#also in case anyone was wondering yes this is an upcoming scene in my first tdp fic

[babymillennial]

Looking forward to drawing Leola barreling into Aaravos at Mach 2 because who needs living fathers amirite

[sgiandubh]

I was wondering if anyone else had this same fear as mine? I’m not sure it’s really a fear but I think there are going to be sex scenes in Sam’s upcoming project and who knows maybe Cait as well.

Is it crazy to feel uneasy, fearful, nervous or any of those emotions about watching Sam or Cait do sex scenes with people other than each other? I know it’s their job if the script has these scenes but maybe I’m worried that what I see on screen with them in their sex scenes with each other and how special it is isn’t as special as I think?

It’s probably an irrational fear and no it’s not the only reason or even the reason why I am a shipper. Their chemistry on screen sent me down the rabbit hole and it was really what has happened off screen that made me a shipper.

Sorry I think I rambled quite a bit there but you seem to welcoming and friendly and most importantly rationale.

Dear Uneasy Anon,

Let the woman in the audience who was NOT even mildly - how can I put it elegantly - ehrm.. unsettled by The Reckoning cast the first stone at your question and my answer.

*crickets*

I thought so.

I remember my stupefaction on a balmy late August night (not unlike this one) when I watched these scenes for the very first time. Shouted like a crazy woman at 4 AM something along the lines of OH, DEAR ME, WHAT THE HELL (literally: what the mother of all devils, told you that being a native speaker of obscure idioms is infinite fun)? And then immediately hit rewind, questioning my sanity and grateful I was under the radar.

I had never seen anything like this on a screen, let alone in what I thought to be a whachamacallit divertimento (Sam, who? Caitríona, who?). And chemistry is a paltry, almost sorry term to describe sexual attraction, in their case: these two were not blocking anything, and I do not mean it in a lewd way, but in an emotional one. A much more serious affair than a, heh, hydraulic incident while having to put up with carpet burns.

What we saw there were two people very much attracted to each other and yes, clearly in the early stages of falling deep and hard in love with each other. And I do not mean Jamie and Claire, here, for I have never made the confusion. Let's not be hypocrites: what consistently happened on and off-screen, in the Season 1- Season 3 interval, despite all the hurdles and the shitshow, is a real story on the constant brink of taking over the performance side of things. So much so, that at some point I almost completely blocked the characters and had to re-watch, for the sake of keeping up with that neglected storyline: it was embarrassing, but in a good way.

That was not acting, dear Uneasy Anon, and bless his heart, he repeatedly spilled the tea about it. Knowing that and having experienced that Mach3 impact yourself, I doubt you would feel uneasy by S/C shooting formulaic sex scenes with other people. An example: When the Starlight Ends. I howled in my popcorn. That is to say that particular movie was a doomed project. That is also to say: you'll know how 'not special at all' that is, when you watch it.

So, in a nutshell, I can only offer you this answer, along with the hope that it makes sense or helps you somewhat: you may feel uneasy because you know how rare and fragile that is and also because you are probably afraid of breaking that spell. But you immediately tell me that it is their off-screen shenanigans that made you a part of our rank and file: what you call fear is nothing else but maybe a bit of projection and certainly a deep fascination. You are desperately normal, dear Anon. Last but not least, remember FDR: the only thing to fear is Fear itself. Go ahead. Watch those with an honest eye. I guarantee there will be absolutely nothing to write home about.

This, however (emphatically NOT The Reckoning). This always punches me in the damn gut. This is better than Mantegna's Saint Sebastian. Objectification, schmobjectification:

[ryqoshay]

Happy Life: Owlhane

Primary Pairing: YohaRiko Words: 514 Rating: G Time Frame: Sometime during their college years Prompt: Pianissimo

---------

Author's Note: Primary entry for the 14th

Summary: Yohane dresses as an owl

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“Are you really going to eat dinner dressed like that?” Riko inquired.

“Dressed like what?” Yoshiko returned a question of her own. “This is Yohanowl’s natural garb!”

“You said earlier that it was your newest garb.”

“Geh…”

“Also, wouldn’t Owlhane sound better?”

Yoshiko pondered for a moment. “Perhaps… Owl… hane…” she sounded it out before nodding. “Yes, Owlhane is better. It seems the elite little demon knows best.”

“I’m back to being a little demon again?”

“I-I mean angel ascended!”

“I thought I was the guardian of Owlhane’s prey?”

“Mohhh… Riri!” Yoshiko whined, waving her arms in frustration, making it look like she was actually flapping her wings due to her owl outfit.

Riko couldn’t help laughing a bit at the absurd, and thus very Yoshiko, scene before her. It was exceptionally cute as far as she was concerned.

“I must say,” Riko said after a moment, “that costume is very well made. Your wings are actually silent, like a real owl.”

Yoshiko grinned with pride. “Of course it is well made! Yo… Owlhane herself had a ha… wing?... claw in its creation!” She flapped again. “Although I must admit it’s not completely silent. I’m not sure that’s possible without using actual owl feathers. Nonetheless, Owlhane insisted that we strive to at least achieve pianissimo!”

Riko wondered for a moment if it was selfish to assume Yoshiko used a music term to refer to her costume because she was dating a pianist. Obviously, Yoshiko knew the term from her time singing as a school idol, but Riko couldn’t recall her using music terms outside of such situation. Or perhaps she did, and Riko only started noticing after the two became a couple. Still, intentionally introducing words from her girlfriend’s interest into her normal daily lexicon seemed very much like something Yoshiko would do.

“Eh?” Riko startled away from her thoughts as a feathered wing flapped near her.

“See?” Yoshiko asked, having moved around the table while Riko was distracted with her thoughts. “It’s just barely audible, but you can hear it. But with everything else happening on stage, I doubt anyone in the audience will notice.”

“I couldn’t hear it from across the table.” Riko admitted.

“Pianissimo achieved!” Yoshiko declared.

Audience. Stage. Riko recalled. “That reminds me, Yocchan hasn’t told me what this new play is about.”

“Oh, well you see…” Yoshiko began to explain excitedly as she returned to her seat.

The couple began to discuss the upcoming play being planned by the theater club Yoshiko had joined at the college they both attended. It was an original work written by a group of students in the literature club based on an amalgamation of several myths and legends. Yoshiko had been assigned the role of a wise owl that would assist the protagonist along their journey.

Riko listened intently to Yoshiko’s descriptions while trying not to laugh whenever the owl costume interfered with Yoshiko’s meal. It all made for an enjoyable, if again, a bit absurd, time. But, such was often the case when one loved and lived with a purported fallen angel.

---------

Author's Note Continued: Some readers may remember my entry for Promptober 2021 that I called Yohanowl. It was a quickly written, silly idea I had while trying to fall asleep. And since it was a bonus entry already, I didn't bother with much editing or whatnot. The important part was that I enjoyed writing it.

But it has apparently stuck with me, as it was the first thing to come to mind when I started thinking about the entry for this year, and my self-challenge to include the prompts from the two prior years that I participated; there was a Promptober 2020 edition, but I hadn't joined IFH by that time.

Honesty, I've no idea how much I will delve into this made up play for Yohane's college theater club, where she plays an owl. I don't even know what myths or legends I would draw on, I just typed that out for the sake of giving Yohane something to explain. But gods help me if it turns into some massive story arc or the like...

And for the record, Owl was the prompt from '21 and Wonder was from '22.

[kimabutch]

I’ve already alluded to it plenty here, so: let me tell you about my friends’ TTRPG game. 

So, almost two months ago, my friends @hgb94​ and @nilim​ started what was supposed to be a oneshot of Ships That Pass, a two-person game about queer spaceships in love. Because they like to talk a lot (affectionate), they didn’t finish. So they played a second session, and still didn’t finish. And then, because they liked their characters, they started adding extra scenes and secondary characters. And then they started adding flashback scenes to create extra context for the characters. And then they threw out the rules entirely, and it became largely-improvised collaborative storytelling. 

Oh, and they’d recorded it all from the beginning, so they started editing the present-day and flashback scenes together to create episodes, complete with music, soundscaping, and narrated scene introductions. Not for anyone but themselves, but, well, I did start listening. 

But the story, friends, the story. It’s so good. It starts off simply: the Elysium (Ely), a luxury cruise ship and a bit of a prankster, meets the Scythe (Scy), a biomedical research ship and a stickler for rules, while both of them are near a plasma cloud. They start talking, and Ely’s sense of humour enchants Scy as much as Scy’s stories of the wonderful phenomena she studies enchant Ely. They start finding excuses to pass by each other. Scy introduces Ely to an ice storm. Ely starts writing poetry for Scy. They’re frankly adorable. 

But things aren’t that simple. Both ships have close bonds with their captains and crew. Ely has been flying with her captain, Richard, a kind, gruff, and Tired man, for fifteen years; Scy’s been with her cool but Disaster captain Manon for less time, but they care for each other deeply. However, in this world, AI are seen as property — and dangerous property at that. Fifteen years ago, there was a brutal war fought over AI rights, where the colonialist Coalition used propaganda about “rogue AI” to justify invading other planets, and the rebels fought (and lost) to try to protect their ships and planets. 

But that was fifteen years ago — it’s all “settled” now. Supposedly. 

When one of Manon’s crew dies of illness, both she and Scy are brought in for psychological evaluations, and Manon’s suspiciously pro-AI and anti-MAN (Monitors of Artificial Norms) sentiments put her under further investigation by the MAN. They assign her an Agent, Oliver (Ollie), who comes on board to monitor both Scy and Manon. 

Fortunately for them, Ollie’s a young but incredibly bright Agent on his first mission, and particularly sympathetic to AI. Doubly fortunate, he’s the protégé of Theresa Williams, a ruthless senior man Agent who’s been plotting undercover revenge against the MAN for over a decade because they reprogrammed her ship. Williams “recruited” Ollie out of university — that is, discovered Ollie had pro-AI views that might get him in trouble and then blackmailed his family so he’d join the MAN and be “protected.” She’s mentored him ever since, and despite her insistence that attachments are a weakness, she cares deeply for him. 

Williams assigned Scy’s case file to Ollie after she noticed Scy & Ely’s anomalous flight patterns; she wants to help. She hopes no one else notices this dangerous pattern — particularly because Richard and Manon should not be meeting. See, while Richard and Manon know that Ely & Scy are in love, they don’t know who the other’s captain is. 

Manon doesn’t know that Ely’s captain is Richard, her mother Elske’s lover, who was almost her stepfather — who was forcibly conscripted to the pro-Coalition side, while her mother fought and died for the rebels. Richard, who never contacted Manon after the war. 

On the other hand, Richard doesn’t know that Scy’s captain is Manon, the daughter of the woman he loved; the woman who he saw die, for whom he punched out a Commanding Officer, for whom he was ready to die. Manon, whom Richard was forbidden by the MAN from contacting after the war, who was used as leverage for Richard’s silence about the war. 

When they find out who the other is, well, that’s when things really start going to shit. Because Agents aside from Williams and Ollie have started noticing what’s going on, and that puts everyone in danger: Scy, Ely, Manon, Richard, Ollie, and Williams. To get out of this mess, the captains & ships will have to trust the rogue Agents, Manon will have to trust Richard, and they all will have to believe there’s a life outside of the MAN’s control. 

And that’s about where I am in the story so far — I’m told it’s not even halfway done. I am literally bouncing with excitement for every single upcoming episode. 

And like! The story is beautiful — it’s a queer romantic love story between spaceships yes, but also a queerplatonic love story between ships and captains, a story of love lost and found, of found families, of redemption, of healing, of learning to care and hope after trauma. And the characters, goddamn, I love every single one of them: Scy, sweet, reserved, a little naïve, a bit of a know-it-all but in the most loving way; Ely, hilarious, protective, and hopeful even after 200 years; Manon, simultaneously carefree and incredibly angry; Richard, weighed down by years of guilt but learning to be courageous; Ollie, who sees the best in everyone even after years of being told that it will only hurt him; and Williams, cold and ruthless and vengeful but really broken-hearted and more kind than she wants to admit. 

And that’s not even mentioning the side characters; at this point, both players play over half a dozen characters each — some love-to-hate villains, some loveable goofs. And they play them so well, like, I’ve played with both my friends in the past and I know how good they are at role-play — but they’re still blowing me away with the strength of their RP in every single goddamn scene. And their shockingly good audio editing makes it feel… well, genuinely like a real podcast. 

It’s just… amazing. I’m so proud and astounded by my friends, and feel so lucky that I get to sit in on (and write fanfic for, and create a fanvid for, and make a fanwiki for) this story. It’s really cool, and like. Wow. I have cool friends. 

[draconicfaenerd]

Obey Me Theory: In Which God is an Asshole and Solomon Might be a Good Guy?

Okay, here’s the deal. I have way too much time on my hands at the moment and was suddenly struck with inspiration, so I decided to cook up a little theory of my own.

Well, not so little. I’ve been writing this over the last few days, and this turned into something bigger than I was expecting.

Alright, here we go.

One of the great mysteries of this game: who the fuck wrote the whole Tale of the Seven Lords series? I mean, it foreshadows so much of the game’s plot twists that it’s absolutely insane! My initial thought was that Barbatos wrote it, especially since he’s the one who has a bunch of time travel/timeline powers that are, frankly, quite frightening. However, this theory leaves one gaping plot hole: how does Simeon know what’s gonna happen in the upcoming volume? Even Mammon and Satan take note of the fact that they have no idea why Simeon would know something like that. Who besides Barbatos could possibly have the power to see the future? Given this game’s penchant for foreshadowing, this is undoubtedly an important question we need to ask ourselves.

And I’d like to make you think about something as you answer that question.

While we know a fair bit about Barbatos’s power, we know practically nothing about the angels’ powers. Surely it doesn’t make sense that the demons have access to this wild reality-bending power that the angels don’t. Unless they actually do. How is this possible? Well, I turn to my knowledge of Christianity for this part of the theory.

According to many people’s interpretation of Judaism and Christianity, God is supposed to be an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing entity. He knows anything and everything that has happened, is happening, and can/will happen in the future. Additionally, He can set everything up so that events happen according to His plan. Pretty difficult to go up against, right? Now, granted, we don’t know a lot about the game’s interpretation of God (yet); there are enough twists on Biblical canon that it is difficult to determine what direction this is going to go in. However, I do expect that God is supposed to be a ridiculously powerful character in-game; maybe as powerful as (or even more so than) Barbatos.

Side note: However, he is not all-powerful, and here’s how I know: he wasn’t able to just erase Lilith. Yes, I’m sure he was powerful enough to kill her, but not so powerful that he could just kill her immediately free of consequences.

But more on this later; now back to my original point. God is the author of TSL. Or, at the very least, is the divine inspiration behind it (where one of the angels or a specifically chosen human is the one to transcribe it). This explains why an angel such as Simeon would have knowledge of the upcoming plot. Another piece of evidence to back up my point: exposure to divinity. One point that pops up a few times in the Bible is the idea that anyone/anything who comes too close to God’s presence directly will perish. A couple of examples of this are the burning bush that Moses faces and the Ark of the Covenant which the Israelites are forbidden to touch. Now, you may be wondering what these examples have to do with Obey Me. The answer is simple: the TSL soundtrack. Remember why Lucifer was so interested in this soundtrack in the first place?

First off, a scene where the Lord of Corruption places a curse on the heroes? I have a few thoughts on that, but I’ll get to that in a little bit. What I’d like to focus on is the mysterious composer and the people who die surrounding the soundtrack. Lucifer tells us on our final night in the Devildom that the record isn’t actually cursed:

But. Well. I don’t trust that. He’s (probably) not purposefully lying to us, but I don’t think this can be a coincidence. I think that TSL was divinely inspired (along with its soundtrack) and for some reason, this particular soundtrack was too much for ordinary humans to handle (we know that MC isn’t ordinary because of their amount of hidden power that has been discussed; more on that later.) 

So I’d like to bring up something else. Propaganda.

God has already spread copious amounts of propaganda about the brothers. Why do I say this? Well, I’m going off the assumption that the human world MC comes from is pretty similar to the human world that all of you readers (and me, obviously) live in. Why does this matter? Religious texts. There’s no denying that Judaism/Christian and their respective texts have greatly influenced the course of world history. Which means, in canon, those same texts no doubt exist in the Human Realm. Now, assuming they were “divinely inspired” (another assumption, but one that seems to make sense to me), a plethora of lies were told. First of all, many of these texts paint Lucifer (the Morningstar) as: the original Fallen Angel, The Devil, the Prince of Hell, and the reason why Sin and Death entered the world (meaning he was the one who tempted Eve). In Obey Me canon, Lucifer was the leader of the rebellion, yes, but he is very different from how he would be painted in Biblical texts. First of all, the Devildom was around for a very long time before the Fall (leading to questions on the true power of the realms, but more on that later). Furthermore, Diavolo and the Demon King are more of what we consider to be “the Devil”; sketchy motives aside (which I’ve discussed in other posts), they are the ones that have the final say in the Devildom’s affairs. Not Lucifer. Yes, the brothers might hold the titles and responsibilities of being the “Seven Rulers of Hell,” but ultimately their will is overridden by Diavolo’s. Additionally, I’d like to talk about that last point: sin and death. In the Bible, Lucifer brought sin and death into the world by tempting Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. However, in Obey Me canon, we know this is not the case; death existed long before the Fall. We know this because Lilith’s human lover was going to die, hence why she fed him forbidden food from the Celestial Realm. Then, God was going to have her erased and ultimately sparked the Rebellion against Him.

So. We know that God is plenty willing to pin plenty of shit on Lucifer. But other than causing an abnormal amount of daddy issues, what does this have to do with anything? Well, remember how I noted earlier with the TSL soundtrack that it was supposed to be used in a scene where the Lord of Corruption placed a curse on the heroes? Well, the Lord of Corruption represents Lucifer. So, given the game’s penchant for foreshadowing, it seems like Lucifer is going to place a curse on the heroes (forgive me for making yet another assumption, but I interpret MC and the brothers as the heroes). Given Lucifer’s love for his family (and later MC), this doesn’t really make any sense. My initial thought was that the whole attic debacle was the curse, but that doesn’t really make sense either. But. Remember what I just said about God pinning shit on Lucifer. What if God is the one planning to put a curse on the heroes? Just think about that for a bit, let it sink in.

Now, why would God place a curse on the heroes? We know that He and the angels were able to defeat the brothers before, so they could do so again if the need ever arose, right? And why place a curse on MC, an ordinary human?

Well, not-so-ordinary human.

Remember why Asmo made a pact with MC in the first place? Solomon talks to us about how everyone has magical power within them, and it manifests itself in some, but not in others (this is already suspicious as fuck to me that a power as strong as MC’s wouldn’t manifest itself, but our in-game knowledge of magic is vague enough that I’m not really gonna dance around that right now). Anyways, MC gets stuck with Mammon, Beel, and Levi in the underground labyrinth again, and they summon Asmo and draw out even more power than Solomon can. Pretty strange, right? Belphegor also alludes to MC’s great power with his whole “you have the power to control demons” speech.

So basically we have this incredible power. And, if I’m on the right track here, then we’re a threat to God. As I explain here, Lilith is the reason we were chosen for the exchange program in the first place. Additionally, when you meet her as you’re dying and you reply to her and ask her what she’s doing, she says this:

So… there’s a lot going on in her whole dialogue. Really. There’s so much to dissect. And frankly, I don’t think I can dissect it all. So for now, I’m going to focus on the snippets that stood out to me. “I’ve been waiting for so long, you see. I’ve been waiting for you to come find me.” Um, what? First of all, Lilith’s spirit has been around for several thousands of years, right? Granted, the Obey Me timeline isn’t super clear, but still. Even if Lilith has been waiting around for MC ever since their birth, MC is however old the player is (probably late teens or in their twenties since that’s the demographic the game is geared towards); but even if MC is supposed to be way older than that, their lifespan is a very short time compared to Lilith’s existence. Unless. Unless Lilith has been waiting for longer than MC is supposed to be alive. Unless Lilith knew that someone as powerful as MC would come into existence and… do whatever it is Lilith wants us to do. Still not completely sure about that. (Also take note that Lilith never tells us herself that MC is her descendant; make of that what you will).

