#also speaking of iris she’s doing awesome from what i hear

[teabookgremlin]

i want a puppy so much

[bigfan-fanfic]

Now Let’s Have a Talk About Journalistic Integrity (Headcanons)

Requested by anonymous for  Crossover reporter headcanons: Clark and Lois mentoring Mary Jane Watson, Cat Grant poaching Peter Parker from JJJ.  SAVE THE SPIDER BABY!  

Now, just take into consideration that this is not the Michelle Jones MJ portrayed by Zendaya in the MCU but more of my idea of Mary Jane Watson as shown throughout multiple media. Also Peter Parker is much the same as his MCU portrayal, except without his whole 

Okay, here’s some things to know about Lois Lane.

She’s actually older than Clark by about three years.

She’s also one of those people who generally sees anyone younger than her as “smol baby” which is part of the reason she’s often so dismissive of Clark when they first meet.

“Miss Lane, we should really think about not going into there-”

“Can it, Smallville. I’m older than you.”

Not to mention Clark pretty much doesn’t seem to ever get any older (and she swears one day she will find what kind of moisturizer he uses and steal it because that stuff has gotta be from the fountain of youth or something.

She’s also very much annoyed with Perry for planning to stick the newest intern with her and Smallville instead of Stupid Kenneth down in Entertainment or Joyce in Sports.

The girl is cute and she seems pretty eager (although Lois isn’t really into the perky nickname MJ she gives herself. Is this girl even old enough to know who Michael Jackson was? Besides, Lois is the one who gives the nicknames around here) but Lois is ready to set aside her personal issues and help uplift another young woman trying to drill her way through the patriarchy in journalism, so she makes sure she’s the best dang mentor she can be.

MJ is eager to prove herself and often reminds Lois of herself, but really she reminds her of Clark a lot more. While Lois has a dedication and commitment to the truth, no matter whom it’ll hurt, MJ and Clark always seem to focus on the people behind a story. It’s something Lois admires in them, but struggles with herself.

Lois’ upbringing under General Sam Lane and her sister Lucy was not a happy one, and she has frequently come into conflict due to her commitment to honesty and the truth, even when exposing the military and government in falsehoods. She doesn’t talk to her family, she hasn’t seen her sister in years. 

MJ is bright, and smart, and she’s good at both writing and listening. Lois knows she’s going to go far, but she has Smallville to help bolster her spirit. Lois knows what these idealistic people need. Someone like her to warn them about how harsh the world can be, who can help them weather the darkness with their light intact. 

Meanwhile Clark becomes fast friends with MJ. She actually quickly discovers his secret due to witnessing his quick change in a phone booth while getting Lois coffee.

Clark learns that MJ doesn’t have any family in Metropolis, and that her family didn’t approve of her leaving New York and thus don’t speak to her, and he invites her to the Kent farm for holidays. Basically she becomes a little sister to Clark 

Lois tries to stop herself from being jealous when MJ scores a big interview with Superman that skyrockets her career at the Planet. Because honestly it’s a little irksome when you expect to hear a familiar smooth-voiced “Miss Lane?” and receive an “Ah, Miss Watson?” instead.

Still, Lois and MJ and Clark become a fine journalistic team, with MJ often volunteering to take Clark’s place when he needs to be Superman at a function.

Also, MJ flies nicely under the radar since people tend to like the media narrative of the subtle flirtation between Lois and Superman, so MJ can “safely” go interview Lex Luthor without being kidnapped. MJ also ends up working for the League to get information.

Meanwhile, we have Peter Parker working to make a quick buck at the Daily Bugle. He’s a good photographer, particularly of posed Spider-Man shots, so JJJ knows he has talent, but he also knows he’s not gonna pay a snot-nosed young adult full price for anything.

So Peter is doing professional-level work for peanuts... until CatCo Worldwide Media gets wind of his talents.

It starts with Cat Grant taking a visit to New York to make the rounds and meet the local talent and such, and she sees a Bugle front page spread of Spidey.

And Cat Grant prides herself on being able to spot talent a mile away, so of course she decides to pay J. Jonah Jameson a visit. Needless to say, he does not make a good impression on her.

She offers Peter triple whatever Jameson pays him to work for CatCo Worldwide Media (later this tripled salary triples again after she learns that Peter really was paid some horribly low fees.

People are interested in superheroes, she knows, but Peter needs to prove he’s got what it takes, so she has him come out to National City to get her a fabulous shot of Supergirl.

Of course, the world being what it is, Peter can’t help but break out his suit to assist Supergirl against a villain, and to thank him, Kara makes sure he gets a really good photo.

Peter practically yelps when Cat introduces him to her assistant, “I want to say... Kiera?” and Kara has to shush him.

But basically, Supergirl and Spiderman team up on occasion, because who should be the one to get sent to check on Peter’s progress but Kara?

Also also probably Peter almost definitely but maybe but like totally has a crush on Lena because she’s awesome and one of his science heroes but also he totally crushes on Cisco when they have one of their interdimensional thingies and they get to meet. Also Cisco being like “whoa, Spider-Man’s real here!”

Also, though, for real, Peter meeting Iris and Barry and just having super crushes on both of them.

[theredmaynefiles]

Fan Interview: A  Conversation With Eddie Redmayne

It’s been a difficult year for everyone. On top of everything else, I was diagnosed with MS early this summer – so, yeah, it’s been a year of struggles, in many ways. So what better way to cheer up than starting off a morning by talking to Eddie Redmayne & hearing that lovely British accent? For myself & four other fan bloggers, that was just how last Wednesday went, as it was time for another fan interview session! This was my third time speaking to him & each time I’ve been struck by how much more relaxed he is with us as compared to other interviews he’s done. It truly is just a chat between friends. He remembers our names & asked about my son, & I got the opportunity to thank him for the amazingly kind letter he sent to me during the summer. (If you missed my post about that, you can find it here). Then, of course, it was time to talk about The Trial of The Chicago 7, & the first thing I wanted to know was how he nailed his American accent so well & whether he found it difficult:

Me: Hi, Eddie! Before I jump into my question, I wanted to say a quick thank you for the letter that you sent to myself & my son, Jake, earlier in the summer. That really meant a lot to us!

Eddie: You’re so welcome! How is Jake doing?

Me: He is doing quite well. He’s actually sitting in the room with me right now because he wanted to listen in.

Eddie: Say hi to Jake for me! And how are you doing, Marci?

Marci: I’m doing well, thanks! So, you’ve mentioned before that you sometimes do voices on the tube and there’s been a lot of people that have been really surprised by your American accent. How did you practice your American accent for this role?

Eddie: Years ago on The Yellow Handkerchief I worked with a lovely man called Michael Buster, who is based in Los Angeles, and he’s a dialect coach. He trained with a man named Tim Monich, who is the sort of don of dialect coaches, who I worked with a bit on The Good Shepherd. My process on The Yellow Handkerchief and Hick, actually, after that, and a little bit on Red, when I did it on Broadway, was I’d go to see Michael. I’m not inherently good on accents. Some people can just burst into impressions, and I’ve never been that actor, sadly. So it takes quite a lot of work for me, but I love that work. You know when we were talking about process — process is a nebulous thing, but when you have an accent, you have a sort of tangible thing to start with, and I have to learn it like music. I have to start months early and break it down to tiny sounds, and there are moments when you’re like…I’m never going to be able to be free with this. But the reason I have to start so early is that by the time it comes to filming, I need to be able to improvise, I need to be able to completely have it in my body in some ways. And so what happened on this one is Michael — even though there was not a big budget on this movie, I was quite insistent that I was able to work with Michael. When the film was first going to happen with me in it, Michael flew over to London and we spent two weeks working on the accent. That involves working through sessions, watching material, recording on my iPhone and walking around the streets of London, as you said, and on the Tube kind of talking to myself. Because quite often, you feel like you’re articulating it correctly, and when you hear it back in relation to what Michael is doing, it’s only when you’re listening back to both of your voices, you realize how wrong it is. And so I was doing all that, and I was excited to go to Toronto, and Hannah had found somewhere for us to live, and we were taking the kids, and Iris was coming out of school, and I got a call from Michael when he got back to Los Angeles and he said, “I’m so sorry to hear it’s fallen through.” And that was the first I’d heard that the film wasn’t happening. So that’s the extraordinary thing, that I’ve sort of been working for it and so excited for it, and obviously Aaron — in some ways it’s a dream project for me. So suddenly it was like — will it happen again? I put it to rest for several months thinking I can’t get my hopes up on this one because it’s been gestating for 15 years. But the accent and the words were still kind of rumbling around inside me, and when it did resurrect itself, I flew to New York a week before my family flew out, before we started shooting, and Michael came there and we did a week’s work. He came for the first day on the set, and then he kind of left me to it. It’s riveting on accent things with a dialect coach — it’s far more than it sounds like because there’s a kind of investigation where the character came from, when they moved somewhere, what else (?) they might have. But there was an interesting choice there because when you listen to Tom, he has a very specific…when he says an “ing” sound, he tends to pronounce “een.” And it’s quite eccentric, and I was desperate to go there because it felt so specific to him, and I was sort of gently discouraged by both Michael and Aaron. And I think it was because his voice itself had an eccentricity to it, so if it was me, an English actor doing an American accent for the first time as far as quite a few audience members were concerned, it might be off-putting. So I ended up simplifying it to a sort of less specific version of who he was.

A bit later, we talked about Tom Hayden himself & I found his response especially riveting – particularly what he said about each of us having our own moral compass & set of beliefs & yet still having glaring hypocrisies within that. I think that’s something we’re striving, as a society, to become more aware of:

Me: Tom Hayden was a truly remarkable person, who dedicated his life to speaking out and fighting passionately for what he knew to be right. Is he someone you were very familiar with before you took this role, and did his history make this role especially appealing to you?

Eddie: I didn’t know anything about Tom Hayden. I didn’t know anything about the Chicago 7. In fact, being totally frank, my knowledge of this moment of American history was pretty blurry. Randomly, Hannah and I had started watching the great seminal documentary on the Vietnam War on Netflix months before I was offered this. And we just had found a complexity of how that war was entered, as with everything historically, rooted so much in the past, we found that kind of riveting. So I didn’t know much about Tom, but the more I read about him from firstly his upbringing, the complexity of having sort of an alcoholic father, but then at an early age being willing to put himself on the line when he was  being a journalist and on the Freedom Rides when he was being locked up. One of the things in this film, you think Tom’s scared of going to prison — he’s been to prison. He just wants to get through this trial in order to get on with the serious business. He sees it as a barricade in some ways to what he wants to be doing. By this time his integrity — he is totally extraordinary and someone who’s really willing to live by his beliefs. We all our own moral compass, we all have our own set of beliefs, but we also often all having glaring hypocrisies within that. And I found him a great model of integrity. It’s interesting because there’s something that Jane Fonda said about him: that he understood that progressives had to be prepared to take power and learn to govern, not just to protest. And that was something that she says he talked about, and I found that interesting.

You can check out our entire interview in Charlotte’s awesome post here. The Trial of The Chicago 7 is out on Netflix TODAY, so please check it out. At a time when we are fighting for change in our world, this film & the history behind it are especially important. Just like the Chicago 7, we have to make our voices heard. If people don’t want to hear, then that’s all the more reason to speak up! 

We all owe a great debt of thanks to the ever amazing Charlotte of @bespokeredmayne, who is responsible for setting up our fan interviews & who also moderates. The other fans involved were Ivonne of @eddieronline on Twitter, Ali of eddieredmayne.net, & Erina of @amazingeddieredmayne on Instagram.

[viandclintbarton-supremacy]

Imagine being from remnant and showing Team Flash you power and weapon

(You are Ruby and Yang's older sibling, Your weapon and semblance is the same as ruby's but your scythe turns into a machine gun)

After the fall of beacon you were running through the school as it was burning, you saw ruby and yang get air lifted out and tried to find any survivors until you accidently ran through a portal thing and ended on earth one and landing right in front of Barry allen and Nora Allen who were shocked to find you. You were confused by your surroundings and didn't know where you were

After they took you back to star labs and ran tests on you but cisco kept looking at your weapon in its gun form

Cisco: "Do Kids normally carry guns around from wherever your from," You gave a slight offended look

Y/N: "One I'm a 18, two i'm from remnant and three no only professional huntsmen and huntresses or those training be carry thier weapons" Cisco blinked and looked at the rest od the team giving them a really look

Cisco: "Great, we picked up a child solder" he said in a sarcastic way

Barry: "What is a huntsmen?" Barry said making everyone look at you woth curiosity especially cisco and nora. You scratch your head thinking how to explain it

Y/N: "Well they are defenders in a way, we protect the people of remnant from crime and thiese creatures called grimm who are attracted to negative emotion"

Barry nodded with a little smile thinking of how similar these huntsmen are too heroes

Nora was standing next to you fascinated by meeting someone from another realm. (I don't know what to call it) Iris and joe found it strange that thier were people in training for this and this is an a actual career choice

And Harrison was also fascinated and started to look you up and down

Cisco looked at caitlin and both were amused and intrested more. They both looked at you then to each other then the drawing board then at each other again and ran to board and wrote what you said down

Caitlin: "So is it like one big network? Like your an army, an organisation or something" she said questioning you, you scratch your ear thinking

Y/N: "Not really, there is the army from atlas but its not made from huntmens just soldiers, We take contracts that have been reporteded by civilians and then we do our job. And we don't really and we don't really have anything like an organisation. There is 4 academys, one for each kingdom" Cisco, barry and nora "ooed" in excitement as caitlin wrote down the details

Nora: "So kingdoms as in Kings and queens?" nora leaned on your shoulders clearly interested

Y/N: "Thier used to be centuries ago but thier was a war between all four kingdoms until it ended on a island called vytal, the King of vale won the war so to speak but all 4 leaders decided to abolish being kings or queens which led to peace and the academys being made"

Nora: "Schway" you looked at nora confused but everyone kept looking at you

Cisco: "What are these academys called" Cisco said like a child as he wrote down the information quickly as he can

Y/N: "Well you have Shade academy from Vacuo, Then Haven academy from Mistral, then there is Atlas academy in Atlas and finally you have Beacon academy in Vale, which is my academy"

Cisco smiled in excitement as he wrote all of this down as caitlin studied them.

Barry was interested in this earth he was hearing about and wanted to learn more.

Wells was thinking, trying to find out if he had heard of these places before

Nora was amazed to hear about a place for people to protect the public

Joe and iris couldn't help but think of the dangers the children of these academys could get into

Caitlin turned to you

Caitlin: "So these academys, how do they help you? Is it all combat training" You smiled at her feeling that you can trust these guys

Y/N: "There is a lit of combat training but you also learn about history and take test and stuff. Ever since i started at the academy i learned how to use my weapon and semblance much better in combat" everyone frowned at you

Harrison: "What did you mean semblance?" You frowned

Y/N: "you don't know what a semblance is most of remnant have it?" they all shook their heads "Um well, i guess.......its like a super power"

Cisco stopped writing and turned to you gasping, while everyone was surprised

Cisco "You have powers!?"

Y/N: "Yep" you said non chantley

Nora appreard infront of you

Nora: "Show us please please please" barry and cisco both came up next to her saying please too

You looked around iris and joe shrugged basically saying you have no choice, while caitlin gave a begging look

Harrison was closer to you and was still looking you up and down

You looked at them sheepishly

Y/N: "Is there a field where i can show you guys?"

A Field nearby

Y/N: "Oof its cold" you were standing on a field while the rest of the guys were watching

Cisco: "Come on red lets go, i wanna experiment the hell out if you" you looked at him wide eyed

Iris jabbed cisco's arm which he held in pain

Barry: "Don't mind him, his crazy but not a crazy enough to remove something of yours" You gave a nervous smile.

You looked to the field and show a medium rock and you decided you would run to it and back again. you jumped up and down warming up, you glanced at nora who gave you a thumbs up

You breathed in and out

"WHOOSH"

The whole in shock you just disappeared into red roses

Joe: "H-he turned into flowers" harrison sighed

Nora: "im confused"

Harrison: "Follow the trail" everyone did as hr said and at the end was you waving back

Barry: "W-wait did he just-"

"WHOOSH"

he was cut by rose petals flying infront of him as you was now back where you were before you ran

Y/N: "Thats my semblance, Speed"

Iris, joe and caitlin were wide eyed

Wells was slightly smiling with a face that said of course you power is speed

Cisco stared to laugh happily

While Nora and Barry somewhat smiling but with their jaws dropped

Barry: "I think we are gonna got along just fine" you frowned but then a flash of electricity burst from barry as he ran fast copying your route and stopped infront of you smirking

You were wide eyed and gobsmacked

Y/N: "y-yyou-"

Nora: "HEY" you glanced at nora and she then did the same as Barry, she ran to the rock and then back infront of you

"We can run fast too"

Y/N: "THATS SO COOL, YOU GUYS ARE LIKE ME BUT WITH ELECTRIC COMING OUT OF YOU" You said like a little kid getting a chrismas gift

Barry: "What about you, you leave rose petals. THATS AWESOME" Barry laughed heartly as nora bent down and pickes up a bunch and threw em in the air. You laughed at her action but still you couldn't believe your luck. You bump into two people who can run faster then you

Harrison: "So another speedster but leaves rose's and looks way more elegant at running then you two do" he said glancing at the two infront of yoh who rolled thier eyes in return

Y/N: "I guess i am speedstar in way but my speed helps me get in close and personal with chop up some grimm" you said proudly

Joe: "Chop? What you have a sword now?" he said in disbelief

You frowned, no my sycthe. Oh i didnt show them it

Y/N: "OH sorry, you only saw it in gun form" you reached for your weapon on your lower back"

Barry: "Gun form?"

You puller the latch and it transformed into its sycthe mode

Barry/Nora: "HOLY SHIT"

Cisco: "OH MY GOD ITS BEAUTIFUL" cisco looks at you like a crazied fanboy

Joe/iris: "I need a drink"

Harrison and caitlin were just wide eyed

Nora: "HOW CAN YOU HOLD THAT THING UP" (wink wink)

Y/N: "This is called blooming rose and I designed her to not be too heavy for me" You could then felt cisco breathing next to you

Cisco: "Y-you made her" You smiled and nodded, cisco threw his arm around your shoulder "Y/N i think this is a beginning to a beautiful friendship" you smiled and saw nora looking at blooming rose

You laughed and smiled and handed it to her, she smiled excitedly

Nora then tried hold the weapon up but started to lose balances and tried to lift it to her chest but then started to slowly fall backs

Nora: "aw crap" the weight was too much

"CRASH"

Y/N: "ouch"

[askaceattorney]

Dear youngbounty,

Co-Mod: I didn’t see any clones, but thanks!

