#also that meditation pose at the end WHAT

[spock-in-awe]

I'M REALLY GOING TO MISS THE DISCOVERY CHARACTERS

more thoughts in notes but no spoilers

[harmoonix]

🌇Sunset-hour Astrology Observations🌇

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🌇- Capricorn or Aquarius in big 3 (Sun,Moon or Rising) is already a confirmed karmic placement to have, the hard thing to know is that karmic debts can be different from person to person, but for sure they are here to end/complete something karmic

🌇 Lilith in Aries/Aquarius/Capricorn really don't like to receive orders from others or just don't like others to tell them what to do

🌇 Lilith in Virgo/Cancer share a common energy and that is the "submissive" energy, they can act submissive and seductive, that tends to attract a lot of people (aswell very toxic people or just dominant people in their lives)

🌇 Neptune trine/sextile/conjunct ascendant can have sensbile skin, their skin can get irritated fast or just having a very soft skin

🌇 Sun - Pluto aspects can have a pretty rebellious energy in them, usually they act how they want when they want and to be pretty moody

🌇 Libra/Taurus in big 3 (Sun, Moon or Rising) and their aesthetic eye for everything around them is admirable, literally they can see some clouds on the sky and think at some aesthetic photos to do

🌇 Leo/Sagittarius in Big 3 (Sun, Moon or Rising + Venus in some cases) can really photogenic like girlll go thattt photossss, the pose, the look, the clothes they wear are always on everyone's look

🌇 Mars in aspects with Jupiter just have uncontrollable feelings when they wanna get dirty. Like is something they cannot control

🌇 Neptune - Venus aspects are too sweet, they often can get so hurt esp in relationships, they don't deserve it to be honest, but sometimes these aspects can create fake illusions about their partners which can lead to so many wrong things

🌇 Venus in the 10th/11th or 7th house love to be complimented, or just spoiled with sweet words by the people around them. They also like to have certain unique nicknames in some cases (Like your friends giving you a funny nickname)

🌇 Uranus in Pisces Generation [2003 - 2010] can invest their time a lot on spirituality/meditation/healing etc, maybe being interested in tarot or special reiki song for healings

🌇 Sun in the 12th house should embrace their spirituality side more, this is an very spiritual placement so try to connect with spirituality it cam help you so much

🌇 There is always a ride or die with Scorpio or Gemini/Aquarius placements, they love to get into challenges, compete and show their intelligence, you are with them or against them

🌇 Sun in the 11th house are actually the people who can listen to their friends stories all the long, these people loveee to spend time around their friends so much and their love for their friends is something else..is something precious to them

🌇 Venus in the 11th house can met their partners in their circle of friends actually??? When a friend told me this one day I was in shock I was like ":0" this cannot happen, just imagine friends to lovers kind of thing, though is very lovely

🌇 Checking someone's chart and seeing that they have Scorpio, Sagittarius or Capricorn placements I just know they are either very revengeful either waiting for the perfect moment to call the wrong people for their mistakes

🌇 Mars in Virgo degrees [6°,18°] can have a good looking waist/body. They can also be slim or jus tall body and usually the waist shines more for them (This may not apply to everyone but I said based on what I heard about Mars in these degrees)

🌇 Mars in Pisces Degrees [12°, 24°] can have pretty good looking hands/nails, very soft or very prominent veins on the hands (esp at men), and the nails can look pretty naturally + people having the impression you always have nail polish

🌇 Mars in Aquarius Degrees [11°, 23°] can have beautiful bone structure esp at legs and hands, (based on my experience most of these people are tall with a very pereftctioned body] Their body loos so good in general

🌇 Sagittarius Mercury or Mercury in Sagittarius degrees [9°, 21°] can be brutally honest. These people don't like to lie or keep hiding so instead they will call out and be honest about everything

🌇 Scorpio and Taurus Moons and their posesive abilities to be posesive and getting jealous fast over small things is insane, esp having a partner with such moon sign can be possessive and sometimes trying to be in control

🌇 Virgo Suns/Moons can end up criticizing themselves a lot of just judging themselves over things they cannot control or just delete over the time. You have to understand certain things happen for certain reasons and the past cannot be deleted but instead try to create a better future for yourself with a good start and positive vibes

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🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇

- Wanted to post this post right on time exactly when the golden hour starts to be seen more prominent on the sky, because is also the time when the sun sets for the sun and sooner let the beautiful moon to rule the sky for the next hours

❤️☀️❤️☀️❤️☀️❤️☀️❤️☀️❤️☀️❤️☀️❤️☀️❤️☀️

☀️ Hope everyone reading my notes has an evening/night 🌆☀️ full of warm energy, and watch the sunset if you can 🥰🥰 in my opinion is majestic and one of the most beautiful things on earth ☀️🌆☀️

[mxshifter]

🌿 shifting motivation

"a change of circumstance happens as a result of a change in your state of consciousness"

this post isn't just for a group of people who feel they need motivation but to reaffirm the idea that shifting is as simple or as hard as you make it! (sorry for any typos, i wrote this late at night)

an important thing to mention is the fact that i have a claddagh ring and they have a specific meaning when flipped one way or the other. i'm in a relationship so i have my claddagh upright, remember that!

yesterday i went to sleep without intending to shift but just filled with so much happiness from the really good day i had along with the extreme exhaustion i was feeling from being outside all day. i had a different mindset from the past few months. i felt happy and like i could genuinely do anything! something that was also different was my mind was completely silent which was much appreciated as thoughts flooding through my mind when i was just intending to sleep, had always been a problem. the entire day i had been surrounded with so much life as it had spread to me and my mind.

i went to sleep and woke up, went to go shower, and then i saw my hand. my claddagh ring was reversed. now, i am someone who constantly fidgets with my bracelets and rings, pushing them down and spinning them for sensory stimulation but i HAVE NEVER flipped my claddagh the opposite way solely because i know the meaning behind it. plus the fact that i went to bed with my claddagh upright so it doesn't make any sense that i could've taken off my ring, flipped it in the opposite direction, and then put it back on my finger IN MY SLEEP. based on all of this, i assumed that i shifted to a parallel CR!

also, shifting to parallel CRs and DRs on accident or without intention has ALWAYS been a thing in my journey, from the beginning to now. when i first learned about shifting, i had accidentally shifted as early as 2 weeks after learning about shifting. keep in mind, this was also before i had started to HEAVILYYY consume shifttok content. this is NOT to say consuming that content "makes you unable to shift" but it is to say that, at least for me, it really harmed my mindset because i was just filled with so many other ideas that really killed my spark for a long time.

after i had told my shifter friends about my experience, i was scrolling on tiktok and saw a tarot reading talking about the multitude of ways i have at my disposal to be able to shift, to be open and lean into them, to not limit myself in my mindset/be hard on myself and my abilities, the recognition of how much work i've put in, advising the release of emotional frustration surrounding my journey because it is hindering my progress, that the period of "will i, won't i shift? has come to an end and that the foundation for success is being laid, finally being able to take the reigns of my journey, and to overall not limit myself and taking charge of my journey. this reading really resonated with me especially considering when i saw it i was starting to fall into the same trap i had always fallen into; doubting myself and my experiences.

ALL of this is to say that you can shift no matter what. you can shift if you're laying on your stomach, back, in the starfish pose, upside down, sitting crisscross applesauce, through meditation, through intention, through listening to music, through dreams, LITERALLY ANYTHING!!! if you're doubting yourself or just feel discouraged, just know that you are limitless. you are powerful. you can and will shift!

(leaf divider)

[24hrsoda]

adding on to this AU again

It’s Cass who discovers Ra’s is not that scary.

Bruce is already in hot water with Ra’s for not following orders and severely interfering with the way things were supposed to go on his last mission. Unnecessary casualties came about and he’s angry that Ra’s wouldn’t hear him out when he tries to explain he was only trying to prevent them from happening. He gets benched ofc and he’s extra broody when he returns.

And tiny Cass (who likes to sneak around) overhears Talia attempting to comfort Bruce about it, and decides she should give Ra’s a piece of her tiny mind for upsetting Bruce.

She’s super quiet and manages to sneak away from Bruce and the others and slink around the palace until she comes across Ra’s meditating quietly out in a courtyard. He immediately senses her watching him, but doesn’t do anything about it, cause she’s not actually a threat. He’s also curious as to what she wants.

She toddles up to him and squares up ready to fight, and he opens his eyes, looks down at her, and then just bursts out laughing. She’s tiny and adorable despite glaring him down, he can’t help but laugh. A full deep belly laugh that startles her and has her stepping back.

And once he’s done laughing, he’s like, “I commend your bravery, little one. But your form is not quite right.”

And he guides her to adjust her fighting stance so she’s better prepared. He’s curious to see how Bruce has been training the children, and it more or less turns in to him having her practice her kicks and punches against his hands and coaching her through perfecting her moves. (For self defense purposes, he’s not inducting her in to the league or anything.)

Bruce realizes she’s missing and panics. He immediately goes looking for her and nearly looses his mind when he finds her with Ra’s. They’re meditating side by side—well, Ra’s has returned to meditating after Cass tired herself out, and Cass is just trying to mirror him, pose and everything, very determined to look as big and strong as he does.) Bruce is already in trouble and doesn’t want things to get worse for him, now he’s over-apologetic , promising he’ll do better to keep the kids out of Ra’s’ way and whatnot.

Ra’s doesn’t mind, though, and waves him off. Cass was curious and determined, and reminds him a lot of Bruce. He was happy to help her with some minimal training, she was smiling by the end of it and seemed to enjoy his company, anyways.

Bruce apologizes again and scoops her up, carrying her off, and she pokes her little head up to look at Ra’s over his shoulder as they leave. Ra’s just gives her a knowing smile, and she smiles to herself smugly. She learned new things today, and Ra’s told her she was brave.

Next time her brothers are whispering about how mean and scary Ra’s seems, she will just smile to herself. She will know he’s not that scary.

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Love your bay children series! Can you please write how the bay turtles are as uncles and how their nephews and nieces are with them <3

Du skriver även jätte bra! Puss och kram

The Kids and Their Uncles (Fluff)

Bayverse!Turtles x reader

A/N: I’ve made these with the focus on you and said turtle’s childrens’ relationship with one of the uncles. Hope that makes sense, lol. Oh, btw, the advice Leo gives Mini is actually one my psychiatrist gave me. Hopefully it also works for others💚

Og mange tak! Jeg har også øvet mig længe💚

(D/W/N) = Donnie’s wife’s name.

Warnings: None💙❤️💜🧡

Leonardo:

“Uncle Mikey!”, 16 year old Romeo called out, holding his odachi high above his head, gleaming with pride when Michelangelo entered the dojo. “See what I can do!” What followed was a series of fast movements that ended with him posing with his odachi just in front of him, shining in the light.

Gerardo let out a sound of amazement, while Marcello rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Show off”.

“Wow, when did you learn that?”, Mikey smiled, knowing how hard his oldest nephew had trained, since Master Splinter first gave him his odachi at the age of 15.

“I learned it myself”, Romeo said proudly, before swinging the odachi in a manner that reminded Mikey of a teenage Leonardo. No doubt that was the oldest son of the fearless leader. “I’m going to show dad later. Do you think he’ll like it?”

“You’re asking if your father will be happy to see something you have learned yourself?”, Mikey asked, his serious tone breaking with his smile as he ruffled the top of Romeo’s head, letting his nephew know that he was joking. “Of course he will. That’s the kind of stuff that will make your old man proud”.

“Me too!”, Gerardo yelled out, mimicking his oldest brother’s moves, but without any weapon in his hands.

“Leo! Is that you?”, Mikey asked jokingly, making the 10 year old laugh loudly, before Romeo put his weapon away, so he and Gerardo engaged in some light hearted sparring, their laughter echoing loudly through the dojo.

Mikey turned to find his other nephew sitting in the corner of the room, watching his brothers run around with a small scowl. Mikey was no stranger to Marcello’s tempered episodes, having been present to many of them, or at least within ear shot. So as he made his way over to the 13 year old Marcello, he knew exactly what was going on. But he would let the young half mutant have a chance, at explaining what he was feeling.

“Hey there, big guy”, Mikey said, taking a seat on the floor next to the grumpy teenager. Marcello shot him a look and greeted him with a small hey, resting his chin in his hand. “Why are you sitting over here?”

“Because those two are taking up the whole dojo”, Marcello mumbled, nodding to his brothers. “A guy can’t get space around here”.

Mikey watched Marcello have his brothers for a moment, before he decided to stand, turning to his nephew with a smile. “Well, guess we then have to make some space”, he said, Marcello looking at him in curiosity. “Ever tried nunchucks before?”

“No”, Marcello answered, unable to hide his smile as he stood up. “Can I try yours?”