Also, she says that she’s worried about all her brothers and tells us to “save them” and that she’ll “lend us her powers.” So at first, I thought she was worried about them emotionally, and that she wanted us to save them by serving as emotional support for them. But we didn’t need her for our consciousness to transfer, and Barbatos took care of our alternate self. So what did we need her power boost for? The answer: something that’s coming up in the future. What exactly? I’m not completely sure. But, I do know that Solomon has an idea of what it is, based on the text conversation with him right after leaving the Devildom.

Now, is it possible Solomon knows because of his pact with Barbatos? Yes, it absolutely is. I know that I’ve said time and time again that Solomon’s pact with Barbatos is going to prove to be crucial in future chapters, and I still firmly believe that. However, if something is happening on the Celestial Realm side of things, Solomon has a connection there which would allow him to know the goings-on.

So for those of you who grew up in religious families, you probably remember a little bit about King Solomon; the “man after God’s own heart” (different translations may say something slightly different, but that’s the version most of us probably heard) who, when he had the chance to ask for one gift from God, chose to ask for wisdom. Now, many clues in-game point to show that there’s a good chance that this Solomon is supposed to be that very same guy. Such clues include his mystical powers and his many pacts, particularly his pact with Asmodeus. Now, remember when Solomon told us near the beginning of the game about the Ring of Wisdom he received? He never tells us about the mystery person who gave it to him, but I personally think he received it from God; since in Biblical canon God “gave him wisdom.” Additionally, remember how he talked about getting drunk off its power at first? That piece of information coincides with my earlier point about how exposure to divinity is difficult for humans to handle.

Also, remember that Solomon is a VERY big fan of TSL. (Enough to impress Levi, and enough that he has that super-rare pendant of the Lord of Corruption’s wing). So, given that God is probably the one behind the creation of this series, it stands to reason that his connection to God has something to do with this.

Additionally, while on the topic of Solomon, there is yet another chat (the one that he sends you on your birthday) that shows that he seems to be well aware of something that you, the player, are not:

As I’ve said before, this game really loves its foreshadowing. So, we’re definitely gonna have to save Solomon at some point: now, I know I’ve called him shady many times before, and he really truly is. But.

Maybe he’s not nearly as evil as I originally thought. He has helped us before, but it’s admittedly difficult to pin down his motives. However, if saving him is going to be necessary to the plot, then Solmare probably isn’t gonna make us rescue a bad guy. Emphasis on probably.

Also… he says “first birthday here in the Devildom”... which leads me to believe that MC will have many, many birthdays with the brothers to come in the future. So. Now that I’ve talked about Solomon, I’d like to talk about Luke.

He sends you a chat that opens up some pretty good insight into the whole situation:

Now, we know that Luke is pretty fond of MC, and we’re led to believe that Simeon cares about MC too; however, this whole “charm that attracts both demons and angels alike” doesn’t sit quite right with me. Now, yes, both the in-game angels care about MC, but that doesn’t seem to quite cover Luke’s statement. But what if… There are other angels that have taken an interest in MC? And I don’t mean romantically, I mean… what if one or more of them know about our power? As I said before, Lilith gave us a power boost for something that’s coming up in the future. Something big. And if MC truly has a special sort of charm that attracts demons and angels alike, they could prove to be very dangerous if, say, there were to be another power struggle between realms. But what does this all have to do with Luke anyways? Remember who Luke works for? Michael. Yes, that’s right, the Archangel Michael. Probably the most powerful angel in all of the Celestial Realm. What does this have to do with anything? Well, after the exchange program ends, the higher-ranked angels (including Michael) are no doubt going to want reports of everything that happened during the exchange program… including information about MC. And really, who better to ask that information from than someone as utterly devoted to Michael himself as we’ve seen Luke is?

And if this is the case… Michael will probably hand all of that information right over to God. Given how the Obey Me God seems to be, this is not good news for MC or the brothers.

Now. Just because we can’t trust God doesn’t mean we should go blindly trusting Diavolo and Barbatos either. In fact, @phairfantooooom does a phenomenal job here explaining just how sketchy and terrifying they really are. Maybe I’ll have more of my own comments to add later if the mood strikes me, but for now I’m gonna leave it at that.

One final word: MC is being used as a pawn in a grander game between the realms for which they have no idea how to play, but they better figure it out fast.

Or maybe, just maybe, I’m losing my mind during quarantine and I really just want the sexy, shady sorcerer to not be a bad guy.

We’ll see. So... what do you all make of this? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[1ddotdhq]

🎤 Sat Aug 29 🧬

LP Act 2!!! How well did LIAM do?? He KILLED IT!! Once it was finally able to start, that is! The Veeps website crashed about an hour before the show started, and was not able to start running again until over an hour after it was supposed to start. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m having flashbacks to the anniversary website (as well as every other website the One Direction curse seems to have contact with). 

Highlights of the show include him performing What a Feeling, which is the first time anyone from One Direction has ever performed it, ever! There were also pictures of his band (One Direction? Maybe you’ve heard of them?) in onesies and dressed as Mario Kart characters (in case you’re wondering, this would have been from that one Mario Kart interview, yes). Some ~ super fun (old) behind the scenes facts ~ include that the boys got in trouble for the onesie picture because “a cool band -  like Westlife - would never have done that”. Uh, fuck you, said Westlife, who promptly took a picture in onesies one week later. Love that for them. 

Say what you will about these guys, they do really listen to their fans and deliver. Louis was clearly taking careful notes on our merch requests, and is delivering, and Liam really came through with the song selections, opening with the seemingly forgotten songs from his EP, to singing more One Direction songs - I’m not over the What A Feeling performance, and I never will be. The chat, meanwhile, “play Little Things!”. Seriously, what the fuck guys? 

Other notable moments from the show include Liam singing Night Changes and Best Song Ever (I love this song!), and his opening act Mae Muller, who sang her newest single, as well as a song called “Therapist”, in which she crooned “you don’t need a girlfriend, you need a therapist”. Also, on the topic of One Direction (were we on that topic? We are now.), he said, “wow, ten years, so much has happened, I’ve got a mustache now!” (Harry can relate :{D!). He mentioned that it was hard to play these old songs without the boys (“I did ask, though!”). And, perhaps most surprisingly, his show did feature ...cage dancers? I wasn’t expecting that one either, to be honest.

Following the show came Afterparty. This was, in a word, awkward. There were some zoom games that mostly consisted of technical difficulties, Liam standing around awkwardly, and participants who mostly failed to answer the questions correctly. The prizes for participating in this game consisted solely of Liam’s used shirts, which he joked were from his depop store! There were also video messages wishing Liam a happy birthday, notably from artists he’s worked with including Niall (!!!!). 

The funniest moment of the show was definitely the costume of a cow he promptly put on because “why not? It’s not the worst thing I’ve put on during a show”. It’s no banana suit, but it did give him the opportunity to make penis jokes. And, guys, he took it! The second funniest moment was when asked what his favorite part of going solo was, he promptly replied, “finding out that people don’t know my middle name”, in reference to a failed zoom answer. 

If you were looking for an update to YESTERDAY’s headline story, well, so was I, to be honest, but, as Liam said (when talking about birthday wishes), “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to keep some information close to the chest”. I think that’s that about that, to be honest. But Liam did have special guests on hand: childhood friends - Not Maya.

None of the other boys had any notable events today, but Harry made Daily Mail headlines for, uh, making a friend? Someone call the press! Oh, wait - Someone already did! Emma Corrin, the “pal” he seems to have made, will be playing Princess Diana in the upcoming season of the Crown. So, you know, some queens do need a crown (not Harry, though, obviously). Most notably, though, the article makes a point of explicitly telling us that they are not romantically involved.

Louis continues to be making fandom rounds for his merch, which is a topic of heated debate. What is behind the DNA strand? Yesterday, I called it a wall, but some have said that it looks more like a baby gate, while others brought their professional medical opinions to bear to tell us that it was in fact an artery wall. Which is it? Place your bets now!

[ectora]

Review episode 312

It’s weird because I enjoyed the episode but most of my comments are actually criticism so bare with me 😂

Overall it was a nice episode to watch. The acting was on point especially for Sarah and Poppy imo they carried this episode but also probably cause they’re the one with the most compelling stories on this one. The episode kinda felt like a filler but honestly that’s because the show is focusing too much on the allergy and we know that’s not gonna be fixed til the end so as long as they make that the main story of the sisters, most episodes are gonna feel like fillers when it comes to them. Macy and Maggie had their own little adventure with a ghost which was funny (again kudo to Sarah), Harry and Mel went on a quest for a soul tho we still have no clue what it actually meant and Abigael was going through her own little traumatic hell in the tomb (Poppy really has been particularly slaying this storyline acting wise ).

Screen time

Abigael: 6m11s

Macy: 17m24s

Mel: 11m15s

Maggie: 18m24s

Harry: 11m03s

What I liked

Maggie still got the internship and I’m glad back she deserved it. I really don’t dislike Antonio but I’m also glad they kinda made it clear she wasn’t interested and that she finally made progress with her feelings for Jordan.

Abigael. I liked it because it gave us more insight on Abigael’s past (tho I still think they should have given us this earlier). I always theorised that from her childhood, she was obviously scared from the fact her mom never really accepted her demon side which created her deep feeling of rejection and how she was never accepted and never belonged. But I also thought she had some kind of loving family. Like to me these two things were not necessarily contradictory. Well apparently not. Her mom straight out abused her during her childhood. Which definitely explain why she choose the demon side like that. Both her parents were terrible to them but as she said in the past, at least she can understand demon a little but. She can rationalise it base on their nature. When it came from her mom however, it came fully from a place of dislike which must have been very harmful on a child. So obviously when I say I like it I don’t mean I like what her mom did to her, but I really like the insight and explanation. And again, Poppy did an amazing job. She made Abigael feel so vulnerable and scared, and confirmed that, ultimately what Abigael always wanted was acceptance. Which she first needs to give to herself.

Marisol and Macy sharing a scene. I have my issues with how it went which I’ll come to later. But I’m glad it existed and Mads really showed great emotions.

That was a short list because if I did enjoy the episode and there was some highlights I’ll talk about later, I also can’t really pintpoint things I loved.

What I disliked

Harry’s story. I just really don’t like how they make it all about the relationship when it could be so much deeper than that. I also am not sure I like the length to which he’s ready to go for it. Like the entire soul donation is a bit weird to me.

Marisol and Macy. Listen that one made me angry. Maybe it wouldn’t have if Macy actually had other stuff going on than her relationship with Harry but with the way the show has been writing her mostly around her relationship with Harry, it really didn’t come across well to me. The fact we had for the first time a in present tense scene between Macy and Marisol and all they talked about a man has me fuming. Maybe if they had had a longer time to talk. But they had like two minutes and most of it was about men.

The sisters. I don’t like the fact Mel wasn’t there when they were going to connect with their mom. I feel like that should have been a story kept for all three of them. I’m also annoyed that they once again refused to give us some Mel and Macy. I would have liked to see them a bit. Once again that sisterly bond feels like it’s non existent.

Melby. I cannot believe anyone would actually look at them and think yes that’s good. The treatment is absolutely terrible. The buildup was bad - because it was supposed to last - and the fact it’s all off screen is absolutely terrible. Ruby has been in three episode this season. One of them she didn’t actually share a scene with Ruby. The second episode they were full of drama and jealousy and they were so easily breaking up. And suddenly we jump to the I love yous. And were supposed to find that cute ? Like what are we supposed to think they love about each other? The constant breaking ups ? Cause that’s the most consistent thing about them. It kinda feels cheap in the way it’s done ngl.

What doesn’t make sense

Why was Jordan in the description ? I feel they’re kinda trying to avoid putting Abi’s name in the summaries (or at least it feels like it) but like .... Jordan had not reason to even be talked about. He didn’t appear once. It should have been Abi’s name in there.

The pills falling from the pocket Like ... Harry you had literally one job. How exactly did they fall ??

Why did they seem lost until their realised Jordy was a descendant and they could use his soul. Did I miss something saying it needed to be a male descendant ? Cause like ... Gil (Jil ? Idk) was literally right there. (Nevermind apparently I missed them saying « male descendent » my bad dkdjd

How did abi know she was in the tomb. Like I know my girl is smart but like ... she has basically no contact with the sisters at this point so how on earth did she learn how the tomb works and what happens inside ??

Highlights

The hammer. Listen, don’t ask me why but this picture of abi has been sending me for weeks now and I’ve been wondering the context since I’ve seen it. Like it gives me the biggest dumb bitch energy ever. The fact that abi is a very smart person and just thought a hammer would get her out of the tomb just has me laughing like it’s just too funny to me 😭

“The British hot lady” Swan I understand You

The way Maggie calls for Abi and gets into her apartment. I don’t know why I just love it.

Macy trying to lie to Antonio. Macy’s face when she lies is always a delight.

No but do any of these older generations know what not having an affair even mean? But I mean like father like son I guess.

« Who footnotes a spell » Macy’s face was so funny 😭 she was so done with it.

Theories

Not gonna lie. I’m a bit scare about next episode. I think it might be really interesting but also I’m very scare of the execution especially when it comes to Abigael and Macy. I do believe Macy has valid to distrust Abigael. However the show has been terrible at portraying those. And ultimately, especially lately, the sisters and Abigael have barely crossed paths. They’re barely in each other’s lives. All the do is coexist in the same city and interact when demons are involved which isn’t really the case. So right now all abi is doing is keeping the demons in lines. So I’m scared that Macy’s rightful dislike and distrust is almost gonna come across as pettiness or jealousy. But I also think that there is a difference between not trusting Abigael and say she deserves to be in the tomb. Cause at the end of the day past episode 4 what has she really done so terrible that deserves eternal suffering/delusion or whatever the tomb actually does. She’s manipulative and self serving sure but she also helps more than anything. The sisters have actually nothing to win have having Abigael stuck in there. And more to lose.

One theory is that the perfecti are trying to isolate the sisters. Putting abi and Jordan in the tomb is separating them from their allies and helping Harry to lose his powers is taking their guidance/healer away from them.

Another is just that really just have a very strict black and white vision and Abigael being a demon and Jordan helping them makes them automatically in the black category. Which the title seems to be referring to so it’s probably this.

I think the upcoming episode might be a way to introduce the whole controversy around Macy’s demon powers. And slowly bringing up the story of Abigael giving them back to her.

I think it also might be a way to actually have the show approach the wrongs Abigael did in the show. But also the rights. After all, it seems like they’ll need to prove she doesn’t deserve to be in it. Which I personally don’t think she does. Though she definitely did wrong things in her life. So I think they might actually use this as an occasion to have the sisters talk about what she did do that was wrong. And hopefully also highlight that she did help them on multiple occasions.

With the “previously in charmed” it makes it feel like they’re still going with Maggie not knowing Jordan can actually touch her and this doesn’t stop confusing me. But I can see the show have them hug once he’s out of the tomb and then kinda admit their feelings finally and Jordan say something in the lines that he kept it from her because he didn’t want to put pressure on her or that him being able to touch her didn’t change the fact she wanted to focus on herself or something on those lines.

One thing I want to talk about is Abigael. Please don’t read this paragraph if you haven’t heard about the rumours going around. //// The fact is, there is a very strong change Poppy is leaving the show. And the way they made this episode made it very clear Abigael was abused as a child. But that she is also absolutely craving love and acceptance. And that she does love her mom and always wanted her love. I’m very scared that if they make Abigael leave (better than die) they’d make her go back to her sister and family and try to fix their relationship. Which would absolutely be terrible message to give as we literally know now that she was abused. And making a character go back to their abusers because of the trauma it caused (her fear of rejection and inability to actually accept herself) would just be disgusting. But I’m scared that’s the road they’re gonna take.

[misssophiachase]

All You Never Say - Pt 2

Hey! I’m so glad you all liked the first part (thanks to the anon who prompted me), you can read it HERE on Tumblr or follow it on AO3 HERE for future updates. Shout out to @sekretny13 because I totally did that shirtless Klaus thing we discussed. 

Synopsis: One wedding and a confused maid of honour and best man with years of pent up feelings and unresolved tension.

Dr Grayson and Mrs Miranda Pierce and Mr Mikael and Mrs Esther Mikaelson cordially invite you to a garden party

To celebrate the upcoming nuptials of their children 

Dr Katherine Pierce and the Right Honourable Elijah Mikaelson 

At The River House on June twentieth, twenty twenty one at 1700h in Ely Cambridgeshire

Dress: Cocktail

All I'll never know is if you want me oh

3 days before the nuptials - Ely River House, Cambridgeshire - 6:53pm

“You’re the bride, the least you could have done was revoked his plus one,” Rebekah muttered.

“He’s also the best man and brother of the groom,” Katherine shot back tersely then remembered where she was and sent a dazzling smile in the direction of her soon-to-be Aunt Penelope. “Trust me, if I could have uninvited the she-wolf I would have.”

“How can someone that pretty be so ugly in the personality department?” Bonnie asked. “She knows my name but has taken to calling me Belinda anyway.” 

Caroline could relate given her new name was apparently Carly.

“She told me my wedding festivities were folksy and quaint,” Kat growled. “I have a mind to stick my folksy wedding up her…”

“Unfortunately, my brother has the worst taste in women but I suppose that isn’t anything new but this time he isn’t the only one interested.”

“Yes, I noticed your parents fawning all over her,” Bonnie noted. “I’m imagining it’s more about her being the heir to an oil fortune rather than the person herself.”

“You’ve got that right,” Rebekah replied. “Although, they seem to be the only ones. Usually Nik just gets bored with them and moves on and this one seems to be staying around much longer than expected which is so strange.”

Caroline was standing near enough to hear her friend’s conversation but far away so she wasn’t tempted to comment on his date. She had no intention of ever letting her friends know the annoying feelings she harboured for Klaus. 

The parents of the bride had insisted upon hosting the welcome party as a thank you to the Mikaelsons for hosting the reception. Esther, of course, had seen to it that even though the celebration wasn’t being held in their name she still made sure her signature touches were on display, much to the chagrin of Miranda Pierce. 

They’d chosen the Ely River House for the occasion. A beautiful and contemporary venue on the water that showcased the best the town had to offer, including the cathedral they were to be married in as part of the backdrop. 

Caroline, ever the dutiful maid of honour,  had been busily working alongside Miranda to help make this event perfect. She knew how overrun the Pierce family had felt by the Mikaelsons during the planning stages and wanted to help them make this cocktail party the best it could be. 

Obviously her motives weren’t completely selfless and helping out meant she didn’t need to focus on him. 

With her. 

She looked beautiful in a red, strapless gown but given her profession there were no surprises there. Caroline then made the mistake of glancing over and noticing how his hand teased the small of her back as they laughed and chatted with family. It was familiar and affectionate. She looked away but it was too late because it hurt.   

“Refill?’ She asked Rebekah, taking her glass before she could even respond. Weaving her way through the guests Caroline decided she needed a time-out and the sooner the better. 

Given the weather most of the party goers were outside and so the staff were handing out drinks on trays. The bar inside was empty at the moment and Caroline decided to put herself to good use by replenishing Rebekah’s drink.

She made her way behind the bar and found a bottle of champagne deciding that she could open it herself. I mean how hard could it be? 

Difficult as she found out. Why did it always seem so effortless when they did it on TV and in movies? However this one wasn’t going to budge, that much she knew. She tried again, pulling as hard as she could.

“Don’t shoot!” She looked up into his familiar, blue eyes. Why did he have to look so good in an open collar shirt and jacket?

“Funny,” she shot back. 

“Need my help with anything, love?” 

“Well, not with playing poker obviously.”

“Ouch, way to punch a guy where it hurts,” he groaned, pretending to be in pain. 

“Well, that oversized and overinflated ego of yours could do with some wounding, Mikaelson. I’m just upset it has taken me so long to finally land that perfect blow.” 

