#as for the boss last knight would be the obvious choice

[little-lanterns]

I really need to start building ops for my suicide run aka d15 men only... Only raising 6* men finally bite me in the ass

[safarigirlsp]

40 LOOKS DAMN GOOD

I saw this on Twitter and thought it'd be fun to do here as a mini celebration. Interaction has been so dead on here for everyone, it'd be fun to liven it back up! Everyone feel free to play along!

Favorite Movie(s)

The Last Duel! I love that movie. Blackkklansman is the runner up.

I actually don't care for most of his other movies at all in terms of the movie itself. 65, The Report, and Logan Lucky were decent, but definitely second tier.

Favorite Character(s)

Jacques, Flip, and Mills

Favorite Co-Star(s)

Ben Affleck blows absolutely everyone else out of the water! "Come In! Take your pants off!"

Bill Murray and John David Washington are runners up, and I loved Jeremy Irons in Gucci.

Favorite Love Interest(s)

None so far! Rey and Hanna are my absolute least favorites. I hate them, honestly. Jodie Cromer was my favorite female lead in one of his movies. Lady Gaga and Marion Cottilard were alright too. I like Scarlett Johannson the best as a stand alone actress, but I hated her character in Marriage Story. I anticipate liking Aubrey Plaza

Favorite Scene(s)

Jousting and kicking ass are hard to beat!

Favorite Sex Scene(s)

All the scenes from Last Duel! I don't care how offensive that is!

This scene from The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

Girls seasons 5 and 6 were hard to beat. The couch scene in season 5 is pretty nice.

Favorite SNL Skit(s)

Slow for obvious reasons.

Undercover Boss Part 2

Favorite Line(s)

Dream Role(s)

I got a Knight with Jacques and an Action Hero with Mills, both of which were high on my list. I'd love to see him as a Vampire, a Dark Victorian Gentleman, an Old West Gunfighter, an Adventurer, and a John Wick style Hitman or Action Hero.

Oh, and he needs to be his actual age and not have goddamn face prosthetics, altered hairlines, or terrible fucking haircuts!

Dream Co-Star(s)

Love Interests: Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Margot Robbie, Ana De Armas, and Lily Rose Depp for size kink purposes.

Co-Stars: Another hot guy like Goran Visnjic or Gerard Butler. Keanu Reeves would also be a blast.

Directors: Ridley Scott (again), Clint Eastwood, Tim Burton, Robert Eggars, Quentin Tarantino.

Favorite Photoshoot(s)

Favorite Candid(s)

Favorite Red Carpet Appearance(s)

Venice takes the cake!

Favorite Interview(s)

"Fuck you. I don't know."

"I hated this. Goodbye."

Favorite Moment(s) of Your Choice

[vagonca-rigo]

top 5 games?

Okay kinda tough but let's see

Felvidek Okay, kind of an obvious choice given my recent obsession with it, but it's so great. It's an RPGMaker game where you play as Pavol, an alcoholic knight whose wife left him, who is at first tasked with finding out what struck the old castle, to later joining an emerging cult that has been recruiting the locals and making them disappear, accompanied by Matej, a priest from Debrecen, who's original task was trying to get Pavol off of alcohol. You don't need to level up, you just need good equipment and strategy to win all battles you encounter(and there are optional ones too, but they're not worth it unless you want more crowns). The ending is also extended as you help certain NPCs.

Kynseed Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley kinda farming game where you inherit your uncle's farm, have a little fight with your sibling you gotta make up with later, and some mysteries to uncover. There's wayyy more to the game though, for instance you have to have good reputation with the villagers in all villages to initiate certain quests or buy certain shops to maintain AND if you are particularly nice to some villagers and their family members(even in later generations!) you get to piece together a code you get bit by bit as you talk to them after a certain friendship level for a locked chest with money or resources. You can get boons from some sort of hare time fae in exchange for some years off your life, there's also combat regions and the combat mechanics themselves are really neat. You can also gather notes to find out how to grow high quality crops, learn recipes, and read journals for additional lore about the world.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight Okay so, Momodora is a game series(I'm almost through 4 of them!) and playing all will give you some lore, but the 4th and 5th entries are the best. The 4th, RUtM honestly made my jaw drop, especially after seeing the previous games. You play as Kaho Reinol, a priestess from Lun who seeks the queen of Karst to combat corruption, but the queen has been cursed along with her country, and it's up to you to fix it. The visuals are absolutely stunning and the combat is really great, and along the way you can collect items to apply modifiers to your weapons or gain a certain ability, as well as for healing and damage boost(some of which get permanently increased as you find more of them, and every time you hit a bell to save, all restock). You also get boons for defeating bosses without taking damage, which is difficult, but worth trying (note: if you do wanna attempt, quit to the menu and reload to the last save if you get hit or die). There's also a spider at the beginning of the game that if you don't kill, it will sell you great items later(and is the reason i had to make an entirely new save T_T). I can't tell more, as it would slip into spoiler territory, but this and the last game in the series(Moonlit Farewell, that btw, has notes in a menu about lore you might be missing out on) are absolutely worth checking out.

CrossCode You play as Lea, a girl who lost her memory, wakes up in an MMO(CrossWorlds) as a rather rare choice of fighter class(spheromancer)among players, who also happens to have her mic broken, so with the help of Sergey(who got you into the game in the first place), you get basic lines as you progress, like your name, greetings, questions and basic answers(so her talking is often just "Hi! Lea! Yes! Lea! Lea!"). There are many regions in the game, most of which you can only access if you acquire a certain elemental extensions to your Circuit tree(these you can get in select dungeons full of puzzles). The combat is really interesting and you get to have fun with elemental modes, but you have to look out as you can get overheated using one mode for too long, so you have to switch frequently. There's also a wiki and plenty of guide videos from the editors of it.

Moon Remix RPG This is an anti-rpg, so it parodies common tropes present in the genre and doesn't take itself seriously. You play as a little boy who, at the beginning, is seen playing some generic RPG about a mighty knight who defeats evil. He is told to go to sleep, but in the middle of the night, the TV mysteriously turns on with static, and takes him in, right to the world of the game he was playing. He is invisible, and only after visiting his...grandma(?) does he get clothing items he is able to be seen in(which looks real reminiscent of Rayman as his arms and legs are not covered by any in-universe item). Your mission is to learn about love, expand your heart, and sleep. Speaking of, as you level up your love, you can stay awake longer and explore more. You can do this in many ways, like quests or finding creatures according to hints in a book. If you "oversleep", it stacks, and you can also recover sleep by eating certain items. Along the way, you also get to observe the knight the boy played as in his game, which reveals that the guy's just a big strong idiot, not giving a single shit about his surroundings and using his fame to not hold responsibility for his actions. One thing I love in this game is the "voice" of characters. You are mute, but everyone else has some sort of 'yap' or 'wobble' or 'eh eh' that vaguely sounds like a voice and they vary a lot. From what i know, the game has only recently been translated to english and released on steam, so you might not find much about it if you're stuck somewhere.

[ecargmura]

Solo Leveling Episode 12 + Final Thoughts - Birth Of The Shadow Monarch

It seems that this job-changing quest seems to be a set-up created by the system to change Jinwoo’s class into something they want him to have. The illusion of choice lingers heavily in the system as no matter what Jinwoo rejects, the system will still force him to do whatever it wants him to do. I feel like the System itself is the major villain; if not, maybe it’ll be the final boss?

The System obviously wants him alive, hence why the penalty quest saved his ass. The four hours of being in there allows him to recover and heal his wounds. I do feel like this was intentional. After getting a new weapon, one that can strike down armored foes effectively, Jinwoo does manage to defeat the knights after realizing that he needs to focus on the mages who are summoning them and not the actual knights.

I think the scene where the old Jinwoo was looming upon him was his feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. I also feel like the system did that intentionally—I am on the train of thinking the System was the villain all along, like how Kyubey was in Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

I think out of the fight scenes, the battle with him and the last-minute golem was the best. Since I like RPGS, I have a kick at fighting extremely large enemies as a measly human. I think that was the vibes that this fight wanted too. I just like seeing Jinwoo being strategic and resourceful by using whatever he can, whether it be chandeliers or just strength.

The scene where he becomes the Shadow Monarch was amazing, honestly. The way he gains the ability to summon shadows of fallen monsters with some drawbacks, but the way Igris resurrects and they all bow down to him was so cool. The way he says ‘Arise’ was nice too.

A second season has been announced, which is obvious with the way the Jeju Island Arc has been teased. Imagine ending the show with the monster ant segment and the fate of all those Hunters are left unknown. That’d be a huge waste. Also, I do hope that Jinwoo remembers Jinah’s guardian-teacher meeting. Also, I will be tuning in for the second season as I do want to know what happens next.

Final Thoughts

I normally don’t watch shows like Solo Leveling, but it was an exception. Since many anitubers raved about it and how it’s so popular in Korea, I decided to give it a try since Korean media is getting popular these days. To be honest, it’s a bit different from my initial expectations. While it is a power fantasy type of story, it is also a deconstruction of it. The main character doesn’t get isekaied by a truck and instantly becomes popular in a new world. Instead, he almost dies in a dungeon incident and now sees hologram screens that are controlling him.

I think the nice thing about Solo Leveling is that Jinwoo’s not exactly a loser? Like, usually these types of power fantasy stories have the MC be extreme losers in life, but Jinwoo seems to be civil with people and Joohee seems to like him because he was a nice guy. The fact that Jinwoo being a 24-year-old adult also makes it interesting because he is a rather responsible adult from trying to work hard to provide for his family to not using his authority as an adult to harass anyone younger. A majority of the characters are also adults too, so they all behave like adults that know how the world works or adults still trying to figure themselves out. He doesn’t seem out of place for a typical power-fantasy story and behaves like an adult too. I’m glad that he isn’t written out to be a teenager because it would’ve gotten a bit annoying if he had been one.

I’m actually surprised that a story like this doesn’t have as many characters as I would have expected a show like this to have. Usually, stories like this usually would introduce an influx of characters that nobody would remember after an hour, but Solo Leveling does a good job having a good balance of ‘characters no one cares about’ and ‘characters people care about’. I think that having the story reuse characters that appear in the beginning was a nice touch too. I didn’t expect to see Joohee or Chiyul again, but they did show up in another mission. Kang Taeshik, a supposedly background character, also has a role too. I think that the writing of these kinds of characters show that the writer knows what they are doing in building up significance.

The animation was one of the three best things about this show. The way A-1 decided that they wanted their reputation as a good animation studio back came with good results. The way they animated so many battle scenes was easily amazing. I especially loved Jinwoo’s fight with Taeshik and with Igris. The animation went hard there.

The music was great too! Courtesy of Hiroyuki Sawano, the music was great. Definitely ear-worm quality. I quite liked the somber song that was played in Episode 6 where Jinwoo decided to murder Hwang Dongseok’s group.

The voice acting was really good! While I mainly listened to the Japanese dub since it was the fastest to come out, I do commend the good voice acting. Taito Ban as Sung Jinwoo was really great! The transition in his tone from gentle and soft in the beginning to deeper and stern after episode 4 was really nice to hear. I do like that he’s not obnoxiously loud like some Shounen anime MCs tend to be; maybe it’s because he’s an adult. I do hope Ban gets a lot more roles in the future because his voice is nice to listen to! The voice cast for the other characters are great too. I think other than Jinwoo, the other stand out for me was Kouki Uchiyama as Kang Taeshik as Uchiyama shines with villain roles.

The English and Korean dubs are great too! I totally recommend you listen to them! I do commend the English dub for pronouncing the characters name the ‘correct’ Korean way and not how an American would pronounce them. Jinwoo’s name is pronounced as ‘Jinu’ (G-Nu) and not ‘Jin-woo’ with the emphasis on the “w”—the W is actually silent. I would know because I can speak the language. Also, the Solo Leveling English cast has two Korean people (Sung-won Cho as Woo Jinchul and Alan Lee as Kang Taeshik) so I found that cool. Aleks Le, who’s not Korean, does a great job voicing Jinwoo! I’ve been seeing his name everywhere recently and I hope it keeps up! Get that dough! The Korean dub was really good too! I think it’s super underrated! Please give it a listen! Jinwoo’s Korean voice actor is Min Seung-woo and he has a really nice voice as he is the Korean VA of the Wanderer from Genshin Impact.

There are rumors that Solo Leveling has been licensed for six seasons. Fans must be really happen to know. I heard that a lot of fans are happy with the adaptation for this story and some say it’s better than the original manhwa webtoon. I honestly can’t wait to see what the following seasons has in store. If you have watched this anime or have read the webtoon, what are your thoughts on it? I’ll see you guys when Season 2 airs!

[moodcrab]

Fixing The Companions

The idea of rolling Skyrim's fighters guild stand-in with its werewolf mechanic seems like a last minute rush job because The Companions is the most half baked storyline in the game, even compared to the Civil War. It's not terrible in and of itself, but if you're playing a Sell Sword/Mercenary build who doesn't want to be a werewolf you're shit out of luck because there is no faction for you.

I would have The Companions faction start as usual, up to the point where you witness Farkas' werewolf transformation, talk to Kodlac about his regret for being a werewolf, and then are offered wolf blood yourself. In Vanilla, of you don't want to be a werewolf, this is where The Companions end. Well, not end. Just stop.

At this point I would give you the options of staying with The Companions as a werewolf, or joining one of two other factions.

The Silver Hand

For starters, let's talk about the Silver Hand, the worst antagonists in Skyrim. They are no longer generic bandits with silver swords, they are a splinter group of The Companions that split from the main group when they became lycanthropes. They are Uber Atmoran Ysgramor Companion purists who wish to reclaim Wuuthrad and Jorvaskr from the abominations that now befoul them. It never made much sense to me that The Silver Hand lured Farkas and I to Dustman's Cairn for an ambush but there actually was a shard of Wuuthrad there. Like, why not just pick any ruin and lie about it? Anyway, they are now the obvious counterpart to The Companions and will have unique armor sets and characters. Joining them will unlock alternative quests to do battle with The Circle.

The Vigilant of Stendarr

The game will not suggest this as an option but leave it as a hidden third alternative to uncover, but you will also be able to inform the Vigilant about the Companions being werewolves and join them instead, for a less Nordic and a more "holy knight" or paladin vibe. Again, the faction will need to have an armour and character revamp, and accommodate for the fact that if you begin the Dawnguard DLC your faction base will be destroyed (unless you finish this storyline first and unlock Jorvaskr as a secondary base for the Vigilant, but local Nords will not like this). That being said, I would not simply mirror the Silver Hand quests, because this would make the choice superfluous, I would have all three faction choices have unique quests to reward replay and role playing.

Staying with The Companions

If you choose to stay there is still a lot of work to be done, I haven't really "fixed" The Companions, I've just offered alternatives to them. For starters, with a more fleshed out villain in The Silver Hand, the quests to fight them can become more than just a handful of dungeon clearances, and defeating them will become the ultimate goal, not freeing Kodlac's soul. There will be two ways of doing this. The more vanilla way that sees Kodlac getting killed and your quest for vengeance (followed by an optional extra quest to cleanse his soul posthumously), or a far more difficult way that would see Kodlac negotiate with the Silver Hand, promising them that he seeks a cure. This scenario would see a mixture of both groups living in Jorvaskr, but would turn fan favourite Aela into the final boss.

Other small changes would involve a change in dialogue if you have already done Hircine's quest, a decision made as to whether or not a Harbinger is the leader (vanilla was all over the place with this) and a general tidy up of the rushed elements.

[icy-dark-star]

Since today is the start of October and with that the return of Kirb(y)tober, I want to look back at some of last years drawings.

Prompt: Kirby

The very first one! I wasn't quite sure about the kind of style I wanted to go for since it had to be simple enough that I could continue like that for an entire month and I had just recently switched from FireAlpaca to Krita making that entire month a learning experience. Didn't help either that this was the first time in over a year I actually focused on art after having been sick for a long while again. The only thing I knew I wanted is that all drawings should be in black and white (and I guess gray too) but I was pretty loose with that. Finally talking about the prompt, I just wanted a simple piece of Kirby and Dedede being friends. Resulting in this drawing of Dedede throwing Kirby in the air!

Prompt: Mirror World

For this one, I wanted to draw Kirby and Shadow Kirby being friends and the best way to do that is by drawing them pretending their favorite knights. The background is based on Amazing Mirror's main hub.

Prompt: Dimensional Rift

Oh hey it's my first time drawing that headcanon and I really should make more. As a GalactaDad liker I want to say this would be art for that but it isn't. I just can't imagine that a Galacta that is still in crystall prison limbo would try to be someones parental figure and similar can be said about Susie. Instead I personally call this GalactaUncle content and I like that.

Fun fact: this drawing crashed my laptop close to completion

Prompt: Forgotten Land

For this one I wanted to draw Leongar because I like his design. So I drew him with Kirby and Elfilin who are trying to fit in with the beast pack. I think Leongar Kirby looks pretty cute!

Prompt: Reaper Butterfly

An obvious choice for that prompt. I wanted to draw Morpho with a scyth because I had seen art of that before and it's really cool. Including my first and (so far) only time drawing them with a cape.

Prompt: Weapon

This wouldn't be a good post reclecting on last years Kirbtober without including a Dark Meta Knight drawing. Since the prompt was weapon the focuse is on his strange sword that split Kirby into four different colored Kirbys(Kirbies?) and painted it in thier colors respectivley.

Prompt: Alternate Universe

My first time drawing cape!Susie that I did not forget about in my cape!Susie compilation. I wasn't sure what to draw for this one but I used this as an opportunity to be a little selfindulgent. I don't have anything more to say beyond what I already wrote in the original post except capes and dragons are really cool!

Prompt: Soul Boss

A bit of a strange drawing but because I drew Forgo as one of my old childhood toys (weird spongey thing that grows in water that happend to have a similar color to Forgo) I like it a lot.

I'm really curious what kind of stuff I will draw this year and if it can be compared to last years drawings. The only thing I know is that I want the style to be similar to this one. Now onto drawing day one!

[silveme]

i will admit that since im mobile-only i cant actually read the playlist description BUT, i can very clearly tell characters/themes sections , and that some sections made me laugh out loud when certain songs would play, like specifically, hitting us with back to back songs that make made me laugh way harder than i probably should have been laughing, memorably,

Puppet Boy immediately followed by Under My Skin, so meaaan to them

the one-two punch of fuck my boss and da biggest bird.........

the combo of Just The Two Of Us and Thats Life,

the man who sold the world. BACK FROM THE DEAD STRAIGHT OUT THE CASKET RISING UP OPEN UP YOUR EYES CANT YOU SEE ME WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

the cars themed songs, ejsus fucking ..

starting out with a man without love is Perfect ... the first four songs paint such a picture like thr opening of a film except the fourth song is camel by camel of all things,

heaven knows im miserable now. i was looking for a job and then i found a job. making plans for nigel. then ghost.

i can go on (which would be me continuing to state the obvious) but im not planning on editing this ask once i type it out so (sweating) im so sorry....

there are some fantastic choices you can kinda tell who listens to what via vibes , even though obviously no i couldnt actually figure out that marc listens to will smith. but there is a VERY clear switch between steven music, marc music, jake music, plot music, setting music, show mystery atmosphere music, etc. even their mercenary background,

this is only somewhat related to the playlist, but i didnt realize that My Way Of Life was the song that jake was playing in the last scene, and then when you put frontier psychiatrist in there, did yoy know that that song is sampled in there. the That Boy Needs Therapy song. sampling the song that was playing when jake makes his appearance at khonshu's behest, a song that is all in one an admission of defeat, a prayer, and a claim. can i speak to the directors was this on purpose (shaking someone wildly by the shoulders)

your sense of humor shines through the entire thing even from the photo and the GET THE FRIES title reference which im still laughing to myself about it like an idiot and as i finished the playlist i was thinking to myself like. Thats it, Thats The Whole Show 👍👍 We've Covered Literally Everything yknow i marathoned this playlist but this playlist is so long that by the time i hit the end of the playlist after marathoning it i was driving home from work free bird'ing down the highway like I DID IT ... WHAT AN EXPERIENCE...