“Of course you can”, Mikey said, pulling his nunchucks from his belt, holding them out in front of Marcello, watching his face light up even further. And Mikey’s next words only served to make him smile even brighter. “Time to show your father something the others can’t”.

Raphael:

Raph had never really been good at meditating. He had never really liked it, and he generally had a hard time keeping his mind calm for so long. But he did really want his children to learn it. Or at least get familiar with it, should they ever get to a position where they would need it. And therefore Raph asked Leonardo for help. Leo had always been a natural at meditating, and had for the most part successfully taught his own children to do it, so maybe he could teach Raph’s children the same.

And that was how Leo ended up in the dojo with his nephew and two nieces, helping them clear their minds, the same way that had worked for his own children. But Leo soon found himself facing a difficult situation - these were his nieces and nephew, the children of his hot-tempered and at times inpatient brother. And that much was obvious, from the way the three children had a hard time sitting still, almost refusing to go too far into their own heads.

As Leo spoke about slow breathing, keeping their eyes closed, and bringing their thoughts to focus on the said breathing, only Joan seemed to be able to sit still, wanting to get this over with, so she could go back to whatever a 13 year old teenage girl liked to speed her time with. But her younger siblings weren't finding it as easy. 6 year old Ragnar had a hard time concentrating, his attention being grabbed by every sound outside the dojo, creating all sorts of images in his head. All from his mother and father watching television, to a monster breaking through the entrance of the lair, making him uneasy. Minerva however, just couldn’t sit right. Her legs kept falling asleep and her skin kept crawling, her knee impatiently bouncing in its bent position, pushing up against Joan, drawing an irritated sigh from the frustrated teen, who had just managed to empty her head for a short moment.

“Mini, stop moving your leg”, Leo said without opening his eyes, causing Ragnar to look at him in amazement. How did he do that?

“But, uncle Leo”, Mini said, laying down onto her back, stretching out on the dojo floor. “Meditation is so hard and boring”.

“If you shut up, it maybe wouldn’t be so hard”, Joan mumbled, shooting her little sister a look that made Mini sit back up.

Leo opened his eyes, taking a moment to study Mini as she still couldn’t sit still. “Can you say why it's hard and boring? It’s okay, there’s no right or wrong answer”.

Mini sat for a moment, chewing the inside of her cheek, thinking her answer through. "It's hard to empty my head”, the 9 year old mumbled.

Leo looked at Mini and thought for a moment, before he finally smiled at her, noticing the relieved expression on her face.

“That’s okay”, Leo said, adjusting his legs. “It’s very hard to just empty your head, especially when you’re used to thinking a lot. What you can do instead, is to notice your thoughts. Take note of them and let them be. Don’t fight them, but let them flow naturally. Hopefully that will feel easier”.

Mini nodded with a bright smile, before folding her legs once more, actually being able to sit still this time. Smiling at the sight, Leo turned his attention towards Ragnar, noticing how he kept throwing glances at the dojo doors.

“Do you want to sit next to me, Ragnar?”, Leo asked, holding out his hand to the small boy. Ragnar nodded before making his way over next to Leo, taking a good hold of his hand, before he sat down next to him with his legs crossed, for once not looking towards the door, when he heard the small sounds coming from the other side.

Donatello:

Sometimes it just happened, and Raph wasn’t really sure how. He would walk into a room, find his nephews and nieces playing with something, either with or without his own children, and suddenly he would be sitting down with them, playing along, all full of life and energy. And today wasn’t any different.

Raph had found his 10 year old nephew, Galileo at the kitchen table, scribbling away at pieces of paper with thick colorful crayons, and a concentrated expression on his face - one that very much reminded Raph of Donatello, whenever he was in deep concentration inside his lab.

Raph had asked Gali about what he was drawing, and soon he sat with his nephew at the kitchen table, drawing all sorts of stars and action heroes, causing Gali great amusement, as they took turns adding to the drawing. However, as the two of them continued their drawing game, they were soon joined by Marie and Dorothy.

The two 5 year old girls sat at the table, grabbing their own pieces of paper and a handful of crayons, only for their attention to be fully caught by Gali and Raph’s drawings. And of course, the two girls wanted in, wanting to join their older brother and their uncle.

“Can we play too?”, Dorothy asked, trying to touch the paper with her pink crayon, only for Gali to turn to her with a dirty look. A look that even Raph has seen many times, whenever Gali felt like his sisters crept in on his personal space.

“No, me and uncle Raph are busy”, Gali said, doing a hand movement, as if he was trying to shoo his sisters away.

“But we want to play!”, Marie whined, her green crayon in hand.

“I said no”, Gali said, turning his back on his sisters, pushing his paper further away from them. And of course, this action caused tears to gloss over the girls eyes, looking longingly at the paper he and Raph had been drawing on.

“You know what?”, Raph suddenly said, catching the attention of the three children once more. “I have a better idea”.

Standing from the table, Raph grabbed the stack of paper, before splaying them out over the kitchen table, until the whole surface was covered in the white paper. The three kids, seeming to understand what Raph was doing, looked up at their uncle with wide smiles, grabbing onto the crayons with excitement.

“Let’s draw the biggest drawing ever!”, Raph said, watching with a happy smile, his nephew and niece smiled at each other, before turning their attention towards the many papers in front of them.

As Raph and three kids continued their drawing, the other kids slowly came to the table, taking a look before adding onto the large piece themselves. It didn’t take long before all the kids of the lair sat around the kitchen table, drawing until there was almost no crayons left.

Michelangelo:

1.5 year old Luis had been sick for a few days now, crying for both you and Mikey at all times. The poor little guy was teething, and with that came sickness and pain, and so, you and Mikey was hung up, spending most of your time with your crying child, trying to soothe the pain in his gums. And this left Sunny BORED. Ever since Luis had gotten sick due to his teething, Sunny had been a bored and sighing mess. She wandered around the lair, waiting for the moment Luis got better, so either you, Mikey or maybe even Luis could come play with her. But until then, she would have to entertain herself, or find someone else to do so. And that was how she ended up in the lab with her uncle, draping herself over a small table on the other side of the room, with a small installation of the solar system on it.

Donnie saw his niece enter the lair, and spoke to her without looking away from his work. “Hey, Sunny. How’s it going?”

“Bored!”, Sunny groaned, resting her chin on the table, her eyes staring at the small earth in front of her. “Luis’ sick, so there’s nothing to do”.

“That doesn’t sound good”, Donnie said, turning his chair so he could watch Sunny, making sure she wasn’t getting her fingers into something she shouldn’t. She had a tendency to touch whatever she found interesting. And just as Donnie had thought, she was now poking at the miniature solar system. “Have you asked Gali if he wants to play?”

“He’s reading with aunt (D/W/N)”, the girl mumbled. However, her flighty attention and curiosity was very soon taken by the miniature she was playing with. “What is this?”

“That?”, Donnie asked, rolling his chair over to her. “That’s the solar system. The one you’re touching right now is earth”.

“Earth”, Sunny repeated, her attention jumping to the small white ball beside it. “What’s this?”

“That’s the moon”, Donnie answered.

“The moon?”, Sunny asked, her eyes shining with excitement. “Like the one in the sky?”

“Yes”, Donnie smiled. “Like the one in the sky”.

“Do there live fairies on the moon?”, Sunny asked, pushing the moon spindle, so it made a rush of circles around the earth.

Donnie chuckled at her question. She was truely Mikey’s daughter.

“Do you want fairies to live on the moon?”, Donnie asked, watching Sunny study the solar system. His niece looked at him and nodded. “Then in that case, there lives moon fairies on the moon. But they are hard to find. They neither like robots or beings that aren’t fairies themselves”.

“But I’m a fairy!”, Sunny exclaimed.

“You are!?”, Donnie asked, acting surprised. He looked around, acting as if he was thinking, making Sunny laugh. “But we’re in my lab! There are robots! Come on fairy, let’s get you out of here and find some of your fairy friends!”

And with a loud giggle, Sunny ran out of the room, waiting for Donnie to close the door to the lab behind him, before they continued their fairy game in the living area.

[irafuwas]

Sebek and Silver - More alike than meets the eye

I know much has been said already on how Silver and Sebek diametrically oppose each other – from their handedness to their hobbies, and from their personalities to their poses in certain cards – but something I feel we also need to focus on is the one unifying point in their story arcs. Namely, their journeys to discover just who they are.

*This post contains light spoilers for cards and story content that have not been released on the EN server yet*

Sebek is infamous for his one-track mind. He dedicates himself to his studies, his extracurricular activities, and his training, all for Malleus’s sake – partly to earn commendation from the men he so respects, and partly to bring honor to his liege’s name. His endeavors are admirable, in that he is diligent, persevering, and earnest, yet rarely does he divulge any of his genuine, private ambitions.

Consider, in fact, that the very reason he sought to enroll at NRC was only to serve as Malleus’s guard, rather than for his own academic aspirations.

Though we’ve yet to learn just why he so fervently worships Malleus, perhaps we can trace this desire for his liege’s recognition back to a broader need to be affirmed of his worth. If you recall his despair at manifesting his magic so late, and how much it bothered him - hurt him, even - when Silver departed for NRC and left him behind, the great extent to which he values magical prowess is clear to see. And if we further consider how he so longs to separate himself from his human heritage – from his magicless heritage, could it be that, even more than the glory of knighthood, he simply yearns to find a part of himself that he – and all those around him – can be proud of, can find worth in?

For what is he without his magic? He, a mere half-blood, born amongst a peoples whose bodies thrum with a power more sacred, more ancient than the air within our lungs and the ground beneath our feet? I feel Sebek is so driven, so severe in his efforts to claim the right to stand by his liege’s side, just so that he one day might finally be able look himself in the mirror and say, “here, here is at least some part of me I don’t have to be ashamed of, that I don’t have to hate.”

And Silver, that sweet boy, how unerring, how remarkable is his selflessness, how his inexhaustible compassion belies the scant 17 years he’s spent awake on this earth! But when one pours out so much of oneself for others as he has done, when all that one does is for the sake of someone else, how often one loses sight of one’s own identity. Indeed, if I were to draw for you a map of the inside of Silver’s heart of hearts, if I were to plot for you his every dream, measure and record every aspect of his being, I scarcely doubt there’d be a single point you couldn’t trace back to his desire to make his father happy.

To that end, consider how we learned in Silver’s latest birthday vignette that Lilia began training him from an incredibly young age – when he had only just become conscious of his surroundings. A child that young cannot make such a monumental decision for himself - the decision must be made for the child. And so, we do not truly know if Silver’s dreams of knighthood are the result of his own personal meditations, or if his father, in his infinite folly, thrust them upon him, burdening the young child with an aspiration that would go on to consume nearly every facet of his life.

With the both of them being so unsure in their own identities, it's why I find it so poignant - and so apropos – that Sebek is the one to rouse Silver from his moments of self-doubt, time and time again. When Silver questioned his capabilities as a leader, when he wished desperately that he could change, that he could be more like his classmates, and when he, in his darkest hour, doubted even the sanctity of his father’s love for him – each and every time it was Sebek who liberated him from his great desolation.

It has to be Sebek - for who better to accompany Silver on his journey towards self discovery than one who must walk down the same path as he? Who better than his best friend, his brother, his reflection – his veritable light in the darkness of his own heart?

[saphronethaleph]

Tidal Rey

Kylo reached out with an effort of will, touching the Force Dyad that connected him to Rey.

It came easier now, compared to last time. It came easier every time.

This was meant to happen.

He still saw the surroundings of his meditation room on his flagship, but he also saw her. He knew she would be seeing her surroundings, but she would also be seeing him.

“I’m busy!” Rey snapped.

Kylo didn’t reply, at first, examining Rey for some kind of hint as to what she was doing.

Some kind of vital clue, that would reveal her location.

Nothing was immediately forthcoming. She was standing stiffly, with her arms out to either side as if embracing a huge tree, and occasionally leaning backwards or forwards a little.

“Where are you?” Kylo asked. “You can’t run forever.”

“Watch me,” Rey said.

She didn’t seem to be running, and Kylo chuckled.

“If this is you running, then you’ve given up already,” he said.

Rey grit her teeth, then swayed a little, and Kylo stepped back again to try and interpret what he was seeing

If only he could get her to make some mistake… give a hint. Or if he could get something physical to come through their connection.

Something that he could have analyzed. Something to give a clue as to where she was.

“Have you accepted your family?” he asked. “Being descended from someone strong in the Dark Side… it’s a powerful pull. The Dark Side could be a powerful ally for you, or it could consume you, Rey. Only I can help you become powerful.”

Rey shook her head slightly, then shifted. One hand brushed at her hair, fending it out of her eyes, then she went right back to that odd pose.

Perhaps she was on Kashyyyk? Clinging to the side of one of the huge Wroshyr trees? Or holding on to a First Order monorail, on any of a thousand worlds.

He needed more.

