#big alex indigo speaks

[gothicagereprinx]

I'm going back to my gothic theme but keeping some hippie stuff too.

[smolgeekthings]

I can name many reasons why I want to go back to New York. Even though it really overstimulated me sensory wise, I still want to be back in the big city.

[hupla222]

Alex Headcanons

Was so excited to check the major events section of Bulbapedia for the new episode only to remember that there is no new episode today. So, uh, enjoy these Alex headcanons that I have instead because this man is best man. As always, this is just how I view him, if you have your own hc feel free to share them. And I will come back and cross out stuff that is proven to be not canon.

He is 34 years old and only a couple of months older than Lucca. He gets upset when everyone assumes he's in his 40s.

He is the naive sort and has a bad habit of falling for clickbait articles.

He is a major cuddle-bug and his love language is 100% physical touch. Going off of that he gets lonely easily.

He is definitely not an adventurer and the thought of doing all this crazy stuff scares him. He also sucks at battling.

Generally he is a very sleepy man. He's a really heavy sleeper and can sleep in past noon if nobody wakes him.

He is a Paldea born and raised, specifically in Medali though he doesn't visit home often anymore. It's not that he doesn't like home, he just doesn't always have the time for it.

He is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish fluently

He comes from a big family (although if you've seen my posts before you know all about them. See this fic for more information)

He doesn't really like it but he's the jealous type but he's more likely to sulk than really do much to the other person.

He doesn't like the share his feelings with others, he sees himself as burdening them. Him talking with Friede was a special case.

Liko definitely gets her shyness and awkwardness from him, he's just better at hiding it now that he's an adult.

He was bullied pretty badly when he went to Indigo Academy. Lucca was his only real friend.

Fidough was the partner he received from Indigo Academy and he doesn't like to put him in his pokeball. Fidough is his emotional support dog.

Brassius is the one who helped him get into the art scene and acted as his mentor of sorts.

Him and Diana have major beef but they try to hide it whenever Liko is around.

He is the on who suggested the name Liko if they had a daughter.

Being born and raised in Paldea, he has a high tolerance and a love of spicy food. Lucca not so much

He is a fan of Hallmark esque movies. He puts them on as background noise while he paints

[her0brine]

I finally got around to finishing the first part of my little three part fic about Steve and Alex meeting for the first time! I haven’t made a name for this part/the overall name for the story yet so I’ll probably edit this later! I genuinely hope y’all like this first part, the other two halves I’ll try to make it as equally long!!!

The quiet still of a nighttime forest is abruptly cut by the ragged breaths of a miner, hurriedly shambling across patches of grass, as they gingerly hold onto their day’s work. They have been mining for hours, as they were in dire need of iron ore to smelt into ingots, after realizing their new rail system was a bit short on tracks. Their short grey boots squelched into the wet earth, as it was pouring earlier in the day before they entered the cave system they have uncovered some time before. The sound of their mining completely droned out the pouring rain as it echoed through the cave system, so they were quite surprised to see that a light mist has settled across the Overworld.

However, they are fearful of staying out late at nighttime, and they mistakenly stayed in the cave too long, as the mineral vein they discovered was quite large and they didn’t want to pass up on the rare opportunity. As they walked without a torch, the miner’s eyes seems to be rapidly scanning the environment that surrounds them. Walking in the nighttime without a torch was dangerous and is quite the taboo, but spending years in near pitch-black conditions has actually made the miner gain a bit of rudimentary night vision, but also in reality, they genuinely believe that using torches will actually attract hostile mobs towards them. Along with the lack of a torch, they actually didn’t have much on hand, only the fresh iron ore they recently mined, their fully enchanted netherite pickaxe, and the worn-out clothes on their back. Even though they’re clearly capable of entering and traversing such a dangerous location like the Nether to the point that they’ve managed to make netherite items, they still have to resort to getting basic ores from the Overworld to craft relatively simpler items. They actually own a fully enchanted set of netherite armor back at their house, but they rarely put it on, fearful that Pillagers might catch wind of their armor and would strike against them for it. They’re fully capable of slaughtering them in return if one of them even glanced in their direction, but violence is something the miner seems to be fully avoiding. The numerous scars that litter across their entire body seems to suggest otherwise.

As they make their way across the seemingly lifeless and still landscape, they suddenly pause to hear the rustling of a tree. Immediately, the miner looks incredibly on-edge, their indigo eyes rapidly darting from side to side, but not faltering. The gears in their mind start to grind at the thought of what sort of mob would be lurking around in such a situation. As they tense their body, they suddenly drop the iron ores to the ground as they swiftly grab the pickaxe from their waistband. The sounds of the iron ore hitting the wet ground cause them to ring across the barren land, while they lie alone in the darkness, waiting to strike against what suddenly provoked them.

Silence.

Expecting a creeper to hiss at them or a phantom to screech, the miner eventually realizes there’s no mob stalking them, as it was the just erratic cold breeze of the night, making its way through the sparse woods. However this did not fully ease their mind, as they discordantly picked up from the still wet ground the iron ingots, as the bits of metal embedded within the stone blocks now gleamed in the dim moonlight. They begin again, shambling across the patchy land, although at a much faster pace, but not enough to be considered running. Soon, off in the distance they can see their home, a building they have spent the last few years of their life constructing and expanding upon. The house’s facade appears quite quaint and small, as if a child drew it, but surrounding it is a plethora of small shacks and storage units, along with a farm that jutted from one of the sides of the house. The miner picks up speed again, as a small smile starts to form across their typically sullen face. The smile is quickly ripped apart, as the deafening silence of the forest is disrupted once more.

“S-SHIT AAAHH-AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!.......”

The miner stops dead in their tracks, softly trembling as the iron ores once again tumble out of their shaky grasp.

“...a...AH!?........ err..er.....eahh ah? ah?.....”

The miner seems to quietly babble to themselves nonsensically, as they whip their head around frantically, trying to look for the source of the scream. They knew of swears, but only of ones spoken in the English language, a typically human language. The chances of a villager knowing, and also being capable of speaking such a term would almost be impossible. Some wandering traders, clerics, and librarians have spoken English words to them before, but usually said them incorrectly or with a odd vocal inflection. The miner trembles once more, as they raise one of their hands to place upon the top of their head, as they try to make sense of what occurred.

“n...nnH....nnnHhn...........aH.....ah! ah!! whh..whIIi.....w-WINNdd!...... w-wuh-wind.. ehhgg..... err.............. y-yeaa..............” as a timid smile forms on their face again, seemingly at ease at believing it was the wind playing tricks on their mind again.

“AAAAGGH!!! WILL YOU DIE ALREADY!!??!”

The shout is cut off by the sharp clang of the sound of metal clashing against metal, as the miner looks completely aghast, frozen in place as their frantic breaths causes mist to form around them. They look across the horizon, knowing exactly where the screaming originated from. They seem to immediately break out of the dazed stupor they were in, hurling themselves into the new direction. Their frenzied loud steps now contributes to the sounds that broke the still of the night, as more metal clashes rang out in the darkness. Mud splatters across their boots and jeans as they run across the land, before suddenly ducking behind a sweet berry bush nearby the source of the sounds, not caring about the thorns now tearing into their hands and arms. They gingerly pull aside some of the branches to peek through the bush, looking downwards on a lower piece of terrain. It seems to be only a few blocks down, meaning that they could jump without the risk of injuring their already previously battered legs. As for why they realized they have to probably make such a jump, they were witnessing a red-headed human going against a pack of skeletons and spiders, who looked as if their luck was running out. The miner seems entranced, but also absolutely petrified at what they’re seeing, as the other human has been clearly shot at with arrows, as one protrudes out of one of their shoulders, as another seems to have broken off in their back.

“IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! ZOMBIES GIVE ME A BETTER FIGHT THAT YOU LOSERS! HA!!”

The shout and guffaw is followed by the swift strike of their gold sword, slicing and crunching through the exoskeleton of one of the large spiders that lunged at them. As pale blue blood and chunks of spider setae fly away from the large hit, the miner is still fully transfixed behind their dimly lit sweet berry bush, as a discarded torch, presumably from that red-headed person, sits aside it.

They haven’t seen another human being since......... since their earliest known memory. They have spent years of their life along in solitude, fully accepting their fate of being truly alone and never being able to socialize properly with another alive human being. They have stumbled across in their mining endeavors the decaying and crushed remains of other humans, but their bones seemed to be quite ancient or even fully shattered into small shards, further proving their point of them possibly being the last living human in this biome, and all adjacent biomes as well. So to see what was essentially deemed impossible, right upon their own eyes was absolutely stunning, yet horrifying. The miner begins to tremble again, but more intensely as their eyes worriedly dart between what they’re watching and down at themselves, as they try to think of what to do next.

......Should I hop in and help, or would that be too brazen? They seem to be pretty capable of defending themselves and they also have good form, but they’re also pretty injured and the blood that is spreading from their wounds seemed quite big!!! What if another wave of mobs notices them, and they pile on as well? Would they soon bleed out?! Would they get hostile against me, even if I try to help?!? Would they think I was stalking them this whole time!?!?!........

The miner frenetically whimpers guttural sounds to themselves while burying their head into their lap, becoming fully overwhelmed by their own paranoid thoughts. They don’t want their first interaction with another alive human to be stemmed in violence, even if they weren’t the ones who started the fight. Their time to dwell on what to do next was cut short, as the sharp crack of the person’s gold sword breaking in half indicated that they were now essentially dead meat.

“O-oh AH kn-kNULLA!.. AH UH UH...” the redhead says as they begin to panic, as their gold sword was the only usable weapon they had on-hand, as they now attempted to punch a skeleton that was busy reloading their bow. They whiff the punch, stumbling over as the skeleton now hits them over the head with the bow’s lower limb, now disorienting them even more. They soon try to crawl away, still bleeding quite profusely from their wounds, but still not going down without a fight. The rustling of nearby bushes occurs again, with them now wincing, bracing for another hostile mob to come into the fray.

It was not a hostile mob.

The miner bursts forward from the bush, pickaxe firmly gripped in one of their hands, as they effortlessly swipe at the skeleton, absolutely obliterating it’s fragile skull as the pickaxe plunged through it as if it was butter. As bone shards fly away from the hit, the miner shifts their footing to carry the momentum from the hit, to directly pin and gash open the nearby spider that was attempting to lunge at them. As the spider squeals in absolute agony, their cries were silenced by a quick stomp to the head, crushing it as more pale blue blood splatters across the grassy ground. The carnage did not stop as the miner seemed to effortlessly pick off the rest of the mobs, with some of them now attempting to flee the fight, but they were not spared. As the miner now barreling towards the cowardly mobs, the redhead finally laid facing up, looking onwards on what just happened. Now absolutely dumbstruck, they just sat there with their mouth agape, as this being disposes of what was initially fighting them. The way they killed, with such efficiency and violence was...... chilling.

Silence.

The arid still of the night settled in once more, as the miner finished bashing in the brains of the last spider that remained. Their breaths were husky as they straitened out their back, but oddly at the same time, they also looked somewhat composed. Their back and arm muscles flexed tightly against their worn-out clothes, as they begin to look down towards their right hand, still gripping firmly on the pickaxe. It was drenched in gore and pieces of bone, before wiping it off on their pant leg. Their breathing stilled however when they turned around, to see the other human still on the ground, staring back at them in total shock.

“...... y-you...............th-thANK YOU!!!!” the person yelled, as a large smile spreads across their once panic-stricken face. They push themselves off the bloodied ground, now happily walking towards their sudden deus ex machina. They reach out their hands, attempting to give them a handshake before speaking once more.

“T-THAT WAS AMAZING!! YOU! YOU! TOOK THEM ALL DOWN WITH JUST A PICKAXE!!! I WOULD’VE DIED!! THANK YOU!! WHAT’S YOUR NAME!!!!!”

They soon grip the miner’s free hand, jostling their entire arm as they continue to smile gleefully, even with two arrows still lodged in their flesh.

“I’M!! Wait I’m a bit l-loud so-sorry!! I’m just!! AHH I’m Alex!!! My name is Alex!! What’s yours?!”

Their gleeful smile falters a bit however when fully looking at the miner’s face, seeing that they’re absolutely aghast. Also, if they weren’t sweating bullets before during the fight, they certainly were now.

“A-are you okay? Is? Is there something else around us?!.....” they say, as they soon start to survey the dark terrain that surrounds them. Their grip loosens on the miner’s hand, and it is quickly removed before the redhead notices.