Dear BDC,

Co-Mod: That idea sounds interesting, but unfortunately, I don’t know enough about Dangronpa to be able to pull that off.  I can see if the other mods do, but I can’t promise anything more than that.

I agree with you about the Proto Badger, though.  I hate him more than Dr. Eggman hates “that hedgehog.”  Sadly, it looks like we’re stuck with him for now.  Why couldn’t you have taken him with you, the Mod?

Dear MB,

Co-Mod: I’m glad (and impressed) that you were able to free yourself in such a creative way, but it’s all good.  I used to do the same sort of mockery with submitters’ letters before someone pointed out its potential rudeness, since some of them don’t speak English as their first language, so I've got no room to complain.  In fact, I’m a big stickler about getting my spelling and grammar correct, so please feel free to point out any errors you find.

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: Which ones, specifically?  I know that some of the ones from the Court Record are glitchy (and I failed to inform the new moderator about that), but I haven’t noticed anything unusual in any of the letters.  Show me an example, and I’ll see what can be done about it.

(Previous Letter)

(Link in Letter)

Dear Anonymous,

Mod Vera: That’s a good point! I must have missed that Easter egg. I was also originally going to make a joke about Ga’ran needing wigs for herself, but decided to keep it to something closer to canon.

For real, though, with Maya, Iris, Inga, Ga’ran and now Dhurke, it’s really convenient for spirit channeling disguises that so many people in this world have long black hair!

(Previous Post)

Dear AnthonyDeadman,

Co-Mod: I don’t know if I used this sprite before, but it captures how I feel perfectly, so I’m going with it:

Wait, not that one.  This one:

Actually, they’re both pretty accurate.

This letter means a lot to me, not just because I love knowing that my work and dedication have paid off in some way, but because I’ve been going through some serious struggles lately (more on that in a later post).  Being part of a blog that brings fun characters from an fun video game series to life has been awesome enough, and watching it grow into something bigger than it was has been even more awesome, but being able to provide some much-needed opportunities to laugh, smile, and escape from reality during a time of sorrow, fear, and uncertainty has been nothing short of a blessing for me.  Not to mention it’s helped me to enjoy life in new ways, so thanks for that, Capcom.

What I really appreciate, though, is you and so many others wishing me the best for the future.  It just so happens that the future has been one of my biggest fears for a long time, so hearing this kind of support, even from people I don’t know, is precisely what I need right now.  Allow me to offer my heartfelt thanks for it, and to wish each and everyone one of you the same.  The world needs people who can withstand any sort of circumstance right now, so don’t give any less than your best!

Stay gold yourself, pal.

(Previous Post)

Dear mungeondaster,

Mod Vera: Aw, thank you so much! I’m really happy to be here, and to have Co-Mod help me learn the ropes. I also love Vera! Her appearance is brief, but I do love the withdrawn artist trope, especially with a Pearl-level ignorance of the outside world.

Plus her design is just so dang good! Almost as if she drew herself.

(Previous Letter)

Dear ajanisapprentice,

Mod Vera: Ahahaha, twas I who thought of that! I count that as my first report card as the new Mod!

(Previous Letter)

Dear mungeondaster,

Mod Vera: Oh, you know Nick relied on Maya’s budding big sister energy while he was figuring out single fatherhood. As Maya would say, he’s hopeless without her.

Though my personal favorite new headcanon is Pearls helping Gumshoe win Maggey’s heart. (I still need that fanfiction to happen!)

(The Previous Posts)

Dear yuesworld,

Co-Mod: It’s great to hear from you again!  Dang, it’s hard to believe your first letter was sent 2 years ago.  (As if turning 30 didn’t make me feel old already...)

I both appreciate and admire your dedication toward translating the letters we’ve answered here.  I hope you’re able to continue doing so in one way or another, but even if you aren’t, I’m still glad you’ve been so willing to share our character portrayals with a broader audience.  In fact, we might even have you to thank for part of our increased follower count, so thanks just in case!

I’m glad you enjoyed the essays, too.  I honestly hadn’t considered the possibility that I’d have to write some of those myself after the Mod left, but I’ve had some fun with them, and I hope they helped to make the characters they were about more enjoyable, or at least more interesting.  I’m still planning to finish the remaining requests after my departure, by the way.  Hopefully I’ll be able to post them a little more frequently than before.

I’m happy to report that I’ve been staying healthy and well (although I feel like I keep dodging bullets with people around me getting infected), and I hope the same can be said for you and for everyone else reading this.  I won’t lie, things have been tougher than usual for practically every human being lately, even aside from the pandemic.  Thankfully, we have someone who’s all too familiar with trials and tribulations to provide us with a helpful reminder:

That’s Phoenix speaking, by the way, in case you forgot.

In other words, this too shall pass, as the Persian adage goes.  In the meantime, stay healthy yourself, and thanks for the reminder that we’re not alone in these challenges.

Dear AnthonyDeadman,

Mod Vera: Thank you so much! I’ve also been a fan of this blog for years, for almost as long as I’ve wanted to be a writer! It’s such a weird elated feeling, to go from being a fan of something to working on it. I almost feel like those people starting their first day at Pixar or something!

Mod Kristoph: Thanks for the kind response! I’ll be sure to get some letters in there when I get the chance!

Mod Paups: Thank you!

(Previous Letter)

(Video in Letter)

Dear BDC,

Co-Mod: Me too, except I’d add a few more “nope”s.

Mod Vera: Hahah, same. But I’ve have politeness so ingrained into my being, I’d probably throw in a few “no thanks” just to be safe.

-The Mods

[bigskydreaming]

Speaking of Riley and other friends who are excellent, allow me to take a moment to pimp some of their books if anyone’s got some spare coin and is looking for good reads while on lockdown.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

It’s the start of Jordan Sun’s junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, she’s an Alto 2, which—in the musical theatre world—is sort of like being a vulture in the wild: She has a spot in the ecosystem, but nobody’s falling over themselves to express their appreciation. So it’s no surprise when she gets shut out of the fall musical for the third year straight. But then the school gets a mass email: A spot has opened up in the Sharpshooters, Kensington’s elite a cappella octet. Worshiped . . . revered . . . all male. Desperate to prove herself, Jordan auditions in her most convincing drag, and it turns out that Jordan Sun, Tenor 1, is exactly what the Sharps are looking for.

Rio’s got two other books you should also check out, I just grabbed this one at random because they’re all great (though its actually ‘7 Ways We Lie’ that’s my personal fave because Reasons).

Forest of Souls by Lori M Lee

Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.

And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.

Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.

This one is the start of a new duology and doesn’t actually come out until June 23rd, but Lori’s got a couple other books out already that are also worth the read. Her Infinite series starts with Gates of Thread and Stone and has the first two books out, there will be a concluding third volume still to come. But I’m lucky enough to have gotten to read Forest of Souls in advance cuz Nyah nyah (I’m so mature, phear my age and wisdom) and its by faaaaar my favorite of hers to date, including more than just the other two books she’s had published so far, and just look at that cover. Ugh. I love it so much. 

(It wasn’t her original cover, actually, they originally wanted to go with this cover of Suck that made me go umm how do you say “Eww” in polite, and authors have little to no feedback they can give on the cover, but Lori took a shot and sent in some examples of other cover artists she really liked and thought had styles fitting her image of the book better, and they picked one of the ones she sent and commissioned a whole new cover, and voila, ended up going with the above cover in all its spooky, thematically ominous glory.) 

On The Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis

A thrilling, thought-provoking novel from one of young-adult literature’s boldest new talents. January 29, 2035. That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter outside their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time. A last-minute meeting leads them to something better than a temporary shelter—a generation ship, scheduled to leave Earth behind to colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But everyone on the ship has been chosen because of their usefulness. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister? When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?

Cory is actually one of my oldest friends lmao, like, I first met her through another writing friend when we both roleplayed on this messageboard X-Men: Evolution RPG over fifteen years ago, and just....somehow never lost track of each other through all our various hyper-fixations and divergent fandoms and even with years-long ‘vanishing from the internet’ periods by yours truly (I am was mysterious and enigmatic, hear me roar). This is actually her third published novel? Or maybe second, I forget the order....her first, Otherbound, is great too, she’s written a Guardians of the Galaxy tie-in novel for Marvel, and she’s got her next book, “The Art of Saving the World” coming out this September, and its soooo good and head-trippy and the premise is so mindfucky that I have no idea how she pulled it off as well as she did and its great and you will love it or you will answer to me (lol no you won’t, I am all talk, I bruise like a peach, don’t doxx me yo). But On The Edge of Gone remains my personal fave of hers, Denise is an in-text disabled autistic black girl and suuuuuuch a fantastic main character, and her love for her family against the backdrop of an apocalypse actually in its on-going stage, no post about it, is like.....unfortunately a little too prophetic in various ways, lolol, but like, timely as hell and resonates. 

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship--only it turns out to be for the towns most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, whom Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then theres the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

I actually met C.B. on tumblr here, via this account, thanks to a mutual mutual, which just goes to show you never know who you might end up meeting on tumblr dot hellsite dot org, and only after that fact did we find out that we had various other mutual friends from our writing/publishing circles of friends, including Cory, lolol, so y’know....small world. But this series has three books out, with a fourth to come, and its such awesome fun, with superpower hijinks galore, an Asian protag and tons of LGBTQ+ supporting characters, trans superheroes, and compelling plots. She’s also writing Ben 10 comics for Boom! Studios, a comic book company that does original content but also publishes a ton of licensed properties like various other cartoons like Ben 10, the Power Rangers, etc, etc. And this reminds me there’s a certain story she was working on the last time we met up for coffee like, lololol probably three years ago now, which means I am way overdue to bug her about it and ask “Is it done yet is it done yet can I read it yet is it done yet” because I am a paragon of patience and a bastion of self-control, obvsly.

Anyway, here endeth the pimping of my friends, go forth and buy ye their novels, verily and such. Or y’know. Don’t. If you don’t want to be cool, I guess. Nerds. (LOL no but if you like my content and posts and topics I think you stand a better than average likelihood of enjoying at least one of the books by the aforementioned ladies, and you’d be supporting LGBTQ+ authors as there’s nary a straight among them. LOL, like I would ever have straight friends, hahahaha could you imagine, what would we even do).  

[mythologyfolklore]

Ares and Athena through the years - Ch. 01

Chapter one: You're weird.

(Ares and Athena meet for the first time. Things get awkward.)

.

Ares was excited.

A new goddess had joined the Olympians and he would get a new sister!

Well, not really sister, as she had another mother. (That ticked him off a little; what could another woman have, that metera¹ didn't have double? After all, she was married to father! Then again, Ares was certain that there was no love between his parents.)

But he decided, that he wouldn't blame his new sister. After all, it wasn't her fault, that she had another mother, right? Right.

Ares wondered, what she was like.

He hadn't met her yet, but metera had said, that today he would!

He already had a few sisters: the Horai (Eunomia, Dike and Eirene) and his little sisters Eileithyia (who was still a toddler) and Hebe (who was still a baby).

They loved him and surely his new sister would love him too.

Metera had said she was a war goddess – just like he was going to be a war god! Maybe they could have some awesome fights and he would impress her with his strength!

Although … mum had said she was already grown up. How was she grown-up? When father had informed them of her impending arrival, he had said, that she was younger than him!

But that would mean … no, he would not finish that thought.

And metera liked her, right? If she liked her, everything would be okay.

The little boy couldn't wait to meet his new sister!

They would play and he would protect her from all the bad guys, he would!

It was already noon. When would he finally meet her? He was getting more restless, then he already was normally.

“Ares, sit still and eat your ambrosia!”, Hera scolded her son and Ares tried, he really did! But he was just too excited!

“Metera, when will I meet my new sister?”, he wanted to know.

Hera sighed; her son was just always so impatient!

It wasn't that she didn't like Athena (on the contrary, her mother Metis had been Hera's friend, to whom she owed a lot, and Athena was almost her spitting image).

But Ares was too excited for his own good: Athena was completely different from him and Hera knew her son would be disappointed in the end. Her poor little boy.

“You will meet her in the afternoon, okay?”, she promised and fondly stroked his black and red hair. The Queen of the Gods loved her son, she really did. But sometimes she was just overwhelmed and couldn't handle his ungovernable temper.

After lunch, Iris came to inform the boy to wait for his new sister in the training hall. Before she could even end her message, he was already off, dashing through the palace.

Finally he came to the gymnasion (why did it have to be the gymnasion? He didn't want to run around naked!²) and waited. But after a while he got bored, so he started doing a few exercises. Sure, he was really good at throwing spears, but practise was important.

He also tried swinging a sword, that actually belonged to his father, but was still too big for him. But the voice in his head (because he had one of those) told him how to do it, so it wasn't actually that difficult.

The pre-teen hadn't noticed, that someone had entered the room, until one of his spears missed its mark and was caught by someone's bare hand.

Ares froze, when he saw the two gods standing in the doorway.

It was a tall woman, the one who had caught his weapon so effortlessly, and …

He paled and began to apologise profusely, because he hadn't meant to hurt anyone and holy shit, he was so frightened of his father!

But instead of yelling at him, Zeus just reprimanded his son: “Ares, how often have I told you, that these weapons are not meant for children! You are way too young to handle those!”

It took all of Ares' courage to not tremble in fear in front of the stranger next to his father.

Calm down, the voice in his head whispered. Think of your role in the play. Play your act.

Right. Play the act.

So he swallowed his fear and got his innocent, huffy child on: “But father, I got bored. And it's not like you ever have time for me or show me how to handle those! Besides, apart from that one spear, I was doing really well!”

Zeus was about to object, but the woman next to him put a hand on his shoulder.

“It's fine, father. No one got hurt after all.”

Then she gave Ares his spear back. “Next time, let an adult teach you how to use these, before something like this happens again.”

I am an adult!, the voice in Ares' head huffed.

But Ares wasn't listening. “Father, who is that?”

Zeus sighed in frustration: “Well, this is not how I planned this to go down. Ares, meet your new sister, Pallas Athena. Athena, this is your older brother Ares.”

She smiled gently: “Hello, brother.”

The King of the Gods scratched his head. “Well, I have work to do. You two have fun, I'll be back soon!” Then he was gone.

Meanwhile, Ares stared at the newcomer. This was his new sister?

He stood on his toes and still could only just about reach to the height of her chest.

“Whooooh, you're so tall!”, he marvelled, his blood-red eyes growing even larger.

.

Athena chuckled: “Yes, I am.”

“And you look so strange! Your eyes! They are so blue! Like, really blue! Like the sea! And hey, did I already say that you're tall?”

“Yes, b-”

“I want to be tall like that too! No, taller! I want to be taller than you! Then I will be tallest and everyone will stare at how tall I am, because I will be so tall and strong!”

“I'm sure you will be”, Athena assured him kindly.

“And when I'm tall and strong, I will protect metra and all my siblings and everyone will like me!”

“Of course, Ares”, Athena agreed, even though she wasn't that sure.

But children needed to have dreams and she didn't want to upset her new brother, especially not in their first meeting. Even though she was technically younger, she still wanted to be his big sister, the best in the world. She wanted to be there for him and teach him everything she knew. Well, maybe not everything, but the things he needed to know. She wanted to be his role model, his teacher and just someone worth looking up to.

So she smiled, listened to the 12-year-old's ramblings and agreed, where it was due.

But there were a few things, that irked her.

“Do the others not like you?”

His face darkened. “No. They say I'm insane. What does that even mean?”

Athena bit her lip, but explained: “'Insane' is another word for 'crazy'. But don't worry, I don't think that you're-”

“I'm not crazy!”, the boy protested, “I can't help, that I have a voice in my head!”

Her eyes widened.

A voice in his head �� ? Now she was concerned.

Because of that, and …

“Can I ask you something?”

Ares looked a little apprehensive, but consented.

Athena suddenly found, that she had trouble expressing, what she wanted to know. But her curiosity was overwhelming, so she tried to put this as tactfully as possible (which was hard, she knew how boys reacted to what she was about to ask).

“Earlier, when you first noticed me and our father, I couldn't help but notice, that you were rather … uncomfortable.”

Afraid. A word no boy or man liked to hear about himself. But it was so obvious, that he had been positively frightened – of Zeus.

Why was he so afraid of his own father?! That was not normal!

Unfortunately, Ares seemed to get exactly what she meant.

He gritted his teeth. Shit.

“You mean 'scared', don't you? I wasn't scared! Boys and men don't get scared! That's pathetic!”

Athena frowned. “Not really. Sometimes it is, but more than often it isn't.”

.

That took Ares by surprise. “What? I don't get it.”

She sighed: “How about we sit down and I explain it to you?”

This really weirded him out (and agitated him, he was not gonna lie), but he humoured her.

.

The blue-eyed goddess and he sat down and she began to explain.

Unfortunately, she noticed after a while, that the boy had stopped listening after a while and now was drifting off.

“Ares!”, Athena said sharply and he startled awake.

“Sorry, sorry!”, he apologised hastily, “But I didn't understand a word and-”

“Calm down, I'm not angry”, she tried to soothe him, “But next time let me know, if you can't keep up. It's kind of hurtful, when you're trying to explain something and the other just dozes off.”

He looked really down.

Fantastic. This was not how she had imagined this to go down.

After some awkward silence, he spoke up again: “Your question from earlier …”

“You don't have to answer it, if you don't want to”, she said.

He sighed in relief: “Good. Because I don't.”

“But if you ever feel ready … if you want to talk to someone, I'm here for you, okay?”

Ares tilted his head. “You're weird.”

Athena smiled lopsidedly. “So are you, brother.”

.

---

.

1) Metera - Greek for "mother" (I hope this is right, because I don't speak Greek) 😅 Edit: I corrected it from “metra” to “metera”, because a Greek reader was so kind as to point the mistake out to me. 2) Gymnasion actually means "place of the naked" (gymnos = naked), because students (male only) usually wore little to no clothing, while performing their gymnastics and other sportive exercises. 😅

[blamgleek]

Tyrus' first times headcanons

Short disclaimer beforehand: I've never done this before, this is literally my first time. Also, English isn't my first language, there shouldn't be too many mistakes but there might be some. This is also much longer than I intended it to be but oh whatever.

• acknowledgement of each others existence

TJ would never tell Cyrus but the muffin incident wasn't the first time he had noticed him. TJ had one talent and that was noticing cute boys. For the longest time, he thought Buffy was Cyrus' girlfriend which was also part of the reason why TJ didn't like her at first.

Cyrus' first encounter with the name 'TJ' wasn't as lovely though. He was Buffy's bully which means he wasn't worth any love or friendship from Cyrus but admittedly, the first thought that went through Cyrus' head when Buffy dragged TJ to get him a muffin, was: "He has nice eyes."