“I’ll find you eventually,” he said. “And even if I don’t, you know you don’t have long. If you join me, Rey, then we can rule the galaxy together… otherwise the Resistance will be crushed.”

“I said I was busy!” Rey told him. “Buzz off while I’m-”

She bit down on the words, and Kylo felt a triumphant smirk try to cross his face.

Rey had nearly cracked. Nearly said it.

He was on the right track.

He drew his lightsaber, and swept it through the air. Not at her, but at the space around her – trying to make contact with something on her side of the Dyad.

As he swung, Rey tipped over backwards, avoiding his attack-

DB-1089 tapped his boot against the metal floor, then frowned.

The sound was wrong.

He looked down, and saw a small amount of water pooling on the floor.

Confused and concerned, the stormtrooper stepped forwards a pace and turned, trying to identify where the environmental systems leak was coming from. They were serious business in the artificial environment of a warship.

“What the…” LK-3332 asked. “It’s coming from the Supreme Leader’s room?”

Then the door gave way.

Light fittings, trophies, clothes, weightlifting equipment and fifteen hundred tons of seawater exited the room in a rush that knocked over both stormtroopers, carrying along with them a prospective Dark Lord of the Sith. The tidal wave of water carried them all a hundred metres down the corridor, eventually ending up piled next to a grating as the water finally drained away.

“...what happened, sir?” DB-1089 asked, eventually.

“Nothing,” the extremely bedraggled and panting Kylo Ren replied. “Absolutely. Nothing. At. All.”

The troopers exchanged a glance.

“...nothing at all, sir, right enough,” LK-3332 agreed. “Yes, sir.”

[stickthisbig]

I have no idea what this is but I decided to write down my grand theory of Star Wars and how authorship affects the ways in which stories are good and bad? Come for media critique, stay for the analogy at the very end about how Star Wars is like college, also there's gifs

The original trilogy is a series of derivative works. That's not a pejorative, but a description of their content and structure; they are constructions that use existing pieces to tell a new story. They are samurai movies, they are meditations on Joseph Campbell. They are the work of a film nerd trying to create a story that is Everything. There's nothing novel about the storytelling of the original trilogy; it was just particularly well executed, because they were made with love by a craftsman, surrounded by a team who kept him from giving in to the worst of his narrative excesses (most notably but not limited to Marcia Lucas).

There's a lot of No Reason in the original trilogy. Why's Darth Vader so strong in the Force? No reason. It doesn't have time to delicately explain everything, so it relies on the audience's understanding of the shape of the story to fill in the gaps. It's the time in the story for someone to fall in love, so a romance plotline it shall be. The author is trying to do something, and he successfully does it.

The prequel trilogy represents an older creator for whom derivative works were not enough, who had been creatively stifled by the very thing he created. (I strongly recommend Patrick H Willems's series about Frances Ford Coppola if you want a really interesting take on George Lucas and the tragedy of his career.) Extremely importantly, they represent a creator with almost unlimited cash and no one to tell him to tone it down.

Everything that is bad about the prequel trilogy is because they were made with a vision by a creator who was trying to do something. George Lucas has six hours and fifty-eight minutes of material prepared about diplomacy, representative democracy, and how all unchecked power is always all bad and by god we are all gonna sit here until he finishes it. The writing is so clunky because it is not there to build character or relationships; it is there to convey information. The sequences with the Gungans are such a mess because they're the injection of (very inadvisable) comic relief into a story that is not supposed to have any relief at all.

One of the worst sins of the prequel trilogy is the rejection of No Reason. It continually poses questions that do not need answers and then takes pains to answer them. Why's Darth Vader so strong in the Force? His mother conceived him as a virgin birth because of the Force, by way of midichlorians, which as we all know are the powerhouse of the cell. It is such a deeply unsatisfying answer, but George Lucas seems incredibly sincere about the fact that this is important. He is trying to position his derivative work within a new fandom context that conceives of his work as wholly original, and the wild thing is, I think George Lucas always thought all of this and just wasn't allowed to put it in. Improbably, the problem is not that he hasn't thought enough about his own lore, as a common charge goes; he appears to have thought about it way too much.

I have to confess to not being a prequel trilogy fan, but probably the single biggest thing to come out of it is Obi-Wan. Ewan McGregor almost instantly became the canonical version of the character. It's because the same thing that made it bad also made it good. It's a story that is trying to do something, and that is opening wide an almost Stendhal-syndrome-esque array of locations and people and stories. Fuck yes I want to hear everything about the person Alec Guinness used to be when he was young and badass, tell me everything about the weird desert guy. Of course I wanna go to Space Italy and see what the galaxy was like before it got dicked up. Sinister rise to power of Darth Vader's master? Check. Seeing the evil enemy built as a series of actions is the shit prequels are made for.

When the prequel trilogy is boring, it's because the pacing is fucking awful, especially in Revenge of the Sith. The dizzying array of new stuff is never boring, and you can all fight me on Kamino being one of the best planets in the whole series. When it's good to be in George Lucas's mind palace, it's extremely good. For better or worse, he did it. He gave his almost seven hour lecture, he said what he had to say, and he left.

And then we move forwards in time, into an era of Star Wars as a strategy rather than a story.

(I didn't see Solo, so it's not gonna be in here. Neither are any of the TV shows or the EU, because I have other shit to do with my life.)

The Force Awakens was not the first Star Wars film that was made by someone else; the authorship of The Empire Strikes Back is complicated- George Lucas kind of managed to ghostwrite his own movie?- but he definitely didn't direct it. Empire was very much still a Lucas production in which he was intimately involved.

The Force Awakens has a point, but it ultimately doesn't do anything.

It resets everything back to the start: an evil empire represented by British people in suits come to power; three heroes arise; a mentor who's incredibly important apparently despite only knowing the heroes for five minutes is murdered by a cloaked Force user; something is blown up. It is meant to stoke the fires of nostalgia, and it provides nothing substantive in terms of plot. In fact, it represents a retrograde movement. It is a very fun watch and a movie with absolutely nothing to say, at least nothing that wasn't written into the series thirty years beforehand.

It's not a surprise that, since it's just meant to get people hype and then serve them what they already know, the best thing it provided were its new characters. I was so stoked to see a Black person in a Star Wars movie; we got three new main characters and not a white man among them?? But let's fuckin' table that shit, because we all know what's coming.

[I was gonna put in a Kylo Ren gif but he looked like such a dipshit in all of them, you're welcome]

Actually I lied, I forgot that what came next was Rogue One. The purpose of the film is to make a war movie about Star Wars and like many/most war films, what the movie is trying to do is meditate on the duality created by the futility of war and the value of sacrifice, it fills in a blank in canon but is really a tone piece meant to make you have feelings and reflect, I watched it once and it was so touching and horrible that I've never been able to watch it again, 10/10 no notes

And then we have The Last Jedi, which is weird.

The Last Jedi represents a step back to a craftsman at the helm, and the exact same shit happened again.

It shouldn't have, because it happened again in a completely different way! The Last Jedi is a singular vision with one creative direction, and that is the cause of everything that is bad and everything that is good about it, but Rian Johnson wanted to do something radically different than George Lucas. He's not interested in giving you his Star Wars lecture; he's interested in breaking Star Wars open, thrusting it bodily in a new direction. The Last Jedi represents at least as much movement as The Empire Strikes Back.

So it's not like a shock that the movie was wildly divisive, and lists of the best and worst things are the same items shuffled around. I honestly think Admiral Holdo's death is the finest moment in the entire trilogy, in terms of visuals and in terms of emotional impact. I fuckin' love that Luke was sitting on PTSD Island sulking, because it's some Luke shit to do. "Let the past die. Kill it if you have to" got me HYPE to see where this would go. I wanted to go on that ride. I've loved Star Wars since I was a tiny child, and I wanted to go on a journey into something that was entirely fresh.

Other people hated all of these things, and honestly in this case, I don't agree but I can't say they're wrong. Wanting Rose to be deleted from the series simply for using oxygen is racist. Wanting Snoke to have had more impact on the story is a difference of opinion. Either you were interested in this ride or you weren't, and you're not a bad person for not wanting that out of your Star Wars.

But on the other hand, it's not a very good movie.

The problems that make it not very good are the result of having one guy at the wheel. It's clumsily made. It feels like it ends three times before it actually does. The Canto Bight sequences are the work of someone who doesn't want them to be in there, and somebody who could play ball would have finessed the story to make them organic. Some of the CGI work represents a lapse in professional judgment. The Force dyad stuff does not make any sense at all, because it plays like somebody who couldn't really explain a thing they were doing but refuses to stop doing it.

It's so good when it's good. I just wish it had had another screenwriter who could have fixed what was bad.

I didn't care for Rise of Skywalker.

By the time it came out, I was experiencing a kind of numbness surrounding Star Wars; not literally, because I got my tattoos finished up just before it came out. I didn't have any idea what was about to happen. There were a lot of rumors circulating about the extent to which things had gotten rewritten, but it was pretty clear that whatever it was going to be was fully an Abrams/Disney thing.

And indeed, this time, they did make a movie that tried to do something. Extremely unfortunately, what the movie was trying to do was reinforce the status quo. It did this on every level- Holdo's sacrifice was made meaningless, the minuscule amount of queer content was palatably deletable, a woman of color's lines were given to a white man who was buddies with the director, the story reverted from "everyone's a Star Wars" to "there are only four people in the galaxy who matter", Poe's awesome storyline from the comics was thrust aside for a frankly kind of racist replacement, every bit of story development from TLJ was cast aside. There are no consequences for anything, because all that matters is moving to the end of the story; I cannot believe that absolute motherfucker made me watch Chewbacca die with my own eyeballs just to wave it away literally two minutes later in the clumsiest way imaginable. In the prequel trilogy, in Rogue One, in TLJ, everything everyone does matters so much. The minutest actions have huge consequences. In Rise of Skywalker, nothing matters even a little bit. Everybody just waits around for the main characters to get finished dicking around.

I cannot believe that it's a thing I would possibly think ever, but the only thing that got any work put into it was Kylo and Rey's relationship. Trust: I didn't enjoy watching it. There's a piece of Wishful Drinking where Carrie Fisher and Billie Lourd are trying to figure out if Billie is related to the guy she's dating, due to a bunch of Hollywood marriages. Even after the shitstupid reveal of Rey's parentage, it still really, really feels like the same vibe. But by the time they kissed, I was like, "Yeah, I mean I hate it but I see where it happened."

Star Wars is like the end of a semester in college. The prequel trilogy is the period where you're studying, trying to cram so much stuff into your brain that you're never gonna remember. The original trilogy is exams, exhilarating and rocky but ultimately liberating.

The sequel trilogy is the party you go to afterwards. At 10 PM you're at The Force Awakens, singing along at the top of your lungs to a song that's catchy and doesn't have to be good. At midnight you're at Rogue One, where you break down sobbing in the bathroom. The Last Jedi is 2 AM, weird and full of promise, as if anything could happen.

The Rise of Skywalker is 11 AM the next day, when you've already broken down the details at brunch and are now lying in bed unable to nap, with the horrible certainty that this is all there is, you will never be more than yourself, just a regular person who carries no special importance.

I didn't like it in real life; I sure didn't want it from Star Wars.

[gucciwins]

a midnight kiss 

harry decides to make a move before the clock strikes midnight 

A/N: hi friends! nothing better to end and start the year with is a new story. something short and sweet for you all to enjoy. love you!!! catch me at midnight running around my house with my suitcase :D

Word count: 2182

+

Losing her friends minutes before the clock struck twelve had Y/N nervous. She was comfortable being alone, but only in an environment she enjoyed. She enjoyed the library, which had the best reading spot on the third floor down a back corner that allowed her to stay seated all day. There was also her brother’s tattoo shop, where she sat behind the counter greeting new customers, always excited when they showed off a new piercing or new tattoo. There were few places, and tonight she was feeling lost in the crowd of unknown strangers.

Y/N began to push through the crowd hoping to make it to the patio doors outside, happy to ring in new year’s alone, staring up at the moon than with drunk strangers. What Y/N didn’t realize was that someone had their eye on her all night, working up the courage to talk to her. He had seen her around, how she laughed at her friend's jokes and always searching for a hand to hold.

Seeing her head outside, he knew it was a moment he couldn’t miss out on. Harry wouldn’t want her ringing in the new year alone.

“Not cold?”

Y/N turns when she hears a voice fill the silence. She squints her eyes until he sets into the light, the moonlight bouncing off his face allowing her to get a good look at him.

It’s Harry.

She had seen him multiple times at the tattoo shop. She always gushed over his new pieces. Telling him which were her favorite tattoos he had but never offered more than a half smile.

“Harry?”

“Yeah, it’s just me.”

She remembers she never answered his question. “I like the cold.”

As Harry steps closers, he can see the goosebumps on her arms and begins to shrug off his coat and place it over Y/N without giving her a choice. “Just because you like it doesn’t mean you should endure it.”