Yeeeesssssss

YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS

YOU GET ITTT

literally kicking my feet in the air giggling and silently screaming while reading this THANK YOU!! AND YES IT IS THE PERFECT PLAYLIST TO MARATHON I ALWAYS PUT IT ON WHILE WORKING. Also good to know that everyone else can’t see the description on mobile too, damn I thought I was doing something wrong. it goes like this “We’ll need the energy in the coming days…THE ULTIMATE MOON KNIGHT PLAYLIST In order: miscellaneous, Marc, Steven, Jake. I’m always updating and curating this! Also check out my Layla playlist”

Followers who don’t care about the best moon knight playlist ever pls scroll now or forever hold your peace cause I’m about to wig out✌️

This whole playlist is very much my personal music taste both old and new so I’m so glad other people love it too. Like I’m 20 and I’ve been listening to some of these songs since middle school (and one since elementary school….”awoken” LOL) and some is my more recent music taste

So anyway without further ado, here is some of my personal favorite moments on the playlist, I’ll try to keep it in order, strap in.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Nutcracker suite Arabian dances: im very much a classical lover as you can probably tell by now but this has always been my favorite classical piece. It’s just sooooo “I’m tired and injured and trudging through the desert under the light of the full moon. I’m exhausted but I have to keep going” love itttttt

• Leopard: this song is literally always switching up!! Just like moon knight lol. One moment it’s sad and slow, next moment it’s anxious and fast, and then it’s smooth and chill. Need I say more.

MARC

• Back from the dead: “BLOW, YA TAKIN 2 SHOTS TO YA CHEST”

• Hunter: this one is very special to me cause it’s probably my favorite song of all time at the moment. It’s sort of the same deal with the nutcracker suite where it’s like you just have to keep on marching and do what you can to survive cause there’s not really a home you can go back to. It feels lonely, ghostly, desolate, and steadfast. So marc and so knightly. “I tried to organize freedom- you sussed it out didn’t you? You could smell it so you left me on my own, to complete the mission, now I’m leaving it all behind.” Very him and Khonshu am I right or am I right. HES GOING HUNTING. HES THE HUNTER!

• Pluto: this is a more recent addition, it’s just so visceral and violent. Like Marc! I also specifically added the live version with the strings cause it sounds so much moreee. Unhinged? Enraged? “Excuse me, I just have to explode this body” “I’ll wake up tomorrow brand new, a little tired, but brand new” just like going to bed as maRC AND WAKING UP AS STEVEN CMONNNNNN

• Dirty Harry: mercenary days marc moment

• mercure scene 1, la nuit: same thing as nutcracker suite and hunter. WE GOTTA KEEP MOVING EVEN THO WE’RE SO TIRED

• Off with his head: middle school classic of all time to me. It’s so “ugh. Gotta kill all these people to sate this ancient gods will. Sorry, I promise I don’t want to 😬”

• Awoken: relistening to old mlp fandom songs I used to love when I was little and then realizing one of them fit Marc Spector of all characters actually incredibly well felt like unearthing an ancient cursed relic. I literally still cannot believe it

• All the Will Smith songs: Marc speeds on the highway when he drives. And when he does, he’s blasting this. Also he doesn’t like any other musician besides will smith. He has literally had the exact same music taste since 1997 #comfortmusic

• Get out of my house: MARC IS THE HOUSE.

• All the love: the phone calls. THE PHONE CALLS. Did I mention the phone calls? The sighs too UGH. I’m imagining Marc coming back to that storage locker and listening to all the voicemails Steven had left him thinking he was calling their mom. Also am I crazy thinking the last “good night” sounds EXACTLY like Steven?

• Sandpaper kisses: “your gonna a leave her. You have deceived her. Just a girl, with featherweight curls” Layla 😭

• The moon/ Awake: EVERY. LYRIC. HITS. It fits the relationship between him and Steven amazingly. “When sins of sons to fathers come, too heavy is the weight. THE SPIRIT SPLIT IN TWO” <- when I heard that while looking for songs to add to this playlist my jaw dropped. ITS TOO REAL

STEVEN

• Ok let’s go: the moon/ awake to ok let’s go is the transition from Marc to Steven. It’s basically Steven being like “is this too much to take? That’s ok, I’ll take it from here” like he’s there to put Marc’s pieces back together after everything. It’s stevens introduction bc that’s his purpose after all. He’s picking up where Marc left off

• Diary: Goldfish problem vibes. “Dear diary, What a day it’s been. Dear Diary, it’s been just like a dream” “at night I can’t sleep, I toss and turn” also the guy is British so that’s a plus

• the miku song (I can’t type Japanese) : Steven grant anime opening. He’s running late to work with toast in his mouth

• COUNT THOSE FREAKS: literally episode 2. Mr knight vs that jackal vibes

• Sinking feeling, Only dreaming: I’m gonna lump these 2 together cause they have the same gist. Steven realizing that he isn’t completely alone and those strange occurrences and dreams are much much much more than they seem. His life is a lie! Poor man’s being put through the mental ringer.

• Linger a while: It’s just so british sounding you know what I mean? It’s so Steven nervously plodding along

•Oivomaintnt: steven grant walking simulator

• Wake up ( it’s 1984): “two worlds apart, BUT SO!! CLOSE!!!!!!”

• Is anybody here?: ohhhhohhh so Steven. Everything abt it is so perfect but here’s my fav lyrics “I left my soul exposed to frail hands who hold my fate up in the air.” Aka khonshus spindly witch fingers. “Waking in the afternoon, a captive in a passive tomb, moments turn to long Decembers, stoking fires from dying embers. I try To move a limb, but there's a disconnect within. A devil in the alchemy. A phantom staring back at me.ITS YOUUUUU” disassociation moment. He is quite literally slipping out of consciousness and losing days or even months of time. Also….a phantom….OR A SPECTOR

• Steal away: ok I lied this is the one song that’s based off vibes. It’s just Steven what can I say

• It only takes a moment, somethin stupid, might tell you tonight: HES FALLING IN LOVE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME 😭😭😭

• Ghost: Steven being like “hey maybe actually not being alone isnt so bad :)” again, a ghost….OR A SPECTOR! Ehhhhhh? ;D

JAKE

• you belong to me: Marc and Steven may be free, but Jake? mmmm not so much :/ wherever they go, whatever they do, he still belongs to Khonshu.

• What you won’t do for love: “I guess you wonder where I’ve been”

• Desalento: I don’t speak Portuguese so I don’t exactly know what this song is about but it’s just so Jake vibes. Esp near the end

• The most cursed hands/ who am I: first part is cool but disregard it. The real reason why I added it is at the very end. “Who am I? Just a gambler, holding aces in the devil's eyes. What is wrong? What's the sin? Where's the answer? Where the hell do I fit in? Or could it be, there's just a little demon lost in the debris? And I, should idly bide my time until a wager releases me” cmonnnn that is so good. Where does jake fit in in all this? Steven and Marc are already a team but Jake is disconnected from them, where does he go in the story? Also the little demon lost in the debris is KHONSHU, they thought they defeated him but heyyyy he’s still there just in secret now. And what can Jake do but follow his orders till he’s released! “It can’t remain unknown” his existence can’t stay hidden forever! Also the vibes at this part are just so suave and Jakey.

• how I could just kill a man: marc and steven are soooo free and don’t have to do shit anymore but guess who’s left to do all the dirty work now? JAKE! And he’s pissed! “When your up on the hill in your big home, I’m out here riskin my dome”

• Vroom Vroom: obligatory

• Tardigrade song: Jake lockley is one tough son of a bitch. He can take pretty much everything you throw at him, since that is literally his purpose. He wakes up after years of hibernation, kicks ass in the most inhospitable conditions imaginable, then goes to sleep again. Just like a tardigrade!

• We fly high: I have this image in my head of Jake rolling up to an avengers meeting and you can hear this from the parking lot blasting in the moon knight mobile before he gets out and slams the door. They’re all looking down at him from the window like “ughhhh who invited that guy” “not me” “me neither” “I think he just invited himself” *door bursts open* “eyyyy fugeddaboutit” It’s like his theme song to me, it’s what plays when he rolls up into frame wearing sunglasses. He’s just balling. Simple as. Steven: ouch! He bit me!😰 Jake: no I didn’t 😎😏

Freebird: and what a perfect way to end the playlist. Wow look you made it way to go, now let’s make our car do flips and donuts in the avengers office parking lot 🥳🙌

Sorry if that was too much, I always think about these when I listen to it which is still fairly often. I’ve never gotten to discuss these things with anyone! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed it!!!!! Hope it helped you discover some really amazing songs. THANK YOU!!!!!!! 💕

[mxbrightsky]

*cocks gun* 31, 28, 27, 22, 20, 18, 15, 14, 11, 9, 5 ówò please?

31: Someone has never played a video game before but is open to trying any genre. What game would you recommend as their first?

That's a tough question cause it's really about balancing showing what a game can offer that other mediums can't but without being too hard to grasp in terms of expecting the player to know things. In that case... well, my first gut instinct is Undertale. It's very interactive to player choice, and not all too difficult

28: Pick a series you like. What was the first game you played for it? Was it a good starting point? Would it still be a good starting point now?

Fire Emblem Awakening. Definitely holds a special place in my heart, and it does make a good starting point.

27: A game you love the atmosphere of

LITTLE NIGHTMARES. god it captures atmosphere so well. the environment is just So.

22: A game ending that’s really stuck with you

999 Zero Escape. For a lot of obvious existential reasons but also *leans into the mic* tfw the last door is a q

20: A boss you think is really cool

Hornet from Hollow Knight. she's so cool she should have her own game or something.

18: A game location you really like

I really like the Signal Tower from Little Nightmares 2. It just has this really ethereal sort of vibe

15: Do you have a backlog and do you keep track of it? If so, how?

I do have a backlog, I do not keep track of it, it's just Games I Have On Steam But Haven't Played Yet.

14: A song that’s sure to hit your nostalgia buttons

ANYTHING from rune factory 4. maybe particularly the Spring theme

11. Do you prefer ‘blank slate’ main characters you make yourself or otherwise project onto, or characters with a set personality and backstory?

I prefer characters with a set personality and backstory, to the point where if I do get a read of a main character from playing as them and someone else erases that by treating them as a blank slate it is a personal pet peeve. this is about undertale protags but it's ALSO about my very personal specific interpretation of Byleth from Three Houses.

9: A game you played completely blind with no prior knowledge of and enjoyed/loved

999 Zero Escape. It was recommended to me because of my Danganronpa phase, and before that I'd never heard of it, but now it is something I do look back at with much fondness- and I love seeing let's plays of it to see other people react

5: Game(s) coming out that you’re looking forward to

when the silk is song. also rune factory 3 remake and maybe rune factory 6? rune factory 5 was a little bit of a let down to me cause I just couldn't get invested, but I hope it'll be better next time.

[superlativesamsara]

Things have been far too quiet... Be The Other Guy==>

>The scene opens upon Rosalie, sat at a desk, quickly beginning to chatter on about knives and proper care of them, starting with a reminder that the proper bevels and techniques for sharpening are themselves heavily dependent on the knife in question, whether you're using belt-sanding or traditional blocks, and of course what you're intending to use the knife for. In this case, she'll be touching up one of her throwing knives, which she just had to melt down and reforge from scratch where it broke against some remarkably well enchanted armor, because someone actually remembered to wear their gorget for once. She explains a little bit about how to choose the right stone and angle for the task, starting with an extra coarse one since she's starting from what's essentially a blank that was forged in high heat, and quickly starts to rasp it in slow, smooth strokes, speaking of more experience than she'd likely admit to in doing exactly this...

>Then, the ask comes.

>Reality itself seems to grind unsteadily to a halt, as if processing... a little buffering wheel even appears for a moment before, quite abruptly, everything seems to almost pivot, the faint sound of clockwork clacking away, chains rattling over cogs, the shapes and colors seeming to blur in a distinctly unpleasant and unnatural manner, before alighting in a dimly lit throne room, where a figure sits in regal, knightly armor, illuminated only from about mid-chest down...

'Enter Name==>

Your name is David Ezra Strider. Your Title is the Knight of Law. You have an interest in the orderly arrangement of notes into disorderly tunes, some might even call them Sick Beats. Maybe. It's been a long time since it's happened, but you're sure they'd still qualify, if you ever showed them to anyone. You don't do that anymore. There's a lot of things you don't do anymore. More presently, you were inserted into this somewhat primitive backwater of a universe because your nominal 'employer', who is also your elder brother, received a tip that your wayward sister might be here.

Having an urge to be a bit dramatic, you figured the easiest way to find her would be to seize power in a local kingdom, figuring that with that kind of resources, you'd be bound to find her if she's here, or perhaps she'd find her way here on her own, since it is after all the seat of an empire of some sort. You didn't really let the former emperor finish his spiel before taking him out, and sure, Jade could've played you the intended course of what he was going to say before trying to have you executed, but that's really not your thing.

Eventually it comes to light that she's a bit of a hero type in this world, and is even one of the spearheads for this rebel alliance that's been slowly building momentum to depose the last guy, making your new choice of occupation all the better. That said, it wouldn't do to let her get here too easy. If you don't at least pretend to make an effort to "deal with her", the boss might decide he's feeling decapitation happy, and as you've always said, in every universe, Dead Daves Are The Enemy. Well, all the universes you can remember, anyhow. They all kind of blur together, after enough of them.

Regardless, both to make yourself just the tiniest bit more obvious, and also to challenge her better, you offer each and every guardsman a single link from your chains. One Oath, that they can bargain however they see fit, so long as what they give up is at least equal in worth to what they'll gain. Equivalent Exchange may not be an inviolable Law, but then, it too has quite the hefty cost for trying to cheat it, as any Law does.'

'But what's with all the monologuing, Dave?', well, that's a really good question hypothetical observer who definitely didn't just tune in at this exact second and thus make it odd that you'd just so happen be narrating all this at the perfect time? Well, you see, little bird, it all comes down to this wonderful thing called Time Travel, and how I know someone who can do it, and they told me exactly when they spotlight would turn. Funny how that works, right? But to answer your question, someone has to exposit and waste your time while dear old sis is beating down the door, and, of course, who better than little old me, who can simply Decree that certain narrative conventions will be upheld?

That's right, dear viewer, I took the time to stage this whole little second person aside just for you, to bring you a bit more up to speed, since, of course, we all knew dear darling Rose would never do such a thing. She loves her secrets too much, but me? I've got plenty of Time to spill the beans for you. She's a criminal... well, more a fugitive from the Law since she's not been convicted of any crime, but, semantics. A little bit of treason here, sedition there, conspiracy to commit regicide and fratricide in one go... yes, indeed, her record isn't very pretty.

But! We're not here to talk about that, no, we're here to sew a little doubt in your mind. She can have all the fun she wants telling you about all those skeletons in her closet, I hear she's got quite the collection. No, we're here for me to deliver a little Decree, from me to you. You won't be helping her. You won't be taking sides. You won't interfere at all, not even a toe over the dimensional borders.

Now then, I have some unwelcome guests to prepare myself for, and you? Well, you can't really warn her I know what's going on, can you? That would be interfering. But, I will say this... enjoy the show, dear audience~ Ta-Ta~

>As Dave rises from his throne, grabbing the ivory-white blade propped up against the left arm, there's a brief flash of static, or green eyes peering through it, and the scene abruptly snaps back to Rose, still frozen halfway through the stroke of sharpening one of her blades, a motion that, like the rest of reality, seems to almost shudder and stutter and finally begin to move, slow as if through molasses at first before smoothing back out to normal. Immediately, she looks alert, glancing to and fro, before spotting the errant camera wisp, seeming to sense something amiss about it as she flings out her hand, a blast of silver energy leaping from her fingertips to strike the viewpoint and sever the connection.

[bubblyani]

Bail Out: 03

(Bruce Wayne x Reader)

A Bruce Wayne Multi-Chapter Series

Chapter 03: The Dark Knight

Summary: One fateful, drunken night gets you arrested for assault.  However, once you get bailed out by Billionaire Socialite Bruce Wayne,  surprising obstacles get in the way, forcing you to question all your  choices in life, career, and in love.

Word Count: 5000+

Rating: Mature

Author’s Note: The more I write and delve into this story, the more feels I am drowning in. Can you blame me? Anyways, Enjoy! And would love to hear from you guys.

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2

The buzz in the police station did not seem to influence Officer John Blake’s concerned expression, while he stood silently. With his hands on his hips, he stared at his neatly arranged desk, for he sensed an irregularity the moment his night shift commenced. 


“Did uh…” he began, "Did anyone see the-”

“Felton Center Robbery File? Here you go!” Officer Langdon replied, handing him a thick folder.

“Thanks…” Taking it from her hands, John nodded with a soft smile of acknowledgement while maintaining subtle, yet unbroken eye contact. Responding with her lips curved upwards, she passed by his desk. And suddenly, the chaos in John’s face was no more. He sat down, at peace to work once again.

Langdon’s eyes widened with relief as she caught the sight of her colleague Officer Ramirez, enter the station.

“Dave! Finally see him yet?” She inquired. Dave Ramirez, shook his head with a dejected sigh. “Nah! He…” he began, “…had left already when I got to the scene..” “Typical…” “But he did leave these three…” Dave added, pointing behind him, “…gift wrapped for us…”, he said, tempting most in the precinct to look. Three Officers brought in three men, wearing ragged, dull clothes and disgruntled expressions.

“The person who got attacked…she looked so familiar…” Dave muttered in mid thought, attempting to regain his memory with the snap of his fingers, “Ah! The Bruiser! That’s the one…” “The who?” John asked, with his eyebrows raised. Pointing at him, Dave continued: “You know…” he began, “….the woman you brought in two week ago…for punching that Henderson guy?” he said, “The one who recommended the coffee? Which was actually good?” He exaggerated, motioning towards the coffee Langdon poured from the coffee pot, “That chick was rig-”

“Wait!” John interrupted him, standing up, “So you’re telling me she was attacked…tonight?” “Almost attacked…” Dave corrected him, leaning against his own desk, “…but Batman showed up right on time…” he said with admiration quite similar to a fanatic, “And I missed it…like an ass!” He said sadly. Sighing, he looked up dramatically, “Guess The Bruiser must be quite popular now…”

Shaking her head slowly, Langdon proceeded to drink her coffee, amused by the whole situation. However, John was far from amused. Suddenly trapped in ponder, John sank back to his seat.

