the Impala after a night filled with nightmares.

WARNING Cabin Fever: When you’ve been cooped up with the Winchesters for too long your plan to get an hour away from them takes a terrible turn for the worse.

Cold as Ice: After an accident, Dean and the reader find themselves stuck in the woods during a storm.

Counting the Days: The world was overrun by the Croatoan virus, Sam said ‘yes’ to Lucifer, and Dean hasn’t talked to his brother in five years. One of these things is not like the others.

WARNING You Bleed, I Bleed: Dean confronts you, and tells you that from now on, anything you do to yourself, he will do to himself. Because he just can’t stand to see you hurting, alone in your pain.

Imagine Winchester Saving You From Jack Frost: (no description) “Ice crystals blossomed across your skin, growing and claiming your body as it’s own. You were glistening, the frost reflecting the evening sun like millions of stars. The beauty of winter dominated your body, sprouted from your neck, your neck that had gelid fingers curled around it.”

Tired and Scared: So, backstory is that the reader is doing some sort of a quest and it’s doing bad stuff to her, sort of like Sam and the trials.

I Think I Might Need You: Dr. Jade Thorpe is a strong, independent woman. It’s how she defines herself, the lens through which she views the world. So when everything she knows and has drops out from under her, she has nowhere to turn but to three men who she’s never met, who she will grow to know as, “the f****** Winchesters and that goddamn angel.”

NSFW All Your Pretty Lies: The first time you meet Dean Winchester he almost kills you. Don’t all healthy relationships start with attempted murder?

WARNING You are the Blood in my Veins: You’ve been dealing with self harm for years, the brothers don’t know yet and you don’t know how much more you can take.

Long I Stood: [Endverse!AU] After his phone call with Dean in “The End,” Sam is exhausted. Still recovering from his near-relapse when hunters Reggie Hull and Tim Janklow tried to force him to drink demon blood and unwilling to fall into bed because Lucifer is waiting in his head, Sam sets off running.

He runs straight into the end of the world, where Zachariah tells him that this is where his choices will inevitably lead him unless he plays his part. Sam finds unexpected allies in the survivors at Camp Chitaqua, and maybe―just maybe―there’s still reason for hope. Maybe they won’t always wind up here. Not if Sam has his say.

When Summoning, Please Watch the Wording: (A strange crossover of Supernatural and Good Omens. I don’t even know if it’s canonically correct but it was very entertaining.)

Find the Light: This is the first part of a series! Sam and Dean discover Y/N as a victim of a Djinn.

In the Quiet Moments: Being stuck in your own horrible inner thoughts is hard. It’s even harder to when those thoughts feel more and more real. Sometimes, you need someone to pull you back to reality and remind you of your worth.

Waiting: The reader is seriously injured on a hunt. Sam and Dean take you to Bobby’s so he can patch you up. Dean is freaked to Hell.

WARNING Chink in the Armor: Dean Winchester, in the years following Sam’s departure for college, was not a very stable individual.

WARNING Trust Us: You get kidnapped by the two mass murderers you’ve seen on TV, Sam and Dean Winchester. But are they as bad as they are made out to be?

Heavy Sleeper: Imagine Sam and Dean finding the reader asleep in the impala after a long hunt.

Period Pains: The reader has her period worse than usual and Dean takes note, taking care of her in anyway he can. (so cute)

Headache: Reader has a migraine and Sam and Dean don’t realize it and are annoying.

Through the Dark: You finally go on your first hunt, accompanying Sam and Dean. The experience leaves you haunted and Dean does his best to comfort you.

WARNING Be Free: AU from end of Southern Comfort. Sam takes Dean’s words to heart, his mind throwing in its own two cents. Believing it is what will make Dean happy, Sam runs and becomes untraceable until it is almost too late. Dean calls in any help he can to find his brother, including angelic assistance. But finding someone with the knowledge Sam has, and who doesn’t want to be found, the remaining members of Team Free Will better pull out all the stops, and fast.

Imagine Falling Asleep While Watching TV with Dean One Shot: Exhaustion. That was the sign of a hunt well done.

Finding Out You Made a Crossroad’s Deal to Save Him: (no description; preference)

Selfish Motives: Imagine taking a bullet for Dean and he gets emotional while patching you up.

WARNING Reflection: A dark time from the reader’s past comes to light.

Shattered: “The one you shattered? I can fix it.” He said, hand already hovering over your hip. It wasn’t the first time you’d had this conversation, you had the unfortunate feeling it wouldn’t be the last. (tooth-rotting fluff)

Protection Detail: “You’re okay, you’re safe.” The man driving spoke softly. Something about the deep timbre of his voice sounded familiar and strangely comforting. You’d heard it before, but couldn’t for the life of you figure out where or when. There was sincerity in his tone- he truly believed what he was saying. Safe. Too bad he’s wrong. He couldn’t possibly know who you were running from or what they’d done to you. Even worse, what they’d do to him for getting in the way. He was in far over his head and it would only get him killed.

WARNING If Anything Happened to You: After jumping in front of the gun one too many times, the Winchester’s are wondering if there is something more to it than just saving them.

He Isn’t Heavy, He’s My Brother: What happens when the boys are stranded and one of them becomes violently ill? (it’s dean)

You Can’t Rule with a Broken Upper Hand: Successfully killing Lilith and keeping Dean out of Hell has the brothers ready for a good, old-fashioned, hunter-on-demon brawl. It’s time to get back to the basics, back to the way things used to be, when monsters got ganked and that was the end of things. That said, they are not ready for a new kind of creature to appear in the middle of their fight, covered in blood and begging for mercy they aren’t supposed to give.

Meanwhile, Castiel is panicking. He’s been tortured senseless for four decades straight, and now he’s been thrown down in front of two hunters. If he thought his brothers were bad… well, all angels knew how cruel hunters were… and Castiel has no idea how to convince them he doesn’t need to be, in the shorter one’s words, ganked.

Forgotten: Sam and Dean are working a case in Wyoming, but are distracted by news of a dangerous angel called “Castiel” who they can’t remember ever having heard of before. The name seems a little bit familiar, but neither of the boys is sure why. (THIS ONE IS SO GOOD)

Bronco: Reader goes on a hunt alone and hides more serious injuries from Sam and Dean. She heads to Bobby’s to recover only to have the boys show up shortly after. (I love this one)

WARNING We As Human: Sam has been struggling with depression since Stanford. Well, not really struggling. Excelling. He’s been excelling at depression since Stanford, and it’s only gotten worse since he started hunting again. Unfortunately, the relapses from John’s death and Dean’s trip to Hell were bad, but they had nothing on the downward spiral triggered by Sam starting the Apocalypse.

But Sam has never come clean before, and he isn’t about to start. He’s self-medicating, he’s suppressing, and he’s handling things in the Trademark Winchester Way. He can do this. He can totally do this.

Spoiler: No, he can’t.

WARNING Stop the Clock: Being cooped up in the bunker with the Men of Letters archive at your fingertips, you’re now the go-to person for help with lore. But having so many hunters depend on you is overwhelming. You don’t have enough time for yourself and you’ve reached a breaking point. (Dean holding you after a panic attack and comforting you.)

WARNING Chance Encounters: You are running. As a hunter, it seems like you are always running. Whether it be toward an enemy or away. You find yourself in a bar and are saved by Sam and Dean. As Dean gets curious about you, you start to fall for him. With all that is going on with the boys, you offer to help.

Come Hell or Highwater: Oneshot where the reader is stranded on a little boat in the middle of the ocean with one of the boys, and has a super repressed fear of water.

Blood and Tears: The reader is having really bad period cramps, and Dean doesn’t know how to help. (vulgar)

Deep thoughts: When the Winchesters find her, strung up and tortured by a demon, they realize she’s something more than an average human. Sam’s curious, Dean’s apprehensive, and Elise knows everything - because she can hear their thoughts.

Walkie-Talkies: The reader and Dean have to wait out a blizzard at a motel. Question is: will things heat up or not?

Ruination: The night Dean kicks him out of the bunker, Castiel has to find shelter from the rain. But he unwittingly stumbles across a monster’s lair and is caught…and as far as he knows, no one’s looking for him. Meanwhile, Sam’s not buying Dean’s story about why Cas left, and he won’t be satisfied until he finds some answers. Assuming the ex-angel lasts that long.

One Saved Message: After a hunting accident puts Sam out of commission for a couple of days, Dean decides to surprise his brother with a new phone, since his old one is toast. Even better is when he finds that he’s been able to save all of Sam’s old information and restore it to his cell. That’s when he discovers an old voicemail that Sam has kept saved for the last two and a half years… (Voicemail fix-it)

Stargazing: Sam used to want something for himself. Voicemail and amulet fix-it.

Desolation Angels: She slides into the passenger seat and shuts the door as he throws the car into drive. He speeds down the empty highway, deftly avoiding the dead cars dotting the asphalt. // AU starting at the end of AHBL Part One. (An exercise in character study.)

Lullaby: Imagine TFW finding out that the sleeping pills you take every night don’t stop the nightmares; they just keep you from screaming.

Worth It: Tag to Plucky Pennywhistle’s. When they get back to the motel room, Dean discovers Sam’s been hiding his injuries.

Avengers

Fallen Hero: A five part story of Peter and Tony’s relationship beyond what we’re shown in the MCU. If you’re into having your heart shredded and crying yourself to sleep, this is for you.

Five Times Peter Said ‘Sorry’ to Mr.Stark: …and the one time he didn’t have to.

Marvel Masterlist: This Masterlist includes Avengers and the Hell’s Kitchen Boys (Defenders and Punisher).

WARNING Dumb Luck: Having a panic attack during your flight wasn’t part of the plan. Lucky for you your seatmates are there to save the day.

Identity Theft: An organically developed, platonic slow-burn of Avengers-fam dynamic with a heavy hand of Irondad & Spiderson. Throw in an overdose of whump, a couple of cunning villains and a big-bad hiding in the shadows, and you got yourself this hot mess.

WARNING The Homes We Make: Peter Parker isn’t the type of boy to run crying to Tony Stark because he can’t handle a punch. Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds aren’t the type of friends to ignore Peter’s rapidly declining health. Eugene “Flash” Thompson isn’t an idiot.

Division of the Heart: Tony Stark is sick. Surely that’s not going to be a problem? When he doesn’t tell the team a normal cold is a little more complicated with the Arc Reactor, things get a little out of hand.

Doctor Who

WARNING Reasons: The Doctor comforts his companion when she sees a familiar face, a face she wishes she could forget.

Time to Let Go: ANGST ANGST ANGST :)

Flowers for Words: This is a little… darker than my usual. There’s kinda graphic descriptions of bloody things, so this ain’t for the squeamish.

WARNING Trust: After running away from your abusive father, you find yourself in the dark and all alone. That is, until a strange man approaches you.

Stolen: The Doctor left Rose in the other universe with the Meta-Crisis Doctor to give her a chance at a normal life. Now he’s come back to get her, and the knowledge of what she’s been put through will drive him temporarily mad.

Vision: (no description but I can tell you it’s good)

Waving Through History: The Doctor will never see her again, but that doesn’t mean she can’t see him again. // Seven times Amy and Rory visit the past Doctor and one time Amy sees the future Doctor. Post-Angels, 1930-1988.

Trapped in an Elevator: You are late for work when you become trapped in an elevator with the Eleventh Doctor.

The Curious Case of the Doctor and the Cat: Master of the Seven Blocks Rusty Grr'wa is a cat, a Good Boy with a simple life. He must protect and patrol his Seven Blocks, generously let select People pet his incredible fur, and look after the Stacy, the Mum, and the Dad. Then he runs into not-People the Doctor and the Doctor’s Clara Oswald. And then they must all deal with the Sky-thing. (crack)

Afraid of the Dark: It was quiet. That was the first thing that truly caught your attention.

Reality: A more realistic story of a whovian getting stuck in the “Doctor Who” universe. This isn’t the typical “Yay, I met the Doctor” story. If you suddenly found out the Doctor was real, wouldn’t you be a little scared? That would mean all the monsters were real too!

WARNING Psycho Savior: A young woman contemplates suicide by power steering fluid. An attempt to subvert the fan cliche in which the Doctor talks someone out of suicide.

Cold Comfort: The Doctor had his back turned, so he didn’t see how badly Rose’s hands shook as she wrapped them around the thick mug.

Human: The doctor decides it’s not safe for you to travel with him anymore, so he tries to push you away.

Pretty Girl: (no description) “I’m not beautiful,” you say one day.

WARNING: Knock Three Times: Two perfect strangers wake to find themselves being held in adjacent prison cells with no memories of who they are or how they got there. It isn’t until they are faced with agonizing trials that push the limits of self-sacrifice to new horrific heights, that they realize just what they’re facing and how much they will need to trust each other in order to survive.

WARNING Better Now: (no description)

Stellar Storytime: (no description)

Merlin

Deep in the Diamond of the Day: What if Merlin was the one to sustain the mortal injuries during the Battle of Camlann, not Arthur? Will the Once and Future King be able to save his friend? More importantly, will he WANT to after finally discovering Merlin’s secret? A fix-it fic for the series finale, which shattered my soul.

Allow One to ‘See’: When the King is attacked in his tent on patrol and falls into an unending sleep everyone is worried. What they don’t know is that Arthur is fine. In fact he is standing right here next to them, watching them all fret over his prone body. To stave off the boredom whilst a cure is found Arthur takes to wandering the castle and soon discovered a hidden side of Camelot he never knew about.

Or: Arthur’s soul gets trapped outside his body and takes to following his servant around. He gets an interesting insight into Merlin, his servant’s life and just how much Camelot needs the man.

