#and 'out of shape' is a bug where a gem can drop in the wrong shape letting you fit things like a blood atk up gem to a radial slot

[neproxrezi]

found some of what might be one of the rarest items in bloodborne! like the betrothal ring, old great one coldblood can only be found in a handful of chalice dungeons and i'm not even sure if you're meant to be able to find it. this stuff gives 50,000 echoes on use and there's an item in the code that would reward 100k but it's unobtainable (along with the tier 3 guidance caryll rune)

glyph: v3krwpyp, it's a fetid rotted cursed pthumeru ihyll four-layer dungeon. other things of interest include a wandering pthumerian elder boss on the second layer pre-boss bonus area, some yahar'gul enemies spawning in the third layer's pre-lantern bonus area, and a shadow of yharnam guy in the fourth layer's main level. scattered across the fourth layer are four old great one coldbloods! find them all :3

i suppose technically the rarest drop in the game would be a super specific bloodgem, probably an out-of-shape waning Cursed Nourishing Damp Blood Gem from the merciless watchers that gives 23.6% all atk up and stamina costs down 2.9%

[junghoseokwife]

Merfolk in a Manhole 2

Merman! Yoongi, Merman! Seokjin, Merman! Jungkook, Merman! Jimin, Merman! Taehyung, Human! Namjoon, Human! Hoseok Human! Reader Summary: After getting kicked out of your apartment, you moved in with your parent close to the beach. Digesting as much salty air as you had, you became restless going to the beach to relax. A rather harsh wave smashed onto the beach bringing seaweeds a buttload of fishes and a hideous fish man with big bug eyes and webbed hands or was he a beautiful, sculpted tanned merman who needed help to find his friends? Paring: OT7 x reader Wordcount: 2.7k A/N: Sorry it took so long and I have been trying to get the hang of tumblr so please bear with me editing mistakes. Thank you for all the comments on the first chapter, I am never satisfied with my work so seeing you all like it makes me excited for more.

Your legs weren’t carrying you as fast as you wanted. You wanted to be as far away as possible. The financial stability you had been pining for had just been flushed down the drain and you were just so overwhelmed. You were never the most athletic of the bunch but today you could prove yourself wrong. The only sounds you could hear was the wind whipping against your body. You furiously tried to breathe, but the air was knocked out of you with every step you took. Your vision was collapsing on itself with the lack of oxygen that was entering your lungs. Your body shook violently as you round the corner of the street a little too late slamming your foot on the red and white traffic pole. The minor injury did not slow you down at all. You kept running the harsh pavement heating up under your foot, becoming a pain to move. Your name echoed through your head, your body jolting backwards slamming into a hard surface. You winced in pain as the adrenaline left your body, finally feeling the weight of your situation and the open wound on your leg .You watched the cars zoom past, too busy to care about the pedestrians waiting to cross; this foolish crusade of yours could have ended badly. The arm that had pulled you back tightened around your wrist. Your eyes scanned the road in front of you before looking up at the owner of the hand. “Hoseok” The drive was suffocating. Hoseok had not said anything after he bandaged your wounded leg and dragged you into his car. He tossed his now damage groceries, that he had dropped to chase you, into the trunk. Your anxiety peeking through as you nibbled at your fingernail. He looked through the rear view mirror letting out a disapproving sigh. “Stop that” He motioned for you to take your finger out of your mouth which you did reluctantly. He refocused on the road leaving you to your own devices once again. You decided to look out the window, small trees and dried grass was all you could see for miles. Crossing your arms you allowed the wind to blow your hair not minding the way it whipped your face. You had concluded Hoseok wasn’t carrying you home and you could not be happier, but a little knowledge on where you were going would put your mind at ease. You didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment, but knowing Hoseok and you weren’t on good terms made you queasy so you did the only thing you knew would melt his heart. “Hoseok?” You whispered putting on the best puppy eyes you could “No” He deadpanned not even looking at you. You scoffed; leaning back into the seat “Rude” you whispered under your breath missing the way Hoseok had to bite his lips to contain his smile.

..........

“Wow!” Your voice was louder than you expected on the quiet beach. Hoseok had hauled your injured self out of the beach and dragged you onto the sand. You made a small snail trail that would be helpful if you got lost wondering the beach which wouldn’t be unlikely with how excited you were. You’ve never seen the ocean in your life; your parents never liked the salty air or the sound of the waves. They wanted to live in a wealthy area not ‘some fisherman’s village’ and you just never had time for recreational activities. The aquarium at work could not compare to the vast ocean and long beaches. You sat down, unable to walk anymore with your injured leg. The sand was warm under your skin, sighing contently; you looked at the water eyes reflecting the scorching sun that bounced of the ocean. Everything was serene Everything was beautiful The sand crunched under Hoseok’s weight, you didn’t pay attention to his persistent poking to busy soaking up the view that you might not see again in a while. You really should visit the beach more often. Hoseok was fed up with you ignoring him like he had done to you through the whole car ride. He spun the soda can, now full with condensation, trying to find the coldest area. He smiled devilishly as he placed it onto your skin. You quickly jolt back hissing in surprise, quickly slapping Hoseok on his arm before he had time to flee. He fell into fits of giggles when you grumbled, rubbing the your skin to heat it up. “Namjoon told me about what happened” He sobered up rather quickly opening the can and handing it to you. You swung the can into small circles, slushing around the soda in the can. You hummed as you took a sip, peeking over the can waiting for Hoseok to continue. He also seemed to be waiting for you to say something or at least to give a different reaction if the deer in headlights look on his face was anything to go by. You cracked a smile taking another sip before putting the can down. “Is that why you took me here then, to cheer me up?” “No. I wanted to see you in a swimsuit.” He leaned in a little causing his breath to tickle your face. The serious look on his face caused you to splutter a little. You made a disgusted face leaning back to put distance between both of you. Hoseok’s laughter sound like music to your ears. He returned to his former position, finally taking a sip from his own drink. Hoseok and you had developed a flirty relationship over the years; you both would either reciprocate or reject the other person advances. This type of friendship came out of nowhere but you had no problem with it. “You should move in with your parents. If you get kicked out I mean…” He rose from the ground dusting the sand off his clothes. “They’ve probably been waiting for you to go home for a while” He held out his hand for you to take pulling you off the beach. “I know” you whispered, picking the cans off the sand. “They’re just -”A sigh escaped your lips as stacked the cans ontop of each other following after your friend to the car. Your parents weren’t bad people they just weren’t ready to have children, and it showed. They always kept you at arm’s length, like you were an acquaintance. They would control your social circle deeming Hoseok not worthy to be your friend and that you should get married to Namjoon for connections to his family. “I know…” He smiled sadly “But it’s been years. They are old now. You can leave if it becomes too much.” He turned around taking the cans from you, resting them into the cup holder. You grunted deep in thought. What if he was right? Could they change? You looked back at the beach for the last time as the car started driving. You missed it already.

“Hoseok wait!!” He slowed down the car; you ignored the confusion all over his face as you popped the door open running far down the beach. You ignored the pain that surged through your body, probably reopening the wound on your leg. The sand clung to your feet like it was trying to stop you from where you were going, you stumbled a little before scooping the item in your hand. You turned around to the street giving Hoseok a thumbs up. Following the trail you made earlier in the day you clambered into the car closing the door. You held the item closer to your chest, contented.

..........

Packing was all you seemed to be doing nowadays. Your possessions seemed endless with the need to rest cutting in ever so often. You looked at your still bandaged leg frowning a bit. The leg had gotten infected when you underestimated the severity of the injury giving you a well overdue hospital visit. Hoseok refused to make you continue packing since you needed to ‘rest according to doctor instructions’. He was correct but your rest time prolonged your packing. You had the whole week to pack up and move out which you thought was more than enough time since you had the help of Namjoon and Hoseok, but they had been at work for majority of the week, so most of the work fell on your shoulders. Despite your lack of communication, you were thankful that your parents had paid for the damage to the apartment, saving Namjoon and your wallet from the burden of a lifetime. You decided to rest, wobbling over to your bed. You looked around your almost barren room spying the item you had picked up from the beach. It collected the sunlight in your room separating them in small rays illuminating small areas off the room. You weren’t sure if what you picked up was a seashell, it was shaped like one; if you put it close to your ears you could hear the sea but it looked like an aquamarine gem. It looked so fragile you didn’t dare to take it up after you accidentally dropped it earlier in the week. You have been thinking about making it into a necklace. Warmth spread around your chest whenever you looked at the seashell, you weren’t sure if it was a memory of your time at the ocean or because of how beautiful it looked just sitting on your bedside table. You taped the final box, bending backward to stretch your back. You let out a pleased groan when the muscle loosened. You looked at the clock, just in time you thought. The boxes were already lined up at the front of your apartment waiting for the moving truck. Namjoon had texted you, sorrowful that he couldn’t be there to help you move out. He was just so endearing you couldn’t be mad at him. You sat down on one of the boxes, checking the time. “Any minute now” You grumbled staring at the phone like it would cause time to speed up. When the sound of feet approached you, you quickly got up from the box to give the movers space to do their job. But the sound of your name caused you to look away from your phone. “Mom?” Her eyes were glassed over as she took in your form. You guess that happens when you haven’t seen your only child for years. She covered her mouth choking on her tears a little before turning to your father. They really aged gracefully. The fine lines and wrinkles on their face gave them a softer appearance than what you were used to. They looked like grandparents, kind and wise. You could imagine your mom baking cookies and your dad making a fool of himself trying to help her before she kicks him out of the kitchen. ‘Imagine’ “Mom” She teared up repeating what you had called her. “I’m so sorry, my daughter” Few words had to be spoken to know what that meant. How deep it cut you? You might never know, but the tears streaming down your face had said enough for your parents. The movers quickly stacked the boxes into the truck not sparing a second glance at you and your parents tear eyed and red faces, probably to not make you uncomfortable. After finalizing the move with you the men returned to the truck transporting everything to your new residence. Your father started off in the direction of their vehicle not saying anything to both you and your mom. Her watery smile struck you in your heart, she clasped her frail hands. “Let’s go home”

..........

“Mom!!” She placed a hand over heart still not used to the term of endearment. She wasn’t sure how she went through most of your life not liking the term. She hummed, still stirring the porridge she turned to look at you. You were clinging onto the door frame for dear life having woken up early to go to work. It would take an hour or two to reach but you didn’t mind. You ha adjusted nicely into your new home despite it being a couple days. Your parents had tried their best to make you feel welcomed, correcting their past mistakes. Asking about Hoseok and Namjoon ever so often, trying to integrate your friends into their lives.

“Have you seen my wetsuit?” Before your mother could answer, your father was at the door handing your wetsuit to you. He didn’t say anything as per usual, walking back to his chair on the front porch to overlook the sea. You folded the warm wetsuit placing it under your arm; he must’ve hanged it outside on the line for it to dry since you were too tired to do it last night.

“Thanks dad” You whispered. He grunted as a reply waving you off to get dressed.

Old age does change how someone perceives life. Your parents seemed to value a more peaceful, simple life. Unlike their younger selves who wanted money, business and connections. Now your mom went fishing with your father, she hummed songs as she planted flowers in the windowsills or baked for the children in the village a mile or so from the beach where you reside. The beach house was rather beautiful perched on a cliff, surrounded by shrubs and coconut trees, which mom always had use for. She would experiment making grater cake or coconut pudding allowing you to be the taste tester. Ideally you’d have wanted a father just as openly doting as your mother but this was fine. He took care of you in silence, behind the scenes, washing your wetsuit or suddenly not being hungry when only one portion of lobster was left. If you refused and told him to eat it he would leave the table and sit in his chair overlooking the ocean, forcing you to eat the last piece or it would go bad.

Placing all your belongings into a draw bag you pecked your mom on the cheek and your dad on the forehead before making your way to the bus stop. Your parents had insisted you use their car but your lack of driver’s license would make that impossible.

.........

You, Hoseok and Namjoon were the only ones at work. What irked you more was the lack of work you were getting. The tenseness in the air was palpable as you munched on the snacks you found in the fridge. Namjoon looked too sick to eat picking at his food ever so often. Hoseok was trying to sleep which remain unsuccessful. The lunchroom door opening startled all of you to varying degrees. Seeing your boss march through the door you pulled your hand from the fridge taking a cup of coconut pudding with you. Namjoon was alert while Hoseok sluggishly sat up, fatigue settling in his bones.

“You’re eating more food?” You bossed cocked an eyebrow in your direction. The question sounded normal; as eating before doing your job, which mostly involved swimming wasn’t the best idea. But you understood what he was insinuating, he ‘teased’ you alot. You shoved another spoon of pudding into your mouth to avoid confrontation. Seeing he wasn’t going to get a reaction, he cleared his throat deciding to talk about the matter at hand.

He placed a flyer on the table. One you had been seeing for a while now, on every surface they could fit.

A photoshopped picture of a mermaid sat at the forefront. Around the image were words saying this was the newest attraction for the aquarium. The aquarium wasn’t running low on funds so you didn’t know the need for a stunt like this. It didn’t matter to you, the more the merrier. You could ask them how they managed to hold their breaths so long or swim so gracefully.

“You and you” He pointed to both men in the room. “I need you to train them.”

“You” He pointed to me, seemingly taking in my current condition of being unable to swim he thought carefully about the task. “Reward them if they deserve it; punish them if they deserve it.

The already quiet room fell into a deafening silence.

“They’re arriving in a week or so, so be prepared.” He pulled his phone from his coat pocket, dialing someone before making his exit. Leaving all of you to rationalize what he had said, because mermaids were only mythological.

They didn’t exist.

[pushspacetocontinue]

Furious Blades

A story for Russell’s Pokemon Verse, for how he ended up losing his right arm and subsequently getting a replacement. Some violence in this one, but yeah. Also, it’s long, you’ve been warned.

It was just meant to be a quick walk from one route to the next. Russell had made sure to check the map and he was confident that he would be able to get to the next town without much trouble. 

Russell had been moving swiftly, but carefully, his hands tucked into his pockets and his ears peeled for any signs of danger.

“Sir!” a young man’s voice caught his attention, and Russell turned his gaze onto the new person. The red uniform was recognisable. 

“You, you want a battle?” Russell asked. It was what they usually wanted. They often found themselves bored on the job. 

“No, sir. Not now. But I can see why you would assume that,” the ranger replied, “We really need you to turn back from this area. We have a swarm of Scyther moving through the route and due to it being their mating season, they are hostile to passers-by. While we can recommend watching from a distance, you’ll need to take the alternative path so you’ll be on the higher levels, this way.”

The man gestured, and Russell nodded. 

“Th-thanks,” Russell said, as he started to follow, “That’s…” 

But then a scream erupted in the air; unmistakably a human’s. It was shrill and high. The shout was followed by the frantic shouts of a name.

“Molly!” 

“Molly! You have to get out of there!”

Russell’s eyes widened in alarm, and he pushed past the ranger without any hesitance. Through the bushes, he could already see a young girl, no older than ten, was surrounded by the Pokemon. Her curly blonde hair had leaves and twigs in it. The colour had drained from her dark face, leaving it a greyer shade. 

She must have slid down the steep dunes by accident and ended up right in their midst. Judging by their glares, they were far from happy. Molly didn’t appear to know where to look, but she knew the danger she was in.

“Oh no…” the ranger only said.

Russell didn’t think anything else. His feet seemed to carry him forward without any thought. In a swift sprint, he had reached Molly just as the closet Scyther swung its blades.

He ducked, and took Molly in his left arm as he did, never stopping in his movements at all. 

“Hold, hold on tight!” he instructed. Molly instantly did as she was told, and put her arounds his neck to better support herself. 

If he could get back to the ranger, he could hand over Molly and then hopefully get Thor out to defend himself. A good power gem from Ampharos would surely send the swarm packing. 

But the Scyther were fast, even with the element of surprise he had given them, and they were now out for his blood. 

Russell met eyes with the ranger, and he seemed to realise his plan. But then a Scyther suddenly landed in front of him and swung its blade. Russell found himself lifting his right arm instinctively to protect his face. A thud hit his ears, but he barely registered it. 

He couldn’t go to the ranger. He instead took off running in the opposite direction. 

Molly let out another high pitched scream.

“It’s, it’s gonna, it’s gonna be okay,” Russell said, between pants. 

“Your arm!” Molly wailed, pointing. 

Russell glanced back. His eyes widened and his blood turned to ice when he realised that his own arm was indeed on the ground. He found himself looking at where it should have been. Just below the elbow, it had been severed entirely, and the stump was heavily bleeding.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! 

He couldn’t give up. One more look was spared as one of the Scyther impaled the disembodied limb on one of its own. It waved the arm, as though to taunt them, before chopping it into slices. Russell knew what it was saying; they were next. 

Not if he could help it. 

But no matter where they turned, it seemed that more members of the swarm would block them from going anywhere. Eventually, they were back where Molly started; at the bottom of a steep dune that they had no hope of climbing up. 

“D-damn it. They, they were, they were herding us like, like Mareep…” Russell said, as he panted.

“They’re smart enough to do that?” Molly moaned.

“Looking like it,” Russell said, as he carefully put Molly down. 

“Don’t let them hurt me,” the little girl said.

“I, I won’t,” Russell said, as the swarm drew closer around them, “G-get behind me.”

“You’re, you’re looking bad,” Molly said.

She wasn’t wrong. Russell’s face had grown considerably paler, and his movements were weaker and heavier as he tried to move. His hand was shaking, and sweat had formed on his upper lip. 

“I’m, I’m fine,” Russell said. 