“Guess so…” He muttered to himself. A question mark will definitely will remain in his mind over the woman known as “The Bruiser”, and the trouble that had seemed to follow her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bold of Lillian Foster to arrive into work the next morning, right after the Annual Charity Dinner the night before, no less. But fortunately for the good health of her and her unborn child, she worked with much enthusiasm. Any Head would. If it was the last day before their maternity leave. While she thrived on energy, you were certainly hung on the low end of it.

Close colleagues paid kind visits to her office, offering her last minute baby gifts, and well wishes in the form of cards and verbal statements. All the while you stood beside Lillian’s desk, with your arms folded. And you obliged to do so, to her special request. Ever since her pregnancy, you involuntarily had been nothing but accommodating to your mentor. If it were any other day, the sight of Baby Gifts and cards would send you to the edge of over excitement, clapping hard and jumping up and down, filling the room with coos and aww’s. But this morning, you showed much contrast with an unusually quiet self. For only you knew of the more pressing matters that were at hand. Namely, dealing with a terrible hangover, losing your wallet, and almost getting killed by complete strangers.

“So…What did the hotel say about your wallet?” Lillian’s question made you turn to her. Hiding in your own thoughts for so long, little did you realize it was finally just the two of you at her office now. Unwilling to make her worry, you only mentioned about the lost wallet to your boss, and nothing more.

“They are still looking for it…” You answered, moving over to sit on a chair,  “Clearly they don’t seem to be a ‘fan' of me ever since the Henderson incident.” You said, using air quotes. Sighing, you continued “…wonder if they’re just being difficult…”


“I can call again for you, if it makes you feel better…”


“You’re really sweet, but it’s okay…” you said, sad eyes overpowering your smile, “I already froze my credit cards, just in case…” you assured, looking back to find Paula entering the room, “They said they will call me back once they find it” you whispered, looking back at your mentor. Paula Yang handed over a file to Lillian with a sincere expression of sadness.

“Lillian, we’re really gonna miss you…” She mumbled, possibly for the third time that day. And just like you, Lillian admired her sincerity. “Thank you Paula…” she replied, keeping her elbows on the table, “But she’s gonna be here…” she pointed at you, “….and it will be like I never took maternity off-You’re alright?” Lillian’s inquiry made you flinch. Blinking hard, you realized to have dozed off for a few seconds with your own elbow on the table. With your boss and Paula staring at you with concern, you sat up straight. “Yeah I just…” you paused, stifling a yawn, “ I need some coffee…” you said, silently receiving Lillian’s approval as you slowly got up to leave.

The smell of coffee seemed to hold your brain and consciousness in place as you took in a sip. The massive hangover certainly did some damage to your system that morning. With an empty stomach, it seemed quite obvious. After a large sip, you stretched your back, trying to relax. Safely hidden in the confines on your own office, you slowly took off your heels. Finally liberated from the tight shoes, your toes managed to move about and breath in fresh air under the table. Heels were never an issue for you, especially being a member of the corporate world for a decade, yet taking them off, there always had been something pleasurable about that.

A knock on the closed door made you jerk. When it slowly opened, you sighed heavily. “Paula…” you began “…not now-” “Am I interrupting?”

Except it was not Paula, but Bruce Wayne instead.

You stood up in lightning speed, to see him standing by the door with a smile on his face. A bright reciprocation smile appeared on your own, for you felt nothing but a thousand sunflowers bloom inside you at once. “Mr. Wayne!” You blurted,  “What-” you paused, “Are you-? Can I-?” “Did you by chance lose…this?” Bruce inquired, putting you out of your misery as he drew out an object from the inside of his jacket. Your eyes widened. “Oh my god!” You clutched your chest, For it was indeed your wallet. “Yes I did! Thank you…” you piped, quickly leaving your desk when he walked towards you, “Wait!” You paused, “When did you find it? And Where?” “Late last night…at the Hotel” he stated, extending it to you,”… but you weren’t there…”

“Late last night…” you repeated, suddenly silent. Silence was essential for you just recalled everything, “…right…” you murmured flatly. The moment you took your wallet, you caught Bruce looking down, giving you a playful smile. Looking down yourself, you gasped. As your exhaustion had forced you to walk over to him barefooted.

“Oh! I’m so sorry…” you cried out in a hushed tone, quickly turning as you rushed to your desk in your tipped toes.

“No… it’s alright” Bruce chuckled, to which you shook your head frantically. “No!” You exaggerated, “…it’s not right”

Putting your wallet right next to your handbag that was on the table, you proceeded to put your shoes on. You were embarrassed to the riches. And you were also suddenly very stressed. How could a task as simple as putting one’s shoes on take such time? You did not dare look at him during, for you knew you would blush.

Finally, with your feet secured by the shoes, you stood straight once again. Looking at him you realized how he had been staring at your bag for quite a while.

“Thank you for coming all this way…” you began, “… for this…” pointing at your wallet, you added sincerely with a smile. Funny how he managed to save you in some way or another. Bruce shook his head.

“I was just in the neighborhood” He replied, standing in front of your desk, “…couldn’t help but be a good Samaritan…” he smirked.

You could not help smiling. Yet at the same time, a strong urge grew inside of you. An urge you had to act upon. Or else you would regret it forever. Especially when Bruce Wayne was standing there right before you.

“Mr.Wayne…” you began shyly, causing his smirk to disappear. Taking a deep breath, you felt your fists clench, “Do you have a minute…to talk?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thanks to your heels, your hips involuntarily swayed while you walked towards the office door. Opening it wide, you were greeted with the sight of many of your junior female staff straightening themselves up before you, from what possibly could be an eavesdropping position.

“Can I help all of you?” You inquired with authority, and a raised eyebrow. They all shook their heads frantically, walking back to their booths with giggles and whispers.

“Did you see him?” “He’s just as gorgeous as I imagined…” “What’s he doing here?” “Are they friends now?”

Watching them, you suppressed a smile. Having the great Bruce Wayne in the HR floor, was a surprise in itself. Truthfully, it was an honor for the Department. Never did you care to witness the sight of him on your floor ever since he returned to Gotham City. Shaking your head slowly, you left the door open wide before returned to your seat. However, Bruce Wayne seemed quite confused as he remained seated across you.

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” He asked, pointing at the open door. You smiled.

“I understand your confusion…” You empathized, getting your hands together in a professional manner, “But uh…you see…” you pressed your lips together, “Ever since the ‘Bruiser’ incident…” you used air quotes before continuing, “…the staff is being told to be careful about me…” you added with a sarcastic smile.

It seemed that the Billionaire Socialite could not help but chuckle at that. But that meant more embarrassment for you.

“It’s not funny at all, Mr. Wayne...” You said, with an unexpected playfulness springing out , to your dismay, “I’ve never been the type to do any of that…so… it really hurts when everyone assumes that I am…” you bleated. The more amused he appeared to look, you weaker your defenses became, forcing you to chuckle back in return.

“Ahem!..” Clearing your throat, you stopped the chuckle, “Anyways…” you took a deep breath, “I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last night…” your words echoed well through the somber expression on your face, “It was…very insensitive..and highly inappropriate” It was true. You admitted it. Recalling the entire scenario, you were cringing to the core. That drunken attitude, leading to the dance of liberation, thus followed by your sassy one-sided banter that hinted insults. You were an absolute disappointment. Oddly enough, you could not help but avert your eyes and chuckle. “What?” Bruce asked, crossing his legs while he sat. “Come to think of it” chuckles continued as you looked up, “I’ve always been nothing but unprofessional in front of you”. You shook your head at your own shame, “So I guess this is me…” you said, sitting back on your chair, “…redeeming myself” you added, shrugging your shoulders,  “…and me realizing that whiskey is not the drink for me…” Bruce smiled.

“I can agree on that” he confirmed, making your eyes widen. “Oh no! Was it that noticeable?” “Well, did you punch Henderson after some Whiskey?” “….yes?….”

Bursts of laughter erupted as intense as a volcano out of both of you. And it was certainly unexpected manner. But in all honesty, was it really unexpected? It was so difficult for you to fathom how comfortable you seemed to be with him. Perhaps it was the aura he presented to you. No wonder you fancied him.

“Please…” Bruce said, his laughter dying down, “…there’s nothing for you to apologize…”.

“No! you don’t understand” you objected, “Last night…it made me reflect on a lot of things. It gave me clarity…and I know…I don’t want you to have a bad impression of me…not anymore…not ever…”

You were surprised by your bravery to express yourself this deeply in front of him. Bruce nodded, warmth soaking his eyes. “I understand…”

He said. Pausing his nod, his eyebrows were raised, “I’m guessing you’re not finished talking…” he observed. Your jaw dropped with shock. As if he just read your mind. Or perhaps he was observant enough to notice your tensed jaw and your tightened temples. Relaxing them, you exhaled deeply. 

“I’m sorry to even ask but…” you paused, looking around before lowering your voice, “…was everything okay with all of you last night?”

“Yes we were…” Bruce nodded providing a nonchalant answer, “….why?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For some reason, You had remained tight lipped about the entire incident. Though many would jump at the chance of sharing the story of how they were almost mugged, and close to being killed, you had decided to pretend like nothing of the sort had happened. Until Bruce Wayne was in your sights once again.

With the enthusiasm of an excited child, you found yourself babbling on about the thrilling events of the night before, which ended with the unexpected visit from a crime-fighting vigilante.

“…And he so close to stabbing me. But suddenly…baam!” You cried out, with your hands extending wide, “There was batman, just… showing out of nowhere…”. Though Bruce stared at you with furrowed brows, you chose to continue, “…and just…kicks ass like no ones busines-”

“Why-Why are you talking so quietly ?”

Bruce interjected, seemingly unable to accept this confusion any longer. The moment you sensed how he had sat on the edge of his seat just to listen to you, the realization dawned on you.The volume of your voice had dove down to incredibly soft, you were almost whispering, even in the comfort of your own office. Chuckling shyly, you leaned forward:

“I suppose with the door open, I figured everyone was gonna wanna eavesdrop on what I’m telling you right now…” you explained, “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you Mr. Wayne but, your employees are…” pausing,  you looked around once again, “…gossip mongers” you whispered, sending him to a streak of chuckles.

His laughter was soft yet distinctively sharp, and his smile was a sight to indulge. You could identify every line on his face, all contributing to that smile. There you both were, leaning forward from both chairs, with just a table in between. Even so, the proximity seemed dangerously close, for a corporate meeting. Not professional in the least. With your face heating up, you moved back to your chair, clearing your throat. Bruce managed to do the same, except in the most subtle manner.

“Anyways…” you began, “…then they start firing shots and he just avoids them so effortlessly… breaking their defenses and ties them up faster than I could wrap a present…and just disappears…” you added, leaning back on your chair with a deep exhale, “I never thought I’d see him in person… and there he was…swift and incredible, so brave”

Staring at the man before you, you realized how long you’ve been keeping the owner of Wayne Enterprises in your office for so long. Was this a form of punishment for him? You could never know, for he never showed. He may be the man deemed most powerful in your company, yet he acted far from such in your presence. It was proved, it was confirmed by the level of relaxation he had indirectly offered to you. Beaming, you clasped your hands together. 

“This was the first time I had told someone about this in such detail…I hope you understand” you said, embarrassingly. Bruce however, responded with a mischievous smile:

“Looks like someone’s got a crush”

“What?” You were stunned, “Who? About Batman? NO no no no…” Incessantly waving your hand, you refused, which amused Bruce even more.

“Honestly I have nothing but respect for the guy…” you added defensively, taking a huge sip of your coffee with evident nervousness, “and frankly I feel…I feel quite sorry for him.”

The amusing expression left Bruce’s face, replacing with an expression of curiosity. Though no words sprung out, you knew his eyes begged the question: Why?

“I mean…” you scoffed, extending your hand, “…putting his life out there like that, all for the sake of this city. And…possible having no one to be responsible for his life…” you sighed, “It just breaks my heart…” bowing your head down, you sensed sadness in your own tone, “…I sincerely  hope he’s okay, wherever he is… and his loved ones too, of course”

“So…” Bruce began, breaking your trail of profound pondering, “…you’re not in love with him?” He inquired with a smirk.

Nervous laughter was all that exited you. For you the truth was all you could disclose, just with a few details hidden.

“I’m not…” you said as soon as the laughter died down, “…Besides…” looking up, your eyes caught his, “… my heart’s dying to get in somewhere else..” You admitted, “….somewhere impossible, unfortunately…”

Amazing. This possibly could have been one of the bravest feats you ever performed. If only Bruce Wayne knew. If only he was aware of how much you had begun to care for him. But then again, if he knew, what would his reaction be? You felt your fists clench and loosen soon after, forcing him to look at your right hand. The mere sight of his eyes washing over the dried scabby lines of your scars embarrassed you.

“How did you even learn to throw a punch like that, anyways?” You heard him ask. Guffawing, you finally loosened up. And all the sudden, you were in good spirits once again. He was good at that. But before you could answer, a young man knocked on your door.

“Mr.Wayne…Mr.Fox is ready to see you now” He said, as you both looked over to him.

Nodding, You and Bruce slowly got up. Except the manner in which he stood up, it was evident he was waiting for your answer. Suppressing a grin, you folded your arms to look at him.

“Took boxing for a month…got busy so I stopped” You replied coolly,  “No big story there…”

Bruce smirked, birthing baby butterflies in your stomach. 

“Too bad…you should have continued…” he said, “That was a good punch”

Smiling eventually, you watched him walk away. You watched him in his swagger, making his way through the office, causing everyone’s heads to turn once more. Suffice to say, you were on his good side, apologies made and resolved. All seemed fine once again.

But that did not mean you were not disrupted by the irresistible feeling of warmth. The warmth that attempted to glaze your heart. Getting over him seemed to be difficult than expected. You sighed to yourself.

Why must he be so wonderful?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Gotham skyline at night was simply a wide opened jewel box. Glancing upon it was simply a blessing to the eyes. And the blessed view was especially superb from the Wayne Tower. Admiring the view, you slung your handbag over your shoulder, making your way out of your office. No one worked on your floor at this late hour tonight, except one. Catching the lights of that one office, you could not help but smile, as well as feel a strain in your heart.

“Why are you still here?”

Lillian Foster inquired, when her senses caught your staring at her from the door. Leaning against it, you grinned widely.

“I was studying the stuff you handed over and time just…flew by…” you replied with honesty, “..What about you?” You folded your arms questioningly, “Shouldn’t you be taking leave by now? To have a baby? Isn’t your due date tomorrow?”

Chuckling maniacally with a comedic element, Lillian leaned back on her chair, “Not before I leave you more homework …”

“Yay for me!…” you chuckled nervously, compelled to sit down. With her eyes focused on you for a few seconds, Lillian’s expression turned soft and quite concerned.

“I need to tell you something…” she said. Her tone forced you to lean forward, “I found out that…” she paused, “…the management is gonna hire a consultant to oversee operations in HR…”

Your eyes widened. The body began to grow hot with panic. “Wait! They think I need babysitting?” You scoffed. When Lillian nodded in acknowledgment, you knew it was no joke. You shook your head, “Unbelievable…” you muttered, trapped in thought for a few seconds, “Do you think it’s cause of the fight?” You asked, looking at her.

“Honestly…”shrugging her shoulders, Lillian began desperately,“I don’t know…This never happens. But please ! This is not the time to make any drama. Just…” extending her hand, her fingers collectively imitated a water stream, “….go with the flow, okay?”

You nodded begrudgingly.

“I don’t want you to lose your job” she continued, “…especially because of this stupid assault case. You can be tough. But fists don’t exactly need to be in the picture, you know?”

By the sheer desperation and the conviction in her tone, it was quite evident how Lillian was fighting your battles for you even before leaving. As if she was trying to leave remnants of her courage with you to weather all the coming storms. Moved, you pressed your lips together.

“Okay…”

You agreed, not looking away, “Shit!” You chuckled, “…Now I’m finally getting nervous…” rubbing your hands together, those pressed lips formed a tight smile,  “I’m really gonna miss you…”

You would for certain. When opportunity arose for you to prove yourself and your experience to the Management, a sudden surveillance would be deciding the course of your career path at Wayne Enterprises. And that made your heart patter with fear.

But Lillian’s smile made that patter slow down.

“Only a few months…” she said, “…be strong”

You nodded. Cause that was all you could do. That was all you should do.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When a yellow taxi halted in front of Wayne Tower, it felt like salvation had finally arrived.  Similar to an angel in disguise.

“Go on! Take it!”

You cried out, looking at your boss. Reluctantly, Lillian got into the vehicle slowly  while you held the door for her. As you closed the car door, you caught her guilty eyes quiver.

“Are you sure?” She inquired.Looking around, she bit her lip, “It’s late…” she said, throwing hints of concern at you. Relieved you were to not tell her about your mugging incident. If not, she would have never left your side.

“It’s okay…just take it. I’ll get another one…I promise! ” you assured her, “Go home safe. uh! Sir? ” you addressed the driver, whilst tapping on the roof of the car, “Please be careful, okay? This woman might give birth any minute”

“HEY!” Amidst Lillian’s yelling, You giggled.


“You gotta use your pregnant perks, Boss!”  You said coolly, smiling with a wave as the taxi departed. The further the taxi was from you, the curious thought was planted in you. What if tonight’s the night? Hopefully she will not give birth in the car like you actually joked about. Your lips formed a silent prayer for her while you waited for another cab.

But the waiting did not work out that well tonight either. Not even after waiting for half and hour.

“You gotta be kidding me?” You muttered to yourself with disbelief, looking at both sides of the road. “Better take the subway before it’s too late, Ma’am” Bill the doorman suggested.

Sighing, you began to walk in the direction of the nearest subway station. Thanks to muscle memory, your feet guided you through a small alley road. There you were, walking down the streets of Gotham on a late night once again. With fair reasons, your mind could not help but wander over to the horrid memory one night before. Your heart could not help but increase its heartbeat with concern by the thought of it. Indeed, this was your paranoia taking over your conscious. Why must you be worried when you practically grew up in this city?

Lightning never strikes twice, doesn’t it?

Besides, you were far from alone tonight. With this being a usual shortcut to get to the subway station, a few people would always linger in this alley road, making their way home. You even walked watching an affectionate couple far ahead of you, holding hands and grabbing each other for a kiss every once in a while, and with another pair of footsteps following a few feet behind you.

The couple disappeared from your sight as they turned a corner, leaving you walking alone with the other stranger behind you. Gotham city folk were normally always in a rush,  shoving people past just to walk ahead would not be a surprise. Yet with all this space, the stranger kept walking behind you, even when your pace was relatively slow.

“Damnit!”

A greasy, burger wrapping paper got stuck under your shoe, forcing you to stop in your tracks. Whilst you were on a dire attempt to wipe it off, you realized the stranger did not pass you by, even if it was already one minute past. You looked behind you. There he was, a few feet away, also halted and looking at his phone. A surge of suspicion came over you. Were you being paranoid now?

Turning back, you resumed walking, only to realize his steps were loud once again. Pulse quickening, you prayed for safety. Only to be answered with a sudden ring of your phone. You looked at the screen anxiously. Your eyes widened:

Unknown Number

With your feet involuntarily planting you to the ground, you had no choice but to answer. “H-Hello?” You stuttered. “DUCK!” It was a voice, hoarse, yet familiar. “Wha?” Before you knew it, your body responded by lowering itself to the ground in a flash.Only to find Batman landing on to the ground in front of you, covering you like a shield as he threw a throwing star to the building in front. You gasped as the small object spun over to a sniper, who had positioned himself in one balcony. Electrocuted, the man let cries of pain, before losing consciousness within seconds. Batman turned to you swiftly:

“It’s you again!” He growled. His tone was in-distinctive, but you wished he was not angry with you.Getting up, you panted.

