#aaaand here we go off to heck and back

[verdantglow]

Hiiii, hellooooo, I saw your Homestuck au and I love it. Love your art !!! I wanna eat everysingle one of them they are so-

Ok so, I had a few questions if you don't mind like, how did Scar and Grian met? Like- how they become moirals? Aaaand what would be the quadrants between Mumbo, Scar and Grian

Aaah hi! & thank you so much! (I’ve never had someone say they wanted to eat my art, that’s such a high compliment, omg…)

So Scar & Griann. They met while playing the VR version of Flarp around mid adolescence!

Actually, the VR edition of Flarp is how all the various groups of characters know each other. When they were around 7-8 sweeps old, they all signed up for & played a VR Flarp called Third Life. After the campaign ended, they stayed in touch & over the years they’ve played four more campaigns over VR, occasionally adding in more players. (This is very odd for Flarpers & really just for trolls in general. Maintaining relationships outside of your quadrants once you’re an adult & off planet is exceedingly rare, but this group is now around 12-14 sweeps & just finished playing the Secret Life module together.) (…There might be something to be said about the complex shipping chart that has developed holding them together in some ways.) (But mostly they’re just all friends, for whatever shade & value of friendship is possible as an adult troll.)

Anyway! Back to Scar & Griann! Griann ‘accidentally’ (no one is sure how accurate that word is) led to Scar’s first death in the Third Life campaign. We can guess that either Griann really thought Scar wouldn’t die or he just is piss poor at thinking things through, ‘cause killing a sea dweller, even in a game, when you were not supposed to… Well let’s just say that Griann vowed his first life to Scar & Scar, whether by dint of being the friendliest sea dweller you’ve ever met or because he was genuinely placated by the vow, didn’t pursue revenge IRL as he was entitled to by troll custom.

(It’s important to remember here that 1. Griann is a mutant candy red blood & 2. everyone was around the age where blood colour starts showing in your eyes, making it harder to hide your hemostatus. Given Griann wasn’t a full adult, so there was just a tint of red to his irises, during the Third Life campaign most of them assumed Griann was a rustblood. & a such a low blood killing fucking royalty out of turn, frankly most of them were pretty damn shocked that Scar accepted the vow instead of killing Griann on the spot, at least in game. It was very much a defining moment for everyone’s thoughts of Scar.)

So Griann & Scar teamed up & feelings… happened. Most of the rest of the crew saw their relationship as a somewhat forced moiraillegence, Griann placating Scar for his own safety as well as that of others while voicing his desire to leave the partnership to almost anyone who’d listen. By the end of the campaign, the forced part fell off people’s estimations, as Grian obviously became closer & closer to Scar. But it still seemed like a pretty cut & dry moiraillegence, albeit a kinda dysfunctional one, given how much death & destruction Scar still enacted on everyone.

When they were asked about their fresh moiraillegence after the campaign, they both just kinda smiled & nodded, trying not to think about all the confusing vacillating make outs that happened on Monopoly Mountain. & they’ve been living in ??? ever since.

Now, Mummbo Jummbo. My favorite jade blood. (My only jade blood lol.) He & Griann have known each other since they were grubs & have always been pretty much inseparable, despite Mummbo not picking up VR Flarp until the group’s second campaign.

No one knows what the heck is going on between Griann & Mummbo. They are utterly, helplessly devoted to each other in a way that everyone speculates whether they flushed or maybe ashen or ??? Like. Scar & Griann, while they keep up the image of them being moirails, anyone who really knows them can see quadrant vacillation clear as day. That’s not too out of the ordinary. But Mummbo & Griann? Extremely odd by troll standards, particularly adult troll standards. They seem to swing between pity friends & hate friends, as many troll friends do; they just do it at an intensity & velocity that most trolls find baffling outside of quadrants.

(The truth is Mummbo’s quadrants are completely empty & he prefers it that way. Aroace king right here. If you ask if, he’ll just say that quadrants are too much fuss & confusion for him. Though it is worth noting that Mummbo’s main point of reference for what quadrants look like for a long time was whatever the fuck Griann & Scar have going on, which, is, uh, not particularly stable & frequently somewhat unhealthy. Love them though.)

Mummbo & Scar become good pity friends after being introduced by Griann post-Third Life campaign, though they also have their hate friend days. Heck there have even been a few times that others have suspected Mummbo was pitch flirting with Scar (like during the Secret Life campaign when Mummbo said, rather loudly, in public, something to the effect of ‘get good.’). But really it’s a case of the hate friendship aspect of their relationship flaring & Mummbo being utterly clueless to flirting of any kind, even when he seemingly is the one doing it.

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 37- Part 12

And the final bookshelf! Awesome! Let's celebrate by committing some theft!

Okay the Weakness Policy in particular is very good, I'm glad to have that.

And I think we've found Serra's room now, aaaand READ-OUT! THERE YOU ARE!

Alright, let's do some reading and get a better idea of what this Field is all about. And…ah heck, there's already math involved!

Pokémon's positive Accuracy stages + Pokémon's positive Evasion stages + Target's negative Accuracy stages + Target's negative Evasion stages

You're telling me that, in the absolute worst case scenario, the opponent's critical hit ratio can be boosted by 24 stages??? How does that even calculate?? They don't even need to go that far to get the full six stage crit boost! Between the positive and the negative stat changes, could be:

Three and three

Two and two and two

Two and two and one and one

Three and one and one and one 

And I hate that! I feel like I'm getting flashbacks to the Victoria and Kiki fights with the crit risk here! Uh…what else, surely there can't be anything worse than- if a contact move misses, we take damage!? And it loses a stage of raised Evasion!? That's terrible, goodness gracious! There's gotta be something here that works in my favor, right??

Oh! Lax Incense increases Evasion on switch-in and the Zoom Lens increases Accuracy and applies Laser Focus on switch-in! I have both of those items! I can use that! What else…single-target special moves always hit, even with raised Evasion, that's good- if I had a Pokémon that knew Focus Blast, we'd be golden. And these other moves that get boosts…Bubble Beam, Charge Beam, Ice Beam…Aurora Beam, Dazzling Gleam, Flash Cannon…and Mirror Shot is special, of course, gets a boost too and guaranteed to hit.

Flash Cannon in particular could be really good here, and Brick Break can probably help against the screens (Reflect, Light Screen, Aurora Veil) because those get boosted too (they now last eight turns automatically and give an Evasion boost, the latter of which seems a bit overkill in my opinion). The Synthetic Seeds also give boosted Evasion and apply Magic Coat, and I've got a good amount of those, to be sure.

Oh! We can shatter the mirrors too! Crater can do that with Earthquake! That could be a good last resort if I get really tired of the…everything of Mirror Arena.

And there sure is…a lot…oh, this next Gym battle’s gonna suck, isn't it…?

Well…that'll be a problem for future X. Current X has decided to spend this last part of the session taking care of…literally anything else! Like finishing the Kadabra lady's request!

I mean, Xera's stolen a TV before, so stealing a cabinet isn't that out-of-character for her.

Oooh!! We just heard about that in the last chapter!! That's pretty good!!

Mmm…that could be useful if I need to do some grinding for a whole team, but for now I'll keep it off. Now, does she say anything else?

Okay, don't need that password, but glad we could help a lady out!

Speaking of helping ladies out- it's time to see if we really can go back to Reborn City, because we've got a house key to deliver. Let's head back through the Underground Railnet…

Out from Yureyu, so far so good…

And here we are! It was not a point of no return, I was worried for nothing! And that means we can go to Onyx Ward without issue!

This lady has been sleeping outside for more than an in-game week now, but no longer!

Previous

Next

[lizardwizardinablizzard]

A new search for rp friends!

I decided that it's high time I make a blog SPECIFICALLY for writing, since I do so much of it. It seems odd to have my fandom/regular blog or one of my aesthetic or resource blogs have RP searches run through it... and there hasn't been much success for me doing it that way either. I figure, heck, when I get the writing itch and decide to put together a blurb, be it fiction or nonfiction, I can slap it in this bad boy and label it as a sample or something. Aaaand.... I can also post about actual RPs I'm in, post searches.... you know. As you do. So anyways!! I'm Disco, 30, nb, and use they/them. I prefer writing semilit to lit, but am aware that sometimes plot doesn't call for massive amounts of text. I'd rather us move our story along in a way that feels good than get stuck in a loop of mirroring or dialogue just to fill up space. I'm fine with ghosting, so don't worry about that with me. I'll rp pretty much anywhere, but usually it's on discord. I enjoy both fandoms and originals. I'll play any gender/role for the most part, and am open to canons, ocs, you name it. I will only rp with other adults, and depending on the content of the RP, I may restrict to 25+, for my personal comfort. Sorry kiddos- get off my lawn!!!! Generally I write in third person past tense, but I'll experiment with other methods here and there. If you have any questions for me other than the stuff above, feel free to send me a chat! If you wanna vibe check me, chat me and I'll link you to my main account to scroll around- promise I don't bite. :'3 Finally, I'll just kinda slap some of the plots that are currently on my mind and follow it up with the fandoms I'm currently interested in RPing! If you have any group ops that I might be into... lemme see! Let me know if you're interested in discussing- or even just making friends! (plots are next, scroll all the way down for fandoms!)

Plots & Blurbs: monsters. vampires. evil. Light does not always mean good.

A lich desperately tries to remember his past.

A ghost living in a home pc falls in love with the pcs user.

A train hopping crust punk meets a ghost while on the run.

A fallen star is caught and kept.

A faerie and a goblin meet.

Magic or monster schools

Arranged marriages

A princess falsely accused of murder goes on the run.

A prince in disguise has taken on a life of crime. Ah shit we accidentally caused the apocalypse.

Stowaways? On my vessel? Its more likely than u think.

Androids have feelings now and it sucks.

fairy or elf / vampire or other dark creature vampire / human god / mortal demon / angel or other dark/light archetypical pairings dragon / humanoid naval captain / stowaway mob boss / citizen superhero / supervillain serial killer / investigator serial killer / citizen Bounty hunter/outlaw outlaw/sherriff outlaw/outlaw farmhand/outlaw

-An apocalypse/post apocalyptic world where either:- high magic used to exist and power the world & inexplicably ENDED. Hijinx ensue.- there used to be no such thing as magic and now suddenly there is SO GODDAMN MUCH of it. Hijinx ensue.

-A prince or princess flee the castle to make their own mark on the world against their parent's wishes. It turns out that the world is actually a horrifying place, and they probably wouldn't survive if it wasn't for meeting... insert character here.

- There's something dire down in the mines to the east of this old Western town. Folks keep goin' in to investigate, disappearin' for days at a time, then comin' back all different-like with the lights gone from their eyes. What could be happenin' out there, sheriff? (horror/western)

- A high-fantasy world's balance is shattered when the source of magic is destroyed. How will the people of this mystical land navigate a now mundane life, and how can they survive when so many magical devices go defunct and awry? - A no-magic world is suddenly spun into chaos: an apocalyptic event leads to the sudden introduction of magic into a world that had previously never known it. In the post-apocalyptic (and mystically-charged) ashes of a world that once was, how do the survivors compete for resources and control? - A star falls from the sky! They're rare, and it's dangerous to be one. Are you the star, hunted and lost? Or are you someone who finds a star? - A lich (my character) is rumored to live in the castle at the foot of the mountains, only a mile or so from your town. It's said they're a true villain, the worst of the worst... but what is the truth? -Arranged Marriages between physical embodiments of the seasons or planets -A sailor, pirate, or other seafarer keeps noticing the same shape in the waters near their ship. After a terrible storm, the ship wrecks… now, one’s a mermaid, one’s a sailor, and they’re both idiots trying to find their way back home. -Disaster has struck! A grisly assassination attempt leads a bodyguard to quickly usher their liege to safety. Drama ensues! -In a dwindling-magic world, those who cling to the olde magicks and the old way of living struggle against the new capitalist society and its nonmagic technology. In one still-magickal neighborhood where our story takes place, shopkeepers fight against nonmagickal gentrification in an effort to keep their businesses, communities, and traditions alive. - An ancient evil has been kept locked in a gem for thousands of years. This being once nearly brought about the end of the world- and its power, if freed or put in the wrong hands, could cause the same all over again. What a shame that its prison has just been found and sold once again!

Fandoms: Legend of Zelda Super Mario Bros (the whole universe- just all of it lmao) Elder Scrolls Red Dead Redemption Left 4 Dead Game of Thrones Labyrinth Homestuck ATLA/LOK Pokemon Star Wars Danganronpa MCU DC a whole lot more, so feel free to shoot your shot. I'm into video games, card games, board games, both western and eastern animation, movies and shows in general, sci fi, fantasy, etc etc etc. It's worth a try, right?

[mistralxsoul]

Since Flynn's work was easy today, and since it was the last day he had of work before he'd be taking almost a week off to prepare for the wedding, Yuri was in Flynn's office with him to go over last minute confirmations. They weren't setting things up alone, of course, but Yuri still wanted to make sure things were well prepared for everyone, and for their own plans to be cemented at least a few days in advance so nothing was last second.

Venue was figured out, attendants for each of them were figured out, guest list was basically complete unless they got a couple of last minute confirmations, food courses were planned, finances were mostly squared away... A puff of air left Yuri as he checked over everything. He knew weddings were a lot to plan for, but this sort of planning and amount of detail was usually out of his league. If this had been anything else, he would've called it quits by now. He hadn't realized planning for this thing was going to have so much to think about.

Looking at the list of guests though, it was... mind boggling. They had people from the Lower Quarter, people from the guilds, and everyone in any position in between. They really had some... world renowned people on this list. If he had one regret though, it was that among all these legendary names, Don wasn't able to be there. Otherwise... they had some seriously huge names on here.

"...You sure we want old man Hanks as our main speaker? World leaders are gonna be hearing that. And you know we're both gonna get absolutely roasted in his speech. Think we're sorta sealing our fate with the rest of the world here." It was half a joke, really. He had no intention of anyone else being their main speaker. Hanks helped raise Yuri, and eventually Flynn. He was more or less the "leader" of the Lower Quarter to boot. The part he wasn't joking about... was that his speech was not going to hold back. Heck, Yuri was positive he was going to stick in some "from Jiri" comments that Hanks would know better than anyone would be exactly what she'd say.

On top of that, Hanks was the one giving him away, so he'd be hearing a few things ahead of time to boot. At this point Hanks had already told him he fully expected the day to come when he'd be giving Yuri away to Flynn, very specifically. But, well, he did follow that up saying he was glad it was Flynn at least... ...and then followed that up by saying that finally he could give Yuri away. Hanks really could be a whiplash whirlwind sometimes.

"Geez, when did this list get so long... And you're sure you've got all the guests you had in mind? I know you were contacting some of the knights from our old Niren squad, but heck if I could remember all their names." Especially years later. Yuri was never good with names, but not having seen them or heard anything about them in a good small chunk of years now made it unlikely he'd even remember all their faces.

Rereading the list, he voiced confirmation to make sure Flynn knew. "Venue was confirmed, food situation looks good, my attendants have confirmed with me, everyone with a specific role has gotten back to us... aaaand I still can't believe the literal emperor is marrying us." Really. Two totally regular Lower Quarter kids somehow one day ending up with a wedding this crazy.

Speaking of regular Lower Quarter kids... good lord, their wedding was in a week. He remembered their childhood so vividly all this time later, it was like all of those things back then and everything between then and now all happened in close proximity. Frankly, Yuri had never really thought he'd get married. Never cared for it. Had no interest in it. That... sort of started to change when Flynn confessed to him. Now that he was realizing how close it was, he could barely sit still. He'd been extra fidgety and needed to keep himself moving most of the time.

After that... they had their honeymoon coming up shortly after. It wasn't happening immediately after because Flynn had things he wanted to square away as Commandant before they were away for a whole month, but that also gave time for Yuri to work out some plans for Karol while they were gone. Actually, having the time in between also gave them the time to sign the official marriage paperwork, too...

Not that he was getting cold feet by any means, but it was... a lot to think about. Just realizing how official it would be, not just to them, but to everyone. To the law itself. No wonder Yuri couldn't sit still. They would literally legally be a package deal soon.

Ah... Nerves... ...and weird, fuzzy feelings.

"So, um... that's that, I guess. Everything looks good. I'll check in with a few more people about our honeymoon plans, and... I guess everything's all set."

Flynn anxiously tapped the tip of his quill against the desk, his eyes going over the shared list not just once. Not just twice. Not even just three or four times. His eyes have scanned this paper more times than he could ever care to admit. Even if they were receiving more than enough help with getting the wedding set up, there were still plenty of things that he and Yuri had to do themselves. Thank the Spirits that they didn’t have to do everything else on top of that. 

Still, he was pretty tired. He leaned back in his chair, almost sighing in unison with Yuri as he went over the list just one more time. “I feel like if we made literally anyone else our main speaker, Hanks would find a way to wrestle that position from them.” He lets out a fond chuckle, blue eyes darting up to meet Yuri’s dark grey. “Plus… It’s only right that he is. I can’t think of anyone more suited to be our main speaker. As… embarrassing as it will be, it might even help us relax a bit.”

Having so many public figures there was… nerve wracking. Especially the world leaders? The mere thought made Flynn want to curl up and hide for the rest of his days. But at the same time… it felt… necessary. The wedding was to celebrate their life together. Of how they came to be and what path they, together, intended on following. It simply made sense for the world leaders to all be present. Their presence alone was a clear testament to how far he and Yuri had gotten in life. Together. 

“I’m sure I’ve gotten everyone I had in mind but I assure you that I’ll likely be going over this list multiple times to make sure. I reached out to Captain Yurgis personally and even had him come by for a visit last month… Just to catch up and everything and then the wedding came up. He said he would assist in getting in touch with everyone that was in Niren’s Brigade with us.”

Flynn smiled softly. Time really did fly, didn’t it? Sure it was only a few years ago but it almost seemed so long ago but at the same time, it also seemed like it was only yesterday. Yurgis had been promoted to Captain sometime after Niren’s passing, which delighted Flynn to hear at the time. After all, he was a good man. A good knight. If anyone deserved it, Yurgis did. And if he hadn’t been promoted before Flynn had become Commandant, Flynn would have fixed that himself. 

“They should all be at the wedding. If I were you, I would start brainstorming to try and remember their names because I’m sure they’ll want to talk to you to catch up. It’s been a while, after all. Oh! I also made sure that Hatchett received an invite as well. I had to find someone to cover his position in Heliord for the time being but it should be handled.” 

At the reminder of who exactly would be officiating their wedding, Flynn felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he slid down in his chair, hiding his face in his hands. “I-I told His Highness that he truly didn’t need to do this but he just… shut me down before I could even finish speaking. I’ve seen him determined before when it came to matters of the kingdom and this was no different really. I-I think I even saw him reading about how to actually be a legitimate officiator. He’s really serious about this. In fact, he even seems excited.” 

Eventually, Flynn forces himself to look up, the reality of their wedding steadily approaching coming in full force. He was nervous. Jittery. Excited. Soon, he would be married. Married to his childhood friend. Married to the man he had already shared more than half of his life with. And he was excited to spend even longer with him. He was ready to give Yuri his entire heart, his entire soul, his everything.