• exchanging numbers

TJ did go back to the swings after the first time and, fortunately, he did meet Cyrus there again. Only this time, neither of them were feeling bad about themselves, maybe it was the universe speaking, but they both felt the urge to come back to the swings. They talked for a while (literally until the was replaced by the moon). Before Cyrus could leave because it was late, TJ stopped him, built all the courage he had left in his body up and asked Cyrus for his number. Luckily, Cyrus happily gave it to him.

• sleepover

Their first sleepover occurred after the whole gun incident. They had been to each other's home's before but Cyrus never thought TJ would want to spend an entire night with him. The first sleepover took place at TJ's house (because he doesn't have shrink parents) and TJ was a lot more nervous than he had been before any math test ever. He wanted the whole thing to be absolutely perfect. Usually, he was the most chill person there is on any sleepover but all he wanted to do was to impress Cyrus.

Cyrus himself wasn't any less nervous. He didn't want TJ to notice how lame he truly and his dinosaur pyjama surely didn't help his case.

As it turned out, being nervous was completely unnecessary. They basically got into their PJs immediately (out of solidarity to the dinosaurs, TJ wore his embarrassing High School Musical fan shirt along with his sweatpants) and then they continued to watch movie after movie after movie, well, if you can call making fun of cheesy rom-coms "watching". At one point in the night, they weren't able to keep their eyes open for another movie anymore so they'd just talk about random stuff until they would fall asleep.

The next morning, TJ would continue his mission to make this sleepover perfect and try his hand on chocolate chocolate ship... pancakes! for breakfast.

• date

The night of the mysterious bench was also the night of TJ asking Cyrus out on a date. Of course Cyrus happily accepted and told TJ about a million times that night, that it didn't have to be special. But of course TJ could not accept that. He had listened to everything Cyrus had told him the past months and his brain was full of amazing date ideas.

After a lot of thinking, TJ finally settled on the aquarium. It was a great place to talk, he knew Cyrus loved it and it was really close to the park. The park. Instead of taking Cyrus out to dinner after the aquarium, TJ thought it would be a great idea to have a picnic in the park. Luckily, Buffy and Andi were super helpful setting everything up while they were looking at fish. TJ couldn't have been happier to be able to call them his friends as well.

• first time in school as a couple

Their first time going to school as a couple was scary. Sure, Shadyside was generally really accepting and TJ was still the scary-basketball-guy to most people but there was always this shadow of doubt. They both knew that rubbing it in everyone's face would be a bad idea so they kept it very lowkey (basically walking very close together and holding hands under the lunch table). This method continued for a few weeks until TJs basketball team came up to their captain and confronted him about his relationship with Cyrus. Long story short, they all ship it and Tyrus is now part of the Jefferson-Middle-School-Basketball-Team-Protection-Program.

• kiss

After his super successful kisses with Iris, Cyrus wasn't the most confident when it came to his first kiss with TJ. TJ, on the other hand, had never been kissed and that was what held him back from doing it. They had been dating for about a month at this point and there had never been any lip contact. It got to the point that TJ started to practice kissing with his childhood teddy. It wasn't pretty.

It was the faithful day of their one month anniversary when Cyrus finally decided that it was time. At this point, he wasn't scared anymore that TJ was just pranking him and would just say, "ha, you fool, I'm not gay." once Cyrus would show his affection. This was the day.

It was Cyrus' turn to take TJ out on a date and as always, the date ended at the park. TJ and Cyrus would sit down on the swings and TJ would thank Cyrus for the amazing day. That was what they did after every date. However, this time, instead of starting to swing, Cyrus got up, stood directly in front of TJ, took a deep breath, said "you're welcome" and then he leaned in. Just like any first kiss would be, theirs was a little awkward as well, but the fireworks were there and they improved over time, very very quickly.

• cuddle

The first time they cuddled was also in the Kippen house. They really had almost all of their sleepovers there at this point. TJ loved Cyrus' family but they were a little controlling and basically checked on them every 2 seconds. TJ's mom only showed up to bring them snacks or more blankets, other than that, she really didn't bother them.

In the end, they could probably thank the horror movie industry for introducing them to the art of cuddling. The whole school had been talking about his awesome new horror movie and for some reason, TJ and Cyrus seemed to be the only two people who hadn't seen it. They both didn't want to be that person that couldn't participate in any conversations anymore so they decided to watch it together. Turns out, they both hate horror movies. Really, cuddling seemed to be the only way to get through it. It started with simple hand holding but it didn't take long for them to scoot together more and more until Cyrus was almost on TJ's lap. Cyrus buried his head into TJ's shoulder while TJ did kind of the same thing but with Cyrus neck. After the movie was over, they kinda moved away from that again and Cyrus was sitting fully on the sofa again, however, his head did not move from his comfortable spot on TJ's shoulder.

• sleeping in the same bed

TJ Kippen is scared of horror movies (apparently), heights and any animal that has more than 4 legs.

Cyrus Goodman is scared of all those things too and flamingos and puppets and thunder and, well, a lot more.

They had been together for a year at this point and it was time for yet another sleepover at TJ's house. Everytime Cyrus slept at TJ's house, they would just put an air mattress on the ground for Cyrus, it wasn't the most comfortable but Cyrus quickly got used to it. This night was different though. The weather hadn't been great for the last few days but up until this point, it had only been raining. It was about 3 am when Cyrus woke up to the sound of thunder. The whole room lit up with the light coming from the lightning and Cyrus was terrified. Thankfully, the loud noise also woke TJ up who could now hear not only the thunder but also the sound of a crying boy on his bedroom floor. Of course TJ immediately knew what was happening and he tried to comfort Cyrus but nothing worked. TJ quickly decided that this was basically another horror movie situation and invited Cyrus to get into his bed. Cyrus gladly accepted the offer and so TJ held Cyrus in his arms, kissed his forehead and waiting for Cyrus to fall back asleep.

• I love you

TJ and Cyrus both knew that they loved each other but they hadn't said it yet. One year into their relationship and at this point, neither of them felt it was necessary to actually say it out loud anymore. However, when TJ saw a sleeping Cyrus in his arms, still with wet eyes from crying because of the thunder, he couldn't hold it back anymore. Of course TJ knew that Cyrus was asleep but he still whispered the magical three words into his ear before he closed his own eyes and fell back asleep.

Cyrus' first "I love you" actually happened shortly after. In the morning after that horrible night, he woke up to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes and hot chocolate. IN BED! Cyrus just stared at his boyfriend in awe and wondered how he could ever be this lucky. After the glorious meal, Cyrus just collapsed on top of TJ, told him he loved him and gave him a quick kiss. Of course, TJ gave Cyrus the same words and the same action back.

[zdbztumble]

“Jewel of the Seven Pokemon!” Chapter I

I’ve had the basic idea for this fic for over a year. It’s one part Fright Night (1985), one part Bram Stoker book, and one part standard BW episode! (And a little bit of Pokeshipping thrown in, because it’s me.)

With any luck, I’ll get this finished within the month of October, with the finale published on Halloween. That may prove unrealistic, but in any event, do enjoy the first entry in my first chaptered Pokefic!

(Also available on FF.Net and AO3)

---

“Joy!” Cilan cried. “Exquisite! Rapture!”

“Does he have to celebrate out loud?” Iris asked dryly. Ash had the feeling she was talking to herself, so he didn’t bother to answer. He was pretty excited himself – the detour back to Virbank City wasn’t something he’d been crazy about at first, but when Cilan told them that they could get into one of the real, working film studios, Ash was all for it. The studio was even one Ash had heard about growing up in Kanto – Worldwide Pictures, one of the biggest movie companies in the world, with a backlot tour that showed off all sorts of famous sets and live shows! Ash could still remember the big, glossy magazine his mom had shown him, loaded with photos of the tour. The linked-up tram cars, the Little Kalos set, the robot Sharpedo; it had all been there.

It wasn’t here now. As soon as they’d arrived, a nervous-looking kid in glasses was out by the gate, explaining to a disappointed crowd that the trams were down for repairs, and that the usual tour wouldn’t be possible.

“B-b-but don’t worry!” she stammered. “T-to make up f-f-for it, w-we’re offering w-walking tours! As long as you follow the y-yellow lines on the ground…”

“WALKING TOURS!?” Cilan threw himself at the attendant. “Do you mean to tell me that we can freely roam one of the most storied film studios in history!?”

“Y-yes – well, you can’t go just anywhere, but –”

But that was all Cilan had needed. He whisked Ash and Iris along into line, nearly tore the pack off Ash’s back looking for the money for tickets, and now led their way through the backlot of Worldwide Pictures on an absolutely beautiful day. It was cool but not cold, the sun was bright, the studio lot was full of excited fans following the yellow lines in small groups, and every now and again, they caught a glimpse of a costumed actor or camera crane being rushed inside one of the huge stages. Cilan kept up a running commentary on everything they passed. Ash understood about half of it.

“Do you see it, Ash?” said Cilan, throwing an arm around Ash as he pointed to a long tan building with a curved blue roof and open doors. “That is Stage 28. It was the first soundstage built in this region, nearly a hundred years ago!”

“Wow…it’s that old?” asked Ash. Movies weren’t something he usually thought about as having been around for that long. I don’t think I’ve even seen any movies older than my mom…

“Ash, Worldwide Pictures is the oldest of the major film companies in Unova!” said Cilan. “It was an innovator of the early days of cinema, the first to relocate to Virbank City from the east, and during the Golden Age of Virbank, it was the studio for mystery, thriller, and horror pictures.”

“Really? Awesome!” It had been forever since Ash had seen a horror movie. The last one was back in Sinnoh, the really weird Alto Marian one with all the bright colors that Dawn thought was so scary that –

A loud scream came from inside Stage 28, sending shivers down Ash’s spine and a frizz through Pikachu’s tail. “Ah,” said Cilan. “It seems such a film is under production as we speak!”

“You think?” asked Ash. Even with the doors open, it was hard to see anything inside the stage, and other than the scream, Ash couldn’t hear anything but a general busy murmur. And when the scream came again, it didn’t sound like something from a horror movie. It sounded excited.

At a third scream, Pikachu perked up. His left ear twitched, and he started to sniff the air. “Hmmm? What’s up, Pikachu?” Ash asked. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and scampered inside Stage 28. The yellow lines on the ground marked the stage as OK to enter, so Ash didn’t think twice about following.

When his eyes adjusted from the bright sun outside, he saw a massive set, an old-fashioned opera house with balconies, painted backdrops, gold decoration on red walls, and a huge brass chandelier. There was a film crew up on the opera stage, huddled around the camera as they quietly reviewed a script. The bigger crowd was in the seats, as a well-dressed man talked about the set – how it was almost as old as the soundstage itself, that it was originally made for some old movie based on an even older Kalosene book (Le fantôme de la tour Lumiose, or something like that – Ash couldn’t really understand it) and all the films it had been used in.

Pikachu sat on the armrest of one of the chairs in the row nearest to the stage doors, still sniffing. Ash wanted to help him find whatever it was he was looking for, but Ash couldn’t smell anything strange. He couldn’t really see anybody that well either; except for the guide, everyone had their backs to the door.

“…And three years later,” the guide was saying, “this set was used for the theatre scene in Blasko – The Un-dead.”

A member of the crowd jumped up. “OOH! That one’s my favorite!”

It was the same voice that had screamed earlier. Ash was right – it was excited. And it was familiar. With a happy cry of “Pikachupi!” Pikachu leapt from chair to chair until he reached the figure – a tall, scrawny girl in a sleeveless yellow hoodie, short shorts, and ginger hair pulled into a side ponytail.

“Pikachu!” she cried out as the Pokémon hopped into her arms and nestled into her neck. “Wha – where did you come from? Does this mean – oh, hi Ash!”

Ash gave a weak wave in reply. His head felt so dizzy that he couldn’t think of what else to do. Who would think he’d run into somebody from home in a giant movie studio in Unova – much less Misty?

POKEMON: BEST WISHES! “JEWEL OF THE SEVEN POKEMON!”

It really is a small world, thought Iris. They’d run into friends and rivals from Unova all through their journey; now, apparently, they were running into Ash’s friends from his home in Kanto. His best friend, even.

Iris wasn’t sure what to make of her yet. Pikachu obviously loved this girl; he hadn’t left her arms since she and Ash had come out of that old stage. Ash was lit up like the city lights too. He and his friend were chattering back and forth so much, Iris and Cilan still hadn’t had a chance to even give their names. They were somehow on the subject of how creaky the floorboards were in Ash’s room back home, when his mother would fix them, and how Misty was over there so much more often than Ash these days that maybe it should be considered her room (“Is not!” Ash insisted. “Is too!” Misty claimed.)

“So – you’re Misty, huh?” said Iris once they finally took a breath. “We’ve heard a lot about you.” You and five other people, she thought, but Misty’s name was the one that came up the most whenever Ash talked about his other traveling pals, her and some guy named Brock.

“That’s me!” Misty winked and struck a pose. “The world’s greatest beauty, and Water-type leader of the Cerulean City Gym!” Pikachu gave a happy cry of approval, one Iris couldn’t find it in her to match.

“‘World’s greatest beauty,’ huh?” she muttered. There’s a lot you could say about a claim like that… Axew’s snort told Iris that he agreed with her.

“And I know you two,” said Misty, with another wink. “You’re Iris, obviously – the future Dragon Master.”

“Oh – Ash said that?” Iris looked over at her friend, who shot her a cheeky grin. Iris covered her surprise with a pose of her own. “Well, at least he’s telling his friends back home the truth.”

Misty chuckled and turned to Cilan. “And that must make you –”

“Cilan, at your service!” he spun around and bowed. “Fellow Gym Leader, Pokémon Connoisseur, Film Connoisseur –”

“Annoying Connoisseur,” Iris cut in, and took some pleasure in watching Cilan deflate. Ash and Misty chuckled, then turned back to each other. “It’s great to see you again, Misty,” said Ash, for the third time since he’d brought her out. “But how’d you end up in Unova anyway?”

“There was a raffle in Cerulean City for a free trip to Worldwide Studios,” said Misty. “I wouldn’t have entered normally, but they made all my favorite monster movies. Blasko – the Undead, Creature from Heart Lake, Bride of the Sableye –”

Iris slapped a hand to her forehead. Great – another Film Connoisseur… “So you won?” she said, hoping to make a long story short.

A frown flickered across Misty’s face for the first time, but she nodded. “My sisters complained, of course, but I’m overdue for a vacation, and they agreed – eventually – to do their fair share and watch the Gym for a few days.”

“Sisters?” Iris asked.

“Misty’s three older sisters,” Ash explained. “They’re the –”

“They’re the internationally renowned water ballet act known as the Water Flowers of Cerulean City,” said Cilan, instantly recovered. “A popular attraction, though I’m afraid my brothers and I considered them a somewhat shallow taste when they last toured through Unova.”

“Shallow, huh?” Misty raised an eyebrow. “Well, those are my sisters you’re talking about…and they’re so shallow, they couldn’t make a puddle.” She laughed, and so did everyone else. “But forget about them – we’re here, at Worldwide Studios, and there’s so much to see before the autograph signing!”

“Autograph signing?” Iris, Ash, and Cilan all asked together, Pikachu and Axew chirping along.

“You didn’t know?” Misty seemed blown away by the thought. “Later this afternoon, on the set of his new movie, Bela Christopher is signing photos!”

“BELA CHRISTOPHER IS HERE!?” Even by Cilan’s standards, it was a ridiculous scream. He looked ready to faint, and Misty looked ready to jump the soundstage behind her.

“Who’s Bela Christopher?” asked Ash, and Iris was with him. She loved her some movies – even if she wasn’t a Connoisseur of them – and she’d never heard the name in her life.

“WHO’S BELA CHRISTOPHER!?” Misty and Cilan cried together. They looked to each other, as if they couldn’t believe the question, then rounded on Ash so quickly he took a step back. “Ash,” Misty sighed, “he’s only the greatest living star of horror and fantasy films around!”

“He’s a renowned Galarian actor and war veteran going into his fifth decade as a performer!” said Cilan.

“When Chisel Studios in Galar started remaking all the great monster movies, Bela Christopher played all of them,” said Misty. “He’s played Blasko the Vampire more times than anyone!”

“He also gave a fine turn as the great Galarian detective, Mycroft Abode!” said Cilan.

“He has a Bisharp that he uses in all his movies – it was great as the witch’s familiar in Pokémon Horror Center –”

“He’s an operatically trained singer whose albums cover everything from the great Alto Marian operas to heavy metal –”

“He just came back to horror films after a ten-year break with Reversal Mountain –”

“And he’s set to portray the evil wizard Saul of the Rainbow in the long-awaited adaptation of –”

“OK, OK, we get it!” Ash cried. He looked as exhausted as Iris felt. Was “he’s famous” not enough of an answer for these people?

“But that’s still hours away,” said Misty, instantly back into giddy mode. “And I haven’t even made it to the Little Kalos village yet. C’mon, Ash –” she set Pikachu up on her shoulder and linked arms with Ash – “I’ve still got so much to tell you! And you still haven’t told me what happened to that Victini you ran in to…” She led Ash down the studio road, heedless of his sputtering.

“Looks like we’ve picked up another kid,” Iris sighed, shaking her head. “Right?” She looked to Cilan; he still seemed worked into a frenzy. “Er – Cilan?”

“…How could I not have known Bela Christopher would be here signing autographs!?” He threw his hands to the sky and dropped to his knees. “The finest of all the Mycroft Abodes in cinema, and the only man to have played Mycroft’s brother too! There’s no time to lose – we must find out where that set is!” He sprang back up and took Iris by the hand.

“Shouldn’t we just follow Ash and MistyyyyIIIIEEE!” Iris screamed, led against all instinct down the studio street – in the opposite direction from their friends.

***

“Oof! How are you gonna get all this home to Cerulean City anyway?” Ash huffed.

“Don’t be silly, Ash.” Misty gave a dismissive wave of her hand before tossing another box onto the stack. “It’s only a few souvenirs.” That said souvenirs were piled tall enough that Misty couldn’t see Ash’s face anymore didn’t mean anything – that was all packaging. She’d make it fit her luggage when the time came.

“Now let’s see,” she said, taking a lick of her ice cream cone before offering Pikachu one in turn. “We’ve seen the Little Kalos village – I can’t believe how detailed that church façade was, it’s so convincing! – the live werecanroc make-up demonstration, the clock tower set, the Lure Hotel –”

“And we’ve been in every shop along the way,” Ash grunted. “C’mon, Misty – give me a break!”

“Relax, Ash,” Misty giggled. “We’re in the line for the autographs.” She was a little disappointed in how short the line was – they weren’t exactly first at the door, but she and Ash were pretty close for showing up just a few minutes before the set opened. The last classic horror convention Misty had attended in Kanto had a similarly slight turnout. It’s the same everywhere, thought Misty sadly. People just don’t appreciate the beauty in these things. It was Tentacool and Tentacruel all over again.

