#but all his confusion last episode and the sneak peek now

[sebsluckycoin]

imma be 100% real I don't like how they've been doing buck's bisexual storyline

[thorias]

Since season 2 looks to be so jam-packed with stuff, I thought it would be fun to try to break down the episodes using the stories continuing from season 1 and the spoilery bits we learned from D23 and... yeah, there's a lot here.

I'm just making educated guesses right now, but I could easily see this happening in the show.

2x01 - Ancient Egypt. 'Rise of Apocalypse' adaptation. The team helps En Sabah Nur defeat Rama-Tut and Rogue makes her Faustian deal with him to get Remy resurrected. Bishop shows up at the end to collect everyone.

2x02 - The Future. 'Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix' adaptation. Scott and Jean spend some time raising teenage Nathan and are warned of the horrors that would be unleashed upon the world if Apocalypse were to ever rise to power. Bishop and the others show up at the end and the X-men return to the present.

2x03 - Present day. Bottle episode focusing on Forge's makeshift team, presumably consisting of some combination of Cable, Havok, Polaris, Iceman, Colossus, Archangel, Shadowcat and Emma Frost. They deal with the continuing fallout of Genosha/Asteroid M/the EMP and the ensuing chaos as Graydon Creed is poised to win the presidential election. Apocalypse begins positioning his chess pieces. The new Four Horsemen (let's say Deathbit, Madelyne/Pestilence, Shaw/War and Dazzler/Famine) make their first appearance and give the team a thrashing. The X-men return from the past/future at the end.

2x04 - The X-men are reunited, get caught up on everything they missed while they were gone and find Jubilee wherever she is. Magneto attempts to mend fences with Lorna, but it goes horribly since he did after all try to wipe out all life on Earth while she was, ya' know, on Earth. She doesn't forgive him, but convinces him to turn himself over to the authorities and answer for his crimes. Mags' second trial goes much worse for him than the first one did and he's thrown in a plastic prison like in X2; the last we see of him for a while (probably wishful thinking on my part, but you never know). Rogue leaves to search for Deathbit.

2x05 - Rogue confronts Deathbit. It goes horribly. She tries to absorb the Death persona out of him like she once did for Archangel, but Apocalypse has accounted for her powers this time and Deathbit is immune to them now. She's forced to fight him, shocked by Deathbit's ferocity and resentment toward her and not yet understanding what she needs to do to break Apocalypse's hold on Remy. The battle ends in a stalemate. Rogue is left confused and heartbroken as Deathbit escapes.

2x06 - Wolverine spotlight. Logan travels to Japan, searching for a way to get his adamantium back (I don't like this happening so soon, but we can assume from the D23 sneak peek that it'll probably go this way). He seeks out Lady Deathstrike since her father created the adamantium bonding process and has to fight Sabretooth for it.

2x07 - Nightcrawler spotlight. With the election looming, Kurt confronts his half-brother Graydon. It goes horribly. Mystique reveals herself, having infiltrated Graydon's campaign months earlier. Kurt tries to make peace with his family, but neither of them are interested in peace. The episode ends with Mystique assassinating Graydon and her continued allegiance to Apocalypse is revealed. She then takes Graydon's form and replaces him, meaning Apocalypse would control the White House if Mystique/Creed wins the election.

2x08, 9 & 10 - On the eve of the election, Apocalypse makes his move, committing acts of terrorism, giving Mystique/Creed more ammunition for the anti-mutant campaign Creed was running on, which Apocalypse has been secretly fomenting in order to provoke a human/mutant war. Xavier aides Rogue as she faces Deathbit again, allowing her to confront Remy on the psychic plane. He recreates the gala scene from 'Remember It' in Deathbit's mind, so Rogue can undue that little blunder by dancing with Remy this time and finally confessing her true feelings. Remy learns that Rogue had chosen him, not Magneto, and that she really does love Remy, which gives him the motivation to fight off the Deathbit persona. Meanwhile, the X-men battle the remaining Horsemen and Apocalypse. They're losing badly until a re-adamantiumed Wolverine, Xavier and Rogue, with Gambit, now free of Apocalypse's influence, arrive to turn the tide. Poccy is defeated, and with his machinations revealed, the public is swayed and President Kelly is re-elected.

Afterward, Gambit is back with the team, though he's left with trauma and PTSD from his death and resurrection. Xavier and the X-men are lauded as heroes in the media, so public perception is back on their side and things are looking up for a change... but unbeknownst to everyone, something is not right with Xavier as we get our first hint of Onslaught for season 3.

I think this accounts for every storyline we've confirmed so far, (or most of them at least) but that's just the stuff we've heard about. Who knows what else they've got in store for us that they haven't revealed yet. I'm crossing my fingers that we get longer episodes in s2 because they're definitely going to need more time to cover all this.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

How is it I've ended up in a situation where i end up writing two costume metas a week now 🤔😂😳 We are sneak peek meta'ing as there is some juicy stuff in the sneak peaks we've had!! First up,

Madney!!

Lots of check - sooooo much check going on here!! the interesting thing about having both of them in check is how they contrast each other - I think we'll see that Maddie is more confused about things than Chimney is as the episode unfolds. Maddies jacket being a variety of check hints at confusion and danger on multiple fronts - I'd be prepared to put money down on Maddie not only reckoning with the Doug of the equation, but also there being further things for her in relation to her parents and some things around Jee-Yun as well. How exactly we'll see all that play out and how much detail they'll go into over it I have no idea, but I can see 2 possibly 3 different tweed chcks on her jacket, so there are likely to be 2 or 3 things that she has to face up to.

Chimneys Check has however been lurking there below the surface all season long and that very much plays into the longer arc we've seen for him this season. I would've loved to have actually seen the joint therapy session we were supposed to get at the start of the season because I'm sure it would've played into this underlying foreshadowing of danger we have for him, but I have a theory about why we didn't end up seeing it. Chimney's check has nearly always been close to his skin - by that I mean shirts rather than jumpers or jackets - and we've seen a lot of times where it is hidden under a plain jumper or jacket. I don't want to jump the gun too much by making crazy predictions, but as well as foreshadowing his season finale injury, I think we might be seeing some foreshadowing for Chimney keeping some stuff close to his chest that we will get to see play out in season 7 - its feeling very much like this season is setting up some sort of Chimney trauma healing arc that is bigger than the smallish stuff we've been given so far - it has always felt a little off that we never really got to dig into the stuff with Chimneys father more than we did and then with the Kevin stuff we got in the last episode, it feels like the show building towards something bigger for him and the costumes are aiding this subtext.

Eddie and Chris

there are all of the things going on here in this scene!! firstly as has already been mentioned - it is the same knit hoodie that Eddie was wearing in 5x14. We'll come back to Eddie though - I want to start with Chris!

This is the first time we've ever seen Chris in a denim jacket, in fact we've never actually seen him in a jacket at all, we've only seen him in hoodies up to this point. there is something about this being the first time we see him wear one - at Shannons grave side. Denim jackets are culturally tied to westerns, cowboys and to Texas. Christopher wearing one here would appear to be a visual way of tying him to the childhood he had with his mother - backing up the conversation about making s'mores with her when he was younger.

We can't not talk about the striped hoodie Stripes according to my theory are all about change incoming - the theory hasn't yet been disproven by the wardrobe department and I get the feeling that here is no different. The idea that a change is coming in Christophers life is one that has been hovering around for a little while and the narrowing of the stripes would suggest that change is getting closer. I can't not mention the fact that the hoodie is also white and grey striped - the horizontal version of Buck shirt from the shooting. this is suggesting two things to me - one it is connecting Chris directly to the fact he nearly lost both parents - sitting at the grave of one parent while wearing something that echoes an outfit from the moment he could've lost a second parent. I also think there is something in the connection to Buck specifically in this - its directly connected to the will and that Chris has a third parent - I can't wait to see if I'm just clowning hard, or if the change the stripes Chris is wearing are foreshadowing some connetion to the will!

I do want to touch on the fact that he has short trousers on here - I'm fascinated by them as a choice because again, they're not something we've seen Chris wearing before and my brain automatically went to Buck and the short trousers he has been wearing a lot of. The ones we see Chris in here are a bit shorter than the ones Buck wears but I do think it was an interesting choice - I hope we get to see Chris moving in them so I can see exactly how short they actually are, because if they are meant to mimic Bucks then that is very much a choice by the costume department - to connect Christophers past with his present and future!

Back to Eddies greenish black hoodie. while there is very much the connection to Buck misunderstanding the assignment and the heart metaphors at play, there is another aspect to this outfit being worn again and that is his therapy session with Frank

You get some weird screenshots from this scene from me because I want you to look at Eddies arm (this is literally the only vaguely decent shot of it I can get from the sneak peek!) and notice how Eddie is very much not wearing his watch - there is no watch to be seen work or home or fancy watch!!! this is very much saying that Eddie isn't racing against time here or any of the other time metaphors that are in play - other than Eddie has time, that Eddie has moved on and is at peace with Shannon now - something also supported by the choice of flowers at the grave.

I love flower meanings (if you hadn't already figured that out) and the bouquet of roses with some goldenrods is interesting! Goldenrods represent happiness and sincerity and are also associated with new beginnings. The roses are in dark red, coral orange, pale yellow and white. Roses are all generally associated with love, but each colour represents a different aspects or types of love. they do also have some other meanings attached to them. Yellow roses are symbols of friendship and they are connected with Dia de Muertos - the day of the dead, where they are a symbol of remembrance. The white roses are a symbol of innocence and purity, but also represent new beginnings (which is why they're often seen at weddings). the red roses are romantic love and the orange ones bridge the gap between romantic love and friendship - interesting that there is the most of these ones - suggesting that Eddies feelings towards Shannon sit more in the fond friendship and remembrance zone rather than the romantic zone - its saying that Eddie has and is moving on from her - that he will always think of her with love and affection, but that those feelings have subsided into something more like friendship. This is a clear symbol of Eddie being ready to move on fro her.

Natalia

Oh there is so much going on here that I can't even begin to tell you!!!

first up - her hand is bound in a handkerchief with what appear to be blue roses.

Roses in general terms mean love - red for romantic, yellow for friendship etc. Blue roses mean unattainable love (because they do not occur naturally - only through artificial means) - so that would suggest that both love is unattainable for both Natalia and Buck in this direction but also that any feelings etc are not real - they can only be achieved through synthetic or artificial means - suggesting that any attempt at a relationship is going to be forced. Blue roses can also mean (especially the lighter shades of blue) emotions - specifically the finding of hope peace and tranquility. So with all of this in mind we end up with the concept of Buck finding what he’s looking for and that Natalia will help him get there, but that it isn't love, its the peace, tranquility and happiness that he's been seeking.

Natalia wearing a black velvet blazer is also a telling choice - here we have a connection to Bucks date not date outfit from 6x13. Not only does this jacket therefore tie into the idea of dates not actually being dates, that one of them may think that a potential date is a date, when it is in fact not one, but it also plays into the mixed feelings title from that episode as well. overall the jacket is playing into the idea of misunderstandings on some level (Buck continuing to misunderstand the assignment!)

I know you're all staring at how pretty she is, but I want you to look at that necklace!! We have seen that necklace before!!

Sorry for the jump scare, but here it is;

Now why on earth would you put Natalia in the very same necklace as Taylor Kelly unless it means something?!!! I wrote this in my 5x16 costume meta about that necklace and its meaning;

The chain she was wearing however - very interesting - well to me at least!! (you might have already read this part if you read my answer to an ask!!) So chains that look like actual chains (as this one does) are usually representative of bondage or incarceration - such as the chains of slavery or the chains worn by prisoners or the idea of chattel - the concept of possession - belonging to someone or something -such as historically when women became the property of men upon the event of their marriage (the ball and chain). non of the associations with chains are positive ones! There is also the location around her neck - its not worn loose or lower down it is literally like a chain collar around her neck - a noose like position. 

Basically all of this adds up to Taylor signalling that she is essentially making her self a chattel - staking her claim on Buck through the concept of her being the woman in possession. The thing is though that idea is outdated - Taylor herself is outdated (as in to be history soon) and there are so many quotes about breaking free from chains that bind you and that love frees you from your chains. So if Taylor is putting herself into the idea of being a chain - a noose about Bucks neck - the symbolism becomes as much about Taylors attempts to chattel herself as it is about the concept of Buck freeing himself of the chains binding him and the idea that Love will free him from those chains. Now because this is film/tv - the director will use that chain symbolism to point out the love - the audience knows Taylor is in a relationship with Buck so they will subconsciously connect that chain to him. But where Buck is located - that is where the love is and the audiences eye will be draw to that location - in placing Buck with Eddie and not having him come over to the conversation and therefore standing next to Lucy in any way - it is all done to show where the love that will set Buck free is - and that is with Eddie!!

I stand by all I said in that meta - it is all still relevant. However, the fact they’ve chosen to have Natalia wear the necklace we saw Tay Kay in in 5x16 for that very key scene (when Buck was off flirting with Eddie in the background) is less about Natalia herself trying to stake a claim on Buck and much more about what she represents as a death doula. She is a representation of death and this necklace is playing into the idea of death having a claim over Buck - of Buck feeling like death has a claim over him. It continues to play into the theme of Orpheus and Eurydice's that we saw at play through Carla in 6x11. the concept of Buck still wanting to look back rather than forward and the act of looking back pulling you back to the underworld. 

This is telling me that Buck is still drawn by death, that he is attracted to and and chateled or attached to death because he hasn’t yet dealt with any of his route trauma. 

The fact that we see the necklace on Tay Kay at the moment she has to reckon with who she thinks is the wedge in her relationship with Buck, may also be telling because reusing it here potentially has a similar theme at play - there is a third person/thing in any relationship they attempt to create - death that Natalia may end up feeling the same way as Tay Kay - not saying she’s going to be petty and weird like TK was, it is more likely she will recognise the wedge is bucks relationship with death - and it will be a catalyst to Bucks healing making progressI standby.

there is another connection that @theladyyavilee 's eagle eyes spotted - the necklace is also the same as a bracelet that Ana is wearing when Eddie comes across her in Jinx

the meanings are similar to those I've already written about - with Ana the other more subtle connection is the reason Eddie bumps into her at all is because of Izzy Chainz - stuck up on his billboard.

The fact that we have Natalia connected to both Taylor and Ana in this way is in and of itself very telling - the connections to them is telling us that things with Natalia and Buck won't work out - as if we needed any further confirmation, the wardrobe department as always have our backs and just add their weight to all the other indicators. There is also the meaning behind Natalias name - birthday - specifically in connection with Christmas day and the birth of Christ - further tying into the theory that Natalia is going to help Buck move on from his death in some way and this will very likely also have some connection with the route of Bucks trauma - Daniel and the reaso he was born and allow him to get ever closer to finding happiness - it just won't be with her

Right that is quite enough going feral over the sneak peeks - hopefully it will tide you over until the episode airs and I can write my full normal meta!!!

[spicykaraage]

Ryoga Echizen Tenigo Episodes - Story Translation

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 1]

Koharu: Hm, hm-hm, hmm~♪

Koharu: One, two… one, two… Last, right… then turn!

Koharu: And… pose☆ That—was—per-fect♡

Ryoga: Whoa! Not too bad.

Koharu: Hm… who’s there?

Ryoga: I wasn’t trying to sneak a peek, but I was napping on that bench over there and ended up—

Koharu: It’s you…

Koharu: Big brother♡

Ryoga: I’m not your big brother.

Koharu: Oh, you make a good straight man♡

Koharu: What about Echizen-kun? Oh, but then people would get it confused with Seigaku’s Echizen-kun…

Koharu: How about Ryoga-kun?

Ryoga: Call me whatever you want. Anyway, what was that dance just now?

Koharu: It’s from this new song by an idol group I saw on TV yesterday… The choreography I did was by the girl in the center.

Ryoga: Wow… So you memorized that dance just by watching it once on TV?

Koharu: Once I see an idol perform, I can perfectly copy their dances… It’s a special skill of mine♡

Ryoga: Kakaka! You’re pretty interesting. I like that.

Koharu: Oho, I’m so happy to hear that. And I like me a handsome fellow like you, Ryoga-kun♡

Ryoga: I think you got the wrong idea… Well, whatever.

Ryoga: Since you can move that well, you should be able to do other dances, right?

Koharu: You think so? I haven’t tried any other dances before.

Ryoga: How about you try this on for size? Like this.

Koharu: Whoa, breakdancing!?

Ryoga: It’s just a quick rundown.

Koharu: A-ma-zing♡ I’m falling in love.

Ryoga: Now it’s your turn. Show me what you got.

Koharu: Like this…?

Ryoga: See, I knew you could do it. You’re definitely talented.

Koharu: T-Y-S-M♡

Ryoga: Whaddya think? Wanna try another dance?

Ryoga: There’s this place where the guys who like dancing go to practice. Let’s head over there.

Koharu: If I’m with you Ryoga-kun, wherever you go, I’ll follow♡

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 2]

Ryoga: Here we are. One of the guys who likes dancing should be practicing over here.