They were both nervous beyond belief but as much as Flynn was nervous, he could tell that Yuri was even more so. He could barely sit still. He would spend day after day practically burning holes into the floor with how much pacing the man did. It was… very adorable to watch but he knew that the man would likely be exhausted before the wedding arrived if Flynn didn’t do something soon. 

So, after a moment to settle his own nerves, Flynn stood up from his desk and moved up behind Yuri, gently placing his hands on the other’s shoulders so he could massage the muscle beneath the cloth of his shirt and vest. “I think… that we’ve done all the planning that we can handle today. And I’m done with my work for the rest of the day. So… if you want to go and burn off some energy, maybe we can head outside and have a quick spar or two. If you’re willing to walk home in the dark, we can maybe even go further out and do a little monster clearing.”

Flynn smiled and leaned in to press a kiss against Yuri’s hair. “Or if you’d rather try and relax for the night, I can give you a massage if you like. Maybe even draw you a warm bath. Regardless, we’re long overdue for a relaxing night and I think we’re in desperate need of a relaxing break, right?” 

[vanilla-bean-buttercream]

In Our DNA - Chapter 1

Parings: Future Logince & Moxiety | Platonic/Queerplatonic Analogical & Royality Characters: Logan Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Roman Sanders, Patton Sanders Chapter warnings:   Mentions of an eating disorder, brief mentions of abuse, mentions of forced imprisonment (don't worry about the lack of triggers there's a storm comin) Word Count: 3900

Summary:

All people are born different. Some are born with the ability to heal the world. Others are born to bring it to their knees. One thing they share in common is how humanity fears those born different than the majority.

But fear not! There is no such thing as humans that can explode buildings with their voice or alter the memories of others. They can't draw pictures of the future or change the way you feel. Those people are only born in fairytales. We, at the Institute of Outstanding Disabilities and Neurological Assessments, strive to better research those fears and eradicate them. We care for you, that's our motto.

We hope you remember the only thing you have to fear is fear itself.

~The IODNA Head Representative

Ao3 Link

Author’s Note:

Edit: Okay, so originally this fic was going to be a lot darker than it is, but I've decided to go in a different direction. It's a little more lighthearted, and a lot of chapters are not torture porn any longer. So, I'm sheepishly retracting my earlier warning. I'm sorry to those who were here for that. Now, there may be a chapter or two, but not nearly 15 like I was intending, and I'll definitely put warnings on those for you <3

I’m still messing with you all with unreliable narrator and false clues, but it’s a little less messing with if you catch my drift :3

That being said, I've wanted to write an AU with superhuman abilities for a long time, but I never really had the plot to go with it. Fear, because I have discovered such a plot, and it's nothing to sneeze at.

Now, without further ado, please sit back and try to relax as we dive into "In Our DNA"

-

Subject # 240

Defect: Memory manipulation Sex: Male Age: 15 Test #: 3,102

Notes: Subject refuses to eat. Conversations suggest the subject is starving himself to escape. After being exposed to Subject #93, Subject has uncovered the horrors of surviving an eating disorder. Subject started eating the next day.

Test: PASSED

--

“Virgil, I don’t understand why there are so many flavors of frozen lactation,” Logan mumbled as they stared up at the sign.

Virgil chuckled and shook his head. “I know it’s a tough decision, but they’re all pretty good. Stay away from the peanut butter ones though.”

“Are they distasteful?” Logan asked.

“No, but,” Virgil paused, “I mean, you can have it, but you’ll have to be careful around me.”

Logan put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “If the consumption of a peanut butter is going to harm you, then I shall refrain from consuming it.”

This time Virgil laughed hard. Logan wondered what they said that was so funny, but Virgil shook his head and refused to answer them.

“Look, how about we both get vanilla. It’s like the base flavor,” Virgil pointed out. Logan watched Virgil play with the squeeze toy in his pocket as he walked up to the counter. He ordered two small cones and paid for their order. After a few minutes, the cashier handed over two cones with two scoops of ice cream on top. Virgil handed one out to Logan.

Logan looked at the ice cream, to Virgil’s eyes, then back at the sugary treat. Their fingers wrapped around the cone’s base. They studied the way Virgil glided his tongue over the ice cream and stared back at their own. Was it not socially acceptable to bite it? Virgil’s eyes flickered to theirs, and he gave a gentle and encouraging smile.

“Hurry before it melts,” Virgil urged.

Logan stuck their tongue out and touched the tip of the ice cream. The chill retracted their tongue. They shuddered. Virgil’s brow rose with both curiosity and amusement, and he watched them stare at the ice cream like it sneezed and offended their ancestors.

“Don’t like it?” Virgil asked.

Logan dared to take another lick. This time, they were bolder and swiped their tongue across the frozen treat. They shivered, but their eyes lit up moments later.

“You good, fam?” Virgil asked through his laughter.

“It’s delectable,” Logan whispered. They licked it again, this time gathering up a rather large amount on their tongue, and held the ice cream in their mouth a little longer than normal. Their eyes widened as the ice turned into cream on their tongue.

“Glad to hear you like it,” Virgil commented and took another lick of his own.

The two walked down the sidewalk of the busy city. Virgil admired the world he used to belong to at a distance. People hurried off to work before they were marked tardy. People kissed their children and hugged their spouse before a long day of loneliness. People talked on their phones to disclose business deals, chatter about the latest gossip, or ask if their family needed anything before they returned home.

In a way, Virgil missed normal, but he’d trade normal any day for the chance to hang out with Logan.

Watching Logan experience life brought a new purpose to Virgil’s dull one. It reminded him of the time he spent teaching his sister how to experience life. He briefly wondered how she was doing and hoped his own family faired out well after his decision. He’d return home one day to check on them, but for right now, his number one priority was keeping Logan safe.

Virgil glanced up at the walls of the city as they strolled through. Business signs flashed and tried to coax people to enter. Several windows had sales tags on them. One, in particular, showcased a poster for the city’s theater, which would be putting on a show of Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” tomorrow. He hummed. Would Logan like Shakesphere? They seemed to enjoy old novels, so perhaps he could introduce them to theater life next.

“Do you often consume this?” Logan asked and gestured to their ice cream.

“Only on special occasions,” Virgil replied.

“Oh. What are we celebrating?”

Virgil laughed through his nose. “It’s been six months since we escaped.”

Logan’s glasses slid down their nose ever so slightly as their eyebrows rose. They stared down at the ice cream, as if it told them the news, and hummed. “Has it really been that long?”

“Hard to believe, yeah?” Virgil mumbled. The two walked in silence for a block. Virgil watched Logan’s eyes become distant. Logan watched the ice cream drift down the cone and pool at the base of their thumb.

Logan snuffed. Time ruined everything. It ate away at anything that brought them joy. Likewise, they never knew how much they had left. The fleeting number of manmade madness ticked down like a time bomb in their head. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered, returned, and cut away from the time Logan so desperately wanted to keep as their own.

How long would it be until time ripped Virgil from them as well?

“Hey, maybe we should head home,” Virgil spoke and stole a glance over his shoulder. “I mean-”

“Please,” Logan interrupted. They refused to look up and meet Virgil’s eyes.

Virgil nodded his head and sighed. “Okay. Let’s go home.”

The two turned down a corner and headed off in a different direction. Virgil stole glances over at Logan. They continued to stay frozen in thought as their ice cream melted all over their hand. Virgil sighed. Why did he open his mouth? Logan was doing just fine before he ruined it. They could’ve had a nice afternoon in the park watching birds or something domestic like that.

The city paid no mind to two strangers returning home. Had the people known the secrets hidden behind closed lips, they’d offer the two of them up in a heartbeat. Virgil pulled his hood up over his head. Logan would be targeted faster than him, but he still didn’t want to take the risk.

“Thank you for the ice cream,” Logan spoke. They looked over at Virgil and offered a quirk of their lips.

Virgil accepted Logan’s attempt at a smile and replied, “No problem.”

Logan thankfully broke out of their stupor and continued to eat their ice cream. They admitted it tasted no different melted. No matter if it was in a solid or liquid state, the ice cream still held a delectable sweetness to it that Logan enjoyed. If this ice cream could maintain its core being behind imperfect walls, was it possible for them to recover from the damage dealt to them for twenty years?

Logan glanced over at Virgil. Their urgency to return home distressed the older man. However, by nature, Virgil was a paranoid person. He always double-checked over everything to keep them safe. Logan wished it wasn’t their fault. Virgil reminded them numerous times he chose this and it was not Logan’s fault. Still, it never shook the blaring voice in Logan’s head that their escape was their choice and therefore their fault.

Virgil turned them down an alleyway and pushed a board out of the way. Logan slid inside first, and Virgil followed them soon after. The musty smell of their temporary home may have turned Logan’s stomach, but it was better than any over sanitized smell Logan experienced prior.

Logan curled up in the corner of their bed and sighed. They watched the last bits of their ice cream vanish into the cone and slosh around like Logan’s upset stomach. What were they supposed to do now? Did they drink the liquid inside or throw the cone away? It seemed like a waste of perfectly good food.

“You going to finish that?” Virgil asked. Logan snapped up from their thoughts and hummed. Virgil smirked. “You bite it, like eating a cracker.”

“It’s edible?” Logan questioned.

“Yeah dude,” Virgil demonstrated with his own half-eaten cone.

Logan stared down at the cone. They tested it with their tongue. The outside held no significant flavor despite the melted ice cream dribbling down the sides. They cast a cautious glare at Virgil before biting in. The crunch vibrated in their head. While its flavor dwarfed compared to the sugary treat inside, the cone brushed a satisfying texture on their tongue. Some of the ice cream gushed from the crevices and added to the flavor.

Logan bit in again, this time taking a bigger bite. They wondered if Virgil heard the same deafening crunch they did. Was it really that loud? Would others hear them? A quick glance at Virgil proved they had done the right thing, as Virgil smiled softly at them from his patched-up beanbag chair across the room.

“What do you think?” Virgil asked.

“It was indeed satisfactory,” Logan replied. They hesitated for a moment before adding, “I would like to enjoy another at a later date.”

“Cool. Next time, maybe we could try like chocolate or something.”

“Oh, I’ve had chocolate,” Logan perked up.  “It was not frozen, but it was solid. I believe it had caramel inside of it.”

Virgil couldn’t help but smile. “Did you like it?”

“It was-” Logan cut themself off. The smile slipped from Virgil's lips, and he swallowed his nerves back down his throat. Logan continued, “It was a reward for using my abilities for the first time.”

“Christ, I’m sorry.”

“For what? You didn’t administer the chocolate yourself.”

“I mean, you shouldn’t have had to find out about chocolate that way.”

“Some things cannot be helped,” Logan mumbled. They finished up the ice cream and stared down at their sticky fingers. Washing them required leaving, and they were in no mood to escape and clean them now.

“If I spit on a tissue, you can clean that off,” Virgil joked. Logan wrinkled their nose, and Virgil snuffed through his. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“I’ve dealt with worse punishments,” Logan returned. The mirth from earlier disappeared again. Logan noted how they had a habit of making Virgil sad with just a few words. Perhaps they should stop talking. Perhaps if they erased the urge to disclose their past, Virgil could continue to be happy around him.

“You shouldn’t have had to,” Virgil pointed out. He crossed his arms. The pull from his fingers on the material suggested he wrapped himself into a hug.

“As I said earlier, some things cannot be helped,” Logan repeated. They leaned back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. Their eyes settled upon the third crack from the wall, and they sighed.

“I’m going to make sure it never happens again.”

Logan looked down and met fierce gray eyes. There was a soft sincerity behind it, engulfing Logan in a false sense of security. Virgil proved he would fight for Logan. Why, Logan would never understand. Virgil traded away everything Logan desperately desired just to return them to the normal world.  Still, he had no regrets.

A faint smile quirked on Logan’s lips. Virgil returned the gesture, and he pulled out his phone to scroll through the few contacts he kept in touch with.

Logan stared at the window. Rain clouds offered to cleanse the world of their stale conversation, and Logan watched the small droplets splatter on the window pane. Soon, the soothing rhythm of rain lulled Logan’s nerves away. If there was anything they loved more than being free, it was the sound of rain.

They stole a glance at Virgil curled up in the corner. He too stared out the window. Virgil enjoyed the rain as much as Logan did. Why, he never disclosed, but Logan assumed it had something to do with his past. With how horrible Logan’s own was, they never found themselves curious enough to learn Virgil’s story. They couldn't handle hearing if Virgil was subjected to the same horrors they were or not.

However, if Virgil did come from a past as troubled as their own, perhaps Logan could hold onto the thought of healing. They could move past everything and regain a normal life. They could use their abilities when they chose. They could command their own life as long as Virgil showed them the way.

Perhaps there was hope for them yet.

Logan fell asleep while watching the rain. They didn’t know how much time had passed, but they woke as thunder rumbled in the distance.

As Logan became more aware of their surroundings, they noticed Virgil drawing in his sketchbook. His eyes held a clouded milky gaze, and he stuck his tongue out between his lips as he concentrated.

Logan enjoyed the calm scratches of Virgil’s pencil against the paper. Virgil may have brushed off his talent, but Logan admired every line. They wished they could produce something out of nothing like Virgil could.

Virgil blinked, and he squinted down at his artwork. For a while, he studied the page in hand and chewed on the edge of his pencil. Logan knew that look.

“Again?” they asked.

Virgil’s head popped up from his notepad, and he dropped the pencil from his mouth.

“Yeah,” Virgil replied. He scratched the side of his head. “It’s that same person again. When I first saw it, I was sure I was drawing you, but it’s… off.”

“Off?” Logan mused. They shuffled over to Virgil’s side and stared down at the picture. The person Virgil drew stared back at him with loving eyes and laid down on their side.

“This person has freckles,” Virgil explained. He gripped onto his hair and gave a gentle tug. “I can’t figure it out. Like, do you have a doppelganger somewhere or something?”

Logan quieted at that. Virgil rose a brow and glanced over at his friend. Logan stood and returned to their side of the room without another word.

“Logan,” Virgil started, but he didn’t dare finish his sentence. Logan stared out the window past the raindrops and over the surrounding city.

“I… there is something from my past I have erased,” Logan mumbled.

Virgil swallowed the bile rising through his throat. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“I… it could be a coincidence,” Logan mumbled. “There is only one person I know of who could look so similar to me, but I haven’t seen her in years.”

“Her?” Virgil questioned. Logan nodded their head. Virgil licked dry lips and inhaled deeply through his nose. “Logan, do you have a sister?”

“I used to,” Logan replied and released a long breath, “but not anymore.”

--

Subject # 240 Defect: Memory manipulation Sex: Male Age: 10 Test #: 1,781

Notes: Subject exhibits extreme paranoia when confronted with revealing the identity of Jane Doe’s twin. Theory suggests the subject is still covering up Event #602 and refuses to disclose information. Further prodding into familial history suggests the family no longer resides at their first residence to confirm this theory.

Test: FAILED

--

Roman sat up in his bed and looked around.

The rain outside turned into a thunderstorm. Its anger shook the windows and blinded anyone who dared gaze at its fury. Rain pounded its fists on the glass.

Roman ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He jumped out of bed and brushed the chill off his arms. He couldn’t explain why, but the storm unnerved him. Perhaps it reminded him of his childhood. Harsh sounds never failed to set his younger self on edge.

Roman walked out to the kitchen and turned on the island light. The storm deafened slightly within the middle walls, but it still echoed from his room. Roman placed water in a kettle and put it over the stove. He turned it on and fished out a bag of chamomile tea and a bottle of raw honey.

As Roman sat down at the table, he supported his head with his palm. Perhaps he should’ve brought his phone with him. Now he was stuck on an island with his thoughts and no lifeboat to escape on.

For a moment, Roman wished his abilities worked on him. He’d give anything to fall into the sweet embrace of peace his voice emitted. His scars were not so easily healed. Every time he thought he was over the panic loud sounds brought, thunderstorms brought it back once again.

His head drifted over to the second bedroom of the apartment. As much as he hated going through thunderstorms alone, he hoped his roommate wouldn’t wake. It had been almost a year since Patton slept through a storm. The last thing he needed was-

The door creaked open, and Roman muttered a curse in his mind. Patton poked his head out of his door and glanced around.

“Ro, you okay?” Patton asked in sign language. Roman snorted. Patton knew him too well. It wasn’t that he couldn’t talk during a storm, but loud words always locked up in his throat. He could barely whisper.

Patton, ever so lovely and supportive Patton, learned sign language just for him. He didn’t want Roman to feel like he was any weirder than he already was, so he refused to talk as well. If the thunderstorms didn’t steal Roman’s breath away, Patton sure did. His care knew no bounds. It fought back against any evils Roman faced.

Well, most evils. The heart could only do so much.

“Yes,” Roman signed back.

Patton strolled out into the kitchen. He eyed Roman before sighing through his nose. He continued to sign, “I know you don’t like thunderstorms.”

“Really, Patton, I’m fine,” Roman lied. The kettle behind him whistled as if calling him out. Roman stood from the table and grabbed his white mug with “Fairest of them all” written on it. He placed the honey and tea bag in the mug and poured the hot water into the cup. The steam already calmed his nerves.

A hand pressed up against Roman’s back, and Roman jumped. He spun his head around. Patton stared down at Roman’s chest with pained eyes. Roman swallowed whatever bravado he put on and sighed through his nose.

“You’re lying again,” Patton signed.

“I just didn’t want to upset you.” Roman sighed. “I may not be going to sleep soon, but you still have a chance.”

“I can handle it.” Patton grimaced.

Roman turned, lifted Patton’s hand from his back, and rubbed his fingers over the knuckles. He whispered, “I wouldn’t mind sitting with you on the couch until we fall asleep.”

Patton sighed and accepted his offer. The two walked into the living room. Roman draped an arm over the back of the couch and waited for Patton to settle in next to him. The younger man curled up against Roman’s side, and Roman wrapped an arm around Patton’s shoulders.

“Have you been up long?” Patton vocalized.

Roman shook his head. He whispered back, “I only woke a few minutes ago.”

Patton watched Roman take a drink of his tea. He rested his head against Roman’s chest and sighed. The storm broke the silence between them. He felt Roman jump every time a loud crash sounded, and his grip on Roman’s chest tightened each time.

“Hopefully it’ll pass soon,” Patton mumbled.

Roman gave a hum of agreement. He glanced over at the remote on the nightstand beside him. The weather channel usually had relaxing music on its forecast. He turned the television on. The channel currently talked about a devastating typhoon near Japan, and Roman changed the channel. There was no need for such negativity now.

He settled on a news station which just so happened to be disclosing the weather at the moment.

“-some passing storms, but it looks to be clearing up within the next 15 minutes-”

Good. Roman exhaled and felt Patton shift under his grip. No doubt Patton was exhausted after a long day at work. Roman regretted keeping him up. However, Patton was too stubborn to go back to sleep without knowing Roman’s mental state improved.

The weather ended, and some reporters came on the television. Roman found his attention shifting in again.

“-been six months since Logan Shea escaped from a mental institution in Greenmeadow-”

“Who’s that?” Patton asked as he blinked at the screen. Roman reached over and grabbed the remote. He turned the television off before Patton could get a good look at the person on the screen.