He didn’t respond immediately, just gazed at her, his expression a mixture of curiosity and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  

“Well, how kind of you. So, given all of your generous humility, how about I give you a hand? Don’t want to knock anyone’s eyes out, do we sweetheart?” 

She noticed his eyes blazing now, was that anger or something else entirely? Caroline decided it was best not to wonder. 

“Or you could leave in case such an impending disaster were to befall you?” He looked at her, clearly unmoved. “You know I’m not some damsel in distress that needs your assistance, I am perfectly capable of opening this bottle myself,” she huffed, feeling her composure slipping away. 

Bastard.

“By all means,” he smiled, taking a seat on the nearest barstool and watching her in anticipation.

“You can’t just sit there and watch me.”

“Oh no? Last time I checked this was a free country and I have every right to sit anywhere I want. As the lawyer in the room, I’m sure you can back me up on that argument.”

“You are so…”

“Handsome, charming and brilliant?”

“I was going to say arrogant, childish and smug,” she bit back. “And, as the lawyer in the room, if this cork does happen to hit you I’ll testify that you refused to leave the scene after considerable warning on my part.”

“I’ll take those chances,” he smirked, taking her by surprise and fluidly moving behind the bar. “And I’ll even offer my assistance, if not just so these people can drink sometime this century.”

What she wasn’t expecting was for him to slip in behind her, his hands connecting with hers and running them enticingly up and down the chilled, champagne bottle. She shivered involuntarily hoping he hadn’t felt it in the process. 

“What exactly do you think you’re doing, Mikaelson?” She asked, trying to contain the unwanted tremble in her voice. 

“Exactly what I said. Helping,” he murmured, his lips grazing the shell of her ear as his hands covered hers. “Now, what you need to do is place your thumb right here and caress the cork gently until you feel it disengage.”

Why did she automatically think of untoward things when he uttered the words ‘caress’ and ‘disengage’? 

It didn’t help that her back was moulding perfectly against his toned chest either and there was something else she could feel.

Was that? 

Was he?

Before she could wonder anymore, the cork popped, flying across the room and sending a huge spray of bubbling liquid shooting out all over the bar. Caroline jumped in surprise, accidentally turning the bottle around and drenching them in the process. 

Before too long they were both in fits of laughter unable to control it. He wound his arms around her waist attempting to rub the excess champagne on her while she squirmed in his warm grasp attempting to get away. 

Well, sort of. If Caroline was being honest it felt good. 

Too good. 

Their laughter died down, almost as if they realised just how intimate their proximity and position was. After over a decade of knowing each other they’d never been this close, well except for that night two years earlier.  

“I’m just glad I never asked you two to be waiters today,” a voice interrupted. Caroline turned her head, noticing Miranda Pierce staring at them both amusingly with her hands folded across her chest. Caroline moved away, albeit reluctantly. “How about you two clean yourselves up and get back to the party, speeches will be in fifteen minutes.”

She was gone before either could reply. Then it hit her. 

“Speeches in fifteen minutes? I can’t make a speech looking like this,” she squeaked, looking down at her champagne soaked dress which was fast becoming a see through garment. “Why the hell did I decide that wearing white was a good idea? Should have gone with red or something.”

It slipped out before she could stop it. Why did she have to mention the exact colour Hayley was wearing? The last thing she wanted was to seem jealous or insecure over his girlfriend. 

“I much prefer the white,” he murmured. Caroline not sure if he was just being kind or it was something to do with its new, transparent features but given the way his eyes were trained on hers and not the dress she wasn’t quite sure. “As for the speech, you’re Caroline Elizabeth Forbes, you’ve got this.”

He remembered her middle name? Yes, they’d known each other a while but it seemed like something Klaus Mikaelson wouldn’t do. Or so she’d thought. 

“I look more like the maid of dishonour who’s been bathing in half of the liquor tab,” she hissed. “I can’t go out there like this.”

“Yes, you can,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. It had an immediate calming effect, something she wasn’t accustomed to. “Go to the bathroom, use the hand dryer. I’ll send in Bonnie because, well we all know she’s the most practical in an emergency, and I’ll try out my best man jokes during my speech. I’ve always had this dream of becoming a stand-up comedian.”

“Who are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, love,” he teased, curving those crimson lips into an enticing smile. “Now, go on.”

She did leave, but all Caroline wanted to do was turn around to see if he was still watching. 

She was in big trouble and not because of her dress and that impending speech.

2 days before the nuptials - Kensington-Foster Atelier, Ely Cambridgeshire - 10:29am

“Tails are so uncomfortable and so last season, brother,” Kol complained, inspecting himself in the large mirror. 

The groomsmen were having their final fitting before the big day. Klaus had long since blocked out Kol’s incessant whining and was distractedly playing with the hemming pins on the nearby table.

He thought being home would make him feel more comfortable and at ease but it was just the opposite. Klaus hadn’t planned on a surprise champagne incident followed by the maid of honour firmly ensconced in his embrace. If he had his way, he’d have never let her go. 

Klaus told himself that after the poker match he’d keep his distance from Caroline. She’d been stirring up feelings this week that he’d worked hard for years to contain. He had no intention of letting one night from two years ago betray his feelings. 

Also, as disingenuous as it might sound, Klaus had a girlfriend and would not betray her either.  Although, it didn’t help that Hayley was wearing on his last nerve. Ever since she’d arrived nothing seemed to be quite good enough. Given these were his family and friends that didn’t sit well with Klaus.  

“Last time I checked tails never go out of style, especially when the dress code is white tie,” Elijah responded tartly, breaking Klaus from his thoughts. 

“I do look devilishly handsome, so I suppose it will do the job.”

“Trying to impress anyone in particular or just planning to pester the entire female guest list?” Enzo asked. 

“Well, usually at these things a groomsman can rely on picking up a bridesmaid or two but I seem to have lucked out in that department.”

“I hope so given one is your own sister,” he chuckled. 

“I’ll let you have her,” he smiled deviously. Klaus looked over noticing just how pink his best friend’s face had turned at that unexpected comment. 

“How very kind of you, but you know Beks and I are more about the fighting than the loving.” Enzo replied dismissively, finally finding his words. Klaus couldn’t help but think just how delusional his future brother-in-law was but he figured he’d get it eventually. They both would. “I suppose there’s always Bonnie for you then, Kol,” he pressed on, clearly an attempt to get some form of payback. 

This time it was Kol’s turn to blush.

“To be honest, I always thought you two would find your way back together,” Elijah said straightening his tie, making them all look at him curiously. “What? I have opinions, is that so difficult to believe?”

“You’re a politician, so when it comes to the affairs of state, no,” Klaus offered bluntly. “But why does it sound like you’re channeling Katherine Pierce right now?”

“I do have a mind of my own.”

“Sure you do,” the three responded in unison then broke into laughter. 

“You’re all hilarious.”   

“Anyway, Bonnie and I are ancient history,” Kol explained after a few minutes, almost as if he’d been thinking about it all that time. “I suppose maybe sweet Caroline might...”

“Over my dead body,” Klaus blurted out. Three sets of brown eyes clapped on him. This wasn’t how Klaus saw things going in his head. So much for being discreet and containing his feelings. 

“Bloody finally,” Enzo grinned. “We’ve only been waiting for that confession since boarding school.” 

They were? Klaus couldn’t recall what he’d done during that time given he and Caroline barely got along, fought incessantly and he’d also dated half the girls in her class. Was there something between them back then he’d been too ignorant to see? Given his current feelings, maybe so. 

“Yes, you always were rather transparent when it came to Caroline, Niklaus,” Elijah agreed. 

“I was not,” he shot back childishly, thinking denial would have been a much better counter attack. Clearly he wasn’t in his right mind. 

“Even Kol knew about it and we all know what that means, Nik,” Enzo offered.  

“If that is your way of insulting me then you need to try harder,” he growled. “While this confession has been a long time coming is everyone forgetting that Niklaus has a girlfriend? You know brunette, beautiful but extremely bossy?”

“I’ve not admitted anything,” Klaus baulked, feeling increasingly guilty. “And even if I had, Kol is right.”

“Finally someone gives me the credit I deserve,” he joked. “But if you’re experiencing a dilemma we could swap, even if yours is a bit on the high maintenance side.”

“I didn’t realise Caroline was yours to swap, Kol,” he murmured, again regretting that choice of response. Then he added what he probably should have said first. “And that’s no way to speak about Hayley, I mean she is bossy but…”

“Mother and father love her because all they can see are oil fields and dollar signs in their future,” Kol mused. “If anything that would be a sign to end things immediately.”

“Mother and father like Katherine,” Elijah commented, clearly perplexed. “And I wouldn’t dream of ending anything.”

“Chill, Elijah,” Kol answered. “You two have found the perfect balance but Niklaus here doesn’t like his girlfriend anywhere near as much as you love your fiance.”

“Why is Kol suddenly the expert on love and relationships, have we entered the twilight zone?” Enzo asked, humming the theme tune for added effect. 

“Laugh all you like, Lorenzo, but you know I’m right.” 

Klaus hated to admit it but his brother had a point, not that he’d tell anyone that. But what was he supposed to do? Caroline hadn’t given him any reason to think she liked him the same way. 

Later that night, Mikaelson Manor - Ely, Cambridgeshire - 11:59pm

“This is not happening, this is so not happening,” Caroline said, repeating it like a mantra and hoping that somehow it would calm her and solve her most pressing issue. 

She’d ventured into the manor’s vast gardens on a mission. Yes, it was pitch black and her torch was barely doing its job. It was also midnight and she was seriously rethinking her attire of shorts and a tank top, even if it was summer. 

Caroline decided to blame her unpreparedness on Kol and the story he’d told after dinner about their ancestor Sir Henry Stirling who apparently lost his head for treason and walked the grounds in search of it every night.  

It wouldn’t be so scary if she were tucked up in bed in her room but here she was trying to find something extremely important in the grand scheme of the wedding and marriage as a whole which she’d stupidly lost earlier in the afternoon. 

Some Maid of Honour she was. 

She’d been too busy thinking about a certain guy who decided to tease her then rub up against her and then distract the crowd with jokes so she could make herself speech-ready. To say she was confused was an understatement.

He also had a girlfriend so that added to the mess. 

The girls had picnicked on the grounds that afternoon. The sun was shining brightly and they’d decided to forget the wedding plans for once and just enjoy themselves. It wasn’t difficult given their beautiful surroundings and the abundance of wine. Caroline couldn’t believe this was her best friend’s life and would be lying if she wasn’t slightly jealous. 

Of the four of them, Caroline was the only one who was truly unattached. If you asked Rebekah and Bonnie they were too but everyone knew that they would end up with Enzo and Kol, as they should. They were meant for each other and it was only a matter of time in her opinion. 

But she was the odd one out and in Caroline’s mind she always had been. She liked being different but at the same time it had its drawbacks. Weeks like this only amplified it. 

She heard a noise behind her, like a rustling in the bushes. Caroline pointed her torch at the noise hoping Sir Henry wasn’t going to take her head as a substitute. “I don’t have your head, sir, I promise.”

Okay, not the most suave thing she could have said at that moment. 

“I can’t believe you of all people would believe Kol,” the voice was unexpected but familiar. In fact it caused some of the chills she’d been experiencing to defrost. She moved her torch to the left catching him in the light. 

And what a sight it was.

Klaus Mikaelson. 

Shirtless. 

Caroline felt the torch wavering in her hand and only just managed to maintain control before it dropped to the ground. Clearly she wasn’t the only one poorly dressed for the occasion. 

“What are you doing here?” She hissed. 

“I believe I should be asking the same question of you, love,” he murmured, the sleep in his voice evident. “I heard noise outside my window and saw the torch light so came out to investigate.”

“Naked?” Okay, it came out before she could stop it. At least he couldn’t see her blush in the dark. 

“Yes, because I would definitely waste all my time throwing on clothes if I saw someone attempting to break into my house,” he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. “Although, you seemed to have underdressed for the occasion too if my eyes aren’t deceiving me.”

“No need to be so snarky, Mikaelson.” Caroline decided not to address her outfit as it would just complicate the situation. 

“Says the girl who woke me up,” he shot back. “Please tell me there is a perfectly reasonable reason for you to be skulking around the property at this time of night?”

“I’m not skulking.” Okay maybe she was skulking but it was all for a good cause. His prolonged silence was telling her he was impatient for an explanation. “Fine, I might have lost the wedding ring and I’m trying to find it before anyone else notices.”

“Please tell me I can put this in my speech.”

“That’s seriously your take back from this whole scenario? Your maturity astounds me. Just shut up and help me find it you idiot.”

“Not until you tell me how exactly this happened in the first place, love. You have my full attention.”

A/N Stay tuned for the midnight wedding ring search, the rehearsal dinner and so much more.

[superman86to99]

Superman #84 (December 1993)

Superman takes a short Paris vacation! Like, one day short. What's the worst that could happen?

Oh, man.

So, for the past few issues, we've been hearing about children being abducted in Metropolis. Now we see that they're being kept inside a giant toy house by some creepy bald man in Quasimodo clothes who seems to be obsessed with toys -- a "Man of Toys," if you will. Side note: no wonder the children haven't been found... all the articles about them are just gibberish! (See clip below.)

The kidnapper thinks that these kids' parents don't deserve them, and that they're much better off here, in an underground hideout with a man who threatens to starve them if they don't play with him. (And I do mean literally play, with action figures and stuff.) Meanwhile, as these children cry for help, Superman is having the time of his life. While helping move a stranded ship with some huge-ass chains, Superman spots a sunken galleon with a treasure chest inside and fantasizes about keeping the booty...

...before turning it over to the authorities anyway, the big boy scout. Then, he wakes up Lois at 6 AM and tells her they should go to Paris right now, which usually means your significant other is having a mental breakdown, but in this case they can actually do it. And so, after deciding that he deserves to use his powers for fun every once in a while, Superman and Lois drop everything and fly to France with super-speed for the rest of the day/issue.

Anyway: back to the child abduction! Cat Grant and her son Adam attend a Halloween party at Adam's school, but there's a disturbed weirdo in a hideous costume lurking among the crowd. Yes, I'm talking about Jimmy Olsen in his Turtle Boy suit.

Shortly after that, a guy in a dinosaur costume (see, all the creeps are dressed as reptiles) lures Adam out of the party with the promise of "superb video games." What child could resist that? Of course, that turns out to be the kidnapper and Adam ends up in his hideout along with the rest of the missing children and, worst of all, not a single "Lextendo" console.

The kidnapper gets angry at Adam when he refers to the toys at the hideout as "old-fashioned junk" (he was REALLY looking forward to those video games), and even angrier when Adam tries to free the other kids. Adam is brave and puts up a good fight, but...

And those were Adam Morgan's final words. "Uh-oh."

Next, we have a pretty harrowing scene of Detective Turpin letting Cat know Adam’s body was found, and Jimmy and Perry White taking her to the morgue to identify the body (most people probably wouldn't bring their former boss to something like that, but Perry sadly knows more than most about losing a kid). As for Lois and Clark, they were gone so long that the Daily Planet had time to print a headline about the murders. The issue ends when the lovebirds walk into the office smiling like two people who just spent the night fooling around in Paris... only to feel like jackasses when they find out what happened.

To be continued!

Character-Watch:

And that's it for little Adam Morgan who, unlike the also tragically diseased Jerry White, didn't even get any post-death appearances. Adam went from a little kid scared of Superman, to a huge brat, to a character who was approaching likeability as of last week. That's why I hate it when DC kills off young characters like Adam or Liam Harper: in long-form storytelling, children represent potential. Look at how much Wally West or Dick Grayson evolved over the years compared to their mentors! Sure, there's a huge probability that Adam would have ended up disappearing from comics for 25 years anyway, but who knows, maybe we'd now know him as Teen Gangbuster or something. GangbusTEEN.

This issue also represents a turning point for the kidnapper, who is never named or seen clearly in the story itself but I don't think I'm shocking anyone by spoiling the fact that he's Toyman (it's in the cover, for one thing). In his last two appearances before this storyline, Toyman helped Superman save some kids from Sleez and looked genuinely sad to learn about Superman's death, so this is a pretty dramatic change for the character. We'll find out why he went from big softy to child killer in Superman #85 (but don't get your hopes up).

Plotline-Watch:

The most disturbing part of the issue, all things considered, is still the part where Toyman climbs into a giant crib and hugs a huge stuffed bunny. Look at serial killer Tommy Pickles here:

Don Sparrow says:  “Even with the upgrade, Toyman is still just a man in a suit, a common complaint about Superman’s rogues gallery.” Funny you should say that, because I JUST shared an old Wizard interview in our Twitter in which Dan Jurgens talks about how Doomsday came out of his frustration with the fact that most Superman villains are dudes in suits (plus other interesting tidbits from the era, like how it was actually Roger Stern’s idea to bring back Hank Henshaw, so check out that link!).

Don again: “The entire Superman storyline of this issue feels like filler. Diving for buried treasure and soaring off to Paris -- it all feels like wasted time next to the Adam storyline.” I have a theory that the entire ship sequence is there as an excuse to put Superman in those big chains and make that Spawn joke (which I didn’t get until now, since I’ve always read this issue in Spanish).

Superman says that pulling that big ship was "a little easier than expected" -- that's either another hint that there's something going on with Superman's powers since he came back, or a subtle dig at the state of American ship manufacturing.

Another adorable "window tap" scene for the books, and this is the sexiest one so far. Is it me or has Jurgens started copying more than just Teri Hatcher's hairdo from Lois & Clark? (For anyone who thinks Lois has gotten implants, I refer you to this clip.)

While in Paris, Lois asks Clark if he's ever wondered what would happen if his rocket had landed in other countries. Don: “Clark’s conversation with Lois sounds like a bunch of concepts for Elseworlds stories. We eventually would see a Russian Superman, and a British Superman, but not yet the French Superman. (Hire us, DC!)” Yep, got my French Superman pitch ready, Jim Lee. Or just let us do Russian Superman again, since Red Son wasn’t even the first time you published that idea.

Don once more: “Another thing that makes no sense about the ‘new’ Toyman is his resentment of technological toys—when in previous appearances he himself had deadly high-tech toys to vex Superman over the years.” I especially resent his hatred of video game consoles. Incidentally, I wonder what types of games are available for Adam’s beloved Lextendo. Star Lex 64? Mega Man Lex? Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles & Lex?

No one is more upset at Lois and Clark for going AWOL than Whit. NO ONE. He's so furious that his usually grey mustache turned black.

Patreon-Watch:

As always, shout out to our patrons, Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Samuel Doran, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush and Raphael Fischer! Last month’s exclusive Patreon article was about the recently unearthed sequel to Superman 64 for the PlayStation, featuring Metallo, Parasite, and Lois looking even hotter than in this issue:

Hot damn. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99!

And believe it or not, Don Sparrow has even more to say about this issue. Read his section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow​):

I should start off my section with a big caveat:  I flat out hate this issue. There were several weird decisions made in the post-Death-and-Return era (most of them along the same lines of making the Superman titles more grim-and-gritty), and this story was one of the worst of them.  My theory is that, despite the praise and record-breaking sales of the Death and Return storyline, the Superman creative team felt pressure to have more extreme storylines, perhaps in response to the wildly successful Image books coming out at the time.  Between this story, and the upcoming “Spilled Blood” storyline, the Super books take a hard—but temporary--turn into more violent and upsetting storytelling—even though these stories are by the same writers as the previous few years. While death has always been a part of comics, and Superman comics was no exception, there is a jarring glibness and unfeeling toward the way violence is handled in these pages that is quite different from the stories that preceded it.  It’s made all the more jarring by the fact that well-established personalities suddenly veer wildly out of character, Toyman chief among them.  

We start with the cover, and while it is technically well-drawn (by the familiar team of Jurgens and Breeding) it’s also a very upsetting visual.  I think they should have gone with the pieta type pose with Adam and Superman, OR the scary badass bowie-knife Toyman (who apparently has a Cheshire cat smile now) but not both.  But the cover is a good hint at the tonal dissonance of the comic within.