Jackal: Oh, what’s going on? Senpai and Konjiki, never thought I’d see you guys together.

Koharu: Rikkai’s Kuwahara-kun. Do you dance too?

Jackal: Yeah, I do a little hip hop. Wait a sec, don’t tell me you like to dance too, Konjiki!?

Koharu: For me, I like doing idol dances.

Jackal: Idol dances…?

Koharu: One, two… one, two… Last, right… then turn!

Koharu: And… pose☆ What do you think?

Jackal: W-Wow… not bad.

Ryoga: Wahaha, right?

Ryoga: This guy’s pretty good, so I wanted him to try other dances.

Ryoga: If you’re up to it, how about teaching him your hip hop moves?

Jackal: Sure, that’s fine. I was just waiting for someone, so I have the time.

Jackal: Okay then, let’s start off small. First, I’ll do the basic steps—

Koharu: Ah! Ha! Ho! Ho! Hey yo! Man!

Jackal: (Wait, are you serious… He can copy my moves that well after just watching me one time!?)

Ryoga: Heh, he’s something isn’t he. Okay, lemme join you…

Koharu: Come on, Ryoga!

Ryoga: Yeah! Here we go!

Jackal: (E-Even senpai is… Well, of course, since breakdancing’s his thing…)

Jackal: (Konjiki and him are so freaking cool! Man, I really wanna dance now too!)

Koharu: Come on, Jackal!

Ryoga: Are you ready?

Jackal: Yeah! Let’s hip hop!

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 3]

Kamio: Sorry, Kuwahara-san. I hope you weren’t waiting too long—

Jackal: Say yo!

Ryoga: Yo! Yo!

Jackal: Say ho!

Koharu: Ho! Ho!

Kamio: Uh… what’s going on…?

Jackal: Oh, you’re here, Kamio.

Kamio: Well of course I’m here. Why are you all hip hop dancing?

Jackal: These two asked me to teach them.

Jackal: Oh yeah. Maybe you can teach them tap dancing too.

Kamio: Huh? Why would I do that…

Ryoga: Because it’d be cool.

Ryoga: So, you gonna show us?

Koharu: I would love to learn it from you♡

Kamio: But, I had something I was gonna do with Kuwahara-san—

Jackal: This is how you’ll make up for being late. Now quit your griping and teach Konjiki.

Kamio: …Alright, fine. If you say so, Kuwahara-san.

Koharu: Be easy on me, okay? Please—and—thank—you♡

Kamio: …*sigh*

Kamio: …Okay, so you’re gonna get into the rhythm like this—

Koharu: Like this?

Kamio: Wha…!? N-No way… You know how to do it already…!?

Koharu: I’m riding the rhythm♡

Ryoga: Wahaha, pretty good, huh?

Jackal: Tch, I can’t even believe it, I think he’s got us beat when it comes to dancing…

Koharu: Trying out all these different dances is a lot of fun.

Koharu: But for me, the one I love doing the most are idol dances.

Koharu: Plus, any choreography of the girl in the center position is perfect for me.

Koharu: So now, it’s my turn to teach you all how to dance like idols.

Koharu: Let’s all be idols together♡

Jackal: W-Well, that’s, uh…

Kamio: I’d rather not…

Ryoga: Have us all become idols, huh. You really are an interesting guy! Kakaka!

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 1]

Ryoga: Orange Ponta is the best, isn’t it?

Ryoma: Grape is.

Ryoga: You mean orange.

Ryoma: Grape only.

Ryoga: You’re stubborn, you know that.

Ryoma: So are you.

Ryoga: Heh… I think we can hold off on this for today, don’t you.

Ryoma: Yeah. We did come all this way to look for it.

Ryoga: The new Ponta flavor being sold for a limited time only in Japan… “Persimmon” flavor!

Ryoga: Apparently people have been saying it’s pretty good…

Ryoma: Are they really selling it here? I haven’t seen it at all.

Ryoga: Just be patient. They said a vending machine at the corner of the district has it—

Ryoga: Oop, bingo. Look, Chibisuke. There’s the persimmon flavor.

Ryoma: Hmm, so they do have it.

Ryoga: Here, let your kind older brother get it for you.

Ryoma: Uh-huh, thanks.

—

Ryoga: Here.

Ryoma: Thank you.

Ryoma: Okay…

Ryoga: Bottoms up!

Ryoma: …

Ryoga: …

Ryoga: …Well?

Ryoma: …What about you?

Ryoga: Uhm, yeah… It’s definitely persimmon flavor… Yep…

Ryoma: They overhyped it.

Ryoga: Jeez… You didn’t even hesitate.

Ryoma: Well yeah, the one I like to drink always tastes better.

Ryoma: Here, this one’s on me. Orange for you, right?

Ryoga: Oh… are you sure?

Ryoma: I don’t care… Now we’re even.

Ryoga: Heh, oh really. Then thank you for doing that for me.

Ryoga: Ahhh! Yeah, that’s the one!

Ryoma: Right.

Ryoga: There are some things you just can’t replace. Better keep that in mind, Chibisuke.

Ryoma: What do you even mean by that.

—

Ryoga: Hm? Hey, come take a look at this, Chibisuke.

Ryoma: What?

Ryoga: Check out this poster.

Ryoma: …An antique market?

Ryoga: Looks like they’re doing it over at the shrine.

Ryoga: I don’t have anything planned after this, so why don’t we swing by?

Ryoma: Oh, that’s a surprise… You’re into that kind of stuff?

Ryoga: It’s just something to help pass the time, so let’s go.

Ryoma: Ah! Wait…!

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 2]

Ryoga: Hey, aren’t those guys over there from your school, Chibisuke?

Ryoma: …Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai.

Ryoma: It’s rare to see those two together.

Momoshiro: Why are you walking next to me!?

Kaidoh: Because we’re heading back in the same direction, obviously!

Ryoga: Sounds like they got beef…

Ryoma: They’re always like that when they’re around each other.

Ryoga: Oh, really? Must be nice to have that kind of energy.

Momoshiro: Hm? Oh, hey!

Ryoma: What’re you guys doing here?

Momoshiro: We’re heading home from our shopping trip.

Ryoma: …The both of you?

Kaidoh: It’s nothing like that…!

Momoshiro: We ran into each other at the store, and we ended up leaving at the same time~…

Kaidoh: Not that I wanted that to happen…

Ryoga: Heh, you must be pretty good friends.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: Excuse me!?

Ryoga: That was some good unison…

Momoshiro: Well, anyway, why are you guys here?

Ryoma: Well…

Ryoga: We both wanted to try the persimmon-flavored Ponta…

Kaidoh: …Persimmon-flavored?

Ryoma: You don’t need to tell them everything.

Ryoga: What, are you embarrassed? Kakaka!

Ryoma: No, I’m not.

Ryoga: You get embarrassed when someone you know sees you with your family, don’t you. Classic.

Ryoma: I’m telling you I’m not…!

Momoshiro: Haha, you got him out of character!

Ryoma: …We’re on our way to that antique market.

Ryoga: There’s a poster for it on that wall if you wanna check?

Momoshiro: Whoa, so they’re holding an antique market at the shrine.

Kaidoh: …!

Momoshiro: What’s up?

Kaidoh: N-No… it’s nothing…

Ryoga: Did that cat figurine on the poster catch your eye?

Kaidoh: Nuh-No…!?

Momoshiro: It did, you like cats.

Kaidoh: Shut up, Momoshiro… When did I ever say I like cats!?

Ryoma: We already know. You love cats, Kaidoh-senpai.

Kaidoh: What—huh…!?

Ryoga: Wahaha, hey, nothing wrong with that.

Ryoga: Anyway, if it’s something you guys are interested in, then you should come with us!

Momoshiro: Right, let’s go!

Kaidoh: (People already know I love cats… No… it can’t be…)

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 3]

Ryoga: Whoa, talk about a crowd!

Ryoma: There’s a lot more people than I expected.

Momoshiro: Whoa!?

Ryoga: What?

Momoshiro: Th-There’s this… huge person…

Kaidoh: He’s a head… no, at least two heads taller than everyone.

Ryoma: That’s…

Ryoga: Oh, it’s him.

Ryoga: Yo, Ochi.

Ochi: …Echizen.

Ryoga: What a coincidence we’d run into you here. You like antiques?

Ochi: I’m not interested.

Ryoga: Oh, then why are you here?

Ochi: I’m just stopping by on my walk.

Ryoga: Alright then. But y’know you kinda stick out like a sore thumb, right?

Ochi: …

Kaidoh: I wouldn’t go that far…

Ochi: …Right.

Ryoga: Nah, I would say so…

Ryoga: See, there’s an old lady over there facing towards you with her hands together.

Ochi: I’m not a god.

Ryoga: Well, yeah, but…

Ryoga: Here, why don’t you come look around with us so people don’t get thrown off by you?

Ochi: I’ve no interest in associating with you.

Ryoga: Oof, okay… He left.

Momoshiro: But at least with his height, we’ll always be able to find him…

Kaidoh: It’s obvious he wanted to hang with us even though he said he didn’t.

Ryoga: Well, I’ll try asking him again later.

Ryoga: Alrighty, let’s get a move on too.

Ryoga: You’re all free to go from here. Go ahead and look around wherever.

Ryoga: We’ll meet back here in an hour. Okay?

Ryoma: I won’t need that much free time…

—

Ryoga: Oh, you’re finally back, Chibisuke.

Ryoga: You sure took your sweet time picking out what you wanted, what happened to you not needing that much time?

Ryoma: …They were selling the back issues of “TENNIS LIFE.”

Ryoma: So, yeah…

Momoshiro: I got some used clothes! …And you got a cat figurine, didn’t you?

Kaidoh: Wha!? How’d you know that!?

Ryoma: ‘Cause it’s obvious.

Kaidoh: Wh… Are you kidding me…!?

Ryoga: Wahaha, well it’s good that you all got something you like!

Ryoma: So what’d you get?

Ryoga: Me?

Ryoga: Ah… I actually got sleepy during the middle of it. So they let me take a nap in the main shrine. Kakaka!

Ryoma: I hope the gods smite you…

—

Ryoga: Yo, Ochi. What’d you buy?

Ochi: …I bought a nice, miniature pot for bonsai. I’m satisfied.

Ryoga: Classy…

Momoshiro: So what now?

Ryoga: Well… I’m thinking it’d be good to go grab a bite to eat and then head back…

Ryoma: Tennis.

Ryoga: Mm?

Ryoma: Let’s play tennis.

Ryoma: We’ll get out of shape if we just head back after this… right?

Ryoga: Heh, this guy…

Ryoga: Okay then. Instead of returning to the camp, we’ll return each other’s shots!

Momoshiro: Count me in! Are you joining in too?

Kaidoh: Heh… obviously.

Ryoga: Hoo boy, I won’t be able to handle all this by myself. Gimme a hand, Ochi.

Ochi: …Very well.

Ryoga: Alrighty, let’s head on over to the courts!

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 1]

Ryoga: …Zzz… zzz…

Ryoga: Mm… Wha?

Ryoga: Is that… a saxophone?

~♪

Ryoga: Kanata Irie… So it was you…

Ryoga: I knew he sometimes practiced at night, but I guess he does it during the day, too.

~♪

Ryoga: He knows I’m here, right?

Ryoga: Well, either way, it’d be rude to bother him.

~♪

Ryoga: Heh, alright then.

Ryoga: Taking a nap under this blue sky with a saxophone playing in the background wouldn’t be too bad now and again.

Ryoga: It kinda reminds me of the US…

Ryoga: …

~♪

Ryoga: …Zzz… zzz…

Ryoga: …Zzz… zzz…

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Whoa!?

Ryoga: Wh-What the…!? It suddenly got louder…!?

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Hold up�� is he doing that on purpose ‘cause he knows I’m trying to sleep?

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Nah… It looks like he hasn’t even acknowledged me.

Ryoga: Maybe he’s getting louder ‘cause he’s getting into the groove of it…

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Oh, brother… I give up…

Ryoga: I’m not gonna be able to take a decent nap with this racket…

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Maybe I should just let him know I’m here?

Ryoga: No, wait… I probably shouldn’t.

Ryoga: It’s not like I can just go up to him and be like “you’re interrupting my nap.”

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Looks like I’ll have to be patient then.

Ryoga: Okay, I guess I’ll stay awake for a while till he’s done practicing.

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Uh… So, when’s that gonna be…?

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 2]

~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Oh my god… Seriously, when is it gonna end?

~♪♪♪ ~♪♪♪

Ryoga: It looks like Irie’s getting even more into it…

~♪♪♪ ~♪♪♪

Ryoga: Lord have mercy…

Ryoga: There’s other people that are gonna complain about this, right?

—

Zaizen: …Oh. So you’re here, Irie-san.

Irie: …Hm?

—

Ryoga: Hough… Finally, someone else came to stop him.

—

Irie: Zaizen-kun. Is there something you need from me?

Zaizen: Hold that thought, are you good if I take a couple pictures?

Irie: Huh?

Zaizen: Well, you were looking really cool just now.

Irie: R-Really? I’m a little embarrassed now that you’ve said that.

Irie: Uhm… What kind of pose should I do?

Zaizen: Oh, just play the sax like you normally would please.

Zaizen: How you look as is is meh, but you do look cool when you’re playing the sax.

Irie: …I see. Yeah, I suppose you’re right.

—

Ryoga: Um wow, that was pretty rude, wasn’t it? He should learn to say things a little nicer…

—

Irie: Well then…

~♪

Zaizen: Yeah, just like that.

~♪

Zaizen: I’m really digging this!

~♪♪♪ ~♪♪♪

—

Ryoga: And now it’s freaking loud.

—

Irie: Phew… How was that?

Zaizen: Great. I got some good pictures thanks to you.

Zaizen: Oh, you cool if I post them on my blog?

Irie: Yeah, I don’t mind at all.

Zaizen: Take a look at this one, there’s a shadow covering your face so I don’t need to censor it, plus it looks pretty cool.

Irie: …Right.

—

Ryoga: That’s pretty harsh…

—

Irie: A-Anyway… is there something you needed from me…?

Zaizen: Oh, yeah. Ootori was looking for you.

Irie: Ootori-kun? What for?

Zaizen: I’m texting him right now, so you can ask him about it.

Irie: All right.

—

Ryoga: Now someone else is coming?

Ryoga: Ugh, jeez… Well, there goes any chance of me getting a nap…

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 3]

Choutarou: Great work today, Irie-san!

Irie: Hey, Ootori-kun.

Irie: So, you needed something from me, Ootori-kun?

Choutarou: Well actually… I’ve been wanting to discuss music with you for a while now, Irie-san.

Irie: Discuss music?

Choutarou: You play the saxophone don’t you, Irie-san?

Choutarou: I also play a little piano and violin…

Irie: Oh, is that so?

Choutarou: Well, they’re hobbies of mine actually…

Zaizen: Even though they’re hobbies, he’s still pretty good at them. Apparently he has perfect pitch.

Irie: That’s incredible.

Choutarou: I know you sometimes practice your saxophone at night, Irie-san.

Choutarou: Hearing you play late at night is amazing!

Zaizen: But one wrong note and then everyone kisses their good sleep goodbye.

Choutarou: Z-Zaizen!?

—

Ryoga: Well, he’s not wrong.

—

Choutarou: A-Anyway Irie-san, I would like to discuss—

Irie: Ootori-kun… Any chance you could hurry and get your violin?

Choutarou: Huh? Oh… Yes, I could, but…

Irie: Then why don’t you and I have a music session together?

Choutarou: Wha… A music session!?

Irie: The best way to have a conversation between musicians is to have a session, right?

Choutarou: Y-Yeah… I’ll go get it right away!

—

Ryoga: Wow… A saxophone and violin session, eh. This’ll be interesting.

—

Irie: Well then, shall we begin?

Choutarou: Y-Yes…!

Irie: One, two…

~♪♪♪ ~♪♪♪

—

Ryoga: Ooh, that’s nice!

—

Zaizen: This is really hype!

Irie: Not bad, Ootori-kun.

Choutarou: Thank you very much, Irie-san!

—

Ryoga: Heh, not catching any Z’s is fine if I get to listen to this, I suppose.

Ryoga: Guess I’ll enjoy the entertainment for a while.

—

Irie: Whew… I was completely immersed in it.

Choutarou: Ah… What time is it now…?

Ryoga: Yo, great job.

Choutarou: Huh…

Zaizen: Huh… Since when did you get here?

Ryoga: Since the very beginning.

Irie: Really? I didn’t notice you at all.

Ryoga: Oh, don’t give me that. You knew the whole time, didn’t you?

Ryoga: Being all loud, interrupting my nap and now you’re trying to lie about it.

Irie: Fufu, well, maybe so?

Irie: More importantly, what did you think of our performance?

Ryoga: It was pretty good, I’m actually fine that I wasn’t able to sleep.

Irie: I’m glad to hear it.