“Just someone who escaped a hospital,” Roman replied in a slightly louder voice than before.  He yawned and leaned his head back on the couch. The tea was starting to work its miracle. Roman blinked up at the ceiling and fought it off.

“Ro, go to sleep. The storm’s almost over,” Patton ordered, but there was no bite in his voice. Roman gave a hum of acknowledgment.

The silence engulfed them once again. The storms threats paled as they disappeared over the mountains, and its weak flashes extinguished in the distance. Soon the sounds of the city overtook the silence. Horns blared, sirens wailed, and breaks squeaked, but none of those sounds could shake the peace Roman found on the couch.

Patton’s grip on Roman released as Roman’s anxiety slipped away. He could feel his body clinging to consciousness. However, he knew Roman would stay awake longer than he would.

Roman had a cheat code, after all.

Patton recalled the first time he heard Roman sing. He fell in love with his voice, and ever since, he listened to it every night before he fell asleep. Now, here he was in an apartment with him and able to hear the sweet melody in person.

It felt too good to be real. Patton wondered if his life was a fairytale, being rescued by a prince from his evil mother and her dragon. It’s not that Patton thought his mothers were abusive, but they definitely denied him of life. They shut him away from the outside world and forced him to be something he wasn’t.

Normal.

Roman started humming, and Patton knew it was all over. The gentle notes rose into a familiar rendition of Ave Maria. With each note, Patton’s grip on reality slipped farther and farther away. Roman started adding words to his song, and Patton’s eyes closed.

Roman admired the soft flutter of Patton’s eyelashes. His breath fell into even, deep inhales, and tickled the hair on Roman’s neck. Roman restrained himself from brushing a stray lock out of Patton’s face. Instead, he finished his song, picked up Patton into his arms, and walked him back to his room.

Patton didn’t stir as Roman placed him back in bed. Roman covered him up and turned off the light next to him. He then tiptoed out of the room. Roman stole one more quick glance at Patton before closing the door.

--

Subject # 240 Defect: Healing None Sex: Male Age: 6 Test #: 45

Notes: Subject exhibits no signs of healing himself or others. Cancellations for his study have been set in motion, and he shall be returned home soon.

Test: FAILED

--

Event # 547 Subject identification: #240 Sex: Male Age: 6

Notes: Subject exhibits the ability to distort memories as demonstrated on Dr. Patrickson this afternoon.

Actions: Request for Subject #240 to be returned home denied. The subject shall stay to further research his new developing abilities.

Status: ACTIVE

Chapter 2 ->

[torotoro0]

Enemies? Or....

`~Miles Fairchild x Reader~`

Part 2/?

{Click for Chapters}

word count: 1.5K words

Summary :  Kate isn’t that bad, she just left a first bad impression though, but Miles isn’t really fond of her.

A/N : Part 2 is here lolol

Your Pov

I was reading my book when I heard continuous bouncing of ball and I know, I surely know that it was Miles, so I went downstairs stop all this noise when Kate scolded him first.

“Stop it!” Kate shouted “Thank you” she said as she went back to what she’s working.

“Pfft” I let out a muffled laugh, Miles looked at me and rolled his eyes “weirdo” he mumbled, he then threw his last ball at the wall and walked away annoyed.

{T I M E  S K I P}

I went out of my room to find something that can entertain me in this boring house, as I walk around the hallways, I saw Kate following something, and you know for sure i follow her, after a moment of following her she turn her back to check and i hurriedly hid behind a corner

“The heck is she roaming around for?” I whispered, she then opens a door and I heard a faint song which seems to be a crappy one from the room “Ohhh miles’ room”

She enters the room like she had seen a ghost or something, “Miles?” she said ,I follow her but I stayed outside the room.

his room is messy as hell, I thought. “Don’t you know how to knock?” he annoyingly answered.

“Do you have... a friend in here?” she asked “what do you want” way to go spoiled brat, i thought as he didn’t even answer Kate’s question, “I thought..” she roams his room “I saw someone go in here..”.

This is getting really uncomfortable for me so- “Kate! Flora said she needs you!” I shouted, “Coming!” she answered, she dashes out the room. “Have you been there the whole time?” 

“Oh, no just got here” he rolls his eyes “Get out-”

“WAIT!” I said before he closes the door “Wanna go horse racing?” I ask “NO” aaaand he closes his door, damn-

“awww, why? does cute little baby Miles don’t know how to race with horses anymore?”

“Who says I don’t?” he opens his door, leaning on the door frame.

[ T I M E  S K I P}

“Can I come too pleaaase?” flora begged “Come on Miles flora wants to see me win you know?” I laugh, “Ugh fine-”.

“Can Kate come too? please please?”

“N-” “Of course Kate can come, lets go!” I cut him off lol.

We arrive at a track field we used to race horses with and theres a part at the field where you enter a hallway of tall bush of roses, Today I’m going to be riding Delila since she is the only horse left with Samson ofc.

{THIS KIND OF ENTRANCE, just imagine two of these paths}

“Go! Miles, Go Y/N!” flora exclaimed “Guys don’t get rough with each other ok? its just a game” Kate reminded, “Of course Kate we’ll REMEMBER that” I answered.

“3!” Flora starts the count down.

“2!”

“1!”

“GO, GO, GO!” flora shouted, we raced each other since the time quint taught us how to ride horses, sometimes me and miles would get a tie,but I hope we won’t get a tie and I would win this,

“Your getting slower Fairchild!” I shouted,

“Shut up L/N!” he shouted back,

We took a rough turn and he passes by me, later on we arrive at the roses path, I took the right tunnel of roses, while miles took the left one, we can still apparently see each other through the walls

 “This is looks prettier than the last time I saw this” I said as I look up, which i don’t prescribe to do because-.

“Yah!” I said as the horse launches me to the ground,

“Delila calm down!” delila was loudly neighing and jumping, she looks like she’s seen a ghost lol, like Kate,

“Delil-” as I try to approach her she jumps and runs away “Delila wait!” I run after her.

Narrator’s Pov

Her heart thudded in her chest. Her hands shook. Her feet tingled. As she puts her hands on her knees hyperventilating,

“hah, hah, hah” Y/N ran out of energy to run,

“d-delila”, she sits down on the dirt path calming herself down.

“The way back takes too long and the way to the finish line takes way more long, hah, hah” she struggles talking

“How am I going to get back then?” she needs to think of a way to get back dusk

“Shit- its almost night!” she says as she stomps on the dirt path.

Miles Pov

I arrive at the path of roses, I took the left turn because its the nearest one to the finish line, “ This is looks prettier than the last time I saw this “, damn it is, Mrs. Grose has been watering these everyday, I thought.

After minutes and minutes of tricks and turns I eventually reached the end of the path, “Miles is here! LOOK! he’s the first one to arrive!” Flora excitedly shouted.

“Congratulations miles” Kate said walking to me,

“Woah miles you won!” flora hugs me “damn right i did” I smile

“Wheres Y/N though?” Kate asked “I guess she”s still stuck at the roses part” I chuckled, Kate frowned, “I’ll wait for her here, you guys can go” she ordered “come on flora” and we flee.

{T I M E  S K I P}

Its been at least 2 and a half hours after the race, Kate and Y/N is still not home, “Miles have you seen the two?” Mrs.Grose said as she approached me and Flora

“No, I saw them last at the track field” I answer “I miss Y/N where is she?” Flora complained.

SLAM!

The door opens all of a sudden and reveals Kate.... and only her?

“Did Y/N come home?” she asked “Uhm, no? I thought you said you’ll wait for her” I replied as i play with my tennis ball.

“wait so....., she isn’t here?”

“No Kate she isn’t, where did you guys last see her?” Mrs.Grose said in a worried voice,

“I already said it, she was last seen at the track field” I roll my eyes “I mean where in the field?” “The pathway to the roses” Flora uttered as she plays with her dolls.

“I-I’ll find her” Kate shuddered.

{A few minutes time skip, like 15 minutes}

I throw my tennis ball at the wall again and again impatiently.

“I’m going to go for a walk” I mumbled “Bye Miles!” Flora waved good bye.

I ride Samson to find Y/N, “I can’t believe I’’m going to be helping” I roll my eyes, I saw Kate roaming around the track field.

“Aren’t you supposed to be finding Y/N?” I retorted

“Yes but I can’t seem to find her anywhere” she replied “Did you even check the pathway of roses?”

“Oh.. I did but i didn’t go that far i-” I went to the pathway of roses cutting her off.

As I venture to the path that Y/N took I saw delila eating one of the roses, “Delila!” I went down tying her to Samson and continued my search for that witch.

“Y/N! ARE YOU THERE!” I cringe as i shouted it.

Your Pov

“I am so tired huhuhu” I wept, “ANYONE THERE!” I shouted

“oh...how dumb of me, no one is present in this estate at night” I sighed as I continue walking forward.

“Y/N! ARE YOU THERE!”

OH! rescue is here! “I’M HERE!” I yelled “I AM HERE!” i yelled louder this time, I hear stomping of hooves and see the one and only MILES FAIRCHILD,

“of all people, you, fairchild found me” I wept

“At least I found you” He rolls his eyes

“come on Kate is SOO worried about your ass” I was about to climbed unto his horse when.

“you can’t ride mine” he blurted “what? then how do you expect me to go home? walk? nah, no way” I retorted.

“Uhm, no? I brought delila here, so you can ride her, do you expect me to be a prince charming and let you ride MY horse? ugh no way”

“Uhm, uh, no I don’t I-i just wanted to annoy you” I rolled my eyes and hopped on delila.

A/N: sorry it was a short chapter

[stardustdiaries]

Until we’re together once again

I'll be home for Christmas

DINCEMBER DAY 9 @dindjarindiaries ​

Pairing: Din Djarin x F!Reader

Summary: After Din gets injured, he pleads for you to stay and forget about the bounty hunt you had agreed to as Life Day is just around the corner.

Warning(s): Angst?? Fluff??  Very minor mention of injury aaaand I think that’s all, kids!

Word count: 3,105

°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Riduur, you don't-"

You whipped around to look at Din, your heart shattering at his pleading eyes. The air was thick around you, almost as if it were trying to suffocate you. Steeling your resolve, you swing your bag over your shoulder as you holster your blaster by your side.

“Cyar’ika,” Din breathed, taking a timid step closer to you. His head tilted to the side slightly, causing for the bundle of curls that sat on top of his head to bounce softly. “please don’t go.”

You swallowed hard at the lump in your throat. Maker, your chest was so tight. Not finding a way to will yourself into speaking, you took a minute to take in his appearance.

His curls were a mess, though not in the unkempt, dirty way. It was cute. He fancied a red sweater you had gotten him as a gift during one of your supply runs.

You smiled at that.

The first signs of stubble decorated the surface of his skin and all you wanted to do was cup his face with your hands and stay there for the rest of time. His right arm sat in the clutches of the sling that hung from the opposite shoulder, rendered useless during his most recent hunt.

You dropped your head slightly, giving it a shake before willing yourself to look up at his eyes.

Stars, what you would give to take away all the concern and sadness that washed over his dark eyes.

Din took another step, now mere inches away from you. He gently pressed his forehead against yours, eyes fluttering close to keep you from seeing the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. “Stay, cyar’ika, please. The bounty can wait.” His words cracked as he spoke, tugging at your heart violently.

Now it was your turn to keep the stinging tears at bay. Shakily, you sucked in a sharp breath. “We need the credits, Din.”  

“Cyar’ika, what if something-"

“Din,” you cut him off as your hands reached out for that of his good arm. Tenderly, your fingers began tracing over every silver and faded scar that painted the canvas that was his skin. “everything will be okay.”

He remained silent, forehead still pressed against yours in a Keldabe kiss as he took a deep breath. Greedily, he basked in the warmth of your skin, his heart constricting at the knowledge that he’ll have to live without it for Maker knows how many days.

Din didn’t want you to go after the quarry. He hated the idea of it, not because he didn’t think that you could handle it- heck, you were one of the only bounty hunters who made him fight for his quarries. You two were the best of the best, always stealing targets from each other until you teamed up to protect the Child.

But he knew about the emotional toll this kind of work took on you. The price hanging over this quarry's head was nerve-wracking. You wouldn’t be the only hunter going after them, and for the amount of credits this job could earn you, other hunters would be out for blood. And Din wouldn’t be there with you if anything were to happen.

But that wasn’t the only thing haunting Din. Life Day was coming up and this would be your first time celebrating together ever since you both exchanged vows. He didn’t know what he would do if you weren’t to come home in time to celebrate- if you were able to make it home at all.

“Come back home, cyar’ika.” Din choked, the words heavy as they struggled to tumble out of his mouth. He finally dared to open his eyes and try to tattoo your image onto his memory. “Come back to me.”

You could feel his gaze on you, but you couldn’t let him see the tears that were still trying to push through your eyelids. So you squeezed your eyes as tightly as you could and clenched your jaw. You were still holding onto his hand like a lifeline, afraid to let go.

Slowly, you brought his hand up to your lips, letting them graze over his skin before planting a kiss onto his hand. Then another, and another.

You opened your eyes, letting them fall over his distraught features. With a clumsy, deep kiss to his lips, you pulled away as you tugged at the bag that hung from your shoulder.

“I’ll be back for Life Day, riduur.”

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

You’ve been gone for two weeks, stuck roaming a planet not too far from your own. The quarry was close by, you could feel it in your bones. You had to get this right. Day and night, you’ve been traveling all over the planet, the tracking fob that dangled from your belt being the only guide you had on this hunt.

You were now back at the Crest, putting your exhausted muscles to rest as you slumped into the pilot seat. The holotransceiver Din had gifted you twirled around your fingers, as if the action was your one and only method of relaxation. Messages between you and Din have been scarce and too spaced out from one another.

Life Day was only days away now; you didn’t know if you could uphold the promise you had whispered into Din's ears. You knew Din still had hope, that he’d been sending prayers to the Maker for you to come home. You could hear it the quiet cracks the resonated in his voice, how he struggled to stabilize his trembling words.

If you truly were as close to the quarry as you thought, you would need to go off grid. Radio silence. You had to make this last message count before you vanished for Maker knows how long.

With a heavy sigh, you placed the holotransceiver on the Crest's control panel in front of you. You rubbed the exhaustion off your eyes, straightened your posture and curled your lips into the best smile you could muster at the moment. There was no need to give him any reason to worry about you.

Steeling your resolve, you clicked the holotransceiver on and began to record your message.

“Hey, riduur,” you smiled, fiddling with the tips of your gloves. “I apologize for taking so long to respond to your messages, things have been…challenging.” You looked up, hoping that when he opened your message, your eyes would meet his. “I-I think I might be close to finishing the job,” you chuckled softly, already feeling tears welling in your eyes. “Riduur, it’ll get dangerous soon- I know I’m not the only one who’s close to finding out where the target is hiding. After this, I need to cut contact- for my safety and your own,” You paused.

Blinking away the tears before they dared to spill, you ran your hands over your face tiredly. Your heart was heavy, your throat tight and face hot.

“I…I don’t know if I’ll make it back in time, love.” You bit your lip, hard enough to draw a slip of blood. “I’m so sorry, riduur; I promise I’ll do everything in my power to come back to you and the Child.” The ghost of a smile danced over your lips and your figure relaxed against the pilot seat as you looked onto the holotransceiver. “I love you Din and miss you so much. Give the Child my love.”

You gave your famous two-fingered salute, tilting your head to the side. “Until we’re together once again,” you spoke your goodbye, charging it with as much love and longing possible before clicking off the holotransceiver.

You have to get this right.

 ---------------------------------

“Dank farrik!” You hissed through gritted teeth, clutching your side tightly where you received a nasty blaster shot.

That’s gonna scar nicely.

You bit down on your bottom lip, choking back a whimper as you disinfected your injured skin. Slowly, you swiped the disinfectant over your side, watching how the cloth you used turned crimson as it made contact with the wound.

You'd captured the quarry- it was nicely tucked away in the Crest’s backlog after being frozen in carbonite. The job hadn’t been easy, you received more hits than you would like to admit, but after all is said and all is done, you got the job done.  You’d have to report to Karga later, but that could wait; you had something more important to worry about today.

It’s Life Day.

The holotrasceiver had beeped a day or two ago, but you hadn’t dared to open the message. You longed to do it, to let Din’s voice slip into your ears, to capture every detail of his face and attach it to your memory. But you didn’t. Being away for so long did a nasty number on you; you couldn’t risk breaking down when you still had a job to do. You would’ve packed up your things and piloted the Crest back home in an instant if you dared open his message.

But the job was done; you were going home.

Cursing out as you realized that you’d forgotten to restock on bacta, you messily placed a strip of gauze over your bleeding wound before taping it down, praying to the Maker that it’ll hold until you got home. You tucked away the medpac into a corner in your compartment, huffing a puff of air as you limped to the ladder that led you to the cockpit. Once in your place on the pilot seat, you pulled out the holotransceiver and placed it in its usual place on the control center. Clicking the device on, you allowed yourself to finally listen to your riduur’s voice. You melted onto the pilot seat, your muscles exhausted after the day’s workload and lifted your eyes as your riduur’s image began to shine in front of you.

Din’s recording began to play and you smiled at the sight of him with the Child snuggled up by the crook of the elbow of his good arm. He looked down at his son before lifting his eyes, your chest tightening as they found yours. “Hi, cyar’ika,” he said softly, looking down at the Child to make sure he was asleep. “We’ve missed you so much- I have missed you so much, riduur.” As he spoke, he flashed you a smile, but you caught onto how tired and sad it was.

Your heart sank.

“The kid and I have been trying to keep busy around here- he’s been great helping out with small chores. We’ve also been getting the house ready for…” Hi voice faltered, almost as if he was struggling to push the words up his throat. Squeezing his eyes shut, his chest rose as he took in a deep breath. “…for Life Day.”

Catching your bottom lip between your teeth, you looked away, fully knowing he couldn’t see the tears that dangled from your lashes before racing down your cheeks.

Being away from each other was something you both struggled with  ever since Mando began taking less and less jobs. You both longed to be together, safe and warm in each other’s embrace as the world faded away. The cracks in Din's voice were a testament of the hope he still clung to- hope that the Maker would answer his prayers and bring you home.

“Come back to us, cyar’ika,”

Din’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts, only now making you realize that you had shed more fiery tears than you had originally thought. His dark eyes glossed over much like your own, though his tense shoulders gave away how he was forcing back the tears. His chest trembled with his breaths as he tried to compose himself. “Come back to me, please. I don’t know how many more nights without you I can handle, riduur. I need you here- with us.”

Shaking his head softly, he managed to curl the corners of his lips into a small, hopeful smile. “I love you, cyar’ika.” He then mimicked your previous parting gesture, tilting his head to the side in acknowledgement as he gave a sloppy two-fingered salute.

“Until we’re together once again,”

At that, his image vanished, leaving the weight of silence crush your ribcage. You heaved a breath, wiping away the stale tracks that were  left behind by your hot tears, hands flying over the control center as if nothing else in the world mattered.

Because nothing else did.

