#at least I'm lucky I'm in another continent

[evanwevand]

Idk if this is completely true but it's very important anyway

If you're in United States and you're a Dr. Bright fan and you cosplay him for a convention BE VERY CAREFUL ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A MINOR, SOME PEOPLE CLAIMED THAT ADMINBRIGHT STILL ATTENDS TO CONS AND TRIES TO INTERACT WITH FANS IRL EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT ACTIVE ONLINE

I just suddenly remembered it but someone mentioned it on my server a time ago and I forgot to mention it, but be VERY careful anyways ☠️☠️☠️

Idc about my DNI with this one, this is important

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent game related things .. hrmm...

[angelbornaltruist]

AHHH I FINALLY FINISHED THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MY STORY!!!

I've wanted to share a g/t story with you guys for a while, and I'm so happy to finally make that dream a reality! Feedback is appreciated, and I really hope you guys enjoy! These are characters I've spent a good bit of time with in my head, and I'm so happy you guys get to meet them now!

Alright, enough talking. Without further ado, may I proudly present to you lovely g/t fans:

The Ballad of the Two Travelers

Chapter One: The Encounter

Tristan sat beside his little campfire, trying to relieve the tense, uptight feeling in his limbs. His left arm was wrapped in a poorly-done sling; the result of an unfortunate incident with a giant zombified wolf a few days prior. A twilight breeze licked at his skin, nudging little locks of dark curls from his forehead and causing the flames to sputter and twitch every now and then. He prayed that the gods would be merciful and let the wind lighten up; he was too tired to start another fire should this one be snuffed out. He leaned slightly closer to the flames, extending his right hand in an effort to regain some of the feeling in his fingers.

He'd been traveling for weeks across the Misted Vales, a heavy pack on his back and a trusty sword at his side as he made his way through the grey plains, bony forests, and murky swamps that littered the once-fertile lands. The Blight that cursed the realm was spreading, and many a village had fallen from illness and starvation in recent times. Tristan's own village was already plagued with issues of its own– constant monster attacks, lack of soldiers or protection from the now-defunct nobility, and infighting among its inhabitants – and the oncoming blight wasn't helping matters.

No one knew what had started it, but most suspected it was yet another consequence of some long-forgotten war between humanity and its many foes. The Blight was a magical disease that had run rampant in recent years, killing crops and poisoning the living, dooming them to a slow death of madness and decay before succumbing and rising again as an undead. Monsters had already been a threat in the past, but now they brought with them the added nuisance of being much harder to kill. They shrugged off wounds effortlessly, had increased stamina and strength, and they had an increased appetite for the still-living. Such horrors ravaged the Continent, and yet they all paled in comparison to the giants.

For a hundred years, the giants had harbored a relentless anger towards the humans. Groups of them ranging from as little as two to as many as 20 roamed the lands, wiping out any human settlements they could. The majority of them were the angry, vengeful wives, daughters, and sisters of the many giants who were killed in a long-forgotten war, and thus they took advantage of every opportunity they could to take their revenge against the remainder of humanity. Tristan had been lucky enough to not have encountered a giant before, but he'd met survivors of their rage; he'd heard fragmented ramblings of footsteps like thunder, great hands and ferocious roars, and villages left decimated in the wake of beings that towered over a hundred feet tall.

Life in the Continent was so deadly, in fact, that one may wonder why one so young was embarking on such a deadly journey. Indeed, Tristan often wondered the very same thing himself.

For Tristan was on a quest to the great Godbearing Mountain in the far north, where an ancient spring ran that could cure any disease, at least according to the stories he'd heard. If someone were to fetch water from the Godbearing Spring, then perhaps the curse could be undone, and the remaining humans could start afresh. The idea of traveling to the north for the spring had been passed around in the village, but what with the onslaught monsters that roamed the lands, the angry giants who stomped any human into bloody paste upon sight, and the ravenous Blight that was slowly seeping its way into the very roots of the Continent, it had been decided by the village council that a quest wasn't worth the risk. They were to hunker down and try to wait out the chaos around them, something that Tristan couldn't accept. Tristan didn't know how, but he felt deep down that those stories had to be true, that there had to be something that could be done to put an end to this madness. All it took was courage and bravery, like the heroes in the old stories... right?

So Tristan had gathered some supplies, stolen his father's old sword from under his bed, and snuck out of his little village at midnight. He'd been traveling for about two weeks, and he was beginning to regret his decision. He'd come to a rest in the Misted Vales, a wide plain of grey grass and a thick fog that covered the entire area.

Tristan glanced around him nervously. He'd heard plenty of tales about the Misted Vales, but he hadn't expected them to be so.... misty. The fire barely had an impact on the hazy air; he could barely make out anything, near or far.

The thought was not comforting to Tristan, who'd already had his fair share of uncomfortable monster encounters (his arm was testament to this) and wasn't keen on having any more. It sent shivers down his spine to think that just about anything could come from those clouds of thick fog....

Of course, at that moment, there came the sound of a rhythmic rumbling that lightly shook the ground, and a silhouette appeared in the fog, heavily obscured by the mist yet clear enough for Tristan to tell that whatever was approaching, it was close.

Tristan's heart quickened, and he felt the prickly sensation of sweat appearing on his brow. He saw a movement, and nearly fainted as the shape woman emerged from the mist, standing over 70 feet tall. As she approached, Tristan could make out wavy hair and a huge cloak that trailed lightly behind her. Each one of her steps crossed at least forty feet, her boots leaving slight impressions in the ground behind her. Her pace was eerily slow, almost relaxed, not what Tristan would have expected from a rampaging giantess, but it was terrifying nonetheless, as her eyes were hidden behind the shadows of her cowl.

The boy scrambled about on his knees as he hastily gathered his things, wincing to himself as he tried to sling his pack over his shoulder. His eyes darted about the surrounding area for potential hiding spots, areas to widen the distance between him and the approaching threat, anything, but his eyes could hardly make out anything in the thick fog.

Don't panic, he thought, you've come this far. You can handle a giant... you have to.

But as the giant woman grew closer, Tristan found his thoughts to be little comfort. Within moments, she would be on top of him.

He glanced to his left, to the simple broadsword resting a few feet away in its sheath. He hastily crawled over to it, wrapping his fingers around the plain leather-bound hilt, and mentally screaming at the prospect of drawing the sword as the giantess grew closer and closer. He adjusted his position in an effort to face the giant woman, who seemed to be even bigger than he'd guessed now that she was closer. The woman was at least 100 feet tall; the top of Tristan's head barely came up past her ankle. The sight of her leather boots was intimidating, to say the least; Tristan could almost hear the sickening crunch and feel his bones break as the thick soles pressed him into a pulp on the ground....

His hands shook as the shadow of the giantess loomed over him. There was a moment of stillness and a frightening silence, the only thing audible being the thumping of Tristan's own heart in his ears. He gazed up at her, a mixture of nervousness and curiosity filling his heart.

“Greetings, little one.”

Tristan realized with a start the giantess was speaking to him. Her voice was soft and powerful at the same time.

“I am Lyra,” she said, her voice serene as she looked down at him. “It appears that thou art alone in thy travels.”

She gracefully lowered herself down onto one knee, bowing her head slightly to meet his level a little better. Tristan nervously scooted back a few steps. “I would offer thee my companionship,” she finished.

It took a moment before his brain fully accepted what she had said.

“Um.....” he finally answered, his voice hoarse and unsure, “w-what?”

The giantess was silent for a moment. Then she lifted her cowl from her head, revealing wavy brown hair and a fair face with amber-colored eyes. She affixed those eyes upon Tristan now, and her lips curved into a soft smile.

“To travel at all in these broken lands is a trial for even my own kind. Blight, beasts, and monsters alike roam about, seeking prey for food or for pleasure to cross their paths. To do so requires courage, wits, and just a bit of foolishness, as well as trusted friends to watch one's back against the dangers of the world. Many of my own kind have been claimed by death, even with all these things.

“And yet thou,” she said, curiously tilting her head, “appear to be alone. In a world where all wish for naught but the destruction of those such as thou, thou hast dared to cross these lands alone. I would not wish the deaths of any in this land, especially not one as ador–” She paused, and bit her lip before finally saying, “admirable as thou. Therefore, I offer thee myself as a companion.”

Tristan didn't respond. He couldn't, he was paralyzed from fright and shock. A giantess was talking to him, and so casually, as if she wasn't arguably the most dangerous, terrifying thing Tristan could encounter at this time.

“Oh, art thou wounded, little one?” she was asking now, indicating his arm with a finger that was surely as long as he was tall. Despite the sympathetic tone in her voice, Tristan cringed, praying internally that she would decide he wasn't worth the trouble and that she would leave him alone.

Of course, it wasn't his day for his prayers to be answered. The giantess leaned closer, her hand now about a yard away from his face.

“Do not panic, little traveler,” the giantess said in a soft voice. “I only wish to get a better look....”

Tristan's breath caught in his chest as the giant girl gently brought her hands on either side of him, the warm, fleshy surface of her right palm gently pressing into him and scooping his body into her left hand. He was being lifted, lifted into the air while the giant girl gently nudged him into the middle of her palm. Before he could fully react, he was already at face level with the giantess (although the term mouth level would be more accurate), and could hear his own heartbeat thumping wildly in his ears.

The giant girl stared at him for an unnerving moment, those amber eyes seeming to look right into the depths of his comparatively tiny soul. They were unreadable and terrible, and yet, beautiful. Tristan could see himself reflected in them, and he saw his own face, scared and unsure of what would happen next. And then the boy saw something in the giant's gaze, something he would look back and still marvel at, a thing which hadn't been seen in the eyes of a giantess for a hundred years.

In that moment, Tristan saw kindness.

“Oh, thou art a poor thing,” the giant girl murmured. “Let my hand rest upon thee, and find rest and healing.”

Softly, the giantess lifted her right hand, and placed her middle and index fingers on his torso, covering his chest and left. Tristan squeezed his eyes shut and winced slightly, waiting for the inevitable crushing sensation...

But it never came. Instead, Tristan felt a soft, warm feeling coursing through his whole body, slowing his heart and easing the tension in his weary limbs. He still felt fear, but it seemed muted, somehow, as a sound becomes muffled underneath the water.

He blinked a few times, and realized with a start his arm didn't hurt any more. He tentatively rolled his shoulder, and grinned in spite of himself when he felt no pain nor even soreness.

Tristan knew little of magic, but even he, a farm boy from a run-down little village, could recognize healing magic.

“T-Thank you,” he stammered up at the giant girl. She chuckled softly, and shook her head.

“There is nothing to thank, little traveler. To heal one such as thyself was of no avail. I would be honored if thou wouldst grant me the chance to be of much more use than a mere healing spell.”

Tristan frowned. “S-So..... you want to.... accompany me? For some reason? I thought all the giants hated humanity. What makes you any different? How do I know you're not just biding your time until you grab me and.... and....” He felt sick all of a sudden as he thought of some of the stories he'd heard back home. He decided to change topics.

“I've heard that your people still have cities, armies, lives outside of fighting to survive. Why would you leave all of that to come accompany.... me? A mere human?”

“Thou art no mere human, little traveler,” she said simply. “None of thy kind is meager or lesser in any way. My people have failed to recognize this, and have become too steeped in their hatred towards humanity. The violence my sisters have embraced must be put to an end, and thus I abandoned my people, wandering these lands in search of those who need aid. I will admit, none have accepted my help yet” – a pink tinge came over her face and her steady voice faltered for a moment ��� “but I believe I will one day encounter one who seeks to heal instead of harm, to understand instead of to hate, and to live instead of merely surviving.” Here the giant girl's eyes shone as she looked down at him. “I believe thee to be the very human I have been seeking. What other human would dare cross the Misted Vales alone, with little more than a sack of provisions and a weapon? Is the quest thou hast embarked upon not one of honor, of valor, of restoration?”

Tristan blinked. The giantess' archaic manner of speech was difficult to understand, but she sounded as though she'd read him quite thoroughly. There was an awkward silence as Tristan tried to figure out what to say next.

Just as he opened his mouth, the giant girl spoke again, a slight pleading edge in her voice.

“I can offer thee wisdom, guidance, protection, whatever you wish. Whatever thee may require, thou need only ask and I shall oblige. I understand that one of my size may appear frightening to one such as thyself, and I can only respond by saying that I shall never leave thy side. No matter what may come between us, I implore thee, little one, let me serve as thy companion, as thy.... as thy maiden.”

Tristan felt the air disappear from his lungs.

Among his people, there was a tradition that no hero should walk alone. Therefore, every knight, upon receiving a quest was assigned a maiden; a woman, usually skilled in magic, who acted as his counterpart, guiding him, protecting him, and comforting him. The role of maiden was an honored role, and the knight was to treat his maiden with respect and honor her for her sacrifice. Maidens were just as venerated as their male counterparts, and many a maiden and knight married after questing together. But the role of maiden was a serious one. It required total devotion on both parts, on pain of death. For a maiden to accept a knight, and vice versa, was a fundamental binding of two souls' fates.

The tradition of knights and maidens had fallen out of practice in recent times, as there simply weren't enough people left to serve such a serious role in this age. That a giantess knew what a maiden was, and that she was offering to serve as his maiden... it was unheard of, to say the least.