Choutarou: Thank you very much!

Ryoga: But you should probably stop doing it at night, y’know? People might start filing complaints for messing with their sleep. Kakaka!

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 1]

Mitsuya: …Ryoga Echizen.

Mitsuya: Birthday: December 23rd, Capricorn. Height: 180cm. Weight: 67kg.

Mitsuya: Blood type: O. Vision is 1.4 in both eyes.

Mitsuya: Right-handed. Playing style is all-rounder. Special move: Destruction.

Mitsuya: Hobby is napping. Special skill is breakdancing.

Mitsuya: His stats are… unknown.

Mitsuya: How unfortunate… there’s still very little we know about him.

Mitsuya: While I do have his basic data down, I am unable to measure him based on that alone.

Mitsuya: It is clearly evident that he’s skilled. I would even say he’s one of the best out of the U-17 Japanese Representatives…

Mitsuya: However, the full picture of that man remains a mystery.

Mitsuya: First and foremost, he’s never even shown anyone how he practices.

Mitsuya: I was fortunate enough to be able to watch him practice today, but I do not believe those were his true capabilities.

—

Ryoga: Hah!

Ryoga: …Hm?

Ryoga: Guess that’s about it for today~. Alright, I’m gonna go find a place to take a nap.

Ryoga: Oh, it’s Chibisuke. Heyy, Chibisuke~!

—

Mitsuya: He wasn’t cutting any corners. But he also wasn’t giving it his all…

Mitsuya: That man is still hiding his true power. And the reason for that is unclear…

Mitsuya: How very interesting. He’s a man truly worth collecting data on.

Mitsuya: In any case, I must gather more data on him. Anything, no matter how trivial.

Mitsuya: That man… I must know more about this Ryoga Echizen.

Mitsuya: But, there are limits on what I’m able to do on my own… So in that case…

Mitsuya: I’ll go consult the others a bit as well. The more data I have, the better.

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 2]

Mitsuya: …And that is why I specifically asked you three to come here.

Mitsuya: Ryoga Echizen… I would like each of you to share and exchange the data you have on that man.

Mitsuya: And of course, I’ll share my data as well.

Mitsuya: What do you think? I think it’d be a good idea.

Inui: I have no objections, Akuto-senpai.

Yanagi: I as well, Akuto-niisan.

Mizuki: Mmm… It is true that there’s a lack of data on him.

Mizuki: I will cooperate with you, Mitsuya-san.

Mitsuya: Thank you, everyone. I appreciate it.

Inui: That being said, I’m pretty sure the data we each have on him is mostly the same…

Yanagi: We still don’t have the full details on him. We’re essentially in the same boat as you, Akuto-niisan.

Mitsuya: Even the most trivial piece of info will suffice. It could even be something uncertain like a rumor. Right now I just need any data I can muster.

Mizuki: Mmm… Then, how about this piece of info?

Mizuki: Ryoga Echizen is quite fond of oranges…

Mizuki: Rumor has it that he’s traveled across the globe in search of the most delicious oranges.

Inui: Wha… Just for oranges!? Who in their right mind would do something like that…

Yanagi: Well… I believe it may be true, Sadaharu. I’ve heard rumors similar to that as well.

Yanagi: Depending on which country you visit, you may not be able to understand the language at all.

Yanagi: And rumor has it that during times like that, Ryoga Echizen would arrange dance battles and utilize his special skill: breakdancing.

Inui: D-Dance battles…!?

Yanagi: Supposedly he would win the battles and use them as a means to break the ice with others.

Inui: So you’re saying he communicated through dancing…?

Yanagi: It’s just a rumor, though.

Mitsuya: Excellent, Renji. Thank you for the info too, Mizuki. That’s exactly what I wanted.

Mitsuya: That drive to travel the world for your favorite food… and using a different means of communication to compensate for language barriers…

Mitsuya: Both are compelling pieces of data that align with his abilities.

Mitsuya: How about you, Inui? Is there anything you’ve heard about him?

Inui: W-Well, since you asked, I have heard something…

Inui: Supposedly, here at this training camp, Ryoga Echizen had borrowed a comb from Duke-senpai…

Inui: But, he has yet to return it…!

Mitsuya: That’s…

Inui: H-Huh…?

Yanagi: Sadaharu… That’s not what he meant.

Inui: Actually, I believe it shows a part of his personality and that he surprisingly has a lazy side to him…

Mitsuya: I’ll ask him to return it next time I see him…

Mitsuya: Is there anything else…

Mizuki: Mm… Come to think of it, I often see him rallying with Echizen-kun.

Mizuki: Ryoga Echizen’s behavior is unclear and somewhat elusive I’d say…

Mizuki: So if we were to follow Echizen-kun, it may make it easier to understand Ryoga Echizen’s behavior.

Mitsuya: I see, that’s a good idea!

Mitsuya: Fundamentally, the basis of data acquisition is observation, it’s just as you said. Let’s scope out Echizen, shall we?

—

Ryoga: Oh, please…

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 3]

Ryoga: Hey hey, what’s wrong, Chibisuke!? Is that all you got?

Ryoma: …Right back at you, you’ve got a ways to go.

Ryoga: If you say so! Kakaka!

—

Mitsuya: Right on target, now we’re able to observe him through following Echizen.

Mitsuya: Echizen is one of the most talented amongst the middle schoolers…

Mitsuya: With him as an opponent, even he wouldn’t be able to keep his abilities concealed if he tried.

Inui: Ngh! Ryoga Echizen’s backhand just now had a different speed and angle compared to the previous data!

Inui: That backhand has not been recorded in my data…

Yanagi: And it appears that his Twist Serve is more powerful than before…

Yanagi: Has he been hiding it this whole time? Or perhaps… he has no choice but to be serious since his opponent is Echizen?

Mizuki: Mmm… And just now with his movement by the net, he moved forward at a different timing than before.

Mizuki: This is valuable data.

Mitsuya: Marvelous…

Mitsuya: With this data we’re receiving, little by little Ryoga Echizen’s true power will eventually be revealed!

Mitsuya: This is truly marvelous!

Mitsuya: More… Show me more, Ryoga Echizen!

Inui: Hmm!? What was that movement!?

Inui: It’s a unique movement I’ve never seen before…

Yanagi: There is a precise rhythm to it, however… almost like dancing…

Inui: Like he’s dancing… Dancing…?

Mizuki: Mm… Yes, akin to breakdancing even.

Mitsuya: Breakdancing…!?

Mitsuya: No, is he really… He’s incorporating breakdancing moves into his tennis…!?

Mizuki: No… It appears he’s simply playing around with them…

Inui: S-So in other words… he’s aware we’re watching him and he’s doing it intentionally…?

Yanagi: So this data we’ve collected is false…?

Mizuki: Mmm… I’m afraid so.

Mitsuya: He’s clever… You are something else, Ryoga Echizen.

—

Ryoga: Heh…

Ryoga: How naïve of them to think they can figure me out just by watching me.

Ryoga: If they wanted my data so bad they could’ve just came up to me and asked. Right, Chibisuke?

Ryoma: Hey, can you stop looking over there and get serious?

Ryoga: Wahaha, me looking over there is actually making it more fair for you.

Ryoma: Seriously…

Ryoga: If you ask me, they got a ways to go and so do you! Kakaka!

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 1]

Kintarou: Gimme a bite of your meat, Koshimae!

Ryoma: Not so fast.

Kintarou: Oh c’mon, just one bite. Don’t be stingy.

Kintarou: I’ll give you my broccoli in return.

Ryoma: Why would I trade my meat for broccoli…

Ryoga: Wow, a full house.

Kintarou: It’s Koshimae’s big bro!

Ryoga: Chibisuke, can I sit here?

Ryoma: Go ahead.

Ryoga: Aw, what a bummer. I was gonna have orange jelly for dessert, but they were all out of it.

Ryoga: I’m a big fan of the orange jelly here since they put a lot of pulp in it, but…

Kintarou: Mm? Is this the orange jelly you’re talking about, Koshimae’s big bro?

Ryoga: Ah, yeah, it is! Wait, so you…

Kintarou: I took the last one.

Ryoga: So you did… Well, you grabbed it, so it’s yours.

Kintarou: Did you really wanna eat it that bad? In that case, you can have it big bro!

Ryoga: Huh? No, it’s yours…

Kintarou: It’s fine, I only grabbed it ‘cause I like the color orange.

Kintarou: But you like orange flavor, don’t you big bro? So you should eat it!

Ryoga: You’re… a good kid…

Ryoga: Okay, then let’s trade! I’ll give you my dessert for your jelly!

Kintarou: Whoa! But that’s that limited edition fruit platter!

Kintarou: You’ll really give that to me!?

Ryoga: Yeah, no sweat.

Ryoga: I’d much rather have the jelly since the platter doesn’t even have any oranges.

Kintarou: It’s a deal then! Thank you, Koshimae’s big bro! You’re a really nice guy!

Ryoma: How’d it come to this…?

Ryoga: Man, the orange jelly here really is the best!

Kintarou: And this fruit platter’s incredible! I can’t get enough of it!

Ryoma: Well… whatever…

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 2]

Ryoga: Alrighty… Stuffed my face and now I think it’s time for a nap on the roof.

Jirou: Ah… hi there~.

Ryoga: Hi, were you gonna take a nap too?

Jirou: Welll… you said you were gonna go to the roof for a nap…

Jirou: But right now, a bunch of people who like dancing are up there… and they’re all dancing around…

Jirou: So it’s really noisy… It wouldn’t be the best place for a nap… *yawn*…

Ryoga: Ah, well that’s unfortunate.

Jirou: Nah, for realsies…

Jirou: I’m forced to wake up early every day at this training camp…

Jirou: So my naps are ne“C”essary.

Ryoga: R-Right…

Ryoga: I like napping too, but I can’t imagine being constantly tired while I’m awake…

Jirou: Well it’s break time, so that means it’s okay to relax and sleep… *yawn*…

Jirou: Anyway, I’m gonna go find another spot to nap in…

Jirou: I wouldn’t bother going to the rooftop during lunch if I were you…

Ryoga: Got it. Thanks for the heads up.

Jirou: No biggie… Welp, I’ll be on my way… *yawn*…

Ryoga: Mmm…

Ryoga: Maybe it’d be better for me to look for a different napping spot too…

Ryoga: …But once I heard the word “dance,” my body just automatically started tingling.

Ryoga: Sooo… I think I’ll skip the napping for today and go do some dancing.

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 3]

Byoudouin: Perish…!

*boom!*

Ryoga: Heh… You’ve got a ways to go.

*boom!*

—

Ryoma: Wow…

—

Byoudouin: You bastard…! How far will you go to follow me!?

*boom!*

Ryoga: I’ll follow you wherever till you throw in the towel!

*boom!*

—

Oni: Oh great… I thought I heard some racket…

Ryoma: It’s cool, isn’t it.

Oni: What’s so cool about them hitting “Destruction” shots back and forth?

Oni: Just look. The court’s getting destroyed because of them.

—

Byoudouin: Hmph!

*boom!*

Ryoga: Hah!

*boom!*

—

Oni: Jesus… Have some sympathy for the people who’ll have to clean up this mess.

Ryoma: You don’t really have room to talk, though.

Oni: What’d you just say?

Ryoma: Nothing.

Oni: Echizen… do you want to be like them?

Ryoma: Of course.

Oni: Hmph…

Oni: Well, it would be too reckless for you right now.

Oni: But… I guess it’s only a matter of time before you’re among their ranks.

Ryoma: Alright, then I’m gonna join in tomorrow.

Oni: Tch… Well aren’t you cocky.

—

Ryoga: Orah!

*boom!*

Byoudouin: Kuh…!?

Ryoga: Heh… Told you, didn’t I?

Ryoga: There’s a ways to go.

Byoudouin: Bastard…!

Ryoga: Hm? Oh, it’s Chibisuke!

Ryoga: Whatcha doin’ over there? Cheering me on?

Ryoga: You’re probably bored just watching us, huh? Wanna join in?

—

Ryoma: Or I’ll join in now.

Oni: …

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 1]

Ochi: …May we sit here?

Ryoga: Mm? Sure, go ahead.

Mouri: Alright, thank you.

Ryoga: So, what do you want from me?

Mouri: Huh? Well, Tsuki-san wanted to sit here…

Ryoga: There’s other seats open.

Ryoga: You specifically came over here ‘cause you want something from me, isn’t that right?

Ochi: …The Red vs. White competition.

Ryoga: Yeah… That was pretty interesting, wasn’t it.

Mouri: Oh, yeah? We did panic a little since someone from somewhere had targeted us.

Ryoga: Wow, really?

Mouri: I thought it was random at first, but those chestnuts were definitely aimed at us.

Mouri: Right, Tsuki-san?

Ochi: …

Ryoga: Well, that’s not good.

Ochi: …It was you, wasn’t it. Ryoga Echizen.

Ryoga: Huh, what makes you say that?

Ochi: Cut the clueless act.

Ochi: The weight of those shots… It’s obvious that no middle schooler could’ve hit them.

Ochi: Therefore, that ultimately means they were hit by a high schooler.

Ryoga: Huh, it’s kind of irrational to accuse me just because of that, isn’t it?

Ochi: I have another reason.

Mouri: And what reason would that be, Tsuki-san…?

Ochi: I saw him smirking after it happened.

Mouri: Smirking… Right, now that you mention it!

Ochi: You enjoyed seeing our reactions, didn’t you? Ryoga Echizen.

Ryoga: Kakaka! You got me.

Mouri: What… this isn’t something to laugh over…

Mouri: Why did you do that?

Ryoga: Oh come on, you didn’t hear them say we weren’t allowed to go for the black balloons, did you?

Ryoga: Plus, it’s more fun when something unexpected happens, isn’t it?

Mouri: Uh no, and it wasn’t fun or anything like that, we—

Ochi: …Yes, you’re right.

Mouri: Wha—you’re agreeing with him, Tsuki-san!?

Ochi: Those shots had created a sense of tension amongst the high schoolers.

Ochi: It had showed us that we needed to pay attention to each of the attacks, not just the middle schoolers and eagles.

Mouri: Well, yeah, sure…

Ochi: I thought it was good practice.

Mouri: If you say so, Tsuki-san…

Ryoga: Heh… Well, I’d like to do it with just the high schoolers someday.

Ochi: Yes… That would be a good opportunity.

Mouri: Well, that… would be a lot to handle…

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 2]

Ryoga: Ugh, man… There’s no way I’m going outside with this rain.

Ryoga: Well, I guess walking around in the camp isn’t so bad.

Ryoga: Hm? That’s…

—

Tokugawa: Hah… hah…

Ryoga: …

Tokugawa: Hah… whewww…

Ryoga: …

Tokugawa: …

Tokugawa: Um…

Ryoga: Mm?

Tokugawa: What are you doing?

Ryoga: Watching.

Tokugawa: What are you watching?

Ryoga: You training.

Tokugawa: For what purpose?

Ryoga: Because I have time to.

Tokugawa: …Is that not strange?

Ryoga: Is it?

Tokugawa: If you have all this free time, then why don’t you train as well?

Ryoga: Because I don’t want to.

Ryoga: Besides, today’s an off day. And I don’t train on my off days.

Tokugawa: Then why are you here?

Ryoga: Because I was taking a walk and then saw you training.

Tokugawa: Are you toying with me?

Ryoga: Nope, just watching.

Tokugawa: …There’s other places you could go, are there not?

Ryoga: It’s raining outside. I don’t like rain.

Tokugawa: There’s other places indoors you could go, are there not?

Ryoga: Yeah, I guess.

Tokugawa: Then why don’t you go there?

Ryoga: Why do you want me to leave?

Tokugawa: You are toying with me, aren’t you?

Ryoga: What do you think?

Tokugawa: I’ll be blunt then. Leave.

Ryoga: Hey, hey, that really hurts. I’m actually a lot more delicate than I look, you know?

Tokugawa: If you were “delicate,” you wouldn’t be interrupting someone else’s training in this manner.

Ryoga: Wahaha, true.

Ryoga: Well, don’t worry about me, you can keep going.

Tokugawa: And I am telling you I’m unable to continue because you’re disrupting me…

Tokugawa: (Is this person really Echizen-kun’s older brother…)

Tokugawa: (I wonder what Echizen-kun thinks of him…?)

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 3]

Ryoma: Hey.

Ryoga: Mm? Oh, you’re here Chibisuke?

Ryoma: You got free time? Then come practice with me.

Ryoga: Sorry, I’m busy right now.

Tokugawa: You told me you had time earlier, did you not?

Ryoga: Hey, don’t rat me out.

Tokugawa: I didn’t need to.

Ryoga: Oh, come on… You know I don’t train on my days off…

Ryoma: It’s not a problem if it’s training with me, right? You can just keep me company.

Ryoga: Hm… Well, that’s one way to go about it.

Ryoga: Oh alright, your kind older brother will help you out!

Tokugawa: Good grief… finally peace and quiet…

—

Ryoga: Hey, Chibisuke.