You punched in the coordinates of your next stop and got the ship airborne as if it were second nature. Once the Crest blew past the planet’s atmosphere and everything was in order, you pushed the ship into hyperspace and felt the weight of the galaxy drop onto your shoulders as the stars around you blurred into streaks of silver and blue.

You clicked on the holotransceiver and spoke the words you’ve been dreaming about ever since you left.

“I’m coming home, riduur,” you breathed. “I’ll be home for Life Day.”

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

When the holotransceiver beeped, Din almost set the kitchen on fire.

He had settled the Child in the livingroom, letting him play with the toys he had unwrapped and opened early in the morning before striding to the kitchen where he was now trying to make what he realized was one of your favorite recipes. Keyword ‘trying' as there is only so much he can do with one arm. After a few burns to his fingertips, quiet curses and one-too-many failed attempts at getting the right ingredients, the sound of the holotransceiver beeping from the dining room made his eyes double in size as his heart slammed itself against his ribcage.

In that instant, Din dropped everything with a loud clatter and raced to the dining room to recover the device that held your voice within it. He saw the Child perk up at this as a small coo left his mouth, tilting his head in questioning. Din joined his son in the living room and clicked the device on, watching the Child smile as your face came up before them.

Your message was short, but those words you breathed to life and- oh, Maker- your smile were enough to make Din’s heart beat at light speed. Din gasped softly, a shockwave of joy washing over his features almost in disbelief as he replayed your message over and over again, each time letting your words sink in a little deeper.

Din picked up the Child, bouncing him up and down in his arm, getting a mixture of coos and giggles to erupt from the little one. Sending a silent ‘thank you' to the Maker, Din rushed to get everything set- food, decorations, music; it all had to be perfect for your arrival. He spent hours upon hours making sure everything was as it should be, but his smile wouldn’t falter or slip even when he kept getting the recipe wrong.

You were finally coming home.

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

The sun had set faster than expected- a few hours ago, actually. And there was still no sign of you or the Crest.

Din had begun to pace around the living room, certain that he would end up losing it if he didn’t let up. He kept checking the time, slightly convincing himself that maybe he could will time to go a bit faster and bring you home. Running his hand through his curls for the umpteenth time in only a matter of minutes, he willed himself to take in a deep breath.

“Cyar’ika, where are you?” he muttered under his breath, concern choking his words as they tumbled out into the air. “I…I should’ve gone with her.” Din said with a sigh, clenching and unclenching his fist by his side as a way to release the stress that fell like a weight on his chest. Almost instantly, he shook his head vigorously, trying to get every worst-case scenario to evaporate just as quickly as they had materialized. “No, she’s fine,” he whispered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. “she’s okay…just running late.” His words wavered slightly on that last beat and he couldn’t help but mentally kick himself for it.

Unbeknownst to him, you were already standing by the doorway, a look of amusement dancing over your exhaustion as you heard his anxious rants. Silently, you dropped your bag and stepped through the doorway, taking in a greedy breath of relief as the reality of being home flooded your senses. With a lazy smile, you continued to listen to your riduur's rants until you decided to speak up.

“Din, is everything okay? You asked innocently, biting back a laugh at how he froze in place and his eyes seemed to impossibly double in size.

Din’s head snapped in your direction and he stared at you for a few seconds, as if trying to convince himself that he wasn’t crazy. Slowly, his eyes softened and were flooded with every bit of love and joy that seemed to crash over him. With a breath of disbelief, he took a step closer to you, his smile growing as he took in the sight of you.

Maker, he couldn’t tell if his heart was racing or if it had stopped the moment his eyes fell on you.

“Cyar’ika, you’re home!” he laughed, cupping your face with his hand as he lost himself in your eyes for what felt like the first time in forever.

You giggled, looking up at him adoringly through heavy eyelids. Humming in delight as your forehead pressed against his, you let yourself melt at his touch, feeling every bit of your body ignite at his warmth. “Oh, how I’ve missed you,” you choked softly, taking his hand in your own and pressing your lips against his scarred skin.

Din smiled adoringly at the gesture, tightening his grip on your hand slightly as he declared it was his turn to shower you with kisses. Slowly, he planted a kiss on your forehead, moving down to your cheeks and finally your lips. The kiss started out slowly, but neither one of you hesitated on melting into each other as the kiss began to deepen itself. Your hands reached up to the back of his head, pulling him towards you, closing whatever gap stood between your figures. His hand travelled down to your waist, keeping you steady  until you finally broke away from each other, absolutely breathless and just as in love with each other as the first time you exchanged whispers of three little words.

After smiling into one last peck on his lips. Your foreheads were once again pressed together as you both caught the breaths your lungs begged for.

“Happy Life Day, riduur.”

Happy Life Day, cyar’ika.”

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating: G

Summary: XY tries to steal Luka's non-existent gym badges.  Instead, they both end up making a new friend.  (For @luxyweek day 3: Pokemon)

Word Count: 2071

XXX

Luka woke up to a stranger rummaging in his bag.

He should’ve known better than to fall asleep in the Pokémon Center, especially in a city as big as Lumiose.  Exhaustion after a late concert was no excuse to be careless.  Even if crime was rarer after the takedown of Team Flare, there were still unorganized thieves around.

Like this idiot who thought Luka was an easy target.

“C’mon, he’s gotta have at least one…” The idiot was mumbling.

Without opening his eyes, Luka slowly moved his hand to his pocket.  He pulled out the one pokéball he had on him.

“Who the heck carries so many metronome items…?” 

While the thief was distracted, Luka pressed the button on his pokéball.  One click, and his Loudred burst free.

“GWAHHHH!!!”  She boomed, and the thief jumped back with a shriek.

“Wh-h-hey!” he stammered.  Luka finally got a good look at him.  Tall blonde hair, tacky outfit—was this some remixed Team Flare grunt after all?  He was wearing purple rather than red, though.

“That’s an, uh, nice dude you got there.”  He eyed Luka’s Loudred dubiously.

“Symphony is a girl.”  He scratched her behind the ear, and she made a low rumble.

“Uh.  Nice babe then.”

Luka snorted.  Why had this thief bothered to stick around?  He thought he’d have run off by now.  Luka really hoped he wasn’t going to have to battle.  Symphony had worked hard enough tonight.

“Why were you looking through my bag?”

“Pshaw, I wasn’t doing that.  Besides, you don’t have anything useful.”

Wow.  This guy really was an idiot.  The Team Flare grunts were never too smart, either.  Just a bunch of kids who got mixed up with the wrong crowd.

Well, Luka was no trainer like the ones who’d busted them up last year.  But maybe he could keep one kid from following down that road.

“What do you count as useful?”  Luka asked.  “Money?  Items?  Pokémon?”

“Maybe Pokémon would be useful, if they’d stop being haters and listen to me.”  The guy crossed his arms and pouted.

“...So you’re not a trainer?”  Luka glanced around the Pokémon Center.  Everyone else was very determined to mind their own business.  Not that Luka needed their help to deal with a guy who couldn’t even use his own Pokémon, but still.  Someone could’ve tried.

“I’m going to be a trainer.  Just as soon as I steal a badge and get this Zorro dude to listen to me.”

Luka raised an eyebrow.  “Zorro dude?”

“Yeah.  Dark type?  Sick red ponytail?  Likes to copy me and make me look stupid?”

He sat up straighter.  “You have a Zoroark?”

That Pokémon was rare enough to border on legendary.  They didn’t even live in the Kalos region.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”  The guy looked at Luka like he was stupid.

“How did you catch a Zoroark if it won’t even listen to you?”

“Dad gave ‘im to me.  He wants me to get famous here, but it’s harder to fake battles than I thought.”  He sighed dramatically and sunk to the seat next to Luka.

Clearly the ‘get famous’ plan wasn’t working.  Luka had no idea who he was.  At least he was pretty sure he wasn’t a Team Flare grunt, though.

“And you’re telling me this… after trying to rob me… why…?”

“Cause you asked.”

Luka blinked.  “Touché.”

He gave Symphony one last pat, then returned her to her pokéball.

“Traded Pokémon won’t listen to you without badges,” he told the would-be thief.  “And I don’t have any of those, if that’s what you were looking for.”

“Really?  But you look—”  The guy gestured to all of him.  “Y’know.  Cool.  Tough.”

“Thanks? I guess?  I’m just a musician, though.”  He patted his guitar next to him.  It was pretty telling that this guy hadn’t tried to steal that.  “I only battle if I have to.”

“Huh.  Well that’s pretty cool too, I guess.”  The guy shrugged.  “I did Pokémon Contests in Hoenn for a while.  Before I got banned for using holograms.”

Luka raised an eyebrow.  “Any other international crimes you want to confess to?”

“Crashed my boat into a herd of Luvdisc in Alola.  But that was an accident.  How was I supposed to know they were endangered?”

“I was being sarcastic, man.”  Luka shook his head.  “Nevermind.  Come on.”

He stood and hoisted his guitar over his shoulder.

“Huh?  Where are we going?”  The guy trotted after him.

“To catch you a Pokémon.  Before you get yourself kicked out of another country.”

XXX

The stranger’s name was XY.  It stood for Xavier-Yves.  It didn’t sound like an Unovan name, but that was still the least weird thing about the guy.  Maybe that was just a pseudonym.  He probably needed one after all of his criminal acts, accidental or not.

“Alright, XY.”  Luka stood knee-deep in the grass of Route 4.  “You’re going to be borrowing Symphony for this.  Borrowing.  If you run off with her, she’ll suplex you into the ground.”

XY eyed the Loudred next to him.  Sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Got it, Mr. Couffaine.”

“Just Luka is fine.”  He sighed.  This was such a weird way to be spending the night after a concert, but it was still better than going home.

“Got it, Mr. Luka.”

Close enough.

“Alright, now follow me into the grass.”

“I can’t do that!  That’s where the Pokémon are!”

Luka rolled his eyes.  “That’s the point.  You’re going to catch one.”

“I thought you were going to catch me one.  Because you’re cool and sexy like that.”

“Flattery’s not getting you out of this.”  Luka grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the grass, Symphony following behind them.

XY squealed again.  “But what if they eat me!”

“We’re on Route 4, dude.  The biggest Pokémon out here is a Skitty.”

“...Those things eat meat, right?”

“No.”  Even if they did, they would probably know better than to eat XY.  They didn’t know where he’d been.

“If I die, you’re paying for my funeral,” XY grumbled, even though he’d already gone off on four tangents about how rich his dad was.  Luka didn’t even bother responding.

Suddenly XY screamed again.  A few Fletching flew out of the red flower patch.  At this rate, they’d never catch anything.

“What is it this ti—oh.”  Luka blinked down at the tiny Pokémon clinging to XY’s ankle.  “It’s just a Flabébé.”

The little girl seemed to have mistaken XY’s socks for a flower.  She was shuddering, cowering against the fabric even as XY tried to shake her off.

“Dude, cut it out.”  Luka gripped him by the shoulders.  “This is perfect.  She already likes you.”

“Y-you think so?”  XY set his foot back on the ground.  The Flabébé tentatively looked up.

“You might not even need Symphony to weaken her.  Here.”  Luka took out a pokéball, but hesitated to hand it over.  “Are you going to take good care of her if I give you this?”

“What gives, man?”  XY snatched the ball.  “You were gonna teach me about catching Pokémon, not about, like, parenting stuff.”

Luka hadn’t thought this through enough before seeing the little Flabébé.  He couldn’t in good conscience condemn her to a life with XY without knowing that he would treat her right.

“Are you staying in Lumiose?  I live at the edge of the city.  I could come check on her.  Just to make sure she’s not giving you too much trouble.”

“I didn’t know you were gonna want joint custody.”  XY smirked.  “But sure, whatever.  Can’t complain if you want to do half my work for me.”

He knelt down and tapped the Flabébé on her head.

“You are just a little thing, aren’t you?”  He let out a nasal laugh.  “How do you feel about me being your new dad?”

“Please don’t say it like that.”  Luka groaned.

The Flabébé fluttered into XY’s palm and nudged the pokéball.  Wow.  She must really have no standards.

“Sorry.  Me and Lu are gonna be your new dads.”  XY grinned.

“Aaaand that’s even worse.”

The Flabébé looked at Luka.  He looked at her.  She looked at him.  He looked at her.

“...I’m not being your other dad.”

Symphony blasted out a honk of laughter.  He glared at her.

“Don’t make me put you back in the pokéball.”

She just smiled innocently.

“Okay, okay.  Shut up.  We’re doing this.”  XY took a deep breath and pressed the button on the pokéball with his thumb.  It split open, sucking the Flabébé into its light.

The ball glowed red while rocking back and forth.  Once.  Twice.  Three times.

Then it went still.

“I—I did it?”  XY stared at the ball in his palm.  Luka swore there was wonder in his eyes.

Hopefully this hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.

“You did it.”  Luka clapped him on the shoulder.  “Why don’t you let her out now?  She should get used to you before you take her home.”

After fumbling for a moment, XY popped the ball open.  The Flabébé flashed back out and hovered in the air.  She quickly zipped down and plucked a red flower, hugging it close.

“Aww, our first date and she’s already giving me flowers.”  XY laughed.

“It’s not for you.  Flabébé has to keep one close for protection.”

“Ah. Like a comfort blanket.”  XY nodded sagely.  “That’s okay!  I’ll pick my own flower.  Then we can match!”

He snatched up another red bloom, then tucked it behind his ear.

Luka was surprised to find himself smiling.  Who would’ve thought XY could actually be cute?  When he wasn’t trying to steal Luka’s non-existent gym badges, anyway.

“Are you going to name her?”  He asked to keep his thoughts away from that tangent.

“Huh?  Oh.  Uh… hmm.”  XY’s brow furrowed.  He stared at the Flabébé, who had fluttered back into his palm.  “You can’t tell me your name, can you?”

She let out a tiny squeak.  

“Hmm.  Yeah.  I feel that.”  He nodded.  “How about Cheeto?”

“Cheeto?”  Luka burst before he could think better of it.  Who named their Pokémon Cheeto?  

“Yeah, ‘cause she’s got that yellow dust all over her.”  XY rubbed a tiny bit of it off with his fingertip.  Flabébé almost seemed to purr.

“You mean… pollen?”

XY raised an eyebrow.  “Ew, gross.  What kind of name is Pollen?  Sounds like Pole-men.  And she’s a girl.”

Luka wanted to smack his forehead.  Symphony gave him a sympathetic pat.

“Well.  Have fun with Cheeto, I guess.”  He sighed.  “I’m going to go get some sleep.  You’ve got my Holo Caster number.”

“Wait!”  XY jogged after him, cradling Cheeto close to his chest.  “I didn’t get to say—thanks, man.”

Luka looked back over his shoulder, surprised.  “No problem.  This is better than stealing gym badges, right?”

“A lot better.”  He looked down at his new Pokémon fondly.  “Uh, sorry about that, by the way.  I—I’m gonna make it up to you.”

“Yeah?”  He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah!  I’m gonna—take you to the hotel I’m staying at!  So you don’t look homeless!”  XY grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him back towards the city.

“I literally told you I live in town…?”

“Then why were you sleeping in the Pokémon Center like a hobo?”  XY smirked.  Symphony laughed where she was lumbering after them.

You’ve turned my own Pokémon against me.  Luka scowled.

“Didn’t feel like dealing with my mom,” he said under his breath.  

It was stupid, running away just because he’d finally found out about his dad.  His whole band was here. Including his sister.  Lumiose was a big city, but he couldn’t play guitar for Kitty Section and dodge his parents at the same time.

“Perfect!  There’s no moms allowed in my hotel room!”  XY beamed.

If staying out was stupid, then even considering XY’s offer was downright moronic.  XY had tried to rob him just hours ago.

But the dude was rich.  Luka didn’t have anything else he could want.  And whatever hotel room they ended up in was bound to have a more comfortable couch than the Pokémon Center’s.

“...Alright,” he finally agreed.

XY’s holler of joy could probably be heard in the next route over.

“Sweet!  Bro co-parenting slumber party, here we come!”

Luka let Symphony laugh at him.  He deserved it for ending up in such a ridiculous situation.

But somehow, he felt better anyway.

[eyrieofsynapses]

so today I just watched the first episode of Almost Paradise! And I’ve gotta say, I am impressed. I already had it on my watchlist but I was planning to wait to watch it for a while until I could let Eliot fade a bit from memory, just so I wouldn’t automatically think of him while watching Kane. But I ran into an article this weekend about how it was filmed in the Philippines and the details of that, and my curiosity was piqued considerably more, so I figured... why not? 

(I also started White Collar this weekend and that was very enjoyable, but that’s a post for another day.) 

Anyway, my brain’s buzzing now, so have some first impressions and reactions, plus initial meta-analysis because I am intrigued. In hindsight I probably should have recorded first impressions while I was watching, but I’ll do my best to remember the bits that stuck out. Warning for... exceedingly long post.

ooo, okay, so he’s got a medical condition. I faaaaintly remember reading about this in the summary but I didn’t pay much attention to that, oops.

telling a guy played by Chris Kane not to get his heartrate up! that’s definitely gonna happen. definitely. one hundred percent. not like this guy loves fighting or anything

(also tbh the joke about, ah, sexual dysfunction admittedly left a sour taste in my mouth, because I do not go for that kind of thing, but... this is Devlin and Kane, so I’m trusting, based off Leverage experience, that they aren’t gonna be too inappropriate. [In hindsight there are actually interesting meta reasons for this so the sour taste has dissipated somewhat.])

this poor doctor. she’s so done with him. 

...he’s definitely not gonna pay attention to the monitor is he

that journal’s gonna get zero use oop

(I was duly impressed when he actually did use it later)

huh, liking how we immediately dive into the effect tourism has had on the Philippines. so we’re getting some commentary here too? I can deal with that

...wow. bad shop. eek

I’m sorry but I am loving the touch with the floorboards and such breaking beneath Alex. the look on his face is just perfect

and the monitor goes off! for tbh the last reason I expected it to first go off for, excellent 

MOTORCYLE? did they give him a motorcycle?!

awww no it’s the baddies who have the motorcycle :(

hmm this should be interesting. loving the look of this leader guy tho

--aaaand good asthetic guy is dead! with an ice pick! creepy and creative! 

bar. no way this could go wrong

internal battle! understandable that Alex wants out, buuuuuuut if he’s anything like I suspect he is--

--yup, picking a fight, with a damn pool cue--

--not picking a fight?

...picking a fight. by being friendly. *sigh*

yuuuuuuuup. that’s definitely good for your heart

badass fighting scene! with a pool cue, that’s a new one! love seeing Kane take ordinary objects and turn them into fighting tools

(ngl this had Eliot vibes. that said I am thrilled to see how damn good these fight scenes are and this is making me even more excited for Redemption)

aaaaaaaaaand oh fuck this was a police setup. which. I actually did not see coming, huh

ahahah they’re pissed! because he messed up their bust? or because he just saved their asses? 

...probably technically the former but I suspect the latter is also true

refusing to get Involved being foreshadowed by his indecision earlier! of course he’s going to get Involved anyway, only question is how

“hitter” I SEE YOU. I SEE YOU AND YOUR REFERENCES. I SEE YOU DEVLIN AND KANE

pfffffffffffFFFFFT the meditation, oh gods

that voice. oh Alex. 