We open with a splash of the now-extreme 90s looking Toyman, with his serial killer shaved head and spooky cloak, ignoring the pleas of hungry kids he has locked up in a tiny jail cell for days at a time (if that sentence doesn’t ring alarm bells for how wrong this is for a Superman story, I don’t know what will). For much of the issue Toyman’s eyes are obscured by glare on his lenses, further de-humanizing a character who was once one of Superman’s more empathetic bad guys.

We cut to Superman tugboating a huge tanker with giant chains and it’s a cool visual (one repeated in the Batman V Superman film).  It feels especially out of place to focus on, given how upsetting this issue is otherwise, but throughout the whole comic, Lois is drawn smoking hot, especially on the two page spread on pages 9-10.

The scenes depicting the actual murder, while still wildly out of place in a Superman comic, are well done, and give a real sense of darkness and menace, which I suppose is the intent.  Perhaps my least favourite visual is the Big Bird stuffie, silently bearing witness to what’s about to occur.

The edges of the panels on get more slashy and off-kilter (to me, looking very much like the layouts more typically seen in Image comics of the day) and I suppose I appreciate the restraint of how little Dan Jurgens shows of the death of a child, showing only a bloody slash on a black background.  This is still a pretty baroque image for a Superman comic, but certainly less violent than it could be, given what is happening.

Cat Grant’s silent horror is well staged, and powerful in its way.   Lastly, Clark Kent bending in sorrow and regret is a powerful image.

While this issue is handled marginally better, and more maturely than other comics on the shelf at this time, I still believe it is one of the biggest mistakes of the era.  Giving a long-established character an unceremonious death for shock value is gross on its own, but making it a child definitely crosses a line for me.  Making it worse is that, while the Toyman is a criminal and a killer, he has shown in past issues (a similar kidnapping storyline involving Sleez) that he genuinely cares for the well-being of children.  So for a long-time reader, this also felt like a betrayal of a long-established, fully developed character.   Adding to the ugliness of this is that Adam dies heroically, trying to free the children who have been caged, unfed, for days, but even in that regard, he fails.  The headline at the end of the issue confirms all the children are dead.  Adam’s death did not buy the other kids enough time to get away. It was all for nothing. Had Adam died, but the other children lived, maybe this issue wouldn’t leave quite as bad a taste. [Max: It’s weird because it’s all told in a way where it’s told in a way where it would make sense, narratively and within the story universe, that the other kids survived, but then it’s almost casually revealed that nope, they died too. A scene of one of the kids relaying Adam’s heroism to Cat in a future issue would have gone a long way.]

Superman doesn’t come off well in these pages, either.  It’s honestly the type of story they should just stay away from, because the more you think about all the calamity that is going on around the clock, the less defensible the whole Clark Kent persona becomes. Superman carving out time to romance his fiancée directly led to the preventable deaths of innocent children—how do you come back from that?

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I’m always looking for hints that perhaps Jimmy or Perry know Superman’s secret identity deep down, and Jimmy’s anger at Lois and Clark on their return to the Daily Planet offices would seem to give that theory some credence, as he’s as angry at them as if he knew Clark really were Superman.  Either that, or he’s ticked that it fell to him, and none of them to escort Cat into the morgue. [Max: Has this issue finally converted you to the “Jimmy is terrible” side now, Don?]

I don’t think I’m the only one who disliked the new Toyman—SPOILERS BE HERE: years later, in Action Comics #865, Geoff Johns retconned this whole story, reverting Schott into the criminal who over-relates to kids, rather than the child-killer of this story.  Apparently the infantile Schott, who speaks to “Mother” a la Norman Bates, is a robot so lifelike it fools even Superman, and the “Mother” he’s constantly replying to was the real Winslow Schott trying to recall the malfunctioning robot. [Max: That’s one Geoff Johns retcon I really didn’t mind, even if it felt kind of derivative of his similar “all the Brainiacs are robots made by the real Brainiac” reveal.]

[longitudinalwaveme]

Merry, the Boy Wonder

The multiverse is filled with endless possibilities. For example, in our universe, it was Dick Grayson whose parents, a pair of circus performers, were killed by gangsters in Gotham City, and who subsequently became the first sidekick to the mysterious Batman. But what if things had gone a bit differently? What if, instead of Dick Grayson, it had been one James Jesse whose family had performed in Gotham that fateful night? This is the story of the world where that happened….

“Great news, Helen! Haly’s Circus had to pull out of their planned appearance in Gotham City due to a scheduling conflict, so our circus has been called in to take their place!” Giovanni Giuseppi, known better to the non-carny world as James Jesse, the youngest member of the Death-Defying Jesses, looked up from his book at his father’s exclamation. 

“Really? That’s wonderful!” His mother replied. Giovanni grinned. This was perfect! Not only was being offered to perform in a huge city like Gotham a sign that Big Circus had finally, well, hit it big (pun completely intended), but it also meant that he would be able to perform with his new airwalker shoes in front of a much larger crowd than he had expected. 

“We’ve finally made it, darling! This the Death-Defying Jesses’ first step on the road to worldwide renown!” With that, his parents kissed, and Giovanni made a face. True, he himself had made out with Alessia, a cute knife-thrower, two days ago, but when his parents did it, it was just weird. 

“This is awesome! Today, Gotham City, tomorrow, the world!” he exclaimed. His mother laughed. 

“Well, we hope so, Giovanni,” she said. 

“We’ll be leaving Happy Harbor and heading for Gotham tomorrow morning, son, so I expect you to get a good night’s rest. No staying up late to read about that outlaw Jesse James, understand?” his father added. 

“I understand,” Giovanni replied, crossing his fingers behind his back. 

“I’m glad to hear it, Giovanni. Your father and I don’t want you to get any ideas from those books of yours,” his mother said. Giovanni had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Marcello, a joey, and Georgio, who ran a garbage joint, had been teaching him how to cheat at cards and perform sleight-of-hand tricks since he was five years old. If anything was going to cause him to become a delinquent, it wasn’t going to be history books about Jesse James. 

“I won’t, mamma.” 

“In that case, you need to get to bed. It’s already almost 11 o’clock,” his father said.

“Already?” Giovanni asked. 

“Yes,” his father replied sternly. 

“Oh, all right. Night, mamma. Night, papá. Love you,” Giovanni said. With that, he went to his bed, and, after about thirty minutes of reading his latest book under his bed covers with the aid of a flashlight, he fell asleep, mind filled with images of his airwalkers, applauding crowds, and one very pretty knife-thrower. 

Giovanni woke up at six the next morning and spent the next three hours helping the other members of the circus prepare for the jump. Once everything was prepared, the entire circus spent the next three and a half hours traveling from Happy Harbor to Gotham City. Giovanni spent this time alternatively reading, bugging his parents, and tinkering with his airwalker shoes. When the jump concluded, the circus burst into action again, setting up the big top and the joints, unloading the baggage wagons, distributing all the props, and generally preparing for the opening night of Big Circus’ date in Gotham. In fact, Giovanni was so busy that, although he saw almost every member of the circus, including the ringmaster, while helping to set things up, he didn’t see his parents again until two o’clock in the afternoon. By seven-thirty, however, even the business of setting up a circus came to an end, and Giovanni was free to search for Alessia. Giovanni was passing by one of the floss joints when he heard a voice he didn’t recognize. Curious, he snuck closer, then hid behind one of the gilley wagons. 

“And if you pay us, we protect you. Get it, Chandler?” Chandler was the owner of the circus. 

“Yes. I get it. You’re gangsters! It’s a protection racket! If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll call the police!” Chandler replied. 

“You don’t want to die, do you? Be sensible. Pay us and protect your show from “accidents”,” a second unfamiliar man said. 

“Get out! Big Circus does not make deals with criminali!” That time, it was Alessandro, Alessia’s father and the ringleader of the circus, who spoke. 

“Alessandro is right. I won’t pay your kind for protection,” Chandler added. 

“Okay, buddy. It’s your funeral. But remember...accidents will happen,” the first unfamiliar man replied. With that, he and his companion walked away. Slightly concerned, but confident that Chandler and Alessandro would be able to handle the problem, Giovanni decided to continue his search for Alessia. He found her a few minutes later, and the two spent the next three hours chattering excitedly about the next day’s upcoming performance, making out, and eating floss before returning to their respective trailers. By the time he entered his home and bid his parents good night, Giovanni had forgotten all about the gangsters who had visited the circus. 

At five fifty-five  the following evening, the entire circus was in an uproar. The show would begin in only five minutes, and everyone was running around trying to find costumes, props, and other kinkers. 

“Where are my knives?” Alessia asked. 

“I don’t know. Where was the last place you put them?” 

“Right here. But they’re not there anymore!”

“I’m hungry!”

“Then you should’ve visited the pie car an hour ago!” 

“I found your knives, Alessia!” 

“Where were they?”

“Under my clown costume.” 

“We’ve got a straw house tonight! Every seat is filled!” someone shouted. Giovanni’s father beamed and turned to his mother.

“You hear that, Helen? This is it. We’re going to be famous,” he said. As he fiddled with his airwalker shoes, Giovanni grinned, too. He couldn’t wait to show his family-and the world-his new death-defying tricks! 

“I heard, Jacob.” 

“Giovanni, I’m so nervous! What if I’m awful?” Alessia asked. 

“Don’t worry, Alessia. I’ve seen you practice. You’re terrific,” Giovanni replied. 

“Thanks, Giovanni. You’ll be terrific, too,” Alessia said. 

“Alessia, don’t forget your hat!” another knife-thrower yelled.

“Sorry, Giovanni. I gotta go. See you after the show!” With that, Alessia ran off.

“Giovanni, you remember your part in the act, right?” his father asked him. Giovanni nodded. Sure, he planned to make his own slight addition to the plans, but he knew what he was supposed to do. 

“I start climbing the ladder once you and mom have met in the middle of the tightrope, kissed, and started walking back to the platform,” he replied.

“Good. We’re so glad to finally have you as part of the act, Giovanni,” his mother said. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to what will no doubt be the most thrilling, astonishing, and stupefying experience of your life!” Alessandro was starting his opening. The night’s performance had officially begun. Giovanni and his parents were scheduled for the second act, right after the clowns. To pass the time, Giovanni pulled a yo-yo out of a box of props and started messing around with it. Ten minutes later, the clowns were heading to the backyard, and Giovanni quickly stuck his yo-yo back in the box. 

“And now, for the amazing feats of the Death-Defying Jesses, performed on a tightrope sixty feet above the ground!” Alessandro exclaimed. Giovanni and his parents entered the ring, waved to the natives in the crowd, and then walked over to the tightrope ladders, with each of his parents heading to the ladder on one of the sides and then scaling it. When they reached the top, they both carefully stepped out onto the high wire, and then started walking towards one another...only for the wire to suddenly snap! The next few seconds felt like hours, as his parents fell towards the ground below...then landed with a sickening, but surprisingly quiet, thud. After several seconds of staring at the scene in horrified shock, Giovanni ran to his parents, oblivious to the screams of the audience members. 

“Mamma! Papá! Be okay! Please be okay!” he exclaimed. He kept waiting for them to yell “Surprise!”; for them to reveal that it had been some particularly clever trick used for the act...but deep down, he knew the truth. His parents were dead; life having played a cruel trick on them by killing them on what should have been the night of their greatest triumph. Giovanni burst into tears. How could this have happened? After several minutes, Alessandro gently led Giovanni back to his trailer, assured him that the Gotham City date would be folding due to his parents’ deaths, and then left him alone, something for which Giovanni was grateful. He didn’t think he could handle having anyone else around right now. A few minutes after he was left alone, he started sobbing again. His parents were dead. If the wire had broken a few minutes later, he would’ve died, too. How had everything gone so terribly wrong? 

A few hours later, Giovanni decided to go outside in the hopes that doing so might clear his head and help him make sense of what had just happened to him. However, he didn’t get very far before he heard unfamiliar voices once again. 

“Too bad about that “accident”, Chandler.” 

“Yeah! But there wouldn’t be any accidents if you paid us to protect you!” Giovanni realized with shock that he’d heard the voices before...and suddenly, the earlier conversation Chandler and Alessandro had had with the men they had called criminals came rushing back to him. 

“You murderers! All right, I’ll pay, but only so that no one else will be killed,” Chandler replied weakly. Giovanni felt as though he’d been punched in the stomach. His parents hadn’t just died-they had been murdered!

“Those crooks...they killed my parents, and now they’re extorting the circus. I’ve gotta call the police,” Giovanni muttered to himself. 

“No, boy. Not yet!” a deep voice exclaimed. Giovanni spun around to see a tall, well-built man who was cloaked in a deep blue-or possibly black, it was hard to tell in the dim light-cape. Giovanni was used to strange-looking people-after all, he lived with the circus and was currently wearing a blue-and-orange striped uniform-but this man had them all beat. 

“Who...what... are you?” he asked. 

“I am Batman. I want to help you bring the men who murdered your parents to justice-but you can’t go to the police. Come with me, and I’ll tell you why.” Normally, Giovanni would have scoffed at such an offer-it did, after all, sound exactly like what a kidnapper would say-but at the moment, he was too consumed by grief to really care. If this weird guy helped him get justice for his parents, great. If not….what else did he have to lose? The two people he loved most in the world were already gone. 

“Okay.” 

“What’s your name, boy?” 

“Giovanni Giuseppi. James Jesse is-was-my stage name,” Giovanni replied. “Batman” nodded curtly and proceeded to lead Giovanni to a really nice-looking car, and the two climbed into it. 

“Don’t touch anything.” Under normal circumstances, this order probably would’ve been necessary, as Giovanni knew he had a bad habit of pressing buttons and grabbing things out of curiosity, but right now, he had no interest in doing anything of the sort. What he was interested in was finding out whether or not this “Batman” could help him.

“Why can’t I call the police?” he asked. 

“Because this whole city is run by Boss Zucco, a powerful mobster. If you told the police what you knew, you would be dead in an hour. Because of that, I’m going to hide you in my home for awhile,” the man replied. 

“Why? Why do you care what happens to me? I’m not even from around here. I’m just some carny kid,” Giovanni asked. 

“Because my parents were also killed by criminals. Because of that, I’ve devoted my life to wiping them out...and protecting their victims, like you.” At this reminder of his parents’ death, Giovanni started to cry again. How had this happened to him? 

About twenty minutes later, “Batman” pulled into what appeared to be a very large cave….that for some reason contained a boat, a bunch of gadgets, a large computer, several costumes that resembled the one “Batman” was wearing, a giant penny, a huge playing card, what looked like a dinosaur, and...a butler? What was this place? 

“Get out of the car.” Giovanni complied, still mystified by the whole situation, and followed “Batman” to the butler. 

“Alfred, this is Giovanni Giuseppi. Giovanni, this is Alfred Pennyworth, my butler.” 

“If I may be so bold as to ask, Master Bruce, why have you brought a child into the Batcave?” The butler, who was apparently named Alfred, sounded very British. 

“His parents were killed by Zucco’s mob. To protect him, I’m planning to have Bruce Wayne adopt him,” ‘Batman’ replied. Giovanni started crying again. He didn’t want a new father-he wanted his old one! 

“My, my. The poor child. Are you sure that adopting him is really the right decision? After all, you don’t exactly lead a….conventional life.” 

“I’m sure. I was in the audience, Alfred. I watched his parents die just like he did. If I didn’t offer him a home after that, I couldn’t live with myself.” 

“Very well, Master Bruce. Who knows? Maybe a child will be good for you.” With that, “Batman” turned back to Giovanni. 

“Giovanni, you are about to be let in on a secret that only two other people in the world know,” he said. With that, he pulled off his mask, revealing a handsome young man, probably in his late twenties. 

“My name is Bruce Wayne. I am the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, and-” 

“You’re the guy who purchased the most expensive grandstand seat! The...the billionaire!” he exclaimed, stunned. He wasn’t exactly used to talking to billionaires-after all, most carnies could barely rub two nickels together most of the time.

“Yes, I am. When I was eight years old, my parents were gunned down in front of me by a mugger. Since then, I have devoted my time and money to becoming the Batman-the world’s greatest crimefighter,” Bruce Wayne/Batman replied. Giovanni pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. This was insane! Billionaire Bruce Wayne ran around in a bat costume to fight criminals? And wanted to adopt him? Why? He was just a poor carny kid...and besides, he was already fifteen years old. If Bruce Wayne really wanted to adopt a kid, why not adopt a baby? Surely a baby would be easier to mold into an heir for Wayne Enterprises than a teenaged nobody. 

“And you’re revealing your secrets to me? Why?” 

“Because you’re going to be living in Wayne Manor with me. Since you seem to be fairly intelligent, you would almost certainly have discovered my secret at some point even if I didn’t tell you, so I decided it would be best to inform you about it upfront,” Bruce Wayne/Batman replied. 

“You’re...serious about this adoption thing? But I don’t know the first thing about being rich or running a company or…” Giovanni began.

“When I became Batman, I promised myself that I’d never let criminals orphan another child in this city. When I failed to prevent your parents’ deaths, I broke that promise. Adopting you is my way of making it up to you and to myself. And besides, you’re pretty young to be left on your own,” Bruce Wayne/Batman cut in. Giovanni frowned. 

“I don’t want a substitute father.” 

“And I’m not trying to be one to you. I know no one will be able to replace your parents. Just think of me as an ally who’s giving you a home.” 

“Well...I…” Giovanni wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hand, he didn’t want to replace his parents with this guy he barely knew, and he was pretty sure that he would stick out terribly in high society, but, on the other hand, Bruce Wayne did seem to know what he was going through, and had promised to help him bring his parents’ killers to justice. 

“If you’re really opposed to the idea, I can return you to the circus,” Bruce Wayne/Batman said. That settled it. Giovanni knew he couldn’t handle returning to the circus where his parents had died, no matter how much he liked the other carnies. The emotions would be too much for him. 

“Well, if you really want to adopt me...I guess I’m okay with the idea of an ally like you.” Bruce Wayne/Batman nodded. 

“I’m glad to hear it. In that case, Alfred will show you to your room,” he said. 

“Follow me, Master Giuseppi.” The butler gestured to a flight of stairs. 

“Just call me Giovanni.” 

“As you wish, Master Giovanni.” That hadn’t been exactly what he’d meant, but whatever. He had more important things to worry about. Giovanni followed the butler up the stairs, through what appeared to be a grandfather clock, through an enormous library, and to the largest bedroom Giovanni had ever seen. It was as big as his family’s whole trailer! 

“This is all mine?” he asked, stunned.

“Yes. Are you displeased with it, Master Giovanni?” the butler asked. 

“No. I’m just...not used to having a room this huge,” Giovanni replied. 

“I can fetch you one of Master Bruce’s robes, Master Giovanni. If I had known about your arrival, I would have ensured that a suitable wardrobe was prepared for you, but, under the circumstances, I will have to make due with what I have on hand,” the butler said. Giovanni shook his head. 

“Nah. I appreciate the thought, but I’ll be fine sleeping in my clothes. I’ve done it before,” Givoanni replied. 

“Very well, Master Giovanni. Is there anything else you need?” Giovanni yawned. 

“Tonight I think I just need some sleep. It’s been a really, really long day,” he replied. 

“In that case, I will take my leave of you. Good night, Master Giovanni...and I express my strongest condolences for the tragic loss of your family,” the butler said. With that, he bowed and left the room. Giovanni walked over to the enormous bed and laid down on it. It was incredibly soft, and that, combined with Giovanni’s emotional and physical exhaustion, meant that sleep claimed him quickly. 

The next week passed in what to Giovanni was an utter blur. He attended his parents’ funeral, bid good-bye to Alessia, her father, and his other friends when the circus left Gotham, was formally adopted by Bruce Wayne thanks both to the billionaire’s fortune and his own lack of living relatives, and was enrolled in a ritzy private school. And so it was that Giovanni Giuseppi, a carny kid who’d never been in a classroom in his life, entered through the doors of one of the most exclusive high schools in the country, Gotham Preparatory Academy. On Alfred’s insistence, Giovanni arrived at his first class early-so early, in fact, that he was the first person other than the teacher to arrive. 