“...eRRr............ A-AHh!!............. ssss..........sttt.... stTEEEEVVV.......... HHGHK!!!” was the last thing the miner manages to stutter out, before a large dry coughing fit ensues. The miner backs a few steps away, their hands now flying up towards their throat as their own grip on the pickaxe loosens, it’s metallic ring ensuing at it hits the ground, making a uncomfortable cacophony alongside their pained gasps. Alex looks on in worried confusion, as the miner continues to roughly cough before tears begin to well up in their eyes.

“mmmMhhh!!!........!!!”, they whimper as their face winces from the force of the coughing fit.

“A-are you okay?.... Were you bit?! I’ve heard p-people can have reactions to spider bites, are you o-one of them?”

Their tone was now soft and mellow, not the boisterous and loud tone it initially was, as they attempt to get closer to the miner. They back off, as the miner now realizes their concern and rapidly waves them off. They soon quickly plunge their hands into their jean’s pockets, trying to fish something up.

“Did you drop something? I can look around!!”

“mmhHH!!”

“Wait is that paper? Oh, okay you’re writing in it now?.............. ooooo! I haven’t seen charcoal in so long!!” they say, seemingly amused by such a rudimentary item. The miner begins to regain their proper breathing, as they scribble away on the paper, quickly glancing up from it every few words, looking at Alex in front of them, who is still bleeding this whole time. They soon hand the paper towards them, although their arm is now fully trembling.

“Oh? Okay okay give me a second, let me clear out my throat!..... Okay let me start! ‘Hello, my name is Steve. It is very nice to meet you. I live around here, and my house is just a few blocks down from this spot. I’m very sorry that I cannot speak to you, I am mute. I can kind of speak through my hands, but I’m not sure if you can understand it. Please let me invite you to my home, you are hurt and I have potions of healing and I can construct you a new bed. I’m terribly sorry I had to meet you like this, I hope I didn’t accidentally scare you when I jumped out. I sincerely apologize if I did.’ ...... oh. You’re mute?........ I’m... I’m sorry I tried to make you talk......”

Alex’s voice wavers, as a guilty look spreads across their face, their eyebrows tiling up as they too begin to tremble slightly. Steve notices as they try to say that it’s fine, but all that comes out is more faint guttural sounds. They begin to gesture at the direction their house is in, trying to get Alex’s mind off of their accidental mistake.

“Oh? Well...... I mean like I am in pretty bad shape huh?” A weak laugh comes out of Alex, as they finally seem to be aware of their wounds.

“Go right ahead, I’ll be right next to you!”

“EHH!! Er!!!!” Steve says as their eyebrows fly up, seemingly shocked at the thought of Alex walking in the condition they are in. They begin to gesture towards them the idea of carrying them over there, but Alex shakes their head, showing that they’re still capable of walking on their own.

The two of them stare at each other for a little bit, as a bit of awkward tension forms between the duo. Steve is the first to start leaning towards the path home however, and Alex begins to follow as well, although their small grunts of pain while walking started to deeply perturb Steve.....

[megatraven]

you know i had do it ya... all of them. all of the watercolors

DSFRGTREDFR i appreciate u so much....... (wont re-answer th ones ive already answered tho)

cadmium yellow; when you think of the word “happy” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

alex. is anyone surprised? probably not. alex is the biggest source of happiness for me at the moment bc i love them so much and think of them so often vuv

hansa yellow; what’s your guilty pleasure song?

god is a woman by arianna grande!!!!! love it

yellow ochre; name an artist/band whom you just discovered & can’t get enough of!

i hope it counts if it’s a fictional band bc Julie and the Phantoms own my ears rn

naples yellow; where do you feel most at home?

in my little apartment, in my bed with bunches of blankets and stuffed animals and snacks vuv

raw sienna; with whom do you feel most at home?

i don’t know! i’ve never really thought about it, and thinking about it now, i can’t pick out just one person. any of my friends, i guess!

golden ochre; describe the relationship you have with your closest friend.

i don’t have just one closest friend, i have a few. but my relationship with them is nice, we’ve made good strides to setting healthy boundaries, i think, and we can talk to each other about anything! :D

cadmium orange; what do you like to do on your days off?

rest and relax, watch a show or maybe just turn on some music while I play lovestruck or lovelink, play some pokemon, and either write or draw! i also really like to nap, especially since i often wake up early on my days off, and most of my friends aren’t online yet. helps me skip to when they Are online

orange lake; do you have anyone you can turn to when you’re sad?

oh, i have many people who would be very supportive, i know. it’s not a matter of having someone for me, though. i just don’t know how to bring it up to them, so i usually just keep quiet about it whenever i am :’)

titans; do you prefer slow mornings or relaxing evenings?

relaxing evenings, i think. slow mornings tend to frustrate me a little, but relaxing evenings are perfect

shakhnazaryan red; are you currently binge-watching anything?

julie! and! the! phantoms!!!!! i mean i already bingewatched it but i keep rewatching it like all at once, that counts right???

red ochre; are you more right-brained (creative) or left-brained (analytical)?

right-brained B)

burnt sienna; is there a painting that brings you peace when you look at it?

there are many, but i can’t think of any names or artist right now :^)

english red; what animal do you relate to most?

tiger tiger tiger tiger t-

vermilion; what’s your favorite accent?

right now? greek!

cadmium red; do you have a “type” when it comes to a significant other?

not really! just. girl or nb, i guess lol

scarlet; describe your current crush/es.

i guess i’m still nursing a crush from a couple years ago, though it’s much smaller now since we don’t talk as much but ummm she’s really sweet and funny, and endlessly kind it feels like. she’s so creative and smart and i love how passionate she gets <3 she’s a really good friend, too, and i really appreciate having her in my life in any amount :D

ruby; what does your ideal first date look like?

some cute little cafe-type place, MAYBE with some light hand holding, as we talk about whatever comes to mind, be it fandoms, our lives, etc.

carmine; what does your ideal second date look like?

just hanging out in the living room or bedroom, really. i don’t care much for going out, but if we went out anywhere at all, it would be lovely to walk down the street after a nice autumn rain vwv

madder lake red; would you ever kiss someone (or accept a kiss) on a first date?

no, and i don’t think i will ever really want to kiss anyone, thinking of being kissed kind of squicks me out. unless it’s a kiss on the cheek or hand or something, then that would be okay :)

rose; what’s something really positive going on in your life right now?

oh hm..... well, at work, my coworker has been really nice about letting me play christmas music on the radio all day :) it drives him nuts, but he keeps turning it on for me because he knows i like it a lot. it’s really sweet. it’s not a huge gesture, but it means a lot to me!

quinacridone rose; what’s something you’re really looking forward to?

the day that i finally adopt a cat! i’ve been sitting on it since around april but i just keep waiting. the day i do it, though..... i can’t wait!

violet rose; what does your dream house look like?

small house near the base of a mountain. neighbors not too far away, but not too close. i have a big yard, and a great view of the mountains i nthe area, and lots of trees. inside and nice and homey, soft yellows with accents of white paint the walls inside and out, and it’s filled to the brim with little knickknacks and things i’ve collected over the years

violet; is there any place in particular you’d like to settle down?

right now my heart is set on colorado because the mountains there were gorgeous.... i’d settle for anywhere close to some mountains though

blue lake; what would you like to do/accomplish before you settle down?

i’d like to travel a little, visit some of the friends i’ve made, really do something good for the world before i settle

cobalt blue spectral; what is the most beautiful place you have ever been to?

the rocky mountains!

ultramarine; when was the last time you were in a good mood? do you know/remember what sparked it?

i’m in a good mood right now! just getting to talk to my friends while i eat dinner and enjoy the things i love is a pretty good recipe for a good mood!

blue; what’s the most recent dream you remember?

i.... hmm. im having a hard time remembering any recent dreams. i had to go look into one of my chats for the last time i mentioned one- i had a dream where i was talking and became friends with Mr Fruit, a youtuber i’ve gotten really into watching recently :)

bright blue; what does your dream family look like? any kids or pets? how many of each?

honestly just me, a spouse, maybe a kid that we adopted (Maybe!!!!), and a LOT of pets. cats and dogs, at least one snake, some rats........

blue cobalt; do you like your name? would you give yourself a different name if you could?

i’m okay with my name, though i think i’m starting to really prefer meg over megan. if i could give myself a different name w no judgement on what it would be, i think i definitely would tho

prussian azure; what’s your favorite scent?

vanilla cupcake candles <3

azure blue; what’s your favorite type of tea, if any?

i don’t have a favorite!

turquoise blue; if you could start a garden, what would you plant?

tiger lilies <3

cerulean blue; if you were guaranteed to have a viewership, would you start a youtube vlog?

ABSOLUTELY

glauconite; describe your body without using any negative adjectives.

cute. soft. mine.

yellow green; picture yourself walking in a field. what do you see & hear in this scenario?

i hear the sound of birds and crickets, and a babbling brook off in the distance. i see flowers that don’t typically grow together doing so for me, shifting lightly in the wind. a few critters bounce over the flowers from time to time- fox kits, rabbits. everything’s at peace.

green light; are you in a comfortable place in life? if not, what do you think might make it better?

hmm. yes and no? i think a lot of things for me would improve if i could just work up the courage to come out irl. even if i didn’t get the responses i would want.

green; name three countries you want to visit; do you have any actual plans in place to visit any of them?

france, cyprus, japan. i think the one i would like to visit most is cyprus :) i don’t have plans for the other two, just dreams vwv

emerald green; do you speak any languages besides english? are there any additional languages you want to learn?

not yet! but i’d love to learn french and greek and tagalog!

oxide of chromium; what’s your favorite book?

where the red fern grows

olive green; are you currently reading anything? how do you like it so far?

not any books, but i’ve been meaning to start reading cinder!

mars brown; what’s a movie that always puts a smile on your face/makes you laugh?

ratatouille vuv

burnt umber; what’s something you plan to do before the day is over to take care of yourself?

eat dinner and drink water :) (im doing both rn)

umber; have you drank enough water today?

i think i’ve drank 2 bottles. not as much as normal, but i plan to drink more!

voronezhskaya black; what or who is your go-to outlet for when you need to vent?

my scro friends :) (thats th name of our gc lol) there’s three other people in there and that’s typically where i go to vent if i have to. them, or my MLF friends. both groups always have my back and i adore them 

sepia; name five things that always make you happy.

alex, food, blankets, talking to friends, buying stuffed animals

indigo; what’s the best/sweetest compliment you have ever received?

one of my coworkers once told me that he can see the passion that i have for art, and i don’t think anyone has ever told me that they can see it before. it meant a lot and i hold it close to my heart now :)

payne’s gray; describe your aesthetic?

this is too hard my aesthetic is too broad ;( here’s my aesthetic tag tho

black; post a selfie because you are so beautiful!

im eating fried chicken rn so i will not take a new pic. instead, have this older selfie from 4 months ago!

[illusion-reality-steve]

Stress’ last 5 brain cells react to Steve Saga returning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFj1Z3UGt_I

Brain Cell #1:

BC 1: *hard at work writing the Mite Steve AU, building it on the foundations of the abandoned, broken season 2*

BC 1: Writing is so much fun :D Especially when you don’t need to stress about following canon anymore.

BC 1: *phew* *steps back and admires the Mite Steve AU so far* Great work!

*THUNDER*

God Steve: *appears* Hi.

God Steve:

God Steve: *pokes the Mite Steve AU*

The Mite Steve AU: *collapses, reduced to dust*

God Steve: Sorry, that AU is no longer possible thanks to my existence.

BC 1:

BC 1: :’)

(Lol, don’t worry. I’ll either continue with the Mite AU as it is, ignoring the new episodes, or make some adjustments to fit God Steve into it. I’ll think of something.)

Brain Cell #2:

BC 2: THE STEVE SAGA IS BACK. OUT OF ALL THE POSSIBILITIES. FIRST STEVE IN SMASH, AND NOW STEVE SAGA IS BACK. OCTOBER, YOU’RE AN ALRIGHT MONTH.

BC 2: STEVE SAGA SEROTONIN, YEEEEESSSS

BC 2: AAAAAAHHHHH

Brain Cell #3:

BC 3: *looking at every frame* WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS ILLUSION STEVE?! WHERE IS MY DISASTER SON?! AAAAAAHHHH

BC 3: AND WHAT THE HECK, GOD STEVE?! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!

BC 3: RESETTING THE WORLD?! BRINGING THE WORLD BACK TO ITS HAPPIEST STATE?! MAKING EVERYONE FORGET THE OLD WORLD SO THE NEW WORLD IS FUNCTIONAL?!