I genuinely cannot tell if this is him actually trying or if this is him begrudgingly making an attempt because he has to

lacquering(?) the doors, which, hey, actually look pretty nice--this place is gonna look good when it’s done isn’t iii--

oh fuck Alex is being attacked

(this is definitely something to be concerned about. yes. totally. not like we haven’t already seen him take down a bunch of guys.)

with a garrot! this is definitely totally not how he’s gonna get Involved

oh my gods the detail with the paint. nothing says Competent like getting irritated at how the baddie interrupted your house restoration

hehehehe Involved

oooh, hmm, he thinks they sent the guy after him? what kind of corruption has Alex faced? I mean it’s not an unreasonable fear, but jeez, it sounds like this has happened to him before. doesn’t say much good about the DEA...

huh, this is a level of disturbed I haven’t seen from Kane before. which, granted, I have only seen him in Leverage, but I’ve never seen him pull this out before. the voice crack is an excellent touch

also, worth noting, Alex is definitely a notable level of... hmm, paranoid? this is just a tad bit frantic, though that’s understandable from a guy who almost got killed while in the middle of an attempted meditation

oh god being cocky in the middle of a briefing. poor Kai 

--being cocky and competence porn! of course he takes the watch and turns it into a lesson

...he must be a hell of a teacher

(also, bonus points for actually using the journal. maybe he’s taking this health thing more seriously than I thought he would?)

may I repeat: COMPETENCE PORN

uh-huh, you’re so not involved, definitely, Alex, not like you’re gonna get pulled straight into this or anything

Ernesto is just watching to see how things play out, Kai is... trying to do things the right way, and Alex...

...Alex gives precisely zero fucks. buddy you are so not subtle

right, walking straight into the lion’s den! radiating confidence! terrifying

this is a disturbing level of truth he’s sharing for this lie. I mean, best lies are crafted from truth, but... jeez

hm. so is Alex also a “I don’t like guns” type guy? 

(probably not for the same reasons as Eliot doesn’t [his is definitely more in the “they make it too easy to kill” department whereas I would guess Alex has either more tactical or PTSD reasons], but, hmm. this is something to watch for)

(did they know they were bringing back Leverage when they set up Almost Paradise? I’m genuinely wondering if they didn’t write some Eliot traits into Alex specifically bc they knew Kane missed playing him)

this is a fantastically confident level of grifting--what exactly did he do in the DEA, precisely?

...ah. cool asthetic guy. stuffed in the freezer. gotta admit, I definitely didn’t see that one coming. creepy! 

(and it looks like you actually managed to shake Alex a little, hah)

aaaaaand in the meantime we have Kai following his advice! in an... interesting way. hm. 

(surprisingly this does not annoy me that much in hindsight. not sure why)

and understandably, this does not go over well! except, oh, fuck, DEA guy. this ain’t gonna be good

...worse. worse than I thought. what happened to you, Alex? former partner? whaaat

“attacks”? 

this gonna be the typical “traumatized white dude has Anger Attacks” type thing? 

honestly I immediately went “probably not” given how it was handled in Leverage. wasn’t sure though. but that does leave the question of what sort of attacks? it doesn’t seem like it’d be meltdowns, so what does that leave? 

hmmm. DEA guy is an Ass. we Do Not Like him. I’ve known Alex for less than half an hour but you do not do that to him. you do not use trauma against your guy, Jerkface. 

cutting a deal? this should be interesting

...well shit. I. am sincerely hoping Kai isn’t about to walk in on anything too bad

this definitely isn’t gonna be a fight though, that I called right off the bat

--bottles. dammit

oh, Christ. attempted OD or just drunk?

just drunk! good! well, very Not Good, but better than the other thing

pffffft dunking him in the water and then him going straight back to the water when he sees her, that is both absolutely hilarious and deeply concerning

aaand I’m agreeing with Kai but also, poor guy just got confronted with a hell of a lot of things that would raise his trau--

...mm. yeah. that’d be it. 

...I. was. not expecting that much backstory info straight off. holy cow, Alex. that is. messed up. someone get this man a hug

“one of the guys that cared too much”

(...like you?)

(or is that why you won’t let yourself care now?)

fuck, there was a lot more to that boat scene than I thought. ow

partner who betrayed him like that? I’m just. gods. 

Trust Issues is definitely gonna be a Thing isn’t it

can we just take a second to appreciate how Christian Kane is playing the absolute hell out of this character

aaaand Kai brings him back to the city for a Heartwarming Reminder of why he was in the game! this is very tropey but it is, as John Rogers has pointed out, an instance of the “well-worn writing tool” rather than feeling cheesy! 

holy crap Kai has lost. a lot of people. oh man

ahahahaha classic “why did you bring me here?” line! you know why, Alex. you know why

oh, and Ernesto gets a chance to help him out! I’m already enjoying this so much

awww and Kai shows up to help encourage him! with coffee! supportive friend and very obvious but honestly okay love interest! good!!!

(what the heck is with Devlin and his crew and sticking Kane with two besties? based on Ernesto’s dynamic with him I’m guessing this isn’t gonna be an OT3 but. I am loving the trend)

“I’m gonna regret this in the morning” pfft

huh, working with the DEA agents. not like he’s gonna go off script or anything. that’s totally not gonna happen is it

hehe irritated look while they’re putting on the mic. he is so very unimpressed

--”little episodes”--episodes? 

moment of appreciation for the un-forced-feeling diversity in these police squads

“how’s the anxiety?” I’m sorry what

hold up, when we say “episodes”--are we talking panic attacks? does Alex have actual goddamn anxiety? 

...actually with PTSD? that would make complete sense. I am... intrigued. I am really hoping that that’s the case, actually, because having seen how well they handled Parker and her PTSD in Leverage (as well as Nate’s and Eliot’s) I have a lot of faith that they could pull that off really well, actually. That would be good. 

ppFFFT TAKING OFF THE WIRES RIGHT OFF THE BAT

wait what. you’re telling them everything? what’s your game here? 

“get that frikkin gun outta my face!” yup, not a fan of guns! no disarming though? huh

(also can we just. appreciate how Kane manages to make “frikkin” sound just as much like the cuss it’s replacing?)

(LET ALEX SAY FUCK)

oh. OH

hi Ernesto! hi Kai! I see what y’all doing

ohhhhhhhhhh Alex you goddamn genius. Getting rid of all of the drugs so there’s no way the precise thing he was claiming to be doing can happen. I like this

THE MEDITATION COMING ON ON THE RECORDING I CAN’T--OH MY GODS

Alex please tell me you know how to disarm a gun. please. guns are not effective at that distance

OH. OH I DID NOT SEE KAI COMING. 

got ‘em! murder confession, how did I not see that coming? good stuff

Kai can fight! 

KAI CAN FUCKING FIGHT WOW

I am very much appreciating Kai right now

also is that a FLYING KICK from Ernesto?

they better give these people more fight scenes

aaaaand straight into the water, oh god. I’m assuming this was a choice made because Alex is familiar with this territory? ...I do not think I want to know where Alex learned to fight underwater.

(I really really really want to know.) 

how the fuck has your monitor not gone off by now Alex

choking him out underwater, okay, wow 

what size are your lungs? this is long

extra kudos for excellent underwater filming and wow I am hoping the actors actually came up for air

(this is also unreasonably beautiful for a scene where you’re choking out a drug lord. the water is so pretty)

Evil DEA guy (no I am not going to learn his name, he doesn’t deserve it) is gonna be Alex’s Agent Sterling, isn’t he? this should be interesting

heh, police chief is taking his side! good stuff, good stuff

(it is very nice to see Alex getting some people in his corner after knowing what hell the DEA put him through)

Alex has fallen so damn hard for Kai. this is very very adorable actually

awww he’s really getting into fixing up the shop, isn’t he? I’m sincerely looking forward to seeing how he gets this up and going, it really looks like he’s enjoying himself

somehow I am starting to wonder if the cocky “oh yeah I’m opening up a gift shop how exciting huh” thing at the start wasn’t... actually genuine. he... is enjoying this, isn’t he? good. very good

I am unreasonably invested in this man’s wellbeing for one episode in

!!!!!!!!! HE GETS HIS PARADE

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

giving him his reason to keep going! yes! yessss

oh Alex you are attached now. you are very attached. good luck my dude and don’t let the trust issues get in the way

this is a good show. this is a heckin awesome show. 

also, side note, it is SO PRETTY

I am just loving loving loving all of the scenery. competence porn AND landscape and city porn. beautiful. perfection. excellent

...that was. much longer than I anticipated oops 

anyway, conclusion: hot damn this is a fun show! I am very excited to keep watching this. Alex officially has my heart, even if he’s a bit of a cocky bastard sometimes. Kane is fucking hilarious. (More reasons to be excited for Redemption!) Kai and Ernesto also have my heart, and I am extremely interested to see their character development. 

Honestly, the beauty is surprising. I didn’t expect to just enjoy how pretty it is. The blues of the ocean, the intense tropical colors, even the run-down gift shop--there’s such a gorgeous aesthetic to it all. If I wasn’t already invested in the characters and plot, I’d be invested for that alone. 

So... I have some thoughts on Alex and the show structure.

He’s obviously very disillusioned. There’s a lot of nods to the idea of war--he’s commonly referring to himself as a soldier, as a veteran, maybe as a casualty. I’m gonna take a totally wild guess here and say this show is going to be focused on the drug issues in the Philippines. (Wow, Synapse, how the heck’d you guess that?) I do find describing the war on drugs as a war, and going into the terminology that comes with it, very appropriate, and I like how this show is actively calling this to attention rather than using it as a convenient plot. They’re actually addressing the issue and discussing its impact. And given how overlooked certain aspects of the impact of the drug war on the Philippines is, this is a good choice, especially in order to alert American viewers to the issue. I’m curious to see how they handle that.

Again, interesting drawing parallels to war, too, and comparing it against the likes of WWI and Vietnam. It really gives that sense of weight to the issue and defines a vital aspect of it: the impact of the war on drugs on the people involved. It emphasizes that the people who are fighting it suffer consequences and PTSD just as a soldier in the field does, and it also emphasizes, with Kai, that it isn’t just the people actively fighting who bear the consequences. It’s also the people on the sidelines--it’s the families, the people on the streets by the gunfights, the economical impact, etcetera. 

But there’s also an element to Alex’s character that automatically makes him relatable to a lot of people... and it has nothing to do with the PTSD, nothing to do with the war on drugs, nothing really to do with the main issues. It is, simply, the intense hopelessness and depression that comes with trying to make a difference. In his case it’s making a difference on a severe worldwide issue. But the vast majority, if not all, of Almost Paradise’s audience should be able to relate to a feeling of never doing enough. And there’s certainly a large section of that group who can relate to being part of a fight that never seems to end. Doesn’t matter what you’re doing--if it’s driven at helping, it rarely ever feels like you ever do enough. But the advice given is excellent. One of the best things to do, when you’re feeling hopeless over this, is to focus on and take deep joy in the impact you do make. 

Alex is an expression of a frustration that a lot of people deal with. This, I think, is one of the reasons why he instantly drew me--and presumably the rest of the audience--in (outside of a fantastic actor and great humor). He’s relatable. He’s something that most people can see a part of themselves in. 

Anyway, symbolism and real-world talk aside, this is just... fun. It’s genuine fun. We’re covering rough issues, but there’s a lot of well-written tropes in here too that are written in that way that makes them enjoyable to relive rather than painful. The humor is delightful and plentiful. There’s a lot of beautiful feel-good moments. I’m suspecting this’ll be a comfort show, and I am perfectly all right with that. 

Onto the next episode!

[solesurvivorpaigeargot]

I absolutely LOVE Sketchy Saturdays and I always look forward to them!! As for my question(s)? What made you decide to start doing it(I'm glad you do but I was just curious!)?

Hoooo boi the Sketchy Saturday Origin Story: I suppose there's two versions.

The short version reads " Moving stress, deployment depression, and isolation VS. my utter determination to DO SOMETHING whilst trapped in my home " -- Sketchy Saturday was the result of that title fight, so I guess the fandom won in the end? XD

The long version, however... Well, buckle up, cause this is gonna be a ride.

It may surprise y'all to know that two years I was eyeballs-deep in the South Park fandom. The blog still exists; my mainblog, JustCallMeButtlord, built to interact with the audience of my fanfictions-- the New Kid Stories, called NKS for short [gonna be porting those to Ao3 soon, just gotta figure out what robo-reader I'm gonna use to make a quick n dirty podfic out of the series as well as help me hunt down typos my eyes galze over]. The first 'season' of stories had ended, 8 completed fics, and I was puttering about with a bonus holiday story that was several months out of season. Not that I CARED because I was on GUAM where seasons don't exist and my time blindness gets even worse becasue without seasons changing it feels like time never progrsses even after being on the island for three cocksucking years.

I don't hate Guam, I am just not built for constant heat. I am a snow creature; I like below-freezing temperatures so I can layer up in fuzzy, fluffy things and drink hot drinks and cuddle loved ones and/or furry animals. It's a lovely island, I adored my first week there... I just wasn't made to live there.

HIlariously, NKS started out of the stress of moving to Guam. Two years and 8 fics later, the place we were renting was no longer within our price range and my hubby and I were forced to move onto base. Under the leader whom I refuse to name, military pay was given a precentage raise... but it was ripped out of bonuses and OCONUS pay. OCONUS is what a military member is paid when they're stationed Outisde the CONtinental United States. This usually means overseas bases like Japan, but it also means Hawaii, aaaaaand... GUAM. So that percentage pay increase for the military at large meant belt-tightening for every service member abroad, and we were forced to move onto base.

In case y'all haven't noticed by now, I'm a raging socialist with some issued with authority. I DO NOT LIKE EXISTING ON BASE. I do not like existing in a place where the national anthem plays twice a day, every day, at 6 AM and then again whenever the hell sundown is that day. And there's an unspoken rule no one tells you that when it plays you're supposed to stop what you're doing, face the nearest set of speakers playing the song, and stare in that direction with your hand over your heart until its over. That, if you're driving, you have to put on your emergency flashers and pull over. No one tells you this. NO ONE TELLS YOU THIS.

And then, before we had secured a place on base but we had set a move out date for the rental house, the Pandemic happened. While we were between homes. The base is talking full lockdown, Guam authorities want to shut down the island but businesses are terrified of not getting the tourist season business, we don't even know if we'll be allowed to move on to base.

Surprise, I stopped writing for a while... but I picked Fallout 4 back up again. I had been forced into the series years earlier by a toxic relationship, but the game itself hadn't been bad-- just the way I'd been forced to play it by someone who was firmly not in my life anymore. When confronted with character creation, I wasn't sure whom I wanted to make... but decided to go back to an old character. A VERY old character, whom I hadn't thought of since I'd finished ME3 at least 4 years prior, and a character I first conceived of when I was 14-ish... which is now about 15 years ago.

Paige.

I've talked before about how well Paige's story maps onto Fo4, but this was before I knew that. I knew the opening, her losing her kid, and that fit with her-- but something clicked while I was playing and the part of my brain that likes to create started wandering off. Soon enough I've got a couple chapters of a ficlet that I'm TOTALLY just writing as a personal one-shot to de-stress, no way I'm publishing this, I don't wanna get distracted from NKS, I got a whole 'nother season to write! Who cares if no one is reading it anymore because South Park Fandom doesn't like continuous plots.... right?

I was burnt out as hell, the move was looming, the Pandemic was getting worse and everything was getting scarier.

Then the news came through that hubby would be deploying again.

He wasn't supposed to, but the Navy decided the safest place for their sailors was the middle of the ocean, so if you WERENT in quarantine you were going on the boat and you were living there. Didn't matter if your spouse would be alone, unpacking a whole home by themselves.

I had a friend on base. We hung out. I met with my DND group on weekends; we all lived on base now, so we could meet up in like five minutes... and then restrictions tightened. You could be fined up to 5 grand for gathering in groups greater than 5, even outdoors, and detained if suspected of going to a home that wasn't yours. I still met 2 of my friends once a week for walks; get outside, be active, talk to other humans, but besides that? I was locked up alone in a new house in a place that I did NOT like existing in.... with a fresh new hyperfixation developing.

I think it was about a week into the new house that I made the new blog. At first I tried to run it side by side with the South Park stuff, but it wasn't long before all my attention was here... aaaand it also wasn't long before I was confronted with a lot of my own despair; of lockdown, of isolation, of watching a broken system crumble and not being able to DO anything about it, and I started to kinda lose my shit. I fuss-- I can't leave things alone, and I couldn't leave this feeling alone; of being fully and entirely helpless and hopeless.

And then I sketched a thing for a friend, and it made them happy. They were having a rough time, too, and I put something together because I couldn't think of anything else. And it helped. It lifted them up, and it lifted me up, too. Someone else had recently reblogged one of those pallet challenges that floats around Tumblr, and I decided FUCK IT LET'S DO THIS THING AND CALL IT SKETCHY SATURDAY!

Little secret, the very first Sketchy Saturday request? Was me. I was so scared no one would noticed the event, I sent myself the very first request, back when the event still took anons. Soon as that first picture was up:

BANG, suddenly four more; some people off anon. I met people that day, talked to them after the very first Sketchy weekend was over, chatted about the games and characters and art and writing and just... felt human for the first time in a really long while.

I figured I'd hold on to Sketchy Saturday until the deployment was over-- once hubby was back, I'd decide whether I was keeping it or not... but he came back, and I was still super into it, and he was supportive, sooooo I kept going! And then we did Sketchy Secret Santa, and people loved it, and my volunteers are excited about being Sketchy Elves and Secret Helpers and just OH MY GOD I DID A THING GUYS. I DID A THING-- that was just me all December and January long lmafo.

AND JANUARY! Because AH HECK, WE MOVING AGAIN! Because hubby finally got orders, and OH MY GOD we're going back to WA... but it's still a move half-way around the globe, and I was SURE I'd have to shut down the event for a month while we got our shit in order and NOPE, because here come the volunteers from Sketchy Secret Santa, and they wanna fill in all month long! Like... I didn't even ask for that shit, guys. They offered it so the event wouldn't have to take a gap.

Jesus I'm getting teary just remembering it.

So yeah. Sketchy Saturday is here because I got really lonely and stressed out while Fallout 4 provided me with some... catharsis for my situation, and then a pandemic happened.

And then y'all happened, and I'm still here. :D

[mindingmyownbusiness]

20 Seconds

Meet Cute Moment

So like I haven’t written anything new in like a thousand years but I’ve been feeling the itch so I randomly chose a prompt from a meet cute list aaaand here goes nothing!

Bucky x Reader (+bffs Wanda & Steve on the side lol)

You walk out of a dressing room asking if the outfit suits you, but it’s not your friend waiting outside the room like you thought

Dressing rooms are the absolute worst. You’d lost count of how many you’d broken down and cried in over the years. Heck, you wouldn’t even be in this one if Wanda wasn’t having an engagement party in a couple weeks and you were stuck with nothing decent to wear. “The things I do for my best friend,” you muttered under your breath as you shimmied into what had to be the tenth dress of the day only to realize you couldn’t even bring the fabric together far enough to pull the zipper up.

