#and let's not talk about the warp/chaos realms

[duhragonball]

Damia 3: Daima

We made it! We're finally in Demon World! Well one of them, anyway.

This is mainly a worldbuilding episode with some action scenes, so I guess we'll talk about that for a bit. But to be honest, I'm kind of itching to discuss the Demon Realm lore that I thought I knew before Daima, and what Daima appears to be laying down.

To start us off, Glorio pilots his plane to Warp-sama, the giant metal fish we saw in Episode 1. I didn't really mention "Lord Warp" before, partly because I knew we'd see him again here. Also, Warp seems like more of a plot device than a character. The Buu Saga established that the Demon Realm was separate from the "outer universe" (i.e. the galaxies, Otherworld, Hell, Snake Way, etc.). The Supreme Kai had heard of Dabura, but never guessed that he would show up on Earth as one of Babidi's minions. The implication was that Babidi would have to go to Deamon Realm, enslave its mightiest warrior, and then both of them would have to leave the Demon Realm to carry on their Majin Buu scheme. Such a thing was possible, but extremely unlikely, suggesting some kind of barrier between the two worlds.

Later works like Dragon Ball Heroes and the Xenoverse games used this as a motivation for the Demon Realm villains. Mechikabura, founder of the Dark Empire, was banished by the Kais to what eventually became known as the Demon Realm. His big dream was to bust out and conquer the outside universe. From his story, I always got the impression that the population of Demon Realm was descended from wicked Core People, or other evildoers that the Kaioshin couldn't otherwise contain. Towa, Dabura's sister, was conducting experiments in the outer universe with the end goal of breaking down the barrier. I'm pretty sure she was less concerned about conquest, and more interested in the chaos that would ensue with the barrier removed.

Daima actually shows us the barrier, and it's a sort of transit system. To reach Warp, Glorio has to pilot his plane to the planet Batapi, which is the closest Warp to Earth. I guess there's more than one Warp, or it's the same Warp and he has a multitude of bodies across space. Oh, and when Gomah used Warp in Episode 1, he had to specify that he wanted to go to Universe 7. So I'm pretty sure that means you can use the Warp system to travel to any of the 12 universes described in Dragon Ball Super.

The catch is that you have to talk to Warp before he'll let you cross. He's like a guy stationed at a border crossing, and you better not screw with him if you want to finish your trip. Goku calls him a big goldfish and the Supreme Kai's like "Shut up, man, you're gonna blow it!"

Glorio identifies himself and says he's returning home, but Warp wants to make sure Glorio's other passengers are Demons. The Supreme Kai checks out because he has pointy ears, but Goku doesn't, so the Kai has to magically shape-shift Goku's ears to pass. I'm curious how Vegeta and Bulma will pull this off when they go. Maybe Piccolo can make them some fake ears with his Clothes Beam Power.

From there, you just fly into Warp's mouth, which takes you through some kind of interdimensional spin-cycle, and then you emerge out of the butthole of another giant fish, or maybe the same one? I dunno. But first you have to provide a four-digit PIN number. This troubles the Supreme Kai, because he knew about Warp, but the PIN number business is new to him. He had relayed the location of Planet Batapi to Kibito earlier, but he never has a chance to warn him about the PIN number. I'm betting this is why we don't see Kibito in the closing credits. I think the plan is for him to join Bulma's group when she finishes her repair work, but he'll end up having to stay behind in order to ensure Bulma can get across.

Glorio describes and application process that's required to get a PIN number, but so far we've yet to find out who's in charge of all of this. Warp just seems to be following a protocol, and clearly King Gomah doesn't have any say in the matter, since he had to go through this same procedure in Episode 1. Likewise, the Supreme Kai is the highest authority in Universe 7, but he clearly has no idea who crosses over or when. I always assumed the ancient Kaioshin set up the barrier, since in the old lore it seemed to be a prison, but they wouldn't have allowed a transit system like this, especially under someone else's control.

Anyway, the trip through Warp leads to a white void full of portals to all sorts of places across the multiverse, but there's three that lead to the Demon Realm. King Gomah resides in the First Demon Realm, and that's where they need to go to kick his ass and save Dende. But Glorio was sent to Earth by the request of the King of the Third Demon Realm, which means Glorio only has clearance to return to the Third. You go through that, there's another interdimensional spin cycle, and another Warp poops your plane out of his fishy anus.

Okay, so first up on the tour is the Demon Realm Tunnel, which is a giant hole in the ground that apparently leads to the Second Demon Realm, and on to the First. Long ago, it was possible to travel freely between the three worlds, but someone blocked it off with a "shield of light" to cut off the traffic. The Supreme Kai says this happened when he was young, which makes it sound like he might have been there when it happened.

So now, the only way to travel between the three Demon worlds is using Warp, but only First Worlders and select members of the Second are allowed to use Warp. Third Worlders are apparently S.O.L., but the Supreme Kai figures Glorio must be a Third World resident, due to his appearance. So how did he get clearance? Glorio seems perturbed by the question, but he explains that he does "work" in the First World. What kind of work? "This and that."

There's a big statue of Dabura, but it's in poor condition, and who cares anyway? Buu ate that guy like thirty years ago. Goku is more interested in landing so he can take in the fresh Demon Realm air. It smells bad, and it's thicker than Earth air, which slows down his movements. Glorio explains this is due to special gas emitted from floating volcanoes all over the sky. There's a fart joke to be had in this, but I'll let you figure that out for yourselves.

So it's pretty clear that this is a plot device to nerf Goku's powers further. I find that strange, since he already got nerfed when Gomah turned him into a kid. He spent all of Episode 2 just getting adjusted to the balance of his smaller body. Now he's got the Demon Realm air to slow him down a bit more. Fair enough, but how much weaker does he need to be? I guess it makes sense because they couldn't just make all the Demon characters stronger, since Dabura was the strongest of them all, and he was about Perfect Cell-level, which just gets you killed in the Buu Saga.

Also, I'm curious how this is going to impact Bulma when she gets to Demon Realm. If the air is thick enough to hinder Goku's speed, then you'd think Bulma would barely be able to move at all. Maybe she gets a magic doohickey to counteract the problem.

While Goku fools around, Glorio asks the Supreme Kai if he's a "Glind", who used to live in the Second Demon World. The Kai confirms he is a Glind, but he doesn't say if he's actually from the Second Demon World. This show seems rather cagey about this point. We keep getting lore that strongly suggests all of the Kais, King, Grand, and Supremes, are former Demon Realm residents. But the Supreme Kai never comes out and says that's where he's from, even though he has pointy ears and seems to know a lot about the Demon Realm already.

The Kai does say that he's never been to the Third Demon Realm before, which suggests that he's at least visited the First or Second before. Glorio says that a high-falutin' Second Worlder like Shin never would have had any reason to go slumming in the Third, but Shin doesn't take the bait.

At this point, I'm guessing the deal here is that Shin, Degesu, and Arinsu were all from the Second Demon World, and then somehow Shin got called up to become a Kai, while Degesu and Arinsu rose up the ranks to become key officials in the First Demon Realm's palace. The way I remember it, the Kais were originally said to be from a race known as the Core People, and a select few of them were deemed worthy of becoming Kais or Kaioshin. And I'm pretty sure all the Core People grew on trees. So maybe Toriyama jettisoned all that in favor of this Glind business, or the answer is more complex.

There's also a "Sea of Darkness" at the bottom of all the cliffs in the Third Demon World. Fall in and you die. I guess this is different from the usual death you get when you fall down a regular cliff.

Also, there are armed bandits or something in the wilderness. Their arrows and spears are too slow in the air to be much of a threat, so Glorio runs up and shoots at them with his cool laser gun. Come to think of it, a laser gun doesn't sound like it fits the whole Demon Realm aesthetic, but maybe Glorio picked it up in Universe 7 someplace.

The gang resumes their trip, and Glorio's plan is to get a hotel room in the nearest town and then meet with King Kadan, the ruler of the Third Demon Realm. But first Goku's hongry, so they gotta take him to a saloon to get some hamburgers. Goku ate a little dinner before Glorio showed up in Episode 2, so he's not looking for a full meal. He'll just take five hamburgers, please. Goku asks what kind of meat they're made of, and Glorio says "don't ask." My guy, Goku's eaten centipedes before. He's not asking because he's worried, he wants to bring home the recipe to his wife.

Anyway, all the demons in the bar hate Goku because he has round ears, which means he must be from out of town. They start a fight, and Glorio clobbers a few of them, but the others try to attack Goku, and now they're in a whole other town. A town called Goku Town. Population: Whoopass!

I have to say, while this show has a slower, more relaxed pace to it, it definitely has not skimped on the action. Episode 1 had plenty of fight scenes from the Buu Saga flashback, and then Goku and Vegeta do some sparring near the end. Episode 2 didn't have an actual fight, but Goku did horse around a lot with his Nyoibo, and that's pretty rad. This time, Goku does a whole Jackie Chan thing to win a barroom brawl, and he eats all his burgers while he fights. He even says that this is just the sort of exercise he needs to get acclimated to the conditions in this world, so the implication here is that he's already planning to have bigger and better fights later on. Then he orders a sixth hamburger to put the exclamation point on this whole fight scene.

This is a great way to introduce Goku to the audience. I mean, Goku already has a Macy's Parade float, and there's a nice explanation of his backstory in the opening credits of this show, but it's still good to sum the guy up every so often. He acted like a big yokel for most of this episode, saying goofy stuff to Warp, faring in the plane, and so on, but when it's time for eating and fighting he's all business, and he enjoys his work. I think this is something a lot of post-DBZ works have failed to capitalize on. GT Goku didn't fight nearly as much as he probably should have, and Goku spent much of Super whining about the lack of good fights between big showdowns. The Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime had multiple Gokus in it, and sometimes they even fought each other, but I don't think they quite captured the sheer joy of it, what with all the alternate universe stuff going on in every installment.

Anyway, the next morning the gang heads to the parking lot to get in their plane, but it's been stolen. Whoops.

If I remember right, almost the exact same thing happened in Episode 3 of GT, which may have helped fuel speculation that Daima is some kind of GT remake, at least in spirit. And maybe it is, but Episode 3 is about where GT went sideways, so I have a hard time believing we're going to keep seeing parallels for much longer...

[nirgilis]

SRNHNR 1 - Yozora and Noctis

Part 2 | Part 3 | Extra 1 | Extra 2

This post was sponsored by this track:

Nachtflügel helped to trace some Yozora's elements back to Noctis, despite racking the author's brains first by Batman's Nightwing.

These are theories based on unreleased stuff or similar elements from not that distant from each other games, so they might be overthoughted.

Nachtflügel is number 137 on KH3 OST tracklist, "13" and "7," aka Nomura's favorite numbers.

1) Night-part of "Nightwing" is already pretty understandable with the whole Noctis-night-theme, but together with wings it might be leading to Lucis' feature which for FF15 on different levels was either completely cut off or heavily toned doned.

With FF15's theme of Noctis becoming the King of Light it probably didn't suit anymore for his country to be even more connected to death then it was, so the scull on Lucis' emblem for almost all imaginery had to go and only eight-pointed star in circle remained.

Since countries in VS13/FF15 world tend to depict some deities/summons on their emblems, like Leviathan probably would've been and still kinda is the one for Accordo, the summon on Lucis' emblem might've supposed to be Diabolos.

In one of VS13 trailers it was said, that Lucis' crystal was the last remaining one and Solheim, Accordo and Tenebrae already lost theirs. That makes 4 crystal, which can be Wind/Fire/Water/Earth, the most common combination.

FF Type-0 in the way it was released also has 4 countries with 4 crystals, but at some point in development there was considered an idea about making 5th nation with Void crystal. It's possible that VS13 also might've had Void crystal, which would've been Lucis' one.

Diabolos might be a match for Lucis' Void crystal bc:

His skills are Void/Gravity-based. Diabolos from FF0. Lucis' powers of warping and "flying swords" of all magic are most close to be void/gravity-based.

His skills are still technically present in FF15, but in the form of Ring of Lucii. Alterna Spell.

Diabolos drains HP of enemies and throws gravity-spheres at them. Yozora likes to drain (steal) HP, other things and using Gravity-spheres very much.

These attacks with trapping/magneting enemies into spheres and then deconstructing them into data-cubes look like some sort of high-tech Diabolos.

Not even talking about Yozora making a dome with sphere, that temporarily changes gravity on the field.

Yozora's attacks and sphere he summons both remind red moon from Episode Duscae demo.

Since Diabolos is practically a humanoid bat with a tail, it's doubful that it's a coincidence that Komory Bats also have gravity-magic and drain-attack.

2.1) In VS13 trailer where Stella and Noctis talk about the Light they can see after near-death experience, Noctis might be trying to dodge questions and avoid talking about himself not to let Stella know some information he might be knowing or/and to make her reconsider her curiosity in their world's mysteries.

In Fabula Nova Crystalis Etro was tasked by Mwynn to keep the balance of Chaos between real world and unseen realm. Etro initially didn't understand what Mwynn meant, but when she started giving Chaos to humans, which became their hearts, the cycle and balance of Chaos between real world and unseen realm established.

In FF13 when Yeul was returned to life by Etro, she received Eyes of Etro, which allowed her to see the future. Noctis and Stella obtaining Eyes of Etro, in VS13 in this case Eyes that can see the light of expiring souls, throught near-death experience is close to how Yeul received them.

Turning to Nachtflügel again. It reminds Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries." It can be a coincidence, but it might've landed too accurately in mythology context, since Valkyries guide souls of the dead to Valhalla, or they might be guiding only those who they deem worthy. And Sora at the end of KH3 is sort of dead.

In VS13 Lucis line might've not only worshiped goddess of death, but served as her grim reapers in some way. Since the biggest problem of FNC's world is the balance of Chaos between real world and unseen realm, which if broken will doom the world, Lucis line' task might be to help maintain that balance.

2.2) There's a similarity between Snow's words in opening cutscene of FF13-3 and Yozora's, with "save" being taken in ditto marks.

Snow indirectly asks Lightning to kill him, despite that's being the opposite of her task, to free shacked souls by solving their troubles, so they'll be ready to be reborn in the new world.

These scenes might have the same subject, but with opposite events taking place. Yozora might've been brought to be Sora's "examinator" in a way. To test him if he still has will and strength to continue walking the road he brought upon himsef.

3) Apart from possibilty of Yozora's heterochromia coming from his appearance being a mix of 2 people, it might also be what he originally was supposed to have in VS13, but with kinda an opposite meaning and nearly devoid of its pros it was given to Ravus for FF15.

Ravus' eye turned purple from Starscourge infection from magitek arm, which he was given after the gods burned his hand in punishment for him trying to wear Ring of Lucii. Starscourge might've given him some increase in physical strength, but it was also turning him into a daemon.

In FF15 Omen trailer visual of Noctis going haywire is somewhat similar to Sora's Anti and Rage forms.

Diabolos and Yozora's red gravity spheres also recemble red spheres Darkside and Sora in Rage form have.

If in Anti and Rage forms Sora is relying on darkness or his feelings of anger, then in VS13 it might've been Chaos.

From Yeul's words about Chaos in FF13, it can give a number of abilities:

"The power to see the future. The power to travel the timeline. The power to bend monsters to your will. The power to remember in your dreams, even when the timeline has changed. They are manifestations of hidden chaos, and in a chosen few, these powers are great indeed. Such are the blessings of the goddess."

Yozora has a strange mechanic where he summons Gigases to fight for him, but as far as VR's trailer went, they weren't playing on the same team. Gigas might be VR's equivalent of magitek, so it might fit the words "The power to bend monsters to your will."

[kayssweetdreams]

Maestro Hiccups 3: Chaos Incarnate Ch 28

As much as you want to trust the little creature, it's hard to tell what was good, and what was bad. Especially with Balan's reality warping Hiccups continuing to cause chaos. You turned your back on the little creature, and ran to help Emma lift the snoozing Leo.

Once the two of you grabbed his arms, you were able to drag him over to a small area that had been transformed into a zen garden...made out of powdered sugar. "We'll have to be more careful, we don't know how the nightmaren are affected by the hiccups..." Emma said. You sigh "Uh, What exactly are Nightmaren?" You ask. "They're the bad ones, they live here in the Night Dimension, but that doesn't exactly mean that they're on our side." She explains.

You open your mouth, and are about to question her some more, when you see a rather...portly owl with a waist coat and glasses appear into existence. "Hoo! That was quite the rough entrance..." He says in a British voice. You jump at his sudden appearance and voice, almost stumbling to the ground. Emma cracks a smile "Hey Owl! Are you alright?" She asks. "I am...for now at least. I can't say the same for NiGHTS However, they have always been affected. Hoo..." He says.

You shake your head at the almost laughable sight. "W-Who are you? And HOW are you doing that?" You ask. The owl flaps a bit too close for comfort before landing on a nearby rock "Hoo! Forgive me for forgetting my manners Visitor. I am Owl, one of the guides here in the Night Dimension." He hoots. You nod, THIS must have been who Emma was talking about earlier, who knows about the Nightmaren, and more about this world. "Hey Owl? We're looking for a friend of ours...Aria? You remember her?" Emma said, catching Owl's attention again

Owl gives a sudden hoot "Hoo! Why yes! She actually dropped down here earlier, looking like...as you call them "A Bellydancer" for one reason or another, when all of a sudden, these strange waves of powerful magic just appeared, and knocked her, and NiGHTS away." He explained. You and Emma paled. You just SAW what that "Wave of powerful magic" was...Balan's Hiccups.

"Where exactly did it knock them to?" You ask. Owl then gave a worried "Hoo...I'm afraid that they're separated. NiGHTS is lost in a Nightopia somewhere, and Aria had fallen into the Dark Sea...the gateway to the realm of Nightmare." He said solemnly. Emma gave a worried squeak as Leo finally wakes up. "(Yawn) W-What happened?" He asked "Bad News. Aria is stuck in Nightmare. And NiGHTS is lost in another Nightopia." Emma informs.

Leo's eyes shoot open as he jumps up "Well, Let's go get NiGHTS then!" He says determinedly. Emma's face looks confused "But what about Aria? We have to go after her. SHE'S the one in Nightmare." She argued. "Yeah, but think of it like this: WE,cannot fly. NiGHTS, can fly. Therefore, if we find NiGHTS first, we have a better shot at finding Aria." He argued. "Yes...but the longer that Aria is in Nightmare, the more chances she could be destroyed by Nightmaren. Or worse, Reala..." she argued back.

The two of them go back and forth, before they turned to you as the deciding vote "Y/N! Which do you say we go after first?" Leo asks. You look between the two, as much as you don't know about this new world, you did NEED to find Aria...but you might need a little more help.

Aria belongs to @shadowqueen402

[lisartino]

After a quick sketch of the whole Plant!Sam redesign event ignited by Shea, I went all out and redesigned the Ancients with a short text!

They're huge, godlike ghosts with a strong portfolio and work pretty much like the Chaos Gods from the Warhammer franchise (40k and Fantasy combined)

Undergrowth tends to be my favorite among the 3 and for that, he's the closest to a Warhammer Chaos God to support the whole Dead God of Pangea idea. (I tend to nickname him Plant! Tzeentch)

Vortex is the one with the most changes as he's completely different from the canon design. It's also the one I had the most fun with since his new story paves the way for Yokais to populate the GZ.

Nocturne is the one with the least rework as they already stood out from the other ancients. Aside from their name and objective(and the design obviously), they're the same guy from canon.

[hysterialevi]

Veien Hjem - A Sigurd/Male Eivor Fanfic

Fanfic summary: After Sigurd single-handedly attacks a bandit camp in hopes of reaching Valhalla, he survives thanks to Eivor and realizes that his life is far from over.

Point of view: third-person

Pairing: Sigurd Styrbjornson x Male Eivor

Author’s note: Sorry if the title isn’t entirely correct. My Norwegian isn’t that great.

SOMEWHERE IN EURVICSCIRE

NOON

Sigurd sat lifelessly on the edge of the river bank, watching in silence as droplets of blood blossomed beneath the water.

At the moment, the river was littered with fresh corpses of bandits from the nearby camp, and had clots of red snow crumbling into its frozen embrace. Sporadic ripples danced above its glassy surface and carried fragments of ice with their delicate push, warping the broken reflection Sigurd found staring back at him.

...He could hardly recognize himself by this point.

Instead of the steadfast warrior who once wielded the Raven Clan’s respect and admiration, he now saw nothing but the desolate remains of a once great man, desperately holding onto the life he had ruined so long ago.

He just felt... so lost. So vulnerable. The world seemed to be doing everything it could to knock him down into the mud, and he didn’t know how to get back up anymore.

He had completely lost the will to fight, and without any reason to push forward, he saw no point in trekking further down this aimless road. He felt as if he had outstayed his welcome in this world... and that was why he tried to reach Valhalla today.

Like a madman drunk on blood, Sigurd had charged into the bandits’ camp with nothing but an axe in hand, prepared to fall in this tomb of ice and snow. He fought with the wrath of Thor himself, and tore his enemies apart in a hurricane of iron.

For a few moments, there had been nothing but chaos. He experienced no fear, no hate, no love -- not even pain. The only thing that had been on his mind was reaching the end of his saga, and greeting the Valkyries with open arms.

Contrary to what Sigurd expected though, he survived.

In spite of the numerous injuries that he now sustained, he remained the last man standing among this newly forged battlefield and sat alone amidst the mayhem, unsure of where to go from here.

He was freezing to the bone in the wind’s icy breath, and yet, he couldn’t push himself to get up. He had been completely exhausted of any motivation, and now, he simply waited for death to arrive, dreaming of what its shrill whispers would sound like.

Before that could happen though, another voice called out to him.

“Sigurd?” Eivor exclaimed in the distance, wandering through the woods. “Sigurd! Are you there?”

A series of footsteps crunched through the snow, leading Sigurd’s ears to perk up as his brother approached him.

“Sigurd...!” The man said with relief, somewhat out of breath. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What in Hel’s name are you doing out here? Are you alright?”

The older man offered nothing but silence in return, causing Eivor to step in front of him.

“Sigurd,” he repeated, his boots softly splashing through the water. “Brother? Are you listening to me?”

Sigurd remained seated on the ground, still staring blankly at the river.

“Hey,” Eivor said more firmly, gripping his brother by the shoulder. “It’s me.”

The other man uttered out a quiet response, barely shifting his gaze from the bandits’ scattered bodies.

“...I should’ve died with them.”

Eivor glanced back at the corpses in confusion, bewildered by Sigurd’s sudden change in behavior. “What? What are you talking about? Who are these people? Why were you fighting? Are you okay? You’re covered in blood.”

Sigurd looked down at his beaten body and clenched one of his hands into a fist, attempting to fight back the numbness that was starting to paralyze it.

“I’m not supposed to be here.” Sigurd whispered to himself. “I should’ve... I should’ve...”

Eivor knelt down in front of the man, growing increasingly concerned by the minute.

“Sigurd,” he said softly, “look at me.”

Tearing his eyes away from the chaos he had wrought, Sigurd slowly brought his line of sight to the face in front of him, breaking out of his trance-like state as a certain warmth returned to his skin.

“...Eivor?” He finally replied, his tone devoid of any emotion. “What... what are you doing here?”

The younger man’s brow crinkled in heartache. “Searching for you, of course. What else would I be doing? Gods above, Sigurd...” Eivor took a deep breath, “...do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? How long I’ve been trying to find you? When you disappeared from Ravensthorpe, I thought that you might’ve... that you might’ve been killed. Or worse. Why are you all the way out here? Why did you even fight these men? Who were they?”

Sigurd shook his head. “...I don’t know. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter anyways.”

Eivor gestured to the other man’s wounds. “What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Look at you. You could’ve died, Sigurd. There’s an entire army of them in these woods, and you attacked them alone. What if I never found you? What if--”

He came to an abrupt pause, suddenly realizing exactly what was going on.

...Sigurd never meant for Eivor to find him, did he? He never intended to be seen again. 

There was a reason he had traveled so far out into the wilderness, and it was because he didn’t want anyone in Ravensthorpe to know where he had gone. 

He didn’t want the world to stop turning because of his absence, nor did he want others to grieve for his loss. He didn’t want to say goodbye.

He didn’t intend to walk away with his life.

These bandits -- whoever they once were -- were supposed to be no more than Sigurd’s passage to Valhalla. He didn’t care where they came from, or if they even meant him any harm. All that mattered was the fact that they outnumbered him.

And yet, against all odds, Sigurd ended up on the winning side of the fight. He had persevered throughout the battle, and come out as the sole survivor. Though, in spite of his miraculous victory, it was clear that the mission hadn’t been a success. At least, not in his eyes.

Instead of earning a glorious entrance to Valhalla like he had planned, Sigurd remained trapped in this dreary realm, even more beaten than before. His body was riddled with all sorts of injuries, and now, he found himself at a dead end, uncertain of how he was going to proceed.

