#also xiii is kind of a freak but again

[themattress]

But to have the queen, with all her many, many faults, avow her opposition to the Heartless and have her men ordered to fight them, is an excellent cap on the world's story, one I'm sorry to have missed all these years.

This brings to mind part of what made KH1 and KH2 so damn good: the consistency and cohesiveness in the universe. The Disney worlds and characters actually hold connections to the main KH-original plot, themes and concepts. In KH1 we get to see how every world responds to the appearance of the Heartless, with some of the characters even learning that their world isn't the only one and that this is a universe-scale threat. Traverse Town has working ties with Disney Castle and also holds some destroyed Disney world refugees, and Hollow Bastion is full of Disney villains and Disney princesses from across many different worlds. KH2 continues this with some of the Disney characters from Traverse Town migrating to Hollow Bastion which the entire digital world of Tron is tightly linked to, we see new worlds reacting to Heartless and now the Nobodies + Organization XIII, with more characters learning the wider scale of things such as Jack, Will and Elizabeth in Port Royal, and old worlds from KH1 still carry on with where we left them off - Hades still has command over Heartless and ties to Maleficent, Agrabah has concluded a lengthy time of rebuilding after the big Heartless invasion of it that Jafar led, Jack Skellington still remembers the Heartless and how they ended up not being so good for the holidays, and in Atlantica we even have King Triton reference his surprising knowledge of the Keyblade again. People like Mushu, Simba, Belle and the Beast are back in their own worlds but still remember how others exist through their time with Sora, Donald and Goofy in KH1, while Genie once again can be summoned in other worlds and now so can Peter Pan and Tinker Bell whom Sora befriended in KH1.

It's part of what makes KH3 so disappointing. While half of the time we'll still get good stuff like with the summons, Disney characters operating businesses in Twilight Town, Hades' link to Maleficent and the Heartless still being addressed, the Unversed responding to the negative emotion of all the leftover scream cannisters in Monsters Inc., and just about everything in the Carribean, the other half feels like the KH-original concepts and characters are just there in the Disney worlds and with the Disney characters but not actually leaving an impact on them. Andy's toys being put inside some kind of illusionary world, Heartless and Nobodies swarming across Corona and Arendelle, and a guy talking about freaking time travel in front of Big Hero 6 all get swept under the rug like "well, that happened". Maleficent and Pete just wander around aimlessly in search of a mystery box, not doing anything even when they find it. And the whole core 7 vs. 13 Keyblade War plotline largely just kind of ignoring Donald and Goofy for large periods of time while only focusing on the OCs plus Keyblade wielder Mickey and former Keyblade wielder Yen Sid (although Donald and Goofy at least get to temporarily kill Terra-Xehanort and help Sora kill Master Xehanort). It just feels like a game universe crossing over with Disney, rather than Disney within a game universe.

Yet Another "Kingdom Hearts" Revisit, Part 1

Against my better judgement (because once I start any of these games, it becomes an inescapable time sink until I finish), I started up another playthrough of Kingdom Hearts. Initially, this was just because I had the itch to revisit certain boss battles and never thought to create multiple saves at different stages of the story for easy access before, but inevitably, a fresh look has led to pondering the story - and, in this case, the gameplay.

Which leads me to Wonderland. Am I the only one who likes this world? Based on some of the comments I've seen, this may well be another instance where my utter lack of experience with video games outside this series works in KH's favor, as the only real platforming experience I have to compare it to is the Spyro the Dragon trilogy. But Wonderland really doesn't seem that bad. Sora and his Mickey Mouse shoes might have a little trouble on the mushrooms, but he can still get around. The different configurations of the Bizarre Room are fun to find and navigate, the puzzles are basic but enjoyable, and there's a good amount in this world to encourage revisits.

And I only realized on this playthough that, on the first revisit after Hollow Bastion, I hadn't ever checked back in with the Queen of Hearts and her cards. Wonderland has always been a nice slice of variety in the first game, having a villain who wasn't part of Maleficent's cabal. But to have the queen, with all her many, many faults, avow her opposition to the Heartless and have her men ordered to fight them, is an excellent cap on the world's story, one I'm sorry to have missed all these years.

I do have aesthetic objections to Wonderland; it doesn't look that much like the film and the Lotus Forest borders on the ugly with its color choices. And as marvelous a beginning to the "save the Disney worlds" quest as Alice's trial makes, and as good a hook her disappearance is, I have grown increasingly disenchanted over the years with her being one of the Princesses of Heart - but that's for another post.

[helpwheneveryoucan]

neotrances runs in transmisogynist circles. he’s best friends with xii/nonpsychotic who has been called out for transmisogyny and fatphobia multiple times. literally just look up nonpsychotic transmisogyny or fatphobia on google bc their circle of friends is well-known for that shit

So I’m going to address this in a couple of points

1. I’m not this guy’s keeper. I’m not his dad. I don’t care what he watches. I care about how people treat others and interact with there fellow human, and as far as I’m aware his posts do not reflect poor character or morality. Now, are these posts and his tumblr presence only a facet of his personality? Of course. But, again, I have no evidence of his views correlating with or being inspired by Black Butler. I think the show is weird and I find the creator rather disgusting, but I also understand how someone can find the characters enjoyable or the plot interesting. While the transmisogyny and pedophilia is within the text, it is also within the text of many pop culturally prominent anime and manga series. From what I’ve seen the show is not explicit CP and is on the level of every other anime with forced sexual tension between minor and adult characters. It’s fan service and it’s gross, but unless you’re preaching from a pure pulpit you’re still down here with the rest of us. Just be normal about the shit you watch, don’t make it a personality trait, and I don’t think indulging in stuff like BB will actually damage or indicate damage of moral character.

2. So the transmisogyny jokes and jokes targeting trans women… I’d like to see sources please. The one user you provided does not exist, however pinkvampyr does. If this is the person you meant to direct me towards I a. cannot find the call out and b. I’ve noticed he is also TME, so I am not sure how reliable his assessment is of these jokes. I’m not saying a transmisogyny exempt person is unable to detect transmisogyny, however I am also TME, and I haven’t seen that behavior from neotrances, so it leaves me wonder what I (and his TMA followers and friends) are missing. I welcome more info on this point because I may have missed something as I’m not constantly plugged in here.

3. This ask is about neotrances, yes? So why are we bringing up his friends?? Again, I’m not his daddy. Dude can decide who he befriends or conducts business with. Neotrance’s posts are on the whole dismissive of gender essentialist theory, uplifting of women with non-idealized features, and uplifting of fat/overweight individuals. And many of these are original posts by him praising or supporting transfemme people. Someone who “runs in transmisogynist circles” usually doesn’t post this ardently about transfeminine issues or has an abundance of transfem friends. Even cryptos don’t have that level of dissociation to do that. While I could be proven wrong on this, I see no hard proof for these claims, so I’ll dismiss them until that proof is in my inbox or on my dash.

Not sure why I got these asks along with my last one in such quick succession and all connected to the same post. Leads me to believe they’re all from the same person, which would be pretty sad. But that’s just my speculation <3

[the-enzyme]

From left, to right: Top Just Play Harmazing Hairdorables Fashion Pack;  Mattel Barbie Extra #1; Hairdorables Hairmazing Prom Set 2pk, Amazon Exclusive Neila & Logan; Front FuRyu Sesshomaru Noodle Stopper Figure. Second image FFXIII Elixir Trading Arts Mini Hope Estheim Figure. Third Image Pop Mart Hirono The Other One Trading Figure.

More toy hoarding haul items from earlier in the month. I got most of these toys on clearance, except for the FuRyu Sesshomaru Noodle Stopper figure in the front. I paid way more than Japanese retail price for it from Amzn, only to receive it in a bag. Of course, the box arrived crushed and ripped opened and torn on most corners -- in case it is not evident in the photo. I wanted to unbox one, so I had to get this one because I haven’t been lucky to find one on Japanese retailers after I got my pre-ordered one, quite a while back. BiJ never replied to me when they had in-stock ones, and they didn’t allow multiple orders of it, so I had to swallow the higher second-market price. However, I am irritated that people at Amzn think it’s okay to ship Japanese collectible figures, that cost as much as this one, in a freaking plastic bag. DX Good thing I already own one in pristine condition, otherwise as an obsessive MISB collector, I would be crying tears of blood right now. 

I got the Barbie Extra from my nearest Walmart for $12.52 as can be seen on the clearance sticker on the box. I want all of them (kind of), but I can’t justify their retail price tag. I was surprised she was on clearance, since I’ve been looking for most of wave 1, and never find any for other than full-retail. I want some from wave 2 as well, but I feel like I can do with just one from that release. The Amzn exclusive set I also got on clearance from them, so I got two to unbox one, and the fashion pack, because I love hoarding fashion packs as well -- I don’t use/unbox those either (I am a huge weirdo!).

I also got a grail figure; the Square Enix Final Fantasy XIII Elixir Trading Arts Mini Hope Estheim figure. I got Snow Villiers a few years ago, but lost hope (no pun intended!) of ever finding Hope for a good/semi-decent price. Luckily, I was able to get him recently for a price I find "decent" for my wallet -- plus, and more importantly, in the condition I was willing to pay for him. I was able to justify paying for him, and he was sealed in bag at least. I am super thrilled! I never got these because they came with a drink and Japanese laws are so that brands don't have to list all ingredients and/or their sources if they are found in “negligible” amounts. Super late, but super happy with him anyway, I hope I can get the Trading Arts figures as well someday, for not-an-eye-off-the-face. I thought I would get Snow and Hope “later” when the box set came out in Japan a million years ago, then I forgot the search for them when the finally released, and now they are either too expensive to be justifiable for me, or not sealed in their respective plastic baggies. T__T;;

Lastly, I got another Pop Mart figure; I really wanted to get the Hirono dressed as a crow fig, but I got the one he’s dressed as a monkey! Which was the one I didn’t want to get, out of all twelve(?). I’ve never been lucky with trading figures, Lol! I don’t think I’ll try again. I could attempt purchasing one that has been opened, but most people open the bags as well, when you really just need to open the freaking box. There’s a collectors’ card that tells you which figure is inside the bag, without actually removing the figure from the sealed bag, or opening it further for any reason. That’s why I was willing to get Sasuke that way, because the seller just opened the box to take a photo of the card but left the Sasuke figure sealed mint/untouched inside the bag...these are kind of expensive though, so I don’t think I’ll try my luck again, unless I find one crow sealed in its bag. >_>;;

[imagine-organization-xiii]

Organization XIII - In a Zoom Meeting

I wake up in the middle of the night and the guys on Discord are doing some gold. Special thanks to azul.chiaki, xionnamon roll, and rue for this chaos

Stay healthy, everyone!

-

Zoom calls are a good idea. Really, they are. They make sure everyone is getting their work done, they let everyone keep in touch over quarantine, and it ensures that no one is getting each other sick. However, they always end up in absolute chaos for the org members because it never goes as planned.

Marluxia almost always doing his makeup on camera while the others are talking. Literally does not pay attention. He and Larxene will have conversations with one another during calls while the others are trying to plan things.

Marluxia: Hey, guys, how does my eyeliner look? I’m trying something new

Larxene: Fierce. I like it, you should stick with it.

Xion: It looks nice!

Saix: Is now really the time for this?

Xemnas can almost never get his camera to work properly, so the others are usually staring at a black void. None of the others want to help, but he’ll usually step out of the room so Zexion can walk in and fix it for him. It lasts about five minutes before he presses something and there’s the black void again.

Vexen almost always sounds like a robot. Not because of a shitty internet connection - he just sounds like that sometimes.

Xigbar’s connection, however, is shitty. Or at least, he makes it shitty, so he can have an excuse to leave the call whenever he wants.

Xaldin is unusually quiet. So quiet that it kind of freaks people out. Turns out that he has no idea how to unmute his microphone.

Lexaeus purposely keeps his mic muted and prefers to type anything he has to say. It gets a little wild. The man takes forever and types with his two pointer fingers.

Xemnas: So, is everyone good with the plan?

[Lexaeus is typing...]

Saix: I’m worried we won’t have enough time to complete it in the limit you gave us. We need a few more resources.

[Lexaeus is typing...]

Zexion: Hold on, I think Lexaeus is trying to say something.

Axel: He’s been typing for like the last ten minutes.

[Lexaeus is typing...]

Xaldin: Lexaeus?

Zexion: Just give him a second.

[Lexaeus is typing...]

Lexaeus: Okay.

Zexion: *falls out of his chair*

They would absolutely do that thing where they stage a kidnapping to get out of a zoom call. Vexen is giving an update on his work and all of a sudden, two masked men (aka Demyx and Axel) break into Zexion’s room and drag him out of the door.

Roxas and Xion both have their mics muted because they are laughing hysterically at what’s going on. Xemnas immediately leaves the call because he can’t deal with this shit and will just have Saix update him later. Xigbar is so god damn impressed because why the hell didn’t he think about doing this???

Vexen: All I need to do is finish compiling the data and compare it with what we have from -

[Crash. Zexion’s camera shakes and he twists around in his chair as two masked people force open the door to his room and bodily pick him up. He tries to hide his laugh as the two men forcibly drag him out of the door.]

Vexen:

Saix:

Xemnas: *leaves call*

Vexen: Was it just me or did you all see Zexion get kidnapped?

Demyx sometimes hangs out with Luxord for zoom meetings. It’s such a hassle for him to connect in the first place and Luxord is always prepared. Luxord is so ready for zoom meetings - the man even brings snacks. You can usually see Luxord taking up most of the screen and Demyx in the background, half-listening and playing his sitar while the others are trying to talk.

Larxene is dressed casually, but she looks phenomenal, as always.  The others choose not to point out that she’s out of uniform in favor of yelling at Axel, who is in his boxers and without a shirt. Refuses to put clothes on because god damn he’s in his own bedroom and he shouldn’t have to wear clothes if he doesn’t want to.

Xemnas: Axel, this is inappropriate. Put on some pants.

Axel: No.

Xemnas: There are children on the call, Axel. Put on some pants.

Axel: I will not.

Roxas: I’m not wearing pants, either.

Xigbar: Same.

Xaldin: Same.

Zexion: I haven’t changed out of my pajamas in two days.

Xemnas: *leaves call*

It really just becomes a competition on who can make Xemnas leave the call first. Axel is in the lead, but Xigbar is following with a close second. Demyx has a scoreboard in his room.

Like Demyx and Luxord, Roxas and Xion are also sharing a computer. They spend the entirety of the call switching their backgrounds and being like “look guys, we’re underwater!” or “we’re at the beach!!!!” It’s very adorable.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #852: Date Night at Home (Kingdom Hearts)

7:34 p.m. at Seasalt Family's Apartment.......

Lea: (Sitting On The Dining Room With Isa Table While Wearing a Black Turtle Neck Sleeve Shirt, Dress Pants, and a Ponytail and Giving him a Seductive Smirk) Gotta say, Isa: You look rather presentable in this time of evening~

Isa: I wouldn't exactly say a button shirt and dress jeans is anything to write home about really. (Smiles a Little) If anything, I'd say you look more presentable than I do right now.

Lea: (Smiles Brightly at his Boyfriend) Appreciate the compliment, man. I was gonna you to that Bistrot restaurant for the rest of the night, till I found out that all of the seats were taken in the last minute. So I hope you don't mind having our date here.

Isa: I don't mind it at all. Though, we could've went to the Bar for our date night instead.

Lea: (Starts Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) Yeah....But I didn't want the place to remind you too much of work. 'Specially some the customers that kept irritating you and Barrett.

Isa: (Thought About What Lea Said Before Nodding in Understanding) Fair point. I wonder what we're going to be eating this evening......(Turns to Lea) Do you have any suggestions?

Lea: Well.....

'Door Open'

Roxas: (Walks Inside the Apartment While Carrying Two Boxes of Pizzas and a Bag on Top of Them) Your meals have arrived, gentlemen!

Xion: (Follows Behind Roxas While Holding a Bottle of Soda) Along with Grape Sodaaa!~ (Closes the Door Behind Her)

Isa: (Gives Lea a Deadpinned Look on his Face) We're having pizza for dinner?

Lea: Yep. From Tony's. Heard they have the best pizzas in town......Annnnnnd the most expensive one of the bunch.

Roxas: (Places One Pizza Box on the Dining Table) Yeah. No kidding. Did you know they sell peppermint candies for six dollars a piece?

Lea: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) Six dollars!?

Isa: That....seems like an awfully high price for a piece of mint candy.

Xion: ('Sigh') That's what we were thinking.... (Starts Taking the Lid Off of the Soda While Pouring Some into Lea and Isa's Wine Glasses) But I guessing that's mostly because the place is also a restaurant as well.

Isa: I see.....Well, if that's the case, I think it will be best that we don't order their pizza for a while.

Lea: Agreed. I rather not pay a crap ton of money for a pizza like that again honestly.....

Roxas/Xion: (Nodded in Agreement) 'Kay.

Xion: (Smiles Brightly at the Couple) In the meantime, we hope you boys enjoy your little date night together~ (Makes Her Way to the Living Room While Carrying the Other Pizza Box in her Hand) We'll be in the living room if you need us!~

Roxas: (Follows Xion to the Living Room While Pointing at the Couple) Don't do anything I wouldn't do in there!

Lea: We'll try!

Isa: I'll make sure Lea behaves himself!

Lea: (Glares at Isa) Seriously?

Isa: Seriously. Now let's starting eating before our pizza gets more cold.

Lea: ('Sigh') Fine. (Opens their Box of Pizza and Takes a Slice Out of There) So how's work been treating you as of late? (Takes a Bite of the Slice Pizza)

Isa: (Takes Another Slice Out of the Box as Well) It's been decent for the most part. Not a lot of customers giving us trouble as of late. So I'm thankful for that. (Takes a Sip of his Grape Soda) Also, Tifa has a recent haircut as of late?

Lea: ('Gulps') Really? What's it look like?

Isa: (Takes Out his Phone, Search For the Picture of Tifa's New Cut and Shows it to Lea)

Lea: Huh. Not gonna lie: The short hair actually looks good on her.

Isa: I agree. It represents her growth as a person fairly well. (Puts his Phone Back in his Pocket) It kind of reminds me of Aqua's usual hairstyle in a way. Speaking of which.....(Takes a Bite of his Slice Pizza Before Using a Napkin to Wipe a Few Crumbs Off his Lips) How's your daily keyblade training has been going for you as of late?