Your quiet scream of frustration as you flung the dress onto the growing pile of discarded clothing was met with laughter and a knock at the door. “It can’t be that bad sweetie.” You cracked the door to see Wanda’s cheeky grin and another armful of options.

“Wanna bet?” you sighed as you grabbed the next round out of her hands.

“I’ve got a good feeling about these!” She called out as you let the door swing shut. “And I actually wanna see some of them this time!”

Reluctantly you did as you were told and made an appearance with a few of the least offensive options. At least she didn’t try to talk you into any of them, one of the things you loved about your best friend was that she was honest (but not brutally so) and that she truly wanted the best for you. You shook your head at the latest fail, “This is pointless Wan, maybe we should just call it a day...”

“Absolutely NOT! We are getting closer I swear, just a few more? For me...?” You couldn’t help but smile at her ridiculous eye batting and over exaggerated pout.

“Alright, alright... you’re lucky I love you, you know that?”

“Yup! Now get in there and get naked, we haven’t got all day!” She turned you around and swatted your butt, ignoring your faux glare as you shut the dressing room door and resumed your seemingly endless battle.

Grabbing the next contender off its hanger you paused, instantly noticing a difference. The fabric was silky soft, practically caressing your hips as you pulled it up and slipped your arms through the straps effortlessly. Turning to look in the mirror your jaw literally dropped. Somehow this miracle dress accentuated the curves you loved while disguising the ones you loved less, the length was absolutely perfect, and the fabric draped over your chest just so as to make you feel sexy but also demure and not at all in danger of a wardrobe malfunction.

“Hey Wan? I think we might have a winner here,” you called out as you opened the dressing room door, distractedly tucking the tag out of sight to get a better idea of the full effect.

“I’d be inclined to agree with you, doll.” Said a voice that was definitely not your best friend. Nope, this voice was deep and smooth and the absolute opposite of how your perky redheaded bff sounded. Not to mention that this particular voice was coming out of the most gorgeous male specimen you had ever laid eyes on. “If you don’t mind me sayin’ so, the guy who gets to take you out in that is gonna be one lucky s.o.b.”

Your brain was screaming at you to be cool but in reality the best you could do was an undignified squeak as his smirk just seemed to get wider causing the heat from your cheeks to quickly spread down your neck and onto your chest.

“If only there was a lucky s.o.b. In her life, but there isn’t,” Wanda stage whispered conspiratorially in the mystery man’s direction as she appeared out of nowhere, taking your hand and giving you a twirl so she could examine you from all sides. Your chronic muteness persisted as Wanda let out a low whistle of approval, “Stop the presses, this is definitely THE one! See? I knew we shouldn’t give up.” She cupped your face affectionately and you couldn’t help but smile back at her. “Now, you might have the dress but Cinderella can’t go to the ball without shoes! I think I saw some that would be perfect with this. Be right back!” And before you could blink she was gone, leaving you alone again with bachelor number one.

Just as the awkward silence was on the verge of uncomfortable he spoke up. “So, ah.. if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the occasion?”

“Oh!” you squeaked, suddenly finding your voice. “I, um my friend just then, Wanda, best friend actually she-- well it’s her thing really. Engagement party, weekend after next. Wouldn’t miss it for the world but I-I couldn’t exactly show up dressed like the hermit I am on the regular so...” Your voice trailed off as you realized your awkward silence had just morphed into a rambling overshare. Clearing your throat your eyes darted around desperate to look at anything but him.

He stood slowly, stepping up behind you and catching your eye in the mirror. “I bet you could wear a potato sack and still be the loveliest gal in the joint.” His sweet smile and sincere words were sending a flurry of butterflies loose in your stomach. “Hard to believe someone pretty as you would be going out looking like such a dish all alone...”

“You know, she doesn’t have to since you just happen to be free that weekend,” a tall muscular blonde interjects as he steps out of the dressing room next to yours and slaps your mystery man on the back before turning to introduce himself. “Hi there, I’m Steve.”

“Seriously man?” the brunet muttered through clenched teeth as he shoved Steve’s arm away.

“What? Like you were going to be doing anything that weekend other than watching Netflix on the couch covered in Cheeto dust?” Steve winked at you with a telling grin then headed toward the front to pay for his purchases. “Don’t screw this up pal!” he called over his shoulder as he went.

“Ignore my idiot best friend. Sticks his nose into my business too often for his own good...” He was the one looking at the ground now, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided your gaze.

“No worries, Wanda’s exactly the same way.” You quietly replied, nervously smoothing away nonexistent wrinkles in your skirt as that awkward silence from earlier returned. As it became more obvious that he wasn’t going to say anything else you reluctantly eased towards your dressing room. “Well I’m um.. I should probably go change...”

At the door you paused, you could almost hear Wanda’s voice in your head screaming at you to not let this one get away. Twenty seconds of insane courage, right? Taking a deep breath you turned, stopping just in front of where he sat with his head in his hands.

“You know, I really do hate going to these things alone...” His head snapped up, his brow adorably furrowed. “Better with two, yeah?” You smile shyly and twist your hands together nervously. He stands up slowly, carefully reaching out, taking your hands in his. You open your mouth with the intent to ask him to officially be your plus one when you suddenly realize what’s missing and you can’t help but erupt into a fit of giggles. “Here I am about to ask you out and I don’t even know your name!”

He chuckles right along with you. “Maybe we should get introductions out of the way then, yeah? I’m James, but my friends call me Bucky.” He raises your knuckles to his lips for a chaste kiss.

“Nice to meet you Bucky, my friends call me Y/N.” Aaaand my blush is back. Dammit.

“Y/N... a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Now he’s smirking again. I am in so much trouble.

“You are quite the charmer, Bucky.”

“Oh you haven’t seen the half of it, doll.”

Laughing you take a step back, “Okay.. so, I definitely have to change now. Be right back, don’t you go disappearing on me.”

He shakes his head, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

You manage to wait until the dress is back on the hanger before you break out into an impromptu victory dance in the dressing room. Practically vibrating with excitement, for the first time in ages you consider a future full of happy possibilities.

[blackicephantom]

The black dragon and the coward CH. 10

You won't believe this but it is done!

I have to say, covid is neither nice nor fun. It's ugly and exhausting as fuck. So please everyone, stay safe and healthy.

tagged: @patolemus - I hope you haven't given up on this *wink*

@runestarchild

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Tsuna closed the door behind himself slowly and gently. He had much to think about. But where to start? What was next?

So much to do and plan and just not enough time. With his eyes on the ground the boy didn't see the three others that were approaching him, at least until it was way too late.

The sound of multiple and heavy steps caught his attention but when he looked up he wished he didn't. His favorite tormentors were on their way towards him. And Tsuna knew that no one would help him. They would just get angry and ignore everything around them if he caused a scene now. And Nono wouldn't be fast enough to get to the door, or him for the matter. With a rather tired sigh the brunette surrendered to his very obvious fate. Hopefully they don't dump him in the forest, for their own sakes.

Just the next moment he was grabbed and everything went dark…

In the forest

Reborn and Fon had shared a small breakfast before the latter departed again. "I'll try finding two certain someones. Who knows? Maybe my dear nephew knows something." A dismissive snort was his answer and even the Stormdragon had to chuckle. His nephew was…… special, to say it simple. He knew almost everything but wasn't prone to share. With anyone…..

Well, almost. Sweet little Tsunayoshi got even the young and moody Clouddragon to trust him. He was the only one who would get straight answers from the youngling. It was truly fascinating.

It wasn't long after Fon had left that Reborn got a certain feeling of unease. He went to the entrance of his den and looked at the surrounding area. Sharp yellow eyes tracked the wildlife: spooked birds taking flight, scared bucks running through the underwood. Something wasn't right. That's when a familiar scent hit his nose. The smell of warmth and something sweet with vanilla….. 'Tsuna!'

Without a thought Reborn jumped down from his perch, right into the forest. He knew that his draconian form would be way too big and too noticeable. So he decided to stay human, at least for now. Just before hitting the treetops he opened his wings and took an easy glide down. Once on the ground he called for his most trusted and oldest companion, someone who was always at his side. His call was nothing more than a rumble, maybe a growl, but it was answered none the less.

A green chameleon crawled down from one of the trees, only to wander up the offered arm until he sat atop Reborn's fedora. "Keep your eyes open Leon. It seems we've got unwanted company. Again."

Blending with the shadows of the trees the dragon tried to follow the scent of his boy but it was more difficult than it should be. There was something else at play, he just couldn't explain it. It was like… like something was overriding Tsuna's smell. Something rather disgusting.

Rising his sensitive nose to scent the air again he almost gagged. Right there was foul magic in the air. Someone was trying to keep their presence a secret and doing a damn shit job.

A short tap on his hat made Reborn look up. It seems Leon found something interesting. There was a fresh trail on the ground. It looked like something was dragged around…. Or someone. A snarl ripped itself out of his throat. If this is what he thinks it is, then someone's gonna die today. "Please be my scout Leon. Try to find the intruders and give me their location."

Between one moment and the next the green chameleon turned into a sparrow and flew fast and agile through the forest. Reborn in the meantime hoped against hope that he's wrong. But what were the odds? With the last day still on his mind and the boys horrible luck it couldn't be anything else. 'Please be OK. For the love of god, please be alright!'

. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -

Tsuna awoke with a terrible headache and to the feeling of being dragged somewhere. 'Ahhhhh, kidnapping my old friend. How I didn't miss you.'

Loud laughter caught his attention and he tried to listen, but whatever Mochida was saying was lost to the sound of the animals around them. Trying to look around as supple as possible the brunette tried to get a general location or position. But some of his memories still hadn't returned, to his utter dismay. Which means he has absolutely no idea where these idiots were taking him. They were in the forbidden forest, that he knew. But they had to be past the regular path, because the trees were bigger and still looked healthy, unlike the ones closer to the village.

How the fuck are they even pulling him along? His hands were tied, OK. But he could see. Also OK. His head hurt aaaand, jep, he was gagged. 'Better job than last time.' was one of his rather stray thoughts. Sad enough that this happens often enough that he even has something to compare….. 'Wait…… if we're in the forest, away from the path, then there are just a few places they could take me to.'

Tsuna thought and thought even harder, trying to recall the map he had memorized, while still being dragged through the dirt.

Another look around showed him the mountain to their far left. Which means they're taking him somewhere else than usual. 'Just where the heck are we going?'

A bump in the road caused the boy to wince, which alerted his captors to the fact that he was awake. There went his cover.

"Hey boss. Looks like Dame-Tsuna is finally with us again." That's the only warning he had before he hit the ground. Groaning Tsuna slowly turned around and got on all fours. But before he could get up one of the others kicked him in the rips and then again in his stomach. It looks like they had a bad day or something. It's not often that they hit the valuable spots right from the start. Sooooo. Well, nothing more.

While still protecting his poor belly, the younger was suddenly grabbed by his hair and pulled up, only to come face to face with Mochida and his grimace of a face. The raven haired looked him up and down only to sneer. “I have no fucking idea how you got that dragon to spare you. But one thing’s for sure: it won't happen again.”

Tsuna would have loved to say something, but right before he could Mochida let go of him. With one last kick he was ordered to finally get up and to walk on his own. `Not my fault they kidnapped me.´ groaned Tsunayoshi in his mind.

They walked for quite some time, without a break. And the brunette had to say that he started to get tired. His legs felt like lead and his headache was also still present. And let’s not even start with his poor ribs….

Just behind the slowly thinning treeline came a cave into view. It gave off a feeling of dread and gave the young heir more than just the chills. `I believe this is one of the places we were warned about. But some of the Arcobaleno made sure that no human should ever arrive here…..´ Out of the corner of his eyes Tsuna saw a small and rather strangely colored sparrow. Instead of it’s usual brown and gray feathers it had green ones. And it didn’t sing either, not even a little chirp or trill or something similar. It just sat there and watched them….

Then Tsuna's eyes widened. `Of cause, how could I forget! That’s not a bird, that’s definitely Leon!´

Relief flooded his whole system and he could have cried from joy. Where Leon is, Reborn is not far away. He learned that the hard way back then. But this joy was short lived. Not only did Leon take to the sky, hopefully returning to his partner's side, but his intuition started to ring all and every alarm bell inside his head. Whatever lived in this cave, it wanted not only him for dinner…… That’s when he heard the growl and a rather nasty sounding hiss. A feline then. Next thing that came into view were big and ugly paws, perfect for ripping prey apart and slicing through more than just flesh and bone.

`Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.’ was all that came to mind. Tsuna didn’t need to see the redish looking fur or the big fangs to know what stood in front of them. It was a Subspecies of the sabretooth tiger, one native to their region and very VERY deadly.

There are very few who encountered one and got away safely, or at all.

`It won't happen again. I’ll make sure of it.´ Those were Mochidas exact words……

No. Nononononono. The madman wanted to feed him to the tiger, with no chance of defending himself. The closer they got to this cave the more he started to struggle. He tried to free his hands, but that caused much of a ruckus and his kidnappers noticed. The dumbass that most probably came up with that plan started to crackle until he was outright laughing. One of his goons came up to him, only to tie another rope around his hands which he uses to pull him along. But Tsuna leant in the opposite direction and tried to dig his heels in. No one and nothing would get him even close to this thing. Nope, No way. That was as much of a death sentence as being thrown into a dragons den.

The damn gag prevented him from screaming but he still tried. But that just earned him a slap to the face. The tiger started to salivate and didn't take his eyes off them.

Tsuna struggled again, harder than before. He pulled with all his might, always with sudden movements in the hopes that the one leading him would let go out of surprise. Hyper intuition and survival instincts kicked in, closely followed by a rush of panic. No teaching could keep this feeling away but they could suppress it. The rope started to rub his wrists raw and cut into his skin but Tsuna didn't care. He needed to leave, NOW! In a last minute effort to rip himself away he stumbled on purpose, crashing into the one walking in front of him. And then, when he finally let go of the makeshift leash, Tsuna turned around, grabbed the damned gag and ripped it out of his mouth and started running. The sabretooth tiger, scenting worthy prey, set off after him. The thud of the paws equaled the thundering of his heart. The young Vongola didn’t care what happened to the other three, he just wanted to get away.

Ducking around the trees Tsuna tried to lose the big predator but the beast was hot on his heels. Every once in a while the animal would try to sweep him off his feet, trying to take him down with his claws. But his intuition warned him just in time so that said claws hit nothing but thin air. The longer the chase went on, the more agitated the tiger got. With every hit that didn’t connect the beast growled louder, jumping farther, running even faster and Tsuna was reaching his limit. He tripped on a single root and the beast behind him took it’s chance. Jumping down right above him the poor boy just rolled away and struggled to his feet.

Then he remembered what Reborn told him just before leaving the village: ‘Should you ever get into trouble….’ He took a deep breath, his lungs struggling to comply due to the exercise ‘...... call out for me.’ and gave a shout. “REBORN!”

Just then his pursuer pounced and pinned the boy beneath it’s bulk. Sticky saliva dripped down its fangs and landed on his face. Still struggling writhing, winding anything to get away he couldn't hear the trilling of a sparrow, nor the growl of a predator way bigger then the fucking sabletooth tiger. The only thing soothing him were those familiar, gleaming scales.

With Reborn

Technically he knew that Leon traveled as fast as he could but somehow it was still too slow for him. Right that moment his friend darted through the trees, right towards him and flew frantic circles around him. It must be worse than anticipated. “Lead the way” was all he said and off they were. Upon noticing which way they were going, Reborn growled again. When he had Tsuna back he would fucking eat the idiots that dragged him here, no matter if he gets sick afterwards. He could hear a frantic heartbeat and the huffs of breath from the one chasing after the boy. Then there was a crash, the sound of someone falling and landing hard on the unforgiving ground. Next came something that would stay a long time in the dragon's mind. One yell, one call to him, his name screamed atop of exhausted lungs.

“REBORN!”

Changing while still running came naturally to him, crashing through the tree on all four was just as naturel. But when he saw that thing trying to bite the brunette's head off, he lost it. With a deep and mighty growl he lunged forward, catching the feline by surprise and throwing it off of the boy. When the tiger readied itself to jump again Reborn wound himself around his precious boy, his long neck and open maw just above the other, yellow flames flickering out between his fangs. Two predators, one on the hunt and one on the defense. The outcome of this was decided the moment the Sundragon arrived.

The sabertooth took its chance and tried to pounce again but Reborn had enough. He snatched it while it was still airborne, closing his maw around it, piercing though its skin and hide and then fucking incinerates it. Not even a small whine could be heard. The only thing that remained was the ashen corpse. Once sure that no other hunter was nearby, the dragon changed again and turned to Tsuna. Tsuna, who was still bound and struggling to breath properly. Tsuna, in whose eyes tears started welling up. Tsuna, who looked just like the little boy from so long ago. Without thinking about it Reborn cut through the rope with his sharp claw and then embraced the now crying boy as tight as he dared.

Tsuna was just so glad to be safe and to be held in the arms he had missed without knowing why.

_TBC_

I haven't beta read this, it's almost midnight and I'm tired. Please excuse me. I still hope you enjoy! *wave*

[britishchick09]

sherlock s2 ep 1 livewatch

welcome to a new (cumber)batch of eps! i’m excited to see all the iconic moments in this one :D

i haven’t even played the dvd yet and it’s glorious :’)

ooh it starts with a ‘previously’!!!

JIM MOIARTY HIIII!!!! :D

moiarty is amazing (and this recap is so dramatic!)

OMG SHERLOCK NECK FRECKLE! :o

also seeing the old channel 8 logo in the corner is so cool! :D

HOLD UP why is bee gees playing

IS MOIARTY A BEE GEES FAN???

‘staying alive’ lol funny since he’s about to get shot :D

moiarty: “SAY THAT AGAIN!!!!!” say that again QUIETER MOIARTY GEEZ

and he just walks away!!!

shoe sherlock cool

sherlock 2 NOW

oh no it’s irene alder...

masterpiece INTRO YAAAASSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

me watching sherlock be like:

the masterpiece trust is just rich people cool

omg the viking river cruises spon is the same as today! :D

woah they’re playing a movie trailer! :o

it’s a british movie obviously and i’ve never heard of it OBVIOUSLY

the scottish host guy is talking and i love it :D

host: “his mind has more apps than an iphone” lol

“a series of his three most famous cases begins! are you ready?” HECK YEAH LET’S GOOOO!!!!!!

YAS the blog scene!

sherlock: “what are you typing?” john: “a blog... about us”

lady: “i think my husband is having an affair.” sherlock: “yes”

sherlock thinks cases are boring except

sherlock ‘cases don’t need titles’ holmes

WOAH SHERLOCK JUST TOLD A LITTLE GIRL THAT DEAD PEOPLE BURN :o

lestrade: “any ideas?” john: “eight so far” wowza :o

sherlock ‘don’t mention the unsolved cases’ holmes

glasseslock!!!!! :D

eyyyyyyyy ;D

people want pics of sherlock and john do johnlockers exist in this universe? :o

lol :D

irene is seductively putting her hand on lockie’s newspaper pic ewww :(

mrs. hudson hates the fridge

THUMBS IN THE FRIDGE FRIDGE THUMBS

mrs. hudson: “BOYS YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER ONE!!!’ *insert meme here*

ooh it spins into a flashback!