He had to get Thor out of her pokeball. She was their best chance to escape. Russell started to reach onto his belt with the hand he had left. But one of the bug Pokemon darted forward and swung its blades across his chest, leaving an x-shaped tear in his clothing and skin. The pain was unbearable and Russell staggered backwards a few steps from the force of the blow. 

The belt was cut, and his pokeballs scattered around his feet. He quickly dropped to his knees to find Thor. There was still a chance. But then his heart sank when he realised the button of one must have been pressed by accident.

Hestia, the smaller Larvesta, was far from his intended Pokemon to use.

“H-Hestia,” Russell’s words were a struggle to push out of his mouth, “It’s, it’s okay… get, get back in your ball… it’s, it’s gonna be okay...” 

The rest of the Scyther were still approaching, and the one that had attacked him was rubbing its blades together. The wings on the others vibrated, making a sinister buzz ring through the air. 

Hestia seemed to be staring the creatures down. On hearing Russell talk, she briefly turned her eyes to him, taking in his condition. Russell made a move to stand up, holding up the empty ball. 

“H-Hestia, re-” the command to return died on his lips when the smaller bug was suddenly cloaked in a harsh white light. Her shape changed and she grew larger. A harsh heat enveloped the air, and the light became fire before she emerged anew. 

Hestia had evolved. The larger moth-like creature flapped its wings. Its small limbs twitched, and it blinked once. There was a brief lull, then it fired the attack it had been preparing. Flames shot out from its wings, covering all in front of it in a wave of red fire. Grass was charred, the heat was almost unbearable, and the Scyther got the brunt of the blast. 

When it faded, all the Scyther around them collapsed. The only few that there were left standing had the sense to flee while they still could. Hestia watched them go, only then turning around when she finally heard her beloved trainer fall to the ground. The grass below him rapidly started turning red.  

“M-Mister…” Molly’s eyes were filling with tears as she stared down at Russell’s unconscious body, “Please wake up… please…”

Russell groaned as his eyes slowly opened. He blinked when the ceiling lights met his eyes. What the hell happened? Russell slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. He was in a bed, hooked to a machine to monitor his vitals. His bag had been placed on a table nearby. 

Russell gasped when he saw what was left of his right arm. The memories came flooding back in an instant. The little girl in the Scyther pit. He had run to save her. Then Hestia had evolved to save their lives!

“Hestia... I owe her…”

But then the door opened and a doctor walked in. Her eyes widened when she saw that Russell was awake. 

“Mister Tolbert. Good to see you’ve come around,” she then said, before carefully checking his limb, “It looks the Alomomola mucus has done well to heal the residual limb as well…”

“Y-yeah…” Russell said, ignoring the itching he felt beneath his elbow. Phantom limb was bound to happen, “How, how long was I out? Is, is the girl okay? The, the girl I, I went to, to help…”

“Yes, Molly is fine,” the doctor replied, “She was very shaken up, but ultimately unharmed. And you were out for three days. It was touch and go. You’re very lucky to be alive.”

“Y-yeah,” Russell said.

Mom’s gonna be pissed… I was meant to be challenging the league in a week. I’ll have to ask the staff not to let her in.

But then Russell was brought out of his thoughts by a knock. The person didn’t wait for an answer and walked in. 

The man was dressed in a very smart suit. His eyes were a warm brown, as was his skin. His hair had been slicked back with gel. He was carrying a long case as well.

“Oh wonderful, you’re awake,” he said, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, Mister Tolbert, about my daughter, and how you very bravely rescued her. I’m Marlon De Vulkner.”

“Um, n-nice to meet you, Mr De Vulkner” Russell said, “And well, I um, I just did it because I had, I had the chance, even if, if it didn’t go to plan…”

“Your Volcarona was very brave in the end, and so were you,” De Vulkner said, “But I wanted to find a way to repair you. You see, you might have guessed that we have a lot of money, and we have been working with Macro Cosmos in Galar, to produce new technology for trainers in need. We felt that perhaps along with helping with physical rehabilitation, that this will also help you along your way.”

He opened the box then, and Russell’s eyes widened.

“I can’t, I can’t accept this, it’s…”

It was perfect. The metal prosthetic had been crafted with utmost care. The arm would also fit perfectly for him. It had been crafted with the best tech imaginable and was practically flawless in design. The official logo of Macro Cosmos on the inside of the lid told everyone who had made it. 

Surely someone else would be more deserving of such a fine arm.

“It would be more than an honour if you accepted, Mister Tolbert,” De Vulkner added then, “It’s the very least we can do for you.”

Russell was silent for a while, his heart pounding in his chest. But then he looked up and nodded.

“All right. I would, I would love to, to have it. Th-thank you, Mister Vulkner.”

“You are more than welcome, Mister Tolbert.” 

[hollywoodhangar]

If you're alright with it, Elmer and Bugs?

the ultimate ship meme!

General:

Rate the Ship -   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! ♥ | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - Unless you erase one in DIP, they’re a love that’s not going anywhere. They’re old fashion and sweet like that, no matter the hardship. 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Biggest slowburn with a decade under the belt. Bugsy boy’s time for falling remains an enigma, but after ten years, Elmer started feeling genuinely hot under the collar and really did go red in the face when it came to Bugs. :’)

How was their first kiss? - Very sudden and very sweet over breakfast. Bugs has a way of dropping the affection fast and furious and out of the blue! 

Wedding:

Who proposed? - The Humble Hunter himself. It was a very, very bashful proposal where he kept iterating Bugs doesn’t have to accept it but Bugs shut him up and gave him a kiss before plopping that big rock of a ring on his fingers. And yes, it was a very extravagant ring, with the main gem an orange topaz shaped like a carrot. Yes this is a carat pun go away.

Who is the best man/men? - Yosemite Sam for Elmer, Daffy, Pepe and Porky for Bugs. :> Yosemite cried a lot and hid it behind his hat.

Who did the most planning? - Elmer did a little more than Bugs only because the Big Bunny himself understandably got wound up with work, but both have a big hand in the going-ons, and whenever Bugs comes home he’s happy to see what Elmer’s got cooking so far. uwu 

Who stressed the most? - I don’t think they really stressed this. They were a t eam tackling it together! Even when Bugs gets really tied up with work, Elmer honestly handles it just fine. Plus, Granny’s had her offer in to help since the beginning, so she’s right there beside him helping set everything into place. 

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 [modest but VERY pretty wedding in the garden] | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big. 

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Elmer has no qualms, but I’m sure Bugs has a few names on his list!

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - None! It’s aaaalll adoption! 

How many children will they adopt? - They get about four kids adopted, and are no strangers to taking on Bugs’s hundreds of nieces and nephews whenever their parents need a break. :D

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - They thumb war for it LOL. But they still have their maturity and when one is feeling a little too queasy to handle it, the other doesn’t mind taking over. It’s not a matter of “who” as much as it is depending on the situation and who is the best at winning a war.

Who is the stricter parent? - I guess Elmer? But he’s really soft. Still, Bugs does get cool parent points for being a lot more lax about things and a lot more energetic than Elmer. 

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Elmer, for sure. Bugs has a lot more confidence in the kids and wants to see what they can do! .. But that still doesn’t stop the automatic flight button to swoop in and catch the kids LOL.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Elmer’s always the first to do it! Bugs just kind of accepts Elmer’s got it covered, especially since he’d always tell his bun if he’s out of commission and asks him to do it instead.

Who is the more loved parent? - Bugs, for sure. Poor Elmer doesn’t stand a chance. xD

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Both! Unless Bugs is way too caught up in work.

Who cried the most at graduation? - Bugs, for sure. Elmer of course was shedding tears but Bugs was stealing the emotional parent spotlight and being the loudest one in the crowd, which is impressive considering it’s a graduation filled with toons.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Bugs is always the first by like, instinct lmao. He’s literally there popping into their cell and LITERALLY digging them out. 

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Elmer! BUT He likes the bonding of couplehood when Bugs joins in. It’s very sweet. uwu

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Hmm, I guess Bugs sometimes? I can definitely see Bugs being picky about food when the moment strikes, generally when served by a chef or waiter that hit the wrong button and triggered Mischief Mode.

Who does the grocery shopping? - Both do! 

How often do they bake desserts? - Regularly! Carrot cake is a constant scent in the household after Bugs moved in!

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Both! Salad wins out by half a yard though because Elmer’s always growing them greens in his garden and has been even before Bugs moved in. <:

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Oh, I can see this totally being a Bugs move and it makes Elmer melt every time. <3 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Bugs! 

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Bugs.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - They’re both pretty tidy. <: 

Who is really against chores? - Neither! It’s more of who’s too busy to do them, which can sometimes be Bugs, but I say sometimes because I imagine he’s actually very mindful of his surroundings and cleans up as he goes along.

Who cleans up after the pets? - No pets!

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Sometimes Bugs might try it but Elmer’s right there to go “nuh-uh.”

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Elmer, I think!

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Elmer. Bugs is the sort to just sometimes leave it everywhere. It stresses Fudd out to no end and he’ll gather what he finds and bring it to his bun only to be told to keep it. It’s honestly endearing to Bugs that Elmer never fails to bring the money right back to him lol. It’s cute. 

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Bugs! He likes his long and pampering bathtimes! 

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - They got no doggo! 

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - EVERY Holiday month. Bugs ends up getting into competitions with the neighbors and goes over the top while Elmer’s contently hanging up ghosts or setting up Rudolph on the roof, oblivious to the showboating going on behind him.. until the electricity in the neighborhood just shuts down LMAO.

What are their goals for the relationship? - Just happily coexist. Eventually they’ll get married and adopting some kiddos will be on the agenda, but for now it’s just easy-going and enjoying the ride. 

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - I feel like Bugs is all over this.

Who plays the most pranks? - BUGS BUNNY.

[fallout4holmes]

Nuka-World 3

Since we were meeting leaders, we headed to the one next door first. The Disciples called the maintenance area under Fizztop Mountain home, so we headed around to the employee entrance. The guard didn’t have any trouble seeing us, despite her face being completely covered. “Watch yourself, ‘boss,’” she threatened, “cuz we sure will.” Holmes did not deign to comment.

The inside of the mountain was the typical sort of decor I expect from raiders, but the Disciples took their fondness for dismembered body parts on pikes to an extreme level. It was one of the more unsettling locations I’ve been in, and I once followed Holmes through a serial killer’s art studio. The person we were here to see wasn’t going to ease that sensation.

A woman with a bit of a drawl to her voice was talking to another woman wearing a bladed helmet, like an apocalyptic valkyrie, while a man in a spiked helmet stood to the side. All the Disciples kept their faces hidden at all times, and these three were no exceptions, the helmets doing the job instead of hoods and masks.

The gist of the conversation was that the Disciples weren’t too pleased with Gage’s plan and choice of new leader. The lady in the bladed helmet said they were giving Gage one last chance, and if this scheme of his didn’t work out, she’d kill him. No wonder the guy was eager for Holmes to be on board, his life was counting on it.

Holmes approached the valkyrie after she dismissed the other two. “So,” she said. “You’re Gage’s little pet project.”

Great start.

“If you mean I’m the one he tricked into becoming your Overboss,” Holmes said with a warning tone, “then yes.”

She shook her head, “The Overboss title doesn’t mean anything. Hasn’t for some time. Everyone knows Gage wanted Colter dead. Of course, if I’d had my way, it would have been a slow and painful process. But whatever.” She sighed, “Let’s get this meet and greet over with. I’m Nisha. I lead the Disciples.”

Holmes introduced himself, last name only, and decided not to mention the synth standing just behind his shoulder. That was fine with me; I wasn’t in any mood to chat, and the more mystery we could keep around us, the better. At least until we had something resembling a plan.

Nisha was calm and smooth, with an edge. Seems the Disciples only had one rule, to keep the peace of this little alliance between the gangs, which really just meant “don’t get caught.” Nisha was smart enough to know that her odds weren’t great if her people had to fight two rival gangs at once. Otherwise, she figured rules went out the window when the bombs dropped.

Holmes disagreed, “The world needs rules. Otherwise, we’ll never recover.”

“Rules are dangerous,” Nisha countered, “because people start to trust them. Colter thought some sort of rule or code would make him untouchable, but he found out he was wrong—the hard way.” That sounded like a problem of ego instead of rules to me, but I doubted she’d appreciate the difference. "Although I could give him a little credit,” she continued. “He built the Gauntlet after all. Of course it was total shit at first, no imagination, but we spiced it up a bit.”

She was pleased with herself. Holmes was not amused. “How many lives has the Gauntlet claimed?”

She shrugged, “Who’s counting? At least enough to keep the traders busy. We like to send them in to clean out the bodies whenever things get ripe in there.” She smiled, savoring the fact. “They don’t always make it out alive, of course. The Gauntlet never sleeps.”

She was trying to get under Holmes’s skin. Hell, she got under mine. But Holmes is nothing if not practiced at keeping his emotions in check. “Impressive,” he said flatly.

Nisha seemed amused. “I may let you keep that pretty head of yours on your shoulders after all. I just hope Gage is right about you. He made a lot of promises to get us here and never followed through.” Her voice sharpened, “So you better not screw this up, because I’m not about to tolerate another round of bullshit.”

Holmes raised an eyebrow, “I assure you, I am the very best at what I do.”

“Disciples don’t make idle threats,” she warned. Maybe sensing she was alienating a potential enemy, she backed off a little, made the case for why Holmes should help the Disciples take over the park instead. The Operators are spoiled brats, the Pack are a bunch of animals, the stuff you’d expect rival leaders to say about each other. Finished her speech with a gem; “Do right by us and everyone in the Commonwealth will know your name.”

Holmes almost laughed. “They already do. However, I will consider your proposal.”

That wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. “Aren’t you sure of yourself,” she huffed. “Well, consider this; how much do you value your life?”

“You’ve made your threats perfectly clear,” Holmes didn’t quite roll his eyes but he obviously wanted to. “I’ve yet to meet the other leaders, but you’ve given me a great deal to think about. Do you mind if I look around?”

“Of course not,” she said, back to quietly pleasant. “See what we do here. If you decide you want to help out, come find me.” She headed up the ramps winding up to the top of the mountain.

“Charming woman,” I muttered. We had a look around, scoping out the place. Didn’t find much except confirmation of the Disciples’ sadism. I ain’t the kind to ever wish harm on another person, but I was getting pretty damn close to making an exception for those people. We made our way out, back into the welcome sunlight.

Heading south through the park brought us to the Parlor next, a former dinner theater turned headquarters for the Operators. We’d overheard a couple Disciples ridiculing the Operators for caring about things like personal hygiene, which was a mark in their favor in my book. Add the fact that according to Gage the Operators cared most about caps, and I had the idea that a couple centuries ago these people would have been right at home in the mafia. Or the stock market.

A guard wearing armor over a suit stood outside the door, “You can head on inside, Overboss.”

We found a handful of Operators idling in the theater’s lobby, chatting or smoking a cigarette. They all eyed us curiously, but kept to themselves for now. Holmes stopped us just outside the open doors to the main hall. Just out of sight, someone was talking, and it didn’t take long to figure who the gossip was about.

“Sorry, boss. All that’s turned up is that he’s got that Pip-Boy on his arm.”

“So,” a woman spoke, “our new Overboss is a vault dweller.”

A different man from before added, “Or an iced vault dweller.”

Holmes and I shared a look. Had they heard of Holmes? Gage had made the Minutemen connection, but Holmes being on ice wasn’t always a detail folks were aware of. The woman considered this, and dismissed the messenger. We took our cue to make our entrance.

A platinum blonde with armor over a plaid suit stood by the stage, a bearded man next to her in the same sort of armor over a fancy suit of his own. “Well,” the woman said as we approached, “I guess we all owe you for taking down Colter.” She looked straight at me, kept her face neutral (which isn’t something most people can do the first time we meet), and ignored me. After some further critique of the former Overboss, she asked Holmes what it felt like when he killed the guy.

"How did it feel when I killed a madman in an electrified suit of armor trying to kill me?" Holmes responded. "I suppose the same adrenaline rush and ensuing relief that comes with any fight for my life."

It wasn't the answer they were looking for exactly, but the lady moved on and finally got around to introducing herself. "I'm Mags. This is my brother, William."

"Pleasure," he said like this was anything but. The feeling was mutual. Something about these two bugged me, a fragment of a memory just a bit too hazy to make out.

“Along with our co-conspirator Lizzie,” Mags continued, “we run this crew. We call ourselves the Operators.”

Mags’s big pitch was that the Operators were interested in one thing; money. Their methods were a touch more bloodthirsty than what the founders of Nuka-World had in mind, but what better place to make all the caps you can want? No lunatic bloodlust or animal instinct, just cold rationality and a willingness to do literally anything to make a cap.

“Then let me assure you,” Holmes said, “that enabling trade is my primary concern here in Nuka-World.”

That answer pleased William, but Mags was still skeptical, and rightfully so. Still, she said she was looking forward to it and told us to feel free to look around and speak to her if we were interested in lending a helping hand. So we looked around. Holmes wanted to meet their co-conspirator. Me, I was still wondering where the hell I’d heard the names Mags and William Black before.

The old dinner theater wasn’t in the best shape, but it could have been a heck of a lot worse. We found Lizzie in the kitchen with a chemistry setup. A quick glance through her terminal revealed a series of disturbing experiments on some sort of “persuasion formula.” Get settlers to do anything you tell them to, and I mean anything. Also made the connection of where I’d heard of them before.

“Valentine, these people lived in Diamond City,” Holmes looked at me like I’d been hiding this fact.

“Yeah, I see that.”

“You don’t remember them?”

“The names seemed familiar, but I haven’t been able to place them. Would have to have been decades ago, I’d think.”