BC 3: YOU ARE RIPPING OF ILLUSION STEVE’S ARC. WHHHYYYYYYY

BC 3: *salty grumble* This is probably how the Hypno Steve stans felt when they saw Illusion Steve’s similarities to Hypno Steve :c

BC 3: But come on, man, another repeat of Illusion’s plan? With nothing unique added to it? Seriously, where did whatever God Steve had with Alex and Emerald Steve go? Why didn’t he even mention that? Why is he suddenly so chill?

(Edit: Whoops, I mistook God Steve as the same character who got mad at Sabre. I thought the episode confirmed that he was the one who attacked them with bedrock, but it didn’t. Sorry about that.)

Brain Cell #4:

Alright, Imma drop in instead of BC 4 for a real talk.

I’m....concerned about Sabre/Elan. The man behind the videos. I thought the Steve Saga was gone for good and Rainbow Quest was gonna take over. And this Steve Saga episode seems to be set up to be a semi-reboot. It’s literally a brand new timeline.

I’m worried that he made the Steve Saga return because of fandom pressure. Or may he’s having writer’s block and made this just to get the creative juices flowing.

I just hope Elan knows what he’s doing and won’t have as big of an issue with plot holes and characterization this time.

Who knows. Maybe he needed to take months off the Steve Saga so he could finally know how to continue it.

idk. This is just speculation. Please don’t take my word for it.

Brain Cell #5:

I’ll also be speaking here because I already got some theories.

I don’t have any evidence. I’m going based on my intuition, and the headcanons I’ve made in the past about what happened after the Ender Crystal explosion (Bedrock Steve, Sabre’s multiple egos, Mite Steve AU, etc)

Also, side note: I’m kinda scared that the continuation has some similarities to the setup of the Mite Steve AU, which takes place after season 2 XD Like, bruh.

Anyways, God Steve is very out of nowhere. He changes everything, including the assumption that Origin Steve was the original Steve.

So I have a theory: God Steve isn’t actually a Steve. He isn’t from this timeline. I think God Steve is Sabre/Elan.

God Steve created the Steve Saga and other universes like how Elan created the Steve Saga: by imagining a story idea and building it with his creativity. God Steve is scolding at Sabre, in frustration with himself of how much of a mess season 2 is. And he isn’t actually a Steve, but he names himself after them because he’s very fond of the Steve Saga and wants it to be a part of his identity.

How did God Steve become a separate entity? I think when Reality Steve separated Sabre from his account, God Steve was created. This is similar to how Light Steve was created when Sabre separated Rainbow Steve into the basic Color Steves. God Steve and Sabre are also similar to Galaxy and Void’s dynamic. So this is a nostalgic, classic Steve Saga trope.

This can be supported by the fact that God Steve is OP enough that he literally dragged Lucas, a player outside of the server, into the Steve Saga server.

Anyways, if God Steve turns out to be evil and Sabre feels immense guilt/responsibility over God Steve, it’ll be so nostalgic and heartwarming if Galaxy comes to the rescue. “Sabre, you didn’t give up on me when you realized Void Steve was a part of me. I’m not gonna give up on you either! You are better than God Steve. You can defeat him!!”

Overall:

I have very mixed feelings about this. This plot doesn’t feel fresh, and I’m worried that there is no plan. And this entire episode felt more like a fanfiction than an actual Steve Saga episode. However, I’ll follow the series if new episodes come. Because I am Steve Saga trasssssh. (And I don’t want to fall behind on episodes, like what happened to me with RQ :’) )

I’ll probably like it more if Illusion’s in it. And Alex. And Emerald Steve.

If Illusion’s in this and he meets God Steve, he better be salty that God Steve stole his evil plan and attempt to fight him. He might die if he tries that and I will cry a lot of that happens, but at least it will be in-character.

I also have a feeling that Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet Steves will be used in this continuation.

[marinobyssus]

THE MARINO BYSSUS SOUNDTRACK

a soundtrack dedicated to your friend, tribute, clown, marino

marino, the econ major frat boy he always thought he was

1. You’re A Fucking Star by Alex Somers, Zach Shields (from the Honeyboy Soundtrack)

2. HIGHEST IN THE ROOM by Travis Scott

3. RNP (feat. Anderson .Paak) by Cordae, Anderson .Paak)

4. Starboy by The Weeknd, Daft Punk

5. Roman’s Beat - “Hearts” by Nicholas Britell (from the Succession Soundtrack)

marino and district eight

1. Never Dreamed You‘d Leave In Summer by Stevie Wonder (a song for his mother)

I never dreamed you'd leave in summer But now I find my love has gone away

2. Blame it on the Sun by Stevie Wonder (a song for a life unsatisfied)

I'll blame it on the time That never was enough I'll blame it on the tide and the sea But, my heart blames it on me 

3. Heaven Help Us All by Stevie Wonder

Heaven help the boy who won't reach twenty-one Heaven help the man who gave that boy a gun Heaven help the people with their backs against the wall Lord, Heaven help us all

marino and the mentors he’d come across in his short life

1. Fear of My Identity by Best Coast // Surya, Ophelia, and Hunter

You taught me that my heart would grow old, old, old The fear of my identity standing right in front of me I want to run but I can't see I want to scream but I can't speak

2. SUGARPARENTS by Amine, Rico Nasty // Max

When I get into the show let me pull a few strings Put the boy on game, he could learn a few things 

3. The Greatest Gift by Sufjan Stevens // Auri

But the greatest gift of all And the law above all laws Is to love your friends and lovers To lay down your life for your brothers

4. Good Heart by Indigo De Souza // Hyacinth

Oh I want to believe that you've got a good heart Oh I want to believe in some things I happen to read on the inside of fortune cookies

THE 122ND HUNGER GAMES

PART 1 - Opening by Jung Jae Il (from the Parasite soundtrack)

1. Leaning on You by HAIM // for his first friend, Memphis

Was I fearless at seventeen years old Or was I faking it, I was just a kid leavin' home Now I get scared for reasons I don't know Is it just because I ain't tough enough to be alone?

2. Before the World Was Big by Girlpool // Bonk Alliance

I just miss how it felt standing next to you Wearing matching dresses before the world was big 

3. Hot Girl Summer (feat. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign) by Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla $ign // YOU ALREADY KNOW

Got a whole lot of options 'cause you know a bitch poppin' I'm a hot girl, so you know ain't shit stoppin'

4. Sorry by beabadoobee // Alon

I never wanna think twice With what could've been your life 

5. Godspeed by Frank Ocean // Juliet

I let go of my claim on you It's a free world You look down on where you came from sometimes But you'll have this place to call home always

6. Bad Friend by Rina Sawayama // to all the friends tributes he fucked over lol

I'm so good at crashing in Making sparks and shit but then I'm a bad, I'm a bad, I'm a bad friend So don't ask me where I've been Been avoiding everything 'Cause I'm a bad, I'm a bad, I'm a bad friend

PART II - Doldrums by Franz Becker

1. Who’s Gonna Save U Now? by Rina Sawayama

Who's gonna save you now? Who's gonna save you this time? Who's gonna save you now? 

2. Haha No One Can Hear You! by Gallant // marino’s existential crisis anthem

Tell me you don't wonder what your Feet look like on private beaches, baby? And tell me you don't wish for something More incessant than your own reflections?

3. Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos // Everett, Marino, Alder

Everett

There will come a soldier Who carries a mighty sword He will tear your city down

Marino

There will come a poet Whose weapon is His word He will slay you with His tongue 

Alder

There will come a ruler Whose brow is laid in thorn Smeared with oil like David's boy

4. Another Lifetime by Nao // Alder

I swear I won't run Won't run from you, I swear about it I swear I won't run In another life, I'll keep us bounded

5. Don’t Forget About Me by Noname

I know everyone goes some day I know my body's fragile, know it's made from clay But if I have to go, I pray my soul is still eternal And my momma don't forget about me

[severalspoons]

Liveblog: Rewatching Trigun, Episode 17 part 2

Ugh, I just want to talk about Episode 18 already.

We pick up with Rem and the Captain talking. 

-- Rem has a very breathy voice.

-- Rem: “Because they’re angels...maybe we should pay attention to them...they may even guide us through our dream.” If only it turned out that way. I wonder how literally she believes that?

-- This scene with Vash and Knives in the zero-gravity room is so touching. 

Knives sounds genuinely concerned about Vash.

“Are you crying again?” Apparently Vash cries a lot. Color me not surprised. Knives cares anyway.

Steve has been telling Vash he’s not human, and probably that he’s a monster who shouldn’t even be here. What if everyone else feels that way about him and Knives, too? he worries. Worst of all, what if Rem feels that way?

I don’t know if Steve deliberately mistreated them differently, but they certainly reacted differently. He hit Vash where it hurt by telling him he didn’t belong. He beat up on Knives, which Knives could tolerate better. I think putting up with Steve’s abuse is the sort of “small sacrifice” Knives is talking about. :(

-- It fascinates me that Vash is the one who’s afraid and suspicious of humans, even though he desperately wants to belong. Knives is the one encouraging him that it will be possible to get along with people. He even empathizes with their perspective: “to these people we’re just uninvited guests. We only need to be patient a while.”

-- Vash asks whether Rem feels the same way as Steve. Baby, nothing could be further from the truth. You’re Rem’s favorite. Can’t you feel how much she loves you? 

-- Knives starts a conversation about the tree they’re lying under, but not really. He’s speaking in metaphors. I do this myself when I want to get across a complicated set of ideas and emotions quickly. It’s a great way to compact your message and add sensory examples so the listener can feel what you’re saying. And it’s perfect for bridging the gap between his train of thought and Vash’s feelings. Knives does the same thing in the more famous conversation about spiders and butterflies. 

“Rem said it’s because they’re strong...they concentrate all their energy on growing.” 

This is dreamy, mythological, fairy tale thinking. Rem, instead of giving them information about the world, is describing it poetically and helping them see it with wonder. I think Vash will return to this perspective on days when he wonders why he’s bothering trying to save people. (The way I go to Pinterest and look at photos of nature and the sky and people doing kind things until I feel like it’s worth living again). 

-- “Rem said...according to Rem...” I bet this conversation is frustrating for Knives. Knives is asking Vash what he thinks, and all he gets is secondhand Rem.

-- “Plants are strong, but we eat their fruit.” “We need to in order to live.” Does Vash know what sort of plant Knives is really talking about?

-- “Do you think I’ll be eaten some day?” ::heart breaks: 

Will they be drained for power the way the bulb plants are? Or experimented on? It’s a reasonable question.

It’s interesting. Although Vash is the one being told he’s not human, Knives is the one aligning his identity with plants. Or at least, trying it out during this conversation.

-- “So then, why am I here?” 

Knives is having a huge (and perfectly understandable) existential crisis. And no one seems to have good answers for him. Even Vash doesn’t seem to get it.

I don’t think telling him he’s an angel sent to Earth to help the crew would help him much. Either it’ll sound like more fluffy poetic nonsense to him, or it will feel like a huge burden. I mean, just listen to former “Indigo children,” whose parents may have legitimately believed their kids were sent to save the world. Instead, they became a hot mess.

-- They had umbilical cords? Don’t plants reproduce by budding? Weren’t Vash and Knives found after they dropped off and fell to the ground? IDK, plant biology is confusing to begin with and the anime certainly doesn’t help.

-- Cut to a bunch of scary looking men with laser guns. Rem throws herself between them and the babies and you see the lasers all over her torso. They could have shot her. She could have died trying to save the plant babies. Holy ****. (And she wasn’t even feeling guilty about Tessla in the anime. She was just a good person). 

-- That fucking apple. I’m sorry, but I hate this kind of symbolism. It never says much, it feels like an exercise or a treasure hunt, and it reminds me of high school English class.

Smooth transition to the other side of the tree where Rem is giving Vash a haircut. Of course Vash goes first. Rem gives Vash his iconic sticking-up haircut for the first time. 

-- Um, it’s kind of weird to give your kid the same haircut as a man you loved. (What sort of relationship did they have in the anime, anyway?) 

Also, you never noticed he was handsome before because he’s a kid. He looks like the equivalent of an 8 or 9 year old here. 

-- “He was my emotional support. Thanks to him, I was able to face my mistakes without judgment. I learned to make them right again. Then I lost him and realized I would have to do it alone. But I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes any more. I believed I could point myself in the right direction without looking back.”

I just got run over by a truck of feels. Because Vash takes the same journey. 

And I’m pretty sure Wolfwood does for Vash what Alex did for Rem. 

It all begins next episode.

-- Knives’ haircut looks curved like butterfly wings. (And he’s way better at cutting hair than a kid with no experience should be).

-- Knives’ voice sounds villainous. “Just a little change of heart, that’s all.”