Lea: (Shrugs) It's going alright. We did a crap ton of push-ups today...(Takes Another Bite of his Pizza) Which kind of sucks by the way.

Isa: Is that so? How much did you do?

Lea: Twenty and a half. I did all of mines while Aqua sat on my back the whole time. (Takes a Sip of his Grape Soda) She's says it was supposed to improve my endurance and strength or whatever. Meanwhile, Terra was able to do fifty of them in a freaking handstand! It was crazy!

Isa: Can't say I'm too surprised by the outcome. Terra is a lot stronger than people have him credit for. He's also a worthy sparring partner.

Lea: I can tell. You guys are completely jacked. I always wondered how you managed to get like that.

Isa: Trial and Error. Mostly Trials....The stressful ones.

Lea: ('Sigh') Yeah.....The Whole Organization XIII experience was a wide ride for us, wasn't it?

Isa: It has. But at the very least, we left that past behind us and live a better life for ourselves and the kids.

Lea: (Nodded in Agreement) I know that's right.

'A Bit of Silence'

Lea: Hey, Isa?

Isa: Yeah?

Lea: Have I ever told you I love you as of late?

Isa: Sometimes. But I do acknowledge those words from time to time.

Lea: Cool. Cause....(Smiles Softly) I really do love you, man.

Isa: I love you too, Lea. (Smiles Back at Lea) A lot more than you realize.

The couple stare at each other for a brief before reaching out to one another for a kiss, until.....

Roxas: (From the Living Room) DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

Xion: CHILDREN ARE STILL PRESENT!!~

Lea: ('Groans in a Bit Annoyance') Kids.... Always have to find a way to ruin the moment.

Isa: To be fair, Roxas did kind of warned us not to try anything in here.

Lea: ('Sigh') True..... Doesn't make it any less annoying though.

Isa: Fair point.....You wanna watch TV with them in the living room?

Lea: Yeah, man.

@26shann

@khtext

@keyenuta

@caleb13frede

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@kh-hugs

@seasaltcomics

[daleisgreat]

Speed

Today’s entry will mark the first official 4K home video release I am writing about. I already own a few other 4K UHDs, and a couple of months ago, I watched my first 4K video at home with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious. However, I already covered that movie’s BluRay release here several years ago, so I will not be dedicating another entry for it, other than to say that the 4K upgrade pops and makes it look like a new release. Today’s entry is for 1994’s Speed (trailer). Before diving into this movie, I noticed one of the tracks from this film’s score repeatedly used throughout sounds awfully like one of the main themes I primarily associated with the Metal Gear Solid franchise. I have no idea if this was pointed out before, and I just overlooked it all these years, or maybe I am grasping at straws. Click or press here to take a listen and decide for yourself. 1994 was a hell of a year for Hollywood movies primarily transpiring from a highway with The Chase, Speed, and the OJ Simpson Bronco chase….oh wait (although I highly recommend the ESPN 30 for 30 on it, simply titled: June 17th 1994). The majority of Speed has a straightforward premise: serial bomber and local madman Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) planted a bomb on a bus rigged to explode once the bus drops below 55 miles per hour. Police officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) is alerted to this by the bomber himself to exact revenge on Traven after successfully rescuing hostages from an elevator Payne armed at the beginning of the film.

From there, for the middle hour of this nearly two-hour film, the action almost entirely takes place on the bus. Traven makes a grand entrance onto the bus by commandeering a Jaguar and having its owner (Glenn Plummer) take the wheel so Traven could heroically leap onto the bus and save the day. It would not be that easy of a rescue mission as Payne has eyes on the bus, and Traven has to play by his rules and get him his $3 million ransom to disarm the bus. Without question, the middle hour on the bus is the best part of the film. The opening half-hour is an excellent appetizer with the elevator hostage crisis that Traven and his partner, Harry (Jeff Daniels), successfully foil. However, once the action shifts to the bus is when Speed takes off. Shortly after taking control of the bus, one of the passengers freaks and inadvertently shoots the bus driver, and a fellow passenger, Annie (Sandra Bullock), takes over the wheel. Throughout the film, Annie and Traven have wonderful chemistry, and I could not help but root for the duo throughout. Every couple of minutes, there is a new potential conflict to overcome to keep the bus going over 55mph. The film wisely peppers in brief dialog exchanges to let the movie breathe just enough before the next hurdle makes itself present.

The film's standout moment is the major obstacle for the bus to overcome when it encounters a stretch of unavoidable highway under construction and missing a hearty chunk of the road. Traven’s solution is that since that stretch of a road is on an incline, they may clear that gap if they build up enough speed! That epic stunt hits all the right notes, and I got goosebumps all over again re-watching it, and odds are, I bet you did too if you have seen this movie. If you have not, then watch this scene and see for yourself by click or pressing here. A lot of the critical discussion in the aftermath of this movie was if that jump was realistically possible. The best thing I can do is to compare it to another film, Road Trip, which is likely a better indicator of what could happen when attempting such a feat. Once the middle bus portion of the film is over, there are still about 20 minutes left where Traven tracks and chases down Payne in a subway station. The movie felt over once the bus portion had such a satisfying conclusion that it almost feels wrong to keep sticking with the film by this point, but I recommend you do since there is a satisfying payoff in the form of Payne’s demise. I have to share a story now when I first saw this film at around 13 or 14 on VHS. My dad’s VCR had what seemed to me at the time was a revolutionary feature where if I kept pressing the pause button repeatedly, it would slowly, frame-by-frame, play the film in super slow-motion. At that age, I thought this was a fantastic way to get the most out of the biggest stunts in action scenes. My favorite moment exploiting this feature was seeing Traven and Payne wrestle around on the top of a subway train until Payne was not watching his field of vision, and a warning light lead to his sudden beheading. I slow-motion replayed that sequence countless times in my awkward, early teenage years. Suffice it to say, Hopper plays the out-of-his-mind bomber perfectly, going so far as to make sure he receives his appropriate cinematic comeuppance.

The director ensures the many passengers on the bus maximized their minutes to the point I where it feels like you are right there with them!

Two audio commentaries are the only extra features of the 4K disc in this 4K/BluRay combo pack. One is with the director, Jan de Bont, and the other is with producer Mark Gordon and writer Graham Yost. Props are to whoever decided to subtitle the commentary tracks. I very much appreciate it! I first started to bounce back and forth between the two commentary tracks, but Bont was way too relaxed and had too many pauses to hold my attention, and I finished up with his track within five minutes. However, Yost and Gordon are very much engaged from beginning to end and have fun cracking jokes and sharing memories throughout. Some quick takeaways I got from them were how they wanted to film a major scene outside of a sports arena, dealing with critics poking holes at how unrealistic their stunts were, and how watching the movie felt very different at the time of the commentary recording just two months after 9/11. The BluRay disc contains the remainder of the bonus features. Inside Speed is a four-part feature lasting just under an hour breaking down the visual effects, stunts, and location sequences, but half of it also contains an HBO First Look special hosted by Dennis Hopper that hits all the right kinds of cheesy mid-90s EPK nostalgia that it is worth checking out. Aside from 12 minutes of extended scenes and a Billy Idol music video that seems totally off base with the tempo of the film, there are a couple of Action Sequences mini-features breaking down some of the stunts. I highly recommend watching the one dissecting how they did the bus jump, as it shows raw footage of what really happened when they shot it, and showed footage of some of the specific safety measures they instilled to make that stunt as safe as possible and had some eye-opening interviews with the stunt driver before and after.

After watching that old VHS copy nearly a dozen times, Speed wound up being one of my favorite action films I got burnt out early on and never bothered upgrading to a DVD or standalone BluRay. Watching it again in 4K all these years later breathed new life into it for me. I am not an expert at breaking down video quality by any means, but watching the 4K disc on my 4KTV gave the impression of this having far more current production values. The editors somehow managed to remove all the old film grain defects for a smooth 4K upgrade. If you have not seen Speed yet, then it has everything you could want out of a mid-90s action movie with explosions, gripping thrills and stunts, dramatic rescues, plenty of zinger one-liners…..and a Billy Idol theme song. Pardon me while I attempt my best Dennis Hopper impression here, “Pop quiz, hotshot, which 1994 blockbuster that takes place primarily on a bus is a perfect candidate for beer and popcorn movie night at home?” Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Endgame The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve The Clapper Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed I & II Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dirty Work Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Grunt: The Wrestling Movie Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hell Comes to Frogtown Hercules: Reborn Hitman I Like to Hurt People Indiana Jones 1-4 Inglourious Basterds Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Justice League (2017 Whedon Cut) Last Action Hero Major League Mallrats Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Merry Friggin Christmas Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Nintendo Quest Not for Resale Old Joy Payback (Director’s Cut) Pulp Fiction The Punisher (1989) The Ref The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VIII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Pilgrim vs the World The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT Trauma Center The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild The Wizard Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

[dansantcaparet]

#4 — Quick thoughts on FF7R (spoilers):

I literally screamed when I saw Red XIII 🔥

I missed him so much!!

Shinra’s propaganda is very timely & fitting given the current “leaders” we have this day-and-age. Same with FF7R’s uncertain world with the juxtaposition & backdrop of our current pandemic. The release of FF7R couldn’t have come at a more poignantly perfect time (especially since we are all cooped up inside & need to escape to fantasy!!). 

While in Shinra HQ, Cloud is the one constantly reminding Barret & Tifa that finding Aerith is the #1 priority.

Aerith’s Cetra heritage is further brought to the forefront of the story at Shinra HQ. Not only do we see Aerith’s childhood drawings in the room where she was held captive, but Shinra has a propaganda video promoting the idea that the Cetra can lead us to the Promised Land of unlimited mako energy & create a Neo-Midgar. That is why they will never stop hunting Aerith — she holds the key to their plans. And their undoing.

For SE, Tifa has always been an afterthought. Aerith was created first (as you can tell by how much more magical/interesting her scenes are). Tifa’s most important role later in the game is to be Cloud’s historian. 

Tifa’s scenes are mostly filler scenes meant to create the false illusion that she is an “equal” heroine. Fanservice “pity” scenes.

Tifa, like Zack, represents baggage. The cruel past.

However, many western fans love rooting for the underdog, big boobs, and the submissive, shy “girl-next-door,” who is loyal no matter what. 

On the contrary, Cloud is pushed into the future with his relationship with Aerith. That’s why he keeps reminding everyone that rescuing her is the ultimate goal. 

Aerith holds the key to the Promised Land & the power to stop Sephiroth. Cloud is both captivated & obsessed with this. The promise of a brighter future with the last remaining Cetra. 

Poetically, thematically, visually, and chemistry-wise Clerith is far superior. That’s why it is more popular with the creators & the Japanese. 

Aerith also helps Red XIII become his true self again (foreshadowing?). 

Both Aerith & Red have a deep connection to the Planet, and are a special, one-of-a-kind, unique species. Their beautiful bond always began in Shinra HQ. 

Aerith patting Red on the nose is repeated throughout the compilation. So. Freaking. Cute!! =^.^=

Hojo being fleshed out is the exact sort of added content I wanted to see in the Remake. In a lot of ways, Hojo is the true villain of FF7. All of his test tubes reminded me of the Matrix.

I truly loved running around as a big group of characters, and was so glad they kept the toilet ventilation spying scene. Such a clever moment. 

The new trail of magic blood looked so cool & the music was epic. Sephiroth is being portrayed perfectly in the Remake. 

It was always fascinating & a great twist that you start out thinking Shinra is the main enemy, but slowly realize Sephiroth is the true enemy (who ironically also hates Shinra). 

Shinra HQ is a dazzling display of awesome boss fight after boss fight. Totally action packed.

Though I did wish the damn motorcycle accelerated faster. But that’s just me being overly nit-picky. 

At the very end, Aerith is the one who confronts Sephiroth and asks everyone to join her on her quest to stop him. 

As the last remaining Cetra, she is the only one on the Planet who can summon Holy and stop meteor.

And just when you thought FF7R couldn’t take you to even more dazzling, new, & breathtaking heights — it does. 

Battling the Whispers is visually amazing. A galaxy far, far away... ✨

Physically and conceptually, the battle is very similar to the final battle in Advent Children.  

This is truly an epic fantasy/Sci-Fi/Japanese adventure for the ages. 

Overall, playing the Remake felt like an out-of-body experience. Surreal. Like... is this actually happening all these years later? 

The Remake succeed on every level imaginable: visuals, story, characters, battle system, music — everything!! I love the new weapon abilities so much ^.^ 

Storylines nowadays just don’t have the heart & soul that FF7 has always possessed. Each character has a motivation & backstory. Such a detailed & rich world.  

Being able to battle as Aerith again (my absolute favorite character of all-time) was like a dream come true. 

A reunion with an old friend 🌸🎀

Aerith is the very beginning & end of FF7R, just like in the OG. 

Except now, she will change destiny 💫

“I miss it. The steel sky.” ~Aerith Gainsborough; Flower Girl & last Cetra

#1 — #2 — #3

[bluepenguinstories]

Remoras Full Chapter XIII: Yield

Everyone was in such a panic, including the kid, and I was clueless. I was in my room when it all went down, listening to some classical music, and brainstorming what kind of weapon would fit best for me. All that good stuff. All I knew for sure is that I wanted to be a total badass.

That all got interrupted with a thud and a crash. I tore off my headphones and rushed to the door. My head poked out of the room and I called out.

“What’s going on out there?”

Heavy footsteps and heavy breaths were heard before Sunny came into view.

“Oh good! You’re awake!” She grinned. Even though her words were rushed and it was obvious that she was stressed. “Ray had a bit of an accident, so he’s going to be in the hospital for a while! Maybe just a few days! Or a few weeks! Not sure yet, but it’ll be fine!”

If you’re in distress, you can say so. Just because your name is Sunny doesn’t mean you have to be sunny all the time. What am I thinking? Enough with these blunt thoughts! I need at least one person not to be mad at me!

At least I managed not to say that out loud.

“Anyway, can you watch Tigershark while Remora and I are gone?”

“Um…” Of course. I should have said yes. I had no reason not to. But sometimes the things that came out of my mind didn’t correspond with the things I should have done. “I mean...it’s a lot of pressure...I’d be all alone, and…”

...And I’ve never done anything akin to babysitting before, I sure was glad I didn’t say that part out loud.

“I bet Remora would appreciate it,” Sunny winked and it was as if she transferred her short breath onto me. Not only that, but my heart pounded against my chest. How Sunny could say that name so casually was beyond me.

“Of...Of course!” I stammered.

“Great! There’s plenty of food, Tigershark can cook for herself, so really, it should be a piece of cake! See you two in a bit!”

I held out my thumb and winked. “You can count on me!”

Now, the idea of ANYONE entrusting me to take care of a child sounded like recipe for disaster. I didn’t even like kids. I liked fish. And badass tall ladies.

...But never mind all that. Sunny was right. For the entirety of the day, the little orange shark was a breeze. I thought she’d be upset the whole day because of Ray, but when I told her it was us two for a while, she just smiled and said, “okay! I’ll make lots of pudding!”

“Sounds good!” I replied, then planted myself in a booth and kicked my legs up on the table. Given that all was quiet and Tigershark knew what she was doing, I took it upon myself to brainstorm what kind of weapon I’d want. Or maybe if I was a superhero, what kind of power I would have. Then, there was the matter of what kind of cape I’d have. What kind of outfit. And what outfit would match what weapon. It grew to be exhausting.

I started to doze off. Napping in an empty diner. The perfect life, really. I had a pleasant dream where I was having a picnic with someone/no one in particular and a school of jellyfish were swimming across the air. Then ninjas appeared. And a whole bunch of peaches fell down from the tree which there wasn’t a peach tree before, but hey, it was a dream. All was going well and that someone or no one in particular and I shared a peach together and then –

“HEY!” An outside force yelled and I heard a slam. I jumped up and saw Tigershark with her hands slammed down on the table and an angry expression on her face.

“Sheesh,” I rubbed my eyes. “Why so violent?”

“I wanna go exploring!” She demanded. I looked out the window. Nothing but a blanket of white for miles. Well, I noticed a faint outline of the airport in the distance, but truth be told, I was kind of avoiding that place ever since I tricked that pilot/stewardess. “Won’t be fooled again”, right?

“There’s nowhere out there to explore,” I stared her dead in the face and expected her to take the argument without question.

“Wrong! There’s polar bears! And seals!”

Well, couldn’t argue there. Guess I would have to try a different approach.

“Indeed. And they all wanna eat ya!” I opened my mouth wide and raised my palms as if they were claws. She just did it right back.

“I’ll eat them first!”

Abort! Abort! New plan!

“Err...about eating, know what you want for dinner?”

She put her finger on her chin and went, “hmm…”

Hmm...indeed. Whatever she was having, I knew I wouldn’t have it. Too many meat eaters ‘round these parts.

“Hákarl!” She announced with the utmost glee. “Ray says it’s the only thing he himself won’t eat!”

From the sound of it, that didn’t sound all that bad. Perhaps it was a vegetarian dish of sort.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Fermented shark!” She sounded like that was the coolest thing ever, but did she know? Did she know what the word ‘fermented’ meant? How could anything ‘fermented’ be good?

I started to make gagging sounds. First, it was something ‘fermented’. Second, it was meat. Totally meat.

“Yeah, you help yourself to that.”

In the end, she ate the gross thing, which I don’t think she liked, given the expressions on her face, but she acted like she did. Probably just to spite me. As for me, I just had an orzo salad. What could I say? I knew what I liked.

All in all, taking care of Tigershark proved to be a breeze.

...So how did it turn out like this?!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA –” Tigershark yelled as she ran out of my room and into the hallway.

“Get back here! I’m not done yet!” I chased after her, holding my book in one hand.

“NO! YOUR STORIES ARE SCARY!” She ran through the kitchen and back out into the dining room. Chairs were knocked over in an attempt to keep me away from her. Lucky for me, they were pretty easy to jump over once they were knocked over. In fact, I was just about to catch her when the door opened up.

A customer? Crap. I am so screwed if that’s the case. Wait. I’m screwed even if that’s not the case. How do I explain this?

“Hey, we’re back!” Sunny’s voice called out in that same kind of voice I imagined the sun on a Raisin Bran box had.

Both Tigershark and I stopped dead in our tracks and looked up to see the towering presence of Sunny and Remora.

“Uh...I...can...explain…” I uttered the words in spite of how futile I knew they were. No. I couldn’t explain. But luckily, before I could embarrass myself further, Tigershark stepped up to the plate to explain for me.