Holmes’s curiosity had been piqued, so he set about trying to find more information. In typical Holmes fashion, he decided the most efficient way to do that was to break into the only locked door in the place.

It was Mags and William’s room. I wasted no time looking at the terminal while the nosy “Overboss” made sure no one gave us any trouble. Mags had a handy list of players in the park, details on all the gang leaders and people to be aware of. More interesting to us at the moment was the holotape from her mother on the desk.

“Now I remember!” I said. “The Blacks were an Upper Stands family, twenty years or more ago. Maggy and Bill were rowdy terrors, ran around with their friend Lizzie causing trouble. They were exiled when one of their classmates was found… well, it wasn’t pleasant.”

“Come now, Valentine—”

“Let’s just say I’m not surprised they turned raider, alright? Mr. and Mrs. Black left town soon after their kids were exiled, scared for their lives. My guess is they could see their children’s vengeance coming. Lizzie Wyeth… don’t remember much about her folks, if she had them, but she always seemed like a real smart kid. Guess she put that to use.”

“Then they must know who you are, surely?”

“That’d be my guess. Wonder what they make of the old synth from back home they used to make fun of, running around with a vault dweller.”

“I’m not in a particular rush to find out,” Holmes said and we made a quick exit back to the park.

“I’d like to talk to some of the traders next, if possible,” Holmes said as we walked. “I don’t think I can take interviewing the leader of the Pack just at the moment.”

“I don’t blame you,” I chuckled, “but I doubt the traders are going to make for cheerful conversation either.”

We headed to an enclosed space in the courtyard, which graffiti informed us was the market. Inside we saw stalls set up all along the walls, the familiar shouts of traders a little bit like home. Or they would have been, if it weren’t for the red light on the collar of every single one of them. Their customers were a handful of travellers who had somehow managed to make it here and pay whatever price necessary to not get killed. Raiders watched from scaffolding in the middle of the market, making sure business went smoothly. We made our way around, more to see the state of the traders than any interest in their goods. Came across a handyman named Chip who’d been in Nuka-World so long he wouldn’t know where to go even if he did get free. He talked about restoring power to the old park. After being here for twenty years, he hoped to get her running again somehow. It was kind of inspiring and damn depressing all at the same time.

Then we found the clinic. Dr. Mackenzie Bridgeman used to live in a settlement west of the amusement park. When Overboss Colter offered her a deal—work for him and he’d leave her settlement in peace—she agreed. The doc was naturally curious about the new guy in charge, and took a leap of faith when Holmes let slip he wasn’t too pleased with his new position. “Then this might be your chance to make some changes around here.”

“Such as?” Holmes asked.

“The gangs that call this place home are already at each other's throats.” She leaned closer. She couldn’t have looked more conspiratorial if she tried, but none of the raiders on watch seemed to care. “Now, you could risk your own neck and try to keep them from tearing each other apart, or you could do the right thing and put them in the ground. When it's all said and done, you're still running this place from your fancy house on the mountain over there. Except now, you won't have to sleep with a gun under your pillow.”

Holmes regarded her quietly for a moment. “I think you have the wrong idea about me, Dr. Bridgeman.”

Poor lady nearly had a heart attack, “Okay, okay, I get it boss…”

“Holmes, could you not terrorize the locals?” I scolded.

Drawing attention to myself had the intended effect; she was too startled to be scared. Holmes, for his part, was doing that sigh he does when he realizes he’s been a jerk. “I wasn’t trying to. Dr. Bridgeman, I fully intend to make the ‘changes’ you suggest, however it will not be for the purpose of ruling unchallenged from on high.” He waited for a raider to pass, and whispered, “I simply want to help if I can, and go home. Any advice you can give to help me do that would be appreciated.”

The doc breathed in relief, “Oh. Good. Well, if you're serious about this, then you'll have to take down the leaders of the gangs. That means putting a bullet into Nisha, Mason, Mags and Mags's brother, William. Once you do that, the gangs will collapse and Nuka-Town goes back to being a free trading post.” She looked around nervously, “I should uh, probably stop talking about this out here.”

Holmes smiled a little, “I think that would be wise, doctor. I make no promises, except that I will see what I can do.”

"Kill the raider leaders, restore power to the park for the traders," I muttered as we left the market, "sounds like a plan."

Holmes scoffed, "Not much of one.

“Heck of a lot better than what we had before.”

He smirked, “A fair point. It is progress, at least.”

Up next was the Amphitheatre, where the Pack was based. The guard informed us that “Mason’s been waiting for you,” and in we went. At this point, we felt ready for just about any variation on raider the park could throw at us.

We were not ready for a zoo.

Shouldn’t have been a surprise, really, with the Pack’s penchant for animal masks and costumes, but I definitely did not expect to see a caged ghoulish gorilla, a two-headed gazelle… and people. Dogs, mongrels, and mole rats walked around free, apparently tame, while a cage fight went on to spectator cheers between a dog and a mole rat. Watching over all this spectacle from his throne on the amphitheatre’s stage was the man that had to be Mason.

“Now that I get a good look at you, not sure I’m buying this new Overboss thing,” the mustachioed raider said. It was kind of hard to take him seriously in his furry pants and vibrant facepaint, until you remembered that there was a cage full of humans just across the way.

“I’ll send you my resume and references,” Holmes drawled, tired.

“The fuck’s a resume?” Mason demanded, then changed his mind, “Don’t matter. Name’s Mason, The Pack’s Alpha. This here is our side of town. You might be Overboss, for now, but I’m the boss of the Pack, and it’s gonna stay that way. Long as you don’t go forgetting that, we’re gonna be fine.”

Mason at least didn’t sound like he was giving us a sales pitch right off the bat, just questioning the new guy and a little show of bravado. He was also willing to talk a little about Gage and Colter, and made pretty clear that everyone knows Gage is the power behind the throne, and no one is happy about it. Holmes did ask eventually what exactly the Pack had that the others didn’t, apart from their fashion sense. Mason’s answer? “The Pack are the meanest sons of bitches you'll ever meet. We do whatever it takes. And we're fiercely loyal. The Operators will cut your throat as soon as they get what they want out of you. And the Disciples? Who the fuck knows what those crazy bitches want. There's something wrong with them. And you just can't trust someone who ain't willing to show you their face.”

I thought his opinion was probably on the mark, which was a surreal feeling. Always good to keep in mind that folks are often a lot smarter than they look. The last meeting of the day finished, we scoped out the backstage area of the amphitheater for the sake of thoroughness. The Pack’s living area was decorated with colored lights and animal trophies, a fine alternative to human body parts. Apart from the yao guai in a cage with three dead people around it.

By now the sun was setting, so we headed back to our, uh, quarters. Gage was waiting in the Overboss’s bar, and headed straight over to the lift when he heard us coming up. “You’re back, good. So—”

“Mr. Gage,” Holmes was in no mood, “I have just endured a day of kidnapping, fighting for my life through an obstacle course of deadly traps, and spending the entire day engaging in conversation with people I would rather see eaten by a deathclaw. I am going to sleep. We will discuss your plans in the morning.”

Gage didn’t like it, but he didn’t protest. I followed Holmes into Colter’s former quarters, and wondered if the man had been suffering from some sort of hallucinations when he decorated.

“You’ll stand watch?” Holmes asked as he removed the bulkiest pieces of armor.

“You have to ask?”

He smiled a little, “No. But I do anyway.”

I put a hand on his shoulder, let him come to me. Behind closed doors, he could let it all go. Fell against me, held me as close as I held him. I still have to fight back the fear that I’m gonna hurt him, metal isn’t made for cuddling, but it gets easier every time. “We’re gonna get out of this, partner,” I whispered.

“Of course we are,” he said with a hell of a lot more confidence than I think he felt. “It’s simply far more exhausting than I expected.”

“The hard part’s still to come.”

He sighed, “We’ll see what Gage expects from me next tomorrow morning, and make our plan from there.”

I kissed him lightly, and nudged him toward the bed, “Rest up. I’m watching over you all night, just like always.”

He managed to fall asleep eventually. I did exactly as I promised.

[yuki-setsu]

12 Days of (Lance) Whumpmas! - Day 9 [Broken Limbs/Bruises]

yay for broken limbs but i also broke.. other bones... :’) 

Crystal Venom is actually one of the few episodes i’ve seen from season 1 and it was GREAT... which is where this story came from yay for glitchy Castle that turns evil

part of the 12 Days of VLD Whumpmas hosted by @vldwhumpmas2017! you can still submit up until january 7th (rip my late ass), so check out more info on the challenge here if you want to participate!

Lance didn't usually train on his own. The team had plenty of group training exercises to cover for most practices, and he preferred winding down in his room after long days. But sometimes, he found himself on the training deck for private sessions. He still needed to carry his weight as a Paladin, after all.

Today, it was target practice. Mostly just shooting at moving gladiator bots before they got too close. He figured it wouldn't be a long session, opting to just take his hoodie off and shoot instead of having to change into his armor completely. Even still, he kept steady throughout, occasionally dodging a gladiator that dove forward to strike as he felled one after another. Seeing the hole open up and swallow each bot that he struck accurately brought a nice sense of satisfaction. He kept at it for two or three levels before he grew exhausted, his arms sore from staying in the same position for so long.

“Ugh. End training sequence.” Lance groaned, dematerializing his bayard and relaxing his arms once the last bot disappeared. He was probably done for the day. Might as well duck out before he risked running into Keith here. That guy was obsessed with the training deck.

Lance headed towards the doors, bending to grab his hoodie and shrug it on. But then he heard a slight thud behind him, and Lance turned around to catch a gladiator bot marching towards him, sword at the ready. He barely had time to dodge the bot's broad swing, tripping backwards onto the floor as his bayard clattered out of his hands.

“What the—” Lance scrambled to his feet, ducking from another attack. “Uh, hello?! I said end training sequence!”

The bot didn't shut down like it should've, instead charging once more, its gem an ominous red. Lance yelped, running for the doors and into the hallway, the bot close behind. Crap, he never picked up his bayard. How the heck was he supposed to fight an armed bot with his bare hands? He was pretty sure only Shiro could manage that on his own.

“Guys, need a little help here!” Lance shouted, running down the hallways in a full sprint. He chanced a glance behind his shoulder, spotting the bot just a few feet behind. “Castle's trying to kill me again!”

Seriously, where was everyone? More importantly, it was getting obvious that Lance wasn't gonna be able to outrun this thing. Maybe if he could just get rid of the sword... He'd have a better chance of not dying.

Lance skid to a stop, turning around and sidestepping the sword as it swung into an arc down at the ground where he previously stood. The swing was so powerful that Lance felt it from the wind that whisked by his face. Jesus, it wasn't holding back at all.

He didn't hesitate in lashing out a powerful kick at the bot's hands in the hopes of loosening its grip on the sword. It only managed to get one hand off before the bot swung the freed arm up. Lance got his hands up in front of his face in time to block the blow, his arms stinging as he stumbled back with a gasp.

There wasn't any time to recuperate, and Lance caught the swing of the sword again, ducking his body down enough to prevent himself from getting sliced in half. One more time. He waited until the bot stepped too close again, baiting it into swinging its sword back down. It was a simple feint, and Lance was ready enough to dive backwards in time to catch the sword slam its blade onto the floor in front of him. He twisted around, putting even more strength into his kick as he did so. This time, he was successful in kicking the sword out of the bot's hand, and it clattered against the wall before dropping onto the ground.

But before he could even consider trying to make a grab for it, the bot dove forward with a speed that was way beyond the typical gladiator bot he'd been fighting. A sudden force—the gladiator's arm, it turned out—slammed against his chest and sent him crashing into the wall. For a second, Lance's vision went completely white before he felt himself hit the floor.

Lance crumpled onto his side with a cry, trying—and failing—to take a deep breath. He couldn't, it hurt to even get out a shallow breath, let alone a deep one. His vision swam, shapes and figures still trying to reorient themselves in his mind. Maybe he got lucky that he landed not too far from where the sword fell. He reached out an arm, ignoring the way his body screamed at the movement. But before he could get any closer, a foot slammed down on his arm, and Lance could literally hear the bones crack at the force. He definitely screamed this time, the sound ripping its way out of  his throat. It hurt, shit, it hurt so much. Black creeped at the edges of his vision, and he was desperate to just fall unconscious at this point.

The floor rumbled, and Lance distantly heard someone yelling before the gladiator disappeared, tackled to the ground by a large figure. Lance couldn't tell who it was, but all that mattered was that someone came. The ground vibrated with slams and heavy footfalls of a fight he couldn't see, and Lance groaned at the slight waves of pain even that sent through his body. His hands lay loose in front of him, trembling every time he tried to move his unbroken arm towards his chest to assess the damage. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, it was so hard to breathe.

And all of a sudden, the vibrations stopped. Lance didn't have to wonder who won for too long, because the next thing he knew, Hunk was in front of him, a hand grabbing at his shoulder. Lance choked out a scream, and Hunk's hand disappeared in an instant, his voice slowly starting to trickle back into Lance's ears.

“—nce, what happened?! I heard your screaming and—Wait no, that's not important right now.” Hunk rambled, hands floating helplessly in front of him. “Quiznak, your arm... Are you injured anywhere else? Talk to me, buddy.”

“My chest,” Lance gasped, trying to focus on Hunk's face. “I think my ribs...”

Hunk paled. “Your ribs? Oh God... Can I check your chest real quick? Let me see where.”

Lance couldn't manage a reply, but Hunk reached out anyways, gently pressing his fingers against Lance's front. When he grazed on an area slightly lower, a strangled cry forced its way out of Lance's mouth, and Hunk's hand disappeared as he apologized repeatedly.

“Crap, I'm so sorry, I just... God, it's already bruised pretty badly, too.” Hunk glanced down the hall before he ducked towards Lance, gripping at his uninjured hand. “I'm gonna go get Coran. We need to get you in a pod fast. Can you hang on for just a few more ticks?”

Lance stiffened in alarm, his mind going hazy with pain at the movement. “W-wait, don't leave...”

“I'll be right back.” Hunk added, frantic. “I'll send the others to where you are before going to Coran. I promise. You need to get help right away. I'm sorry.” Hunk squeezed Lance's hand tightly one more time before he ran off.

He wasn't being abandoned, but Lance still felt terrified of being left alone in the hallway. What if another bot activated and came across him? What if someone didn't come in time? His chest throbbed, and Lance bit back a sob. It hurt so much.

And then the ship shuddered, the lights in the hall flickering and dimming for a few seconds before it went back to normal. Lance felt his already short breaths quicken at the sight, panic blinding him. Something was wrong with the Castle. There had to be. He tried to sit up again, almost blacking out at the strain.

“Lance!” Someone was yelling his name, and Lance slid open his eyes again. Shiro flew into his line of vision, crouching down in an instant. “Hang on, Hunk and Coran are coming.”

To be honest, it was a relief to see Shiro after the paranoia he was going through. Lance tried to shudder in another deep breath, a whimper escaping when he couldn't quite make it again. “The Castle... Something's...”

Shiro lifted a hand, gently carding his fingers through Lance's sweaty hair. “I know. There was a glitch from a bug that got through Pidge's laptop and it messed with some of the systems. She rebooted some of the Castle mechanisms just now so that she could fix it.”

So that was what happened earlier, with the flickering lights. If it was fixed, Lance was glad.

Shiro glanced briefly at where the gladiator must have fallen, a dark expression on his face. He looked back at Lance. “Hunk told me you might have broken ribs,” Shiro said, wincing. “Can you try taking in a deep breath? You might get a chest infection at this rate.”

“I—I can't... Shiro...”

“It hurts, I know. They'll be here soon. You'll be okay, I promise.”

The floor rumbled with footsteps again, and Keith appeared behind Shiro, panting. “They're not here yet?”

Shiro glanced up. “No. Don't worry, they're coming.”

“His arm looks... What about his ribs? How bad is it?” Keith pressed, staring at Lance in a way that was so concerned it was almost unbelievable. “What if it punctured something, like his lung...”

“Gee, thanks.” Lance managed between gasps. “So comforting.”

Keith had the decency to look guilty at that, shifting his weight impatiently from one foot to another. “Sorry. You're gonna be fine.”

Lance wanted to laugh, but he was pretty sure he'd actually faint if he did. Pain thrummed in his chest and he shut his eyes again, doing everything he could to prevent himself from making a noise. It worked, but it was exhausting. When he opened his eyes again, Shiro was busy staring at him with thinly veiled worry while Keith paced in the back.

“What's taking them so long?” Keith grumbled.

Shiro shifted his hand from Lance's hair and moved to wipe away some stray tears instead. “Hang in there. You're doing so well. We'll get you healed up in no time.”

Lance couldn't do anything more than lay there, his body trembling with both pain and exhaustion. He was glad to feel the floor vibrate again with footsteps this time, Hunk and Coran's voice booming down the hallways. Shiro moved aside for them as Hunk apologized to Lance for taking so long. They had trouble finding something similar to stretcher to carry him on. But everything would be fine now, because they'd get him into a pod ASAP.

The struggle to get Lance onto the stretcher with as little movement as possible was agonizing, but the shaky ride to the medical bay was not great, either. But the thought that he could close his eyes soon and let the pain fade away once he got into the pod was what kept him going. And once he felt the familiar cold creeping up his body, Lance let sleep take him.

When Lance stumbled out of the pod, he was surprised at the thin build of whoever caught him. Definitely not Hunk. Or Shiro. Not even Keith. His eyes blinked open, more than a little surprised to see Allura holding him up. He backed up a bit too quickly, staggering as Allura helped steady him.