-- There already was individuality, even without the haircut. I guess Knives has just accepted it. “A philosopher and a mama’s boy.” That about sums it up, unfortunately.

-- Love how Knives tells Steve off, even though he makes a supervillain face immediately after.

-- Static. There’s that sound you hear every time Legato appears. The static of evil.

-- The famous spider & butterfly scene. Vash has both hands up, probably considering removing both of spider and butterfly from the web and moving them to separate places. Not sure what he’s waiting for.

They first have the argument they keep playing out for the next 150 years.

“Unless the spider caught the butterfly, it would die of starvation anyway.” Knives is right -- about butterflies and spiders. About the natural order. (That’s one reason I, personally, have an existential crisis every time I watch a nature documentary. For some reason, there’s always organisms eating other organisms alive on those channels. ::shudders::) The best argument I can give is that the metaphor doesn’t apply to people and plants, or doesn’t have to. The only reason a situation even resembling that happens on Gunsmoke is because Knives crashes all the ships onto a planet without resources.

Rem: “it’s not right to make that choice so easily.” Honestly? I think that’s a less convincing argument. Especially to someone who’s agnostic or atheist. Because who should choose? Or are you just leaving it up to random chance?

-- “What would you rather have us do, just stand there and think about it?”

Vash attacks Knives for the first time. 

Rem finally realizes there’s something wrong. She looks troubled.

-- WTF happened to Rowan’s mind? What’s broken? Is Knives controlling his mind or body somehow?

-- Rem models self-sacrifice. I still don’t understand why, but she seemed to truly believe that Rowan, who was willing to kill a crew member he actually loved, wouldn’t do the same to her. The Captain models the sensible choice given the information he had, and throws Rowan out the airlock. Well, maybe not so sensible, because Rem could have been flung out into space to die, too.

Wonder how Rem would feel if she knew that Vash spent his life doing the same thing, getting increasingly scarred in the process?

-- “Vash, take care of Knives.” 

This breaks my heart because so far ... he hasn’t.  First he follows Knives around. Then abandons him. Then attacks him.

 Doesn’t that bother him, given how faithfully he follows Rem in everything else?

I think Rem says nothing to Knives, because she has nothing good to say to him then.

-- It still bothers me that Knives got so flat out cruel down to the maniacal laugh so quickly and offscreen. It’s still a big jump from the last time we saw him talk. Seriously, look at this:

Everything he does in the anime would have made sense if they had just added a little bit more from the manga.

-- So Knives, is Rem’s self sacrifice still stupid if she corrected the course of all the ships and saved so many lives? After all, she took action quickly, and did the greatest good for the greatest number--the rational thing. You should have understood what she was doing.

-- No, Vash, Rem didn’t mean “take care of him” as in “Kill him.” You know that.

...You know I’m getting way too invested in a series when I start talking to the characters as if they can hear me. It’s about as sensible as yelling at the horror movie character not to go into that dark room alone.

[faveficarchive]

The Hitch Hiker

By Bongo Bear

Pairing: AU Xena/Gabrielle

Rating: Mature

Synopsis: AU Xena/Gabrielle meet after an airport an airport snafu, and their past selves are dredged up. CW: dub!con

Personal Note: This right here is the OG Uber-fic for the Xenaverse. Bongo Bear LITERALLY COINED THE TERM UBER for Xena fic, and fanfic in general, so bless her for her contributions. Bongo and Bat Morda paved the way for you to enjoy every Mel/Janice, Xena/Gabrielle uber fic you’ve ever read. You ain’t got nothing on this woman. I don’t usually post ubers that don’t contain 99% pure X/G or M/J in their named glory, but this one has to be preserved, as it was the first. I’ll also be posting a few more of her stories as I can find them.  

I was in a real snit, to put it mildly. I was tired and hungry and still had a long way to go. I had just lost my boarding pass after the bags were already checked in and loaded on the plane. Time was running out and I was desperate enough to call upon a higher power.

So, I supplicated myself to a priestess of air travel at the altar of Customer Service. I begged her to let me join my luggage on the flight that was about to leave in five minutes from the gate a hundred yards away from where I prostrated myself before her. I made offerings of Mastercard, Visa, and American Express to no avail. She looked at me with sympathetic eyes, but no way was she going to violate security protocols and let me on board without the missing pass. I sighed deeply and started to look at the flight schedule to other cities when I heard a voice call out to me.

I turned at the sound and saw a woman sitting in the waiting lounge nearby. She smiled and waved at me. I pointed to my chest, who me? She nodded vigorously, yes you! I walked over to this woman whom I had never set eyes upon before and asked, "Ahh, did you want to say something to me?"

"Yes, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation over there," she pointed to the counter. "I'm going to Vancouver as well and missed the same flight, but for different reasons. Now, I'm on a flight to Bellingham; it's just an hour drive to Vancouver from there. If you get a seat on the Bellingham flight, I'll drive you over. The plane leaves in thirty minutes."

I'm not accustomed to the unexpected generosity of strangers, so I looked her over. Even though she was seated, I could tell that she was tall, taller than me. Her dark hair was gathered in a long ponytail that curled over her shoulder. What really caught my attention were her incredible, deep blue eyes. They matched the indigo denim shirt she wore under her black leather parka. I thought for sure that Mother Nature didn't make eyes like that and that she was wearing contacts. I looked for the tell-tale rings in the corneas, but I couldn't find them.

"Well, are you interested in my offer or not?"

I mentally slapped myself when I realized that I was falling into her eyes. What was she offering me? Oh, yes, a ride. "Yeah, sure. Why not? You don't look like an axe murderer." I grinned at my lame attempt to break the ice.

"That's a relief! I hate to think that people find me threatening. My name is Alexandria, but you can call me Alex," she said as she stood up and extended her hand to me.

"I'm Gwen, short for Guinevere," I said, shaking her hand. A strong grip. I liked that. Some women, when they shake hands, only grasp the fingers and give them a weak wiggle. That always made me feel like they were hiding something because they weren't willing to give all of their hand to me. What else would a person like that hold back? Alex's hand was large enough to encompass all of mine. She shook my hand firmly, yet gently. I could trust her. Completely. What the hell am I thinking, I thought.

"Guinevere is a very old, very auspicious name," Alex observed.

"My mom was a big fan of Le Morte d'Arthur. Now, Alex is an unusual nickname for Alexandria."

"I throw people for a loop whenever they meet me. You know, they're expecting some guy instead of me. Besides, I'm more memorable that way," she said matter-of-factly.

No kidding, I thought. "Hmm, I need to buy my ticket. Will you watch my backpack for me?" I set my heavy pack in the empty seat next to Alex and walked over to the ticket counter. When I returned, she was studying the blueprint tube sticking out of the top of the pack.

"It's a practice sword called a bokuto," I said as I pulled the tube out of the pack and sat down. I removed the protective tube and handed her the wooden sword. "I'm a student of Iaido..."

"The Japanese martial art of drawing a sword and striking down your opponent in a single stroke," she finished. "By the way, where's your live blade?"

I looked at her quizzically, "My sword's at home. Security would get antsy if I carried on three feet of razor sharp steel. How did you know about Iaido?"

"I'm a professor of military history. Actually, my specialty is Greek warfare, but I keep up with other cultures as well," she said as her hand caressed the smooth wood of the sword's blade.

This time, I stopped myself from staring at her graceful hand and said, "I'm an architect. I've just finished a guest lecture on design here in Denver."

"So are you going to Vancouver for another lecture?"

"No, Vancouver's a working vacation; Denver was just work. You promise not to laugh too hard?" Alex nodded. "I like to write on the side. So I'm attending a writers' workshop in Vancouver. When I was in college, I had to decide whenever to major in literature or architecture. I've always had a bent for the written word as well as drafting and design. I chose architecture for the money, but I never gave up writing for the pleasure."

"I understand. It's good to cultivate many talents: public speaking, word smithing, and sword play," she said as she handed my sword back to me. "Boarding call....let's get in line." She put her hand around my upper arm. I let her guide me out of my seat and into the queue.

"'Word smithing' to describe scribbling stories is a bit overly dramatic, isn't it?" I said, a little embarrassed by the flourish she gave that part of my life.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's part of what you are. That's nothing to be ashamed of. The attendant wants your pass," she said as she directed my gaze to the waiting attendant.

We boarded the plane. It was a lot smaller than I had expected for such a long trip from Denver to near the Canadian border. The plane, being as tiny as it was, transmitted every swoop, turn, and sudden updraft directly to my stomach. I held my head between my knees. I knew I was going to hurl into the barf bag I held to my mouth. Alex, seated next to me, rubbed my neck and my back to try to soothe me. She had me sit up, then she grasped my wrist tightly. Suddenly, my motion sickness faded from the full-blown tempest to a slight churning in my gut.

"What did you do?" I asked Alex. She said, "I've activated a pressure point on your wrist. Like this." She demonstrated again. It was like a toggle switch. Hit the point once the nausea goes away. Hit again and it comes right back at you. "Oh god, I'm gonna be sick." She quickly switched off my stomach. "Thanks, I can relax now," I said.

Feeling a bit conversational, I decided to find out more about my unusual traveling companion. "So, what brought you to Denver?" I asked.

"I did some hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Ever been there, Gwen?" 

I nodded. "It's one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Not too many places have skies as blue, snow caps as white, or lakes as clear." I watched her face intently as she spoke. I could almost see the stormy blue skies over the Rockies reflected in her eyes.

"I assume that you hiked by yourself. Do you like communing with Nature all alone?" I asked.

"I've traveled with a friend in the past, but now I travel alone. I would prefer a companion," she said almost shyly. She looked at me expectantly. I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Please go on. I want to hear about your trip," I said relaxing into my seat. I felt her fingers burning into my hand as she touched me to emphasize a point. Her voice fell into a sing-song that slowly dropped octaves and the volume softened to a low whisper. I stopped hearing any more of her words, as I fell into a light snooze that quickly deepened into REM sleep. I dreamt about Alex, but not Alex.

******

A tall, dark beauty looking amazingly like Alex walks tentatively towards me. She's wearing what looks like a one-piece leather bathing suit with a matching set of breast armor, gauntlets, and arm bands. She smiles brilliantly at me. I approach her, but she won't let me touch her. I can't hear what she's saying. She leans in to kiss me on the lips. I close my eyes and purse my lips in anticipation...

******

"Gwen!" Alex tried to shake me out of the dream. "Wake up!" She shook me hard enough to throw my upper body into the aisle.

"Uuhh, what? Oh, it's you," I said. She said that I was talking some nonsense aloud and she didn't want me to embarrass myself. "What did I say?" I asked warily.

"Nothing intelligible, but the other passengers started to look at you funny," she said.

"Great, thanks for waking me. My ears are killing me. We must be landing." I looked out of the window and saw white. Not just the white of flying through cloud cover, but the white of the ground covered with snow and the white of the sky whose horizon was increasingly indistinguishable as the day came to a close. "Are you sure we can drive through this mess? It looked like it snowed ten feet down there!"

Alex patted my hand, "No, problem. I grew up here and know the area well. Besides, we can rent a four-by-four SUV when we land."

******

We pulled out of the rental car lot and were on the road to Vancouver in no time flat. Alex drove while I rode shotgun. She tuned the radio to a local NPR station that was playing classical music. Soon she was humming softly to the strains of Mozart's Magic Flute. I leaned back against the head rest and squinted my eyes at the setting sun as it outlined Alex's features.

She concentrated all of her attention on the road because of the driving snow. I took the opportunity to look at her, to really see this intriguing woman. The fading sun illuminated the profile of her face. The planes of her high cheek bones complemented her long, straight nose. Her countenance had a classic beauty that the typical Barbie doll beauty queen lacks. Her face projected strength, confidence, and something else that I bet scared the holy shit out of her students when the mood struck her.

She must have felt my stare, for she said, "What are you looking at, Gwen?" She kept her eyes on the road.

"You," I said brazenly, almost wishing I hadn't said anything at all. "I know I've met you before..." She just smiled enigmatically at the windshield.

Alex turned on the headlights. The falling snow sparkled as it fell through the beams. It would have been a lovely sight if the snowfall weren't so heavy. The visibility was reduced to mere feet once the sun went down. "We'll have to pull over. It's too dangerous to drive in these conditions. I'll park away from the road so that we don't have to worry about a car hitting us in the night."

"Where can we stay? I'm not too thrilled about camping out in the SUV tonight," I whined.

"We'll be just fine in the back. I have camping equipment in my luggage."