Y/N tucks her head down, biting back a smile at Harry’s kindness. “Thank you.”

Harry looks at the sky and knows it will light up with fireworks in minutes. London never did shy away from a big display to ring in the new year.

“What’s your new year’s resolution?”

Y/N giggles, “didn’t take you for the type to have one of those, Harry.”

He shrugs, bumping his arm into hers, “when you really mean them, then I reckon you’ll do anything to make it happen.”

She takes a second to think it over and knows he’s right. There have been a few years since Y/N followed through with her resolution. When she was younger, she promised she wouldn’t curse anymore, and three days in, her brother changed her shampoo to pink hair dye, and she cursed at him like a sailor. There was also the year she swore she’d go to the gym consistently, promising to get a membership that was rubbish. Two years ago, her resolution was to connect more with herself and get into yoga. She learned new poses and meditation with each class, leaving with newfound confidence and friends. Last year, her resolution was to take on new adventures, leading her to Mexico for a research opportunity. A professor urged her to apply, and off she went. Y/N also visited Iceland over a long holiday, where she went on her first of many solo trips. Now, this year Y/N had an idea of what she wanted but was a bit bashful to share it with Harry, who had only ever spoken a handful of words with at most.

“Think mine’s rather silly then.”

Harry shakes his head, “don’t believe it.”

Y/N sighs, “will you tell me yours?”

“Promise.”

It’s good enough for Y/N.

“I want to get a tattoo,” she mumbles.

Y/N turns her head to see Harry’s reaction. He has a pout on his lips, and Y/N wishes she could kiss it away. Sue her. She has a crush on Harry. He visits the shop frequently; how could she forget him, there’s always a new tattoo being added to his left arm, and she wonders if there are more she doesn’t even know about.

“Your brother owns Sunflower Ink.” Harry states. “Why hasn’t he?”

She shakes her head, trying to find the words to explain to Harry why she’s never gotten a tattoo. “He’s drawn me endless sketches, and I love them. I want them on me forever.”

“Then why don’t you?”

Y/N feels her face flush, “because he won’t hold my hand.”

She waits for Harry to start laughing at her, but he doesn’t. He looks down at her pink nails and frowns. He reaches his hand slowly, testing to see if Y/N would stop him, but she doesn't. She is lost in a trance staring at the rings on Harry’s fingers, a silver robin, a lion head, and a pearled ring. The rings seem perfect for Harry, and she wonders if he takes them off each night, thinking about the beauty of each ring only to repeat the cycle tomorrow by slipping them on.

Harry’s warm hand reaches her cold and frowns at the contrast, but it doesn’t stop him. He slips his fingers between the cracks of hers. Y/N stares at where they now stand intertwined, and she smiles because she likes the feeling of his palm in hers.

“Like that?” Harry asks.

“Something like that,” she whispers, still lost in how quickly her body is beginning to warm up due to his added connection to her.

“I’d hold your hand.”

Y/N breaks her gaze from their intertwined hands to look up at him, his emerald eyes gleaming in the moonlight, and she knows he means it.

“You wouldn’t be embarrassed,” she asks.

He shakes his head, “not if I was making you feel safe.”

Y/N lets his offer sink, and she wants to say yes. She’s scared that if she accepts, he’ll say no or that tomorrow he’ll come into the shops and tell her he can’t sit with her while her brother pierces a needle into her skin.

She nods, “I’d need your number to let you know when my appointment is.”

Harry grins, showing her the dimples he’s always kept tucked away, “I can do that.”

“Now?”

He shakes his head, “is it okay if I hold your hand a little longer?”

Y/N is quick to nod her head, making Harry breathe out a laugh at her eagerness. They fall silent once more, no longer caring about the people they came with, too lost in their own world outside the party.

“What–do you want to share your resolution?” Y/N asks with hopeful eyes but knows if he says no, she will understand.

Harry shrugs, squeezing her hand twice before shifting his eyes away from her, “don’t know if it’s a resolution, more of a wish, really.”

Y/N doesn’t push him to share. She wonders what he could want. Harry seems like the guy to have it all. His eyes meet hers again, and she flashes him a comforting smile wanting him to know he’s safe with her.

He lets out a deep breath.

“I want to kiss you,” he confesses.

Y/N can’t hide her surprise. “Harry,” she breathes out.

He shakes his head, “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable I—”

Harry shuts up when he feels Y/N place a hand on his chest. They’d never been this close. There was always a counter between them.

“I’ve never had a new year’s kiss,” she confesses, sliding her hand up to rest on the back of his neck. Harry gaining courage, slips one hand around her waist, pulling in closer, wanting no space between them.

“Can’t say I have either.” Harry knows it comes as a shock to Y/N, but he thought ringing in the new year with someone had to be special, and there’s no one more special than Y/N.

“You’d be willing to give that to me,” she asks, shocked.

Harry chuckles, “why do you sound surprised?”

Y/N shrugs. His eyes are full of curiosity. “Didn’t think you liked me.”

“Why would you say that, love?”

“Because when I tried to make conversation, you always rushed out the door.”

Harry sighs. He leans his head down to rest against hers. “Because you make me a nervous mess. You sit there in your cute jumpers complimenting my tattoos, telling me how pretty they look on me.”

Y/N smiles, feeling her cheeks heat up at the confession. “Well, you made me think I scared you off.”

“You’re the reason I keep coming back to Sunflower Ink,” he shares. “After my second appointment there, I realized you worked there, and I knew if I kept getting a new tattoo, I’d get you to compliment it after.”

She all but melts into Harry at his confession. She had no idea. He had a crush on her because Y/N felt the same way. All this time, Y/N was trying to grow her relationship with Harry. He'd rush out after leaving a big tip, knowing she got a small part of the tips because she made him nervous. Y/N didn’t think she had that kind of effect on anyone. Her brother told her she brought in customers, but she thought he was supposed to say that. Now Harry is telling her she’s the reason he goes back every time.

“You’ve never needed anyone to hold your hand,” she asks, overwhelmed with all the information Harry had shared.

“Only if you’re offering,” he replies with a cheeky grin.

“Me first,” she promises him.

“I can wait.”

Y/N stares at Harry, admiring his pretty face. When she first met him, he always liked to wear his hair in a bun, and one time he walked in with it down, a scrunchie in his hand, and Y/N thought she’d never recover. Then on Valentine’s Day, Harry walked in wearing a lavender knitted sweater with his hair cut. As Mitch quickly took Harry to his station that day, he spared her a look. She had to leave early for class, never having the chance to tell him how much she loved the new look or what new piece he was getting. She knew with a pretty face like Harry’s, he could pull off any look.

“What are you thinking about, love?”

Y/N bites back a smile at the term of endearment, “About a new year’s kiss.”

“Oh yeah,” Harry teases, “have anyone in mind?”

“Mhmm,” the smile on Harry’s face grows. “But if I were to let him be my new year’s kiss, I don’t know if that kiss would be enough?”

Harry tilts his head in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“See, I haven’t had a Valentine’s kiss or St. Patrick’s,” Harry is quick to catch on, and he’s grinning from ear to ear at what she’s proposing.

“I’ve never had a birthday kiss,” he adds.

She smiles, nodding, “when’s that?”

“February 1st.”

“That’s close. Think I’d be special enough to share that with you?”

“You’re the only one I want.”

“If I kiss you tonight, will you promise to give me your birthday kiss?”

Harry lets go of her hand, moving both to cup her face needing to be closer to her. He brings her close, their noses touching. “If you let me kiss you today, I’ll kiss you whenever you ask.”

“Is that a promise?”

“It is.”

Faintly, they can hear the countdown begin. Y/N knows what’s coming; she can feel her heart wanting to beat out of her chest, but she’s also calm because she’s excited for what the new year will bring for her.

“Three,” Harry whispers.

“Two,” she feels his breath mix with hers.

“One.”

Harry connects his lips with hers in a deep kiss. Y/N hears the fireworks going off around her, and every part of her feels like she’s exploding. He leads the kiss, and Y/N follows him, never wanting to part, loving the sweet taste of cherry on his lips.

She pulls back slowly, trying to catch her breath, opening her eyes to see Harry’s lip swollen, a cheshire grin on his face, and she knows that 2023 will be a year of kisses and tattoos.

“Happy New Year’s,” she whispers.

“Happy New Year’s, Y/N.”

Harry tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear, “can I have another kiss?”

“You can have as many as you like,” she promises.

“Might have to keep you forever, it seems.”

Y/N laughs as she feels Harry slips his arms under her (his) coat to rest on her waist. “I wouldn’t mind at all, Harry.”

“Good. Now come here.”

Y/N grins, their mouths meeting once more, getting lost in the feeling of each other. There’s still so much to learn about one another, but Y/N knows she’s got all the time with Harry.

After all, she did promise him a birthday kiss.

[satureja13]

It had started to rain again while the Boys still sojourn in the 'Screaming Mandrake'. And after Ms Coombes ended her speech, it was finally time for dinner! But our little wolverine Jack didn't touch the food. Well, this was a sight to behold ö.Ö He, whose hobby is pizza! Even Ms Coombes, who usually isn't very fond of Jack (she thinks he has a bad influence on her favourite, Vlad ^^'), was baffled. He's just sitting there, absent minded. With a stupid expression on his face...

After dinner, she took him aside. Ms Coombes: "Callahan, what's wrong?" Jack: "Uh, I don't know. I feel weird since the lightning struck me and we crashed in the swamps... That bolt hit me right in the chest." Kiyoshi choked on his bite. Jack felt a bolt in his chest?! ö.ö' Kiyoshi had felt a bolt in his chest when he first saw Jack! And Dtui told him she got hitten by a bolt too - when she first saw her fated mate, Rita (Coombes). Yes, Kiyoshi - but Jack got struck by a lightning bolt...

Ms Coombes sent him up to the Hospital Wing. The Nurse will examine the troublemaker. Ms Coombes: "If you're making this up to skip classes you're dead! And be quiet to not disturb Ji Ho!"

So Jack climbed the stairs all the way up to the tower. He was eager to see Ji Ho and how he was, but he got totally deflected by the sight of Noxee. Who apparantly is the Nurse! ö.ö (Noxee also is the Healer/Nurse in Moonwood Mill. That's how she met Greg. She even was in the same pose as now when he first saw her ^^')

Noxee: "Hey Baby! Come on in. Take your shirt off and let me see." Noxee is Jack's first love and he surely won't take off his shirt in front of her ö.Ö'

Jack shook his head to become clear again - which wasn't easy. Concentrate! He went over to Ji Ho instead, who was sleeping soundly. Ji Ho looked well. That's a relief - they are so worried about him. And apparently he's dreaming of his King :3 Noxee: "I'm positive we can wake him soon. He's doing well. He'll be sore and sensitive when he wakes up, though. So avoid touching or upsetting him. It's all a bit much getting hit by all the feelings he'd buried deep down below to survive." Jack: "Understandable. We only can imagine what he went through, growing up in the Slums of Sulani with his dead brother, next to that Brothel... and his crazy mother and that landlord scum." Noxee: "Ji Ho is strong. And he has his friends by his side, hm? I also heard you're doing a great job with your yoga, meditation and tantra practise. Keep that up. It's going to help him a lot." Jack: "We will. What about his grandfather? He can't influence him - or us through Ji Ho - while we're here, right?" Noxee: "I don't think so. Though - we still don't know what happened in your game. Had Tiny Can created this scenario or did his grandfather find a way into the game? Let's just be cautious and careful."

Eventually they went over to the examination bed and Jack told Noxee the astounding story of how Kiyoshi and him had flewn here with the TukTuk and crashed in the swamps - after they'd been struck by lightning. Jack: "... and now I feel utterly weird. I can literally hear my heart galopping - it also feels as if it's too small for my ribcage! I can't concentrate, my hands are sweating - and the worst of all: I can't eat! My stomach is twisting and turning as if I swallowed a bunch of weasles! Oh, and then the emotional turmoil! Like a rollercoaster! Oh and I can't concentrate ... and I forget stuff. I mean, for the last two issues - that's what I deal with since forever, but now it's even worse.

Noxee made a full check up but she didn't find a physical cause. The stroke of lightning and the crash left no visible marks on Jack. Which is not surprising, since Jack is the Super Soldier, after all. Created by the Council to survive even more severe attacks. Noxee: "I can't find anything. But we also know nearly nothing about what exactly the Council did to you. From what you described I would say you fell in love ^^' But we could ask Greg if he has any ideas?"

Jack: "No! No Greg! And it's not from falling in love. I already fell in love three times: with Lou, Kiyoshi and ... (ups, he can't let Noxee know what he feels for her! That would make things even more awkward between them. She's the partner of his father! ö.ö') ... and ... and it was totally different!"