“You....” Tristan tried to collect his thoughts. He'd heard the old stories about maidens and knights, and he used to wonder to himself if he'd ever be worthy enough to have a maiden pledge herself to him. He remembered the sadness that had come with realizing that the age of chivalry, of companionship, had ended long before he was even born. It was one of the reasons he'd taken on this quest alone – to try to restore his home, and become someone a maiden would be honored to pledge herself to.

And now here he was, laying in the open palm of a girl like none he'd ever met before, claiming that there would be no greater honor than to serve as his maiden.

“I'm going to the Godbearing Mountain,” he said quietly. “At the edge of the world, to fetch water from the ancient spring and put an end to this blight once and for all. I don't know if it exists, nor if it can even be done. But I figured if you would.... if you would really sacrifice this much, you may as well know what you're getting into.”

The giantess was silent, as though in deep thought. Then she nodded, and asked, “What is thy name, brave little traveler?”

He told her.

She nodded again. “Hold on tight, Tristan.”

Slowly, gently, she lowered him to the ground, and tipped her hand just enough for him to slide off her palm and into the grey-colored grass.

The giantess was still for a second, watching him carefully, then she stood to her full height. Tristan had to crane her neck to even look up at her face, but he could see her amber-colored eyes, looking down at him with such warmth it made him feel strangely giddy.

“I, Lyra,” she said in a clear voice, setting her right hand over her heart, “do pledge myself to aid thee, Tristan, upon thy quest to reach the Godbearing Mountain in the far north, and find a cure to the blight that ravages our lands. I swear to offer guidance, strength, protection, and whatever else thou may require of me, till our quest is done.”

Tristan nodded, and hastily put his right hand over his own heart. “Um.... I, T-Tristan, pledge to complete this quest to the best of my abilities, and to respect and honor my companion, L-Lyra. I swear to act with courage and wisdom, and to persevere and trust in the advice of my companion.... m-my maiden.”

He took an unconscious step back as the giant girl knelt suddenly, then felt ashamed when he realized she was offering him her hand once more.

“Let us seal our bond, little traveler. Take mine hand, as is the custom of your people.”

Tristan forced himself to step forward, slowly raising his hand. He paused as he looked up at the giant girl looming over him. Did he really trust her? A giantess? The supposed enemy of his people, claiming that she wished to join his cause for healing and restoration, and serve as his most loyal companion the whole way?

I implore thee to trust me, she had said, with a look in her eyes that Tristan knew on some deep, instinctive level, meant that he had to do just that. He would do what no other human had dared to do in a hundred years, and learn to trust.

“Let's begin,” he said, placing his hand, so small in comparison, atop her index fingertip. The giant girl smiled, a soft, happy expression, almost cute for one so big. Tristan felt a rush of warmth in his heart, and somehow he understood that history was being made, here and now, at this very moment, between nothing but a farmer boy with foolish dreams and a girl who believed in them.

“May the sun, moon, and stars guide us,” Lyra said softly. “Let us begin.”

[slotumn]

Frankly it would have been a lot more fun if Church/Rhea actually did keep slaves and have strong theocratic/political control over Fódlan like they get accused of, and I think an AU that actually utilized that idea would be pretty interesting

Like idk upon deciding Fódlani nobles and Fódlanis period are no longer trustworthy after [some canon-divergent incident], Rhea decides to bulk up on a military force that would be loyal to the archbishop and nobody else— and the best way to do that is importing them from foreign lands, mostly Almyra. The slave soldiers have no connections in the land aside from their employer, so they do provide absolute loyalty and protection.

At first.

But with the combination of favoritism + elite military training, the slave soldiers start growing their own political ambitions, and eventually they pull a Mamluk/Ghaznavid(+dash of janissaries) on Fódlan. They become the de-facto rulers of the continent, with the church and archbishop mostly reduced to figureheads who give stamp of approval to the rule.

And of course the Fódlani nobles are fucking seething at this, because how dare these filthy foreigners hold power in their land! (They want to say infidels too but unfortunately for them the slave soldiers converted to Seiros faith so they can't do that.) No they're not going to reflect on whether their stupidity and corruption and stagnation had any part in creating the situation, why would they do that,

The slave soldier dynasty rule itself has both ups and downs. They're (perhaps ironically) much better at fending off foreign invasions than the Fódlani ruling class was, and despite their foreign roots they act as patrons of Fódlani art, religion, and culture.

But also they kill and coup each other a lot. Like, a lot. You are lucky if you manage to rule for 10 consecutive years and there's no guarantee that you'll get to pass the title onto your offspring. (Look at the ruling years on the list of Mamluk sultans)

Really the main thing stopping me from doing this is that I'd want at least equal focus between examining the inner workings/political introgue of the slave soldier class and the Fódlanis, but there are too few canon Almyran characters and too many Fódlani characters so it would be difficult to give due attention to former without bringing OCs and I'm lazy + have other projects I should write lmao

As for the canon Almyran characters in this AU though, Cyril would be one of the central characters, but he genuinely wouldn't be interested in politics. If he was involved, he'd probably be a behind the scenes guy rather than a ruler. Claude could have been kidnapped + sold into slavery as a result of Almyran succession struggle shenanigans; he'd work well as a foil to Cyril, since he has political ambitions of his own. If I stretch I can probably put Nader in here too, as a previous generation/mentor among the slave soldiers. Shahid... definitely needs to stay in Almyra though, as wanting the Almyran crown is his whole thing.

Rest of cast's backstories would have to change in big and small ways too; Houses Bergliez and Goneril and Gautier might not be as prestigious when there's another group that's better at fighting invasions, Insurrection of Seven/Tragedy of Duscur/all those related incidents might have gone down differently, etc.

But tl;dr if people actually bothered to take the slightest glance at real history and take inspiration then maybe we could get interesting shit but clearly they don't and just project 21st century (mostly Americentric) shit into this pseudo-medieval fantasy Europe with East Asian style isolationist characteristics (<- I will eventually write a separate post for East Asian historical inspirations/context behind 3H)

[sotwk]

Hi someone I’m kind of in a long distance situationship with wants me to take a flight to meet him, and I communicated how it’d make me feel better about the situation if we were exclusive and he was like swrry we’re taking things too fast and how exclusivity makes him anxious, even though he said it’s mainly because of stuff not related to me, I don’t know if I should give him the benefit of the doubt or if I would be naive to do so, I’m not looking for you to give me an answer but why is dating so hard omg

I sympathize with you, Anon! Dating IS hard and awful. I hated it. I will always say that the fact that my husband managed to find me is a friggin' miracle, because I was so reluctant to go on dates, and did very little of it in my 20s. I just got lucky. That being said, I also believe this "luck" can happen to anyone, so keep going!

My husband and I did the long distance thing and had to travel back and forth to see each other. It was a choice of either a one-hour flight or a six-hour drive. In our case, we did this for a few months before we became exclusive, and then another year and a half before getting engaged.

In your case, I don't know how difficult a flight to see him would be. Cross state? Cross country? Cross continent? I personally think it's worth making the trip at least once to see someone you're in a "situationship" with, even without exclusivity established. It's hard to commit to someone whom you haven't spent any or enough physical face-to-face time with.

However. I would advise some wariness about guys who are commitment-phobic, if you are looking for a committed relationship. Be honest with yourself about what you want (are you willing to be casual for a while? for how long?), and then request that same honesty from him. Depending on how much you like and trust him, give him as much time and allowance as you feel comfortable doing, but please do guard your feelings and prioritize your needs, especially early in a relationship. Do not let him make excuses for delaying his commitment, if exclusivity is a must-have for you.

Best of luck, and please stay safe! I'm sure you're a grownup who doesn't need me to mother you, so I will skip the laundry list of safety reminders. But feel free to ask again if you want more advice or ranting opportunities. :)

Thank you for sharing this with me! Big hugs!

[wind-becomes-lightning]

Home for the Holidays

This is for the Hidden Shinobi Hideout Holiday exchange! <3 My gift goes to @kankuroplease!! I was soo lucky to draw my dear dear friend. Merry Christmas!

Dearest C. I'm so happy I had you for this end of year exchange so i can give you one last gift before the year ends! I am so very fortunate that you decided to conatct me in March and work with me, when I was until then just a big fan from afar. I used to be so intimidated by you and so scared to even send you messages even after we started collaborating. It is weird that I thought you are too proud to talk to most people and that I would just be abother, when in reality you really just want to be nerdy with other people. I had so much fun with you this year, when we were 3 and now that we are only 2 still. I am so proud to have you as a friend, so thankful to be able to rant to you for whatever I want to rant about, for every little drawing you've made for me during this year, for your company and support. I wish you a great Christmas Day today and hope we continue this friendship into the next year (and beyond!) Cant wait for our art collab and whatever we cook up together next. I love you, sending you many hugs. Thank you for being in my life.

Set in KPZ's Tattoo Shop / Yakuza AU

Aburame Shino X OC

very very brief mention of naru x saku x sasu and kaka x obi x rin

Rated T (alcohol mention)

6246 words

Back from her world travels in Japan Katsura runs into an old friend she hasn't seen in a while.

When Katsura opened the door and the little jingle went off to alert the members inside of another visitor, she couldn’t help but sigh at the wave of nostalgia radiating from the view of what was inside. The tattoo parlour looked exactly the way she had last seen it,  down to the black and red leather interior. This felt more like coming home than stepping foot into Konoha had.

What was different, however, was how empty it was. There was nothing of the usual hustle that came with clients, usually yakuza members, entering and leaving the parlour, demanding this tattoo or that. Katsura hadn’t been here often while she still lived in this part of the city, but often enough to get used to it.

Now there was only Sai sitting at his usual place, deeply focused on cleaning his usual work tools. Katsura didn’t know much about him, not beyond what Sakura had told her. Sai hadn’t gone to school with them and since she had mainly been travelling since graduation, she had never really met him except for in passing.

Most of the year Katsura found herself in the hot and humid climate of the south american rainforest or in the dry, cold and stormy mountains in north america. Sometimes she hiked through thick dark forests in central Europe and then, on occasion, she was also back in Asia like right now. And when she was in Asia, she often took at least one detour to Japan, until it took her to another continent again. Someone had to check up on her sister sometime, especially since she was living in such a dangerous territory.

“Hi,” Katsura said and stepped next to Sai. “Uh- ‘s Sakura around?”

Sai looked up and closed his eyes to a smile. “In the back,” he pointed to the door at the back of the studio. “But I would not go there right now.”

She considered this. On one hand the very limited things she knew about Sai told her that he was not going to lie about stuff like that. Sakura had said several times over the phone that the Sai was almost too brutally honest for his own good. If he wasn’t under Yamato’s and by extension Kakashi’s protection it could have landed him in a hotbed several times before. On the other hand Sakura had asked Katsura to come round at this exact time and might just be in the back getting ready to go out.

It was worth trying it out, she decided and nodded to Sai: “I’ll check anyway.” The other just shrugged his shoulders and went back to cleaning his tools.

The door to the backroom was only leaning and Katsura could easily push it open with a few fingers. She heard things before she saw them. The low hums and moans, the sucking noise that reminded her of a vacuum cleaner, the whispered words. Right then her fight or flight reflex kicked in and her brain violently went forward and back between just turning around or seeing what was going on.

If only the flight reflex had won. If only. Instead, she felt compelled to check. Katsura pushed the door open just a little more, a few more inches so she could look easier through it and then let out a gasp at the image in front of her eyes. Sakura was there indeed, sandwiched in the middle of what seemed to be Sasuke and Naruto. One had his head buried in her neck and one at her throat on the front. 

The gasp had been louder than she had intended to and Sakura’s eyes flew open and to the door, but Katsura had already turned on her heel. “I told you,” Sai said calmly as she ran by, but she didn’t feel it dignified an answer.

She was angry, flying with rage and shame. Sakura had been her friend since childhood, for years! She had told Katsura to come by at this time so they could play catchup, and then decided to engage in such things with those guys. Naruto especially always gave Katsura this ick that she could not explain. He was too excited for his own good, too oblivious at the world around him, naive to a fault. 

Uh, she should have known that these people knew no shame. When she was young, Katsura had stayed away from this parlour which was then owned by Naruto’s parents. They had already been notorious for the shady stuff that was going on there, so of course the new owner just let this business continue. It was also no surprise to her that the employees would be doing such disgusting things at the workplace, since they lacked any structure.

What was it with people and their excessive need to be horny all the time anyway? She had travelled all over the world and never met anyone that she felt incredibly drawn toward. Men could be handsome and women could be beautiful, but nobody was “I wish I could undress this person in a public place”- handsome or beautiful.

She stomped out of the store and back into the snow that lay heavy and thick in front of it. It was cold here in Konoha, way too cold for her that had just returned from South America without an adequate winter jacket. But in her defence, she did think that she was just meeting a friend for a lunch date and that would most likely happen inside. She didn’t think that she would have to spend so much time outside.

Distracted by her own anger she saw the wall only when her head was already crashing into it. A big, grey wall that had appeared right in the middle of the sidewalk. Katsura stumbled backward and then found herself steadied by an arm before her feet could slip on the ice. 

“I’m sorry, you seem to have crashed into me,” a male voice said in a low timber and Katsura looked up to realise the wall was not a wall at all, but just a very tall human man in a grey long coat. She hummed and then went back onto her feet with a mumbled thank you.

It took her a moment to recognise him, or better said, she only recognised him when she followed his chin up to the sunglasses on his nose. There was only one person she’d ever known who wore sunglasses inside the house. Well, two, him and his father. 

“Oh – It is you Shino,” she said and put her head on her neck to look up to him. Had he always been this incredibly tall? He seemed twice her height.