“I asked for a bedtime story and she told me something scary, instead!” Tigershark whined in front of them.

“Okay, for context: I just told her about the Greenland shark that’s local to the area. That’s all,” there. I made my case.

For further context: yes, Sunny did get me that field guide of fish in the arctic. I wish I was more excited to have gotten such a gift, but each time I looked at the book and thought about opening it up and reading it, I found myself lacking any interest. So when Tigershark barged into my room (I thought for sure I locked it…) and demanded a bedtime story, the conversation went a little like this:

Me: I don’t have any stories*. Sorry.

*Note: I did have some fics bookmarked on my phone, but some of them were a little embarrassing to read out loud.

Tigershark: Make something up!

Me, after noticing the field guide on the stand next to my bed: Hold on! I can tell you about the thing you ate for dinner!

Next thing I knew, she freaked out and ran out of the room. I was just telling her how the shark’s skin and meat were poisonous and that they lived in the depths and were among the largest species of shark. I wasn’t even finished talking about all that great biological stuff by the time she ran out. Let it be known that at least one person was intimidated by fish facts, and that was Tigershark.

“I swear, everything was cool for most of the day! I did well! You guys just came back at a bad time!” I felt like I was on the verge of tears, but of course I wasn’t. Tigershark was, though. She sobbed up a storm.

“Well, I’m glad to see you two had fun!” Sunny grinned.

That’s not reassuring at all.

“Yeah! We had fun!” Tigershark grinned. “I made lots of pudding!”

I balked. “It’s hard to tell if you’re actually upset or not!”

In response, Tigershark went right back to the waterworks. Remora knelt down next to Tigershark.

“Here, I’ll tell you a bedtime story. Have you heard The Snow Queen before?”

Tigershark shook her head.

“It’s a great one, a fairy tale from the same author of The Little Match Girl. My favorite part is in the beginning when Kai gets glass shards in his eyes.”

“WHAT?!” Tigershark cried out.

Remora looked around. “What? Was it something I said? I don’t get it. It’s just a fairy tale.”

What kind of fairy tale involves glass shards being put in people’s eyes? I mean, sounds like a really cool fairy tale, especially if Remora liked it. Like, something I would want to read right away and think of her all the while. But that still begs the question, what business does a fairy tale like that have being so cool? No. Better question: would that be the kind of fairy tale to tell as a bedtime story?

“Heya Tiger, how about I tell you about the time Ray and I pulled off a heist at a royal ball?” Sunny suggested, which brightened the kid.

“Shark!” The kid replied.

“Hm?”

“Tiger and Shark! Because I’m a tiger that’s also a shark!”

Does...does she not know there’s an actual species of shark called the tiger shark? Oh, forget it.

While I wanted so bad to approach Remora in an attempt to say or do something to make her proud of me, to see me, I disregarded that goal. I already embarrassed myself for the night, so the way I saw it, my chance was over. Instead, I turned to Sunny.

“Hey Sunny, before you go to tell her your story, can I ask you something?” I leaned over to make sure Tigershark wasn’t around. Maybe it would be great if Remora was, though. She could hear my idea and maybe she’d be proud of me.

No. Enough with that. Focus.

“Sure thing!” Sunny replied, chipper as ever.

“I’ve been giving it some thought, and I think the best way to figure out what kind of weapon I’d want would be to meet this blacksmith friend of yours. I mean, no matter what, I’ll need to train myself to utilize whatever I choose, so I may as well figure out what I’d like to train myself with, yeah?”

“Hell yeah! That’s the spirit!” I was blown away by Sunny’s enthusiasm.

“So can I go? Like, right now? Hmm?”

Sunny turned around and called out to Tigershark, “I’ll be just a couple minutes, okay little tangerine?”

Little tangerine? Oh. Right. Orange hair.

“I’m glad you’re so eager to go, but it’s a little late. Shouldn’t you try to get some sleep first? Besides, Remora and I are still going to be visiting Ray in the hospital periodically, so it would be better if you stayed here so you could watch Tigershark for now.”

Right. Crap. Slow and steady and all that. Responsibility sure liked to put a halt on things.

“We could just alternate. It’s not like we both have to go there at the same time,” Remora chimed in.

Eep. Was she still there the whole time? Did she hear me?

“Oh! You’re right!” Sunny snapped her fingers.

I turned around. Still towered over me, like a titan, Remora stood.

“Yeah, I heard the conversation,” she answered before I could even ask. “It’s a good excuse to get out of the house, and the fresh air might clear your head. Maybe you’ll come back with a new perspective on things.”

I didn’t know what any of that meant. All that registered was, “you have my approval.” I think that’s all the takeaway I needed.

With that, Sunny told me how I could get there and I was off within the next few minutes. Yes. You heard right.

When I awoke, I stepped out of the submarine and onto the docks of the town of Olympia. All around me was a thick, deep purple air which signified nightfall.

“Wow, that was fast!” I remarked. “It’s still night and everything!”

The ferryman poked his head out of the door of the submarine, his head covered with nylon mesh, presumably to obscure his face.

“Actually, this took about a day and a half. Even accounting for time zones,” he corrected me. Sheesh. You mean I had to pay someone AND get corrected? What lousy service.

“Well, thanks again,” I waved, and the submarine lowered itself back under the waters.

Once it disappeared, I dug into my pocket and pulled out the note that Sunny wrote for me:

“After you arrive in Olympia, you’re gonna wanna look for Hephaestus. Any other blacksmith and you know you’re gonna get a shoddy job. But Hephy’s a cool dude. Charges a high price, but considering the quality of his craft, it’s all worth it. I stashed some money in your other pocket. Should be enough to get you something small. Anyway, have fun, stay safe, and remember to keep a coin on you so you can pay the ferryman to bring you back home!

Sincerely, Sunny.”

Sunny sure came in clutch. I’d have to thank her when I returned. But for the moment, my main objective was a simple one: seek out Hephaestus’ shop.

Past the rows of houses with their dim orange glows, I looked for any signs of a shop that might still be open. That was the first clue. Not that it made it any easier. The further I walked, the more clear it was that Olympia wasn’t like your typical city and more like one of those small coastal towns that didn’t get a lot of visitors.

After a while, I found it: a wood building that didn’t stand out from any of the others, but held the sign above its door ‘Hephaestus’ shop’.

“Well, if that wasn’t any more obvious, I don’t know what would be,” I noted, before opening the door.

As soon as I walked in, I sneezed. The air was quite dusty, cobwebs all over the place. My attention was drawn not toward the weapons, but a lamp which rested on the counter of the shop. Its glow illuminated the room, although not by much. Absent was any sign of a blacksmith. Not that I could blame the guy, seeing as it was whatever ‘o clock.

“Hello?” I called out. No one answered. No one appeared.

So while I waited for someone to show up, I took a look around at the weapons on the walls. There were swords and axes of all varieties on the walls. Broad, long, thin, thick. If you could name it, it was probably there.

“I feel like I deserve a sword, but those things tend to be heavier than they look,” as noted by my one attempt at holding one.

There were other things to consider. Like bows. Or spears. Halberds? Lances? The possibilities really were dizzying.

“Can I help you?” Boomed a low voice with a thick Mediterranean accent.

“Eep!” I jumped. Startled, my hairs standing on end, I turned around and saw an old hairy guy whose body resembled a slab of meaty muscle more than a human’s body. Like, such a thing shouldn’t have been possible, yet it was. Really, it was incredible, but not in a “wow, that’s so cool” sort of way, and more like “I bet if I shaved off his beard he’d look like a giant thing of meatloaf”. In case it wasn’t obvious, that sort of thing really wasn’t my cup of tea.

“Are you going to keep standing there looking dumb, or what?” He bellowed.

“Yes! Er...I’m interested in your wares!”

“Anything in particular that you’re looking for?” He asked. That was a toughie.

I looked around. Nothing really spoke to me.

“I was thinking like a sword, but because of my size and my lack of strength, that may prove difficult. Fantasy novels really make it look a lot easier than it really is, y’know? Like, you got kids picking up swords and slaying dragons and here I am, an ex-college student…” Crap. I was rambling.

“So a short sword? A dagger?”

Oh. Those were things. I totally forgot.

“Something like that. Totally.”

He pointed down.

Under the counter was a glass case where short swords, daggers, and all other pokey things lay.

“Hmm...Hmm…”

Well, Sunny specifically gave me enough money to get myself something small, so I may as well be searching here anyway. Oh! That one! It’s got a really nice look to it and I like the asymmetry! Because everyone knows that symmetry doesn’t make for ‘cool’.

“I like that one!” I pointed at the knife which piqued my interest. It wasn’t just the way the steel was crafted. No, it was that the handle was coated in a purple finish! “A yakut knife?” He asked, as if telling the name would make me reconsider.

“I don’t know what that is, but yeah.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Ah, that one takes me back a few years when I went to visit a friend in Siberia. He showed me how to make those knives. Fun times. Later, we made love.”

Did he have to add that last bit?

“Um. Yeah. Can I buy it?”

He nodded while continuing to smile. Great. I had the old dude in dreamland.

I fished (no pun intended) the money out of my pocket and handed it to him. He sifted through each note and then broke the news.

“You’re short,” he told me and handed the money back.

Like, yeah. We all know that. No need to rub it in.

“Am I some kind of joke to you?” I shot back.

“I’m talking about change. You’re short a few euros.”

Dammit, Sunny.

“Can you give me some kind of ‘newbie discount’?” I knew that wasn’t such a thing, but I had to try my luck with something.

“No can do. If you got your sights set on that one, come back when you have enough cash.”

“How much more do I need, anyway?”

He leaned over and whispered the amount into my ear. In response, I whispered, “fuck.”

“Well, jeez, man. Anything I can do to make enough money around here? I don’t wanna return to Sunny empty handed.”

“Did you say ‘Sunny’?” He asked, and I thought my tides were about to turn in my favor.

“Yep. She said you were the real deal and that you could hook a gal up.”

“That explains why you would want an arctic knife…” he muttered.

Oh huh. I just learned something new. Maybe I could tell Remora when I got back to the diner.

“Yeah. Brr…” I shivered for added effect.

“In that case, it will be about a thousand euros more.”

“What?!”

“Sunny owes me a lot of money. Last time she was here, she got drunk and got in a shootout which resulted in my forge getting wrecked.”

GOD-DAMMIT, SUNNY!

“Anyway, to answer your question, you could always check out the bulletin board in the local tavern. Sometimes people post requests there. Work enough odd jobs, and I’m sure you can afford this beauty.”

What am I in? An RPG?

“Yeah. Totally. No problem. I’ll be back in a day. Two days tops. Maybe a week at most. Let’s just say two weeks, for the sake of leeway.”

“Fine by me. See you around.”

This was supposed to be a simple trip. Of course it couldn’t just be about one thing, could it? Ah, but I should have known when Sunny explained how I would get to Olympia:

“My blacksmith friend lives in a place called Olympia. Now, I know you’re excited to go, but as I said, it’s late; there’s not a plane that would take you there at this hour,” she told me. “Besides, there’s only one way to get there from here and it’s via the ferryman.”

“The what?” I asked her.

Sunny went on to explain further:

“He’s a mysterious figure who operates a submarine. It’s said that no matter where you are, if you drop one of his coins into the ocean, he’ll show up and take you to Olympia.”

“That sounds weird. Are you just pulling my leg?”

“Afraid not. Plus, due to his secretive nature, he requires every passenger be unconscious if they wish to ride in his submarine. So if you want to go now, I’ll have to sedate you. Then, he requires the passenger wrapped in cloth.”

Remora spoke up, and be still, my heart, in my defense: “if this isn’t a joke, then it’s sus at best.”

“Ain’t disagreeing with ya there. But rules are rules. So what do you say, sprout?”

“When did I become a ‘sprout’?” I groaned. And yes. That did seem sus. But I was willing to give it a try nonetheless. “Anyway, yeah. Go ahead.”

Whatever I had to lose, I decided to take my chances.

I trudged myself back out onto the streets. Well, I suppose it wasn’t a total loss. I could probably stay at a motel for a bit with the money Sunny gave me.

Okay, sorry. I know you can’t read my thoughts, but I was just a little frustrated back there. You’ve still been a huge help, Sunny.

While an inn would’ve been a great idea, I decided against it. The way I saw it, I’ve already been asleep for a day and a half, and besides, I was hungry and the night was still young. So off to the tavern I went. I pulled out the map app on my phone and let my legs do the rest. Within the hour, I was there. In the rowdy and chaotic atmosphere that was a tavern.

“What’ll it be?” The server asked as I stood next to the bulletin board. I didn’t pay the server much mind, but I knew I needed to order something.

“Give me a hard water.”

“On the rocks?”

I waved my hand away, with a €20 note in between my fingers.

“Just a hard water with ice, please. I don’t need any rocks in my drink.”

Now that that was out of the way, all my focus was on the bulletin board. Most of these paid very little for very demanding tasks. Things like helping some folks with yard work to someone looking to buy loaves of fish. None of those were of much interest to me, save for one request: “help me find my family’s necklace. Willing to pay over €1,000,000 to whoever brings it back. Call this number for more details.”

Now, I was on that shit. As soon as I saw the post, my thumb found itself planted firm on the dial pad. Not even half a minute later, someone picked up.

“Hello?” Answered the voice of a middle-aged lady. Her husky voice reminded me of those femme fatale type characters in action movies. Or a phone sex operator. There was no in between.

“Um. I think I may have gotten the wrong number? Hold on.” I pulled the phone away from my ear. Nope. Same number that was on the poster. “Or maybe I didn’t? I don’t know.”

Thick laughter followed. Her voice was alluring, not going to lie. However, it was in one of those kind of upper-class refined type voices where they really let each syllable marinate.

“Is this about my family’s necklace?” She asked once she calmed down.

“Yes. Er. Did you ever find it? Still need help looking?”

She began to sob, something I did not expect.

“No...it’s still missing,” she said at last. “Please. I think it would help if we talked more in person. I’ll text you my address.”

“Sounds good. See you in a bit.”

I hung up and saw that there was a new message.

That was fast.

I copied the address and pasted it into the maps app, then headed down there. To think that she would let me into her humble abode so late at night...I had to be careful. It could have been a trap.

Relax. It’s just to get more info about the mission...er...request. I better not act all timid like this once I show up at her place. I gotta act professional.

When I arrived at the address, I was awestruck. Despite how much money she was offering, she didn’t live in some big mansion. Well, maybe it was like a small mansion. I think my mom would’ve called it a condo. I had to climb up a long flight of stairs in order to reach the front door, and when I did so, I knocked.

The door opened to reveal a woman with curled silver-gray hair which didn’t even extend to her shoulders. She had long, curled fingernails, which I only noticed because of how hideously long they were. Just as she was. Like, really? Why did everyone have to be so tall in comparison to me?

“Come on in,” she beckoned, her lips curled into a smile.

I followed her in and she sat in a plush chair. Next to her chair was a small table where an ashtray lay.

“You don’t mind if I smoke, do you?”

Yes! I mind so much! If I get breathing problems because of you, I’ll take that necklace and shove it --

“Not at all,” I shook my head. I had to keep my cool.

I watched her lift up a long stick and inhale, then blew out smoke from it. The scent was rather perfumey and not what I would have expected from tobacco.

“Um. What are you smoking, by the way?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s patchouli scented.” It took me a sec, but then I just had to follow up on that.

“Wait. Are you smoking incense?”

“I don’t know,” she looked away. “I’m distraught.”

Clearly.

“My condolences,” I replied. Intrusive thoughts would be the death of me.

“Thank you,” she set down the incense stick and crossed her arms. “Now, let’s get into business, shall we?”

“Yes. Let’s.”

“As you know, the necklace I lost is an important family heirloom. I hope to have many children one day and have them all fight to the death to see which one will receive it.”

I...what? No. Never mind. She was probably joking. I mean, that wasn’t how the necklace was passed down to her, was it? Of course not. That would have been ridiculous.

“When was the last time you saw it?” I pressed on. If I was going to play detective, I had to ask the real questions.

“Just a few nights ago, it was in its glass case next to my bed post. The next morning, gone. Along with my husband.”

Again. What?

“OK. You never mentioned anything about a husband.”

“Oh yeah. If not for him, I’d already have many kids. He’s always running off looking for the next lay. Catch my drift?”

Yes, but I really wanted to focus on the necklace.

I nodded along. That was for the best.

“If he’s constantly cheating on you, why don’t you just divorce him?”

“Because, dear. Everything that’s his is also mine. Which extends to his mistresses.”

Oh. It was that kind of relationship.

The more I learn, the less I want to. Could we PLEASE get back to the mystery of the missing necklace?

“So do you think your husband took the necklace to impress someone new?” I asked. There. Nice segue, nice save.

“No,” she dispelled that theory. “He’s not so shallow as to try to impress others with material goods. The stolen necklace and my missing husband are unrelated.”

Oh. My. Gods. I so wanted to bash my head against an invisible wall. But I held back.

“So any idea on what happened to it, then?”

She gave a short nod before giving her reply.

“You have to understand, this accessory is worth a fortune. I suspect it’s the work of thieves.”

Ah. There we go. That made sense.

“If that’s the case, they may already be far away from here.”

“Thankfully, I know for a fact that they’re still in town. I almost caught the thieves, but they were well armed, and me, being a poor defenseless lady.”

“Got it. Where did you last spot them?”

She looked around the room all absentminded. I decided to do the same. One key detail stood out to me: the vases, the clocks on the walls, the furniture, it all had this vintage and antiquated feel. It probably wasn’t because she was all that old. Maybe she just wanted to give off this vibe of living all high class and didn’t feel the need to live in some huge place.

“Over next to a warehouse by the docks. They may have moved locations since.”

That made sense. If they were spotted once, why would they stay in the same place. But for real, those must have been some lousy thieves if they thought staying in the same town altogether was a good idea. That mission was going to be a piece of cake. I pointed my thumb toward myself and grinned.

“You’re in luck I showed up! I’m a professional when it comes to this sort of thing!”

“So I can count on you, then?” Her voice, a pleading but hopeful echo. As if I were her potential savior. Finally, it was my time to shine.

“That’s right! Or my name isn’t Demisexual!”

She tilted her head. “Demisexual?”

“Er...it’s my superhero name. It’s a work in progress.”

“It sure is an attention grabber.”

“What about you? Is there a name I should call you?”

Her head bobbed. Tipsy? Maybe. Or maybe the incense fumes have gotten to her. “We’re close enough that you can call me by my first name, yes?”