Ryoma: What?

Ryoga: What were you up to today?

Ryoma: Something better than dealing with you.

Ryoga: Oh? You weren’t bothering anyone, were you?

Ryoma: You talking about yourself?

Ryoga: Wahaha, did you see how annoyed Tokugawa looked?

Ryoma: So you knew what you were doing.

Ryoga: Well, the dude’s just a little too serious.

Ryoga: I think people like him need to ease up a little so they don’t self-destruct.

Ryoma: Why don’t you just tell him that then…!

Ryoga: ‘Cause it’s not my place to be telling him that~

Ryoga: Oop, there’s an opening!

Ryoma: …Ngh!!

Ryoma: …!!

Ryoma: Tch…

Ryoga: Heh… You’ve got a ways to go.

—

Ryoga: Alright, it should be stopping by now.

Ryoga: Mm? What’s this… the rain passed before I even realized.

Ryoma: Would seem so.

Ryoga: Huh… I can’t believe I…

Ryoga: (I was so absorbed in playing with Chibisuke that I didn’t even notice the rain had stopped…)

Ryoga: (I haven’t had this happen since I was a kid…)

Ryoga: …

Ryoma: Hey… What’s wrong?

Ryoma: Should I bail since you’re gonna keep spacing out?

Ryoga: You little…

Ryoga: You and that smart mouth of yours, that does it~!

Ryoma: Wh—What the…!?

Ryoga: Wahahaha! You’re my baby bro, but you sure are cocky!

Ryoma: Th—That huwwts, big bw—

Ryoga: Huh? What was that?

Ryoma: !! …I didn’t say anything.

Ryoga: Heh, yeah, sure you didn’t.

Ryoga: (I hate the rain, but… if I can have fun during it, maybe it’s not so bad once in a while.)

So, about that last part where Ryoga didn’t realize the rain had stopped and him saying he hadn’t experienced that since he was a child. There are some things to take from it:

It could possibly be in reference to him being able to spend time with Ryoma without being concerned over any outside factors. He was able to spend as much time with Ryoma as he wanted when they were children, but after he was taken and they eventually reunited at the camp, he has not been able to spend proper time with him or they get interrupted.

Rain is a very popular metaphor for sadness/bad memories (rain rhymes with pain). So in this context, it may symbolize that he was able to forget about his sadness from being able to spend time with Ryoma. Which he hasn’t been able to experience since he was a child due to them being separated.

Him saying he hates rain but is okay if he can have fun (with Ryoma). Again, this ties back to the rain metaphor, and it likely symbolizes he’s okay with experiencing sadness/bad memories as long as he can still make good memories and/or be with his brother.

Also does anyone else feel that Ryoga likes dancing more than tennis? Because that’s also what I got from this.

[melishade]

Hello.

I feel bad for Megatron in the timeline with Elite One. Megs must be currently consumed by guilt

Previous Episode of the Beloved Timeline

That and he's 100% sure she is going to fucking kill him.

There is a reason she is a high ranking Autobot in the first place. Sure, Elita was a social butterfly, but she is extremely clever and a down right menace. According to the Covenant of Primus, she helped conspire to overthrow the Quintessons and helped with colonial expansion of Cybertron. I also like other iterations of her being a badass fighter. I like to picture that she took down 50 Decepticons by herself as she tried to escape before Megatron had to intervene and subdue her himself. And the reason why she was in her situation in the first place was because of Megatron, so the minute Elita sees Megatron again, those Kill Bill sirens are going off. Megatron is doing everything he possibly can to avoid her.

But we'll deal with that later.

For now, after Optimus has to answer those questions from the Survey Corps, dodging as many inappropriate ones as he can. Historia and Ymir decide to make their demands while everyone else is here and announce that surprise moment of Historia wanting to marry Ymir. Ymir agrees and they do the wedding in secret. Hanji adds to Optimus that he can invite Elita as his plus one. Optimus is a little irritated at the notion, because he knows for a fact some of the Survey Corps are going to be treating him differently for a little while. But the thought of spending time with Elita again does make him feel happy.

He does return to her and being to explain what is happening with Historia and Ymir, which Elita is confused by because being sparkbonded is a private matter. But Optimus has to explain that there are differences in human culture and Cybertron. Optimus explains the logistics of it and Elita respectfully declines. Elita explains that she would probably just hog all the attention. She does remember when she was last here and the commotion she caused. Also, she hasn't exactly talked to anyone in 20 years, so her social skills are practically shot. And the humans look dangerously similar to the titans and it's not something she's comfortable with. She only feels easy around Optimus because of familiarity.

Optimus is slightly disappointed, but respects her decision none the less. He's just happy that she's back, and tells her to take the time that she needs. Elita does ask about the difference between the humans and titans and ultimately what has been going on with him and Megatron since being on this world. Optimus decides to explain it piece by piece as to not overwhelm her in one go, because learning this shit himself has definitely taken its toll.

"How is it that bad that you're fazed by it?" Elita questioned.

So, day by day, in preparation for the wedding, Optimus helps out there and later explains what's been going on. And the more information she receives, the more mortified that she is. Like this is some messed up shit!!!! But it's fine. It's fine! Totally fine!

"Elita, you do not have to-!"

"It's completely fine, Optimus!" Elita forced a smile, "Not only is my beloved forced to fight again, this world is more backwards than I thought!"

The Survey Corps are disappointed that Elita won't be attending the wedding, and they try to capture sneak peeks at her, because some of them didn't get a good look at her. Eren was really the only one. Hanji is very persistent, and Elita swears she can feel eyes burning into her back. But they do notice that since Elita has been around, Optimus' mood has significantly improved. Like he is definitely more sociable and talkative, and she's not even around!

Day of the wedding, Optimus bids her farewell, and Elita...decides to take a look around this place. This is the most relaxed that she's been in ages. She still hasn't seen Megatron yet. She wants to kick his ass. As she's walking around, she does mind her step and avoid the humans, but they do notice her and can't help but stare. They are aware that people like Optimus don't eat humans, but to see a titan in the walls walking around without a single alarm going off and a shot being fired is odd.

Elita is curious about the top of the walls. She's always wanted to know what was up there. Elita took few steps back, got into a starting position and bolted towards the wall. She managed to jump up and get some good distance before climbing it with ease and little damage. When she reached the top, she could hear cheering and clapping and looked down to see the humans that had been following her just praising her. Elita can only wave sheepishly before walking along the top of the wall and taking in the view from so high up. And it was breathtaking.

As she's walking along the walls, she comes across military men in uniforms with roses on them. They are a little tense when they see her, and Elita is just as tense, but Commander Pixis greets her to ease the tension (with Anka and Gustav keeping a very close eye on him). The two talk and Elita does learn more about the humans in the wall through the Commander. With what Elita knows; however, there is one burning question she has in her spark:

"Do you intend to continue the ways of your ancestors?" Elita demanded.

Pixis paused and looked up at her.

"I understand that your memories have been wiped of this knowledge, and you have only now just learned about it. I also understand that the sins of your ancestors should not reflect the innocent here and now," Elita explained, "But knowledge is power, and power can corrupt. Optimus has the habit of seeing the good and potential in everything, willing to grant opportunities for change."

Elita raised a servo to her spark. "Despite how I feel about Optimus, it is not a principle I can always agree with in such strenuous times. I need to know if Optimus' faith in you is well placed and you will not default to the carnage of your ancestors."

Pixis noticed the rather emotional look in Elita's optics at the name of Optimus, and how fond it looked. And suddenly, everything clicked. Why Optimus was in such a better mood, why the Survey Corps have been acting rather mischievous, why Megatron wasn't even here right now and avoid this place like the plague.

"I see," Pixis smiled before looking on ahead, "I wish I could speak on behalf of all who live within these walls, but we humans are fickle beings. Self preservation and greed is in our nature. When pushed to the brink of annihilations, there are those who would tear each other apart to survive, and those who choose to fight for those who cannot. Personally, I would like to continue fighting for a better and peaceful and free world. Only for the sole reason that my comrades who fought for that same dream, did not die in vain."

Elita is quite moved by the answer and laughs. "Well, at the very least, your answer is an honest one."

Elita thanks Pixis before jumping off the wall and landing on her feet with grace before returning to her temporary home. Pixis can only say 'well done Optimus' to himself.

The next day, Elita decides to introduce herself to the Survey Corps, thinking it would be best way to go considering she's decided to stay and help. And the Survey Corps couldn't help but notice the way Optimus beamed at the sight of Elita.

Side note: Anka threatened Pixis when Optimus informed them about Elita and she immediately pulled him aside.

"If you so much as look at her wrong I will castrate you and throw you over the walls, you drunken bastard," Anka seethed.

"Eh, not the worst way I've imagined going out," Pixis shrugged.

(Interactions between Elita and the Survey Corps will definitely be for the next ask)

[itsclydebitches]

I want someone to explain to me how the heck Blake ended up dropped nearby Weiss when she fell with Ruby?? Shouldn't, logically, she be closer to her? Or do we just say "it's fake wonderland, logic no longer exists". Also how did they all find each other but not find Jaune. Not complaining, exactly, that he's not made an appearance just... confused by it. (Would be hilarious if the writers somehow forgot they even dropped him to begin with.)

I think the explanation for that is in the Volume 9 sneak peek we saw a... year ago? A while, anyway. The one where we get the events of the finale from Ruby's PoV. When she falls Blake sorta disappears after Ruby looks away for a moment, then she winds up in the in-between place with the floating orange orbs (which are a strange detail ngl), Neo shows up, they fight, Ruby throws her off, and then Neo just kinda hovers there menacingly until she too fades away. Ruby then wakes up on the beach alone.

So yeah, it's an "explanation" in the sense that the story seems to have gone, "Magical voids mean we can just have everyone wake up wherever we please, rather than tackling the more challenging structure of keeping those who fell together." Honestly, I'd much rather Ruby wake up and forge an actual relationship with Blake + deal with Neo without the rest of her team than, uh, meeting a mouse.

As for Jaune, who knows. More convenient plotting where the team stumble across each other quickly--as in, the first episode or two given the theory that our trailer isn't showing much beyond that--but for inexplicable reasons he remains lost? Does it have to do with the fact that maybe they aren't looking for him if Weiss assumes/hopes he made it to the portal? Or the reigning theory: Jaune is an antagonist of the Volume, changed by Wonderland, and thus is actively avoiding the girls?

Personally, I'm not persuaded by that though, for a couple of reasons. 1. It would require a Wonderland where both space (falling in different places) and time are seriously wonky, given that Jaune fell last, but is presumably warped by Wonderland long before the girls even wake up. I mean, it's possible, especially given our inspiration, but it's way more confusing/messy. 2. If Jaune were the antagonist I would honestly expect them to hint at that in the trailer. Given his popularity across much of the fandom and the writers' own interest in his character, that seems the perfect way to hook a lot of fans after the long hiatus. And 3. The theory revolves around Jaune being the knight which yeah, tracks in an aesthetic sense (sword and shield) but the narration of our presumed antagonist is a woman and the shot from the back that the trailer gave us 100% looks like a woman (as RT would design one)/not like Jaune/I'm pretty sure that's her long hair up in a bun. The theory was more plausible back when the knight/armorer/whoever she is was only wearing a helmet.

Really, I'm not sure what to make of Jaune's lack of screentime in the trailer. Again, it could simply be that they only picked scenes from the first 1-2 episodes, but it feels like we're already struggling with the problem I pointed out all the way back in Volume 8: by having Jaune kill Penny and then fall into the void, RT created a situation where he has to be at the center of the next Volume's emotional journey--you can't just ignore what he did + his presence in Wonderland--but simultaneously, Jaune shouldn't be the focus when this is otherwise a Volume about our title team working through their own doubts. Now, we're seeing that precise push-and-pull in the fandom. Some fans are horrified that he didn't show up. How can you possibly ignore Jaune right now?? Meanwhile, some are relieved that he didn't show up. Good, this wasn't supposed to be your Volume anyway. RT really backed themselves into a corner with this one, imo, because if Jaune's journey gets a lot of focus we'll be right back to, Why is he Mr. Character Development when all four girls are RIGHT THERE, but if they don't do enough we've got more, Love that you introduced these HUGE plot points and then did so little with them. If Volume 9 centers the emotional journey around finding Jaune and comforting him over Penny's death, we've got a problem. If they mostly ignore his actions and focus on the girls, we've got a problem. It's not that RWDE folk are refusing to be happy about what's put up on screen (as I often see the more protective fans claiming), but rather we recognize the mistakes made in the past that are now leading to more issues.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

So, I was thinking, we were told we were going to meet Carlos' sisters in an unexpected way (both of them? Only one? I don't remember). But we haven't gotten that last episode. Could it mean we have yet another thing happening before the rehearsal dinner where everyone sits together? It's improbable that's related to the tragedy, whoever it may involve, if only because of Owen's 'perfect moment' thing that seems to attract something ominous that's yet to come... Or maybe they're absolutely fooling us 😂

While the anxiety is building up just as much as the excitement, I am somewhat glad we know practically nothing of substance about what's to come. I just hope they haven't cut that first meeting with the reyes sisters altogether, though ultimately that won't be the most important thing.

I'm very unsure of how episode 17 is going to play out, even more so after that sneak peek yesterday. We know all sorts of little pieces that make up the episode, but we don't know much about how they fit together. What Rafa said in that interview made it seem like we were going to meet both of Carlos' sisters in an unexpected way. I guess I don't know what Rafa thinks is expected/unexpected, but I would assume meeting them at a rehearsal dinner or some kind of family dinner before the wedding wouldn't be particularly unexpected. However, I can't imagine what other unexpected way we would meet them. We have to have probably a good amount of the Wyatt storyline in 17, probably at least a little Robert and Owen, and that pool rescue. We now know we need Gabriel coming over to tell Carlos of an offer to become a Texas Ranger, we need Carlos going to ask Gabriel to be his best man. I'm assuming the big dinner scene in the loft is also 17, and we might be getting the Carlos/Andrea having lunch still and maybe one or both of the Owen/TK stills. Then we probably need at least the beginning of the "tragedy." I don't know where an unexpected Reyes sisters meeting would fit in there. I wonder how many more sneak peeks we will be getting and whether it will answer some questions or just make me more confused!

[helluvapurf]

Ayyyy new HB episode just dropped, and its the Fizzarolli one!~ Been SUPER curious about it since the initial trailers/sneak peek previews, soooo... lets talk about it~

*SPOILER WARNING AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T SEE IT YET-*

First things first, the Positives:

-Loved loved LOVED Fizzarolli and Asmodeus since their initial debuts in "Ozzie's", and... yeah, I very much enjoyed them here too!~ 👏From Fizz's maniacally-pampered goofiness to Ozz's "lovingly suave & powerful" demeanor, it blends into some super enjoyable chemistry when we see them both onscreen~ ❤️Not that they have a flawless relationship ofc, given Ozzie's overprotective coddling at times & Fizz being too careless about his own safety (+his inner worry of what the public would think of Ozz dating an Imp)... but at the end of the day, whether it's fluffy cuddles, kinky fun, or pummeling the hell out of some boring lawyer dude... it seems like nothing will ever tear these two apart, aww~ :3

-Blitz and Fizz's dynamic was SO fun to watch from start to finish, everything including their snarky banter at the start, their gradual teamwork when kidnapped, and their heart-to-heart by the end was quite touching to see play out (like man you can just FEEL the pain in Blitz's voice as he recounted all that tragedy/genuinely felt remorse for what happened... poor guy ;-; )🥺 I know some could argue that Fizz forgiving Blitz at the end was a little... "rushed", but personally I like to see it more as them agreeing start over "fresh" to give time in rebuilding things, with plenty to catch up on now that they're free from danger 👍 Here's to some more great Blitz/Fizz content in future HB eps!

-As... "lukewarm" as I've grown towards Stolas lately, I honestly found him pretty fine here in terms of character portrayal/writing (surprising too that he didn't take up much screentime since he stayed more to the sidelines during the B-plot... huh .3.). The lil bit of him excited to read the contract was pretty funny too lol ("Ohoho, I love words!~")

-Didn't expect to see Striker so soon, but he proved a fun threat to watch along with the bigger arsenal in Crimson's gang! 👌 Curious to see what he'll be up to next, with that slick escape of his by the end~ 👀

-I liked the lil fly-Chihuahua things Fizz had as pets during the intro, they were cute :3

-Much better writing in the humor-department here, as even some of the "raunchier" jokes (like from Fizz and/or Ozzie) didn't really phase me here since most of them do come from two prominent Lust Ring performers. Ironically enough though, it was actually Crimson who surprisingly gave me the most laughs ngl (like the screen recording threat to Ozzie, his confused face at Fizz singing in Italian, etc. lmao).