Noxee mixed him a potion and told him to come back if it didn't get better and Jack left her so she could care for Ji Ho. He went downstairs to their rooms. Ms Coombes told them each three of them would share a room. There is one at the top of the tower, where Kiyoshi, Vlad and Jeb reside. And one at the bottom of the tower. For Saiwa and Jack - and Ji Ho, as soon as he's released from the hospital wing.

Jack went to the tops' room first, to bring Vlad the good news. Jack: "Ohhhh! Bunk beds! I'm going to claim the upper bed in our room!"

Concentrate, Jack! Remember why you are here! Jack sat on Vlad's bed and reassured him. Jack: "Noxee said, they will wake him up soon. He sleeps right above this room. Don't worry, hm?" Kiyoshi and Jeb were happy too to hear the good news about Ji Ho.

They chatted for a while and eventually Jack went downstairs to check their new room and claim his bed. It had been a long, eventful day. Just to find that Skully was there! Skully: "Hey, Buddy!" Jack: "What is he doing here?!" Saiwa: "I found him in your bag when I unpacked our stuff ^^' " Jack sighed. As if getting struck by lightning and being scolded by Ms Coombes weren't bad enough...

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Who killed Jack?' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

[fatehbaz]

[A] luscious Owari Satsuma citrus tree, whose species was originally imported from Japan, currently experiencing the ravaging effects of an aphid infestation. [...] Where did they come from? [...] And a question that nineteenth- and twentieth-century individuals may have added is, who is to blame? Jeannie N. Shinozuka’s monograph, Biotic Borders: Transpacific Plant and Insect Migration and the Rise of Anti-Asian Racism in America, 1890-1950 [...] [examines] such human and nonhuman interconnections [...] [and] meditates on such questions in the historical setting of the American empire, including its transpacific borderland.

Toward the end of the nineteenth and through the twentieth century, the already present anti-Asian racism in the United States was infused with a conservationist attitude of sustainable yield and efficient use of the vast but vanishing natural resources of North America.

---

Unsurprisingly, these racial anxieties appeared just as the American empire expanded well beyond the continent’s borders. The economic threat of chestnut blight or citrus scale played into a native invasive binary that conveniently placed blame for the species’ decline, along with pest and disease introductions, on poor and immigrant groups, while excluding and erasing a longer colonial history of importations of destructive plants and animals by colonial and antebellum planters. These fears were founded not just in the economics of decline, based on a fear of the threat posed to cash crops often grown on increasingly large-scale farms, but also in jealousy surrounding agricultural innovations [...] of certain immigrant farmers [...] in a society plagued with racial anxieties of a so-called yellow peril. Paradoxically, wealthy American citizens interested in beautifying landscapes often held an orientalist fascination with a fetishized and consumable version of a Japanese countryside in the form of tea gardens. [...]

---

The work also discusses the role of newly ordained technocratic officials in giving supposed scientific validity to attitudes toward plant, animal, and human invaders from the Orient.

Plant biologists such as [D.F.] and entomologists [...] were on the forefront of crusades to prevent economically damaging insects and plant diseases from entering the borders of the United States and “degrading” the native stock. Many of these individuals, like [D.F.], were closely associated with some of the leading eugenicist organizations, for example, the American Breeder’s Association, within the United States. Their efforts at plant quarantine culminated in Plant Quarantine Number 37, or PQN 37, a law intended to prevent diseases and infection from foreign animal and plant bodies. This law set a precedent for similar policies regulating humans perceived as alien, including the Immigrant Act of 1924, which limited immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, while completely excluding individuals from Asia. Similarly, officials, [...] [entomologists] included among them, seized and destroyed the property of Japanese immigrants [...].

---

Shinozuka’s work is [...] a contribution to environmental history and Asian studies, [and] it is also a fresh conversation on borderlands and the role that [...] migrant groups, played in such porous places as the US Mexico border and Hawaii, the Pacific gateway to the US empire. Both domains offered opportunities to immigrants and scientists alike [...]. [I]mmigrant labor provided muscle power to corporate-owned American sugar plantations in Hawaii while also experiencing accusations of importing such damaging insects as the termite or Oriental beetle. What Shinozuka makes clear is that while these insects may have originated in southeast Asia, their spread was enabled by the context of American colonialism and empire. The trifold factors of urbanization, industrialization, and monocrop agriculture, all promoted in the interest of American business and marketed as a modernization effort in supposedly backward places like Hawaii, created the perfect circumstances for insects to swarm and disease to spread.

---

All text above by: Jacob Gautreaux. "Review of Shinozuka, Jeannie N., Biotic Borders: Transpacific Plant and Insect Migration and the Rise of Anti-Asian Racism in America, 1890-1950". H-Environment, H-Net Review. August 2024. At: h-net dot org slash reviews/showrev.php?id=60450. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[cor-lapis]

Hello and sorry for this but you've triggered my trap card ™️ with that Furina post.

Basically what it comes down to is that the entire demo is fake ,not because it's not real, but because it's a play!

The whole demo is a show , with Furina of Fontaine as its star, The camera follows her and rarely deviates,but it's also lying to the audience.

The first lie in the demo is to do with her title as the archon of Fontaine, as she is regaled with several titles, but her people don't respect her as much as they view her as a celebrity, someone whose only purpose is to entertain.

The second lie in the demo is the scene with Clorinde, where Furina steps up to fight an enemy that even the champion duelist herself can't handle! Of course the great hydro archon is stronger than her subordinates hahahaha! only for the enemy in question to be revealed to be a blubberbeast, on land, I don't think it's necessary to mention how harmless it is, Clorinde, being used to Furina's antics can do nothing but watch on.

We are then presented with the support actors of the play, being her three little friends, she introduces them to us but she never leaves the frame, they don't take the spotlight that easily.

in the scene where she's swinging,each swing she takes she mimics other archons, the color of the background changes to signify elements , while a character changing sound effect also plays between each swing, She swings like Nahida does in her idle animation, then she plays the lyre like Venti, she takes on the same pose as Ei when she's meditating, and lastly she throws mora for Zhongli.

Therein lies the third lie, being that she's not an archon, not really, not by archon standards anyway,even The Knave thought so, so she mimics other archons to appear like them, additionally,the scene doesn't include a part for herself, because there is no "archon" for her to mimic.

Then we see her second form, the one that has the healing creature instead of the three little animals, the creature itself is never named, it barely has some time on the screen, it's even lower than a support character, it takes the backseat while Furina attacks the enemies, as opposed to how the three little animals were shown a lot more clearly.

This is to symbolize that there are 2 Furinas(not literally) , 1 who is always in the spotlight, boisterous, bratty, showoffish, and loud, and the one that's always hidden because she's not what the first Furina is, but how much of the first is the second?and how much of the second is the first?

After that, the show within a show begins, Furina takes an even more influential role in it, becoming the director! Not only is she the most important character in the play,but she also controls it entirely,She records Charlotte,the one who's always behind the camera,creates improbable but amusing scenes of Childe being chased by melusines, Navia and her group arresting Neuvillette, Lyney's and Lynnette's places being switched, removing Freminet's helmet only to find it full of water, and Clorinde and Wriothesley having a face off.

Then we're presented with her elemental burst, in which Furina grabs the stage and literally throws it in the air, but the stage doesn't disappear,her light covers the edges of the screen, the whole world as we see it has become her stage.

The camera focuses on her as chaos rages on around her, she's having cake, then the "actors" all raise their arms together after the climactic scene,the show within a show ends,the curtains fall, and Furina and her animal friends take a bow, and a second curtain falls to end the show that was containing the one before.

Additional notes,the song that was playing at the second part of the demo is in french it's lyrics are as follows.

excellent summary of what was going on! also made me properly realise we saw Furina becoming a director, rather than an actress 6.6

Also yeah, what's up with the oceanid part of her skill? supporting actor symbolism considering there aren't any more oceanids in fontaine is interesting too

Plus the whole thing with her not being viewed as an archon properly, either by her citizens or by herself, especially considering that she didn't get a swing segment

Although, I've seen theories that the "movie scenes" (childe getting hunted by the melusines, etc)(HILARIOUS btw) are supposed to represent the previous archon quests; does this mean anything for the fact Furina literally decapitated Freminet.......

anyway, thanks for the detailed and insightful analysis! play within a video within a game, huh

[pasdetrois]

Charlie Newton, Uncle Charlie's niece and namesake, is an odd candidate for Bluebeard's wife. For starters, she is, of course, a blood relation rather than a spouse. But the relationship between Uncle Charlie and Charlie is a complicated one. "We're not just uncle and niece," Charlie asserts. "It's something else. I know you." Charlie and her uncle are the first characters we meet in the film, both introduced through Peeping Tom shots in which the camera tracks from shots of their respective towns into their bedrooms to observe both, recumbent on their beds, meditating on the dead ends in which they find themselves. "This coupling of the two characters lying in beds separated by a continent is the most striking indication of the relationship that exists between them," one critic writes. "There is a sly hint that what Charlie and her uncle are thinking about while lying in bed is of the other in bed." In these paired scenes, there seems to be as much a touch of the morbid as of the erotic, for both characters are posed in such a way as to suggest a deathbed scene. With what appears to be telepathic precision, Charlie and her uncle simultaneously frame plans to telegraph the other with proposals for a family reunion.

If there is any doubt that the kinship between the two Charlies transcends blood ties, it is eliminated when the uncle takes his niece’s hand slips a ring on it. “Give me your hand, Charlie," he asks, and the profile of the two suggests a romantic engagement scene more than anything else. This symbolic marriage caps a scene that decisively takes us into the territory of the Bluebeard story. Charlie confides a powerful sense of kinship to her uncle at the same time that she asserts her knowledge of a secret in his past, an enigma that endows him with an aura of mystery. As her uncle's double, she not only feels confident that she can identify it, but also feels entitled to know it:

CHARLIE: I know you. I know that you don't tell people a lot of things I don't either. I have a feeling that inside you somewhere there's something nobody knows about. UNCLE CHARLIE: Something nobody knows... CHARLIE: Something secret and wonderful, and I'll find it out. UNCLE CHARLIE: Not good to find out too much. CHARLIE: But we're sort of like twins, don't you see. We have to know.

Maria Tatar, Secrets beyond the Door: The Story of Bluebeard and His Wives

[megyulmi]

A brief study of Buddhist symbolism and Japanese mythology in Sukuna’s character:

➠ Sukuna, the fallen.

There is a recurrent figure in Buddhist texts known as Mara, the demon King of the Sixth Realm. His Japanese name Akuma (悪魔) is the same as Satan in Japanese Christianity and the uses of the word outside of the Buddhist texts, also appears in literary works, especially those written during the Heian period. In Japanese Buddhism, Akuma is typically depicted as an entity with a fiery head and flaming eyes, and carrying a sword, but the initial depiction of Mara shows some similarity to Sukuna’s design as a character.

Here are illustrations of Mara for reference (1st one is Mara and the 2nd one is his demons):

Now, who is Mara?

He is a malevolent king, associated with death, rebirth and desire, who continuously tried to stop Prince Siddhartha (Buddha) from attaining Enlightenment and is the personification of the forces antagonistic to it. During his final encounter with Siddhartha, Mara is said to have challenged him to a duel to determine who would become Enlightened and lost, in that sense he is seen as the one who failed to achieve Enlightenment (i.e. fallen from the path of Enlightenment).

Here is another depiction of Mara with meditating Siddhartha:

Continuing, ‘Buddha defying Mara’ is a common pose of Buddha sculptures, where the Buddha is shown with his left hand in his lap, palm facing upwards and his right hand on his right knee. The fingers of his right hand touch the earth, to call the earth as his witness for defying Mara and achieving Enlightenment.

I believe that within the world of sorcerers, Sukuna represents a similar being. He is the one you must bypass to attain ‘Enlightenment’ (I know some believe that Sukuna is the Enlightened one, but this point can be argued because of what it means to walk the path of the Enlightenment), because he personifies the temptations a sorcerer could attain if they were to forsake their ideals. In that same sense, Yuuji is the one who challenges him in a similar manner we see between Mara and Siddhartha: his soul refuses to bend, and he will not stray from the path (the ideals) he has chosen no matter what violence or pain Sukuna inflicts upon him. Sukuna once compared Yuuji to someone from the past, which I think implies that in the past, someone challenged Sukuna in a similar manner Yuuji has, which might, in a way, explain why he harbours such strong dislike (which is the sole case he outwardly shows such emotion in the entirety of the manga) toward Yuuji as a sorcerer. It also implies that in the world where Sukuna exists, so does the ‘force’ opposite him to create a balance.