As soon as he heard they were in line, Ash dumped all the boxes off to the side, and made a big show of stretching and lurching over, as if in pain. Misty rolled her eyes. What a baby – they couldn’t have been that heavy. While he was bent forward, she gave him a thump to the back of the head. He whipped up and glared at her. She glared back. And, in a few seconds, they both broke down laughing.

“It’s great having you here, Misty,” said Ash, still chuckling. “It’s just like being back home.”

“Not exactly the same – Brock isn’t here.” The last word Misty had from Brock, he was settling in nicely at his school and looking into apprenticeships in Johto. “To tell you the truth, Ash, I was a little worried about you when I heard Brock wasn’t with you anymore.”

“Ah, c’mon.” Ash brushed his thumb across the bottom of his nose. “I can take care of myself. And besides, Iris and Cilan are with me here, and they’re great. Just wait ‘til you have some of Cilan’s cooking! Brock’s is still great, but –”

“I don’t know if I’ll have the time, Ash,” said Misty. “My trip’s only for the weekend, and just to see the studio. I have to go home tomorrow night.”

“Oh.” It was amazing how much of an open book Ash Ketchum could be. He almost literally deflated before Misty’s eyes. “That’s too bad…I miss hanging out with ya, Misty.”

Misty had long ago gotten over her doubts about Ash’s friendship. The chance of anything more set aside, she felt secure, knowing he was her best friend and she was his, and they could stay that way without a lot of words about it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t still nice to hear them now and again. “I miss you too, Ash,” she said. “I miss traveling. It’s great, being a Gym Leader – but I’d like to get back on the road sometimes.” Back home, the Cerulean Gym was in the middle of a top-to-bottom renovation, all on Misty’s initiative and design. It was tough work, consuming work – rewarding work. But not enough to stop Misty from taking Azurill up to the roof some nights to gaze out onto the bay, and the silvery horizon line in the moonlight.

And if traveling with Ash specifically had another appeal that she still hadn’t mentioned – well, what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. Or us.

“Well…at least we’ve got the weekend,” said Ash, perking back up. “And we’ve gotta have a Pokémon battle, at least!”

“You’ve got it!” Misty flashed him a grin and pumped a fist. “Just you wait, Ash Ketchum – you’re gonna get blown away!”

“Oh yeah?” Ash titled the brim of his hat back. “You haven’t seen my –”

“Ash! Misty!” Ash’s friend Cilan was running towards them in a manic rush, with a flustered Iris and her Axew in tow behind. He barely skidded to a halt in time to avoid crashing into them (but couldn’t stop Iris from falling face-first onto the street.) “Have we missed it?”

“Nope!” Misty said brightly. “Three minutes to go!”

“I told you we should’ve just followed them,” Iris grumbled as she picked herself up. Axew shot Cilan a dirty look before disappearing into his Trainer’s hair.

“So what’s this movie they’re making here?” Ash asked. He was on his toes, craning for a look at the still-closed stage doors.

“Jewel of the Seven Pokémon,” said Misty. “From the author of Blasko – The Un-dead. It’s the first time it’s ever been made into a movie!” Positive that Ash – and probably Iris – had no idea what the book was about, Misty started to explain. “It’s based on old legends about Yamask and Cofagrigus – that they were originally from a long-lost region far to the south. The hero is engaged, see, and his fiancée’s father is a famous professor who goes to that lost region and brings back seven Cofagrigus. They all keep together, circling around this giant ruby – ” Misty started to circle Ash, her hands held out and her fingers wiggling – “and the professor and his daughter figure out that the ruby belonged to an ancient princess that the Cofagrigus used to serve.

“They think the soul of the princess is trapped inside the jewel, see –” she placed her hands over Ash’s heart – “and even though the hero warns them it’s a bad idea, they set up this special ceremony under the right star on the right night of the year to enhance the power of the Cofagrigus and free the princess! And it works, but the princess possesses the fiancée, and she and the Cofagrigus start to tear the mansion apart! The hero and his Absol have to do – well, they don’t have a choice – but in the final scene, all the Cofagrigus are gone, the ruby and the professor vanish, and the hero’s left holding his fiancée’s body in his arms. It’s – ah!” Misty clasped a hand to her cheek. “It’s so romantic.”

“Romantic?” Ash frowned. “It sounds like everyone dies.”

“That’s a typical ending for the Gothic Romance genre, Ash,” said Cilan. Misty felt she didn’t need to taste his cooking to approve of Cilan as a good influence.

Not that Ash seemed to get it. “It still doesn’t sound romantic to me,” he said, crossing his arms. “Do they get together as ghosts?”

“No…”

“Then how’s the love stuff supposed to work?”

“You just don’t have the maturity and sophistication to understand, Ash,” Misty said, her nose turned up. “All the best love stories end in tragedy.” Well, all the best ones in fiction, anyway. Real life’s a different story…

“What, so if you got a boyfriend, you’d want him to die?” said Ash. His eyebrow was up, and there was a taunt in his voice.

“Oh, don’t spoil it!” Misty snapped. “I love that book, and it’ll be a great movie!”

“Sure, sure. Just don’t expect me to go with you.”

“Fine then – I’ll just take Pikachu!” Misty gave Ash’s starter a poke to the tummy, and he cooed happily.

“She couldn’t take either of them,” Misty heard Iris mutter to Cilan; she ignored her.

“And after we see the movie,” she told Ash, “I’ll use Pikachu against you in our Pokémon battle!” Just to play along, Pikachu nuzzled her face with his whole body, and wrapped his tail behind her head. Ash might’ve gotten whiny over that in the old days, but he just grinned, turned his cap back, and drew out a Poké Ball.

“Oh yeah?” he said, his voice suddenly much huskier than Misty remembered. “Well, let’s see you two traitors beat – THIS!”

The ball flew out, a bright light flashed, and there before Misty was a small Pokémon, barely taller than Pikachu, with a white face, an aqua body, a seashell perfectly positioned on its chest…

“…It’s so CUTE!” Misty swooped down to gather the Water-type in her arms. “Ash, how could you not tell me you had an Oshawott! Oh, it’s just the sweetest, most adorable little thing ever!” One look told Misty the love was mutual; Ash’s Oshawott had hearts in its eyes, and he threw his little paws around Misty’s neck.

“Well, Ash,” Misty giggled. “I guess that’s two of your Pokémon that like me best.”

“Aww…Oshawott!” Ash whined. Misty, both Ash’s Pokémon, Cilan, and Iris all laughed.

“Ah!” Cilan pointed toward the stage. “The doors open!” The large red doors slid to either side, still revealing nothing as the stage remained in shadow. A young man, dressed just like the guide from Stage 28, stepped out of the dark. His glasses were thick, his expression forlorn.

“Attention – attention, everyone!” he called to the slim crowd. “The production of Jewel of the Seven Pokémon has been indefinitely suspended, and the scheduled autograph signing is canceled.”

[platonicone]

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 29 - Friendship

Why do we confide in others? I wonder…

After braving the snow, they finally came to the haven by a thawed lake. The mountain arch with a deep opening created a nice shelter from the arctic wilderness. The depth of the arch prevented any wind or snow from entering the enclosed space.

“Looks very cozy,” Aranea stated, looking at the haven.

“At this point, even a coffin would look cozy,” commented Squall callously.

“Let’s go get some dry branches before it gets any darker,” she suggested. Squall nodded, and they both got busy gathering wood to burn.

They collected branches and various pieces of wood and dumped them at the fireplace. They huddled around it and tried to start the fire by rubbing stones.

“Oh fire, discovered by cavemen, useful even now,” she commented as a spark from her stone ignited the fire.

They sat as close to the fire as possible without getting burned. She warmed her hands and place it on her face to spread the warmth. Squall leaned in closer to the fire to bask in its warmth.

Once the sun set, the darkness took over. Without any city lights nearby, everything was covered in the thick blanket of darkness.

“I am glad we made it before the demons came out,” she said, rubbing her hands.

“Ya,” he sounded uninterested.

She gazed out into the darkness and her eyes could barely identify any shapes.

“Is this how the world will be if darkness takes over?” She wondered.

“Probably.”

“Is everything okay? You seem distracted,” she noted.

“Just, lots of things going on, that’s all.”

“Wanna talk about it?” She offered.

“No,” both of them said simultaneously. Aranea laughed his predictability.

“You can tell me anything. I am your friend,” she said, leaning closer.

“I know. I don’t want to burden you with my problems,” he replied, averting her gaze.

“Seeing a friend in trouble and not being able to help them is also a burden,” she stated calmly.

“You remind me so much of her,” he commented.

“Her?”

“In my world, I had a friend who stood by my side through thick and thin. She would go out of her way to help me at my slightest discomfort. Even though I never did anything for her, she never left my side.”

“She sounds awesome.”

“Ya, she was. It’s a shame that I don’t even remember her name or her face. But I think she was very intelligent, compassionate and very beautiful too. She even had her own fan club if I recall it correctly.”

“Makes me wonder why was she friends with someone like you?” she said, poking fun at Squall.

“I don’t know. She had no reason to,” he replied, adjusting the wood to keep the fire burning. “Once she wanted to talk about her problem and I told her to go talk to the wall.”

“Wow, you are such an ass. Did you at least apologize to her?”

“I don’t think so. It’s one thing I regret the most. I never treated her right or ever told her how much she meant to me,” he revealed, staring into the darkness.

“Squall, we humans are very resilient when it comes to our survival. However, our hearts are very fragile, it needs to be constantly reassured of love and hope. That is why is so important to tell someone how much you appreciate them or how much they mean to you,” She advised.

“You are right. I should do it more often,” he admitted.

“Everyone wants to be needed by someone. If you can make someone feel needed, you have done a good job,” she added.

“I know, but I have a hard time expressing myself. I’d rather show that I care about them through my actions than say it.”

“Even if you show it by actions, it is still important to say it sometimes,” she countered.

“Why?”

“Because it feels good to hear it,” she replied.

“I guess.”

“Aranea, thank you.”

“For which one? There are too many things you owe me for,” she said jokingly.

“You are one person who does not hesitate to tell me when I am wrong and I appreciate it. Sometimes you need an outside perspective to realize your mistake,” he confessed.

“I will always be at your service if you ever want to be insulted, scar-face,” she stated with a smile. “You are welcome. That’s what friends are for, to cover each other’s weaknesses and improve each other. If as a friend, I don’t help you identify and correct your mistake, then what’s the point of such friendship?”

“Friends like you are rare to find, so thank you for being my friend,” he said earnestly.

“Someone is taking my advice to heart. I like it,” she smiled.

Silence took over again as neither of them said anything.

“So, you gonna tell me what’s going on between you and Luna?” Aranea initiated the conversation.

“Nothing is going on,” he deflected her inquiry.

“That’s not what Luna said,” she stated, shaking her head.

“What did she say?” Squall asked with a glint in his eyes.

“Everything. From the day you meet till now,” she recalled.

“If she already told you everything, then there is nothing more I could add to it.”

“She told me about your journey from her perspective. But I am more interested in hearing your side of the story,” she stated her curiosity.

“Why?”

“Because I am curious. Because we have a lot of time to kill. Because I want to know why you risked your life like that. Because I want to help Luna. Do you need more reasons?” she listed.

“I guess not,” he shrugged.

“So, spill it.”

Squall took a deep breath and began.

“I gotta admit, after hearing all that, I am #TeamLeon. I think you two make a cute couple,” she giggled.

“Stop it,” he said, getting annoyed.

“Oh, come on now, just admit it,” she urged.

“Whatever.”

“You should tell her how you feel,” she suggested.

“Nothing will ever happen between us. She loves Noctis and will marry him someday. I will go back to my world once I take her to Altissia. That is how our story ends,” he remarked in a grievous tone.

After some solemn silence Squall spoke again, “Aranea, can you do me a favor?”

“Ask away.”

“Please help Noctis the best you can,” he stated, humbly.

“Wait! What?” she was taken aback. “You want me to help Noctis? Why?”

“Because Luna loves him. To see him fulfill his duty is her dream. Even though I might not be around to see it, I still want her dream fulfilled.”

“You do know that I don’t like Noctis, right?” She checked.

“Yes, I do. But I also know that you won’t let me down,” he stated.

“Urgh. I have so much pent-up frustration with him. Can I fight with him once and let it all out? Obviously, I won’t break his bones or anything,” she complained.

“Fine, but will you help him after that?” he asked.

“Yes, I promise.”

“Thanks.”

“You are so weird,” she said, shaking her head.

“You would have to be more specific than that,” he advised.

“It’s like you are going out of business because of a competitor, but you still want to make sure that they get all your customers once you are gone. Why?” she wondered.

“I am not doing it for him. I am doing it for Luna. I want her to be happy, even if it's not with me. Her happiness lies with Noctis.”

“What about your happiness?” she inquired.

“My happiness is in seeing her happy,” he replied sincerely.

“Why do you love her?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly.

“For someone so pragmatic, I thought you would know why.”

“Love is irrational by nature. You can have reasons to like someone, but you don’t need a reason to love someone. You just do.”

“Never thought you to be a hopeless romantic,” she said with a chuckle.

“I would like to think that I am pragmatic romantic.”

“There is no such thing as that. Now you are just making things up,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Isn’t that how the language was invented? Someone came up with some words and gave meaning to it,” he defended.

She just gave a facepalm in response.

“Your turn to speak.”

Aranea narrated her childhood, growing up in Niflheim, joining the military, and her rise to being a Commodore. One thing Squall could notice was that she was fiercely loyal to Niflheim.

After hearing her story, Squall asked, “Who was that little girl on the train? I saw you playing with her in Tenebrae as well.”

That question caught her off-guard.

“Oh, she is, um…” Aranea seemed to struggle to come up with a coherent sentence. “She is a friend’s daughter.”

Squall scrutinized her. She knew he was on to her.

“I thought you are were not allowed to keep secrets from a friend,” he stated, calmly.

Aranea sighed before speaking. “As a soldier, we sacrifice our body for our nation. Let’s just say that there is more than one way to sacrifice your body.”

“Oh…” it suddenly dawned on Squall on what she meant. “She is your—”

“Yes, she is my monster,” she interjected before he could complete. “Her name is Solara Aldercapt Antiquum.”

“Aldercapt?” his eyes widened.

“She is the granddaughter of Emperor Aldercapt. After the prince’s untimely death, the Emperor was left without an heir. However, they had preserved the DNA of the prince. I volunteered for the sake of my country. Only Emperor Aldercapt and I know of this secret. Now you know it as well.”

“I promise to take this secret to my grave,” he responded earnestly.

Aranea nodded in appreciation.

“She is my world. I want to keep fighting for a better future for her sake,” she said, as fire danced in her iris.

“You are lucky, Aranea,” Squall spoke softly.

“Why?” She asked, taken aback.

“Many people find a reason to die for, but only a few find a reason to live for. I am happy you found that reason to live for.”

“It was unexpected at first, but I finally found my reason to live. Even if the world goes dark, I’ll keep fighting for a better future.”

They chatted at great length about Aranea’s past. Talking with each other kept their mind away from hunger and cold. They continued to chat till dawn.

They heard engine noise coming in their direction. “They are here.”

A sense of relief washed over them when they heard that voice.

Within seconds Biggs and Wedge came into view, riding their snowmobile. Biggs waved at them and Aranea waved back.

They rode back to the ship on their snowmobiles. A medic on-board checked on them as soon as they entered the ship.

As the ship descended toward Tenebrae Aranea approached Squall. “Here, you should keep this,” she said, handing him something.

He looked at it and was shocked to see it, “Frozen tear! Why are you giving it to me?”

“Think of it as a token of our friendship. Keep it safe until I ask for it.”

“Yes, I’ll keep it with me so I can return it to you someday.”

“Good.”

The airship lowered and the hangar door opened. They said their goodbyes and made their way to their respective home.

Next Day

Leon did not see Aranea the next day at all. He assumed that she must be busy with her duties and taking care of her monster. He went for a stroll with Gentiana as usual. The healing camp was over the number of pilgrims was significantly less now. They could finally walk without bumping into each other. He had hoped to see Luna, but she had requested her meals in her room.

Next Day

A loud banging on the door woke up Squall. He stumbled his way to the door, “Biggs?”

“Sir Squall, Lady A has been captured by the Empire and she has been branded as a traitor," said frantic Biggs.

Hearing that, Squall was wide awake now. “What? How?”

“We don’t know much detail, but I got an SOS from her on our secure channel. We traced her signal, and her last location was in Zegnautus Keep, Gralea. The Empire will execute her if we don’t rescue her soon,” he pleaded.

Author's notes:

So, what do you think about this chapter? Are you #TeamLeon or #TeamNoctis? Let me know in your comments below. If you don't have much to say then at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is reading this. It would really brighten my day. Thanks :)

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

The Witches of Los Angeles, Chapter 1: I am apparently not wasting any time starting in on the next installment of this saga!

[ao3] [Seelie of Kurain masterlist]

“But what if, even after all of this, I make it to the end, and nobody will hire me? That nobody’s willing to work with a teenage attorney and I just – can’t do anything because I don’t have anywhere to go?”

“That’s a lot of ‘ifs’ there, kiddo. But if – if – you get your badge, do your searching, can’t find a single office in the LA area willing to take on a prodigy – then there’s always my office. It’s sure as hell not a law office right now, but it’d give you a space to work out of.”

-

It’s a bad time for the phone to ring. Even if Edgeworth was still in Europe, he’s always been good at working around the time difference (and he knew that at the odd hours of the night, even if Phoenix was awake, he’d be in the basement of the club with no reception) and never just called at a time that would make Phoenix panic. And it can’t be Maya or Pearls, with no sense of time, because he worked with Iris (the only one of them who understood human needs for sleep) to put an enchantment on his phone that stopped them from calling him about things that weren’t life-threatening at 2 am.

In the time it takes him to fumble for his phone, he has gone through the options: Trucy snuck out and got arrested for underage drinking or trespassing or arson or whatever teen girls do to have fun in the small hours of the morning. Edgeworth got murdered staying too late at his office. Apollo got into some sort of trouble, though Phoenix’s imagination has never been able to figure out what Apollo would be doing out and in trouble at this hour (though if he really considers possibilities, Klavier is probably also involved). Or Thalassa had something happen to her, or she found out what lost, forbidden knowledge he and Maya have been chasing for the sake of her soul and with no regard for time wants to yell at him.

Bleary-eyed, he doesn’t check the caller ID and simply answers. “Phoenix Wright speaking.”

“Mr Wright! Mr Wright! I passed! I passed!”