Not really. This is just for a job. But go ahead.

“Sure,” I shrugged.

“I’m Hera.”

As soon as she uttered those two words, it was like something snapped within me. All the blunt force thoughts I’ve done my best to keep in. My best not to be ridiculous. My best not to comment on the ridiculous. It was all culminating in this moment.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I aired out my complaint.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“Come on! I was passed out as a ferryman took me here, first off! Then I arrived in Olympia! Then I meet a blacksmith called Hephaestus! Then there’s you! Oh, I should’ve seen your name coming when you mentioned your husband, but I was sooooo focused on recovering that necklace! Let me guess: your husband’s name is Zeus?”

“How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess. I mean, it couldn’t possibly be that I stepped into Ancient Greece Reference Land, could it?”

She let out a heavy sigh, and then smiled.

“Deary, I cannot speak for any blacksmiths. That kind of thing’s not something I’m interested in. But as for my husband and I, let me assure you that it’s just a coincidence. While not the most common, there are many people in the world with the name Hera. It would be an insult to them to suggest their names could be chalked up to a reference.”

“Yeah,” I looked down. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll still get that necklace, though!”

“I await your return, hun,” she replied as she saw me off. Really, I shouldn’t have snapped like that. She seemed like a nice enough lady.

As I raced back down the stairs, I decided I needed to pay Hephaestus another visit.

“Hey Heph...Heph…!” Ack. I needed to catch my breath. I really did race back to the shop.

He emerged from the back of his shop, still the same mass of muscle upon muscle.

“What can I do for you? Got the money?” He got right down to business. Guess it made sense. He did own a business, after all.

“Actually, I was wondering if there was something else I could afford.” I handed him the money once more.

“Hmm…” He gave it some thought. Then pulled out a stiletto. “You can have this. It didn’t take me long to make.”

“Good! I’ll take what I can get!” I snatched it away from him.

“So no longer interested in the yakut knife?” He asked.

“Oh no, I still am. And I’m going to get it. I just took a job and it’s going to pay me plenty. But I gotta have something to defend myself with.”

“Look, whatever you got going on, just leave me out of it. I’ve got a reputation to uphold. I’m a craftsman, not an arms dealer.”

“Not a problem! See ya!” I ran back out to embark on my investigation.

Now let’s see...she said a warehouse along the docks, right? They probably weren’t there anymore, but it still seemed like a good idea to check. Eventually I reached a series of white marble buildings which served as a great contrast to the night sky. If I had to grade it, I’d give it a B+ for the composition, even though really, the architecture work was boring.

As I approached the warehouse buildings (I mean, I have to assume that’s what they were), I heard voices around the corner. I clung to the building and listened in on their conversation:

“So did you hear Jerry and his guys are in the hospital right now?”

Huh. Jerry. That name reminds me of that guy whose foot I shot. Probably a coincidence, though.

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, apparently Sunny’s got herself an apprentice now. Some unhinged college student or something like that.”

Oh. Nope. It’s the same Jerry. Well, that’s cool, I guess. Wait. What was that last bit? ‘Unhinged’? Really?

“Dang. Every time it seems someone’s got an upper hand on Sunny, she pulls a trick like that.”

Hello? Where’s my recognition? Oh, whatever. At least I was building up a reputation now.

“Well, now that we’ve stolen this necklace from that snobbish woman, we’ll be swimming in bread.”

Necklace! Snobbish woman! That must mean Hera’s necklace! I have to find a way to sneak around and take it back!”

Right when I took a step back, I kicked back a pebble. Just a little. Measly. Pebble.

“Huh? What was that?” One of the thieves asked. Alerted.

It was always the little things that gave someone away, wasn’t it? If I wasn’t being so literal, that would have been poetic. Instead, it was pathetic.

Great. New objective: run. Hide. Get out of there before you get caught.

But just as I turned around and bolted away, I bumped into someone and fell onto the ground.

The ‘someone’ in question was a big and burly man with a big burlap sack and a black and white shirt along with a black and white pair of pants.

“What do we have here?” He asked, in that big burly voice.

“Ow, me bum,” I winced.

Behind me ran the footsteps of the two who I heard conversing with each other. I turned around and crawled over to face two, no, three men in grey business suits and raybans on (if that was their idea of concealing their identity, it was a terrible fashion choice). One of the three stepped forward and pointed a pistol down at me.

“Say, aren’t you the apprentice of Sunny I’ve heard so much about?” He asked. Presumably, the leader. In spite of him holding a gun, I was more concerned about the guy behind me. That guy could’ve grabbed me and held me in place while the skinny one with the gun shot me down. But the skinny one? Yeah, I could take that dude.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I turned my head and spat on the ground.

“Oh? Acting all tough, are you? You’re surrounded.”

Shit. He’s right.

“Now, tell me what you’re up to and maybe I’ll let you walk away.”

“I came for the necklace,” I relented. At least I growled while doing so. Had to sound tough somehow.

He began to laugh, and the other three joined in.

“So you think just because you’re an apprentice of Sunny, you think you can do whatever you want now?” He still had that gun pointed at me, but I didn’t care. I had to set the record straight (even if the rest of me wasn’t).

“I’m not an apprentice! I’m a bonafide vigilante! You can call me Demisexual!”

They all looked at each other. Confused. Greeeaaaat.

“Demisexual?” The leader asked.

“Look, it’s a work in progress. It’ll catch on.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace, dangled it above my head. All the while, his other hand held onto that pistol.

“This what you wanted? You thought you could play hero for some rich woman who wouldn’t even be able to tell if her necklace was replaced with a counterfeit?”

“Actually,” I corrected. “I thought I could play antihero, but I guess I’m not good at that one, either.”

At first, their expressions were blank stares, but then they burst into laughter. Great. I was the butt of all jokes wherever I went. Well, I figured I may as well make the most of a painful moment and make things even more painful. So while they were all distracted, I reached up and with one hand, grabbed onto his wrist which held his gun, and then I let the stiletto slip out from my sleeve and plunged it right into his arm. The sensation left him screaming and he dropped the necklace.

Damn, I didn’t think it would cut through his skin that deep. For such a small weapon, it sure did its job. Still, I will miss it. To think I had to part with it so soon all because it’s lodged into some guy’s arm.

Now, I had to act fast. No doubt the others also had guns. Not only that, but the big guy behind me tried to grab me, but I jumped out of the way and took off with the necklace in my hands.

As I bolted further into the shipyards, I ran between two warehouse buildings and into an alleyway. There was still gunfire behind me and I was just grateful none of them managed to hit, let alone graze me.

Once in the alleyway, I noticed a wall, and I felt my luck run out. It wouldn’t take them long to find me, as it wasn’t like I ran very far, and I couldn’t just turn around. All I had to my advantage was a dumpster which I could possibly hide inside, but ew. I had standards.

However, I noticed along the wall next to the dumpster, there were little gaps that I might have been able to climb up.

It’s a long shot. I mean, that temple was one thing, but I’m not much of a climber. Still, I’ll take my chances.

So I stashed the necklace into my pocket and began climbing. I thought I would lose my balance several times within the short minute it took, but I held on as tight as I could, even as the marble from the walls scratched against my palms.

One moment later, the gang of thieves ran into the alleyway.

“Where’d she go? I could have sworn she ran in here?”

“Dude, check the dumpster. She may have been crazy enough to hide in there.”

Ha. Glad I didn’t dirty myself up thinking that was a good place to hide.

I poked my head down from the rooftop. Those guys really were looking every which way but up. I slunk back down and pulled the necklace out of my pocket.

The more I examined it, the more pretty I thought of it. The little sapphire beads and the red brooch that lay in the middle. It reminded me of one of those cursed amulets you’d see in movies.

I wonder if Remora would be proud of me. Maybe she’d pat my head and say, “good job.”

Maybe it was the exhaustion setting in, but I continued to stare at the thing. Then, knowing that those guys didn’t find me, it was all so hilarious. I couldn’t help but to laugh as well.

“Hey! She’s up on the roof!” I heard one of them yell.

“Damn it!” I hissed. Right when I thought things were going my way.

“Let’s split up and go around each side. I’ll go inside and climb up to the rooftop. Either way, we’ll get her.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. No!

I ran toward the far end of the rooftop and looked down, behind the alleyway. There was a whole sea of shipping containers strewn about the place, which gave off the appearance of a maze.

They haven’t reached the other side yet. I’ll climb down and lose them in those shipping containers.

Again, long shot. But it worked once, so no reason why it couldn’t work again, right?

Once I went about getting myself down, however, it proved to be a different story; I hung from the ledge of the rooftop and moved my legs about, trying to find a place to prop my foot on. To no avail. My hands began to slip and I fell down.

How come this was easier in the temple?

What I fell onto wasn’t the ground, however. Instead, I found myself in the arms of yet another large muscled man. This one looked like he was a good five hundred pounds. His entire face was covered in hair. Beard, mustache, sideburn, all that. Oh, and he was shirtless.

“Ew! Ew! Let go of me!” I squirmed. He set me down.

“Whoa there! I just saw you were in trouble and figured you could use some help!”

“I was doing just fine! If I wanted to fall off a tall building, that’s my choice!” Seriously. What was up with my luck?

“Say, you’re kinda cute,” he remarked. Even worse. Now I had some guy in his 50s (probably) hitting on me. Totally uncool.

“Sorry. I’m only into strong women. Not strong men. Also I’d prefer if they were my age. And their name started with an ‘R’.”

He lowered his head and smiled. “Ah, I see you are a woman of culture as well.”

“Uh-huh. Culture. Right,” I had no idea what he was talking about. But before I could linger in my confusion, the voices of the thieves rang through my ears.

“It’s her! Get her!”

Actually, maybe this would be a good opportunity to get away from the creepy dude.

“Look, dude. Thanks for not letting me die and all, but I gotta bolt.”

So I slipped into the maze of shipping containers. I knew they’d follow me in there, so I took off the jacket I had been wearing and threw it on one end of the maze while I ran in the other direction.

“She went that way!” I heard them yell. It seemed my idea worked. Soon I would be out of this place and back toward Hera to deliver her necklace. My pace picked up as soon as I saw an opening and the outline of houses came into view. I was so close toward freedom.

– Then gunfire rang through the air. Followed by screams.

I froze in my tracks. I always forgot how loud, how startling that sound could be. I turned around. Of course they weren’t anywhere near me. Yet questions swam through my mind.

“Who shot who?”

“Am I next?”

Those questions repeated with greater intensity as I heard footsteps approach. Next to me, one of the doors to a shipping container was open. I slipped inside and closed the door behind me.

“That’ll teach those thieves,” a familiar husky voice seeped through the air.

No way. That couldn’t be.

“Did you really have to kill them, hun?” That sounded like the shirtless old man. Wait. No. It was all coming together.

“Those guys would’ve tried to kill me if they knew I was trying to take my necklace back. Besides, it’s not hard to dispose of their bodies.”

“Hey hun, been a while, huh?”

“Who all have you been sleeping with now?” Her voice sounded more gruff than earlier. More serious. Almost like Remora’s.

“Uhh…”

“You know our arrangement. You can sleep with whoever you want, so long as the person is also someone I’d be interested in sleeping with. Of course, they’d also have to be okay with us as a group.”

“Oh, no need to worry about that! I’ve found some potential candidates! For sure! I’ve not made any moves yet, though. I wanted you to be there with me!”

It was definitely them. How I wish I could block out their conversation.

“Strange. My tracker says the necklace is nearby, but I haven’t spotted it. I didn’t even spot any of those thieves with it.”

She had a tracker? Really? Was I just used as bait or something? If I held onto the necklace, would I be next? Was there never going to be a reward?

My mind raced, but I thought up an idea; I reached into my pocket and pulled out a phone, then I texted Hera:

Me: I got the necklace! I stashed it away in a container, but I’ll meet you at your place and then we can go back and get it together!

I felt like a fool. There was no way that would work, was there? Well…

“Oh. I got a text. Looks like she hid it somewhere near us.”

“Who?” Zeus (I presume) asked.

“My little helper. Seeing as I caught you holding her in your arms, I take it you already met her. Flirting and everything.”

“You got it wrong! She’s not my type! She’s small! And gay!”

That’s right! I wanted to shout out for joy, but I knew better.

“How deplorable. To think you would stoop so low as to go after someone who wouldn’t be attracted to you.”

“Anyway, should we stay here and keep looking or go home?” He deflected.

“Let’s go home. I’d rather make her show us where she hid it than be out here all night.”

Yes! It worked!

As soon as I heard them walk away, I opened the door and poked my head out just to make sure the coast was clear. Once I was sure it was, I decided to follow through on my end and meet the two there.

I huffed and puffed as I made my way up the stairs. I thought that with all my running, maybe I could’ve made it back to their house before them. I was proven wrong when I opened the door and saw each of them seated in that chair. To be more precise, Hera was sitting in Zeus’ lap. I really wish I could have erased the image from my mind.

“Hey...hey…” I waved while hunched down with my hands on my knees and gasping for breath.

“Drink some water, dear,” Hera suggested.

Did I ever take that water I asked for when I was in that tavern? If not, then I really am a fool, now aren’t I?

“Just...just a sec,” I tried to breathe a little slower.

“So, you retrieved the necklace?” She asked.

“Yeah. Just like I said I would. It was a bit tough. Those thieves really did a number on me, but I –”

“Good. Hand it over.”

“Huh? I can’t do that. I left it back at the shipyard. Just like the text said. We can go there right now and I’ll show you.”

Hera and Zeus looked at each other, and I wished I wasn’t looking at them. Then, Hera looked back at me.

“Come on. You can drop the act,” Hera smiled as if she were about to dig into a meal. “I know it’s in your pocket.”

“What?” I reached into my pocket. So it was. It seemed that in my carelessness, I forgot to leave the necklace behind. Well, the cat was out of the bag. I pulled the necklace out. “How’d you know?”

“There’s a tracking device hidden within the brooch. But you already heard me say as much back at the shipyard, didn’t you?”

I gulped.

Congratulations, Demetria. You played yourself.

“Are you going to kill me now?” My voice grew fearful, desperate. “Is it because of your husband? Or because I lied to you? Or maybe just because I have your necklace and you want it back?”

The two looked at each other yet again. I was expecting laughter. It did seem to be a recurring theme of the night.

You know, now that I think of it, those two remind me a bit of Sunny and Ray. Except less tolerable. If anything, they made me appreciate Sunny and Ray’s presence all that much more.

“Hey hun, isn’t she just adorable?” Hera asked Zeus.

“She is,” Zeus agreed.

This is gross. If you’re going to kill me, just do it without the humiliation.

Hera turned her attention back to me. “Now dear, why would I kill you? We had an arrangement, didn’t we? You would return the necklace, and I would reward you.”

“Yeah, but what about those thieves? You killed them.”

“Yes, because they stole something from me. But you intend to give the necklace back, don’t you?”

“That-” I struggled to find the words. I knew better than to act badass. I had lost the one weapon I managed to purchase. There was nothing in my environment that I could use to my advantage. Still, I already came that far. “That depends: will you kill me once I hand it to you? ‘Cause if you’re going to kill me either way, I’ll just swallow the necklace.”

Hera laughed up a storm. There it was. The laughter I expected at any moment. But I was serious.

“I will not kill you, dear. Promise,” she crooned. I still wasn’t totally convinced.

“Sign a contract, then! Saying that you won’t try to kill me!” I barked.

“Very well.” Hera pulled out some pen and paper out from a drawer in the table where the ashtray lay. I stared at her, and all the while, she scribbled down on the sheet of paper. She stopped to ask me my name.

“Demisexual,” I told her. She shook her head, her crooked smile never waved.

“Come on. We’re all friends here. You can tell me.”

I hesitated.

“Tell you what: I’ll add an addendum to the contract. Stating that whoever you are, I will not use your name to track you down. If your name is such a secret, then you can rest assured that your secret is safe in this home.”

I gulped. “Demetria,” I told her. “Demetria Root.”

“See? Now that wasn’t so hard, Demetria, now was it?” She crooned once more. It really irked me.

She went back to writing down the ‘contract’, then took a picture of it on her phone and texted it to me. It stated: “I, Hera Juneau, hereby declare that I will not make an attempt on one Demetria Root’s life.”

I approached her and set the necklace down on the table. In response, she chuckled.

“Oh, Demetria. It’s adorable how easily trusting you are. If I was less reputable, I wouldn’t have honored such a hastily scribbled contract. I would have shredded it, shot you, then destroyed your phone and disposed of your body.”

“Hey! You said!”

“Relax. I am the type to honor contracts, however they come about. Besides, just as I said, I wasn’t going to kill you.”

Whew. Okay. Maybe I was a little quick to jump to conclusions.

“Not to mention,” she added. “You were fun. It was entertaining watching you run around.”

“Um. Thanks?”

“You may be interested to know, but I used to accept contracts all the time. Back when I was in my prime, I lived as an assassin. Both Zeus and I. That’s how we met, in fact.”

My jaw dropped. “You mean...like, you got paid to kill people? Did you take pleasure in that sort of thing?”

She closed her eyes and nodded.

“It wasn’t so much that I enjoyed it, but I was good at what I did and I enjoyed doing my job well.”

“I see.” Yeah. I was still in dangerous territory. “But you quit? You’re done with that life now?” I asked. Naive as ever.

“I wouldn’t say I quit. Those who quit tend to find themselves on the wrong side of a contract. But...in a roundabout way, they laid me off. Technically, I would still be employed by them, except after a certain age, they decided I wasn’t as good as I used to be and stopped offering me contracts. I’ve tried to settle down, but it’s not been easy.”

Huh. I could imagine.

“Oh!” It looked like she had one of those lightbulb moments. “Now that I think of it, I think you have the potential to make a fine assassin, yourself, Demetria.”

I shook my head. “Hell no. I’m not about to kill people for money.”

“That’s a shame. Not to say you would make a fine assassin now, but give it a year, and I’m sure you would. But that’s okay. I don’t want to force a career down the younger generation. Hmm…” She placed her finger on her chin. “Maybe you could have been a janitor.”

“Excuse me?”

She waved her hand away. “That’s just what they’re called. Or were called. Last I heard, they all got wiped out. Seems someone killed them all. Shame, too.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s still custodians around,” I pointed out.

She laughed her villainous laugh. “No, dear. Janitors were like assassins. Called such because they would go around and ‘clean up other people’s messes’. Many of them weren’t even killers. If you had a niche to fill that they could utilize, you could have been among their ranks.”