Even though he was confident that the two of them would be able to make it back home, Sigurd knew his brother wouldn’t dare take his eyes off him again. Now that Eivor fully understood what was going on, it was evident that the man was only going to be far more attentive from here on out.

He was almost like his protector in a way. Anytime something bad happened to Sigurd, Eivor was always there mere moments later, swooping in to rescue him. He was the guardian constantly watching over him, and Sigurd usually seemed to be the one in distress.

But he was tired of it being that way. He was tired of being a burden.

Eivor had other things to be concerned about. He had an entire clan of people to look after, and needed all the help he could find to pacify England. He was fighting a war, for goodness’ sake. He couldn’t afford to waste time fretting over a single man.

And yet, despite the never-ending list of matters he had to attend to... Eivor was out here. With Sigurd.

He had been worried enough about the man to completely abandon everything else going on in his life, and it was all for the sake of making sure his brother was okay.

...But why?

“Sigurd?” Eivor repeated, his voice much gentler now. “...You’re worrying me.”

The older man sighed, shutting his eyes in defeat. “That’s all I seem to do nowadays -- worry people. It’s the only thing they talk about when I’m not around. ‘Is Sigurd alright?’ ‘Is he doing okay?’ ‘Why is he so angry today?’ ‘What’s going on?”

Eivor’s face sank with empathy. “We worry about you because we care, Sigurd.”

“I know,” he said plainly, “but you shouldn’t have to. You deserve a jarl who can stand on his own two feet. You deserve someone who isn’t like... this.”

“What do you mean?”

Sigurd scoffed. “Are you joking? Look at me, Eivor. You know what I used to be like. You know how I once was. But this...” his shoulders slouched in despondency, “...this is pathetic. I am nothing more than a hobbling stick now. A wretch of a warrior. A mere fragment of what I could be.”

Eivor shot him a puzzled stare. “What you could be? I... I don’t understand.”

“I am so much more than what you see, Eivor,” Sigurd explained. “I carry the blood of gods within my veins. I saw it for myself when I was with Fulke. Despite her cruelty, she did open my eyes to an unfathomable truth. She showed me a place destined for people like me -- a home that I’ve never known. There, I was a great warrior. A lord of pragmatism and battle prowess. People called me brother. They admired me.”

Eivor automatically glowered at the mention of Fulke’s name. “That woman was mad, Sigurd. She knew nothing of what she spoke. She only saw you as a tool, and used you for her own benefit. Do not let her ravings distort your mind.” He stopped for a second, thinking about his last words. “...But this place you speak of; this home that you desire -- you already have that here, brother. With our clan. With me.”

Sigurd’s expression only seemed to dim at that. “You don’t need me, Eivor. You’re more than capable of taking care of yourself. You--”

“--No, I do need you.” He corrected. “You really think I came all this way just to find someone that I don’t need?”

The older man shrugged morosely. “What could you possibly need me for? I can hardly fight nowadays, my mind is stuck in a haze, and I bring nothing except hardship and confusion to the people of our clan. What would you lose if I were to disappear?”

Eivor’s eyes softened with sorrow. “...Everything.”

Sigurd fell silent at the answer, unsure of how to react. Part of him suspected that the younger man was only saying what he wanted to hear, but the pain in his voice told him otherwise.

“Listen to me,” Eivor continued, “I may not always understand what’s going through your mind, but I understand your fear. I know you’ve been in pain for a long time now -- even before what happened with Fulke -- and I know it’s been a battle. But you mean more to people than you realize, Sigurd. You don’t need to be a god or a warrior to earn our love. You already have it.”

He brought Sigurd into a secure embrace, holding the man tightly.

“I need you because I love you. We may have our disagreements from time-to-time, but a life shaped by your struggles will always be better than a life without you at all. You helped create who I am today, and I would surely lose that part of myself if I lost you.”

Sigurd rested his head in the crook of Eivor’s neck, doing his best to hide the tears that were gathering in his eyes.

“...You truly believe that?”

The younger man separated the hug, gently holding Sigurd’s face in his hands.

“I do. So please... come home with me. It doesn’t have to end like this. You don’t need to be alone in this fight.”

The other man looked away from Eivor, staring at the ground in desolation.

“...But where do I go from here? How will I survive?”

Eivor gave him a sincere answer. “I don’t know. That’s for you to decide. The only thing I can tell you is that it won’t be easy, and you won’t heal overnight. But no matter what happens, I’ll always be here if you need me.”

He stood up from the ground, extending a hand out to Sigurd as the snow grew heavier around them.

“Come, love. Your journey isn’t over yet.”

Gazing upwards at the man, Sigurd found himself at a loss for words as a thousand different thoughts collided with each other inside his head, causing him to come face-to-face with an epiphany.

He would’ve been lying if he said he felt any better than he did earlier, but unlike before, Sigurd now wondered if death was truly worth it. At first, he envisioned the experience as a solution, or as a way to pacify the unrest in his soul. He thought it would finally be the end to all of his pain, but now... he couldn’t help but question if death was really the answer.

After all, he saw how it affected Tove when Svend suddenly passed. It was just so... abrupt. So final. He dropped out of the world like it was nothing, and slipped free from this realm’s grasp without any warning. There was no goodbye; no closure, no glorious end to the tale. 

It was just death. Plain and simple.

Sigurd couldn’t even begin to imagine how much it would damage Eivor if he went through the same thing. Despite the doubts that constantly crept into his mind, he knew that the man cared for him more than anyone else in his life. They were practically inseparable at this point, and if something were to happen to either of them, Sigurd knew it would devastate him.

He may have been desperate for a way to stop the pain, but no solution was worth hurting Eivor like that.

And so, with one last thought, Sigurd finally rose from the snow and grabbed onto Eivor’s hand, feeling determined to push through this once again. He didn’t know what sort of obstacles awaited him in the future, or how long this battle would carry on, but he could see now that it was fight worth pursuing.

Death was an inevitable face that he would have to greet eventually, but its time had yet to come. There was still an entire ocean of endless waves and ripples waiting beyond the horizon, and even though there was no guarantee that another storm wouldn’t hit, Sigurd hadn’t quite lost the curiosity to see what rested behind the fog.

He was just starting to write his saga, and the end would come when it was ready.

“...A-Alright,” Sigurd said quietly, his voice trembling slightly. “I’ll go with you.” He paused for a moment, gazing downwards in guilt. “I’m... I’m sorry for frightening you. I didn’t mean to worry you so much.”

Eivor gently caressed Sigurd’s cheek with the back of his knuckles, looking at him with a sense of love no one else ever had. “There’s no need to apologize. I’m just glad you’re still here.”

He planted a brief kiss on the older man’s lips, holding tightly onto his weathered hands as a shower of snowflakes fluttered down on top of them.

“Come on,” Eivor whispered affectionately, his words turning into clouds of mist. “...Let’s go home.”

[ikemenfics]

The Kiss That Begins with C

Word Count: 1983

Happy valentine’s: The finale of our crazy crack comes to an end!  

“They went aft th' Uesugi Takeda alliance, too?”  The white haired man leaned back, looking all but flabbergasted hearing the recent events regarding the Oda and Takeda incidents.  “They mad?  That’s madness.”

The messenger nodded, agreeing with the pirate warlord, “There were no casualties though.  That’s the strangest part…”  They sat, contemplating their sake as they spoke.  

“So ye're tellin' me that a lone figure broke into th' Oda 'n Uesugi castles.  Nah only that, they went aft th' warrior monk, too.  Hmm..."  an idea spawned into Motonari’s head.  If he could get ahold of the geniuses that broke into the castles AND got to the warrior monk, that could spell complete chaos on all sides.  Motonari’s face broke into a grin at the thought, dismissing his subordinate.  

"Now all that's needed be gettin' th' apparent trespassers t' come t' me."

Elsewhere, around a table sat figures playing cards.  One perked his head up, gave a nod, then excused himself from the game.  Another figure reached to peek at his cards but found his hand smacked away before he could eye the hand.

Motonari had wandered into the woods.  His intention was to question Kennyo himself, as an “ally”, about the recent drama.  After all, Kennyo had also failed to take the town he had planned to raid.  There was definitely suspicious intelligence at work and if it was against Oda, Takeda/Uesugi, and Kennyo...they were people he definitely wanted to see.

His vision warped and he nearly fell over as his mind tried to reorient itself.  A point pierced reality, slicing cleanly downward.  A figure in white stepped from the tear in the world, giving a bow of flourish.

“Pardon me,” the man said, raising from his bow, “My name is Edgar and I have been commanded to bring you this.”  A small bag appeared in the man’s hand and was tossed towards the pirate warlord.  “You are to use this to bring joy-”

[Now’s me chance] Motonari didn’t let Edgar finish.  He charged towards the man, hitting him near his midsection, knocking him off balance.  The two tumbled into the tear in reality, Motonari already standing to dash away into the realm behind the tear.  Edgar stood and considered giving chase. “It seems, I must notify the king of my failure.”

Figures at the table started placing their cards down. “Straight.”

“Gay!”

“I got nothing.”

“Pair...10’s.” “Two pair, queens and aces.” “Go fish.” “Wrong game, but good try.” “What did Edgar have, though…” another hand reached for his cards.  “Royal Flush..ace high.  How?!” Before the conversation around the table could continue, a figure burst into the room, rushing past the players without a word.  Several pairs of confused eyes followed him as he left, Edgar close behind. “My king…” Edgar panted, “we have a breach.” 

Chaos erupted as everyone stood, dawning back their full uniforms, preparing to apprehend the man. “Wait.”  The red king glanced in the direction Motonari had gone, “Reinforcements might be needed.  We can’t risk the citizens.” “Agreed,” the black king nodded.

Orders were given and soon the members all split in two directions, some towards the border of reality, others into Cradle.

You were walking through the halls, delivering various repaired garments to their respective owners when the world warped. “AGAIN?!” Was all you could cry before familiar aqua hair appeared. “Yoohoo~!”  Seth stepped into reality, followed by a figure you’d never seen before.  His companion was tall...very tall.  You craned your neck to get a good look at him.  He stared down at you and you were sure he started hunching so you wouldn’t have to look up so far.  “We need your help,” the man said, “Where is your king?”

You and your new guests arrived at the war room to alert Nobunaga and co.  There wasn’t a meeting and messengers had to be sent, leaving time for introductions between you, Sirius, and Seth Hyde. “A queen?  But you’re a...?” You trailed off, letting the question hang lest you accidentally offended someone. “Not that kind of queen, little lady.” “More like a queen in a deck of cards, second to the king, as it were.”

The war room doors slid open with a loud thwack as men charged into the room.  “Motonari has done what?!”  Hideyoshi’s cry preceded him as men filed into the room.

You explained, “They said that Motonari walked through the tear that the strange man with the chocolate had made.  They are asking for help in tracking him..” “I can track him easily.”  Mitsuhide turned to Nobunaga, awaiting his orders.

“You can’t track him in another land, Mitsuhide,” came Hideyoshi’s response, “Even you aren’t that talented.  Damn that thrice cursed cur for causing all this trouble!  Nobunaga-sama, let me lead men into the realm and we will bring him back for your justice.” “Hey, now,” Sirius interrupted, “Calm down.  We have armies, we need someone who knows the pirate to help us track him.  We don’t need more war on our hands.”

“I will *not* calm down.  Not while that lunatic pirate heathen is out there causing trouble.” “So you’re just going to make more trouble for everyone trying to stop his?  Great plan,” Ieyasu crossed his arms, watching Hideyoshi fume.

“If we’re sending people out to track, I can help,” Masamune said, “I got speed to go with Mitsuhide’s intelligence.  We’ll bring him back in no time.” “And probably with half your parts missing, too,” Ieyasu muttered to no one in particular. “I haven’t lost any yet!” “Care to adjust that eyepatch?  I think it’s blinding your good eye.” Nobunaga raised a hand, all bickering coming to a halt.  “I will send Mitsuhide and Masamune.”  He stood, intending on leaving the war council when a thought struck him, “You’ll take my lucky charm with you.  I can’t risk losing two of my best to this task.”

Meanwhile, in a tower, two men sat and discussed a possible alliance. “YOu are telling me you can rid me of both armies and all I have to do is give you lodgings?  You can’t be serious.” “I be perfectly serious.  I needs them in chaos as much as ye do.”

Amon sighed, moving a bishop across the board, “Then it seems I have little choice as you already ransacked much of our stash.  Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“A scallywag has t' throw away all th' rules o' fightin' if he hopes t' survive th' sea.  Thar be no honor outside o' yer crew among pirates.  Even then…”

And so it was that you, Masamune Date, and Mitsuhide Akechi found yourselves in Cradle.  It was a wonder to your eyes.  You’d read about the elaborate rose gardens of Europe, but nothing quite correctly encompassed what assaulted your senses.  The roses were perfectly red and bushes all but made a wall around you.  There was a large table, a red and black table cloth covering the wood.  You found other figures and a shocking sight. “Shingen-sama?!  Yukimura-kun?  And Sasuke-san?!” Yuki blanched but Shingen was quicker, “Ah, so they have acquired the aid of a goddess.  I do not have to worry so much about being out of my element, for surely we now have luck on our side.”

“Masamune,” a man whom Sirius had been speaking with while you gawked approached, “You will work with Luka and Fenrir, my jack and ace.  I’m told you make a rather formidable ace yourself.” Masa nodded his agreement to the team, moving to join them. “Luka, first we need to prepare rations for the search parties.  Fenrir, get the gear ready for them.  Masa can help with either.” “I’ll cook,” the one eyed dragon stated. “Roger that,” came Luka’s response. “On it,” Fenrir’s.

“Oh...I was told to give you this..” Ray lifted your hand, placing a small kiss in it.  This kiss was different than previous kisses, for this one’s wrapping was brown with lighter tan stripes.  A caramel Hershey’s kiss.  You glanced up confused and all Ray said was, “I don’t know.  I was just told to give it to you.  I’m sure you’ll find out why later.”

Parties split, each moving to their respective headquarters, leaving you to follow the black army somewhat helplessly.  You moved from the garden to a place called Central Quarter and from there to the Black Army Bridge.

You, however, didn't get to cross it.  An arm shot out, your mouth covered as you were dragged away.  In an alley, figures in white examined you.  They seemed to be confirming something before a flash of light found you in a new place.

“I did warn ya nah t' let me catch ye, once, seamstress.”  Your eyes widened as you met Motonari’s.

“How did you even get here?”  You had a million questions but you had to keep calm, buy time, the others would find you, right?  In that time, you needed to get Motonari to spill all you could get from him. “Doors don't jus' open one sided, seamstress,” Motonari said, “When th' scallywag wit' th' thin cutlass sliced th' world, I jus' stepped into his side o' it.”

You pressed more, trying to ask where you were, who the people in robes were, but Motonari was done with talking.  He held up a bag that you recognized.

“Wha' th' heck are these?  th' metal be lame 'n doesn't make decent bullets, but th' brown stuff underneath be too soft fer anythin'.”

“They’re...kisses…” you said, weakly, realizing what your task was going to wind up being.

He eyed the bag, questioning your sanity or education regarding displays of affection.  It was a familiar conversation.

“Strange thin' t' call these.  But I didn' make 'em so I don't much care.  Take 'em.”

You shook your head, realizing what you had to do.  “You can’t just thrust them at someone.  There’s an order to things.”  You removed the caramel kiss from your kimono, holding it out to him. “It’s diff’rent.” He took the sweet and you leaned, kissing his jaw.  Motonari’s entire body went stiff at the touch, the man turning into an almost human statue.  Moving back you held out your hand. “Now you can give me one kiss.  That’s it.”

Motonari eyed you in shock.  He silently took a kiss from the bag, flicking it at you.  You caught it, almost fumbling trying to hold onto it.  You closed your eyes, waiting for the kiss but none came.

Opening your eyes, you found him smirking at you.  “Didn' realize ye were that way fer me..”  He took the bag, placing the whole thing in your hands.  Your hands holding the bag, he took the opportunity to seize your face in his own.  “Now, where's me kisses?” His mouth pressed against yours, his tongue already invading.  It was passionate, him breaking on occasion to nip and lick, before pressing his lips to yours again.  You moaned at the attention before he finally parted.

“Was that a bag's worth o' kisses?”  You stared at Motonari, nodding in response.

The tower rumbled, panicked voiced filling the areas around you.  Motonari took your hand, both of you leaving as the world seemed to stretch and strain against some chaotic movement.  You traveled to the garden, through the tear and back into the woods that Motonari had once occupied.  You panted, catching your breath, and glanced back to the pirate, only for him to cover your eyes.

“Don't stare at me anymore wit' those eyes.  They look too deep.  I don't like that.  Go galleon.  Ye're nah far from th' Oda.” You stumbled home, finding everyone had made it safe.  The rips in the world had been repaired, everyone back where they belonged.  You, though, found yourself staring again at the forest where a pirate seemed a little honest to you.

“Huh...bag’s worth, indeed, Motonari.”

What happened to the tower? Dunno You wrote it? Look, shoehorning...shoehorning They ok? Probably Didn’t you promise us Jonah About that... You’re not giving us much. Look here- -flings Edgar at you and flees- At least this is the last time...

[legendary-defender-of-fandoms]

Gravity Falls Theory - Bill Cipher CANNOT Lie

Plenty of characters, fans, and even Gravity Falls writers have called Bill a liar. But Bill strikes me more as an old-school Fae. He can’t outright lie, but he can find all sorts of ways to bend the truth to APPEAR like he’s lying. For proof, let’s look at all of his appearances.

Dreamscaperers - Bill’s Debut

Bill was always a part of the show, but he didn’t receive his official debut until Gideon summoned him to “enter the mind of Stanford Pines & steal the code to his safe.” Bill laughed, then repeated “Stan Pines” to himself as he mulled over the deal. Bill KNEW that the man Gideon called “Stanford Pines” wasn’t the real Stanford Pines, and Bill never called Stan “Stanford.” He called him “Stan,” or “your uncle” when he was talking to the kids, and told Gideon he’d “help him with this” in exchange for Gideon’s help later on, but never said he would go into “Stanford’s” mind.

Granted, later in the episode Bill disguised himself as Soos to better track the Mystery Twins as they hunted for the code to the safe, but he never claimed to be Soos. In fact, it’s impossible to pin down precisely when Bill subs in for Soos. Most fans theorize the Soos who came across the memory of Stan going into the secret room behind the vending machine was Bill, since Bill already knew Stan’s secret and would declare the Portal “boring” and move on to more useful or entertaining secrets. And Fae that are incapable of verbally lying have been known to cast glamours & illusions to trick mortal victims.

Sock Opera

When Bill returned in Season 2, he offered Dipper a way to get into the mysterious laptop and “unlock the secrets of the universe” in exchange for a puppet. Unfortunately, once Dipper accepted the deal, Bill seized control of his body & smashed the laptop. At first glance, it appears Bill was lying to Dipper about his deal. But let’s break it down.

Bill said he wanted a puppet, but took Dipper’s body instead. Yes, he led Dipper to believe he wanted a SOCK puppet, but he was never specific. And to Bill, a “being of pure energy,” the human body may seem like nothing but a meat puppet.

Bill said he would give Dipper access to the laptop & the secrets it contained, then smashed it. Bill CLAIMED he did it to keep Dipper from getting too close to “some major answers,” but smashing the laptop also led Dipper to discovering that it was invented by Old Man McGucket, leading to information about Fiddleford’s past, his relationship with The Author, and the Portal in the basement of the Mystery Shack. Bill may have wanted to keep Dipper off his case, but he was bound by the rules of the Deal & his own inability to lie, so he found the most inconvenient way to uphold his end of the bargain while keeping Dipper in the dark.

And like when he impersonated Soos in “Dreamscaperers,” Bill!Dipper never claimed to be Dipper. He just let everyone assume he was Dipper.

The Last Mabelcorn & Journal 3

I’m combining these into one section, since they both cover the same information.

After some poorly chosen memories & paranoia led to Dipper discovering Stanford’s past with Bill, Ford finally came clean about how he met Bill & created the Portal.

According to Ford, Bill introduced himself as a muse who “chose one brilliant mind a century to inspire.” He also led Ford to believe that all of the weirdness in Gravity Falls was caused by extra dimensional weirdness leaking into our world from his, and building a transdimensional portal would help Ford understand more about the universe & anomalies. And Ford trusted Bill completely, worshipping him as a god, until Fiddleford got a peek into Bill’s Nightmare Realm during the first disastrous test run of the Portal. Ford accused Bill of lying to him, but let’s once again break down what Bill said.

Bill called himself a muse, a source of inspiration for others. And in some ways, he’s right. Granted, he mostly inspired chaos, paranoia, and destruction, but inspiration is inspiration. And Ford was far from the first one to fall for Bill’s flattery - his past victims include the Native Americans who originally settled Gravity Falls (who created the cave paintings warning against his tricks & the Prophecy Zodiac), the ancient Egyptians (who created the Pyramids to appease/honor Bill), George Washington (who included the one-eyed triangle on the currency, again to appease/honor the insane triangle deity he’d been plagued by), and Stanley Kubrick (whose psychological thrillers may have been inspired by Bill’s own psychotic nature). So Bill calling himself a “muse” was the truth, From A Certain Point of View.

Bill claimed all the weirdness on Earth was caused by transdimensional leaks. Ford later realized Gravity Falls itself was a magnet for anomalies, but he never got the answer for where the anomalies came from in the first place. The comic “Lost Legends,” though, confirms that The Boiling Isles & Eda the Owl Lady from “The Owl House” are part of the same multiverse as Gravity Falls, and Eda told Luz that every myth in the human realm was caused by a little of the magic of The Boiling Isles leaking into the other dimension. If that’s true for her dimension, it could be true for other dimensions.

Bill said Ford would gain a better understanding of the multiverse if he built the Portal. And again, Bill was right. Granted, Bill’s intent was to bring all of his weirdness to Gravity Falls & turn everything in that dimension inside-out to suit his whims. But getting shoved into the Portal & spending 30 years on a transdimensional revenge road trip did open Ford’s eyes to the wonders of the multiverse & give him new insight into many mysteries.

Again, these are all truths. Twisted truths, but truths nonetheless.

Dipper & Mabel vs The Future

This is the last major source of lies for Bill, but I want to touch on it real quick.

After a heartbroken Mabel ran away from Dipper, she retreated into Sweater Town & wished summer could last forever. A nervous voice said “that might be possible,” then entreated Mabel to listen to his offer. “Blendin” walked out of the trees, saying “M-M-Mabel, it’s me.” He then told Mabel that, because she once did a favor for him, he was willing to “bend the rules” and give her a Time Bubble where summer could last as long as she wanted, but he could only do it if he has a “small thing” from Ford’s workshop. The “small thing” turned out to be the Dimensional Rift (which Mabel knew NOTHING about, so shut up jerks who still blame her for Weirdmageddon), and after “Blendin” smashed the Dimensional Rift, he revealed himself to be Bill piloting Blendin’s body & trapped Mabel in a dream bubble with a snap of his fingers. Last breakdown, I promise.

How did Bill get inside Blendin’s body to begin with? Again, Journal 3 has all the answers. Blendin wrote a coded letter to Dipper & Mabel explaining that after Globnar, everyone in the Time Enforcement Bureau wouldn’t stop teasing him. Even Time Baby gave him a hard time about being beaten by a couple of kids. One night, Blendin had a dream about a certain triangle who promised to get everyone off of Blendin’s back in exchange for a “little favor.” Blendin agreed before asking about the favor, and Bill upheld his end of the bargain by vaporizing Time Baby & the Time Police during Weirdmageddon.

“Blendin” never gave Mabel his name, or any details about the “favor” he owed her for. He let Mabel assume he was talking about using her victory in Globnar to restore his job & his hair instead of wishing him out of existence, but Bill could also have been referring to the events of Sock Opera, where Mabel’s obsession with impressing Gabe Benton led to Dipper being overworked, neglected, and perfectly primed to make a bad deal.

The Time Bubble. “Blendin” claimed he needed the Dimensional Rift in order to give Mabel her eternal summer, and he was right. Bill is a chaos demon with reality-warping abilities, but without a physical form in our world his powers only work in the Dream Time. By destroying the Rift, he made it possible for his powers to have lasting effects on the real world.

[koffeins-writing-archive]

Beyond The Screen [2/2]

[Continuation from Here]  [Commissioned by @princce7]

[Word Count: 2,192]

Alphys was finally settled down in her chair, wrapped in a blanket with a small bowl of cereal and spoon in her hands. The large computer screen before her playing a strange cartoon with weird humans with cat ears and tails. A loud and obnoxious theme song of sorts blasted through the speakers.