“Do you feel alright?” Allura asked, eyes wide with concern.

Lance pondered the question, trying for a deep breath. His lungs stretched to their full capacity, and he relaxed at the sensation. His arm was moving fine. Nothing hurt this time, which felt unreal given the pain he'd been feeling not too long ago. He glanced up at Allura, a slight grin on his face.

“No offense, Princess, but I think your Castle has it out for me. This is like—what—the third time it's tried to kill me?”

Allura frowned, guilty. “Lance, I'm so sor—”

Lance's eyes widened, and he lifted his hand, waving it quickly. “No, I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything! My terrible CQC skills are to blame. It was a joke, honestly.”

Someone enveloped him into a hug, and Lance inhaled a mouthful of Hunk's clothing before he was released. “You almost dying isn't a joke, dude.” Hunk moaned. “It scared the heck out of me and everyone else.”

Lance felt someone else burrow into his side with a hug, and he looked down to spot the top of Pidge's head.

“It was my stupid fault you got hurt.” Pidge said, words muffled against his hoodie. “I'm sorry. I should've paid more attention when I was transferring stuff from my laptop.”

Lance grinned, ruffling her hair. “Aw, you do care. I'm all fine now, honestly! It's okay.”

Pidge didn't budge; if anything, she squeezed him harder. Lance coughed awkwardly, the somber atmosphere starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. “Seriously, you guys are acting like I actually died or something. How about we go to the kitchen and talk about something fun while I eat? Because I'm starving and would like for everyone to go to sleep on a happy note.”

“You truly feel all better?” Coran piped up, a worried crease in his eyebrows.

Lance blew out a breath. “I swear I am. Heck, I bet I could spar with Keith right now and take him down one-handed.”

Keith rose an eyebrow from where he stood a few feet away, arms crossed. “Seriously? You?”

Shiro finally cracked a grin, gently extracting Pidge from Lance's side (she still opted to walk closely next to him though, like a protective puppy—Lance found it adorable) and leading him towards the doors. “I think we've had enough sparring for today. Let's get you something to eat.”

Lance laughed. “Whatever you say, bossman.”

When Lance finally got into bed after his late night snack, it was with a relieved sigh. This day was something he was glad to get over with. He probably wouldn't be doing another solo training session for a while, though.

[mercuriallycooperative]

Holy toast it has been literally over two years and I was so certain I’d posted these! But they’ve just been sitting in the back of my draftbox for some reason, presumably because I didn’t get them done in order. Now, I am like two years behind on Steven Universe episodes, but before I get all caught up and decide whether or not reactions and rewatches are something I want to post, here before you is a blast from the past! By which I mean, my thoughts while rewatching/reacting to a Stevenbomb from two years ago. The below text remains completely unaltered from how it has been sitting, complete, in my draftbox for two years.

Day Three of the Stevennuke!

This one has some fun stuff in it, doesn’t it though?

Week 1/Episode 3 of Summer of Steven (Wednesday, July 20)

Too Short to Ride

1) Okay it had to be pointed out to me, but Peridot’s consistent “Wow, thanks” as a reaction to being given gifts, after Steven told her that’s how human-gift-giving-rituals work, is so precious.

2) Okay, so who else is majorly sympathetic to Peridot here? Most of us internet-folk, suddenly losing all the technology and access to media (including any familiar written works) to which we’ve become accustomed, we’d be in pretty dubious shape.

3) Peridot with a Twitter, a Tumblr, a Youtube account. Oh dear. (Anyone else notice some of the other icons on that tablet of hers? Peridot with Tinder, that’s a recipe for I don’t even know what. Although, the interesting point was made that, although it’s possible those were apps preloaded onto the tablet, it could mean that Greg was looking into, what, dating services?)

4) “I really like this. But it’s a shame it doesn’t come attached to your body...” Peridot, makeshift-smartwatch user.

5) And, what the hell anime/cartoons has Peridot been watching, to do that, that, transformation-sequence-sound-effect thing when displaying her velcro tablet-holder?

6) Peridot having to take the time to parse the phrase “hang out” is interesting- like, it raises the whole ‘what language do gems even speak on Homeworld and is there translation weirdness or what’ question.

7) Okay, the arrangement of that Funland sign weirds me out. Like, it’s a big arch, but it seems like it was drawn flush with the wall/booths behind it? And Steven, Peridot, and Amethyst didn’t have to go under it to enter at all? I may have just missed prior examples of how it was drawn, but it’s just kinda weird.

8) Okay, but actually, with that height-restriction sign, Peridot isn’t actually that short. Like, it looked very much like Mr. Smiley sort of, patted her head a little too hard when compressing her hair, because it looked like she was not standing at her full height. I dunno, how that scene was drawn also kinda just bugs me.

9) What got Steven’s last lifetime ban revoked?

10) Mr. Smiley needs some hired help. Preferably sooner than later, because having someone that sleep deprived watching over most of the dangerous rides at Funland is pretty not good.

11) “I’m not falling for that one again.” Do you mean people have tried to use the excuse of Onion setting the roller coaster on fire before?

12) Still paying off the last lawsuit might actually be the reason for the understaffing, actually.

13) “I also do not steal Steven’s clothes when he’s not looking.” Uh-huh. Sure you don’t.

14) “Um, excuse me, but you’re wrong.” Peridot didn’t need much in the way of social graces in any sense that resembles Earth-Western-Human back with Homeworld, did she.

15) I really like how Amethyst hears Peridot’s bitter talk about shapeshifting and it being an insult to your intended form, and then just is like, bro. Tell me the truth, now, something is up with you. Because yeah, actually, the deflecting thing is something they do have in common.

16) Why did Steven try to shapeshift a cat finger if he knew it would freak him out?

17) Manual activation of shapeshifting powers. That’s one of those ideas that could seem good at first glance, but is, in fact, less good. Peridot’s intermittent deadpan “Ow”s support this.

18) I can see where Peridot’s talk about being an Era II Peridot, and therefore somehow less-than could get to Amethyst, given the whole “overcooked runt” thing.

19) And like, she made a good point, at least about the ‘We don’t care about you because of who you could be, we care about you as you are’ thing.

20) That all being said, there were a few problematic points about what she said- not least of which, a few that were a little hypocritical. Remember all the way back in mid-season-1, where Amethyst was all, I-only-feel-how-I-want-to-feel? The extension of that was that other people couldn’t dictate how she felt- even if she was modulating her feelings with potentially unhealthy behaviour. But here we have Amethyst (giving advice she would have given herself, true), trying to tell Peridot how to feel, about herself and the things she’s lost or the things she’s not. Trying to say that how Peridot is feeling right now is incorrect. It’s done with the best of intentions, but it is still rather not okay.

21) Correspondingly, as well as it did end up turning out, what with Peridot finding out about her metalbending powers, it was super not okay for Amethyst to be trying to take that tablet away from Peridot. Like, on several levels. Like, on a surface level, there’s the fact that the tablet was a gift. And gifts mean things to folks, and even if maybe the gift itself isn’t being super good for a person, the emotion maybe attached to it is important.

Secondly, the tablet is Peridot’s. If you respect a person at all, you need to respect their stuff, their right to have stuff. Peridot’s not a prisoner, and she’s not a child even if she can act like one. Heck, with Steven as a point of comparison, we wouldn’t even expect anyone to be policing his possessions at all. (And on that, note, even a child should have the right to their own stuff, a right to some personal boundaries). Peridot came into alliance with the Crystal Gems with nothing of her own. Her tech was demolished or dropped into the ocean, and that’s really all she demonstrably held as her own. Her tape recorder is gone now after the attempt to patch up with Lapis. But we saw the extent of what she considered hers and of value when she was trying to find a gift for Lapis. She has Camp Pining Heart DVD’s and whatever she’s made recently of the barn. That tablet is like, one familiar thing, and one of a very few things she even owns. It’s not okay to try and take that away.

Thirdly, it’s also not up to Amethyst to determine what Peridot does and does not need to cope with the new turns her life has taken. It’s not up to anybody but Peridot- it’s not up to anyone but themself to know what they do and do not need for their mental wellbeing. Maybe they ought to have help now and again, maybe advice, maybe some Serious Discussions. But trying to run someone’s life for them under the assumption that that’s what’s best is not a thing that ought to be a thing.

And last (although this one is perhaps slightly less of a concern, and also I feel like I’ve forgotten a point), Amethyst is stronger than Peridot, almost certainly. We’ve seen Peridot is less strong than Steven, and I feel like we’ve seen in the past Amethyst is as strong as or stronger than Steven. More than this, as someone who’s been a Crystal Gem for so much longer than Peridot, it’s entirely possible that in Peridot’s mind, Amethyst is still in some level of a position of power over her. Like, obviously at this point Peridot is well trusted, after that business with the Cluster and Yellow Diamond. But It’s quite likely that in Peridot’s mind there’s the lingering fear of ‘If I make Garnet or Amethyst or Pearl angry at me they might throw me out I may lose their trust I may lose their friendship’. Whether it’s warranted or not, it’s not an unlikely train of thought, and while honestly I wouldn’t expect it necessarily to occur to Amethyst, the physical strength thing, I wouldn’t expect her to not notice. Peridot couldn’t have won that tug-of-war for the tablet, not if Amethyst was really as intent on taking it as it seemed- Peridot either doesn’t have or doesn’t know how to access (as the episode tells us) any or all of traditional gem powers, such as shapeshifting, that might have equalized her lack of physical strength. Amethyst was, in essence, acting on someone who couldn’t fight back. That whole scene, honestly, has some undertones of bullying in it.

Like again, it ended well enough. Peridot has metal powers. She won herself that alien toy. (But notice also, that Amethyst stopped trying to toss the tablet when Peridot demonstrated those new powers. If she really thought the tablet was that bad for her, then why did she stop? Or was that one moment of Peridot being happy with herself enough to convince Amethyst that it was all cool now? One way or another, I’m really not happen about Amethyst’s reasons regarding this. Even with the best intentions. And honestly, I get the impression that some of that was Amethyst losing her temper, more than anything else.) But still, there were some things. And I hope they’re at least a little addressed at some point- at the very least, as an extension of the question of Peridot’s limb enhancers and how Amethyst ‘lost’ them.

22) The shorty-squad thing at the end was pretty cool, though.

[tinbutterflies-blog]

Steven Universe: Tricks and Treats

PREFACE: I wrote this for Halloween two years ago, and drew a piece to go with it…but I’m still not finished with the art lol. MAYBE SOME DAY. Anyways, enjoy the story!

***ONE***

“Yeah-ha! We look amazing!” The words spilled from Steven’s mouth so quick and loudly that it had caused Pearl to jump into the air with a start.

“Yes, we do look quite…unusual.” Pearl spoke curiously as she shifted her gaze from Steven to the mirror, giving herself a turn while she examined the ripped and frayed material of her crow-ballerina costume. “Are you sure that these, e-hem, outfits, are necessary though?”

With a nod of his head, Steven turned and looked at the group of Gems; Pearl the crow-ballerina, Amethyst the cat, Garnet the witch, and last but definitely not least: Steven the Jack-O-Lantern. “I’m positive, Pearl. This is exactly the what the point of Halloween is: costumes, scares, and -lots- of candy!”

“Well, if you say so…”

“Yeah Pearl, don’t be a party-pooper.” Amethyst chortled and patted Pearl’s back with a large paw, receiving an irritated look from her in return.

“I am not…pooping…on this party.” She retorted with a cringe, which gave Steven and Amethyst a good laugh. “I just think we look a bit strange is all.”

“I think we look awesome.” Stated Garnet matter-of-factly, flashing a smile down at Steven. “I also think we should probably go if we want to get to that haunted house on time. It’s open for another two hours and ten minutes.” She turned and pointed to the alarm clock next to Steven’s bed; the sleeves and tail of her dress whirled around her wistfully.

The clock read ‘6:50’ in red letters.

“Crystal Gems.” Garnet turned back to her group, and headed towards the door. “Let’s head out.”

***TWO***

The streets of Beach City were filled with all manner of creatures and costumes from Onion the Devil, DracuLars, and even Ronaldo the Snerson. There seemed to be excitement in the air no matter where they were at, and Steven was catching it like a bug.

“Trick or Treat!” Shouted Steven and Amethyst as they reached the doors of The Big Donut, holding their candy buckets out to Sadie.

“Oh, hey guys.” She smiled as she dropped a handful of candy into each of their buckets. She was covered in head to toe with fur; werewolf fangs completing the look. “Nice costumes. Can’t go wrong with a Jack-O-Lantern.” Sadie laughed gently.

Steven piped up.“You know what else you can’t go wrong with?” Sadie shrugged curiously, and Steven thrust his hands from the eyes of his costume; his fingers had transformed into wriggling little worms. “WORM FINGERS!”

Sadie laughed again. “That is pretty neat, Steven. Oh hey, didn’t you say something the other day about going to the Funland haunted house?” He nodded and she continued. “Well, it is already pretty late, you better get going if you want to arrive there before closing.”

“Good idea.” Added Garnet from behind Steven and Amethyst.

With a quick wave goodbye, the group was off to collect more candy before their stop at Funland - Amethyst had already emptied the contents of her bucket into her gullet, devouring wrappers and all.

Steven made a 'tsk’ sound as he shook his head. “I just don’t see how you don’t get a stomach ache.”

“Heheh, what’s a stomach ache?” Amethyst belched, and opened her mouth to speak once more, only to be interrupted by Pearl.

“Excuse you.”

Amethyst waved her hand at Pearl and sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Excuuuseee meee.” After an eye-roll from Pearl, she turned to look at Steven. “I don’t know why we never did this before, man. Free FOOD! Best day eva!” Amethyst shouted the words loudly as she reached into Steven’s bucket; the handful of candy she had grabbed going directly to her mouth.

“Hey!” Steven frowned at Amethyst. “Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you can take my candy.” He nodded towards her, and the smile returned to his face. “That’s okay though, because I still have plenty for now. You’ll just owe me some later.” Pointing a finger into the air, Steven added. “And because, Connie just introcuded me to Halloween. I wish she didn’t have to study. But Mrs. Mahe-” He was cut off by Garnet.

“Gems, we need to keep walking, come on.” She began walking; Funland was in sight down the boardwalk.

Laughing, Steven grabbed Amethyst and Pearl’s hands, dragging them behind him as he jogged to catch up with Garnet.

“I really don’t understand the point of this human holiday…” Pearl muttered as they went along.

***THREE***

“Oooh No!” Mr. Smiley crossed his arms as he looked at the group in front of him, his face utterly displeased at the sight. “Why should I let you into Funland? After the teacup incident?”

“Pleeeaaassee?” Steven pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, lower lip set into a playful pout. “I promise we’ll be good, and I’ll keep the gems under control.” This earned him an unappreciative look from Garnet and Pearl, and a giggle from Amethyst.

“Hmm..” Mr. Smiley pondered for a moment before he spoke. “Okay. I suppose. BUT - one more thing and the four of you are banned for -GOOD- from Funland. Now enjoy my haunted house!” His signature smile and cheer returned as he said the last sentence, gesturing with his arm for them to enter into a darkened, fog-filled room.

“Thank you!” Steven chimed. “Eheheh, here we go guys. PREPARE FOR THE SCARE!” He looked at the gems as best he could in the dark, a massive grin on his face.

“Awesome.” Amethyst said through another mouthful of Steven’s candy.

“We’ll see about this awesome.” Pearl huffed, following behind the rest of them.

***FOUR***

The haunted house was a maze of pitch black rooms filled with flashing lights, fog, and cheap thrills and screams.

Steven and Amethyst were thoroughly enjoying themselves; the latter of the two choosing to shape-shift into a few of her favorite ghouls and creatures. Even Pearl had been slightly frightened a time or two by an overly dramatic Jamie dressed as a zombie. Garnet didn’t seem to be bothered by any of the sudden screams or monster jumping from around the corner, but she did have a content smile on her face.

“Brains…BRAINS!” Jamie groaned the words as he limped down the hallway towards the group, arms extended infront of himself. He even let a few drips of drool trickle down his chin.

Steven let out a goofy laugh, and Pearl rolled her eyes..until something out of place appeared behind Jamie; a Jack-O-Lantern head, moving at an alarming rate towards Jamie and the Gems. The head was propped on top of tentacle-like vines, serving as its legs and thrashing wildly about.

“GEMS!” Garnet yelled, slamming her fists together as her two gauntlets materialized onto her fists. “SUMMON YOUR WEAPONS!”

Pearl and Amethyst followed suit; Amethyst reaching to the gem on her chest and retrieving her whip, Pearl to her forehead to pull out her spear.

Jamie, now confused beyond belief, began to back up.

“Stop!” Pearl held her hand up to him. “Don’t move or you might draw the creature’s atten-” An inhuman screech drowned out her words and one of the tentacles slammed into the terrified actor, wrapping around his waist tightly. With a sudden jerk, the creature hauled Jamie into the air and dangled him there. A frightened wail erupted from his throat, and he began to flail his arms around his head.

One of the tentacles whipped towards Steven, his arms lifting above his head as his rose colored bubbled appeared around his body in an instant. Garnet had also leaped forward at that same moment, knocking the vine away with her fist; the green extremity crashing into a wall, dust and rubble flying everywhere.

While Steven hurriedly moved to a safer spot, Amethyst had cracked her whip, rounding up a majority of the monster’s legs with perfect aim, and slammed its thrashing body into the floor. A loud crash the and an animalistic squeal filled the room.

