#can i say this is 4.5 knives?

[axelsagewrites]

Daemon Targaryen*Gala

Sugar Baby Series Part 5 finale

Part one - Part two - Part Three - Part 4.5 - Part Four

Pairings: Daemon x f!reader

Summary: The reader finally has to face the whole Targaryen family at their gala and Otto is far from happy

Warnings: drinking, drunk Rhaneys, Drunk Otto, grabbing, threats, brief fight but nothing graphic

Word count: 5655 (i kno but its the finale i had to)

Masterlist Here

“She’s fucking your uncle for money bro,” Cregan’s words made Aemond’s eye go wide. Aemond sat stunned, looking between you, Cregan, and Jace who just shrugged. “And she’s going to your family reunion so if you could refrain from knives- “

“Cregan!” Sara hush whispered, jabbing her brother with her elbow.

Aemond paused for a moment before turning to look at you, “Are you really Daemon’s sugar baby?” He asked, the words sounding like sick in his mouth.

You gave an awkward smile, glancing at Jace for reassurance, “Kinda yeah, I mean yes I am,” you stuttered out, eyes falling to the floor.

You heard Aemond’s sigh and looked up to see him relaxing back into the booth, “Well then. Make sure he pays you double for the gala,” Aemond said before swallowing his drink in one go, “And bring a flask,”

Aemond wasn’t exactly comfortable with the fact his uncle was paying his friend for their company, struggling to believe sex wasn’t a part of the deal, but with a couple drinks he soon came around. The next morning all five of you woke up spread across Jace and Cregan’s flat. Jace and Sara somehow managed to stumble to his bedroom while Cregan lay in the bathroom, head hanging over the toilet as he slept.

You meanwhile woke up on the couch with a pounding headache and no clue how you got here.  The one thing you knew for sure was that the bacon smell was not Cregan’s doing and didn’t smell burnt so it couldn’t have been Jace. When you stumbled through to the kitchen you tried to conceal your surprise when you saw a fresh face Aemond cooking up a professional level breakfast.

“Dude, you drank more than me,” you mumbled as you took a seat at the kitchen table.

Aemond scoffed but you saw the smile at the edge of his lips as he handed you a plate of eggs and bacon, “Not my fault you all cant handle a few rounds,”

“You made us do tequila shots. 3 fucking shots,” you reminded him as you dug into the breakfast.

You looked up when Jace walked in clutching his head and heading for a glass of water for his Advil. “To be fair the first shots were Sara’s fault. I think she ands Cregan are dead in the bathroom,” he said, gulping down the water as if he was in the Sahara desert. Jace paused for a moment, looking up at his uncle then back to the bacon, “I knew I always liked you,”

Aemond scoffed yet again before handing Jace a plate and the two boys joined you at the table. Meanwhile you replied to daemons texts asking if you had made it home safe last night. “Texting Daemon?” Jace asked, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

“I’m eating,” Aemond groaned in disgust as you finished off your text with a smirk before sitting the phone down. “Now onto more pressing issues,” even Jace looked confused at Aemond’s sudden seriousness, “We have to train you. For the gala,” Aemond rolled his eyes at yours and Jaces loud groans and protests, “Trust me, you want my help,”

“Why?” You groaned, desperate to just enjoy the greasy food that somehow was making this hang over bearable. “How hard can it be to wear a dress and smile?” The look Jace and Aemond shared made a pit grow in your stomach.  “That is what Galas are right?”

Jace sat down his fork, glancing at Aemond before looking back at you, “Maybe you do need our help,”

Being hung over was bad enough but being hungover and going through Aemond Targaryen’s Class and Etiquette masterclass made you never wanna drink again. You did everything from learn which fork to yet with, how to shake hands, who to approach and what to say, who liked who and most importantly who hated who.

“And remember no matter what,” Aemond said as you walked up and down the living room with a book on your head, “Never be left alone with my mother. Fake a heart attack if you have to,”

“Is she the one who made you learn all this crap?” You asked as sara sniggered at your pathetic attempts to balance the book on your head.

“She was worse,” Aemond chuckled, “Way worse actually one time she made Aegon walk barefooted in the snow- “Aemond paused when he saw you stop walking and Jace and Sara staring at him like someone had shot him, “Never mind, just trust me. Avoid her,”

“Noted,” you said sceptically as you continued your newly learned prissy walk, “Do you think she’ll recognise me?”

Jace and Aemond shared a concerned look before Aemond cleared his throat, “She um remembers you yeah,” he didn’t go on till you death glared him, “She kinda well she wouldn’t let my dad say his order to you at the restaurant cause she thought you looked like a well,” he paused until the silence was more awkward than him just spitting it out, “A gold digger?”