I looked out at the heavy falling snow. It was wet and stuck to everything. The wind whipped around what didn't stick and obscured everything else but the small space directly in front of the SUV. I blew out a sigh between my lips. The window immediately fogged. "Damn, we're snowbound."

******

Alex put down the back seats of the SUV to form a flat surface and laid her sleeping bag across it. "There's only one bag," I said, pointing out the obvious. "I know. We'll have to share. My bag's big enough," Alex said.

How convenient for you, I thought. "I'm not comfortable with that. Why don't you sleep back there and I'll just curl up in the front seat?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Besides, it's much warmer if we sleep together." She shrugged herself into the bag, looked at me, then patted the empty space next to her. I shook my head no. "Suit yourself."

Thirty minutes later, I was freezing and not getting a wink of sleep. Cold moonlight poured through the windshield, dimly lighting the interior. I looked back and saw her shivering a little in her sleep as well. I crawled back there and gently woke up Alex. She said sleepily, "Changed your mind? Come here and lie down."

I took off my heavy parka and snuggled up inside. I laid the parka over the bag for extra warmth. Alex had done the same with hers. I laid flat on my back and peered straight ahead so I wouldn't have to look at her. Like I could actually ignore her. I felt her body heat radiating into my side.

"Gwen, why were you staring at me earlier?" She propped herself up to face me.

"Umm, no particular reason. You're just interesting to look at." I still stared at the ceiling.

"Uh huh. You said you knew me from somewhere else? Do you remember where?" She caught a lock of my hair and began to twirl it in her fingers.

"Stop that," I said, grabbing her hand. "You just look very familiar; that's all! Is there a point to the twenty questions?" I said impatiently, releasing her hand.

"Maybe..." She put her hand on my stomach and began to rub it in slow circles through the sleeping bag.

"Like you're trying to seduce me?"

"Who me?" she asked as innocently as possible for her.

"I don't see anyone else here." I rolled over and pretended to search around the cramped loading area of the SUV. She caught my hand and placed a fingertip in her mouth. Then she kissed the palm of my hand before nibbling the sensitive spot on the inside of my wrist. Don't...do...that..." I objected weakly.

"Why not?" she said. 

Why not, indeed. I couldn't think of a good reason to refuse her attentions. She was beautiful, aroused, and getting me there, too. I was wondering if her suggestion to travel with her back at the airport was a mere coincidence or if it was somehow fated. Why here, why now, why me?

"I can see the indecision on your face, Gwen. A lot of questions going through that hard head of yours." She quickly closed the distance between our lips. "Have you made up your mind, yet?" I responded by rolling her on top of me. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," she said, looking down at my wide open eyes. Her long hair tickled my neck and my nose. She deliberately moved her head so that the soft strands brushed against my skin, making me laugh.

"You're all flushed. Let's get you out of those clothes." She picked herself up, then pulled me to a sitting position. As she kissed me, she slowly unbuttoned my flannel shirt. She bent down and placed her soft lips on my exposed skin as each unbutton came undone. The wet kisses left a trail of goose bumps. By the time the trail led to my navel, I was ready tear the rest off myself. I kicked away the top of the sleeping bag, then leaned back so I could unzip my jeans. Her hands beat me to the zipper. She pulled the jeans and underwear off in a single motion and was tugging at my socks. "Leave them be," I said panting slightly. She looked at me with a questioning eyebrow. "I don't want to get cold feet."

She smirked at the unexpected humor. "All right. The socks stay put." Her voice grew husky, "Is your foreplay as good as your wordplay?" Before I could answer, she pushed me back into the bag and straddled my hips. Since she was facing the front, the moonlight struck her full in the face. The effect left me breathless. Her brilliant blue eyes, glittering with an internal fire, were set in her pale face like sapphires lying on white satin. She held my gaze and began to murmur softly in a foreign language. Ancient Greek? My lids grew heavy as the rhythm of her voice swept me into delicious unconsciousness. The last thing I remembered were those dazzling eyes.

******

A tall, dark beauty named Xena walks tentatively towards me. She's wearing her usual one-piece leather battle tunic with a matching set of breast armor, gauntlets, and arm bands. She smiles brilliantly at me. I approach her, but she won't let me touch her. I can just barely hear what she's saying. She leans in to kiss me on the lips. I close my eyes and purse my lips in anticipation.....

"Gabrielle, please look at me," Xena said. Gabrielle opened her eyes and saw her lover for the first time in a century. She hugged the warrior tightly and sighed 'Xena' into her shoulder.

"Little one, I'm glad to see you, too! I'm sorry it took so long to make contact, but your host is a little too reserved; repressed even." Xena caressed her bard's hair as she spoke.

"You mean she actually resisted your charms?" Gabrielle asked with a touch of surprise.

"Yeah, can you believe it? I had to seduce then hypnotize her before I could bring you out."

"Are you sure she's a descendant of mine? She seems so different. She doesn't even look that much like me. Her hair is a darker blonde - almost a mousy brown. And she's taller..." Xena stopped her bard before she could tick off any more points.

"Gabrielle, she has your most endearing qualities: propensities for speaking, writing, and whining," Xena said with a very big grin.

"Very funny. But really, she seems a little like you, too. Especially the affinity for swords and a stubborn streak. Could it be that she's a descendant from both of us?"

"Possibly. That could explain why the Fates practically dumped her in my lap. I had almost given up since it had been so long, yet there she was. Just standing there at the airport."

"Hmmm, if she is descended from you as well as me, be careful not to piss her off."

"I don't piss people off any more," Xena said defensively. Gabrielle dropped her chin and cocked her eyes skeptically. "Okay..not as much as I used to."

"Just teasing. Seriously, how do you plan to explain our situation to her? I can take over her body now that she's asleep. But will she share when she's fully awake?"

"Don't know. But for now, let's take full advantage of the situation," Xena said as she bent her head to finish the kiss.

******

The rays of the morning sun reflected off the snow drifts and directly into my face. I tried to pull the sleeping bag over my eyes to block out the light, but there wasn't enough slack. I cracked one bleary eye open, then coaxed the other one awake. Stretching out above my head, I felt the soreness of my arms and legs. I sat up in sleeping bag and looked down at my still sleeping companion. Alex's lips were slightly parted in relaxation. Impulsively, I reached down to caress the side of her face and brush my fingers lightly across her moist lips. She involuntarily closed them on my fingertips. I quickly withdrew them, not wanting to wake her.

I looked around and noted that the snow drifts covered half of the SUV. The doors of only one side could be opened. Fortunately, it was on my side. I fished out my discarded clothing from the corner, dressed, and went outside. Sunlight sparkled on the snow, rendering the landscape an almost blinding white. The pine trees were softly outlined with only a few green branches poking out of the white blanket. I breathed in the cold, sharp air and bent down to wash my face with the clean snow. This isn't so bad, I thought. What am I, nuts? I'm in the middle of the frigging woods! With a very strange, but fascinating woman. Well, I can't do anything about it now.

On a whim, I went back to the SUV and pulled out my sword and a sweatshirt. A few drills would loosen up those sore muscles. I stepped out into a clearing a few yards from the SUV and changed into the sweatshirt. I finished the first seven kata and was meditating about the past day's events when I heard the car door slam shut. I heard Alex's feet crunch through the snow toward me. I felt her arms around my waist as she whispered in my ear, "Good morning, I slept like a rock. How about you?"

As I turned around in her arms, she met me with a brief kiss. I pulled her arms away from me and stepped back a little. She seemed alarmed by my cool reception. "I may as well have slept on a rock; I hurt all over. On top of that, I'm missing out on the workshop, which is already paid for. I'm sleeping in the woods like a goddamned bear. And from the looks of the SUV," pointing to the half-buried vehicle with my chin, "and of the road," pointing in the opposite direction to the non-existent paved surface, "I'm going to have to go through this again!"

"You're certainly acting like a bear. Come on....was last night really so bad?" she asked as she caressed my face. I started to brush her hand aside, but decided to just hold it between us instead.

"Actually, I don't remember very much about it. I just felt unusually sore this morning." I rubbed my lower back to ease a knot.

"At least you can't see the teeth marks on your..." Alex clamped a hand over her mouth to shut herself up.

It was my turn to raise eyebrows. I twisted to glance down at my hip pocket. "On my butt? No, you didn't!" Alex just stood there with a huge toothy grin on her face. "Aah, you did!" I threw up my hands in exasperation.

"Hey, I've been vaccinated!" Alex said defensively, though still smiling. I cocked a skeptical eye at her.

At this point, I was very unhappy camper. I pushed my index finger into Alex's chest, slowly backing her into a tree.

"Whatever possessed you," Poke.

"To bite me," Poke.

"Anywhere?" Poke.

When she couldn't move any further, I looked up into her eyes, "Much less my butt!" Poke.

Looking down at me, she gently pulled my irate finger from her bosom and kissed it. Then she said, "For someone who's not much of a morning person, you're asking very astute questions."

"Huh?" I retrieved my hand to rub the back of my neck, "Things are going on that I don't understand. What exactly happened last night? I feel like I've been through a marathon."

"I'm not surprised considering that Gabrielle and I did give your body quite a workout last night," Alex said carefully, watching my reaction. It was simply, "Who the hell is Gabrielle?"

She sat me down and told me the long sordid tale of her illustrious ancestor, Xena the Warrior Princess and the love of her life, Gabrielle, the famous bard of Potedeia. I never heard of either of them. She explained how their souls were forever intertwined and therefore fated to be together. Throughout the centuries since their deaths, their souls have inhabited the bodies of a select few of their descendants. I'm supposed to be a descendant of Gabrielle for sure and possibly even Xena. Once inhabited, their descendants lived together much as their progenitors did in life. Alex finished her story with a beatific smile. "We're so relieved to have found you, Gwen. You're just perfect. Just perfect."

"Great, I'm perfect for what? Look, I don't share your enthusiasm. I'm not even sure you're completely sane. You're Xena's descendant and she's supposed to be you now? Let's say for the sake of argument, that what you've told me is completely true - "

"It is," Alex interjected.

"And I'm supposed to let Gabrielle take over my body, so you two can live in bliss the rest of my life?"

"That's how it usually works," Alex nodded her head. "You understand now?"

"I understand that neither of you two have considered the rights of the people you inhabited." Alex looked stunned at my words. "When Gabrielle took over, where was I? Where was my soul?"

"Your soul was still there. You were just unconscious for the whole time."

"Do I have to be unconscious for her to take over completely?"

"Yes. But she can keep you conscious. In that case, you would experience everything as if it were happening to someone else," Alex answered.

"Then I might as well be dead! If I let her take me over forever, she'd be living my life. I like my life. She can't just take it over! Both of you lived full lives, fuller than most, centuries ago. I have the right to live my own life."

"But we're destined to be together forever! The gods have ordained it. You can't refuse to let Gabrielle live again through you."

"Oh, yes, I can. Even if she lets me remain conscious, I won't have my own will. She'd still control everything. I'd just be aware of being trapped in my own body."

"Gabrielle should be the one talking to you. She's much more persuasive than I am," Alex said worriedly. "Gwen, I love you. You've got to understand!"

"Alex, Xena, whoever you are... we just met yesterday. You can't possibly love me. You love Gabrielle. You made love to Gabrielle last night, not to me. You've used me for your own selfish pleasure." Alex winced at that comment, but continued to listen.

"You easily seduced me and I probably even let you. I might even come to love you someday," I said as I stroked her hand. "But Gabrielle will always have your heart. Not me, not the person I really am. Remember how you hated how the gods meddled in your life. You're doing the exact same thing to me. You and Gabrielle will just have to work something else out." I turned, grabbed my coat, shirt, and sword, and stomped back to the SUV to get warm again. The look on Alex's face was like I had just killed her best friend. Maybe I just did.

******

Alex followed me back to the SUV. She grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face her. "I need Gabrielle by my side. I can't go on living alone like this." Alex was practically pleading with me. A tear welled up in her eye and threatened to roll down a perfect cheek. I automatically reached out and brushed away her tears. She caught my hand and held it to her cheek. Oh god, I groaned inwardly. I snatched my hand away before she took anymore liberties.

"All right, don't get all mushy on me. I thought you were the tough one, Alex."

"Actually, that part of my personality has mellowed a lot. Before Xena merged with me, I was a real wuss. You know, a sentimental, simpering romantic. Her darker personality gave me some balance."

"So it is possible to 'merge' the souls in a body rather than have one dominate the other?"

"No, not really. The dominant soul still controls the body. But sharing the body is more like a merger if both souls want it. I wanted and needed it. It's only a problem if the original owner fights the process. Then it becomes possession," Alex's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Are you threatening me?" Rising up to the challenge, "I got news for you, kiddo. If I've inherited bits of both Xena's and Gabrielle's personalities, I'm stronger than either of you individually. Don't misunderstand; I'm sympathetic to your loneliness."