-Beautiful shots of animation & color work as usual, and even Fizz's song (-cluttered as it was lol) proved an amusing one to see given the circumstances of him improvising the whole time XD. Hope we'll see more of Alex Brightman's singing talents in HB's future, given his past Broadway work! 👏

-So it looks like we were right to assume Stolas is planning to give Blitz an Asmodean Crystal after all (possibly meaning the end of their Full Moon deal, too? :o), so that'll be interesting to see how that'd play out later (esp. now that Fizz gave the okay to let Blitz have it by the end, thanks to their renewed bond ^^)

Now, as for any potential Negatives...:

-As much as I enjoyed Striker's antagonist role here, along with the looming forces he gained from Crimson's alliance... like, why is Crimson of all people here for the villain-count, again? .-. Sure, it is refreshing that Striker's learning to let go of "sucking up" to Goetia's (aka: Stella & her brother) to get by... buuuut idk, I would've thought Crimson's next big appearance would've been suited more to a Moxxie and/or Millie-centered plot, I guess? 🤷 Idk...

-For someone who went through such an intense kidnapping/beat-up during his last starring role... I'm surprised Stolas is apparently walking around fine now, with no other visible injury? I mean sure, he is a Goetia so I guess it makes sense he'd heal up fast... yet since its only been canonically a week since "Western Energy" happened, I feel like he should've at least had a couple bandages/scars on him, to at least leave some more of a narrative impact of what he went through imo.

-Funny as the B-plot was with the boring lawyer guy... yeaaaaah I'll admit after awhile, I couldn't help wondering why Ozzie didn't just say "f*** it" and killed the dude already lol. Like, big threats from Crimson aside... Asmodeus IS an Embodiment of Sin nonetheless, arguably more powerful than any Goetia if we consider the Hell hierarchy system. Couldn't he have just... idk, raised up hell like Stolas did in "Truth Seekers" to go save his man? 🤷 Not that it took me out of the ep too much given all the great Blitz & Fizz content we got instead... buuuut yeah lol.

-With that one flashback sequence of Blitz and Fizz's childhood... I'm surprised Barbie Wire didn't show up much in it (save for the burned photo with their mom)? .-. I mean I'll admit I even saw some leaked storyboard-screencaps showing that Barbie was meant to be seen running out during the tent fire scene, but in the actual-finished ep she's just... not there somehow? Weird .x.;

-I'm... not really sure how to feel about Blitz straight up calling Striker a "supremacist"? Like yeah Striker's clearly within the "Eat The Rich" mentality since his debut in S1... buuuut with how its been subtly stated of how oppressed the Imp race is compared to most other Hell classes, I don't really get how Striker is "wrong" to outright detest royalty/rich folk? .-. Idk, hopefully they'll clear this up more with a later episode/backstory moment for Striker down the line... 'cause otherwise, the implications of it all just feels very... ehhhhh .x.;;

-...okay, I'm just gonna cut to the chase here (*and no offense meant-in advance to any shippers out there, btw*), but I'm... reeeeally not a fan of how much this show's been trying to "water down" Blitz and Stolas' current dynamic here 😑 Like, its one thing to show Stolas catching honest, genuine feelings but recognizing his mistakes enough to try & make things "right" (hence again, the Asmodeon Crystal thing)... but to straight up paint Blitz as being some "uwu stubborn meanie who doesn't know true love when he sees iiiiit~" is just... really? 🤦

Mind you, Stolas is the same guy who coerced Blitz into their Grimoire deal all so Blitz can keep up his I.M.P. business (& for Stolas to... well, "get some" >>;), kept stepping over boundaries throughout S1 (aka: calling him "Blitzy" over & over, hitting on him when he's not interested, etc.), and then didn't even try to defend Blitz when they both got publicly mocked in "Ozzie's" (only way later when they were in the privacy of his manor did he offer to talk/have some "cuddly couple time" together... 😒). Again, I don't mean to dunk on Stolas too much 'cause I know he IS trying to be better now (+Blitz wasn’t exactly a saint either, given that he only ever asked out Stolas back then just so he could spy on M&M >>)... but really, all that in mind I can't say I blame Blitz for not being exactly "receptive" to Stolas' affections 🤷 Personally, I think its best that these two just give eachother some space (once the Grimoire/Crystal thing is sorted out), imho...

----------

Aaaaand yeah, all-in-all I'd say this ep was... probably the best of S2, so far??😳Not "perfect" by any means, and def could've used a bit more polish in a few scenes/plot holes/script-writing... all-in-all, the strong chemistry of Blitz, Fizzarolli, Asmodeus amongst the drama made it a truly worthwhile episode~! 👏👏As for my current S2 ranking atm:

"Oops" (S2 Ep. 6)

"Western Energy" (S2 Ep. 4)

"Exes and Oohs" (S2 Ep. 3)

"The Circus" (S2 Ep. 1)

"Unhappy Campers" (S2. Ep 5)

"Seeing Stars" (S2. Ep 2)

[scrawlingskribbles]

did... does that count as another prophecy dream????

[cjsinkythoughts]

It’s All in the Perspective

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Word Count: 4491

Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, Gun Violence, Minor Character Injury, A Peek at Angry Bucky, Explosions (if that’s a warning), Mentions of Stevie (I really miss him, guys)

A/N: So! Here it is! Part 4.3! After long hours of laboring and slaving away - kidding, kidding. I had a bit of trouble with this part, not gonna lie, because there’s a lot of feelings I wanted to try explaining. To do that, there’s a little sort of twist at the end that, once I decided to put in, made the chapter much smoother to write. I wasn’t happy with it at first, but now I’m satisfied.

There’s a lot of things happening in this one; it’s longer than I had anticipated because of the little snippet at the end I added. It’s got a few scene-for-scene things, but I kinda blew past it just to get to the characters’ emotions and stuff. Plus writing action like the shipping yard scene is hard when you’re not focusing entirely on that scene, which I wasn’t.

You’ll notice that the last little bit with Ayo (the Wakandan) isn’t in this. That’s because I couldn’t really find a way to fit it in and I’m assuming it will fit in better with next week’s episode.

Not beta’d, so please excuse any mistakes! Thank you wonderful people for reading and commenting! I enjoy hearing your opinions and what you like about the show and the series! Enjoy the final Part for Episode 3 and stay tuned for an announcement tomorrow about the One Shots I’ll be doing in relation to this series!

FATWS MASTERLIST

cjsinkythoughts MASTERLIST

!SPOILERS UNDER CUT!

You and Bucky kept sneaking glances at each other as you walked through the dock, weaving between the different colored shipping containers with Sharon leading the way. Every time you caught his eye, his ears turned red and he looked away, scanning your surroundings. Not that you were any better, immediately turning away when he turned your way.

You almost kissed him. Fuck. You couldn’t let that happen. He was your friend. Your teammate. He was the best friend to the man you fell in love with, who just so happened to be your best friend. Your best friend who left you. Your best friend who you promised you would watch out for Bucky. 

Bucky…who you also fell in love with. Whether or not it was because of Steve, the fact of the matter was: you loved him. You loved both of them. And you’d never loved anyone like that before. And one left. And the other was trying to navigate through his shitty life. And you weren’t any better. Which is why, you decided in that moment, that no matter how much you wanted to - and holy shit did you want to - you wouldn’t pursue. 

Yet. Maybe. Ugh! When did feelings become so complicated?!

When you started having them.

You silently grumbled to yourself, shaking your head clear. You had to focus and be in the moment. Now was not the time to sort out what to do about the suddenly rising emotions towards the cerulean eyed brunette currently burning with you with a gaze you refused to return.

“Alright.” Sharon stopped, making the group stop as well. “He’s in there. Container 4261. I’ll keep an eye out while you guys talk to Nagel. But hurry; we’re on borrowed time.”

You each grabbed one of the earpieces she held in her palm, slipping it comfortably in your ear. “I’ll stay back with you.” Sharon went to talk, but you cut her off. “I’d feel better knowing it’s not just you out here.”

She pursed her lips, before nodding. “Alright. If that’s what you want.”

“Doll-”

“I’ll be fine, Buck.” You insisted, checking your gun to make sure it was loaded. Bucky stayed quiet, nodding in begrudging acceptance.

You and Sharon headed off as the boys went towards the storage unit. “Just like old times, huh?” Sharon raised an eyebrow at you.

You grinned, shoving your gun in the thigh holster she let you borrow. “Let the good times roll, babe.”

“Absolutely.” Sharon winked, before you two split up to cover more ground. It wasn’t long before Sharon announced company and you took off sprinting in her direction.

You got to her just as more thugs approached her from behind, immediately lunging into action.

“Hey, so, we never finished that conversation!”

You grunted as you roundhouse kicked a guy, hooking your knee over his shoulder and pulling him to the ground by the neck “Really?! You wanna do that now?!”

“Sure! I’m not too busy!”

You rolled your eyes at her reply, seeing her knock a guy unconscious before she turned around to knee another one in the face. “What were we talking about?”

“Why’re you holding back?”

“It’s complicated!” You elbowed a guy in the ribs, flipping him over your shoulder and twisting his arm till a sickening crack sounded.

“Because of Steve?!”

“Yes - no! Kind of!” 

Sharon was on the floor choking a guy out as you slammed a guy’s head into a shipping container, pushing him at another guy. “You loved him didn’t you?! And I mean, like in love with him!”

“Who?!” You laced your fingers around the back of his head and brought his face down onto his knee.

“Director Fury!” You gave her a look which she snorted at. “Steve, you dumbass! Who else?!”

“Yeah! No shit I was in love with him!” You ran up the side of a storage unit to do a backflip and land on some guy’s shoulders, choking him out. Before he fell, you rolled off, tripping a guy in the process and elbowing his throat.

“Well at least you’re admitting it now!”

You were hit in the back of the head, thrown into a wrestle with another guy on the ground. You bit his hand, making him cry out, before you headbutted him. 

“You couldn’t even hear his name without having to remind people you were ‘just friends’!”

“We were just friends, Share! You know that!”

You heard her shoot of a gun a few times as you smacked someone in the back of the head with the butt of your gun, trying to save ammo. “You really never did anything about it?!”

“No!”

She glanced at you incredulously from across the way, bodies now littering the ground. “And you don’t regret that?”

“No.” You sighed at her look, relenting. “Yes. Kind of. I dunno. I mean…he’s happy with his decision, and for me that’s enough.”

“But doesn’t it hurt?”

“Of course it hurts. It hurts like hell. But-”

“But you still have him so it’s all good.”

You bit your lip, shrugging. “Something like that.”

Sharon tilted her head, confused. “So why don’t you tell him?”

“I dunno. I don’t think either of us is ready.”

“C’mon. I saw you two earlier. You should’ve just kissed him.”

Rolling your eyes, you frowned when you noticed something missing. “Ah shit. My ear piece. It must’ve fallen out earlier.” You looked around, but Sharon stopped you, nodding her head between a couple shipping containers. 

“Don’t worry about it. Mine broke a little while ago, too. Let’s go get the guys. Tell them we need to leave.”

You nodded and started running with her to the unit Nagel’s lab was in. You followed her around the corner, only to widen your eyes and shove her out of the way. Two gunshots rang out, Sharon catching the guy right between the eyes, while the man’s bullet grazed your shoulder.

“Ow, fuck.” You hissed, hand immediately going up to clamp your wound.

“Dammit! You shouldn’t have done that, you idiot!”

You gave her a look. “You’re welcome.”

Rolling her eyes, she quickly tore off part of your shirt. “Hey!”

“First off, this is my shirt. Second, I’m just making it more of a crop top. Third, it’s your own fault, so quit your whining.”

“Touchy touchy.” You grumbled, wincing when she tied it around your arm.

“Just come on. And hey,” she turned to you as she sprinted with your wrist in her hold. “My advice? Don’t wait. Seriously. I know it must be weird, the whole he’s his best friend, he was your best friend, now he’s your best friend, thing you’ve got going on, but there’s nothing else stopping you. Steve made his choice. And he’d be fine with whatever you choose as long as you’re happy.”

You shook your head. “But Bucky’s still healing-”

“So? He’s already been on dates. I think you’re just using that as an excuse to protect your heart from hurting again. Trust me; Barnes isn’t going anywhere.”

Not able to respond since you were making your way to the guys in Nagel’s lab, you bit your lip, hating that she got the last say in the conversation. She definitely planned it so she would. “We’re outta time, fellas.”

As if things couldn’t get worse Zemo - that fucking snake, you knew he was gonna do something stupid - took out a gun he got from who knows where. You sure as hell didn’t let him have a gun. Before you could stop him, he shot Nagel, your best, your only, lead.

“Goddammit!” You growled as Sam and Sharon restrained him. “You fucking-”

The explosion came next, again happening faster than you could react. Bucky grabbed you and pulled you underneath him, covering you with his body as glass and metal flew around you. With ringing ears, you groaned, squinting your eyes open.

“Y/N, are you okay?”

You were vaguely aware of the alarms going off, a red light blinking behind Bucky’s head. You nodded, his worried eyes softening just slightly at your response. “We gotta get out-”

“I know, I know. C’mon.” He helped you up, eyes catching sight of the makeshift bandage on your arm. “Dammit, what did you do?”

“I’m fine.” You pushed his hands off. “Go help Sharon. We’ve gotta move. Now.” He huffed, but nodded and moved over to get Sharon. You tried to see where Zemo went through the smoke, but he was already gone.

You four made it just before the whole thing combusted due to the chemicals in the lab. So much for any evidence or leads.

The moment you got out, you were thrust into a gunfight, rolling your eyes as Bucky and Sam, once again, did their own thing.

“Are they always like this?”

“Usually it’s worse. Wait until they start arguing about who was right.” Sharon gave you an unamused look to which you nodded at, ducking when a bullet whizzed by you. “I know. It’s so annoying.”

Sure enough, when Bucky ran out of bullets, the bickering commenced, making you huff and Sharon shout at them. “Are they serious?”

You shot a few more bullets before your gun started clicking. “Dammit. Unfortunately.”

“I’m out!”

“Me too!”

Another explosion and a person you couldn’t see clearly through the haze caused a distraction for you guys to get away, Sam practically shoving you and Sharon into an open shipping container as Bucky took care of a couple more bounty hunters.

“What happened? Both of your comms went out.” Bucky growled once he came in behind you, grabbing your forearm to study your wound.

“It’s just a graze. Chill your ass down. I lost my earpiece and Sharon’s broke.”

Bucky’s eyes narrowed, his voice low with warning. “What. Happened.”

“We rounded a corner, the guy was there. I shoved Sharon, he shot, she shot, I got hit, he’s now dead. Happy?”

“You promised.” He snapped, finger tightening on your arm. “You said you’d save yourself first.”

“Buck, let go.” Grabbing his wrist, you tugged a bit, wincing slightly. “Seriously. Stop. That hurts.”

He blinked, his features slacking and his fingers immediately dropping your arm. “Doll, I-I…fuck.” He turned to go punch through the back wall to get out of the unit you were in.

Before you could respond and tell him it was fine, the Baron himself drove up in a slick blue convertible. You groaned at Bucky’s response to Zemo. “We need him.” God, you were getting tired of hearing that.

“You’re lucky I don’t bash your head in.” You growled at him. 

“If you try that shit again-”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Sam raised an eyebrow when Bucky got into the passenger’s seat with no hesitation, looking at you. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but you shrugged and slipped into the back with Sam. Bucky and you always took the back seat. You had ever since the dumb little blue car Steve got.

You hugged Sharon in parting, knowing she couldn’t come with. “Hey.” She looked at you sternly. “Take a leap.”

“We’ll see.” You told her, sitting down and buckling.

“Do better than that, Y/L/N. And get me that pardon you promised me.” She told Sam, pointing at him..

“Thanks for everything.” She nodded, before jogging off in the opposite direction you’d be heading. Sam turned back to the front, an annoyed expression crossing his face. “You’re not gonna move your seat up, are you?”

“No.”

You snickered as Sam shot you a glare, Zemo starting to drive the car out of the shipping yard, away from the chaos.

****************

You collapsed onto the seat in front of Bucky, leaning onto the knee he had propped up against the back. He glanced up at you, face blank, before looking back down at his metal hand he was cleaning.

“Here. Let me see-”

“I got it.” He grumbled, shifting away from where your hands reached for his.

Your eyes widened, stunned at his reaction. “Bucky, just let me-”

“I said no, Y/N.” Your name. Again. You can’t remember him calling you ‘doll’ since before the shipping yard explosion.

“Are you okay?” He merely grunted. You straightened off his leg, swatting his knees with the back of your hand. “Hey.”

He shifted again, planting his feet on the floor. “Stop.”

“No.”

He shot you a warning glare. “Y/N-”

“Stop calling me that.”

“It’s your name, isn’t it?”

“What is wrong with you?” You scrunched up your features in confusion and concern. “Is this about my arm? I told you it’s fine.” You got no response except his eye flickering to your now properly bandaged shoulder. “Why are you acting so weird?”

He shrugged. “I’m not.”

You scoffed in disbelief, jaw dropping. “You’re not.”

“Nope.”