She couldn’t see his eyes moving underneath his shades but she imagined them narrowing as he scanned the length of her. “Katsura.” He said it like he had just decided on that name for her. Then: “Nice to see that you are back.”

Katsura waved with her hand. Shino and her had always had a very peculiar relationship. They had both been obsessed with bugs since they were kids, cataloguing and analysing them and hunting and freeing them and most of all defending them from annoying bug-haters. But he had slighted her as a kid, which she had never really forgiven him, no matter how nice he had turned out to be later.

“I was in Brazil”, she said. “Got myself a tan and a new tropical ladybug species.” She grinned. She couldn’t help but brag. 

He let out a low chuckle, which took her completely by surprise. “I’ve seen your pictures on social media. Congratulations, that was a great find.” 

Despite the cold her cheeks warmed. “T-Thanks.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“I’ve become an Entomologist too, but I specialise in Greater Japan or rather this area. Preservation rather than exploration.” A smile appeared on his face. “Though I can’t help but be a little jealous. That butterfly you found in the Rocky Mountains? Outstanding grey colours.”

Katsura huffed and shook her head. “Oh, I’m sure what you do is great too. Though - that butterfly really was incredibly interesting. Did you know it can survive even at lower altitudes?”

“I do now.” Shino put his hands in his pocket. She watched as she waved her arms to explain to him how this species specifically had adjusted so well to its surroundings and how it was- in fact - masterful in what it did. 

After a while her hands felt so cold that she shuddered, which did not escape his keen eyes, sunglasses or not. “I would love to hear more,” he said softly, “but maybe we should go inside. What do you think about going to a cafe?”

Caught off guard a little she stammered: “Uh- Uh, I had- a thing…” but then she remembered what Sakura was doing right now instead of their meeting and her eyes hardened for a moment. “Sure, I’d love to. I have all the time in the world.”

-

Shino picked a cafe at the very border of Uchiha territory, just a street down the Hyuuga were ruling the underworld. It was run by a local that Katsura did not know and was cosy enough to feel warm and homely even on a snowy, cold day like this. 

“Wow, what a lucky pick!” she said as she sat down in the big red seats. “A place like this is a real find.”

He took his coat off. “Yes, it is beautiful. I thought it would be perfect.”

Well any cafe would have been perfect really, she thought but didn’t say anything. 

Instead, she ordered a triple latte coffee because she really needed it after the day she’d had so far and all the jetlag still kind of pulled her underwater. Then she folded her fingers in front of her face and said: “Now, tell me about your job. What is your education? Did you go to University? What bugs are you raising?”

Shino smiled again at her barrage of questions and then he did something she had almost never seen him do: He took his sunglasses off.

This felt like that one time she had seen Kakashi-san without his surgical mask. This revelation that this part of Shino’s body actually existed and that the shades were not a permanent fixture on his face. Just that this time it felt a hundred times more incredible then when she had seen Kakashi.

His eyes were this deep, chocolate kind of brown, almost too incredible brown to be real. The light of the candle on the table was reflected in them like a mirage of light and Katsura had to immediately think of the million fireflies she had once seen on a tour in China. He was handsome with his hair combed back, the kind smile on his face and the shining eyes. 

“Is everything alright?” he asked and put his head to the side a little.

Katsura realised her mouth was hanging a little open and closed it quickly. “Yes, sorry..” She didn’t know what got into her. It took her more willpower than she wanted to admit to pull away from his face and remember what questions she had asked him. “So…”

“Right, about my education and work.” He smiled a little to himself, tipping lightly against the porcelain cup in front of him. “I am mostly working locally. We are growing some nearly extinct stag beetle species on our family compound, but so far the amount is still too little for them to be released into the wild…”

His low, calm voice and interesting topic of conversation lulled her a little, especially now that she felt warm and safe. While she was still intently listening, she wondered if he had always been this handsome or if he had just grown up to be. Shino had always been a person she had wanted to be close with, because his family was known to be specialists in insects, but for one reason or another it had never worked out. Mostly because he had slighted her as a kid and she could not forgive.

Turns out Shino did go to university and he had come out with a degree. This was not usual, especially not in their little, yakuza infested city. People often took up a trade that needed no education or straight up did crime. Katsura herself, as she told Shino as soon as he had finished telling his story, had left Konoha without any degree and just started travelling the world on her own merits. Working to earn money locally and then moving on. This way she had seen much more than she had ever planned.

“I’ve always wanted to go.” Shino said with a sigh. “It is incredible to work here where I am from and get to know more and more corners and such. But when I hear your stories it makes me feel like I want to get out more.”

Katsura took a sip of her coffee: “You could always join me on the next expedition.”

He smiled and she almost choked on her coffee accidentally. “I would love to go,” he said calmly. “But I don’t think it's possible.”

-

They had two more cups of coffee, way too much coffee if one was honest, and then Shino paid -for both of them. The weirdly intimate gesture had Katsura blush and when he held the door open so she could leave before him into the dark evening, she suddenly wondered if this entire thing had been something like a date. 

“I can walk you home still, if you want,” Shino offered and closed the zipper of his long coat. The shades were hiding his eyes again.

Katsura had never had a date before. Katsura had not even thought about dating before this But now Shino had invited her for coffee, he had brought her to a cosy place and asked her whereabouts and now he was trying to walk her home? That sure sounded like the end of a date.

She panicked. “Not necessary, I can find my way.” Her eyes avoided his face as much as they could while looking too suspicious. “T-Thanks for the coffee. Maybe I’ll see you around before I leave again.”

“Yes, hopefully,” she heard Shino say from behind as she was already walking away sternly, her heart hamming loud against her chest. 

-

Katsura walked back to her sister's apartment. For a moment she had wondered if she should go back and check the tattoo shop again, to see if Sakura had repented from letting her friend down in such a way as she had, but then Katsura decided against it. 

Aori also lived right at the border between Uchiha and Hyuuga district and worked on both sides of the metaphorical fence. Katsura felt like her hands were falling off from the cold as she entered the hallway and turned the key to get inside. Though she was rarely at home, Aori had obviously provided her with her own key anyway. More symbolic than practical.

There was noise coming from the kitchen. The slightly messy, stumbling steps of her sister were mixed up with the low, but always so incredibly loud voice of her boyfriend Might Gai, who, to Katsura’s endless misery, was around most of the evenings now.

It was not like Katsura hated Gai, he was connected enough to keep her sister safe enough and he was kind, and good to her, but his never relenting energy was a drag that Katsura was glad to flee from 96% of the year.

“Hello, young lady!” he waved at her as if she was a street away and not just standing right in front of him. “How was your meeting with your precious friend?”

Katsura let herself fall onto the tatami floor and put her feet under a blanket to warm them up. “She was busy,” she said shortly. “So I met with another old classmate of mine instead.”

She took a mini muffin from the table in front of her. Other than bugs, Katsura loved baking and since Aori could do a lot, but not that, she had spent the morning making muffins for all of them. Yes, even for Gai.

“Wonderful!” Gai let out. “It is great that you are still connected to all the people here. It is important to never forget your youth!”

Aori must have caught Katsura’s frown, because she interjected: “Which friend?”

“Aburame Shino.” Katsura bit into yet another muffin, most definitely spoiling her stomach for dinner, especially after the cakes she had had at the cafe.

“Oh, he is so nice.” Aori put her fingers together. “In summer he sometimes comes to the kindergarten I work at and instructs the children about fireflies and the like. He is really good at that. Very forthcoming and friendly…”

“And he looks quite good too..” Katsura mumbled.

“What?”

Katsura shook herself. “Nothing.”

Gai unfortunately apparently had ears like a bat and so he said: “I think Katsura just commented on the way young Shino has grown up quite handsome indeed.”

“Ah, really, Katsura?” Her sister couldn’t help but grin.

Katsura wasn’t going to take a lecture from Mrs has-a-crush-on-weird-guys so she shoved a few of her own made muffins into the pockets of her hoodie and got up with a “I’m not hungry right now.”

Aori yelled after her that they’d leave the stuff for her on the stove so she could eat later, but Katsura had already disappeared in the room that was currently her bedroom.

-

At night she dreamed about Shino, which was a bother.

In her dream, Shino took his sunglasses off again to look at her with the chocolate creamy eyes of his to ask her if he could accompany her on her travels. The her that was in the dream had blushed harder than Aori did when Gai gave her a compliment and had accepted with a loud stutter. Both things that were very unlike Katsura in many ways and when she woke up she was annoyed at herself.

Additionally, there were about 40 text messages from Sakura on her phone when she rolled over and picked it up. At least 30 “I’m sorry-s” and then 8 more messages asking Katsura for a new meetup time. The last two contained “I will just come by Aori-nee’s house in the morning before my shift” and then the last “I’ll be there at 10.” 

Katsura looked at the clock on her phone. It was 9.50. 

She peeled herself out of bed and took the quickest shower known to man to be ready on the couch with the tv running when the door opened and Sakura walked in. Her friend looked a little distressed.

“I’m so sorry!” Sakura said before she even said hello and threw herself down next to Katsura. “You know that feeling, when you think you can remember something without writing it down, but then you don’t remember? Well, that is not an excuse, but it is an explanation and I want you to know how deeply sorry I am.”

That had been about the gist of the 30 text messages too. Katsura let out a sigh. “It’s alright, I noticed you were - busy.”

When Sakura was shy she blushed like a school girl in a rom com, but when she was embarrassed her whole face turned red, right under the line of her cherry blossom hair. “The guys..” she mumbled, “... can be pretty distracting if there is nothing else to do. Especially when the adults are gone. I’m sure you get it.”

Katsura did not get it. What was so special about Uchiha Sasuke and especially Uzumaki Naruto that made them so irresistible? She had never understood how people in this town seemingly had such hots for each other all the time. She shook her head and then shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t, but it’s ok,”

Of course it was not ok for Sakure, who still looked very worried. “Sai told me only hours after you left. When I yelled at him and wanted to know why he didn’t tell me earlier, he said it was because I didn’t ask about it.” Sakura’s eyes hardened. “I will have to tell on him to Ino.”

“But in the end you were the one who forgot anyway. It’s not his fault.” Katsura raised a brow.

Sakura’s face fell once more. “You said you accept my apology.” She grabbed Katsura’s hand again and looked a little teary eyed.

Feeling like she had teased her old friend enough, Katsura smiled. “I do. I do. Look, you are here now and I see you are sorry. I mean, I ended up having a nice afternoon anyway.”

“Oh with Aori-nee?” Sakura also was smiling again.

“No, not with her. I ran into Shino.”

Sakura’s eyes widened a little. “Oh”, she said and it sounded like there was more weight behind the sound.

“Oh?” Katsura asked.

Her friend blinked and then found her usual friendly and calm facial expression again. “Oh I’m just surprised that it was him you ran into.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Did you do something nice?”

“He asked if I wanted to go to a cafe and we did. It was a tiny place, but very nice. We just talked and - why are you looking like this?” Sakura*s calm smile had somehow turned into a grin.

“It’s just… you know, Shino - his interests are so similar to yours, we always kind of thought you should be…close.”  Though Sakura had used much more diplomatic words, Katsura knew instantly what she meant with “close.” “But you just didn’t seem interested like that, which is of course alright. I have to admit though, that sometimes I felt like maybe he was.”

Katsura’s lip curled. Shino’s eyes appeared in her mind again, looking at her over the table, the way he had smiled while she talked, taking everything in with a calm she had never seen of anyone else. Had he possibly brought her there for some sort of date after all?

“Impossible,” she said, more to conclude her thoughts than as a reply.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders again. “I just think you guys would match, so maybe it is kind of wishful thinking on my part.”

“Seems like,” Katsura said, trying not to look into her friends’ face while her heartbeat felt so loud in her ears. “I mean its is like you said, I’m just not that kind of person.”

-

Christmas eve Katsura found herself squished between Aori and Sakura in a karaoke room that seemed way too small for the amount of people inside. In true cross generation fashion, Gai had invited all his friends, mostly Kakashi, his partners and Yamato, while Katsura had invited Sakura, who then had brought Sai, Naruto and Sasuke along. There were too many people in this hot room.

Alcohol had been flowing freely and now Gai, who had one arm wrapped around Aori, was singing passionately, his voice only lightly hitting the right notes. Katsura flinched each time his voice raised a little and wished it could just be Yamato signing again. She did not know the man well, but from the way he behaved and sounded he liked karaoke well enough and was good at it at least to some degree.

There was too much going on and it was hot plus the alcohol started to get to Katsura’s head too. When in foreign countries she sometimes drank with the locals, but not quite as much beer as here and not without eating a ton beforehand. She felt dizzy and tapped Sakura on the shoulder as if to say she was going to take a breather outside.

The room they were in was one of the largest of this newly opened karaoke place. It was in the centre of Uchiha district, not two streets from the tattoo shop Sakura worked at and was allegedly directly operated by Uchiha Shisui, who by all means would become Uchiha clan head someday. Katsura had asked Uchiha Obito, one of Kakashi’s partners, why Shisui, who had a reputation to be rather brutal in his underground activity, had decided to buy a karaoke place, but Obito had only shrugged and said: “Because he felt like it.”

Maybe it was a front for money laundering or whatever, Katsura thought and once again reminded herself not to stick her nose into things that weren’t hers to know. She wasn’t like Aori, who’s sense of righteousness made it almost impossible for her to turn a blind eye to injustice. Having Gai, who was strong, as a partner helped her only so much. Her good relations with Naruto and in extension Kakashi (also through Gai) kept her mostly safe.