Peace for Our Time: Merlin froze for several seconds before squinting at Arthur across the table. “I feel like I’m definitely misunderstanding the situation here.”

Arthur sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I really don’t think you are.”

“You want me to learn magic?”

In a Name: In the middle of some quest or another, Merlin, Arthur and the knights find themselves stuck in the middle of a shrine being told that, if they wish to proceed unharmed, they need only speak their true names and titles. Straight-forward enough, right? Wrong. Merlin really hates the Old Religion sometimes.

Sherlock

WARNING Write Love on Her Arms: (no description)

Spiderman Into the Spider-verse

Ground Zero: Basically, the plot of Spider-Man; Into the Spiderverse if they all got sent to Peter B.’s universe instead of Miles’

Stranger Things

Bleeding: Hopper confronts Reader seven weeks after she left Hawkins.

Timeless

All These Tears I’ve Cried: A snapshot of Lucy’s nightmares, and the aftermath of each. Loosely set between 2x05 and 2x06.

Detroit: Become Human

Skip-able NSFW Leap: Amanda thinks she’s won, but Connor has one last trick up his sleeve. He’s determined to find someone who can fix him and get rid of CyberLife’s influence once and for all. And of course that person is a human woman, the owner of a small android repairshop in downtown Detroit. And she’s not happy about the deviant android who’s just broken in, but necessity dictates she help CyberLife’s most sophisticated prototype escape his chains. With her help, Connor soon discovers what fills the void between the lines of his code.

The Good Doctor

Do No Harm: Shaun is a doctor. He heals the sick and injured, and he takes care of people that need his help. He made this vow in full, understanding the responsibility he was taking on. So, when the bus swerved, when it crashed and flipped, it came as second nature to him. Despite his pain, and despite his injuries, he still pushed himself to do as much as he could for those around him. And he did. Without hesitation, he tried to save as many people as possible. And in doing do, he wasn’t able to save himself.

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cross-roads-blues · 6 years ago

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Deep Inside Your Mind /ch.4

[chapter 1] [chapter 2] [chapter 3] [ [chapter 5]

Notes: Your author is not dead. However, now that my break has ended, updating this story on a daily basis has gotten a bit harder for me, so the updates may be every 2 or 3 days. Also, need to establish some timelines.

1) Takes place before Mary gets brought back

2) Angels still have wings

3) Dean doesn't have the Mark of Cain

4) Crowley and TFW have a complicated relationship but none of them is actively trying to kill another.

Warnings: None, really.

Summary: While on a usual hunt, Dean Winchester is hit by something. While Dean recovers, he can’t remember neither Castiel, who’s been harboring feelings for Dean for over 5 years, nor Sam Winchester, his brother, who is 💔 by such turn of events. Can Cas and Sam reverse the damage, while battling their inner demons?

Chapter: 4/?

Word Count: 6520/?

Chapter Title: Way Down We Go

Jamie exited the hospital room and shut the door behind her. Or rather, the demon that was possessing the nurse made her exit the room and shut the door behind her. Word travels fast and talk about the comatose Winchester brother spread like fire in the middle of June. But now the demon didn’t need the meatsuit of the nurse. Everything he needed to know was already revealed: Dean Winchester was indeed amnesiac and he didn’t remember a damn thing about his past.

The demon in nurse meatsuit made his way to the storage room. The nurse locked the door and turned around on her heels approaching the corner of the room where in the dark, a man, seemingly unconscious, was sitting, leaning on the wall. The demon smoked out of the nurse and in the form of red smoke traveled to the man, possessing him. The man opened his eyes, stood up, dusted his pants and sighed with relief, looking at his hands. Being back in his meatsuit made Crowley very happy. After all, it was a rather handsome meatsuit. Crowley didn’t like to leave his meatsuit, but he had to take the nurse for 15 minutes to check on Dean. Anyway, he was on the new objective now. “Huh,” smirked Crowley and in the second, there was no one in the storage room of Dallas Municipal Hospital.

“Raised? By an angel? Why would an angel want to raise this scum?” Sam turned around and rubbed his temples.

Castiel squinted and again glanced at the top of the trees, slightly glistening from the start of sunrise. “I don't know. I could be able to trace the angel, though.”

“Great! Let's start with that! C'mon, do your mojo.” !” said Sam, with way too much tension in his voice.

Castiel pressed his lips and walked away from the grave. “I can’t just do it right here right now,” he said finally, making pauses between words. “I need to lay hands on something that the angel has touched.”

Sam aggressively ran his hand through his hair. “The ghost witch probably. If the angel yanked it out of Purgatory, or wherever this thing was, like you yanked Dean out of Hell, there should be a mark. ”

Castiel nodded. “Yes, there must be a mark.”

“Okay, zap us back to Dallas, we need a plan,” said Sam with a frown on his face, “Why can’t life just be easy?”

“You’re a Winchester and I’m an angel, I’m guessing that’s the thing,” murmured Cas, as he transported both of them back to the motel.

“Ugh, your teleport mojo always messes me over.” Sam stumbled over to the refrigerator, bumping into the kitchen’s doorway and grabbed another can of coffee. “I feel like shit now.”

“Maybe it’s because of your poor sleeping schedule,” commented Castiel, as he grabbed a book titled “Native American Legends” and collapsed in the chair, flipping through it.

“Definitely not.” Sam threw the can in the garbage bin, this time missing the bin and letting the can skittle in the corner.

“Right,” mouthed Castiel. “What’s the plan?” he said aloud, glancing up at the younger Winchester.

Sam shrugged. “We need to figure out how to track this thing. Get you to it for a long enough time and then have a nice talk with our feathery friend.” He dropped into a chair, letting his hair fall over his face. “I combed through all lore on ghost witches at least twice and I got no idea how to do that,” he added in muffled voice.

“Cheer up, Moose.” A way too familiar voice was heard from the doorway. Both Castiel and Sam jumped from their seats and bared their weapons: Castiel pointed an angel blade while Sam reached out for Ruby’s knife.

“I come in peace.” Crowley raised his eyebrows and displayed his empty hands. “Offended that you’d even think anything else of me.”

“Why’re you here, Crowley?” spat out Sam, still pointing the knife at the demon.

“To cuddle and watch Mean Girls,” smirked Crowley, “A little birdie brought on its tail that Squirrel forgot my pretty face. Now that’s a problem I’m interested in.”

Crowley strolled to the armchair and casually sat in it. “Ah yes, I know all about your little amnesia problem. About Skudakumooches, too. Wanted to help,” he continued in his gruff voice.

“Why?” Castiel slightly relaxed his stance, weapon still tight in his hand.

Crowley gave him a tight smile. “Because we’re besties. And because your ghost witches are going after my crossroads demons.”

“Okay, what?” Sam put the knife away and set on the bed.

“Heard me right. Etchemin spells. Killing my best salesmen. Guessing that’s the work of your best buds.” Crowley leaned back in the armchair and crossed his hands.

“Okay and how are you gonna be useful, Crowley?” Sam rested his elbows on his knees and glared at the King of Hell.

“I got a friend who got a friend who got a friend who used to be a shaman before they went to Hell and I got a summoning ritual on my hands.” Crowley did jazz hands. “Tada.”

Sam raised his eyebrow. “Okay, Crowley, why do you think we want to summon this thing?”

Crowley stared back at him, feigning surprise. “Why, to kill it of course. This thing is murdering my demons, it turned your brother Jason Bourne, I assumed you want it dead.”

Castiel and Sam exchanged glances. “What do you want in return?” finally spoke Sam.

“I want it dead. Seriously, did you listen to the word I said?” Crowley’s eyebrows shot up. “I said that it kills my guys and my little establishment known as Hell-” he accentuated that word - “is losing clientele! So I am more than willing to cooperate.”

Castiel looked at Sam, furrowing his brows and pushing his lips tightly together. Sam didn’t say anything, just nodded. Castiel hesitated for a second, then turned back to Crowley. “Deal. Give us the ritual.”

Crowley gave him an enigmatic tight-lipped smile. “Attaboy. Kill it real hard for me, will you?” He handed Castiel a folded piece of paper. Before taking it, Castiel gave Crowley a glare and practically yanked the paper out of his hand.

“We’re not killing it for you, Crowley,” said the angel in a haunting deep voice.

Crowley grinned. “Wouldn’t think so. Still you get the job done and that’s all I care about. I’d hate to lose any more of my salesmen. I have a reputation to maintain here.” With these words, Crowley teleported, leaving Castiel and Sam staring at an empty armchair.

“Okay, now Crowley is involved and he knows about Dean’s situation. This just got more complicated,” said Sam, stowing away the knife and sighing.

Castiel tilted his hand and squinted. “If Crowley knew, it means that the word about Dean got out. This can’t be good.”

Sam nodded. “I’ll talk to the doctor about getting him here tomorrow. We should head to the bunker, do the summon, trace the angel, force him to force the ghost witches to give Dean’s memory back and then kill them all.” Sam exhaled and leaned back, lying on the bed completely. “Man, I swear, sometimes it’s like the Universe is against us.”

Castiel looked at Sam. “You are going to get some sleep, while I-” he skimmed through the paper Crowley gave them “-am going to collect the ingredients for the ritual that we don’t have in the bunker.”

Sam got himself up from the bed, blinking rapidly and squinting. “No, Cas, wait, I can help with the-” he stuttered, looking for the word- “the, the…. the search of the ingredients.”

“No.” Castiel determinedly got up and walked up to the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Wait, I’m not done, I’m not done!” Sam started to get up from the bed, but the exhaustion and many sleepless nights started setting in. “Okay, I’m done,” he admitted, collapsing again on the bed, “I’m done.”

Castiel cast one last glance at the younger Winchester, turned off the lights and headed out of the door. He shut the door behind him and felt light morning breeze on his face, as the sun continued rising. The angel pressed his lips together and tilted his head up, letting weak sunlight fall on his face. For the first time in weeks, they had a lead. They had a real shot at saving Dean. Castiel glanced down as he thought about the angel that had risen the Skudakumooches and ordered them to do that to Dean. He imagined jamming an angel blade in his throat and that thought felt really therapeutic. With a flap of the wings Castiel wasn’t anymore on the porch of the motel room.

The sunlight lit up Dean’s hospital room, as the light wind from the open window played with the curtains. The angel stood in the middle of the room, not sure why did he come there. Dean was sleeping and Cas rejoiced at seeing the hunter so calm and at peace. He slowly approached the bed, being careful not to make any sound. Dean not remembering him hurt like hell, hurt in the ways he couldn’t imagine. The pain of his human not remembering him, while the angel’s most cherished memories were with Dean stung and Cas couldn’t get rid of it. The angel spent a couple of minutes looking at Dean’s face and, as he wanted to leave, the hunter’s green eyes slowly opened.

“What, what time is it?” sleepily murmured the hunter, blinking slowly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up, I was just checking up on you…” rambled Castiel, moving away from the bed, embarrassed.

“Wait!” called out hunter.

“What is it?” The angel hesitated and lingered for a couple of moments by the bed.

“Your eyes… they’re blue,” muttered Dean, weakly raising his hand and pointing towards Cas’ face.

Castiel tilted his head and furrowed his brows. “Yes, I’m aware of that.”

Dean, still half asleep and a bit dizzy from the meds, hesitated for a second, but then continued. “I had a memory… lots of pain and everything red and black… and then I saw a flash of white-” Dean stopped and stared directly in Cas’ eyes- “and in that flash, I think I saw your eyes. But that doesn’t make any sense. So, Castiel, tell me who the hell I am, who the hell you are and what did I see?”

Castiel gave him a tight-lipped smile and contemplated his answer for a second. "No more secrets," he thought.

“I am an angel of the Lord.”

[chapter 1] [chapter 2] [chapter 3] [chapter 5]

#destiel #castiel #sam winchester #dean winchester #spn fic #casdean #castiel x dean #dean x castiel #sam and dean #winchester bros #supernatural fic #supernatural fanfic #spn fanfic #destiel fanfic #destiel fic #spn fanfiction #amnesia fic #amnesia #crowley

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mamagabi-s-corner · 6 years ago

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Borderline’s 3rd year anniversary

Not sure if I’ll be making a video, but I think a post will suffice? I hope so. gfhhghj. Okay okay so like.. 18th September marks the anniversary of Borderline’s development. It has been 3 years since I started working on that game. God, time sure flies quite fast, and within that timespan, a lot regarding the game has changed, and.. truth be frank, it was quite an unexpected change.