Or, the option he hadn’t considered. “Time zones, please,” he groans, resting his face back against his pillow. “It’s two am and – wait.” He sits back up, blinking at the dark room like written somewhere in it will be something to help him replay the words she just said. “You passed?”

“The Bar results came today! I passed! Athena Cykes, barred and badged attorney at the ready! I’ve got a flight booked tomorrow and stuff packing now! Vámonos!”

Oh, god. Athena never lets him forget that she lives her entire life in a frantic rush. “Slow down, kiddo,” he says, knowing that she absolutely will not but feeling obligated to try to make her do so anyway. “Do you have somewhere you’re working? A place to live?”

“No to the second, yes to the first.”

“Well, that’s probably something you should do before you come back. I can give you a hand, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a place.” There are always cheap available apartments in a city built this close to faery hills – or mountains, as it is. The unpredictable, not-typical-SoCal weather would probably be enough to send people running, but Phoenix also has a theory that the city itself has enough of a life force that it decides what people it doesn’t want and gives them little mental nudges to make them leave. (To the people it does want, it gives cheap rent and depression.)

“So where are you working?” he adds. He doesn’t know every defense attorney in the city, but he knows of most of them. (Athena’s a sharp, emotionally intelligent kid. He doesn’t need to vet her entire career for her. She’d figure out quick enough if she was working for someone nasty.)

“Uh, have you forgotten, and isn’t it obvious – Boss?”

Phoenix manages not to swear out loud, which he thinks is rather impressive of him, all things considered. His mind racing, he tries to remember if he ever directly offered Athena a job or simply positioned himself as the backup-backup plan, the last resort, because he isn’t a boss or a mentor and all he knows how to be is the shelter that collects stray kids fucked up and fucked over by fae magic where he can’t do much worse to them than has already been done. And Athena isn’t one of them.

(Isn’t she?)

No, Athena shouldn’t be here.

And then what he says is, “Ah. Right,” as his mouth once again keeps going ahead of his brain. “You know,” he adds, knowing that it’s probably too late but needing to try, “you don’t have to just charge in like this. You can look for other places instead of just coming with me because I was the first option. You’ve got time. It’s not like there’s some kind of door that’s about to slam in your face.”

Midlife crisis before she’s out of her teens, that’s the impression that she gives him. Like she thinks her entire life will be useless if she doesn’t have a badge and a certain number of cases under her belt before she turns nineteen. Like there’s an end line she’s afraid of tripping over that no one else can see, but because she’s a damn kid Phoenix is terrified she’s going to get chewed up like Franziska and Klavier and Sebastian all were, ripped apart and rearranged by the heartless, manipulative people who stood behind them.

(And Athena doesn’t have one of those, not now, not yet, but Phoenix doesn’t have any reservations about what he is, what even more he could be.)

“I can do stuff now, so I’m gonna do it! Also the plane ticket can only be canceled 24 hours in advance, and the flight is closer than that, so I really can’t stop now.”

Knowing that she can’t see him, Phoenix still shakes his head. “And where are you planning on staying until you find housing?” he asks.

He might be able to guess the answer to this one, too. And that is its own can of worms for him to lie in, but if she’s working at the Agency, then – well, he can keep an eye on her but still distance himself, and she’ll have Apollo to show her the ropes. She could learn a lot from him, and he from her. It might – scratch that, it would definitely – be good for Apollo to have another lawyer to work with. And he knows that Apollo, unlike most others, shouldn’t be too freaked out by Athena’s powers. No one’s normal at the WAA. Maybe it is the best place for Athena, in spite of himself.

(No, he’s going to need to repeat that to himself a few hundred more times before he believes it.)

“So Trucy kinda said that maybe I could crash on your couch? Or her bedroom floor. Or the fire escape! I mean, all I really need is a shower and a flat surface, and I guess I’m gonna get a gym membership and they’ll have showers, so I could sleep at the office too!”

“I am not going to make you sleep at the office,” Phoenix says. Mia wouldn’t allow him to do that. “I’m not sure where you would hang your clothes, anyway.”

“Is that – is that you being cool with Trucy’s floor?”

Is it? He’s lost on everything else so far he’s tried to bargain with Athena on. “Living room couch. She’s got school, and you’ve got a law career, and I know you’ll be talking to the middle of the night like it’s a sleepover if you stay in the same room.”

“Thank you! Thanks so much!”

“And you’re gonna be looking for apartments from the start, but I think that goes without saying.”

“Definitely. I wasn’t planning on couchsurfing forever. I mean, mostly because you’re the only option I have.”

“What, you haven’t asked Edgeworth?” He at least would have a spare bedroom, though Athena would probably eat him out of the house in a day.

“Wait, I could? Unless there’s like – there’s not any rules against a defense attorney bunking with a prosecutor, right?”

If there are rules like that, then Phoenix and Edgeworth have already broken most of them. There are very few actual rules, and Phoenix has broken most of those too. “No, though you’d be bunking with the Chief Prosecutor now, you know.”

“Oh man, really? I keep thinking about how I’ve come so far since I met you two, but I guess you’ve both come a long ways too!”

“The two of you have.” And Phoenix stuck as always, as ever. He’s what he’s made of himself and nothing more.

“Don’t say that, Mr Wright! I’ve been reading about what you’ve been doing. And you could take the Bar again, I’m sure! You definitely should. I passed! You would too! You did before!”

Phoenix snorts. “Thanks, but I’m not so sure. I’m a little less lucky than I was when I first passed.” Does he owe Iris and her blessing for passing the Bar on the first try? Probably, and he doesn’t want to dwell on that much.

“Still. I think you should. Then we’d have three lawyers, me and what did Trucy say his name was, Apollo! And you. We’d be an unbeatable team!”

It would be nice to have her optimism. He has no way of responding that she won’t hear his doubt, so he goes for the redirect. “You should let Edgeworth know you got your badge, even if you don’t ask him if you can crash at his place. He’d like to know how you’ve been doing, and I’m not sure if you’d see him in person any time soon. Chief Prosecutor stuff is keeping him really busy.” Worryingly busy, in fact. There’s a lot of corruption to clean up, Phoenix knows, but more and more he wonders if there’s something else, something on top of the base level of corruption that’s eating up all of Edgeworth’s time.

“I’ll email him. And then I’ll see you soon! This week! Two days! One plane ride away, Boss! And then it’s gonna be awesome, I just know it!”

After she hangs up, he stares at the dark floor, at the thin lines of the city lights seeping in around the window shades, for a long time. It would be nice, unfathomably so, if she was right. If the the constant expectation gnawing at the back of Phoenix’s skull was wrong. Let her be right, and for once, let everything – or even just something – turn out all right.

-

Edgeworth calls in the morning, causing Phoenix to realize something: he both worries when he doesn’t hear from Edgeworth, and when he does. He didn’t sleep well after Athena’s call, worrying about that too, and her, and this realization that he feels responsible for her like a father and that’s the last goddamn thing he wanted. “What’s up?” he asks through a yawn, and there is silence on the other end of the line, Edgeworth clearly reassessing whether Phoenix is the best person for whatever the problem is. Or maybe he still thinks Phoenix is the right person, but Saturday morning not the right time to have a serious conversation.

Then he sighs and says, “Wright, I have a… a favor to ask. A special request.”

“Ominous. So how can I help?” It’s not the way he would respond to anyone else; it’s a rule he’s had since he met Mia and started tangling with the fae, to never agree to any request without knowing the terms. But it’s Edgeworth. Phoenix sets different rules for him.

“I want you to clear one of my subordinates of suspicion.”

“Edgeworth, that’s like, the one thing I can’t do for you. I’m not a lawyer, remember? Haven’t been for longer than I ever was.”

“And you aren’t at all eager to return?”

“Eh.” Is he? What does he want to do? He doesn’t know anymore, hasn’t had time to ever figure it out. Who is he when he’s not trying to keep Kristoph from doing more harm, when not flailing to keep himself and Trucy afloat and alive?

(He’s the person that Edgeworth asks for help on investigations, an invitation extended again and again even when Phoenix thought for sure he would give up in the face of “not now”s and “someday”s, that he wouldn’t wait like he did for the now and the someday. And he’d liked those investigations, more than getting to show Trucy more of the world, more than spending time with Edgeworth. And for everything else there was, he had enjoyed jumping behind the defense’s bench with Apollo, for more reason than finally getting to tear Kristoph down.)

(Maybe he does know, and maybe what he knows is that he misses being an attorney.)

“With everything cleared up, you would be able to, and I can’t imagine you just continuing to delegate everything to others.”

Does Edgeworth know him too well? Maybe, but as long as he doesn’t point out that the reason he can’t imagine Phoenix leaving things to other people is because Phoenix is paranoid, suspicious, and laden with trust issues, Phoenix can live with it. “Athena called last night and was saying I should retake the Bar, too.”

“I received an email from her, as well. I’m inclined to agree with her in regards to you.”

“I’ll think about it. But who exactly is it that you’d be asking me to – defend?” There hasn’t been any news this week of prosecutors arrested for crimes. If something happened recently, it’s been on tight lockdown. And if it wasn’t recently, then what?

“You’ll recall the Blackquill case?”

“Oh,” Phoenix says.

That was a case on tight lockdown, details unknown to Phoenix, but whatever happened was damning for Prosecutor Blackquill, who pled guilty and was convicted in barely a few hours. And even if more information had been released, Phoenix probably wouldn’t have looked that far into it; even a year and a half after his disbarment, he was still struggling to keep from drowning, too preoccupied with himself and Trucy and Kristoph and no room to consider yet another murdering prosecutor. (How many of those have there been?)

“Yes. He will…” Edgeworth sighs. “He will be standing in court again, very soon. I want you to keep an eye on him.”

If it was anyone but Edgeworth speaking, Phoenix would assume that he was asking Phoenix whether Blackquill was human or fae, to look with the Sight and get answers. But it’s Edgeworth, and he probably doesn’t mean that. “So if he’s standing in court, do you mean his conviction was overturned – but if you’re asking me to clear him, then that means he hasn’t been…?”

“He will be standing in court, prosecuting, as a convict.”

Phoenix closes his eyes and considers flinging himself face-first into the couch. He heads for the kitchen instead. “Well,” he says. “That’s still not the worst or weirdest thing a chief prosecutor has done.”

Silence. He probably shouldn’t have said that. He definitely shouldn’t have said that. “I thought I was getting good at the piano thing,” Phoenix adds, and Edgeworth snorts, “but I mean, I guess this is a job I could do. Is there anything more you can tell me about Blackquill? Like if Apollo and Athena were to end up facing him in court.”

“Or if you were, should you get your badge back.” The silence stands for a few more seconds, Phoenix not wanting to agree to that, not wanting to get Edgeworth’s hopes up until he himself is sure, and Edgeworth adds, “He isn’t… pleasant, exactly.”

“That could mean a lot of things. Some people might say that about you, y’know.”

“Hmph. I’m sure some people might also say that about you. But I might compare him to Franziska: tolerates very little nonsense, does not suffer fools lightly, and has a very broad definition of what counts for foolishness. He’s studied psychology as a tactic for the courtroom and when he isn’t threatening, he’s manipulative. And if you were to defend him, he still insists quite stringently that he is in fact a murderer, though I know you have had clients of that sort before.”

And you were one of them, Phoenix thinks. “So, tough client, and tough prosecutor.” Sounds like someone else Phoenix knows. “Apollo could use some experience going up against a hostile prosecutor.” The most hostility he’s had to deal with has been witnesses – not to discount the ordeals that Crescend and Gavin made of those trials – but Klavier is far too fond of him. (Which Phoenix can’t complain about because that’s worked out for his purposes and also for the Jurist System trial case.) “And psychology, huh. You’ve got him, and I’ll have Athena.”

Edgeworth hums a noncommittal acknowledgement.

“You don’t paint a flattering picture of the guy you want defended, though.”

“You deserve to know as much as I can tell you. I didn’t know him well when he first joined the office, but it’s my understanding that six and a half years in jail has sharpened anything that was ever tempered about him.”

That sounds achingly familiar, but not because of any of the prosecutors that Phoenix knows. Seven years is a long time to ferment and grow painfully bitter. “I suppose that makes sense,” he says. “I’ll keep that all under advisement. Anything else?”

“There is…” Edgeworth sighs and clicks his tongue. “There are a number of absurd rumors I’ve collected about him from other inmates and guards. It’s nothing I would pay heed to, but…” He sighs again.

“But?”

“They call him a witch.”

“Edgeworth, one of these days you’re going to have to accept the truth staring you in the face that these things are way more likely than you think.”

“Actually, I believe they are much less likely than you think, and your life is not accurate to the demographics of this city.”

“You met Kay, Lang, that shapeshifter lady, Sebastian, his bastard of a father, Judge Courtney, and whatever else was happening there, all within one month.”

The silence stretches for so long that Phoenix has to check to make sure Edgeworth hasn’t hung up on him. He goes to the pantry and finds that Trucy ate the last of the cereal. “Fine,” Edgeworth says at last. “People with magic have a tendency to move in packs. I will give you that. But Blackquill is… very much a loner, and I’ve spoken with him a number of times and seen nothing to suggest that he isn’t normal.”

“I guess I’ll have to meet him and see for myself.” It’s funny, really; Edgeworth’s disdain for cries of magic at anyone or anything that breaks a narrow mold nearly stopped him from mentioning the thing that has the best guarantee at bringing Phoenix in on this venture.

“I’m hoping to find a case for him in the next few days. I’ll let you know once I do. And the next exams are being administered in May, so you should get to studying for that.”

“Did I say that I was retaking it?”

“You’re already signed up and paid for, so I would really prefer you don’t let that go to waste.”

Phoenix nearly drops the phone. “Edgeworth. Edgeworth, tell me you’re joking—”

“I would never.”

“Didn’t you need my signature? Are we really starting my new career with more falsified—”

“Speaking of, I’ve meant to let you know that your daughter is worryingly good at forging your signature, and you should probably have a talk with her about that sort of thing.”

“You used my daughter for crimes—!”

“I also considered buying Miss Maya dinner for it, though I didn’t know which of those options you would have preferred less.”

Oh. Oh, Edgeworth is serious about it, about Phoenix getting his badge back, if he had considered making a deal with Maya over it. “You could’ve at least warned me and given me more than I don’t know, two weeks, to study!”

“And would you have used that extra time effectively?”

Phoenix drops his head against the refrigerator. He doesn’t know why he thought he would win against Edgeworth. He’s not even sure why he bothered to fight. “Okay, first of all, fuck you, and secondly – fuck you!”

Edgeworth chuckles. “Prosecutor Blackquill and I will see you in court, Wright.”

[bestfriendforhire]

Entry 393

 November came.  We had a memorial for Raine’s mother, Eliza, on the fourth, since Raine wanted to do something for it, not that she actually managed to ask.  She had always known that her mother feared her, which was part of the reason she feared herself, but they’d had a few wonderful times as well.

 Raine told us of her fondest memories, such as when they spent an entire day roaming the city as cats.  When Raine was three, her mother had thrown her a princess party, inviting all of the other werecats from the area.  At eight, Raine received her first computer and was introduced to MMO RPGs, which became a shared interest for the two of them.

 Sadly, all of the events after Raine’s fourth birthday were overshadowed by her mother’s fear.  Raine didn’t say anything of the sort, but I could read between the lines and had extra information.  Raine didn’t really celebrate birthdays after turning four until she turned eight.  Unlike most of us, Raine remembered being born and every day since in clarity that would make people with an eidetic memory envious.  She remembered those years of her mother jumping at Raine’s approach, the fear in Eliza’s eyes, and the smell of terror.

 Aaliyah had told me of Eliza’s struggles, trying to win the battle over her fear.  She still loved Raine, but her daughter had made a nightmarish scene of their attackers that Eliza just couldn’t forget.  Raine knew, of course, in the way of a brilliant child who could hear her mother’s conversations clear across the city couldn’t help knowing.  I was thankful that Aaliyah would eventually let them talk again, after they both were ready.  Eliza would be proud of her daughter.

 The day after the memorial was Cosette’s birthday.  She wanted a small celebration again, so we gave her that, making sure everyone was free to attend.  Vito, Papak, Zachary, and Ariadne made an appearance as well, a great honor for any vampire.  Surprisingly for most, there were token gifts sent from part of the Slayer family as well.  I was warned in advance, so I didn’t search them all for traps.

 On the eleventh, Alma, our unborn child, and I jumped out of space and time with Regina’s spirit to celebrate my departed friend’s birthday.  My wife didn’t approve of how Regina clung to me, but neither of us said anything.  Regina’s memories weren’t intact, and Aaliyah was not about to break her agreement with Regina.  As much as I disapproved of Regina’s choice, I would respect her wish.  I appreciated the protection she granted my home and felt spending a day’s worth of time with her each year for eternity was the least I could do.

 When Thanksgiving arrived, Best Friend For Hire, the Intergalactic House of Awesome Sauce, and Global Princess Entertainment hosted a charity event for anyone who wanted a free meal out of a block’s worth of buildings we purchased and renovated for this and future similar occasions.  Best Friend For Hire provided some of the staff, though we enlisted volunteers as well.  The Intergalactic House of Awesome Sauce provided enough food for tens of thousands of people, which most would find impressive, not knowing what a miniscule fraction of the daily output that was.

 Global Princess Entertainment made the entire ordering and delivery process automated, mass-producing the electronic waiters designed by Aurora, Mila, Jarod, and Maxine.  Aaliyah’s company also provided streaming movies, games, and other types of entertainment throughout the buildings, leaving my team and the volunteers with only cleaning to handle, which was largely restricted to the garbage which made its way outdoors.  The automated waiters handled clearing tables and cleaning floors within the buildings.

The feast upon returning home was even bigger than last year.  Of course, there were more people in my company to feed, but I was certain that Marco didn’t want to be outdone, even though the rest of us had been given opportunities to eat on breaks earlier.  My parents, who had volunteered at the earlier event, also came to the feast at my home, taking plenty of leftovers when they left.

 November thirtieth found me pacing in the morning.  There was nothing special happening on that day, but there were many December birthdays to consider.  Mick, my father, Maple, and Noelle were all born in December.  I knew those weren’t the birthdays that had me pacing.  In December—thirty-one days at most, I’d have a second child.  Well… thirty-one days for other people.  An irritating thought in the back of my head wouldn’t let me ignore the fact that there’d probably be numerous months for me still, out on business throughout time and space.  This child would be the first of my blood, possibly even bearing my name.  

 “James, you’re pacing.” stated Alma as she walked into the office, her pregnancy showing beneath the elegant gown she wore.

 “Going somewhere?” I questioned.

 “Oh, no.  Dani wanted me to join her, Cosette, Heloise, Emma, Iris, and Aaliyah in playing princess later.  Dressing up is apparently a requirement, even though we’ll be using the VR set to have an in-depth experience of being a princess during times of war.” she explained.