OMG JOHNLOCK VID CHAT!!!!

sherlock’s in the sheet! :o

*phone rings* sherlock: SHUT. UP!!!!” lol :D

john’s holding his laptop around lol :D

john: ‘there’s a mute button and i will use it” aka the 2020 president debates

woah some random guys are in lockie’s house and john needs a helicopter what’s up with that????

BUCKINGHAM PALACE YAAAASSS!!!!!!!

john looks under...

giggly!!!!!

♥

mycroft is the queen now

BOI LOCKIE’S LIKE ‘what for?’ TO PUT PANTS ON OMMGGGGGGG

john smol be like :o

guy: “mr holmes the younger”

LOCK BUTT LOCK BUTT NOOOOOOO

john be like o///o ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

o lockie’s’s in clothes again :/

mycroft doesn’t trust the secret service welcome to america

:(

i don’t like irene not because there’s apparently a thing between her and sherlock but because she’s a bit creepy!

THERE LIKE THAT!

sherlock: “photographs of whom?” ooh how fancy

sherlock: “laters!!” lol! :D

irene’s friend is named kate like channel 8 being called ‘kaet’! :D

fashionista! :o

yes this is ‘the right armor’ lockie

john: “you didn’t even change your clothes!” lol :D

sherlock: “go on punch me in the face” lol :D

watson: “i always hear ‘punch me in the face’ when you’re speaking in subtext” ...wut o_O

WORST BATTLE DRESS EVER NNNOPE IMMA HEAD OUT

are sherlock and irene being shipped because they were naked in the same up

irene: “i could cut myself slapping your face” louise belcher wants your number

bi john when he sees irene: o///o “...i’ve missed something haven’t i?”

sherlock isn’t affected by naked irene thus i headcanon him as aro/ace (or even demi/ace in john’s case like my own holmes character) thank you and good night

irene just sits her bare butt on the chair why

JOHN SISTER NANI???? :o

also this font is so basic WHY LOCKIE

irene: “somebody loves you” *glances at john* ok i like her a tad she gets it ;)

john: “put something on, please. like.. a napkin?” lol :D

irene’s like ‘why’ JUS LIKE SHERLOCK BUT I SHALL NOT SHIP THIS SHIP THE SHOW IS TRYING TO SHIP

also john giggles at naked sherlock and is like ‘plz no’ with naked irene (although i would be too that lady is OUT THERE)

ooh antiques roadshow! :D

also she’s dressed like lockie NO

irene: “brainy is the new sexy” plz no :(

she took her clothes off ‘to make an impression’ yep

WAIT  they were just outside now they’re back in wut???

irene was born in the 80s cool :D

WOAH why are there more guy with guns?

and *le gasp* AN AMERICAN????

DON’T SHOOT JOHN AMERICAN!!!

ooh what was the code? :o

EPIC SLOW MO FIGHT YOOOOOO

DANNNNG IRENE JUS GUN SMACKED A GUY

sherlock just flipped a phone LIKE A FLIP PHONE OHHHH

irene is number 1 sherlock fan besides john confirmed

at first i thought it was a fandom phrase but it’s not! :o

WHY DID IRENE JUST PUNCH SHERLOCK

SHE’S WHIPPING HIM????

this reminds me of a certain sw ship... :(

yeah i don’t ship them AT ALLLLLL NOW

the key code is irene’s measurements DOES SHE MEAN...

the camera’s spinning FLASHBACK???

woah are they in the case?? this could be sherlock’s mind palace!

irene: “you got that just from one look? definitely the new sexy” NONONONONOO

outside bed

awww sweet bby ;)

did john tuck him in?

CRAP it was ireneeeeee >:(

the way she says ‘hush now it’s ok...’ is like count olaf in the hostile hospital when he drugs violet :o

LOCKIE’S FIRST WORDS WHEN WAKING UP WHERE JOHN awwww :D

OMG DID JOHN REALLY TUCK HIM IN awwww!!!!!!! ♥

lestrade filmed loopy sherlock lol :D

john: “ahhh back to bed!” awww :)

sherlock: “iiii’m fine i’m absolutely fine!!!’ drugged sherlock is a treasure ♥

sherlock: ”why would i need you?” john: “no reason at all” :)

ew was that an irene phone moan gross

DID SHERLOCK CHANGE HIS TEXT NOTIF TO THAT???

mrs. hudson: “family is all we have in the end, mycroft holmes!” mycroft: “oh shut up, mrs. hudson!” john: “my-“ sherlock: “MYCROFT!!!!” lol :D

mrs. hudson: “it’s a bit rude that noise isn’t it?” indeed!!

sherlock: “you can follow her on twitter” TWITTER IN THE HOLMESVERSE????

sherlock: “there’s more! much more” but wait... THERE’S MORE!

LOCKIE VIOLIN!!!!! :D

THE CHRISTMAS THING WASN’T A FAN MANIP HOLY YAS!!!!!!!! :D

cool sweater john!!! :D

:D

molly: ‘having christmas drinkies then?” wallace wants walkies thank you very much

john: “she’s off the booze!” sherlock: “nnnope” john: “shut up sherlock” lol

john to sherlock: ‘take a day off” lockie doesn’t know the concept mr doc

DID SHERLOCK NAME MOLLY CRY???? :o

HE KISSED HER????

sherlock still has the irene moan after all this time WHY

finding irene on christmas coolio :D

molly: “how did sherlock recognize her by... without her face?” ;)

sherlock smoking bad >:(

WOAH IS IRENE DEAD?????

VIOLIN YAS!!!! :D

smiley smiley :)

awww sherlock plucked a bit :)

OH CRAP IRENE’S BACC

john: “you flirted with sherlock holmes? “someone jellyyyy ;)

OOHH THIS IS THE IRENE JOHNLOCK SCEEENE!!!!!!! :D

irene: “you jealous?” john: “we’re not a couple!” irene: “yes you are.” ;)

john: “i’m not actually gay” irene: “well i am” IRENE LESBIAN GOOD!!!!

irene: “look at us both” (or perhaps bi like john could be...?)

biiiiiig door creak

UGH american... >:(

someone comfort mrs. hudson!! :(

sherlock: “take away your boys. it makes up for too much stupid in the room” he’s surrounded by idiots...

OMG SHERLOCK PEPPER SPRAYYY

awww he’s comforting mrs. hudson :)

john comfort! ♥

the guy’s tied up like the foody moody in bob’s burgers cool :D

awww mrs. hudson’s in shock :(

sherlock: “mrs. hudson leaving baker street? england would fall!” awww! :D

john says ‘alive’ like an irish guy :D

OMG IT’S NEW YEAR!!!!

happy violin new year! :D

sherlock’s xraying a phone lol

john said ‘in your bedroom’ BUT IT’S HIS AND SHERLOCK’S

and irene’s! :o

sherlock: “who wants to kill you?” irene: “killers” lol :D

sherlock said ‘the strand’!!!! :D

irene looks better without lipstick :)

the code is ‘i am SHERlocked’ HOW DO THEY NOT KNOW???

random john middle name reveal lol :D

FOR BABY NAMES NOOOO

john’s is hamish and eugene’s (from tangled) is hoarace... it’s the weird h middle name club! :D

sesame street time :D

...what in the world did sherlock just spout

john said ‘flight double o 7′ JAMES BOND REFERENCE????

MYCROFT IS SAYING ‘BOND ERE IS GO’ yep that’s bond!!!

sherlock didn’t notice john was gone for 2 hours lol :D

ooh sherlock says ‘second world war’ instead of ‘world war two’ :o

NONONONONNONONONONNOOOOOOOOO

sherlock: “that’s not the end of the world, that’s mrs. hudson” lol :D

mycroft: “that’s the deceased, always late” hey yeah :o

WOAH HE JUST CALLED SHERLOCK NAIVE AND IRENE A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS :o

oh hey irene

irene: “jim moiarty sends his love” ha ha funny love :D

WAIT MOIARTY CALLS SHERLOCK A VIRGIN??? :o

THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS NOOOOO

bada bing BADA BOOM!!!!!!!!!

wowza it’s been 6 months since they met???

sherlock: “sorry about dinner” *leaves* yesss :)

i’m glad they didn’t kiss and just held hands that was nice to make johnlock dreams fly :)

OMG IRENE LEGIT DIED THIS TIME BY BEHEADING!!!!! :o

john told sherlock she was in amurica good :)

lockie wants her camera phone aww :(

way better than any hand holding irene and sherlock did! ♥

awww irene texted sherlock goodbye :(

ew the irene moan one last time...

sherlock laughed and called her ‘a woman... the woman’ awww :)

that was a bittersweet ending! :)

aaaand it’s over!

next time... ;)

that was a great season premiere!!! irene was kind of cool (i like how she and sherlock were just friends) and the mystery was engaging as always. and of course... it was nice finally hearing lockie’s violin!! here’s to next time! :D

[akkivee]

aaaand with day 15, we’ve wrapped up mtc!!! it’s samatoki-sama time!!!!! 👏samatoki-sama time!!!!!! 👏samatoki-sama time!!!!!!!👏👏👏

First impressions: oh a white haired red eyed thug who calls himself ore-sama, samatoki-sama aka mr hardcore huh? *intense hetalia flashbacks*

Current impressions: i wish you all the best samatoki-sama like man, no wonder your motto is life is not fair, it sure hasn’t treated you very well!!!!!! here’s to hoping you get to have your sister back in your life!!!!!!

you know that general fandom joke that that’s like, if you’re a white haired, red eyed person in anime they’re probably destined to die?? yeah i feel like that’s not samatoki because he’s literally passed on his fate of death onto the other important people in his life and has become the a miserable man because of it. did the writers just pull up a list of traits to make a sad man and start checking them off when they made samatoki??? at least give the dude a happy ending by the end of the series please 😫

Favorite thing:

y’know, he’s just a really cool guy?? he’s yakuza, his voice is super cool, he’s just enough of an asshole that it’s not off-putting, and he’s a family man?? high class stuff right there. oooh and i like that his fast rap has kinda become his signature rap!!

Least favorite:

okay so this is really isn’t a least favorite thing, more of a ‘....damn’ moment. but during the tdd climax where samatoki and ichiro had to face each other as a drb test run, it was really really really horrible of samatoki to have beat ichiro and continued to beat him up while he was down. i do not blame ichiro for having beef with samatoki after that. ichiro tends to rap about fake adults and samatoki is definitely one in his eyes, probably for not even attempting to work together to go against chuuoku to save his brothers and nemu, but i really do wonder if ichiro would have done anything differently???? samatoki’s fatal flaw is his dedication to his sister but ichiro is the same way. i’m kinda rambling but it’s food for thought

What i want to see from this character:

connected to the above, how the heck would samatoki even go about reconnecting with ichiro. ramuda implies that now samatoki knows he was the one who hypnotised nemu into leaving him, samatoki and ichiro can reconcile. but that was cruel and unusual punishment samatoki inflicted on ichiro. what if ichiro doesn’t accept samatoki’s apology, if he gives one? what would samatoki do???

Favorite moments:

i actually have a singular favorite samatoki moment, but i have to stay on brand and give three lmao

i like that samatoki is actually pretty sweet on rio!! in the mtc drama track in the first full album, somebody gotta do it, samatoki immediately clues in on how happy rio looks cooking with the ingredients he found and put in work to make sure he could handle whatever rio concocted lmao

and then on the flip side, during the stage play (IM SORRY) samatoki managed to convince rio to give his share of rio’s food to juto. when juto gave him a look, a look that would have felled weaker men, samatoki just looked away like 😬 samatoki is an asshole 🤣

and then my all time favourite samatoki moment is the toto tower event in arb!!!!!! so even putting my shipping preferences aside ‘cause that whole event was a samajuto mall date lmao this event had the happiest samatoki i'd ever seen!!!! samatoki was like a little kid in a candy shop that whole event, and when you think about it, he probably never got to go to this tourist trap mall, even as a kid on a school trip or with his parents, because his entire life is a wreck and he grew up without a normal childhood!! so this whole event, you got to see samatoki actually acting his age, hanging and shopping out with a friend, checking out the view from the top of the tower *sniffs* and being so impressed by it he immediately says he wants to come again and this time with rio and i’m— *sobbing* and then he kept his good vibes going after the terrorist attack ‘cause he had fun shopping and taking down a couple of fools so wanted to share his good mood and take his team out for drinks and immediately invites jakurai who happened to be on scene to hang with them because he still considers jakurai a friend and— *drowning in tears* he was so cute that whole event 😭😭

Headcanon:

mmmm this is actually an observation, or a conclusion, that i’m kinda hoping kr is going to debunk for me along the line but..... i don’t think samatoki has a home like the way he did when he was living with nemu. in the tdd manga, samatoki and nemu were living in ikebukuro. so since ichiro has ‘jurisdiction’ over ikebukuro, that means samatoki had given up the home he and nemu shared. any time we see samatoki off the streets, he’s at the hq of his yakuza group. and in the know your enemy bb vs mtc drama track and in all in the same boat, when juto is paying samatoki a visit/ordered to assist in his arrest, it’s to samatoki’s office. like. i think samatoki’s living in his office. just. just. kr. please prove me wrong

Ships:

i eat drink breathe samajuto!!!!!!!! like they obviously get on each other’s last nerves but their bond runs so deep. juto has bet it all on samatoki and unwaveringly believes in samatoki’s power. and samatoki values juto’s faith and takes strength from it, like we see in all in the same boat. and again with the toto tower event in arb, we see samatoki just utterly at ease by juto’s side 😭

i also hope kr reinstates samasasa supremacy like samatoki was going to cry because he lost sarara!! he refused to fight sasara!!!! sasara fought tooth and nail against the true hypnosis mic’s effects!!!! boyfriends ripped apart by the government!!!

samatoki cares for rio too much to not love mtc poly!! samatoki and jakurai make a good pair!!!!! i’m incredibly invested in samatoki and ichiro’s relationship!!!

links to: ichiro | jiro | saburo | juto | rio | ramuda | gentaro | dice | jakurai | hifumi | doppo | kuukou | jyushi | hitoya | sasara | rosho | rei

[bladekindeyewear]

Book Commentary on Inversion Theory

Alright, as a follow-up to this post, it looks like there’s an actual full bit of Homestuck book commentary (around the pages nearing Rose’s grimdark transformation, Book 6 pg 115, HS pg 3305, thanks @ramiedersedreamer and @zandraxofnebulon) about how Inversion Theory (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) isn’t what we thought.  Quoting and reading it first (not the whole reddit post but that portion at least), then discussion under the cut:

"Rose is a Light player, but her blackout effects result from arguably the nadir of her role as such a hero--that is, when she succumbs to Scratch's manipulations and other eldritch persuasions, and goes grimdark. This truth would appear to lend credence to a line of classpect thinking known as "inversion theory," which really isn't without its merits. This note has just gone to the bother of describing one of its merits, in fact. However, it is possible to get carried away with this line of thinking and use it to evaluate everything that happens in Homestuck. For instance, you could say "Well, Karkat is a Blood hero, and here's where he stops being as Karkatty as usual, so that means he's being the opposite of his aspect. Which means he's being Breathy instead of Bloody. So that means a bunch of other stuff, ipso facto, Homestuck has been EXPLAINED." That's not really the way all this works. Aspect lore runs deep, but it isn't the Rosetta Stone to the story. When in doubt, it's better to remember this: rather than an underlying mystical logic where all classpect roads lead to Deep Answers, HS is a comprehensive nexus of many themes, and all roads lead to the basic idea that this is a tale about kids who are trapped in the universal struggle associated with growing up."

I... hm.  Dammit.  Is that all he wrote??  This slippery author is a master of giving us tantalizing and insightful details without committing to any hard yes-or-no whatsoever.  >:T

I’d been building myself up to reading this all throughout yesterday with gut-wrenching dread that at this late, late, late hour he’d finally given us a definitive “NO” on Inversion.  Instead we get this quite interesting but more vague “eh, there’s merits, but don’t go too far with it”.  Which is...... 

...about as potentially-optimistic as I put it in the previous post, if not moreso?

Andrew’s being careful to lavish odd praise on inversion theory, too.  Which some people are going to interpret as (Option 1) “Nice try, but dead wrong”, like the anon who put a snippet in my inbox initially, and others will interpret as (Option 2) “The big ones are RIGHT, nudge nudge, but stop applying it everywhere cause the fans who say every line of the comic means ‘ghosting inversion’ are looking at the story wrong and annoying everyone”.

As someone guilty of being one of those fans described in the latter half on occasion, I can CERTAINLY agree with THAT last part.  Andrew made it really clear with the ending of Homestuck proper -- “this side shit didn’t matter as much as you thought it did”.  I was so enamored with the classpect system that I thought almost everything was being shown to us through those lenses, at one point -- but even though perhaps more than the random reader might have thought is there, like he says, it ain’t supposed to be no Rosetta Stone.  Even when I WAS overapplying classpect everywhere, the people who did it too often in places I felt clearly un-merited REALLY pissed me off!  I can’t imagine how much more that might’ve been magnified in the shoes of someone who happened to apply the correct, lower amount of classpect and had to put up with me babbling and slathering it everywhere, much less the author’s shoes.

But there is still a big hole in his criticism, one he intentionally seems to have left there to me.  By saying “don’t look for it everywhere”, but ALSO that “there’s more than some merit to it”... I don’t think it’s a stretch to think the truth might not only be somewhere in between Options 1 and 2, but perhaps even closer to Option 2.

Aaaand HERE’s where if you’re someone who HUNGERED for me to admit wrongdoing by sticking with this theory for so long, you’re no doubt angry.  Looking at me as making excuses in the face of this long-awaited OBJECTIVE PROOF OF TOTAL THEORY DISMISSAL... WHY won’t the deluded bastard FINALLY succumb to REASON?  ANDREW HIMSELF spoke up on the issue, IS THIS NOT ENOUGH?!???

And, well... you’re right to be angry.  To be honest, I’m a fair bit pissed off too -- I could’ve used a solid “NO”, traumatizing as it would’ve been to me!

But that’s not what we got, because... *rolls eyes @ author* ...that’s not how Andrew works nowadays.  And as irritating as it is, I also have to respect it a bit.

Andrew has become pretty committed to not full-on table-flipping fan interpretations and fanworks, avoiding forcing one “correct” interpretation (see: central struggle of HS^2 and the villains labeling divergence from canon at all as “bad”) because both interpretations should be rewarded.  If something is REALLY wrong and hurts objective appreciation of the lessons he wanted to portray in his comic, like people plastering Classpect everywhere to the exclusion of the story’s central canon-escaping themes, he’s willing to shut them down... but when it comes to effective-sounding interpretations of the comic that he possibly never intended but “could” have been what he intended?  He’s REALLY careful not to step on them!  Or even sometimes DISTINGUISH them from the ones that he DID intend, sometimes, to keep as many fan interpretations alive in our imaginations as possible.