You know what happened with the update 2 and shit, and it took about a year for me to release the final demo of the game (Iamsosorry;;), let’s just say that the changes made to the game were VERY necessary. So, here’s what happened.. The short summary that is: When I was fixing every bug possible found within the game, my laptop decided to be a bitch and thus resulted in rpgmaker freezing. so I had to use task manager to manually end the process. Big mistake. What happened was that the original data was corrupted, thus refusing to load. Luckily I had the backup data, but.. it was the buggy version of the game. So you can definitely imagine how bad I felt when I lost all that hard work and had to re-start all over again. Depression really hit me hard and I felt like I wanted to terminate the whole project and just do absolutely nothing. But one night, I had an epiphany, or as some might put it: a wake up call. It was that night where I literally said to myself: FUCK IT and just went with the flow, pretty much working on the game day in and day out, warming that seat up to fix everything and I mean EVERYTHING, not just the game itself, the lore, the characters, EVERYTHING HAD TO BE REVISED GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! I only took a couple of breaks to play a couple of fangames (one specifically cuz I am trash), but other than that, it was Borderline or bust. Later on, or actually beforehand, Chii (@chimakiisane) did a couple of re-sprites of my monsters since they weren’t feeling up to working on their game (they had really bad depression at the time and they wanted to help me out so of course I asked them if they could re-do the monster sprites and the facesets.) and you can imagine what happened from there. The moment I finished the game up to Gabriel’s point, I gave chii to test it out for me. Little did I know that she ended up giving the beta to James (dismaluprising) and the next thing I know, James helped me out with bug reports, more feedback and he did a layout for the haunted attraction, and in general helped me out with some things. ;; (he even bought me 7 coffees so I can buy the new rpgmaker 2003. LISTEN, THIS MAN! HE DESERVES ALL THE LOVE OK?! OK!) hence why it took a bit longer to release the final demo of the game because I was working on revising some bugs that were found, changed a couple of things and waited for chii to finish up important sprites (there are still more sprites that need to be finished), and then in May, I finally released Ultimatum. In which I thought something bad was going to happen, because the first two times, shit happened, the Ultimatum was the third try, and lucky for me, nothing bad happened. It was actually quite solid! I got bug reports, a new beta-tester, pretty much, a lot has happened. I just.. wish it took off a bit more, but maybe with the release of patch 2 in gamejolt, it might change some things.. I hope it does? *shrug* But other than that, I am happy with the changes, even if I have focused primarily on the main route so far, I will also put focus on the other routes as well. Now to explain the fate of burdel borble.

When am I gonna start working on it again when I release patch 2? I am not sure when exactly, shortly after I release Pretender and having a bit of a hiatus, I will start working on Borderline again, so I am not exactly sure when I will release the full game, maybe 2019 or 2020, it all depends on how long I take with Pretender, and with me hunting for a job for a while now, things can get a bit hectic and quite slow truth be frank. All in all, real life is slowly catching up with me. ;; maybe when I work on Pretender, I’ll also work on Borderline on and off to balance it out and shit, maybe.. ;;

all in all, within 3 years, I actually made so much progress you have no idea! So, what can you expect for the full release? Well, a lot to be precise. I am slowly getting more and more people to help me out with Borderline, and I am very happy that people are reaching out to me and wanting to help me out speed up the game a bit. I do still look for more aid, but I am very afraid to ask for help because I don’t want to seem like too much of a burden to people. ;; and hence why I am always scared of asking for help. I mean, if you want to help me out any way you can, feel free to hit me up via IM’s. I’d really appreciate any sort of help tbh!

and with that, the post is now concluded. sorry for no anniversary drawing, almost forgot the anniversary was gonna happen, time sure flies very fast ree. Thank you so much for following the development of Borderline and Pretender, and thank you for over 150 followers, and thank you for even putting up with me and thank you for listening. Bai bai ;w;

#mama birb speaks ; out of character #Borderline anniversary

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frejahertziswritingthistime · 7 years ago

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An education, Chapter 17

A/N: I’m literally in love with this series! I spend so many hours researching lore, myths, gods and demons (yes, all of it), and it really means the world to me, to get your feedback on it, even when it’s just a keyboard-smash! For the record, I did actually make the sigils mentioned in this chapter, so if I should add them, please let me know.

I just got to give the BIGGEST shout-out to @sherlockstolemyname, who has honestly become my sister, and I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU, and you are goddamn amazing! I also have to give a huge thanks to @shay-gen and @redeyedvixen, for keeping me sane and being truly amazing people.

Remember, I always say yes to requests, and feedback feeds the writer (FRIENDS SERIOUSLY; feedback means the world to me, and it makes me want to keep writing, so please, give me some feedback!)

MASTERLIST

An education Masterlist

Pairings: Dean x reader

Warnings: Language, mentions of death, implied smut, mentions of child-death, angst, fluff

Chapter 17 The horror

November

I groaned, as the insistent ringing of my phone drove me out of my very nice dream. I rolled over, still with my eyes closed, and felt a heavy arm slowly tighten around my waist. I groaned. “Dean, move your arm. My phone is being a little shit.”

“You’re a little shit.” Came his sleepy response, but he moved his arm none the less. I smacked around the bed-table, finally grabbing my phone and pressing the button, to answer the call.

“Yeah?” My voice was a tad more annoyed than I intended, but whatever. I got married yesterday and woken up way too early. I was allowed to be a little grumpy.

“Y/N? Listen, it’s Garth. Somethin’ bad is going down.” I sat up quickly, awake; Garth voice was so quiet, which was a danger-sign if I ever heard one. “What’s going on?” I poked Dean, until he opened his eyes, and I put the phone on speaker.

“I drove Jody home, but she… She got a call. Their calling in the stops, guys.” I furrowed my brows and looked to Dean. “Who is?” Garth was silent.

“Every goddamn police-force in South Dakota.” I was quiet, staring wildly at Dean. His gruff voice was still a little cracked with sleep, but he looked just as worried and awake as I was.

“Listen, it’s bad. It’s… An entire town has been slaughtered. I don’t know, guys, it sounded… It sounded horrible. It sounded like it was hell on earth. Kids, women, men, elders… Everybody is dead. It sounded like our demons, but who knows. You guys better figure it out. I’m going to round up every hunter I can, see if we can get this under control, but from what you’ve told me? I’m pretty darn sure, it’s only you three who can do shit about it.” I stared at Dean. An entire town. Murdered.

“Thank you, Garth. Thanks for… Updating, I guess.”

“No problem. Good luck.” He hung up, and I let the phone fall from my hand as Dean’s eyes searched mine. He looked so afraid, so scared and at the same time, determined to fix it – he was a warrior at heart, and I had known that ever since I met him, but right now? This was the moment, where I truly saw it. He grasped my hand, clutching it tightly.

“I’m gonna go to the library, make coffee and get all the information I can. You get Sam.” He whispered. I couldn’t talk, not yet, so I just nodded, clutching his hand back. He kissed me, almost a feverishly hungry gesture, and threw a shirt over his head and picked up a pair of pants from the floor and left our bedroom.

I sat in the bed for a few minutes, trying to collect myself. This… It was far worse, than what I could’ve imagined. It wasn’t because we hadn’t known that some shit would go down (if I were completely honest, I had felt somewhat uneasy by the silence and lack of murders lately), but this went far above what we had thought.

If the demons had been wild enough to kill an entire town in one night, we had our work cut out for us. They were getting restless. I had a feeling, it wasn’t just about breeding new vessels, but something more – something, the demons had been hard pressed to find; and I think they finally found it.

I set my feet on the cold floor, moving in slow-motion, as I passed my wedding dress on the floor, the facets of the shimmering, iridescent fabric shimmering in the soft light. I pulled a long-sleeved, black shirt over my head, and a pair of jeans on, my mind reeling. I didn’t know if I could do this. It felt like too much, too big, and it felt so very wrong to be going into a battle with practically unknown creatures, that apparently only I could kill.

I trotted down the hallway, almost automatically turning corners and ghosting my fingers over the walls, leading down to Sam’s room. I didn’t even bother knocking, as I reached his door, too tired and upset to do anything more than get him to the library. I stilled, blushed and shrieked, before I covered my eyes at the sight before me. Sam had two very long, smooth legs propped up against his shoulders, his hair tousled as if it had been pulled at all night, and his face was twisted in pleasure. If that hadn’t been bad, I managed to get a glimpse of Freyja under him, her face screwed up in pleasure as well, her soft moans echoing around the room.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I… I should have…” I stammered, and I could hear Sam grunt. “DUDE! Knock much!?” He groaned, and I peeked out from my fingers. He had laid down flatly on the goddess under him, but she seemed unperturbed by my presence, because her hips were still rolling gently under the covers, her moans filling my ears with Sam’s grunts of pleasure.

“Holy shit, oaky I’ll… Sam, get to the library fast, please. Something bad is going down. I just… Sorry!” I quickly walked out of the room, my face hot and I was horrified; I had just seen Sam Winchester have sex with a goddamn goddess. My maker, nonetheless.

I groaned and practically ran to the library, Dean’s worried face popping up.

“What happened? Is Sam okay?” He looked wildly behind me, almost ready to run, and I just nodded.

“He.. Uhm... He’s got company.” I said in a small voice, and Dean guffawed. “My man!” He said as he wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in a hug. I hugged him back tightly, reveling in his scent and his warm, big arms around me. I felt so small in his arms.

He kissed the top of my head. “We’ll figure this out, I promise Y/N. And then we get a honeymoon.” He said quietly against my hair. I nodded into his shirt. “I know. I’m scared, Dean.” He pulled away slightly and looked at me, his hand cupping my chin. He could see the unshed tears in my eyes.

“You don’t have to be scared. You’re a badass, remember? Besides, you’ve got me and Sam. We’ll protect you.” I sniffled.

“That’s what I’m scared of. What if I’m not as badass, as you think? What if something goes wrong, and one of you dies? I couldn’t… I can’t live without you, Dean. And Sam is like a brother to me, I couldn’t lose any of you. I’m so afraid you’ll leave me alone. You’re my life, my whole life, Dean. I couldn’t keep living.” I whispered. He wiped a stray tear away with his thumb.

“Oh, sweetheart. You’ll never lose us. You know me and Sam, we’re like cockroaches. We keep coming back.” He chuckled lightly but sobered at my expression. “Baby, I promise, we’ll be fine. All of us. I think Cas wants to be a part of this as well. We got backup. We can do this. You can do this. Trust me, when I say, you’re far more badass than I think you are, and way more than you think you are. I don’t think you have any idea of your power, Y/N. Trust me, we’ll do fine.” He looked me in the eyes. “I love you.” He said with a smile.

“I love you.” I answered, hugging him tightly again. We stood like that until Sam, looking mortified, came through the arch to the library, Freyja in tow. Dean raised his eyebrows at the sight before him and looked down at me. “He was banging the goddess?” He asked with pride. I nodded. Sam groaned and rolled his eyes. “okay, listen… That was fucking horrifying. I can’t even… Y/N, I’m sorry you had to see. Well, no, I’m angry you didn’t knock, but also…” He gestured wildly, and I held my hand up in the air, shutting him up. “Yup, got it. Always knock, and now we’ll never talk about this ever again, okay?” I said, looking everywhere but at him and Freyja. Freyja stepped forward, smiling happily and laid a hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you for your blade. And thank you for having that” she gestured to Sam, who blushed wildly “around. You have made a goddess very happy, and I shall not forget it. But, I do know you have a lot to talk about. I will leave you to it.”

She walked back to Sam and placed a searing kiss on his lips; he blushed harder, but kissed her back with the same fervor, that she did him. After a solid minute, they pulled away. Sam was panting slightly, and Freyja stroked his cheek gently.

“You know how to reach me, my love. I will dream of you.” She said, before disappearing, the warp in the air distorting Sam’s face a little. Dean looked at his brother, trying to suppress his laughter.

“So…” Sam glared at Dean, a finger pointed to him and Dean couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on Sam’s face. “You shut it. I don’t want to hear anything about it.” Dean grimaced.

“Alright, my love, we have stuff to talk about.” Dean said in a mock-voice, and Sam rolled his eyes. I sobered a little, as I saw the screen behind Dean – it was bad. Dean saw me looking at the screen, and he sighed, before turning to Sam.

“An entire town has been slaughtered. It's a town called Deadwood. Every single person. We’re talking a little over 1200 people. And it looks like demon-work.” He said quietly, as he moved to click through the pictures from the police-base. I gagged as I saw the mutilated bodies, horrified as a new one popped up, one more grotesque than the other. I gasped loudly and felt tears streaming down my face, as pictures of kids showed up on screen. Everyone. Babies, children, teenagers, all of them dead. I sobbed and turned away at the display of horror in front of me. Dean cleared his throat in the sobering silence, only broken by my ragged sobs.

“The entire South Dakota police-force has been called in, but there’s not a single lead. The only thing that’s… They call it an identifier, but what the fuck good will that do them? Anyway, it’s this.” He pointed to the screen at a picture of a sigil carved into the forehead of most of the people. “They have no idea what it means.”

I cocked my head and stared at it. “Is there any more?” I asked in a small voice. He looked worried, but nodded, and pressed a button on the computer, so the next picture popped up. I gasped, and tears spilled again. A child, no older than six, was holding a bloody teddy-bear, clutching it to her, even in death, and she looked so damn broken, my heart couldn’t bear it. I had to force myself to look at her little arm, so I could see the sigil clearly.

“Fuck.” I’m pretty sure I know what these are, but I need paper, so can convert them to text and then Enochian.” I muttered, and a piece of paper slipped in front of me. I copied the two sigils down and started the dreadful challenge of converting the lines and dots to numbers, and then converting them to Enochian. Dean and Sam was talking in hushed voices as I worked.

An hour later, I looked up from my papers. “I think I got it.” I pointed to the first sigil.

“This one translates to Nanaeel Falz. It really means a powerful ward against angels. It means… Angels, deities and other creatures created by a god of any kind, wouldn’t be able to help, even if they had been around. Or…” My face darkened at the words, I was about to say. “Or, they have hidden something inside of them. A little…” I gagged. “A gift. For us.” Dean froze, and Sam looked murderous. We all stood, looking at the innocuous lines, which had a meaning, no one wanted to be sure of. I pointed to the one, that had been carved into the girl’s arm.

“This one. It translates to Pashs Blans. It means protect the children, a… Safe keeping, I guess. I don’t think the demons did this. It seems… Too nice. Not that it helped the children, but I think it was meant as a message. For the demons. I think someone left the message there and hoped the demons would listen.” I shuddered.

“So, what now?” Dean said, looking at me and Sam. “Now, I think we need to walk willingly into a battle, where we only have a sword to protect us.” I said darkly. Dean nodded, but Sam looked thoughtful. “You think we could carve sigils or magic into blades and bullets? Not enough to kill them, I know, but just enough to slow them down?” I looked confused at him. “why?” He walked around the table, biting his lip.