“Hello. My name is Mr. Cunningham. I’ll be your American History professor. You must be Giovanni Giuseppi, the boy Bruce Wayne recently adopted. I look forward to having you in my class,” the teacher said. 

“Yeah, that’s me.”  

“I heard that you used to be part of a traveling circus. If that’s true, I’m sure this must be very strange for you.” Giovanni nodded.

“No kidding. This is the first time I’ve been in a classroom. My parents homeschooled me before...before…” He managed not to start crying, but it was a close thing. 

“I understand, and I’ll do my best to make the transition easier for you.” 

“Th-thanks.” The teacher nodded, and, soon after, other kids started entering the room. One of them, a tall, brown-haired kid, came up to the desk he was sitting at. 

“I’m Jared Vreeland. You must be one of the new kids,” he said. 

“Yeah. My name’s Giovanni Giuseppi,” Giovanni said. 

“Giuseppi? I don’t know that last name, so you must be the circus kid Bruce Wayne adopted,” the kid replied. 

“You’re right, I am.” 

“Then you don’t belong here. Bruce Wayne’s always been eccentric, but adopting some circus vagabond and pretending that he’d fit in high society? It’s the craziest thing he’s ever done, and that’s saying something. I bet you’ve never even been to school before.” Giovanni frowned, now on edge. 

“And I bet you’ve never understood basic manners.” 

“I don’t need to be polite to vagabonds with no class!” 

  “Mr. Vreeland! That is entirely inappropriate! Sit down and leave Giovanni alone, or I will have you sent to the headmaster’s office!” Mr. Cunningham barked. Vreeland scowled, but complied, and Giovanni decided that he was definitely fond of Mr. Cunningham. About six minutes later, just as the bell was ringing, another kid rushed into the room, almost tripped over the flagpole, and then sat down in the seat to Giovanni’s left. 

“I’m sorry I was almost late, Mr. Cunningham. I got lost,” the skinny, red-headed kid apologized. 

“That’s all right. I take it you’re the other new student?” 

“Yes, sir. My name is Hartley Rathaway,” the kid said. Giovanni noticed that he had a distinctly different accent than Bruce Wayne, Mr. Cunningham, and his other peers. That was odd. True, he sounded different from them, too, but he hadn’t been born in Gotham. Was it possible that this kid wasn’t from Gotham, either? 

“It’s nice to meet you, Hartley. I’m Mr. Cunningham, your American History professor.” With that, the school day began, and, while the strict scheduling and multiple teachers were going to take some getting used to, Giovanni didn’t think he would have too much trouble with the coursework itself. What he was starting to suspect he was going to have trouble with was his peers. Apparently, Vreeland wasn’t alone in his anger at the idea of a circus kid being at their fancy school, and their hostility made him miss his parents...and the circus...even more than he already did. He had belonged there. 

Roughly halfway through the day, the students broke for lunch, and Giovanni sat himself down next to the red-headed kid from his history class, who was apparently the other new kid at the school. He’d always been a curious sort, and he wanted to know the story behind his fellow newcomer. Besides, talking to the kid would help keep him from thinking too much about...about...not thinking about it! 

“Hi! You’re Hartley, right? Mind if I sit here?” The kid looked surprised. 

“I suppose not. Who are you?” Giovanni smiled (a bit weakly), sat down, and unwrapped his lunch. 

“Giovanni Giuseppi. You sat next to me in history class. I’m the other new kid.” 

“The one Bruce Wayne adopted?” 

“Yep. I’m the carny kid...and apparently a lot of people here are unhappy about that.” 

“I heard. And before you ask, I’m not one of them. I actually think it’s rather neat. I’m sure you’ve gotten to travel a lot, if nothing else. And...and I’m really sorry about what happened to your parents,” Hartley said. Giovanni smiled. It was good to know that at least one kid at this ritzy school wasn’t going to hold his being a carny kid against him, even if the kid had accidentally brought up painful memories that he’d been trying to suppress. 

“Thanks for the condolences. And you’re right, I did move around a lot. Let’s see…I’ve been to Coast City, Star City, Opal City, Happy Harbor, Gateway City, Hub City, Ivytown, Central City, here…” He really didn’t want to think about his parents, so hopefully Hartley wouldn’t bring up what had happened to them again. 

“You’ve been to Central City?” 

“I was like three years old, but yeah. Why?” 

“Because I’m from Central City.”

“Really? That explains why you don’t sound like anyone else from Gotham, then.” 

“Yes. I’m the son of Osgood and Rachel Rathaway, the billionaire publishing magnates.” 

“Never heard of them,” Giovanni replied honestly. Hartley smiled. 

“You have no idea how refreshing that is.” 

“So, what’s a Midwestern boy like you doing in Gotham City?” 

“Well, I’ve been tutored at home for most of my life, but now that I’m high school aged, my parents had an excuse to send me away from home, supposedly so I could “meet the right people”. Of the schools that met their criteria, Gotham Prep was the furthest away from Central City, so they shipped me off here.” 

“You make it sound like they’re trying to get rid of you,” Giovanni replied. He couldn’t imagine his parents...no, not thinking about it! 

“They are trying to get rid of me. They sent me here so that they can hide their embarrassment of a son,” Hartley said quietly. 

“Granted, I’m a nobody carny kid, so my standards are probably different from your parents’, but you don’t seem like an embarrassment to me.” In fact, as far as Giovanni could tell, Hartley looked and acted like the perfect heir to a huge corporation. In response, Hartley removed something from his right ear and handed it to Giovanni. 

“A...hearing aid?”

“A very expensive, advanced one, but yes. A hearing aid. I was born deaf, and my parents have been disappointed with me ever since,” Hartley said. Giovanni handed the hearing aid back to him and, now a bit uncomfortable, decided to change the subject. 

“So, do you have any hobbies?” 

“I play the flute. And the violin. You?” Hartley replied. 

“I’m the best cardsharp this side of Vegas, and I know loads of tricks you can do with yo-yos. And I’m an acrobat, of course,” Giovanni replied. Unfortunately, talking about his hobbies reminded him of his life at the circus, and that made him start to cry. Bruce Wayne, Alfred, Mr. Cunningham, and Hartley were all good people, but no matter how good they were, they weren’t his parents. 

“Are you all right?” Giovanni shook his head.

“I...I miss my parents.” A few minutes later, he managed to calm down enough to stop crying, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about what he had lost. Those gangsters had killed his parents and destroyed his life, and all for some cash? How could they have done something like that? And why had it happened to him? 

“I know that this won’t make up for what happened, but I’m so sorry for what happened to you. You obviously loved your parents very much,” Hartley said quietly. 

“Why did they have to die? They never hurt anyone!” 

“I don’t know. Probably the same reason my parents wish I didn’t exist.” At that, Giovanni looked back up at Hartley and gave him a slight smile. While their situations obviously weren’t exactly the same, in a way it was comforting to know that he wasn’t the only kid his age who had been hurt for reasons he didn’t understand.

“You know what, Hartley? I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.” 

About three weeks later, Giovanni returned from Gotham Preparatory Academy to be greeted by a very grim Bruce Wayne/Batman. 

“Giovanni, I’ve got proof that Boss Zucco was behind the murder of your parents. Tonight, Batman will bring him, and all of his cronies, to justice.” Giovanni smiled. This was wonderful! He was finally going to be able to avenge his parents’ deaths! 

“I’m coming too,” he said.

“No.” 

“He killed my parents! I want to help bring him in.” 

“I said no. Even if it wasn’t incredibly dangerous, you don’t have the requisite physical training to fight crime.” Giovanni scoffed. 

“Don’t have the requisite physical training? I’ve been practicing acrobatics since I was old enough to walk!” 

“Crimefighting isn’t just a physical discipline. It also requires intense mental fortitude.” Determined to convince Bruce Wayne/Batman to help him bring in the men who’d murdered his parents, Giovanni rushed to his room, put on his airwalker shoes, and then ran back to the billionaire. 

“I’ve got mental fortitude! I invented shoes that let me walk on air,” he said as soon as he caught his breath. Bruce Wayne/Batman looked skeptical. 

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” In response, Giovanni activated his shoes and ascended several feet in the air. Once he was high enough for his feet to be roughly level with Bruce Wayne/Batman’s face, he stopped. 

“Now do you believe me?” 

“You invented those all by yourself?” Bruce Wayne/Batman actually sounded surprised, and Givoanni grinned. Surely he would be allowed to come along now! 

“Yep. You see, when I was a kid, I was afraid of falling, so I decided to invent shoes that would make sure that I never fell. Pretty cool, huh?” 

“If I don’t let you come, you’ll follow me regardless, won’t you?” Giovanni returned himself to the ground. 

“Definitely.” 

“All right. I know when I’m beaten. I’ll take you with me to bring in the men who killed your parents...but first, you must swear that you will fight with me against crime and corruption, and to never swerve from the path of righteousness!” Bruce Wayne/Batman exclaimed. Giovanni thought that that sounded a bit intense, but he would agree to anything if it meant that he could get closure for the deaths of his parents. 

“I swear it. Can we go now?” Bruce Wayne shook his head. 

“Not yet. I want to see the extent of your physical capabilities first.” Giovanni sighed, but allowed Bruce Wayne/Batman to lead him to Wayne Manor’s enormous gymnasium anyways. When Giovanni saw the trapeze, he grinned. True, his parents had primarily been tightrope walkers, but they had taught him a good deal about trapeze artistry as well. After a brief warm-up, he launched into his most complex routine, and executed it flawlessly. He’d never had more motivation to get the routine right than he did right now. 

“I’ve been doing this since I was four years old!” he exclaimed as he landed. Bruce Wayne/Batman actually nodded, clearly impressed. 

“As far as swinging ropes go, you could probably teach me a thing or two!” 

“Told you I was good.” 

“Don’t get too cocky. You’re obviously in good shape, but that doesn’t make you a trained fighter. If you want to help me take down Zucco’s mob, you have to promise to follow my orders to the letter. In this business, getting cocky can get you killed. Do you understand?” Bruce Wayne/Batman replied. 

“Sir, yes, sir!” Giovanni mock saluted, feeling more like himself than he had in weeks. It was such a relief to finally be able to do something for his parents’ memories. 

“I’m going to regret allowing you to join me, aren’t I?” 

“Probably. Now are we ready to go?” Bruce Wayne/Batman shook his head. 

“Not quite. You still need a costume and an alias. I don’t want people questioning why Bruce Wayne’s adopted son is running around fighting crime with Batman.” 

“Gotcha. I’ll be right back.” With that, Giovanni ran back to his room, retrieved his old circus uniform, and then returned to Batman. 

“What is that?” 

“My costume.” Batman looked at him incredulously. 

“A costume is intended to hide your identity, not make it even more obvious. The fact that you were part of the circus before I adopted you is well-known. Wearing that outfit is basically like wearing a sign saying that you’re Giovanni Giuesppi, Bruce Wayne’s adopted son. And even if it wasn’t, that costume is the most hideously garish outfit I’ve ever seen.” Giovanni scowled. His uniform was not hideous. What did Batman have against bright colors?

“Do you have uniforms in my size?” Batman frowned. 

“Well...no,” he admitted. 

“Then I’m wearing the circus uniform. If anyone gets suspicious, we’ll just say that I’m obviously not the kid running around with Batman. I was traumatized by my parents’ deaths-why would I want to run around in an outfit that would remind me of how they died?” 

“Fine. But you’re at least going to add some accessories to it,” Batman replied. With that, he led Giovanni to the library, through the passageway behind the grandfather clock, into the cave, and to what appeared to be a dressing room of sorts, one that was full of costumes and accessories. Giovanni quickly ducked behind the divider in the middle of the room, changed into his uniform, and then returned to Batman. 

“What other accessories do I need?”  Batman handed him a yellow belt and a pair of black gloves.

“The belt contains a variety of useful crime fighting tools. The gloves prevent you from leaving fingerprints. Both are vital for our line of work.” Giovanni put the belt on, discarded the black gloves, and donned a pair of powder blue ones that were much more to his tastes. 

“The belt’s a little big.” 

“That’s because it was made for me. If you pull it taut, it should stay put.” Giovanni nodded and complied. 

“Anything else?”

“You need a mask.”  Giovanni nodded, picked up a black domino mask...and then noticed a huge blue cape. Grinning, he grabbed the cape, and proceeded to don both cape and mask. 

“So, how do I look?” “Like a colorblind acrobat.”

“Because a giant bat is much less weird, right?” Batman frowned.

“You’re skating on thin ice, Giuseppi. That being said, your costume is basically complete at this point. Now all you need is a code name.” 

“I know! You can call me the Trickster!” 

“No. That sounds like a supervillain name.” Giovanni didn’t think so, but whatever. 

“All right, how about the Prankster?” 

“Taken.”

“The Joker?” 

“Very taken.” 

“Are you sure we can’t call me the Trickster?” 

“Yes!” Briefly stumped, Giovanni pondered possible names for a few seconds...and then beamed. 

“I’ve got it! You can call me Merry.” 

“I suppose that’s acceptable. Merry it is.”

“So are we ready to go now?”

“Yes. But remember to do exactly as I say.” With that, Batman and Giovanni-Merry-entered the Batmobile and headed into Gotham City to take down Boss Zucco. 

FIN

[aspenflower17]

Finding You (Part 12 of ??)

Hi hi! I’m hoping this update finds you all well and happy. I have a lot more time this coming week to write, so I hope I can get on top of my WIPs and get the next chapter out not late on a Sunday.

Anyways, for his chapter itself, I wanted to try something a bit different. When Mc was composing her song, I had a very particular one in mind, and so when the song comes up, I’m going to put a YouTube link there that you can click on and listen to the song while you’re reading. For people that have problems reading while listening to music, it is all instrumental and you definitely do not have to click the link. I’m just trying to get more across in my fics than I would otherwise :) I will also have a link at the end of the update that will link you to the original scenes where the two parts of the song are from.

I should also note, there might be spoilers in this for people who haven’t read very far in the main story in game.

For anyone who hasn’t read the rest of the updates, here is the link to Part One if you would be so inclined to read :)

Tags!:  @simpingforsatan @naimena @hachimochi @wrathandgreed @magi-minminxiii @rensphilia @a-dream-at-night @chloelikesobeyme @getbehindme-satan @theuglypugling @oofthelazyweeb (as always, if you would like to be added to the tags list, just comment down below or send me a message about it!)

Satan / F!Mc

Words: 2,404

Trigger warnings: None that I can think of, though if you had a bad experience with the movie the song is from, that could be a problem...

“Sorry to intrude. I just heard your playing and had to find out who was making such gorgeous music,” Satan was leaning against the doorway, a soft smile on his face, “Is that one of your compositions?”

“Oh,” Mc looked down, a little embarrassed, “Yes, but it isn’t finished yet.”

“It’s still beautiful,” Satan said softly, hoping she would allow him to stay.

“Thank you,” Mc answered softly, matching his smile.

Satan cleared this throat and looked down, blushing, “So, how long have you been working on this piece?”

“Honestly, a while now,” Mc sighed slightly, “It’s something I composed in the Celestial Realm, though it never sounded right. It’s only on the piano’s here in the Devildom that it’s sounded… right,” Mc looked up at Satan at that, and he nodded, his hand resting on his chin thoughtfully, “Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get further in the piece.”

Satan cleared his throat, “Well, if you play it again, I may be able to help. I have done some composing before, though not as much as you… Anyways, only if you want to. I would hate to impose…” he was blushing furiously now, wondering why he’d even offered.

“That would actually be lovely,” Mc admitted, her heart fluttering a bit at the prospect, “A fresh perspective might be just what I need.”

“I’d be happy to assist then,” Satan said, walking over to stand behind her.

Mc looked up and smiled at him, “Thank you.”

Satan’s heart stopped for a moment, fragments of memories flying through his mind of Mc looking up and smiling at him. He swallowed thickly, and gestured for her to play, not trusting his voice.

Mc was a bit confused, watching the sadness well up in his eyes. Despite the sudden emotion, she turned and started playing when he gestured. (This song)

Satan was transfixed by the music from the first note, wondering if this was the loneliness Mc had mentioned to him so long ago, put into the notes ringing through the air. If that was the case, he had to wonder why the Celestial Realm had kept her from him. He would have cured her loneliness, no matter what it took. If she had needed companionship, he would have provided it. If she needed kind words, he would have provided it. Absolutely anything she would have needed would have been provided. She would never have had to know such pain.

In that moment, he wondered what would have happened if Mc had come to the Devildom instead of the Celestial Realm. He knew she would have been grabbed from the upcoming souls, if not by him, then one of his brothers, Diavolo or Barbatos, her ties to the realm more to do with love and friendship, not sin and corruption. Assuming she had still wanted him, he would have followed her in wherever she would have wanted to go and helped her accomplish anything she would have wanted to do. If she had wanted to move out of the House of Lamentation, he would have made it happen, and if she never wanted to leave, he would gladly put up with whatever antics his brothers felt they needed to inflict upon him. He would even have put up with their constant flirting if it made her happy. If she had wanted to become a demon, he would have helped her, making sure any adjustment she would have gone through were as quick and painless as possible. 

He imagined they would have been happy together, seeing as how his wrath was more contained and muted with her around. She had shown him what love was, helping him realize not only that he loved her but that he did love his brothers and they him, though they all showed it in very weird ways. She had helped him cut through all his self doubt, making him feel less like a monster on a self inflicted leash, a shadow of the power and man that had created him, and more like an individual with his own thoughts and feelings, valid and special in his own right. No one had ever been able to do that for him, and he doubted anyone ever would again.

When the music changed, calm and desolate, he knew this was her loneliness without a doubt. Some part of his brain also recognized she was nearing where she hadn’t composed yet. Without thinking, he sat on her right, watching her practiced hands play. He felt the inspiration for the rest of the song start to well up inside him. He also felt his anger at the situation they now found themselves in burning behind it all as well. They had been happy together before her mortality had ripped them apart. The angels knew this, and yet they had kept her from him, even though she had obviously been suffering. She hid and dealt with it well, her art a testament to that, but she had suffered needlessly. He wanted to let Mc know she was not alone and he would help her. Even if she never fell in love with him again, this was her plea for help and he would not allow it to go unanswered.

The first couple lines he played were just repeats of hers, an attempt at solidarity.

Mc was surprised by his actions, though they spurred her on, the song actually continuing past the point she had composed. She had never actively composed with someone else, and she found the action calming in a way. It was if he could read her mind on what needed to happen in the song.

Satan suddenly started playing furiously, a bit of a call back to earlier in the song, though with more gusto. Mc couldn’t help but watch as he glared a bit at the keys as if they would provide the answers to the rest of the song. She felt inspired, playing the bottom hand as he played the top. She felt more connected to him than she ever had with anyone, the composition coming together better than she would have thought possible. Their hands even touched a couple times, as they fought for use of the keys they knew would help express the magic that was happening.

Mc started a chromatic scale, lost in the moment, adding flair as she went up. She didn’t realize what she was doing until she was at the top of the keyboard, trilling between two notes. She was leaning a bit into Satan, their legs and shoulders touching as she had scooted over on the bench to reach the notes. He was watching her, their faces extremely close. He was smiling softly again.

She pulled back into her own space, a blush dusting her cheeks though she felt happy, “Pardon my enthusiasm.”

Her blush and smile made him feel like he had accomplished something, “I like your enthusiasm,” he said, his voice only coming out in a whisper.

She smiled at him, “Well, I’m glad,” then, “Oh, I almost forgot. This is for you,” she pulled a letter from the air, Satan’s eyebrows raising in interest, “It’s a reply to the one you gave me.”

He took the letter and tucked it into his jacket pocket, “Thank you. That was an interesting trick you just did.”