That actually did sound pretty cool. But it was too bad those people didn’t exist.

“How did one become a ‘janitor’ anyway?” Oh no. I was sucked in.

“If they wanted you to be one, they would come to you and make you one. That’s how they worked. Went across multiple universes searching for their candidates. It really was a doozy, from what I heard.”

Multiple universes? Really? Did anyone really believe that sci-fi nonsense? It was just like that Tony guy I met at Ray’s diner that one time.

“Anyway,” Hera seemed ready to wrap up our deal. Good. So was I. “How would you like your money? As a check? Wired to you?”

Good! She’s still going to stick with that, too! I’ll be rich! But wait...I don’t need to be rich. I just want a cool weapon.

“Actually...I have something else in mind.” After I told her what that something else was, she agreed, and we saw each other off. As glad as I was to get rid of her, I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit excited. After all, I got to fight some guys, and I got to have a weapon for a short while. Oh! And I learned some lore!

It was about a couple days later in which I returned to the diner. I didn’t remember how I acquired a red sweater vest and yet I was wearing one.

“Huh?” I remarked. “Maybe the ferryman put it on me while I was asleep.”

Before I could really take in my surroundings, Tigershark ran up and hugged me.

“Yay! Babysitter!”

I looked down.

“That’s what I am now? Since when?”

Sunny appeared in frame with a big ol’ smile on her face.

“Since you got back! Now that you’re back, I’m going back to the hospital to visit Ray!”

Jeez. I just got back like five minutes or so ago and already Sunny was leaving.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me how it went?”

“Oh yeah! What weapon did you choose?” There we go. Now Sunny was excited.

“It’s a surprise! I don’t have one right now!”

Sunny’s face lowered. Disappointment was written all over.

“But that’s OK! Because I still managed to get something! Hephaestus said he’ll mail it here for me, so I can’t wait to show you when it gets here! He even threw in an extra weapon when I told her Hera got me the money. Though he looked a little scared when I did.”

“Hera?” Sunny tilted her head. “Hephy’s never mentioned anyone named Hera before. Wonder why.”

I shrugged. “Beats me! But yeah! It’ll be great!”

Sunny grinned. “Well, I’m glad you had fun, dear.”

I looked around the diner, but Remora was nowhere to be found. The most likely answer was that she was at the hospital with Ray at the moment, but I hoped to see her all the same. Even if she still wanted me to keep my distance.

I hoped I could tell her all about how my trip to Olympia went. Maybe one of these days.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

I know some people aren't fond of Sokai because they don't get much screentime together, comparitively speaking. But I'm really at a loss whenever I see people say that the two of them getting together in Three came out of nowhere, or that there's no romantic interactions between them. Their mutual feelings have been heavily implied since the first game, and most scenes between them have been mildly romantic at least. I am confused, absolutely befuddled.

Da Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt. And I do think denial is a lot of it. These people didn’t want SoKai to happen, for whatever reason, so they convinced themselves that all the romantic scenes between them aren’t romantic at all.

But aside from shipping wars--which is definitely a reason some refused/refuse to see SoKai--a lot of fans also wanted this series to just stay friendship, since there is romance in literally everything else and some saw it as a breath of fresh air, that this series hadn’t fully gone that way (and these people would also deny there was any romance between Sora and Kairi in the series)... until III. 

And usually to justify that idea, these people would use this quote that Nomura said about how he doesn’t care that much about romantic relationships in his works: that he doesn’t really think about it, and rather thinks fans can have fun imagining things like that for themselves. But that one quote was taken way out of context, because as I understand it... Some random person was asking Nomura about Sephiroth from FFVII’s past loves, when he was exiting a bar. And it seemed to me that Nomura said this as a polite way to try and exit the weird encounter. Especially since VII wasn’t his game. He has a bit of writing credit there, but it’s 99.9% Sakaguchi’s baby (the OG FFVII, that is).

But I never bought this argument--and for good reason, it would seem!--because even before Nomura made SoKai full-on canon in KHIII, there were all the hints to them and he was also making a freaking Romeo and Juliet game with Versus XIII. Yeah...

Some have also tried to argue that SoKai was “dropped”. And for those who say that it was dropped after KHI... they’re just wrong. So very wrong. It’s in CoM, it’s in II, and it’s in Days, and even BbS, arguably (with the spell Aqua put on Kairi’s necklace and definitely with Blank Points). As for the people who would say it was dropped with Coded and DDD... I could kind of get where they might have been coming from there, sadly... but even in those games, Kairi was always mentioned in some way and you could tell that Sora cared about her (even if, at least in Coded, it was more their friendship than their romance). In Coded, Data Riku tells Data Sora about the real Riku and Kairi’s pain from KHI, and Data Sora says he would’ve saved them both and found what was hurting them and made it go away. And in DDD, Sora sees a lot of visions of Kairi (most of the few scenes we get from Kairi in DDD at all are because of him). And Young Xehanort even says that they used Kairi to get Sora to the Islands the night they fell, or something, because they knew that where she was, he’d be.

Another issue, is... Even though I think SoKai’s the most obvious thing in the world--and that Nomura has pretty much hit us in the head over and over again to say that it’s canon... moreso than any other author of a couple that I’ve ever seen--I honestly think some just can't see it, because they don’t say “I love you”, or kiss, or anything like that. So many people have been told those are the markings of love, or whatever--which is such a flawed idea--that without those things for SoKai, they’re like, “Whaaaaaaat?! These two had romantic feelings for each other?! I had no idea!” I don’t get how. At all. When, for example, these two wanted to do the traditional romantic thing from their culture, of sharing a fruit that binds your destinies, but it is a thing, I think.

But, yeah: Sora and Kairi definitely have romantic scenes all throughout this series, and it’s really hard to say “no” about that. Even TV Tropes, back before KHIII, had Sora and Kairi listed in their “canon couples” categories and had it explained as, “Anyone with eyes can see that Sora and Kairi are in love with each other and are canon... well, as canon as a ‘no touching’, no saying ‘I love you’ Disney game gets, anyway”. 

I actually think it’d make more sense for people to try and say that these romantic scenes exist, but even if they do... Sora and Kairi have no chemistry there (and I’ve certainly seen people say that before. Though usually the people who say there are “no romantic scenes” won’t, because if they did then they would be admitting there are supposed to be romantic scenes)... and I don’t agree with that at all. But I’d at least understand that, more than people saying Nomura didn’t try to make romance scenes with them at all... when he clearly did.

Edit: Their young age may also have something to do with it. Like, for instance, I remember when Final Fantasy Peasant was getting into the series for the first time... And at first he was seeing the Sora and Kairi stuff as romantic, too, but the chat told him he was wrong by being like, “Pez, they’re fourteen”. So he started believing it was just friendship, too. And when he then got to the scene in CoM when Larxene says to Naminé, “It won’t be too long before Sora forgets Kairi completely! And then he’ll be all yours to do what you-” he said, “Now see, if it weren’t for you guys, I would be reading all of this as romantic.” And it was clear he wanted to, because it was. And then when KHII rolled around, and we got the scene of Sora imagining himself dancing with Kairi, he was so happy, and was pretty much like, “I told you guys! What was all of this ‘Sora and Kairi aren’t romantic’ crap?” And he titled the video “The SoKai Ship is Real”. LOL

[autumnslance]

Lmao I got three I'm particularly curious about for you on the character meme. Thancred, Lahabrea, Igeyorhm. XD Feel free to do as many or as few as you'd like of course!

You asked for it. We’ll start with That Damned Rogue. The Ascians will be below.

This of course got long, so behind a cut it goes:

Thancred

First impression: I started in Gridania and took like 2 years to finish ARR 2.0, was already spoiled on the possession angle (I spoiled myself, no big), and had just @erickgage‘s affectionate joking summary of Thancred being the guy who shows up 5 minutes late with Starbucks to all the early battles. So I didn’t really get to meet the guy ‘til the Waking Sands.

And honestly, he was stereotypical generic bland anime prettyboy competent guy. His 1.0/ARR model is…just sorta there. He was a flirt, also generic as heck. Really didn’t register too much, until I finished 2.0 finally and then went hard on the MSQ through the patches and into HW and StB 4.0, when I finally caught up to content.

Impression now: Godsdammit.

My first replay through the game was on PunchyCat, starting in Ul’dah, which meant I got to meet Thancred much earlier. I was immediately amused by his nickname for Nanamo, and Papashan’s assessment of the witty Archon. I was more into the lore, getting the first lorebook and reading the short stories on the main site, and playing through all at once instead of piecemeal over months/years made things make more sense. Thancred hits a lot of tropes I commonly like in a lot of characters, so he jumped up to being a favorite.

Gunbreaker suits him as a tank job (thank goodness he can stop trying to tank warmachina as a rogue, ffs Thancred), and tanking in general suits him when it comes to fighting for those he cares about.

I’m interested in the ShB story mentioning why he wears white in all his gear iterations; I’d previously made a post about his color choices and that aspect of character design, but having a lore explanation for his affinity for that color was interesting. I didn’t think his HW model suited him, honestly; way too rough mountain man hobo. His model in ShB is closer to his ARR model, but different enough, and imbued now with actual character, that he’s a bit more visually interesting and while still pretty typical handsome anime protagonist in appearance; his true personality just comes through a lot more.

I’m still forever mad about the unintentional character ‘ship with Aeryn, tho. It took a 3rd playthrough for it to happen.

For myself, mind, when I got into playing and learned his canonical age, it was at the time the same difference between myself and my younger brother. My assessment of the Scion “family” with Thancred being the middle child (esp his behavior pre-HW) maybe helps that. I’m getting to a point, really, where I look at the characters under 35 and think “OMG disaster children, all of you.”

Favorite moment: Oh goodness. There’s some good ones.

‘How was I supposed to know all my girlfriends would track me down and show up at HQ all at the same time: a master class in how to not to deal with multiple paramours by Archon T. Waters.’

His dramatic reappearance and duel with Ardbert in HW 3.1.

Taking out his frustrations by soloing the Coerthas cyclops boss so we can get on with the Tournament and fight Raubahn. (Side Bonus: pre-tournament when he jokes about fighting for the other team to even up the odds, and then: “It looks to be a veritable who’s who of the Eorzean Alliance. The only question is: who came to watch and who came to fight? Hmm…Nanamo. Definitely Nanamo.”)

Making sure Urianger knew he was still part of the team post-Soul Surrender climax.

“All right, which one of you triggered the obvious trap?” Also learning he can hold his breath for 10 freaking minutes–but still gets to be jealous of the WoL, Lyse, and Alisaie for their kojin blessing.

That dramatic teamwork with Urianger to knock Ran’jit down the pit in Rak’tika.

That frickin’ Trolley duty and it’s aftermath with the completed checklist of anime death markers and then just sitting there battered and bleeding and smiling and then giving Ryne a name and a headpat and “You’re family.” Bastard.

Idea for a story: Have you seen my Ao3 account? *grumbles*

Unpopular opinion: While he likely used drinking as a bad coping mechanism at times in ARR’s patches, I doubt he ever really went to blackout, as losing control to that extent, after having been controlled and probably losing a lot of time while possessed, would be awful. We see him drink a few times, but I don’t think he is/was an alcoholic.

I also agree with @ahlis-xiv that his flirtatious persona was mostly adopted. While he probably does have a healthy libido and enjoys time with paramours (that Urianger keeps a handy list of), there’s a lot that’s likely exaggerated, allowed to be assumed, and otherwise used as a cover, given his specializations. It’s also noteworthy how he’s mostly acting the same even after being lost in the wilderness, right up until our foray into the Antitower. The wit/humor gets toned down a lot, but the flirting is cut out entirely after that. He still charms some ladies in the First, based on incidental dialogue, but that seems a general reaction to him being a handsome hero type rather than any intentional flirtatious act on his part.

Favorite relationship: Thancred and little sister types. I do wish we’d seen more of his relationship with Minfilia outside of informed moments and the short stories. I feel like he has a semi-older-brother relationship with Lyse, too, given their antics in the 2.0 patches (particularly the “Hoary’s fighting the WoL, come watch!” and Thancred not even considering how one of his girlfriends would see him sending Lyse to retrieve an item until after and going “oh yeah, whoops”). And now there’s Ryne, and she is totally running things if you watch their background conversations/body language. But that’s kind of where Thancred likes it; find a girl who needs a protective older brother and do what she asks and whatever she needs.

I do have a special place in my heart for the expanded broship with Urianger that Shadowbringers gave us, though. I’ve already spoken on that one.

Favorite headcanon: Everything people assume about how he spoils the nutkin. And really, focusing on taking care of and doting on a pet would be good therapy. Goodness knows he needs it.

Also I assume he and Hilda hooked up at least once during the HW patches. Part of that expectation and cover, sure, to immediately flirt with the pretty, tough, half-elezen guard captain. But also, he spent however long mostly alone, and then only with the Vath and a nutkin for company; the guy was probably touch-starved and lonely and just needing a connection to another person he could relate to (that wasn’t a bug).

Otherwise, again, have you seen my Ao3? Ugh. Damned snarky smart rogues…

————

Lahabrea

First impression: Laughing Organization XIII-wannabe is obvious villain. Wonder what their deal is.

Impression now: So much lost/wasted potential thanks to being stuck as the ARR villain when it was so hastily rewritten and acted, and so little was decided on the Ascians and their motivations yet. A lot of what we learn now retroactively makes him more interesting. The fact he was a workaholic who looked at the workaholic Scion and went “ah yes; that one will do, perfect” makes me laugh.

Favorite moment: I like his interactions with Elidibus. And I am actually fairly fond of his theatrical reveal in Praetorium about the Ultima Weapon, the Heart of Sabik, and casting Ultima.

Idea for a story: Maybe stuff while he’s possessing Thancred. Maybe stuff between then and the Reactor. I dunno; I’ve been enjoying a lot of others’ stories about our first Ascian antagonist.

Unpopular opinion: Dunno if this is unpopular, but some of the retroactive information is to excuse why he seemed so much less powerful than other, later Ascians, but I do think the Speaker could be quite devious and powerful, if he had better writing around him. He suffers for being from ARR.

Favorite relationship: I am not ashamed to admit I am a Lahabrea/Igeyorhm shipper and Hades Ex seems to agree with me so there.

Favorite headcanon: The Speaker likely also had a good singing voice. Another thing good about possessing a man whose primary cover was a bard–excuses to indulge that.

————

Igeyorhm

First impression: Wannabe-Organization XIII also hires women, cool. Wonder if she’ll get to do anything?

Impression now: I’m sad so much got cut from HW; as great as it was, a lot got left on the editing room floor and it shows in spots–particularly where the Ascians connect with the plot. We learn much about her retroactively as well, including how she worked for/with Lahabrea thanks to being the one to wreck the Thirteenth, and change Ascian policy on how to bring about Rejoinings. I still wanna know more about her.

Favorite moment: You beat the whale, good job–thanks, that’s my key now. It’s such a perfect dick move. Excellent timing and taunting. 

Idea for a story: Maybe some of her inner thoughts working for/with Lahabrea. She was a raised up shard, so does that mean they found the scattered pieces of her original soul and force-merged them? I doubt it, since Emet-Selch mentions raising up those who are a piece of the previous office holder, but I wonder if it came with imbuing the new title-holder with some of those memories and knowledge. Perhaps she wonders if some of her interactions/feelings/whatever with Lahabrea are her own, or her tapping into her previous life’s memories. Something to think about, anyway.

Unpopular opinion: I dunno, she shoulda gotten to stick around longer? Or been allowed to do a lot more? Should have been much more of a presence in HW, but I don’t think that’s unpopular so much as unconsidered.

Favorite relationship: Lahabrea is really the only one she gets significant interactions with. Though I wonder about her interactions with the other few women in the Ascians.

Favorite headcanon: See above with the story ideas, really; she didn’t get a lot of time onscreen so there’s a lot of room to make things up, and retroactive info from ShB to make her more interesting, or at least her situation as an upraised Ascian.

[sveasauvageon]

Ce qu'il a donné Un an, deux ans, cent ans de bonheur Puis la vie te cueille comme une fleur || GW

☾♔; March 5, 2018 ☾♔; sotd: Котик by Alexander Rybak   ☾♔; comedian otd: JOHN OLIVER   ☾♔; GW To do list ☾♔; {G} https://goo.gl/XSTtMc ☾♔; mod(s): @themadmonarchist @maybones et moi

Title: lyrics from "Requiem" by Alma

--featured not-mine oc's - Eloise Avery | @themadmonarchist - Minah Delacroix | @maybones (see what I did there with the Serena and Blair positioning? -eyebrow wriggle thing-)

- - - x - - -

Updated GW to-do list: - Division of labour (we should really start saying when one of us starts working on something because otherwise we'll end up with redundancies since we think disturbingly alike) - the "chuck" problem: okay, tbh, it's more of an Ed Westwick problem than a chuck one. I don't know how you guys have reacted to the me too and time's up movements, but mine has been to cut all those men out of my sphere of entertainment, I even cut out "witch hunt", "not all men" type dudes, and "only fondled their breasts on tv and apologized for it" men (aka Ben Affleck), because time is up for all of you! Soz, not point, but since last October, Ed Westwick has been caught up in this, and thus far 3 women have accused him of ra.pe and a fourth of sexual misconduct. Now, I know it's not Chuck's fault that his portrayer is a ra.pist (allegedly), but there is still an issue with including his face, etc in aesthetics and gossip girl material because his face is that of a ra.pist's (allegedly). Tbh, I wanna leave him (Ed Westwick) out of material and only discuss Chuck and avoid showing his face or use a dreamcast instead, but like, I dunno what you guys wanna do. Chuck is a great character, although, early on, he was quite rap.ey, the character, and it does not help that his portrayer has since been revealed to be a ra.pist. Allegedly.

- also, going back up to the redundancy issues, I love both of your aesthetic collections and playlists, so for those, I was thinking for playlist, we should make one big playlist on spotify that's collaborative, so that everyone can add their music and it'll kind of be a huge explosion of musical tastes. But also, maybe have a collection that has a link on the group info for individual playlists for characters, and the group made by us and/or others. For aesthetic collections, basically the same idea with one big collaborative collection, and then that collection will have links to other collections (yes, I'm a little ocd).