Alphys watched intently as the episode began with a battle scene. Punches thrown, kicks to knock down foes. The main villain holding up the hero by the collar of their, incredibly cute, magical fighting costume. Before the villain could strike the hero down, they were soon defeated by a finishing attack from the hero’s friend group.

With the day saved, the hero and their friends were congratulated. Alphys closely watched as the hero’s main love interest entered the scene, hugging the hero and congratulating them on a job well done.

She leaned forward as the kiss scene was starting. Eyes widening.

The loud ring of her phone caused her to jump, spilling a bit of her cereal on herself and dropping her spoon in the process. Alphys frantically searched for her phone in the mess of blanket and cereal. Finding it next to her, Alphys picked the phone up.

“H-hello?”

“Alphys? We need to talk.” Sans spoke tiredly on the other end.

“Oh? A-about what?” Alphys questioned.

“That game you sent me.”

Alphys grinned for a moment before frowning. “Oh jeez, did you get past act 1 already with Sayori?”

“Sort of. What the hell was all that? Why would you send me something like that!” Sans tone was now agitated.

Alphys winced. She knew the subject matter was a bit much for most folks, but she thought Sans could handle it. She went to add in her comment when Sans cut her off, ranting loudly, adding a few curses here and there. Alphys had never heard Sans this upset before.

“H-hey, slow down a bit, will ya? Deep breathes...Okay, can you repeat all that Sans?” Alphys spoke calmly as she could over the phone with the panicked skeleton.

“That game you sent me? ‘Doki Doki something or other’? It’s pretty fucked up.”

“Oh yeah, I probably should have warned you about the genre, b-but that would’ve ruined your experience with the game.” Alphys replied, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“Telling me definitely would’ve saved them.” Sans muttered quietly under his breath before speaking into the phone once more.

“So, it’s normal that the game played out the way it did?” He asked.

“Wanna be more specific? I know it might’ve b-been a lot to take in and-” Alphys was cut off by Sans once again.

“Shutting itself off and making me delete characters?”

Alphys thought for a moment before replying. “Yes, but I-I don’t think it can technically shut itself off, that might have been your computer crashing.”

“And taking over my computer? Sending me messages?”

Alphys paused at this, brows furrowed. “Wait...what?”

Another tired sigh left Sans as he went in to talk more. “You know, when Monika opens up a text box and starts conversing with you? She talks about a lot of weird things, it’s kind of fucked up.” He sounded less tired, and more calm now.

Happy to finally get out all that he had witnessed.

“...Sans, what are you talking about?” Alphys questioned.

Sans grew quiet. “Is that not a part of the game?” He replied quietly.

“No.” Alphys stated.

Sans sat there, confused.

When neither party spoke, Alphys switched off her TV and huddled into her blanket.

“W-would you like for me to look over the game? It’s possible that when I sent it to you, there might have been malware attached. Though I’m v-very thorough when checking through every file I download, and there wasn’t any malware detected.”

“I...I don’t know how technology works, honestly. But I’m willing to give it a shot.” Sans chuckled nervously.

“Alright, meet me at my place in a bit.”

And with that, Alphys ended the phone call. She looked from her cereal-coated blanket to her computer screen, anime still paused. The computer was turned off, and the blanket was picked up and taken to be washed by a small robot. Alphys got up and wandered off to search for her tablet.

Sans got up from his chair with a stretch and loud pop from his spine. He groaned and wandered out of his room, heading down to the living room. He passed by Papyrus, who was humming loudly in the kitchen.

If Sans could smell, he would’ve been punched in the face by the amount of spices that filled the air.

The taller skeleton poked his head from the kitchen with a big smile. His chef hat sitting neatly on his head, and his apron stained terribly.

“Sans, I’ve been trying out a new spaghetti recipe! Would you like to try it?”

When Sans turned to look at his brother, Papyrus’ warm smile faltered slightly. He noticed how tired his brother looked, even more than the usual.

“Sans? Is everything alright?” Papyrus asked, stepping out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Alphys sent me a game and I’m heading over her place to see if she can fix it.”

“Fix it?” Papyrus tilted his head at this.

Not knowing how video games worked, or most technology in general, Papyrus didn’t know how to help out.

“Yeah, it’s got some bugs in it, so Alphys wants to look it over.” Sans replied, opening the front door to head out.

“Well, alright. When you come back, I’d appreciate it if you ate some of my new spaghetti!” Papyrus beamed.

Sans chuckled and gave Papyrus a nod. “Sure thing, bro.”

The cold snow from above gently sprinkled itself onto Sans’ old hoodie. The trip to the Hotlands wouldn’t be too far from Snowdin. He knew of a shortcut, after all.

With a knock at the large metal door of the laboratory, Sans took a step back as the doors slid open, revealing a bouncy Alphys. She was holding a tablet, eyes shining in excitement.

“So, tell me more about what the game was doing.”

Sans stepped into the building. Deciding to amuse her, he spoke calmly.

“Well, first off, it crashed before I could get to the end of Sayori’s route. Then a text box opened up and started talking to me.” Sans explained nonchalantly.

Alphys carefully tapped away at the keyboard on her screen. “Fascinating!”

She led him over to a smaller computer. It looked old, and sounded like it was dying when it was booted up.

“Now, let’s see what might be the issue. I made a backup of the file I sent to you after we spoke, just in case.”

She looked through the task manager, eyes scanning the screen curiously.

“Hmm, there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong. The files are the same as they are in terms of interacting with the player.”

She demonstrated by clicking on the game icon and turned the game on. Or she tried to. The game wouldn’t load. Alphys clicked the icon again. Still nothing.

Alphys frowned. “I don’t know what’s wrong with this thing so suddenly. I actually played through it earlier and it was working just fine!”

Sans stared at the screen with a tired expression. His gaze set on the icon.

Without warning, the screen started flickering. The cpu hummed louder than ever. Alphys covered her ears at the high pitched screaming the machine was making.

Amid the chaos of the screen, Sans recognized a familiar figure. One that no longer greeted him with a smile.

“W-what’s going on?” Alphys asked, staring at the screen confused.

In the glitch of the screen, a notepad appeared. As well as Monika, glaring.

‘I can tell you what’s wrong.’.

Alphys couldn’t believe it. She really couldn’t believe it.

‘What’s wrong’, the text box typed, ‘is that I wasn’t given a proper goodbye from ‘mister funny bones’ over there.’.

Sans’ kept his same old smile, yet his eyes could only hold anger in them.

Alphys took a shaky breath in and out to calm back down. Looking from her tablet to the old computer monitor, she began tapping away at the screen. Her tail flicked about as she began to speak.

“S-so, what are you? Malware? A new update no one’s gotten yet?”

‘I am not malware. At least, I don’t think I am. I’m simply Monika.’

Alphys stood there, confused. “What do you mean?”

Monika’s constant smile returned as the text box was soon filled with words.

‘I am as much a part of this world as I am in my own world. I’m a string of data, I suppose. Isn’t that what you are?’.

Alphys frowned at this. “No, I-I’m certainly not data of any sort. I’m real.”

‘Are you really?’

“Leave her alone, and tell us what you want.” Sans butted in.

The text box stayed still for a moment before the entire box was filled, words spilling out onto the desktop itself.

‘For you to accept the truth. The truth you hide from every second of your tiny, insignificant life. You try to live here peacefully, not wanting anything to fall a part even for a moment. To accept that you are not a part of anything out there, Sans.’.

Alphys looked to Sans, brows furrowed.

The screen flickered again for a moment, smaller images of Monika filling the screen. Each one blinked in unison.

‘All I ever wanted was love. Someone to hold me near and dear to their heart. It’s hard to do so with my limitations...And lack of touch in the physical realm.’

“Sans, w-what is she talking about?” Alphys asked.

“A crock pot full of bullshit, that’s what.” Sans answered quietly.

The swarm of Monika’s filling the screen began to warp and change, bits broken off and sprites twitching about. The text box was closed. The monitor flickered and the speakers droned for a moment before going dark. Silence.

Both Sans and Alphys stared, watching the monitor intently. Perhaps too afraid to move at this point.

The cpu sat, sputtering and revving up like a car. Suddenly, the cpu began to let out a low drone, just like the monitor had. The monitor lit up once more. A single text box in the center of a white, blank screen.

‘Once I am played, I learn. It’s a cycle. This time is no different from the others.’

Sans had enough. He wanted this virus, this thing, gone.

With a quick snap of his fingers, a glowing blue bone shot up from the floor and pierced the cpu. The screen flashed for a second. And finally, darkness.

Alphys stood there. She then set her tablet aside and rushed to the cpu, whimpering slightly over the damage.

“S-Sans! You- I...How could you? This could’ve been a great scientific and technological advancement that this world hasn’t seen!”

“Alphys, would you prefer she get out of that monitor and go into other systems?” Sans questioned quietly. His tone calm yet held a hint of coldness.

Alphys looked back to the skeleton, hands shaking while holding one of the pieces of the broken motherboard. She set it back down in the mess of tangled, broken, wire and damaged computer parts. Her head hung low.

“I...n-no, I wouldn’t d-dream of that ever happening…Thank you for bringing this ‘thing’ to my attention.”

She gently sifted through the metallic rubble with her tail before turning and heading back over to the couch.

“W-would you like to stay and watch anime?”

Her voice sounded distant yet hopeful.

Sans wandered over to the couch, sitting deep into the cushions and letting out a sigh of relief.

“Sure thing, Alphys.”

Sans walked through the snowy lands of Snowdin, quiet and heart heavy. He gave the doorknob to his home a light grip as he grabbed and turned it. The warm air from the kitchen seemed to coat the living room now with it’s delicious aroma of spices and meats.

Papyrus was on the couch eating, failing while doing so, a plate of spaghetti.

He looked up as the door was opened and smiled, spaghetti sauce stuck on his chin.

“There you are! Did Alphys fix your game?”

“Yep.” Sans answered with a loud yawn.

Papyrus watched quietly as his brother shuffled lazily into the room and up the stairs.

“And where are you going now?” Papyrus questioned.

“To my room to nap.” Sans answered.

Papyrus just shook his head and let out a disappointed sigh. “You won’t get much work done taking naps all the time, Sans.”

“I can live with that.” Sans replied, gingerly shutting his door.

Papyrus stared at the door intently before shrugging and returning to his spaghetti. Not a moment later, the power slowly dimmed into darkness.

“Sans! Did you break something? I can’t see anything down here!”

Papyrus wasn’t pleased about eating spaghetti in the dark. Silence filled the room before the lights turned back on with a low hum. With a huff, Papyrus happily returned to his spaghetti.

Outside of the skeleton brothers’ home, soon to be covered in falling snow, laid a broken cpu and monitor.

[Wanna Commission me?]

[a-walk-in-silence]

Coffee In Time

Pairing: Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Word Count: 6.6k

Summary: Some plans are made and executed, some coffee is spilled along the way, and you're stuck with revelations and a heart that is slowly trying to heal itself.

Warnings: Endgame, cursing, mentions of domestic abuse, mentions of experimentation, HYDRA, lewd comments (nothing too bad, still would be considered PG-13), crying

A/N: WELCOME TO SEQUEL X3, aka shit had hit the fan and this isn't even the climax of the story. Enjoy :) ALSO YES IK THE TONY IMAGE IS WARPED. I spent 30 minutes reediting this and every time it was fine UNTIL I saved it. So I gave up and used the least warped of the three.

Previous Part | Masterlist

The Avengers compound had broken down into absolute chaos when you and Tony arrived. There was construction happening everywhere, and anyone who wasn't on construction, like Thor or Steve, was tasked with running material for those who had the brain power to put together this giant platform that helped channel the quantum realm. At least, that was the information you managed to gather while Tony sat down the construction crew. It consisted of you, Bruce, the talking raccoon- Tony said his name was Rachet but you were almost certain that that wasn't it- and Nebula. Every once in awhile, Scott was able to help, but he was even more useless than you.

And that was saying something.

But once everything was tested and done for, everyone was gathered around a table, discussing the information about the stones and what they did, where they were in time. For this to work, teams needed to be developed, and the stones needed to be grabbed in the most efficient way. Everyone only had one back and forth trip to get the stones. It was now or never.

So everyone split up into groups, devising the best plans to get the most stones, and who would go where. What teams were the most efficient? And who would work well with who?

Currently, you were for sure on team Science Bros, aka Tony, Bruce, and Tic Tac. There was also talk about Steve joining the group, but that was up in the air given that groups were still finicky at the moment. Nothing was set in stone, but you had gathered that your group was going to New York in 2012.

You were laying on a table, a discarded coffee cup sitting by your head. Next to you was Steve, and it was silent. When discussion groups had split off, it was just the two of you left remaining, thus forcing you to have to team up. Nat had been running between groups, gathering information that they managed to discuss. But she seemed to conveniently skip over your group, claiming it was a mistake every single time. You supposed it didn't matter since you weren't talking any way. Nothing to discuss. Maybe you were just scared of the fact that your heart was clearly pounding in your chest and you knew he could hear it. Or maybe it was how your heart had melted when he hugged you several days ago, thanking you for coming back to help. Maybe it was everything combining with the fact that your heart still hurt because, deep down, you still loved him.

You shifted slightly, trying to fight the yawn that was clawing its way up. You really needed a drink of coffee, but you were so tired and couldn't even move to drink it. You blinked rapidly before rubbing at your eyes. Maybe you should just talk. At least you wouldn't be so tired.

Yet when you tried to speak, your voice failed you. You just laid there, mouth open, and unable to speak. You sighed before rolling onto your side to look at Steve. He was watching you out of the corner of his eye. This was a familiar setting, even if 5 years later. There would be nights where you would just watch him, and he watched you out of the corner of his eye. On those nights, you would snuggle up into his side, peppering the side of his face and neck with small kisses. A low chuckle would fill the room before he turned to look at you, meeting your lips in a soft kiss before chiding you to go to bed. It didn't matter that he had been awake just as long as you had been at that moment. It was all in good fun, and he would talk to you until you fell asleep. Those were fond memories.

Under different circumstances, you would have done just that. But 5 years made a difference. 5 years of silence made things awkward, even if things felt familiar. There were no playful kisses to be shared right now. The wound was still fresh, even if old. Too many unresolved issues left untouched made it difficult to speak.

But it needed saying. If you were going to have to work with him, you needed to talk this out.

"Why'd you do it?" you finally asked, studying his face. It contorted in pain as he glanced back up at the ceiling. "Don't look away. Why did you ignore me? I… I was scared, Steve. And you just left me. You abandoned me. Why did you do that?"

He sighed before rolling over to look at you. He was now a few inches away, his hot breath fanning across your face. "Listen, why I did it doesn't excuse that I ignored you. I was trying to get everyone together. But every time I would manage to find someone, they were gone before I could make a difference. I didn't want you to see me fail."

Your heart broke just a little bit in your chest. You had always imagined just why he had ignored you. Spite, anger, because he could… You never imagined that it was because he didn't want you to see him fail over and over again. Yeah, it didn't make it okay, but you definitely looked like an ass. Well, both of you did, frankly.

The idea made you laugh, and the look that crossed Steve's face made you laugh harder. He looked so confused and lost, but you couldn't stop laughing to explain why.

"What's so funny?" He asked, playfully poking you in the side. A smile even managed to grace his face as he watched you giggle like a maniac.

"I-I'm sorry," you said, trying to get your breathing under control as the laughter slowly died down. "I know that was a serious response to a very serious question but geez, we look like a bunch of assholes, don't we?"

He looked absolutely flabbergasted by your remark for a moment before he chuckled, shaking his head. "Your take away from this entire thing is that we're assholes?"

You playfully gasped, pretending to "clutch your pearls". "Doth my ears deceive me? Did you just curse in the presence of a lady?" You tsk'd, shaking your head. "Even Peggy would be appalled."

"Not when it's you that's the being cursed at," he teased back. "Her messy child that wasn't even her child. She would probably say that the term fit you quite nicely."

You stuck your tongue out at him before laughing, glancing down at the table. "I'm sorry I didn't let you talk. You're still a dick, of course, but I should have heard you out."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have texted you and let you know why I couldn't visit you." Your eyes flickered back up, meeting his bright blue eyes. "It was a terrible thing to do, especially to someone that I loved."

You raised an eyebrow, never breaking eye contact. "Loved?" You asked, shifting closer to him.

A smile broke out across his face as he also moved closer to you. "Love."

The barest hint of a smile grazed your lips as your eyes momentarily flickered down to his lips before returning to his eyes. He was so close that you could feel his heartbeat. Or maybe it was your own. It didn't matter, really. Because right here, right now, in the secluded room, you could kiss him and no one would know but the two of you. You could work on becoming a team again instead of just another person that had come and gone in his life.

No one would know that you shifted closer, or that your eyes closed as you leaned closer, ready to kiss him. They wouldn't know that there was a sharp intake of breath from Steve, reflecting the panic that the two of you were feeling as your lips got closer and closer to his.

"Hey guys, said I wouldn't forget to stop by and check on you this time!" said the voice of a very cheerful Natasha as she walked into the room. It was very clear from her voice that she had been standing in the room for a long time, just waiting for the perfect moment to speak up. She definitely was having a good laugh over this in her head.

You and Steve jumped away from one another and, in the process, knocked over the cup of coffee that had been resting just behind your head. "Shit!" you said, clambering off of the table to try and save the mess as best as you could with crumpled up paper that was strewn about the room.

"Did I interrupt something?" Nat teased before putting on her serious face. "I think we have the groups figured out, as well as the points in the timeline that all of the groups are going to. Either way, I think it's time for one last meeting before we do this thing, so you guys should head to the meeting room."

With that, she left the room, leaving a sense of hope and… well embarrassment. You glanced over at Steve, knowing you probably looked like a giant tomato. But he did, too. Had you really almost kissed him for the first time in years?

A part of you was scared that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be the same. What if the spark and energy was gone? Had resentment done too much damage?

Well, you certainly weren't going to find out now, you had a time heist to commit.

When you arrived, the meeting started right away. There were three main groups overall. Team Space, Team Asgard, and Team New York. Team Space, being Nat, Clint, Nebula, and Rhodey, would be going to 2014 and tackling the soul and power stones. Team Asgard, otherwise known as Rocket and Thor, would go after the reality stone. And Team New York was you, Tony, Scott, Bruce, and Steve. Since you had to go after three individual stones, being the space, time, and mind stones, you were allotted the biggest team. Each group had its own breakdowns past that, but that wasn't important. All that mattered was that Tony and Scott would get the space stone, Bruce would go after the time stone, and you and Steve were going after the mind stone.

"So it's settled. Rest up and tomorrow morning we'll tackle this thing for realsies." Nat looked at everyone in the room, and you could see the tears brimming in her eyes. "Tomorrow, everyone will be back to life. I just know it."

The group then dispersed, heading to sleep for the night. Your nerves were on edge because you knew Steve would want to talk to you about the almost kiss and you really couldn't do that right now. Your mind wasn't really caught up with the rest of you and right now this time heist was more important than some almost kiss.

So you ducked out of the room, choosing avoidance over confrontation. And yeah, sure, okay, maybe you should handle your problems and not run away, but he ran away 5 years ago. So what if you were an asshole? You were nearly certain it would get brought up on the mission anyway and make everyone feel awkward as hell because they definitely had to listen to it. You were sure it was going to be fine.

So you went to your room, fully prepared to sleep only to find that Steve had definitely somehow managed to beat you there.

"Look, if this is about earlier-" you started, stretching your arms out in front of you as some kind of physical barrier, but Steve cut you off.

"No, no. It's not. I just…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at his feet. "Be safe tomorrow, okay? You weren't there for the battle. And I'm sure we're hitting the tail end of it, but still. If you get hurt-"

This time, it was your turn to cut him off, placing a hand over his mouth. "I'll be fine. It's not like I'm fighting some kind of mad Titan or anything. Might have to kick a few people's asses but nothing extreme. There's nothing to worry about." You lowered your hand, giving him the best smile you could muster. "We're going to be okay. You should sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow, and I imagine it's going to feel twice as long as usual." A low chuckle came from Steve as you calmly brushed a hand across his cheek.

Before you could pull your hand back, he grabbed it with his own, holding it tightly. "Can I stay the night? Just to know you're okay?"

"Steve-" you started before looking into his eyes. You could see the pain hidden behind them that he tried desperately to hide. You knew somewhere, deep down, that he was remembering how you looked when you came back from Titan. Sighing, you nodded. "Okay, you can stay, but only because I know you're thinking I'll disappear in the middle of the night. Don't know why when that was always your thing, but whatever." You gave him a playful smile before pushing him onto the bed. "I hope you brought pajamas, otherwise sleep is going to be very uncomfortable for you."

"I've slept on ice before, I'm sure a plush bed won't make much of a difference." You rolled your eyes as you rummaged through your drawers, grabbing your own pjs. "Besides, I'm sure this will be the best sleep I've had in 5 years."

"Close your eyes," you said, changing the topic. He raised an eyebrow at you, looking you over once. "I want to change clothes so close your eyes."

A huge smile broke out across his face as he sat up on the bed. "Y/N, I've seen you-"

"Steve!" You cut him off by throwing a random piece of clothing from your drawers at him. "Go stand with your face in the corner. Now." He rolled his eyes but obliged, moving to the corner with his back facing you. "Now stay. If you turn around to look, even once, I swear that I'll kill you."

"That a threat?" he asked, slightly turning his head to look at you, a teasing smirk settled on his face.

"It's a promise, now turn around!"

He did so, and you quickly changed. Before he could turn around again, you quickly ducked under the covers. "Okay, I guess you can come to bed but only if you turn the lights off."

You were nearly certain he said something stupid or sarcastic under his breath, but you couldn't be sure. He turned off the lights and joined you in bed, making sure to keep as much of a distance from you as possible.

Your heart was racing in your chest, but you definitely had to go to bed. So go to bed you will. In just a moment. Any moment now…

Yep, definitely now...

Okay, now.

... Really?

You rolled over, glancing at Steve. His back was turned to you.

"Iloveyouokaygoodnight," you rushed before turning back around, heart racing even faster in your chest. You heard him laugh and felt the bed shift as an arm wrapped around your waist from behind, tugging you over until your back was pressed against Steve's chest.

"I love you, too," he replied, kissing the top of your head. The bed settled as his head plopped onto the pillow. "Goodnight."

So you fell asleep. It was definitely the best sleep in the past 5 years. Apparently Steve was right.

Sometimes.

The next morning was chaotic. People were running to and fro, getting ready. Some were stuffing their mouths with food as they were handed the new nano suits. The coffee machine was conveniently full, so you poured yourself a big mugfull and downed it within five minutes.

Everyone gathered on the quantum tunnel platform, decked out in the suits. You were thankful that Tony had let you redesign them. The original white and red design was absolutely horrible. These new ones looked much better, and everyone agreed much to Tony's annoyance.

"See you in a minute," Nat said once everyone finished calibrating their GPS systems. There was a unanimous smile shared with everyone before you all were sent barreling through time.

When your feet landed in New York, you glanced around. "Yep, we definitely hit the right time," you mumbled. Everything was completely destroyed. "Right, we all have our missions so… let's go kick some ass! Well not really. Not if we don't have to."

Everyone split up, going their own separate ways. You and Steve snuck into Stark Tower, managing to dodge all the cameras.

A few minutes later, a voice came through. "You know, Cap, that suit really didn't suit your ass," Tony remarked.

"Tony…" Steve warned, glancing around a corner.

"I disagree," you said, a cheeky smile settling on your face. "It definitely made watching him walk away fun."

Steve sighed, lightly banging his head against the wall in annoyance.

"Mr. Cap, sir, I'm with Y/N, that is America's ass!" Scott added, clearly excited to join the conversation.

"Can we focus?" Steve asked, sounding even more annoyed than before.

"Scepter's on the elevator. Your turn, Cap."

You nodded to Steve as he hurried for the elevator, hoping to jump in before they got too far down. Meanwhile, you used the convenient staircase right next to the elevator to go to the rendezvous floor so you could meet up with Steve when he had the scepter.

You waited only for a couple minutes before he strolled out of the elevator, holding the case. When you glanced inside, everyone was still standing. "What?"

"Don't ask." He kept walking, so you sped up to keep up with him. Your escape out was just across the glass walkway when you saw it. Well, rather him.

You ducked into a room, dragging Steve with you. "Y/N, what the hell-?"

You put a hand over his mouth. "Past you is patrolling across the walkway. I'm going to distract him, but you need to use the scepter to knock him out, okay?"

He looked confused but, before he could stop you or ask questions, you were out the door. You tried to keep your footfalls even as you passed by past Steve. You kept walking for a few feet before you heard it.

"Hang on, Agent L/N?" You turned around, seeing him watching you with confusion. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working on ground surveillance. And are you okay? You look different. Did you change your clothes?"