Which, as someone who pins Inversion’s entire existence on the assertion that “Andrew deliberately intended this and it’s our DELUSION otherwise”, really pisses me off at times like this.  This is a theory hinged on the idea that Andrew had been deliberately hiding INCREDIBLY clever evidence throughout the comic for these intense thematic moves.  All the SYMBOLISM we thought was pointing to inversion would lose an incredible amount of its meaning if it were all an accident.  What about all that cool imagery in the Breath and Blood post?  Did any of THAT really mean what we thought it was there for, like between WV and PM?  Was any of it REAL?  Will we ever even get an ANSWER?  The answer is “no, we won’t”, because Andrew persists in this method of keeping his cards close to his chest even if he has to take them to the damn grave, cause he knows we’ll have more “fun” not knowing ‘em.  That considerate son of a bitch.  >:(

I’m serious -- it really does make me more than a little angry.  I really do wish he’d said more to show us where we’re off-course.

But HS^2 has brought us Terezi telling us that Mind and Heart are indeed opposites.  He MIGHT be holding onto the info because we may get it later in canon itself...

Meh.  I’ll try not to hope too hard.  And I’d better clarify what I actually believe, here:

My TL;DR thoughts on Andrew’s commentary up above are that when it comes to Inversion Theory (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), he’s leaving room for some of the BIG events to have been right or almost right -- say, #1, maybe #2, and only POSSIBLY #3 or #4 -- while telling us to back off and cast SERIOUS DOUBT on stuff that could have more character-driven explanations, especially #5.

If there’s a seriously FUNDAMENTAL transformation in a character that isn’t fully explained by their character journey alone (as kids growing up), involves significant outside interference, and is reflected by countless visual cues, THEN we should want to see if Inversion Theory “has merit” in that sort of case -- while laying it up against other competing theories that account for external interference of a non-Inversion-related nature in their actions too.  Things like pre- and post-ascension Aradia or pre- and post-dreamdeath Jade seeming almost completely different characters?  Or Rose seemingly taken over by the Horrorterrors... only to do nothing to benefit them but throw her mainself at Jack and get killed so she’d be forced to ascend on the moon mission rather than God-tier-die?  I’d say Inversion is worth consideration and -- daresay -- worth believing in, in such cases.

And it still might all be wrong.  There are legitimate ways to read Andrew’s commentary above that would have people screaming that Inversion has been disproven, that the “merits” mentioned were just a nod of respect to the losing side that I’m completely overblowing.  But those seem to me like carefully ambiguous words from a carefully ambiguous man, and if there’s anyone to blame for their ambiguity, it’s Andrew.  Trust me; I don’t like it either.  He’s had plenty of practice saying things in a way that we CAN’T really draw many assumptions from.

Heck, even the Redditor transcribing this summarized their thoughts in a way that draws some assumptions I don’t believe are there:

Mostly I think it's just interesting that he's actually addressing Inversion Theory, and the gist is basically "it's a cool idea and has some merits, but the classpect system and story are not quite that formulaic." Sorry BKEW. At least we know Hussie has been paying attention to our wild theorizing.

--which is a rebuke drawn on the common interpretation that Inversion describes too “formulaic” a classpect system, especially with specific-class inversion like Seer <-> Witch and such.  But IS that what Andrew is saying? Andrew criticizes the overapplication of aspect theory in describing everyone’s actions page to page, but does that mean a quote-unquote “rigid” system (I’m not going to play out the old “specific-class-inversion-is-too-rigid” vs “youre missing the flexible potential a fixed system gives” arguments again) is ITSELF an overapplication of classpect to people’s actions and personalities? Is he perhaps hinting that only Aspect stuff mattered in Inversion cases and the Witchy Rose class stuff was just a separate thematic thing that fits by coincidence??  What does it mean? WE DON’T KNOW!  AND IT’S PISSING ME OFF AAAARGH

...I think I’ve said all I can think to say for now.

I mean, I’m glad Inversion Theory wasn’t outright disproven.  I think it’s neat.  I have a lot of emotional investment behind it, and being told it was all a worthless goose chase would have made me vomitously sick!  But as I struggled with at the end of Homestuck proper, constant ambiguity shows a fair bit of disregard of its own, and both ending AND epiloguing Homestuck not only without a “yes” on this but without even a clear “NO” has caused me more gutache and poor feelings across MONTHS than either answer ever would have given me.  I thought we’d earned that by getting through it, that we wouldn’t have to wait for YEARS and then STILL get cockteased like this.  And I wonder how much I’m going to regret, later, that this wasn’t just a clear, simple “NO”.

I’m being told there’s an upd8 just now and I should read it.  I’ll get on that.  Cy’all.

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 51

Last Time: The Bus Came Back, Al really needs to learn Morse Code, and the Golems woke up. Onwards!

Oh snap, new opening. Soft music as Ed and Al stand together in Central, looking at the lit-up castle until Ed looks away to blue pictures of Roy’s Crew wait I just saw Hughes in there. Oooh no. That’s not a good sign. Ok it’s including everyone from Armstrong the Great to General Grumman so unless this show’s heading towards a Total Party Wipe (which is not as unlikely as I’d like) it must just be stylistic. Wait what that was a white Truth outline that looked a heck of a lot like Winry. Please tell me she’s ok. Aaaand now it’s all red and black as someone (Ed?) screams and other flashes of red souls oh it’s the Goths. Aw hell it’s the Goths! And Uncle as well looking annoyed until GAH it’s one of those freaking Golems. Ok back to calming blue pictures of the Good Guys, then Al’s Soul still sitting at the Gate of Truth with his empty armor behind him, and Truth laughing like the jerk he is. Winry! Wi- wait why are you standing in a white dress at the edge of a cliff? Young lady that’s far too close, step back right now. Also stop crying and/or point me in the direction of whoever made you cry. We get a title for this song (“Rain”) as townspeople and villagers look up at the storm clouds in concern, and Military soldiers run out alongside tanks whaaaaat is that? What is that there’s a hunched figure standing in flames, zoomed in to show glowing white eyes and very big teeth. Now it’s Bradley in a bloodied white shirt sitting in the rain acting all calm and collected, switch to complete opposite of Scar tossing aside his jacket ooooh are we gonna get Scar fighting Bradley in this arc? Yeah I know that the trailers always lie but there tends to be elements of truth like the arms that grabbed Al coming up in a later arc. Now it’s the Chimera Army (sadly not under the command of General Al), and the Armstrong Siblings standing alongside each other and Mrs. and Mr. Curtis! Good to see you guys again! Wait Roy why do you look so upset? Riza why are you crying in an alleyway with your dog? And now Ed and Al are standing on opposite sides of a tree damnit are they gonna get separated again? Ok finally the sun’s broken through NOPE NOPE DEAD PERSON ALERT THAT LOOKS LIKE MAMA ELRIC BUT IT PROBABLY ISN’T EITHER RUN OR PUNCH IT ED. Nevermind he was just dreaming. While being watched over by Winry. Kinda cute, but kinda creepy too. Episode 51 - “The Immortal Legion” Oh great, this episode is gonna focus on those creepy Golems. Just what I wanted to start the new year with, yay. So a bunch of pipes are disconnecting from the gasping artificial zombies who land kneeling on the floor, before standing GREAT they’re in that uncanny 3D modeling that Titan!Envy used. Officer laughs at the labcoat’s insistence that they needed more tests, pointing at the undying, obedient, invincible soldiers. [Officer]: “We have our Title Drop, at long last!” Now he’s ordering the Golems (“Papa” NO) to deal with the renegade ele- Uh What So… One of the Golems walked forward and just… tore out his throat with its teeth. And a bunch of other Golems have pounced on the screaming Officer. Who’s no longer screaming. Aaaand now they’ve stopped, and turned with bloody mouths to the labcoat. … … … How fucking stupid are these guys? I mean really. REALLY. How has Amestris lasted as a country this long if this is what its leadership and researchers are like? How could the labcoats have failed so spectacularly to create Zombies when the goal was to create Golems? What kind of shoddy “tests” were they running to not figure out that their supposedly obedient soldiers were mindless killing beasts? Was there no prototype? Did they literally build an army of these things just assuming that they would all work? You fail, my good sirs! You fail at Science! And you, Officer! You completely ignored the guy whose job it is to know things, who told you that the weapon wasn’t ready, and you just set it off? You were so blinded by your arrogance and desire for command over others that you unleashed this army of Zombies without any assurance that they wouldn’t kill you for standing in front of them? Uncle. I get that you’re a bad guy. I get that you view humanity as a lesser species, no better than fuel for yourself and your Goths. And frankly, after seeing this Kimblee level of incompetence, I can see your point. But you have to have seen this coming. You had to have known that your minions were this stupid, this incredible level of dumbfuckery that has me storming around my room, ranting at the utter failure of this Officer and researcher. Clearly this is the reason you made your Goths, because if this was the level of ability you led before you made more competent henchmen? It’s a miracle that the whole country hasn’t gone up in flames without even the slightest effort by the Conspiracy.

Ok. Ok, we need to move on. So while that whole mess is kicking off, Ed’s reached the Door beneath The Third Laboratory. Oh hey, Barry’s still there! Miss you, you were funny when you weren’t killing innocents or trying to flirt with Riza. Giant door, check. Now how to open it. Actually, do we want to open it? Is it connected to the Transmutation Circle, is opening it playing into Uncle’s hands? Ah well, Ed’s gonna try anyway, struggles for a bit pulling at the seam (maybe it’s a push door?) until Scar gets bored and prepares to HoD it oh hey it’s opening CLOSE IT CLOSE IT CLOSE IT ZOMBIES CLOSE IIIIIIIIITTTTTTT Oh hey Armstrong the Great. Still haven’t killed the second General? Yeah he’s more useful as a bullet shield right now, and he’s still a General so he can order the Central Forces to stand down. Only he’s not giving the order? Huh. I’m actually kinda impressed here, guy’s been stabbed multiple times and has a gun to his head but he still gives an order to seal all entrances to Central. Still a bad guy and Armstrong the Great’s absolutely going to kill him now, but still. Ooor instead of Armstrong the Great, it’ll be Sloth literally crushing him. Ouch. Oooh dear, seems Sloth’s been ordered to kill Armstrong the Great for interfering, and she doesn’t have a tank or a snowstorm this time. She’s still laughing though, thanking the Goth for opening up another General seat, and brandishes her blade. [Armstrong the Great]: “This sword was passed through the Armstrong Family for generations. Now I don’t have to sully it with his filthy blood!” Adventure Strings continue as Ed’s fighting the Zombie Horde, the Chimera’s are throwing punches and Scar’s breaking out the HoDs to kill… oh dear. Scar’s One Hit Kill isn’t killing. That’s not good. The Zombies groan and shuffle around them- [Zombie]: “Big Brother!” NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU, WHOEVER WROTE THAT LINE YOU DO NOT TARNISH ONE OF THE SADDEST MOMENTS IN THIS SHOW WITH THESE MONSTERS SCREW. YOU.

Ed’s reacting in shock, realizing that they used human souls to make the Zombies, even somehow poor Nina’s. And for all the Zombies already, more and more come pouring through the door. Scar’s right, if these things escape outside to where civilians are just standing around wondering at all the Military soldiers running around, it’ll be a slaughter… Oh. Ok, I get it. Uncle deliberately set this up so the Officers (who are still IDIOTS) would set off a slaughter of the Central populace, probably to fuel the Transmutation Circle like Kimblee orchestrated the Drachman’s destruction up north. Back inside, Ed seals off the exit to keep the Zombies in ok sorry I have to say something, did the animation budget get cut for this episode to focus on the Zombies? Because for whatever reason Ed just seems off-model today, his face keeps looking rounder and younger. Anyways, the Chimeras are eager to let loose in a fight and transform, the group charges towards the Gate to plow through the horde and reach “that bearded bastard”. Outside Military forces are trying to close off roads and keep the Armory Ice Cream Truck from escaping, until a certain Briggs Officer arrives to express his displeasure. [Central Officer]: “A- a bear! A bear with a mohawk! Aaaa-” So Roy and his Crew are safely out of town, but now they’ll have some trouble getting back in. Although the Military are looking for an ice cream truck specifically. Almost makes me wish Ed was here to Transmute up a disguise for the vehicle. Almost mind you, things aren’t so desperate we need that just yet. Lion’s still at the Dome, wondering how things are going with the others. With nothing better to do he goes to talk to Al, ask what that annoying tapping noise is FINALLY thank you so Al didn’t know but Lion with his military experience was able to identify the dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot and realize that Al needs to shut Pride up, NOW. He’s been broadcasting your loca- Uh oh. Kimblee’s here. And as much as I insult the guy, I think he’s probably strong enough to brush past an injured Lion and break Pride out- Or straight up kill Lion while knocking a hole in the Dome. Damnit. Pride is loose. Mid-ep pictures of Zombies (“Mannequin Soldiers”) doing the See-Speak-Hear No Evil poses, and Alphonse Elric looking pissed. Aw shit May’s getting chased by Zombies in the tunnels! Run May! Run Shao May! Screw Envy, leave him to get eaten by the monsters! She screams at Envy for tricking her while he yells that her source of Immortality is still further inside, then she takes a moment to lay a beautiful if ineffective beatdown on some Zombies before catching oh shit I was joking about Envy getting eaten nobody deserves- Uh oh. [Envy]: “I’m baaaack!” Soooo, Envy’s kind of… melded with the Zombie, who ate another Zombie and then melded with all of the other Zombies to make Titan!Envy, who shrunk down into standard Envy. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a Goth back in play. Crap. In the village near the Dome, Yoki’s panicking at the Military presence, trying to persuade Marcoh to stay quiet and not draw attention to themselves. But Marcoh’s upset at not doing anything. Also, what’s that smoke coming from the Dome? Pride’s sauntering out, Kimblee actually sounds a bit unnerved at the news that Pride ate another Goth. Pride’s justifying it as them coming from the same father, they’re just in a combined form again. Oh hey, Lion’s still alive! Kinda. Not looking or sounding too good, though. Al rushes forward damnit he just got grabbed by Pride’s shadows, he’s gonna get possessed again and Ed’ll have to fight him damnit. But Al transmutes the ground for a Big Boom, ok so dust to block out the shadows? Or not, Pride still has Al’s feet… aha! He only has Al’s feet! Al pulled a Lan Fan! Back to Battle Drum music as Armstrong the Great’s fighting Sloth, who’s smashing up the room with his chains. Armstrong the Great, honey, don’t waste your bullets on Sloth, it’s doing nothing. Maybe your sword? Damnit Military grunts, stop bothering Armstrong the Great by threatening to shoot her for treason. See, that’s what you get for threatening Armstrong the Great, she just dodges so you take the hit from Sloth. Thanks for the grenade, btw! So that’s not going to do much to Sloth (besides be funny as he “Huh?”s at the grenade right in his face, but maybe Armstrong the Great can use the smoke to- [Sloth]: “Hey, look! I caught you! And this time, I won’t mess up.” Well that aint good. Sloth’s got her trapped against a pillar and is squeezing her to death, Armstrong the Great’s actually in pain and-

YES [The Mighty Armstrong]: “HEELLLOOO, SISTER! AAAARRREE YOOOOOU ALLLRIGHT?! HAH HAH!” *sparkles and explosion because AWESOME* He’s back! The Mighty Armstrong is back, and after sending Sloth flying with a single punch is ready to fight alongside his snarky sibling! Armstrong the Great updates The Mighty Armstrong on the plot (that’s a Goth, bullets are useless, I want my tanks back). [The Mighty Armstrong]: “You don’t say? *sparkle* Fortunately dear sister, that is my specialty! Why don’t you let your brother have a crack at it! I’ll take this atrocity down! Come on, you monster!” [Sloth]: “Ugh. What a pain.” Hey! Hey hey hey don’t you skip away from the Armstrong Fight! Go back to Best Characters! Ugh, ok fine Al’s current situation of trying to drag a grievously wounded Lion away from the dome while his own legs are stumps is sufficiently dramatic enough I’ll accept the scene switch. This time. But yeah, Al and Lion are in a tough spot. Lion’s even telling Al to leave him behind, which Al is having none of. But really now, Al’s down a few limbs, when the dust clears they’ll be facing Kimblee and Pride together, and Lion’s coughing up blood. Now Al’s knee has blown out and he’s resorting to beating the crap out of it in frustration. [Lion]: “You brothers… are really something else… You’re still determined to help another person, even when you’re falling to pieces yourself.” Now Al’s talking about his promise, to never let anyone else die. So now the show’s going to either force Al to break his promise abandon Lion at the Chimera’s insistence, or he’ll keep trying until the dust fades and Pride walks up and kills Lion before repossessing Al’s armor anyway. This sucks- wait, what’s Lion have in his pocket?

HOLY LETO IT’S THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE! I completely forgot that Lion pocketed it ages ago after Ed’s injury. Has the dude been carrying around one of the setting’s most prized MacGuffin’s in his pocket this whole time? Dude. Also, is this going where I think it’s going?

So they’re discussing the dilemma: with their own Stone they might be able to fight against the other guy armed with one and the ‘kid’ powered by two, but if they use the Stone they’ll be using the souls used in making it. And if I remember, this was Kimblee’s first stone, the one made with Ishvalan Sacrifices. Lion talks about Ed’s conviction to not use Stones on their bodies. Instead, he says to “use it to save the entire world instead”. [Lion]: “You deserve it. Because even if they’ve been put into that Stone, you still recognize them as people. I know… those people… even though they’re trapped in Stone, they still want to fight to protect what matters to them. Let them fight. They deserve the chance!” I’m picturing the Ishvalans in the stone cheering. “Heck yeah let’s kick some ass! That jerk in the tacky suit used us to murder our own people, we want to tear him apart!” Al agrees. They’ll fight together. Thank you. For all my ranting at not using the Stone to heal Ed back then, I can appreciate this take. Using a Stone is Wrong, and it cannot be something that our Protagonists ever truly accept. But when faced with no other options, and using it specifically to help others, not themselves, it is acceptable that Al uses the Stone to fight back. Outside the cloud Kimblee asks if he should blow it away, but Pride’s overconfident and says they’re trapped without Al’s legs- BOOM! Flash of red, Kimblee loses his hat in the windblast, and Al strides out on newly-Transmuted legs. Kimblee smiles. New Outro! We’ve got… I can’t tell if it’s Beardless or Al, going by the stonework I’m going to assume Beardless. Still Beardless, hair blowing in the wind...still Beardless...still Beardless...what is the whole Outro just Beardless never mind it just switched to Mama Elric’s grave, then a crowd of Xerxes folk hey it’s that picture Keaton used to show Xerxians have no black outline to their hair. Then either Beard or Uncle walking through the desert in a white cloak, and the Elric Household complete with the swing that Beard nearly broke his back setting up. Whoop speaking of we have a grumpy Beard surrounded by white light and shattering stone, then Homunculus sulking in his flask. Also, A+ on putting the only credit this screen (Mixing Engineer Adrian Cook) right in front of the one-eyed circle monster.

Ooh, but now we’ve got an orbital view of the planet, with a giant circular shock wave coming off of it. Implying the Nationwide TC is activated? Now Ed looking serious in his red coat, and poor skinny Al’s soul smiling in front of the Gate. Now it’s his armor form standing in front of a sunset (Ending Theme “Ray of Light”), and a final shot of the road leading to the Rockbell home.