“I guess you remember from last time…” you breathed, “Wait! How did you get my-WATCH OUT!”

Your warnings were too late, as Batman fell on to the ground by a sheer force. It was indeed the stranger that had followed you. Paranoia had truly made sense. Pushing the man away with strength, Batman got up. And so did the man.

Dressed in a trench coat and a fedora, his features were hard to identify amidst the shadows. You lost all form of breath when you saw him draw out an exotic shaped sword from his jacket. And like the man from the night before, he did not waste time with the use of words. Backing against the brick wall, you clutched your chest when he jumped at Batman.

Blocking the sword with his hands, Batman kicked him in the stomach, sending the slender man flying back.

“What the hell is going on?” You cried out, almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown, “First last night…now this! Why?”

“Better figure this out another time” Batman grunted, motioning towards the man.

The caped crusader made perfect sense. For it seemed that Mr.Slender, as you called him in your head, seemed to was adept in martial arts. Jumping back up in an instant, his expression remained unchanged, proceeding to pick up his sword once again.

“Just go!”

You heard Batman yell. You looked at him with alarm. “But…But-” “GO!!!!!”

His roars were the last straw, urging your feet to drag you out of there as fast as possible. He was right. It made sense. Just when he was trying his hardest to save your life, it would be selfish to risk everything and waste the efforts taken. You ran fast, yet simultaneously you did not want to be the mere damsel in distress.

Taking the phone out, your fingers shook as you dialed for emergency services.

“911…what’s your Emergency?”

“Hello! Yes I’m calling to report an attack…” you spoke breathlessly, “uh….about half a mile away from the Gotham East Subway Station I think…” you continued, looking at the two figures who fought from afar. Given the intensity of the attack, you felt your legs turn wobbly, “Who? Well there’s me and-oh my god!”

You exclaimed, the moment Mr.Slender managed to attack Batman with a mini smoke bomb, bringing his defenses down, kicking him hard in the face. Your heart clenched, dropping your phone in response when you saw Batman crouch down in pain.

However, to Mr.Slender’s dismay, Batman took the advantage, kicking him in the knees while he crouched, bringing the man to the ground, finally punching him unconscious.

It was over, finally.

Relief washed over you. With your breathing slowing down, you wanted to run over to Batman. You wanted to show your concern. More importantly, you wanted to thank you with all your heart.

Except you could not. Especially when you froze.

Especially when you stood from afar, hidden from sight, only to witness his cowl shatter into several pieces. Only to reveal a face underneath, a face you never expected to see.

Bruce Wayne’s.

——————————————————

Chapter 4 HERE

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Lightened Shadows Chapter 2

AU: Final Fantasy 4

Tag list: @xsunnyhoseokx @otomehideout-indecentconfessions @file-missing​ @risefallrise​

Rating: M

Potential Triggers: Pretty descriptive fantasy violence this time around(boss fights will hopefully always be this well written; I’m real proud with how the scene came out so I hope you like it). 

Pairing: Ever-evolving :)

Genre:  Drama, Romance, Angst, Fluff, Hurt & Comfort

Length: 6.2k+

The air was cool from the little you could feel thanks to your armor but you knew it’d heat up quickly thanks to the sun. Thankfully, it hadn’t risen too much given how early it was. 

“Shall we stop in town first?”

Yoongi stopped you as you turned in the direction towards where the cave you needed to go through waited with a gentle hand on your arm, your armor clanking at the contact.

“Hm? Didn’t you say you already got provisions just this past nightfall?”

He smirked sheepishly and shrugged.

“I may have forgotten in the midst of the men celebrating my victory in our spat. Apologies. Shall we?”

You nodded, barely holding back a sigh. 

‘As if I don’t feel bad enough. Now I have to go get supplies and probably scar a few children in the process with my intimidating appearance. Spectacular.’ 

You entered the quaint little village just diagonal to the castle gates and looked around, trying to go through the brief list of what you needed in your mind. 

‘It should be a short expedition; 2 days at most, 3 if we stop to pitch a tent after delivering the ring to get their explanation once you entered the village.’

 You were sure you wouldn’t be welcome there for long. The town of Mist was known for little else than their reclusive nature and had never been particularly fond of those that hailed from Baron, so perhaps best you purchase one just in case they wouldn’t let you stay at the inn as you feared.

Yoongi led the way to the item shop and offered you a wave as he ran off somewhere; probably to attend to some last-minute errand he’s forgotten about. 

“How can I help you today, my Lady?” 

It was a quick transaction; you luckily had plenty of gil to spare thanks to the 500 gil provisions the King’s guard had insisted you take, along with 5 Potions and a Phoenix Down should the worst come to befall one of you in battle. You bought one more Phoenix Down for good measure in addition to that Tent and exited looking around to see Yoongi’s distinctly teal armor. He’d always hated that ugly green the other Dragoons were forced to wear, so he’d had Jin help him create his own armor once he'd been promoted to Captain.

Having experience building airships was surprisingly helpful in creating armor that could withstand some damn mighty blows apparently. 

You exited the shop looking around for Yoongi carelessly as you walked through the town, trying to not draw any attention to yourself; only to look down in surprise at a sudden banging from your armor being hit repeatedly. A small boy was there, angrily pounding on your armor with tears streaming down his face. 

“You took my Daddy away!! I hate you!”

A wince graced your face behind your mask and for once you lowered it, kneeling to the boys’ height and gently restraining his hands firmly in your own. You had no choice but to take many people to the guards if they happened to be foolish enough to run into you. It had been one of the ways you’d rose in rank so quickly; catching criminals. But...it never made it any easier to see the carnage left in the wake of your actions. 

“...I’m sorry. I know there is naught I can say to soothe your pain, but all I can do is apologize. I had a duty to fulfill, and I did as was necessary.” 

The child sniffled, but the hatred once in his eyes had died down to a mere simmer. 

“You don’t seem so mean. Please miss...I just want my Daddy back. Mommy said he’s served all his time; can’t you get him for me? I promise I’ll work doubly hard to ensure we’re never poor enough to have to steal again!”

He seemed so proud, puffing his chest out, and as you released his hands he placed them on his hips in a show of how strong he could and would be. 

A glance upwards saw his Mother suddenly rushing towards you both and the woman was on the floor on her knees, hands, and head both level to the ground at your feet. 

“Please Lady Captain! Forgive my boy! He means no harm!” 

Your heart clenched as you stood and the boy seemed distressed, seemingly coming to the conclusion that you were leaving as he grabbed onto your arm. 

“Miss, please! His name is Raisoro. Even if it's not today please at least look for him when next you return to the castle!”

You noticed Yoongi waiting as the crowd parted and knew you'd have to make this quick. He'd never been good with this kind of situation. 

You nodded resolutely, meeting the boy’s eyes.

"I swear it on my role as a Dark Knight…"

You met the mother's eyes too as your gaze softened behind your visor and you helped her to her feet. 

"And as someone who also loves another. I will check and return for you once I next visit the castle. I have a mission to do before that so it may take some time but-"

"Thank you Lady Captain! You're so gracious!" 

The mother was barely holding herself together at your words and you squeezed her hand briefly before you pulled away after a ruffle of the boy's hair and made your way to Yoongi who was looking on in solemn understanding. 

"...Dare I ask?"

"The boy's father has been in prison past his sentence, caught stealing food for his family. I promised I'd check once we got back."

Yoongi glanced at you from his place beside you as a chuckle escaped him. 

You felt your cheeks heat and huffed defensively. 

"What's so funny!?"

He shrugged with a fond smile as he shook his head. 

"Still too kind for your own good is all. Could have been a lie, an attempt to steal money, or a ploy to stir up rebellion in the town against the King starting with you by using a young boy but you responded so genuinely that even if that's what it was it backfired miserably."

He snickered a bit more, a rare sound to be sure for most but you enjoyed it nonetheless even as you blushed.

"It's my job as Lady Captain. I may serve the Red Wings but the townspeople are my concern too. I guess it probably seems silly since you're of the Dragoon branch, only responsible for protecting the castle and monster patrol.” 

His laughter died but you caught the amused smirk at his lips.

“All the better for me. People can be complicated whereas fiends are useful for little more than target practice and exercises to bring my jumps to larger heights.” 

You shoved him playfully with a roll of your eyes.

“Alright hotshot; that’s enough bragging. Did you do your little errand? I want to check in with Hoseok’s Mom while we’re here. You know how worried he can get about her when he gets stuck at the castle healing overnight.”

Yoongi seemed to hesitate at that but reluctantly nodded and let you lead him to the small house towards the center of the village where Hoseok’s mom had received her own home after Hoseok had received his white cape as proof he was a Baron White Mage. You knocked on the door and after a moment it swung open to reveal Hoseok’s mother. You smiled kindly, mouth guard already lowered out of respect even as she glared at you disapprovingly. 

“What do you two want!?” 

“I just wanted to check in on you. Hoseok wanted to ensure you were eating enough and healthy.” 

She huffed irritably and leaned against the doorjamb as Yoongi shifted uncomfortably beside you, causing her gaze to briefly shift to him before going back to you. 

“I’m doing just fine; no thanks to you. His Majesty’s recent behavior troubles me. I heard you and your boy there have been doing some just terrible things, under his orders or no. All I want is Hoseok to be safe from such gory acts and that’s your job as his lover.” The glare she gave Yoongi did not go unnoticed by you and you noted the way his whole body tensed and his mouth went in a firm straight line. “And that goes for any kind of hurt. Have I made myself clear?”

You maintained your amicable smile even as it felt like you’d just been speared through the heart. Your voice was unbearably soft as you responded, cursing the way it wavered. 

“O-Of course madam. I will protect him till my very last breath if I must. I would happily absolve any pain he has experienced or will in the future if I was only able, so he wouldn’t have to shoulder an ounce of suffering.”

She nodded and raised her chin in superior pride at your answer before she nodded curtly. 

“Good. Ensure your feelings forever remain so stalwart; as do your ideals or the world may lose one Dark Knight.”

With that, the door slammed shut, and the sting of her obvious distrust bordering on rejection cut deep as you all but stumbled away with Yoongi hot on your heels as you made your way through the little alcove at the back of the village to the river where you knew no-one would be. 

You were barely maintaining the lid on your emotions but at the sight of your glassy gaze, Yoongi couldn’t withhold his ire and hissed through gritted teeth as he clenched his fists.

“Who does she think she is talking down to you like that!? Hoseok and you have been together for how many years now? 3?” 

He snarled as he whirled to grip your shoulders unintentionally being a bit rough, not that it made a difference thanks to the armor guarding your shoulders, careful to avoid the spikes. 

“She even dared to imply you of all people would be unfaithful. After everything you’ve been through with Hoseok and me, it just-” 

He inhaled sharply to try and gather himself and his eyes rushed to yours at your watery giggle. 

“Is something humorous?”

He certainly didn’t find any amusement in this.

You smiled weakly. 

“I just find this all morbidly ironic. I told Hoseok just last night how cowardly I was and it seems even his mother agrees.” 

Yoongi wrenched himself away from you with a hiss, eyes narrowing. 

“You? A coward? That is comical.”

“I knew you wouldn’t understand. I obeyed His Majesty’s orders without a second thought. I harmed innocent people-”

“Except they’re not innocent. You seem to be forgetting that. His Majesty explicitly said they knew too much of the Crystal and its secrets-”

“And what gives him the right to decide that!? It’s not our culture or our way of life!! We’ve been focused on technological advancement rather than the power of the crystals for decades...why now does His Majesty seem so intent on them!?”

You covered your mouth in horror at the treasonous words that escaped your lips, and Yoongi had gone eerily still as well before he quickly looked around for any potential eavesdroppers. 

Seeing none, he lowered his voice and frowned seriously at you once again placing his hand on your shoulder. You could see the weight of your words had made their mark from the grim look in his eyes. So it troubled him too. You always knew he was a good actor but his emotionlessness towards this subject, in particular, had admittedly made you feel isolated in your beliefs. Sure, you’d heard the rumors, but they hadn’t been raised by His Majesty as you had. Their opinion simply didn’t hold the same weight as Yoongi or Hoseok’s would. In any case, Yoongi’s low drawl of your name made your eyes lock onto his. 

“They were deceitful and thankfully His Royal Highness caught it in time before they began a rampage against the whole Blue Planet. Let us be grateful for that and move on. Yes?”

Hesitance shown in your eyes but you swallowed back the bitter taste of betrayal on your tongue and nodded. No time to wallow in any case; you had Hoseok to get home to. 

“Enough talk. Let us depart for Mist."

Yoongi finally seemed appeased and he watched as you raised your mouthguard once again though he didn’t comment on it as you both exited the little alcove at the back of the town, only for Yoongi to bump right into a familiar girl. 

“June! How’re things?”

You easily put on a mask of ease, though at the younger girl’s giddy grin you found it wasn’t difficult. 

“Oh, it’s been just peachy! You know Jin...always working! But he came home last night so to reward him I’m baking him his favorite pumpkin pie for when he finally wakes up.”

“He still hasn’t awoken? It’s only a little past dawn but I’ve seen him working well past this just last week…” 

Yoongi mused and you saw the twist of a smirk on his lips when you shot him a knowing glare. 

June huffed at that, shaking her head in disappointment. 

“I’m gonna wring that old man's neck one of these days, mark my words! He works too hard...we’re not that hurting for gil.”

Her last phrase was little more than a mumble but your hand was already reaching for your gil pouch before you could even consciously think. As if anticipating your movements though, Yoongi took a step forward, hand already outstretched with a small pouch, filled to the brim and neatly tied off. 

At June’s wide-eyed hesitance, Yoongi cut her off as she opened her mouth, no doubt to refuse. 

“You’d best take it before a pickpocket does. I’ll remain standing like this until the gil is taken.”

His voice was a low rumble, despite his words as he clearly wanted her to have it, not some thief, and all three of you knew even should he keep his word like you knew he would, he’d merely reclaim his gil and find some other way to give it to the family, perhaps by smuggling it into Jin’s biweekly wages.

June finally took the pouch, and you felt a little misty-eyed as you watched her throw her arms around Yoongi, taking the Dragoon Captain by surprise and making him stumble and fumble to return her gesture of affection with an awkward pat on her back. 

“Y-Yes yes of course, now just release me, will you? People are staring.”

He grumbled, and you were sure without his mask he’d be red as a beet by now. 

Yoongi grew serious, however, and gently caught June’s hand as she went to run off after thanking him profusely. 

“I want you to be sure you go right on home and hide that somewhere nice and secure. Only take what you need and then return to the markets. I don’t want you being targeted for fraternizing with the likes of us. And…” He hesitated but finally handed her something else you couldn’t see as he stepped into her space as he abruptly tugged her into a proper hug. 

“Take that as well. Use it only if you must.” 

He mumbled something else by her ear and then just as quickly pulled away. June looked flustered as well, a little nervous and as Yoongi rejoined you, you side-eyed him with a hint of mirth in your gaze. You were positive he could feel it and eventually after a minute of walking towards the exit he hissed only once you’d both been alone for several minutes.

“What?”

You offered a simple hum. 

“Hm? Oh, I’m just recalling a certain Dragoon mocking me not an hour ago for being too kind. Yet here you are, giving away money I know you’d been saving up for that new lance you wanted. You even gave her a weapon by the looks of it.”

Your voice quieted for that last part as you drew closer to him to whisper and he merely sighed in resignation at that. 

“Of course you noticed. Always so knowing, aren’t you? June deserves to eat. Did you not also happen to notice the flatness of her gil pouch? You know how much they’ve been inflating prices.”

You blinked at that in surprise.

“The item shop charged me the same rate as always. I had no idea…”

Yoongi snorted at that, cool and sarcastic. 

“Of course they would. You’re the King’s guard dog, they know better than to draw your, or my ire. But the townspeople? They are not so lucky. There is a reason people like that family who pleaded with you have had to turn to stealing and they are but one of many.”

“And here I thought I was knowledgeable on the way our people were treated...how do you know all this?” 

Yoongi shrugged. 

“My men have families here; unlike the Red Wings who’re typically born into the military, the Dragoons have always been expected to be enlisters. The practice may have died some with the passage of time but it is still a thing of the present and I asked a few of them to report to me. I pay them a little extra on the side and they know I’m not a turncoat despite being close to His Majesty. You’re the first one I’ve told, actually and I know well enough you’re as good for your silence as I.”

This new information made dread sit heavy in the pit of your stomach. First a degradation of the King’s morality, and now even Baron’s shopkeepers were turning against civilians? You froze for a moment and swallowed nervously. Your King. He was your king still. The just and firm but kind man who’d raised you into the woman you had become. Deep breaths. All would be forgiven and explained when you returned. You were sure of it. Yoongi had said so and he was always right. You just had to have faith. You and Yoongi reached the gate and you looked to him as you ensured your armor was tightened and your sword scabbard ready to give you access to your sword at a moment's notice. 

He too had done his checks and nodded at you, mouth now in a stern frown as he readied himself with grim determination for the journey ahead. 

After a shared nod at one another, you both stepped out into the overworld and began making your way to the Cave of Mist. 

The monsters had been gradually growing more and more feral as the years had gone on. Now they were violently beyond reason, willing to strike at a moment’s notice; including those who didn’t pose a threat. You remembered a simpler time where more docile monsters had been used to train even children, including yourself, Yoongi, and Hoseok. Now, it was a risk of death every time trade happened. Perhaps it was a good thing tensions were so high between the nations nowadays.

In any case, Yoongi and yourself were trained to fight and take out even the most intelligent of monsters thanks to being taught the ways of the sword and lance respectively by your King. Yoongi also had his father for a time to fall back on before he perished. Most monsters seemed to catch onto this and kept their distance from you both, but those either too foolish or too hungry to care still attacked. You remained unscathed, your armor keeping you safe from a particularly volatile Sword rat, the purple beast expelling it’s sharp spines your way. Even bringing up your shield, a few broke through your defenses and you couldn’t help your wince as they made contact with a harsh reverberation as they hit your chest and legs.

Yoongi took a risk and threw his spear at the beast and thankfully it cried out in pain before finally going limp.  He retrieved his weapon and shot a smirk your way, and claimed you’d owe him a drink once you returned to Baron.

That was the only incident you had come across until you reached the cave itself. Since most monsters knew better than to start a fight with you both, you hoped those dwelling within the Cave of Mist would have the same ideas. 

Oh, how wrong you were. 

The larvae and eyewing moths inhabiting the cave were particularly irritating. The moths liked to blind you and the larvae loved to use slow, only prolonging their inevitable deaths. Blind was always a pain to deal with; you both being melee attackers and all. Sure, spell casters and mages were affected as well, but oftentimes they could locate the monsters or other teammates thanks to locking onto their energy if they were fast enough. No such luck here. 

Still, you managed to take them out. However, something strange had occurred, twice now which was not to your liking.

 A voice had called out to you, ghostly and ominous, ordering you both to return whence you came. It had no discernable gender, but the lilt underneath the words made you guess it may have been female. 