Upstairs were the smaller rooms and Katsura came to a stop in front of one of them. Inside someone was passionately singing “Who let the dogs out” and howling in tune with the dog barks of the song. It made her laugh and with the alcohol having lowered her limit for embarrassment she stopped for a bit and howled along with the person singing inside.

She didn’t notice that the door had opened until a big figure suddenly threw a shadow on her face: “I didn’t know you were such a passionate singer.” It was Shino.

Katsura almost choked on her own spit trying to close her mouth fast. Of course, there was only one person that would passionately sing a song about dogs and howl along, Kiba, and if Shino was here now then that meant that the other person inside was probably Hinata. A Hyuuga deep in Uchiha territory. Times have really been peaceful lately.

“No, I just… thought it's a fun song,” she replied, feeling very suddenly and very unnecessarily hot. 

He smiled. “I didn’t know you were here either.”

“We are downstairs. I was just on my way to get some air.”

“So was I. Can I join you?” He gestured to the door and though she felt uneasy, Katsura nodded and then went ahead outside into the icy cold.

Shino was wearing his long coat again and though it was night out the sunglasses were right there on his eyes. Katsura caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the door and knew she looked a little red, but this could be put down to alcohol and heat, so there was nothing to worry about.

“You smoke?”  He asked and took a lighter out of his pocket. 

Katsura shook her head. “You?”

“No, I just have a lighter, if in case.” He let it sink back into his coat.

Then they both went quiet.

She sucked in the fresh air and tried to clear her mind a little, but despite the cold she could feel her fingers sweating. Shino leaned right next to her against the building wall, shoulder to shoulder, and somehow that made her more nervous than standing up and singing karaoke in front of Aori’s friends had.

“When will you leave again?” Shino asked friendly.

Katsura suddenly remembered the dream she had had, about him asking to come along. She pulled her shoulders up. “Day after tomorrow.” 

“Where to this time?”

Katsura weighed her head: “Australia.” 

Shino huffed in admiration. “Wow, there is so much to see there, I am a little envious of you for that.”

She really wanted to offer him to come along again, like she had that time in the cafe. But she remembered that he had said it was impossible and so why do it again anyway? Just to hear the same reply again? So instead of reaching out to him a second time she just hummed in agreement.

For a moment she could feel his eyes rest on the side of her face as if he was thinking of something intensely. In her mind she hoped that the blush she felt could pass up as her being cold. Then Shino laughed a little quietly: “But, well, the next few days I will spend time with my parents and siblings instead. Also not too bad.” 

Somehow she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was disappointed.

-

Gai was still asleep the next morning when Katsura and Aori sat opposite to each other at the breakfast table. He had a little much to drink the night before and needed a little more rest than the two women, not that Katsura’s head wasn’t also hammering violently.

She had just finished telling Aori of the encounter she had had the night before at the karaoke bar, which she had no time to talk about the night before. She was hesitating to tell her sister about her wish to ask Shino to come along with her on her travels. The sisters shared a lot with each other, but this seemed so weirdly personal.

“Hm, you keep running into Shino. Almost feels like destiny wants to tell you something.” Aori took a sip from her tea.

Katsura could feel the heat in her face again and looked away, hoping her sister hadn’t noticed. But Aori knew her sister too well to miss it. “Oh.” Aori chuckled.

“‘Oh’ again.” Katsura said, a little annoyed. “People keep saying that when I talk about Shino. It’s rude, you know.”

Her sister grinned: “Well, I guess there are other people who realise you have a crush on the guy.” Aori stopped exactly long enough so that Katsura’s cheeks could redden even deeper. “It’s no surprise really. You guys really would match well.” She made a face. “You have similar interests.”

“I don’t have a crush on him. He is just nice to me.”

Aori laughed. “Well if you want to live in denial.”

Katsura put her cup down, a little more aggressive than maybe necessary. “Just because you now have a  - well - “boyfriend”, does not mean you are the expert on love. You can’t even talk to him right when he compliments you.”

Now Aori was red too, but more of anger than embarrassment. She raised a brow in question. “Alright then Katsura.”

“Besides,” Katsura continued. “I’m leaving tomorrow. It is not like I would see him very often. Who knows when I’ll be back. And I can’t just ask him to come along so I can get to know him better.” She was rambling.

“Why not?” Aori asked, trying to hide her grin behind the cup of tea again.

“Because!” she shot back. “He told me he couldn't come with me the first time I asked and so how could I ask again?  He is busy, he has his students and his work and - and I don’t think he would be willing to spend time with me so I can figure my feelings- ” 

She stopped mid sentence, suddenly very aware of what she had just said out loud.

Aori finally set the cup back down. “So you have feelings for him.”

“I don’t know!” Katsura folded her arms in front of her body and pouted.

Her sister sighed. “I think you should ask him if he wants to come along with you. Or at least ask him why he said it’s impossible for him to come. So you understand if your feelings are returned or not.”  She reached out her hand and pressed Katsura’s. “But, of course, I am just your lame older sister that can’t talk to the guy that is her boyfriend.” Katsura laughed.

“Do you really think he might return these feelings?” Katsura pressed Aori’s hand now too.

“No choice but to ask him.

-

“Shino”, Katsura yelled after him, hands pressed into her burning sides. 

The man exchanged a look with his father and mother and then stopped while his parents walked on. It was heavily snowing now, Katsura could barely see him through the thick flakes.

“Did you run here?” He seemed worried.

She forced herself to look up: “It was no big deal.” Shino only raised his eyebrows at that, especially since she still couldn’t catch her breath.

The ice stung in her lungs. “I think I lost my -” she touched her throat and yes, her scarf was gone, but then she shook herself, “- Doesn’t matter, I have more important things to ask about.”

As she stood to regain her breath and her conviction she noticed that Shino had taken a step towards her so that he towered over her. Suddenly she felt something warm on her neck and when she looked up she realised that Shino had tied the ends of his own scarf around her back.

“You should keep warm otherwise you might get sick and miss your flight,” he said kindly.

Katsura felt her heart clench again and shuddered a little. “Th-Thanks.”

She straightened her back out, which didn’t help in any way because she was still much smaller than Shino was. He was so close to her now that she could feel his breathing on her face and it made her so uneasy that she felt like running away from him. But no, she reminded herself, Aori had told her this was all normal.

“Uh- Shino,” Katsura began trying to find the right words to say, “I wanted to ask you something.”

Shino smiled: “Go ahead.”

It wasn’t easy putting into words what she was feeling. To say “I have a crush on you” right now, especially after just having seen him for a few days, seemed so stupid and childish, even if it was true. She couldn’t be sure that he felt similar and that would just break her heart. She thought again how much easier her life had been when romantic feelings were just something that other people engaged in.

“Do- do you…” she stammered. “Do you maybe - uh -” His scarf next to her nose smelled like him and for a moment Katsura got sidetracked from the scent. Then she shook her head to ground herself back in reality: “If you would like to come with me to - to Australia, I would not m-mind working with you.”

That was by far the most diplomatic way she could have asked that without giving away too much of her feelings.

He seemed a little surprised, his mouth opening slightly and then closing just to open to a smile again. “That's a little spontaneous.”

“Yes, I know, I know. I wanted to ask you - before, but I c-couldn’t.” She looked at her feet again. “And last time you said it was impossible for you, so I didn’t want to be a bother…”

When she looked up she saw snow all over his hair, colouring the dark brown with white points like little bugs swarming around his head. He was also looking at her, as far as she could tell from where his shades were aimed at. Her fingers felt cold in the air but also sweaty with nerves. Nothing, he said nothing, as if he was trying to consider as carefully as he could.

But then he lifted his head to push snowflakes out of her hair. The intimate touch made her feel dizzy. “I have always wanted to leave this place,” he said without looking at her. “I always wanted to travel and see the world and research, but - more than that, I’ve for a long time wanted to travel with you.”

“W- -me?!” She wasn’t sure she had heard him right.

Shino chuckled again. That low rumble in his voice that she had heard at night in her dreams. He didn’t repeat what he said, instead he zipped down his coat and then drew Katsura in, pressing her against his own beating heart and wrapping her up in his arms.  

“That is why I at first said it would be impossible for me to go with you,” he explained. “Not when you don’t feel the way I do.”

That was when she realised that no, these feeling weren’t one sided at all

-

The snow had let up outside, but the world was still coated in white. “Here you go,” Shino said and handed Katsura a cup of coffee that she eagerly took into her hands. The airport was heated of course, but just watching the cold world outside made her feel cold too.

He settled in next to her and put his feet up over his on board luggage in front of him, his nose once again deeply in a magazine about newly published academy papers. KAtsura had teased him about it earlier in the day, that he was like a professor and Shino had only shrugged his shoulders and said that he was considering becoming a teacher, yes.

“I can’t believe you actually convinced your family to let you go”; Katsura said, for what felt like the 50th time today. It was true, she could hardly believe it.

Shino hummed. He seemed too tired now to repeat the line he had said all day when she had brought it up. “I’m an adult, they can’t stop me.”

Instead he reached out his hand to Katsura and found hers to wrap his fingers around. Her heart skipped a beat for a second, not yet used to this being a normal occurrence. Dating someone brought many new experiences.

“I’m glad it all worked out though,” he said finally, with his usual quiet smile. “I’m glad I get to go with you.”

Katsura leaned over, against his shoulder: “I’m happy you get to go with me.”

[ominous-feychild]

This is a continuation post to my explanation of The Faewildes in my writing!

If you'd like to read this, I would strongly recommend starting with part 1! However, it's not the end of the world if you don't, you'll just be lacking a bit of context. Enjoy regardless!

Fair warning: long post!

Why aren't the Faewildes "Real"?

Obviously, the Faewildes are real. They exist and have been plaguing the Real World since the destruction of the Old World. So why aren't they "real"?

When I say "real", I mean that it's (relatively) unchanging and most likely unassociated with magic. The Faewilde Planes are fluid, constantly shifting and changing. Most aren't tethered to any one place, or at least shift around in "location" more than a real place should. So they're not "real" simply because they don't follow the rules of what "real" things should.

Where are the Faewildes?

Well, right here. And... right there. Actually, everywhere!

The Faewildes exist parallel to Reality to a point that realistically, nobody should ever see or enter them. Except... people do? Hm.

As I said before, the Faewildes were formed by countless cracks in Reality. Originally, it was a primordial soup that swept over the Real World, absorbing it and getting absorbed into it. But it's been a long time since then, and the world's done a lot of work sorting itself out. A lot of land has escaped from the Faewildes, settling into Reality wherever it was parallel to at its time of escape, and now makes up the continents and islands known to exist within the Real World.

However, the Faewildes still exist--they're just a lot less solid (or... real 🤔) now that they've lost their ingredients. Now, the soupy Faewildes are primarily broth.

The individual Planes within constantly move around within "the Faewildes", sometimes trading places, sometimes overlapping, sometimes merging, and other times completely destroying each other. But that's a subject for another day.

Due to the shifting, the Plane parallel to Reality could be different from day to day even if you never move from the same spot... and vice versa. To equate this to Our World--say, one day, you're living in a small town in the United States. You accidentally slip into the Faewildes and, shit!!! You saw the portal you came through, you need to find it again and escape!!

So you do.

And you emerge in Beijing, China.

Make it better! Somehow, it's 1652.

Oh, yeah. There's Time Fuckery.

So, you've gotten displaced in time by the Faewildes.

Congratulations! You're never finding your way back. Trust me, you're lucky to have gotten out alive. Don't bother going back in. Y'know... if you even can. Those portals don't usually last for long.

You know those fairy tales where people interact with the fairies, visit them or whatever, and return to their world to find out that an incredible amount of time has passed? Sometimes it's even played for a "oops, time's catching up to you!" and they, like, get Dusted like Peter in Infinity War? (Okay I'm accidentally making too many superhero references now 😂😅)

Yeah, well, GUESS WHO EATS THAT STUFF UP LIKE A STARVING WAR CRIMINAL!?!?

(Me. The answer's me.)

Due to the nature of the Faewildes and how they came from Chaos literally shattering reality, their "time" doesn't work the same as in the Real World. While, to them, time still flows in one direction, the times their Planes connect to in the Real World are disconnected.

To Doctor Who fans, it's not too dissimilar from the Doctor and River Song's meetings! While there's technically no interruption in their lives (or they live from, say, 1 to 30 years old), the other might meet them at 30 first, then 3, then 24, then 18--hopefully you get it!

(I'm making way too many references right now, forgive me. 😅🙏)

Point is, while each (the Faewildes vs Real World) feels like they have a linear timeline, they don't meet up at "the same times", leading to a disconnect that can make people get lost in time.

But that's okay!

People don't tend to survive getting lost in the Faewildes, anyways!

As much as I've enjoyed talking about the Faewildes, I think this is a good stopping point for this post! I'm getting a little tired of explaining them, so I'm going to take a break, work on some other things, and maybe get back to finishing this in a day or few!

Feel free to leave a comment, they're pure serotonin for me!!! 😊

Part 1 |

Divider from @cafekitsune

[evwuniverse]

New Year = New Linden Home - Happy 2024!