- also, also, this is completely unrelated, but I was watching trevor noah's show and he made a joke about how much trump's male employees snitch and gossip like sht, but the woman haven't revealed squat. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpmlVWFTW8A) It's really funny, and honestly, stupid people fcking up in trump's circle very publically is basically what's keeping me alive. It's just hilarious how stupid some of these people are. ___________________________ Another Update (I'll leave those up until @maybones weighs in on them)

I was working on a draft of the group description to show you guys, and I was using a template of one of my old groups and rewriting stuff and changing it to suit our purposes and I realized how many freaking rules I have (I'm so picky), anyway, some of this stuff obvs won't be applicable (like, there's one about characters dying and I don't think we were planning on going that dark. although, serena was an accessory and chuck kind of killed his dad, so meh, maybe?) anyway, I wanted your opinions on what rules to keep and/or change:

✠ RULES AND GUIDELINES {GENERAL} ✠

I. Please be kind to each other. Your characters can be total jerks, but let us, the creators and/or writers be kind, polite, and respectful (aka, channel your inner Canadian guys). There will be absolutely ZERO tolerance of discrimination. You will be immediately removed from the group, and your actions will be documented and reported. PM me immediately if someone harasses you or you notice harassment between members. ⠀⠀Ia. If you want to be anonymous, for any reason, you can send in your complaints here {https://goo.gl/kbTXeU}, it's a google form, and it doesn't ask you verify your email, and the username option, is just an option, it's not required. If I need to make further contact/information from you regarding your concern, I'll make a group announcement vaguely describing your issue, and you can send in further information anonymously again. I'll be checking the form at least once a week.  

⠀II. I'm not giving this any specific rating, however, I will say, you're free to include whatever "adult" content you want, whether it be swears, gore, or the dirty stuff (I'm totally a mature, grown up adult guys). However, do be careful of polyvore's stupid censors, use workarounds like writing your story in google docs, or accents for swear words.  

⠀III. This is a non-elimination group,  but characters can die. It may be used for inactive members, or if you wanna kill 'em off or maybe revive as a ghost or something else. Permission will always be asked of the creator first (with the exception of characters belonging to inactive members, whose characters may be killed off as penalty).  

⠀IV. If you miss 3 consecutive contests (without informing me), you'll receive an "x", "|" will be used to break up non-consecutively missed contests, anyway, if you miss 3 in a row, that will open your character to be killed by either myself or other group members. You will be notified, but your permission will not be asked. If you wish to rejoin at a later date, and you character has not been killed off, simply pm me and continue with whatever contest is in progress. If your character has been killed off, you can re-audition with a new one, and I will transfer your points to your new character.

⠀V. Always pm me, your vodka aunt mod, if you feel you'll be unable to enter a contest, your reason doesn't matter. Just let me know you can't get your entry in, that way you won't receive an "X".

⠀VI. Plotting will be left open throughout the group, however, please establish a few of these before contests begin, and always ask permission when using someone else's character(s) and be sure to tag them in your sets. Please, PLEASE work with others, I hate when people just do their own thing in oc battle groups, this is a collaborative story, everyone's stories and ideas matter. I will call you out if I notice something that contradicts the connected story, and I will always, ALWAYS incorporate the stories of group members into the overall narrative. ⠀⠀VIa. Narrative precedence will always be given to the person who completely finishes the description of their set first.

⠀VII. There is not a list of roles to pick from, you can create whatever roles you want, however, I may ask you to change it if I feel your character may become "villager number 6" and not fit in with the action. Rules, regulations, and suggestions for roles can be found here: [placeholder].

⠀VIII. Always be sure to tag the member's when you use their characters and give credit where credit is due.

⠀IX. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and you will be removed and reported. If you're inspired by someone else's work, credit them, otherwise you're stealing.

⠀X. Sets unrelated to the group will be removed.

⠀XI. You will NOT be required to write out a full story. Story portions can be answered in paragraphs, but full stories are always welcome and appreciated.  

⠀XII. Do not use templates for contest entries unless otherwise stated.

⠀XIII. Always feel free to contact me with any and all questions, and/or suggestions. You can also send them through the anonymous complaints form, found here: https://goo.gl/kbTXeU

_________________________________

✠ RULES AND REGULATIONS {FACECLAIMS} ✠

I'm quite picky about these, but I'm not gonna be pedantic about it this time. You do you. Having said that, there are still some rules and regulations, as well as a challenge.

⠀I. All faceclaims must be above the age of majority (that's 18+ nearly universally on the planet), there is an exception for child characters but all main OCs must be at least 18.

⠀II. All faceclaims MUST be professionals. They can be actors, models, even singers. However, they must be singers of some note signed onto a label company, like Taylor Swift, or my beloved Dima Bilan (who's also an actor. a good one. yes, I'm bragging). Your faceclaim CANNOT be someone insta-famous, youtubers, or tumblr tweens.

⠀III. Whilst I'm not going to reject any faceclaim on the pedantic basis of "I don't like them", there are some faceclaims that I will and for one reason, and one reason only. Sexual misconduct of any and all kinds. Hollywood and the media are finally cleaning house, and I don't want those dicks in my nerd sht either. To be clear, I don't care whether the misconduct was simply groping a woman's breasts on camera and apologizing about 10 years later, I am going to reject everyone who's been accused. Examples include; Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Ed Westwick, Jeffrey Tambor, Danny Masterson, Andy Dick, Dustin Hoffman, and fcking Mel Gibson. (Side note, these are just actors, for a wider list of men who have fallen since the Harvey Weinstein story broke in October 2017, I recommend you check out this article {https://goo.gl/Uq65Qv} by the NY Times) ⠀⠀IIIa. If you notice I have accepted someone who has been accused of sexual misconduct/harassment/assault please inform me right away, and ideally with a link to a news source from where you learned about (I will google it myself, but the ready-to-go link would be much appreciated.) ⠀⠀IIIb. Also, Alec Baldwin is on my list of rejected faceclaims. He's not been accused of anything, yet, but I'm not liking his defensive attitude of alleged rapists. Fúck off. Matt Damon also falls under subsection B, for a slightly different reason, but fúck him too. In this watershed moment, I have no time for defensive d i c k s and "not all men" a s s h o l e s.

⠀IV. The Challenge: a lot of us have certain fave fc's we use over and over again (I'm certainly guilty of that), so my challenge is for you to use a faceclaim you have never used before as your primary oc. This is gonna be based on the honour system, some of you guys I may know well, so I'll know if you're using your fave again, but others I may not, and I can't aggressively stalk everyone, so I won't call out anyone for not doing it. It's just a fun little challenge, worth 10 bonus points, if you opt to do it. But again, it's based on the honour system, I'm not gonna stalk anyone, but if I know you and you lie to me on the audition form. First, I'll be hurt, and second, I'll say sorry and tell you you're not getting those bonus points.

(I know, two sets of rules makes me such a di.ck, it's why I need your help guys!)

[foxyotomelady]

Another love, Chapter XIII (JuminxReader)

Author’s notes:

I missed the chat rooms. So they came back.

The drama is back too.

Be aware of: slightly angst, strong language, Yoon the cutest bodyguard in the world!

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII | Chapter VIII | Chapter IX | Chapter X | Chapter XI | Chapter XII | Chapter XIII (You are here) | Chapter XIV |

Buy Me A Ko-Fi Have a nice reading!

When you woke up, your body still remembered. You had the feeling that you still feel a gentle tickling on your scars and the memories of what happened at night made you feel hot down there. You pursed your lips and took a breath. Well... You were sure that from now on every time you look at these scars, you will only think about Jumin.

He wasn't with you on the bed, but you heard him bustling in the kitchen. Jumin never missed an opportunity to pamper you. Whenever he had enough time, he would make you breakfast and bring it to your bed.

You picked up the phone and opened the chat room. Jumin and you had a rather childish habit of writing on the messenger when you were both at home but in other rooms.

[Y/N has entered the chat room]  Zen: Baby~! Hello! You: Ah, Jumin is not here :(  Zen: ^^ ;;  Yoosung: lolol, you have been totally ignored  Zen: you too ;;

You: Sorry guys, I didn't mean to ignore you ^^ ;;  Zen: That jerk is already at work that you are looking for him here?  You: no, he's in the kitchen  Zen:..... uhm ;;;;  You: he's making me breakfast <3  Yoosung: 

Yoosung: I want to be like Jumin  Yoosung: when I'd have a girlfriend, I must follow his steps Zen: don't ;;;; Zen: we don't need another obsessive freak You: Zen, Jumin tries very hard, so don't judge him so harshly  You: We've agreed that when the whole thing with Sarah ends, I'll look for a new apartment  Zen: Really? Zen: That's... unexpected.  Zen: maybe this guy will eventually regain his mind  [Jumin Han has entered the chat room] Jumin Han: Were you dissing me, Zen? You: mornin' Jumin ^^ Jumin Han: good morning, my love. Jumin Han:

Jumin Han: your breakfast is almost ready.

You: Muah <3 Jumin Han: muah :3 Zen: ugh ;;;; Jumin Han: Yoosung Jumin Han: I'll take back Elizabeth the 3rd tomorrow after work. Yoosung: OMG!!!!! Yoosung: FINALLY  Jumin Han: ??? Jumin Han: She caused problems for you? Jumin Han: that's rather impossible. Jumin Han: She's a very obedient cat. Yoosung: 

Yoosung: NVM Jumin Han: anyway, Jumin Han: thank you for taking care of her. Zen: 

Yoosung: uuuhhhh... no problem? Zen: dude, did something happen to you? Jumin Han: Y/N happened :3 You: so smooth Mr. Han <3 Zen: so cringy ;;; Yoosung: stop being so jelly Zen lol Zen: I am NOT You: but Jumin You: you didn't tell me at night that you about to take Elizabeth back Jumin Han: I didn't? Jumin Han: I must have forgotten Jumin Han: but I think it's quite understandable Jumin Han: as I was busy with something more interesting  Jumin Han: 

Yoosung: 

Zen:

Zen: dude must you show off? Jumin Han: of course I must Jumin Han: I want to place tags all over her body so everyone knows she's mine You: you're cute Jumin ^^ Zen: he's not, Y/N ;; Jumin Han: sorry, my love. I'll be back to preparing your breakfast. Jumin Han: Do you also want coffee? You: yes, please.  Jumin Han: then excuse me

[Jumin Han has left the chat room] Yoosung: I'm leaving too Yoosung: I must do some research and study Yoosung:

You: take care, Yoosung!

[Yoosung has left the chat room] [Saeran has entered the chat room] You: oh, hello, Saeran Saeran: hello Zen: well, hello and goodbye Zen: I must be going too Zen: be careful with this guy, Y/N You: Thank you for caring, Zen, but I'll be fine ^^ Zen: sigh ;;; [Zen has left the chat room] You: Saeran, I actually have a request Saeran: ??? You: are you free or busy working? Saeran: I'm free [707 has entered the chat room] 707: oooh, a lot of people here today You: we need something for Sarah and Glam  You: Something that will finally convince Mr. Chairman who these women really are. Saeran: I’ll see what I can do. 707: 

707: stop ignoring me u two  707: God Seven can help you too!  707: 

Saeran: mind your own business Saeran: I don’t need your help with it

Saeran: I'll help her myself 707: 

You: thank you Saeran ^^  Saeran: no problem Saeran: just stop with this stupid kind smile of yours You: teheheh come on Saeran  You: I know you like it when I'm nice to you  Saeran: ugh, whatever 707: lolololol u r so tsundere brother 707: but

707: *clears throat*

707: * drums* 

707: * whistling* 

707: *cheers* 

You: what is happening ;;; 

707: Saeran

707: YOU OFFICIALLY

707: BECAME

707: A PART OF

707: Y/N's HAREM !!!!

You: ...... ^^;;

707: *standing applause* Saeran: You officially became the stupidest person in the world.

707: do not deny it, brother!

707: now u r also wiggling your tail in front of her

707: wiggle wiggle

Saeran: you want me to kill you?

You: um... I think Jumin finished preparing breakfast

You: so I'll be going

You: have a nice day, Choi twins! [Y/N has left the chat room] Just when you put the phone down, Jumin entered the bedroom with a tray of food and two coffees. He prepared a wonderfully fragrant omelet and decorated it with herbs - it was obvious that he put a lot of heart into the preparation of this meal. You thanked him, you ate together in bed, drank coffee and you told him what you asked Saeran for. "Mornings with you are wonderful, but they don't make me feel like going to work," Jumin said, putting down his empty cup. He was sitting on the bed next to you, already dressed for work. You, on the contrary, were still lazing in your pajamas - he really spoiled you. "Sometimes I would like to force you to stay but I can't do it Jaehee," You laughed lightly.  "Force me?" Jumin raised an eyebrow and then took your hand and kissed it, "All you have to do is ask and I won't leave anywhere."  "As I said I can't do this Jaehee," You replied with a smile.  "Are you sure?" He moved his lips from your hand to your wrist, to the scar.  You shuddered and pursed your lips, "You're sly, you know it, don't you?" "Sly? Why shouldn't I use your weak spots when I know them?" "Because it's sly!"   

Jumin smirked, "Then maybe I'm a villain." "So, villain," You reached his cheek. "Before you leave me in your tower, how about a kiss goodbye?" Jumin leaned toward you, brushed the hair off your cheek and kissed you gently on the lips. You smiled, he still didn't move back. You kissed him again, this time on the cheek, "Well, you have to go." "Uh-huh," He nodded, then placed a kiss on your jawline and went his lips down to your neck. Despite the common sense that told you to stop it, you drew him closer. Jumin put a hand on your back, holding you. His lips caressed your collarbone. You dug hand in his hair with a sigh. Jumin suddenly embraced you tighter, pulled you on his knees - you instinctively put your legs apart and clung to him with your body. Your lips met again, much more intensely this time. Your breaths have accelerated. "If we continue..." Jumin panted, "... I'll be late for work." "So we should stop..." You whispered right next to his lips. "Definitely," He replied and pressed his lips against yours again. You embraced his neck, one of his hands fell on your ass. You murmured through the kiss without interrupting it. And... Then there was a knock at the door. You parted your lips and both sighed with displeasure. Jumin pressed his face to your collarbone for a moment, "What a terrible timing..." When you both got out of bed, you quickly adjusted Jumin's tie and when he went to the main room, you peeked from behind the wall, staying in the bedroom. "Mr. Han," It was Yoon who stepped to the apartment. "Yoon, is something the matter?" Jumin asked. You emerged from behind the wall and approached Jumin, "Yoon!" After what you've been through, Yoon was more a friend to you than a bodyguard. His gaze drifted toward you for a moment, his serious expression broke by a slight blush. The man cleared his throat to regain his face, "Ms. Y/N, good morning." Ah, right... You were only in a nightgown, probably now crumpled, with disheveled hair... Maybe Yoon was your friend, but he was still Jumin's employee and he probably felt embarrassed when thoughts of the sexual life of his boss appeared in his mind. "I'll go take a bathrobe," You mumbled and before you slipped into the bathroom, you felt Jumin's eyes on you... He probably wasn't pleased with your sense of latitude in front of another man either. Even if it was just Yoon. When you put on your robe, you scolded yourself in thoughts - one more minute and you would give Jumin another reason to fire this poor guy! "Your father is here, sir," Yoon said when you got back to the room. "Should I let him in?" Jumin frowned. You saw that he hesitated. You knew his relationship with his father was now being put to a great test - but you also knew that Jumin valued Mr. Chairman very much. "Maybe you should try to talk to him," You suggested. Jumin sighed, "Fine. Let him in." Yoon just nodded, opened the door for Mr. Chairman and, following Jumin's instruction, left the three of you alone. "Father," Jumin said in a cold voice. You were standing next to him, grabbed his hand. Mr. Chairman was silent for a moment. You felt strange under the look of this older man. You've come a little closer to Jumin. "So it's just like I thought," Mr. Chairman stated suddenly. "Son, I understand that she is a beautiful and young woman, but pleasure is not everything you should expect from a relationship. You should think more about your future." You felt anger growing up in you mixed with shame. Did he really just suggest that you are just his... what? Hook up? Jumin squeezed your hand tighter, "Father, refrain from such judgments. You know nothing about our relationship. And you are the last person to speak on this topic. Why are you here?" "I'm here because you didn't want to come to any meeting with me. I wanted to talk to you about my beloved Glam and her student Sarah." You looked at Jumin's face, his expression was still calm as always, but as you hugged his arm, you felt chills running through him. "You still want to insist on my wedding with Sarah? Does this Glam woman still have you wrapped around her finger? After all that Y/N had to experience because of Glam, Sarah... because of you, you still-" "Son, think about it... No," Mr. Chairman looked at you. "What can you offer to my son, girl?" You blinked, taken aback. "You don't have to answer that, my love," Jumin interjected brusquely. You felt a wave of icy anger overwhelm you. You let go of Jumin's hand and stepped in front of his father, "No. I actually want to answer." "You are just a student. You are young, too young. Inexperienced. Can you offer any contribution to the business of our company?" "No," You answered hard. "But I can offer something that Sarah will not offer him and which Glam will not offer you." "And that is?" "Love." For a moment Mr. Chairman looked at you without a word, the meaning of your words reached him slowly and suddenly it had to hit him hard because he exploded, "How dare you!" "No, how dare you, father," Jumin interrupted again. "You come here to my apartment to judge my love one. After you made sure that Sarah escaped just punishment." "Sarah had nothing to do with this whole abduction. Glam assured me that her student is a good and nice girl. She couldn't do anything like that. I'm almost convinced that this girl here is the one who planned all this." "What?" You ran out of words, opened your eyes wide. "You probably only care about my son's money, so you organized all this kidnapping to frame Sarah and get her out of your way." "Sarah bribed bodyguards so that they don't guard the lowest floor!" You exploded too, couldn't believe what you hear. "No, you persuaded them to do so. And they'd tell later in court that Sarah had bribed them. That is why I made sure that they did not participate in the trial. You couldn't pay them with money because you don't have enough. So maybe you promised to sell your body to them." "That's enough!" You heard a cold fury in Jumin's voice. "Leave immediately, father. I don't want to hear another word." "You'll regret your choice, son." Mr. Chairman turned on his heel and left. You stood there, paralyzed, shocked. You couldn't catch your breath. "God..." Jumin massaged his eyelids, which he had tightly closed. "What got into him? He's acting like a stranger. I'm so sorry..." He turned to you and embraced you around the waist. "You shouldn't have listened to all this." You slowly returned his embrace, "Don't worry, Jumin... We can handle it... We can handle all this..."

[mattness]

Space Dementia

Another chapter is here! Pleasant reading!  Hope you enjoy and always...  Sorry for mistakes and stupid typos OTP: Jennifer Wright/Robert Grey /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Chapter XIII.