“Oh, I’ve known it for ages now. I left a particularly embarrassing poem out once, and another angel read it out loud in front of a lot of other angels. It’s safe to say I keep all important things hidden now.”

“Glad to know you think this is important,” Satan half teased, making Mc flush slightly.

“I didn’t realize you were such an accomplished piano player,” Mc said, trying to move the conversation in a direction that wouldn’t make her heart race.

“Oh, well, music has been fundamental in helping to develop and understand new emotions,” Satan admitted, knowing Mc was the only person he’d ever openly admit this to.

“New… emotions?” Mc, remembering the conversation between Michael and Diavolo, she tried to keep the intense curiosity from her voice in an effort not to upset Satan or scare him away from the topic.

“Yes. I… How much do you know about my birth?”

“I… I’ve learned more about it since coming here, but I still don’t know a lot,” Mc admitted, trying to keep her voice as nice but neutral as possible.

“Well, I was born from Lucifer’s wrath. In the beginning, all I could feel was anger, though it wasn’t really directed at anyone. I knew why Lucifer was angry but most of that didn’t seem to matter much. Those acts had not been directed at me; why should I care? I was just angry, because that’s all I was. The first time I think I remember feeling anything besides rage was at Lilith’s memorial.

Huh? Who’s Lilith?

“I remember Lucifer sitting at the piano, pouring his grief into the song he was playing. Though I remember music from Lucifer’s memories, it was my first time experiencing it as an individual. The song had been Lilith’s favorite, though the piano’s of the Devildom and the slow tempo Lucifer played it had made what was usually a very happy song into a funeral march. In that moment, watching all my brothers with tears in their eyes, many openly weeping when the song started, I felt a twinge in my heart, and I teared up. I remember wiping them, staring at the liquid on my finger,” he looked down at his hands at that, completely caught up in the memory.

“I thought about that moment a lot. I rolled it around over and over in my head trying to figure out what it was I had experienced. It was at this time that I asked Lucifer to teach me how to play the piano. I thought the key was in the music itself, and I practiced a lot. Lucifer is not a forgiving teacher, so I was constantly striving for perfection, but from my own expectations of myself and his. Still, even as I became a better piano player, I still couldn’t get the emotion I wanted from the instrument, though I didn’t know that’s what I was looking for. It was the most wooden playing you could imagine.

“One day, I was very angry at my inability to play the way I wanted to. I was throwing things around in my room because Lucifer made it very clear I was never to destroy the piano just because I was upset, when Beel decided to look in on me. Most of my brothers, Asmo aside, give me a very wide berth when I’m upset, though I think they do it now more out of respect for my privacy than fear. Anyways, Beel came in and asked me what was wrong. I ended up screaming about how frustrated I was at not being able to play like Lucifer did at Lilith’s memorial. He was a bit confused as to why, and I explained to him that I needed to explore the strange sensation that had made me cry. After a bit more explanation, he smiled sadly and explained that what I had felt was probably either sadness or grief. He then went on to explain the emotion in the most blunt, truthful way I’ve ever heard out of anyone, and I’ve read a lot. It wasn’t flowery or dramatic. It was someone honestly and truthfully expressing how they felt. It was a lot like when someone puts so much emotion into their music and you can’t help but understand them. His words did the same thing for me that Lucifer’s playing had done, and that twinge came back. Experiencing it in the moment allowed me to be able to ask his confirmation on what I was feeling.

“Looking back on the whole encounter, I’m ashamed of how I acted, but I’m glad Beel came in and helped me when he did. It helped me understand myself a bit more, and recognize I can feel things that aren’t anger. Without his help, who knows how long I would’ve been floundering around in the dark. Ah, but you didn’t ask for my personal history. You were just asking about my piano playing,” Satan rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish, “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Oh, no, it’s quite alright!” Mc answered, louder and more forcefully than she intended. He looked at her in shock, and it was her turn to act sheepishly, “I just… I’m glad you told me. I feel like I understand you a lot better now.”

“I’m glad,” Satan said, smiling.

“You’re at the piano huh? We were wondering where you’d gone off to,” a voice interrupted, making them both look over, “Lucifer wants you to come back because dinner’s almost done. I’m guessing you should probably head back with us,” the strawberry blonde smiled at Mc.

“Oh, you’re Asmodeus right?” Mc asked, proud of herself for recognizing him.

“Oh, you know who I am darling? Oh, who am I kidding? How could you have not heard about me by now?”

“Right…” Mc laughed a bit uncomfortably, “I also remember you from when you dropped off Satan’s letter to me as a child.”

Asmo’s eyes widened a bit, “Oh, I thought it might be you. I wasn’t sure though.”

“You weren’t sure? You had an idea though,” Satan’s voice was flat as was his expression.

“Oh, Satan, calm down. I didn’t want to say anything in case I was wrong. You can understand why, right?”

Satan sighed, “I suppose so. I guess it doesn’t really affect anything in the long run.”

“Glad you understand. Now, we really should get back. Are you coming with?” Asmo directed the last part at Mc.

“Sure. I should be joining Luke and Michael anyway,” Mc said, sliding off the left side of the bench, walking towards Asmo. Satan pushed the bench back when she was clear of it, and walked over to Asmo too.

Asmo grinned mischievously, “You know, you two make a cute couple!”

Mc flushed at the comment and looked down.

“Oh no need to be so bashful Satan. I’m only stating the obvious. If you have a problem with it though, I’d be more than happy to steal her away.”

Steal me away? What’s all that about?

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

Hi! So, the song I linked above is actually two different songs combined into one. It is from Corpse Bride a claymation film from Tim Burton. From that, you should be able to decide if it’s something you’d like to watch. I do think it was pretty well done and would recommend it.

The beginning is called Victor’s Piano Solo (Scene here) and the second part is The Piano Duet (scene here)

Part Thirteen

[avversiera-writes]

and may i ask for your hand - tobirama senju/you

Summary: In which Tobirama proposes to you, forgoing the pomp and circumstance. Though it doesn’t make it any less romantic. At least, to you.

A/N: wanted something light-hearted; alternating it between the angsty parts and all that lol ALSO i cannot get this scene out of my mind unless i write it down LOLS

series on AO3: ‘til death do us part

//

It is getting late at night, and the two of you are still peering over all the paperwork that is needed for the upcoming Chunin exams. You really did not mind the pile of work that has to be done, because you are sitting across Tobirama, who is also preoccupied with his own half of the work. It has been a while since the two of you had sat down like this, enjoying each other’s silence and working alongside each other without the arguments. 

The man in front of you has always been so busy when there is no need to be busy, and it is rare that he assigns your help with such things. Yes, assign, not ask. He showed up in front of your doorstep at the break of dawn, hauling you all around the village with your head still hazy from sleep. Wordlessly, he ushers you through the Hokage’s office where jounin senseis were already gathered, and a breakfast place, then the Academy to get some documents, the library for some books and other administrative offices for more documents.  

  You follow him without any complaints since you generally enjoy being around him. 

  And he is paying for your food and snacks, so that’s also a bonus. Being a jounin sensei of a genin team that can only take lower level missions can only pay for so much. 

  There is no small talk, just your gazes and microexpressions that fill up the space of your comfortable silence. 

Then, after milling around the village and running various errands, he drags you to his home and there the two of you set down on the dining table to work. 

Every now and then, you glance at Tobirama, unable to help the smile that is slowly spreading across your lips. Even now, Tobirama does not change. He is still his serious self that keeps to the task with a focus you envy. Miraculously, there is nothing he scolded you for today, since he usually has a few quips with anything, really. He is detail-oriented and a perfectionist, so when something does not satisfy him, he will not hesitate to run off his mouth and flip over every progress made just so he can get what he wants. 

  There are days you admire that side of him, like now. 

“I’ll get us some snacks and tea,” you suggest to him when your eyes find the clock. 

  It is very late. 

  Tobirama gives a small nod, and you slip out of your seat and into his kitchen. 

It is not the first time you stayed over in his house, so you already know where to find the tea set and all the ingredients to make a simple snack. You busy yourself with the task, unknowingly, that Tobirama is already cleaning the dining table and putting the papers and documents to the side. 

  When you come back, you set down the tea and the snacks, a little confused, but you just assume that he might not want to get food on the papers. He is always so particular about leisure and work. 

Tobirama is furiously studying the space in front of him, and slowly, you push a hot cup of green tea in his line of vision. 

  This seems to snap him out of his trance and you raise an eyebrow to inquire. 

He could not look you into your eyes. 

  “Tobi?” You call, a little disconcerted. 

Tobirama clears his throat, and then you watch as his hand comes forward, and inches a golden, thin band on the table. You stare at it, unsure of what to make of the little object. 

Tobirama retrieves his hand and he stares at you expectantly. 

  Your confusion grows and you frown. What is this?  

“Is this a gift?” 

Tobirama looks utterly exasperated. Like he can’t believe you have the audacity to ask such a thing. As if it’s obvious. 

  “What?” You deadpan. “You can’t hand me things without explaining. I’m not a mind-reader.”

Tobirama’s stare worsens, and you wonder if he’s mad about something. As you peer at his expression closely, that is not the case at all. He is trying to cover his embarrassment by fuming. 

“What?” You urge. 

“Let’s do it,” Tobirama snaps. 

  “Do what? Fight? Spar?” You frown. “Are you mad at me?” 

  Tobirama pushes the golden ring forward again, insistent. He wants you to take it. 

“Become my wife,” he says bluntly, and he looks down at the table, uneasy. 

You cannot help it. You burst out laughing. 

  Tobirama’s head snaps up and he glares at you. He glares at you. 

“This is not supposed to be funny,” Tobirama chides and then he stops. “Are you saying no?” 

Your laughter increases in volume and Tobirama looks devastated . 

Tobirama waits for you to sober up, the anticipation of it all breaking his poor, social-defective heart. 

  You take a deep breath, and then you take the ring. You hold up your left hand and slip it on your ring finger. You stop, because the ring is exactly your size. 

Tobirama’s expression changes into something more fond. And relief. 

  You reach forward and open your palms towards him. Gingerly, Tobirama takes your hands into his, and he brings them up to his lips. When he lowers them to the table, he does not let go.

  “Is this why you had me work with you all day?” You tease him. “Didn’t want to let anyone take up my time, eh?” 

  Tobirama shrugs, and you can see that he is trying to fight a smile from breaking out of his face. He looks smug. This bastard. 

“Damn it, Tobirama,” you say to him amusedly, trying to fight the way your throat is closing up after processing what just happened. “I should return this to you and make you re-do this.” 

  Tobirama frowns. 

  “You think I’m easy?” You continue to tease, but your tone does not match it. Your voice catches in your throat.

  Tobirama had just asked you to be his wife, and you had said yes. 

“No,” Tobirama answers seriously. “There is no one else I’d like to be by my side but you, so I ask for your hand.” 

  You squeeze his hands, letting him know your answer. 

[chiaki-translation]

SR Taichi [The Fantasy that I Adore]: Backstage Translation

I have come to the acceptance that Taichi will be the gacha for this play, but he’s a good boy and he came home fast so I’m happy. But that’s exactly the problem, because he’s too much of a good boy, I feel the need to return his sword to him. Conclusion is, I spend a bit too much on the gacha, but no regret.

Anyway, a bit update, I do want to translate Autumn 7th play but my assignment says “NOOOOO”. So yeah, if I can finish my assignment in time and no one else is doing it, I will be picking it up I guess. Scratch that, just received an email from my prof saying that I’ll have a test next week...

Summary:

Taichi’s getting Sakuya to help him with his swordplay, in return, Taichi has to help with a performance in Sakuya’s part time daycare.

Disclaimer:

A3! is owned by Liber’s Entertainment

Translator’s Note: I’m actually not very sure of the name of Kasumi’s three daughters. If anyone knows the correct reading, please tell me, thank you~

Mr. Swordsman and Play House

Taichi:

Ha! Hyaah!

Woah!? The sword flew away from my hand!

Sakuya:

Ah.

Taichi-kun, good work.

Here, your sword.

Taichi:

Sakkun! Thanks for bringing it back to me!

Sakuya:

Are you practicing for the upcoming performance?

Taichi:

Yep! I haven’t done a lot of scenes that include swordfight before, so I need to practice a lot.

Sakuya:

I see, Autumn Troupe has a lot of action scenes that don’t use sword.

Taichi:

Speaking of which, Sakkun also have swordplay experience because of your RomeJuli performance right…

Sakuya:

Yep, it’s true but… What about it?

Taichi:

Sakkun!

I have a request for you.

Sakuya:

A request?

Taichi:

As a Senpai in swordplay, I want you to teach me how to handle a sword!

Sakuya:

Eh!?

But, I’m not that good at it either you know?

Taichi:

That’s not the case at all!

I would be very happy if I can get a guidance from Sakkun who played Romeo, please…!

Sakuya:

If you say so… I’m not sure if I can teach well, but if you’re fine with me, I’ll keep you company with practice!

Taichi:

Alright! Thank you, Sakkun!

Pleased to work with you!

Sakuya:

Then, I’ll take the sword prop that I used previously.

Taichi:

Yep.

Alright, I’ll do some swinging until Sakkun comes back!

Ha! Hyaah!

<Short Time Skip>

Sakuya:

Sorry for the wait!

Taichi:

Uwaa, Sakkun~!

Sakuya:

Wha, what happened?

Taichi:

The sword went flying out of my hand sometimes~!

It’s like it just slipped out of my hand~.

Sakuya:

Hmm, maybe you should balance your power more.

When you’re swinging the sword, you might release the power on your grip unconsciously.

Why don’t we try to focus on the way you hold the sword?

It should look like this!

Taichi:

Oh! Let me try it too!

Sakuya:

Anyway, let’s try swinging it together!

<Short Time Skip>

Sakuya:

Good work. You might get injured if you do it for too long, so let’s stop here for the day!

Taichi:

Alright!

Thanks for accompanying me today, Sakkun.

Thanks to Sakkun, the sword’s not flying away from my hand anymore, really really thanks to you!

Sakuya:

Yeah, it’s not because of me though, it’s because of Taichi-kun’s effort.

I think your way of holding the sword has definitely become much better.

Taichi:

Hehe, I’m happy if Sakkun said so.

Ah, right! As thanks for helping me with practice, maybe I can help you with anything?

Sakuya:

Eh!? You don’t need to do anything!

Taichi:

It won’t feel right otherwise!

I was really helped by Sakkun’s teaching you know.

That’s why, I want you to tell me if you need help with anything!

Sakuya:

…Understood. Then, I’ll think of something!

<Shifts to Lounge>

Director:

Taichi-kun, is your practice going well?

Taichi:

Yes! I practice with the sword every day, I also got Sakkun to observe if he has free time.

Sakuya:

I’m home!

Taichi:

Ah, speak of the devil.

Welcome back, Sakkun!

Director:

Welcome back.

Sakuya:

Just nice.

Taichi-kun, there’s something that I need to request from you…

Taichi:

What what? I’ll listen to anything if it’s a request from Sakkun.

There’s also the thanks for the sword play!

Sakuya:

Actually, I was asked to do a short original play by the daycare director.

Won’t you do it together with me?

Director:

By daycare, you mean the place you’re part timing at?

Sakuya:

Yes. I had a part time job today, and the conversation just flow into how I was practicing sword play somehow.

And then, he said about how the children will be happy if I can do it in front of them…

Director:

I see. Even if it’s just in front of children, it might be a good idea to have the grip of performing sword play in front of people before the actual performance.

It might be good to showcase the result of Taichi-kun’s training too.

What do you think, Taichi-kun?

Taichi:

Of course, I’m okay with it!

Sakuya:

That’s great, thank you!

Taichi:

No problem!

Alright, let’s showcase the result of our training and make the children happy!

<End of Part 1>

Daycare Director:

Pleased to work with you.

Director:

Me too, pleased to work with you.

(I came to greet the daycare director, but…

I wonder how Taichi-kun and Sakuya-kun doing now.

This time, we got Tsuzuru to think of a short script for the performance too.

It’s a short story, the movement’s pretty simple too, I hope the children will be happy with it)

Taichi:

Everyone, sorry for the wait!

Sakuya:

This time, Sensei and Taichi onii-chan will be doing a performance, so everyone, please enjoy.

(TLN: Sakuya’s referring to himself as sensei.)

Child A:

Wah~ I’m looking forward to it!

Child B:

What kind of story is it!

Sakuya:

Then without further ado, let’s start~

<Short Time Skip>

Sakuya:

“Taichi! The monster’s going that way!”

Taichi:

“Like I’ll lose like this! Let’s go!

Hyaaah!”

Child A:

Good luck!

Child B:

Go go!

<Short Time Skip>

Sakuya:

Thank you so much!

Taichi:

Thanks!

Child A:

Mr. Swordsman’s so cool!

Child B:

Yep!

Swing swing and bang, it was so cool!

Taichi:

Hehe, I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

Director:

(The two of them did a very lively performance.

The children seem to be enjoying it too)

[

[

Choice 1: So how is it, doing swordplay in front of people?

Director:

Taichi-kun, so how is it, doing swordplay in front of other people?

Taichi:

At first, as I thought, I was a bit nervous.

But Sakkun was by my side, he kept giving me signals with his eyes and it’s so reassuring, I ended up getting too absorbed in it!

Thank you, Sakkun!

Sakuya:

Ehehe, I’m glad it was useful! Me too, I got Masumi-kun to accompany me for practice during the RomeJuli swordplay—

Even during the actual performance, he made it easy for me to follow and it’s really reassuring to have him on stage with me.

Taichi:

I see!

Director:

(Like this, the members are able to encourage each other’s development by supporting one another… What a  wonderful thing)

]

]

[

[ 

Choice 2: The result of your practice is showing!

Director:

The result of your practice is showing great!

Taichi:

Really!?

Director:

Yep, your stance is good and the impact’s there too.

Even I was pulled into it.

Taichi:

I did it! Hehe, I’m really happy!

I’m still going to do my best in practice, and I’m going to show you even a better performance than today!

Director-sensei, look forward to my cool swordplay!

]

]

Sakura:

Sakuya-sensei! Sakuya-sensei’s doing a performance today, so papa said that he wanted to come too!

Sakuya:

Eh, Kasumi-san?

Taichi:

(Kasumi-san…?)

Kaede:

But, he wasn’t able to get a break from his work so he was crying because he couldn’t go.

Tsubaki:

Yes~!

Sakuya:

Eh!? So Kasumi-san was going to take leave to see my performance.

Taichi:

Anyway, Sakkun.

By Kasumi-san, you mean the first-generation Spring Troupe’s…?

Sakuya:

Yeah, you’re right!

These children are Kasumi-san’s daughters!

Taichi:

Eh!? What a great coincidence!

Sakura:

Hey hey, Sakuya-sensei, Taichi onii-chan, let’s play house together!

Tsubaki:

Let’s do it, let’s do it!

Daycare Director:

I’m sorry, even though you just ended the performance…

Nanao-kun too, is it alright to get you to play with them too?

Director:

It’s alright.

Right, Taichi-kun.

Taichi:

Of course!

Sakuya:

Then, let’s play house with Sensei.

Girl A:

I want to join too!

Sakuya-sensei will be the Mr. swordsman that protects me, and Taichi-kun will be my husband!

Girl B:

Then, Taichi-kun will be the swordsman that protects me!

Girl C:

Then then, Sakuya-sensei will be my fiancé!

Taichi & Sakuya:

Eh!

Boy A:

I’ll be Taichi’s older brother!

Boy B:

I want to play as Sakuya-sensei’s little brother…

Boy C:

Then, I’m going to be Taichi onii-chan’s disciple!

Sakuya:

Ahaha, somehow this becomes a very grand play house.

Taichi:

Eh umm, the wife, the princess, older brother, and disciple…

Uh, the setting’s too complicated~!

But I guess you can’t let the children’s down right!

In the name of MANKAI company, I’m going to drill the setting to my head and play house with everyone!

Sakuya:

Yeah, let’s do our best!

Boy C:

Teach! What are we doing today?