"As I am to yours," Alex said catching me by off-guard. Holding me by my upper arms, she asked gently, "Gwen, you have your life, your career. But who do you have? How do you wake up in the mornings? All cold and alone? Just like your nights?" I opened my mouth to wordlessly respond, how could you know? Her blue eyes shined into mine. "Who is your soulmate?"

I stood there dazed like a deer in headlights. How did she know what I've needed - wanted - all my adult life? Somehow, she knew about the one-night-stands where I sought temporary relief, only to wake up alone in the morning. She knew that sometimes I cried myself to sleep hugging a pillow, wishing it were a lover. I looked down into my heart and found the answer.

I told her the truth in a quiet voice, "No one."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm right here," lifting my chin so she could see my eyes. Alex reached out to touch my chest. The warmth of her fingers seeped through. "I can help fill that emptiness. We're not being selfish at all. What Gabrielle and I had when we were alive is a gift we bestow on our descendants: the gift of eternal love. You'll never be alone again."

Long minutes passed while I considered what she said. Taking a deep breath, I began slowly, "I suppose....we could come.... to a mutual agreement. There are some things about Gabrielle that could bring balance to my life."

"Yeah, like you could use some lightening up," Alex quipped, a smile turning up a corner of her mouth.

"Hmmph," I sniffed. "She could help me with my writing. Yeah, that's it. Make me more empathic. Who knows? Gabrielle may learn a few things from me." This could work, I thought. "Just because she's dead doesn't mean she can't learn new tricks. But I don't want her messing with my swords. Let's make a deal."

"I'm listening."

******

Alex and I dug the SUV out of the snow drift. The highway plows eventually came through and we were able to get back on the road again. Alex dropped me off in Vancouver. When we parted, she gave me a deep kiss that lingered for hours later. I told her that I wanted to see her again, very soon.

I think this compromise will work out just fine. I'll spend time with Alex because I want to. After all, she is hard to resist. Alex will have to learn to love me for who I am, not who she wants me to be.

Gabrielle will live vicariously through me, but without direct control. Her influence will be subtle and only with my approval. Gabrielle will just have to deal with the fact that I'm driving and she's riding shotgun. Good gods, was that noise my stomach? I wonder what passes for nutbread around here.....

Finis

[ao3feed-detectivedanvers]

A Plague of Righteousness

by Argyle_S

Two weeks ago, Kara defeated Cadmus in the Battle of Little Krypton, but it’s a victory that might end up costing her the war. Cat and Alex are both recovering from crippling injuries. Supergirl's relationship with the US government is in tatters. Senator Crane is doing her best to win the Presidential race and has made destroying Supergirl’s public image the centerpiece of her campaign.

To make matters worse, Kara herself has undergone a frightening transformation. She refuses to put on the suit, to address any of the public accusations Crane has laid at her feet, and has withdrawn from almost every relationship she has. The people closest to her are starting to worry that she’s cracking under the pressure.

The scariest part is, they’re right.

Meanwhile, a few hours North of National City in the small farming community of Parthas, Nia Nal has returned home to begin training with her mother as a Naltorian Dream Warrior, but as she begins opening herself up to her powers, she begins to have a disturbing vision of a hellish place inhabited by monsters. 

Words: 9397, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Future Shock

Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Kara Danvers, Cat Grant, Nia Nal, Alex Danvers, Maggie Sawyer, Sara Lance, Agent Vasquez (Supergirl TV 2015), Astra (Supergirl TV 2015), J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw, Eliza Danvers, Jeremiah Danvers, Siobhan Smythe, Vicki Vale, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lucy Lane (DCU), Leslie Willis, Kaldur'ahm (DCU), Winn Schott Jr., James "Jimmy" Olsen, Lillian Luthor, Sam Lane, Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias, Ruby Arias, Carter Grant, Carter Grant's Father, Olivia Marsdin, Barry Allen, Oliver Queen, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Iris West, Joe West, Felicity Smoak, Zatanna Zatara, Jason Todd, Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Victor Stone, Leonard Snart, Laurel Lance, Mick Rory, Jefferson "Jax" Jackson, Martin Stein, M'gann M'orzz, Rip Hunter, Krypto, Bizarro Supergirl, Original Kryptonian Character(s), Maeve Nal, Isabel Nal, Paul Nal, Big Barda, Scott Free, Mar Novu | The Monitor, Darkseid (DCU), Granny Goodness, Bernadeth (DCU), Gilotina (DCU), Desaad (DCU), Lashina (DCU), Devilance the Pursuer, Guardians of the Universe, John Stewart, Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Ganthet (DCU), Carol Ferris, Lauren Haley, President Baker (Supergirl TV 2015), Thaal Sinestro, Atrocitus (DCU), Indigo-1, Larfleeze, Julia Freeman, Grace Parker

Relationships: Kara Danvers/Cat Grant, Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Agent Vasquez/Leslie Willis, Lucy Lane/Nia Nal, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Kelly Olsen, Kara Danvers/Sara Lance, Astra/Lena Luthor, Winn Schott Jr./Kaldur'ahm, Eliza Danvers/J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw

Additional Tags: Time Travel, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sanvers Secondary Ship, Past Relationship(s), Past Supercanary, Past Karolsen, Minor Character Death, Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Trans Character, Original Character(s), Trans Male Character, Trans Female Character, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Torture, Kara speaking Kryptonian, Kara speaking Kryptonian while angry, Kryptonian Culture & Customs, Kryptonian Biology, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mental Breakdown, Panic Attacks, Flashbacks, Gun Violence, Human Turned Kryptonian, Kryptonian Technology, Earth-38 (CW DC TV Universe), Earth 1, Alternate Universe - No Mon-El, Alternate Universe - I took canon out back and put it down for its own good, Explicit Sexual Content, Violence, Aftermath of Violence, Unrequited Superlane, Unrequited Love, Depression, Dissociation, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Therapy, everybody gets therapy, Don’t copy to another site

source http://archiveofourown.org/works/21551938

[ithinkthingsaboutstuff]

what do you think Alex, J'onn, and Winn's reactions were to Brainy when they saw him wake up?

this is a good one, so I wrote a fic about 

here we go. 

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

Wake Him Up.

Alex watched over he sister as she rested. Reign had beaten her half to death and all Alex could do is watch over her. Alex did not know how to help her sister as she could not treat her kryptonan body.  

Mon el had inserted on taking Kara into the legion ship. Alex never left Kara’s side as Imra walked with Winn and J’onn.  Mon el had then rushed Kara into a room of the ship none of them had seen before. It was filled with... tanks? no tubes filled with an orange liquid.

J’onn looked around the room like he did not trust any object in it, but being a shape-shiftier that might be a well learned practise. J’onn always liked to know what or indeed who was around him,

Winn looked a mix of confusion, worried, joy and guilty all at once, if they where there for any other reason Winn would be over the moon to be around such technology but as it stands his worry for Kara out did all of his own personal curiosity.

J’onn after being momentarily satisfied with his visual survey went over to Imra and Mon el who looked to be having an argument.

‘We need to wake him up.’

‘I know Mon el but slow down, we need to be careful, he might go into shock if we wake him to quickly.’

This got everyone's attention, J’onn walked over to Irma’s side to face Mon el as he played with a control panel.

‘Mon el what are you trying to do.’

Mon el did not answer as he kept working, so Irma answered  

‘He is walking up one of our team mates.’

Winn walked swiftly over into the conversation

‘Are you saying that, that thing has a people in it’

‘In a manner of specking yes.’

Winn tilted his head back as fidgeted his hands to point to the orange tube

‘Ok, how is the guy who’s been floating in fanta going to help us.’

Mon el spoke with out lifting his head,

‘Trust me Winn if he can’t help no one can, haven’t you wondered how built this ship.’

‘Oh,ok, cool. engineer and a doctor, those don’t need totally different skill sets or anything. ’

Mon el just smriked as he hit the final buttons.

‘Mon el.’

Irma said in warning.

‘He’ll be fine Irma.’

‘Yes but we don’t need to make it any harder for him do we.’

‘And if there was time I would agree but Kara is dying,’

‘Yes but giving Querl a heart attack is not going to help anyone.’

‘he can take it.’

and with that the orange liquid started to drain from the tube, J’onn stepped back as Winn stepped forward and Alex was still by Kara’s side holding her hand to her chest. Alex whispers just loud enough that only Kara would be able to hear it.

‘Stay with me Kara, helps on it way.’

the liquid left the tube to reveal a small narrow frame with a pale blue pigment standing there.

‘The air pressure should return shortly,’

said Irma looking at Mon el.

‘His vitals are good, but it will take him a bit to adjust.’

Mon el said back to her.

‘Who is he?’

asked Winn as he looked face to face with the glass the three blue lights shining on his face.

‘His name is Querl Dox also known as Brainaic 5.’

Mon el replied, Winn snapped his head around.

‘Brainiac as in indigo,’

‘No not like indigo he’s a hero just like everyone else in the legion.’  

‘Oh so he’s a zune among Ipod’s’

Irma looked at Mon el confused,

‘What?’

J’onn walked over to Mon el,

‘Are you sure we can trust him with Kara.’

‘I trust him with my life.’

Alex looked over to Mon el

‘It’s not your life we’re worried about.’

Irma looked to Alex.

‘Brainy has been with us a long time and if anyone can help Kara it him.’

Just Winn was about to say something else the tube behind him opened with a hiss. J’onn moved himself between the tube and Kara and Alex, and Winn moved to back behind J’onn as well.

as the door to the tube opened exposing the body inside of it to the air, two eyes snapped open and let in a big gasp of air,

Winn shuffled back and J’onn put out his hand to cover him and Alex held Kara’s hand tighter as her other hand went to where he gun was. Irma and Mon el moved forward to grab one of Brainy’s arms each as he got his footing.

‘What happened, why did you not follow all safety methods when waking me.’

Mon el started to speak,

‘Look Brainy we have a problem only you can hel...’

‘Never mind its faster to do did myself.’

with that he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

‘Very well I am now up to seed.’

he shook both Irma and Mon el off before putting his hand together and walking towards Kara. J’onn lowers his hand and lets him pasted but not before giving brainy a strong look, that brainy raised is eyebrow at. Winn kept looking at his forehead as he swallowed down all his questions and Alex still had Kara’s hand in her’s.

‘I need to look at her now, but if it makes you feel better you can point that gun at me, it would not be able to kill me mind you but it might help all the same.’

Alex looked bewildered at that statement but let go of Kara’s hand all the same. Brainy began to speak as if no one else was in the room

‘Supergirl, out of all the millions of why’s imagined us meeting this was not the highest on the list, in fact it was in the low 3 millions. But here we are and I need to get work, but do not worry I will take care of you.’

[gothicagereprinx]

Gonna change the theme of my Tumblr, it's going to be more hippie/cottagecore. It's still going to be AgeRe and AgeDre and all SFW AgeRe/AgeDre, and PetRe/PetDre are always welcome on my blog.

[smolgeekthings]

Ish smols. I feews otays jus finking bout movin to Portland Oregon nxt yr. Buh I tant bes sures. I mite wike Denver Colorado an mite wike m pwace. Chu nvr knos wat a yr tan bwing.

[nancywheelxr]

(our friends set us up on a blind date as a prank because we don’t like each other but neither of us wants to let them win so ) | Part 5:

( part 1 ) ( part 2 ) ( part 3 ) ( part 4 )

For once, Winn isn’t late.

In fact, he’s five minutes early.

And if this might have something to do with the fact that Brainy knocked on his door half an hour ago to remind him they should carpool this time, well. Alex and Kara don’t have to know that.

“See who needs an I’m late jar,” he scoffs, glaring at the closed door. They are getting better at this fake dating things, he thinks. But maybe it’s just that this is the first big gathering they’re going together– yesterday totally doesn’t count, there were too many shenanigans to count. Today is the real test, if they can fool everyone during Kara’s dinner, then they really can do this.

“You are talking to yourself,” Brainy comments, reaching past Winn to try and ring the doorbell again, but Winn bats his hand away. “Maybe they didn’t hear us the first time! You are mumbling– did you know that is one of the first signs of–”

“That sentence better be ending with genius or– hey,” Winn loudly draws out the word as the door swings open, hoping to cover up their argument, and snatches his hand back from where it had been pointing a finger threateningly. He brandishes the champagne they brought, grinning up, “Happy New Year!”