“I think… If we can slow them down enough, you could take the lesser demons out. Then me and Dean might be able to crack a few of Berith’s ribs and use them as a weapon.” I nodded.

“It might work. Do you still have the book, Crowley gave you?” Sam nodded. “good. We’re going to need everything we can get our hands on. Bring it and bring a few books on sigils and magic. I don’t care if I have to translate the entire shit, we need to be warded.” Sam nodded seriously. “I’ll get the books. We still have a few pages, that hasn’t been translated yet. We gotta do it, Y/N, or we’ll never get this right.” I nodded gently, understanding his desperation; none of us wanted to see more kids dead.

I sighed before locking eyes with Dean, his face burning with what I assumed was a matching fire to mine; the lust for a fight. For the war.

“I guess we’re going to South Dakota.”

TAGLIST: @killerunicorn3, @hobby27, @trustnobodyshootfirst, @mypage-myfandoms, @wingedcatninja, @supernatural-idjit-95, @polina-93, @gatorgal94, @xcarapherneliabearx

FOREVERLIST: @supernaturalmagicfolk, @redeyedvixen, @al1y, @roonyxx, @sea040561, @heyitscam99, @sherlockstolemyname

(you guys are awesome!)

#dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #Dean winchester #dean x reader #reader x dean #dean winchester smut #x y/n #reader insert #x reader #sam winchester #supernatural #supernatural fic #supernatural fanfiction #spn #spn fanfic #spn fic

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zuretha-metal · 2 years ago

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Update 05/20

Hello From The Hallowoods- Finished the available episodes and started a re-listen when I found out that new episodes came out a couple of months back. Haven't finished it because it's been a busy year but oh my God, I don't know if I said it before but I love this show. The creator is amazing, they do so many cool voices and I try to emulate Diggory Graves when my boyfriend asks me to read the OG Sandman comics out loud to him. Diggery gives me Sandman vibes and no one can take that from me. The ending of the arc I listened to, where Percy gets the recognition he'd been waiting for, when they finally defeat the Instrumentalist...I wish I could get that. It was beautiful. Poignant. Almost made up for Walt. Almost.

Old Gods Of Appalachia - New episodes have come this way too and it was so fun to re-listen to the stories and get back into the lore of this show. I remember the surprise and drama of finishing the available episodes last time and this time, new details that I've picked up and focused on have made the show strike me in an entirely new way. Particularly the Good Mother Ministries plot line and Cowboy Abshire's. Can't wait to start new episodes and foam at the mouth about it.

Juno Steel (S4) - I love me some Peter Nureyev backstory. We have been waiting ages for this. Juno trying to cope with his whole existence and his feelings is very well-handled and God help me I love Puck Falco for treating people like people. They fucking rock, okay? I'm just glad they got Rita.

Second Citadel (S3?) - I'm sorry, but the Petrichrous ritual was supposed to be sexy, in my mind. I thought they were gonna, ya know, do some lizard kissing on the altar and create life. Sure it wasn't really how that ritual was supposed to go but a girl can dream, can't she? But noooo, Sir Tristan the Cold had to swoop in and drag my fave away from my other faves and now they're just, monster hunting, I guess? I loved the Plane of Mirrors! Quanyii trying her best to be strong for everyone by taking a magic edible was just absolutely hilarious, and the fact that the place brought out everyone's fears was really a very cool way to get perspective on their characters. I'm excited for the rest of the season for sure.

Kisses In The Dark- Am I here because I liked Izzy Hands a bit too much in Our Flag Means Death and have been devouring media with Con O'Niell's voice in it in an unhealthy way ever since I finished watching the show, twice? Absolutely. I don't know if he's Death or a vampire with like, acid-venom? Regardless the imagery is lovely, his monologues and soliloquies are just breathtaking and I am in love. I consumed this media as fast as he consumes his prey. It's a problem. I have a problem and that's okay. Everyone should listen to this. It's got TMA vibes, it's got Broadchurch vibes. Just, murder and romance and secrets and monsters. It's just fucking lovely. The only drawback is bc it's remote audio it can sound a bit weird when shifting characters.

Wolf 359 (again) (yes, again again) - yearly relisten. I am officially shifting my favorite character line to include more people. For one, Warren Kepler. The man is a fucking mad hen, with a great poker face. He played both sides until it came down the line and he picked humanity. I also just, love Hilbert and how committed he is to his work. They stopped him and his first thought was, "Let's blow them up." That's my kind of man, apparently.

Peacemaker Pod is- Great follow-up to the show. I loved getting to hear the creator and the actors commentate and give their thoughts, even if it was a bit cheesy. I certainly gained more perspective on the show and the way the actors played their parts. I'm just glad they've only killed one of my favorite characters so far in Peacemaker. If they get a second season and kill my faves I will probably just die. Same with Our Flag Means Death. If they kill my fave before his redemption arc I will just walk into the ocean. Long story short, great podcast, and a great show. Watch it. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

My Running Favorite Podcasts List:

The Penumbra Podcast - Juno Steel mysteries. I've dipped my toes into Second Citadel, not sure if I want to sacrifice my soul for it just yet. As for Juno's stuff, I would die for every member of the Carte Blanche and the first episode still gives me chills, even on the fourth relisten.

Welcome To Night Vale - my first podcast. My favorite baby. I listened to this thing walking the mile to and from campus and the mile across the highway to work for a year. I based my marching band tech assignments in Night Vale 's school district. Go Scorpions! (The web address is floating around somewhere out there if you're interested in the Big Rico's Sell-A-Slice fundraiser for new marching band uniforms!)

Good Morning Night Vale - Great recaps of episodes and the cast are just...abolsute goblins. Very feel-good. Good for my soul, good for yours, good for the All Mighty Glow Cloud's - all hail ❤

The Two Princes - Absolutely lovely. Short, dynamic, and absolutely charming. I listened to this one a while back and don't remember much except a totally relateable main character, a cursed forest -- also lots of gayness and a flying ship. Beauty and grace.

The Orbiting Human Circus - Strange. Very Pan's Labyrinth in the realm of, "reality?" I love the music and the old-timey feel. Still picking my way through the Naughty Till New Year's collection, but I'm a sucker for the stories they bring to the table.

The Magnus Archives - I cried a bunch. Made art. It's beautiful. The only smart man in this podcast is Joshua Gillespie. Amen to my man with all the braincells who said, "Put the key in a bowl of water and freeze it." I, of course, picked all of the stupid people as my favorites and all of them are dead. Except one.

Marsfall - Just started this one. Chaos. Amazing imagery. Also ANDI - I'd die for that sweet boy. And for some reason it just makes me think of Starkid's Starship? Bc like, it's detrimental AND campy. Excellent.

#peacemaker #kisses in the dark #wolf 359 #penumbra podcast #hello from the hallowoods #old gods of appalachia

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lifeinahole27 · 7 years ago

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CS ff: “Wait for the Moonrise” (10/10) (au)

Summary: Emma doesn’t remember who she was before she was found in the woods, but she knows that she has a few close friends, a good job, and a loyal cat that greets her every day when she gets home from work. What she doesn’t know, however, is that her past is about to catch up to her in the strangest of ways. She learns quickly that not everything is as it seems, not even her cat.

Rating: E

Content warnings: smutty smut, brief mentions of the loss of a hand

Chapter specific content warnings: some battle-ish stuff at the start, some more happy smut, and hopefully a satisfying ending.

A/N: Just... all my love. I can’t believe it’s over, and this is the last time you’ll be seeing an update for this story. Out of this world, man. All my love to the team of people that helped me through this, and of course to @clockadile for her lovely artwork. And my eternal love to all of you that read, and left comments, and liked and reblogged, and sent me messages. You guys are rockstars. Thank you! x

Catch it on Ao3 or FFN! And catch @clockadile‘s artwork HERE!

Surrounded on all sides by the presence of Dark Ones.

It’s not exactly how Emma would’ve imagined a homecoming, but it’s what she’s getting. Regina is standing steady beside her, holding her arm, but otherwise there’s a fire in her eyes that Emma can’t remember ever seeing in their time as friends.

“You okay?”

“Never better,” the other woman grits out, and there’s an edge that she’s never heard before. Emma raises an eyebrow at her, and the look Regina gives her back is telling more than anything. “Might’ve shaken something loose,” she adds.

When Emma was growing up, stories about her mother’s step-mother were very few and far between. Snow always told the story of how Regina saved her from a runaway horse accident, and how Snow would later betray her on accident by sharing a secret she was never supposed to tell. Emma knew the lore that Snow was framed for Regina’s disappearance when it was thought that Regina killed Snow’s father, and even had to go through high trial for it, but no one could prove anything so the issue was buried and Snow was crowned queen.

Every story about Regina included her fierce tenacity and the strength in her voice, and Emma is seeing all of that right next to her. Her suspicions are further confirmed when the barest hint of a spark emits from Regina’s fingertips. Unlike her own magic, Regina’s is red, reflecting her fiery personality. It’s all extremely fitting to the woman she got to know in Storybrooke.

They both do a visual check of their surroundings. Killian, back to poor Cat, is still trying to pull his leg free from the pile of his clothes. Robin is still mostly unconscious, but he at least winces and curls into a ball, which isn’t the worst sign of life she’s ever seen. They need to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, but being outnumbered is really putting a damper on any possible plan.

All things considered, Emma figures there are worse ways to die. They’re not going down without a fight, and maybe Killian can run away fast enough. Of course, judging by the way he limps his way over to stand by her feet when he’s finally free, maybe that’s not a possibility. She looks down at him, wishing she could remind him how much she loves him one more time, but turns to face the man that got lost in the power of dark magic, and all the entities that came before him.

She and Regina can at least take out a couple of these guys, maybe at least knock Rumplestiltskin out before succumbing to the dark magic that’s building around them. The electric gathering of their powers actually causes the hair on her body to stand on end, and she’s surprised the hair on her head isn’t following suit.

There’s a moment, a locking of eyes, when they make the decision to strike, and she can tell that she and Regina are on the same page. Emma nods, just barely, and Regina mimics her action, and then Emma’s focusing all her energy and emotions into focal points as she was taught during all her training. They make eye contact one more time and each inhale deeply –

Before they can do it, before they can exhale and blast out their magic, there’s a horn from the north. Less than a heartbeat later, there’s a shell horn blast from the beach they just vacated. The Dark Ones all shift, looking towards each call and looking at each other in disbelief. Rumplestiltskin twitches with each call, his eyes hardening and the smile slipping from his face.

Within moments, the circle of dark entities that had surrounded them starts falling apart. Misthaven fairies burst through the trees, taking out as many as they can with the colorful bursts of their fairy dust. From the opposite side, a force of seafolk with their magic bracelets charge in throwing liquid potions, headed by Ursula herself. They all charge fearlessly, grins on their faces as they attack as they’ve always wanted to. They know their best shot at defeating evil is standing in the clearing and that they have nothing to lose at this point.

“This way!” comes a faint yell, and Emma’s breathing speeds up recognizing Liam’s voice in the distance.

With an elated expression, she turns back to Regina, who seems just as surprised as Emma is. Chaos is erupting around them, the seemingly unbreakable enclosure left with holes and pockets, dark entities trying to run, trying to escape from their fate of returning to nothing but dust. “Now!” Emma urges, knowing they have one shot - one chance to catch Rumple while he’s still thrown off guard.

In the middle of the clearing, Rumple is too distracted by the mayhem that surrounds him to notice that Emma and Regina brace themselves and let their magic loose. Twin blasts hit him at the same time: Emma’s white and Regina’s red wrapping around him in tight spirals. He barely has the time to look upset before he crumples to the ground, drained of his magic and incapacitated.

Around them, the dark entities are also dispatched, the last of which are taken down by fairy dusts, sea potions, and a spill of soldiers that break through into the clearing.

Moments later, the whole area goes quiet but for the heavy breathing of exertion from all involved parties. The centuries of dark ones are nothing but memories, and the last one alive is still knocked out on the ground, bound by magic and officially harmless.

Cat lands on the ground a foot away from Emma’s feet, having clearly taken shelter in a tree when the hubbub started. Robin is pushing himself to his feet, aided by Regina, her magic sweeping over him to heal the wounds he sustained from getting smacked against several trees on the route in.

“Sorry for the swift exit earlier. I needed as much time as I could to rally everyone up.” Ursula steps up to Emma, checking her over for wounds as she whistles for two men to lift the former Dark One from the forest floor. “We will deliver him to your parents immediately. From what I’m to understand, they have a special prison ready for him that will hold him even if his magic comes back.”

She moves away just as quickly to supervise, and it’s only when Cat meows at her again that she realizes that this little problem still needs to be figured out. She lifts him up, whispering reassurances that they’ll fix it as soon as she comes back to the clearing, all the while she finally catches her breath. Rumple is revived and then marched past them, and Cat hisses and swats at the man, making sure to use his blunted paw in an extra attempt to tell the man off as he’s lacking the voice to do so.

“By the way,” Emma starts as she holds out a hand to halt their progress. “The details of your stupid curse landed your maid in a crazy house, so suck on that for a little bit.”

The man looks aghast at this news, and he opens his mouth to object or clarify, but before he can utter a single syllable, Emma snaps his fingers and temporarily snaps his mouth shut. Emma does her best to subdue her own chuckling as she turns away from him. Cat gives her a look of fond approval.

As Ursula walks behind the removal of the prisoner, she clicks her tongue. “I’ll be back in a minute to take care of that,” she says as she nods at Cat. He quietly growls to express his feelings on Ursula’s humor about the situation. Emma pauses her attempts to soothe Cat when she hears a voice she’s not heard in a long time.