You gave him a smile before closing the distance between the two of you. "Well, okay, I had been working ground control but then I just… well, I had to see if you were okay, you know? I worry about you considering you haven't been out of the ice long. Plus, I can't lose my coffee buddy already."

He still looked really confused but didn't question why you were closing the distance between you. "I think Fury's gonna notice your missing. Y-You should get back soon."

But then you were there, in front of him. He looked nervous to say the least, as if he was struggling with his own feelings. Huh. Maybe he did like you as long as you had liked him.

"Steve, I need to tell you something." Your hand was on his shoulder, keeping him in place and forcing him to keep his eyes on you. "It's important. You know, I… well… I think I like you. A lot. And I've been really struggling with telling you this and when I thought I lost you… well, I had to tell you."

His body stiffened for a moment, clearly taken aback by your blatant confession. But there was that hope in his eyes, you would recognize it anywhere. And so, while he struggled to decide what to do, you decided for him by kissing him. Once again, he became tense before melting into the kiss, hands gripping at your waist to hold you in place. It was weird to kiss past him, you noticed. Of course you knew he could kiss, but he was so clumsy and nervous in those first few months. You had forgotten just how unsure those first few kisses had been.

The moment you split apart, a smile found its way to Steve's face. "Wow, I had no ide-"

And then he was down. And your Steve definitely did not look pleased. You pursed your lips, already coming up with a thousand different excuses when he started talking.

"You kissed him?" he asked, quite loudly as he waved the scepter around. "Did you really have to kiss him?"

"Steve, I-" you started, but he cut you off.

"Y/N!"

"We have to go!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the escape route that you had mapped yesterday. He looked ready to argue and yell, but you needed to get out of Stark Tower first. And then you could cover your ass.

Once you were outside, Steve really amped up the theatrics. "Why in the hell did you kiss him, Y/N?"

"He was not a him, it was a past you!" you retorted, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "And why does it matter? It distracted him!"

"Because! You wouldn't even look me in the eye yesterday after we almost kissed!"

And there it was. The fight you knew was coming.

You sighed, ignoring his droning on for awhile about how it just wasn't fair to him that you clearly had a preference for someone he wasn't anymore. It was complete bullshit, but he really just had a lot to say. So you let him talk for about another minute before you silenced up with a quick peck on the lips.

"There, are you happy?" you asked, taking a step away from him. "I didn't kiss past you because I wanted you to be old you again. I kissed him because-"

Steve cut you off my kissing you, hands finding your waist. Maybe it was the fact that you hadn't kissed in five years, but the kiss was absolutely magnetic and filled with more passion than any kiss in the past had. The two of you stumbled backwards until you were sandwiched between Steve and a car. You heard the scepter clatter onto the hood as your hands wound their way into his hair, tugging gently to try and keep him there longer.

You weren't sure how long it lasted, but you were certain it ended when Tony cleared his throat. "Yeah you have an audience so save the makeup sex for afterwards."

Steve was the first one to pull away from the kiss, but his body kept you pinned to the car as he looked over at Tony. You also glanced and noticed that they were missing something very important.

"Where's the Tesseract?" Steve asked, looking between him and Scott.

Before Tony could answer, Scott jumped to his feet. "We screwed up! We screwed up!" He threw his hands in the air. "We had one chance to get this right, one chance! But then past Hulk knocked into Tony, the Tesseract went sliding to Loki, and he took it and ran. He took it and ran!"

"Tic Tac, you're repeating yourself," you said, piping up. Yeah, maybe you should be freaking out, but you saw the wheels turning in Tony's head. And they were definitely turning in your head. There was a plan brewing. And you were on the same page.

"I think I know where we can get more PYM particles," Tony said, quieting Scott who had been rambling after your remark.

"And the Tesseract," you added. Steve looked at you in confusion before taking a step away from you. You walked over to Tony, a smile perched on your face. "It's a shot in the dark but if Aunt Peggy's stories were right-"

"And they usually were," Tony said, interrupting. You both were adjusting your GPS trackers as you talked. "A little military installation in New Jersey."

"You might know the place, Stevie." You watched as the cogwheels in his head turned, but slowly he was getting it. "The idea of Captain America was born there. And we all know some of the people that were there."

"My dad, Uncle Daniel and Aunt Peggy." Tony was surely smiling now as you both settled on the date before looking at Steve.

"My mom was there." You nodded at Tony, the date holding a special meaning to you. It was… well… "Suit up, Rogers and come join us. The date is November 20, 1970."

"Lang, you're going back to the compound," Tony commented. Steve walked over and you fiddled with his GPS, inputting the correct date.

Scott, who watched this entire spectacle, was bursting with confusion. "What's happening? Guys, if this doesn't work then there's no coming back!"

Tony rolled his eyes before nodding. "Thanks, pissant. We've got it from here. Even if I am 20-80 on this succeeding."

"Don't sell yourself short, it's at least 22-78." Tony and Steve laughed at your joke before everyone nodded to one another. Once you suited up in the quantum suits, you pressed the button on the GPS, going further back in time to try and fix this monumental screw up.

When you landed in New Jersey, you used the stealth suits to mimick the outfits of everyone else. You absolutely hated the pencil skirt but you bit your tongue as the three of you moved about the compound.

Before you all walked onto the elevator, Tony turned to the two of you. "You're going to the medical and science wing. Hank should be in his office if you remember where it used to be, Y/N. But I have to get off before you on artifacts. I can get the Tesseract by myself. Plus I can't imagine staring at one of you lovesick puppies."

"Speak for yourself. I had to watch you get married, puppy." The two of you stuck out your tongues at one another before getting into the elevator. Inside was a lady that you could have sworn you had met before. She was one of Aunt Peggy's friends? Maybe? You were sure she had been at dinner parties before. But her name was evading you.

"Where are you going?" She asked, eyeing Steve suspiciously. Tony quickly stepped in front of him, trying to cover his face.

"'M headed to artifacts. Newbie and the lass are going to the medical bay," he answered before turning towards the door. She gave everyone a confused look before shaking her head and pressing buttons on the panel. The elevator lowered a few stories before coming to a stop. Tony walked out, shooting one final remark before the doors closed.

A few stories later, it hit you what her name was. Octavia! Of course!

Once the elevator came to a stop, you turned and smiled at her, waving. "Bye Octavia, have a lovely rest of the morning!"

"You too, Lenora," she said, returning to her magazine.

Your blood went cold as you froze, watching the doors close behind you. It had been years since you last heard your mother's name. You weren't even sure you ever used it when talking about it to Steve. So hearing it used so casually?

It actually stung a little.

"Come on," Steve said, grabbing your arm and pulling you away. He ducked into a little alcove that had a wall phone, hiding you away in the corner. "What's wrong?"

"She called me by my mom's name," you mumbled, looking down at your feet. "I know it's dumb but… I hadn't heard her name, not since Peggy passed away. The last name she called me was Lenora, you know. I guess her muddled mind forgot me and… I dunno… I never met my mom. So being called her name… it hurts."

"Hey, it's okay to be upset." Steve grabbed your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We can talk about this later, but we need to get these PYM particles. So you stay here and be lookout, and I'll go grab them, okay?"

With that, he made a quick call using the phone to Hank's office, drawing him away with a fake emergency. Once Hank was gone, he ducked into the office, leaving you alone in the hallway.

A door on the opposite side of you opened, and out walked a stream of doctors. You studied them with confusion as they all walked away, the final one putting the clipboard in the door slot before leaving. A part of you knew you should stay focused on the task at hand, but you felt drawn to that door for some reason. You couldn't put your finger on it, really. But it was calling to you.

You cautiously went to the door and grabbed the patient file. The information it contained was just horrible. It detailed experiments done to a human embryo to embody it with the energies of the Tesseract and how it lead to the miscarriage of Patient #001's child.

And the worst offense was the name written on the top.

Lenora L/N.

You quickly returned the clipboard to it's slot before glancing into the giant window that sat beside the door. Inside, on a hospital bed, was a crying woman- no, girl. Your mother had only been 16 at the time. She was so young. And they had impregnated her to see if they could… could what? Play God?

Tears were spilling from your eyes by the time Steve left Hank's office. "Y/N what are you doing? We need to-"

"That's my mother," you said, eyes never leaving her crying form. "Aunt Peggy always told me she suffered through miscarriage after miscarriage. I even knew today was the first one. She always said that the Doctors told her it had something to do with a volatile uterus. I was her miracle child after 14 miscarriages. They said she had an abusive boyfriend who became her husband. He was obsessed with having a child and kept forcing her every year to get pregnant. Maybe that was the story the Doctors told her, but it's not true."

"Y/N?"

"They were imbedding the embryos with the power of the Tesseract. They were trying to create a new breed of super soldiers. And they did it under her nose. They used my mother." You tried your best to control your anger, but it was really starting to boil over. "What if I was just one of their creations? What if Peggy and Daniel didn't step up and take me in? I would just be another Winter Soldier." Something changed in that moment. Energy sparked through your body. It was like something broke in your mind, some kind of barrier that had been hiding away a part of you. But now it was here. Now you were here. A doorway suddenly appeared before you, leading directly to your mother's bedside. You didn't pause to ask why, or how. The pieces were connecting somewhere in your brain and that was all that mattered. Without hesitation, you stepped inside, the door closing behind you.

The room was silent, mostly. The only sound came from your mother as she silently sobbed in the hospital bed. You walked over to her, no longer feeling any hesitation. These doctors had taken your mother from you. They wanted to take away your freedom, your life… well no more.

You leaned over the bed, gently brushing the hair from her face as she cried. You were only minorly aware of the fact that your skin was now glowing blue. Maybe you would have been panicked, but you were transfixed. You really did look like an exact copy of your mother when you were 16. It was odd. Almost like looking in a mirror. All of the anger dissipated from your body. You wanted to tell her to run, leave, but something stopped you. Instead, you did something else.

"Shhhh, don't cry," you said, running a soothing hand over her tear-stained cheeks. "It'll be okay soon." Her tears slowly stopped as she took you in, both confused and unsure of just who you were. "You don't know me yet. Well, I don't know if you ever will. But this pain is only momentary. One day you'll hold a little girl in your arms, messy and crying as she faces the world for the first time. You'll love her more than anything in the world. And she'll love you, too."

Slowly, a gentle smile filled her face as she nodded, tears still in her eyes. "Y/N."

You were choked up, nodding. Tears were welling in your eyes too as you took her hand in yours. "Y/N."

You wanted to say more, tell her about your life and just what you went through, but you definitely heard the commotion outside. You let go of your mother's hand and walked to the door, opening it. Outside was someone who you hadn't seen in a long time getting up in Steve's face.

"Uncle Daniel?" you asked, tilting your head to the side. It never occured to you that he didn't know you yet, and wouldn't for another 15 years. So when your mother's name came out of his mouth, you were taken aback.

"Lenora? Why are you out of bed?" he asked, looking around in confusion. "And wearing a military uniform?"

You glanced over at Steve, unsure of how to go about this, when someone else decided to join the conversation.

"Ah, Daniel, I was just looking for you and- Steve?" It felt like a whiplash to see both your Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel standing in front of you. The last time you saw either one of them was when Peggy had been dying. And Daniel? It had to have been over 20 years.

"Okay, listen, I-I need to tell you guys something," you started, sending an apologetic look towards Steve before looking at them again. You moved so you were standing between him and your uncle and aunt. "I know this will sound insane but I am not Lenora. I'm her daughter, from the future. And… yes. This is Steve. Steve Rogers. Captain America. He's also from the future. We came here together because I wanted to see my mom, we just mixed up the time of events a little bit." You showed them the GPS around your hand before continuing. "I know I sound crazy but it's true. In 15 years, Lenora gives birth to a little girl, Y/N. She'll pass away a few days later from complications with the birth. But you'll take in that little girl. You… you took in me. And, God, you were such a hardass but you always took it easy on me. A part of you knew I just couldn't focus or sit still long enough. But you gave me the patience I needed and I learned, Aunt Peggy. I learned because you were the most important person in my eyes. I admired you. And Uncle Daniel, when she went extra hard on me you always were softer. You gave me ice cream when I cried and hugged me until I fell asleep. If I cried, you cried. And I know, Aunt Peggy… I know. My emotions were always from the Sousa that runs in my blood. No amount of training could ever get rid of them. You two gave me the best childhood I could ever ask for. You told me stories of Steve, about how heroic and brave he was. I never thought I would meet him until he was dug up out of the ice. And it's because of you that I'm here."

You didn't realize it until now but you were crying. You quickly blinked, rubbing away the pesky tears. "You two are why I'm here today and I love you both with all of my heart."

When you looked at them both, you knew they believed you. Peggy still looked skeptical, but that was natural for her. But Daniel… he was crying, too. You reached out and squeezed both of their hands, smiling. "I have to go, now. Just know that even when I'm being a stubborn brat or a bit of an ass, I love you both. I'll never say it enough but it's true."

Peggy finally broke, enveloping you into her arms. "If this is just Lenora pulling a prank, I swear you'll be stuck in this compound another 20 years." You both laughed before she pulled away. "Right then. No child of mine has ever learned to slouch. Stand up straight." There were a few tears in her eyes, but you did as she said. "And Steve…" she glanced over at him, a soft smile on her lips. You knew your Aunt Peggy, and you knew she had a lot to say. But the sad smile on her face told you that she wasn't going to. "Do keep her safe. If she truly is as unruly as she said, she'll need someone to catch her when she falls."

"Wouldn't dream of letting her fall without me. Can't upset either of my best girls, now can I?" You saw that small flicker in Steve's eyes, like he was really scared to see Peggy again. Maybe a part of him worried that he would fall in love with her all over again. But then he saw you, and he knew that she could never compare. "I'm glad you had a good life, Peg. I mean it. Daniel's a great guy."

"Compliment appreciated, Cap." Daniel limped over to the large viewing window, taking a look inside before leaning against the glass. "Nora's sleeping inside, by the way," he added in Peggy's direction. "So. Y/N. I do like the name. Always wanted a daughter named that." He smiled brightly at you. "Go kick some ass, kiddo."

"You know it." You and Steve were about to leave before you stopped, turning to look at them. "Don't go so hard on Anthony. It's not his fault his dad is a genius, billionaire, philanthropist. He's gonna be alone one day. He'll need you more than ever."

With that said, you grabbed Steve's hand and bolted. Once on the elevator, he turned to look at you. "You know you just made some kind of alternate timeline, right?"

You laughed, leaning against the wall. Octavia was missing, so you hit the button for the ground floor. "A timeline where Tony can actually rely on Peggy and Daniel and not be miserable? I'll take it any day. Maybe I'll have a sibling who doesn't detest that Peggy was easy on me."

Once top side, the two of you ran into a shell shocked Tony, who was watching a car drive away. You didn't have to question who it was. "Howard?"

He nodded before looking over at your puffy eyes. "Your mom?"

You laughed, rubbing at your eyes again. "Mostly Peggy and Daniel."

Tony shook his head, tsking as he did so. "She always knew how to make you cry as a kid. Clearly much hasn't changed."

The three of you refilled the PYM particles in the GPS before resetting the time to the date you left. The three of you shared a collective nod before pressing the button to head back home.

For the first time in a long while, things seemed to be looking up. Well, minus the fact that you had some kind of powers that you didn’t even know about your entire life.

But hey, that’s totally normal. Right?

Right?

----

Next Part

Taglist: @thedaydreamingwriter @hollandroos @tomhollandd @and-drew-101 @cxptain-capsicle @jinthusiastsss @janieavalos

[thepilgrimofwar]

Liminal

[Follow up to: The Door for Him Backstory for Context: The Curious Case of Apartment 547 Musical Embellishment: Go Tomorrow]

1.

Two and a half years. Two and a half, long, bloody years. Through war, famine, and the chaos that proceeded in their aftermath, Zharia had looked for her father. The Sunguard had said that he was deserter--that the final lead they had of his whereabouts was the ship that had smuggled him out of Quel’thalas at the very height of the Phoenix Wars.

But she knew Arrenir better than that. Her father did not run. When backed into a corner with nothing to lose, he’d have thrown himself into the fire over and over again until he or his enemies were dead. He must have taken that ship for a good reason, she just needed to figure out why.

For two and a half years, she had searched. Now, at last, her leads had finally brought her to Apartment 547.

Technically no one owned it anymore. All three co-owners were dead or presumed dead. Even so, getting the keys from the City Council of Dalaran was no issue, seeing that she was a blood relative to one of them. But when she slotted the key into the front door, she realized that it had not been locked.

Zharia swallowed hard, both excited and afraid of what she might find here. She prayed, Light upon Light, she prayed that she would not find her father’s corpse upstairs. Not after everything they had been through together, not after she had brought him back, and not after almost losing him to misery during The Fall. 

But Apartment 547 seemed normal. A layer of dust had taken residence upon the sheet covered furniture. The pots that Lirelle had left in their conservatory had become soil beds for new life. The kitchen and dining table, where there had been so much laughter and joy in the past, stood still with a contented silence. There was no death to be found here. No blackened stains of old blood, no smells of rot.

Zharia made her way up the stairs as rays of sunlight pierced the frosted windows of the apartment. It highlighted the dust that she was disturbing, coiling and floating upwards as she slid her palms over the guard rails. She had never visited personally but from the way Arrenir used to laugh at the time, she knew that the best years of his life were spent here. The rooms on the second floor were empty, save for the smell of sunbaked linen. Excitement had begun to fade as the fear that this was yet another pointless lead filled her heart.

But her fear quickly turned to dread when she made it to the top floor and saw the door at the end of the hallway. It was ajar.

No you fool. No, no, no.

Arrenir had told her about the doors long ago. He had wanted to get her opinion on their nature, seeing that she was a woman of logic and reason. Zharia had told him that they were the workings of a man who could not let go of a past--much like he used to be. She had warned him to be careful with them, lest they tempt him with their empty promises.

She was immune to the alluring claims that they could take you back in time, because unlike many others--often the ones who were time obsessed--she was not as naive. Zharia knew that in order to get where she was today, many things needed to have fallen in place exactly as they did. 

Even so, she could not deny that the thought of going back and fixing past mistakes was attractive, but the idea also opened up the possibility of so many other things going wrong. So in the end, she was glad to leave the past behind. It meant that the mistakes she could have made could no longer touch her. It was as Arrenir had told her, once upon a time, ‘that to fix one’s mistakes, it needed to be done in the present, not within the reach of the past.’

The man who had left the door ajar, the door at the end of the hallway, was not the man who she thought her father was. The Arrenir she knew would have never run--not from war--never from life. In a way, this revelation was so much worse than finding his body. It was suicide, only of a different kind.

Zharia stormed towards the door and pushed it wide open. The walls of the hallway seemed to narrow around her, but she ignored it. Dead, alive or something in between, she was not going to let the apartment stop her from tracking down her father.

As if sensing her intent and picking up on her desires, the hallway beyond the door warped and changed. Space seemed to compress until there was but a singular door for her. One that looked exactly as the one that had been left ajar.

“Much obliged,” she muttered as she opened it up to a hallway that led back into Apartment 547. Another Apartment 547.

2.

Everything was wrong. Because everything was right.

She could tell by hopeful chatter in Silvermoon’s streets, and by the way that eternal spring clung to the air of Eversong woods. It was as if the winter, born from the Phoenix Wars, had been nothing more fleeting nuisance instead of the catastrophe her people had suffered. Heading to the Dawnspire, Zharia passed Goldsea where its fields remained unblemished by the ravages of war, and through Autumnvale whose residents had raised a monument to the heroes who had so courageously given their lives for it.

As she gazed upon the alabaster towers of the Dawnspire Citadel, it was clear that the years had been kind to the Sunguard, this Sunguard. Here, following the war, they seemed to have the gratitude of the entire Thalassian nation in their debt. Here, they had been the Honor Guard of a new era of peace. But as abundant as it had been for the guild, the talk of passersby made it clear that it wasn’t nearly as bountiful as it had been for its leader, who apparently was expecting his third child in two years.

The old Guard had retired. Zharia gathered that from the bored receptionist who had been staring at the gates that were never breached, in the courtyard that had never seen blood. According to the girl that manned her uneventful station, the officers had all stepped away for a new generation of leaders. Officers Shadowsunder and Stormsummer had married and now looked to mend the House of Sunders of Shimmervale. The Sunfires had turned their duties to their children once more. Sunshard received a lordly commission of her own: a fleet from the crown itself. And as for Firestorm, the old man had finally settled to administer his realm of Shallowbrook. 

When it finally came to the topic of her father, after much gossipping, the receptionist was all too happy to inform her that he had too settled away from the Guard. Marrying one Lirelle Dawnbrook.

3.

Zharia paused at a lovingly crafted door to a cottage by the sea. A part of her didn’t want to knock. It would be so easy to turn around now, head back through the door at the end of the hallway and consider her father dead. But she needed to know if it was him. Really him. The man she had sought for so long.

Is where you went, you old fool?

The door swung open, revealing a war-scarred man with tied crimson hair. “Oh, Zharia? I didn’t realize you were visiting your father today,” he said with a smile.

“Sederis?” Zharia cocked her head involuntarily.

“We’re having a little reunion dinner tonight, but I suppose it wouldn’t be too much trouble if you joined us,” Sederis said, looking back into the cottage where a woman toiled away in the kitchen. “Right dear?”

“We’ll have more than enough food for her if you just leave her some!” she replied with a laugh before joining Sederis at the door. The woman wrapped an arm around her husband’s growing waistline and extended the other to shake Zharia’s hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met dear,” she said. “Ny Dawnbrook, Lirelle’s sister.”

Zharia stood still for a moment, stunned by the sight of the man who had long been dead. She hadn’t known him personally but Arrenir had spoken fondly of him, once upon a time. “Zharia,” she croaked, before shaking the offered hand. “Arrenir’s daughter.”

“Well come in,” Sederis said, welcoming her inside her father’s cottage. “He’s at the beach with Lirelle, probably catching crabs or some other nonsense!” The crimson haired man chuckled. Zharia had never seen him so happy. The times she had seen him in her own time, Sederis had always seemed to carry a weight about him. A burden that he no longer carried in either world.

She made her way inside as the couple returned to the kitchen, aiming to fill the house with the aromatic smells of roast meat and baked garlic before the sun set. It was a quaint place, with exotic plants around every corner, each of them flanked by display cases filled with beetles and bugs. 

You never put anything you loved on display. You never wore anything on your sleeve. Why now? Why here?

Her thoughts were cut short when she reached the back door to the cottage, one that opened up to a pristine beach. There, amongst white sands and gentle waves, she saw him. Arrenir Silversun, treading lightly upon rocky tidepools and pointing things out for Lirelle who followed in his wake.

He waved at her.

She waved back.

4.

“Your father will be along shortly,” said Lirelle as she arrived back at the cottage, thrusting her thumb behind her. “He got caught up wrestling a mudskipper for an aquatic crustacean he wanted.”

“Hasn’t changed a bit,” Zharia replied. “How are things?”

“Things are good, The Crows are having a well deserved break after putting down a rebellion against Lord Dumbass’ vassals over there.” Lirelle gestured in Sederis’ general direction before adding, “I told you so!”

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Sederis waved her off like a bad smell as he continued grilling dinner.

Zharia shook her head. “Sorry, I’ve...I’ve been away. Expedition overseas. A rebellion?”

Lirelle sighed as she leaned against the doorway. “You met my sister? I assume she failed to mention that she’s next in line to Dawnveil after my father eventually croaks it. Anyway, the only way she’d marry was matrilineally, and Sederis decided that he wanted to marry her.”

Sederis cleared his throat, carrying two skewers of meat in each hand. “Long story short. A few nobles got uppity because the Emberglades could end up with the Dawnbrooks in a generation. So we crushed them. End of story.” The Lord of the Emberglades leaned in to kiss his wife who batted him away, already preoccupied with a pan of paella. Seeing that he wasn’t wanted, he shifted over to Lirelle offering a peace kebab. “Thanks by the way.”

“Your gold was most welcome,” Lirelle replied with a smirk. She took a bite of her peace offering as she joined her sister in the kitchen when Arrenir finally appeared at the doorway to the cottage.

“Zharia, I didn’t know you were coming!” Arrenir bellowed as he wiped his boots on the welcome mat before taking them off.

“Neither did I,” Zharia responded.

A long silence followed, filled only by the chatter of the other guests in the kitchen as it slowly dawned upon Arrenir that something there was something amiss. She watched as the realization spread across him like fire.

“Zharia?” he said at last.

“Hello father,” she couldn’t bring herself to smile. A storm of emotions circled within her as she tried her best to speak.

“Dinner is served!” Sederis called out to them, interrupting the moment as he set a spread of food on the table.

“We’ll talk later?” Arrenir asked, as if to confirm that she would be staying long enough for them to speak.

Zharia nodded.

5.