It’s Alex that answers the door, but she looks harried, her usual impeccable DEO uniform is askew, boots unlaced, “oh thank god,” she pushes them out of the way, locking up behind her, “Marlo is threatening to blow up the hospital and Town Square, dinner is canceled. Kara’s already there and I’m on my way to the hospital.”

“They put up a giant screen on Town Square, half the city’s there to watch the ball drop live– hundreds of people–”

“Yeah, I know,” Alex throws him a key, already shooing them back to the elevator, “which is why I need you and Brainy in the DEO asap. If he’s using the kind of weapons he deals, then we can’t waste any more time. Take Kara’s car, it’s on the garage somewhere but it should be working.”

“Kara has a car?”

“Why would Supergirl have a car?”

“Okay, you two need to learn to use your inside voices,” she huffs, pressing the buttons with more force than necessary, “and of course she does, she’s just terrible at driving.”

The elevator music plays obnoxiously cheerful as ever, and Alex seems about ready to draw her gun and shoot the speaker box right off the wall. Winn isn’t aware of all the details, has no idea where this guy even came from, but part of him is buzzing with excitement, rebelling against the boring civilian life. Don’t get him wrong– blow up the town? Bad, very bad. But also, going back to work? Awesome.

“And I know you still have to take that psych evaluation next week, but this is an emergency,” Alex continues, effectively bursting his bubble. “It’s an all hands on deck night.”

The doors ping open and she is stalking down the hall, leaving Winn and Brainy to figure out for themselves which car is Kara’s. Winn, for one, hopes it’s something very embarrassing that he will be able to lord over her head for the near future.

*

“I’m adding near-death experience to my list of things that happened in the 21st century,” Brainy tells him as they rush through the hallways at the DEO. Agents are scattered around, like spooked little mice, not knowing what to do, and Winn feels a pang of sympathy for them. Without both Alex and J’onn, they must be even worse off than him. And man, Winn had to listen to Brainy bitching all the way here, “you broke so many traffic laws I lost count– and it’s impossible for me to lose count!”

“For the last time,” Winn does not whine, “we were in a rush! We can’t wait for every red light! Or follow the speed limit and– and jaywalking is also a crime! That guy was clearly jaywalking, alright?”

“I shall drive the next time,” Brainy decides, completely ignoring Winn’s very valid counter-argument, “the probability of a car accident with you behind the wheel is too high.”

“Excuse me? Do you even know how to drive one of our cars?”

“The risk will still be lower.”

“Okay, that’s it, I’m tuning you out,” he says and promptly begins walking faster. Jesus Christ, they are so not going to be able to fool anyone for much longer. He leaves Brainy behind, feeling stupidly smug for reaching the control room first, and heads straight for his old chair–

And for one brief moment, everything’s right in the world.

– Kara’s voice rings through the comms, “guys, I found the bomb in Town Square, it’s in the sewers, how do I shut it down? Hello? Anyone listening?”

“Loud and clear,” Winn says, knowing his smile is stretching for miles. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Brainy finally pushing past a group of panicked agents. “But I need deets, hang on.”

“Winn?” She squeals happily as if there wasn’t a very dangerous device on her hands, “you’re back!”

“Only for tonight,” Alex warns, and it echoes strangely. She must be in the sewers too. “Don’t think I forgot the paperwork.”

“You are no fun,” he deadpans, even as his grin stays in place, even as he scans the sewers for the bomb. Just one more–

It pulls up on its own in the screen. What the–

“I’ve scanned the sewers under the square, we should have visual on the bomb in a few seconds,” Brainy says from the chair at his left, and Winn rolls his eyes. Of course he did. On the screen, the tiny blinking dot is magnified until they can see an X-Ray of the device. “This does not– I’m unfamiliar with this design.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Alex speaks again, “I’ve found mine too. There’s a countdown.”

“It’s going to blow up at midnight, isn’t it?” Winn asks tiredly. Of course it is. A flair for the dramatics is a requirement for bad guys, he’s pretty sure they don’t let you go about your villainy and nefarious business if you fail the theatrics exam. “That being said,”  he continues, squinting at the screen, “this is giving me major Fort Rozz vibes. Didn’t we bust some guy dealing Kryptonian tech once?”

“Yeah, Frank McAllison. He had been buying things off the escaped inmates and reselling– and it wasn’t just Kryptonian either.” Alex recites, and he can hear the frown in her voice, “you think these came from him?”

“I mean, there was no way to be sure we got all of the stuff back,” he shrugs, watching Brainy turn the bomb’s schematics around, “but if it was from Fort Rozz…” he trails off, trying to remember if they downloaded all the data from the prison before Kara sent it flying off into space.

“It would be on the prison’s inventory,” Brainy finishes, and if this were a cartoon, Winn thinks a lightbulb would appear above his head. He entertains the idea for about half a second because it’s better than dwelling on the two bombs about to blow up two-thirds of the city. Brainy concentrates, connecting with the DEO’s servers, and files flicker on the screen, too quickly for Winn to process. And that– that is so annoying, how he just takes over things. But there’s a countdown and hundreds of people and there’s no way, no way, Winn could fine comb through all these files in time. So it’s fine.

It’s fine.

And if Winn still wants to find a way to mess up the unruffled look he always wear– that’s just another Tuesday.

“There’s a match,” Brainy snaps back, straightening up suddenly on his chair. “It’s a very old Andorian design, hasn’t been used in a few years. Which would make sense if it really was made by an inmate.”

Kara whoops on the comms and Alex’s relieved sigh echoes soon after, slightly distorted by the sewers acoustics. The specifics provided by Fort Rozz’s old files line up perfectly with the visual they have on Kara’s bomb, down to the last screw and glue, but. There’s always a but. “Not out of the woods yet,” Winn grimaces, pulling up the scans he got from Alex’s device. It’s a different style, probably from a different maker, just different enough to throw them for a loop and lose them a time they definitely don’t have. He glances at the clock; five to midnight. “Hate to be a downer, but Houston, we have a problem.”

“Of course we do,” Kara grumbles, sighing a twin sigh from Alex’s, “what now?”

“They’re different bombs,” Brainy tells her, and there’s something tired on his voice that makes Winn think that unruffled might not be such an accurate descriptor as he originally thought. “And Director Danvers’s has no match on the server.”

The clock keeps ticking mercilessly, and a few of the nearby agents are beginning to look nervously between them, hands hovering over their phones. That’s not good; if word gets out–

“You can figure out how this thing works faster,” Winn says, turning to Brainy. The look on his eyes is two shades off deer caught in the headlights, at the most, but it vanishes quickly, determination setting in firmly after. “I’ll walk Supergirl through disarming hers, you worry about Alex’s.”

Brainy doesn’t hesitate, only casts him a doubtful look as he focuses on his task, “the files are in Kryptonian.”

“I know that,” he glowers, inching his chair further away with petty vindication, then clears his throat. “Okay, Supergirl, I’m not even going to try to pronounce all this, so let’s all use a bit of imagination with the literal translation, alright?”

Kara makes an affirmative noise, and fine, it’s been literal years since Winn had to teach himself the basics to fight off Indigo, he might be more than a little rusty, but it’s all they have as of right now so they’ll have to make do. Faintly, he catches bits of whatever Brainy is telling Alex, barely aware of anything that isn’t translating the confusing symbols into things that make sense and complementing with bits of engineering and mechanics he knows like the back of his hand.

Two minutes to midnight.

The bomb is halfway undone.

One minute to midnight.

Is it unscrewing the third screw or tearing off the wires?

Thirty seconds.

Definitely tearing off the wires.

Right?

Ten seconds.

Okay. Just– there should be a pop! noise any time now.

Five seconds.

Anytime now.

4.

3.

2.

1–

An explosion goes off in the sky as fireworks outshine the stars with bright, colorful lights, and a crowd cheers the New Year, drunkenly loud, almost drowning out the twin pop! sounds of the bombs’ detonators falling off harmlessly in the dirty water of National City’s sewer system.

A wave of clapping begins behind them, and Kara is laughing breathlessly in the comms with Alex cursing her heart out in a tone too relieved to be taken seriously. One of the agents brings an open champagne bottle.

“Happy New Year, guys!” Kara gushes, “you so need to see the fireworks– it’s so beautiful!”

“Kara, if I see you hovering anywhere near the fireworks when I come out of the sewers,” Alex threatens without any real bite, “I swear to god– wow. Okay, she’s really not exaggerating this time.” A pause. “Happy New Year.”

Winn slouches on his chair, giggling incredulously, exhaling so unbelievably relieved, and turns to see Brainy leaning against the consoles, the tense line of his shoulders less tight-edged. “Hey,” he says, holding his hand up for a fist bump and not caring if his voice comes out softer than he intended. “Happy New Year.”

Brainy regards his hand with an odd expression, one Winn can’t quite decipher, before tilting his head with a small smile, “Happy New Year, Winslow.”

He returns the fist-bump.

It’s a quiet moment, with the world cheering on outside and the odd, unnamed look on Brainys eyes, but if Winn had to label it, he thinks it just might mean progress.

[viirales]

You know the drill ~ Rainbow!

Headcanon Prompt:  You and your rainbows….

Red: sex headcanons 

Much like the whole ‘romance’ thing mentioned previously, sex is simply not a priority.  To an extent, he is still interested, just without the desire to actively chase it anymore, as once he did.  But, once again, for the sake of the ask, let’s say someone reels him in:  He would most likely have to be on the bottom of any, uh…encounter, for a reason that essentially boils down to ‘Man of steel, partner of Kleenex’.  Despite the control he has over his strength, all it would take it one mistake or the slightest slip-up to crush his partner.  Or, at the very least, badly injure them.  If they’re on top, they’ve got at least some kind of control over the situation; if he starts getting too rough with them, for example, they can slow things down or stop completely to get his head back in the game, where as if he’s got them pinned under him, that might be a little more difficult to do.  It’s not a foolproof method by any means, but it’s better than nothing, right?  

If a potential partner isn’t willing to get a little rough, don’t bother him.  Not talking like, break out the whips and chains kind of rough, but if they treat him like glass (or like they’re walking on eggshells with him) the whole way through, it’s not a turn-on by any means.  And for God’s sake, he ain’t gonna cuddle immediately afterwards.  At best, he’ll tolerate it for a little while if a partner insists upon it, but even that will generally end with something along the lines of, “Alright, get off me already.”  

Orange: emotional headcanons

For one to have fear, one needs a reason to be afraid.  Alex no longer has that, as he knows he’s capable of withstanding (or recovering from) damn near anything that’s thrown at him.  However, there is one thing that does get under his skin in the worst of ways, and that’s simply being controlled in any manner.  Whether he’s got something in his brain that counteracts his own thoughts and forces its will, or he’s just strapped to an examination table and unable to move or free/defend himself–-doesn’t matter, it freaks him the hell out.  He’ll say it just pisses him off, and it does…but it goes a little deeper than that.

Yellow: mental headcanons -everything about their mind (are they intelligent/attentive/perceptive/intuitive/pragmatic/idealist/pessimist; do they have good memory; are they good a problem-solving/learning; etc..)

Alex is an intelligent man, as he’s always been.  He picks things up quickly and retains what he learns, regardless of whether or not he uses the information.  With this also comes a vivid memory.  For the most part, this serves him well; things like remembering safe paths out of danger, base and blockade locations, or even recalling a seemingly-minuscule piece of information at a vital point.  Stuff like that is a-okay.  However, the issue arises with the other memories floating around in his head, courtesy of those he has consumed.  He sees what they’ve seen, heard what they’ve heard, even felt a twinge of the things they’ve felt, and when some of that stuff hits his vivid memory, it ain’t leaving any time soon....

Green: spiritual headcanons 

First of all, that would be a great big no in general, as he is still the logical, realistic kind of man that he was in his prior life.  Where he is concerned, if he cannot see or touch something, it isn’t real.  The possibility is, but he needs some hard evidence staring him right in the face before he’ll break down and believe it’s a real thing.  Thus far, no deity has descended from the heavens to speak with him, and it’s probably not going to happen anytime soon, so he doesn’t believe in any of that.  If you do, good on you; he’s got nothing against people who believe.  It just isn’t his thing, nor has it ever been.