“Bloody hell, I don’t believe it.” Liam.

Emma turns, her smile tentative and her eyes shining as she looks at the older Jones. “Hi.”

He marches forward, enveloping her in a strong hug and squishing Cat between them in the process. “God, I always hoped… Emma, good god, you’ve changed so much since I saw you last.” He brackets Emma’s shoulders with his hands, holding her at arm’s length and staring as if he can’t believe his eyes. “I need to see to my men, and we need to get you back to the castle as soon as possible. Are you ready to go?”

“Oh, uh.” She hefts Cat a little bit, unsure of how to even begin to explain why she needs a couple more minutes.

“You’ve got a pet. That’s okay, I’m sure your parents will delight in having a cat to wander the halls and catch mice. Poor lad looks like he’s missing a paw.” Liam reaches out to touch the leg in question, but Cat jerks it away, his ears flattening against his head as he backs away from the older Jones’ hand.

Emma definitely can’t help the snort as Cat burrows against her. “Just – Liam, it’s Killian.”

His face goes dead serious at the mention of his brother, his hand hovering above Cat’s head as the feline glares at it with wide eyes. “Is he here? Where is he?”

She looks down at the cat in her arms, and Cat looks at her before looking back at Liam and giving a defeated sounding meow. Liam tilts his head, looking between Emma and Cat and back again, the puzzle pieces all finally connecting in his mind as obvious by the widening of his eyes.

“Oh. Oh my. Well, we’ll…” He stares at Cat some more. Haltingly, he reaches his hand towards Cat again, but retracts it once more.

“So, how about we break this spell?” Ursula says as she finally returns.

“I don’t have to kiss him as a cat, do I?”

Liam’s laugh borders on hysterical as he observes their interaction, and he makes a weak excuse of having to check on his men again before he wanders away between the trees.

The sea witch chuckles, beckoning Emma to follow her as she stoops to pick up Killian’s clothes and leads her to a patch of privacy. Ursula sets down the clothes, indicating that Emma should put Cat as close to them as possible. She waves her hands, a purple inky magic flowing towards Killian, and she edges away from the clearing before Killian is fully restored.

“Nothing I need to see there,” she comments as she waves over her shoulder. “I’ll be in touch.”

Emma calls out her thanks as she turns back to Killian, who’s just struggling into his boxer briefs. She doesn’t let him get anything else on for the moment, instead launching herself at him. She smiles wide as she kisses him, making it less a kiss and more a pressing of her smile to his as he wraps his arms around her.

“Welcome home, love,” Killian murmurs when he pulls back. “Now, perhaps I can finish getting dressed. Or would you rather I reunite with my brother for the second time in nothing but my smalls?”

“No, no, please. By all means. Better than being in nothing but your fur again,” she comments, scratching under his chin, laughing high and free as Killian swats her on the behind.

As she wanders the clearing, turning in a circle to occupy herself while he slips into his clothes, Emma realizes he’s right; for the first time in three and a half years, she’s home.

-x-

There are too many thoughts going through Killian’s head for him to really keep any of them straight. One: he’s home, back in his homeland, on his own turf, with the woman he loves holding so tight to his hand that he fears she might break it, but he’ll never tell her so. Two: his brother is but a few paces ahead of him, still yet to actually see him as human, still yet to hear his voice since the day he last bumped heads with him. Three: he’s going to see Emma’s parents for the first time since he left their room in a huff like a child. Four: he idly wonders if Snow still has the ring. Five: he also idly wonders if David will rescind his blessings when he sees what Killian has become.

He stumbles over a tree root, and Emma looks back at him curiously, noting the scowl on his face and asking without words if he’s okay. He nods, trying to wipe his expression clean and smile at her at the same time.

Truth is, he’s not okay. This is the culmination of the last three and a half years and he doesn’t know whether he should be smug or scared.

Scared seems to be the emotion his insides settle on, but he layers on the smarm in hopes of saving face when the king and queen throw him out of the throne room as soon as he enters. Out of nerves, he rubs the curve of his hook against the leg of his trousers. While his clothes are still the ones he wore when he left Storybrooke, and he has the satchel of clothes slung over his shoulder, he was able to retrieve his hook and brace from the chest that Ursula fetched for him. Someone already dispatched with the rest of the items, surely throwing them in a prison cell for him to look at as he’s locked up for treason.

Again, Emma reaches for him and squeezes his hand. They’ve reached the castle gates, and he feels half of his heart settle from coming home. The other half is already calm, already recognizing its home next to him, holding his hand.

Liam is gone from sight by the time they enter, and Killian flinches as the full fanfare is blasted out from the horns as they walk through the corridor into the throne room. The castle residents and employees line the rug that runs the center of the room, and the king and queen are each sitting in their respective thrones. Their hands are clasped in the distance between the seats, but neither of them stay that way for long. As soon as they see Emma, their only daughter, truly striding towards them, they’re both up and off their chairs and rushing forward.

Out of habit, Killian immediately puts his arms behind his back after he sets the satchel by his feet. He’s not sure if the habit is more from his upbringing or from hiding his vacant wrist from others, though. He stops, even as Emma continues forward and runs to them. They make the picture of perfect royal family, and he’s sure he’ll only taint it if he goes closer. Regina comes to stand by his shoulder, looking on at the scene in front of them, with Robin standing just behind her.

“How are you holding up, pirate?” When he turns his head and raises an eyebrow, she just shrugs. “Emma told me as much as she could at breakfast that day. You have the posture of one who is skulking, so I figured that’s what you would be preferred to be addressed as.”

“Hook, I go by Hook to my crew.”

Same as Emma, Regina’s lips quirk up and she snorts once, very elegantly, before trying to stifle it. “Captain Hook?”

“Bloody hell,” he whispers, shooting her a look before he turns and stalks away. He figures that there’s enough commotion in the room that no one will notice him missing, in any case. Using his memory as a guide, he finds the small door at the back corner of the room, ducking through and ending up in a narrow servants’ hall. He means to amble his way back out the doors, honestly, because while he loves Emma and wants nothing more than to be with her, he would never make her choose between him and her family.

He’s so lost in his own head that he doesn’t notice someone stepping in front of him until he’s already running into him, and he struggles for a second as the arms come around him. He almost buries his hook into the shoulder he can reach but it all hits him at once. The man is Liam, and he is embracing him so hard that Killian is sure he’ll have bruises around his shoulders.

“You stupid bloody arse,” Liam mutters into his shoulder, and Killian is only aware his brother is crying because he can feel the moisture soaking through the collar of his shirt. “Stupid, stupid, telling us you were dead.” He pulls back, his eyes still wet but his face a mixture of heartache and elation. “Come, we have much to talk about, little brother.”

“Younger brother,” Killian automatically snaps back, his voice the same whine as it was all through his adolescence. It’s clearly what Liam was aiming for, as his bark of laughter echoes down the hallway.

“Come this way,” he instructs, leading Killian back to their wing of the castle. Liam walks him through the door to Killian’s old room, which is still exactly the way he left it minus the new hinges. The surfaces are devoid of dust, the bed is freshly made, and there are flowers in a vase by the very window he left through. He wonders just how many flowers have actually sat in that vase since he left. “There’s a matching bouquet in Emma’s quarters,” Liam says softly, noticing exactly where Killian’s gaze is drawn.

“All this time?”

“Every other week, Queen Snow comes in and replaces them, and sees personally to the maintenance of the room.”

“Are these from the meadow?”

Instead of answering, Liam just nods, a small smile left and much more sadness in his eyes. “The whole field has been preserved with magic specifically so she could tend to your rooms.” He pauses, taking a deep breath before he continues. “Brother, I have missed you. At least when you were running from me I knew you were okay, but when you told that boy to inform us of your death, I spent months in mourning. Until one day, I woke up and decided you weren’t really dead.”

“Should’ve known you’d be too clever to fall for it completely,” Killian comments. He tries to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible, but he focuses on the flowers in front of him, careful to keep his eyes clear and his voice steady.

“I followed your stops. I described you to every innkeep and bar wench I could find. I followed you to the End of the World, but the woman I ran into said she’d never met anyone named Killian. Halfway through our conversation, she got whisked away by the devil himself. I entered every port hoping to find your ship, and you alive on it. And after that interaction with the Dark One’s maid, I mentally prepared myself to bring a body home if you hadn’t been dumped at sea. I lost your trail until I ended up in Midas’ kingdom and ran into a little friend you’d made along the way. A mermaid named Ariel was very difficult to convince to tell me you’d seen her, but when I explained I was your brother, she told me you’d confessed that Captain Hook was Killian Jones. And my search renewed. I don’t think I stopped sailing for weeks.”

It’s so much to take in. His brother had gone to the literal ends of the earth for him, trying to find him, never giving up hope. After their last interaction, he assumed it would be to aim again with that cannon, but no, it turns out he just wanted his brother back home.

“I do want you to recall that you shot a cannon at me,” Killian says, as if reminding Liam of this incident will change anything.

“Aye, but you were being a wanker. I pretty much had to.”

Killian snorts, mentally agreeing with his brother but shrugging his shoulders in response.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for neglecting you for so long as my brother.”

“Accepted. I’m sorry for not telling you about Emma and I sooner. And for stealing your prized ship.”

“I hope you’ve kept all my belongings intact.”

“Everything is stowed in the back of the closets in the captain’s quarters. So, Belle got transported a couple months ago. Why did no one ever manage to find Emma?”

“We kept sending bloody emissaries to the land you were in. I had no idea you were a cat that whole time. You’ll have to regale me with those tales once you’ve had a chance to breathe again.” He pauses, barely restraining the snort that he emits. “Tales of tails,” he muses quietly. At the glare Killian shoots his way, he rushes onward. “And tell me about these interesting clothes you’re wearing, as well. And the hook, of course.”

Killian ignores everything else, skipping straight over the cat joke in favor of the first thing Liam said. “Emissaries? When?”

“Shortly after Ariel told us that Ursula had sent you over. We appealed to the giants for beans to send someone over to fetch you, but he never returned.”

Killian turns from the vase, his eyes focusing in confusion on his brother. “And what happened when he never returned?”

“We appealed to the giants for two more beans, and sent two emissaries. After they never returned either, we could only figure they were being captured, or killed. Something was happening to keep our people from finding you and coming back.”

“The portals, they’ve been enchanted to cause memory loss. The Dark One had it rigged so the moment a person went through it, they’d forget who they were. The curse would build fake memories in layers as the person got acclimated. I only avoided all of that by going through the waterways.”

“Well, it’s good to have you back. Even if you are a little unkempt for my taste,” the older man says appraisingly. Killian huffs out a laugh, running his hand through the much shorter hair and rubs his neck. He’s a far cry from naval regulations, but he’s not sure he can ever grow his hair that long again, feeling himself a lad if he did. “Okay, I’ve taken up quite a bit of time with you. Let’s get you back to the king and queen so they might give you a proper greeting.”

“Oh, Liam, no –“

“No, they insist. I assure you. I believe the queen has something of yours?”

Killian’s eyes go wide.

“Yes, she kept that, too. And still wants it where her ring currently resides.” Liam gives him a significant look at that comment, and tells Killian he’ll be waiting outside while Killian freshens up.

“Liam, wait.” His brother pauses halfway to the door and turns to him. “There’s one more thing we’ll need to discuss when we have the chance.”

“And that is?”

“It turns out we aren’t orphans after all.”

With wide eyes, Liam turns fully to Killian, his jaw working several times before he’s able to get any words out. “Father?”

“Not lost at sea, apparently. He looks very spry and happy, but he had no idea who I was, so he’ll need to have the curse broken from him. The whole town will. They deserve to know who they are.”

There’s a whole line of emotions that flickers across Liam’s face in the deep breaths that follow Killian’s words. There’s turmoil in his eyes, and a sadness that distinctly reminds Killian of the way his mother looked when she was told that Brennan wouldn’t be returning from his latest voyage. Maybe it’s that last one that hurts the most, because it’s a pain she never should’ve had to go through. This is yet another way that the Dark One injured his family, even if he didn’t know it at the time. He’s even happier now, knowing that man will never tear apart another family.

“I agree, brother. We’ll discuss that more in the morning. I know he’s cursed and all, but this is excellent news.” He beams at Killian, nodding again and taking his leave while Killian turns toward his wash basin.

The chest, it turns out, was delivered right to his room, and while he pulls everything out, he only fastens his earring in place, and slides on a couple of the less ornate rings he acquired during his time as a pirate. His hand glides over the various articles made of leather that wait inside, but he only finds the ribbon he stashed in his coat pocket, sliding it through his fingers before slipping it into a pocket of his jeans. Everything else gets left behind as he uses the lavatory and splashes his face with cool water. He damns the length of time it would take him to rim his eyes in kohl, but shrugs at his reflection before going to join Liam for the walk back to the throne room.

Liam, however, turns towards the king and queen’s private quarters, and Killian knows without a doubt that the first place he sees them again will be the place he last saw them. He has to stop himself from laying his hand over his chest, unable to physically restrain his heart from beating right out of its cavity if it so chooses.

-x-

Everything is a bit of a whirlwind as soon as Emma enters the throne room. Seeing her parents, her mom and dad (funny how Storybrooke left more of an impression than she thought) just ahead of her, all she can do is rush to them. And while there’s still a lag in her memories, so that it doesn’t feel like she’s waited three and a half years for this moment, she also recognizes that it wasn’t just yesterday they last embraced. Snow cries, her chin crumpled and quivering as the tears fall from her eyes, and David cradles the back of her head the way he’s done for as long as she can remember.