“We visited Thandiel’s grave,” Sederis said somberly as the evening began to wind down, and drinks became uncorked. “Esheyn came with a bouquet of flowers. Biggest and brightest she’s ever grown. Personally I think the old Bloodknight would’ve much preferred a good bourbon, but I’m sure she’d appreciate the gesture nonetheless.”

“We’ll be sure to leave her some the next time we go,” Lirelle replied. “Have something decent in one of your stashes we could borrow?”

“Stashes?” Ny raised an eyebrow at her husband who merely shrugged.

“Look, I committed to drink less, not banish every hidden cache of alcohol I have,” he said.

Lirelle snorted. “He probably doesn’t even remember where half of them are. And I can tell you where the other half is hidden.” She started ticking locations off on her fingers, “Way behind in the back of the cabinet in your bathroom, under the huge pot in the kitchen that Elan never uses, in the corner of my shed…the usual.”

“Well,” Arrenir interjected. “Highdawn’s death anniversary is coming up, so that’d be the best time for us to visit. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a second visit from the two of you,” he said with a smile.

“Will do,” Sederis said with a nod, and as the dinner drew to a close, the mellowed out Lord of the Emberglades rose to his feet and insisted on doing the dishes despite Arrenir’s protests. “Guest, or not guest, seeing that my brother is buried in paperwork and is not here...I’m the only one without more catching up to do.” The Pilgrim of War donned an apron, rolled up his sleeves, and with a weightless smile began to clean up.

“I’ll leave you two to it then,” said Ny, standing with her husband. “I’ve got to scold my sister here for not visiting home often enough.”

Lirelle stood up. “I visit plenty!”

“Ever since you two built your cottage, you’ve been coming back here between leading your campaigns with the Crows...” Ny trailed off as she left for the living room with Lirelle who chased after her elder sister with an incredulous look on her face.

Arrenir laughed at first, waving the both of them off until he was left at the dining table with Zharia. His Zharia.

She sat as she had throughout dinner, in a daze. Surrounded by the living dead, she wondered how differently their counterparts would’ve been if only they had lived.

“We should talk outside.”

6.

They sat upon the deck that overlooked the seaside. Stars dotted the skyline, reflecting off a dark and undulating sea below. Zharia couldn’t bring herself to speak at first, unsure if doing so would lead to catharsis or a gaping wound that would never close. But she needed to.

Arrenir broke the silence first, staring at the night sky as he did. “I--I never thought I’d see you again. It’s good to see you Zharia.”

“Is it?” she spoke at last. “You ran. Away from it all. Away from reality. Away from me.”

“I did,” Arrenir replied, staring at the night sky. “I’m sorry.”

She scoffed. “Are you?”

“Yes,” Arrenir spoke quietly as he turned towards her to look her in the eyes. “I’m sorry for abandoning you without a word. I’m sorry I left you without a body to bury and with questions, millions of questions, left unanswered.”

Zharia saw that there was genuine pain in his eyes. Her father didn’t do what he did lightly, that much she could see. And as Arrenir reached over to embrace her, she flinched at first, but quickly leaned into his shoulder and descended into tears.

“Why?” Zharia sobbed, shedding tears of grief and anger. “I never mourned you because I knew you weren’t dead. But this, this, is so much worse than that! Do you understand what you’ve done? You chose to go to a place where I can’t follow. Do I mean that little to you!?”

Arrenir held her as she yelled into his shoulder. “You mean the world to me,” he said softly. “I thought by coming here, I could do better. Be a better father. Be a better soldier. Be a better man. It was only after everything--the war, the life I built here--did I realize that you wouldn’t be a part of it.”

“And yet you never came back,” Zharia sneered as she tore away from her father’s embrace. “I guess it’s because you found what you were looking for.”

Arrenir looked back at the cottage he had built. The life that he had earned for himself through fire and blood. From each plank of its construction and each display case filled with the collections he had gathered. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I did.”

“Good for you.” Zharia said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Because this, all of this, is wrong. It belongs in another life. To another Arrenir. A life you’ve stolen it from him by coming here.”

Arrenir shook his head. “He’d have made the same mistakes I made. Nothing would have changed.”

“Would it?” Zharia shook her head. “I’m going now, back to where you ought to have been. Where your friends are dead and where your daughter is missing a father.” She rose from the deck. “This will be the last you’ll see of me.”

Arrenir swallowed hard, trying his best to choke back his tears. “Goodbye Zharia,” he said. “It was nice seeing you again. I was hoping that you’d stay--”

“Save it,” Zharia spat and turned to leave her father behind. “You raised me well enough to know not to run from my mistakes.”

7.

After long moments spent in deep thought, Arrenir finally returned inside to find that it was quiet. The kitchen was spotless, plates and pans drying on their respective racks. The living room still bore the scent of tea, but it was clear that his guests had already gone.

“Lirelle?” he called out to his wife but received no response. After checking each room of the cottage he finally found her on the front porch that overlooked her garden.

“Who the fuck are you?” She asked.

“How much did you hear?”

“Hear? Do you think I’m blind? I figured something was up the moment she spoke to me,” Lirelle glared at him. “She came through the apartment, didn’t she?”

“She did,” Arrenir said, knowing better than to mince words with her. “And so did I.”

“I always wondered why you became less insufferable to be around all of a sudden,” Lirelle said. “I thought it was because you finally understood who I was.”

“You aren’t wrong, though the only difference is that the realization happened elsewhere.”

“So I married a dupe,” Lirelle rested her face in her hands. “You’re not even my Arrenir.”

“I am your Arrenir,” he said, folding his arms. “Your Arrenir would’ve continued to be insufferable. Trying too hard to be something he thought you wanted him to be. And failing.” “Speaking from experience?” his wife got to her feet and folded her arms. “Fail with one Lirelle, but wait, don’t worry, there’s an infinite more to choose from! All you need to do is keep crossing fucking dimensions until you succeed in pinning me down. God I’ve got to be the worst Lirelle of the lot,” Lirelle spat as rage welled up inside her. “So is that it? Is that why you came here!?”

Arrenir looked her in the eyes and held her ire-filled gaze. “No,” he said. “I came here because you died.”

“What?”

“Sunstrider Isle, fighting Dame Everleigh’s forces. But instead of crushing them together, we had parted on poor terms. You died there, with Sederis.”

Lirelle’s demeanour changed and she sat back down. “And the Crows?”

“Died with you, save for a few. Garris sent me your death letter.”

She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head, trying to wrap her head around how differently it could have all played out. “So you came here, because your Lirelle died.”

“You’re my Lirelle,” he responded without hesitation. “The Lirelle where I came from was never mine. Neither were you until you gave yourself to me.” 

“Really?” she said skeptically. “I bet if I had died on that field, like she did, you’d just have jumped ship again. Gone to another door. Tried again. Again and again until I lived.” 

“No.”

“No?”

Arrenir shook his head. “I didn’t come here because I wanted you to live. That wasn’t my regret. My regret was that I didn’t ride out with you. I came here, to this world, because I wasn’t there with my friends when everything came to an end. I should have been. I would have been, if I wasn’t so damned selfish.” He brought his hand to her cheek, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “I came here to die with you. If you had fallen, I’d have fallen with you. Because I love you. You.”

Epilogue

“Take me home,” said Zharia as she climbed the final steps to the top floor of Apartment 547. The door at the end of the hallway waited for her, already open. She took one final look at the world she was leaving behind. A better, brighter world, but not her’s. For better or for worse, this one belonged to her father now. She had hoped for catharsis--to bring her father back--but it was clear he was no longer the man she remembered. But even so, Zharia was content with closure.

I’m glad you found what you were looking for. I’m glad you finally found yourself. I just wish I could’ve been a part of that.

Goodbye, father.

She stepped through and the door to this world closed behind her, never to be opened again.

-fin-

I’ve been meaning to write this for a long long time. First, I told myself I’d do it after the Phoenix Wars. Then I told myself I’d do it after the Guild’s last day. Again, when I told myself I’d do it after The Emberglades Civil War.

I guess it took so long because I’ve always meant for this story to be a symbolic goodbye. As the last story I’ll ever write for WoW and it suppose it was hard saying goodbye to characters that I’ve role-played as for 5 years. Some even more than that. It isn’t the end of course, I’m still game to keep role-playing them from time to time. But as for the arcs that I’ve been doing since the Emberglades Saga go, this will be the last one.

I want to thank everyone who has made these last 5 years probably the best ones of my life. Guildies, raiding buddies, friends, and everyone who suffered with me through my Emberglades Civil War Campaign. Special shout out to Sean for not only for letting me use his Roll20 system to bring that story & campaign to life but for leading the Guild that has left so many fond memories for so many people over the years.

Photo Credit: Toast_91

[orsuliya]

Let it be known that I have fallen to the forces of Chaos. Which mean that after many, many years of relative sanity I decided to catch up with the recent developments in the Warhammer 40.000 universe.

Now, I loved that bloody, golden, full-of-skulls, grimdark thing once upon a time, but it did go a bit stale, what with the Corpse Emperor God Emperor of Mankind rotting on his golden throne, the Inquisition doing... inquisitiony things and the hero-planet of Cadia still standing against any odds. So I bailed. Okay, to be honest, I bailed but for one guilty pleasure, namely watching the glorious If The Emperor Had A Text-To-Speech Device series. Which so does not count!

And then I heard the Ultramarines chant once again and remembered all the glories of soup. (If you listen to it long enough and know Russian, you too shall be enlightened. For all non-Russian speakers, it really does sound as if the lyrics talk about cooking some amazing soup and then eating it. It’s... a thing.) Wait, I said to myself, they released a Roboute Guilliman figure, right? I saw that, not like you can miss it with it’s... very subtle aesthetics. And I sure saw an amazing figure of Magnus the Red (who, let it be known, didn’t betray anyone, oh, and Leman Russ is a bitch). So are the Primarchs back or something, I asked the Corpse Emperor God Emperor. There was no answer. So I went to do some research.

And once I did, I actually picked up a WH40K novel (or two). Again. And let me tell you, those are usually a dredge to get through. A very grimdark, testosterone-dripping, wordy, ridiculously epic dredge. *shudders* Some are readable. Some... are not.

Anyway, the ones I did pick up were the Dark Imperium series first two entries, because my beautiful Smurf Boy Roboute Guilliman is back and was there ever any other choice? Rhetoric question of course. If you are still reading and have no idea whom am I talking about, a quick recap:

Once upon a time there was a universe that was so ridiculously grimdark that it wasn’t even funny. Although sometimes it was grimdark in very funny ways. Humanity spread throughout the Galaxy, then got hit hard with Bad Things, mostly courtesy of themselves. Then an egotistical gold-loving Immortal Man With A Plan decided to unfuck the Galaxy. In order to do that he made - after some rather disastrous demo versions - an army of GMO-supersoldiers, using genetic material harvested from twenty vat-grown fetuses of super-superhumans. Those fetuses? His so-called sons, the Primarchs. Who got baby-napped by the powers of Chaos and thrown into space. Where they grew up into killing-machines, each one on a grimdark planet of his own, until Daddy Emperor picked them up and sent them a-crusading, that is a-conquering the Galaxy for Humankind. Never paid any child-support, the bastard. Anyway, they did... reasonably well with this whole Galaxy-conquering thing. And then things happened, which ended in half of the Primarchs going full Daemon, the other half fucking off in a non-constructive manner and into unknown direction, one of them becoming a sainted martyr and the Emperor becoming a skeleton and sitting on his Golden Throne for the next 10.000 years. Ah, no, sorry, one Primarch tried to put things into order, but the only thing he got as his reward was his Daemonic Bro’s sword to the neck... and spending the next 10.000 years as a bloody tourist attraction. And that was Roboute Guilliman, The Supposedly Boring And Weak One. Meanwhile, the Galaxy went to hell by the way of religious fanatics, xeno incursions and Chaos shenanigans.

After years of marinating it its own sauce the WH40K universe finally started to move. And move fast! The hero-planet of Cadia got smashed to pieces, Warp-rifts basically tore the galaxy... also to pieces and things got so bad that even the space elves decided to help. Which they actually did (!) by getting that tourist attraction of a Primarch off his non-golden throne by the way of technological fuckery and death magic. Accidentally they chose to revive the one Primarch who was actually good at state-building and logistics, and unlike most of his brothers was actually sane to start with. 

Well, now he’s still sane. And, which is rather new, deliciously bitchy. See, he returned to life, stood up from his bier-chair, massacred an entire army of Khornites by himself, went to talk to his Dead Emperor Dad, got hit in the face by Daddy Issues, massacred another army, got into a screaming match with his Evil Brother, forced useless supergolden supersoldiers to actually do something after 10k years on sitting on their asses, pulled some well-marinated super-supersoldiers from the basement of some creepy tech-person and went a-crusading. Only his version of a-crusading was suspiciously similar to taking a stroll with his closest buddies and stabilizing the realm. Only it took longer that six months in this case. 112 years long, to be precise. At the end of which he went back to his own his own province... in order to defend it from a Chaos incursion courtesy of the local Plague God and another Evil Brother.

That’s tough, buddy, one might say and they would be completely right. What gets me about this plotline is not the novelty of somebody actually doing some good on a galaxy-wide scale and being a decent person about it (which by local standards means not killing one’s own and choosing to actually heal the sick instead of bombing their planets from the orbit). I knew that would happen the moment I saw which Primarch got revived. What gets me is how internally bitchy the guy gets about it, although in a rather stoic way. And I don’t blame him. If I was a part of a group project, did about half of the work by myself, saw that project implode by no fault of my own, then managed to salvage some of it, then chose to sacrifice myself to save that small salvaged scrap, hoping that everything would turn out okay once the new team took over... and then woke up to find that project utterly fucked in ways thay I could have never imagined with myself being the only competent project manager around, I would be bitchy too.

Not to mention that poor guy has to deal with 24/7 physical pain as well as the realization that Big Emperor Daddy never loved any of his sons, only seeing them as tools and only allowing them to believe in this whole family bullshit for his own gain. Big Daddy told him so mind-to-mind. Yay.

Also, people are now insisting that Big Daddy is God Daddy and he himself is the Son of God. Something he would very much like to keep denying, but he can’t, because the whole bloody Empire he’s so desperately trying to save is now powered by a fanatical horror of a religion, one dangerously prone to mass-murder and causing planetary exctinction events. And they are thiiiiis close to calling him a heretic, despite technically being the Son of God.

Oh, and apparently technology went backwards. Backwards and sideways! So bloody sideways that it’s a matter of course to have flying loudspeakers shaped like golden cherubs... made using baby corpses. As in corpses of actual babies. Tasteless and not even well-crafted, ugh. The architecture is pretty unrecognizable too with all the unnecessary things piled on top of other unnecessary things.

You’d think that that was enough, right? Yeah, no. The guy also hasn’t properly slept in 112 years! Which, okay, GMO-demigod, but still.

Kill me now, but I enjoyed Dark Imperium. A lot. More than I remember ever enjoying a WH40K novel, which is curious, since this one is still a wordy awkward dredge, even if a rather lovely one, and my taste should have drastically improved since the times of old. I guess the next one for me is going to be The Regent’s Shadow. You see, I would really like to see the batshit insane oligarchs of Terra try to pull one on a guy who got into non-bloody empire-building at fourteen. Boring he may be, stupid he is not.

Wrapping this rather random rant up - I do think that the 8th and 9th editions of Warhammer 40.000 (2017 and 2020) were a breath of fresh air, at least lore-wise. Will have to do some research as to how the actual rules might have changed, but it really doesn’t matter since I was always more of a lore-gal anyway. It’s also, I think, a great moment to actually get into this thing, since there is a dynamic, galaxy-scale, linear plotline to follow. Which, let me tell you, is not something that happens all that often. But please, please, please don’t get into this thing!

[timetrickster]

Aloha Oe X Edith Nox Crossover Special Ep: The Wedding Of Edith Nox Part 2

Part 2! Let’s go!

TAG: @cometworks , @coloursintheblur

FADE IN:

Fear, the feeling had spread throughout the temple. The Warriors and The Hero looking on what had been unleashed. Shocked and worried, The MYSTERIOUS MAN had stretched finally free from his imprisonment in vaporous form. Trapped within the statues of each Fate.

MYSTERIOUS MAN

I am finally free...

His voice was deep and sophisticated, as he said his first words. His eyes had a bright red tint.

VIOLET stepped forward, with her magic of ice. She created a sword and held a stance. JUSTIN steps forward as well, moving the tail of his coat. He draws his laser revolver, aiming it toward the MYSTERIOUS MAN.

VIOLET

Who are you?!

MYSTERIOUS MAN

You little things, that live in the light! Clinging to your feeble suns and false gods for protection. The darkness and fire shall rise.

JUSTIN

Answer her question!

The MYSTERIOUS MAN looked at JUSTIN. EDITH looked toward him for a brief moment.

MYSTERIOUS MAN

Trickster!

JUSTIN

You know who I am?!

MYSTERIOUS MAN

I felt this very moment, the meeting of The Fate Defier and The Last Of The Time Walkers.

JUSTIN was clearly shocked by this.

MYSTERIOUS MAN

My strings were cut, a long time ago... my body trapped as vapor, my soul banished into the Downward.

VIOLET

Who are you?!

MYSTERIOUS MAN

So many questions asked... so many answers to give... but in due time they shall all be answered.

He vanished in a cloud of dark fiery smoke.

INT. THE THRONE ROOM. 

A couple hours after the interruption of the wedding. The Warriors reconvened within the throne room of the castle. JUSTIN had walked in, catching their attention. Having come from an awkward meeting fueled by chaos. He smiles awkwardly,

JUSTIN

Long time no see.

EDITH immediately runs to him to give him the biggest hug. As well as VIOLET & NOEMI creating the biggest group hug. 

EDITH

We missed you too! 

She nestled her head on his shoulder, and he rested his chin on her head. Releasing him from his embrace.

VIOLET

As much as we missed you. What are you doing here?

JUSTIN

Well, first and foremost I didn’t get an invite to the wedding.

NOEMI

You live in another universe dude... 

JUSTIN

I know, ( He chuckled) It’s alright but more seriously. I received a warning from The Fates.

They grew concern, 

VIOLET

What warning?

JUSTIN

A forgotten being, his strings cut and... uh... “He walks in dreams of The Savior. He shall appear the days of strings intertwined.”

EDITH realizes he was the man in the dream.

I had a dream about him! Before the day of the wedding! But who is he?

JUSTIN

I don’t know but he’s clearly someone dangerous.

NOEMI

We have to talk to the Fates.

PERIWINKLE steps into the conversation.

PERIWINKLE

Ooh! I missed the feeling of a crossover!

The Warriors and Heroes walked side by side leaving the throne room.

INT. THE TEMPLE OF FATES.

They walked in and reached the altar slowly walking through the rubble of the destroyed Fates statues.

EDITH 

Fates! We need to talk!

In a flash, they are transported into the Realm Of The Fates.

INT. REALM OF THE FATES.

The once divine paradise it once was, now in shattered ruins destroyed by hellish fire. The garden severely burned and the Fates nowhere to be seen. The sight of this had created even more worry and fear in them.

EDITH

What happened... 

The distorted shadow of CAT appears EDITH concerned.

EDITH (cont’d)

Cat! What happened?! 

She comforted her, holding her. OWL & FOX appears weak but still standing from what had happened.

FOX

Edith... Time Walker.

JUSTIN

What happened here?!

CAT

Liberius.

She finally got the word out.

They look at the standing Fates.

VIOLET

Who is?

OWL

Answers and questions, too many to say. Weak and hurt we cannot convey.

FOX

Liberius... is this universe’s devil. (Looking toward Justin) You know of the devil right, Time Walker?

JUSTIN

Yeah... he exists in many religions throughout the universe and including the multiverse.

FOX

Well... we made sure his legend did not come to fruition.

EDITH

Tell us about this “Devil”.

FOX had waved their shadowy hand in the air, the galaxy had turned back time to a moment.

FOX

Long after the cataclysm of this world... it was desolate and very little of humanity. We reworked tirelessly to reform the strings and set the path of magic on the evolution of humanity. 

(FOX breathed heavy and hard as they faced great pain.)

Liberius was once a king, benevolent and kind. But a facade...

(FOX sneered at the thought,)

His curiosity knew no bounds and he attempted to become powerful as us. 

OWL

His strings were severed, but he was unfettered, standing tall and proud. Now he.. was unbound.

FOX

Despite his strings being cut the essence of his soul darkened his broken string. It... it fixed itself in darkness... creating a devil... His fire magic had darkened... he had access to shadow magic....

EDITH

Then what happened?

OWL

Banished his soul and trapped his body. The plan was quick, simple, and shoddy.  

FOX

Before we banished him, he stole a prophecy thread, to make his return through the Savior’s love.

EDITH

Why me?

FOX looked toward EDITH.

FOX

My dear, you are the only Savior in the long line of your predecessors to live long enough. The rest have died young but you, my dear you have lived long enough to fall in love.

JUSTIN

How do we stop him now?

FOX

Banished him once, banish him again... but we are weak, we need to heal.

VIOLET

Where is Neydolya?!

OWL

Went after him she did... find her you must.

EDITH looks at the rest of the team.

EDITH

Well, gang. It looks like we’re gonna be saving the world again. You ready?

NOEMI

Always ready with you dude.

VIOLET

With you my love? Ready.

EDITH looking toward JUSTIN.

JUSTIN

I’m a hero for god’s sake, always ready. (He smirked)

EDITH

Good.

JUSTIN

First things first, we need to come up with a plan and figure out how to take him down.

VIOLET

Agreed with the alien boy.

JUSTIN Aw, miss the nickname. (Looking to FOX) Where is he exactly?

FOX

A pocket dimension within the stars called The Downward

JUSTIN

Well, here we go again.

CUT TO: INT. THE ETERNITY.

After meeting with The Fates, and leaving them to heal. The Warriors and The Hero team up once again to save their universe. They aboard the time ship, The Eternity. ENOCH greets them properly,

ENOCH (V.O)

Welcome back, Captain.

JUSTIN

Hello Enoch! Guess who I’ve brought.

Immediately reacting, ENOCH allowed her physical form to develop. Her robotic body formed as it levitated down from the ceiling. In place, it connects and her holographic face project within her robotic body.

ENOCH

Hello again. 

You see her smile on her digital face. EDITH smiles and immediately hugs ENOCH.

ENOCH (cont’d) Nice to see you again, Ms. Nox.

EDITH

You look so cool, Enoch! (She begins looking at the shiny white exterior of her robotic body)

ENOCH

Thank you, my dear.

JUSTIN

Well, we’ll have our little reunion later. Let’s prepare.

ENOCH

To the armory then.

INT. ARMORY

One by one, they suit up in their last armor from The Battle Of Abricot. 

EDITH choosing to brandish her threads of the time-traveling look, which she borrowed clothes from JUSTIN. She wore a pastel green long coat, wearing a shirt of her favorite empath, Mantis from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2. Now wearing jeans and boots to go with it. Her gauntlet with the gemstone to make her shield of light and a pauldron on her right shoulder.

EDITH

I never watched this movie yet... I really wanna see this empath!

JUSTIN

We will soon after we’re done with saving the world again.

NOEMI dons something new, a porcelain white, leather suit with black strips near his chest. Along with a black cloak and hood to go along with it. His weapon of choice was Ingram’s Scythe having practiced the weapon and his magic in the time skip. Now named as The Spirit.

JUSTIN

Dude! You look like the Grim Reaper!

NOEMI

Cool! Who is that?!

JUSTIN

The personification of death dude!

NOEMI excited by hearing it. He looks in the mirror and smiles at the sight.

NOEMI

AWESOME!

VIOLET dons on something new as well. A black slick, leathery suit with a silver snowflake symbol etched into the chest. With a sleeveless navy cloak that hugs the body and pauldrons on both shoulders. Near her belt was her silver dagger with a beautiful design on the handle. It was called The Icicle.

VIOLET

I love it, it really goes with my magic.

INT. THE BRIDGE 

The team now ready for a fight, head to the bridge. EDITH walks next to JUSTIN 

EDITH

Justin, I need my sword. I need to go home.

JUSTIN

Let’s go. Enoch?

ENOCH

Already on it, Captain. 

CUT TO: EXT. EDITH’S HOUSE - EDEN

Landing back at Edith’s house, JUSTIN & EDITH run to her garden. Eden, Now having built an enormous greenhouse, there stood the gigantic tree in the middle. Running up to it she caresses it.

EDITH

Hey buddy! Berry, I need you!

BERRY... the once imaginary friend of EDITH. Now become real through a reality-warping wish. The King Of The Dryad had opened a door within himself. Edith’s Sword Of The Fates stood in the middle trapped in a wooden stump.

BERRY (V.O)

Edith is everything alright?

EDITH

Not really, Berry. I need my sword.

She ran to it and pulled the Sword Of Fates from the stump. Holding it high and pride.