Taichi:

Alright, first of all, let’s do some sword training today.

Girl A:

Kyaa! Mr. swordsman, help me!

Sakuya:

Princess, I’ll protect you!

Hyaah!

Girl B:

Taichi, I want to go to the neighboring town, come with me.

Taichi:

Of course. I will escort you properly.

Boy D:

I am the leader of the knights! There will be a tournament for all swordsman, of course, Sakuya and Taichi are joining too!

Sakuya:

I’ll do my best!

Girl A:

Dear, buy some potatoes on your way back today!

Don’t forget, okay!

Taichi:

Alright!

Eh umm, I need to practice sword, escort the princess to the neighboring town, prepare for the swordsman tournament, get some potatoes on the way…!?

Director:

(The two of you, good luck…!)

Daycare Director:

Nanao-kun seems to be good with children.

Director:

Taichi-kun has little brother and sister who are quite far apart in age.

Daycare Director:

Ah, no wonder, he seems to be very used to it.

<Short Time Skip>

Daycare Director:

Thank you so much for today.

The children are very happy too.

Director:

Same here, thank you so much.

Taichi:

I have so much fun here too!

Daycare Director:

If you got the chance, do come and play house with the children again.

Taichi:

Yes!

Eh, what!?

Not the performance, but that!?

<End of Part 2>

[queenangst]

I am TRYING to pick a scene from Secondhand for the commentary ask but there are just. All of it is my favorite. But I think maybe...the scene where Midoriya and Nana talk about going to fight villains, and the USJ attack?

me, rereading secondhand for this: wow i love this

i was going to start with just nana & izuku, but i’m so soft for nana & gran, so i included fighting villains like you asked with a little bit of that dynamic! so of course this is going to be a long one i hope no one minds, i couldn’t help myself.

let’s go

[Sorahiko] paused to look at Nana. "And you'll come, of course," he said, but it was half a question. From here, Midoriya couldn't see Sorahiko's face—almost pleading.

"I'll come, of course," Nana said softly to her friend. She turned back to smile at Midoriya. "Don't worry."

Nana and Sorahiko were partners, so this part is Sorahiko tentatively reaching out in this familiar-unfamiliar relationship. But of course Nana will go with them. The “don’t worry” is directed at both him and Izuku.

Midoriya finally started working again as they stepped through the door, and ran to catch up, bursting between the two of them. He apologized hastily, and then looked at both of them with wide eyes.

"Don't- worry?" He looked at Sorahiko, flippant, and Nana, who was used to this kind of thing. "Wait, wait, what do you mean, don't worry? We're going to, you're taking me to fight, villains?"

I thought the first line here was a little bit funny, like Izuku.exe had stopped working once he heard they were going to go seek out and fight villains. Obviously, as we see upcoming in this scene, Izuku has a very different definition of villains, so he sort of shut down for a second. 

He’s super incredulous, while Nana knows Sorahiko is just Like That. She’s not fazed at all, because they’ve known each other for years, and it’s certainly something he made Toshinori do.

His voice grew small on the word villains. He was scared.

Nana frowned at the look on his face.

"Have a little more courage than that," she said, patting him on the shoulder. He flinched, and she pulled back. "I mean— Sorahiko used to make Toshinori do it all the time, when they were training without me. And I used to take Toshinori on patrol with me when I could. It's good experience."

Here’s the part where Nana almost-disapproves a little bit. It’s okay to be scared as a hero, but because a large part of it is fighting villains, she doesn’t understand why Izuku has such a strong reaction. It actually concerns her, because right now it seems like he might not be brave enough. They don’t know each other very well, so I thought this was a reasonable reaction, especially with how important One for All is.

But Nana is also very attentive. 

"Villains?" Midoriya said again. It was like he'd gotten stuck on the word and was now circling it, tethered by a line. "Don't you think that's a little— I hardly have any control over— I mean..."

"That's why we're going with you," Nana said soothingly. "We'll make sure nothing goes disastrously wrong. Chin up."

On the other side, Nana knows a scared child when she sees one. She’s definitely a mom, and someone who cares, so after she tells him he shouldn’t be scared she also tries to reassure him that she and Sorahiko both will be there.

And a little peek of Izuku’s inner thoughts, as best as I can show them through Nana’s perspective. He’s freaking out a little.

"Villains," Midoriya mumbled. He wrung his hands together; he looked a little reassured by Nana's offer of safety, but not by much.

"Oh, get that look off your face," Sorahiko said, spinning around. "It won't be as bad as you think. You'll be fine—you might not be able to take me, but you can handle a crook or two. It's not like we're facing S-Rank villains."

Color returned to Midoriya's face. "Okay," he said quietly, and that was that.

Now, Sorahiko does know about USJ (of course), so after Nana only semi-succeeded at reassuring Izuku he finally gives up and just tells Izuku it’ll all be fine. No S-Ranks here. It’s the reassurance that he really needs. ‘Course, Sorahiko has to sound grumpy-old-man while doing it. 

She'd seen the way his brow had creased when Sorahiko had mentioned the villain classification ranks they all followed. Most villains, of course, tended to be on the lesser scale—petty crime using Quirks was much easier, but there was always going to be the villains lurking in the shadows. All for One, looming, the puppetmaster of a whole organization of crime that haunted the streets and back alleys of Japan. That crept its roots of corruption into every crack it could squeeze through.

She bit the inside of her cheek and closed off her expression.

A tiny bit of “worldbuilding” to slip in there, though this is more-so based off of what we already have in canon with the classification. Also, it makes sense to me that it would be common to have a lot of petty crime, such as the bag-snatcher or the thugs the League hired. People who don’t get to use their Quirks in the system and resort to crime, etc, etc, because the definition of villain is so loose. 

But then of course there are villains like All for One. Nana hates him. Deeply. So much that sometimes it frightens even her how angry she is, but she doesn’t want to show it in front of Izuku right now, so she closes herself off.

"I don't know about you," Sorahiko started, "well. I don't care what you do, but leave me alone."

He glanced at the time, then nodded to himself and disappeared. Nana laughed.

"I don't suppose you’re leaving me alone, too?" Midoriya asked, a little sullen, and Nana shook her head. She'd hardly done anything all morning.

Sorahiko just doesn’t care. He’s done with people younger than twenty for now. In case anyone was wondering, he went off to take a nap, leaving Izuku and Nana to their own devices. 

I just thought it would be a small light-hearted break in the somber tone of the conversation, before we go back to it.

"Would you," Midoriya began, then dropped his gaze. "Would you spar with me then?"

Nana shook her head.

"I shouldn't." She shrugged at his pleading look. "Sorahiko's right. You need a break before we go out tonight. You don't want to be in a real fight and be dead on your feet."

When Izuku asks, Nana doesn’t agree to spar with him. Here, it’s because she believes she’s not his teacher. His training should be Toshinori’s responsibility, and then Gran Torino because of the internship. Nana will help eventually, but to her, it’s not her main role in the relationship with Izuku. 

They walked to the kitchen together. "I still don't understand why we're going to go fight some villains," Midoriya said offhandedly. "I mean, getting experience, sure—all my other friends are doing some light patrols, I think, but seeking out a fight?"

"Sorahiko can't just train you for the rest of the, what is it, the week? You'll get too used to his fighting style, and you'll get stuck. It's better if you're out there experiencing things yourself."

"If you say so," Midoriya said. She didn't think she was meant to hear that.

A little more slight disagreement, though of course from misunderstanding. Izuku’s a little disrespectful at the end there (and even, a little hypocritical considering the way he gets himself into things) but his point stands - that he’s concerned about a pro hero sanctioning him to go seek out villains, rather than how other pro heroes might work by assigning interns to light patrol, learning about agencies, etc.

"Can I ask you something?" Nana leaned back against the counter and watched Midoriya fill a glass of water. He handed it to her, then took another one out, and she nodded in thanks.

"Uh-huh," Midoriya said, filling his own glass.

"Why did you react like that?" Nana asked. "When we were talking about villains earlier."

Midoriya's face darkened. He stared into his glass, like he was looking for an answer in the way the water distorted his vision.

"You don't have to say," Nana said. "I understand being scared of villains. Everyone's scared. But you seemed to have a..."

She didn't know how to describe it. But she'd seen that look before on a few faces—and she'd seen it on Shinroku's face, struck pale.

Like I said, Nana gets that villains are scary. Of course they are, but it is a hero’s job to face them. So she still doesn’t get why Izuku is acting like this, and why he’s so scared, to the point where it reminds her of her own mentor facing All for One. (Haha, fun reference, yeah? Successor facing successor and predecessor facing predecessor.) 

"I don't think you know much about Class 1-A, do you?" He peeked at her face. "I guess you wouldn't know. Er, well... earlier this year, when we- when we went to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, for training... the League of Villains attacked us. It was— bad."

"The League of Villains?"

The League didn’t exist, to Nana’s knowledge, and she’s basically been given the Cliff Notes on everything happening. So here’s the start of the explanation... she hasn’t had a chance to learn much about 1-A or USJ or the League.

"That's.. yes," Midoriya said, "and they weren't just a— I mean, it was planned. They targeted us specifically. And the Nomu... Shigaraki..."

"Shigaraki," Nana said. She couldn't say she'd heard the name before; actually it was entirely unfamiliar to her. "He's a villain?"

God, I’m terrible, truly. Haha. The mention of Shigaraki... just a little bit of dramatic irony here where we’re all like “he’s your grandson!!!! He’s your grandson!” and Nana does not recognize the name at all. And this sets up for later: the only identity Nana knows of Shigaraki is that he’s a villain.  

"The leader, I think," Midoriya said. He tugged his lip between his teeth. "He was directing the others. He gave orders. And he hurt— it was re- really bad."

What Izuku was going to say here was how badly Shigaraki and the Nomu hurt Aizawa, but he couldn’t get the words out. It was really bad. I mean, timeline wise, Aizawa only got his bandages off basically after the Sports Festival, so the memories are still very fresh.

He tipped his head back and drank from his water deeply so that he wouldn't have to keep talking. Nana paused. She hadn't expected that.

"You're a first-year student," she said. "You..."

And now Nana is absolutely horrified because he is a Baby, U.A. He’s a baby!

"They want to kill All Might," Midoriya said suddenly. He set down the glass, and it rang dully. Water sloshed against the side. He gripped the edge of the counter with both hands. "And they— it wasn't human, it was- it was- strong... I couldn't do anything!"

A chill ran down her spine as more and more of the story unraveled. A creature, barely human if at all, that Midoriya referred to as a Nomu. A creature that had been built to kill All Might.

And she’s even more horrified because that’s Her Baby. It does not matter that Toshinori is like, four decades older or so, because he’s still her boy and they were trying to kill him. Specifically. 

Good day slowly turning to bad day.

"He beat it," Midoriya told her, but he seemed less happy about it than she would have assumed. "But... it was a real threat. It withstood him at a hundred percent of One for All.

“And that- that leader, Shigaraki, he would have killed… ”

Nana set down her empty glass. She lifted a hand, then remembered the way he had flinched when she had put it to his shoulder earlier and dropped it again.

Shigaraki would have killed Aizawa, and Tsuyu, and probably him and his classmates, and All Might. 

Here, Nana assumes Izuku would be happier because of the victory, but Izuku really isn’t. All Might won but the Nomu was a real threat to him, and his time limit was already so dangerously low. Izuku remembers All Might pushing himself past his limit. 

And back to earlier, Nana notices Izuku’s reaction. She wants to comfort him, but she thinks he might flinch away if she does.

“I’m sorry,” she said, though it didn’t quite feel like enough. “You shouldn’t have had to go through that.”

He was a kid. Strong, yes. Smart, yes. But in the end, Midoriya was at most fourteen or fifteen—no one his age should have encountered and seen what he had just earlier this year. He was already carrying enough of a burden, she thought, the legacy of the number one hero and the heroes before him.

Not much to say about this part besides it reads as it is on the tin, you know?

Midoriya shrugged uncomfortably. “Anyway, that’s all.”

That's all, like it was fiction, just a tale recounted. Nana didn't feel it. Horror was coursing through her veins. She couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for him.

It was true Nana had lived a rough life, but she had never faced anything like that so young and almost alone.

Nana adopts a child again. I think USJ was a really sad event, too, of course it shouldn’t have happened. And it was a bunch of kids who wanted to be heroes suddenly thrust into an extremely dangerous and traumatizing situation, their teachers were dying, and they were split up and scared and very much in danger. 

I tried to express that too, how horrifying it is as someone who is older than Izuku, to try and treat such an event so casually as a way of dealing with it. Like it’s over, it’s done. But it’s really not.

She certainly has a hard time in life, but Nana sympathizes a lot because she’s never lived something like USJ. No one should have to.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"It's over," Midoriya said. "Everyone lived, and recovered. So I'm grateful."

"It's good to be grateful," Nana murmured, bowing her head. Not everyone lived. Not everyone recovered.

And cut, here at least. Izuku doesn’t really want to talk about it too much more. He’s ready to move on from USJ, and get stronger... for himself, his classmates, and especially for All Might. And he really is grateful everyone came out alive though not unscathed. 

Not everyone lived, not everyone recovered. Tadao didn’t live, and Nana hasn’t recovered. 

send me your favorite scene/chapter from one of my works + i’ll write commentary on it!

[wevegottogetaway]

Whirlwind Part III - Sirocco

DAY 3

As Aella sits in the campus refectory, her mind is still reeling from her fight with Harry the day before. She fins herself pushing peas around her plate as though the therapeutic movement could help her instill some order among her thoughts. Or just quiet them altogether. Someone like you. The cringeworthy words have been playing on an unfaltering loop since their author lashed them out to her face without a care. Someone like you. She desperately wants to tune it out, but it's like the record is trapped under the broken turntable needle and launched in endless revolution. Someone like y-

A pea is about to fall over her plate from the pushing, when she's greeted by a rowdy Dazzler and a quiet Tigger. The two form quite the complementary duo she notes, their polar dispositions counterbalancing each other in the most endearing way.

"Hiya, dear Aella. I believe it's story time for you!" Daz exclaims after jumping on the seat across from her, a large smile lighting up his face. Aella wonders for a second if it's not stapled to his skin instead; she's never seen Dazzler sport any other expression than pure elation. His singular request stops her musings in confusion, however.

"Story time?" She inquires with a perplexed frown.

"Love, you have no idea how badly my ears want to be graced with the very details of how you whipped Rex's sodding arse." His enthusiasm for such a mundane thing truly amazes her. And admittedly, she quite envies him and his talent for finding happiness in the smallest things.

"Ah yes, the highlight of my week," is all she acknowledges.

"Mine too, had I been there to witness it. That's why I need the next best thing: an exhaustive report of the whole scene." Dazzler explains, tailgating his answer with a suggestive double-nudge of his eyebrows.

"Well, it's nothing much really." She says looking down at her plate. But once she brings her eyes back to her two companions, she realizes they won't waver until she parts with the story. "Let's just say my uncle taught me a thing or two about pressure points, and that knowledge came in handy a couple nights ago." Aella refrains from giving out the full transcript of what really transpired despite Dazzler's request. She doesn't like bragging about such things. Even if Rex's mortified expression did bring her considerable satisfaction, she still hates the fact that she had to get physical with her peer for her to be respected. Besides, she has an inkling Dazzler's imagination is perfectly operational to fill in the blanks.

"Fuckin' hell, I'm gonna dream about this tonight!" True to his words, there's a childlike wondrous gleam in Dazzler's eyes, making his aversion for Rex almost tangible. And Aella can't help but rejoice in knowing she's not alone in her rancor against the jackass. "So you got him good?"

"Sent him to his knees." Her voice is still leveled, though her own delight at the memory is betrayed at the corner of her lips.

"Oh Aella, you are my new favorite person!" Dazzler's jubilation earns him a smile but the sentiment is quickly washed off her face and replaced by a heavy sigh.

"Yeah well, I wish your mate Harry shared the feeling." Aella says dejectedly, the peas once again holding more interest to her battered brain.

"Ah...so it's not all rainbows and unicorns between you two then?"

The question makes her scoff in exasperation."Try like...tornados and trolls. I mean, does the guy even know how to smile?" Aella doesn't want to get worked up about it, but the fact that she has likely 5 more weeks to spend as Harry's partner is quite a hard pill to swallow if he proves to be the prick she thinks he is.

"Hey now come on, he's been trough a lot recently. He's actually a pretty sound guy." The remark sobers Aella's anger for a moment as she remembers the very reason behind her presence at Top Gun. She knows how loss can shatter parts of the soul that makes us who we are, leaving only but time to glue back the pieces. To some extent she understands the void that Harry must be aching to fill, but her compassion for his pain is short lived. Grieve doesn't give anyone the right to act like a senseless prick. Aella can deal with his sullen attitude but in no way she'll ever put up with blatant disrespect for her mere identity.

"Well, sorry if I don't take your word for it, but all I've seen from him is the same cold and sexist shit I've dealt with since I enlisted." She says, moving on from absentmindedly poking the peas to forcefully stabbing them into a green mess.

"Hang on, Harry may have a stick up his arse from time to time, but sexist? That doesn't sound like him." Dazzler is quick to defend his friend. Of course, she interiorly sighs though she has to admit his disbelief over Harry's allegedly misogynistic behavior seems rather earnest.

"Well, you didn't hear him yesterday. Or seen the look in his eyes."

"Aella, I really thi-"

"Just forget it, okay. I'm use to it and I'll deal with it like I always have." While Dazzler seems to be adamant about his friend's righteousness, Aella doesn't want to here much of it. She just wants to move on, like she'd planned all along. The two men across from her exchange a quick look at her rebuttal and it hits them then, how different it is for Aella to be a navy pilot compared to their own journey. "Besides, I didn't come here to complain. I came to be a better pilot" she asserts in response to their sympathetic glance. It resembled pity too much for her to lay in it.

"Right." Is all Dazzler can muster as opposed to his partner who finally decides to speak up.

"I'm sorry you have to go through that Aella." In truth, she's never really cared for those apologies much since they most never come from the people who actually have apologizing to do. Nonetheless she can't deny how heartwarming it is to hear the sweetness and sincerity of both young men sharing their lunch with her. They can't do much about her situation but at least she now feels supported.

"Thank you Tigger." She replies in genuine gratitude, her smile shyly returning. "At least I have you both on my side."

"You've got Harry too, Aella. You don't know it yet, and he may not either, but he's on your side too." His gaze is heavy on her, the statement coming out in a solemn tone as if it was murmured by a prophesier.

"Don't hold your breath Daz."

DAY 6

"Ready?"

Although she knows they were bound to communicate at some point, Aella is startled when the sound of Harry's filtered voice echoes through her headset. After checking that her straps are tightly locked, she mutters a faint 'yeah' in response and wills her brain to stop overthinking the upcoming mission. It is to no avail though. The oxygen inflating her lungs is saturated with awkwardness and reticence, making her second-guess every choice she's made in the past few months. They can still make it, right? This tension didn't stop them from succeeding the last time after all... Alas, her mind won't let be duped by her feeble encouragements and for the first time in her life, Aella is dreading flying. She doesn't have the time to dwell on it however, as the roar of the F-14's afterburners fills the cockpit and before she knows it, the sky is welcoming them back.

"Alright, let's kick the tires and light the fires." Harry murmurs as the runway keeps dwindling away from their vision, and Aella remembers him whispering the same line before their first venture. She makes no comment though, many pilots come up with little habits and small routines of their own to help them reach the headspace suited for flying. Some disregard it as superstitious gibberish, but in Aella's opinion it can save precious seconds in dire moments. And in the Navy worlds, every second counts.

As Commander Berks laid it out moments ago, this assignment slightly differs from the last one. The level of difficulty is tuned up a bit by the accrued competition: this time all 8 units are flying simultaneously as they battle for a single target towed by Berks himself. The task in meant to improve both aim and awareness as they are still being chased by the other instructors throughout the task. All in all though, it is the same 'target without getting targeted' acrobatics they are all familiar with.