“Fine.” You stood up, brushing your legs off, the bare skin having splotches and smears of dirt and dust. “If you wanna be like that, go ahead. Brood. Be a child. When you’re ready to talk to me about whatever the hell is bothering you, like an adult, I’ll be in the back room.”

You only took two steps before he called out for you. “Doll.” You turned around, an expectant look on your features as you crossed your arms, shifting your weight to one foot. He looked up at you nervously, before looking down and picking at the metal plates of his hand. “I got scared.”

Your features softened, your head tilting gently. “Scared?”

“When you stopped talking. You and Sharon…you were talking. But both of your comms went down around the same time and I…it scared me. I-I don’t get scared anymore. Not the way I did when your voice stopped. I didn’t mean to hurt you…” His voice got quieter at the last sentence, his eyes looking to the purple handprint on your forearm.

“It was an accident, Buck.” You reassured him, settling back down in front of him. “It’s fine. You were still reeling it in from the bar. I know it’s hard for you to judge your strength like that. Steve had problems like that too.” You looked down at the rag he was holding, putting your hand out.

He licked his lips, before handing you the rag. You got off the couch to shift so you were sitting between his legs, his chest to your back. Holding his metallic hand between both of yours, you set to work, gingerly wiping away the grime, picking at the filth that wedged itself between the plates.

“He,” you chuckled, shaking your head at the moment you were remembering. “He accidentally gave me a concussion once when we were sparring. At first it was awesome; he got me my favorite take out and took me to the movies and all that. But then he just started getting annoying. Wouldn’t even let me reach for the TV remote on the coffee table a yard away.”

“Can I ask you something?” You hummed, tilting your head slightly when you felt his chin hooking on your shoulder, giving him more room. “How long did you love him?”

Freezing, you raised an eyebrow and turned to face him. “What?”

“You and Sharon. When you were talking…your comms were on.”

“How-” You swallowed thickly, a lump suddenly forming in the back of your throat. “How much did you hear?”

“Yours went out right after you admitted you were in love with him. Hers went out after you said you were just friends.”

Holding in a sigh of relief, you went back to cleaning his hand. “I don’t really know exactly when it happened. After the Battle of New York, maybe. So 2012, I guess? I dunno. I was getting up from falling for him, though. A few years later.”

“Was?”

“I - yeah. I kind of…fell again.”

He hummed, leaning back, taking his chin off your shoulder and unwinding his arm from your waist. “He’s an easy person to fall for. Hell, I’m pretty sure I had a crush on him once upon a time.”

You chuckled at that, raising an eyebrow over your shoulder at him. “I never said I fell for him again. But, yeah. You’re right.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “You like someone else?”

“It’s…complicated.”

“Oh…” He cleared his throat as you went back to his hand. “Uh…so you don’t still love him? Steve, I mean?”

“He was the first person I really loved, Bucky. A part of me will always love him.”

Bucky fingers twitched in your hold, the fingers on his other hand tapping against his thigh. “You know…he loved you too.”

You sighed, closing your eyes. “Don’t do that.”

“It’s true-”

“He left, James. If he loved me, why would he leave?”

You could feel his hesitation as his next words left his lips. “I-I dunno.” That was a lie. You could hear it in his voice. If there was one person Steve trusted more than you, it was Bucky. Of course he knew.

“Listen, I really don’t want to talk about this-”

“It’s in the notebook.” You bit your lip as Bucky shifted, pulling out the little notebook from his pocket. “He made lists - he liked lists. He made lists of things you said that made him laugh. Songs that reminded him of you. Little quirks you do that he noticed over the years. He missed you every time you went on a mission and prayed you’d get back safely.”

“James, please-”

“He didn’t want me to let you know. But I had to tell you. You have to know. He loved you.”

You let out a shaky breath as he placed the book on your thigh. You stared at it for a moment, before grabbing it and placing it in his left hand, closing his fingers around it and standing up. “I think…I’m gonna go rest for a bit in the back room. Holler if you need me.”

You didn’t wait for a response, moving quickly to the small back room of the plane which you got dressed in only a couple days ago. It only had one arm chair and instead of a door there was a curtain, but you were fine with that, plopping down in the chair and reclining.

Why? Why would he bring that up? Did he hear more than he said? Was he trying to let you down easy before you could even tell him how you felt? Did he get spooked after dancing? After the almost-kiss?

You never thought of Steve in the wrong. After all he’d done for the world in his life, he deserved to be selfish - to be happy. And Peggy gave him that. But why? Why would he leave if he loved you so dearly? If he really did what Bucky said? He wouldn’t. He’s not cruel. He wouldn’t up and leave, without even saying goodbye, knowing how deeply you loved him and feeling the same about you. This was Steven Grant Rogers for crying out loud! He wouldn’t…right?

But Bucky…he wouldn’t lie to you. He wouldn’t tell you that, especially knowing how much you missed the lovable blonde. And you knew his words held at least some truth. Actions spoke louder than words, and as something Bucky said repeated itself in your mind, you started slipping into a memory, your eyes shutting and your breaths evening out.

“He missed you every time you went on a mission and prayed you’d get back safely.”

~

The incessant knocking made you groan, shouting that you were coming and mumbling curses. You barely threw open the door before his worried voice hit your ears. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

“Stevie.” You sighed, rubbing your eyes and looking over at the clock on the wall. “Bubs…it’s two in the morning. I just got back, like, an hour ago.”

He shuffled, pink lips in a pout, eyes round and distressed. “I know, honey. I know. I’m sorry. But I heard you got hurt-”

You shook your head, a small giggle of amusement leaving your lips and you lifted your right hand, letting him see the black split holding your ring and pinky fingers. “I jammed my fingers in a door. The doc said I’ll be fully healed in a month at most.”

His eyes darted across your face and down your body, scanning for any more injuries. After glancing at your hands again, they finally landed on your eyes once more. Next thing you knew, you were being held against his chest, his face in the crook of your neck. You hummed softly, running your fingers down his spine, moving the two of you deeper into your apartment so you could shut the door.

“Don’t ever do that again. I gotta have faith in something and if you come home hurt, it’ll be crushed.”

Your eyebrows knit together. At his strange wording. “What’s that mean?”

“It means you have to promise me you’ll stay safe, honey.” He pulled back and held your face between his hands. “Please.”

“I can promise I’ll try my best.” You teased lightly, smiling at him and booping his nose, making him grin, although it was strained. “Why don’t you stay here tonight? We’ll turn on some TV in my room and you can keep me safe while I get much needed sleep.”

That made his grin relax into a real one, his head nodding in agreement. “Sounds perfect.”

“C’mon, bubs.” You took his hand, leading him to your room. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and you’ll catch some zzzz’s too.”

~

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

“What the hell was that?”

Bucky turned to Sam, who was gaping at him in utter disbelief, looking from the assassin to the doorway Y/N just walked through. “She needed to know.”

“Buck, she’s been dealing with some shit. And we both know something’s going on that she isn’t telling us. Her “zoning out” isn’t just zoning out, and we know that. She doesn’t need you confusing her even more.”

“Confusing her?”

Sam blinked, his troubled expression falling into a deadpan. “Are you fucking with me? No. There’s no way you’re that naive. Seriously?! Man, c’mon!”

Bucky scrunched up his face. “What?”

“She likes you, man! Everyone knows it!”

The brunette shook his head, forehead creased. “No. No, you heard her, Sam. She’s in love with Steve.”

“Was in love. As in past tense.”

“But-but she said- she likes someone else-”

“Barnes!” Sam threw his hands up, exasperated. “You are someone else!”

“I thought you two were already-”

Bucky pointed warningly at Zemo. “Watch it. Wait, wait-” He turned back to Sam. “But I heard her-”

“Bucky…man…” Sam sighed, shaking his head. “Listen, I can’t tell you everything. I’m not about to break my girl’s trust like that. But you gotta hear me when I tell you she likes you. What do you think almost happened at the party?”

“She - I - it was…an accident?”

Sam spluttered, eyes wide. “An accident? You two grinding and nearly making out was an accident?!”

“Woah! We were not…grinding-”

Zemo hummed. “Hmm…you kind of were.”

Bucky glared at him. “Thin. Fucking. Ice.” He whipped back to Sam. “I just remind her of him.”

“What?! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! You remind her of Steve? Yes, granted your both dumbasses, but she knows both of you enough to know there’s quite a few big differences.”

“Wilson-”

Sam held up his hand, shutting Bucky up. “You like her. Yes or no.”

Bucky huffed, looking down at the hand she was holding only minutes ago. “Yes.” He finally relented. “Since the first couple months in Wakanda.”

“Steve liked her. Yes or no.”

He ran a hand through his hair, nodding his head. “Yes. Yes he liked her. I wasn’t lying about that.”

“So explain something to me.” Sam crossed his arms. “Why is it that Steve isn’t here, and you are?”

Bucky crossed his arms, brooding - although he’d never admit it - while staring out the window. “Steve…knew. I liked her. And, yes, he loved her, but he also loved Peggy. So he…”

“He told you to take your chance with Y/N, and he went back to be with his first love.”

HYDRA’s former fist nodded with a sigh. “Something like that.”

“You need to tell her.”

“I can’t.”

Sam groaned. “Why not?!”

“Because!” Bucky took a breath, trying not to shout and alert the sleeping girl in the room over, his ears tuning into her slowed heartbeat to make sure she was okay. “Because Steve has her heart, Sam. The whole thing just…I’m jealous of him. Because he got her first. And then I get mad because he didn’t do shit about it. And then I feel guilty because all the shit he put up with for me and here I am complaining…and then I just get…depressed because he’s not here. I used to be the one who fixed his problems. But after I got out…he’s been the one fixing mine. And I just…I don’t know what to do.”

Sam shook his head, rolling his eyes. “I get it. That’s valid. But stop whining and moping around about it. It happened. And you need to get your shit together. If not for your sake, for hers. Because she lost him too. And she’s probably feeling those exact same feelings.”

“But…she’s his girl-”

“No. She’s not. He made his choice.” Sam nodded towards Bucky. “Now you gotta make yours,  Buckaroo.”

He shot him a glare. “You can’t call me that.”

“Why not? Y/N calls you that.”

“Y/N has a plan.”

“We both know that’s not true, Buckaroo. Hey! That one rhymed!”

Bucky shook his head with a scowl. “I will beat your ass, Wilson.”

Sam scoffed, shoving Bucky’s head playfully. “Stop being a dumbass and tell her. Buckaroo.”

“That’s it!”

Bucky tackled Sam to the ground, Zemo giving them an amused expression before leaving to talk to Oeznik. They were so wrapped up in their wrestling session, they didn’t notice the woman leaning against the wall, tired eyes barely opened as her eyebrows raised, unimpressed.

“Are you fellas done?’

They both stopped, shooting up when they noticed her. “Doll, I-”

She shook her head. “Don’t, Buck. Not right now. I’m just really tired.”

“Did we wake you?” Sam winced.

She shook her head again, yawning. “No. I just needed to use the restroom.”

Bucky couldn’t help the small smile as she rubbed her eyes, stretching her arms overhead, making that ripped crop top ride higher up. She was too cute. And she didn’t even realize it.

“Sleep well, doll. We’ll try to keep it down.”

She nodded, turning and waving over her shoulder. “You two try getting sleep, too, alright? Goodnight, Sammy.”

“Night, cher.”

“Sweetheart?” She peeked through the curtain, tilting her head slightly. “You know I love you, right?”

A small smile quirked up her lips, but it was sadder than the ones his question usually elicited. “As long as you know I love you.”

He nodded, returning the half-smile. “G’night, doll.”

“Goodnight, Buckaroo.”

[captain-penguin2]

My thoughts on 5x06: Double Bind

I went into this episode thinking, “Oh, it's so hyped up it's not going to be that good,” and boy, was I wrong. This episode was a full-on rollercoaster ride of emotion. It was either an intense or very emotional scene, nothing in between; you couldn’t catch a breath. Even during the commercials, I was like, “what the hell did I just witness.” Every moment went by so quickly that it was hard to sit and process what was happening because you would have a high-intensity chase and shoot out. Then it would go to an emotional moment between Nina and Scola. Throughout the episode, I was like, what the hell did I just watch even after I was speechless and didn’t know how to comprehend what I had just witnessed? One thing I will say, though, is this is one of my favorite episodes this TV season. I say that a lot, but I have not felt this much on the edge of my seat since the season 3 Nancy Drew finale. This episode's direction, editing, and writing were incredible, and the acting took it to another level. Shantel’s acting was mind-blowing in this episode and how she conveyed emotion in all her scenes was outstanding. I loved how Nina, who usually doesn’t break down that easily, showed how overwhelmed she felt about being with the team, not knowing where her and Scola’s relationship stands, and being pregnant with her boyfriend/partner's baby. It just kept piling up that by the end of the episode, she was so confused about what she wanted to do that she made the brave decision to step back and work in a different section of the FBI.

One thing I was scared of for this episode was how I would feel if Nina was pregnant. It was the main theory after the sneak peeks came out, and although I tried so hard to deny it was always in the back of my mind. However, now that it has been confirmed, I am okay with it and don’t mind it. I see the potential it can give to developing characters and why the writers decided to do that specific storyline. I think the main reason I'm okay with it is how the elevator scene where Nina tells Scola she is pregnant went. I loved everything about that scene, the emotion, the facial expressions, and just, all in all, how it was written. For me, it showed a different side of Nina as a character she has broken down before, but in this scene, it was different. It showed how stressed out she was in the non-angry way we are used to seeing from her. I loved how we got a Stressed and scared Nina while also getting a sort of dumb-founded Scola tripping over his words, not knowing what to say or how to react to the news that Nina just told him. The elevator and ending scenes were two of my favorites. The ending scene I loved because of how closely it mirrored the first episode when we first met Nina when Scola asked if they could go get dinner, and she stopped the elevator door from closing and agreed to go to dinner with him. I remember as I was watching the ending scene of Double Bind. After she stepped in the elevator, being like, “great, all I really wanted was for scolina to kiss, and they aren't going to.” Then when she stopped the door and ran out and kissed him, I was happy because I knew ahead of time that this was Nina’s last episode working with the team, and that is the one thing I wanted to happen since we didn’t get it in Love is Blind.

The pregnancy storyline, in my opinion, was more of a way to help keep Nina on the show and develop both her and Scola as characters (mainly Scola). It will be interesting to see what happens, how the writers develop this storyline, and how it will affect Scola as a character.  The one thing I will say about this episode is that it made me realize how similar Nina and Scola really are, the way that they express emotion is awkward, and they both look around when they feel uncomfortable talking about a specific subject. They both seem like they don’t like big surprises that disrupt their life, and both tend to trip over their words when they don’t feel like talking about something, even though they know it has to be discussed. It's evident that they are still trying to figure out their relationship and what they mean to each other.

This episode was by no means in a way to close Nina’s story arc and left a lot of my questions from previous episodes about her character I wanted to be answered unanswered and, with that, created more questions that I want to be answered. However, I love Shantel’s acting and her character, Nina, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for the character, even if it is like a 10-second convo with Scola.

[buttterknifeee]

Final Exam- Teen Titans x Aquagirl! Reader

Masterlist

Request: Helloooooo! I have an Episode request “Final exam” (Season 1 ep 3) with Aquagirl!reader please and thank you very much!

Summary: It's a good thing you have junior life guard training as you face a new force of evil. Will you and your teammates defeat these foes or will you drown in the pressure?

Pairings: Robin x Reader (nothing serious, just some blushing lol)

Word count: 3192

A/N: hey!!! sorry this took a while I was just doing other things lul. Reminder that I'm now on AO3 (username is butterknifee) and that requests are always open! Hope you enjoy!!!

It was an uneventful day in the tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy were rummaging around the living room looking for the TV remote, Raven was reading silently and you were practicing your water skills, balancing an orb of water in mid air.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere!" Cyborg says, rummaging through the whole room. He lifts up the whole couch as Beast Boy sniffs around in dog form.

“How could you lose the remote?” Cyborg glares at Beast Boy.

“What makes you so sure I lost it?” Beast Boy asks, turning back into a human.

“Uh...'cause you're you.”

“Hey! Just because I lost that video game--”

“--And the toothpaste, and my football, and the waffle iron--”

“Things disappear. How am I supposed to know where they go?”

You continued to focus on your bubble, but couldn’t help but notice Raven lowering her book. You peeked over to see her annoyed expression, obviously caused by the two boys.

Cyborg huffs. “Well how am I supposed to watch TV without a remote?” Suddenly, Raven slammed her book, breaking you out of your focus and causing the water you were balancing to drop into a puddle. You stared wide-eyed at Raven as she stood up.

“Simple. You can just get up and change the channel.” she says with a stone cold expression.

“Don’t even joke like that.” Cyborg says. You hover your hands over the puddle, trying to pick it up with your hydrokinesis.

“Do you think you guys could argue in like, the bathroom or something? Cause-” you start, but Raven interrupts you.

“I wasn’t joking”

“Good, 'cause it wasn't funny!” Cyborg says. “Now either help us look for the remote or go back to your nasty old book and--”

“This is a pointless argument over a useless device.” she snaps, her face red from frustration.