This point takes me back to the note I made on Yuuji and Sukuna years ago, drawing a connection to the ‘Legend of the Twin Baku’. It tells the story of twin Baku brothers named Aoi, the Blue and Akai, the Red, who fed on the dreams of mortal creatures. Akai preferred the sweet-tasting good dreams. Aoi, on the other hand, preferred the bitter-tasting nightmares. He grew more and more vain with every nightmare he devoured, and so did his hatred for mortals. To enact revenge, he approached his brother, Akai, as he slept peacefully, and began to consume the dreams of his brother. Since Baku eat only dreams, their life essence is made up of dreams and as Aoi devoured his brother’s dreams, he also devoured his essence. Aoi ate and ate, until there was nothing left of Akai. He brought nothing but suffering for the mortals from then on. In the end, however, he does repent, and to keep the balance of the world of dreams, gods turn him into Murasaki, the Purple Baku, a one being with his brother’s essence, consuming both good and bad dreams.

To connect the legend to my previous point, it shows the necessity of the existence of opposite forces to keep the harmony of the world, whether in the form of separate beings or balanced in a single being. Sukuna and Yuuji’s existence is similar to that when it comes to the world of sorcery. And, I think what Kenjaku has been trying to achieve with his experiments was to create a being similar to Murasaki, the Purple Baku, and in Yuuji, who is one of those experiments, lies the possibility of creating a balance in a single being that will restore the harmony of what Sukuna’s existence has disturbed (even if it has not been what Kenjaku has initially intended with his experiments).

➠ Sukuna’s cursed technique and past:

This bit is from the note I made on Sukuna’s fingers being dismembered at the beginning of JJK and later, his using of fire arrow made me think Akutami might have drawn inspiration from the myth of Kagutsuchi (カグツチ).

Now, who is Kagutsuchi?

He is the deity of fire in Japanese Mythology. He is described as a being of fire who constantly emits flames, is hard to look at and impossible to touch without being burned. His birth comes at the end of the creation of the world and marks the beginning of death. It is said that his birth killed his mother Izanami, and his father Izanagi, in his grief, beheaded Kagutsuchi with his sword and cut his body into eight pieces, which became eight volcanoes. Kagutsuchi’s corpse is said to have created numerous deities, which typically include Watatsumi, Kuraokami, Takemikazuchi, Futsunushi, Amatsumikaboshi, and Ōyamatsumi. Each is a deity associated with elements of nature (water, rain, snow, etc.) or war. And there are deities, who were born from Kagutsuchi’s blood (this detail could be tied back to Kenjaku’s experiments again). This is not to say that Sukuna has those exact cursed techniques, but I do think there is a possibility Akutami took certain attributes of his character from the myth.

There is another variation of the myth. According to which, Kagutsuchi’s father witnessing the death of his wife, in rage, took the ten-grasp sabre and crushed his child. A number of gods were born from the blood and remains of Kagutsuchi. Subsequently, Izanagi went to the land of the world of the dead to find Izanami, however when he found her, she had become a rotting corpse and from her parts other gods had arisen, causing the flight of Izanagi to the world of the living. Then Izanagi performed the misogi ritual purification through which more gods are born. The last of these are the three most important gods of Shinto: Amaterasu, goddess of the sun; Tsukuyomi, deity of the moon; and Susano’o, god of the sea.

If we take the second version and interpret it in the context of Jujutsu Kaisen, it could connect to my previous point. Could Sukuna’s existence be the very reason curses continue to be born? Is it why Kenjaku said the chain of curses will not end until Sukuna and Yuuji are alive? We have barely any idea of Sukuna’s past, but we know that his life coincidences with the golden age of sorcery, so could it be that whatever happened to him in the past started the chain of curses the modern world of sorcerers has to hold against and triggered the sorcery in the form we see today like how the new gods were born from Kagutsuchi (malevolent deities i.e. curses) and Izanagi’s ritual (benevolent deities i.e. sorcerers)?

Akutami Gege, please give us the Heian flashback.

To be continued...

[Disclaimer: This is only a personal opinion as just another reader. Additionally, English is not my native language and I have never read JJK in English, so certain terminologies I use may not be the correct equivalent of the English language.]

[phoeebsbuffay]

Imagine you are a peasant who happens to save Darth Vader after his meeting with Ahsoka left him unconscious—and you have no idea who this man is. Part II.

Warnings: drama, smut, unburnt Vader, angst—but fluffy endings as always, naturally.

Warnings 2: not recommended for minors or those who are sensitive to the themes aforementioned.

Warnings 3: slightly/loosely inspired in “La Belle et la Bête” (the one with Léa Seydoux).

Warnings 4: references to the “Rebels”, final episode season 2.

***

You are still kept in ignorance about Jedis and Siths. As days turn into weeks, spending time with the man you are looking after is not much a burden.

Vader knows he should prevent you to harbor sentiments towards you, however, he is incapable of doing so.

“Are you often this quiet?”, you inquire him after a while. This day you have him with you at the gardens and he watches as you clean all by yourself.

“I was wondering how devoted you’ve become to this castle and the gardens”, Vader doesn’t respond your question and you just sigh at it. “What are you sighing for?”

“It is funny how often you pose me questions that you don’t feel like answering when I ask you the same.” You shoot him a glare.

“I would rather keep my life out of your sight and your mind as well”, says Vader. “Otherwise why is it of your interest to hear about me? I, on the other hand, know nothing about the one who is looking after me.”

You roll your eyes. After you place an ointment over his wounds, you say:

“Is this how you want to roll?”

“I am no good man, Y/N.”

You lift your eyes and Vader thinks he is a fish trapped in a web. Last time he felt this way was with Padmé and this seems to worsen his mood.

“You might be, but there is good in you.”

“I am a monster! How can you say that after all the things I’ve done?”

As if to startle you, he stands and gives you a glare as he angrily lists all of his wrongs in a long path of blood that ironically brought him to you.

“You lost your family in a war that I caused it!”

“Because you took part in a conflict that clearly manipulated you!”

You watch him in completely daze as he walks from a side to another. Part of you fears him, but another sees him as a man with dark past who can still choose the path of redemption.

“I was not manipulated!”, he yells at you before walking out the room and disappearing of your sight.

As he leaves, you start wondering why are you staying there. To clear your mind, you opt for going to the market.

***

The Sith Lord watches you carefully from afar. He is now feeling a lot better than when he was first brought to that odd castle. His wounds are now turning into scars and his physique is going back to what used to be before the explosion that separated him from Ahsoka.

He tries not to think about this evening. He always thought… Vader swallows hard, seeking a way out of the burdens he carries in his soul, the ones that plague his conscience every night before he closes his eyes when endless torments never cease to torture him.

Whether he cares to admit or not, Ashoka Tano is another of his links to Anakin Skywalker, to…her. The woman he loved. When Darth Vader thinks of Padmé Amidala, no darkness remains.

Yet, she is no more. And Anakin Skywalker was buried with her. Or so he thinks.

In the meantime he is dwelling into an odd kind of meditation you’ve never seen before, you realize your eyes remain glued on his figure. You detest how every inch of him gets your attention and even those terrifying eyes are not enough to frighten you.

“Why do I feel there is a pair of y/c eyes analyzing me?”, Vader cannot help out the amusement in his voice.

You put a face.

“How would you know I am watching you if your eyes are closed?”

Again, he laughs. You realize the boisterous sound not only brings a smile to your lips, but also makes your heart skip a beat.

“Because I can.” It’s all he tells you.

You feel like a child when you move to where he is and, folding your arms, you pout:

“Well then, should I assume you can do better than this?”

As much as Vader wants to keep you far from him, as much as he wishes to cloud himself from your shining presence, there is only so much he can do.

“Is that a challenge?”

You side smirk at him. Your answer, however, captures his curiosity when you rather say:

“Challenge accepted it is.”

***

Later, when you think him to be asleep, you go back to the library you grew fond of. After half of the morning spent outdoors, you regret leaving the castle. You are now known by your former friends and neighbors as an old maid who got mad due to the loss of your family. In order to cover your unhappiness, you seek solace in books.

Vader, however, is not unaware of this subtle change of mood of yours. He is meditating when he hears your steps: at first, the Sith Lord expects with annoyance your bubbly nonsense observation concerning the day, yet he is sorely disappointment when he is ignored.

And he is almost sure he can hear a sniff? Darth Vader hopes to ignore this perception, but it is too difficult to do so. His pride is not amended; he realizes you’ve been filling the hole left by Padmé. As scary as that is, he does not wish to see you hurt, though. So, despite himself, he comes after you.

“What are you reading?”

You are caught off guard, clearly surprised by his presence. You try to avoid eye contact so he does not see you’ve been weeping. Yet, had you known his true nature, you’d know doing so is a waste of time.

“What are you doing here?”, you respond him with another question.

He moves to where you are and just like that he takes the book away from your hands. Ignoring your protests—especially because you suddenly notice how tall he is—, Lord Vader is amused by the content of your book.

“What got you reading into Siths and Jedis? I thought these old tales were nothing but myths to you.”

“Never said that”, you snort at him. “What I remember telling you, Mr Skyguy, was that we have very few books concerning this subject. Hence why I know little about each.”

“And looks like you found one.”

“Well observed”, you remark sarcastically.

“Are you finally in terms to who am I, then?”, Vader finds himself smirking at you.

How easily you bring him to smile. Some believer might suggest this was all orchestrated by the Force, to achieve balance. Yet, what do you know of these things, less so of mundane matters?

You are still trying to get the book out of his hands when he laughs for the first time in a very long time.

“Please. You give yourself too much a credit.” You snort at him, before pouting. “Would you please give me the book back to my hands?”

“I might. With one condition, though.”

You fold your arms, not in the mood for his tricks.

“Really now?”

“I want to know what got you upset, Y/N.” He softens.

You turn abruptly at a window nearby, busying yourself with opening it and staring into the green landscape that draws under your eyes.

“Why’d you care?”

Lord Vader joins your side rather hesitantly. The question threatens to knock his pride down, albeit a broken one. Yet, exhausted as he is of this endless torment that has been following him for years, he shrugs his shoulders.

“Why do you assume I do?”

“You would not have asked had you not”, you answer softly.

The two stay in silence for some time. Vader studies you, seeing you are affected by his presence. When reading your thoughts, he finds the answer he’s been looking for. Yet, at the same time the Sith Lord finds himself an intrude to your intimate self. As intrigued as he is to read you more, he wants to earn your trust.

Well, well. To get to this point would make him frown, but he instead looks away and says:

“You are too good for this world, Y/N. It’s better for you to ignore the aspects that make it bad.”

You cast him a puzzled look at him. Your eyes notice his hard features, his clenched jaw, the flaring yellow eyes that contain a well filled with dark waters. Vader feels you, senses your silent observations, though surprised he is before your lack of judgement to what you see.

“You are being kind”, you divert away. “My neighbors once thought like you too.”

Vader turns his face at you. His eyebrows are raised when saying:

“What could possibly make them change their minds about you?”

You roll your eyes before his sarcastic remark.

“How about me isolating in an old, abandoned castle? They don’t know I am occupied with you. Even if they did, this would only reinforce the legend of the old maid.”

To your dismay, Vader throws his head and laughs. Now reclining against the wall, he stares at you in disbelief.

“No way. They shall bite their tongues for such a vile accusation.”

“Mock it as you wish. It is easier for you to say.” And for the first time since he met you, he spots a vulnerability in you.

Which sensibilizes him.

“Y/N.”

“They are all dead, I know.” It’s when you burst into tears. “I have no one. Absolutely no one. And my father is not coming back, that my heart knows.”

Vader pulls you into a hug, moved by your suffering. It’s not that different from his, in certain ways.

“That is not true, Y/N.” He whispers so only you can hear. “You still have all of me.”

***

It starts to rain. Vader watches as you go back to your old singing, bubbly and merry self. A sight he is most content to see.

“You have an unique talent, Y/N”, he tells you out of sudden.

You nearly jump away, not seeing he’d been there for a while. You try not to look away, but the heat in your face betrays you. Which only makes him smile wide, of course.

“And what that would be, sir?”

“Please, don’t call me sir.”

“Very well then. How should I call you?”

Vader pauses for a second.

“Skyguy will do. Didn’t we agree this was how I wanted to be called?”

“Skyguy it is. But you were saying about my unique talent?”

Vader chuckles lightly.

“That you manage to mend broken things and bring them to life. This castle was completely terrifying months ago.”

You sigh dramatically before giving him the look.

“And look at you. Your wounds are completely healed”, you remark proudly of your efforts. “If I remember well, you called me a owner of primitive soul. And this primitive soul let you live.”

Vader shakes his head as if you are unbelievable.

“Really now, Y/N? I was referring to the castle.”

“And yet”, you shorten the distance between you two, going as far as taking his hand into yours. “You made so much to me as well, Skyguy. Whatever your past is, I am giving you the present.”

Though he knows you mean something else, his heart cannot but skip a beat. Vader, a Sith Lord, has been captivated by a peasant girl. He tries to remove his hand of yours, but as he does so, he in fact interlocks his fingers with yours.

“You don’t know about me to say such a thing.” His voice comes out a whisper.