Could this be the Eidolon you’d been sent to slay? 

Despite the constant feeling of being watched, the journey through the cave was not a difficult one and you sensed no malice from the entity. Not until you reached the cave’s exit in any case. 

“You are not welcome beyond this point, swine of Baron. Return to your castle and leave this place in peace.”

You frowned at that, ring sitting heavily in its own dedicated pouch at your hip and the image of Hoseok’s worried face in your mind. 

“We can’t do that. Please, I beg you allow us refuge. We have a mission we must see through!”’

“As do I. I take it you mean to refuse my plea then?”

The voice had gained an aggressive but defeated edge and Yoongi stepped forward, all cocky indifference. 

“We have given you your answer.”

“...Very well. Then you leave me with no choice. Forgive me.”

With that, the mist that had not aided your journey in the least began coalescing and you both drew your weapons in preparation. 

A pink scaled dragon had appeared in front of you, and you and Yoongi could both sense the difference in power compared to the weak monsters thus far. You’d used up what little Eye Drops you’d had in stock, and now only had 2 Potions after healing at the slightest injury earlier, thinking you’d had plenty. Luckily you still had both Phoenix Downs should one of you fall unconscious before the other. 

You shared a look with Yoongi and he nodded in understanding, before hopping up and continuing to move from rock to rock, trying to get as much height as possible to come down all the harder on your enemy. Not one to be left out, you turned your attention to the battle, knowing full well you were the only remaining target, and steeled yourself, letting dark energy surround you as you carefully fed just enough of yourself into your attacks to power them up while not causing too much physical damage to yourself. 

It still made you wince and caused an off sensation within your soul whenever you chose to use Darkness but the King always said the payoff would be worth it if the enemy went down. 

Said enemy roared in frustration and swung a large claw at you which you barely managed to dodge before slashing, watching as darkness coated the wound you’d left, seeping in and making it hurt all the more. Your eyes widened in surprise as before you could hop back the creature snarled and jumped, shoving you to the ground with its claws and holding you there as its face lowered towards your vulnerable frame. 

Yoongi couldn’t have chosen a better time to come, slamming down onto the back of the beast, spearing the Eidolon with as much force as he could muster. You watched as blood gushed, ignoring the confusion that hit you at seeing the substance to instead take its momentary preoccupation with Yoongi as it tried to bite him off of its back to get ahold of your sword and stabbing its foot to make it release you. 

It let out a wail of pain, and you knew you were close. Yoongi deftly hopped off and dragged you out from under the creature, tossing you a Potion before he unleashed a flurry of passionate slashes to keep the monster engaged and focused on him. You quickly slammed your mouth guard down and chugged the bitter liquid with a gag and a grimace, feeling the physical aching and the toll on your soul both fade as you regained full lucidity. 

You shook off your daze and felt the power of Darkness fade as fast as it had arrived. Better not to use it twice in one battle and from the way the beast had slowed it seemed the battle was finally coming to an end.

Yoongi was holding his own quite well; he’d always been the more nimble out of the two of you what with having to find the perfect openings to Jump and all and he’d already managed to push the creature back some so you could recover in peace. 

“Shall we finish this?”

He asked gruffly, panting. 

You nodded, but as you went to strike now that it was cornered it suddenly...dissipated into mist? 

Well, that just wasn’t fair. 

“You will pay for that…”

The ominous threat was made good on and you gasped as a snow-like substance slowly fell around you and Yoongi. You fell to your knees at the freezing cold that enveloped you. Damn. This was why you loathed magic attacks. No matter what armor you wore it mattered not. 

You saw Yoongi go down out of the corner of your eye and lunged with a cry of pure, unadulterated fear as the monster came into existence once again and made as if to strike him. 

Claws raked across your back and again, your armor or no, you felt the impact and the pain shortly after, even with the adrenaline coursing through you. You were both going to die entirely if you didn’t do something now. 

You tossed a Phoenix Down over Yoongi, knowing it’d take a moment for the bird of resurrections feathers to revitalize his life force once again, and stood defensively in front of him. A snarl turned your face to something ugly and you hissed at the monster. 

“You want him? Then you’ve got to get through me first!!”

Your cry clearly met its mark as the creature roared in ire at being provoked and you neatly dodge rolled to avoid being hit as it attempted to catch you in its claws, scrambling for your item pouch. You shoved the last Potion’s contents down your throat before you let the power of Darkness surround you one final time, ready to sacrifice whatever was necessary of yourself to ensure Yoongi survived. He wouldn’t have much HP left - that Phoenix Down would only get him conscious and all it would take was one good hit for him to go down permanently. Just as you narrowed your eyes in concentration and went to swing downwards, Yoongi let out an abrupt shout and finished his final Jump; using the last remnants of his own power to finish the battle once and for all before you had the chance. 

The creature roared, in agony this time, and you watched in cold satisfaction as it collapsed to the cave floor in defeat. 

Without so much as a look at the monster that had nearly killed your closest friend you ran over to Yoongi and forced his arm over your shoulder. 

“What are you-?”

“Don’t pretend you aren't barely hanging onto consciousness right now you idiot. I know how Phoenix Downs work. It may revitalize you but it’s only enough to get you off the floor unless you also have a Potion or more on hand.”

You began trudging to the cave’s exit, squinting into the dusk. 

“We’re making a tent for the night, understand? We’ll go to Mist at first light. You’re in no condition to do anything right now besides recover. I’ll take watch after tending to your wounds and you’ll go right to sleep.”

Yoongi chuckled under his breath until he was forced to cough in pain and you frowned in annoyance at him briefly as fresh air greeted you both. It was a welcome change to the musky cave scent you’d both been stuck with for the past many hours you’d been stuck there. That damn mist had definitely cost you time and from how dark it was outside, you’d been there at least half a day. You'd made good time, if nothing else.  

“What’s so funny?”

“You can be such a parent sometimes. I’m fine. Being knocked out happens in fights sometimes. Besides, I managed to save you, didn’t I? I’d say I recovered just fine.”

He muttered cheekily, his voice gruff from being drawn unwillingly out of his unconscious state earlier. 

You grumbled at that. 

“I had it under control. And anyway...it’s dead. That’s all that matters. The only thing left to do now is to give this ring to Mist and see what they make of it. Surely one of them must know, else his Majesty would not have sent us here.”

You gently set Yoongi down onto a grassy hill you’d found, spotting Mist awaiting you both at the bottom. You were a little winded from carrying his weight; like it or not you were smaller and still weaker than him when it came to straight strength. A quick glance around made you relax a little as you sat down as well, taking off your helmet and letting yourself gulp in the fresh air with relief. It really had felt stuffy in that damn cave. Yoongi meanwhile was stripping himself of his armor, and you nodded down towards where a stream flowed steadily into the town. 

“Don’t be afraid to go wash up a little if you’d like once you feel well enough to stand. We can go at dawn as well if you’d prefer, given we’ll be sleeping outside tonight and all.”

Yoongi leveled a glare towards Mist and grumbled as he ran a hand through his messy locks, brushing away the dirt from the cave clinging to his undershirt and pants. 

“It’d be nice if we could just go rest at the inn but I know that’s an impossible venture. Say…” 

He winced as he examined a few of his wounds, mainly scrapes, and bruises but he had a nice long gash on his arm and head bled a bit as well, most likely from when he’d fallen unconscious. 

You could feel your own body aching but tried not to dwell on it, instead rummaging around your item pouch and grabbing a small loaf of bread you'd stashed away and a handkerchief Hoseok always made you carry. A small fond smile twitched onto your lips at the thought of him and you removed your helmet to see better. 

Yoongi had turned his gaze to you curiously, expecting you to stay in your armor in the case of monsters but you sighed at his inquiring gaze as you stood and merely walked over to the log he was sitting on, kneeling in front of him and beginning to dab at his bloody forehead. 

"Silly Dragoon. When will you learn to stop putting yourself at risk huh?"

You pushed the bread into his hands, with your free one continuing to dab at his wound gently. 

"Eat. It'll help you recover faster."

"But what about-" 

"I'm not the one who got knocked out."

You yelped as he suddenly grabbed your face and tilted your head to meet his steely brown gaze. 

"...You'll eat half or I won't so much as touch it."

You groaned as you smacked his hand away, grumbling at him as you uncorked the only Potion you had left and spilled a little onto the cloth to dab onto the cut on his head, the ghost of a smirk tugging at your lips as he let out a hiss of pain and clenched his hand into a fist. 

"You're such a child sometimes. Fine, you big baby. Just eat, will you? Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I should've picked up White Magic as well just to make up for your recklessness."

Yoongi eyed you over the bread as you sat back and sprawled out on the soft grass and nibbled at your half. 

"Don't act like you're the paragon of strategy. I saw how you were going to foolishly put yourself in a critical state to try and take the Eidolon out. Armor off. I know you're injured too and we still have ¾ of this Potion left."

His eyes narrowed with a little playful sadism and you knew he was looking forward to tending to your wounds as well. 

You smiled with a tinge of nervousness and shook your head. 

"No, I'm fine rea-"

"I will come over there and tug it off myself."

"Y-You're too weak to!"

You challenged in disbelief, calling his bluff. 

His eyes sparkled again and a cheeky grin now adorned his lips as he moved to stand, causing you to squeak and scramble away from him as you fumbled with your armor. 

"A-Alright alright! Sheesh!"

His low voice snickered in amusement as you blushed and reluctantly tugged off the heavy armor pieces. They'd been dented something awful in that fight; you’d need to get it fixed at a blacksmith once you got back to Baron. Still, you had to admit having the added weight off of your tired body was a welcome change. 

You were indeed injured as Yoongi and yourself had both noted and you winced at the gash in your side, not having noticed that the Eidolon must’ve managed to graze your side with its claws, fairly deeply. Your black t-shirt was tattered, barely sticking to your body from sweat and a bit from the blood as well. Your head was pounding too, the cool night air alerting you to just how hard you must’ve hit your head as you went down. 

“Come. Shirt off; that looks deep.”

You jumped a bit in surprise at Yoongi’s voice right by your ear, turning to frown at him over your shoulder. 

“I can take care of it myself Yoongi, you should rest.”

He stared you down until you caved with a huff and shucked off the remnants of your shirt. You made a good choice wearing your more flexible undergarments for activity today in anticipation of fighting. Made this all much more bearable, but Yoongi was resolutely focused on your wound in any case even so. You knew he wouldn’t lay down, let alone sleep until he knew you were at least taken care of. It warmed your heart that he cared for you so. 

That warmth faded to a whimper as gentle fingers brushed along the wound assessing the damage. 

“Apologies. Hm...Come. I want to clean this with water first. It’s deeper than it looks. It’s a good thing I brought that extra shirt with me after all.” 

You felt a little woozy truth be told, but you were still trying to keep yourself together. Yoongi had been knocked out after all. He had to be in worse shape than you. You had to be strong for him. 

Yoongi wasn’t buying it though. His gaze locked onto the way you swayed and when he saw you stutter a step as you went to start moving towards the stream nearby, he was quick to grab his shirt and rush to your side where he steadied you with a warm hand on your upper arm. 

“Idiot. How did you not notice you were losing this much blood?”

You laughed weakly, through the dizziness as Yoongi helped to guide you to the water. 

“Adrenaline is a powerful thing, as Hoseok says. I didn’t even feel it until you made me take off my armor.”

Yoongi growled at that, frustrated as he rushed to clean the wound, uncaring as you flinched at the icy water against your skin. 

"Well, we'll have to pray my actions are enough to keep you from meeting an early demise. I know you're strong but even you are Mortal."

The wound now as clean as it could be without magical help, Yoongi reached over for the Potion at his side and poured ¼ of the contents over the wound itself making you yowl in pain. 

He was too focused on his task to pay much attention, however, pouring the other ½ of the bottle onto his shirt which he pressed tightly to your side. He frowned seriously at you. 

"Hold it there, understand? I'll be back in a moment; I have to grab your armor piece. It'll hold the fabric tightly against the wound for the time being."

You meanwhile were trying to cope with the unbearable stinging. The wound had been deep indeed. You could feel the Potions remnants trying to stitch your body together, to slow the bleeding. It was working, however slow, but Ashura above it hurt. 

Yoongi returned after a time and you were surprised to see he was holding another Potion in hand. 

"How-?"

He frowned coldly as he crouched at your side and you registered he was now fully adorned in his teal armor save for his helmet which he'd taken off once he saw you. 

Your suspicion was confirmed when he wordlessly pressed a familiar earring into your hand. 

"You bloody idiot!!!"

Your voice was a poisonous whisper, not wanting to draw any sleeping monsters as you scowled at him and he numbly handed you the Potion. 

"Drink."

You shook your head. 

"I can't believe you went back to loot that Eidolon Yoongi.  What if you'd awoken a monster and-"

Your voice cracked and Yoongi sighed heavily as he saw angry tears make your eyes glassy. You could be so overemotional. You wore facades well around others but he and Hoseok had always been exceptions. You had no need to worry over him. 

"I'm here, alive and well, am I not? My wounds are light enough that a good night's sleep will be enough. But yours are more serious. I’m not risking losing you for the sake of your pride. Now drink or I’ll make you.” 

His voice lowered an octave at his last sentence and you glowered at him one last time before tossing the Potion back, wincing at the disgusting taste, but sighing in relief as your wound knitted itself back together, speeding up your body's cell regeneration a bit. It was no Hi or even X Potion, but it had sped the process up enough to be sure your body would be fully healed by tomorrow, and at least the bleeding had stopped. A touch of your head and you noted the tingling sensation had faded. Hopefully, any injury you had there had ceased to be as well. 

Yoongi had busied himself with attaching just the armor for your side into place so that the Potion soaked fabric would be held against your skin but he turned his gaze to you as he stood and stretched, once again discarding his armor. 

“Well; that’s enough excitement for one night. I’m going to go rest until we have to rise at first light.  Call if any particularly threatening monsters arise.”

You also stood, your own armor halfway back on as you gently called his name. 

“Yoongi!”

He paused, halfway up the hill. His hair was mussed from his rush to loot the Eidolon for your benefit; his long blond ponytail trailing behind him. Long hair has been a part of Dragoon culture for nearly as long as the profession itself had been. It was as characteristic to the culture as the Monks wearing it short, braided, or not at all. Yoongi had mentioned his father had explained that it was a demonstration of the freedom Dragoons symbolized and always fought for. He turned to look at you and his perceptive brown eyes locked onto your own. 

You smiled kindly, gaze sincere. 

“Thank you. I know I can be…” 

You sheepishly rubbed at the back of your neck. 

“A bit difficult sometimes. I appreciate it, and you.”

Yoongi scoffed but you could now clearly see his cheeks turning red in embarrassment before he whirled to finish his journey back towards camp to hide it. You still caught the fondness of his tone though, despite the playful words.

“Always so soft…”

You watched until you could no longer see him and turned back to your armor, finishing putting it on and tugging your darkened helmet over your head once more. Luckily the night was still with the only sounds you could hear being the stream beside you and the chirping of harmless bugs. The twin moons were both full tonight, illuminating the Blue Planet brilliantly. 

Nevertheless, you decided to do a quick perimeter check deciding your newly healed body could use the movement. It was a peaceful night and you heard the faint crackling of torches as you neared the entrance to Mist. You couldn’t help your curiosity as you watched a young girl run to the river, bucket in one hand and a cloth handmade doll in the other haphazardly sewn together. 

She seemed panicked and you faintly heard her voice carry to where you stood just beyond the tree line. 

“Agh I can’t believe I forgot to restock!! Mom’s gonna kill me!!”

She finally managed to get the bucket full but you winced sympathetically as in her rush she tumbled over the bucket and sent water spilling everywhere; soaking her to the bone. Just as you debated emerging to help, an older woman with the same hair and eye color ran out of the town and up to her, a worried frown on her lips. 

“Jenjia just what do you think you’re doing!?”

Her voice was much quieter you noticed thankfully; it would’ve probably been bad if any fiends had been awoken earlier. 

The girl, Jenjia as you now knew her, looked sheepish and beamed nervously up at her mother, clasping her hands behind her back. 

“I’m sorry Mom, I just realized we didn’t have any water to boil! You like to have your tea at night with Daddy and I forgot when playing with Cheryl earlier…” 

She scuffed her worn looking loafers on the ground as her mother shook her head. 

“Well then that’s a day well spent, isn’t it? I’d rather have my daughter home safe and sound than a cup of tea Jia. Your father will feel the same. Leviathan will keep our water flowing clean until tomorrow to refill the stores. Come along now; I’ve already put some beef stew on the stove and I’d rather it didn’t get cold.”

Your heart warmed at the gentle interaction even as a bitter twinge you didn’t want to acknowledge made your chest hurt. You had His Majesty, and that was enough. You never would’ve found Yoongi or Hoseok without him. You turned away as you recalled Yoongi and the girl grabbed her Mother’s hand to be led inside. 

Best you were on your way in any case; it wouldn’t be good if Yoongi woke to find you missing, or if a monster snuck up on your camp.

The rest of the night watch passed uneventfully and Yoongi awoke, as he usually did, at first light. 

You offered him a capful of water from your flask and he drank it gratefully. You’d used up all the food last night; you really should bring more than simple bread next time. Honestly, it had just slipped your mind...this was why Yoongi and Hoseok typically took care of provisions. You always managed to miss something. 

You fiddled absentmindedly with the new earring Yoongi had presented you with last night. It was common practice within Baron to claim trophies from particularly tough monsters and wear them as badges of honor. Typically; you felt pride in a kill and yesterday your mind had been preoccupied with panic and anger but now that it was the next morning you felt no joy, no sense of victory, There had been...no malice or hate that you typically felt from monsters. And it had bled too. It was...odd. 

Still, Yoongi had risked his life to get it for you, and King Odin would surely be pleased with the sight of it upon your return. Best to keep it on for now. 

You jumped as a pair of armored hands abruptly clapped in your face and offered a weak smile to Yoongi as he held out his hand to help you up. 

You grasped it, and he easily pulled you to your feet. 

“How are you feeling?”

You couldn’t help the worry seeping into your tone but Yoongi waved you off. 

“I told you last night I’d be fine and I am. I feel fit as yesterday before we’d even departed. Rest can often be even more healing than a Potion or Cure spell. Now then, shall we go? I’m sure you must be exhausted and the sooner we return home the sooner we can get you some much needed and deserved rest.”

You nodded at that, and after making sure you both had snuffed out the fire and that your weapons and armor were properly set you began your short trek to the gates of Mist. 

It was a tiny village you knew, unlike Damcyan, Fabul, Troia, or Eblan there was no castle, and even Mysidia was more bustling and lively than the few houses dwelling here. It was humble to be sure, but there was a peace and a sense of sincerity here that you doubted you could find anywhere else. 

You fingered the box holding the ring in your pocket, a bit nervous now that you were here. Baron and Mist had never had particularly good relations. You prayed that the King asking for their input would establish a rapport and help you maintain a good relationship. You lowered your face visor, figuring being able to see some part of you that was human behind your demonic looking armor would help put them at ease. 

As Yoongi and you both entered the village you noticed the civilians within already began side-eying you distrustingly and couldn’t help but wonder if word of Mysidia had already spread but quickly reminded yourself that that was impossible. After all; Troia was the only neighboring kingdom and they would’ve had to have taken an airship here just to inform them. A general lack of airships besides Baron aside, Troia was always neutral anyway and pretty much entirely isolated.