Hey everyone! First here is to a late Happy New Year 2024! I know we're in February, but it's so crazy how 2024 started out in January. Imagine, natural disasters, the beginning of a World War, Great Depression 2.0 (because we have the internet), and let's add a possible Civil War into the mix. But with all the craziness happening in the world I find myself on Second Life a lot more than I was last year with how crazy my life was. As a lot of you know, I had a houseboat as a Linden Home, during this time apparently they added premium tiers that weren't there, changed the pricing, and added more types of Linden Homes. Talk about mind-blowing. Just like most who are neurodivergent and ADHD I like consistent change within environments in my games, I'm very nomadic in a sense with my virtual life, especially within virtual worlds. So to explore and have a new place to live, I tried out one of the new Linden Homes released (emphasis on new because they probably have been around for a bit but I've been so busy I didn't know they were added.) There were eight left of this specific type of home.

To see which one I got and where I now reside please click below to continue reading.

Newbrooke

For the sake of being able to have another idea for a new post, we're going to keep this one primarily about the Newbrooke community of Linden Homes in Second Life. And now you know! I live in Newbrooke, a very modern, quaint, housing community with a lot of amenities, community areas, and things to do. Not going to lie this area reminds me a lot of The Sims 4 for some odd reason. I love the modern design of the homes in the area, there is a 512 sqm version and a full 1,024 sqm version for those of you who don't have the Premium Plus version of Second Life Premium which I don't blame you at all for not moving up to the highest tier (more on that in my next post). I got super lucky with both the name of the sim as well as where my house Is actually located. For those who don't know, the name of the sim you're placed in and the location of your house are all randomized and based on which ones are available for inhabiting. When a home is not available it just won't show on the website when you choose a Linden Home.

Since my last interaction with my Linden Home, they have updated and upgraded them with a new in-house system allowing you to have full customization of your home inside and out. They are premade colors, but I'm sure there is at least one color that would tickle your fancy, if not then probably shouldn't have gotten the Newbrooke home style. It's important to note that every Linden Home has a different set of colors for the outside and the doors, as well as any metals or accessories on the outside of the home.

You have the option with the Newbrooke homes of choosing up to 8 layout versions, a few of these versions can be seen below. Ahead of time, these photos are from the Linden Lab website which they use as examples but I'm going to post them here for the sake of the post and for easier viewing.

Examples of Newbrooke Homes:

There are so many ways to customize these too, these are amazing compared to the old-style Linden Homes, this was the upgrade to the original homes found in Meadowbrook that are all 512 sqm. At the time 512 sqm was the most amount of land and Linden Home space you could have. Oh, how the times have changed! It's crazy to actually see the change from one form to another. Keep in mind the older homes in Meadowbrook are also Prim and not Mesh whereas the new Linden Homes found on the continent Belisseria are all Mesh.

Examples of the Meadowbrook Homes For Reference:

Now with these examples out of the way, let me show you my home and what I have done with it where I ended up being placed, and how close everything is. I'm not going to lie, I feel like I never have to leave my Linden Home community because everything to do now is pretty much right there, or at least all the things I enjoy going onto Second Life for.

My Newbrooke Home Placement & Experience:

This is the front of my Linden Home, I know super modern, brick, black, and light blue, I think it's gorgeous and really goes with who I am as an individual. I love it so far, but I also truly love the modern style of homes.

Below are pictures of the location and why I love it so much. To give reference to what you're looking at, I'm at the end of a col-de-sac and there is only one other house on the right-hand side of me. There is one on the left-hand side but they're a little further from me, so I don't count that. But right next to me there is no one, it is very private considering.

I was extremely excited and lucky of where I was placed, the sim name I have as well is called "Prince Charming" which I thought was really cute and fairy-tale themed, all the other sim names I haven't been too lucky with. I'm extremely thankful for all of it, and I honestly don't think I'll want to leave unless I decide to go up a Premium Tier which right now I just can't do for one of the new 2,048 sqm homes and parcels.

Why I Love This Area so Much:

Now is the why to enjoying this area so much, the name and the col-de-sac are great! But you see in the ariel view where the water is right behind my place, that's a rezzing dock for boats. It's a 20-second walk to rezz my boat and go sailing around Belesseria. I got the houseboat for the reason that I could rez my boat, keep it at the house and sail whenever I wish. The fact that I can pretty much do the same it's just not already at my house is amazing! Then not too far to the left of me where that road is, is also a rezz station for vehicles, horses, etc. This is so convenient and I haven't had both rezz stations so close to me before with a Linden Home, this is an amazing location. I'm so very fortunate for it. A long time ago I did a post on the positives and why you should get a Premium Membership and obtain a Linden Home I will be typing an updated post soon on that. However, for someone who has been a Premium Member of Second Life since the Premium Memberships even released, I can easily say Linden Lab is doing an amazing job with updating and keeping the excitement with why we should be members with amazing spaces and amenities like in Newbrook.

Final Thoughts On Newbrooke Linden Homes:

These homes are amazing if you like modern-styled neighborhoods and still want that suburb feel. If you're into the whole family RP on Second Life this would be a perfect place to have a family, it's also perfect for just living and experiencing a great amount of what Second Life has to offer in a secure, safe, area without having to travel to far off places in Second Life. This is however not to say that you shouldn't still go explore here and there. I feel Second Life is meant to be explored and experienced. But if you're new and need to learn the ropes and are nervous about being around a ton of people, or you're tenured and just want more of a private space and area that is less club, shopping, or non-trolling related. This is a great place to be! There's a lot you can do and since Newbrooke is a newer-made area other people who live in the houses around are typically there so it's not a dead sim where you're the only one there at all times.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I'm sorry it took me so long to post something. Between life getting in the way and MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK I took the longest writing hiatus ever. Please stay tuned for the following posts coming soon.

Updated Post on Premium Membership Tiers

Updated Post on Linden Homes as a Whole Including the New Website for Choosing Linden Homes

Avatars, Drugs, and Smoking - What is this?

Clubs - Why are so many popping up now, and what Is happening to other places to explore?

These are the upcoming posts, I look forward to seeing you in the next one.

[whaleji]

girlblogging like kafka ; entry 3

today was sunny. i went to the asian coast. had to take the ferry, was very nice. the way back was more complicated as we got lost and the boat was very crowded. i liked the bohemian atmosphere of the place we went to. unexpectedly, it was more like everything i know than the european part of town. i saw pubs and bookshops for the first time since we arrived in Istanbul. I wish i didn't have to be born so I wouldn't have to constantly choose whether to live or to die. because life also has its good sides ; like those shows i like and those paintings i could stare at for hours and those books that make me someone else in the span of an hour and those people with their golden smiles and all those times my breath takes as something manages to give life its shine back. mainly i'm exhausted; i wake up tired and drag myself through endless days. i'll be fine. maybe all this time i'm wasting i'll regret in the future, when i'm unable and bitter. maybe a tragedy lies ahead of me ; an earthquake or a mass shooting or an abduction or poison or pollution or cancer or necrosis or a bad fall or a severed limb or sudden blindness. maybe i shouldn't spend so much time lying there miserable and maybe i should try getting better. put actual effort into it. but i won't. i won't because it paradoxically feels good to lie in my own puddle of self loathing and despair, rotting inside my bed and crying.

or maybe i will. maybe life isn't so bad sometimes. looking at the stars tonight made me think about my own mortality, and it made me grateful to be able to live a life in which i can see the sky and walk freely about the world. somehow, at least. i'm grateful to live a life in which i can eat dinner on a boat sometimes and relax in the hot weather and never suffer from hunger. i gave food to a homeless child yesterday and the rawness in his eyes made me feel like he'd lived ten lives already while i hadn't lived yet my own. so maybe i'll try to get better. because how entitled would i be not trying to get better and wallowing in my own fabricated pain when everything is well and good in my life ? how entitled would i be complaining about being in pain when i'm part of the few lucky people that live on the right side of earth, that have the worthiest passports and that thrive on half of the world's misery ? maybe i'll try to get better for everyone that i love, my cat, my friends, my family, nice strangers on the street; for the rainy afternoons spent reading under a cover, for time spent talking with friends in cosy cafés, for evenings at the movie theater.

anyways, miss my cat. saw his doppelgänger today. was disturbing. thought about how almost all pet owners love their pets, despite them having different personalities and quirks you can't choose beforehand, like with people. however people are much more inclined to accept these coming from an animal than humain beings, somehow. and that makes me wonder : what if i had chosen another kitten from the litter ? would i love them as much as i love the one i call Vladimir ? his name was chosen before his adoption, so that hypothetical kitten would also be called Vladimir. do i really love him or do i love the idea of a cat called Vladimir ? i miss him. his furry face and his mean eyes that glare all day long. his cute and sharp teeth and the way he rolls on his back when he wants belly rubs.

sometimes i feel like i'm inwardly zooming out of my existence and see myself from an omniscient point of view. right now, for example, i'm a teenage girl sitting on a bed in a four bunks room within a shabby hotel within a neighborhood within a city within a country within a continent within earth within our galaxy within the universe. if i think hard enough i can be the man next door watching the news while peeling himself bits of an apple with his rusted knife, or the little girl playing uno with her brother in the room below. yet in the end my body calls me back to my own neutral existence by the ache stemming in my belly and the tightness of my heart.

[gizzardscrolls]

God of Machines: Wayland's journal

Chapter 2: 30 miles out

As I wake up, I immediately try to stand up, but with the jangling of chains, I realize I'm forced to sit. I try to look down but even my head is caught on a chain, my arms are bound too. I'm still in my chainmail but my helmet, bracers, and boots are all gone. The guard in the passenger seat says 

“You’re one lucky son of a bitch, still alive and not a draugr? The only reason you still have the chainmail on is because you’re such a big bastard we didn't feel like taking it off, you will be taking it off when we get to the labor camp." 

I look around at the others in the transport. None of them have chains. 

“So why am I the one getting the VIP treatment?” 

The guard held up a shadow crystal and retorted “You’re strong enough to kill a Tallman by yourself.” 

Fucking Reavers. A large bandit clan made up mostly of veterans and abandoned workers from the F.C.G., the Free City Gathering, a group of a bunch of free cities that went to war with The Empire of Carn, both sides took damage but Carn ultimately won that one. Out of that, all we got is more bloodshed, higher taxes from the lords, and more fucking currency, everywhere usually take’s silver taels, but Carn’s trying to institute a centralized currency made of paper, on one hand, yeah it’s lighter, on the other hand, good luck recovering it from a house fire, or some demons gut. The others on board look sick and elderly, only a couple look fit enough to not die in a labor camp, I get the feeling some of them aren’t being taken to work. Now that I'm fully awake the area where the berserk runes are is still burning hot. I get the feeling using them to escape these chains would only make me collapse from magic sickness. All the way in the back I see someone covered in so many chains it looks more like a storage method than it does a person, there’s another guard wearing full heavy Carn armor next to them, the dome helmet that reflects back at me has always made me uncomfortable, his thick steel plate’s surround almost every inch of him except his hands which only has the palms and joints exposed. If we weren’t in such a cold environment I'd assume he’d boil alive like a lobster, he had a large belt-fed machine gun. Myself and maybe the bundle of chains over there are probably the only people he’d even struggle with in this transport. A large bump in the road sends all the people up in the air. My chains drag me back down. 

The large one says out of the shitty speaker in his helmet. “Oswald! Watch where you’re fucking driving if this cultist wakes up we’re all fucked!”

 The driver, now identified as Oswald, said “Sorry sergeant sir!” 

That guy sound’s younger than me, he’s probably around sixteen? Poor kid’s going to die for some stupid shit. The bundle of chains starts rattling like crazy. The sergeant starts bashing it where I assume the head is with his gun. After what feels like forever blood drips from some of the chains and it stops moving, we’re all silent after that. After a turn I see a worn metal signpost pointing down the road we turned on, Hadersverg 30 miles out. Hadersverg was a large mining operation before the war in the comparatively low mountaintop of the eastern part of the Terwyn continent, it was privately owned and the metal within fueled both sides of the war. I heard that before it was abandoned, only a fraction of the metal was extracted. At least I know what I'm going to be doing. After the driver pulled into the main gate the man in heavy armor started escorting us all out to another, smaller gate where we were told to stop, almost everyone in front of me was sent down a hallway on the right side, whereas I had to go forward into the heart of the camp, they took the chains off of me so I could finally move properly. 

“Don’t do anything stupid, take off your armor and state your name.”

 As I begin taking off mostly destroyed chainmail, I realize the cost of all the gear when I get out is definitely going to set me back from my nice house.

 I kindly ask “Hey can I at least get my boot’s back?” 

“that’s a funny name” 

haha funny. “It’s Wayland.”

Clearly amused by his own thoughts the guard asked, “It’s your first name?” 

If only I could I’d rip his lungs out, unfortunately, I'm outnumbered with no armor or guns. The last thing I heard from the guard was to follow another down the hallway. Finally inside, the concrete wall and smooth stone floor make this place look quite fancy for what’s now a prison camp.

 “Hey, you’re the guard that was driving us.”

 Oswald, a young kid with tan skin and short brown hair, the boy wasn't well built nor was he fat, no idea how he lasted as long as he did with the Reavers.

 “Sorry sir, they don't want me speaking with the laborers.” 

I shrug “I’m not a sir, I'm not much older than you” 

he doesn't respond.

 “Smart kid”

 He stops and points to the door, “This is the med bay, you’re supposed to get checked out here, they’ll find out what you’re doing” 

walking in I see it’s all empty beds, the humming of a fan and lights, and the white interior really sells the scavenged building vibe, nothing in the building looks like it was part of the same facility. The shaman is sitting at his desk, he has a thick northern Carn accent, a large gray beard, and those little reading glasses old folks get. 