“I know enough.”

You don’t know what moves you, but before you know, you are the one holding his face with your delicate fingers. Pulling you against you, you tip toe to kiss your lips against his.

Although he resists you at first, something about the urge of your heart translated to your body melts his defenses.

It is useless to fight you, dear one.

So Vader holds your frame against his. It has been some time, a long while, in fact, since he’d done this. He always loved one woman and it is so strange he is now besotted with another.

Your scent drives him insane. As your tongue dominates his, he feels he is about to lose grip of his control. Next thing you both know is that he pins you against the wall and almost instinctively you wrap your legs around his waist, your hands moving impatiently from his face to his short hair, down to his neck and resting over his shoulders, helping tossing away his vine cape.

He is rigid underneath his pants, he can feel you are burning for him. But as both of you catch your breath and he sees something he has not seen before, he hesitates.

“What is it?”, you ask softly. “My darling…”

“No.” He comes back to reason and steps back, much to your frustration. A wave of conflict sentiments washes over him. “No. I cannot do this.”

“What?” You try not to sound hurt as he begins to grow distant from you. “Skyguy…”

Frustrated, he turns his head and yells at you:

“I am not Skyguy! I am Darth Vader, Y/N! I am a Sith Lord and I am a monster! Get out of here whilst you can!”

You freeze. His eyes go back to the flaring tone that you’ve grown used to. Yet, they seem far frightening now that you see them burning in rage. You, however, remain where you are.

“No”, your voice breaks. “I am not going anywhere.”

“I am commanding you to!”, he raises his hand, but does not do a thing to you.

You realize he’s been scared. You do not need to think too much before connecting the dots: he’s been the one behind the Emperor to cause this bloody war that took away your family.

But why do you not feel angry to him? And it appears that Lord Vader is asking himself the same question since you are actually moving forward.

“Your heart’s been broken before as was mine. One thing I know, Darth Vader, which I’ve learned from that Jedi and Sith book you’ve disdained recently, was that fear leads to anger which leads to suffering.”

You gently take his hand, seeing how baffled he is as you show tranquility in your speech.

“Whomever you loved, whomever you lost, I am not here to replace them. I know I am insignificant: I am obscure, plain and poor. I am seen as a madwoman who lost all by her neighbors. Indeed, one might ask what could I possibly offer to the mighty Darth Vader.” You smile at his perplexity.

“I take you as you are, sir. I am not asking you to renegade yourself. I am not pleading you to pretend there had never been a past. I don’t care what you’d done. You are here. I am here. What is done cannot be fixed, but what we can do is what matters.”

Vader does not realize he’s been brought to tears until his knees go weak and you embrace him. It is a funny contrast to observe: a handsome lord in his dark robes and a peasant lass in white ones.

And there you remain.

***

You detest storms. As you contemplate the lightenings forming in the skies, the thunders that rip out the darkest clouds, a shiver runs in your skin before you close the window.

It is time to go to bed. You are emotionally weary after the confrontation you had with Darth Vader. You don’t need much to uncover his past: he’d been the great Jedi Anakin Skywalker who descended into darkness.

As you brush your long locks, dressed in a nightgown, you start to wonder if it’s selfish not to care about what he’d done or who he’d been with.

Or is it the wanting to be loved that clouds the reason? Maybe he’s been playing with my heart so I cannot escape the truth concerning his nature? But, oh, I’ve dived into those flaring yellow eyes and haven’t gotten myself burnt.

Has love shielded you thus? Or perhaps has made you a fool? You barely have time to contemplate it as you hear a knock on the door that startles you. You stand and grab some old robes to throw over your nightgown and move to open the door. You find Darth Vader right in front of you.

“I want you, Y/N”.

There is little need for excuses as you welcome him in his arms, his lips clashing against yours. You sigh in content as his body pursuits yours, his agitated hands removing your robes, the eager in his

Vader uses the Force to close the door as he leads the way to your bed. All the whilst he kisses you, your hands hesitantly push away his vine cape, working to remove his shirt, tossing away over his head before both of you collapse in bed.

“What took you so long?”, you ask him softly, pulling him over your body, your fingertips moving from his arms to his shoulders and chest before going upper his neck and resting in his hair.

“My pride prevented me from doing so”, he mutters under his breath, gently laying you down once he helps removing your nightgown. “You are so beautiful, Y/N.”

You blush at his words and Vader smiles at you for it. He leans forward to peck your lips before moving his to your jawline and neck, busying his hands with your body.

“Oh my!”, you sigh in content, though for a moment you do not know what to do. It’s not as if you have been with many men—in fact there had only been one you’ve been with and…

“My love”, Vader pauses when sensing the rise of your insecurities. “What is wrong?”

You cast him a fond glance as to how he addresses you, but the concern in his face forces you to concentrate in the present.

“There is something… I would like to discuss with you.”

He is on his elbows, waiting patiently. Seeing there is no judgement in his eyes, you feel at ease to confide him what troubles your mind. Once you do, Vader leans to kiss your lips as to reassure you this is not something he’s concerned with.

“You are mine”, you smile at his possessiveness towards you, which you come to find that mirrors the same sentiment you’ve been harboring these past months. “What happened before me is of little importance. We are together now, little one.”

He is not asking and Vader almost smiles at how you take pride of his words.

“Yes, sir. We are.” You kiss his lips hungrily. “We belong together and I do not plan to let you go.”

You tangle him with your legs and ensure to make your point by switching positions, alluring your lover how you suddenly earn confidence towards him, which pleases him to see.

You part the kiss to explore his neck, leaving traces of bruises as you move low. Vader groans in pleasure, not protesting under your loving caresses… although when you slide to the between of his legs, he is indeed surprised at your bold moves.

“Y/N… You don’t have to do so if you do not want it.”

“Your manhood seems to disagree, my lord”, you whisper as you grip his erection and make it gentle moves up and down.

The fact you are aroused by doing it turns him on. Once thought to be a machine, Darth Vader has been brought to life again. He is Anakin Skywalker once more as when he is with you. A deed only one woman had seen before.

***

You like when he’s dominating you, how he slaps your buttocks—as gently as it is— or wraps his hand around your neck. There is no soft side of you here and Vader enjoys seeing your darkness meeting his.

“Fuck”, he growls under his breath as his thrusts harder, matching your hips with his.

“It feels so good”, you moan, digging your fingers into his back, pulling him closer—as if possible—against you. “Seed me, love. Give me your seed.”

When his eyes meet yours, you notice how softened the yellow irises are… You think you spot some shade of blue behind them, but you are not sure. Whatever this is, you find handsome to contemplate. You cup his face and kiss his lips fervently.

“I love you”, you brush your lips against his.

“Y/N…” He hesitates at first, but can he resist you? When looking at a mess he made of you, he knows resistance is inutile now. “I love you. Is this what you want?”

“Yes. Sith Lord or not…” You speak between moans, arousing him further, completely breathless. “You are mine, Darth Vader.”

And that is how both of you reach the climax together, in an incomparable and unique synchronic move.

***

One question remains, though. As Vader watches you sleep, cuddled against him, he wonders how could a woman who knows so little of the Force, less so of Jedis and Siths love him.

As he wraps some of the curls of your hair around his finger, a question is posed: what side will he choose, you or the Sith? A question he now knows it is too cursed to avoid it.

Staring into the familiar darkness, is the existence of Darth Vader compromised? He sighs, pulling a blanket over your bodies, refusing to answer such questions.

For now, peace is enough. For now, the castle suffices his needs. You are his world, which only reinforces the balance of the Force.

For now.

***

Epilogue.

As you watch Luke and Leia play with his father, a sight that makes your heart skip a beat, you are barely able to believe how far you both have come.

“In the end Padmé was right”, you hear Obi-Wan telling you. “There was good in him.”

“There had always been, sir.”, you respond him with a smile on your face.

Obi-Wan smiles back at you, eyes still tearful.

“Thank you, miss Y/N. Thank you.”

You haven’t done much really, so you protest the attribution you earned for bringing Anakin Skywalker back to life. What had happened was that you merely healed him using what you had: simplicity, knowledge of verbs and…love when you fell hard for him.

The man you knew as Darth Vader eventually confronted his dark past when Inquisitors paid you a rather unwelcome visit. There had been a great fight. He was forced to leave to resolve this matter once for all and you were obliged to spend a few months living in secrecy.

Once Emperor Palpatine was defeated, though, and the Empire was dissolved, there were no more Siths to deal with. Anakin came back to surface, even though his Vader side never really disappeared. He had only reached the balance proving for all why he was the chosen one.

It was only then he came for you. By then, you had known the fate of your father: he was kept hostage under forces of the Empire but was eventually released only to die half way home. You wept at his funeral, but you never felt truly alone. Not when Vader was with you.

During this period, you two got married and you found out you were carrying his child. It was also when Vader reassumed his identity as Anakin and sought ways to amend his relationship with Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. Which eventually led him to his twins.

And now here you are. Though not intending to replace Padmé Amidala, you did become a sort of maternal figure for those twins. You are very close to them. And they are now looking after their younger sister whom you named Amidala in her honor.

You watch the new scenario right under your eyes. A happy ending is all you’ve wanted and as Anakin flashes you a proudly smile, inviting you to join them, you know this is what he deserves too…

[daflangstlairde-art]

Gladiator (What if I Can't Let Go?) — Part 4 of I Still Feel Alive

Summary: On pawns and queens, rabbits and wolves, and becoming the monsters that haunt us. Or, Leo has developed plenty of pretty good coping mechanisms, he needs to fulfill his quota on the bad ones. Anything to fill the absence that awaits him. Or, “Everything I've ever let go of has claw marks on it.” —David Foster Wallace

—

Chapter 1/17 — Need

Notes: Plot picks up immediately after the ending of Heart to Heart

Chapter Warnings -Codependancy, abandonment issues -Panic attack -Minor canon-typical past/future death -Adrenaline seeking

“Ssssoooo. That all... just happened,” Leo tapped his fingers together, still coming down from... that... whole thing. 

You know, the Thing. 

The ghost had dematerialized. Great for conversations. Leo wasn't even sure if... he was still around–?

Was... wait, was he still around? 

After the whole emotional reflection stuff, the ethereal meet-n-greet with Karai, the flashbang of emotions as... as That happened, the room was quiet. 

Leo had felt his family’s Ninpō, and (somehow) he had known what was happening. And in the same-how, he knew that his family knew that had happened. Considering nobody was sprinting into the room yelling about it (the reasonable response), he assumed they were just as stupefied. 

They probably... also felt all those feelings. The absolute barrage of feelings. Like a cartoon bulldozer of feelings which left the character flattened, and now Leo had returned back to his wonderful fullness. Ahhh, it's good to be 3D again!

But, the point he was trying to make: with all that having just happened, with how barely describable it was given how purely sense-based it was, everything felt... like, a little too real now?

Leo felt pretty dang grounded. He was here. In his body. In his room. He could feel his own heartbeat, could hear his own breathing. Could smell the general scent of home. He felt like he’d had some wonderful catharsis, and now anything felt like... peace. Contentment. Quiet. Like waking up super duper early in the morning after a cuddle pile sleepover with his bros. 

So, of course, Leo’s brain had to ruin it for him. 

“Hello?” he questioned, mentally trying to feel around for the presence he’d gotten so used to it was like breathing. Like he was Velma looking for her glasses, and like he'd gotten so used to seeing with those glasses that now that they were gone–

Leo wasn't panicking. He totally wasn't panicking. He was very calm, he swore! He's the coolest guy around! 

...

That's your cue to say “The SECOND coolest guy”, he tried to prompt, but still. Nada. Quiet.

Too quiet. 

...

“Peepaw?” what other nickname irritated him? What else could Leo say to summon him? 

Look at how calm he was!

“Hey, dude, you're being unfunny,” Leo laughed nervously. He hadn't even moved from the meditation pose yet.

Did he have to meditate? Reconnect? What is going on?

...Did Sensei Leonardo just move on? Is that what happened? Finally accepted death, found his family, found peace, gone, sayonara? 

Is this it?

Is he gone?!

No, no, he can't be gone! He, he can't be, right?!

“No, no, please, I need you,” Leo got up to pace, back, forth, he needed to move. He needed to move because he was shaking and his heartbeat was erratic and he couldn't breathe. “Leo? Sensei? Hey, dude, come on, stop being lame!” Leo demanded, except his voice sounded pathetic–

(“Pathetic,” Krang Prime spat–)

What is wrong with him? Was Leo dying? Was his Ninpō gone with the ghost? Why was he freaking out?! It usually took him, like, a couple minutes to build up to this! Or, or a nightmare, or something! Leo didn't just... snap into a freak-out like this, it wasn't him! 

“Please, please you can't leave, you can't,” and Leo wanted to be firm, he did. He wanted to be a leader and he wanted to be confident, but truth is, he just– he just sounded desperate.