Guess tensions with Baron really were high then. 

You suddenly noticed a woman approaching you and recognized her as the mother from last night. Her daughter clutched at her skirt, observing you with curious if shy eyes. You smiled at her while Yoongi offered a respectful nod to the mother. 

“Good day ma’am we were just-”

His words were cut off by your pained yelp as you ripped the now searing box that held the ring out of its pouch. You’d been so preoccupied with calming down the young girl you hadn’t noticed the rising temperature until it was near scorching. 

“The ring!”

The box was rustling wildly of its own accord as it hit the ground, and Yoongi frowned deeply in confusion only to roughly pull you back several feet as he too jumped back. 

The woman too had shoved her daughter behind her and was examining the box before recognition lit her eyes. 

“This is-!”

Boom

The box exploded open and Bomb monsters hidden inside didn’t waste any time as they began setting fire to anything and anyone they could. In seconds the village was burning and the smell of burning flesh was everywhere. You could do little more than watch in horrified shock as smoke already was causing your eyes to burn at the spot the woman had just been. That initial violent opening of the box had scorched the poor woman...and her daughter you noted numbly, where they’d stood. The girl-Jenjia you reminded yourself, she had a name- all that remained of her was her doll, slowly burning away to nothingness in front of your very eyes. Suddenly, an abrupt realization hit you.

The bombs were carefully not targeting Yoongi and yourself.

You shook violently as words escaped your lips in hushed horror, taking in the carnage caused in the wake of your visit. It had to be a mistake, it had to. Yoongi would be truthful with you. You must’ve missed something. This wasn’t happening.

“This is what we were sent to do?”

Yoongi looked around with detached and grim determination.

“He wished this village torched.”

Tears streamed down your face and evaporated just as quickly, whether from the flames and smoke or the horror and disgust coursing through you; who could say? You trembled with rage and clenched your fists so tightly your already dented armor creaked a bit more from the force of it. 

“But why?”

You raised your head to the sky and let out a guttural raw of pure primal agony. 

“Why!?!”

Yoongi remained silent beside you, but you could feel the tenseness coming off of him in waves. This upset him too, you were sure. You numbly looked back down at the ground and it took you a few moments to register a new sound amid the now silent town besides the crackling of the fire and the creaking of buildings as they collapsed in on themselves. Destroyed in mere minutes. 

A young boy sobbing. 

You grimly raised your head and began walking towards the sound hearing Yoongi’s steady footsteps beside you. 

You came across a mint haired boy, hysterically gasping over a woman’s body. Luckily the child was beside the only water source in the town; a small pool which seemed to have kept the Bombs at bay. 

As Yoongi and you approached, he clung all the harder to his mother, not even noticing both of you. You barely managed to make out the words between his heart-wrenching sobs. 

“Mother you can’t die! J-Just because your dragon did!!” 

Yoongi’s eyes suddenly lit with understanding behind his visor and you turned to him in confusion as he nodded to himself. 

“I’ve heard of their lot. Men who can conjure Eidolons...Summoners.”

It suddenly hit you and you mumbled to yourself as it all seemed to come together. 

“Then the dragon we slew...was...his mothers?”

The boy gasped at the sound of your voice and turned to glare fearfully at you and Yoongi making you wince as you met his gaze behind your visor in reluctant admission of your guilt. He stood in an attempt to appear more intimidating even despite the tremor in his voice showing how petrified he was just underneath the facade.

“You...You’re the ones who killed her dragon!?”

You swallowed the bitter taste on your tongue as you pleaded with the boy. Moon above, he couldn’t be more than 10. 

“Forgive us. We’d no idea this would happen to your mother.”

It sounded exactly what it was. Weak and pathetic. There would be no forgiveness. Not for this. Nor for Mysidia. 

You forced your gaze to his deceased Mother and sent up a prayer. As if that would help him now. 

Yoongi looked around and finally spoke up, tone matter of fact. 

“His Majesty sent us to eliminate every last one of these people.”

Your legs finally gave out, unable to take the weight being placed upon you. 

“No…”

Yoongi frowned as he looked down at you, assessing your condition before he began to move towards the boy with grim determination. 

“Foul work to be sure. But we’ll need to kill the boy as well.”

At that you lunged, just before he reached him, hopping to your feet and pushing against his chest plate in horrified desperation. 

“Yoongi!!”

Up close as you were, you could feel his breath on your skin, could hear the hateful sense of begrudging duty in his tone.

“It’s him or us ____!” 

You pushed him with all your might, making him take a step back even with the weakness coursing through your shaky body.

“He’s a child!”

You turned to look down at the still sobbing boy who was too preoccupied with trying to wipe his tears to pay attention to you both. 

“You’d betray your King?”

Yoongi’s voice now held a note of finality,

You turned to fully face him, clenching your hand into a fist and drawing it close to your chest.

“Betray him? Any King who’d wish for this is no King of mine!!” 

You snarled, harshly swinging your arm out in a subconscious show of disgusted frustration. 

Yoongi smirked at you suddenly and you found yourself startled as he scoffed in humor. 

“Hmph. I thought you might say that.”

Your eyes searched for him just behind your visor as you grew hopeful. 

“Then…?”

He looked off into the distance for a moment and then turned to you with sharp determination. 

“I owe his Majesty much but not so much I’d soil the Dragoon’s name in his.”

He planted his spear down with finality.

Your eyes widened and you stepped closer to him in excitement.

“Then you’re with me?”

He made sure to meet your gaze and wordlessly nodded twice in support before he turned, this time towards the destruction, and walked past the boy as he spoke, looking out at it. 

“Baron’s army is the mightiest in the world. Our flight means nothing if we remain alone; we must treat with other nations, share what we’ve seen…”

He hesitated and then turned to look at you once more. 

“And Hoseok, he must share our flight.”

Your tone softened in affection for him and you nodded, stepping closer.

“And he will. Thank you.”

He turned away for a moment and mumbled to himself. 

“...I’m not doing this for you.”

You didn’t hear him and tilted your head. 

“Huh?”

Yoongi ignored you however and turned to nod towards the boy.

“Quickly, we mustn’t linger here! What of the boy?”

You didn’t even hesitate. 

“We take him with us.”

After hesitating a moment you approached him where he was still crouched protectively over his mother’s body as Yoongi watched uneasily but stayed where he was. 

“Come, it’s not safe here! Take my hand.” 

You asked gently, holding out your hand to the boy. 

He hopped away from you with a glower. 

“No!!” 

Yoongi growled low in his throat at that.

“We’ve no time; use force if you must!”

He joined you as he ran over and Jimin cowered away in fear disguised as anger. 

“Stay away!”

You held out your hand as Yoongi and you both froze. 

“Wait!” 

The child began running in earnest and Yoongi and you both followed, hot on his heels when he suddenly curled in on himself with a choked sob.

“Leave me alone!” 

He suddenly screeched as blinding white light surged up from beneath his feet and you could feel the magical energy emanating from him. Yoongi had faltered but you kept running, refusing to be responsible for the death of another child. If he harmed you so be it...you deserved it anyway.

“I HATE YOU!!!”

You felt the earth shake violently and you glanced up to see a massive Titan made of pure earth. The Eidolon raised its hands, your eyes widened and you lunged curling your arms around the boy as you crushed him protectively against your chest as hard as you could just as he fell unconscious from exertion. You felt the Titan’s hands come down onto the Blue Planet’s surface hard and your body flew into the air. 

If you were to die then so be it, but let this child survive at least. 

He need not share the payment for your sins.

You slammed against the ground hard several times, but curled your body inward all the more around his tiny body in spite of the pain, praying your armor would be enough to absorb the impact as you finally, mercifully joined the child in unconsciousness.

A/N:  Welp, I hope those that actually read this series enjoy it; I’ve only gotten one rambly review on AO3 that inspired be to keep posting this so thank them if you enjoy this series and I’m not talking to myself. Anyway! Onto fun notes about this chapter! :) 

I find Yoongi’s characterization and his relationship to Reader to be one of the most fun parts to explore thus far for me this chapter as well as how they fight together in a serious battle. I also delved into status effects some as well as the various uses of Potions! Expect more explained uses of items and such as the series goes on! Yoongi’s look hair wise in Daechwita perfectly fits both the OG character Yoongi is based off of(Kain Highwind). Luckily it hit me as I was going through mvs, trying to decide if there was anything that matched Kain’s lucious locks and there it was! 

Also yay!! Official intro for Jimin! I know he’s never had mint hair before but I just had to include the nod to the OG game after doing Yoongi’s so...please bare with me. These are the ones I felt most fit what I was imagining. 

Hope you all enjoy and please leave feedback it’s a huge motivator for me! Much love hope ya’ll are enjoying the influx of content from me lately! <3

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2021 #10: In which Cameron tries to spoil Donna

[CN: food and eating mentions]

.

.

In January of 2021, Donna realized and voiced the obvious while watching television one day: “We’re really not gonna be able to have people over for Galentine’s Day, are we?”

Cameron didn’t always entirely enjoy the spectacle or debauchery that sometimes happened at Donna’s Galentine parties, but she was still sorry that it wouldn’t be safe or advisable to celebrate that year. Gently, she replied, “Not considering a Galentine’s video conference, then?”

“I guess I could do that,” Donna sighed heavily. “It won’t be the same though. And we won’t be able to give out gift bags!” she wailed. 

Donna looked forward to organizing a party for February 13 every year, but her favorite part of Galentine’s Day had always been making and giving gift bags filled with expensive indulgences to their friends, and Cameron had never really understood it. It was, in fact, one of the very few things that Cameron didn’t love about Donna, and she wasn’t sure why it bothered her. Donna certainly had the money for it, and what better way to spend your money than on giving nice things to your friends? But no matter how hard she tried, Cameron just couldn’t shake her discomfort with the gross materialism of it. 

Still, Cameron tried to be encouraging. “You could send care packages, couldn’t you?”

Donna thought about it for a moment, and then said, “Putting all that strain on the postal service just so I can send my friends expensive scented candles and handmade journals?” Her face collapsed into a look of utter despair at the very thought. “That just feels so ‘let them eat cake,’ doesn’t it?”

“You are not a naive and undereducated young queen who was bamboozled into inheriting a bankrupt and rapidly disintegrating monarchy,” Cameron said, patting Donna’s hand comfortingly. “And you’re also not a nameless, possibly non-existent princess in a non-fiction work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, or Maria-Teresa, the Spanish princess who might have actually said that.”

With a bemused smile, Donna said, “I love that you just know that.”

“Yeah, well.” Cameron said, putting an arm around Donna. “Just because I have a reputation for being a princess-hater doesn’t mean that I actually hate them. I mean, look at who I married.”

“Cameron Howe, Defender of Princesses,” Donna said. “That has a ring to it? I’ll have to make you head of my queensguard when I inherit the throne.”

Cameron arched an eye brow at Donna. “Are you trying to tell me that you wanna play exiled gay princess and devoted butch lady knight?”

Finally and fully distracted from her galentine’s day disappointment, Donna laughed. And then she kissed Cameron.

***

Cameron got out of bed late that night and went downstairs for two hours. When she returned, Donna woke up briefly, and she said, “Hey? You okay? Where’d you go?”

“Never you mind,” Cameron said, getting under the covers. “I was making you some brioche to throw at the peasants.” 

“What?” Donna cried. Then she realized that Cameron was kidding and giggled. “Okay, okay. Keep your secrets.”

Curling up next to Donna, Cameron kissed her shoulder. Resting her head on her pillow, she said, “Good night, sleep tight, your royal highness.”

“Likewise, good Sir Cameron!” Donna said, falling back to sleep.

***

In early February, while Cameron worked on the requested Valentine’s Day decorations, Donna tried to come up with an alternate Galentine plan. She filled out cards and sent them early, and then she sent messages to everyone on her guest list to see if they might have time for individual video chats. She wound up scheduling early morning coffee with Tanya, an afternoon check in with Dr. Katie Herman, and cocktail hour with Risa and her partner, and also Cameron. She spent the next few days trying to come up with ‘something else.’ When she finally resorted to mopily looking through all of their saved and archived photos of past Galentine’s Day parties, she figured it out. 

Cameron woke up on the 13th to an email from Donna. While Donna fried eggs and bacon and poured mixed berry waffles, Cameron, sitting at the kitchen island, looked at her phone, and asked, “Did you email me this morning?”

“You, and many of our friends!” Donna chirped. 

Flatly, Cameron said, “If it’s a severed head, I’m gonna be very upset.” She clicked on the email with her thumb to read it.

The email said, “To my favorite galentine: while we can’t celebrate with our friends this year, we can give to others, and we also absolutely need to give as much as we can spare during this on-going crisis. So while I do love giving ridiculously priced candles and pens to our friends, this year, my gift is a donation in your name to Girls Who Code.” The closing of the email said, “With any luck we’ll be able to celebrate with our friends next year, but in the meantime: Happy Galentine’s Day! -xo DC.” 

And then at the very end of the email, there was an attachment, a photo of Cameron and Donna in the kitchen, preparing snacks, that Haley had taken at their first Galentine’s Day gathering. 

Cameron stared at the photo for a minute, and then asked, “Wait, did you make donations for everyone?”

“Yes, yes I did,” Donna said, as she opened the waffle iron. “To different places though, food banks, abortion funds and domestic violence support groups, bail funds, and Black and indigenous justice orgs.”

Overwhelmed by a rush of affection toward her wife, Cameron said, “I think that that was a great way to celebrate. Nice work, Boss.”

Donna’s blushed as she made their plates. “Thank you! I just hope it helps, somehow. Sometimes it all feels futile, you know? It feels less futile when you bring all your friend into it and then email them about it, though!”

They ate breakfast, and then before Donna could say anything else, Cameron said, “Okay, so, I’ve done something. Something that was meant to help cheer you up.”

“Oh?” Donna asked, intrigued.

Cameron got up from her seat, went around the island, and took Donna’s hand. Donna got up, and Cameron escorted her their living room couch, where Cameron had placed two large red gift bags. “You always said that everyone opening their gift bags together was your favorite part of all of this, so. I made two bags for us. It’s not the same as all of our friends opening our git bags together, but, it’s something?”

“Oh, Cam,” Donna frowned. “I love the pseudo but not-quite Gift of the Magi vibes, but, you didn’t have to do this.”

“I know I didn’t, but everything sucks so I figured why not,” Cameron said, picking up her bag and sitting down on the couch. Come on! Sit!” She picked up Donna’s bag, and handed it to her. 

Donna accepted the bag from her. She looked at it, and then said, “If this is a severed head, I’m also gonna be very upset.” 

“It’s not, it’s a gun rack,” Cameron deadpanned. “For the last time, sit, already!”

Donna sat down next to her, and with the bag in her lap, she started to pull out the pink tissue paper Cameron had crumped and stuffed into the top. “Okay, so what have we got first?” Donna reached into the bag, and pulled out a small plastic bottle. “Scented moisturizing hand sanitizer!”

“The white vetiver scent,” Cameron said, holding hers up. “I didn’t like it at first, but you were right, as always. Now it’s my favorite.”

“A luxurious yet practical item, and a fine choice!” Donna enthused. “What’s next?” She reached into the bag, and pulled out a large tube of aloe-infused hand cream. “Ah, an old standby, and another Emerson-Howe household staple.”

Looking at the tube that been in her bag, Cameron said, “I wanted to go with something fancy, but this stuff just works so well! I feel like we can never have enough of it.”

Reaching into her bag again, Donna felt some plastic wrap, and then pulled out a black and blush pink leopard print 100% silk face mask, packaged with its own silk case.

Cameron looked at her own navy blue and star patterned mask, and admitted, “This is the biggest splurge in here. But as long as we’re double masking….”

With a small sigh, Donna reached into her bag again, and found a set of silk scrunchies, with the same leopard print as her mask. “Oh, I was thinking about trying these! Thank you for remembering me talking about it.”

“What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t buy you the one thing you single thing you put off buying for yourself?” Cameron said. “You can try mine, too, I don’t think I’ll end up using them.”

Donna reached into the bottom of the bag, and found the next to last item, a small cardboard box. When she looked at it, it was a fresh tube of her favorite nude pink lipstick, which she’d been wearing since the late ‘90s, and had been meaning to repurchase. 

“I just got a drugstore lip balm for myself, nude rose is your color, not mine,” Cameron said.

Donna snorted. “That was probably the best way to handle it. Thank you for knowing my color.”

“That’s the end of what’s in my bag!” Cameron said. “There’s one more thing in your bag though, because we only need one.”

Donna found the last item. A copy of the Criterion release of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Donna held it up and said, “Oh…as I recall, you liked this movie better than I did!”

“Yes,” Cameron agreed, “but, you said that you liked it, and that you wanted to try watching it again at home. Which I thought we could maybe do sometime this month.”

Donna smiled at her. “Honestly, I would love that. It’s a date.”

Donna was about to lean in and kiss Cameron to properly thank her, when her phone, forgotten in the kitchen, rang.

“Ack, that’s probably Tanya!” Donna jumped up. “We’re supposed to ‘have coffee’ together!” 

“Go answer, then!” Cameron said. “I can clean this up and I can take care of the dishes, too.” 

“This was perfect and I love you!” Donna hurriedly kissed her, before rushing off. Already half way to the kitchen, she called out, “Happy Galentine’s Day!” behind her.

“Hard same, have fun, tell Tanya I say hi!” Cameron shouted after her.

[jimmythejiver]

For the first time in a long time I went to the movies in forever and then to Target. At Target I see some Godiva bars on discount yellow tags and I was ecstatic until I read 70% Cacao, Dark, Salted Caramel and was deflated.

Anyway that's how I felt about seeing The Green Knight. What you thought this was about chocolate?

No see since the pandemic I've been back on my perennial King Arthur kick. I've for a long time since I was a young preteen thought, someday I too will write my own King Arthur epic and it'll be gay, magical, gangster and culty too, but for now I'll make up my own stories for practice and then with every story I got attached too, it got too involved and convoluted to the point that when it came down to actually writing a novel, I threw it all away and made a space opera I only planned in two weeks and wrote in a month. Anyway...so now I've been writing this very gay, magical, gangster and culty take on Final Fantasy XV with my boyfriend and just fell in love with Somnus Lucis Caelum who nobody has any insight about him than to make him the Mordred to Ardyn's Arthur, which is a strange flex, but okay, I thought about what if I wrote a Dark Age prequel about Ardyn and Somnus, but Ardyn becomes king and Somnus his shogun and they play games of seduction and power because I'm twisted like that. Anyway...I was like I'm never going to write this and I have to keep making up characters based on FFXV characters and King Arthur tropes because there's not a lot of stories that take place during the Dark Ages, it's always some Roman Empire story, or High Middle Ages and FFXV gave no room for either society to happen after the fall of Solheim and the rise of King Somnus...so we left with Dark Ages, y'all, the King Arthur comparisons are obvious, but Ardyn is no Arthur and Somnus is no Mordred, Aera is only Guenevere if you make up an affair with Somnus, Gilgamesh is no Bedwyr/Bedivere, but uh...they both amputees and the oldest companions to their respective kings so...I guess. Anyway making an ancestor of Cor Leonis and deciding well he's Owain/Yvain, or am Ignis type as idk Sir Cai/Kay I guess, they both cook, but Cai's more like Seifer Almasy than any FF character... Anyway I'm losing people.