“You know what, I'm just gonna get a mop or something,” you mumble. You consider actually getting up to get a mop as they continue to argue.

Robin and Starfire walks in to the three teens arguing and you sitting to the side. You make a pained expression at the two, your way of saying go back, before it's too late.

But Robin steps towards the bickering Titans. “Whoa! Take it easy, Titans! Combat practice is this afternoon!”

“We must mend your dispute by the sharing of unhealthy junk foods. I shall fetch them.” Starfire adds, happily flying towards the kitchen.

Cyborg continues to argue. “I don't need food, what I need is a time machine, I didn't--”

Beast Boy cuts him off. “Back me up here, Robin!! Have I ever lost any--?”

“Ok, ok!” Robin puts up his hands to stop them.

“To stop him from taking the REMOTE!!!” Cyborg yells.

“Hey! Come on!! Settle down! ENOUGH!!!” Robin starts yelling too. You start to cover your ears when a loud noise causes all of you to look up. You see Starfire staring wide-eyed at the fridge, her hands glowing green. Blue mold had exploded from her starbolt, causing it to land all over the kitchen. You made a mental note to start cleaning the kitchen more often.

“Maybe we should go out for pizza,” Robin decides.

.

.

The arguing does not stop at the pizza place.

“Can we please just order something?” Raven groans.

“As long as its vegetarian.” Beast Boy says.

“Come on, man, how can you deny me the all-meat experience?” Cyborg whines.

“Dude, I've been most of those animals!”

“Just no anchovies for me,” You say.

“I suggest a large pizza with pickles, bananas, and mint frosting.” Starfire says with a smile. You shudder at the thought of eating something like that. Robin leans over.

“Uh, Starfire? Not everything on the menu is a pizza topping.” She blushes at her mistake, Beast Boy and Cyborg going at each other again.

“Double pepperoni!!”

“I'm not eating meat!!”

“There's no meat in pepperoni!!”

The sound of a vehicle horn finally ended their argument. You all look up to see a bus barreling straight towards a baby carriage, a baby screaming from inside.

“Titans go!” Robin yells. You, Cyborg and Raven ran to stop the bus while Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy ran to save the baby carriage. You summon a jet of water from a fire hydrant and shoot it at the bus, slowing it down. Cyborg planted himself in front of the bus, his bulky arms holding it back. Raven uses her magic, pulling the gearshift inside the bus to “park”. When the bus finally skidded to a stop, you three looked inside. No one was there.

“Um… don’t buses normally have drivers?” Cyborg asks.

“And don’t carriages normally have babies?” Robin says nearby. He, Starfire, and Beast Boy were staring at a teddy bear that was inside the carriage. A voice suddenly projected from the stuffed animal.

“Are you pit-sniffers normally this stupid?”

Suddenly, the teddy bear shot lasers out of its eyes, sending the three teens flying into an alleyway. You turned to see the bus next to you be lifted up by a large, hairy man in black and yellow. He smiled and threw the bus on top from the three of you, trapping you under it. You grunt as the weight of the bus begins to press down on your chest. You hear a voice from outside the bus.

“That was too easy. What a buncha cludge-heads. You guys want to get pizza?” The voice matched the one from the teddy bear. You gritted your teeth as you heard Cyborg’s sonic cannon warm up.

“This isn't over!” you hear Robin yells. Cyborg blasts his cannon, sending the bus in the air. You got up with the other two titans.

“We’re just getting started!” Cyborg yells.

“Who are these guys?” Beast Boy asks, stuck in a trash can. “And what’s a cludge-head?”

“We are the HIVE!” the villain who called you ‘cludge-heads’ said. He was a short kid, wearing a green jumpsuit and goggles. He basically looked like an evil Caillou.

“Your worst nightmare!” said the guy who crushed you with a bus. You noticed that he had a large amount of hair on his whole body.

“And this is attack pattern Alpha!” said the last villain, a goth looking girl with pink, hornlike hair. They jumped out of their poses, and towards you. The small guy in green flew forward in a jetpack, shooting lasers at Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy. The lasers hit the alleyway around them, causing a pile of rubble to fall on them.

Cyborg immediately started brawling with the large guy, Raven and the pink-haired girl attacking each other with their magic, and the smaller kid flying around your head. You tried to shoot him down with your blasts of water, but he wove through your shots. He then flew towards Cyborg, holding something metal.

“Cyborg watch out!” you scream, but it was too late. The green kid attached the metal object to Cyborg's back, and at that moment you realized it was a rocket. Starfire recovered from being crushed by rubble just to see him flying through the air.

"Cyborg!" She yelled, flying after him and out of sight. The two leaving so abruptly caught you off guard, so off guard that you didn't notice the burly guy sneaking up behind you. You turned just as he went to kick you, kicking your stomach and causing you to go flying. You hold your stomach in pain and try to run back towards him, but Raven being thrown towards you sends you crashing back towards the ground. You groan in pain as you hear Robin and Beast Boy meet a similar fate. You see them laying next to you.

"Is it just me or are we getting our butts kicked?" Beast Boy asked, the rest of you standing up.

"It's just you," the three of you say at the same time.

"Listen up team, I have a plan," Robin begins, but is cut off by 3 blasts from the short boy's jetpack. Those 3 blasts ended up hitting you, Beast Boy and Raven. You landed behind the Boy Wonder, leaving him to face the HIVE alone.

“Gee, scrum-buffer.” the jetpack boy jeered, lowering himself to the ground. “Sure hope your fancy plan includes getting fried!”

“You’ll just have to find out the hard way.” you hear him say. You watch him stand in a fighting position, beckoning them to fight. However instead of fighting, the three villains stood with a smile on their face. Then, one by one, they hit the ground between them and Robin. You were confused at first, but then realized in horror that they had created a crack in the asphalt, it getting bigger with each hit. The crack traveled up towards Robin and the area around him crumbled. A look of fear set in his face as he fell with the asphalt into the ground.

“Robin!” you yelled, running up towards the hole with Beast Boy and Raven. Through the crumbling hole you saw a stream of dark, murky sewer water. Water, you realized. You turned to the other two Titans.

“There’s water down there. I’ll go get Robin, you two go back to the Tower.” Before they could reply, you dove into the hole, landing into the water.

“Aquagirl!” Beast Boy yelled, but you were gone.

.

The cold water shocked your body, but you forced yourself to shake it off. You floated on the surface of the water, looking for any signs of Robin. When you didn’t see anyone, you dove back underwater and took a deep breath (yes, you can breathe underwater). You shoot through the water, swimming as fast as you can. Up ahead, you saw blurs of red, yellow, and green. It was Robin. You swam up to him and grabbed onto his unconscious body. Then with all your strength, you pulled him out of the water and onto the concrete surface of the sewer.

You laid Robin on his back and started to inspect him. You check for his heart rate by pressing two fingers against the area under his jaw. It was beating, but very slowly. You placed your hands on his chest and started pumping. After 30 seconds, nothing was happening. Tilting his head back, you pinched his nose and took a deep breath. You gave mouth to mouth once, then twice, then-

Robin’s eyes opened while you were giving the third. He jerked his head up and crashed his forehead into yours.

“Owwww” you whine, rubbing your hand on your forehead. Robin backed up from you, holding his lips.

“Hey! why did you-” He was about to finish his sentence but started coughing up water. You roll your eyes.

“Woah, calm down Robin, I’m not trying to make a move on you. The only move I made was saving you from drowning.”

“Oh- I’m sorry,” he says, his masked eyes staring at you apologetically.

You waved your hand. “Don’t worry about it, you had a pretty bad fall.”

“What happened to the others? Where are they? Where are we?” He asked, frantically reaching for his T-communicator, only to realize that his whole belt was missing.

“Oh man, your belt must’ve fallen off when you fell. Last time I checked, Raven and Beast Boy were injured, but fine. We’re currently in a sewer, I’m not sure if Starfire and Cyborg are ok, but maybe we can check.” you pulled out your own T-communicator and flipped it open. Water gushed out and formed a puddle under your hand. You both stared at it as you flipped the communicator closed and slid it back into your belt.

“We need to get back to the others, before the HIVE strikes again,” Robin says, standing up. He doubles over, falling to his knees, clutching his abdomen.

“You’re hurt. You need to rest before we find the other Titans,” you say, sitting next to him. “Here, I can help.” You beckon him to let go of his chest and you sit down with you, which he reluctantly does. You summon a bubble of the murky water and allow it to soak into his shirt. You concentrated, and the water began to glow blue.

“Hmmm… I only feel a rib fracture… this may take a while…” you mutter, hovering your hands over his chest. You were focusing so much on healing Robin’s wound, you didn’t notice the frown on his face, more stern than usual.

“Something on your mind, Robin?” you asked, looking up from your work. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the ground.

“It’s just that…” he began. “I really thought that I could take on the HIVE, you know? But they took me out so easily; they took all of us out so easily. How am I supposed to be a leader if I get hurt so easily, if I let all my teammates get hurt-” his rant is cut off by your finger being shoved in front of his mouth. You both stare at each other in awkward silence.

“When I was a kid, I knew all about you and your adventures,” you began, staring at the stream of water flowing next to you. “You were the boy wonder. The Hero of Gotham. The Sidekick. But now look at you; you’re the leader of a whole team of superheroes, who trust you and are here for you, Robin. We know the dangers, and hey, if I would be a superhero on any team, I’m glad I’m on yours.”

He gave you a small smile. “Thank you Aquagirl,” he said.

You nodded and smiled back. “Anytime, Robin.” You looked at his chest again. “How do you feel?”

“I feel great, both inside and out.” he said, standing up with ease. “I think it's time to find the other titans.”

“Great idea, and I know just how to get out of here.” You stretch out your arm and the ground starts to rumble. A giant geyser shoots up from the stream and punches a hole in the roof of the sewer, allowing the setting sun to peek through. You grabbed Robin’s waist and jumped into the water, another smaller geyser pushing you up and out of the sewer.

“Ugh, gross! I’m definitely taking a shower after this,” you say, looking back at the sewer you jumped out of.

“Ok, let’s go find the others,” Robin says, heading in the direction of the Tower, which was peaking out in the distance. “And, I think it’s time to come up with a plan.”

.

You finally get closer to the Tower when you notice something.

“Ummm Robin?” you say. “Doesn’t the tower usually look like a T?” You both stare at the tower, its original shape now being built upon to look like a ‘H’. The HIVE… you thought. You and Robin eventually find the rest of your friends, who were all arguing on the beach. You were about to announce your presence but Robin stopped you, putting his arm in front of you.

“We need to control our emotions,” you hear Raven say.

“Or What?!” Cyborg yells. “Our bad vibes will keep you from meditating??”

“I wish Robin were here..” Starfire mumbles. You see the slightest tinge of pink dust across Robin’s cheeks.

“Well he’s NOT! And neither is Aquagirl!” Cyborg continues to yell. “Don't you guys get it?! They won, we lost! IT'S OVER!!”

Beast Boy looked at him. “Then are the Teen Titan’s finished?” Robin looks at you and nods, you nod back. The two of you step forwards.

“We’re not,” Robin says. The other four Titans turn in shock to see you and Robin, both seemingly fine, standing before them.

“Not if I can help it,” he said, arms crossed.

“Told’ya I’d get him back.” you said. “Now who wants to hear our plan?”

You waited on the roof as Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire infiltrated the Tower. You sat on a ledge of the (hideous) HIVE add-ons, swinging your legs as Robin stood next to you, staring out into the distance.

“You ready, bird boy?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

He smirked. “With you here, I’m more than ready.” He jumped down from the ledge, leaving you flustered above him.

Suddenly, The three villains come tumbling onto the roof and crash into each other, much more uncoordinated than they had seemed earlier today. The belt the pink haired girl had most likely stolen from Robin’s wardrobe goes flying, and Robin catches it midair.

“Sorry to interrupt your victory celebration,” Robin says, clicking his belt back on around his waist. “But like I said, this isn’t over.” The five of you join him, looming above the HIVE.

“It’s just getting started,” Cyborg said.

The trio of villains quickly recovered.

“Attack pattern alpha!” The pink haired girl yelled, sending waves of magic in your direction. You all jumped out of the way, splitting up.

You saw the large guy swing at Beast Boy, so you rushed in to help him. You summoned a long tendril of water from the ocean and used it like a third arm, with whipping the villain in the face. He turns towards you and grabs your wrist, but with a swift kick in the stomach he goes flying across the roof. You see Raven approach him, so you go to assist in taking down the other two.

Soon, the HIVE laid defeated at your feet. The smaller boy was holding a transmitter device.

"Cram it. I'm calling Slade." He groaned. Slade? You thought. Robin lifted the boy by his green jumpsuit.

"Who is Slade?" Robin asked quite aggressively. The boy scoffed.

"Wouldn't you like to know barf-brain?"

.

After you dealt with the villains, you finally came in the Tower after a long day. You flopped on the couch as the other Titans inspected the damage the HIVE had caused in the tower, which apparently, wasn't much. Beast Boy crouched at his music collection, head in his hands.

"My tunes! They've been… alphabetized!" He whined. "How am I ever going to find anything?"

Raven came out of her room holding one of her cloaks. "They went into my room. No one should ever go into my room," she said coldly.

"Someone has disposed of all of our blue furry food!" Starfire gasped. Cyborg lifted the whole couch like he did earlier today.

"You gotta be kidding me! The whole place gets cleaned and I still can't find the-" his rant is stopped by Robin, who points at the coffee table. There, the remote lay in plain sight.

"Ha!" He cheered, flopping down on the couch next to you and flipping through channels.

"Maybe we should let the HIVE take over the tower every once in a while, I think this place needed a good clean," you joke, still strewn across the couch.

"I guess we really oughta be training for battles, tracking down clues, and trying to figure out who Slade is, huh?" Cyborg said, looking at Robin.

"We will. But right now, I'm just happy to be part of the team." He looks at you while saying that and you smile.

"Me too"

[violettelueur]

— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE TWENTY-ONE || JUJUTSU KOSHIEN (SNEAK PEEK)

“How much longer are you going to stare at her? It’s creepy”

Snapping out of his daze, Gojo quickly looked up from your sleeping figure to find his stoic student (who was now sitting up) looking at him with a deadpan expression before he turned to look at your sleeping figure as well with somewhat of a worried expression, wondering what caused you to be knocked out since what Fushiguro could recall was that the last time he saw you, it seemed like you were well and confident before he was carried away by Panda.

“Is it bad to worry about my daughter?” Gojo questioned with a hint of a teasing tone before looking back down at you with his small smiling turning into a straight line.

“Student to be exact, but I guess not after what the curses were after,” Fushiguro quietly mentioned causing Gojo to once again, look up to view Fushiguro with a confused expression painted on his face, trying to convey that he didn’t have a clue on what his student was trying to say. “The special-grade was after L/N...but I don’t know why,” Fushiguro instantly declared as if he was answering to his teacher’s perplexed expression leading to Gojo sighing in frustration before taking one of his hands out of his pocket to stroke your hair as if it would bring you some comfort in your dreamless slumber as he then processed to remove his other hand from his other pocket to reveal a carton of orange juice before placing it on the bedside table.

“Is that so?” Gojo asked rhetorically, before making his way towards the door since he was informed that there was going to be a meeting with the Jujutsu Tech principles and sorcerers that were involved with the whole Exchange Event incident.

However, before he was able to grab onto the handle, the wooden door violently flew open showcasing his other students Itadori and Kugisaki on the other side with a box of pizza in hand leading Gojo to smile at them both.

“Oh Gojo-sensei! What are you doing here?” Itadori asked once he comprehended that it was his teacher blocking the way to see his two other classmates.

“Ah~ I was just visiting Megumi and Y/N before I go, make sure to not make too much noise, I’m sure Y/n would really appreciate it,” Gojo answered with a cheerful tone, leading Kugisaki to tilt her head to the side to realise that you were sleeping - much to her disappointment.

“She’s still recovering?” Kugisaki then questioned, leading her teacher to look at her before explaining that you were knocked out due to using an excessive amount of cursed energy within a short amount of time causing Kugisaki to nod to his little lie since he didn’t even know why you were extremely distraught when he came to collect you.

“I’ll be going now, so see you later~ don’t wake up my precious daughter!” Gojo states with a playful tone, before waving his hand to all of the first-years leaving them to themselves with a warm box of pizza in hand.

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[coldflame96]

So stay with me and I’ll have it made

Summary: For Kyo Week. Prompt 5; Rain 

Rating: G

Also found on AO3

This is just ridiculously self-indulgent fluff. 

Kyo woke up and saw that Tohru's side of the bed was empty, neatly made, which hinted she's been gone for quite a while. He vaguely recalled her telling him she was going somewhere and then kissing his forehead, but it was hazy. She always was an early riser, and normally he was too, but today he felt...lethargic. Even just sitting up was a struggle, limbs heavy with fatigue, and he had a headache. Was he getting sick? He heard the gentle patter of something hitting the roof and looked out the window.