“Ah, a new patient, very good! Come, come, I no bite!” 

A mood change from the gloom of having to work to death in a mine, he seems like a nice guy despite who he works for. I step in front of his desk. 

“Alright I need you take off shirt, only shirt unless you have an injury I no want to see it!”

 Amused at his own joke, his booming laugh reminds me of my father, “You’re big strong man, like me! Many rune’s you are as say in your language, mercenary?” 

What time period is this man from? Most mercs are either hunters or guards, mercenaries died off with the war.

 “Let me see those bandaged hands”

 I extend them forward and as he inspects them he sighs in relief 

“is good you drink health potion? If your hands didn't work they’d have killed you. I give you outfit now, yes one moment” 

as he took out a gray jumpsuit with two red stripes going down the right shoulder, he started to sew something on it 

“I like you strong man, I put pocket in outfit for you to hide those gold hair clips.” 

I wonder why such a nice old man would be with Reavers, “Thank you what’s your name shaman?” 

the big man grins a little, “My name is Reed, if not for job I’d hope to see you more often, little strong man!” 

Curious, I asked him, “Where’s the normal doctor for those with magic sickness?”

 This caused what little happiness in his face to drain. “As Warden Matthias says, old and sick must die, no room for weakness”

 As I walk out of the room there's crackling over the intercom, “All prisoners and personnel are to report to the central courtyard immediately!” 

Oswald waiting for me tells me to get a move on, as we walk past the other guards I notice a lot of them are still using Breznov’s, cheap surplus rifles now, the F.G.C.’s flagship rifle during the war. High caliber and bolt action, they were good for getting through the tough armor of Carn soldiers but fired slower. Semi-auto versions started to appear near the end of the war but it was already over at that point, the weird cylindrical-shaped packets made storage hard for it too, but for managing some disarmed prisoners it was good enough. After getting funneled out into the large courtyard I see 30-40 other prisoners. At the far end is a stage where I assume the warden, Matthias, is standing. In the dead center is a large pit, along the top is a fence made of wooden spikes pointing inwards to prevent people from crawling out. Inside I see the bundle of chains. I don’t want to know why they have a cultist in there. I glance behind me and see Oswald looking rather grim and a guard tower behind him with a roitzer cannon, a large rotary mortar system that has coordinates punched into guide it, it uses a magic crystal to triangulate a range. On the stage with Maitthais, I see the people from the transport on the stage. Hands chained and blindfolded as they are separated into three groups, and one lone person,

 The warden walks over to the first and says to them, “Pick a number between one and three. The same number cannot be called twice. I will pick the first in each of your group. Pray they are luckier than when you attempted to run.”

He rips the blindfold off the man in front of the left group. The old man chose one. 

“Of course, we must start with one. Guards line them up against the wall.”

 The rest of the blindfolded group seems to know what he meant, some of them try to run away but their feet are chained together The warden laughs at them tripping over their own feet. The guards line them up against the wall to my left. Underneath the peak of the mountain, I see the bullet holes and blood-stained cinder block, covering the sandbags beneath. I breathe in count to four then exhale. The guards start firing into the crowd, I hear the noise of puking behind me, I turn around and see Oswald pale as a ghost, poor kid. 

Before the rest of the prisoners have gathered themselves Maitthais rings out, “Next group choose your number! Please try to be interesting.”

 The next group is a young woman who chooses three, Matthais I feel has quite the ego. 

 “Really? Three? That’s the hill you choose to die on? Going against me after I said to start with one, then naturally of course. You would go with two. Fine. Three! Throw them in the pit. And somebody get the caster in there to take its chains off already! I passed it on my way, you don't feel safe about it, that's fine but do your job or you’re next.” 

Un-fucking-fortunatly, I'm standing right in front of the pit, and I'm not going to slink back or draw any attention by moving. I see the caster walk in from the hallway on the right side of the courtyard. His arm’s exposed, more scar than flesh. The runes run along every inch of his arms thinking of the pain to get that would make most second guess how worthwhile the magic is, not me. I wish the tower chose me to gain the power of a caster. His eyes are blindfolded but he seems to know where he’s going as if he could see. He drop’s into the pit then pulls the chains off in one fast motion, the cultist spins in the air and hits the ground with a thud. Just as quickly as he entered the pit he leapt out. Another pain in the ass for a breakout. 

The second group is tossed in and the cultist starts laughing on the ground. The tower’s runes look like a joke compared to what the demonic cultists carve into their own flesh and even bone. Their powers are less tamed than the ones we use and cost them their sanity. The cultist stands up from the ground rising directly from only its legs while the rest of the body is limp. I can't even tell what this thing used to be. Almost inhuman. Its skin, if I can even call it that, looks burnt, crisp, and black with thin strings of red flesh exposed. It now fully stood up, its torso and head leaned forward of its legs. It slowly straightens its back. Its face is smoothed over as if it too was melted, it flashes a smile with bright white teeth, then it darts forwards with a speed similar to the Tallmen, it pierces the stomach of the poor young woman who chose the number, with his hand. With a sickening squelch; cracking and popping the cultist drags out the spine of the young woman. All while the rest of the group screams in terror, the cultist just smiles blindly and continues on.

 I breathe in count to four then exhale.

  It darts behind another and puts him in a chokehold with one arm. It uses its second hand to stab through the jaw and pulls it off slowly, with a terrified gasp as he can’t get a scream out of an even worse gurgling noise coming shortly after with the removal of his jaw, his lower tongue flops about. I breathe in count to four then exhale. The next few suffer similar fates, one gets their head squashed like a grape in its grasp. I breathe in count to four then exhale. Another young boy probably around Oswald's age gets grabbed by their foot and bashed against the wall repeatedly. At first, he cried out for his mother, shortly after his words started slurring together then stopped being words at all. I breathe in count to four then exhale. The last one gets grabbed by both arms and torn off like breaking a twig off a young tree. I breathe in count to four then exhale. The caster from earlier looks down at it, then summons a large pillar of fire out of the ground, burning not only the cultist and his victims but the scene into my mind as well.

[grounded-gryphon]

I'd Die (Again) for Y'all (Chapter 5)

I had a shit day and tbh I mostly brought it on myself. But I need something fun to keep my depression from spiraling. So, it's your lucky day. Early chapter drop.

prev

Tim tried very hard not to antagonize Jason. But when Jason got back, Tim just might strangle him.

As soon as the door to Phantom's cell opened, Hood's camera cut out. The mic was working, but staticky. He heard just enough of what was going on to know that this Phantom apparently recognized Red Hood and thought he was in danger.

The idea of something that could scare /Phantom/ coming after Jason… Tim had felt sick.

And then Jason had gone /silent/.

Oh, not for long. Only a few seconds really. But Tim had already been freaking out.

Jason had the gall to just say "I'm okay," in that same soft voice he'd used before he left -- the voice that if it had been anyone else would make Tim think he /cared/. Called him a /nickname/ rather than the hated 'Replacement'… but couldn't be bothered to give him any actual information!

At least they were on their way out. Jason's camera was still down, so he was reduced to tracking them through the static that came and went through the Watchtower security mics. But at least he could follow them…

God damnit, Jason better get home safely so Tim could kill him for scaring him like that.

~~~

Names were important. Names meant something.

Ghosts who mostly stayed in the Infinite Realms often called Danny 'Great One.' (The Yetis started it, and Danny wasn't quite sure if everyone else did because they agreed or because they wanted to stay on the Yeti's good side. You did /not/ want to piss off Frostbite.) But ghosts who came to the living world had a different name for Danny. They called him 'The Protector'.

Danny didn't have a proper haunt anymore, he hadn't since he'd been driven out of Amity. But he was the /Protector/ of a quarter of a continent. He protected the living from the dead -- and the dead from the living.

(Until he couldn't anymore. He'd always known this day would come.)

There was another name whispered among ghosts. A place that no ghosts came from, and no ghosts went to.

Danny had never been to Gotham. Partly that was because of Gotham's heroes. Most cities had heroes, some of them far more powerful than Gotham's bats & birds. But none had so many heroes and in that kind of melee, it would be too easy to hurt someone seriously by accident.

Mostly, Danny had never needed to go to Gotham. Gotham belonged to the /avenger/. Those who died in Gotham didn't need to obsess about getting justice or revenge, they knew they would have it, in this life or the next. They knew Red Hood would get it for them.

Not all of Gotham. Danny had heard the avenger's haunt was actually a small part of the city. But it was enough.

And other ghosts didn't go to Gotham because if there was one guy whose haunt you did /not/ want to fuck with, it was the guy known throughout the Infinite Realms as /the avenger/. The living man who had staked out an obsession and a haunt and /held them/ against the living and the dead.

Bets were placed in the Infinite Realms on how long it would be til Red Hood joined them -- no bets were placed on whether or not he would join them. If anyone had the strength of will and obsessiveness needed to become a ghost, it was the guy in red.

The guy who had just risked himself to save Danny from the GIW.

The guy who was an unknown halfa and had just put his life on the line in ways he couldn't even imagine.

The guy who had thighs to die for and shoulders that could hold up the sky if Atlas ever needed a break.

Danny didn't have a type. He wasn't picky. He took beauty where he found it.

And since he still might finish dying today (he would not think about the GIW being somewhere on this space station, he would not he would--), he would enjoy the beauty in front of him.

That /ass./ No man should have an ass like that. There was no fairness in a world that let that ass exist and didn't give Danny a chance to eat it. (Literally or metaphorically, he didn't care.)

But Danny was a professional, in his own way. Half (okay, more than half) of his mind was meditating on Hood's ass. The rest was doing everything he could to stay quiet (much harder without ghost powers), watch for trouble, and… "Not that way!" he hissed when he realized they were heading towards the GIW base.

Hood turned to him and somehow the angle of his helmet conveyed surprise. But after a moment he nodded and turned back. "The cameras are down, but not the mics. Grab my jacket if there's a problem, but no more talking."

Cameras were down? How the-- damn his guy (what?! what did he just think?) was good. (Not his guy, nope, not. Nice fantasy, but Phantom was going to stick around just long enough to be sure he hadn't led the GIW to the avenger, and book. Not /his/ guy. He didn't get a guy.) But that was a relief. If they were lucky, no one yet knew he'd even escaped.

Better -- with Hood's voice modulator and the way even restrained Danny's ghostly self was likely fucking with the mics… there was no way the GIW could know who rescued him. As long as they got off the station without being found out, they were in the clear for at least a day or two.

With a relieved smile and a lighter heart, Danny followed Hood. The guy who knew enough to find him and shut down the top security of the damn Justice League wouldn't screw up on finding the exit.

So Danny went back to enjoying his view. With luck, he might even have a chance to tap that ass before he had to disappear again.

~~~

Not that far down the hallway from Phantom's room, Batman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman were keeping watch through the bugs Batman had planted there. None of them were officially there. Officially, Cyborg was trying to get the cameras up and running and every other hero on station was on patrol either in the corridors or outside watching for threats. There was no one left to watch a single locked-up and magically restrained prisoner who was perfectly docile as long as you kept him away from the med bay.

Officially.

Batman was a little worried by how easily Red Hood had gotten into station security. Hood knew his way around technology, but he wasn't that good, and this was the Watchtower. None of Hood's Outlaw friends had the skills to do it, either. And Bruce knew (grieved) Jason didn't trust anyone in the family enough to ask for help. But that was a problem for later.

Right now, it worked for them, even if they hadn't expected it.

And, unofficially, they were able to keep an eye on things through the bugs. Batman knew the risks he was asking Red Hood to run. He couldn't do anything about the GIW just yet. (Soon, very soon.) But he could at least be sure that Phantom stayed docile and didn't become one of those risks.

If Batman hadn't already been half convinced that Phantom was a victim, watching the young man /fall to his knees/ and beg Hood to save himself would have done it. And he had to think about that. He had to focus on that.

If he didn't, he'd think about the people who left those scars on Phantom going after /his son/ and… the leather of his gloves creaked as he forced his fists open. Tried to be in the moment.

"His fear is real," J'onn said after a moment. "I cannot detect his thoughts yet, but he is still projecting his emotions. He recognizes Red Hood, not by person but by type. It's a feeling that Red Hood is /like him/ and that whatever threatens him is also a threat to Red Hood."

"Do you believe Red Hood is one of these ecto-entities?" Wonder Woman asked. "How would that be possible?"

"I don't know," J'onn said, "But /he/ believes it."

Batman gritted his teeth and refused to reach for his communicator. Contacting Red Hood would do no good right now, and might distract him or alert Phantom that Hood was connected to them. Phantom would find out the truth eventually, but they needed him off the Watchtower and safe first.

They watched the rest of the conversation silently, Batman shaking his head. If you told most of Gotham that Red Hood was a name to inspire trust…

Then Phantom and Red Hood slipped out of the room and there was nothing left to see. Cyborg tracked them with the mics that Hood hadn't managed to cut off. But except for one time when Phantom started to talk and Hood shushed him, there was little to hear.

As they reached the Zeta tubes, J'onn said, "Atom just contacted me. He is still working his way through the papers the GIW gave us -- and is in full offended scientist mode. But he can tell us that these ecto-entities apparently… the GIW believe they are ghosts or something like ghosts, created from death and the energy of death."

"J'onn… you said Phantom referred to himself as a 'ghost boy.'"