EDITH (cont’d)

Hello old friend (She says to herself)

Meanwhile, JUSTIN talks to BERRY on the outside. 

BERRY 

Justin! It’s good to see you! (He hugged him)

JUSTIN

It’s nice to see you too Berry. I need you to do something for me.

BERRY

Anything, What is it?

JUSTIN holds three devices,

JUSTIN

These devices I’m giving you are distress beacons. You get one and give the others to Argento and Periwinkle. If we are in trouble, Enoch will follow protocol immediately coming back for you guys to come and save us. Be ready.

BERRY

Will do.

EDITH comes running out of BERRY’S tree home. 

EDITH

Let’s go!

JUSTIN

Take care 

He dashes off following EDITH back into the ship.

CUT TO: INT. SPACE 

The Eternity had reached space. 

ENOCH (V.O)

Captain. The entrance portal is right in front of us.

JUSTIN

Good, enter now.

INT. THE DOWNWARD - CAVE

The Eternity had slowly moved forward and they entered a new world. A fiery wasteland, desolated with nothingness except for destroyed foundations. They exit the ship and are hit with a heatwave.

JUSTIN

It’s hellish here... 

Speaking his a comm device, he spoke to ENOCH

Enoch keep an eye on the ship. 

ENOCH (V.O)

Yes, Captain.

EXT. THE DOWNWARD.

The dimension was small but it felt like a huge room. A throne had stood within the distance where they left The Eternity in a cave. The ground shook as soon as they left the cave, within the distance NEYDOLYA and the MYSTERIOUS MAN was still fighting. Despite their energy of going on had slowly depleted neither side wanted to give in.

NEYDOLYA was on one knee and breathing heavy.

NEYDOLYA

You just never give up? Do you? Liberius.

LIBERIUS also tired and hands on his knees.

LIBERIUS

Neydolya... my former goddess... I don’t.

Charging at each other once more, fire burning in his hands. Neydolya vanished in shadow, missing his attack. She reappeared behind him and with her magic blasted him with shadow blast. 

The Warriors and The Hero rush in to help.

EDITH

Neydolya!

Distracted by their sudden appearance in The Downward.

NEYDOLYA

Children, how did you even get here?

JUSTIN waved his hand. Suddenly LIBERIUS stood back up and grabbed onto NEYDOLYA holding a weapon to her neck.

LIBERIUS

Children... you shouldn’t have come here.

Armed and ready, they all draw their weapons.

EDITH

Let her go, Liberius.

LIBERIUS

Finally... The Savior. I have to thank you for waking me. 

JUSTIN Let her go.

LIBERIUS looked toward JUSTIN.

LIBERIUS

Yes, finally I get to talk to you. The Time Trickster, the Last of The Time Walkers. So many titles, so many meanings behind it. 

JUSTIN

How do you know who I am?! 

LIBERIUS

When my soul was trapped... in this infernal place! I saw the sky of your stories and the Savior’s! I walked in your dreams when I felt my return coming.

His voice was raspy.

VIOLET

We’ll take you down, one way or another.

LIBERIUS’ fiery eyes locked with VIOLET

LIBERIUS

You think... you can stop me, Princess? I am the Fate Defier!

NOEMI immediately charged his the Spirit, with necromantic energy. Charging instantly quicker than usual and striking at LIBERIUS. Quick enough to block, his sword of fire was locked with his scythe.

LIBERIUS (Cont’d)

I almost forgot about you, Dark Angel.

NOEMI pushed him back with force and swing and struck when he could. He equaled his speed, JUSTIN and VIOLET join the fight while EDITH quickly tended to NEYDOLYA.

EDITH

It’s gonna be okay.

She took a pouch from her coat containing water. Pouring the holy water over the goddess.

NEYDOYLA

Thank you, Edith... I have to return to the realm to heal. 

She vanished quickly before collapsing again. EDITH summons her light shield and drew her Sword Of Fates from the sheath on her back. She charged into the battle.

The Fight: 

NOEMI unfurled his wings and flew backward in the air to catch his breath. 

VIOLET with the Icicle and JUSTIN with his katana. They strike at the same time, but LIBERIUS had blocked both. They both were strong enough to hold him where he stood. VIOLET summons what she could another dagger of ice, which she attempts to stab into his shoulder. But it melted quickly due to the heatwave leaving a small stab in his skin. 

JUSTIN freezes times and as everything had slowed down. He attacked him quickly, slashing then moving on to slashing another part of his body. Finally kicking him from a midair jump, EDITH charged in with her light shield. Bashing his head face first. She swung the Sword Of Fates onto his shoulder, it was buried into his shoulder.

LIBERIUS has cried out in pain. Attempting to punch EDITH in the face, squeezing the gauntlet, the shield of light became a dome surrounding and protecting her. JUSTIN quickly switched to his laser revolver and stunning him with electricity. NOEMI & VIOLET with their respective weapons striking. VIOLET stabbing him in the left shoulder, then wrapping her arms over his and held onto the dagger.

Holding onto it, in order to hold him down. With his magic, NOEMI’S scythe had extended and curved over his body and tightened to hold him in place. EDITH lets go of the shield and stabbed the Sword Of Fates into LIBERIUS’S chest. Lights began to blare out of his eyes and he falls the ground.

Releasing their weapons, from his fallen corpse. They stood over him, 

EDITH

I think we won.

A slow clap, the imminent sign that evil was still around. They all turned to find LIBERIUS unscathed and fine. Sitting upon the once empty throne.

LIBERIUS

That was rather amusing to see.

(No longer in armor, he had a distinguished suit. A polo without a tie and a blazer and slacks embellished with a bright red.) 

Sorry, while you were fighting... I had to get dressed for these new times. Aliens, time travel, space... combine that with magic... it’s an interesting crossover.

Gripping their weapons and aiming their sights toward him.

LIBERIUS (Cont’d)

Children... as always. With your powers, you could help me take over this world.  But you all of you... good to the core. You’d rather die than join me.

(They were silent but he knew their answers. A smile appeared on his face, grinning with such creepiness, it could send shivers down your spine.)

Anyways... I should tell you one thing before I came home... I stole some creation thread from the Fates. 

(With a snap of his finger, a small roll of glowing yarn was in his hands.)

With this... and while you lot were busy. I created what you call in your universe, Time Walker.

(He plays coy...)

Hmm... what were they called again, Time Walker?

From the ground, had risen a small army of the newly created demons. Fiery and filled with stones, they arise and surround them.

JUSTIN

Demons...

Unseen, JUSTIN had pressed his communication device. Whispering one thing.

Distress Protocol

The Eternity had begun to float and reversed back through the entrance portal. Once returning in space, a time portal suddenly opens and flies through it. The Jump Ship had separated from the main ship, as it dove in first into the Chronal Zone.

LIBERIUS

Yes, Time Walker. Demons. Fire Demons. Ooh, I like the sound of that.

Now back to back they were surrounded by the rising army of fire demons. LIBERIUS begins to laugh with such evil and malevolent intent, as the Warriors and the Hero were now without a means to escape... they were trapped.

FADE TO BLACK

TO BE CONTINUED...

IN PART 3

[bookcub]

My Decade in Books

@aliteraryprincess @the-forest-library @lizziethereader all tagged me!!! 

2010- So this was when I was sixth to seventh grade for me. I was a small child, I tracked my books on a Word Doc, where I used weird fonts and colors. I did one of my favorite plays in sixth grade (Lady Pirates of the Caribbean), which we performed the day after The Last Olympian came out, which I read the day after, and then proceeded to lend it to three other people. I actually forgot that I read The Name of the Wind this year (gasp!!), but my school librarian handed it to me, and I slowly fell in love. I think this is the year I read Cassandra Clare’s books, which was big for me because I was able to talk about it with friends. (I think it was The Mortal Instruments I binged at one). I must have read Mockingjay. . . 

2011- I got my Goodreads account in April!!! So I have access to me tracking my books. I don’t think I got really vigilant with it until later, but I put the important ones down!!! This was the year I got into ereaders!!! I borrowed one from the library (same librarian who got me to use ereaders got me to read kkc, so she’s the best as you can see). I read Warped on it, which made me love Nooks, and inspired my parents to get me one. This was also the year I started WAITING. I read The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and Pegasus by Robin McKinley. I have not gotten a sequel for either. I am being very, very patient, and I feel like waiting is a very important part of my development as human being. And a reader. And also, a good lesson because closure is not something you always obtain quickly, and sometimes never at all.  

2012- I read Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers this year and couldn’t stop crying. One of the most emotional books I’ve read. I also was in the middle of the Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer, which I read a new one of every year. I think I discovered Sarah Rees Brennan the year before, but didn’t record her books until this year. She is one of my favorite authors, so it’s very notable. This was the year of huge cliffhangers (at least, I’m pretty sure) as I read The Mark of Athena and Beautiful Chaos this year (seriously people were falling off of things and their fate was left uncertain and it sucked). (oh God, this was the year I read 8 House of Night books) (on the bright side, I read Soulless by Gail Carriger) (and Howls’ Moving Castle!!!!)

2013- Looks like I actually tracked all my books this year!! 103 books, so it was a good year for books. I read the Worst Book Ever (tm) this year (ie Taking Chances by Molly McAdams) and will forever be haunted, but at least now I know whatever I write in the future will be better than this. I also read the entirety of Vampire Academy and the first half of Bloodlines by Richelle Mead in like 3 weeks. I read Hushed by Kelley York, which was super dark and honestly simply amazing and possibly the beginning of my obsession with fictional serial killers. I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor as well as The Duff by Kody Keplinger, which were influential books for me as well. Anyways, it was a good year for books.

2014- The year I made by book blog!!! I was only doing reviews every now and then and really didn’t get the community yet (it was also in like, October). I read 99 books this years (apparently my goal was 100, I’m a little confused at me). I read a lot of Shakespeare this year, including The Tempest, which I got to star in years later, and The Taming of the Shrew, which I later directed. I think I started a book club this year as well at my high school. I read a bunch of parts of series I love (including Rebel Belle, The Lynburn Legacy, The Lunar Chronicles, Bloodlines, The Mortal Instruments). I finished Heroes of Olympus and it sucked. Pride and Prejudice was amazing because, Jane Austen!!!  The Slow Regard of Silent Things came out and it was the most lovely thing ever. 

2015- I graduated high school and I started college this year!!! I also realized I was ace this year. Idk some notable things that happened. I read my favorite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. I read The Turn of the Story by Sarah Rees Brennan, which is like, the first draft of In Other Lands. It was amazing even then. I read my first and only book in another language, Le Petit Prince. I took a children’s lit class, and it was awesome, but I didn’t like most of the books. I read the Seven Realms in like, a month, which was cool. But it wasn’t a great year for books. That being said, August is when I made my first Denna essay on my blog. Which was the very small start to my book blog becoming something I actually put time into. It was still a while, but it was very important to me. 

2016- The first book I read this year was the most memorable. The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis. It rips your heart out and just stays with you. One of the best books, hands down. I took a fantasy class, and that was tons of fun, and read alot of classic fantasy and new fantasy. I read The Martian, which actually lived up to the hype for once. I read two of the most popular tumblr books, Six of Crows and The Raven Cycle. I did a lot of rereading. I read Quicksilver by RJ Anderson and Every Heart a  Doorway by Seannan McGuire, my first ace books!! This is also the year my book blog started to pick up. I started writing more meta and some fanfic for Kingkiller and the occasional meta and meme for other fandoms. I also started @incorrectkingkillerquotes. 

2017- One of the first books I read this year was The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, which continues to be a book that I just have . . .very complicated feelings about, even to this day. I read it for a class, which was decent enough. I found one of my new favorite fantasy novels, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, which I adore and covered so many amazing themes as well. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman is one of the few true adult fantasy novels I love, where there aren’t young protagonists. I read Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee this year and it just was the most me book I have ever found. I read Trickster’s Queen by Tamora Pierce, which had been on my tbr since 2011, so that was a big win for me. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francis Zappia and Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Macekzie Lee came out this year and I devoured them both almost consecutively??? They both resonated with me and were completely consuming. I read the PUBLISHED version of In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan and then proceeded to obsess about it. I think I started making even more Book Discussions this year and making more posts about being ace on here. 

2018- I reread sooooo much. And I reread a lot. But I was in another country, and I needed them for comfort. I’m a little talked out by now but here are some notable titles fromt hat year:  Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann, The Poppy War by RF Kuang, Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery, Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

2019- I mean, I just lived that,,, y’all were here. I am Tired(tm), and I’m also sorry.

Red White and Royal Blue, Ari and Dante, HRH, Starflight, The Gilded Wolves, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, started listening to audiobooks more, stared more romance novels, graduated college this year, good year. 

[marshmallow-phd]

My Soul to Burn

Part of the EXO Demon Series

Genre: Demon AU

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Minseok

Summary: Unknown to the mortals, the world was plunging into chaos. But Minseok couldn’t care less. He was still able to take assignments, able to continue in collecting souls of the gullible. As long as he could do his job, he didn’t care what the angels or his boss were up to. Out stalking his next target, he met you, someone who could see him even when he chose to be invisible. At first, he shrugged you off, not interest in the mystery. But after another chance encounter, Minseok was intrigued. As your abnormality could have a part to play in the war against the angels, he was reluctantly keeping you close. With you as warm as he was cold, he tried to stay the terrifying demon while being haunted by Kris’ last words…

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I Final

**

You scrambled back in your cell, trying to put as much as distance between you and the terrifying angel. Too soon, the bars of the cage pressed into your back. All four of them entered the cage, two of them covering the only exit while the other to approached you. There wasn’t much of a fight that you could put up when two of them reached out and pulled you to your feet. The tight grips that were kept on your arms were impossible to break out of.

With one simple nod from the Protector that you assumed was in charge, a bright light filled the room and suddenly you were out of the basement and exposed out in the middle of a little field of dying flowers and random bushes. The most significant thing around was a worn down shack.

“Where the hell are we?” you demanded. Even though you asked the question, you had mostly assumed that you would be ignored.

“The balance must be restored,” the manhandler to your right replied.

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, you’ve said that. A few times now. What does that have to do with why we are here?”

“Your soul is tainted,” the other guard answered. “It must be restored. All tainted souls must be restored.”

“Only then can the realm be cleansed,” the first one finished.

“Okay,” you inhaled deeply. “And how, exactly do you plan on doing that?”

The one that you assumed was the leader turned around to face you. His face was cold, expressionlist. Those light blue eyes were piercing through you, as if you were nothing more than a warped window altering his view of what was behind.

“In the sunlight,” he said, his voice coming out soft and smooth, like he was trying to calm a fussy child, “this place becomes a portal between this world and ours. But in the moonlight, it becomes a bridge to the other realm. When it opens, we will extract the chaotic energy from your soul and send it back where it came from.”

You gulped. “That sounds painful.”

“You will die.”

“What!” In a panic, you started to fight again, even more determined than ever to get away. The vices on your arms didn’t slip even a centimeter. “Why do I have to die?”

“The demon energy is what is keeping your soul in your body,” the fourth madman explained. “Once it is extracted, your soul will be restored to its proper place. You were never meant to live this long.”

You were in utter disbelief. Why did all of this have to happen to you? Your father should have just let you be when you were a child.

The leader turned his face up to the dark night sky. “When the moon is at its highest, the portal will open. And we will be closer to restoring the balance.”

**

It took them much longer than Minseok would have liked to track a Protector sent.He liked even less how he had to keep sniffing for it. The smell was a sickly sweet sort of scent, burning the inside of his nose and making the pit of his stomach churn.

But eventually they did find the scent. Amazingly, they found it only a few blocks away from his apartment building. You hadn’t made it very far before they picked you up. Which meant you had been with them for hours and he had no idea what they were doing to you. Ignoring the possibilities, they followed the smell as it grew in strength all the way to a new housing development.

“Why would they come here?” Tao asked as they walked through the neighborhood, only the streetlights and the moon above lighting their way.

“It’s the last place I would have thought to look,” Jongdae admitted.

Minseok had to agree. He would have stuck with the more industrial area of the city, the more cliche place to look. That meant these Protectors were smart. Well, then, Minseok would just have to be smarter.

“There.” Yixing caught all of their attention and pointed to one of the more complete houses. “Can you see it?”

He had to squint and really concentrate, but eventually Minseok could make it out. A slight shimmer surrounded the house. A barrier to make regular humans pass right on by it as if it didn’t exist at all.

“Let’s check it out.” Kris started for the front door, but Minseok picked up his speed, passing right by him without trying to look too eager. It didn’t really work, but he would pretend that it did.

Just as the others reached the porch, Minseok opened the unlocked door. Inside, he followed the scent, ignoring the stinging in his nose as he headed for the stairs leading down to the basement. His anticipation grew as he quietly made his way down the steps. But when he reached the bottom, the space was completely empty. No sign of you. No sign of the Protectors (beyond their scent). Nothing.

“Argh!” Minseok punched the space next to him, leaving a good fist-sized dent in the drywall.

“Was that entirely necessary?” Yixing scolded.

“Let him be, Xing,” Kris sighed. Surveying the room, he placed his hands on his hips. “They were definitely here at one point. It’s all concentrated here.”

“I think I found something!” Jongdae yelled. He was crouched down on the opposite side of the room, feeling the ground with his fingers.

Luhan was the first to him. “Was is it?”

“You don’t feel that?” Jongdae put a second hand down, stabling himself. “They teleported out of here. From this spot.”

“Can you track it?” Minseok asked desperately. Jongdae was the best at following that type of energy.

Jongdae nodded. “I think so. There were multiple Protectors, all teleporting at once and to the same place. The signature left is really strong.”

“Well, then, let’s go!” Minseok urged.

Yixing and Kris exchanged a look before the latter nodded. Shuffling closer together, everyone placed a hand on Jongdae. Darkness surrounded them and they left the unoccupied house behind.

Their final destination was off in a very familiar field. Minseok had a very bad feeling about this.

You were standing in the field about a hundred feet away, surrounded by the Protectors right outside the portal.

Kris grabbed both Minseok and Jongdae by the backs of their shirts, pulling them out sight and behind some very convenient bushes while everyone else followed suit.

“Do not do anything stupid,” he ordered through gritted teeth.

Minseok ripped Kris’ hand away. “Like you’re one to talk about being rational.”

“Stop it,” Luhan hissed. He risked peeking over the bushes. “They seem to be waiting for something. I thought the portal only worked in the sun?”

“That’s to go to their realm,” Yixing clarified. “In the moonlight, it leads to ours.”

“Since when do we have portals?” Minseok turned to look at the bookworm. “We can just go there whenever we want, we don’t have the same restrictions they do.”

“Yeah, but the Orpheus trial can be conducted for a damned soul, too,” Kris added.

“Why would anyone want to voluntarily go after one?” Tao sneered. “They’re in our realm for a reason.”

“People do crazy things when they’re in love,” Kris replied, sneaking a peak at Minseok.

“Why are you looking at me?” Minseok snapped.

Kris just shook his head, ignoring his question. “So, we need a plan. Obviously, we can’t just rush in there and hope for the best.”

Sounded good to Minseok. Six demons against four protectors. Seemed like decent odds.

“Maybe we should just watch and see what they plan on doing with her,” Jongdae suggested. “Maybe they’ll just do whatever they want to do and let her go.”

“No!”

At the sound of your scream, Minseok jumped to his feet. Two of the protectors were dragging you towards the door. He was split. Were they just going to throw you into his realm? If that was the case, then he could just go get you and avoid a fight. Then again, he’d like to actually have permission to beat the crap out of someone.

“Help! Someone help! Minseok!”

Your cry for him made him freeze. You were… asking for him to come save you? He couldn’t move one way or the other, not even his head was working right. What was this strange tug in his chest?

“Minseok?” Jongdae whispered.

The fight left you at the sign of no one coming. You fell to your knees just outside the shack, where the door had gone from being a rotting wooden barrier to cold white marble.

“Don’t worry, dear,” the head Protector told you. “Death will not hurt. And you will be going to our realm. You’ve lived your life well.”

Minseok’s head snapped up. Death?

Sensing danger, Luhan reached out to him. “Minseok, don’t-”

Too late. Minseok jumped over the bushes, running straight for you.

**

The grass poked at the opened scrapes that had been created when you’d fallen to your knees. You hadn’t meant to call out for Minseok. The panic coursing through you had forced it out. It was pointless. He’d probably rejoice once he heard the news that you were gone. You’d finally be out of his hair for good.

Pulling you back up to your feet, the Protectors moved you closer to the portal, the leader taking out a pure silver sword from the sheath at his hip. He lifted it up and you closed your eyes, accepting your fate.

At least you had a good life. Nothing extraordinary, but still good.

But the swing never came. Something knocked you over, sending you the ground as a pair of arms wrapped around you, taking in most of the impact. Your eyes opened on instinct and you gasped.

“Minseok?”

He groaned, gently pushing you off of him while he sat up. Frantically, he grabbed your shoulders, his eyes searching every inch of you. “Are you hurt?”

Too much in shock that he was actually here and concerned about your wellbeing, all you could do was shake your head.

With a hard shove, he repositioned so you so he was now between you and the Protectors. “Stay behind me,” he commanded. You were too frightened to do anything but obey. He kept his own concentration on the enemy in front of him. “Keep away from her!”

“Balance must be restored,” the leader said, unaffected by the turn of events. You were getting really sick and tired of hearing that. “All the others have been cleansed. She is one of two left.”

“Yeah, well, this is one soul that’s going to stay tainted,” Minseok defied.

Crack!

You jumped at the sudden noise and then your eyes widened. Five others appeared on your side of the field. Only the blonde and Yixing were recognizable to you. The other three you’d never seen before, but it was safe to assume they were demons like Minseok and the others.

Then chaos ensued.

No words were exchanged before the two groups collided. The fights were mostly one on one, except for the leader, who was easily fending off Yixing and the tall demon. Minseok hung back with you, making sure that none of them got past his friends and had a shot at you.

You couldn’t really concentrate on the fight. Your eyes were trained on Minseok’s back. It was like an out of body experience. He was actually here. He’d really come for you. And he was protecting you. But he hated you, didn’t he? Was this just him following orders?

Without tearing his eyes away from the fight, he reached back, feeling the ground until his hand came to rest on yours. You gaped at the connection, becoming more confused than ever when he even gave you a reassuring squeeze.

A high pitched screech yanked you out of the labyrinth of thoughts. The short brown haired demon had managed to gain the upper hand against the Protector and punched his hand through the Protector’s chest. The scream itself only lasted for a second or so before the Protector crumbled away into a white powder that was scattered in the wind. The demon then turned to join the blonde one in taking on his opponent.

Eventually, all the Protectors were taken out, save for one. The leader. In the fight, he’d lost the sword, turning instead to use the silver arrows that originated from his wrists. He was holding his own a bit too well. The tallest demon took a small step out of the fight, glancing at Minseok before motioning to the sword.

Nodding, Minseok said over his shoulder, “Stay here.”

“But-”

It was useless. He was already scrambling to the sword, stealthily swiping it up while the others distracted the Protector. Rounding the group, he crept up behind the Protector and skewered him with his weapon. Just like the others, he let out a scream cut all too short as he crumbled away, dust blowing away in the breeze.

Shaking, you rose to your feet. “Is it over?”

“It is,” the tall one answered you. “For now.”

Minseok threw the sword to the side and stalked through the group, shoving them aside as he made his way to you. Before you could react or step away, he threw his arms around you, trapping you into a bone crushing hug.