 “She convinced Iris to dress up as a princess?” I asked, feeling amused by the idea.  Iris was more of a tomboy, rarely wearing anything distinctly girly, and she typically wasn’t inclined to play video games.

 “The whole scenario is to start off with our parents being slaughtered at a meeting of the crowns.  Each of our characters will have reason to believe one of the others is the culprit, so there’s going to be a tremendous amount of action involved.  Besides, you know what turning down our daughter is like.”

 I nodded, still smiling.

 “So why are you pacing?  Get more bad news?”

 Stepping over to her, I twirled her around, hugging her as I kissed her head.  Without me needing to say a word, Mila provided music for us to dance.

 “We’re having a child soon.  Unlike you, I don’t know the gender and am not speaking frequently with him or her yet.”

 “You do every night.” she interjected.  She was wonderful at letting me share in the fey-like communication.   She even convinced my parents to try, after revealing that our child had already spoken a few words.

 “Still isn’t nearly as much as you.” I insisted.  “I’m anxious.  I’ve managed to avoid knowing too much, so I don’t know what to expect!  This is exciting and somewhat frightening to me.  Our child might walk on his or her first day!  Even you can’t say what sort of magic our child might have, though some ability with heat would make sense.  We’ll have to be on guard for at least a month… Only a month?  I know you spent your life accustomed to the idea that your child would be superhuman, but the idea still excites me… and worries me.  There’s so much restraint required in interacting with other beings.  Will it be tough for our child?”

 Alma shrugged “Our child will learn.  We’ll be there to keep everyone safe, and Aaliyah has assured us both that things will go well.  What more do you want?”

 I shrugged and then kissed her as the song ended.  “Best be off before Dani declares you late.” I told her.

 She hugged me and said, “Relax, my love.  I know you can’t grow physically ill, but you shouldn’t let your anxieties get in the way of our joy.”

 “I won’t.” I promised, waving when she left.  Soon, we’d be raising a second child.

[jojo-lity]

Iris

thank you for commissioning, i really hope you enjoy it!

pairing: okuyasu nijimura/reader word count: 3709 rating: sfw

ao3 link

“Morioh Grand Hotel, how may we help you?”

The room service worker patiently waited as their guest deliberated over the breakfast options. Conscious of available money and time, she took a simple option, prepared to just get a big lunch if it proved inadequate. Despite her nerves, she managed to get it all down, quickly checking everything one last time before setting out.

Somewhere in that town, where she was walking, Rohan Kishibe lived.

He was a new face in the manga world, but he had carved out his reputation at a phenomenal speed. Naturally, when he had offered the chance for one select participant to learn from him, she had put everything she had into proving herself. Even now, her ability recognised, meeting him was almost as fearful as it was exciting. 

Carefully navigating the public transport network, she made her way to the address she had been given. Assuming that it would be the directions to his home, she was initially dismayed to see a cafe, until she saw him at one of the outdoor tables.

He was working furiously, only occasionally pausing to glance at the vase of flowers in front of him. Not daring to interrupt, she circled behind him to look at the canvas, stunned by the decisive shading and colouring. Far from Rohan’s usual stylised work, it was almost indistinguishable from a photograph.

She waited for him to be certainly finished before clearing her throat. Conscious that he didn’t like to waste time, she launched right into speaking. “Hello!” He didn’t appear to respond to her name, but at the mention of the competition, he blinked and pulled a small photograph from his pocket. Looking closer revealed what she suspected: it was the picture she had submitted with her entry.

“Oh, of course, the contest winner. Sit down, then.” He made a quick gesture towards the table’s other seat, which also had a canvas set up in front of it.

So maybe he wasn’t chatty, but his skills were undeniable. She looked forward to being able to improve her own.

“What’s the first thing you look to for inspiration?” Once she was seated, he questioned her in a clear, rehearsed voice, a single eye peeking out from behind the canvas to stare.

Did she even have a clear answer to that question? She took a moment to think, conscious of his unblinking gaze. “Uh… you?” Everyone liked to be flattered, didn’t they?

“Wrong.” The exposed half of his face retreated from view. “When creating something… your first point of contact should be reality. Always. If you want people to read your manga, they need to understand it. It needs to be familiar to them in some way. So always, build from a foundation of absolute reality.” He spun his canvas around to face her, displaying the painted vase she had already seen. “This is what you’ll start with.”

So she was drawing still lifes? That wasn’t what she signed up for, but she couldn’t argue with Rohan’s results, and it was only the first day. She had weeks to learn about manga.

While she worked, Rohan did the same, though she had no idea what he was doing. It wasn’t her greatest area of expertise, but her finished product was judged as “not terrible”, and she was immediately assigned a new subject. And so it seemed to continue for the rest of the day.

The atmosphere barely shifted from morning to afternoon, until the cafe was suddenly crowded by students on their way home from school. To her, it was inevitable that someone would eventually notice the celebrity in their midst- the only surprise was that it took so long.

“Hey, is that Rohan over there?”

Who was addressing him so casually? She got her answer when their table was crowded by three students, in varying sizes and uniforms but apparently all high-schoolers. They were clearly curious, but to her surprise, that curiosity appeared to centre on her.

“Rohan, no way!” Forgoing a greeting, one of the taller students cried out in shock and anguish. “Don’t tell me that you have a girlfriend!” His purple-uniformed friend patted his shoulder.

“Come on, Okuyasu, there’s gotta be some other explanation. Right?” He grinned at her, a considerably more enthusiastic look than he had given Rohan. Were they not his fans?

Rohan seemed to have nothing to say, too busy showing his notebook to the smaller student (Koichi, she thought she heard him be called), so she went ahead and answered his question. “Nothing like that! I’m just here to learn from him.” 

Okuyasu visibly brightened up, leaning closer to inspect one of her many paintings. “Hey, this isn’t manga.”

“I’m… learning about reality?” Now that someone else mentioned it, maybe it really was strange that manga had barely been mentioned, let alone practiced. Neither of them looked surprised, though, with the boy in purple even muttering about how that sounded like Rohan, all right.

“Hey, this is really good! Come look, Josuke!” Okuyasu held up her rendering of the vase, displaying it with the fascination that she only felt for the greatest works. Her painting was good, but it hardly compared to that- did he really like it that much? His excitement showed no signs of fading as he explored the rest of the day’s works, including the half-finished one resting on her easel. He didn’t so much as glance at any of Rohan’s. “Man, you should be teaching him…” He leaned down to deliver that thought in a loud whisper, conscious of Rohan being distracted but not far away.

It wasn’t the first time she had been complimented, but such obvious admiration produced a curious lightheadedness that made it difficult to respond. An oddly pitched laugh escaped her before any words could. “I don’t know…”

“So you’re just painting stuff you can see?” Josuke’s line of sight travelled from the tree sketched on her canvas, to the real tree that stood some distance away. “I guess that’s cool, but eventually you’d run out of stuff…”

“Then we’d go somewhere else.” She hoped they wouldn’t be spending the whole time painting, though.

“Yeah, I guess… hang on!” His smile was blinding. “You could paint us! That’d be something you haven’t done before, right?”

Even if she had no idea what Rohan would say about it, she was having a hard time thinking of any reason to refuse. He was clearly occupied, and humans were examples of reality, weren’t they? They had interesting appearances and outfits, and… maybe she wouldn’t mind an excuse to look at Okuyasu for a while. Unaware she was smiling until it pulled at her cheek muscles, she nodded, sliding a fresh canvas onto the easel and preparing her sketching tools.

—

Okuyasu had never been painted before. He quickly discovered there was a lot he didn’t know about the experience- mainly, how much staring it involved. She was apparently painting both of them, but her eyes seemed to be on him constantly, following the outlines of his body at a glacial speed. Only the persistent scratching of pencil on paper kept him grounded in reality, and prevented him from getting too embarrassed.

His muscles were starting to cramp when she lowered her hand, letting them both know that they could take a break. Right away, he took the opportunity to stretch, arms flexing under his fairly tight sleeves. If he was still being watched, with a growing sense of admiration, he wasn’t aware of it.

“Hey!” As soon as he was done, he was leaning over the canvas, trying to get an upside-down glimpse of her progress. “Are you almost done?”

She shook her head. “This is only the first stage.” From what he could see, she was right- two human figures adorned the canvas, instantly recognisable from silhouette alone, but rough and lacking in most details. Curious about what their new acquaintance thought of him, his eyes lingered on his own likeness. There was a strong body, created with large, blocky shapes, but the faint lines of his eyes and mouth held a softer quality. Unconsciously seeking a comparison, his fingers drifted to his own lips for a moment.

“You like it?” At her question, he reluctantly tore his eyes away, resuming his previous position.

“Yeah, of course! I’m no art critic, but it’s awesome!” It almost didn’t seem fair that someone so pretty could have so much talent. If she wasn’t so kind, he would never forgive her… but didn’t being kind make it even worse? “So what’s the next stage?” 

She took a small paintbrush from a nearby pot of water, briefly pointing it at each of them. “I have to sketch out the scenery. Then, I’ll start shading in all the darkest bits before adding the rest of the colours.” Okuyasu nodded along with her, doing his best to appear thoughtful.

Whether it was her explanation, his earlier yelling, or just sheer coincidence that was responsible, no further words could be spoken before Rohan looked up and noticed what had been happening right across from him. “You’re still here? Go find something else to do, I’m not done teaching.”

“But-“ He gave them no chance to protest, shooing them away with persistence. Their smaller friend went with them, leaving just Rohan and his student at the table once again. Without even looking at it, he took her canvas and placed it with the others.

“That’s enough of that for now. We’ll go over the basics of manga.”

—

She worked hard all week, picking up new techniques and taking on new perspectives. Though none of it came naturally yet, she was already convinced that she had grown as an artist. She would have been happy to work on Sunday, but Rohan had refused, claiming he needed time to himself. Maybe that wasn’t so bad- she had barely been able to explore Morioh.

The neighbourhoods she wandered through were quiet and lightly populated, the exact opposite of the landscape she was used to navigating. It was surprising how much of a difference it made to be hearing birds chirping instead of trucks and sirens in the background. What was the best way to convey that noise through a drawing? Her notepad and pencils rest at the top of her bag, ready to be taken out at any time, but she kept searching for the perfect place alongside the near-empty roads.

As she circled back towards the city centre, the tranquility slowly faded, bird calls drowned out by laughter. But where was the laughter coming from? That was easy to identify- the teenagers on the other side of the street weren’t exactly being subtle about their joy. It only took one look for her to recognise them. After spending the time and effort to sketch them, they weren’t easily forgotten.

“Okuyasu! Josuke! Hi!” She waved, pleased when they not only waved back, but hurried across the road to greet her.

“Hey! What’s up?” Breathless and grinning, Okuyasu was the first to respond. “Rohan isn’t with you?”

“It’s my day off.” She gestured to the scenery before them. “I was just looking around.”

“Great!” Josuke seemed to exchange a glance with Okuyasu before continuing. “We were heading to Kameyu for some stuff, wanna come? Maybe we can hang out after.”

She didn’t really need anything, but it would be nice to have some company for a while. At the department store, Okuyasu accumulated several shopping bags, while Josuke’s purchases amounted to a few snacks. Chivalrously, he picked up a few of his friend’s bags, and she followed suit.

Their walk back to the neighbourhood was more of a stroll, with plenty of stops to show off some of Morioh’s landmarks to its visitor. She didn’t realise that she had been near-constantly laughing until their sudden arrival at Josuke’s house.

“Well, this was fun, but I gotta go. Mom needed me to fix something, could be a while.” Maybe it was her imagination, but it almost seemed like he and Okuyasu shared another quick look. Before she could be certain, he was hurrying away, and Okuyasu’s attention turned to her.

“I guess you’ll probably be going too?” He said it as if it was inevitable, but not something he was looking forward to. It made something in her chest flutter. Did he really want to keep spending time with her?

“I wasn’t planning on it. Even if you’re going, there’s some interesting stuff here.” Scanning the houses she could see, she picked one out to point at. “Like that one, I’d love to draw that one.” It was huge, but it looked abandoned- most of the windows were boarded up, which wasn’t stopping vines and bushes from growing out of most of them.

To her surprise, Okuyasu perked up, uttering a noise of disbelief. “No way, that’s my house! You should totally draw it!” Lifting his shopping bags onto his shoulders, he broke into a run directly towards the house, vaulting himself over the gate. Still carrying half his bags, she had little choice but to follow at a slower pace.

By the time she reached the house, he had opened the gate, and was holding the house’s door open even while she stood several feet away. His smile was so sweet that it was impossible not to smile back as she passed in front of him.

“Well, here it is!” Once he could close the door, he slipped back in front of her to guide her through the narrow halls. “Kind of a maze, but stick to places with lights on and you’ll be fine.”

Despite the house’s size, there wasn’t much in it. The furniture was minimal, and the few photos he saw scattered around were all of Okuyasu, Josuke, Koichi, or all three. “You don’t… live here alone, do you?” He was still in high school, but he was clearly handling all the shopping himself… it was a possibility, wasn’t it?

“Nah, my dad lives here too.” He gathered all the bags together, thanking her when she handed over what she had carried. “But he’s asleep. Doesn’t really like to be woken up.”

“Oh.” No one would interrupt their time together. She felt a little bad for being relieved. 

“Don’t worry about it.” There was still a smile on Okuyasu’s face. “You can draw whatever you want, I’ll just be in the kitchen. Got a new recipe to try!” So he was cute, kind, and a cook? Meeting him seemed luckier by the second.

Bringing out her pencils and notepad, she took a seat at the dinner table. “So, what are you making?”

She was no stranger to losing track of time, but it was still a shock to look out the window for the first time since their conversation started and realise how much the sky had darkened. Hours must have passed, but a quick once-over of her notepad revealed that it had barely been touched.

“Done!” She was startled once again by Okuyasu lifting a giant pot over his head, steam billowing out above them. “Just gotta put it on plates, then we can eat.”

“We? You mean… me as well?”

“Well… yeah?” He nodded a few times, slowed down by confusion. “I thought you’d be staying for dinner, kinda why I made so much. If you’ve gotta go, I can put some in a box, hang on-”

She interrupted midway through his reach for a kitchen drawer. “No, no, I want to stay!” Dinner or no dinner, she couldn’t say she was ready to leave. Everything she had learned about him only made her want to know more. “Want any help with the plates?”

“Nah, Tonio says I’m really good at it. Watch.” Armed with only a large fork and pair of tongs, he did fill each plate with spaghetti in record time, curling it up into a perfect spiral shape without spilling a drop of sauce. She couldn’t imagine how many times he must have practiced- it was a form of art in itself, despite his claims to have no talent in the field. He claimed to be talentless at most things, then went ahead and proved himself wrong again and again.

“Well, here you go! Hope you like it!” It took a moment for her to stop admiring his smile and start admiring the meal. After seeing it up close, and smelling it, her hopes were confirmed- the small chunks of meat present throughout the dish were chicken. Her favourite. He couldn’t have known… but she wasn’t sure if she believed in such coincidences.

She waited until he sat across from her to start. It seemed a shame to ruin the presentation of the plate, until she tasted it. Then she couldn’t get enough, only stopping to take advantage of the parmesan that he offered. He didn’t even feel the need to ask if she liked it. They were both too busy to talk much, but she had to stifle a laugh every time he slurped up a strand, and when he smiled afterwards.

The sound of him clearing his throat drew her attention away from the last few forkfuls she had been chasing around her plate. As the sun set, the kitchen’s dim light had done less and less to illuminate the corners of the room, creating the effect of a much closer space. “Hey…” His usually-enthusiastic voice was hushed, and had a soft quality that made her heart swell. “Thanks for being here. It was really great to hang out.”

Tossing her utensils aside, she practically leapt to grab his hands. “I should thank you for inviting me! I had a wonderful time!” Her smile was peaceful, but her eyes were shining. It was so nice to be close to him. He was sweet and understanding and warm, right down to the absolute core of him, in a way that she wasn’t sure she had seen before or would ever see again. They were right next to each other, and he didn’t seem to mind that, maybe she could…

Only an accidental glance out the window stopped her from kissing him, instead letting out a cry of dismay. How had she let it get so late? There was the bus she was supposed to catch, already at the stop. There was no way she would get out of the house and across the road in time.

“Hey… are you okay?” There didn’t seem to be much use, but Okuyasu sounded so sympathetic that she couldn’t help but explain her dilemma. Just having him there was already mildly comforting.

As he stood up, he took a gentle hold of her arm, tugging at it until she stood up too. “Come on. We’ll go get it.”

“Get it? But it’s already going to leave, we won’t…”

“We’ll catch up! Come on!” It was hard to refuse when he seemed so certain. After taking a second to gather her belongings, she let him take a firm grip of her hand, doing her best to keep up as he ran right out of the house. “All right!” He yelled as soon as they were across the street, waving his free hand in front of him in a wide sweeping motion…

And there they were, right in front of the bus’ closing door.

In a mild daze, she let Okuyasu guide her onto the bus without protest, and found a seat to sit in before she started thinking. They must have run fast enough to catch up to the bus, but why didn’t she remember half of it? She wasn’t usually someone who failed to pay attention to her surroundings, or forgot things right away.

All that she was certain of was that he had helped her in some way, and that was enough to keep her from worrying.

—

She was happy to say that she had learned from her mistake. After weeks of fun and learning, her final meeting with the friends she had made in Morioh took place right at the bus stop. None of them were happy to see her go, but they had exchanged addresses and phone numbers, and even discussed a potential visit next summer. Saying goodbye turned out to be a little easier, when they knew it wasn’t the end.

She had purposely saved a particular goodbye for last. Even if it had only been a few weeks, she had spent most of her free time with Okuyasu, learning and experiencing everything she could with him by her side. Standing there, she was certain of what she had known from the beginning: there was something special about him, or maybe just about the two of them together.

The way he was freely sobbing seemed to indicate he agreed, even if he was equally likely to express any emotion through sobbing. It was just barely possible to tell that his halting words were expressions of sorrow at her leaving, and implorations that she come back soon. Where words failed to comfort him, hugs seemed to help just a bit.

“You will come back, right? You’re not just saying that?” He was intelligible, which was an improvement.

“Of course! Here, take this.”

His face lit up with understanding when he recognised what he had been handed. A small canvas, still displaying the half-finished sketch of himself and Josuke. He hadn’t even expected her to keep it, much less give it to him. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure! This way, I have to come back to finish it, don’t I?” Her smile was bright, but if he had been able to look closely, he might have spotted a few tears struggling to escape. “So don’t worry. I’ll call every day, I’ll write, and I’ll come back as soon as I can. You won’t be able to get rid of me.”