Pearl had rushed in by then, cutting away the vines that had been imprisoning the still-screaming, and crying, Jamie. Her spear neatly sliced him free in a single fluid motion, followed by her picking him up and dropping him off where Steven was nestled behind a few dislodged floorboards. Steven lowered his bubble as she set the blubbering actor down.

“Now just stay here you two, it’s safer!”

While Jamie sat looking dazed and confused, Steven cheered for the Gems, another tentacle rushing their way through the midst of the fight.

“Woah!” Steven summoned his shield from his gem, deflecting the attack away in the nick of time. “Woohoo!”

With a violent outburst, the monster finally broke free from Amethyst’s whip, scrambling towards Steven and Jamie, floorboards flying and lights crashing to the ground.

“Pearl! Try to pin it to the floor! Amethyst, try to corral its legs again!” Garnet’s voice penetrated over the commotion of the battle, and Jaime’s screaming.

Amethyst and Pearl both managed to successfully pull off their attacks, and without another word, Garnet jumped towards the head of the beast; her gauntlets collided into the Jack-O-Lantern and it poofed away, leaving a corrupt gem in her hands.

“Job. Well. Done.” She stated the words individually, bubbling the gem and sending it back to the temple for now. Compared to the cacophony earlier, the room was now starkly silent.

“We did awesome guys!” Steven cheered, his voice echoing in the room as he helped Jamie to his feet and looked the horrified man in the eyes. “It’s okay. You kind of get used to it after a while.”

Eventually, everyone was smiling, even Jamie.

“Yeah! We kicked BOOTAY” Amethyst placed her hands behind her head and chuckled.

“You know…” Spoke Pearl, her voice tinted with amusement. “That was pretty awesome.”

The group erupted into laughter, everyone, aside from Jamie, nodding in agreement and heading towards the exit.

***FIVE***

“WHAAAT?” Exclaimed a devastated Mr. Smiley, his hands clasped to his face, mouth agape, and head shaking. He scanned the room and the adjoining hallway, taking in all of the damages. “You four are -done- for -good- this time.”

“Aw, come on man, cut us some slack. We could have left the place looking like a complete dump.” Amethyst shrugged nonchalantly, a grin spreading over her lips.

“Yes, Amethyst.” Pearl remarked. “We could have left it looking like your room.”

“Hey, my room has ~Feng shui~.”

“That’s enough, Gems. It’s time for us to leave.” Garnet nodded to the the exit, then to Mr. Smiley. “Sorry about the damage.” She began walking to the broken door frame, but stopped as Steven yelled behind her.

“WAIT!” He threw his arm out as he walked over to Mr. Smiley, looking up at him. “Before you kick us out, can we -pretty please- get a photo at the picture backdrop? To commemorate our first Halloween.” Mr. Smiley crossed his arms arms over his chest, looked at the group, and nodded his head.

“And then you guys are out of here. I can’t have you causing any more damages to the place.” And with that he walked away, grumbling something about expenses.

The Gems all exited the building and made their way to a small patch of dirt a few yards away. The cheesy backdrop that Jamie had made was hung between two 'rotten’ trees; a few pumpkins, gnarled bones, and a tombstone were there for decoration.

Steven plopped onto his knees in the dirt, his worm fingers poking from the eyes of his Jack-O-Lantern costume. Garnet stood at his right. She set her foot atop a bone and held her witch broom in front of her.

To Steven’s left was Pearl, who looked completely naturally in the ballerina-esque pose she was striking. To her left was Amethyst, arms out at her sides and a grin on her face.

“Okay they’re about to take the picture, so everybody smile!” Steven beamed, looking side to side to make sure the other three were smiling as well.

“Now just pose for the picture, and say CHEESE!”

***END***

[ordersreality]

Gus and the Magic Jellybean

So, there is Gus, drifting through the woods, in his wolf-shirt, sniffing at the stench under his nose that seemed so interesting and offensive at the same time. He did not know what it was, or why it attracted him so much. He just wanted to understand what it was.

And eat something besides berries. Berries are good, don’t get him wrong, there. Best yet, they do not run away laughing at you when you hunt them. A wolf, however human, wants something else, too.

The mice and squirrels just laughed at his hunting skills. The birds either chattered and gossiped, or insulted him with more rude names. Except the jackdaws, who just flew in panic to their king to keep them safe. He tried to remind them that wolves cannot climb trees. This just as Gus dropped from a branch after a pheasant flew off.

The fish didn’t see him coming, with wolf paws that can hold those slippery little, ah, got you. That was a good day of hunting. What he really wanted, though, was a cure. If he had been cursed then could he get cured?

At least he had several clean nights of sleep without being awakened to do meaningless chores his mistress preferred her own children not have to worry about. Shame, that, they were in their twenties and still unemployed. How does that work?

The strange part, of course, he went to sleep in wolf-skin and woke up in boy skin. At first this was surprising–he could really turn back. Then, this was embarrassing, because his loincloth was loose, askew, and revealing. The beavers thought that was hilarious.

Gus thought that troubling, until he realized something. The animals did not mind about all that, not really. They didn’t wear anything they didn’t have at birth. Who else would worry about it, the trees, flowers, and nuts? So, he tightened up, listened to the grumbling in his belly–angrier than normal today–and enjoyed another feast of sour berries.

The sun dropped from the sky when the wolf side of him demanded his turn under the wind. Not that there was much of a choice, only drop his britches there or get them torn some more. So, he loosened the front and waited. Then wondered why his tail wagged like that. Was he happy? He never experienced much of that, so it was new.

Gus traveled east, the way that scent might be traveling. None need worry about why. It gave him something to focus on as he tries to survive.

The sun left longer shadows and the dusk painting the skies with her rosy fingers for the evening. Gus started looking for a river to wash in and a clean patch of sheltered grass to sleep on. He enjoyed the bath, and started rolling down a place to sleep on when he heard sniffling. The noise startled him, at first, fearing the mob had finally caught up with him. When he looked through the thicket, he saw a girl.

Well, not just any girl. She was crying. Really, she looked the way he felt. Um, if she were a boy, that is. Of course she wasn’t, and he noticed the differences quite quickly. She had already taken her cloak off, and was opening her tunic. Wow, he had never seen that, before. Yet the dagger stuck into the log she sat on created questions he’d never though of before. She wasn’t hunting, did not have anything to cut. Yet, he seemed to understand she was dropping her tunic to clear the way for trouble with that knife.

Ah, to kill himself. If he could pull it off, he would surely be free of the curse. Yet he felt sad for this girl. Why would she find this satisfying? What does she need a cure for?

How he could say any of that when he could only talk in barks, growls, whines and moans, he would not know. While he sat there thinking about that he watched the last finger of light peak through the clouds and shine onto a fancy looking bag resting on a tree stump. It looked like a sack filled with glowing jewels. It mesmerized him. He was just right to see it amused the girl, too. That gave him an idea. Maybe he could buy the knife with them, save her life, then use it on himself. Later, he could do that when his nature shaped his hands for it.

The idea gained a fresh spark as they looked on. Look at that cricket. He carried a bouquet of parsley and marigolds, singing a sonata for a girl. Well, any girl, really. Okay, not any girl, she had to be one that looked like his mother, mostly. He would sing, jump to a new place and sing some more. This time he had landed, you see, on the bag, kicking up some dust. He took in a breath and his sonnet rose to operatic quality. That made him happy. So happy in fact, he took another breath to sing a new chorus. And, um, disappeared, bouquet and all.

Okay, that was peculiar. Were the gems magic? The bug certainly seemed enchanted by them. Did he just vanish? Will he reappear?

Well, from her advantage the girl had other questions. She looked at something that filled her with alarm. So, he followed her gaze, and learned why. What he saw, a bit larger than he–and then counting the legs–was a gray and red colored spider, sipping on a cricket like it was a Bloody Mary, garnished with parsley and marigolds.

Terrifying as that was he decided to get that bag of gems and give it to the girl. Why? Well, he would never know sitting on his tail, would he? He had never felt this bold in his life. Like that scent that interested him so much, he just wanted to know what it was all about.

So, he sat on his wolfish haunches, tightened his britches, and took a breath. Why tighten his britches? So they do not get torn, thought I said that. He thought this should be easy enough. Just run up to the thing, snatch it up, and be out of there in no time. The spider was, after all, still eating, right?

Ha! He had never really dealt with spiders, not very much. All those eyes, trip lines, and a knickknack for ambush. His only allies would be a full stomach, and neither of them would have had one in a very long, long time.

Well, he crouched down, started at a slow, cautious creep he had learned from the town cat. He sped along, stopped, looked at the spider, then at the girl–who seemed less easy with the nearby wolf and the spider. Then, he would run, stop and look, run, stop and look again. Yes, my young gnome, that cat taught him so much he did not realize. Then, run faster, leap into the air, and wham! He missed as he stumbled over a trip line and tumbled into the nearby bushes. When he looked back, he could see the spider collecting her silk for mending.

She seemed just a little disappointed in the results, and crept into a hole under a log.

Did that mean she was giving up? Did they ever give up? Was food the only thing that distracted them long enough to catch them off guard? Could you catch them off guard? Did I mention the eyes?

Well, he spent a few minutes thinking about all of that, trying to get his courage to sprout and grow again.

What do you mean he should act his age? He is, I tell you! How brave were you in the presence of a giant spider when you were ten? I thought so. Gnomelings.

While he was there thinking about his choices, one presented itself to him. He was looking at his thoughts as if he had written them on his fingers. Yes, fingers, they weren’t quite wolves’ paws, nor quite like he could walk on two feet. He has fingers, though fuzzy, with long, curvy, black, dog-like fingernails. His thumbs dangled quite high on his leg, yet it still looked more like a thumb than a dewclaw. First, he picked up a twig. Then he selected a twig with some leaves, Then a rock. Tossing that was funny, because it leaned to the left of the tree at which he aimed it. Honestly, he did the same when he tried that a year ago when that cat still wanted him at home.

The experiment and exercise were a success. He looked up at where the spider used to be. They saw nothing. Then he turned to the girl, who was now very interested in the wolf who could pick up and toss a rock or two. He studied the bag of magic treasure. It rested on that tree stump. Next to the bag rooted a rusty ax with the ruined handle. All just as it had for many years, now. The ax did not seem usable.

He looked around, surveyed everything with his eyes; the trees, the shrubs, the sound of wind rushing through the coloring leaves above them. He took in the smell of humus, the snow on the nearby mountain peaks, the berries–that made his stomach grumble–the sweet smell of honeysuckle coming from the girl. That reminded him of the girl. She made his body tingle, his heart swell. He wanted to make her happy, just once. Don’t ask him. He does not know why. He’s only just become that old.

Again, he looked around. The spider’s nest only had litter and dusty webs all around it, no spider. He could see the ragged tatters of webbing throughout the drying canopy, but no spider. Yet he was sure she was there, somewhere, waiting. By now she surely knew about the girl.

He took one last inventory of the wooded clearing and ran for the sack. After so many days of walking and running you are bound to expect him to have mastered that by now. Honestly, he still had much to learn, though, given it had only been two weeks, and the wolf only gets out half the time.

He ran, his aim was good, he leaped, and felt a tug on his tail.

A tug, a jerk, and he was softly rolling into a patch of smelly mushrooms filled with human skelitons. He glanced back just long enough to see a lasso disappear into the tree above the stump, a fine selection of his tail hairs drifting free through the air.

He focused, cooled his breath, felt his heart pounding in his chest. He looked at the girl, the bag, the branches above the stump. Gus stood on all fours, formulating a strategy for what to do next. Then, he shook his head as dust and litter fell on it. He took a breath and was about to shake again when a large clump of moss fell on his rump.

He realized he was in trouble. She had not been idle. She had years of experience and tons of desperation on her side. He just had desperation and a wish to make a girl he did not know happy. Now his life was on the line because of all of that! He didn’t think, just jumped forward. He stopped thinking about the bag, his funny feet, the girl. He just wanted to live. Why? Just moments ago he was willing to buy a knife to kill himself. But now!?

He jumped, dove for the space under a log, and kept going.

So did she. No, the space was far too small for her bulk. That did not keep her from jumping over it. Rather than pouncing on him she watched him scramble for a bramble. That won’t do, so she shot him with her web. Missed.

Missed! She never missed! She missed the next two times she shot at him. With the fourth, however, he tripped on one of her lines, and she lassoed his foot to keep him from running off.

He noticed, of course he would. He had spun around, and was desperately tearing at the rope, trying to get free of it. He noticed, just then, she was dragging threads behind her like a drunken sailor fresh from the privy, having not checked for dangling paper in his britches. That gave him inspiration.

She had just shaken the last rope free when he shot back for that space under the log. She laughed at him, silly didn’t he know she knew that was there?

When she shot at him, though, he had jumped over that log, then up a tree to a branch, Where he turned to look at her. I should say here that all those clever insults he had heard while hunting squirrels came in handy. He repeated them, changing them to fit the situation.

With a mouth shaped like a wolf and all she heard was moaning and groaning. Still, she understood well enough. This little whelp was laughing at her. Her! The queen of all spiders and biggest of them all, he laughed at her?

She shot him. Only he had already jumped clear of the branch. She watched him leap onto a rock, wagging his butt at her. That only angered her even more.

She ran, climbed a tree, and shot at him three times while jumping at him. Oh, you should have seen her sail through the air, the grace, the arch, the ease with which she flew at him, shooting, missing, slamming into a stray branch, then another.

She was not finished, though.

He was running for a patch of dog willows.

She shot a fresh web to a tree just above that patch and swung across the meadow. She displayed all the grace of a hungry athlete, flipping and flaunting all her skills while shooting webs and climbing and singing her happy song of the meal she would soon engorge herself on.

She swung, she shot, he would jump out of the way. What was he trying to prove, dinner and a show? She shot, flipped, sure she would pounce and win her dinner. Only he had run under her and called her ‘scaffold’. Scaffold? What does that mean? Is it supposed to be funny or insulting?

She shifted her trajectory, pushed off a tree trunk, bounced off a rock, and flew with all her skill and grace for the spot he was at, panting, catching his breath.

At last, dinner.

Only she landed in a hammock of her own threads. It consisted of bundles of her best, and stickiest ropes. First, she tried to climb down. Except the threads spread her legs out about as far as they could and still be attached to her body. The threads would not let them move more than an inch or so. Then, the hammock started to roll. That was helpful, let her bring her legs in. Her web stretched them unnaturally far for her comfort.

Well, now, the ropes she wrapped herself in, tied, glued, and bound her far better than she could bind any of her prey.

Um, there is a reason spiders like to ambush their prey. They have not much endurance when it comes to exercise. So, after all that running and flying about she was at the bottom of her reserves. Mind you, they were already depleted when the hunt started. So, she relaxed, rested, and watched as the wolf plucked the bag of jelly beans off the stump, and carry them to the girl.

The girl seemed to understand, and accepted the gift. She struggled to make it look like she was enjoying them, rock hard and stale as they were. That is when they watched the wolf grow, um wider, thinner, and his legs change shape into arms and legs.

Then he stood up on his feet, looking at the girl with a warm, happy, nearly breathless smile.

The girl watched that with mild alarm, him changing from wolf to boy. She had heard stories about the ulfgard, how they would eat people as the king would command. This wolf, um, boy might not be interested in her like that. Just interested in her in another way.

She smiled, and blushed. It was obvious she was trying not to look down.

Well, he noticed that, looked down, and blushed. All those days of not worrying about it and today he should have. He gathered the front edge of his loincloth and tucked it in.

After returning a sly smirk to the girl, he did the most insulting thing he could dare. He turned to the spider, and curtsied. He then snatched the knife from the log and tucked it, carefully, into his waist. After all, he had just risked everything to keep her from killing herself. All he needed was for her to try it now.

[thomasroach]

Top RPG News Of The Week: March 17th (Path of Exile, Sekiro, Dead Cells and More!)

The post Top RPG News Of The Week: March 17th (Path of Exile, Sekiro, Dead Cells and More!) appeared first on Fextralife.

Happy weekend from Fextralife! If you’ve been too busy to keep up on the latest in the games we cover or are looking for a refresher we’ve got you covered! Here’s a bite-sized version of the Top RPG news of the week. Taste all the latest news across the Fextralife Wiki Network.

Check out the video above and read on for the text!

Divinity Original Sin 2

The developer Larian Studios announces players will be able to gain some free content in the form of gift bags for Divinity Original Sin 2 along with the latest update and explains why these are different from loots boxes.

Making sure that fans of the game understood that the gift bag received in-game for Divinity Original Sin 2 is far from a loot box. Describing loot boxes as “hard and ostensibly containing loot” while “gift bags are soft and contain gifts”.

These “Gift Bags” were released by Larian containing a new set of customisation options such as facial features, entirely new faces and hairstyles that you can use in your campaign. You can also use the new additions by heading to the Magic Mirror located aboard the Lady Vengeance to respec your current character.

There is also a plan to release a second gift bag during this year, no specified release date has been announced but the developer has stated it will contain more customisation options that have been “inspired by our modding community”. The new content is now being created alongside two other European developers Fools Theory and Anshar Studios.

The gift bag arrived with the latest update which included some bug fixes and support for the MacOS.

To read more about this new find it here in Divinity Original Sin 2 Releases Free Content In-Game Gift Bag.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun

Developer Zen Studios releases a new story trailer and release date for their first-person dungeon RPG Operencia: The Stolen Sun set to launch via the Epic games Store this March.