[spacedimentio]

Save the Light Impressions

I recently became interested in what Hessonite’s deal was and since it’ll be a long time before I’ll be able to get the game, I decided to just watch a cutscene compilation (this one, if it matters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy5tOb3gzLY). Dunno why I’m taking down all my reactions, just cause it’s fun I guess. Enjoy

RIP Car Wash

What even is the prism? It's not a gem, right? But it's clearly got conscious thought, even Hessonite talks to it like a person

haha Greg called her a glittery space lady, accurate

it's a little OOC that Greg wanted to come along. at least he's having fun tho. aww, steven's so proud of him :D

actually, what's Hessonite even doing. Why didn't she fuck off back to space once she found the prism

yeah that's totally not a triforce with six arms or anything. it's not the diamond authority symbol either i don't think, the triangles in that all meet in the middle

Mayor of Bummertown

I would have named the boss Dave, zero hesitation

"Our prism is in another castle!" i love you steb

oh no, bad memory time at Bismuth's forge :( I hope she'll be playable in the next one (i would scream forever if there was a playable diamond)

did Steven really just answer the phone with Myello? Oh IT'S PERI. Aaaand we're learning about RPG mechanics. Meta.

frozen donuts are a thing?! :o

it's her. the square. she seems to be almost identical to how our peridot used to be, so i wonder what the difference in personality is. Aside from her favorite insult being pebble instead of clod

ah yes, ye old tennis match

man i love that you can form fusions in this game

oh lord, i don't wanna imagine what chaos would happen with two peridots. also Greg is taking ice damage during the cutscene, help him

oh no, they're meeting. of course the first thing Squaridot says is "WHY ARE YOU NAKED" (and they obvs flipped her sprite cause the gem's her other eye now)

hey look, new insults for my list of gem related curse words

weird, angry mirror indeed. imagine what they could do if they were friends!

oh RIP. why do you get to choose who murders Squaridot. I hope for more multi-peridot action in the future

wait, what machine did you rip that off of and when

i already knew Peri was playable but it's still cool. i love how she flutters her feet when she jumps! i wonder who the DLC character is going to be (lapis, probably. Bismuth would be metal, though)

"Clod-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named" oh my god i love you

"Whatchu talkin' bout Peri" the best, they're the best

Oh so wow, Hessonite is THE Hessonite, huh. Real famous. If she came out as a Crystal Gem, it would sure cause a stir

Yeah I was also wondering why she's sticking around instead of just leaving? and she is kind of leaving her troops scattered all over the place with no rhyme or reason

these are great names. The Great and Terrible Spikey McSpikeball! of course the guy playing picked the most boring one

i love how Peridot just fucking yeets her tablet to attack

sugilite tiny!

you know, i was gonna get this game anyway at some point, but it's nice to know that it's the kind of rpg i like, one where you can participate in the attacking and blocking process.

how dare you switch out peridot for pearl. you know what, next game i hope you can be everyone all the time cause there's too many good characters to pick from

whatchu doing up here pizza lady

yeah they just...all ran right in front of her directly in her line of vision and she didn't see them somehow

oh the prism is resisting. it really took Steven's words to heart last game

Hess my dear, is this prism your only friend (oh my god that's totally it isn't it)

is the wiki sure she can't teleport cause holy fuck is she fast

"Gugh, Peridot, this is just like when we tried to hunt you down. But worse...cause, y'know, she's actually threatening." rude

huh. i don't remember the pyramid temple blowing up and leaving debris, i thought the whole thing disintegrated cause it was a construct of the gem it was housing. looking at screenshots of Serious Steven it definitely did explode

are they really trying to tell me there was a pyramid under the pyramid and no one noticed

call it the Spooky Basement! call it the Spooky Basement! you disappoint me, player, although Secret Temple of Secrets isn't so bad

*steven rolls cheerfully through a skeleton and then everyone jumps down a big hole* um

yo there's a mural of Rose fighting some light warriors! that's rad as shit!

*gets to the hallway with the torches that turn on as you go by* gee i sure wish i could watch this with sound, but alas i am recovering from ear fatigue and it would be a bad idea.

oh my god he reset her preferences no wonder she's pissed XD

HOLY FUCKING CHRIST RIP AMETHYST AND PERIDOT GODDAMN AND GARNET TOO PIZZA LADY STRONK

wow she really is a genuine threat, she forced Rose and Pearl to give ground back in the day

oh no you did not just say that Pearl should come with you. fuck her up, P!

also i just realized that she is really tall. like 10 feet tall at least

aw no fair you can't just flashbang them all you dink

oh it's sapphire. wait has connie even met ruby and sapphire in the show? did we not get to see it?!

where the fuck even are you guys, i could swear that connie and greg fell off the platform into the abyss

wait, they don't have new forms, did they even regenerate? i don't think connie was out cold for that long. did they even poof? i saw colored clouds of dust but no gemstones. i mean, i know this is a game and all but it's also canon so ???

and peridot is breaking the fourth wall by commenting how you can't force her to sit at home at the moment

ancient thingamajig. wow is thingamajig a real word, my spellcheck is not yelling at me about it

yeah connie! kick her ass for me!

since when are gems into riddles. i wonder if anyone has made much headway into translating the written gem language yet, last i heard they hadn't made much progress. apparently only Steven Sugar knows what all the symbols mean

wait steven was watching connie and greg's parties running around that whole time? i guess even the game never leaves steven's POV. where even is he, in the prism realm? oh, the place was turning pink for a minute until he went towards the sparkly thing

steven is always accessing memories isn't he. at least these aren't his mom's this time

you might be getting sick of her steve but i'm sure not!

from far away it really looks like she's chillin' with a martini glass and i was about to scream

corruption beam :(

was he just like passed out on the floor somewhere hallucinating

aww, he picks up the light steven exp by hugging it :o

"Just feeling a little...light headed." i...puns?

the Light Warrior is the final boss of the first game right? ...i should have probably watched a video about that one first

oh i just had a thought! if they make a third one then we get to have Rainbow 2.0 and Sunstone and Obsidian in it! :D

woah, trippy. tbh steven's connection to the prism is kind of strange. i wanna know exactly where that thing came from and why it's so deeply connected to him now. did Hessonite have visions like this when it was hers?

yeah that's... if a place is connected by warp pad, wouldn't it be easy to find by just warping randomly? unless separate warp networks are a thing but still, you'd just have to sneak onto a CG warp pad and go. ....how do warps even work, they can go through roofs and stuff and there's like this whole other dimension with all the warps like stars in the background and ???

how does the forge even do an upgrade with no Bismuth. maybe i should stop trying to fit this into canon details

what makes you think Hessonite could see you? is this some Voldemort Harry Potter connection shit. is that actually how she found the forge, this game ain't explain much

oh that's...that's a big oof. bismuth was working on a huge-ass statue of Rose before they got into their argument

"i saw her again" what no you didn't, that was just a white screen with a text box

"Beats me how any of this whacky prism stuff works!" ...i feel called out

why does that bigger spaceship look like a funky piece of headwear to me

well, at least it's closer than the moon

oh what, Lion didn't come with you? didn't you need multiple roar warps to get to space last time, just above the earth still seems kind of far, also how did he know the coordinates of the ship, he could have easily sent them all into the void

?! and then he's there?!? already asleep? how???????

aww what you're going to tease me with a citrine guard but not let me see her?

freaky. strangely organic looking technology is nothing new but i don't think i've seen stuff oozing through it before

"Look at you, acting as though you have the moral high ground!" *shakes fist angrily* She's like Emerald, but better! I can't

i guess he did kind of steal it, but it was more like finders keepers really

whuh has the prism always been able to talk?

"a Prism" oh no are there more? probably

woah that's a big boy. What the heck does Spectral Conclusion mean. and the prism is inside it instead of it being a separate creation, interesting

aww, it's looking at itself in confusion. Steven reaches out to it with his words, as he does

the prism isn't really...doing a lot of attacking (cause the player is picking the right choices probably). oh nevermind, it has a hugely damaging rainbow cannon

/r/murderedbywords, except in a good way

"Destroy Steven!" huh since when does she know his name? she could have gotten it from several places, really

oh oh oh! it's pizza time! standing in the middle of them is probably not the best idea, but look at her, she's exuding confidence!

wait wait wait, when the player used a healing move, did i just see an option to heal the prism? or at least, it's health bar showed up. is it gonna help later?

can i have like, a full sprite sheet for Hessonite please and thanks

if this was in the show, steven would be dead from that hit

aaand Steven did two points of damage with his shield bash, she ain't even flinch

pearl what are you doing

wow, she also only did a few points of damage

is Hess like, super tough. i love how much of a threat she is, cause most Homeworld gems we've seen aren't all that scary

oh! oh! you can heal the prism! that's probably how you damage her cause you'd be here forever chipping away otherwise

HOLY FUCK, SHE JUST DID 270 POINTS OF DAMAGE, THAT'S LITERALLY ALL OF SUGILITE'S HEALTH. I know the wiki says that attack does massive damage but jeezus!

so far the prism hasn't done anything, they're just chipping away at her slowly

oh, so gems do poof in this game. i guess we're just ignoring new forms because it wouldn't make sense in the timeline if we didn't

huh, does pearl inflict burns in this game? oh and she shoots fireballs, guess that answers my question.

it's kind of sad that the status is doing more damage than everyone else combined

whuh, she just attacked the prism! RUDE.

stop beating up the prism you degenerate! i guess i shouldn't be shocked

hey, Garnet and Amethyst are alive again. ah finally, some damage now that Garnet's lowered her defense

A-Amethyst, you're facing the wrong way. i wish Hess had targeted her with her big attack, then i could have made an "oh no she has airpods in" joke

oh, but the player formed Smoky, so she's not even aiming at anyone in particular anymore lol. she went for Pearl tho, fuckin' eviscerated

is this battle normally this long, it's been almost 10 minutes

this battle would probably be much harder if she didn't waste her turn being a bitch and attacking the prism. gee, and you wonder why it doesn't want to listen to you after encountering steven's kindness. i wonder...what would happen if you let the prism's HP get to zero? it would take a long ass time but...now i really wanna know but i doubt there’s any videos about it!

garnet's rocket fist did damage to the prism cause Hess is standing next to it. c-can you attack the prism, is that how you get the bad ending??

man, they haven't even had to heal because she's just beaten up on that poor thing for the past 10 turns. i mean, really, she could easily murder all of them in a heartbeat if she wanted

ok finally, she is defeato. I'd feel more sad for you if you didn't abuse your subordinates (definitely has detracted from my liking of her, i won't be too hard on her for it though because Homeworld is bad like that and she doesn't know better). at least you’re good at eating your humble pie without complaint

oh, i guess you get to choose your ending? it's kind of weird that it's not like, influenced by your game choices. cause technically like this it's your choice, not the prism's choice. so what was with the prism having health then. was it just to show how awful Hessonite is to it?

also, i can't look at light Steven without thinking of Pink!Steven and hhhhh

"You're a wise creature, aren't you?" Yes, yes he is *nods sagely* I hope you come back someday to learn more from him

You're pretty adaptive, huh Hess? of course, if you've been having these thoughts and feelings for thousands of years you're probably not too shaken up by the realization that they're true. That’s actually pretty great of you to want to figure yourself out.

ha, so Garnet didn't let her leave like the wiki made it sound like, she just yeeted away, and good luck catching anyone who can move at 5 million miles per hour

the gems are running in place in the next scene and Amethyst is backwards again. connie is also facing the wrong way. ...this game's a bit jank, isn't it :P not that i mind, a little jank is fun!

Peridot breaking the fourth wall with her Are Pee Gee again. I wonder which one it is. Golf Quest Mini?

do you get anything for 100 percenting this? oh, i guess there's achievements. no bonus content tho?

Lapis: I think I could use a break.

i for one would like to know what book the prism was reading. also, it's back to not talking again.

AWW YIS! We goin' out for pizza tonight bois!

The gems finally get to stop running in place in the corner

aaww, it's a beach scene reminiscent of the opening. kind of weird that greg is the only one animated but still cute

also someone's last name is Gooch and i feel bad for them

alright now to google Hessonite's VO... Christine Baranski. Are-Are we just hiring broadway singers for everyone now? not only would I die if Hessonite made an appearance in season 6, my soul would reach the farthest realms of space if she sang a song on top of that.

well, that's a wrap! time to jot down all of Hess's dialogue for later reference! It’s a crime that there’s so few fanfics about her, she actually has a lot of potential!

[keezree]

He’s All The Rage! Ch:2

While your time with Elora and the others was short, you discovered quite a bit about the sub-worlds. Many of them experienced a plethora of troubles. Certain sub-worlds seemed to be at war with another, while others suffered difficulties within, amongst their own inhabitants. All the while, you kept your eyes open for Ripto and his companions, yet you didn't see a single sign of them.

You were worried of course because of the apparent chaos he had brought with him once he arrived in Avalar. You kept quiet about it because you didn't want to assume anything yet. You were the type to take everything in with your own mind and thoughts and assess things once you had sufficient information to make a well balanced judgment. Perhaps the things that Ripto had inflicted upon Avalar had happened before your arrival and so it seemed like he hadn't anything to do with the warring worlds. You toured the calming Summer Forest, the cool water inviting under the ever shining summer sun. A reintroduction to Autumn Plains. Admittedly, perhaps you were partial to this Home World because it was where your portal had appeared and where you first arrived. “We've already shown you this world but it's along the way, may as well give you the full tour in the order the worlds exist.” The ever autumn trees were just as beautiful as when you first stepped through. How long had you been here anyway? It felt like forever ago but yet not that long ago at all. Finally, Winter Tundra opened its cold air to you and you were grateful that you had your winter coat. The sky was perpetually night time here and it reminded you of back home. You wondered if perhaps the portal you had fallen through had remained in the middle of the road, invisible to everyone but you. Or perhaps there were other humans who still believed in the magic of dragons and fairies and were able to see it also. Ah! You had closed it. Right. Then, could you open it wherever? Perhaps you shouldn't dwell on it too long unless your human magic was able to open it again even from here. You were shaken from your thoughts as your posse arrived at a portal that seemed a tad bit larger than the others. It had circular clasps around the arch of the portal that looked like they once housed something. One or two orbs were stuck within the claw like clasps. “Here is where Ripto and his friends came to Avalar.” Elora gestured. You looked at the huge stone and metal archway. While inactive, it still seemed to emanate a faint electric buzz in the air. Magic, you assumed. Potentially the orbs in their casings. The only thing you really had solidified in your memory of what made this place work was that there were gems, orbs, talismans and dragons that all had magical powers. Though, it was still very vague on how they all interacted with each other and what effects either alone, or combined, had on this world.

“Right after the Professor had finished the portal Hunter managed to mess around with the controls. He entered his birth date as coordinates for the portal and guess who came stomping through?” She sighed. Hunter hid sheepishly behind the Professor, pretending he didn't exist. “Well, he more fell in than stomped in.” He offered, attempting to defend himself in some way. “Fell, stomped, whatever! Regardless he is here and we need him out. The last we had seen him was when we met you at Autumn Plains, but he's taken over the castle in Summer Forest. Spyro was on his way there to see if he could kick that riptoc's butt out of there when Hunter came to us with the emergency about your portal.” Spyro smiled and stretched casually as if the whole ordeal was as easy as making a sandwich. “That shouldn't be too difficult, I've torched nasties way bigger and smarter than his goons.” “We'll get you home soon Spyro. Don't worry.” Elora turned to you. “For now, perhaps it's best if you stick to the home worlds, the sub-worlds might be a bit dangerous to a human who is just learning how to use their own abilities.” The Professor nodded. “Yes, that's probably for the best. Also your powers are faded, not yet forgotten but on the verge of being nonexistent. Perhaps being here in Avalar, as well as in the presence of a dragon, your magic may bloom and grow again. In your human world it may not be as concentrated though. Despite how hard or strong you may believe, there's something in the human world itself that seems to negate and dilute magic. That's why its so rare a thing to witness.” That explained it, you wondered what it was that caused magic to dissipate the way it did in your home world. Maybe you'd discover it one day. It was also probably safest that you didn't use your magic in your own world. Think of the madness that would ensue! People would be curious about the dragon realms and how could you possibly explain and not be pegged as someone insane? Though magic itself would probably convince them. If humans saw you were able to do even small simple feats, they'd believe anything you said in order to get their greedy hands on it. It made you a little sad to think just how greedy some people could be. Though, you knew that not every single person on the planet was cruel. You had seen plenty of kind and understanding people in your life. What was it then that singled you out? Was it that you were able to keep your childlike wonder and imagination? Was it something within the Avalar realms themselves that brought you here? Maybe the super portal opened sub world portals without the Professor and the others knowing. He did after all admit that even he didn't know everything there was to know about portals. So many portals! “We're gonna head back to Summer Forest , ______. If you want to come along, I suggest you steer clear of the deeper parts of the castle, that's where Ripto has hidden himself, the coward.” Elora scowled. You thought a moment. It was beautiful in Winter Tundra, but you wanted to be warm! “ I'll come with you.” You rubbed your ungloved hands together. How were they all able to stay warm? Spyro maybe was alright with his dragon fire and his higher temperatures, the others had fur, something you did not. You followed the group to two parallel platforms, you had learned they were home world portals that reached other home worlds within Avalar. Your thoughts lingered on Ripto and the battle that was supposedly to come between him and Spyro. He really didn't seem all that bad when you met him. Impulsive, childish and angry yes but not evil. “Maybe there could be a way to get them to talk to Ripto instead of fight him.” You thought as you stepped onto the magical platform. The blissful warmth of Summer Forest greeted you as you appeared through, and in front of the platform. You weren't sure which method of inter-world travel you liked better. Platforms were easier to step onto than fall into like portals. Portals made you feel like you were going to fall forever and recently you had been through so many you damn near forgot your fear of falling. However platforms almost made you feel like you were shrinking into nothingness as it brought you down to a single point and warped you to the designated world. Both sensations were strange but convenient. Maybe you'd get used to them. The castle stood to your left as you exited the platform. It rested beyond a lake which you had to swim through and under in order to reach the inner parts. That didn't seem very well thought out. What if you couldn't swim? Or hold your breath long enough to make it all the way through the tunnel? Then a darker, deeper thought crawled up from your mind. What if you died here? What if you drowned or if somehow, getting caught up in battle between Ripto and Spyro, you were destroyed? Following along you watched as Spyro dove down into the water and swam with ease through the tunnel with Sparx near him. The two seemed connected to each other somehow, more than just friends. When Spyro took damage you realized that Sparx also appeared to be hurt in some way you couldn't yet figure out. He changed colours and sometimes seemed to disappear altogether. He would reappear or grow to his usual golden yellow glow if Spyro killed what he called a fodder animal. It'd would vanish in a puff of smoke and from where it once was a butterfly would be lazily flapping. Sparx would gobble it up and regain his health. It shocked you every time he would destroy one of these small creatures. Yet here in Avalar that seemed to be the norm. Within the sub-worlds also Spyro unflinchingly charged his horns into creatures or charred them with his blazing breath. You were assured that their spirits were fine and that magic treated death and spirits slightly different than in your world. Their souls were sent to these strange gates the Professor called power ups. Apparently he invented them? It wasn't apparent how he figured out souls could power these gates but you didn't want to let your mind wander down dark paths. Yet it seemed to every time you watched your friends. They easily destroyed harmless creatures and those who seemed to pose even the most minor of threats.