He fell silent for a moment, then he was crying even harder, wrapping around her in a crushingly strong hug. “I’ll never forget about you either! I’ll call every day too! I promise!”

Only the arrival of the bus made them stop hugging, but they were waving at each other until they were out of sight, still together only in their hearts.

[spine-buster]

I Thought You Might Be Mine (Ricochet) - Part I

May 29, 2014 Tokyo, Japan

When Iris Capshaw moved to Tokyo one year ago, her mother’s advice mulled in her mind as she would sit in her small apartment, alone in a city of nearly forty million people:

Never let fear get in the way of you making your decisions, honey.  You were born to do something greater with your life than to just do what everybody expected of you.

Iris took anything her mother said to her to heart.  So when her mother whispered those words to her in the airport, right before Iris went through the security gate, she seriously considered getting them tattooed across her forehead.  They were words she would live by.  They were words she’d carry with her forever.

Iris took those words and created her favourite piece of art that she hung in her apartment instead of getting that forehead tattoo.  It hung proudly just over her television.  A constant reminder.

Iris had always been…different than her other siblings.  While her older brother was more content with reading books and her younger sister with colouring, Iris was always causing some sort of commotion.  When she was a toddler, she’d open the Tupperware drawer in her family home and stack them as high as they could go before they’d come crashing down – only to keep doing it over and over again.  When she was old enough to use the stove and learn how to cook, she’d always try out new recipes that would leave the kitchen looking like a bomb had gone off.  She begged – begged – her parents to allow her to attend any and all field trips her high school offered to students, even going so far as to work illegally in the back of a bakery at fourteen so she could earn the money herself.  

Her curiosity had always gotten the best of her.  Her parents understood from a very early age that she wasn’t going to be the child that stayed home on the weekends.  She was never going to be the child that did everything according to plan or custom.  She was never going to settle for just any course or career path.  She was a go-getter.  She was an adventurer.  She was a woman hell-bent on seeing as much of the world as possible, and would use her brains and her curiosity to get there.  

The Capshaws understood their daughter, which is why, when she announced in 2013 that she was moving to Tokyo, they didn’t bat an eyelash.  Her brother and sister put up more of a fuss than her parents.  Iris just shrugged her shoulders.  She was living out her dream.  Nobody was going to stop her.

She considered this as she walked into the offices of New Japan Pro Wrestling, the company that had hired her to teach their gaijins the basics of the Japanese language, and their Japanese stars the basics of the English language, so they could have multinational appeal.  She had already worked for the company for a year, and she could truly say she loved her job.  There were always new gaijins to teach and make friends with.  

“Hold the elevator!” she exclaimed as she rushed towards the open door.  Whoever was inside stuck their hand out politely as her shoes clicked across the tile of the lobby and finally into the elevator.  “Thank you so much,” she said, looking towards the other person in the elevator.

“It’s no problem,” the man said politely.  “What floor you going to?”

She studied him quickly.  He wore a nice pair of slacks with a crisp new polo shirt and a sports jacket.  His neck was about twice the size of a normal man’s.  He was definitely a new gaijin.  “Same floor as you.  Fourth.”

He gave her a weird look.  “How do you know where I’m going?” he asked.

“You’re a wrestler, aren’t you?” she smiled.  “You’re here for New Japan Pro Wrestling?”

“What gave it away?”

“Your neck is about double the size of almost every other man’s neck, save for the wrestlers I know.”

The man laughed as he shook his head.  “Yeah, that’ll give it away.  I’m Trevor, by the way.  Trevor Mann,” he extended his hand for her to shake.

“Iris Capshaw,” she smiled.  “What are you known as?”

“Ricochet?” he posed it as more of a question than a statement.

Suddenly, the light bulb went off in her head.  This was the Ricochet her boss was telling her about – a gaijin they were bringing in again for the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament.  He had done many tours of Japan before, all with different promotions, before he caught New Japan’s eye last year.  Her first day with the company was just after the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in 2013, so she had never met him as part of the tournament last year.  

“So you’re Ricochet!” she exclaimed.  “My boss has already told me so much about you!  You must have really impressed them last year for them to call you back.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” he smiled, trying to be modest about it.  “So you work in the office, then?” he asked.

“Yeah.  I mean, I’ll probably be assigned to help you,” Iris explained.  “I’m a teacher by training.  The company hired me to teach English to its Japanese-speaking stars and Japanese to its English-speaking stars.  I also do a bit of media training and acting classes too, but that’s besides the point.”  

“You’re fluent in Japanese?” Trevor asked.  Iris nodded her head proudly.  “That’s awesome.  Must get confusing though, having to switch back and forth all the time.”

“Nah, I’m used to it by now.  The company is looking to expand and go global, right?  They want the boys to have some light English.  Plus it’s good to keep practicing or else all the guys would learn would be swear words thanks to the Young Bucks.”

Trevor snorted as the elevator dinged, letting them know they had reached their floor.  “They didn’t have you around last year.”

“I know.  But you’re in luck now,” she smiled.  “Welcome back to New Japan Pro Wrestling.”

That night, Iris was pleasantly surprised to see Trevor at dinner with all the other gaijins.  He hadn’t changed at all from when she saw him that morning, and was definitely more overdressed than the rest.  Tyson, who showed up everywhere in shorts, was busy looking at the menu, while Nick and Matt Massie were distributing chopsticks.  

“Hey boys,” she waved briefly, taking the empty seat beside Trevor.  “How’s everyone?”

A round of polite hellos and answers to her question followed.  Trevor looked thoroughly stunned that she was at the dinner.  “What are you doing here?”

She leaned away from him playfully.  “What?  You don’t want me here?” she asked, feigning shock.

“Oh believe me, I want you here,” Trevor said.  “It stops this from being a total sausage fest.”

“Perfect.  Because it’s time for your first lesson,” Iris smiled wryly.

“Lesson?!”

“I’m a teacher, remember?  Everything is going to be a lesson.  So, lesson number one – never trust Matt or Nick with directions around Tokyo.  Listen to Tyson and Tyson only.”

“HEY!” Matt protested as he handed Iris a pair of chopsticks.  “Not fair!  You misheard our directions once and suddenly we’re untrustworthy.”

“Uhh, no.  I did not mishear your directions.  You guys told me to go south instead of north because you have no concept of direction,” Iris stated firmly.  She leaned towards Trevor.  “This is before I learned the streets of Tokyo like the back of my hand.”

Nick, who was sitting beside Trevor on his other side, pulled him closer.  “Don’t listen to her.  I love her but don’t listen to her.”

Iris glared at Nick before reclaiming Trevor’s attention.  “Lesson number two.  The Japanese language as three different alphabets – hiragana, katakana, and kanji.  It’s my responsibility to get you familiar in all three.  We’re gonna start with the menu.”

“I’m an awful student, though,” Trevor said.  “Thick skull and all that.”

“Well that just means I’ll need to spend more time teaching you,” Iris said.  “I never give up on my students.”

Trevor tried to suppress his smile, but he knew he couldn’t hide it.  He watched as she reached over to grab a menu, biting his lip so he wouldn’t say anything stupid.  “I’d like that a lot.”

Iris learned a lot about Trevor during dinner.  She learned about his origins in Paducah, Kentucky, and how he started in the wrestling business.  He showed her some old pictures of him as a teenager where she nearly spit out her water at his straightened afro and scrawny body.  She almost didn’t believe he was the same person.  She learned about his son, Cameron, and how everything Trevor did was for him.  Even the double moonsaults – Iris was convinced he would break his neck doing them one day, so she asked him politely to please stop.

Trevor learned a lot about Iris, too.  He learned about her older brother, Hugo, and her younger sister, Mia.  He learned about how they moved around a lot as kids because of her dad’s job and how they finally settled in Ottawa, Canada.  He learned how she taught herself Japanese out of pure curiosity – which is how she taught herself seven other languages too (he also learned a new word – polyglot – which is what she was).  The more she talked, the more all he wanted to do was hear her speak.  She could speak in a foreign language and he’d still listen to her.  He didn’t even care about what the other guys were saying – he only wanted to hear from Iris, about Iris.  

As Kenny ordered the second round of sushi and sashimi, Iris poured water into their glasses.  “Fucking hell.  I really need to go to the washroom, but I heard Tyson ordered ahi sashimi.”

“So?  What’s the big deal?”

“It’s so fucking good here!  They go like hotcakes with these guys.  I once saw Matt stuff two into his mouth at the same time.”

Trevor snorted at the mental image.  “I’m sure you’ll be fine – he just ordered them anyway, it’ll take a while.”

Iris bit her lip.  “Hmm…you’re right,” she acquiesced, shifting her position.  “Okay, I’ll be right back, but if I miss those I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

Trevor chuckled to himself as he watched Iris make a beeline for the washroom at the other end of the restaurant.  He kept an eye on her until she slipped through the door – even then, his mind wandered back to the things she was telling him earlier.  How her brother had just gotten married.  How she somehow broke her stove in her first apartment within the first week of moving to Japan.

“Hey Casanova,” Tyson called out from the other side of the table.  When Trevor finally turned his head, Tyson was shaking his.  “Fuck man, took you long enough.”

“What?”

“He was calling you for like ten seconds dude,” Nick giggled.  “Seems you were a little…uh, preoccupied,” he nodded his head back towards the washroom.

Trevor stayed silent as he saw Tyson smile.  “I think Trev’s gonna wanna be fluent in Japanese soon, boys,” Tyson commented.  “Whaddaya say, Trev?”

“You’re walking on thin ice, Ty,” Trevor warned, not wanting to get into it.  “You guys all friends or what?”

The boys nodded their heads in unison.  “She’s a good kid.  Always willing to help out, always willing to go that extra mile,” Nick was the first to speak up.

“She tell you how many languages she speaks?” Matt asked.  Trevor nodded his head.  “She’s a fucking genius.  Doesn’t stop her from making some stupid decisions sometimes, though.”

“What do you me--”

“Awwwwwwww yes!!!” Nick exclaimed as he saw the waitress approaching them table with a small plate.  When she set it down, Trevor noticed that it was the ahi sashimi.  The waitress had barely put the plate down before Nick, Matt, and Tyson’s chopsticks were picking up the pieces of raw fish.  Quickly, Trevor picked up his chopsticks to grab a piece.

“Hey, you said you hated tuna!” Nick protested as Trevor slightly struggled with balancing the piece of fish between the chopsticks.  “You literally just said that five minutes ago!”

“Get out of here, Massie,” Trevor giggled as he brought it over to his plate quickly.  

Suddenly, Trevor heard Tyson’s comical evil laugh.  “Watch this,” he whispered, nodding his head over.  Trevor looked to see that Iris was rushing back to the table.  He quickly looked down at the plate to see one piece of ahi sashimi left.  

“Hey Iris,” Tyson got her attention.   He didn’t even take his eyes off of her as he extended his arm towards the plate, picking up the last piece with his chopsticks before stuffing it into his mouth.  

“NOOOO!” Iris cried out as she practically collapsed back into her spot beside Trevor.  She brought her hands up to her face and looked as if she was legitimately about to cry.  “I missed it!  I missed it!  They always fucking do this!”

“Iris--” Trevor tried to interrupt.

“This is why we can’t have nice things!” she exclaimed.  All the boys could do was laugh.  “Did you stuff two into that fat mouth of yours again, Massie?” she directed towards Matt.

“Hey!”

“Iris!” Trevor finally got her attention.  “Look down at your plate, girl.”

When she did, she let out an audible gasp.  There, right below her nose, was a glorious piece of the ahi sashimi, waiting to be devoured.  It looked perfect – because it was perfect.  If she could eat only one thing for the rest of her life, it was probably this.  She looked towards Trevor.  “You?”

Trevor nodded his head.  “I saved a piece for you.”

Iris smiled.  “I knew there was a reason I already liked you best.”

When dinner was finished, Iris, Trevor, Nick, and Matt took a taxi back to the district where their hotel (and Iris’s apartment) was, while Tyson was able to walk home from the restaurant.  She didn’t know when exactly Trevor had gotten into Japan, but she assumed the jetlag was going to hit him hard sooner or later.  Plus, she thought he would want to get a good night’s sleep before the beginning of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament started tomorrow.

“Do you have a cellphone yet?” Iris asked Trevor once the driver had stopped at a light and Matt began making small talk with him.

“I got nothing besides wifi,” Trevor said, getting his phone out of his pocket.  

“Okay, tomorrow before the show we’re going to go out and get you a Japanese sim card,” she said, grabbing the phone from him and opening his Facebook app.  He watched as she searched her own name and clicked to request her as a friend.  “It will be, like, less than twelve hours from now, but just in case an emergency happens, contact me here,” she informed him, handing the phone back to him.  

Trevor couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he looked down at his phone.  Her cover photo was a picture of the Tokyo skyline – no doubt a picture that she took.  Her profile picture, on the other hand, made him sceptical.

“We already have an emergency,” he said.

“What?” Iris whipped her head towards him.  “What is it?”

“Who’s this dude?” he asked, bringing up her profile picture.  “Is that Hugo?”

The picture in question was of Iris and another guy posing in some park in front of cherry blossoms, probably Shinjuku Gardens.  Iris had sunglasses on but the guy’s face was in full view for Trevor.  He tried to see if there were any similarities between the siblings but couldn’t really find any.

“That’s my boyfriend Ryder.”

Boyfriend?  Boyfriend?!  They had just flirted all night – well, at least he did – and she just decided to drop the boyfriend bomb now?!  Trevor tried to play it cool.  He really did.  Here Iris was, the right side of her body pressed against his left – fuck, he probably would have tried to kiss her if the Bucks weren’t in the fucking cab – and she had a boyfriend.  A boyfriend.  “Oh yeah?  Where is he tonight?”

“He works in Shanghai but we see each other every few weeks,” she said.

Oh hell.  Oh hell.  The dude wasn’t even around!  She was alone in Tokyo, except for the fleeting weeks he visited?  Or when she went to visit him?  Trevor didn’t know what to think.  “Uh, that’s cool.  How’d you guys meet?”

Iris chuckled.  “We met at a giajin bar, actually,” she revealed.  “He used to work in Tokyo but then got moved to Shanghai about six months ago.”

Trevor noticed Matt giving him a look from beside Iris, who had no idea.  “So he’s alright with you being in Tokyo then?”

“Why wouldn’t he be?”

Trevor shrugged his shoulders.  “I don’t know…long distance relationships and all that.  I know how stressful they can be,” he said.  “And like, you hang out with wrestlers all day.  Majority of your friends are gonna be dudes.”

“I can be friends with the opposite sex and not want to fuck them,” Iris said.

Fair enough, Trevor thought.

But could he?

@wrestlewriting @wrasslin-x @thegenericluchadora @thewriterformerlytaggedas@fan-fiction-galore @anerdysouthernbelle @spot-of-bother @amaranthine-reign@baleesi @flnnbalor @smuppies @sarahmatthews7 @daintymissdevitt@newjapan @corey-renee @running-ropes @balorsomega @karleedaniels27@kazuchika @ileana0300 @alexahood21 @ohcristimhookedonhavocimsodunne @fembxt @heelturn-timesten @kaitlynwwefan @50shadesofadamcolebaybay@50shadesofkennyomega @chasingeverybreakingwave @thyestean-feast @thecandicej @devittsbalor @sp00kylesley @danahart @sietefinns@kaydee-kayyyy @powerbombshell @swedish-strong-style @blondekel77@irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @nickysmum1909 @houndofjustice-imagines @wwesmutdonedirtcheap @wweximaginesxd @indywrestlinglover-life @mandi512 @kakakatey @ourscratcheddreams @sleeplessandcynical @badame124 @thevixeniris @fabulousrockstar @lunatic-sambrose 

[harrysdimples]

sooo...it’s the legend @btapants’ birthday and me and my main partner in crime daria @britneytshirt both came up with this idea and whipped up a lil somethin somethin for celine to read! we just want you to know how loved you are celine and how you influence us all to be better people! we all love you and had a few things to say :)

@bidonnas (aka mik):  i followed celine like ages ago bc i was looking for more harries to follow and she seemed so sweet and, like, a Quality™ blog and we've been mutuals for ages as well and we like sent each other asks for like ask games and tagged each other in tag games but we didn't start talking more until the first gc in like march of this year and i do not regret a single thing of entering that gc bc i got to meet my birlfriend, now my bife. we've just gotten closer over the past 6 months of being in so many different groupchats with each other and i love everything about her. she's funny, she's kind and sweet, and she loves mamma mia. i mean, who could ask for more?? fjdkgksdljkfg celine deserves the whole world and all the love in the world and i love her so so so much!!!!

@guccifloralsuits (aka violet):  Celine, you already know it but literally love you tons, you make my experience as a harrie stan so much brighter :) I'll always remember the #funkirk days and times we've been throught - from the discourse days to the crazy concerts & I can't wait to see what this next year for you & us brings! You're so easy to talk to and fun to share this experience with! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL MY LOVE TO YOU 💖

@annaonvinyl (aka essie): Celine, Celine... I believe we've been mutuals not for that long and i do remember checking my notifications and seeing that she followed me i kid you not when i say i nearly had a moment because i would constantly see her posts and people talking so nicely about her. i can now understand why people kept saying sweet things about Celine, i mean she's amazing! if you aren't following her please do me a favour, go to her blog and press that follow, just... do it. celine is so sweet and funny, her blog is the perfect mix of aesthetic and relatable and not to mention she's so freaking stunning? i mean... have you seen her? model material, i'm telling you. so in conclusion what i want to say is celine is gorgeous and so nice and i love her! tanti auguri bella! spero che tu abbia un bel anno davanti a te e tutto il meglio vada per te! goditi la giornata e sorridi molto (scusa il mio italiano arrugginito)

@signofthebis (aka petra): Happy birthday, Celine! ❤❤❤ You know why I followed you. Because of the tags you wrote under my bta pants gifset. And I knew in that moment... this is a person that gets it and I need her in my life. And then I was lucky enough to get into the biconic gc you started and I got to get to know you and wow? You're amazing. You're so funny and incredible and just... I stan forever??? You're truly a queen. ❤❤❤❤ One day your selfies are gonna kill me because you're that gorgeous. And honestly? What a way to go. So Celine, I hope you're having a wonderful day and may your life be filled with only the best of luck, may it be full of love and kindness because that's what you're giving to us and you deserve the same it in return. Ily ❤

@flowerfeasts (aka dani): I followed celine like a year ago because i used to see all my faves tagging her on my dash, so i thought she was very important and cool and i remember waiting like a few weeks to follow her cause i somehow thought that would increase the chances of her following me back? lmao anyway, i still think she is very cool and i LOVE her fashion sense and she is a libra! that means she is awesome

@harryandcats (aka lejla): CELINE MY ANGELBOO!!!! I’m sooo bad with words and tbh?? there’s not enough words to describe how much u mean to me anyway smh you’re one of the sweetest, funniest and smartest (let’s just not mention your posts and the things you say something BDJDNDNDB) and loveliest people I know!! you’re also so silly sometimes but in a very cute and endearing way bdndn I could talk to you about literally anything, be it something deep or something random like poptarts bxjdndn speaking of poptarts we truly gotta meet someday and you’ll have to buy me lots of things and in return you’ll get the biggest hug of your life!!!! sounds like a plan if you ask me anYWAY I lov u with my whole heart, you’re my love, my life, my wife, my gf, my bitch, my boo, but most importantly: my dumbass ✌🏻😔 I hope you have the loveliest day!!!! Happy Birthday, Celine!! 💗🌈💕

@harrysnotechanges (aka kristyna):  Celine 💕💕 you are so funny and such a kind and generous person (not to mention gorgeous, ugh it’s not fair). I’m pretty sure I first started following you because of your url (I mean how much more iconic could you get,,, and I couldn’t agree more, the bta pants were the best pants Harry has ever worn tbh) and I stayed because you’re just an amazing human being. Ily 💕💕💕 Happy birthday!