The dungeon crawler RPG that follows a rogue named Jóska who welcomes you to the land of Operencia, a world based on Central European legends and folklore. There are seven unique characters to meet as you explore lands that are entrenched in history and legend.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun sets to offer players a classic first-person dungeon crawler experience, combining old-school turn-based RPG but with modern sensibilities. The mix of artstyle, hand-drawn cutscenes as well as 3D environments, with 30 fully voiced roles that help bring the story to life. The game sets to feature over 50 enemy types, 7 fully upgradeable characters,  robust difficulty settings with options for limiting saves and even permadeath.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun is set to release on March 29th for Xbox One and Windows 10 for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, as well as via the Epic Games Store for $29.99

To read more about this new find it here in Operencia: The Stolen Sun Dungeon Crawler RPG Releases March 29th.

Sekiro

Gearing up to the release of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, FromSoftware’s latest IP, they share a launch trailer showing off the combat, storyline and more.

The developer FromSoftware are counting down to the release of their Shinobi inspired action game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In the run up to its release, they have been sharing trailers highlighting some of the deadly bosses as well as enemies that players will face. These trailers have included the ferocious Great Serpent, The Chained Ogre, Lady Butterfly and General Tenzen Yamauchi.

Now they have released the launch trailer that stylishly puts together combat, finishers and a peek at the storyline. Not only seeing new foes and their environments, but also a glimpse of Sekiro’s master The Prince, the one he must protect at all costs. It even features the “One-armed Wolf” appearing to die after a final blow, but is resurrected, depicting the tag line “rise from every fall”.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will be releasing on March 22nd 2019 on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.

To read more about this new find it here in FromSoftware Release Launch Trailer For Sekiro Shadows Die Twice.

Fallout 76

Bethesda are rolling out a new event this March called Fasnacht, celebrating a townsfolk tradition which has now been adopted by the bots that roam the town of Helvetia.

Fasnacht is an age old tradition celebrating the founding of Helvetia in 1869, the inhabits of this town used to adorn eye catching masks, as well as burn an effigy of Old Man Winter. Now that the towns people are long gone, the bots are still taking on the tradition each year.

Players will be able to take part in this repeatable, limited-time event quest, available for one week from March 19th until March 26th.

Setting up for this monumental occasion will require various tasks. Completing these party tasks will allow the Protectrons to march in the parade. However, all this fuss may attract the wrong attention, there may be a few ready to crash the party. You will need to protect the marchers as they set out on their parade route, and successfully set ablaze Old Man Winter. Players will gain some loot and earn a festive Fasnacht mask for their very own.

There are many masks to gain and are can be traded.

To read more about this new find it here in Fallout 76’S Fasnacht Season Event Starts March 19th.

Path of Exile

Playstation fans have been awaiting the release of Path of Exile on PS4, with the launch delayed from the end of last year, we finally get the launch date.

Alongside the release of Path of Exile on PS4 comes the latest expansion which recently released on other platforms, Synthesis. Both will be launching on Playstation 4 on March 26th. The delay previously was talked about by the developer Grinding Gear Games, as they expressed their intent to provide a positive experience on the new platform.

Path of Exile is a free-to-play online action-RPG set in  the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast, a harsh continent that has seen many mysterious catastrophes shaped by the past.

Players are given a choice of various abilities using a skill gem system, granting different abilities when combined with equipment. Each class has an extensive passive skill tree. The Synthesis expansion brings a new challenge league, new items, gems, a rebalance of spells as well as an integrated version of the Betrayal league.

Path of Exile is available to play on PC and Xbox One, with the Playstation 4 version releasing on March 26th 2019.

To read more about this new find it here in Path Of Exile PS4 Release Launches On March 26th.

Dead Cells

At the end of last month, Dead Cells developer Motion Twin was featured in a behind the scenes video that shared that a free DLC called Rise of the Giant would be releasing for PC. The developer now announces the launch date.

The Dead Cells DLC update called Rise of the Giant will be a free addition to the challenging Metroidvania game. It will be available to test through beta on Steam for those who want to experience the new areas, bosses, new skills, weapons as well as the new Skinning system which allows players to adorn new outfits.

The developer also confirms that Rise of the Giant DLC will be making its way to console as well, in a recent tweet they explain how they wish to narrow the gap between the PC and console releases.

According to the Steam page, Motion Twin are not done adding new content to the game, expressing “we’ll be continuing to make content for the game for as long as you keep demanding it”.

Dead Cells upcoming DLC update Rise of the Giant will be launching on PC via Steam on March 28th.

To read more about this new find it here in Dead Cells DLC Rise Of The Giant To Release March 28th.

Hollow Knight

If you’ve been wanting to pick up a physical release of the challenging metroidvania platformer Hollow Knight, you’re in luck as the physical version of the game now comes in a fancy Collector’s Edition as well as a standard edition for Switch, PS4 and PC.

You can now pre-order a Fangamer’s standard edition of Hollow Knight which includes all the DLCs released which will either be on cartridge, disc of DRM-free disc with a Steam Key depending on your chosen platform. This version is available for $29 USD on PC and $34 USD for the Switch.

Or if you’re after a special edition, you can pre-order the Hollow Knight Collector’s Edition which will set you back $64 on PC and PS4, or $69 USD on the Switch. Not only do you get a nifty box that is decorated with gold-foil details, but a clear printed sleeve and the game of course. You will also receive a 14-page Quirrel comic book, gold-foil art print set as well as a metal brooch and stand featuring your favourite bug fighter, The Knight.

If you fancy any of these versions you can pre-order via the Fangamer website, the release will ship on May 31st.

To read more about this new find it here in Hollow Knight’s Physical Release Is Back With A Fancy Collector’s Edition.

Borderlands 3

This year’s PAX East will be attended by Gearbox who confirmed they would be going and prepared to show some “never-before-seen reveals”. They now share a tweet that drops clues pointing to a possible Borderlands 3 reveal.

The latest tweet shows a road sign with the date March 28th as well as Boston, which is the same date and location of Gearbox’s panel for PAX East. Not only is the image done in a similar Borderlands artstyle but also has an “Exit” sign with a cut off “3”. There’s not much else to go in this picture, but this could mean they are ready to reveal their third entry in the Borderlands series.

This leaves the question of where Borderland 3 will take players now with sci-fi online co-op shooters such as Anthem and Destiny 2. What will the next instalment offer that can help the game differentiate itself, while still holding onto what made their  previous games memorable for fans? They could go in the direction of Fallout 76 with survival mode, or the upcoming The Outer Worlds with it’s own unique version of the VATS system. Guess we’ll have to wait for more information and the actual reveal which looks like it will be at PAX East.

Be sure to catch the live panel on at PAX East at 2:00pm EST on Thursday 28th March.

To read more about this new find it here in Borderlands 3 Reveal Teased For PAX East.

Phoenix Point

The original creator of X-COM Julian Gollop has received some not so positive feedback as the next title becomes an Epic Games store exclusive.

The next title created by the X-COM creator Phoenix Point is a turn-based strategy game and gained a crowdfunded backing of $765,948 from 10,000 backers on Fig in June 2017. The campaign stated at the time that Phoenix Point would be available on the Steam platform at launch, promising those who helped bring the title to it’s goal, a Steam or GOG key.

However, now Phoenix Point has become an exclusive to the Epic Games store for the first year. Backers will still gain a Steam or GOG key after the first year has concluded, in addition to an Epic key. They will also receive all three DLC packs at no cost. Those who may not be happy with this decision can get a refund which has been offered by Gollop.

It seems there is quite a few unsatisfied backers who have voiced their opinions through the subreddit and social media, expressing their disappointment over this decision. Gollop explained in a reddit AMA, that he was the one who had started talks with Epic about signing a deal and the stability that it would bring the title.

What do you feel about platform exclusive launches? Let us know in the comments below.

To read more about this new find it here in X-COM Creator Receives Backlash From Backers As It Becomes An Epic Games Store Exclusive.

Well, that’s it for the Week in Wikis. Please join us next week for yet another great week of gaming! Remember to check out our VIP program for some exclusive supporter benefits, and budding writers should take advantage of our Become an Author initiative! Thanks again for being a part of this great community. Keep checking in with us for news, reviews, YouTube streams and vids, and general wiki goodness!

Follow us on social media for all the latest and greatest. The more followers we get, the larger the army of the Fexus grows:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

The post Top RPG News Of The Week: March 17th (Path of Exile, Sekiro, Dead Cells and More!) appeared first on Fextralife.

Top RPG News Of The Week: March 17th (Path of Exile, Sekiro, Dead Cells and More!) published first on https://juanaframi.tumblr.com/

[cheryllclayton]

Til' There Was You

“Come on Jug, don’t be such a grouch” Veronica scolded as they walked down the wet New York sidewalk, “Who knows you may even have fun” she teased.

He just rolled his eyes, pulling his jacket tighter around him to block out the chill of the autumn evening.

“Yeah Dude, relax for once, it’s a night to celebrate” Archie added with a slap to his back.

Jughead glared at him, “It’s a night for Veronica to celebrate, I’m still not sure why I’m here” he muttered.

“Because Juggie darling, like you said, it’s my night and I want to share it with all my close friends, one of which happens to be you” she said, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at him, “Besides” she continued with a dismissing wave of her hand, “You need to get out more, maybe find a girl that can finally knock you out of this broody funk you insist on living in” she tusked as he scowled at her.

A hearty laugh burst out from behind them, “Yeah right Ron, Donnie Darko picking up a woman!” Reggie chuckled again, “Are you sure you even like woman Jug?” he smirked.

“Fuck you Reggie” Jughead spat at him, wishing he'd give it a rest already. He was getting pretty sick and tired of listening to the same old shit from him all the time. 

Hell, it's not like he didn't like women; he did, just as much as the next guy and he usually found that women liked him too. He was smart and good looking, or so he'd been told, and regardless what Veronica thought, dark and brooding seemed to work for him.  He has had his fair share of dates and a couple of short-lived girlfriends, and he wasn't completely inexperienced sexually, but despite all that, Reg still bugged him, claiming he was weird because he didn't feel the need to gawk or drool at every nice ass or pair of legs that crossed his path.  He insisting that he wasn't interested in woman because he didn't take every one that showed him interest to bed.  He knows he's not the 'typical' male, but he's just never felt that yearning to constantly chase women the way Reg and Arch do, or the way they did before Josie and Ronnie that is. 

Don't get him wrong, he enjoys the company of women and has had fun with the ones he has dated, but no one has ever made his head spin and his heart flutter or made his body and mind lose control completely. Someday, he hopes he'll find someone that does, but until then, he has no problem with being alone; content to concentrate on his writing and his work.  He doesn't need constant companionship and would prefer to save his time for women he actually has a connection with.

“Leave Jug alone Reg” Josie reprimanded, breaking Jug out of his thoughts, “Not every guy is a fuckboi you know” she said, giving Jughead an apologetic smile that said ‘I’m sorry my boyfriend is an insensitive jerk’.

“Can we just move on please” Kevin sighed clearly growing bored with the banter, “I want to know where you’re taking us Ron?”

“Omigod, you’ll absolutely love it Kev!” she told him excitedly, “It’s this posh little bar called the Blue Note, a total hidden gem. It’s like one those vintage lounges with big comfy booths and every night they have different acts and singers but it's not cheesy like you’d expect.  It’s like the old blues clubs where sexy women and men make you swoon as they sing atop pianos and shit, Josie and I stumbled across it one night and it’s amazing!” she gushed.

Jughead stopped making Reggie bump in to him, “What the hell Needlenose?”

Jughead ignored him, “Lounge singers? Like in one of those dark trashy clubs you’d see in a bad movie, where woman drape themselves over drunk men as they croon some terrible old love song?” he cringed, “Really Ronnie?”

“Well technically yes, but think more like Cameron Diaz in The Mask, sexy not trashy. You’ll love it, I promise” she grinned as Josie nodded her head in agreement.

“Fine” he muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his Sherpa jacket, wishing more and more that he had stayed home, he could of hammered out a rough draft of another chapter by now.

They rounded the corner and he could see a blue neon sign in the shape of a music note up ahead, it was hanging above a steel door and there was no other sign or anything else that indicated a business was inside. How very secret society he thought rolling his eyes as they entered.

They found a large high backed booth in the shape of a semi-circle just to the left of a large shiny black stage. Everyone sat and gave their waitress their drink orders, the group chatting idly while Jughead surveyed the room.  It wasn’t as bad as he imagined it would be, yeah it was dark, a little smoky, which didn’t bother him, seeing as he current fiddled with his own cigarette, but you could tell the building was older, with exposed brick walls and dated carpet.  And then there was the biggest cliché of all, the plush booths, wrapped in deep purple velvet because, well, why wouldn’t they be.  But there was also something appealing about the ambience the room gave off when you pulled it all together. 

The stage, including the steps surrounding it, was lined with lights and there was a small runway that came out into the crowd. A silver curtain was hanging across the back, currently blocking everything from view except for a grand piano that was sitting to one side of the stage. 

The establishment itself was spacious with a mixture of tables and booths spread out among the two different levels of seating. Both levels were shaped in a semi-circle, one in front of the other, hugging the stage and mirroring the design of the booths.  The lower level around the stage, where they were seated, was pit like, the table tops even with the floor of the stage.  The second level sat five steps higher, wrapping around the pit and there was a black metal railing separating the two areas.

Older silver chandeliers hung from the ceiling, creating a soft glow as candles flickered on each table and framed vintage pin up girl posters were hung around the room. There was a huge bar running all the way along one wall with tall low backed vinyl bar stools lining its counter.  Liquor bottles of all sorts sat on glass shelves in front of the exposed brick and both the shelves and the bar counter were under lit by tiny lights.  The effect completed by the Bartender, who was currently drying a glass with a rag as he surveyed the crowd.  He had slick black hair that fell to his collar and was dressed in a white dress shirt with a black vest overtop, his sleeves rolled up his inked forearms and a purple bowtie at his neck.  His whole look including his facial features screamed old nuance and he looked like he stepped out of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Maybe they really had went back in time he thought, shaking his head as the young redhead came back with their drinks and a couple bowls of pretzels for their table.  Christ, even the waitresses wore older flapper style cocktail dresses in shades of purple and silver, his mouth quirking up in amusement as he took a sip from his glass. 

His eyes widening when she winked at him before heading to the next table, “See Jug” Archie nudged him, nodding towards her back, “You just need to get out more, show the goods” he teased.

Jug gave him a wry look before putting his cigarette between his lips and lighting the end. At least he didn't feel under dressed since Archie had convinced him to wear a blue long sleeve button up shirt with his dark jeans and good leather jacket but he drew the line at leaving his ever present beanie at home.

“Well now that we're here and we have our drinks, I purpose a toast” Archie said, raising his glass, “To Ronnie, after flying through both Business AND Design School and spending the last two years working and building your dream, it's finally coming true! Come Monday morning, Cashmere & Lace will officially open its doors, congratulations baby, I’m so proud of you” he finished dropping a kiss to her lips.

“Thank you, Archiekins” she smiled, gazing up at him eyes glistening, clearly moved by her boyfriend’s toast.

“To Ronnie!” Kevin shouted, the rest of the table following suit as they clinked their glasses together and drank to Veronica and her new business.

~*~

Betty sat in front of the lighted mirror in her dressing room; she was just putting the finishing touches on her look when she heard her name being shouted down the hall.

“Betty....what the hell is taking so long, you go on in five!” Chuck berated her annoyingly as he walked in the room.

Betty frowned and rolled her eyes at him in the mirror, “Believe it or not Chuck, I don’t come to work dressed as a sexy lounge singer” she retorted as she applied her scarlet lipstick and checked her work, wiping a small amount of excess from the corner of her full lips before capping the tube and turning around, “And this” she emphasized, running a showy hand in front of her face and body, “Does not just happen in five minutes.”

Chuck looked her up and down appreciatively, setting his annoyance aside, “Mmm” he hummed, “I gotta admit, you do good work babe” he grinned, strolling towards her.

“Uh uh, back off” she told him, shaking her head and putting a pointed nail against his chest to stop his advancement, “Don’t even think about ruining my lipstick.”

He frowned and she could see his annoyance return, he didn’t like being told no but he seemed to let it go for now, taking a step back without saying anything.

She grabbed her red heels, sliding them on while using one of the chairs to steady herself, then took a minute to survey her completed look with a tilt of her head as she stood in front of the full length mirror.

She had kept her makeup sexy and subtle with a smoky eye and her red lips, and besides the small section that was pulled back with a sparkly red comb on one side, she had left her long blond hair down and it fell in curly waves around her shoulders. Her silver wrap dress dipped suggestively low in the back, almost to her buttocks, and the front showed a hint of cleavage but not enough to look trashy.  The material clung to her in all the right places before ending mid-thigh, showcasing her legs, which she had been told many of times was her best feature.  Her red heels on her feet and minimal jewelry completed the look, pulling it all together.

“Gorgeous as always” Chuck complimented, stepping behind her and placing his hands on her hips.

“Thank you” she said as she turned around and kissed his cheek. Chuck could be extremely sweet at times, when he wanted to be or if it served him well and he often complimented her or surprised her with some sort of gift.  But he could also be a real asshole sometimes, hell who was she kidding, Chuck was an asshole most of the time.  He could be mean and calculating, and was possessively controlling, even slightly abusive.  But he had given her a chance when no one else would, provided her with a place to live, a means to pay bills as well as tuition for the classes she was currently taking and she felt indebted to him. 

She grabbed her perfume from the dressing table, spritzing some on her wrists and dabbing it along her neck and behind her ears before setting it back down. A small buzzer sounded as the red light above the dressing room door blinked, telling them the show was scheduled to start in one minute.