My plan was to just scrap the FFXV prequel, leave my Somnus ideas into Overtime (a gangster and gods story) and just plan an actual King Arthur adaptation. I'd have King Arthur the treasure hunter, leader of a warband turned founder of Camelot who fights giants, giant cats and dogheads, but also fights King Claudas of the Franks and King Aelle of the Saxons and Cerdic a Briton who puts in his lot with the Saxons, etc. It'd been a a glorified turf war, meanwhile Arthur's gotta make alliances with King Pelles, The Fisher King and his strange cult he's founded because, why yes I find the ends justifies the means prophecy of the Holy Grail Quest very culty because Christianity then does not resemble it now. Meanwhile you got the secondary plots of Mordred, Gawain, Lancelot, Percival, Tristam and other's going on because they matter and too many modern King Arthur stories sideline the knights.

So many have always sidelined Mordred as a final boss eldritch abomination in mortal flesh conceived of sin and give him no personality, or complex motives, or even just a relationship with Arthur. I also have noticed the general sidelining of Lancelot, or give him a chad villain upgrade if you must include him at all, and the villainizing of Gawain to the point that you don't even have to have Mordred, or Agravain as a catalyst shit stirrer in court, just slap Gawain's name on Liam Neeson in a top knot and you're good. Mordred can just be a child offscreen until last act...fuck that, while Morgan Le Fay can either be a villainess plotting her cabal through men, or a well-intentioned, ineffectual idiot. Fuck that.

Now Hollywood just be doing King Arthur first acts that suck ass, only for said director to get rewarded failing upwards by giving this same jerk the Aladdin remake. The tonally shitty, crammed in blockbuster mess of a cliche heroe's journey that sucks.

With that background I was excited for The Green Knight. I read an illustrative version as a kid, I read Tolkien's translation as a teenager, I read Simon Armitage's superior, but with liberties taken translation. I was prepped to go knowing that indie, or not they were going to make changes to weave the disjointed poem together. I'm excited that because this movie exists Project Guternberg's finally thrown Jessie Weston's prose rendition up on their website. I'll be reading that at some point when this blows over.

The movie adaptation makes a lot of...choices, many I wouldn't love, but would forgive had their been a payoff. There was none.

The journey was fine, the cinematography was a breath of fresh air after crappy slo mo, glossy action scenes ruined another. Guys, I don't think I want to see a Zack Snyder Excalibur, it'll marginally be better than Guy Ritchie, but that ain't saying anything. Leave Excalibur to the post-Star Wars 80s where it is impeccable for it's time. I liked Green Knight's breathable pacing, it's color palette's in the forests and mountains made up for the muddy grey of every Ridley Scott send up in the castles and villages in every other Dark Ages/Medieval story in the last I don’t know since the shitty 00′s. For all the dark tones when there was blues, greens, yellows or reds, they were vibrant in this movie to contrast the gloom of Britain. The soundtrack was good. This isn't all what makes a movie, but it enhances it so let's get to the story and what I did and didn't like.

Things I Liked: Gawain is still a novice in his career The Costume Dressing Everyone pronounces Gawain's name different. I pronounce it like Gwayne, or Guh Wayne, but here you got Gowen (like Owen), Gowan (like Rowan), or even Garlon who I'm pretty sure is the Fisher King's heir in some versions of that Arthurian story, so uh... The reference to Arthur slaying 960 men with his bare hands (Nennius for the win!) The Waste Land that is implied to be a site of a battle (an important aspect of the Arthurian landscape) The Fox companion No long grisly, drawn out hunting scenes. The Fox lives! No misogynist speeches

Things I'm Mixed: This being a dream, is the magic real? Are the giants? Is the Green Knight a figment of Gawain's imagination from a spell Morgan casted in him to hallucinate? Is Lord and Lady also figments? It's...a way to interpret the poem, but lazy and I don't see why it's got to all fantasy, or all dream...this movie makes it too vague you're stuck picking one camp than to accept it's a fantasy with dream and hallucinatory sequences.

Things I'm Meh: Morgan Le Fay as Gawain's mom. Look I fucking hate Morgause as a character and these two get merged and steal each other's aspects so much at this point the difference is who did they marry, King Urien or King Lot? Both are attributed to being Mordred's mom, Mordred is Gawain's brother...both practice magic depending on certain incarnations, both love and hate Arthur their brother and are in conflict with him. Saint Winifred. I actually liked this sequence, but I don't appreciate her as the tacked on wife in the later dream sequence as like...a contrast between the wife you should marry than the whore next door you don't respect anyway? I don't even know what lesson I'm supposed to get out of the damn dream sequence, or any of it? That Gawain should've married his girlfriend and then he'd be a just ruler? That he shouldn't be king? That he'd never have to make the same heartless, impartial choices? I don't know, he seemed like a king doing king shit because guess what? It never gets easier. Wars will be waged. The world didn't become better because he married the right woman, respected her and lived in obscurity. The world didn't become better because he made her his queen. We certainly don't know the world would be better Gawain had his head chopped off and dead XP They never reveal the Lord and the Green Knight as one and the same because of this shit.

Things I Hated: Arthur withdraws from the challenge because he's old. In poem he takes it on and Gawain takes it so he don't have to and he finds himself more disposable than the king. Gawain only takes the challenge because of arrogance. Arthur and Gawain had no prior personal relationship. I'd not have hated this so much if it wasn't compounded by it cancelling out the first two things. Gawain is portrayed as having no respect for his woman, or any woman, maybe his mother? He has to be pushed by Winifred to regain her head. Gawain is portrayed as arrogant, covetous and ready to pass the buck, or the bare minimum than have any honor or decency. It didn't matter the kid in the wasteland was shithead bandit, the way Gawain acted towards him, when he gets robbed, it almost feels like he deserved it and Gawain doesn't learn a damn lesson. I'll admit him taking the sword to cut his ropes and cutting his hands was a neat sequence, it shows him go from stupid, to almost clever and having will to survive...you know traits he had in the poem, but he stops showing these traits or growing. Basically Gawain has to be dragged kicking and screaming to help people and shows no fortitude when facing temptation, or when showing respect towards others, it's exhausting. You don't make this kind of journey story without character growth. Why are you skipping this? Also is it just me, or is this like when you take Frank Miller Batman and transport him onto a Bill Finger story? This is at best Thomas Malory Gawain (and this is charitable) transported on the earlier Pearl Poet's story. Stop it. It's not tonally correct and goes at odds with the story and the set up characterization you'd need to tell it. Speaking of which, you know how I get through the oof... of Liam Neeson Gawain in Excalibur? By pretending he Agravain instead. Here...I don't even think Gawain could pass as Mordred in spite of his covetous nature, lust and entitlement. Why? because I don't think even Mordred is this dumb to warrant this hubris. Essel being invented as a tacked on love interest just to be shit on utterly and for what? I don't think I have much commentary here as there is no Essel I'm aware of to compare, or stack up. I just notice this trope of like...usually if you include a sex worker in Hollywood she often has a heart of gold, she often has her own sense of values that goes at odds with society, but is more true and less hypocritical than a privileged lady’s. I thought that's what they would've done with the added trope of back at home sweetheart to contrast and pit her against the despicable femme fatale of Lady Bertilak and her adultery and her ladyship...and I'm glad they didn't...but you did nothing with Essel than to shit on her for existing when you made her exist, you know. Lady Bertilak being portrayed as the seductress devil incarnate. Look I know adultery is a touchy taboo, but uh her and Gawain hit it off in the poem, dammit! Her values and his values come to clash, but here it's played off as Gawain is stupid and covetous and Lady Bertilak wants to prove something because...? If my brother's theory that she's a figment of Morgan Le Fay's magic, then I'll take this as a lesson of Gawain is impulsive and covetous and his mom knows it, but he don't want to fuck his mom, but he wants her power, and Morgan wants to teach him a lesson... I guess. Hey we don't have misogynist speeches in this movie, but we'll make sure to have the movie drip with it with no point, or commentary. Pass. Lord guilting, extracting and initiating the same sex kiss and only once. Poem automatically better that Gawain don't have to keep being reminded to keep his part of the bargain and he does it willingly more than once. What he doesn't do is give up his belt...gods how did we get more homophobic as a society that the homoeroticism here is worse? Catholics of the middle ages officially had no issue doing same sex, passionate kissing until it lead to sex. The Ending: The gods damn ending. In the movie as is, Gawain waits to uphold his end of the bargain and get his head chopped off. He imagines, even though we don't get any fuzzy or distortion to indicate this is a dream, but I already knew this was coming, he runs away and comes home, is regarded a hero, he sees his lady, takes her from behind and if you saw Brokeback Mountain (I didn't, but DJ has) you know this is a sign of disrespect to women. He gets her knocked up, pays her off for the kid she wants to keep, he is crowned king, marries the ghostly saint lady he helped retrieve her head earlier from a lake in the movie (this right here is the damn tip off). There's no more dialogue by this point and everything is montaging, so you know by now it's a dream, though nothing is out of focus. He rules as a heartless king, his whore son dies from war he waged, he has a daughter, his wife dies. Gawain then takes off the belt that would've saved his life and his head falls off. This would've been the one good twist, except... In this sequence of events he never had his head cut off so uh... now we back in present day. He decides not to bitch out, Green Knight in a sexy way is like "now off with your head," movie cuts to credits with no resolve...uh what the fuck? What the fuck? This is not good. You wasted the one twist in your dream when idk, you could've...

How I'd fix it: No dream sequence at all. No Incident At Owl Creek twist. Gawain comes home a hero and survivor of this game and ordeal. He wears this belt of shame. He becomes a well-renowned knight, but he bears a shame. One day he goes to take off his belt and his head falls off because he cheated to get this belt and to survive this encounter. There. Done. Improved your high concept movie that couldn't play any of the lessons straight from the damn poem without making everyone an asshole for no reason! Ugh! But nope you had to end it on we don’t know if Gawain lives or dies...because...it's dream magic made from his momma's witchcraft...?

Last Thoughts So then post-credits scene because Marvel because Pirates Of The Caribbean existed. A white girl who looks nothing like Gawain's daughter we see who didn’t pay off, or any child I can remember through this whole movie picks up King Arthur's crown that dream Gawain inherited and puts it on her head. Who is this girl? Are we gonna have an indie equivalent of of the Marvel Movie Universe/Universal Horror Monsters thing with ancient British legends? We gonna get a Life Of Saint Patrick next that crosses over? I don't know. What is this?

[cynthiaandsamus]

Custom Toonami Block Week 79 Rundown

Code Geass: Lelouch is establishing the official United States of Fuck Imperialism which is like the UN but actually does stuff, plus he has to deal with the fact that CC’s lost her memory and is acting like a demure slave girl harem choice from a VN. Charles is still trapped in the Human Instrumentality Shadow Realm so everyone figures this is a great time to unify everyone against Britannia. Kallen beats the shit out of Suzaku for being a dick to her all this time and the Knight of Ten is making his rounds because they realize they forgot to give him any buildup and he’s going to be a miniboss later so they have to cram all his being a dick personality into like five minutes while all the Knights of the Round assemble to prepare for an attack on Japan once the National Federation is formed. Llyod and Cecile for some reason enhanced the Guren for Suzaku even though he’s clearly more used to the Lancelot but apparently they enhanced it too much and made it a death machine like the Talgeese in Gundam Wing so Suzaku has to stick with the Lancelot. Looks like the Guren will have to sit and collect dust unless a certain pilot is rescued and then immediately has a convenient upgrade. Amazingly all the countries go along with everything Zero says and give up their militaries and have the Black Knights be the official military of the Federation. I don’t know how that works given that the Black Knights have been struggling to fight off one nation’s military idk how it’s supposed to substitute for a dozen nations’ military but I guess they conscript support and troops from the other nations or something. Charles comes back on the tv after the Federation is formed and is all “Awww what a cute little UN you have, fuck off bro.” which you’d think this’d be the perfect time for him to just out Lelouch as Zero and wreck the Black Knights’ morale but he doesn’t for some reason and they’re just gonna fight. Lelouch is freaking out and knows that having everyone want to murder the Britannian royal family includes Nunally so he calls Suzaku who just straight up goes “Bro cut the crap are you Zero or not?” and after so much plotting and scheming Lelouch just comes right out with it. Suzaki agrees to protect Nunally as long as Lelouch meets him alone at the Kururugi Shrine where this all began.

Inuyasha: This is another one of those Modern Day filler episodes which are always fun. There’s just something about Inuyasha running around in modern Japan being Spider-Man and saving people and catching bank robbers on the way to deliver Kagome’s lunch that’s so thoroughly entertaining. Basically Inuyasha spends this whole episode jittery that everyone’s so chill and ready to relax after Naraku just got away and is probably an inch from death but after a big adventure in the modern era where Kagome is as usual unprepared for her test, he ends up passing out on the bed after insisting a little battle with Naraku wouldn’t exhaust him. It’s a really cute little episode to let everyone bide some time and reflect on the past arc now that we’re starting a new wave of filler before we get to the Band of Seven and Mt. Hakurei stuff.

Yu Yu Hakusho: The first match of the tournament is about to begin and Botan, Shizuru, and Keiko come in with Koenma who is sick of baby jokes and puts on his bishonen disguise to impress everyone. There’s some neat lore about how they gave Koenma the guest team every year to bribe him into not shutting down the tournament without giving him anything of value and how the bloody show of the Dark Tournament pacifies the demons so they kill fewer humans, so that’s cool. Since Yusuke is still passed out, Kuwabara is de facto Captain and decides on simple one on one matches while the other team Captain just kinda roasts an eight of the crowd to see if it’ll wake Yusuke up. Kuwabara’s in the first match versus Prototype Killua, complete with afterimages and yo-yo tricks. They size each other up for a while and Kuwabara shrugs off getting his fucking neck broken surprisingly well while they go back and forth with “Well I can track YOU better” for a while. Togashi really loves his yo-yos of death so those have Kuwabara on the ropes and turn him into a fucking kite ready to slam back down into the arena, so yeah, Kuwabara’s having a rough time of it.

Fate Zero: Waver’s been having strange dreams about Iskandar, and not the ones people usually have about him. So he goes to get a basic history lesson on the historical figure that’s been chilling on his couch for a few weeks and spending all his money on xbox live arcade. They also go through all the ridiculously obvious historical inaccuracies and Iskandar’s just like “idk bro, I’m here so the book must be wrong” which is hilarious because Fate also does this with more modern historical figures that we have pictures of and shit so they basically sit there saying all historians have no idea what they’re talking about and gaslighting the field of history as a whole. On the way back Waver’s upset that Iskandar’s so awesome that it basically takes any effort on his part to win and it won’t be an actual achievement despite the fact that they’ve taken out like… one servant, MAYBE, and most of the other historical figures are equally over the top. But still Iskandar says that if your aspirations are big enough it doesn’t matter how big or small you are, everyone’s tiny in the grand scheme of things and clawing at greatness you can’t truly perceive is what matters. Also Caster and his boy have found the wreck they made of their workshop of dead bodies and are kinda fucked up about it but also ready to fuck up more people because God sucks or some shit. So Caster summons a Bloodborne monster which you think more people would notice and mention during Shirou’s time, like nobody in UBW ever said “Hey remember like seven years ago when a giant Bloodborne monster appeared in the river?” so I’m guessing there’s some kind of perception blocking going on. But yeah everyone’s gonna jump on the Bloodborne Monster next time for the season premiere.  

Konosuba: So we pick up where we left off and Kazuma is working off his debt by… killing more toads. Wow this world really is like a video game, we get the same five enemies over and over again. However they’re fucked without Darkness throwing herself into monster orifices looking for a good time so Yunyun has to save them. We already met Yunyun in the OVA so it’s kinda weird to be re-introduced to her here in basically the same way but their relationship is basically like Gai and Kakashi if they only did the lame dorky challenges Kakashi suggested when he’s too lazy to think of a good one. Also there’s a cat now, I don’t think that really comes to anything, just a scene of Megumin going “we have a cat now” and everyone’s like “kay”. Kazuma and Megumin play Naked Chicken to see who can get more naked before the other backs down and end up taking a bath together because they’re both stubborn assholes. Also we get a quick snippet of Yunyun and Megumin’s backstories which you can basically make Yunyun’s the swing scene from Naruto (idk why Yunyun is bring out the Naruto references in me today) and Megumin is stealing bread like Les Miserables in increasingly bizarre and disgusting ways because she’s ridiculously poor or some shit.

Sailor Moon Crystal: So turns out that Usagi and Mamoru BOTH had their shots with the ‘fucks everything up’ sword with a pocketwatch and… the discarded gems of the four knights? Idk how that works given they were humans and also dead but what baffles me more is that both Usagi and Mamoru very obviously did not get hit by the sword but decided to fall down dead and not move for a couple minutes despite their shots very much being blocked and there being no blood. Anyway Queen Metalia has the crystal, bullshit is happening, 1000 years of darkness, you’ve seen Xiaolin Showdown, you know the drill. The remaining four Guardians get a cute little flashback of Usagi saying what she likes about them and then they give up their lives to revive her inside the dark energy blob of Queen Metalia and crystals and lights and shit happens and swords and wands are pulled out of nowhere and you know how a final boss goes, they beat it with the power of believing in themselves and shit like that. Also apparently the only difference between sealing Metalia away and killing her is hitting the giant bullseye on her forehead so yeah, hopefully she’s down for good this time. I don’t want to complain because this show was genre-defining but it’s hard to find things to say about something so generic and milktoast, it’s the Seinfeld problem where there’s been so many more interesting iterations that it’s just kinda “get on with it already” at this point. The only real markedly noticeable thing about it is how plainly and unashamedly it is about being a power fantasy for teen girls, and there’s something to that, harmless power fantasies can be fun but it just feels like the physical mechanics of this kind of progression being “She feels this shit REALLY HARD” is less exciting than some of the alternatives

Durarara!!: It’s the big Masaomi backstory episode and we get the whole deal of how he formed the Yellow Scarves and got into a relationship with Saki because Izaya wanted to orechestrate a gang war because that’s what Izaya does all day is orchestrate gang wars. It’s kind of amazing how many kids in this show are like “I don’t know how it happened but one thing led to another and suddenly I was at the head of one of the largest gangs in the city” like they kinda really yadda yadda over how that actually happens. But anyway Saki gets hurt in the gang war and Kadota’s gang has to save her because Masaomi’s adrenaline wears off at the last second and he can’t try and rush in and save her. I mean Dota’s van got there first anyway so how much he’d have been able to help would be doubtful but he feels bad about not even being able to try and Izaya says that fear and failure of his past will dominate his future actions which is exactly what he’s doing by letting his paranoia and frustration lead him to a war on the Saika army. Dota-chin tells him to face up to it and stop running or live with the shame of lying to Saki but Masomi can’t do that and his shame and determination to reverse the situation leads everyone into chaos as Anri discovers his secret.

[fuwafuwamedb]

The Princess and the Bodyguard (Hakuno, Gilgamesh, Cu Chulainn, Emiya)

The woman was surprisingly plain.

Walking out of the monastery, the only thing that had made it obvious that she was the royal that he was here to collect was the fact that she was dressed in the finest of attire, the tiara glittering in her hair. Her eyes were closed, listening to the men at her sides talking to her in hushed voices.