After getting to witness the happy reunion, the small crowd in the large room disperses to allow the royal family their privacy. Soon, it’s just her parents in front of her. She looks around to see that Killian has slipped away, but Regina and Robin are still there, awkwardly shuffling and casting quick glances at the guards still at their posts.

As if thinking of the other people in the room brings attention to them, she hears Snow gasp as she looks over Emma’s shoulder.

“Regina?”

“Hi… Snow. Queen Snow.” Regina is stiff, but smiling, and she walks forward a few steps toward the woman now older than she was when she disappeared. “This whole royal business suits you.” She waves her hand to indicate the room they’re in and everything it entails.

“You’re not - are you…?” Snow works to gather her words. “You look so young.”

“That’s what happens when you end up in a cursed town where time stands still for a few decades or so.” She shrugs, shuffling forward a couple more steps. “Look, Snow, we don’t have to stay…”

“Nonsense,” Snow says quickly, striding forward to take Regina’s hands. ��I think it’ll do us some good to work this all out. We’ll set you up with rooms in the east wing.” Her statements leave no room for argument, and Regina gives a curt nod, but adds a smile to soften it a bit. “While they set up a room for you, why don’t we all go sit and you can tell us a bit about… everything.”

The reunited royal family makes their way to Snow and David’s quarters, with Emma’s arms looped with theirs, and Regina and Robin close behind. Upon entering their sitting room, she almost cries at the familiar scent, and she knows if she doesn’t keep going, doesn’t keep talking and immersing herself back into this world, that she will break down, but there’s no time for that. And it’s nothing her parents need to witness. Tonight, later tonight, when she’s alone with Killian again, she’ll allow herself the time to process all of it. Provided he doesn’t find a way to flee the castle or something.

“You’re so skinny,” Snow murmurs as she observes Emma wandering around the space. “I mean just, so skinny. Did you ever eat while you were gone?”

“I worked as a cop. I spent a lot of time at the gym and the rest of the time eating pizza.” At their blank looks, she shakes her head and smiles. “You guys would like pizza.”

David makes some soft comment about her referring to them as ‘you guys’ and smiles. “Twenty years of etiquette training down the drain,” he mutters with a fond expression on his face, directed at Emma.

She grins at him in response, wandering wider to look at the flowers her mother has displayed. She can sense the magic on them, and recognizes them from the field that should be barren and cold this time of year. Her fingers glide along a perfectly preserved petal as she sighs.

Even as she strolls about the room, she listens to the conversation her parents have with Regina. They both seem to be handling her reappearance better than she expected. But the former regent makes it perfectly clear almost immediately that decades as Regina in Storybrooke have erased much of the anger and malice that went along with being the Evil Queen in Misthaven. She also makes sure to introduce Robin, who hasn’t quite regained his true memories, but small tidbits keep shining through for him.

“I don’t feel as if I’m home yet, but I’m hoping my former memories will return soon,” he explains. He also tells them that it helps that he was actually transplanted into the fake town only weeks before Killian was, all because he tripped into the wrong place at the wrong time.

It’s not long before a maid comes to inform them that their room is ready, and Snow and David bid the other two goodnight with promises to talk more tomorrow, after everyone has had some rest.

And then, Emma is left alone with her parents.

On the morning she disappeared, Emma wondered a lot of things, the first of which was whether or not she’d ever see her family again. She didn’t have much time to organize the rest of her thoughts because she was immediately thrown through a portal and forgot her whole life roughly three steps later.

“So,” Snow breaks the silence, “tell us what you’ve been up to the last couple years. Memory curse, right? We used to have those around here all the time until Regina – the Evil Queen version of her – disappeared.”

“They’re so confusing,” Emma confesses, having spent a few days with alternating realities battling it out in her mind and memories. “How many sets of memories do you guys have if they were so common?”

Snow and David look at each other, before they look away again in thought. Snow holds up her hands to count on her fingers while David stares at the ceiling, squinting, as if picturing each different lifetime.

“We’ll just assume a lot,” David finally says, especially when Snow looks like she’s contemplating taking off a slipper to keep counting.

Still, it helps that her parents have been through something like this before, so she opens up and tells them about how she ended up in the forest, and how she made friends in town quickly. She tells them about her job and her hobbies and all the idiosyncrasies of Storybrooke, spending a great length of time on things like indoor plumbing and electricity. And grilled cheese, she can’t leave out grilled cheese.

Several times, Emma has to remind herself to sit still, instead of sprawling across the chair like she would if she were in the sheriff’s station. As it is, she spends plenty of time explaining the clothing she’s wearing, telling her parents all about jeans and sweaters. She realizes she looks utterly out of place in this world as she’s dressed right now, but they’re more curious than confused or put off about it.

She tells them all about Cat showing up on her doorstep, and about when he first changed back into Killian, and how the last six months they’d done little else but focus on getting her memories back. She decides it’s better not to tell them what they were doing any time they weren’t focusing on their mission, though.

“How did you remember?” David asks. “There’s not much that can break a memory curse like that.”

“True Love’s Kiss,” Emma tells them, as if there was any doubt it could be anything else.

Snow sighs dreamily. “Sounds awfully familiar, if you ask me.”

The equal amounts of surprise and pride in her parents’ eyes is comforting, and well-timed when there’s a knock on the door. The guard on duty opens it, and Emma’s smile brightens as she sees the Jones brothers on the other side. Liam leads, with Killian ducking behind him, both of them with their hands held behind their backs. Killian’s clothes may be modern, but his mannerisms are the same as ever.

It’s an obvious contrast from the ease of his actions in her apartment. Even when she didn’t know who he was, she was used to the cocky swagger he exhibited in those short bursts of time. Reconciling Captain Hook (which she still has to control herself from laughing about) with Lieutenant Jones is still a little like playing with a paper doll, as far as her memories are concerned. The man that stands behind his brother is more lieutenant, but with prominent facial hair and a nervous scowl if she’s reading him correctly.

“It’s good to see you again, Princess. Would you care to take a walk with me?” Liam doesn’t waste any time, and judging by the ambushed look on Killian’s face, he had no idea this was a plan.

“I’d love to, Commodore.” Emma rises from the chair. She goes over to wish her parents a good night, kissing them both on the cheek and accepting their tight embraces before she moves toward the brothers. She immediately forgets any princess decorum as she reaches for Killian, giving him a solid kiss on the lips and pressing her forehead to his as she tries to instill some of her calm onto him. “I’ll meet you in my quarters in half an hour, okay?” He nods in response, giving her a wan smile as she moves away.

Liam smiles at her, giving a bow and holding out his arm for her to take before they leave the room. It’s only once they’re out of the sitting room and the door is shut behind them, and they’re halfway down the hall when one of them speaks again.

“Do you suppose we’ve just fed him to lions?” Liam questions.

“Nah, he’ll be fine. Guy lost a hand and became a cat and somehow managed to steal the Jewel of the Realm from you,” she jibes. “Pretty sure he can handle his future in-laws.”

Liam laughs as loud as she remembers. “Oh, how I have missed you, Princess. But I must correct you. It’s no longer Commodore. I’ve decided to retire and settle a little bit. Maybe find a life outside the navy.” Now that she gets a good look at him, she realizes he’s not in the regulation navy uniform. Gone are the white trousers and ornate coat. Instead, he’s dressed in plain black breeches and a white shirt, looking more informal than she’s ever seen him before.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“I’ve been told that I was so focused on my career that I seemed to have forgotten about my family. Since I’ve lost a lot of time with my brother, I want to correct that as much as possible. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll also find a family of my own since my dear brother seems to have found one in you.”

“He would’ve shared with you sooner, you know. But he was so worried you’d think he was throwing away his career.”

“I would’ve. I didn’t understand at the time. I didn’t understand until I was afraid you were both gone from my life forever.” He stops for a moment, turning to her and placing his hands on her upper arms. “As tragic as your kidnapping was, Princess, it helped me see that I was missing too much by being out there. I only worked as hard in the beginning because I wanted to pay your parents for the debt of taking us in. They didn’t have to, but they gave us shelter, they took Killian under their wing, they let us be part of all of your lives.”

Emma moves her hands to clasp his arms at the elbows. “It was just as rich of an experience for me. I’m sure my parents feel the same way, and I wouldn’t be here again if it weren’t for Killian.”

“And I don’t think Killian would be here if it weren’t for you,” he responds without hesitation.

They walk all the way to the other end of the castle, meandering back at a leisurely pace in order to give Killian plenty of time to talk with the king and queen, and since Killian hadn’t had much of a chance to tell Liam about his animal adventures, she gives him little bits of information. Mostly she tells him about how she called him Cat, and that his missing paw went a long way into convincing her that he wasn’t some crazy person spouting nonsense about being her pet.

“Speaking of hands,” Liam adds once they’ve almost reached her quarters. “He does seem to be missing one. But that just means you’ll be offering him one of yours now, yes?”

Emma smiles, deciding not to answer even though Liam clearly knows she’ll say yes if Killian asks. “Goodnight, Liam.”

“Goodnight, Princess. By the way, you should know I’ll be on duty as guard for the first half of the night. I want to make sure neither of you go anywhere after we’ve just gotten you back.” He smiles to show he’s joking, but then he purses his lips a little. “But I’ll be way down that end. Just in case.”

Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, her smile growing wider as she understands the implications. “Goodnight, Liam.”

He chuckles, even as he walks away.

Entering her room is an otherworldly experience. The quiet and stillness is almost unbearable after having lived with technology and automobiles for the last three years. But everything in the room is pristine, the bed made to her usual specifications. There’s a large vase of flowers on the table by her chaise lounge, and she recognizes almost immediately that they’re the same flowers her mother displays. She admires them for a moment, but moves on in order to do something that’s more important.

Every window, every door to her private terrace, every conceivable entry into the room is swiftly reinforced with magic of her own making. She would’ve been powerless to almost anything the morning she was taken, but now she can ensure that once she and Killian shut the doors for the evening, no one else will be able to even budge a hinge without blaring alarms sounding in the whole castle.

“Thank you, security systems,” she mutters as she draws all the curtains closed and snaps her fingers to light the candles spread throughout the room. She might miss lightbulbs, but there is a charm to being able to light and extinguish any candle with just a small gesture.

Having been promised their privacy, there are no maids to dress her for the evening. It’s fine, though, because what would they do? Strip off her sweater? Peel the jeans from her skin? No, and while it sounds incredibly appealing to leave that job for Killian, she has other ideas. She uses the basin in her washroom to freshen up, tying her hair into a messy bun after she washes her face and brushes her teeth. Then she wanders into her closet and undresses, leaving her modern clothes on the floor for the time being.

Her fingers run along all the different delicate fabrics in her closet. Even the cotton has a better consistency. She passes by each section of gowns and attire, finding her way to the very back and grinning at what she finds. Black corset, with black skirts.

He’ll either love the throwback, or he’ll run screaming from the room. But either way, she has to. She just has to.

-x-

Bloody hell, this is worse than an overnight siege, Killian decides the second Liam asks if Emma would like to go for a walk. He’s just been handed over to something worse than pirates, in his opinion. He’s been fed to the king and queen, holders of his ultimate fate.

He’s being dramatic and he knows it.

They’re all quiet, and he has no idea if they’re waiting for him to speak first, or if he’s going to have to wait ages for them to deem him worthy of their voices. He doesn’t have to wait long; just as he opens his mouth to say anything, David suddenly stands up.

“You stole one of our ships.”

As soon as the clipped words are out of his mouth, Snow sighs. The exasperated noise is one he’s all too familiar with, especially paired with her quiet words of “Oh, David,” that her husband mostly ignores except for the clenching of his jaw.

Killian swallows, glancing between the two of them and taking note of Snow’s encouraging smile before he responds. “I paid for it.”

“You terrorized the rest of my fleet.”

“Not for very long,” Killian counters. It’s not a lie; he did stop antagonizing the Misthaven Navy after the day Liam shot at him.

“We didn’t make unreasonable demands,” David says, his demeanor cracking with the simplicity of the statement.

“Not unreasonable for you, perhaps.”

“But for you? What was so bad about what we were asking you to do? In this family, we work as a team -”

“Aye, a team. And every suggestion I made was thrown out the window before it could be considered. If you haven’t noticed, your majesty, your daughter is back and darkness has been defeated because I followed the path that called to me. My demands were simple. I wanted to be seen as the man that wanted to marry your daughter. Not just another body that served the crown.”

“I didn’t - we never…” David throws his hands in the air and moves away from his usual perch, pacing around to the back of their chairs and back again. “Okay. I’m sorry we ever let you feel that way. But now you’re back. Will you continue your life of piracy?”

Killian considers this statement. He always thought he would bring Emma home and go on his way, thinking she wouldn’t be capable of loving the man he became. Now that she’s back, and she does love him, it’s hard to say what he’ll do with his life.

“I don’t know,” Killian admits. He pulls his arms around to fiddle with his hook. The fact that neither of them even flinch at the metal attached to the brace at the end of his arm is reassuring. “Your majesty, with all respect, a life of taking orders isn’t something I believe myself to be made for anymore. I’m willing to give up the lawless life under very obvious circumstances, but I don’t see myself stepping back into the war room to be your strategist again.”

David grumbles, crossing his arms and wandering to the window to stare out at the darkened courtyard outside.

Snow, who has largely remained silent during this whole exchange, clears her throat to command his attention. “We don’t want to ask you to do anything that isn’t in your heart, Killian. And you’re right, we often set aside your perspective because we were too wrapped up in our own. Sometimes, sharing a heart gets in the way of listening to others,” she admits. David, sighs, moving to stand behind her chair and placing his hands on her shoulders. “You were always like a son to us. Emma would’ve grown up all alone if it weren’t for you, and getting to see you both mature, and then slowly fall in love, was like watching a fairy tale come to life. You still love her?”