“Well there’s our cue” Betty said heading towards the door, “Showtime!” she grinned, feeling that spark of excitement run through her. The job wasn’t glamorous but it paid well and she couldn’t say that she hated it either.  It wasn’t something she wanted to do forever but she enjoyed performing and being on stage, she found it added a rush or a sense of control to her otherwise mundane life.  And it gave her the opportunity to play dress up and pretend she was someone else for a while.

Chuck grabbed her by the wrist before she got out the door, making her wince at his grip, “Hey babe” he said, his voice questioning.

She turned around to face him, giving him her best smile, “Yeah?” she asked.

He reached up, running his knuckles slowly down her cheek, “I don’t have to remind you who you belong to while you’re out their putting on a show, do I?” he asked his casual tone failing to mask the warning that lied beneath.

“Of course not” she placated, shaking her head.

“Good girl” he said, grabbing her chin tightly between his fingers before kissing her harshly, “And don’t ever tell me when I can and can’t kiss you” he told her, wiping the red smudge from beneath her bottom lip before dropping his hands and walking out the door, throwing a “Go and make me proud” at her as he left.

~*~

Veronica had been telling them about her plans for the opening day of her boutique when the lights dimmed and a well-dressed man walked on stage, he looked like he was not much older than them Jughead thought.

“Good evening Ladies and Gentleman, my name is Chuck Clayton, owner of this fine establishment and I would like to welcome you all to the Blue Note” he greeted, throwing on his most inviting smile. Betty wasn't the only one who put on a show every night.

Chuck was tall and built with creamy dark skin and well-bred good looks; he was well spoken and charismatic and he could charm the pants off men and women alike, proving to work very well for him thus far, both in business and in his personal endeavours. His stage presence gave nothing away to the fact that he could also be cruel, and pompous, and arrogant. 

Jughead had decided, not long after ‘welcome to the Blue Note’, that he didn’t like the man who was currently wooing the crowd. Albeit, he’d never actually met him, but Jughead was extremely perceptive and he could tell this guy was full of it.  He may ooze charm but he reeked of bullshit. 

Thankfully he didn't talk long before introducing the first act, “Well I know you fine people aren't here to see me sing,” smiling as the crowd chuckled politely and Jughead rolled his eyes, “So without further ado, please put your hands together for the beautiful and the talented Elizabeth!” he said with a flourish before descending the stairs.

“Oh my gosh” Veronica whisper shouted to the table, “She performed the last time we were here and she's amazing! And that man's right, she's a total hottie!” she confirmed.

“You hear that Jug, maybe she'll even turn your crank” Reggie quipped, earning him a smack on the chest from Josie.

“I'm surprised anyone turns your crank Reg” he countered, “Pun intended, no offence Josie.”

Reggie flipped Jug the finger as Josie shrugged, “What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment” she sighed then burst into giggles as Reg shot her a look.

The curtain opened to an already hooting and cheering crowd, this woman was obviously as popular as previously implied. The open curtain revealed a dark backdrop that mimicked a city skyline at night and there was a large fake moon hanging from the ceiling and small twinkle lights poking through the backdrop like stars in the sky.

Not that anyone noticed the set up though, as everyone's eyes were on the blond, sitting atop a wooden swing that was suspended above the stage, her long legs crossed at the ankles and her back facing the audience. Her hair shone like a halo in the lights and her dress sparkled as the milky skin of her back, left bare by the low cut of her dress, seemed to glow, making her look almost ethereal, the whole effect was breathtaking and Jughead couldn't look away.

The swing lowered slowly as the piano played and she began to sing.

Stars shining bright above you Night breezes seem to whisper “I love you” Birds singing in the sycamore trees Dream a little dream of me

Her voice was the most angelic thing Jughead had ever heard and as the swing reached the stage and she stood up, gracefully circling around to the front, her hand still holding one of the ropes as her hips swayed, he's pretty sure his heart stopped and he forgot how to breathe.

“Holy shit”

“Damn”

Arch and Reg choked at the same time, obviously sharing in his reaction.

“In all that is holy, that woman could almost turn me straight” Kevin exclaimed, receiving a raised brow from Ronnie, “What? I said almost” he shrugged.

“I told you she was gorgeous” Veronica said smugly.

That was an understatement if he had ever heard one Jug thought, swallowing the lump in his throat as he forced his body to breathe deep while trying to calm his already increasing heart rate. His eyes followed her as she moved around the stage, she was strikingly beautiful and he found himself getting lost in the deep emerald of her eyes as she swept them across the room, letting them linger every once in a while on some lucky gentleman. 

She made her way closer to their side of the room, walking down the stage steps and into the pit, flirting harmlessly as she went. It was all for show of course but she had the men eating out of the palm of her hand, Jughead included.

She stopped in front of their table, leaning seductively against the side of the booth as she reached out and lightly traced a red fingernail down Reggie's cheek, to his shoulder, then down his arm.

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

She pulled away, causing Reggie to almost fall out of the booth as his body followed her fleeting touch. She gave him a smile, running her fingers over their table top as she went.  She winked at Archie who looked like a giddy puppy dog as he followed her every movement, Kevin watching it all in amazement as her eyes landed on Jughead.  She stopped again, gazing at him intensely before reaching towards him and threading her hand through his hair, knocking off his beanie.

But in your dreams whatever they be Dream a little dream of me

She gave his hair a final caress before continuing her way through the crowd. Jughead's scalp was tingling from her touch and he's pretty sure he couldn't have put a coherent thought together if he tried, especially since a lot of his blood seemed to be heading south at the moment.  He shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his brain, she had barely even touched him yet here he was, reacting like some horny teenager. 

“You boys can close your mouths now before you drool all over our table” Josie stated, “Honestly V, why'd we bring them here again?” she asked the brunette beside her.

“Because you're the best girlfriends in the world” Reggie said with complete adoration, causing both girls to laugh, vanquishing any hint of jealousy they had felt.

Jughead watched as she moved throughout the room, turning men into puddles of mush as she went. As silly as his sudden infatuation made him feel, he couldn't bring himself to look away from her either.  It was clear she was the one in control on the floor, she could touch and flirt, but when one guy tried to get a little handsy with her, two bulky bouncers stepped forward, emerging from the shadows as she took a step back from the man before giving him a pointed look and wagged her finger at him.

She sashayed her way back onto the stage as the song was winding down, sitting sideways upon the swing and crossing her amazing legs as she leaned back, her mic free hand reaching up and gripping the rope above her head.

She pushed off gently with her toe so that she swung a little, her head resting back against her arm, her green eyes gazing out at them hypnotically as she sang the last verse of the song,

Sweet dreams, till sunbeams find you Gotta keep dreaming leave all worries behind you But in your dreams whatever they be You gotta make me a promise, promise to me You'll dream, dream a little dream of me

She smiled sassily and threw the crowd a wink as she sang the last word, the curtain falling seconds later, hiding her from view again and giving the illusion that the stage had winked at them as well.

The room erupted into thunderous cheers of applause and whistles; even Jughead was on his feet.

WOW he thought that was one of the most incredible things he's ever witnessed and he was vibrating as he sat back down. He's never had this strong of reaction to a woman before and it should scare the shit out of him but instead it was doing the complete opposite, he felt energized and alive, excited and a little turned on if he was completely honest.

Elizabeth was by far the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and he was entranced the moment the first note floated across her lips. She was angelic yet tantalizingly sexy, his body still burned from her miniscule touch, which had him imagining what it would be like to feel her hands in other places.

He put that thought on hold for now, not allowing his mind to wander any further, being as they were still strangers and all, but for the first time in his life, Jughead felt the pull, the need to give chase and he sure as hell wasn’t going to ignore it.

Determination set in as he ran his fingers through the condensation on his glass.  Before the night is over, he mused, he would know her full name and she would surely learn his, he deemed. 

Maybe Archie was right, maybe he did need to get out more he thought, grinning into his drink as the next performer took the stage.

~*~

Can also find on AO3 here:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12212982/chapters/27737991

[twilightpony4]