The cold wind chilled her to the bone, making shiver. Slowly began drizzle and heavy gray clouds covered the sky. Jennifer hugged herself around the shoulders with the regret of not brought to the cemetery warm shirt. Gradually, all the friends and acquaintances who knew Chester Wright gathered. There weren't that many people, but Jen was pleased that they had decided to come and honor her father. To her right stood was Tyra, who had opened her umbrella as everyone else had done. The priest began to say a prayer, standing at the head of the closed coffin, on top of which lay flowers.

The warm fabric of coat fell over Jennifer's shoulders, and she immediately looked at the man who decided to share his thing. The girl gratefully smiled Robert, who is also still came. He pursed his lips, hugging Jen's shoulders and trying to warm her. Wright sighed heavily, clinging to him. Tears again dimmed eyes, should have listened to the speech of the priest. She felt so useless and empty, as if she had been ripped off a vital part of her soul. And how to cope with everything now? How to live without seeing every day the kind father's eyes and his smile? How to live without his support and funny jokes? What will she do now? There's no need to rush home where there's no one else. There was no need to stay in that damned Derry who had taken everything she loved from her. Jennifer thought about what the old house would, where repairs have not yet been completed, for sale. With the money, she would go to New York and quit the magazine to get a small advance. Here is so vacation have… Then the girl will go somewhere in Pennsylvania or California. She wanted to get as far away from past as possible to start living anew. Yes, it would be necessary to part with Robert, who was already clinging to her heart, but Jen thought it would be better. Better for both of them.

The brunette was distracted from her thoughts, suddenly noticed among the crowd of people in black suits familiar dark red hair. The wrinkled woman looked down at Jen's blue eyes and pursed her plump lips. Jen could not believe what Mary Wheeler arrived on the scene. Her heart sank painfully with the realization that she had seen her mother for the first time almost eleven years later. She hasn't been here all this time, and now she's decided to come to her ex-husband's funeral. Jennifer was very confused. Shouldn't Mary not care about her own past, the ex-husband she ran away from? She ran away and left him alone with a little girl, determined to live another life. This act Jen will never forgive her, even if she pleads on her knees.

After the coffin was lowered into the grave and everyone threw a handful of earth, everyone began to disperse. Wright decided to go to his mother and find out what the hell is she doing here. The girl let go of Robert's hand, who was heading for the car.

"Jennifer, are you coming?" Grey asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I'll be there in a couple of minutes", the girl said, trying not to lose sight of Mary. "Wait for me?"

"All right", Robert nodded.

Jen said goodbye to Tyra, who took a taxi to her house, and quickly climbed the hill, noticing the red-haired woman among the tombstones. She walked slowly between the graves, thinking about something of her own. Mary paused beside the tree, wiping the tears from her face with her black-gloved hand. Mrs. Wheeler's daughter approached her cautiously from behind, stopping a few yards away and hesitating to come closer.

"What are you doing here, mother?" Jennifer asked first, what made Mary turn around.

She smiled sadly as she looked at her noticeably grown-up daughter. Jennifer grew up a true beauty, she thought.

Jen frowned, crossing her arms.

"I loved Chester, Jennifer", Wheeler admitted in a slightly husky voice.

"And that's why you decided to show up at his funeral? Eleven years later?" the brunette began to get angry. "Without ever calling and asking how your own daughter is doing? What a strange love you have."

"It's much more complicated than you think, Jen", the woman tried to justify herself, taking an uncertain step toward her.

"Not necessary now to justify it to me!" Jen cried out indignantly, clasping her hands. "I don't know what was going on in your head when you decided to leave me with my father, and I don't want to know! You're ran away like a cowardly bitch, leaving everything behind, and for what? To show up eleven fucking years later and say it's a more complicated?!"

"Jennifer, please..."

"You're were never a mother to me and never will be, despite the fact that you're the only one left from my entire family", firmly and coldly said the girl, gritting her teeth. "The people who truly loved me and cared for me are now in their graves! And you're dead to me immediately, as soon as you're went over the threshold of our house. So you'd better go now, like you're did years ago."

Mary pursed her lips, feeling the tears running down her cheeks. The rain increased, and there was a loud clap of thunder in the sky. Jen adjusted the coat on his shoulders and decided to go back to Robert's car. The girl took one last look at her mother, whom she would probably never see again, and left. Jen got into the dark blue car, handing Grey his coat. He breathed in the smell of rain and the familiar bitter pain of Jennifer's conversation with her mother. Robert made a worried face and looked at the girl, who wiped her eyes and bit her lower lip. She looked down guiltily, not wanting him to see her like this. In fact, he didn't know what to say to comfort her. He had imagined how people comforted each other, but he had never tried it himself. Robert could scarcely restrain himself from breaking into a pleased smile as he absorbed the girl's negative feelings. Jennifer began to bite her lip nervously, shivering in spite of herself. No, not from the cold outside. From cold being between her and Robert. She'd never felt this way around him before, despite the fact that he'd been on her doorstep a lot lately. Maybe it was Jen's sudden depression, but there was nothing she could do about it. Robert wanted them to continue dating, kissing and making love more often, but Jennifer was grieving and he didn't seem to understand. When Grey reached out to kiss her one night, the brunette made it clear that she was not to be touched. The girl freaked out and yelled at him, in the end she burst into tears. He tried to comfort her, and after that moment they only hugged occasionally. Wright snapped out of her reverie as Robert reached for the key in the ignition. The car's engine started, and Grey pressed the gas pedal smoothly, twisting the steering wheel. The car drove down the wet road to Derry, straight to Jennifer's house. Finally, the Aston Martin parked in front of the garage of a familiar house, and she sighed heavily, glancing at Robert. "Not coming in?" Jen asked him cautiously. She wanted him to spend a little more time with her. Even when he was just around, it really did get easier. Still, without the support of Tyra and Robert, Jennifer would hardly have coped with all that in an instant fell on her fragile shoulders. For the past two weeks, while the funeral was being prepared, Wright had barely kept herself from doing something to herself. "No", Robert said rather sharply as he watched the wipers clear the water from the car's windshield. "I have a lot of work to do."

"Can't you come tonight?" Jen asked cautiously, tears stinging her eyes. Her heart pounded in chest at the feel of the end beginning. The girl once again wanted to throw a tantrum, but skillfully restrained herself.

"I'm sorry, Jen," he said, finally looking at her.

"Do you resent me for that quarrel?"  the girl laughed nervously, frowning. "Robert, don't you see I can't-... My father has just died! I have no family left! I'm alone. What do you want from me?" "To let them go..." the man gritted his teeth, and Wright saw reddish spots begin to appear in his green eyes.

"Robert, it's not as easy as you think! You sound like you've never lost anyone, but I know you haven't", she gasped, barely able to keep from screaming. "If all you want from me is sex, we should break up. The sooner the better."

"I didn't say that, Jennifer!"

"But your actions prove otherwise!" the brunette raised her voice and jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. Treacherous tears poured streams down her cheeks, and hatred of herself and Robert in this moment was overwhelming from the inside.

"Jennifer!"

"Go away, Robert", Jen said, turning to see Grey walking toward her. The rain was getting heavier by the minute, and they were standing in the middle of Jennifer's front lawn. The girl managed to get wet through, continuing to cry. Robert carefully closed the distance between them to a single step. "I'm sorry", he said suddenly.

"For what?" Wright asked, wiping her eyes.

"I was wrong. I'm willing to wait as long as I can just to be with you", he said, and he smiled faintly at Jen, who looked suddenly hopeful. The brunette sighed heavily and ran a hand through her wet hair.

"Robert, I'm going to sell this house and leave Derry." Grey frowned, not understanding. Had his beloved Jenni decided to run away? Would she fall head over heels in love and leave him? So weird. Did he do something wrong? Was there a flaw in the plan that he missed? His thoughts raced madly in his head, trying to find a reasonable solution to the problem. It was too early to move on to the last points, and especially to drag her into the sewers to the main lair. God, why is this so bad timing? It made him angry. "Where are you going?" the man asked, peering into the blue eyes opposite.

"Probably California", Jen admitted. "I can't stay here any longer, and I can't stay in New York, either... I'd rather start a new life away from my memories." Robert gritted his teeth as blood began to fill his mouth. He swallowed and took the last step between them. Jennifer watched him closely.

"So you'll leave everything? Me too?"

"I don't think you'd follow me halfway around the world", she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you're telling the truth... Then come with me." Grey turned away from her, thinking. In Derry he could eat without fear of the police on his trail. He had caused about twenty people to go missing in Derry in the past three weeks, but the law enforcement agencies were still not going to do anything about it. People were reported missing, and Robert calmly continued to eat. He didn't know if he should run somewhere else, if he was happy enough here. And whether it is necessary to continue to stalk Jennifer? Continue to ingratiate himself and play the fool in love? Maybe, just now, to snap her neck and calmly to eat? He looked again at the girl, who was waiting for some answer. Robert looked down at the pulse beating in her thin neck, feeling no hunger. The beast inside didn't react. What was wrong with him? "I'll think about it, Jenni", Grey said quietly, and Jen nodded. He pulled her to him and lowered his mouth to hers. Wright opened her mouth for a kiss, and Robert gently covered hers. Without thinking, Jen answered and ran her fingers through the man's hair. This resolution of their quarrel satisfied her, and for the first time Robert felt real pleasure in the kiss. He ran his thumbs gently over the brunette's cheekbones, not wanting her to leave. Jennifer pulled back, noticing for the first time the gleam of her own emotions in his green eyes. She seemed to have one reason for staying in Derry after all. Wright took a step back and said softly:

"I'll call you when I decide where I'm going."

Robert nodded, watching her go. As soon as she was out the door, he sighed and went back to the car.

The Aston Martin pulled onto the road and headed straight for Neibolt street. Robert felt a mixture of anger and anger at himself. He gripped the steering wheel of the car and felt his fingernails dig into his skin, leaving a trail of blood.

The rain outside was a downpour.

The car pulled into a vacant lot near an abandoned house, hiding behind bushes and trees so as not to attract anyone's attention. Robert jumped out of the car, slamming the door, and in no time was in the old ruin. The anger continued to swell. His eyes turned bright orange, nervously searching for something to grab. His heart was pounding, a guttural howl coming from within. A strange pain began to compress everything to microscopic size.

Grey turned into his favorite clown as he paced the empty house, kicking up dust with every step. Pennywise snarled and whined and clutched at his red hair for safety. He could not understand what was happening to him.

The clown, swaying unnaturally from side to side, came into the room with the long-rotted piano and instantly turned it upside down. The piano fell with a terrible crash, breaking the floor beneath it. Pennywise continued to whimper, banging the dusty piano lid with his fist. Such despair and pain he's not experienced long. It was as if he had been deprived of his only source of food. The clown immediately awoke from his delusion, thinking that satiation would help to calm him down. He quickly ran to the old refrigerator, which sometimes put the remains of meat victims. But as soon as he opened the door, flies flew out: the meat was covered with mold, already beginning to rot. Pennywise growled angrily, aware that he was not hungry. The pain continued to drive him mad.

The clown sank to the floor, legs spread wide. He whined like a dog his master had thrown into the street. An unpleasant salty liquid stung his eyes and spoiled all the makeup, and painted lips and then trembled. Pennywise could not understand what had happened to him.

"Damn girl!", the killer clown suddenly realized, screaming and banging his fists on the floor. This is all her fault! Her! He knew.

He knew it was a bad idea. And now he couldn't even attack her. What had she done to him? What?! Pennywise clutched at his red hair, wondering how to get rid of the wretched woman for whom he now had strange feelings. How to get rid of these feelings? Maybe once she was out of town, he'd feel better. Maybe without her, he would go back to his normal routine entirely.

Pennywise's red hair was fading, turning dark brown again. The makeup drained from his face and was gone. Lush clothing in the style of the Victorian era was transformed into a modern expensive dark suit. The clown was gone, bringing back the image of Robert Grey, who had struggled to his feet and wiped the wet tracks of tears from his face. He sniffed loudly and decided to go back to the other house, where he could think better. * * *  Jen felt terribly broken after what had happened. Everything reminded her of father. It was almost unbearable to be at home. Here was the scent of a loved one and everything reminded her of him. Tears rolled down her cheeks every day, and she often sat on the sofa in front of the TV, as her father liked, and clutched her head, trying to restrain another fit of hysteria. Pain clenched her insides, biting into skin in sharp shards. Her heart was bleeding, and no one could help. Jennifer felt more broken and depressed than she had ever felt before. Tyra came to see her. She was saying something, trying to get her out of this terrible state for a couple of hours at least. Jennifer appreciated her friend's concern, but nothing helped. The world has acquired a grey tone. Every day in Derry was a dull, gloomy day, no different from any other. Nothing happened, and everything ceased to matter. No one seemed to be able to help her. Jen knew she should have handled it herself. But no forces already on this not was. There was no strength left to stand firm, to withstand all the blows of fate. One evening she was sitting on the sofa again, once again clutching her head. Tears dripped silently from her nose onto the soft carpet, and soft sobs filled the living room. Jen was completely oblivious to Robert's arrival in the house. Unlike Tyra, he hadn't been here as often since the conversation on the day of the funeral. But Wright was grateful that he had dared to come at all. Robert paused in the doorway of the living room, noticing Jennifer, who looked like a little girl who had been hurt. The man sighed and walked into the room, sitting down on the floor in front of her and stroking his knees to make himself felt. Jen gave another sob as she looked into the worried green eyes. Grey pressed his forehead against hers, trying to convey his sympathy. Or rather, he tried to pretend. Jennifer was too depressed to analyze anything now, and Robert was taking advantage of her. She began to cry again, and Grey immediately sat down on the sofa, holding her tightly in his arms. Jen nuzzled his neck, trying to calm herself. She could feel Robert gently rocking her like a small child, stroking her back. He radiated an incredible warmth that warmed her and made her feel safe. She believed that Robert would not let her drown in the terrible ocean of pain that filled her. * * *  As she packed a large suitcase, Jennifer kept track of the number of flights leaving Bangor for other States in the coming days. The first thing to do was to go to New York, where she would have a serious talk with Mrs. Johnson. Jen had already written to tell her she was coming. Last night, Wright escorted Tyra back to Los Angeles. A friend for a long time did not agree to leave, not believing that the brunette will be able to cope with everything herself. Thanks to the realtor, buyers for the house turned up pretty quickly. Less than a month later, the man informed Wright that the house was about to be sold to a small, happy family with two children. They examined the future home and were satisfied with everything. The girl was glad when got her hands on revenue for the house. Now it was safe to leave Derry, where all the memories of his childhood and his father and grandmother would remain. Her heart sank painfully, reminding her of Robert, whom she had seen the other day. Grey don't said whether he wanted to go with her or not. He had simply spent the evening with her in silence, lost in his own thoughts. And Jen didn't mind. Them both hard. She could tell by the way Robert held her hands tightly each time. They just sat in each other's arms all night without saying a word. Jen fell asleep, listening to the steady heartbeat in Grey's chest as he stared gravely into the distance... An insistent knock on the door jerked her out of reverie. She looked up from her suitcase and hurried downstairs, hoping to find Robert on the doorstep. But she was disappointed when it wasn't Robert. Three men stood in the doorway. One of them was holding up a police badge. Jennifer frowned, not understanding. "I'm David Ross", the man in the beige coat said, "a private detective who arrived in Derry three weeks ago."  "Hello..." Jen said uncertainly. "Did I break something?"  "No, miss Wright. May we go inside?" She nodded uncertainly, letting in a private detective and two plainclothes policemen. She closed the front door and went into the kitchen, where they decided to settle law enforcement. Mr. Ross motioned Jan to a chair, motioning her to sit down. The brunette obediently sat down, folding her hands on the table. "What is it, detective?" Wright asked, still not understanding. Two police officers decided to inspect the house while the detective conducted the interrogation. Jennifer frowned, realizing that these fellows didn't even have a search warrant. She wanted to protest, but didn't, because the detective was talking: "Do you know that about thirty people have gone missing in Derry in the last month?" "I heard about it", she said confidently, embarrassed.   "Miss Wright, please listen to me," David said quietly, sitting down across the table from her. "I came to Derry at the request of the local chief of police to investigate the matter. The previous detective who worked on him is on the missing persons list, and the goonies here still can't find the killer. That's why I'm here." She still didn't understand. How did the police get her mixed up in this? Jen certainly didn't know who the killer was. The girl even TV-not really watching. Only at work in the store, and even then, they are constantly turned on music channels to distract visitors. "The police have a missing persons report on Riley Briggs, who worked in the same store as you", the detective went on.  "I thought Riley quit. The authorities didn't say a word about the missing girl", Jennifer said honestly, dreading what might have happened to the high school girl dropout.  "I got a lead", Ross said honestly, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "It leads to the house at 29 Neibolt street. Just the other day, several operatives searched the house and came across human remains." The girl involuntarily covered her mouth hand.  "I think we're dealing with a cannibal who's changing his location. The same missing persons were reported to the Philadelphia and New York police. The only place we found a lead was in Derry", the man explained. "Why are we here, miss Wright? Because we have three people who are alleged suspects in this case." The other two officers returned to the kitchen as the detective took three photographs from his coat pocket. She frowned as she saw two unfamiliar faces and one damned familiar. Robert Grey. The detective seems to have snapped a picture of him as he got into his car, in the Parking lot of Derry's biggest shopping centre. Robert frowned at the glare of the sun, staring off into the distance. "Do you know any of them?" the brunette immediately guessed that it was just a leading question with a test. Lie or not.  "I know Robert", Wright said honestly, pointing to his picture. "We're... just friends."  "Pretty close friends".  The next picture on the table was of Grey standing in the same parking lot, his arm around Jennifer, leaning down to kiss her.  "You’re followed us?" she said, feeling her temper rise. "A necessary measure", the detective explained, clearing his throat. "About Mr. Grey. Did you notice anything strange about him? Did he talk to you about his hobbies or his love of anything extraordinary?"  "No. Robert is just an ordinary man, just like you and me", Jen said, not really knowing who she was protecting. "He wouldn't hurt a fly, and what about people?"   "I see", said Mr. Ross, clearing away the photographs and preparing to leave. "Thank you for answering my questions and listening, Ms. Wright. Good day." She closed the door behind them, frowning. Again strange thought about Robert have filled head. Maybe what she was accusing him of was true? Jennifer was confused, completely confused about the man she loved. She went up to the second floor, still packing. Maybe tomorrow she could talk to him about the missing. Jen doubted Grey knew anything about the dead. She hoped to the last that he had nothing to do with it.