"I've got my eyes on the target, can you read the positions please?" Harry suddenly inquires. The mission has run smoothly so far with few interactions between the two. It seems that's about to change however, as they get in the thick of it.

"Target at reach in 3 miles abeam, 5° on your left, lower, flying South." Aella starts reading her radar at her copilot's request. "Bogey one mile ahead at your ten. I think it's Rex, tailing target at 900 knots closure."

"Shit." Harry curses. Though Aella remains quiet, none of them are thrilled to realize Rex and his radar intercept officer Kurt (or the Zodiac as per his callsign) are ahead of the game.

"You've also got contact 2 miles behind, flying your speed." Aella adds in a poised manner. "Hold on, there's two of them."

"Are they closing in on us?"

"No. Looks like someone's got Rogers on their ass."

Harry briefly smiles. "Good." Whoever might that be, it means one less competitor trying for the target and one less instructor on their case for the time being. That's a win-win in his book.

"Careful though. He might turn on us next." She warns in anticipation.

"Not if I win this mission first." Harry retorts in confidence. His partner wishes she had the same optimism but there is an odd feeling festering in the pit of her stomach.

For a hot minute, there is but the consistent whirring of the engine disturbing the otherwise eery silence permeating the air. Harry seems to be slowly yet surely catching up on Rex and more importantly Berks, when the latter suddenly swerves upwards in unexpected fashion.

"Berks' barrel-rolling." Aella immediately calls the change in movement, the peaceful flow they were reveling in, already coming to an end. "New angle, 2 o'clock high." Harry slightly reduces his speed as Berks executes a vertical U-turn, effectively putting him out of Rex's range and at a higher altitude.

"I see that. I need to get ahead of Rex, can you call the speeds please?" He's trying to determine his best course of action in order to recover his advance on Berks before his opponent does.

"Target going 700 knots, Rex 630 and we're flying 650." Aella answers quickly although she has a plan forming in her brain as always. She's not as forceful as she was during their first operation, already apprehensive of her partner's reaction. "Listen Harry, if you do a J-turn you'll overshoot past Rex right on Berks' tail."

Admittedly her plan is once again on the daring side of the spectrum, so part of her knows Harry won't gleefully jump on board at the mere suggestion. And sure enough he proves her right as soon as the last word is out of her lips.

"Do a Herbst maneuver?! Are you batshit crazy?! That's not even in the program."

She refrains from rolling eyes since they ought to be scanning the data on her flight system at all times. "Fuck the program, you don't end up at Top Gun playing by the book. We can win this mission now, just trust me." She almost cringes at the last words, knowing they were uttered more for the form than their meaning. God knows they are lightyears from trusting each other.

"Jesus, this isn't free-style flying Aella for fuck's sake, this is air-combat." Harry doesn't care that he's letting all his frustration out. Knows he shouldn't be having 'land-talk' whilst they're up in the air on a mission (there will be plenty of time to tell her off once they've landed) but his mind is completely overladen.

"That's right, and you're fighting like a 6 year-old girl. Stop pulling hair and grow up!" Whoever said 'don't fight fire with fire' was obviously never launched at supersonic speed in 25 tons of steel with a person they despise a great deal. Reason seems to have been forgotten on the tarmac by both acolytes as they keep arguing ten-thousand feet above grounds.

"You're delusional, have you even ever done one?!"

"I'll guide you through it, trust m-"

"No! No fucking way, it's too dangerous." His tone is adamant, once again leaving Aella no room for discussion. She hates that he has the final word when it comes to flying, but alas he's the one in control of the aircraft.

"Urgh!" She cries out in irritation before mumbling under her breath "fucking coward."

Harry tries to ignore the silent dig taken at his expense as he focuses back on the problem at hand. His jaw is clenching so hard underneath the helmet, he can almost hear the sound of his teeth grinding. He is in the middle of regulating his breathing when Aella speaks up again bringing his heartbeat back into tizzy.

"Great, now we got Rogers on our case. Congrats."

"Fuck." He doesn't even register her passive-aggressive jab, more so preoccupied with the new threat charging after them.

She'd been right. She knew Rogers would be coming for them next if they didn't change tactics. Now all she can do is calling positions and silently cursing the stars for putting her on Harry's path. "800 knots closure, he's coming at your six."

"I'm well aware Aella, thanks." His voice overpowering the loud beeping noise echoing through the cockpit. They're about to be figuratively shot but not so figuratively eliminated from the competition, as Rogers is one second away from locking in on them and firing.

"He's not budging, you need to bug the fuck out." She discloses her input even though she feels like no matter what she suggests, he's gonna opt the other way.

"Like hell! The target's not bugging out." Harry quips back, once again confirming her assumption.

"You won't get the goddamn target if you're down." In a different world - and let's face it, in a different life - she might applaud his resilience, but in this universe she loathes his stubbornness, especially since she's the one enduring its wrath.

"Fucking hell, just call the bloody positions. I can't let Rex win this mission." Or any other for that matter, is what he thinks. A sentiment that, any other day, Aella would reciprocate but she's given up for the day. If he doesn't want her opinion, fine. Let him get shot, that'll teach him.

"I told you, he's in the fucking saddle, at your six. Closing on 800 knots. 850. 900."

She knows it before she hear it then: another ear-splitting beeping erupts within the cabin, dramatically informing Harry of their defeat. Rogers took the shot, it was over.

"Dammit!"

As soon as Aella steps back on solid grounds, she's overcome with a lingering sense of déjà-vu. The horizon incessantly spiraling in her vision surely doesn't help quell the dreadful sensation, though she doesn't dwell much on her lack of visual focus. No, her mind is completely consumed by the urge to rip Harry a new one. And she doesn't usually indulge in those urges. Seldom lets her resentment out in the open, for fear of appearing too "emotional" for some people's taste; and because quite frankly, she has better things to do. But this is killing her from the inside. Cutting right into the flesh of her dreams and strangling the part of herself that only bows to freedom. This is the other half of her unit dismissing her talent on the basis of her gender. And that she can't take in, much less bottle up and store away in a sealed chest at the bottom of her mind.

"For fuck sake Harry, you're supposed to be my partner!" Aella cries out to him.

He doesn't want to make a scene any more than she does, but likewise has tremendous difficulty keeping his rage all in. As Aella chases after him, he keeps stomping away from their shared TomCat. He doesn't think he's capable of facing her without loosing his shit. "That's a two way street Aella, and I don't reckon flying us both to the grave is part of 'the partner's' job description." The air quotes he uses at the mention of the word partner does nothing to assuage Aella's already blazing fury. She thinks he couldn't be more obnoxious in that moment if he tried.

"That's because you don't listen to me!"

"Damn right I don't!" He shouts back while spinning around to finally face her. "And you can thank me for still being alive because of it." Aella feels like she might implode like a pressure cooker forgotten on the fire. The audacity...the insolence... Each word he breathes out is wracking one by one every single nerve ending of hers. He's so full of himself, she wonders how she could fit in the cockpit without his human-size ego crushing her. She might have joked about having to find a 3-seats Tomcat for their next mission to fit them all, if the situation weren't so seriously heart-rending for her.

"You. Are. Such an asshole! Why am I even here? Huh! Why am I even sitting in that fucking aircraft with you?" She's about a wit away from yielding to the pressure boiling in her chest; still Harry is relentless in his comebacks too.

"Funny, I was wondering the same thing." He knows he's being harsh but his mind won't give in. Won't let him cut out a fragment of trust to share with her rule-breaking mentality. Not after what happened with Fox.

"You're despicable. I can't believe I actually hoped you'd be a decent guy. But god no! Mr Styles is too precious to be paired with a woman, so why should he give her the time of day? And why did he have to be partnered with a lady in the first place, yeah? All they can do is sit pretty or unleash their crazy, imma right?" She realizes how close she's gotten to him during her diatribe and has half the mind to push at his chest but somehow she doubts it would make him budge much. Once again she finds herself inches away from his stiff stature, as she fervently tells him off. "Dammit, you're just like the others, it makes me sick."

That's the final stroke for Harry. She can deem him as stuck-up as she pleases but he won't have her repeatedly question his integrity. "I don't fucking care that you're a woman, alright! Christ, you care about it more than I do!" Admittedly, he's had a couple sneak-peaks at her mistreatment and while he sure does feel for her struggle, sometimes she's too in her head about it to see good from bad. And he's tired of being at the wrong end of it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She questions half-offended and half confused, as she can't fathom any sense to the statement.

"It means, I know some guys don't treat you right because you're a woman; but I never did, and I'm sick of you accusing me of it anyway." His eyes are sharp when they connect with hers, compelling and brutally honest, yet they send a chill down to her toes. "But you know what? The world is unfair. Tough love, darling. You have to prove yourself more than us but think for a minute who's against you and who's on your side, because it seems to me that you waste a lot of energy fighting the wrong persons." He's the one who delivered the words, yet Aella is the one out of breath. For a hard second, all she does is frown as a dizzying silence takes over the heated exchange. Their staring hasn't relented, in fact Harry's eyes are agitatedly seeking question-less answers in hers in a mirrored frown.

When Aella finally speaks up, her voice is hardly louder than a whisper and that's how she knows she has Harry's full attention. "You don't know the first thing about being a woman." She notices him gulping as if preparing for the sobering speech he knows is coming, so she indulges. "You don't know what it is to live in a men's world and not be man. You don't know how it feels to be stationed at the same base for months and still be treated like a stranger. You don't know how it feels to work twice as hard if not more, to get one iota of the same recognition men do. You don't know what it is to be picked last by your superior for any given promotion even though you know you've got the best stats of the whole squadron." Though she's kept a reasonable volume, she pauses to regain her countenance over the ever-growing pain in her voice. "And you sure as hell don't know what it is to be your only ally."

Her harpooned gaze never unhooked from its two emerald preys, and for once Aella feels like he's listening. So on she goes. "Today, up there, I had more balls than you did. Tough love, you said? Well same goes for you, Harry. Because no matter what, you're stuck with me. I'm your copilot and you may hate it but you can't do anything about it. So, please do yourself a favor and grow a pair when you need to, because I sure can't "prove myself" if I'm flying with a coward."

Aella is quite satisfied with her tirade, almost certain she's had the last word once again but one look at Harry's face is enough to make her doubt that. Though he's been towering over her smaller frame for a bit, he looks downright threatening now with flaring nostrils and figurative smoke steaming out of his ears.

"You don't know what you're talking about either. You fly as recklessly as your arrogance will let you. That's dangerous, thoughtless and most of all, selfish." She's starting to recoil, having taken one step backward, but Harry barely registers her uneasiness. She's the one gulping the wounding words now. "I should be ashamed of flying with you and your crazy decisions." Ouch "Oh and one more thing. Don't you dare call me a coward ever again, understood?"

She doesn't give him the satisfaction of a nod but his spiteful prose successfully rendered her speechless. And Aella is not one to relinquish her self-assurance or fold under any man's intimidating number. But somehow this feels different. Harry is not a halfwit who can't handle women's ascent into the Navy world. No, Harry just plainly hates her guts, regardless of her sex. And that hurts more than she'd ever expect to. So much so, she can't bear to look at his chiseled features anymore and recoils a step further away from his hurtful disposition.

It's only then, Harry finally picks up on her shrinking form and bruised spirit. He didn't want to go this far. Didn't intend on carving her confidence right out of her chest, but now that he sees the anguish embedded in her delicate traits, he fears he might get sick on the spot. He's had the most strenuous past few months, staggering from loss and numbness to longing and grief, but this had to top all pains: he didn't know who he was anymore. When had he turned into such a inconsiderate prick? Self-loathing took over his sense, the feeling unwelcome yet familiar, and all Harry could do was turn around and run away from the crime scene.

And run away from Aella.

[parvuls]

19/54 :)

19 - summer camp / 54 - secret relationship

now. the first thing that came to mind is camp sweetgum. so i’m gonna leave this here in case it strikes your fancy and also because it’s great.

but i’m a sucker for extensive worldbuilding, so let’s settle in for the long haul, kay? this is 1.7k of plot outlining. you can see why it takes me four months to write fics.

eric bittle. age 15. moved to madison for high school, quit figure skating, joined a no contact hockey team. coach is happier but not happy, so he suggests an idea: hockey summer camp. yes contact. it’s in minnesota (coach’s not thrilled about the yankees, but there are no hockey camps anywhere south; he checked), and it’ll give junior an opportunity to meet some kids with similar interests. athletic interests, that is. and there’s still a lake and extracurricular activities, “so it’s just like the camp up by lake oconee, y’know? where the kids braid friendship bracelets and whatnot. except with sports.”

eric is... less enthused. but it’s not actually a suggestion so much as a decision and coach just moved across the state for him because he managed to get himself stuck in a closet overnight (eric’s mindset, at this age, is perhaps not the most healthy), so he says yes.

jack zimmermann. age 20. assistant coached a peewee team for the year and is not ready to spend a third summer in his parents’ house in montréal when all his former teammates from the q are returning home during off-season. his boss tells him about this summer camp in minnesota that’s looking for experienced counselors -- “it’s not a prospect camp, mostly for fun, so the boys there aren’t headed for the league. you should go. talk to some kids above the age of ten.”

jack’s pretty okay with never talking to anyone over ten again, but he’s got no other options and bob starts mentioning going to bonding fishing trips just the two of them, so he send an application.

um. he’s jack zimmermann. he was supposed to go first in the draft. the guy in charge of hiring for the summer probably rubbed his eyes in shock when he saw the email and headed straight to bed because he thought he was delusional from lack of sleep. jack gets the job.

so, like. listen. samwell men’s hockey team? they’re not your usual hockey playing dude bros. eric gets to camp that july and he’s still all long dancer’s muscles from regionals and even lighter weight from usual because he was on a strict diet and he’s got a southern accent and narrow shoulders and he doesn’t like when you slap him on the back. he’s not a hit with the local boys. but you know who does like him immediately? adam birkholtz, who’s off the ushl for the summer and wanted to play some fun hockey and get paid doing it. is it legal? who fucking cares, man.

does eric like adam? uhh. adam is 6′4 and touchy feely and eric’s got undiagnosed ptsd, so. no. but it works out after a while, because adam is relentless and also cannot stand most of the other counselors, and this tiny kid is great.

you can see how it goes: jack does not. get. bittle. it should be mentioned that jack also does not get adam, and adam does not especially like jack, so they stay out of each other’s way, but bittle is in jack’s morning slot. he skates like he was born doing it but every time one of the other players so much as looks in his direction he freezes like a deer. now, this isn’t the ncaa, jack’s got nothing to lose if this kid sucks in hockey, but he also doesn’t make friends and he’s got nothing to do with his day except read (he reads. a lot). and he likes challenges. so he starts paying attention.

the first time he asks eric to stay after morning slot’s over, eric looks so terrified jack’s usual awkward conversation skills reduce him to single-word grunting. but he gets the point across: they’re gonna practice yes-contact. for reasons. eric’s all like, “oh -- oh, no, it’s okay! i’m in a no contact co-ed team, it’s fine, this is a summer thing, really, sir, no need --” and jack’s like, did this kid just call me sir, i am twenty, but is also too awkward to take it back. he’s invested now. they’re gonna practice.

and practice they do. it goes badly before it even remotely starts getting better. eric looks like he’s gonna start crying every time and jack does. not. get him (!!!) but eventually adam finds out and talks to eric about it and encourages him (very, very gently, god, this kid is the shit but he’s definitely got some issues 19-years-old-adam is not equipped to handle) to give it a shot.

and then it does get better. jack likes having a purpose, guiding someone through an improvement process (jack’s therapist, wisely, does not tell him that this is the best thing he could’ve done for himself, because jack is... not there yet). eric (very, very slowly, god, he also should start seeing a therapist) stops fearing every jock who gets near him with the combined effort of adam’s incessant friendly advances and jack’s daily practices, and can even take some checks. gentle ones. but it’s something.

and then summer’s over. eric and adam trade numbers. eric and jack… do not, but jack probably says something like, “eat more protein, bittle,” and eric’s not even that offended, so it’s fine.

guess what? he goes back the next summer. coach is over the moon (he expresses this in a twist of the mustache and a firm shoulder clap). adam is also back, talks a lot about quitting the ushl after his next season and maybe going to college somewhere. jack is back because… uh, well, no one’s really sure why jack is back. he’s going to samwell in early august, right after camp ends. jack tells himself he’s easing himself back into hockey in a low-pressure environment and totally isn’t looking forward to seeing what a year has done to eric bittle.

which is, physically speaking, not a lot, honestly. eric’s firmer now, a lot more thigh and bicep muscles, but still narrow. it’s not collegiate hockey, it’s a high school team, alright? gosh. but he’s less jumpy and smiles at jack when their eyes meet and he’s babbling with adam a lot more than he did last year (they texted all year long, and it was nice having a friend, even if it was long distance), so it’s cool. jack makes him do morning practices again and he flinches less and less. they’re like. friends. maybe. jack hasn’t had any friends in three years and the last one was parse, so he’s a little rusty. it’s not a very traditional friendship.

they part ways again in august, and eric wishes jack good luck in school. jack sticks his hands in his pockets to avoid fiddling with his hat and has no idea how one says goodbye, and like, he’s not gonna keep in touch with this sixteen year old kid in his freshman year of college, okay? so. so. but he’s gonna like -- uh -- miss him. maybe. sorta. don’t tell anyone.

eric hugs him goodbye. jack doesn’t even take both hands out of his pockets to hug back, he’s so shocked.

the year after that, none of them come back. jack’s in college, he just got the c. adam’s getting ready for his freshman year. eric’s over the age limit for camp. it just doesn’t happen.

but the year after that, he gets a hockey scholarship for samwell. and it’s yes contact. and he hasn’t been checked in two years, and last time it was in a controlled environment near a minnesota lake, and he’s scared. and the guy from camp (the one who woke up that morning two years before and realized jack zimmermann indeed wanted to work at their camp) offers him a summer job, counseling skating lessons. and he says yes. for money, and to be ready for a season of real hockey.

also that year, jack’s had a bad season. parse won the cup, and smh didn’t even make it to the frozen four, and he feels shitty about everything. and coaching always made him feel better. so he goes back to camp, for one summer.

let’s set the scene: eric. age 18. taller, stronger, determined. in need of a haircut, but in possession of very short shorts. is headed to a liberal school and finally knows he’s gay and refuses to care about what the other boys think (camp has done wonders for his early mindset development; canon bitty, probably, was not as confident at this point). he’s a counselor now, fellas!

jack. age 23. not taller, yes stronger, has been friends with shitty knight for a year and knows a little more about human interaction (truly a little, but still). is looking to relax for the summer before kicking ass next season (and attracting scouts and joining the nhl and winning three cups before 30 and proving everyone wrong, but. first, relaxing and playing some hockey. jack zimmermann’s version of relaxing is different than other people’s).

they’re sharing a cabin in the counselors area. there are two beds, obviously, this is not that trope, and it’s not even bunk beds, but: they were cabinmates. oh my god, they were cabinmates.

the plot, obviously, follows as one would expect. eric is definitely not a kid anymore, is all tanned skin and strong calves and short shorts, and jack is only human. jack is all firm chest and pale eyes and hideous yellow shoes, and eric is disgusted, but is also only human. and jack is on summer break, and eric is not out yet, and so when they drink some beers one night and make bad attempts at actually braiding some friendship bracelets and jack’s tongue pokes out in concentration and eric bursts out laughing, jack has to kiss him. right? right. It’s not like eric would tell anyone. see closeted reasoning above.

what’s the catch? oh, no, they don’t get caught. they share a cabin! everything’s going swell. it’s just -- jack came there to avoid thinking about his bad season. eric came there to avoid thinking about his upcoming year of collegiate hockey. so… neither of them mentions… captaining the samwell hockey team. or. heading for the samwell hockey team. they talk about literally everything else (country music; undeveloped political opinions; daddy issues; the tv show arthur; american vs. canadian thanksgiving; one very late night conversation about homophobia in pro sports), but not about college. so neither of them knows.

oops?