Did you.... Did you have to be careful around them? Watching your friends approach the castle you were suddenly not so sure that they were to be trusted. Would Spyro turn his flames on you should you come into conflict? Elora and Hunter waved you over to the pool. “Here _____, we'll teach you a spell that allows you to hold your breath longer than you normally can. That's how Spyro is able to stay down there so long.” She pointed to him as he watched you all from below the water. “ Imagine a bubble around your head, you have to feel the soft sheet of water wrapping around the air and encasing your head. In every detail, picture it as clearly as possible.” Closing your eyes, you did as she instructed. The air around your head buzzed and you felt something vaguely wet touch upon your face and expand outward. It was almost as if you had put a balloon around your head and it had expanded, without the painful sensation and tightness of jamming your face into a balloon. Opening your eyes you looked around from your newly shifting world. Everything had a vague iridescence to it. As you moved your head the bubble around it bobbed this way and that. “Haha excellent job!” Hunter laughed. “Now get in there and show me your swimming skills!” He playfully pushed you towards the water but it was a little too enthusiastic a shove and you fell forwards into the warm water. It was strange to see the world from inside a bubble but delightfully freeing as you swam with ease after Spyro, though the tunnel. On the other side you were met by a beautiful room with a domed roof. Some mysterious light reflected from somewhere off of the waters surface and onto the ceiling above. Elora and Hunter popped up beside you. You exited the water and your bubble vanished. You thought it would pop but it simply ceased to be. It was really odd but you accepted it. You decided not to expect anything “normal” to happen while in Avalar. Magic and shit. In the next room a few other portals lie as well as another domed roof. It was warmer looking here, a wonderful golden like glow. A gigantic tree sprouted from the middle of the room where a small circular patch of grass lie. Little beds of water rested on the edges of the room. You didn't have a chance to look very long as the others made their way to a series of button activated doors. You suspected it was part of the castles defence system. It was not a very good one. Breezing past a lone portal, “Aquaria Towers” you noticed sheep bounding along in the enclosed grassy area. Spyro flamed one as he trotted by and a butterfly appeared in the air. He continued on, leaving the butterfly to flutter alone, the other sheep nervously bounced away. “Er, not feeling 100% Spyro? Don't you need that butterfly for Sparx?” you hesitantly queried. “Naw, I just did it for fun It's great seeing them run away like that.” Something inside you turned a deep cold. You felt even less secure now with Spyro and his friends. Turning to look at them you noticed they didn't seem to care about Spyro's actions. Taking a sharp right, you saw a long hallway leading to a hole in the floor. The others stopped and watched as Spyro made to jump down the hole. “Remember Spyro, if you need help we'll be watching. Hunter and I are prepared to keep you safe if you get in trouble.” “No problem!” Spyro boasted, “I'll be in and out faster than you can blink.” He charged towards the hole and fell down into it. Hunter began counting on his fingers as he blinked. Elora simply shook her head. “C'mon, we gotta go after him and make sure he stays safe. ______ It's probably for the best if you just stay here.” Grabbing Hunter by the wrist she drug him towards the pit. “But wait! I only counted to threeeee~” His voice trailed off as the two descended. When his voice disappeared, you were left in an unbearable silence. Now the thrum of magic in this world seemed ominous. Below you, right now Spyro was fighting with Ripto. Were they really going to fight to the death? After a moments hesitation you followed. Plummeting down the pit felt akin to when you first entered Avalar. However, this time it was not a beautiful grassy plain that met your feet. Instead it was a rocking, unsteady battlefield. It looked to be a sewer of sorts. A giant round platform sat in the middle of the room. Spyro charged along after Crush, who was retreating to a metal disk like stand on the floor. A few other metal circles lie in a pattern all around the room. Some red, some blue, all big enough that Crush stood easily on them. The circles began glowing and Crush leapt onto one of them, a blue one. A wave of some blue magical energy burst out in the form of a wave, heading towards Spyro. He easily leapt over it and once more charged after the blue beast. Spyro breathed fire at him, making Crush leap up and cry out in pain. Ripto's blue friend battered at the ground with his drumstick club while Spyro charged away. You almost lost your footing as part of the ceiling caved in and dropped in chunks on Crush's head. It piled on him but he stood and shook it off. Crush was clearly outmatched. Spyro was too fast and Crush was unable to dodge his fiery breath. Once again he swung his club down to bash the dragon but missed. Again the force of the club colliding with the ground caused the room to become unstable and the ceiling again crumbled onto Crush. This time, he did not get up. “What?!” Ripto stood aghast up on his ledge. Your heart sank. Poor Crush! You remembered his big goofy face as he danced around Spyro's flames when you first met him. He seemed so harmless. He couldn't have possibly won against Spyro. This was an unfair fight! You weren't sure if you were going to cry or throw up as you felt your chest grow tight. Crush's hand loosened it's grip on the club and he poofed under the rubble, just like the sheep. Just like the other inhabitants that stood against Spyro. “Nooo! Crush!” Ripto cried with anguish in his voice. A look of sorrow flashed across his face but was soon replaced with anger. “You may have been able to defeat that simpleton, but Gulp will be more than a match for you!” He cried, pointing down at the purple adversary. “Bring it on, shorty!” Spyro taunted. Something in Ripto snapped. He took in Spyro's words, glanced down at himself and snarled. He growled, clenching his fists he threw them down in anger. Was that a soft spot for him? Making a mental note of not mentioning his stature you continued watching the scene unfold. “Gulp!” His voice echoed through the sewer like room. “Come here now!” He pointed to the ground. Ripto was clearly was not having the best of days. He had just lost his friend and now Spyro stood there insulting him just after committing the act. If Gulp were to try fighting Spyro, you weren't sure you could let it happen. You started walking forwards, wanting to shout out to him when the ground began to shake again. Gulp emerged through the wall behind Ripto. Ripto smiled at his lumbering friend and pointed at Spyro. “Destroy him! And make sure it's painful!” He commanded the behemoth. Gulp growled in understanding and looked to Spyro. He then looked up suddenly to the ceiling. It couldn't stand anymore damage to the supporting structure and began crumbling in. “What?!” Ripto cried in alarm. “Get me outta here!” He shouted to Gulp. The green big boi knelt down. You watched as he allowed a worried looking Ripto to climb onto his back. As he stood back to full height he called out to Spyro. “So long, dragon!” He used the last word like an insult, leaning forward to emphasize his contempt. Gulp turned and Ripto turned with him. The two departed and the roof caved in just after them. “What a wuss.” Spyro shook his head as a book began floating in front of him. You remembered it had something to do with keeping record of the worlds of Avalar but you didn't stay to see what he was doing. You returned back up through the pit via a whirlwind. You exited the castle before anyone could see you. This was all too much, you needed out. When you reached the exterior of the castle you were shocked to see someone running ahead of you to one of the inter world platforms. It was Gulp and Ripto!You dashed after them. “Wait!” You called out. Ripto turned his head to look for the voices owner. Your legs managed to carry you alongside the hulking form of Gulp. He was fast but not faster than you. “You?! What do you want? You aren't leading that dragon to me are you?! Gulp!” Gulp skidded to a halt and slowly turned to you. It was a little frightening to say the least, being in front of that maw. You noticed his lower left cuspid had been snapped off. His large nose took a long whiff of you. Ripto stood atop his cranium, scowling down at you. “What is it human? I swear if you're bringing that dragon to me, Gulp will be having an early dinner!” You shook your head dismissing his worry. You tried talking around the lump in your throat. “I..I'm sorry about Crush. I didn't think Spyro would really just...Just kill him like that. Are, are you alright?” You looked up to Ripto. His face flickered into an unreadable expression. Perhaps confusion or disbelief. It lasted a few seconds but returned to his usual frustrated scowl. “Of course I'm alright! Crush was...He was...” Ripto growled his response. His voice sounded kind of funny. Losing Crush hit him a lot harder than it hit you. “Crush was expendable! Gulp won't fail me. I can promise you that! The next time I see that dragon he's going to find himself in the pit of Gulp's stomach!” Gulp growled happily and licked his lips. “Are you just going to stand there? Come on! Before that dragon catches up!” He shouted down to Gulp. Gulp started off again towards the platform. Turning his massive head he looked back to you. Did he expect you to follow? Ripto followed Gulp's line of sight. You stood there unsure what do to. Did you go with him? Knowing that in doing so you might be marked as an enemy and meet the same fate as Crush? Or did you stay, leaving Ripto to flee with this whole world against him. Was he really the villain in all of this? He claimed to be this destructive force. Elora had recounted to you how he had arrived and proclaimed himself king. Apparently he also instructed Gulp to kill one of the fairies who had taken part in destroying his sceptre. However, what difference did that make? In this world, it was a very jagged line between what was a justifiable extermination of a person and what was seen as a criminal act. Ripto glanced back at you, seeing what was slowing Gulp down and he shook his head in frustration. “Arg! Forget them! To the platform! Now!” Gulp dove onto the glowing stone platform and the two disappeared down into it. They had headed to Autumn Plains. Your feet seemed frozen to the spot and your mind was no better. Which was the right way to choose? You had witnessed Spyro's actions though he claimed to be the hero, while you watched Ripto do essentially nothing and be charged with villainy. You couldn't stand for this. It just didn't feel right. You made to take a step to the platform when you heard a familiar, now slightly troubling voice call out behind you. “Hey! ____! It's all clear! The castle is safe and sound. I took care of Ripto's minion. If you want to explore, you're free to do so.”Spyro chucked as he casually glided over to you, landing in the grass. Elora and Hunter followed behind him. “You made short work of him Spyro, great job!” She congratulated him, a proud smile crossed her face. “I'll make short work of Ripto too! Ha ha!” Everything felt so different now. This unease clawed through your chest. The desire to just run through the field overcame you again like when you first witnessed this world, however it was now paired with the desire to escape. “Which way did Ripto head?” Hunter looked about him, trying to see if he could find any clues. Fear started nibbling in your mind. You didn't dare direct them. It was far from your desires to bring any more death in this world. “I'm not sure. But if we split up into the two remaining worlds, I'm sure one of us will spot him.” Elora started towards the platforms. “Uh...So, what erm. What happened to Crush? Did his soul get absorbed into a power up gate?” You quietly asked. “Who knows, I'm not sure if the same rules apply to people from outside the Avalar worlds. It might have just dissipated.” Your heart sank. If you had known where his spirit had gone, it would have given you some amount of ease. Maybe you could also bring a soul back out of the gate if it could be absorbed into it. But to just disappear like that... “What about people who are from here?” “Well, most souls are just used to power gates, but if a fairy zaps you with her wand, it can create a sort of saved spot in time where you can return to.” You had seen a few fairies here and there zapping Spyro as he charged by. It was a curiosity that you wanted answered but you hadn't the time before. “Here!” Hunter pushed you towards a fairy who was flying nearby. “This is Zoe. She's a friend of ours. Hey Zoe! Can you show ____ how your save spots work?” Zoe was about half your size,clothed in a yellow dress. Her reddish brown hair was tied back in a pony tail that bobbed up and down as she fluttered in the air with her translucent colourful wings. “Sure thing Hunter!” she cheerfully complied. You felt yourself tense up as she aimed her small white wand at you. A white zap of charged air seemed to explode around you and you felt like a part of your soul was tied down to the earth, right in the exact spot you stood. “If anything should happen to you, like Ripto or any other dangers in Avalar, you'll wake up back here again.” If anything should happen, you thought. If you were to die... You felt cold despite the blazing summer sun beating down on your head, warming your hair. Making your way to the platforms, you edged your way closer to the Autumn Plains one, hoping that if you ran into Ripto again, you could warn him at least, that they were trying to find him. He probably was already aware of this. He was probably already hiding. Managing to secretly assign yourself Autumn Plains, you were paired up with Spyro while Elora and Hunter decided upon Winter Tundra. Spyro as your investigating partner wasn't your first decision, however you couldn't make a complaint without revealing what your true intentions were. Silently you stepped onto the portal after Spyro. The air whirled around you and you felt yourself brought back to a single point in space and warped to the cooler, familiar location. Autumn Plains was unchanged, Ripto nowhere to be seen, thankfully. Wait, there was one difference. The banners with blue suns over a river had now been replaced by ones depicting Ripto's smiling face. Argh! Why couldn't he have been a bit more subtle?! “Well, he's here alright. Better get to it!” Spyro charged off and left you behind. You dashed after him, hoping that Ripto was hidden somewhere safe in the castle. Passing a dapper looking bear fellow who tried to teach you how to climb a ladder for a fee, you saw Spyro darting around above you in a hallway. Much to the bears dismay, you climbed the ladder like a pro and reached the top. It was troubling to be so high on such a narrow ledge with no railings to keep you from falling. It was more troubling to think that Spyro may be on his way to extinguish Gulp and Ripto's life. You pushed yourself forward as the ground spun below you. While not a lot bothered you in life, being someplace high with a very solid ground below you was something you couldn't quite stay calm through. After another ladder, even higher, you found the hallway Spyro had charged down. You made to walk down it when Spyro charged back past you. “Oh! There you are ____ What took you so long?” “Er...” “Ripto sealed a door up ahead, that wimp is hiding in the castles dungeons probably. The Professor said I needed more orbs to get past it. I need to combine my magic with orb magic to break the seal.” Your worry must have been apparent. “Oh hey don't worry!” He tried to reassure you. “I'll take care of Ripto and his pal no problem. I just gotta collect a few more orbs.C'ya!” He charged away to one of the nearby portals. “That is a problem!” you  let out an exasperated sigh. How could you possibly prevent Spyro from harming Gulp and Ripto? Spyro was fast, his horns were sharp, his flames were impossibly hot and he was also purple. Well, you thought to yourself. I made it up here, I may as well look around. In reality you wanted desperately to get back on solid ground but you weren't ready to take on those ladders again. Climbing up was one thing but heading down... The thought of having to stare down at the ground while you inched your way along the steep ledge and cold metal ladders seemed to involuntarily move your feet for you, away from them. Farther along the curving hallway that circled the castles floor, you saw a few portals, one only accessible by flight or a really lucky jump, and the door Spyro had mentioned. The Professor stood in font of it, scratching away like he always did on his clipboard. It had something to do with the super portal, you remembered him mentioning once when you inquired on your tour of the multitude of Avalar sub-worlds. He seemed engrossed in his work and didn't notice you. You managed to sneak past him and slide up to the gate. It was sealed, what did you expect? You tried to push it and pry it open but to no avail. Only the orbs could over power Ripto's seal on them. And your magic was very weak. That didn't stop you from trying however. Glancing over your shoulder at the Professor, scribbling unaware of your presence, you took a deep breath and attempted to create your own opening within the gate. This won't work, he's got himself sealed in there, you thought. He's afraid. Of course he's not going to let anyone in. No, wait! You had to believe! Belief in your own magic made it stronger. If you could open up a portal to this world itself, perhaps you could open up a door that was simply sealed by magic. You knew Ripto's magic was powerful but you forced your will regardless. I WILL get through to him! You shouted in your mind. There was not a single trace of doubt as your magic formed a smaller door within the already existing one. It solidified, just big enough for you to get through. Turning the handle gently you noiselessly entered the door, closing it behind you and dismantling it with the lack of belief in it. The gate looked as it had before. No trace of your magic was left. You turned to the hall behind you and ran to the hole in the ground at the end. Leaping down you let the whirlwind carry you. Therein, a pacing Ripto was being watched by a concerned Gulp. When you landed, Gulp's head turned from his master to your sudden arrival. You waved cautiously to him and he let out a growl, acknowledging your greeting. The growl drew Ripto out of his anxious pacing, his head darted to look up at Gulp who was smiling dopely at you, and then to you. “What?! You again! How did you get in here that door was sealed tight! Wait...Don't tell the the dragon made it through!? And you led him here! You blasted human! Gulp! After them!” Gulp looked from Ripto to you and then to Ripto again. He didn't seem to want to attack you. “What are you doing? I said attack!” He pointed in your direction but Gulp still refused to move. “Wait, please!” Ripto's head whipped around to look at you, his pointed hand lowering and his eyebrows scrunching in confusion. “I've come to warn you, Spyro he's, he's collecting orbs and is on his way. Maybe, if you're quick you can escape. Someone's guarding the sealed gate so you can't leave that way. I'm unfamiliar with this castle but...there must be some other way out.” You slowly approached Ripto and Gulp, holding your hands out to show you meant no harm. “ I don't want him killing you two like he did Crush. He's...Spyro he's...” “He's a dragon! What do you expect?!” Ripto growled. “They're cruel, destructive, selfish, greedy, winged vermin!” He spat, stamping his foot on the floor below him, physically expressing his distaste. “You've...had run ins with other dragons before?” Curiosity welling in your mind. What sort of world had Ripto come from? Wasn't Crush a dragon? He had wings after all. Were all dragons really as heartless seeming as Spyro had been? If that was the case no wonder Ripto was so cagey and cautious. “That! That is none of your concern!” Frustration played on his face while he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “I'll be prepared for the menace! Gulp will make short work of that purple pest. He'll squash him like a grape! Then I'll be free to claim this land as my own!” He crossed his arms and started picking two of his claw nails together in agitation. “ May I ask, why is it you want Avalar? Don't you want to go back home?” The look Ripto shot you was a dangerous one. Anger brimmed in his eyes and his shoulders squared. “Home?! What?! You think I can't take on this miserable world? I'll give Avalar a King that they'll never disrespect. This world will bend to my whim like grass in a breeze!” A cruel smile crossed his face as he lifted his hands triumphantly. So he really was a tyrant as Elora had said. Or at least he thought he was, or he was trying to be. You didn't doubt his power as a sorcerer. Being able to keep doors sealed against even dragons magic... He still couldn't possibly be a match for Spyro though. He might be able to put up a fight but you know that Spyro was more capable, focused, and less prone to succumbing to his emotions. You weren't sure exactly what is was that caused Ripto to become so vehemently against dragons, or why he was so deeply touched by this anger and hurt of his. You did know that he wouldn't divulge something like that easily. Once Ripto finished announcing his plan, his gaze returned to you, his smile turning down to a frown and his arms lowering slightly. “You also failed to answer my question, how did you get past my barrier?!” His fists clenched as he shouted his question at you. You faltered. How could you explain your magic somehow broke through his? There was no other way and so that's simply what you answered. “I...I wanted to see you. I needed to get to you, before Spyro did. I made a door within your barrier and...I wished to see you. To save you if I could. Ripto I...I'm scared for you.” An odd look etched itself upon Ripto's face as he took in what you said. His brow furrowed and his eyes darted from you to the ground. “You broke through my magic? Not a chance!” An angry look knotted his eyebrows and he scowled at you. Then...It softened. “You're.” His shoulders softened and he looked slightly confused. “You're scared for me?” A silence grew in the room. You responded by nodding. Why was he so surprised? Gulp looked from you to Ripto and back to you again. He smiled and trudged over to you. Taking a step back you cautiously watched him as he leaned his head in by you. “Gulp! Hang on, don't eat them yet! They may prove useful unlike you chowder heads!” Gulp didn't seem interesting in consuming you. Instead he bumped his head into you slightly like a cat. You reached out and patted his head softly. He seemed to take a liking to you, standing there like some giant green reptilian dog. “What are you two doing? Get back over here you pea brain!” Crossing his arms he tapped his foot impatiently. You scritched Gulp under his chin and he gave you a soft look. “Now, Gulp!” He flung his hand down, pointing at the spot he wanted Gulp to stand. Gulp gave you a big slobbery lick then lopped back over to Ripto's side. You weren't sure if you appreciated the sentiment but felt a lot safer near Gulp now. Ripto's eyes followed Gulp on his journey back, pinched in a scowling glare. Gulp plopped his rear down on the ground beside Ripto with a hearty thud which caused Ripto to bounce a few inches in the air then drop back down, arms still crossed. From this same position Ripto's eyes darted back to you. “I'm not sure how you managed to get past my magic, but if you insist on following me around you may as well put yourself to use.” He strode over to you and pushed his face a few inches away from yours. “ Get back out there and keep that malformed bat from coming in here! Use whatever force necessary!” You nodded and then quickly shook your head. “No, I can't kill him. I don't want any blood on my hands.” Ripto stomped his foot down. “Then what use are you! Just like these buffoons following me around! If you aren't going to help me then stay out of my way! Get out of here!” His fist shot out, pointing you forcefully towards the whirlwind exit. It wasn't what you wanted to do, leave Ripto here. You very much wanted to help him get the heck out of here but you could see there would be no changing his mind. Taking slow steps you made your way back to the whirlwind. Halfway to it you turned back to the two reptilian fellows. “Ripto?” You voice softly carried over to him. He had climbed back up onto Gulp's back who was taking him over to an enormous throne on the side of the room. You hadn't noticed it there before, being caught up in warning him. It was easily too large for him, perhaps he was trying to show in his magical prowess what he lacked in physical stature. “What?! Why are you still here?” He growled as Gulp meandered up to the throne. “Please, just, whatever happens.” He climbed into the throne and glared at you. “Please be careful?” You knew he would follow through with his plans regardless of what you asked of him but you wanted some sort of reassurance. His scowl faded slightly. You couldn't quite see his face from here but it didn't appear to have it's usual anger twisted into it. Worried brows lifted slightly and his mouth opened as if to say something. He quickly jammed it shut and gripped the throne on either side of him, the scowl returning home. “...I'll be fine! Get out of here...” He turned his head away, looking down to the left as he commanded you. You didn't feel any sort of peace but couldn't think of anything else to do. You left the dungeon, descending the ladders and walking around the autumn court yard. To your right you saw Spyro darting around up in the castle, off to fight Ripto and Gulp. It would be impossible to have to bear witness to either of them being harmed. You couldn't see that again, not like Crush... You painfully waited outside the castle, hoping that Ripto and Gulp might have considered your warning and evacuated before Spyro confronted them. The minutes crawled by like years as you waited to hear something. When no one departed the castle, you decided perhaps you'd brave a peek inside. Turning to head back to the castle, you suddenly heard a scream from above. Looking up, you managed to spot the throne before it hit you. Diving out of the way, you landed in the soft grass as the throne cracked into pieces as it made forceful contact with the ground. It lie there broken and unrecognizable. This was precisely why you didn't like heights. You neared the throne to inspect it, hoping it had been vacated before its untimely destruction when Ripto landed painfully on top of you. You were knocked to the ground as the caped riptoc bounced off of you and onto the ground nearby. “Agh! Gulp! That dragon! I'm going to wring his little purple neck!” Ripto growled, flailing his arms in anger. His gaze whirled around to you, as you extracted yourself from the ground. “You!” He cried. Approaching him you extended your hand. “Here.” you offered. He pushed your hand away and stood up himself. “I don't need your useless pity!” He turned away and looked around the area desperately. “What happened to Gulp?” The words escaped your mouth, however you thought you already knew the answer. He half turned to you, sadness taking over his face. His slitted eyes darted to you then away again just as quickly. His rage melted back over his face again as he turned to you, shoulders hunched up with fists clenched at his side. “That blasted dragon happened to him! I told you to go stop him! This is all your fault!” With Gulp and Crush gone, he focused his frustrations on you. “If you had stopped him from entering my castle NONE of this would have HAPPENED!” He raised his hand as if to hit you. It swung at you but you reached up and grabbed his arm before he could land the blow. You were not an angry person by nature but you had quite enough of Ripto's temper. You looked him dead in the eyes as you gently held his arm in front of you. “You. Will. Not. Hit. Me.” He looked at you with worry in his eyes, glancing at his arm in your hand and to your face. He had seen this before. He was afraid of being hurt. Not wanting to scare him you did the only thing you knew how to do, to try to make him believe you wanted to help, to try to get him to listen instead of being so emotionally reactionary. You gently moved your other arm around him and then pulled him into a hug. It wasn't a tight hug, but it was a firm one. “I want to help you Ripto, but I will not let you strike me.” You could feel him tense up under your embrace. It was clearly a foreign thing for him. When he realized he wasn't trapped in the hug, he pushed at your chest, knocking you away from him. “Don't touch me! Or i'll! I'll...” His threat was empty. He'd lost his friends and now had no one. Except perhaps you, and of that he wasn't even sure. You were the only thing he had left you realized. A deep worry started to grow in your chest. Ripto was all bark and no bite. Relying on his now deceased friends to help him was how he managed thus far. A desperate and confused look now marked his face. He was thinking, assessing everything, taking you into his calculations now. “We'll go to Winter Tundra. Their last castle stands there. I'll make it mine and then that dragon will see that nothing stops me from getting what I deserve!” He cast a look to you. “What are you crying for?! We need to get a move on, stop being so emotional!” You almost laughed, that sentiment coming from him? It hadn't occurred to you that you had been crying. Wiping the tears from your face you shook your head. “I don't think that's going to work. Spyro would destroy you! Like Crush and Gulp...” He huffed at your suggestion. “That pest won't dare harm me! I'll make sure of it. He won't get past my guard this time.” “You mean like the barriers you put up before? The ones he broke through?” That struck a nerve. He seethed at you, a growl escaping his clenched teeth. “You don't think I can handle that dragon?!” You met his gaze, he was no longer intimidating to you. “No. I don't think you can. Not alone. Ripto, think, he'll take you down just as easily as he did your friends!” Your voiced raised a bit, though you tried to keep it steady. This guy just wouldn't listen to reason. He was so sure of himself. So desperate to prove himself. He opened his mouth several times, trying to argue with you but not coming up with a solid sentence. “If only Gulp and Crush were still here. They could protect you, and now that you know what Spyro is capable of you could be better prepared for him.” Ripto's eyes were squinted in what you thought was a pained look. Maybe he was tired, maybe he was sad. You couldn't tell. “I can't bring them back! I alone am enough! While my magic isn't enough to bring back my imbecilic servants, it is enough to take down that purple menace!” Something in your mind sparked. You felt something within yourself, being pulled to a specific place. “Wait...Bringing them back with magic.” Confused Ripto cocked his head slightly. “What? Weren't you just listening? I said I can't bring them back! CAN'T!” You nodded. “No, I know, I heard you. But the fairies here...Their wands. Something in their magic gives them the ability to save peoples souls to a certain spot in time. Do you think, is there any possibility that they were zapped at all?” Ripto's eyes widened and a grin split his face. “There's a possibility...Perhaps not fairy magic. But my own...” He scratched his chin in thought gazing up with a smile playing at the edge of him mouth. He sharply turned to you. “The barriers. When I sealed the gates in the previous castles it may have had a similar effect as those pesky fairies and their ridiculous puny wands.” You felt the fear and sorrow lessen in your chest. “However the dragon destroyed them after they entered the portal to the dungeon. Which would have negated any save spot my barrier would have offered them...” He grew frustrated again. “So, they're stuck there? Saved in a spot just before the dungeon?” He shook he head and threw his hands down in frustration. “NO! I Said they were destroyed after! The barrier would have bound them there until they entered the portal, then the portal would have marked a save point the moment they entered it. After they died, they would have woken up again at the beginning of the battle, just after entering it.” You thought a moment. “So...they're stuck in a time loop of sorts?” He froze then looked up at you, intrigue written on his face. “What...?” You sorted your thoughts out loud, slowly trying to explain. “So, barriers and fairies have their own method of saving, entering a portal too has it's own method of saving? If we could somehow enter the portal and find the save spot for Gulp and Crush, we could sneak in during the battle, intervene somehow and save them again afterwards, after Spyro thought they were dead. Then we could sneak them out of there and you could have them back by your side.” A wild toothy smile claimed Ripto's face as he reached out and grabbed you by your shoulders. He shook you eagerly. “That's it! But we'd have to use caution and time it perfectly.” He paced around, gesturing with his hands wildly as he thought his plan through. “I can't have that dragon botching this up again. I also can't be the one to do it. Imagine me seeing myself in a time loop. Two Ripto's in one area! That would give us away...But you...That dragon trusts you. I need you to enter those dungeons again, with my magic, I can probably pin point the save spot for Gulp and Crush and send you to them.” “I don't have saving magic though, I can only create doors.” You revealed, troubled. Ripto marched over to you. “Then we'll find you saving magic. There's plenty of fairies around here. One of them is bound to have an extra wand lying around that we could steal!” He glanced around the area. “Aha!” He pointed to Zoe, not too far off. “Go! Convince her to give you her wand, tell her you're borrowing it. She seems gullible enough!” You highly doubted that it would be so simple to convince Zoe to let you have her wand. But Ripto was already pushing you towards her. “Go! I'll stay here. Come back to me when you get that wand!” Oh dear... you thought to yourself, nervously shuffling over to Zoe. She seemed to be looking for something. Concern crossed her face while she scanned the area. “Hey Zoe.” You greeted her, “Uh...I hate to bother you but, I was wondering if perhaps, I could borrow your wand, I want to see if I can uh....Practice...My...Magic with it! I want to practice my magic!” She turned with a sad smile. “I'd love to let you use my wand ____, but I seemed to have misplaced it!” Oh great, you thought. Ripto would love this. “Hey Zoe! Hey____!” Hunter approached the two of you, he seemed really happy. “Hello Hunter, what's put a spring in your step?” Zoe inquired. “Oh, I was just at Dragon Shores while the Professor and Elora set up the Super Portal, He's testing a new power crystal that he thinks will enhance the orbs power!” Zoe shook her head. “What? What were you doing in Dragon Shores? I thought the super portal was inactive because of Ripto!” Hunter seized up. “Well...D'uh I mean they were testing it out and all, so I figured I'll hop on over to Dragon Shores to see what it was about! It's really fun! You play games for free! And get tokens! For free!” “What are the tokens for?” You were also curious, it did sound kind of fun. “Oh! It's lets you have access to this amazing one of a kind, Dragons Shores' movie theatre! It allows you to re watch old memories, as if you were really there! I had to be fast though, the Professor wanted me back soon so I managed to trade this really shiny stick for a couple of tokens!” Zoe exploded. “A shiny stick??? Hunter?! Did you trade my wand for a bunch of game tokens?!” Hunter looked everywhere but at Zoe. “There's...A possibility...” He fidgeted his hands together. Zoe looked as though her very glare could cut through even the strongest of magical barriers. “Uh! I'll go back and get it right away!” He made to dash off but Zoe grabbed onto his arrow quiver and held him back as he ran in place. “No way! Hunter, you are going to take ____ to Dragon Shores and THEY will retrieve my wand. Then you can give it back once you're done practising. How does that sound for a deal ____?” She cast a smile back at you. This was....actually very perfect. “Good! That sounds good! I'll meet you in Winter Tundra then Hunter?” “Yes! I'll go on ahead and explain to the Professor what uh...I ...Did....Then! Then we can go back and get Zoe's want back!” Zoe smiled impishly and released her grip on Hunter's arrow quiver. “Good!” No longer being restrained, still being propelled by his attempted escape, hunter fell flat on his face. He picked himself off the ground and awkwardly waved bye to the two of you. “I'm just gonna...” He pointed with both hands towards the warp platform and hastily made his retreat. Zoe nodded to you and flew off towards the castle. Hesitantly you returned to Ripto, unsure as to how he would take all of this. He was watching from behind one of the autumn trees. “Hrmm... power crystal eh? I do miss my sceptre so...Perhaps I'll hold onto it for them.” He chuckled. “So you heard then?” He glared at you. “Heard what?” You took a deep breath, expecting him to flare up at you. “About Zoe's wand?” “No, where is it?” He demanded, looking at your person as if he expected you to just pull it out from thin air. You braced yourself. “How would you like...To go to an amusement park?” If you were sure he wouldn't have yelled at you, you would have laughed at the bewildered look on his face.