It’s raining. That explains it.

Learning that the rain still bothered him even after the cat spirit left him was...annoying, but he was used to it by now. He was sure that was probably the reason Tohru went wherever she was going on her own. He heard some shuffling from down the hall and groaned a bit at the thought of having to get up. Good thing it was a Sunday so he wasn’t obligated to be productive…

He stuck a leg out, mentally preparing to leave the comfort of his bed, and right as he did, his door flew open and Emika toddled in.

“Daddy?” She put her arms up for him to carry her. He smiled at her gently.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he hoisted her up, with effort because she wasn’t a tiny baby anymore and she was getting heavy. “What have you been doing?”

She didn’t answer, tugging at his shirt, holding out a large block. “Play!”

He grimaced. “I don’t know if Daddy has the energy for that today, honey. He’s not feeling too great.”

She cocked her head and he wondered how much of that she actually understood. She was still pretty little.

“No play?” Her huge, brown eyes practically inflated.

He wasn’t getting out of this, was he? But he really didn’t wanna get out of bed…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hajime had only turned his back for one minute, and Emika was gone. Mom had asked him to watch over her while she went to the store since it was raining and Dad never did well with that. It’s not like he couldn’t read outside in the living room just as easily as he did on his bed.

Except that last chapter had been particularly intense and one minute, Emika was playing with her blocks and the next minute, she was gone.

And he had a pretty good idea of where she went.

He rolled his eyes, tucked his book under his arm, and headed towards the parents room.

He saw the door completely open and his suspicions were looking more and more likely. His parents always left the door cracked so they could still have their privacy while not locking Emika out since she was too small to reach the handle.

Sure enough...There she was, sitting on top of Dad’s lap handing him a small collection of blocks (How did she even carry all those?) and he sighed. So much for letting him rest.

They both turned to him at the same time. “Did you need something?” Dad asked.

His voice sounded groggy and Hajime felt a little guilty for not doing his job properly.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I was reading and I got distracted. I was supposed to keep her from bothering you.”

He frowned. “You guys don’t ever bother me.”

He averted his eyes. “Yeah, well, I still should’ve kept a closer eye on her since Mom asked me to.”

“Where's your mom?”

“At the store buying ingredients for dinner.”

Dad gave him a confused look. “We just went shopping the other day.”

He shrugged. “Maybe she wanted to do something special.”

Emika decided at that moment that Dad wasn’t paying enough attention to her and started tugging his shirt again, whining. “Daddy, play!”

“Alright, I’m sorry. Your brother distracted me.” He gave him a sly look, almost secretive.

Hajime rolled his eyes. “I can take her if you want. So you can rest.”

His dad raised an eyebrow. “It’s fine, Hajime. You’re not her parent, so she’s not really your responsibility anyway.”

That was...technically true, but the dismissive tone sort of made him feel a little spiteful. Leaving the room would make it seem like he failed. He tsked and sat on the other side of the bed, the made side, next to them, and leaned back on the pillow, opening his book. His dad looked amused.

“What are you doing?”

“Reading.”

“Alright then.”

He was told to watch over his baby sister and if she was gonna be in here, then so was he.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kazuya’s episode of his favorite cartoon had just finished and it was then that he noticed he was the only one left in the room. Where did Emi-chan and Nii-san go? They were in here just a second ago. Were they playing hide and seek? He jumped from his spot. Well, if they’re hiding, I’m gonna find them.

First place he checked was under the couch. Nothing.

He opened the closet door. Nope.

He saw that Mommy and Daddy’s room was open and cocked his head. Their door wasn't usually open and Daddy wasn’t feeling well. And like a lightbulb, it came to him. They’re hiding in the closet!

He pressed himself to the corner, prepared to sneak up on them, but then did a double take when he saw Nii-san sitting in Mommy’s spot reading, Daddy sleeping next to him.

���Why are you in here?” he asked curiously, and Nii-san jolted, glaring at him..

“Shh!” he pointed at Daddy next to him, and he only just noticed that Emi-chan was on top of him, also sleeping.

“Sorry,” he whispered. Just looking at how comfy they were made him feel sleepy.

He went to his brother’s side, hopping over his long legs to press himself next to Daddy.

“What are you doing?” Nii-san hissed. “If you wake them up, you’ll be sorry.”

He maneuvered his way under the covers, warm from Daddy being there, and gave his brother a triumphant look.

His daddy groaned and both of them froze, Nii-san getting that look he usually did before getting mad at him, but then Kazuya felt an arm around him, bringing him in closer to his dad’s side, and then nothing. He relaxed.

“Nii-san, you should nap with us too. It’s warm under here.”

His brother didn’t look up from his book. “No.”

He pouted. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not a baby and I don’t need a nap.”

“I’m not-” he yawned in the middle of his sentence, “I’m not a baby.”

“Uh-huh.”

And the sound of the rain mixed with the heat of the blanket knocked him right out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tohru sighed, carrying her bags for dinner. She’d been gone longer than she thought due to the market being surprisingly packed for a rainy Sunday.

She opened her door, putting the umbrella in.

“I’m home!” She called out. But there was no response.

Huh, that’s strange. In a house with three children and a husband, it normally wasn’t this quiet.

She put her perishables in the fridge and walked down the hallway. Where was everyone?

She was about to ask Kyo-kun if he knew anything or see if he even was still here, but paused in the doorway at the sight before her.

There was her husband, asleep to her lack of surprise, but the interesting part was all the kids around him, also asleep. Emi-chan was on his chest, Kazu-kun was burrowed under the covers next to him, gripping his shirt, and Hajime-kun was on top of the comforter on her side, pressed against his little brother, an open book in his hand, like he’d fallen asleep while reading.

They were all practically one pile and it was quite possibly one of the most precious things she’d ever seen in her life. She got her phone out to take a picture and moved closer so she wouldn’t have to zoom in. Oh, she was definitely sending this to Uo-chan.

“Don’t,” Kyo-kun grunted.

She pouted. “Oh, you’re awake?”

“Have been since you walked in.”

She knew he was always very in tune with her, but she never thought that extended to her just entering a room. She almost felt bad about waking him.

“Right.” She kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry for disturbing you then.”

She made to leave, but felt a yank on her arm as she fell onto the bed, her husband’s face now in front of her, looking tired but amused.

“Nah, you’re not going anywhere.”  

“Kyo-kun,” she huffed, “It’s Sunday.” Sunday was normally the day she caught up on her chores.

And he knew this and was being smug.

“Should’ve thought about that before coming in here.” His grip tightened. “Now you’re stuck with us.”

She sighed in defeat. She supposed there were worse ways to spend a Sunday than in her husband’s arms, surrounded by her family.

The chores could wait a couple hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyo blinked his eyes open, wincing a little at how bright it was. Why is it so hot? He was sweating. And his chest felt like there was a weight on it. His vision cleared and he saw his daughter on top of him, Tohru against his side, Kazuya and Hajime on the other side. He was completely trapped. He couldn’t get up even if he wanted to.

He saw the sun peeking in through the window. It had stopped raining at some point, but that was fine.

He wasn’t dealing with it alone anymore, holed up in his room and miserable. Now he was surrounded by the people he loved the most, his entire world.

It could rain forever for all he cared.

He was content.

[thatmissfit]

IKON TV Episode One: Behind The Scenes

Right now, you’re walking to the YG dorms to relax with your boyfriend and his group as it’s been a while since you last saw him due to all their growing success and long schedules. You brought along some jajangmyeon for everyone as you’ve been craving it recently and thought the boys would be hungry from today’s concert. You reach the dorm and Jinhwan lets you in as he takes the takeout from your hand and closes the door behind you.

He puts the food on the living room table and both of you sit down on the couch when he asks you, “how’ve you been y/n-ie?"

You smile cutely as you respond with, "I've been pretty good, school’s been such a pain but I’m pushing through it. Plus I've missed my favourite boys,” I say with a cheeky smile and a shove to Jinnie's shoulder. “How are you guys? Being global sensations and all” you asked while pushing his shoulder, teasing him.

He laughs at your statement and responds with “It’s good, seeing the fans, performing, being on stage but I do enjoy moments where we can sit back and look at how far we’ve come with all our hard work.” “I get that. We should probably eat before the food gets cold.”

With that, Jinhwan went to get the boys as you went to the bathroom to wash up to eat. When you get out Yunhyeong, Chanwoo, Jiwon and Hanbin are sitting on the couch. “Noona, I can’t believe you bought us food. Thanks. You’re so sweet to us,” Chanwoo says as you sit down next to Hanbin. “You don’t have to thank me, I just want to make sure you boys aren’t starving yourselves.”

“Our little maknae is so cute,” Bobby says as he pinches Chan’s check. “Yah, stop that. I’m not a child.”

Junhoe, Jinhwan and DK enter the living room as the rest of you guys remove the plastic off the food and start eating. “Y/N-ah, did you hear we’re self-producing our own tv show,” Jiwon asks. “Really, that sounds exciting. Kinda like Going Seventeen or Run BTS.

“Exactly like that but we get to film, choose our own activities and well you get to see my face so for that reason we’re better than all those other shows out there.

“What is it called?” You asked. “IKON TV,” Jiwon replies, “We’re actually starting filming today.”

You turn to Hanbin and hit him in the shoulder gently, of course, you can't bruise your baby. “Yah, Hanbin-ah how could you not tell me you were filming today?” “I don’t see the big deal. Besides I wanted to see you,” he says as he pulls you in for a sidearm hug and kisses you on the temple. You put your head on his shoulder in response, “look at Hanbin-ie, being so cute to his girlfriend.” “Are you trying to say I’m not always cute to my girlfriend? Who wouldn’t be? Look at this cute face,” Hanbin says as he squeezes your cheeks together making your lips pout. “Knock it off Hanbin-ah,” you say as you remove his hands from your face and cutely pout at him. The boys laugh and continue eating.

The sounds of slurping and swallowing are going through the room while you all idly chat about school, new songs, fan meets, anything under the sun really. Even though you’re dating Hanbin the rest of the boys are like your brothers and if you needed anything they would be there for you and vice versa.

“Wah, that was so good. It really hit the spot,” Yunhyeong says as he sits back in, “thanks Y/N.” “No problem guys, but as I said, I just want to make sure you’re all good.”

Eventually, you all go your separate ways in the dorm and you and B.I head to his room as he closes the door and he pulls you into his lap. He sits there with his hands wrapped along your waist as he admires you deeply. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long,” he says quietly just enough for you to hear but not for anyone else to. “I know. I miss my talented rapper-songwriter”

“I’m serious baby, I missed you. A lot.” It makes your stomach flutter to hear him be so honest but you know it’s true. Both of you have been extremely busy; you with your last semester of university and him with ikon so, you understand that being separate at moments of your relationship is required in both of your lives. “And I missed you too,” which of course is true but you know he wants to hear you say it, you know he's just insecure as this is his first real relationship so you make sure he knows you love and care for him.

He leans in as you meet him halfway in a short and sweet kiss, and another, and another before you stop him with, “as much as I love kissing you, don’t you have to film soon?” “Yea, but that can wait. I want more time with my girl,” he tries to kiss you once more but you pull away and place your finger on his lips. “Ah, ah, go film,” with that you get off his lap and force him to stand up but being a whiny little baby he jokes by saying, “yah, so you don’t love me anymore y/n-ie.” “Stop being an idiot Hanbin-ah.” You push him slightly towards the door and he shoots you finger hearts as he walks out.

You lay back on his bed for a few minutes until you decide you want the coolness of the ground so you roll off and lay on the floor as Hanbin walks back into his room to see you on the floor. “You do know there’s a camera up there,” he says as he points at the corner of his ceiling where a go-pro films you, more importantly, you decide to lay on a cold hard floor instead of a comfy bed. “How awkward,” and even though you said that it didn’t prompt you to leave the floor.

“Yeah, a bit of an invasion of privacy but we’ll make the most of it.” He proceeds to take off his shirt which confuses you, “I didn’t know you were into that stuff.” He looks down at you puzzled by your dirty mouth especially since you were being recorded. He nudges you sightly with his food and responds with, “it’s not like that, dirty girl I’m gonna work out, but you can help me if want.”

You sit up wondering how could you help him workout but if this means seeing him shirtless longer you didn’t really mind. He positions you perpendicular to the bed and lays you back down on the floor then, he positions himself to use the bed as support to do his pushups over you. “You’re my motivation so, you’re gonna lay there and look pretty, which you always are,” he gives you that cute smile you love, “and every time I come down you give me a kiss, okay?” Surprised by his boldness especially with the cameras here you still nod at his proposal.

He does about thirty pushups and for each one he gives you a sweet and short kiss that makes you want to kiss him more. Even though the cameras are recording this it still feels like you guys are in this little world that nothing and no one can penetrate. Being so busy with your own lives, these are the moments you cherish the most so when does the last pushup you give him an extra kiss and he blushes as he turns away from the camera and moves on to the pull-up bar. You sit up and lean against his bed as you admire his back muscles thinking about how your attractive boyfriend is reeling in all types of fans with the show he’s putting on. His workout continues for the next hour but you decide to take a shower and do your skincare since you leave some of your stuff at the dorm for when you stay over.

When you come back Hanbin is now lying on the floor tired, he then complains about being sweaty and gets up to take a shower while he brings his camera as well. Eventually, you hear the shower running which made think of giving ikonics a peek they would like so, you sneak into the bathroom, grab the camera Hanbin left on the counter and started recording yourself at first. You whisper into the camera, “hey ikonics, hope you’re in for a treat.” That’s when he heard you, “what are you doing in here baby?” You make sure to cover the bottom half of the camera so it doesn’t become that type of video and reply with, “I wanna give ikonics a present.” You flip the camera and blow a kiss at the camera then, flip it back towards Hanbin.

He tries to move around which could be problematic, “don’t move! Just say I love you, ikonics,” you prompt him. He puts his arms up into a heart and repeats what you said, “love you, ikonics,” he also draws a heart in the steamy glass door which makes you laugh. You flip the camera back on you and end the recording with, “love you ikonics, hoped you enjoy that scene.” You whisper the next part so Hanbin doesn’t hear, “I’ll try and film sneaky things like that when I can.” You stop the recording and left Hanbin to finish his shower and went to lay down in his bed.

A few moments later he comes back and quickly gets dressed in boxers and sweats so, he can lay down in the bed with you. He wraps his body around you by putting his arms and legs around your torso and shoulders. He kisses you on the temple then asks you, “are you okay?” You turn to him confused why he’d asked that. “Why wouldn’t I be, are you okay?”

“Yea I just wanted to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable with all the cameras and stuff invading our space.” Look at your baby being so cute and considerate, damn you love him to bits but, you do understand why he’d ask that. If you were with someone else you wouldn’t know if they’d stay in such an invasive environment but you love Hanbin, Ikon and all their fans so you wouldn’t change your life one bit.

You squish his face and tell him, “I wouldn’t change this for anything because all of this comes with being with you and I love being with you so yea, I’m good.” You gently brush your lips against his and give him a gentle kiss. He then unwraps his body from yours to grab the television remote from the bedside table and turn on Netflix. “So Sisyphus or Men on a Mission?” Not even a second was needed to think about this simple decision which is, “Men on a Mission, obviously.” He smiles at you as he starts the show and pulls you back into his chest where you snuggle yourself into and eventually both of you fall asleep to the sounds of laughter.

[animany-totally-insaney-blog]

Part 11 of The Warners Are Puppies And Here’s Why! Start of 2020 Reboot Episodes!

Part 11 of my The Warners Are Puppies And Here’s Why!  series is where the 2020 Reboot Episodes begin. Now onto the post itself.

In the first 2020 episode we get a short called Jurassic Lark which gives us a sneak peek at the redesigned versions of Yakko,Wakko and Dot. At one point Dot pulls out a pie to throw at her bros both Yakko and Wakko react with fear and you can see their fur sticking up and fangs showing.

Once the episode Suspended Animation, Part 1 actually starts we get a better look at The Sibs new fangs when Dot loses her temper. You can even hear her growling.

Once inside their Water Tower Wakko accidentally sets off a security system that sounds an alarm surprising them and making their fur stick up.

Then their fangs show when they get scared by a net.

As they’re running away from Ralph you can spot Wakko running and hopping over things like a puppy.

Ralph does catch them using a net like the original series. Again using the same kind of technique a dog catcher would.

Once inside the new CEO’s office she shows off her tablet and Wakko tilts his head like a confused puppy does.

When Yakko eats the tablet and gains all the knowledge about what’s happened in the last 22 years the fur on his cheeks go frizzy right before and after it happens.

Later in Suspended Animation, Part 2 we see The Sibs wandering around the studio lot looking at all the new stuff happening when they’re surprised by some men moving set pieces around and their ears perk up.

Then a few minutes later Dot’s ears perk up too when she’s excited to see that Charmed has been brought back.

That’s all for part 11,stay tuned for part 12.