“Aye, more now than ever,” Killian admits with no hesitation. The king and queen have a wordless conversation before Snow focuses back on him.

“What we do want,” Snow continues, “is for you to be part of our lives. Now, I believe I have something to return to you.” She stands, coming forward and reaching into her skirts to retrieve a small pouch.

“I kept it polished for you,” she tells him.

“And I made sure she didn’t polish it too much or else the band would be a half moon at this point,” David adds on. A smile is just barely visible in his eyes, just beneath the never ending affection for his wife.

Snow tumbles the ring into his hand from the upturned pouch, and he marvels at how it gleams. Still, after all these years, it looks like the perfect selection for Emma.

“All other discussions can wait until morning,” Snow reminds him as she closes his fingers around the ring. She reaches up and hugs him, her arms just as familiar as he remembers them. “Welcome home,” she whispers once, before she moves away. She reaches for David’s hand as she passes him, squeezing it once and smiling at him before she bids them both goodnight.

Left alone with David, Killian is unsure what to do. He bows, thinking that the king will leave it there, but David moves around the chair that’s standing between them and stops when he’s a yard away from Killian.

“Because I still need to say it, Killian, thank you for bringing Emma back alive. Talk of piracy and stealing ships aside, there’s no way I could ever repay you for that one act.” Without warning, David moves forward and gives Killian a hug. He slaps the former lieutenant on the back a few times before moving away again. “Goodnight, Killian.”

Feeling lighter than he has in years, Killian walks the familiar path from the king and queen’s quarters to Emma’s rooms. He passes Liam on the way, this time not hesitating to initiate a bear hug with him. Even while growing up, he got all his embraces from the staff or the queen, or Emma who hugged him best of all. He’s lost over three years of the ability to hug his brother, on top of all the years Liam wasn’t around.

For some reason, as he eases towards the door at the end of the hall, that’s when the nerves hit. He’s sure the lead in his stomach won’t allow him to move further, but he manages to push open the door, shaking off a chill of magic when he turns to close it. Clearly, Emma is not joking around with security measures this time. He locks the door out of habit, walking through the antechamber and putting out candles as he goes. He enters her bedroom and closes that door, as well, intent on finding Emma.

His attention is immediately brought to the bouquet of flowers on the table, and Killian realizes it’s where the breakfast tray sat the day Emma went missing. He’s just about to fall down another hole of memories and thankfulness for being back, when Emma clears her throat.

It’s like a startling moment of déjà vu, with Emma spread across the comforter, smile in place. Her hair is all pulled up, leaving the lines of her décolletage exposed. She’s in the corset and skirts from their first night together, her legs crossed just so to hide her privates. He bites his lip against the devilish smile he knows is on his face.

“This all seems a bit familiar,” Killian says as he saunters forward. Years of experience don’t have him as shaky or unsure of what to do next, but he wants to let her lead tonight.

“A few things have changed,” Emma responds, smirk in place, fluttering her eyelashes in a coy manner.

She acts demure, but he knows better. “For the love of all the ships in the realm, please tell me you brought condoms back with you.”

Instead of a response, she shifts off the bed, gliding towards him with the sheer shirts swirling around her legs. At the same time, she waves her hand, and a line of the foil packets appears in her hand. “They were stashed in my coat pocket. Just in case.”

“Always good to be prepared for every eventuality.”

“Just kiss me already,” Emma says, chuckling as she does. She twists a hand into the fabric of his waistcoat and pulls him to her, their lips meeting somewhere in the middle as their arms wrap around each other. He turns his hook so it won’t catch on the delicate materials, but doesn’t hesitate to palm her backside, feeling the warmth of her skin just beneath the fabric.

Piece by piece, she strips the clothes from his body, leaving the brace and his boxer-briefs for last. She’s seen him without his brace before; that’s not what bothers him. But this is her first time seeing it on. As if to reassure him, she draws her hands down his arms, linking one hand with his fingers and grasping his hook with the other.

“I love you, Killian Jones, Captain Hook, thankfully no longer Cat.”

He ducks his head to kiss her, something simple and momentary before he responds. “I can confidently say that I love you, Emma Swan, Princess of Misthaven, Deputy of Storybrooke.”

Her whole face lights up with her smile, her eyes crinkling as she releases hand and hook so she can pluck at the waistband of his underwear. “How about losing these, and loosening my laces?”

“Surely you secured this with magic, Swan. Why delay by asking for help?” She’s in the process of turning away from him, so he takes advantage to wind his arm around her middle and pull her back to him. “In case I forgot to say so, darling, you look divine in this.” He uses the tip of his hook to draw her hair off her neck, enjoying the way her breath stutters as she shifts into his erection. Her whimpering moans when he kisses down the side of her neck are also pleasurable. The sharp cry of his name with at least three expletives following is the real treasure, though, when he bites and soothes with teeth and tongue.

She loses her patience after that, finding the ties to her skirts and practically ripping them off as she moves far enough away for him to access the back of the corset. He doesn’t tease her any longer, instead pulling at the knot and loosening the laces just enough for her to be able to unclasp it without discomfort.

Emma, he’s forgotten, looks stunning in candlelight. But he gets to remember as they come together again and again, until the flames in the room all extinguish on their own and the only light left comes from what’s left of the fire in the hearth. Only then do they settle, their bodies sated, their adrenaline all spent, and no threats looming over them in the near future.

Killian is jostled awake by movement next to him. Apparently, he’s been a little spoiled by Emma’s memory foam mattress back in Storybrooke. Turns out the land without magic does have a few tricks up its sleeve. It's entirely too early to be awake. The sun isn't yet peeking above the horizon, if the back of his eyelids are anything to go by. A dip in the bed this time is what alerts him to Emma’s movements, and he cracks open an eye to watch her climb from the bed.

“Swan,” he grumbles, trying to reach for her as she stands.

“I’ll be right back,” she tells him, bending to retrieve his shirt from the floor.

“It’s too early. Come back, love.”

“I wanna go down and grab us breakfast. No matter how many times everyone kept telling us that we would talk today, I plan on bringing back enough food so we can barricade that door and stay here for at least a day or two.” As she finishes fastening the buttons, she tosses a saucy look over her shoulder. “I wanna make up for some lost time.” She bends to lift his jeans, but Killian practically leaps from the bed to snatch them up.

“Now, Swan, it’s your first day back to your homeland. Don’t you suppose we should at least swing through and say good morning?” He eases the pants from her hands, anxious to keep the pockets upright as he does so. He half-folds them, placing them down on the chaise before he moves forward to pull her close by tugging the tail of the shirt. “Of course, when you look like that, I’m hesitant to let you leave at all.”

“This early? No one will be up. No one in the kitchen. No one snooping around wondering why I have a beautiful set of teeth marks on my neck that I want to leave for just a little longer before I heal them.”

Releasing the fabric, Killian slides his hand down until it rests at the juncture between her thighs. Emma gasps, pressing closer to him as one of his fingers slide inside her. “I’ll let you go, but in just a moment, and only once I’ve watched you fall apart. Deal?” The words are a husky whisper, delivered straight to her ear, and she shivers against him.

“Hell yeah, it’s a deal.” She yanks his head down none too gently to kiss him again, and it doesn’t take long for her voice to rise in pitch and volume, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she clutches on. He suspects that grip and his left arm clamped around her lower back are the only things keeping her upright. He hopes that no one is still keeping guard down the hall, or that Emma placed some sort of sound-proofing on the barrier she put around the room, as the lack of upstairs and downstairs neighbors allows her the freedom to call his name without restraint, her triumphant call of “Yes!” echoing off the stone walls.

“Okay,” Killian says, still catching his own breath as Emma collapses in his arms, “now we can go get breakfast.”

She laughs in response. “Oh, sure. Now that I’m torn between dragging you back to that bed to sleep off that orgasm or cause a couple more.” She half-heartedly smacks his arm and kisses him soundly once again. “Let me get some pants on or something.”

The satchel, it turns out, had been delivered to her room, which he failed to notice when he entered the night before. When Emma wanders from the bedroom to find a fresh change of clothes, Killian scoops his jeans from the chaise and slips them on before digging the ring from the pocket. He’s waited three and a half years for this moment. There’s no time like the present.

When Emma walks back in, Killian is on his knee, his eyes trained on the door so as not to be caught off guard. They smile at each other, even with two yards between them.

As they sneak through the halls towards the kitchen, she’s wearing his shirt and his ring. They leave a note for her parents outside her parents’ quarters, addressed to Snow, with her ring inside. The Queen wisely informs everyone that they’ll postpone the homecoming breakfast until the following morning as she slides the peridot back onto her ring finger.

-x-

“What I’m saying is that the Dark One’s memory curse on the town is wearing off, and these people are freaking out.”

They’re all seated around the large table in the war room, with Ursula in attendance to explain the after-effects of finally dispersing the Darkness. It turns out, Ursula has been keeping tabs on Storybrooke for a long time to make sure nothing was going wrong with the Dark One’s cursed town. But like a sea witch, she’s kept all of her information to herself until now.

It’s been three days since they broke Emma’s memory curse, since they defeated the total darkness that was threatening to destroy more and more families. While they’ve been trying to find some semblance of normalcy since returning to Misthaven, it’s clear that they’re not done with Storybrooke yet, just as the town is not done with them. Emma’s thoughts have wandered to the little home she’s grown fond of more times than she can count, lost in the memories of sidewalks beneath her feet, snow catching on her eyelashes under the fairy lights outside Granny’s diner.

“What do you propose we do, have the merfolk bring them all back here in shifts?” This suggestion from Killian isn’t the worst thing Emma’s ever heard, but it’s not exactly the best solution.

“Some of those people have been there for decades,” Regina comments. “Maybe even longer. We questioned Rumplestiltskin about the town, and he says he’s been using it for at least three hundred years. He got mad at a village for making fun of his name, of all things, so he transported the whole thing to this other land.” She rolls her eyes as she talks, clearly expressing her exasperation with cleaning up after this man.

Robin, having regained his own memories, has been instrumental in helping Regina compile all the data on the fake town that has served as its own prison for centuries. “The curse was so layered that it eventually learned on its own. It’s the strangest thing, but if it were younger, they probably would have all transported back automatically once his magic stopped feeding the spell. As it is, the town has become a source of magic on its own, in a land completely devoid of magical sources. The good thing seems to be that portals won’t strip travelers of their memories anymore. We’ll have to send another emissary to be sure, of course.”

“Because magic beans are so easy to come by?” Emma asks skeptically. Last she heard, it takes an arm and a leg to get ahold of one of those. Mentally, she berates herself, and reaches for Killian’s hook on her right. Thoughts of what he’d look like in a soft flannel shirt, a cozy wool sweater, matching socks, run through her head. She glances at him to catch his eye, smiling when he winks at her, and almost misses what her father is saying.

“Actually, portals might be easier than you think. We made a deal with the giants while we were trying to get to Storybrooke. They’re going to open up a trading post. It took a lot of persuading, but we did them a favor by sharing some magic from the fairies with them, so they can come to land and take part in human spoils whenever they’d like. It looks like we’ve found peace in another area of this world.”

“That’s great,” Ursula mentions, probably because that means her human transportation business will finally dwindle again, but she doesn’t stop there. “But if some of these people have been trapped there for centuries, there’s no way they’ll want to return. Storybrooke is the only home they know. Their families are long gone.”

“Well, we could always establish this town as another sector of Misthaven. I know the town, and all the townspeople. I don’t ever remember actually seeing a mayor, which means the chain of command was probably all part of the curse. They’ll need leadership. What else is a defunct regent going to do with her time?” Regina mutters the part, but in that flippant way she’s so good at. “The politics over there work a little differently, but I’d like to return to Storybrooke and run for their mayor.”

Regina and Snow branch off to discuss the fine details of what would go along with mayorship of a town as an extension of Misthaven. If any two people can figure out a good way to make this all work, it’s those two. Weird to think that her mother and step-grandmother have such a relationship and history, when Emma only knew her as her best friend.

The memory of Regina bumping into her in the hallway and claiming they weren’t besties makes her grin, especially since they went right on solidifying their friendship. Perhaps Rumple never anticipated how close they would become, and how instrumental they would both be in his downfall. The idea of Regina leaving, however, almost makes her sad. She wouldn’t expect things to stay the same after the turmoil they’ve all been through, but how is she to go on living in Misthaven when she feels like she belongs somewhere else?

Between the homecoming celebrations and her own quiet time with Killian, talks about what they’ll do now have been sparse, few between, and almost non-existent. She’s not told Killian about how she stares out the windows sometimes and wishes she could pop over to Granny’s and grab a hot chocolate. She actually misses work. Emma knows she’s going to be met with resistance, but the decision is easy for her. “I want to return, too.”

All conversation ceases around her, with every set of eyes turning to stare at her with varying expressions. Her parents look shell-shocked, Regina looks confused, and Killian just looks… well, like he knows exactly where her mind is. This should come as no surprise since he knows her so well.

“But Emma -”

“But nothing,” she cuts off David. “It’s nothing compared to decades or centuries, but I’ve been there for three years. I love my job, I like my friends. My life is there. If magic beans are readily available, then we can visit any time?” It comes out as a question no matter how hard she tries to make it a statement.

“We can?” Killian says, purely to tease. She hasn’t gotten around to telling him just how much she already misses electricity and grilled cheese sandwiches. The cooks tried for her yesterday, but it just wasn’t the same. The easy smile on his face further tells her he already knows, and the usual look in his eyes says he will follow her to the ends of the earth if she asks.