@gettingdizzy (aka sav): I LOVE CELINE she is super kind and funny and like a little sister to me!! talking to her always makes my day better :) im not even sure why i started following her we probably got put in a gc together or something but im so glad i did!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ILY

@nofoookingway (aka jess): Oh boy, lil Celine. The cutest bean I’ve ever seen. I know we don’t speak anymore bc I’m trash and got too overdramatic about a stupid lil thing, but I’m so glad that we still follow each other and I see you on my dash every day. Your posts never go without a typo, even if it’s just the tags, and that’s probably my favorite thing about you. You’re so expressive and so weird in the best of ways. I’m pretty sure you’re starting uni (if you’re not smack me), but I know you’re going to kill it. It’s hard af, and it’s gonna suck. You’re gonna hate it sometimes, but believe me when I say I know you can do it and that you will have a blast once you find your niche. If I can do it, you sure as hell can. I wholeheartedly believe that. Anyways, I hope your birthday is just as fun and amazing as you are. ilysm 💛💛

@leesh (aka leesh lol): HAPPY BIRTHDAY CELINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope u have the absolute best birthday ever bc it’s what she deserves and i hope harry makes an appearance again looking absolutely fabulous bc it’s also what she deserves (maybe wearing the bta pants? yes i’m putting it into existence!!!!). i honestly can’t rmbr how or why i started following you, maybe it was a gc or maybe i just liked ur blog, i have a terrible memory, but i am SO GLAD whatever the reason I DID. i love seeing ur posts on my dash and i love seeing what you’ve got to say and i also love talking to u in gc’s and stuff. ur a cool gal and i’m glad we had a chance to become mutuals and pals. again i hope u have the best way day ever and get spoilt rotten. i love u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 💖✨

@kiwiintro (aka kayla):  Happy Birthday Celine Bean! I hope it's amazing I love u and you're so iconic and amazing and ur an actual Meme™️ sometimes anyways again I hope your birthday is amazing and have fun being 1(one) year older ❤

@harryftvans (aka teresa): celine my dearest witch princess and gentle air spirit happiest of birthday wishes to you!!! someone’s getting old lol anyway I wish u all the best and hope you have a great day and that a lot of other great days will follow because u only deserve happiness and love and ~good vibes~ in your life!! stay ur amazing self, you’re always so chill and laid back (which is nice in this hectic world gksndn) and even when you pull a zayn on us at the end of the day you’re always there for us, being supportive and it’s always a delight to talk to you and hear stories from you!!! great britain is blessed to have you for the next couple of months/years (hope u have a nice time at uni I believe in u) so yea enjoy your day hope it’s filled with lots of love and hugs!! i’m glad you’ve been brought into the world and i’m glad we were out in the same group chat I couldn’t imagine my days without u, love you v much💕

@pinkflaredpants (aka iris): No offence but it's been a whole ass year since we first heard medicine and still no fuckin studio version of sott.

@britneytshirt (aka daria): celine, remember the day we became mutuals? it’s definitely been a year(+) now, can you believe it’s been that long? i followed u not really expecting to be followed back and u followed me about .02 seconds later and honestly i was a lil shocked. so i put my insecurities aside and decided to text u and u said u just saw my url and liked it and followed me. like?! *harry voice* craziness right? anyway, i like to think of u as a little present from life. when we started talking i was very lonely and literally cried myself to sleep every other night and having a friend, you, to talk to made me realise nothing is ever that bad and in a way... gave me hope? you mean so much to me. you’re always fun to talk to, u always have the funniest things to say. and most importantly, i know i can always count on u for whatever, you’ll be there to listen to me. so thank u. i’m so grateful i have a celine in my life. i love u

me (aka moi): so....celine, where do I even start? from those very first few months when I joined this fandom in september last year we were close friends. we started our first conversation about old 1d memes and the rest is history. I don’t think there’s been a time in the last year or so where I haven’t spoken to you, and I really couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. I look forward every day to chatting with you in the gc and i’m always just in awe of how accepting, loving, caring and truly inspiring you are as a person. I love hearing you speak italian in the rare voice messages you send, and especially your selfies (I will hold the belief that you should be a model to the grave I think tbh). you inspired me to love myself for who i am and we’ve grown as friends into something I never thought i’d reach. i’m never going to be able to fully articulate the weight you hold in my life or the impact you’ve had on me, and i’m bad at expressing my feelings anyway, but I just wanted you to know how LOVED you are, by me, and from everyone here. I can’t wait to eventually meet you once you’re settled over here and I can’t wait for the memories and shows we’ll make in the future. thank you for being you, and please never stop being your amazing self 💕

[hope-for-olicity]

Fabulous Olicity Fanfic Friday - June 1st, 2018

Happy Friday! So this is my attempt to both thank awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and offer my recommendations to anyone who is interested. Here are the fantastic fanfic stories I read this week! They are posted in the order I read them. Thank you so so much for your fics they really do help with pain.

The Old-Fashioned Way multi-chapter complete by @primpim -Felicity always wanted a family. Tired of waiting for Mr. Right, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She has a steady job, savings, a good support system and, after all, who needs a man in this day and age? Thirty, single and quite happy to be, Oliver isn't looking to settle down and hasn't really even entertained the idea of having kids. But when Felicity starts looking for a potential biological father, he doesn't hesitate. Purely because he doesn't want someone to take advantage of her... or so he tells himself. From awkward starts to the wonder of creating new life, it will soon become obvious that getting pregnant isn't just about expecting a baby: it's also about facing feelings that had been buried for years. And in the end, Felicity might realize that what she's been looking for has been right under her nose from the start...and Oliver will quickly understand that when it comes Felicity and their unborn child, he wants much more than what they had originally agreed to. PLEASE NOTE: The author is taking this story of AO3 soon download to keep reading. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11961009/chapters/27046173

Time for a Story multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. YOU NEED THIS STORY IN YOUR LIFE. http://archiveofourown.org/works/3912157/chapters/8757172

Above All Else multi-chapter WIP by shesimperfect_butshetries - A different take on episode 6x14: Rene shoots but Oliver jumps in front of Felicity. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14101470/chapters/32490537

Arrow 7x01 Spec #1 by @lostolicityscenes - I wanted to write a scene of Felicity visiting Oliver in prison where they reassure/inspire each other. And well, this isn’t that really. Sometimes it’s out of your control. So, here’s a spec of a tearful angsty angry scene where they fight for most of it. https://lostolicityscenes.tumblr.com/post/174254452871/arrow-7x01-spec-1-an-i-wanted-to-write-a-scene

Nothing Hurts by @alanna-the-lionheart - Oliver gets hurt on a mission. He’s banged up badly, but nothing’s broken, and Felicity insists on taking him home, where she decides to draw him a bath. For the first time in a long time, Oliver lets someone else take care of him, and Felicity comforts him and heals him in more ways than one. Based off of that video on Stephen’s Facebook page where he’s sporting fake bruises after filming. https://archiveofourown.org/works/4880014

Out of Place by @diggo26 -NSFW Oliver takes care of Felicity after her horrible ex-boyfriend shows up at a party - http://diggo26.tumblr.com/post/162323884919/out-of-place

Lawyers at War multi-chapter complete by @crazycrystal10 - AU Neighbours Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak are at war. Their animosity doesn't let them come together but their love doesn't let them drift apart from each other. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11321694/chapters/25341486

The Queen's Mage multi-chapter WIP by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - Words have power, and mages, those with the aptitude to draw on that power, are few in number. Thus, their services are highly sought after by anyone who has exhausted all mundane means of solving whatever problem is plaguing them. Felicity is reminded of this fact the hard way when she is hired by Moira Queen, the Lady Starling, to find and return to her her son Oliver, who fled his family home five years ago following the death of his father. With a threat hanging over her should she return without Robert Queen's heir, Felicity begins her search. When she finds Oliver, and ends up joining his vigilante crusade while she waits for him to decide whether to return home, the last thing she expects to do is fall in love with him. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14617068/chapters/33781269

The Distance Between Two Hearts multi-chapter WIP by @geneshaven - A glimpse at Oliver's life in prison. Part 4 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174257333769/the-distance-between-two-hearts  Part 5 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174294103039/the-distance-between-two-hearts  Part 6 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174303636249/the-distance-between-two-hearts-missions-end

(Is it Desire) or Is it Love That I'm Feeling For You? by @emilyszuko - Iris speaks again, “Felicity, do you love him?” She doesn't answer, tongue twisted and heart about to beat out of her chest. She knows she does, and part of her doesn't answer Iris because even if he'll never hear them, those words are for him. The other part of her though is just scared as hell that it'll blow up in her face like everything else has. “I don't think Oliver wants to hear anything else from me,” she settles on instead, crestfallen as she scratches at the black paint on her fingernails.“And what if he's just as afraid as you are?” https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756849

Elizabeth Grace Smoak multi-chapter WIP by @lynn8828 - What if Felicity and Oliver briefly had met before he got on the Gambit? Despite her best efforts, Felicity was unable to get in contact with the famous Oliver Queen after having a one night stand with him and getting pregnant with his child. After raising their child for five years after finding out that Oliver died on the Gambit, she finds out he is alive and knows that she needs to tell him about their daughter. But will he believe her? AMAZING STORY!! http://archiveofourown.org/works/13639371/chapters/31322715

Inner Odds by @imusuallyobsessed - Ivy Town seems perfect. So, why does Felicity feel this way? https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322804

Lost Love by @onceuponanolicity - After the bombs have gone off on Lian Yu, Oliver searches for his team and finds them in the A.R.G.U.S. bunker, only to find out there has been some casualties. One of them being Felicity's memory of him. Now, he must deal with the results. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11320017

Idiot with a Death Wish multi-chapter WIP by @bitchwhwifi - Felicity Smoak is a firm believer that her soulmate has a death wish. One night out with friends changes when her soulmate’s life is once again on the line she get’s nosy and ends up in the basement of Verdant and meets the head of the Bratva in Starling who helps her put an end to the search to find her soulmate.https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322231/chapters/25342872

You Remind Me of Our Love (That I Miss) by @bokayjunkie - She looks exactly how he remembers her and yet... everything about her is different. That's because she's not his Felicity https://archiveofourown.org/works/11321283

Tempest multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Three years ago, tragedy struck Julianna Queen’s life. Now, she wears a mask and fights at her father’s side, looking for closure and justice as she tries to find a path to move forward with her life while holding on to her past. But that may a bit more complicated than she thinks… http://archiveofourown.org/works/13309731/chapters/30461850

Yin-Yang multi-chapter WIP by @lgtwinkie99 - Felicity is shocked to find that her mother Donna Smoak has entered into a program where she gets to choose a husband for her daughter. The only problem is that Felicity will get to go on one date with the prospective candidates but will only meet the man who she will be spending the rest of her life with, at the altar. Will Felicity trust her mother’s judgement and marry a man she does not know or will she quit before reaching the altar? https://archiveofourown.org/works/6820756/chapters/15569500

Count the Days multi-chapter WIP by @olicityandklaroline - Soulmate fic http://olicityandklaroline.tumblr.com/post/174324025311/count-the-days-ch-9

Blue Linens by @callistawolf - Felicity and Oliver finally have some alone time together. But something seems off... https://archiveofourown.org/works/11113194/chapters/25364307

The Disappearance of Felicity Smoak by @smewhereelse - Season 2 AU. In her haste to expose Malcolm Merlyn as the mastermind of the Undertaking, Moira Queen accidentally implicated an unknown party as his real accomplice. And in her haste to provide directions to Lance, Felicity left her digital fingerprints all over the files for the Markov device. Realizing that she’s up shit creek without a paddle, Felicity disappears after Moira’s acquittal. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11315301

Oliver's Kitchen by @gypsyfire1066 - Oliver is protective of his kitchen. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11333868

Book Club by @obibaldwin - Oliver gets invited to Felicity's book club and it's all downhill now. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11339310

We Loved With A Love That Was More Than Love multi-chapter WIP by @wrldtravler - When Felicity's father leaves her and her mother behind, she loses all her faith in the very idea of soulmates. After Donna Smoak remarries into the Merlyn family, events are put into motion that bring Felicity into proximity the very destiny she never wanted to be apart of, and the family she never knew she needed. After years of unknowingly fighting and dancing around her fate, Felicity finally receives her soulmark on her 18th birthday. With the truth revealed, Felicity's fate is left in her hands, and only she can decide whether to let him in before it's too late. http://archiveofourown.org/works/10216829/chapters/22672961

The Event by @cruzrogue - Call back to season 2 when Oliver was dating Sara and oblivious to his own feelings. Felicity as his EA intertwines herself with the elder lady of a powerful conglomerate. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11341002

Following the Lead of the Setting Sun multi-chapter WIP by @adiwriting - When Oliver agrees to a life in prison, it lights a match to the entire Queen family’s world. How can Oliver be a good husband and father, while he’s in prison and fighting for his life? https://archiveofourown.org/works/14715020/chapters/34008707

Harder Than You Know by griever11 - Post Season 6 finale fic. Oliver is released from Slabside after five months away from his family and is now faced with the fallout of the decisions he made. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779838

Red by dreamsofolicity - Due to a mixup with luggage, Oliver finds himself at the house of one Felicity Smoak. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11349582

Despacito by @someonesaidcake - It had been Felicity's idea. After everything....everything, she convinced him to get out of Star City for four days of something that wasn’t what they had left behind. Four days in San Juan, Puerto Rico. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11356551

New Friends and Concerts by @felicityollies - Felicity is trying to enjoy herself at a concert, but she can’t see past the ridiculously tall guy in front of her. https://archiveofourown.org/works/6610375/chapters/34228028

Ordinary Days by @arrowgirl20 -When Felicity finds out she is pregnant, her father finds a man who will save her reputation, a farmer, Oliver Queen. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11359116

A Nightmare multi-chapter WIP by HopeShannon3000 - Oliver comes back from prison to his world has fallen apart https://archiveofourown.org/works/14795831/chapters/34230347

Hotel Vegas multi-chapter complete by @it-was-a-red-heeler - Heartbreak sends Felicity home to her mother for a vacation that just might change her life forever. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11217708/chapters/2506231

This is War multi-chapter WIP by x_olicity_files - Set as a fix it of sorts from the season 2 finale and onwards. Instead of baiting Oliver with Felicity, Slade Wilson kidnaps her because it was his primary goal. Slade had been working for someone else and he was tasked to bring Felicity with him by any means necessary. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14802056/chapters/34246403

Damn It, Why Won't the Eagle Just Land Already? multi-chapter WIP by @smewhereelse - President John Diggle would really appreciate it if everyone would stop gossiping about his security detail and his science advisor and get back to work. He’d appreciate it even more if his best friends would pull their heads out of their asses and get together already. A White House romantic comedy AU. https://archiveofourown.org/works/13132602/chapters/30040788

Re-airrow 1x20 by @lostolicityscenes - This episode had Oliver torn between catching Edward Rasmus, who puts a hit out on a family and helping Diggle who, with Lyla, has lured Deadshot to Star City. The following Delicity scene takes place after the video above, but before Oliver makes his choice. This week’s post is short and sweet. https://lostolicityscenes.tumblr.com/post/174417068731/re-airrow-episode-1x20-an-this-episode-had

Broken Love multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - Felicity and Oliver try to adjust to their new normal, but with Oliver in jail and Felicity in protective custody, neither are coping well with the distance. Oliver receives an offer from Agent Watson and Felicity takes matters into her own hands. (6.5 fic) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717075/chapters/34014233

Home To You multi-chapter WIP by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - Oliver Queen has never done what his family expected of him. He took a gap year after high school instead of going to college right away. He quit his fraternity sophomore year to join the student newspaper, switching his major from business to journalism. He became a photojournalist for a wire service instead of taking a place at Queen Consolidated. He went missing after six months instead of coming home for his sister’s twenty-first birthday. He survived five years of captivity in a war zone when everyone thought he was dead. He came home. But home didn’t have a place for him in it anymore. His parents were both dead, casualties of their own mistakes and a city they had turned against them. His sister was all grown up, the CEO of Queen Consolidated with a fiancé and a dog and a life of her own. Oliver didn’t belong in his old life, but there was nowhere else for him to go. He was a man without a home, without any way of finding one, until he stopped by the IT department of his sister’s company to get files off an old, battered memory card, and found a woman with curly blonde hair and bright, intelligent eyes chewing on a bright red pen and swearing at a computer screen. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12613188/chapters/28734552

Nothing Short of Perfect multi-chapter WIP by Tangled23 - Five years ago Felicity Smoak had to pay for all of her mistakes, sacrificing the one thing that she treasured most in life. Five years ago Oliver Queen learned that he was a father, a fact that forced him to grow up and stop being an entitled brat.  Now he is the successful CEO of Queen Consolidated and she is a woman focused on setting things right. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14810714/chapters/34269434

Sex Restrictions by @alexiablackbriar13 - Oliver has back, pelvis and knee problems stemming from past injuries due to Green Arrow work. In a post-operation check-up, Dr Schwartz advises against all strenuous physical activity. Yes, that includes sex. They manage to reach a compromise. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14812418

Sometimes It Rains multi-chapter WIP by Izzyface and @missyriver - Life happens fast. But we live through it slow. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726736/chapters/34039875

// @emmaamelia95 // @mel-loves-all // @oliverfel4 // @green-arrows-of-karamel // @coal000 // @miriam1779 // @memcjo// @captainolicitysbedroom // @tdgal1 // @spaztronautwriter // @lalawo1// @quiveringbunny // @wrongshipper // @thebookjumper // @vaelisamaza // @myhauntedblacksoul // @lovelycssefan // @laurabelle2930 //