“Princess Hakuno,” the nameless fool at her side, his so-called boss, was moving to her side and taking her arm. “Forgive us for needing to move you again, but with the destruction of the several kingdoms, we really need to move you before the kingdom of Camelot comes to try to lay claim to the land.”

The woman nodded, pulling her furs closer. Those eyes turned to him.

She was one of those spoiled and plain women, the king that weren’t worth spending more time than a moment looking upon.

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes a little, opening the carriage and waiting for the woman to get in already.

“…Who is this man?”

Her voice was kind of nice.

“This is a knight for hire,” his Nameless Boss told the woman. “He has no name. Call him Gorgeous. My other worker does.”

And he hated both of them very deeply for the poor nickname.

The blue haired fool was lounging above the carriage, waiting for trouble.

The princess nodded, taking his hand as she drew close.

Hands were never that soft without belonging to a useless being. Her clear complexion was all he could see when she thanked him.

The gentle hand left his own as she stepped into the carriage.

“G. Man the front with Cu Chulainn.”

He eyed the white haired fool as the man launched himself into the carriage.

The man that followed, a priest of all things, gave him a knowing smile. The carriage door was closing behind him, leaving it so that there was no choice.

It was their money funding this.

It was in his boredom that he had taken such a task.

A whip of the reins and the carriage began to move. They ventured deep into the thicket once more, the sounds of the beasts and animals meeting their ears as they headed into the darkening forest.

The fool atop the carriage remained there, leaving him to be bored at the front on his own. Their coachman yawned a little, leading them further and further into the woods.

Perhaps it was the fact that his life had taken on such boredom. A man who was two thirds god who had attained eternity? Well, eternity was turning out to be remarkably dull. People had the same petty fights. They argued over the same useless things.

Truly, humanity failed time and time again to entertain him.

The world all around them revolved around and around, showing him nothing more here than it had in Rome and the Far East.

Perhaps the only thing he had enjoyed in his time since ruling Uruk was the attire and valuables of the Oriental world of the far east.

Here, north of the mainland and upon an island, he found himself once more bored out of his mind.

“I’m going to take a nap,” he told the coachman. “Awaken me when something interesting happens.”

He tucked his hat down over his face and propped his feet up before him, falling asleep.

A whizz of a sound met his ears.

A large object thumped against the front of the carriage a moment before he heard a shout.

Awakening from his nap, Gilgamesh looked around only to curse.

Someone was throwing a flaming torch their way.

The Celt atop the carriage was leaping at a set of horses. The men inside the carriage were throwing the doors open like the fools that they were.

Damn!

Gilgamesh lunged at a couple more bandits, his blade escaping his sheath at his belt. Their cries were like that of many of the other people of this large island. Their curses rang out for only a moment before he was slicing at their throats.

“GORGEOUS!”

The Celt’s call had him looking back.

The carriage was still-

Gilgamesh didn’t think. He rushed the carriage and found himself thrown back as a selection of flames flew forth from the depths of the carriage.

He hadn’t seen a body.

They had to have escaped.

Glancing around, he could see a bit of fabric torn and hanging to a branch.

He rushed forth, ignoring the fire and the remaining enemies for now.

He could see blood.

A trail of deep red was leading away from the carriage. It hung to the branches and left an gleam on the ground. Whoever had been bleeding, they were gutted.

“No… No, don’t go…”

He hurried after the voice, around the depths of darkness and further forth, until he found himself looking upon a scene at the base of a tree.

“You can still make it,” the princess was telling the man she was with. “We’ll make it out of this kingdom before the enemy comes.”

“Hakuno…”

The princess shook her head, tearing at her skirts and wrapping them around the man’s waist a little more. There were several strips torn already.

Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at the man.

“Please,” she begged softly. “…You’ve been with me for so long… You never would even share your name with me.”

“I am nobody.” The man told her simply. “Flee now while the others are distracted. Hide yourself away. You have lived long enough in the monastery to know how to survive. Take my dagger and survive, Princess Hakuno.”

“I won’t-“

His boss was already pulling the dagger from his belt and handing it to her.

Even as her face brimmed with tears and sorrow, the fool surrendered so easily. “Live.”

Live.

He could have gagged at the scene.

To tell such a woman something so pathetic.

Gilgamesh could sense others approaching though. As the fool of a man was giving his final breath, the other bandits were drawing closer. He could hear them growing closer and closer to their location. It would only be a matter of moments now.

The princess glanced up, her hands going to the sword at the man’s belt rather than the dagger in her other hand.

“SHOW YOURSELF!”

Bold.

Gilgamesh moved forth, eyeing the woman with a raised brow.

“What do you think you’re going to do, princess?”

The woman glared at him, holding the blade carefully in hand. Her narrowed gaze was focused on him.

“You cannot know how to fight. You’re far too young, far too sheltered. At best, you could perhaps take on the Celt.”

But that was being far too gracious. The Celt was like many others that he had seen. The man was capable of a savagery the likes of which he had not seen in a great deal of time. The bloodshed that the man had done with his own two hands, the depths of tragedy due to his own divinity… it was what had kept him with this group of bodyguards for hire.

The princess didn’t back down though.

If anything, she looked him over and dismissed him, pausing from her anger to rip her skirts again. The shortened skirts now hung sorrowfully from her waist, her blade held in both hands after she simply shoved the dagger into her bodice.

“You truly think you can take me?” he asked.

He took a step forward.

She sidestepped in her heels.

The fool.

A figure lunched out of the darkness. Launching themselves their way. Gilgamesh moved to grab his weapon once more, but the princess was already leaping at the attacker in return. She parried the last minute, slamming her weapon into the man’s chest and making a barrage of darkness burst forth from his chest.

He could only watch as two more men came forth.

The princess slaughtered them both, panting as she finished them.

“Gorgeous!”

The Celt rushed his way, bursting into the scene.

“There were- Oh.”

Oh indeed.

The princess glanced their way before wiping her blade on one of the men. She stole the belt from their boss, tying it to her waist a moment before she turned to them.

“We need to leave.”

“We need to find that damn priest.” Cu told her.

“He vanished. The priority is to get out of this land before King Arthur and his knights happen upon us. While the trouble with Guinevere is brewing, them finding out that the princess for a neighboring kingdom is on their land would mean trouble. Especially since they are at odds with one another.”

“And our boss is dead.”

“I’ll pay you.”

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes, turning away. “Not interested.”

“Which way, princess?” the Celt asked.

The woman was no doubt looking to him a moment before speaking. “We should head where the carriage was heading. Did you speak to the coachman at all?”

“Unfortunately not. Damn.”

“You need to head that way,” Gilgamesh motioned.

They both looked at him now.

“It would seem you must persuade me, princess.” Gilgamesh purred. “What do you think it is that I want in this world?”

[alwaysmychoices]

“Drunk Texts”

Synopsis: When everything seems to be going wrong, there’s one person Charlie can’t seem to let go of, and after a night drinking, she finds herself in his very apartment...

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlie Greene)

Choices Story: Open Heart (set after Chapter 13)

Rating: Teen (mild profanity)

Words: 2461

Note: I haven’t written in so long, but Open Heart inspired me! I just sat down and wrote this on my day off, so while it may not be my best, I hope you like it!

Part 1 of “A Weekend with Dr. Ramsey” 

part 1: drunk texts - part 2: a day with dr. ramsey - part 3: unspoken - part 4: in the morning light - part 5: brunch - part 6: the library -  part 7: the cure - part 8: the celebration - part 9: goodbye

It’s all your fault. You did this. You killed her. How can you even call yourself a doctor?

 Charlie woke with a start, a jumble of words lingering in her mind as the nightmare began to dissipate. Her fingers turned white as she gripped the sheet, desperate for the last three words to leave her: It’s your fault. But they didn’t leave. She was tormented by them just as much in reality as in her dream.

Charlie held out her arm, blindly reaching for the alarm clock on her bedside table to check the time, but… it wasn’t there. Startled, Charlie sat up peered through the dark room for the familiar glow of her clock, convinced she must have knocked it over during her nightmare, but there was no eerie glow to guide her.

“What the…?” Charlie mumbled, gripping her head as dizziness suddenly swamped her brain. She tried to remember what happened the night before, but it was a blur. She didn’t remember much after arriving at the bar, and she definitely didn’t remember coming home.

Charlie slowly crept out of bed, fumbling in the dark room for some light source, and after bumping into several pieces of furniture, she found a light switch and flipped it without a second thought. She winced as the artificial light illuminated her surroundings, and with a grumbling dissatisfaction, she recognized the signs of a brutal hangover starting to form.

“This… isn’t my room,” Charlie gulped, surveying the modern furniture of a tasteful yet clearly unused bedroom. Something about it felt vaguely familiar, but Charlie was far too encumbered by her banging headache to figure out why she recognized it.

Maybe Lahela just took me to his apartment last night? she thought to herself, trying to explain her new surroundings without considering the more dangerous alternatives as to why she was in an unfamiliar room instead of her own apartment.

Thoughts felt like they were burning into her brain, causing pain with each attempt at deduction. Charlie shook her head, trying to cast off any detective work until she could get her hands on some water.

She opened the bedroom door and stumbled out into a hallway, suddenly aware of her sore limbs and uncomfortable skinny jeans still hugging her body. They were the same ones she’d worn to the bar last night, the extra pair she kept in her locker in case she didn’t feel like wandering back to her apartment in scrubs. Charlie’s stomach lurched as she remembered the locker room…

Landry.

For a moment, the nausea settled in her stomach turned to boiling betrayal. The thought of him made her want to scream and cry at the same time, and her mind battled between wanting to destroy him and wanting to hide from him. She remembered the first time they met, how happy she was to find another nervous intern that was just as obsessed with Dr. Ramsey as she was. She’d instinctively trusted him and could never have imagined that the ambition they shared would ever betray her.

Tears prickled at her eyes, but Charlie willed them back, rationalizing that she was too dehydrated to waste body fluids on him.

Deciding that she didn’t want to think about him anymore, Charlie straightened her spine and navigated the dim hallway to find a glass of water ASAP.

When she exited the hallway, she found herself in the main room of a sprawling apartment. The stunning cityscape glittered back at her through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a lavish living room leading to a chef’s kitchen. All at once, Charlie realized where she was, and her jaw dropped.

No, no, it can’t be- Charlie didn’t even get to finish the thought.

“Good morning, rookie.”

Charlie grimaced, recognizing the voice immediately. Despite herself, she felt a rush of happiness at the sound of her nickname. It sparked months of longing and years of admiration, and she couldn’t fight the way her heart swelled at the mere thought of his presence.

Charlie slowly turned to face the voice and confirm her suspicions.

Ethan Ramsey.

She was in Ethan Ramsey’s apartment, hungover in last night’s clothes with absolutely no memory as to how she ended up in his guest bedroom.

If only the first-year med student fangirling over Ramsey’s textbook could see where she was now…

“Dr. Ramsey,” Charlie swallowed heavily, her skin prickling with embarrassment as she took a few tentative steps towards the kitchen.

Ethan Ramsey had never looked so… human. One week without a job had transformed her hero into an actual human being, and it startled Charlie. His stubble was longer than usual, less carefully groomed that she’d always seen it. His hair was a mess of bedhead, some parts even sticking up, and his sweatpants were rumbled from sleep. Charlie could have spent days in shock over the revelation that the Ethan Ramsey even owned sweatpants, but despite herself, her cheeks flushed as she realized he was only wearing sweatpants. How the hell did a workaholic doctor look like that without a shirt? Terrified she’d start drooling any moment, she averted her gaze to the crossword puzzle in front of him, and a small smile perked at her lips. Of course, he loves crosswords.

“How much do you remember from last night?” Ramsey’s question caught Charlie off guard, and fighting through her hazy hangover brain, she struggled to process the question.

“Nothing,” she admitted solemnly, “Nothing after tequila shots at the bar, at least.”

Under Ethan’s watchful eye, Charlie half-expected a pop quiz for her to demonstrate her deductions and piece together how she ended up here, but Ethan wasn’t her boss anymore. He was no longer the teacher pushing a student towards success. Now… Ethan didn’t know what he was.

A former boss? A knight in shining armor? A creepy former teacher who kept finding himself in compromising situations with an enigmatic intern?

Maybe even a friend?

When he looked at Charlie, it was obvious that she was miserable. Even now, he could smell the hint of tequila on her clothes from a long night of trying to forget her problems, and imagining such a scene caused his heart to squeeze. He could picture her so easily, slumped into a barstool as she desperately tried to forget the decisions she’d made. He’d been there enough to know how she felt… And he suddenly wished he couldn’t picture it. Maybe he could have prevented this. He could have been a better mentor. He could have actually told her what to do instead of forcing her to figure it out as she went along.

He could have stayed.

The thought nearly paralyzed Ethan as he suddenly understood the lingering hurt behind her stare. He’d hadn’t just left Edenbrook. He left Charlie, too.

“What happened last night?” Charlie hesitated, so embarrassed that she almost didn’t want to ask. Charlie had never been one to disappoint. She’d been a stellar student her entire life, always reaching new heights and finding solutions to every problem. Sure, she’d disappointed people along the way, but disappointing Ethan was different. The shame manifested itself deeply, in a way she’d never felt before.

Ethan paused and then reached for the cell phone plugged into a nearby outlet. He handed over her smartphone, and wordlessly, Charlie her text messages to see a brand new text thread.

Oh no… Charlie felt like she might puke as she scrolled through all of the messages she’d sent “Ethan ❤️☠️.”

There were so many messages, each more embarrassing than the last. It went through pages of Charlie drunk texting him about how she’d made new friends in the bar and didn’t need him coming to her rescue. He asked several times where she was, and somehow, Charlie thought of a new way not to tell him. At one point, she even wrote how he “wasn’t even that handsome” unless you’re into the “brooding, sexy thing.” By the time she reached the bottom, Charlie slumped into a barstool at his kitchen island and avoided eye contact like the plague.

“I’m so sorry,” Charlie mumbled, unable to think of anything else to say. If she could have, she would have disappeared.

Ethan couldn’t help but smile, still finding her insincere attempts to insult him funny, and he placed a glass of water in front of her along with a few tablets of ibuprofen.

“It’s okay. I was just happy to be ‘Dr. McSexy to the rescue,’” Ethan couldn’t resist the urge to tease her.

Charlie’s eyes shot to his, desperate to see if he was kidding, and when she realized he wasn’t, she groaned. “I didn’t say that, did I?”

“Only about 5 times,” Ethan shrugged as if it was nothing and couldn’t help but laugh when she winced at the thought.

“Fuck,” Charlie held her head in her hands, “I’m never drinking again.”

Ethan chuckled, nodding to the glass of water, “Drink that. And take the ibuprofen. I can only imagine the hangover you have right now.”

Charlie obeyed, peering up at him curiously, “How did you even find me? I went out of my way to go to a bar in the middle of nowhere to avoid running into people I knew. And it doesn’t seem like I was being very helpful.” Charlie vaguely motioned towards her cell phone.

Honestly, Ethan wasn’t sure if he wanted to admit the lengths he’d gone to to find her. He’d practically searched every bar in Boston before he found her, becoming increasingly concerned when he didn’t see her at every turn. He’d been so scared…

He blocked out the mental image and shrugged instead of answering, “I just found you.”

Charlie watched him, knowing that he was hiding something, but she didn’t push. If she’d learned anything from Dr. Ramsey, it was when not to push him… She’d done it before, and every time, she went home sad and rejected.

“You cried the whole way here…” Ramsey’s voice was so soft she almost didn’t hear it, “I… I wasn’t very good at listening to you before I…” he trailed off, but Charlie could easily finish it – before I left.

“What did I say?” Charlie tried to laugh it off as if they were still talking about her drunken adventure the night before, but they both knew it was more than that.

“You told me that Dr. Emery is investigating you, what Dr. Olsen did, that… I abandoned you when you needed me.” There was shame in Ethan’s voice.

Charlie paused, unsure of how to proceed. She hadn’t dared let herself say that to anyone, not even herself, but now it was out. Now, it existed. Now, Charlie had to admit that, after months of supporting Ethan at every turn, he let her down. He left without ever wondering what it would do to her. He marched right past her as she begged him to stay.

The cold, stinging rejection returned, spreading through her body like wildfire.

Charlie had never wanted anyone to stay like she’d wanted him to. And as her friends circled around her and bolstered her with support, she could never stop thinking about the one person she wanted to be beside her.

“It’s not your job to support me anymore,” Charlie shrugged it off as best she could, putting on an obviously fake brave face, “Hell, it was never really your job anyway.”

“Charlie…” Ethan tried, but she was already getting off the stool.

“I should get going. You’re not paid to deal with annoying interns anymore,” Charlie grabbed her phone, peering around the room to find more of her belongings so that she could leave as soon as possible.

There was a reason why she hadn’t contacted him since he left, and now, she remembered it.

“Charlie, wait,” Ethan stopped her, grabbing her arm, and she froze at the touch. She looked back at him, eyes full of confusion… and hope.

This was it. The moment he could finally say it. He could tell her of all the long nights he’d stayed up thinking about her. All of the times he took the long way in the hospital just to get a glimpse of her. All of the times he’d been proud of her and what she’d achieved. How deeply he hoped she would win the competition just so he could spend more time with her. All of the times he’d almost broken all of the rules for her.

How much he loved her.

But something stopped him. Maybe it was fear of losing her, or maybe it was fear that she loved him, too…

“I’m sorry. You’ve supported me, and I should have supported you,” Ethan swallowed, “You’re a good doctor, but you’re an even better person.”

Charlie’s jaw nearly dropped, and a swell of a familiar euphoria filled her body at his words. She’d never say what it was, though, deep down, she’d always known it was love.

“Thank you.”

Ethan wanted to say so much more, but instead, he released her arm and turned back to the kitchen, pressing a few buttons on the coffee maker to make two cups for the morning. It was a presumptuous move, but honestly, he couldn’t have taken it if she really did rush out of his apartment – and his life – that morning.

“I’m visiting Naveen at his river house today. He’d love to see you,” Ethan glanced up at her, issuing a silent invitation.

“I’m not sure he wants to see someone who smells so distinctly like tequila and mistakes,” Charlie flushed, watching him make the two mugs with warm butterflies in her belly. He wants me to stay, she thought to herself.

“You can use my shower, and I’m sure you can find a change of clothes around here,” Ethan suggested.

“Do you have enough women over to keep a change of clothes for them?” Charlie arched an eyebrow, hoping that the jealousy brewing inside didn’t slip into her voice.

“I meant, one of my tee shirts, Charlie,” Ethan couldn’t shake the smile as he recognized the jealousy in her voice.

“So, I have permission to raid your secret drawer of embarrassing tee shirts?” Charlie was obviously enthused.

“What makes you think I have a secret drawer of embarrassing tee shirts?” Ethan laughed.

“You’re unpredictable, and I personally enjoy the mental image of you in an embarrassing tee shirt,” Charlie insisted.

Ethan cocked an eyebrow, “You enjoy the mental image of Dr. McSexy in an embarrassing tee shirt?”

Charlie groaned, hiding her face as she turned a bright shade of red, “I’ll never live that down.”

Ethan didn’t answer because he knew that he would never forget that, though he honestly doubted that he would ever forget anything about Dr. Charlie Greene…