“We can,” she reasserts, moving her hand to squeeze his forearm when he gives her a nod. “And you could visit us,” Emma states, looking at her parents. David, poor David, looks devastated at the idea of his princess leaving again. They just got her back and she’s already talking about leaving. Snow, however, looks like she’s considering it, and Emma knows if she can get her mother on her side, they can both convince her father that it’s a sound idea.

“The sooner we figure this out, the better,” Ursula reminds them. “There are people in that town that are panicking because they want to get home with their families. We need to either get them back to where they belong without draining my resources, or we need to get them calmed down.”

“How about you take us back with you when you go again? I’ll even help make a spell that will use a little less of your own magic so you can transport us easily.” Regina pushes back from the table, standing and preparing to make her accord.

They seal their agreement with a shake of their hands, rather than a signed contract. The fact that deals can be made without there being a hefty price or threat of punishment on the side is probably the best part of Rumplestiltskin being locked up in a magical cage in their dungeons. Once Regina and Robin have left the room to go pack their belongings, Ursula and the rest of the major council disperses, leaving just the king and queen, Emma, and Killian.

There’s a heavy silence over the table, one that makes her think that even if Snow is considering it, her parents aren’t happy that she plans to leave them again. Plus, it means she’s giving up her rights to the throne if she moves to Storybrooke for good. She even has ideas to pitch on how that should be handled, but that’s a conversation for another day.

“We can have the wedding here,” she blurts out. Killian turns and raises an eyebrow at her, but she barrels on. “We haven’t set a date yet, but we can always plan it to take place here. I would never want to deprive you of another big moment in my life, but I really feel like Storybrooke is just…home. I mean, it’s not home. You guys will always be my home home, but I’m comfortable there. I’m happy there. I like having a job and technology and we can visit any time if this bean thing is really going to work out.”

David gets up from his chair, pacing a few times as Emma talks, and then stopping behind Snow’s seat as she finishes. They both stare at her, shifting their eyes minimally to look at Killian as well. Snow tilts her head back to look at David, and he looks down at her, and they do their married-conversation-without-words bit before they look at her again.

“Okay,” they say in unison.

“Go back with Regina and Robin. It’ll probably help to have a member of the current royal family present while everything gets situated, particularly for those from our kingdom,” David tells her.

“We’ll start planning the wedding. We’ll come visit in a few weeks when the first bean crop is ready for harvest so we can deliver some to you,” Snow says. “And try pizza,” she adds with a wide smile, the word sounding weird coming from her mouth.

It’s hard to think she’ll be leaving them again, but hearing Snow say they’ll come visit soon makes her feel like this is the right decision. This is what she wants. And while she hasn’t really talked to Killian about it, she knows that he enjoyed their time in Storybrooke enough to lament the things he’s also missing.

“Will you send word to Regina to wait for us?” Emma asks as she stands from her chair. Behind her, Killian moves his, and comes to stand beside her.

With a gesture, David draws one of the guards from the doors, relaying the message and sending him on his way. “We’ll be there as soon as we can be,” he tells Emma, accepting the hug she offers and holding her tight. He only releases her when she tells him how much she’ll miss him again, and that she loves him, and then she moves on to Snow.

Her mother is crying, of course, just barely. But Emma knows it’s hard to say goodbye so soon after what they’ve been through. She tells Snow the same thing she said to David, and includes an extra tight squeeze as she tells her how much she’s looking forward to planning the wedding when she sees her again.

A half an hour later, Killian returns to her quarters after packing as much as he wanted from his room. While he had unofficially moved in as soon as they got back, he still had to retrieve the things he most wanted to bring. And tell Liam.

“How’d it go?” Emma asks, not looking up from her own task of putting some of her Storybrooke clothes back into the satchel they brought with them.

“He cried,” Killian says, but she immediately hears the scratchiness in his voice, so she turns her head and raises an eyebrow at him until he looks at her. “Okay, fine, we cried. Happy?”

“Yes, actually.” He was trying to be a smartass, but Emma’s response is genuine. She stops her packing for a second to walk over, not even hesitating as she reaches up to kiss him and wraps her arms around him at the same time. It’s a chaste kiss by the standards they’ve set over the last three days; they have absolutely made up for lost time. But it’s the beginning of their own wordless communication. She doesn’t need to tell him she loves him right this moment (she’ll tell him a thousand times anyway, but it can wait another minute or two). She doesn’t need to thank him, or explain how much this means to her. She knows he would wave off any of those statements if she tried. “I’m just about finished. Any word on how long until the others are leaving?”

“And I quote, there’s not enough time for you two to go at it like rabbits again,” he says, pressing his lips together to ward off the smile that wants to creep up. “End quote.”

“Damn,” she mutters. “Oh well, just means we’ll have to wait until we’re back in my apartment with all those lovely, battery-operated toys.”

“See, now I’m fully on board with going. I had just the slightest hesitation earlier, but you’ve fully won me over with this idea.” She shakes her head, kissing him once before going back to her task.

Killian leaves ahead of her, so Emma has a moment in her room by herself. It feels a lot like a heavy goodbye, even though she knows they’ll be back to visit. Even if the bean trade falls through, Ursula has agreed to help in cases of emergency. The mark for her shell is still on Killian’s arm, so they can call her if they ever need to get back to Misthaven. She turns around the room slowly, smiling at the flowers in the vase, knowing that her mother made the fairies enchant a whole field just so she could go stand someplace where Emma spent so much of her time.

Now, she’s thinking that the same meadow might make a beautiful location for a wedding some day. With that thought in her mind, and a smile on her lips, she walks out, extinguishing all the candles before she closes the door behind her.

-x-

Storybrooke is in calm chaos for weeks. Dealing with who wants to stay and who wants to leave is the trickiest bit. There are many people who, just as Ursula and Regina figured, don’t want to return to a place where their families are long gone. There are others who simply believe they fit better in a modern world than the one they were taken from. Will Scarlet, especially, says he’s a much better man in Storybrooke than he was in Misthaven, or Wonderland, or Oz… or so he claims. He is spending a great deal of time at the library, but Emma has suspicions that it’s because of Belle, and not because of the books.

Most fascinating is watching the connections between the people of the town come out of the woodwork. It turns out that Ruby and Mulan already knew each other, having met as they were on their own adventures, and traveling together for some time. They’d both been attracted to the other, but far too timid or unsure to pursue the idea of really traveling together. What had been a tentative start of a relationship when Emma saw them before the search party set out blossoms into a beautiful partnership.

Graham laughs, his whole body shaking with the action, when he realizes precisely who Emma and Killian are. “You’ve both come a long way from those hand-offs in the hallway. My favorite little tart thieves. No wonder you always felt like my younger sister,” he marvels to Emma. Killian smiles, happy to observe the interaction. He’s been meeting the people Emma has spent her last few years with, and it’s jarring but in a wonderful way.

He’s had the only reunion he was concerned with. Stepping onto the docks yesterday to find Brennan was a surreal experience, especially when his father sizes him up. The last Captain Jones saw of his sons, Killian was barely retaining his memories. His father seemed ten times larger than the average man, so standing before him now, their statures so similar, is the hardest part to swallow. But then Emma was beside him, easing the tension he felt in his shoulders. Introducing him to Emma might be his favorite part of the reunion.

Their stories are not so unique. There are children and parents, friends, lovers, enemies who decide to bury the hatchet – all types of camaraderie all over this town that was born of petty hatred. Person by person, story by story, they sort through every resident in the town to take an accurate survey of everyone there, figuring out where each one wanted to live and shuffling them toward the piers to help get them ready for Ursula.

Shortly after everyone gets placed where they want to go, life returns to something resembling normal. Since the bean crop is just about at its harvesting point, Killian is pretty sure they’re bound to get a message any day about Emma’s parents planning a visit. The idea makes her absolutely giddy. She wants her parents to see that while they were separated for far too long, she was by no means abused in her temporary “prison” town. She talks plenty about taking them to various places in town, not hesitating to point out a new one as they walk to dinner one night, or as he walks with her to work the next day.

He always gives her a kiss on the cheek before they part, with her heading into the station and him walking the last couple blocks to the docks on his own. He knows boats and ships, so what better place for a pirate than working at the docks. His crew, all but Smee, returned to Misthaven to go find their bluer seas. He sent Smee back to retrieve his ship, but hired the man to be his first mate once more, for good over greed this time. Amazingly, Smee happily comes aboard, glad to lend out his services of finding people and goods when not working on the Jolly Roger.

The fair trade of magic beans and goods in Misthaven ends up being so lucrative that Storybrooke becomes something of a tourist destination. There aren’t a lot of visitors in the winter, but in the summer, there are people popping in every day of the week. It means that they have to come up with a conversion rate for gold to money, which is an interesting affair, but it works out fantastically for Granny’s bed and breakfast, and the diner. With the extra revenue, Regina begins making plans for updates and upgrades, for new construction projects and a reassessment of the schools. Everything that can be improved is given a thorough inspection by their new, watchful mayor.

It also works out great for Killian and Brennan. Since he’s already been working on the docks all this time, he and Killian start up an ocean tour business, taking their vacationing Misthaven folk out on the sea and around the coasts they can now travel to since the curse has lifted. When Liam comes to visit, the Jones family has their own day. Liam has more memories of Brennan, and so the two connect much easier than Killian initially had. But having them all together is more valuable than anything else.

When he returns home after the first night, Emma is waiting for him with a knowing smile on her face. She pulls him into her arms as soon as he closes the door, easing the tension and nerves that he managed to hide all day long. Having a family outside of Emma is still startlingly new to him, but he’s adjusting.

The king and queen’s visit is a much-anticipated event for the town. Much like a visit from any other top-ranking officials, the residents all put forward their best efforts. Granny, who knew Snow as a child before she and Ruby were sent to the cursed town, gets to host the royals as her guests. During their visit, Killian gets a taste of how it must’ve been adjusting him to modern amenities. Emma’s parents were told in advance what to expect, however watching David operate light switches is Killian’s new favorite activity.

On the second day of their vacation, Emma and Snow go out shopping for modern clothes for the king and queen to wear during the rest of their stay. In their new outfits, David looks like any other random bloke in town, and Snow looks like a perfect school teacher, her prim cardigans and soft pastels the perfect style for her demeanor.

“In another life, in this town, I think I would’ve enjoyed being a teacher,” Snow tells them after Emma points this out.

The four of them squeeze around the table at Emma’s apartment for meals, and it’s obvious that the space that used to feel adequate is no longer enough. Hand-me-down castoffs are well and good, but as soon as they start shopping for Killian and filling the closet and drawers with his clothes as well, they realize that they’re not destined to inhabit the one-bedroom apartment for something longer than a temporary stay.

Finding a house to live in is an adventure all on its own. They wait until David and Snow return home to go out looking, wanting to devote their whole attention to the task. They bicker about the details, sometimes to the point of going just beyond the term of disagreements and entering fighting, but it’s only through these interactions that they discover ways to resolve them. And make-up sex is the very best way to end any argument, of course.

When they do find a house, it’s a choice they can both agree on. The process of filling the house with more than just furniture and clothes is something they both delight in. Emma has a knack for finding the perfect paintings and artwork to put on the walls, and Killian excels at finding knickknacks and functional items of the perfect style. Soon, picture frames line the walls and sit across the mantel, and curtains they picked together cover their windows.

After a little over a year of residing in peaceful Storybrooke, they head back to the Enchanted Forest to prepare for the wedding. Brennan and Smee sail the Jolly Roger between the realms with the help of the magic beans and ferry guests to Misthaven for the event.

For some of them, it’s their first time back to their homeland, so David and Snow open their doors to any guests, housing all of the wedding-goers in an attempt to make everyone as comfortable as possible.

Killian can hardly believe the transformation of the flower field when he sees it the day of the wedding. Platforms and walkways, all specially crafted with the fairies’ magic, are placed over the flowers so that none of them are disturbed during the ceremony. In the center, a dais has been built up to accommodate the nuptials. With their flowers all in bloom, and the sun shining down on them, Killian and the guests wait patiently for Emma and her parents to walk up the path.

He might be biased, but she’s the most beautiful bride he’s ever seen. The dress is more modern, having been purchased in Storybrooke, but her head is topped with a flower crown made of the delicate buds from the field. The event outshines every ball the kingdom has ever held, with the reception taking place in the main hall. They spend their first night as husband and wife in Emma’s old quarters, with her magic surrounding and protecting the room again, just in case. As is the trend in their lives, this is the room that witnesses another of their firsts.

While the guests all return to Storybrooke in the days that follow the wedding, Emma and Killian stay behind to begin the first leg of their honeymoon adventure. As a princess, Emma had little chance to explore the kingdoms, so they set off on a journey to remedy that. Killian takes her on a tour of the best ports he visited. The second half of their tour is spent exploring the country that houses their new home. Storybrooke still won’t show on any maps, keeping their little magic town a secret of sorts, but the broken curse means that the residents can move beyond the town limits.

Killian is sure that their life in the Enchanted Forest would’ve been filled with plenty of excitement, but as they settle back in after their journey ends, he discovers that they’ve hit the exact amount of thrills to fit their lifestyle. Some nights they dance to whatever music comes from the stereo, and sometimes they go sailing for the joy of feeling the wind in their hair. They make dinner slightly more often than going to grab Granny’s for takeout, and they live and work and love every single day, enjoying every single moment.

And when the time is right, they get a cat.

The End.

Thank you for reading! xo

#cs ff #cs ff au #captain swan ff #csbb #csbb 2017 #sarah writes ff #wait for the moonrise #enchanted forest/modern au #*quietly sobs*#it's the end

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