J'onn shuddered. "Yes, actually. That was why he thought… He thought we would not be willing to feed him because he is a 'ghost boy' and 'ghost boys' don't have rights."

A ghost boy. Who thought Red Hood -- Batman's son, who died and came back to life. Who rubbed his death in Batman's face every chance he got and called himself a zombie… who came back with a streak of hair as brilliantly white as Phantom's --

Batman hit his private communicator before he could stop and think. "Hood."

"This is not a good time, Old Man."

He had to say this right. He had to find the right words so Hood /listened/ instead of lashing out. Batman resisted the urge to take a deep breath. To swallow. To give any indication that this wasn't normal vigilante business. "Strong possibility that Phantom died and that is why he is being hunted."

He couldn't say more, he didn't dare say more. All he had was speculation, and if he said anything about his fears Jason would shut him out, but this was his /son/ and he had to…

"Understood," Hood growled, "watch your back."

Then the Zeta tubes wooshed and he was gone.

______

Next

Wonder Woman to the GIW, CC: Amanda Waller (paraphrased)

Oh no! Phantom escaped. How is this possible! (No seriously, how is this possible, you information hoarding assholes.) The Justice League will put all possible resources to finding him.

As soon as the GIW would hand over all their information, please-and-thankyou. It would help in ascertaining how Phantom was able to escape. And the GIW wouldn't want to /continue/ putting civilians at risk by denying the JL critical information to effectively re-capturing Phantom, would they? Since the JL are the only ones who've managed it so far.

The transport? So sorry, top secret. But it was programmed for Death Valley. The GIW should probably start their search there.

GIW internal memo (paraphrased)

We NEED that in person meeting to finally determine if the Batman really is a ghost. How can we justify only handing the info over in person? Someone come up with an idea YESTERDAY.

tag list:

@ailithnight @library-cat-in-the-window @paper-bag-boy @beepboopimaproblemchild @mygood-bitch99 @thewondersoflebanon @overtherose @kyrianclawraith @ghostpyre (original artist/prompt maker) @serasvictoria02 @ever-changing-weirdo-3100 @that-tooth-stealing-fuck @phantom-dc @yukkikatsuki @skulld3mort-1fan @soupfilledboots @help-i-need-a-cool-username @fisticuffsatapplebees @kaitouhime @soren1830 @nottmuchtopost @why-must-i-be-like-this @screamingtofillthevoid @introvert-even-on-the-internet @charcoalstainedbones @starlightcat04 @lazy-bouqet

@androcat191 @pickleking8 @mossy-bonez @darkstarsapocalypse @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit

[vicdeangxo]

Vic chuckled at the blonde's words, feeling soft to finally be able to reconnect with her after so long. "You're really fucking fantastic for my ego, I hope you know that. I adore you," Vic laughed with an amused shake of her head, her friend's sweet compliments drawing her attention away from her appearance and tiredness. Her insane schedule usually meant they were at least one continent away from one another but luckily their friendship could weather all the storms. "I don't know what I did to deserve you but fuck, I'm a lucky gal. Give it to me in person, so I can snuggle you." When the blonde spilled the beans about being pregnant, Victoria gasped audibly before letting out a loud screech. God, the people in the rooms around her were going to hate her. "Oh my god. What? With who? Fuck, I'm so happy for you, babes. You've always wanted to be a mom so bad." Vic had listened to the other woman express her desires for love and family and there was really no one who deserved it more. "When are you due? Do you know what you're having yet?" / @mollymaehague

Molly let out a laugh as Vic pointed out her appearance. The friend shook her head and protested, "You still look like the hottest rockstar I've ever seen. If you got hit by a bus then you must be Regina George because you're still stunning." While the two women were seemingly polar opposites, they had formed a close friendship over the years. Victoria has become one of her very best friends, someone she loved and trusted. That was big for Molly, as she kept her circle small. "Sending you all the luxury skin products as an early Christmas present," She promised. "Not that you even need it but who doesn't love some self care?" At the musicians words, Molly couldn't help but grin as she prepared to tell her the news she knows her friend wouldn't be expected. "Well, for one... You're not only the hottest rockstar ever, you're going to be the hottest aunt ever... I'm pregnant." The blonde smiled wide. "On purpose," She added with a laugh. Sure, Vic had been on the road for awhile but she would know if Molly was seeing anyone. The little bit she added was needed for context. She'd explain further but wanted to take in her reaction first. @vicdeangxo

[thekatebridgerton]

Bridgerton siblings and their spouses ranked by intelligence. From the one who doesn’t have a single brain cell to the one with the most.

Well in one degree or another they're all dumbasses but on a scale of who has the braincell for the longest here we go.

1) Hyacinth: by far the smartest Bridgerton. I may not like her as a character in it's in his kiss. But her use of the one braincel is impeccable

2) Eloise: only ranks above Francesca because it took her less than a week to figure out she was inlove with Phillip. Compared to Francesca's track record. Eloise is a solid 8/10 smart

3) Francesca: smart enough to avoid scandal in London and keep her reputation spotless. She ranks under Hyacinth and Eloise because she took too long to figure out her feelings for Michael.

4) Daphne: she should rank higher, because the fake dating scheme was genius, but tricking a Simon into having a baby was a supremely stupid move.

5) Anthony: he's self aware enough to know he's an idiot at least and works to compensate this by marrying Kate . So compared to his brothers, Anthony is definitely the sharpest tool in the shed

6) Gregory: well intentioned fool, sharp enough to pick up social cues and underlying context in conversations. But an idiot when it comes to Hermione and Lucy actually make that women in general

7) Colin: rarely uses the braincell, he's happy being the foolish charming Bridgerton brother. Who didn't know his own feelings for 8 years. But he gets a point for being successful at figuring out his love interest secret identity and being the first to do so

8) Benedict : does not use the collective braincell at all. Biggest blind idiot of the family period. But we love him. (Still I'm pretty sure Sophie does all the logical thinking in his marriage )

As for the ranking of their spouses. Who are after all pretty smart to compensate we have of course

1) Sophie: honestly considering her circumstances. She wins as the smartest person in the room. If she hadn't met Benedict she'd still have found a way to escape Araminta and live a pretty neat life eventually

2) Penelope: why do I feel like I'm going in reverse order from the list above?. Penelope only ranks under Sophie because half of her problems could have been solved if she'd told her secret to Lady Danbury and let her pretend to be LW. Even the Cressida plot. In everything else she's pretty darn smart

3) Gareth: all things considered, Gareth is good plotting and if you notice unless Hyacinth interferes. He's pretty successful in his plans

4) Lucy: common sense thy name is Lucy. She's smarter than Kate was at that age. She's very Logical and her advice is always spot on. It's not her fault that people don't listen to her wisdom

5) Kate: only seems like a smart person. But in reality she's just as dumb as Anthony. People just don't notice because she's always hanging out with someone who looks less smart than her. Like her husband and her brother in laws

6) Simon: very smart fake dating idea terrible execution. He gets a point for all the maneuvering he did during the season and for having a moderately working common sense

7) Phillip: smart academically but only academically, he can manage an estate and make it profitable. Help cure children fever and probably has the best medical knowledge in the family. But in everything else he's a hot mess. Socially and emotionally Philip isn't smart he's just very very lucky that nobody has taken advantage of him yet. That's the headcanon

8) Michael: acts and looks smart but is actually a well meaning idiot. sorry Michael. But we don't shame him because at least he's better than Benedict in the one braincel department. I mean really he's not that stupid. He's just stupid in comparison to all his fellow in-laws Well meaning as he is. Also he ranks 8th because he's the only in law who ever hightailed out of the entire continent to escape his feelings. (Idiot.) Not the country, the continent!

And this has been the tea 🍵

[holdingforgeneralhugs]

Bitter Pill to Swallow

Chapter 5 (Ch.4, Ch.3, Ch.2, Ch.1)

Thank you as always to @tvserie-s-world for the lovely screencaps 💕

It had been five days since they'd set sail for England, and safe to say tensions were starting to fray. Valerie was lucky to be bunking with Harry, but even they'd had a few disagreements.

"If you don't quit your snoring I'm gonna strap you to the bow to scare off the sharks," he'd sworn one early morning, tying his shirt buttons roughly.

"My snoring?" Valerie replied incredulously, "I'm surprised you can hear me snoring over the droning of your own."

She was playing a game of fish with George when the fight of the day broke out. She'd been laughing at his master plan to snag an English dame when they'd overheard Bill Guarnere talking shit. Valerie looked up in alarm when she noticed Lieb jumping down from his bunk and getting up in Bill's face. She sighed and jumped down herself, intending to step in between them and prevent any fists from flying.

"Hey, hey," she shouted, pulling Lieb back behind her "break it up you two, and watch your damm mouth Gonnorhea. Quit talking shit about Jews, you know where we're going and who we're fighting so why don't you show some goddamn respect. " She put a hand on Lieb's shoulder to steer him back towards his bunk. "Don't listen to him Lieb, he's just being an idiot."

As they moved away they heard Bill grumbling something about 'goddamn woman must be on the rag," and Valerie saw red. She dropped her hand from Lieb's shoulder and marched back towards Bill.

"You wanna say that again to my face Guarnere?" snapped Valerie, "who do you think you are saying things like that about a ranking officer?"

Don was desperately trying to pull Bill away, warning him to cut it out before he gets himself in more trouble. A hush settled in the immediate area surrounding them, everyone afraid to intervene but too nosy to look away.

"I said what I said," Bill snarled, pulling his arm out of Don's and clenching his jaw. Valerie narrowed her eyes at him and glared coldly.

"I'm gonna give you one more chance to take that back Guarnere," Valerie warned, crossing her arms. She felt Lieb step up beside her protectively, and even though she didn't need it she was eternally grateful for him in that moment. He had her back, and he wanted her to know it.

"I ain't taking nothing back, I said what I said," he insisted, ignoring Don's contined pleas for him to back down.

Valerie narrowed her eyes at Bill, her fingers clenching against her crossed arms and her face reddening. Beside her, Lieb was clenching his fists so hard she was sure they'd split open at the knuckles.

"You really don't know when to shut your damn mouth do you?" Snapped Lieb, stepping forward and raising his fist for another go at Bill. But Valerie threw her arm across his chest and stopped him, shaking her head and silently trying to tell him that she could deal with this herself. He huffed but stepped back beside her, continuing to glare harshly at Bill.

"Well you know what gonorrhea," Valerie hissed coldly, stepping up to him "next time why don't you say that to my fists huh? Because you are sorely mistaken if you don't think I could punch you so hard you'd be seeing Lady Liberty dancing the jive."

Bill was about to respond when they were interrupted by a stern voice.

"What's going on here?" Asked Lieutenant Winters, who'd appeared behind Valerie without her noticing. She took a few deep breaths before turning on her toes to face him.

"Nothin' for you to worry about Lieutenant Winters," she replied. He glanced between her and Bill sceptically, his eyebrows furrowing as he assessed the situation.

"Well," he said evenly, "whatever fight was going on here that you don't want me to know about, break it up. We've got a lot of training and work to do once we get to England so use these next five days wisely and take all the rest you can get."

The men who'd gathered on the floor dispersed hastily with a few 'yes sir's'. With one final lingering glare, Bill and Valerie turned away from each other and went their separate ways. She was about to follow Lieb up to his bunk when a tap on her shoulder stopped her.

"Could I talk to you up on deck Lieutenant?" He asked tightly. Val stared him down for a moment before nodding her agreement and following him up the steps and onto the breezy deck.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" She asked after a few beats of awkward silence. His shoulders tensed and he looked out over the ocean for a few seconds before speaking.

"Lieutenant Landry, I don't want you to think I'm criticising you but..."

Look," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, "whatever it is you gotta say to me jus' get on with it."

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face roughly. "I really don't want to fight fight you so please, don't get all offended about this," he paused in his speech and took a deep breath before continuing, "you're a ranking officer Landry, you cant just go around threatening your NCO's, or any of the men for that matter. It's completely out of line."

"Out of line?," she hissed, narrowing her eyes, her temper immediately flaring at his accusing tone, "Guarnere was out of line makin' comments about Jews and then disrespectin' me. So I think I had every right to say what I said, an' I'd say it again too. You weren't even there, you have no idea what happened before you turned up."

"Then tell me," he sighed, "tell me what happened and I'll go down there and deal with Bill right this minute."

"I just told you, he was making comments about Jews and then he disrespected me," she explained tersely, "And I don't need you to go down there and deal with it. I was dealin' with it jus' fine until you showed up." She couldn't believe he was standing there reprimanding her, nor that he wanted to play the white knight and go deal with the situation for her. She had been handling the situation and herself just fine before he showed up.

"I understand that Guarnere is difficult, and I have no doubt he was running his mouth and deserved a reprimand," Winters groaned, "but you still shouldn't have spoken to him like that, especially in front of the rest of the men. You should have officially reprimanded him in a calm way like a ranking officer should."

He was questioning her capabilities as an officer. He honestly believed that she couldn't behave like an officer should. They'd never been friends, hell, they couldn't even have a conversation, but she'd always grudgingly respected that he was a good officer. She'd never once doubted his capabilities as a leader.

In a deep buried part of her, though she'd never admit it, his words stung. His doubts of her capabilites hurt. She had a level of respect for him that obviously he didn't have for her. She'd thought that despite all the tension between them, she could at least count on the fact that he'd respect her position as a Lieutenant. Clearly she'd been wrong.