What is wrong with him?

“Please, please, you can't do this,” Leo was– he was crying, he was on the floor and curling into himself, his hands were shaking. The worms were never supposed to be in a can in the first place, who put those worms there?

Why was he begging?

(“You are weak–!”)

“I swear, I, I, you can eat all the noodles you want, you can– we can watch all the dad TV you want, whatever, I– I need you, I can't do this by myself–!” Leo’s voice broke and he gasped for air. He was dying. He felt like he was dying. Everything was ringing.

...And then.

“Shhhh, shh, it's okay bub, it's okay,” ghostly arms wrapping around him, a soft voice, blue, “I’m sorry I scared you, I’m here, I’m here–”

Leo felt like the tension physically bled out of him, as he exhaled in relief, immediately clutching Sensei’s presence like he'd disappear. Because he had disappeared.

“You suck,” Leo sobbed, “Why would you do that? Hm? Hm? Going for the Least Funny reward or something?” he joked, like he wasn't still in the midst of a breakdown that made him feel like he was dying.

The ghost chuckled sadly and rocked back and forth a little, holding Leo tight. There was no heartbeat, no breath, but there was the pressure of a presence. The familiarity of the sensation of his Ninpō, because it was, he was Leo’s Ninpō, Leo didn't know how he knew that but he knew it.

“I’m here, I’m here, it's okay, you can breathe, I’m not leaving you,” the ghost chanted softly. It was so rhythmic, so consistent that Leo could sync his breathing to it. It was familiar. 

Leo clutched onto him like a lifeline, coming down from the second emotional bulldozer of tonight in the shape of this panic attack.

...

...

...

And eventually, when Leo stopped feeling like he was dying, because, still, his lifeline was here...

...They talked.

It was... hard. Like a turtle shell.

Like the rocky ground of the Prison Dimension. Like the Krang’s metal exo-suit.

It was so hard, in fact, that just like those two, Leo did not want to talk about it. He didn't want to think about it. Not... not now. Not yet. 

He wasn't ready yet. 

He just needed some more time.

—

Leo breathed. 

Wow, is this prosthetic made from lead? ‘Cause he sure felt heavy, and he hasn't even put it on yet! 

...

It... Raph’s arm...

...Ugh. Leo dragged a hand down his face. Two seconds awake, and he’s already– okay. Okay, just, one thing at a time. 

He... really didn't feel like getting up. But if you always wait until you feel like it to do something, you won't accomplish anything. 

Even if his shell seemed twice as heavy, today. Even if the To Do list was twice as long. 

...

Well, maybe Leo didn't feel like getting up, today. Just one of those days, you know? What can he say, he's his father’s son. 

But he can already hear voices outside the door. It's so dang early, did a Starbucks open? Damn millenials. 

He huffed a quiet laugh to himself. 

Yeah, maybe he didn't feel like getting up, but he also didn't feel like damming everyone to their death, and he kiiiinda had to get up for that one. 

Donnie may be recently deceased, but there's so many who aren't. Mikey and April will throttle his Hamato spirit if he went and died now, hah. 

...

“...Sensei?” a groggy voice called, and Leo glanced to the side after yawning to see a sleepy Casey having just awakened. The rest of the folk in the room would be soon to follow, no doubt.

“Hey Case,” Leo smiled at him. Hah, look at his hair. It was getting longer! Good for him. 

...Although, ooh, eugho, maybe that was because they kept... having to move bases. Probably didn't have time for hair care. They were constantly moving, these days. Things... really started getting dire.

Donnie’s security systems were a huge safety net for them. And for quite a while, emergency protocol after emergency protocol, they held even after... mm. 

But there's only so much you can prep for. And now, maybe the Krang were getting the hang of things. Maybe it was just their piss-poor luck. It didn't really matter.

Anytime one of the Resistance leaders was taken down, it was a big blow. But they would live past this, too. There was no other option.

At the end (or, well, start) of the day, Leo was still pushing himself up, bracing against the wince that almost popped up, thanks to yesterday’s battle. 

At the end of the day, they still had to get up and get moving. Many may be dead, but many are still alive. 

Casey’s birthday (the one earlier in the year) was coming up. Leo would be a pretty crappy sensei if he gifted him just more grief—he’s gotten enough of that from others. 

“We’re moving again?” the kid rubbed his face, already getting up, ready for action. Leo didn't feel like getting up, but he sure did feel proud of him, boy. It was painful. Casey was such a good kid, so adaptable and determined, and for what?

...Teenager, he was a teenager. When did he become a teenager??? Oh gross Leo was old, way too many years in the Apocalypse– 

“Ye-p,” Leo replied, and up he went, on his feet, adjusting the ill-fitted prosthetic over his shoulder. At least he got some relief tonight, to be able to sleep without it and not fear it will be the death of them all. Probably won't happen again soon, and Mikey said to pay attention to the positives. 

Casey was immediately grabbing his gear, putting it on, moving to wake the others. 

Leo sighed, and joined him. 

There was more to do. There was always more to do.

—

There was an itch under his skin.

There was an animal inside of Leo that had awakened and was now clawing with hunger. Dad’s ramen were good at uuuhhh placating it (REALLY good, wow), but they weren't it. They weren't what he needed.

Weren't what he craved. 

Leo had tried meditating and showering and having a snack. Leo had tried reading comics and watching movies and playing video games. He’d tried talking to his family and stretching and training and playing chess and–

You got the picture, right? He had tried a large variety of things. 

Still, there was something. 

It settled, when he moved and trained and felt the burn in his muscles. It settled, when his heart would pick up and he'd clench his teeth during a particularly tense round of kicking Raph’s butt in combat games. It settled, when those moments from horror movies popped up on screen, the ones that made Mikey scream so hard April fell over laughing at him. It settled, when they went out for patrol, to face a mighty foe (...or just the day’s B-lister). 

So.

Ssssoooo. 

There is a perfectly reasonable and healthy–

Ugh, whatever! Leo didn't care if this was a bad idea. There, he said it. 

He could hear the crowd cheering from here! Yōkai lining the doors of the Battle Nexus. The establishment was practically humming with an energy that made that animal’s mouth water. 

The applause, the thrilled screams, the knowledge of blood and sweat and a rush. 

Leo was barely on the outskirts, ninja-ing in and sneaking around, and still. He could feel the distant edges of that rush, and he knew, yep. 

Yeah, that's where he needed to be.

He couldn't wait. As he approached her office, footsteps silent against the (conveniently, huh, thanks for that) carpeted floor, he felt like Raph after a day of intense working out, waiting for Mikey’s careful ravioli prep. He felt like when he has to drag Donnie off to bed—him, the resident insomniac—because the nerd has found a new super fascinating topic that just can't be put off until tomorrow. A certain fixation.

Anticipation. 

But ugh.

Uuuggghhh. First, he had to play talky chess. Aka: negotiate. Ugh. Boooring. 

It’s–

Yes yes yes, it's important, but that didn't stop it from being boring! 

You suggested this, you deal with it. 

...

Leo blinked, the strange sensation of ghost possession overtaking him. The ever-so-slightly different way that Leonardo held himself within the body. Probably from all those years mastering the art of fighting like an absolute badass.

“Watch and learn, loser,” Leonardo whispered, straightening up. Back and shoulders all proper and balanced, walking with confident strides, in a way that made Leo feel second-hand confidence, wow! Can this guy get any cooler??? 

Not that Leon wasn’t confident and cool. He totally is. But Master Leonardo just had that extra kick to him, you know? That oomph. And he was totally about to crush negotiation! 

“Let's hope so,” he grumbled, knocking sharply at Big Mama’s office door.

Long story short: negotiating was pretty boring. Sure, it was tense, some 5D interdimensional chess with time travel type of mental games happening; but Leo’s heart was elsewhere. All he cared about was ensuring this didn't backfire spectacularly, as his ideas often tended to. 

Leo may be here to do quote-unquote “unhealthy things”, but he isn't dragging his family into it. Threatening Big Mama with “You know if you do literally anything to me, all my brothers will happily come kick your butt and tear this place down, right?” was a pretty good card to pull. They both agreed: involving Leo’s family as little as possible would be ideal. 

(“And nothing with tentacles!” 

A chuckle, “Of course dearie, I wouldn't,”)

He was confident he could pull this off! 

More than that, he needed it to work. 

Because... well, it’s all fine and dandy, being healthy and vulnerable and showing your ugly parts to your loved ones. 

But that made Leo feel, well, vulnerable and ugly. 

(He’d seen his insides and they weren’t pretty. 

There was something wrong and broken with him. It was ugly and he hated it. He wanted to go out in the dead of night and bury it like a reeking corpse.)

But the Battle Nexus? 

Leo could be as fake and flashy as his dramatic heart wanted. He could feel cool, and strong, and awesome and also cool. He could be someone else—someone who was perfect and unbroken. And then he could go home as that good person, son, brother, friend, hero, and pseudo-father! It was a win-win!

In the Nexus, he could be the center of attention, so back home, he didn’t make everything about himself. 

And that way, this... simmering, beastly thing inside him would have an outlet. He couldn't push it away forever, its teeth and nails are sharp. And he refused to lash out at his loved ones.

...And–

And... That. 

Yeah. He hadn't forgotten.

That Thing they’d talked about.

Leo just... didn't want to think about it. Not yet, at least, just, just give him some time. 

He just needed to know, first, that he could handle it. That he won't collapse just from the concept of It. 

First, he had a show tomorrow night to get ready for. 

—

Leo was bravely tolerating his reflection, rubbing on his face... some sort of cream. He actually wasn't completely sure what it's supposed to do, or, like, if it even really worked? But hey, dad had given it to him! 

(Possibly after April had, lovingly, near-throttled Leo for using her products–)

And it just felt nice on his skin! Like, refreshing and soothing. And it smelled nice. And it was nice to do some self-care, insert sparkles, play the Barbie soundtrack. Still missing the luscious blond locks. After everything he's been through!

”Krang Killer,” he suggested to the ghost hanging around. Incorporeal, only visible to him right now.

“...Okay, first off, you didn't kill any Krang–” he rolled his eyes. Buzzkill. That's one of the coolest ones Leo’s thought of so far!

“What about the little one, hmm? I portal-chopped him with the Technodrome!” he argued.

“Almost no one knows they were called the Krang,”

...Ugh, good point. 

“...Okay, fine, hmm.” what’s another cool stage name... “Alien Annihilator,”

“You're in a mood for alliteration huh?” El Fantasma raised a ghostly eyebrow. “Bit xenophobic though, I mean, what if some friendly aliens show up?”

Another good point, dammit.

“Ugh, you're right, we wouldn't want to drive off the friendly aliens–” Leo grumbled, tying on his mask. “Oh, wait, aren't I supposed to wear, like, a costume? I don't have a costume!” tragedy! Worst thing that has ever happened to him! How could he be flashy and cool without a cool flashy costume?! 

“I’m sure Big Mama would have something for you in a ditty,” Phantom Freeloader reassured dryly.

“You think she can also think of a name?” 

“Oh sure, the birthmother of such bangers like Kid Cthulu,” Leonardo drew out.

Leo shuddered. “Euguy, don't talk about birth and Big Mama in the same conversation,” gross. 

He turned around to check himself over a little. 

It was easier to look at himself, at least on good days. 

He had the arm from Donnie which was so super duper cool. He’d washed his mask, so it was a clean blue, just the hue he liked most; long tails trailing down, perfect for dramatic billowing in the wind, hah. Mikey liked to paint the back of his shell, sometimes, like it was now—over the blue filling in the cracks, following their path. Making them be flowy and ornate, instead of jagged; matching them up with the natural pattern of his carapace. Sometimes he added other decorative little details in a whole spectrum of colors, too. 

Currently it was like branches with pink flowers, which was both adorable and looked AWE. SOME. What were they called? Japanese cherry blossoms? Apparently, pink looked AMAZING against his blue, since they were... something something color theory. And the reddish-brown branches complimented his red stripes, and the little yellow flower dots that bees love were yellow to compliment his yellow stripes. 

They’d also decorated Raph’s shell, and the three of them had taken SO many photos, which Donnie had squirreled away to his archive like a gremlin. Leo really had to grill him for copies. 

Complete that with fresh new black wraps that weren't torn and bloodied? His pouches turned into a whole neat utility belt? 

(Donnie had totally copied him on that last part, but Leo had bullied him into claiming that it's because they are twins, so he had permission.)

It all looked sick! If the Nexus watchers didn't think he was supremely cool, they are stupid.

“...What about,” Master Leonardo had been contemplating, “Something in another language? Spanish maybe?” he suggested, and Leo’s eyes, still admiring the art on his back, lit up with an idea. Time to open Google Translate, baby!

—

(Additional notes: I won't be posting all chapters to Tumblr, just this one. The rest will be on ao3.)