[imagine-organization-xiii]

Organization XIII Taking Care of a Sick S/O

Suggested by: Anon.  Thank you for your suggestion!

Xemnas

Will want to call for a private doctor or nurse if your sickness gets really bad and doesn’t believe you when you try to tell him that you just get really bad colds sometimes and it’ll blow over with some rest and maybe some soup and medicine.

Trusts that you’re an adult that knows how to take care of yourself, but he’ll still keep an eye on you just in case.

Xigbar

Gets frustrated with you and himself because he doesn’t know how to care for a sick person and you should know better than to go running around in the snow with only a light sweater and no gloves - like come on, this is like the eighth time in the last two months, what did you think was going to happen?

He helps, though.  He’ll go to to the doctor with you and glare from the corner of the room the whole time.

You always get achey muscles when you get sick, so he’ll offer a fantastic back massage that you would be stupid to turn down.

Xaldin

Good with taking care of himself but not good at taking care of other people.  He tries and that’s really what matters.

Tries not to hover but he worries, sometimes.  Will leave you alone and tell himself he’ll check on you every few hours, but will end up checking in about every twenty minutes.  He does it because he cares.

You’ll often fall asleep cuddled next to him and wake up to the feeling of him running his hands through your hair.

Vexen

Much too busy to actually get sick himself, so he’ll probably stay clear of you while micromanaging from a distance.  Will make all of your doctor appointments for you and assign someone to take you so you don’t have to go alone, and will make sure you take your meds exactly when you need to do so

Will stop by every day after he finishes working to see if everyone else has been taking care of you.  If you ask nicely, he’ll sit with you for a while in silence or even read to you while you fall asleep.

Lexaeus

Get ready for Lexaeus’ mom gene to go from a ten to a fourteen.  Will make sure that you’re staying hydrated with soups and broths and lots of water.  If you’re running a really bad fever, he’ll constantly change out wet towels to put on your forehead and sit by your side if you need him even if you’re just going to end up napping through most of the day.

He’s the guy who was like “make sure you wear your jacket and it’s cold outside” and you reply “don’t tell me what to do,” but he’s kind enough not to say “i told you so” when you end up bedridden

Zexion

Immediately jumps to the Worst Case Scenario.  A cold?? “Oh my god, you’re dying” “Zexion, I’m not dying.” “Are you sure?” “Pretty sure.” “But that’s not 100% sure.”

Takes after Lexaeus and activates his Mama Bear Mode.  Do you need more tissues?  More cold medicine? Let me check your temperature again and you need to drink some more water before you become dehydrated. Do you need me to change the DVD in the DVD player or get you more blankets or stuffed animals?  Done.

Saix

Would try to cook you a ‘get well soon’ meal to eat in bed, even though you can’t really taste it with your throat messed up and your nose congested.

Honestly could be a doctor if he wanted to be?  So smart!  Knows exactly what’s wrong and sometimes knows that you’re getting sick before you do.  Knows exactly what to do to help you feel better, whether that’s keeping you company or leaving you alone.

Axel

Kisses you when you’re sick even though you’ve warned him not to do so.  Doesn’t care if he gets sick around you.  If he wants to spend time with you, he’s going to be around you despite your illness.

All about efficiency, as in he’ll immediately call a doctor and see exactly what he needs in order to make you feel better.

Demyx

Panics but tries not to because he knows you’ll freak out if he’s freaking out and that’ll just lead to a huge mess that he isn’t prepared for. He tries to hide it but he’s a damn mess

Knows you need to eat but can’t cook to save his life.  He’ll end up going to a nearby restaurant to get your favorite soup instead and probably pick up a ‘get well soon!’ stuffed animal while he’s out.  More about making you feel better mentally rather than physically

Luxord

Calm, cool, and collected, but really freaking out inside.  Tells you that you look beautiful even when you’re sweaty and ill, but wants to take precautions to make sure you don’t get worse than you already are.

Will call health professionals himself in order to find second and third opinions.

Calls you pet names and is more cuddly than usual, but only because he’s worried.

Marluxia

You’re ill?? The man is 100% prepared.  He’ll steep some herbs from his garden in hot water to make you a relaxing, healing tea and bring you a big bouquet of your favorite flowers to put on your bedside table.

Also full of knowledge of those ‘old wives’ remedies, like ‘feed a cold and starve a fever’ sort of thing.  Some of them work, some don’t, but you’re ready to try anything when you’re sick

Larxene

Steers far away from you and is concerned but at a Long Distance.  She loves you but hates being around sick people because she is always afraid that she’ll end up getting sick.  She doesn’t mean to be distant; it’s just a phobia of hers.

Works more behind the scenes to make you feel better.  Glares at the other members until they get off of their asses and take care of you

Roxas

Without a doubt, he will always end up getting sick if he’s helping take care of you when you’re ill.  You’ll both end up getting supremely ill and have to get someone else to take care of you, pick up your meds, bring you food, etc.

Whiny when he’s sick, so you’ll pet his hair grumble to yourself while he naps.  He tries his hardest to be helpful, though!!!  Will bring you snacks and books and magazines and more blankets/pillows and whatever else you happen to want!

Xion

So!!! worried!!!  She’ll send you worried looks every time you let out so much as a little sniffle.  It’s sweet how concerned she is and you have to keep reassuring her that you’ll be fine.  Tries to stay with you as much as possible, though.  She knows how it feels to be alone and she doesn’t want you to be by yourself when you’re confined to the bed and everyone else is elsewhere

Doesn’t know anything about medicine but will listen intently to what the doctor tells you and help you when she can.  She’ll cuddle up next to you in bed as the two of you watch movies and nap

[iraniq]

ONE EYE CLOSED XIII

Author’s note: necrophilia, anciant Gods

- So, what’s this ‘My book, I’ll appreciate if you don’t touch it!’ - A book, like a magic book? ‘It’s a Grimoire.’ - Grim … what? ‘Grimoire, a book of magic, with spells inside.’ - Is this the … like … I mean, is this the One you brought me back with? ‘No … ‘ - Where is it, the One, I wanna see it. ‘The One, you are looking for … there it is …’ - … damn it’s huge! ‘The Necronomicon written by the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred … my favourite bed time story … you know, I kinda stole it, dig it from his grave, he was dead, for a while, although he didn’t look dead at all …‘ - … well he wrote a book “how to bring the dead back to life”, excuse him, if he wasn’t looking like a corpse, also digging graves at early age, why I am not surprised … so this it the Book? I thought it will be more … looking like a spell book … ‘… you mean, bound with silver, salt … garlic?’ - Very funny, but yes, something like this … heavy material, or something, like the movies! ‘Yeah, so it would scream “the book of undead, resurrection, and how to make a voodoo doll to scratch your back, where you can’t”! ‘ - … wha … what? Was this the first idea of the name of the book? ‘I Don’t know, maybe …’ - So … ‘So?’ - So … you know … ‘We are living together for almost a year, and you ask just now?’ - Well … the first couple of months felt like I was high drunk and dreaming all together and I barely remember anything more than a blur visions and you yelling and beating me! ‘Well … you were touching and mostly breaking everything, so …’ ‘No, I don’t I am not a telepath I can’t read your mind!’ - Your loss! ’Totally not!’ - So, how … how you did it, how you brought me back? … tell me! ‘Well …’ - Please, Bel! ‘Ok, ok! … it all started the night …’ - … with the moon eclipse? ‘Yes, the moon eclipse … you were pretty and everything, I made you perfect …’ - … to which I thank you, in case I haven’t mentioned it before! ‘Noted! So … you were ready to die, you drank  the poison and … just died, your heart stopped …  it didn’t felt right, you were ready to die, but it wasn’t your time, your … spirit was strong … I can’t describe it with words but I still remember how it felt, floating around …’ - … my spirit? ‘Yes … very … I can’t describe the feeling, but … your spirit was like an … masterpiece to an artist. So at this particular moment I decided to bring you back.’ - Wait … you decided? ‘Yes!’ - So … you haven’t planned this? ‘Of course I was, you only paid me to make you pretty before you die … but it was going to be more like a … screwing up with a dead body … not in the sexual way of course. You know it’s rather rare when I have the opportunity to work with fresh specimens.’ - Yeah I know … I dig them after all … ‘…still it bugs me, what kind of magic killed you.’ - Magic?! Magic … how come you haven’t told me this?!? … ‘Well I deeply believe it was, it wasn’t a common decease that killed you, you were rotting alive! It’s impossible to catch such a … plague and not to infect anyone else! And no doctor find a cure, or locked you away for isolation … or they simply could not see what you and me saw …’ - It’s a possible theory … Magic? ‘What?’ - you haven’t told me? ‘You haven’t asked!’ - I had no idea. That’s why I haven’t asked!!!! ‘We were talking about you, not coming to the time of your death.’ - How come you knew it wasn’t my time? ‘The dead told me … more like whispered.’ - Whispered what? ‘I can’t say it, but they told me you are way to early … sometimes someone can go earlier, but not that early … they can’t be later, because this means someone else from the family must die before their time … death should get it’s time … on time!’ - What about the one who died early, you mean … if someone should die on Friday and they die on Monday … ‘Someone from the family … no, someone from their bloodline will live with 4 days more!’ - Interesting … ‘Yeah …’ - What was the feeling, of bringing me back? ‘Exhausting … I bound my life energy with yours.’ - You are not alive, remember! … As you love to remind me … ‘… I am not alive in … your way of understanding. That’s why I eat people. I took their life time, life energy, I also eat their souls, this keeps my “necro energy” full … like, charging a battery.’ - Hm … charging batteries will never be the same. Where does the “necrophilia” comes from, I googled it, and it was originally diagnostic like a mental illness, of people who miss their dead lovers, or people rejected … ‘… yeah, yeah … it comes from us. We raise back the dead, it’s the dead … and if it’s way after they are back … well …’ - You slept with dead people? ‘Eww … what the fuck is wrong with you, I don’t want to even sit next to you, not to mention touch you …and you keep suggesting this!’ - Ok, ok! But you say it comes from you? ‘Not form me literally … from people who … necromants … some of them were weird enough to do this, while bringing them back … some did it for fun, some … simply because they could and no one dared to stop them, I even heard some killed pretty girls on purpose, so they can have sex with them later … when they are dead …’ - Wow … weird … and no one stopped them … ‘Not from the living, all feared them … all of them who … dared to … go free on their desires died in suspicious ways, but no one questioned this and no one dared to even go close, the whole place was burned down, and they weren’t named again.’ - But you just did. ‘I mentioned their existence, not their names!’ - Oh … so there are rules … ‘Yes!’ - Written somewhere maybe …. In the books? ‘No … they are whispered, by the spirits of the dead, they come in riddles … and everyone decodes them in their own way.’ - What about you? Someone whispering you something? ‘No, becau …’ - … because you are the Chosen One, and your father was some ancient god, whose presence you felt while reading an forbidden old book of “how to talks with Ancient Gods” … btw, you didn’t answer to my question, about Cthulhu? - Wanna call in The Nameless Cityand ask if he is home? - Am, no, maybe another time. Hey, give it back! … put my phone down … hey, I mean … why is the book flying … no … NO, YOU ARE NOT CALLING IN THE NAMELESS CITY, you hear me … BEL!!! ‘QUIET! … see, he wasn’t home … why are you crying, I didn’t call Cthulhu, I called Mr. Lovecraft … but he wasn’t home either …’ - Jesus Christ, Bel, Mr. Lovecraft is long dead … don’t do this again! What if something happens … what if someone answers … what if … ‘I know he is dead, probably drinking margaritas with The One C and it’s not my first time it … it’s my father … what, you think I didn’t tried calling him, among the other Gods … why you thing I brought you back, you are my perfect ticket, now I have the power to … “call” the VIP line of the gods … and I intend to!’ - I am scared! ‘Don’t be, I’ll protect you ... NO HUGS, OR I’LL CALL AGAIN, THIS TIME FOR REAL! ... and don’t freaking slam the door, it’s falling apart anyway ... Ugh!

___________________

@diyunho @rhina988 @nikkitasevoli @auntiemama1 @wolfgirl1074 @sookieblack12 @lady-grinning-soul-k @lylabell2013

[humansareweirdsedition]

Humans Are Weird: Women’s Edition Part V

We last left off with Cyborg, Jay’va, and their crew trapped in the hangar control room after the hangar doors disappeared when the lights returned. What caused this you ask? Just read the story.

Part I >> Part II >> Part III >> Part IV >> Part V >> Part VI >> Part VII >> Part VIII >> Part IX >> Part X >> Part XI >> Part XII >> Part XIII >> Part XIV

Jay’va stared out at the hangar, watching as its walls bent with the pressure change. The ship rocked again as the hangar walls collapsed. Her mind was numbly aware that the hangar was reaching an equilibrium with the low pressure of outer space. She couldn’t even feel her three stomachs drop.

Sish. Sish. Sish. Her mind continuously cursed their situation while her body worked mechanically. She was ordering the others to don their lightweight EMUs, helping them dress and check their oxygen saturation levels and air filtration systems. We need to evacuate the crew and contact Murakami. She needs to know the current situation. I doubt the outside sensors are functioning in the Comm Tower. It’s likely they are navigating like a Boolov without its sense of taste.

“This is just perfect,” Jay’va muttered as she and Cyborg helped each other don on their own EMUs. “Everyone, stay in pairs and head to the main level. We’ll catch up,” Jay’va reminded the crew as they began climbing up the ladder to relative safety.

“Okay, you’re all set, Jay-Jay,” Cyborg affirmed as he fastened the last strap to her suit.

Jay’va confirmed, “You’re all set, too, so let’s get outta heeeeere.” The ship rocked again as the hangar walls got closer to the control room. And again, Cyborg caught her before she fell.

Pushing her upward, he hurried her up the ladder. “C’mon, Jay’va. Hurry.” The urgency in his voice betrayed his usually cheery demeanor. She looked down at him once she was on the above level, holding out two arms for him to take.

But then came the crack. An audible, anxiety-inducing crack. The type heard in human horror films. The type that meant something horrible was about to happen. Jay’va knew better than to look for the source of the sound. She knew better than to hesitate. She knew better, but she was a boolov sometimes. It was unfortunate that today was one of those sometimes.

The one-hundred-percent-pressure-of-outer-space-proof window of the control room had a tiny metal fragment wedged in it. It was a sliver of a metal. As small as Cyborg’s small toenail. It was a tiny piece of metal with a freaking giant crack surrounding it.

Her brain had not finished processing the situation before she realized she was yanking Cyborg up with all her strength, but it was already too late. In that moment, the window shattered and decompressed the room. Everything in the room, from the monitors to the bolted chairs, were being torn out.

Jay’va winched as Cyborg cried out in pain as wires from the torn monitors wrapped around his legs. It’s either Cyborg loses his only remaining organic leg, she thought, or we’re all gonna get dragged out of the ship. The stark realization sent a new burst of energy through her body as she and the others fought to pull Cyborg to safety.

However, in spite of their best efforts, of her best efforts, it didn’t make a difference because of Cyborg. It didn’t make any difference because when Cyborg saw the situation for how it was, even if it took only five, ten seconds, then he would act on it for the good of his crew. For her own good.

And he was making good for them. “CYBORG, DON’T YOU DARE LET GO! DON’T YOU DARE DON’T YOU DARE...DON’T YOU DARE LET GO OF ME!” she screeched, desperately gripping her best friend, her very, very, very, very, very best friend. Their crew screamed at Cyborg, all playing a cruel game of tug-of-war with him and the pressureless void of space.

But that idiot best friend had different plans. That idiot best friend slipped out of her hands. That selfish, idiot best friend just had to say her name, “BYE-BYE, HEEETTTHHH–––!”

“CARTER!” Jay’va lurched forward for him, but Gigi’ish and Xavier pulled her back into the ship, and away from the hatch.

Jay’va hadn’t realized, not after Gigi’ish and Xavier pulled her away from the now closed hatch and half-carried, half-dragged her down the hall, that she was shaking uncontrollably. Cyborg was gone. Gone. Dead. He was dead. She was so stupid. A Melvinian pebble was smarter than her. She hesitated. She did the stupid thing humans in movies always did. She hesitated. She looked for the danger. She should have pulled Cyborg up and not looked back. She should have done it. She would have saved him. She could have saved him. Why didn’t she save him?

Thinking about it made her furious at herself. Her shaking subsided into a series of curses at the world and physical abuses against the ship. “I COULD HAVE SAVED HIM. WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T I? FUCK!” She wailed as she incessantly kicked the wall. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. FUCK.

Why did he have to save her? Why did she have to go up the ladder first? She was more expendable than him. She didn’t have three beautiful little girls at home waiting for her. She didn’t have a family that loved her to bits; a family that would fight for her and protect her the way they fought for and protected Cyborg throughout his life. Why did it have to be him? Why? Why? Why?

“SNAP OUT OF IT, COLONEL JAY’VA!” The sting of Xe’x’s backhand finally grounded her. “You couldn’t have saved him even if you wanted to. Col. Matthews was just that kind of person. You know that. We all do. Did... We all did.” Xe’x sighed, dismally staring at the floor.

Numbly, Jay’va took note of her surroundings and bowed her head in shame. She let her personal feelings interfere with the now. With her duties. She was a colonel of the Voyager Moana, not an ordinary civilian. She had values to uphold and impart. She was an example for others to emulate.

But she also was a H’hish who desperately missed her best friend and felt responsible for his death.

Squaring her shoulders, she swallowed her emotions and faced her crew. Just her and them. “Please forgive me for showing such an unsightly side of me, and please continue to look towards me for leadership. I promise I will not allow my emotions to overwhelm me like that again,” she apologized, humbly bowing her. She didn’t expect them to have the same degree of respect for her as they did before, but she did have hope they would continue to follow her.

Xe’x took her six hands in his own. He was usually a crotchety H’hish, but he wore an empathetic gaze she was unaccustomed to. “We know you miss him, Colonel. We all do. It’s okay.” It wasn’t okay, but the two dozen pairs of eyes that gazed back at her affirmed it was okay to be devastated. It was okay.

Taking in several deep, shuddering breaths, Jay’va faced her crew with a calmer mindset. “Let’s move. We have to find Murakami.” And to further illustrate the necessity of their mission, the ship once again violently rocked. “Hurry.”