Cyan: romantic headcanons -

Despite his dislike of all that ‘cuddling’ nonsense, physical intimacy between a romantic partner and himself will be an important part in any relationship he does form.  It all ties back to that whole ‘treating him like a monster’ business.  Someone who is supposed to trust and care about him should be willing to touch him on occasion, or be in close proximity while they’re doing…whatever they’re doing, together.  If they’re not, his mind is going to be concocting reasons why, and it very well may end on the one mentioned.  ’Off nights’ aren’t counted, ‘cause everybody’s got those days/nights where they’re just like ‘you know what, shoo, go away, leave me alone for a while, okay’, and he understands that.  Hell, he’s got them, too.  But, if it’s a continuous occurrence—well…

Blue: relationships headcanons 

Alex isn’t exactly the “life of the party”.  He isn’t one that will just walk up to a random person and strike up a conversation just for the hell of it, and he’s never been one of those folks, so making friends has been a bit more difficult for him than some.  Make no mistake, he had a group of frequent companions in his prior life, but it was fairly small, exactly the way he’d prefer it.  He’ll take a tiny circle of trusted friends over a massive web of contacts any day; that’s as true now, as the virus, as it was as Dr. Mercer.  Now, as it is with any exclusive group, finding a way into that circle is not an easy task, but for the dedicated few who make it in, they’re there for life (or until they fuck it up, but…well, y’know…).

Indigo: daily life headcanons -everything about their everyday life (self-care; hobbies; daily routines; etc..)

As much as he hates the city (and he does, make no mistake about that), there is something enjoyable in just wandering the streets.  Fresh air is good for everybody, right?  And besides, there are usually countless throngs of people doing the same bloody thing, meaning he has crowds to blend in with, which also means he can just kind of be for a little while.  No running around, no bashing people out of the way, no being shot or pursued through the goddamn city--at a glance, he’s just another guy.  

Wandering isn’t a daily routine or anything, but it happens enough that it must count for something.

Violet: habits headcanons -everything about their routine behavior (good habits; bad habits; posture; mannerism; etc..)

So, there was another ask about habits of his.  New habits, ones retained from his life, etc.  I saved it to my drafts to answer, and it disappeared, so this one also goes @ the anon who sent that:

To an extent, yes–but even with that limitation, it is still conditional and not all of those habits or pleasures are there.  The virus has rewritten the pieces within him, and because of that, things were likely lost in transition or perhaps were replaced by something different entirely.  However, the few bits he has retained will not just come to him, in most cases.  They’ll take some kind of rediscovery before he’ll be like ‘oh yeah, this was a thing’.  Since food was mentioned in the ask, I’m going to keep with that.  So, say, in his prior life, he was a big fan of hot dogs.  Y’know, those big ol’ New Yorker hot dogs with all the fixings and everything?  He wouldn’t be just wandering around one day and have this sudden epiphany that that was a favorite of his–not until he took a bite of one and was flooded with that sense of familiarity that it would sink in that yeah, he fucking loves those things. Or, where occasions and holidays are concerned (another thing from the ask), he remembers the big ones throughout the year (Christmas, Halloween, New Years, etc), but as for which ones were his favorites?  Pfft, nope.  He doesn’t recall that any more than he does the small-scale stuff; personal occasions, I mean.  Let him deal with all the crap that comes along with those days–especially his birthday, if somebody else remembers it, because he’ll remember just how much he despises being the center of attention while everyone around him sings that dumbass song–and then he’ll tell you which one(s) he enjoys.  

Kind of a deja vu sort of deal.

As for habits, it’s difficult to tell if one is left over, so to speak, or brand new.  There are a few that have broken with the change, but a few have remained.   Like, once it was routine that he’d wake up early-ish, and the first thing he’d do was grab a cup of coffee, park his ass at the desk he had in the apartment, and get a little work done.  So ingrained did that become that, on the sparse few days he didn’t do it, it left him with a feeling close to confusion because…well, damn, what else was he supposed to do in that time slot?  There’s something he should be doing but he’s not so ???  

Obviously, that habit is one that’s broken because 1) his apartment was blown to pieces, so he doesn’t have a desk, and 2) he doesn’t need to sit around and work anymore.  More of the smaller ones have persisted through everything.  Little tics, like scratching at the left side of his jaw when he’s deep in thought, or fidgeting if he’s standing/sitting too long–things like that have been retained, not that he’s aware of that they were retained.  As far as he’s concerned, they’re just…things he does now.  Whether or not he did them before is irrelevant.

[kentuckywrites]

Awakenings

It all started when Elma found an unopened lifepod in Starfall Basin. 

The Secretary had asked her to comb over the continent one more time. It was hard for him to believe that so many of the lifepods were damaged beyond repair, that their contents couldn’t be salvaged. Elma didn’t want to believe it either, but she was forced to face many of those damaged pods with her own eyes. So many people who were given the chance to escape Earth, so many who would be denied their first steps on Mira...at least, until they recovered the Lifehold Core. There were no signs of it on any of the planet’s five continents, but they had only been on Mira for two months. It was easy to miss something without the proper probes in place.

In the middle of Elma’s search, it began to rain. In the dead of night, it was already hard to see, and the weather did nothing to help her. But she kept going, intent on checking the last area again. She hadn’t visited the Starfall Basin yet, but rescue teams did before and pulled a handful of survivors. She braced herself for the worst as she ascended the grass path and into the secluded area.

The Starfall Basin was small. Even now it was a paradise for some of Mira’s friendlier creatures, so as Elma entered she payed little mind to the creatures drinking at its pond. She spotted several lifepods around the area, still spewing smoke into the air. Elma didn’t bother checking the ones that looked too damaged. She had her fair share of bad memories from looking into similar pods already.

But she eventually laid eyes on one that had survived the impact. It sat, unopened, in the midst of a small clearing. Elma raised a curious eyebrow, taking out her comm device to check the most recent report of the findings in the area.

All lifepods surveyed. Survivors: two.

Maybe one of those survivors came from this pod. Then, why didn’t it look like it’d been opened?

Elma’s curiosity got the better of her. She approached the pod, but realized she couldn’t see anything on the main panel clearly. She took the flashlight that was hanging off her belt and used it to see what the panel was prompting her to do. What she had to type was simple: a login ID and password.

Login ID: Elma

Password: KittyCatLover007

Once the information was cleared, the panel acknowledged that the mim stasis operating system was initializing. A voice soon echoed from inside the pod, confirming external access and that stasis was disengaging. Elma stepped back as the voice began to count down. Now she definitely knew that no one had opened this pod before, but the question was: why? Had the rescue teams really overlooked this pod? No, it seemed impossible. This pod was out in the open, practically begging to be opened.

The voice warned her to stand back as the hatch released, and Elma shone her flashlight inside, waiting to see if there was someone there. To her shock, there was. A pale hand blocked their face, but she could tell by the body type that this was a man. She cautiously lowered her flashlight, staring up at him in fascination.

“Hey there. Looks like you’re all in one piece.”

Elma looked him over for any physical damage, but he seemed clear. She placed her flashlight back on her belt, her mouth opening to ask him how he felt. But once she looked back up, she saw that he was attempting to step outside without any help, and promptly fell on his knees, his head falling. She bent down to make sure he was alright.

“Careful...just take it nice and slow, okay? Your senses’ll need time to reactivate.”

The man forced himself to stand, his head still bowed. Elma started to worry that he suffered some internal injury that was prolonging his ability to recover. When he picked his head back up her eyes widened - in concern or wonder, she didn’t know.

His eyes didn’t have pupils.

They were void of emotion, glazed over. Even in the night they shone an indigo hue; they made him look lifeless, an empty husk. Elma couldn’t tell where his eyes were focusing, or if they were focused at all.

“Can you...can you see me?” She asked hesitantly.

He blinked, and slowly nodded.

“That’s good. How are your limbs? Can you move?”

He wiggled his right foot, followed by his left, and bounced a few times to show that his legs were alright. His arms wiggled next and he did a little hip swing. It was silly to watch, and Elma forced back a chuckle.

“We’ll take it easy while you shake off the stasis.” She told him, “Now, my name’s Elma. You want to tell me yours?”

The man’s brow furrowed and he expressed his first emotion with a bow of the head. Elma couldn’t hide her shock.

“You don’t even remember your own name?...Must be the stasis hangover. That’s not good.”

The poor boy looked as if he were about to cry. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him, looking up into his eyes. The longer she looked at them, the more they reminded her of her real eyes. It made her heart pound a million times faster knowing that this fight wasn’t just about restoring the Lifehold Core. It was about returning to her real body.

The one that she’d been afraid to walk in for years.

“We’ll take things slow,” Elma repeated, “But, first things first. You’ll be needing some weapons.”

She grabbed one of her dual guns and placed it in his pale hand, followed by a knife she’d strapped next to her flashlight. Neither would be very effective in the hands of an amateur, but it was better than nothing.

“Ready?” Elma asked him.

The boy looked down at both weapons in his hands, placing the knife in a strap on his own belt and keeping the gun in his left hand. Once he was ready, he stared straight at her and nodded. At least he can understand English, Elma thought, though I wonder if he’s able to speak it fluently. Maybe I’ll find out one day.

The boy jogged ahead of her, his attention drifting to the area around them. Again, she was drawn to how strange his eyes were, and it was in that moment that she discovered that she was wrong. Those eyes weren’t dead and void.

Those eyes were bright, full of life, full of curiosity she expected out of a child. And it was that realization that made Elma promise something to herself.

I won’t leave his side.

With that, they walked into the night, side by side.

~

“Elma? Is that really you?”

Now Elma stood before her friends, her team, in her true form. It felt good, being back in her own body, but she could feel how years of stasis had left it weakened. She was barely finding the energy to stand before them, and the fear of judgement left her wanting more than ever to fall to her knees.

But there was no going back now. This was who she was, and she prayed that they wouldn’t think of her any differently.

“Yes.” Elma replied to Doug, whose eyes were wider than the Miran moons. “This is my true form. I was kept here in stasis...the only xenoform onboard.”

As she stepped forward, Gwin exclaimed, “Wait, so all this time you were an alien?!”

And it was followed by Irina’s soft whisper, one that Elma overheard. “No way…”

Elma could feel her heart breaking. They were all giving her such strange looks, as if she were a completely different person. She was still Elma, no matter what form she took...right? Nothing would change when they went back to the city. Lin would still cook her big feast in celebration of the day’s events, Gwin and Irina would still hog the steak, Doug and L would still get drunk and dance waltzes together…

And she would still tell stories to Pongo.

He’d grown so much as a person. It was hard to believe that he was standing before her now, a brave Interceptor whose desire to protect others from all harm, even if it meant putting his life on the line. They made eye contact with each other, and Elma wondered what he thought of her, now. He hated betrayal, that much she gathered from when they defeated Alex and Ornella. But they’d done it together. Would their friendship push through the hurt?

It suddenly became too much.

Elma felt the corners of her eyes grow wet with unborn tears, crystallizing on her cheeks. She told herself to stop, tried to reassure herself that they would never think of her differently. But she couldn’t push the thoughts aside. What if they hated her now? Treated her differently?

“I...I hope you all understand. And at the end of the day, I just hope you’ll still consider me as one of you.” Elma said with as even a tone as she could manage. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for what they were all about to say. It would be the moment of truth. The moment of acceptance, or denial.

She heard footsteps echo across the floor. No voices, no shouts.

And when they stopped, two arms encompassed her and brought her in for a warm embrace.

Shocked, Elma opened her eyes and saw that Pongo was the one hugging her. His actions spoke louder than his words, and they left Elma in a daze. Eventually she realized what this meant, and the tears rolled freely down her cheeks. She buried her face into Pongo’s shoulders, her sobs muted by the fabric.

When he pulled away, Pongo took both of her shoulders, a warm grin on his face. “When you first rescued me, you asked if I could see you. Well...I can see you. I can see that you are Elma, the one who trained me, the one who loves cats and tea and good books, the one who will fight for humanity no matter the cost! Nothing will ever change that.”

Elma looked deep into Pongo’s eyes, unable to stop herself from smiling. When she first saw his eyes she thought they were lifeless, void of emotion. But once she got to know him, she found that they held so much life, so much compassion for others.

“Thank you…”

He nodded before turning to look at the others. “Hey guys, I want to do a group hug, and that involves - you know, a group? So come here and hug Elma with me.”

Lin giggled and ran over in an instant. Gwin and L were next to hop in to the hug, followed by Irina and Doug. Together they all embraced Elma, and Tatsu found a way to hop onto the top of the pile and rub his wing on Elma’s hair. The response overwhelmed her with joy and she couldn’t stop herself from laughing, crying. She hadn’t felt this happy since...well, she wasn’t sure. There was a part of her that wondered if she deserved to have such amazing friends by her side, but it was a tiny voice, too quiet to fester. She let herself enjoy the moment with her friends.

“Y’know, might’ve had a different reaction if you came out of that pod looking like Luxaar.” Gwin said in the midst of the hug.

“Gwin?” Irina said.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”