"Oh, so you doubt my capabilities as an officer is that it?" She snapped defensively, "and for your information, you missed the part where I very calmly told him to take back what he said. You're making a whole lot of assumptions based on the tiny part of the conversation you saw, but I can't say I'm surprised. You've obviously never respected my place in Easy and now the truth of your thoughts has finally come out."

Dick shook his head and ran his tongue over his teeth, his jaw tensing slightly. "That's not what I meant and you know it, stop putting words in my mouth. You're quite possibly the most impossible person I've ever met." He placed his hands on his hips and looked out over the sea once more. "I never said I didn't respect your position as a Lieutenant, I just meant you should have reprimanded Guarnere more calmly."

His patronising was just making her more mad. He really had the nerve to stand there and act like he was better than her when he couldn't possibly understand the situation. "You implied I didn't behave like a proper officer, so please do tell me what you actually meant when you said that because I'd just love to know."

"I didn't mean it like that, so I'm sorry if that's how it came across to you," he huffed, trying to keep his emotions in check, "Just don't talk to your subordinates like that anymore, alright? We've got more than enough to worry about without fights between the officers and the enlisted." He turned to leave without waiting for her to respond any further.

She watched him walk away from her, her simmering temper roiling. Why that sanctimonious prat. She'd just love to see what he would have done if he were in her shoes.

"You know what Winters," she shouted at his retreating back, unable to stop herself from getting in the last word, "I'd like to see you spend a day in my shoes and keep your goddamn cool." Now that she'd started she couldn't stop, all of her frustrated feelings pouring out of her now she'd opened the floodgates a crack.

"I'd like to see you stand there while Guarnere mocks you and says you're just an angry woman on the rag and not get mad. So don't you stand there and patronise me about propriety. Because you know what, if you could actually manage to keep your cool in that situation I'd reckon you were a goddamn saint."

She stormed past his frozen form and marched out the door without a backwards glance, slamming it harshly behind her. Now then, let him stew on that for awhile. She pointedly ignored the twinge of hurt she felt at his words, furiously tampering it down and smothering it with her anger as she marched back to her cabin.

Taglist: @tvserie-s-world @geniedocroe @generousdreamlanddestiny @sunsetmando @cagzzz107 @howunexpectedlyso @alejodi0nysus @sunflowerchuck @now-im-a-belieber

If you'd like to be added to my taglist then just let me know 💕

[bryan360]

My YCCTEAM's Wireless Switch Pro Controller - Part 16/Final (Career Mode racing in Asphalt 9: Legends)

What's up guys? Welcome back to be at another YCCTEAM Controller topic review share, but guess what? This will be the final video post that I've been waiting for a long time or in case a year half and months since the beginning of revealing my controller back in 🎃October 3rd, 2020. Even though it needed takes time to make sure to correct in details such as doing comparison from my other controllers, testing its buttons, battery charging to battery life results, and pretty much else I've been gone through in months. However, there is one more topic review post that I'm bringing to an end as of my decision; especially when if I'll be doing other topic reviews to my new items soon.

For today's post though, I decided to merge two videos as originally gotten both recordings from last week I've been saving. It's something that I should've done from my past video postings while I'm in YCCTEAM Controller topic reviews, but nevertheless it was alright when I'm getting used to. Anyways, I'm back to try out my final testing as you expected while I'm at Asphalt 9: Legends again. This time I'll turn up the notch by doing real racing with other opponents in career mode and both of the control settings to use after from doing tutorial last month.

Here it is as I'm in track based on San Franciso; the same place I've already cleared its first challenge back in January 18th, 2020. Link Here

I also did the second challenge during part 3 of my Asphalt 9: Legend’s career progress to remember. Link Here #2

However for this topic review post to share, I wanted to go back its first challenge to race through like I did in last year, but showing off my YCCTEAM Controller again and using the same car of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution; as I previously used on few challenges or just one during my career progress from last year. I'm giving some upgrades along the way, but hoping I can show it during my contining Asphalt 9: Legend's progress soon. Let's get into it as It'll be the final topic review post for my controller.

During two of my recording videos being merged, I'm using my controller to show as I'm racing through San Francisco track against other racers like I previously did in January 2020....two times to be exact when I used both different control settings from manual to gyro like last time when I'm showing off during tutorial mode last month.

It's gonna be different to see which settings I can used for my career mode in progress; despite being obvious it had to be manual settings with pressing buttons for acceleration, brake, and nitro boost. I'm just making this as I'll go along when using both settings once again. I'll even bring the results after crossing the finish line for the races end and how much did I do in time. If I can remember my first one back in Janaury 2020 was 00:43.366 or 43 minutes and 366 seconds while during its first challenge I gotten. Here's my last year's screenshot in high quality to get a better look.

Just wondering how it can compared to my other two racing results during this recording. Well I'll tell ya this is gonna be interesting and hoping to my closest friends to see as well.

On first half until 1:22, I'm doing my first racing through San Franciso track in title "City Dash" where I needed to reach the goal from other opponents they'll trying to catch on me. I did good while using my YCCTEAM Controller in manual setting with the steering analog stick and some tricks like jumping on ramps. However, I was bumping into things while I'm trying to press the left button for brake and drifts, but other times was performing the 360 move at opponents for no strange reason that I'm trying to get knockdowns. ^^* (at least I did have one knockdown on first half, though) Anyways while continuing my race, I made it to a finish line at the end from doing turns, jumping into ramps like two times, and some bumping into walls that I'm trying my best to dodge those. So my racing time results was unexpected since January 2020 is the very first one I've gotten while I'm in manual. Instead, my new racing time results change to 00:44.647 or 44 minutes and 647 seconds while I'm in manual settings a second time as before. I was so close that it should've been much lesser than that if I could make some room in obstacle or something. Nevertheless, it was of really was while doing my YCCTEAM Controller post to share, but at least it was a good first half.

As for the second half though, I'm switched up to gyro control when using my controller to move left and right. During another racing track through San Francisco, I've gotten into somewhat good start as well when using my controller to move my car and the buttons for acceleration, brake/drift, etc while reaching the racing goal again. That being said however as I'm still working on some "errors" while having to race against opponents. Mostly though was while perform my ramp jump, I've almost getting crash into the wall just before landing on the road by luck. It happens at 02:14 to 02:18, but man that it was still lucky or otherwise would've been ruin if I'll start all over again. I tried to steer to get away from and some others that I've keep bump into to get knockdowns at opponents. Nevertheless, it was not bad second half to make while moving my controller in gyro settings; just wanted to work on its sensitivity of adjust along the way. How's my racing time results during it though was really unexpected is 00:43.334 or 43 minutes and 334 seconds to compared on others. (January. 18th, 2020's and September. 8th, 2021's in two recordings merged) Let's just say in other words, the gyro setting I did during second half takes the top spot here by surprise. Maybe because I putting nitro boost for its speed just to catch up at opponents before reaching the finish line? Or simply put on fate to see how do well in gyro settings I've been practicing; like last time when you've see me during my past topic review post while I'm in tutorial mode. Either way, it was pretty not bad to know how I managed to get there during second half recording I gotten; after checking the racing time results changes to 43 minutes and 334 seconds.

My thoughts and a final conclusion for this topic

Just like from last month when using my YCCTEAM Controller for tutorial test, I did really well for this one when I'm in career mode racing through San Francisco. After doing two settings both manual and gyro motion was another review test to see how which would I prefer to use when I can continuing on my career mode in progress and another for hoping there's normal race mode to unlock. I had missteps along the way; including the one during second half where I was almost crashed into the building's wall until I safely landed. Nevertheless, they're both alright when I'm taking my time off to see what racing results I have in both. Unexpected for gyro motion controls having to recognized that it compared from what I did in Janaury 18th, 2020 when clearing its first challenge at 43 minutes and 366 seconds. However for manual settings like I did before that was so close to match; as it underperformed at 44 minutes and 647 seconds. Thought I could handing well like last time if needed, but guessing I've miss calculating a little. So that's means gyro motion setting won? Doesn't matter though as they're both good tests while using my YCCTEAM Controller to show; just like last month when I'm cleared through tutorial mode. However, I'll be closing this topic review to an end after long time of giving details, comparison to other of my controllers, batteries, and more I gone through so far.

🐰🖌Maxwell: Yeah. We've been waiting for after year and the half when he did his best of reviewing this alternative controller to work on his Nintendo Switch system. If I could remember, there are good ones to choose from other past posts; like when he did on Super Smash Bros match with Mario against Banjo & Kazooie.

🐰👊💥May: There's more than that, Maxwell. Like doing his button test it works alright; especially knowing fits well then previously use his Joy-Cons when it had the R button stop working and of course drifting. Hoping it won't effect his YCCTEAM Controller anytime soon.

🦊⚽️Sam: You said it. At least rest assured when it comes to making his topic review, the YCCTEAM Controller had a good run with its battery life, the design to make as a similar Switch Pro Controller, and impressive feedback or response when playing those games in manual or gyro motion setting in Asphalt 9: Legends for example.

Thanks, Sam. I think I can give this a positive thumbs up 👍🏼 for how I using my YCCTEAM Controller to my Nintendo Switch system. Except some minor cons like when turning the rumble features on to my controller that it keep on rumbling through Super Mario Odyessy's cutscenes.

🐰🖌Maxwell: Or another one when you trying to turn on your Nintendo Switch system with your pro controller's home button, but doesn't work it right unlike your used Joy-Cons for some reason.

Yeah, that too. I'm fine to turn on my Switch system manually anyways, but would like that if the developers ever updated my controller so it can be easy to press the home button to activate my system just as easily. Someday, but not today I guess. Anyways, hope you guys and my closest friends to check out my lastest YCCTEAM Controller topic review to share and to my final conclusion after giving my thoughts about from year and half ago. I'm hoping to take it rest and continuing on other stuff like I'm promised to bring my own Super Mario 3D All-Star progress to share for example. I had too much things to get through that I nearly forgotten. Sorry if it happens. 😔

There's one more thing, though. If you finded interests about getting the YCCTEAM Controller like I have, then maybe you can check out at other online stores such as Amazon.com. it cost $25.99 or $26.00 in price which it can affordable if you called that in different way. I even check through search to see its there and it was still available as I link to this one. Link Here

Not sure if it'll work on other countries, but I would like to see when my P-Pal managed to get those in other online stores he could find, but just saying. 😅

Previous Posts for my YCCTEAM’s Pro Controller Topic:

Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite (Part 1) - Link Here #1

My YCCTEAM’s Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite Unboxing (Part 2) - Link Here #2

My YCCTEAM’s Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite Comparison with my Xbox One (Part 3) - Link Here #3

My YCCTEAM’s Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite Comparison with my Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons (Part 4) - Link Here #4

Testing Buttons (Part 5) - Link Here #5

Rumble Feature Testing (Part 6) - Link Here #6

Battery Charging Test (Part 7) - Link Here #7

Playtime Battery Life Results (Part 8) - Link Here #8

Gyro and Motion Controls 1st Half (Part 9) - Link Here #9

Gyro and Motion Controls 2nd Half (Part 9.5) - Link Here #10

Playtime through Super Mario 3D All-Stars game in Super Mario 64 #1 - Link Here #11

Playtime through Super Mario 3D All-Stars game in Super Mario 64 #2 - Link Here #12

Playtime through Super Smash Bros Ultimate #1 - Link Here #13

Playtime through Super Smash Bros Ultimate #2 - Link Here #14

Tutorial through Asphalt 9: Legends #1 - Link Here #15 Tutorial through Asphalt 9: Legends #2 - Link Here #16

[tazmilyxfamily]

Hol'li sighed quietly as she put the note away, still a tad bit frustrated at the poor description. She understood that humans had neither natural weapons nor the ability to fly, but would it be so difficult for them to at least stop to figure out what exactly was attacking them? Especially before paying someone else to deal with it for them...

"They're lucky I'm already familiar," said the manakete, expressing her next thought aloud. "though I'd say I'm just as lucky to be paired up with someone who's skilled with a crossbow."

She got up, carrying much less total equipment than most others as per her Chon'sin training, then turned to face Helegard. It was difficult to tell from her face expression if her words were a personal compliment or just a statement of fact. It was just as difficult to tell just how patiently she was waiting for her companion to finish, though she thankfully seemed to stand rather casually.

"As for why they're so unusual, Mogall were only ever seen on another continent - Magvel - a very long time ago. They were summoned alongside other monsters by someone named Lyon." she added, "or so I've heard."

Hol'li hadn't exactly been at the forefront of the final battle against Fomortiis, but she had some idea of how much Lyon had meant to the royal twins. It was better to be vague about her own opinions of him.

"They should not be here..."

eyeball monsters? helegard raises a brow, leaning forward to examine the note offered. the fox armor-clad woman is rather unimpressed, pulling back and huffing. it gets the point across, but the writer of the note could do far better description-wise. at least she has a competent teammate who seems to know what she’s doing.

the archer goes back to checking her gear, systematically moving her bag to her side. as her companion muses, helegard rummages through the sack until she finds a wood-carved llama statue that’s half as big as her forearm.

“mogall,” helegard repeats slowly, taking a cloth and gently cleaning potion residue off the wooden figure, “dark magic users, huh? some blinding arrows should put them in their place and confuse them enough for you to get close enough to knock them outta the park.”

helegard pauses to fold the cloth to one of its cleaner sides, then methodically continues her motions. she lets out a contemplative hum.

“they’re irregular there, then? how so? i’d rather be prepared for an unusual ambush or the like.”