HomeFront: 37. You Look Like A Geisha

She gave him a moment's rest for himself and for her as well. Leonardo may have taken a huge beating to the body and heart, but such magic and energy used up at once tired her greatly. Both took some downtime in the kitchen, eating a meal prepared by Miwa herself before she pulled out a piece of paper from an unknown source. She stood behind his chair. Leonardo looked up, cheeks full of dumplings when she leaned over him. “This is the note I apprehended from the Foot soldier I saw.” Venus explained as she placed it flat on the table for him to see. Continuously chewing, he peered over to the crumpled note. It’s scribblings were of a foreign language he could not make out. Definitely Chinese, he assumed. ‘It’s an invitation to a gathering. The way it’s written, it’s very vague on the invitation. Yet, inside there’s a note furtherly explaining that “in loose translation” that” her finger traced over the key characters. “‘It begins now’.” His throat swallowed his snack to answer. “So,” His throat cleared. “whoever is rallying the Foot in China is expected to be here?” A giant green finger pressed against the paper. Leo didn't know what the character meant when he pointed to it, but he took a wild stab in guessing it was the area of the location. The turtle girl smiled as she reached over again, this time to reach for his wrist. In her grip, his finger lightly dragged along the page until she stopped it pointing at a different character. He could tell she wanted to giggle for him trying, but now wasn't the time. “That or we can earn further clues as to what is going on.” She inferred. The turtle warrior have her an understanding nod as he stared at the incomprehensible characters. “Alright, so the original plan was that Miwa and I were going to infiltrate the party as guests. Now that you’re on board, Miwa can stay behind.” “Well, that plan is out the window.” Leo swept his hands in a waving motion in front of him before scooping his hands up and folded within the confines of his arms sitting atop his chest. The turtle girl raised a brow. “What do you mean?” Leo sat up straighter. His arms unfolded and laid straight out in front of him, accompanied by a shoulder shrug. “I don’t how you’re going to do it, but now there’s no human infiltration inside. We’ll have to survey outside.” He insisted. How else were they going to do it? Miwa was the only human they could trust to spy inside, now she wasn't going. Venus shook her head. “No. We don’t.” There was a sly, yet playful tone on her voice. Leo tried to look her in the face, begging for some answers but the turtle girl was already walking away and towards the hallway. “Hold on.” She asked, clutching the doorframe with one hand and the other holding up her index finger. The pause followed by her disappearance to who knows where. The male turtle was left to his own devices, only his imagination could put him at ease, or not. What was that girl up to? Seconds passed and turned to minutes. Now his dumplings got cold as he waited for the terrapin girl to get back. As his patience wore away, she returned, but with style. Her hands glowed their usual blue color when she would perform magical feats. Hovering above her open palms floated two necklaces of a single charm. His eyes could see the elements of her magic seeping into the “rock-like” gems, letting it influence their physical state. “What’s this?” He stood up when she walked towards him. Such awe, he pushed his chair in without looking and completely forgot his frozen food. “Mèilì mèilì.” The sound flowed evenly from her throat. “What’s it for? A pretty accessory?” “It has magical qualities. Whoever wears it is masked with a different identity. Normally, it changes human beings’ appearances. I’ve alternated it to where it forms our unnatural appearances and shape.” As she spoke, the two necklaces began to slowly descend into her palm. The blue aura faded away, settling back into her talented hands. “So, when I put this on…” He stopped, trying to comprehend what she had just described. “I become human?” Venus shrugged. “Close enough.” Her answer was inappropriately mismatched with her silly delivery and his deep-hearted question. “Where was this all my life?” His mumbles were barely audible, gazing upon the rocks that were to correct and change his unique mutation. Venus, quite oblivious to his opinion on the subject, happily picked up one of the rocks for him to put around his neck. “Here.” She offered him, holding the strange artifact by the chain. “No, you don’t understand.” He lifted his palm to her, distancing himself from the object. Surprised, she retracted back with it still in her hand. “All my life, all of our lives: Splinter, Mikey, Donnie, and Raph. We had to limit our entire lives underground in the dark. We thought of nothing than to go out and enjoy life.” “Leo.” She said his name bluntly, but the male terrapin wasn't having it until he finished talking. “Sure, you and Mona had a somewhat limited contact with people, but we've never been among the presence of one until recently. And now, you tell me that you had the power to change us into human beings?” Now he was really close, eyes bugging out and such as he subconsciously made the terrapin girl lean back each time he came too close for comfort. Clearly, he was very passionate about the subject. When her back couldn't take it anymore, her dumb look of fright instantaneously became straight. With her free hand, she touched his shoulder. Leonardo looked at it as she pushed it away, forcing him to back off of her as she straightens up. The terrapin girl put a first to her mouth and began to clear her throat. When she was finished, a knowing eye caught his attention. “The properties of the glamour charm are only temporary. For some reason, the body becomes immune to it and the magic eventually wears off. They say it’s only for a one time use when done by the same magician.” “Oh.” Well, he felt dumb. Thinking that she was in the wrong, the “incorrect” just served him up a thesis, body paragraph, and conclusion. “You guys sure like to assume things.” She handed him the necklace, in which he now took graciously. “Runs in the family, I guess.” He had to chuckle at himself. If this family he grew up in knew anything, it was the ability to assume. No wonder Splinter stressed so much on that lesson. “So, “ he cleared his throat, disrupting the mental conversation within the confines of his mind. “if I use this now…” his voice trailed off, allowing a spot for Venus to fill the blank with her own. “We can never be human again. Well, at least not through me anymore.” Such a haunting thought. To be somewhat human was more than he could ever ask for, but now in a situation where he was human temporarily and then never again when it wore off? Too bad it wasn't a time where he could actually enjoy it, such as roaming the actual streets of his hometown and not along the rooftops and pipelines. You know, getting to know what it feels like to be in a crowded space and enjoy wonders directly. But no, it was here at a time where he's supposed to remain a low profile. At least, he can be amongst people. That's a bonus. “Well, let's see if it works.” Leo apprehensively took the necklace away from her. There was a medium sized mirror hanging from the living room wall, Leo remembered. Venus followed closely behind as he went to seek it out. Behold, the parallel universe hanging humbly on the wall of the quiet room. Subconsciously, the turtle wanted to keep himself a distance away from the reflection, just in case the change would be too much for him. He looked at his profile, analyzing it as if he had never and won't ever see it again. He turned his head away, unable to bear to see such transformation. Venus nodded and pressured him into it with hand motions. Slowly, he raised his hands over his head, spreading the chain. The cold metal graced his head, send my him chills. The turtle took a leap of faith went he let go, letting it drop to his neck. Immediately, he scrunched his eyes closed, waiting for the transformation to happen. Surely there could be a cracking of bones, change in height, I mean, turtle to human may not be a comfy change. But nothing happened. He opened an eye, not expecting anything. Then, he opened both eyes, quite disappointed. The palms and forearms of his hands were flipped over as he saw the same old green arms he's had since. “Whoa, I look…” he put his hands down and bent over to look at his feet. “Exactly the same.” “To you and other linked glamour charms, yes, but to everyone else…” By the looks of it, she was trying to grab his shell, but by the way she was gripping it, it was something foreign to her. When she got around to it, she turned him to face the mirror. That's when his mouth gaped wide. “You’re just another random white boy in China.” The turtle’s jaw nearly unhinged. Who was THAT?! Is that him? Leonardo? In the flesh? Pink flesh? All his life, he had grown accustomed to green scaled skin. A spooky, dark caucasian shadow mimicking was all to creepy. What he wore was exactly the same, and surprisingly fitting, but the rest of his body was something new. He touched his face. There was no outstretched nose. Instead, there was a human bridge between his still blue eyes. Leo walked towards the mirror as he let his hands slide up his smooth face. If it wasn’t crazy enough that he now had to function five fingers, he almost lost it when hair filled between its gaps. His brown tresses were somewhat tossed about in an elegant style. It was not short, but not long enough to grow past his ears. Oh..my..gosh… he has ears. Immediately, his fingers took to massaging the lobes that he couldn’t feel on his body himself, but as a detachment through his fingertips. With this in mind, he could only imagine the invincibility his body can endure. Yet, he had to remind himself that there is a good chance that his natural body could still be harmed even if he couldn’t actually feel his human body. When did he become an avatar? Leo’s five finger hands smoothed over the front of his body. Where his bone plastron would be, stretchable, squishy skin took over. The only thing that actually felt normal was to see the pattern of muscle that used to be outlined by his turtle physiology. Truly amazing, he thought as he gave his arms and legs a once over. His tattoos were much more vibrant against his brighter skin. But that also meant the scar on his face was brighter and slightly more noticeable. Bottom line, he couldn't care less. That dream from the back of his head to be human had just come true! If only his family could see him now! “What do you mean ‘other linked glamour charms’?” He turned around to face her. She was gone. Right to left, Venus completely disappeared from the room. Before he could decide to search for her, she returned. She had fetched her silk robe, now tying its black belt around her waist. Must be because of how Leonardo changed. Doesn't wear a shirt, no chest cover in human form. As a non short wearer as well, and as a woman, Venus was quick to notice and fetch herself something to decently cover her human body. Observant turtle. “Since I created our glamour charms with unique properties, only you and I can see each other in our true forms.” On a small decorative table nearby, her necklace lay. She reached for it. The silver chain slipped through the grooves of her large fingers. “You only see me as a turtle, but in reality…” She dropped the necklace over her head. Looking directly at her, there was no difference, but when he looked at her from the mirror, it was a whole different story. “I’m some type of mixed chick.” Unlike Leonardo, her skin was much darker. Her frame and eye color remained the same as he as she shifted into a womanly human body change. Instead of brown hair such as he, a flurry of golden brown curls fell down her shoulders. Venus looked into her reflection. She was much less flabbergasted than Leo, and proceeded to smile and fix her hair away from her face, a first for her. “Whoa!” He gasped while she grinned into the mirror. “You look like… everything.” He complimented. Surely, she did. Dark skin, golden curly hair...“Oh look, you finally got those Asian eyes.” He playfully pointed out with his words and finger. The former turtle girl stood up straight. She leaned of to the side with her hands on her hips, eyebrow raised. “Ha ha.” Her response blurted out deeply. “Now come on!” Immediately, Venus marched away and towards the door. “Where are we going?” He asked, taking a few shuffle steps behind her. She was practically out the door when she leaned over, clutching both of her hands on the frame to keep her from falling over. “Heading to a party in China, we need to represent.” Walking around the village was weird, or, weirder than usual. Even in a place where he can walk around as a giant turtle, venturing around as a person had just as many curious eyes on him. Two people of a dark and light color with interesting garb peeked most adults and all the children’s interests as they passed. No one bothered to ask questions.They gained more and more eyes as the two former mutants approached a humble building. Venus hadn’t told Leonardo exactly where they were going, but it was soon made obvious as they walked inside. Everywhere around them, silky and colorful fabrics spilled out of boxed shelves and hung on hangers. The best of wears, it appeared, hung high and on a line suspended from the ceiling. He walked around in awe, dresses and kimonos occasionally brushed his face and body as he treaded behind his female companion. “Měiměi! Zhè shì jīnxīng!” She called in her native tongue. “Guī?” Venus leaned over, poking her head over the counter and into the side in the back. “Méi péi zhī? Nà shì nǐ wǒ tīngjiànle ma?” A young woman’s voice called from the unknown. “(I'm in the front!)” Venus chirped over the counter. She looked so eager, she skipped up to the stand. Quick shuffling came closer to where they were, and it was coming from the back. Out of the forest of patterns, a girl emerged. She was quite young, looking their age. Barely was there any pigment in her skin, but given her occupation, it fitted quite well. A grey cheongsam hugged her body with a simple black floral design on the bottom of her dress. The dark brown locks of her hair were wrapped up elegantly into a simple style, followed by sweeping bangs to frame her face. Her brows were sharp, accentuating her surprised eyes as she looked at the two peculiar characters. Rather, she looked disappointed and confused. Venus stood her ground with a smile as the girl stepped forward. “(Is that you, Venus?) she asked. Her eyes zeroed in on Venus’, trying to study and make an understanding of this. Was it really her? Those unnaturally lime green eyes, she knew who had them, but was it true? “(It's my magic doing this, but yes. It's me.)” She explained, voice losing itself, almost breaking down. First, the girl frowned and then smiled with a sad face. “(Get over here, Venus!)” she motioned her over with her arms. The girl went behind the counter to engulf her longtime friend in her arms.“(I missed you so much!)” she squeezed her extra right before letting the ex-turtle go. “(Heard you were out here but I didn't get the time to see you!)” “(At least we're here now!)” Venus grinned. “(I missed you too Mei.)” She saw her eyes leave hers. Mikey had shown her memes like this before. “When you're talking to your friend and a cute guy walks by”, yes! She remembered that picture of SpongeBob and now she was seeing it in her friend as she leaned over to get Venus out of her sight and someone else into it. “(Who is this boy you brought?)” the new girl asked as she stared at Leo. The boy shyly smiled as gave her a little wave. His arms going up gave her a perfect view of that rock hard body she couldn't keep her eyes off of. “(Does he have a girlfriend?)” Pffft! The sound forced through her smiling lips while trying to cover her mouth with her hand. Judging by the girl’s interest, he knew she was talking about him and with the language barrier, it wouldn't be discouraging if Venus was laughing about something the girl said about him. The former turtle calmed herself down to speak with her curious friend. “(Leonardo’s a turtle too, Mei Mei.)” her hand clutched the girl’s shoulder, eyes assuring her. The girl’s eyes, however, grew wide and bright. “(You found another turtle out in America?)” Venus nodded her head. She thought Mona Lisa and Venus were the only ones of their kind and now she finds another like her? Small world. “(That's wonderful! But does he have a girlfriend?)” “(Mei!)” “(If he's as gorgeous as a turtle as he is now, I don't care about species!)” Finds one mutant turtle like her in the world, friend still wants him if he's pretty. Go figure. “(We’re on a mission and we need some traditional dress for a formal party. Can you help?)” For added measure, her three fingered hands clasped together. Her bottom lip stick out, pleading to her playfully reluctant friend. She had turned her back with arms across her chest, turning only her head to show the turtle her thinking, yet smiling expression. “(Yeah, yeah.)” the deep tone elongated. “(And yes, he’s single.)” she released the extra piece of information to make her more enthusiastic about her part in the plan. Just as planned, her face lit up. Her hands rose as quick as her smile until it dropped back down. Venus was confused as Mei Mei took part of her cheongsam in her hand. She pulled it away from her in different angles, turning her head as she did. “(Wish I got a little more dressed up today.)” she admitted as she looked over her outfit. Oh, Mei Mei. Venus rolled her eyes with a smile. It felt great to be around some more familiarity of her easy life. “This is my friend Mei Huǒ Niǎo.” Leonardo's head shot up from staring at an article of clothing nearby. With them casting him out with their language, he had completely dozed off and paid attention to other things. His mind registered the name as he nodded. “We call her, Mei-mei.” Venus placed her hands on top of Mei Mei’s shoulders. With the eye contact made, the girl blushed and giggled, turning away from his gaze with a hand over her mouth. Blushing aside, she took gentle strides towards him. When she came close enough, her arm slowly rose from her side. There was a peculiarity of the fashion it was moving at. It was then that he got it. She was out of her comfort zone. Normally, a small bow was sufficient as she grew up, but knowing he is an American, she wanted to greet him his way. How sweet. In that case, Leo raised his hand to reach for hers. As he saw his hand extend, he noticed his three fingered hand. How large it was to be engulfed in her tiny fingers. With a human bubble surrounding him, it would seem strange if he shook her hand in his normal, three fingered way. Leo took a chance when he allowed his hand to slip into hers, book of his thumb first. The rest followed smoothly and matched up with her hand. He couldn't actually tell if his human body was doing it right, but the constant blushing and smiles from Mei Mei eased him as they gave one nice shake. “(Hello friend of Mei Pei Chi).” Her other hand covered her mouth to keep her from giggling between her words, yet it was still audible to him. It was the nice way he was smiling and those bright blue eyes charmed their way through. “Nice to meet you, Mei Mei.” He guessed he was also greeting her as he exchanged the favor. When their hands slipped away. Mei Mei took a step back. Venus was right behind her and caught her before she could try to trip in front of her. “(He said he’s ‘Delighted to meet you’.)” she translated to her. Her blush was apparent, and when she uncovered her mouth, the brightest peach smile his behind it as she gazed back upon Leonardo. “She’s the source of traditional dress and wears.” To Leo in english. Feeling claustrophobic and pressured, young Mei Mei scooted behind Venus and behind her store counter. “Even with Mèilì mèilì, we need to look like we belong to such a party. Unless, you want to wear what you have and have some Foot recognizing it.” She pointed to his garb, finger racing up and down. Shirtless with only yaroi and a strap covering his chest, draping himself in old towels sewn together to make some type of skirt followed by a bulky shoulder pad and ripped up shoes. Leo looked down to inspect himself again. He really couldn't see what his other form looked like and neither could Venus, but he understood what she was talking about. To each other, they were their normal, adequate turtle selves. But to other people, like Mei Mei, he was a half naked white boy in her shop. “I don’t know. I look pretty good like this, yeah?” He tried to joke, smiling wide with his hands out saying ‘c’moooonnnn’ playfully. The two women thought two completely different thoughts. Venus leaned on the counter with an expression of ‘yeah, right’, while the other had other ideas in mind. “(Tell him to pop his pecs! Do it!)” she leaned over and practically whispered to her. Venus propped herself up to face her friend. “(I'm not telling him that! You tell him that!)” “(You're the one that speaks English. Not me. But if I could,)” she turned back to the ex-turtle. Those muscles of his were speaking to her in every language she could understand. “(I'd be telling him a whole lot more.)” her tone was dreamy and dark. Leonardo was completely puzzled as she stared at every aspect of him. Honestly, really didn't know what was going on. Was it about him or something else? If they are talking about him, who's saying the nice stuff? Were they talking about somebody else? Why are they still talking? Venus couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she knew who she was talking to. Such behavior was expected from Mei Mei. The ex-turtle girl clicked her tongue and protruded her lips. “(You thirsty, huh?)” “(Why, do you need a glass of water or something?)” Whoops! One of those things Mikey taught her. “(Sorry, it's American slang.)” “(Oh?)” “(It means you're thirsty for Leo.)” she explained further, which felt like she just ruined the whole gag. “(I'm also hungry for him too.)” “You guys talking about me?” The two girls broke their gazes and looked up at the intruding turtle. They looked like deer caught in the headlights when he stood his ground after posing his question. “(You’ve done it now.)” she looked back at Mei Mei, who shrugged unashamedly and pressed her fist up against her trying cheek. “Mei mei’s going to get you fitted. Is that ok?” She asked him. He sighed in relief after hearing some english. “Sure.” He nodded. “(Mei Mei, could you have him fitted? Get the biggest sizes you can find for him.)” “(Already on it.)” her finger pointed high into the sky as she came from behind the counter. “(Finally! I can get my hands on this one!)” her comment made Venus shake her head as she approached her newest crush. She extended her hand for him to take. “Leo?” She asked his name in English. With more courage, he took her hand easier, much to her surprise. Mei Mei led him to the back room. Without Leo's knowing, she looked back at Venus. The cheeky girl winked and giggled before disappearing into the dark back room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “How do I look?” The voice woke Venus up from her thoughts. Having taken a while, the ex-turtle lay across the counter on her stomach. She moved the side of her face off of her hands and positioned her chin on top of them. From the depths, she saw a blue cuff and his hand emerging. Following it was a large blue kimono with two black vertical stripes lining from his shoulders and down. Tying him all together, a blue belt of the same hue wrapped around his body. Mei Mei couldn't figure how the large size fit him so well and the one she thought that would fit him right was extremely small. Magic was at work. Venus pushed her body up as Leonardo strolled up with the biggest smile ever. It was probably the first time he's worn a kimono; something he's possibly dreamed about due to being immersed into Japanese culture (it's a Chinese garb, but pretty close to the real thing. I'm not going to ruin his fun.) Mei Mei followed directly behind him. With his back turned, he could not see the list in her eye. A finger curled into her bottom lip, grazing it when she draped it down. He was a little too busy to notice as he looked for Venus’ approval. There was no verbal response or nod of the head. Instead, a creeping smile did the trick as she looked him up and down. “(Delicious.)” Mei Mei whispered. “Mei!” Venus interjected in English dialect. Leo turned his head to the girl. Immediately, she removed her finger from her mouth just in time. “(Are you not seeing what I'm seeing?)” she raised a brow, making a quick hand gesture to keep Leonardo off her game. The ex-turtle sighed with a chuckle under her breath. Leo turned back, trying to figure out what's going on. She slid off the counter and approached him. Part of his collar was tucked into his neck and proceeded to fix it. He lifted up his chin to allow her access. “She said you look very nice” she complimented, keeping her eyes on the fabric blemish. She could tell that he was tensing up by the quietness of his breath and the reluctance to move. “and are quite the model.” A quick pat on the collar bone alerted him to let his chin fall back to its natural position. “Tell her thank you,” His content eyes and grin was warm. “and she was very professional back there.” “(Really?)” her torso leaned to the side to see the still hiding Chinese girl. Leonardo moved off to the side and let his eyes follow as Venus approached her friend. Her suspicious tone and raised brow brought Mei Mei’s blushing gaze away as she interrogated geez “(You were being professional fitting him?)” “(I used my hands to dress but my eyes to undress.)” “(Mei Mei, please.)” “(I'm talking to the wrong person. Mona would be encouraging me.)” “(Which is exactly why we left her in America.)” Meanwhile, Leonardo was up to other things. With the two friends constantly jabbering away in a language he couldn't understand, the boy learned quickly to try not to integrate into their conversation. In one part of the room, a set of three mirrors angled at different angles stood up with two lanterns illuminating them. He looked into his reflection. There was his human self again. It was crazy seeing how that big robe was able to fit perfectly with his smaller frames human body. When she first pulled out that other kimono, he thought she was possibly blind for bringing in something so petite. That thought aside, he admired himself. The dark blue was the best part of it, but the black was a great touch. What he couldn't shake off was that he continued to wear his mask tied around his skull. He had to blend in, and wearing a mask like this to a party was far than formal. Leo reached the back of his head to undo the knot. It was taught at first, but it quickly loosened in seconds. Unraveling it blew cold air on the strip covered with cloth. Immediately, his gaze caught up with his reflection. He had to admit, he was pretty good looking. With the mask tucked in a pocket inside his garb, he stared back at his fully transformed self. The firsts of what he noticed was the old scar that traced down his eye and to the top of his cheekbone. His finger traced along it, using the mirror as a guide. The line was a lot brighter than the original. Now, with the change in skin tone, the peachy colors blended much better, creating a less prominent mark. “If I walked into a room and you didn’t know it was me, could you tell?” He asked facing the mirror. The two girls redirected their attention to the ogling turtle who smoothed his hands over his features. Mei continued to admire; Venus wanted to joke. “I could tell that you’re a tourist trying to embrace Chinese cultures, that’s for sure.” She assured, giving him a cutesy wink. “(It’s great to see the embracing of our culture to another ethnicity without the appropriation.)” Finally! The first non-suggestive thing she's said about him since she first laid eyes on him. “(Always).” “(You're next, Venus.)” Mei Mei tugged on her sleeve. Venus nodded as she practically dragged her away. “I'll be right back.” She called to Leo. “(Is it alright if he pokes around?)” Mei Mei drifted her gaze back to the man in the mirror. “(He can do whatever he wants.)” her dreamt tone returned. Oh, brother. “Feel free to look around and such.” She gave him welcoming hand gestures before the little girl stowed her away. “Alright.” Leo called, having already finding something to do. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “(I think you will be okay. Your robe is a somewhat common wardrobe. I've seen enough girls wearing them that they wouldn't think it would be you there.)” “(If you say so.)” “(Besides, not only are you human but dark skinned with gold curls. That's far fetched from the typical description of Venus de Milo. If there was a typical description of you.)” “(I trust you, Mei Mei.)” “(Have I ever done anything for you to question me?)” “(Yes!)” “(Well, this isn't one of those times.)” He heard them speaking in the back. As their conversation droned on, their voices became clearer and louder as they pushed through the back door. Leo had to pause when he turned around at the approaching figure. It took every bit of night in him to keep his jaw closed and his breath normal. There she was, with Mei Mei trailing behind her; dressed up in traditional garb. Upon walking in, she noticed the mirror and the one who continued to occupy it and decided to see herself in human form. Leonardo didn't know what to do when she came close, by then woke himself up to give her some space in front of the mirror. The female turtle took a look, and so did the male. Just as Mei Mei had spoken of, she kept her original blue robe on. The only additive was half of a corset that wrapped tightly around her stomach area. Looking directly at her, it was ridiculous as it shaped awkwardly around her shell, but through the mirror, perfectly normal. Those golden curls were wrapped up, tied into a loose bun that sat just at the base of her neck. A pair of tresses fell on opposite sides of her face, completing an elegant style. To accumulate to tradition, her face had been painted up. I contest to her dark skin, white makeup created a fresh mask. The natural red hue of the red-eared slider streaks she possessed were highlighted. Smokey eyes overlapped them, accentuating the green eyes underneath them. Coral pink blush filled the hollows of her cheeks, following the fresh red paint that cascaded and created vibrant lips. “So,” he tried to keep himself together and cleared his throat. Awkward at parts or not, she was still a beautiful creature to him. “you’re going as a geisha?” His voice cracked at the end of his sentence due to nervousness. “No,” she giggled, inspecting herself further let. “I’m posing as a hostess, a concubine, or something. Whatever keeps me undetected.” Venus really didn't know what she was posing as, but she had a good list just in case she needed to state her business. For Leo, it should be easy. Can't speak or understand a bit of the language, clearly a tourist. His presence would be surpassed. If she accidentally speaks just one bit of Chinese, questioning could surely arise. Better get rid of all negative factors. “You look like a geisha.” “The Geisha originated in Japan, but the styling originated from China.” She corrected his terminology. Venus had seen multiple times how American entertainment programs would confuse the two cultures as well as integrate traditions (starting with Mulan). She understood his ignorance. So bad did Leo want to accept it, but he shook his head. Even though he said it once, he'll say it again. “You still look like a geisha.” She just...did. Suddenly, her fingers stopped smoothing her hair. A sharp turn in his direction startled him while her eyes pierced his soul and her hand pointed flat directly at him, as if ready to roast. “Leo, I don’t care if I look like a chicken on a bicycle if it’s going to keep us both on the down low.” Her harsh words spit out of her finely red lips quickly. In an instant, Leo put his hands up in surrender. When she saw this, she gave a nod of the head and presumed. Not asking that again. “(Mei Pei Chi. If you want to have an ample window of time, you must get going.)” Mei Mei alerted when she pointed outside. The position of the sun was not in the turtle’s favor. “I was hoping to catch a carriage cyclist but it would be far too late. Where we’re going is a few miles away.” “Yeah, I'm not walking miles in this heat with this on.” He gave a tug of a flap by his chest.Warm day plus long clothes plus walking some miles equals ‘no, thank you’. “If we’re catching a ride, we need a fast one.” Venus pondered on the thought. She walked away from the mirror and examined outside. Her eyes turned yellow as they stared at the sunshine on top of the mountains. The mountains. “I think I have an idea.”