Sara cackled while Jace face palmed while you stood open mouth and shocked. “I’m not-well I know it could seem- she-I’m not a gold digger!” You finally spat out. “Am I a gold digger?” You asked, looking between all your friends.

“The politically correct term is sugar baby,” Sara chirped, her hangover sadly gone.

“Oh my god,” you whispered, realising the horrible truth, “What if she finds out?!”

Aemond sat up, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared you down, “She cannot find out,” he said sternly, “Don’t worry. We’ll cover for you. We will survive this,” he said, somehow making it sound more like a war than it already was.

When you finally managed to escape Aemond’s class you only had time to run home, change, and head right back out to meet Daemon for lunch. Daemon was already sat at the table when you walked in, standing up he saw you, “You look stunning doll,” Daemon said, kissing your cheek before pulling out your chair, “Hungover?” He questioned with a slight smirk as he took his own chair.

You chuckled a bit as you glanced over the menu, “Nah I’m fine now. Your nephew helped with that,” you said as the waiter approached, and you both ordered.

After ordering daemon looked back at you, “Which nephew love? Should I be concerned?”

You snorted a little at his comment, “Jealous?” You asked before shaking your head, “Well Jace was there but it was mostly Aemond,”

“Aemond,” Daemon said, eyes wandering to the side as he thought, “Is that the eyepatch one or the syphilis one?”

“Aegon had syphilis?” You asked shocked, leaning forward wide eyed, “But yes Aemond has an eyepatch,”

“So why were you having a family reunion without me doll?” He asked. As you explained the rigorous etiquette you had just been taught the waiter brought the food over and Daemon hung off your every word. As you finished your story, finally able to dive into the amazing looking food, daemon nodded silently, “So he warned you about the gala?”

“He made it sound worse than world war three,”

Daemon chuckled at your description as he mulled it over, “That’s the Aemond I remember alright. You’ll be fine doll just stick to my side or my nephews if I get pulled away by someone but if you see my alone with a Baratheon for more than five minutes you’re obligated to swoop in and save me,”

“Mr Targaryen your doctors on the phone you’re having a heart attack right now,” you said, putting on your best posh accent making Daemon snigger. “There is something I need to ask though,” you said as you pushed the food around your plate with your fork.

Daemon raised an eyebrow as you avoided his gaze, “Everything okay love?”

“Yeah, it’s just um,” you said before finally looking up, “How am I supposed to say I know you? Aemond got worried about people finding out and yeah what’s like the plan?” You asked.

Daemon paused for a moment, sipping on his coffee before nodding, “Well I rsvp’d for a plus one so you’re my date and if anyone keeps prying i’ll tell them to fuck off,” you couldn’t help but laugh at his attitude but part of you knew it would not take much to push daemon into doing exactly that, “If anyone asks we’ll just say I met you at your work and we hit it off. Assuming you’re okay with pretending to be my girlfriend,”

You knew the idea of being Daemons girlfriend wasn’t supposed to fill your stomach with butterflies or make you want to lean over and kiss him. You were his sugar baby, someone he paid to like him, but you couldn’t help the feeling. “I suppose I can make it work,” you said with a shy smile before taking a drink to try concealing your fluster.

It didn’t go unnoticed however and daemon smiled quietly to himself as he watched your antics. Gods, he thought to himself, is it wrong he didn’t want it to be pretend? He kept his thoughts to himself as lunch continued.

“So where should I ask the driver to drop you off today?” Daemon asked as he helped you put your coat on to leave.

“I was kinda hoping I could stay at yours again tonight? I’ve gotta go in to work early tomorrow and your place is closer,” you said as you took Daemons hand without second thought as you began to walk out the restaurant.

Daemon laughed as he took your hand in his, his thumb stroking over your skin as it always did, “Of course doll. Though you don’t need the excuses love,” he smirked when he saw your head dip, a faint blush spreading over your face as he helped you into the car.

With every passing day you got slightly more nervous about the Gala on Friday. The whole of the Targaryen corporation got a half day because of the event but luckily you didn’t work Fridays so could spend the whole day worrying. Daemon unfortunately had to go into the office to sort some last-minute Gala financing out but said you were welcome to get ready at his house and even agreed to let Jace and Aemond over as well.

Jace and Aemond weren’t shocked by the extravagant house in the slightest, but Sara walked in, and her jaw hit the ground. “What the hell?” She gasped as she walked in, having decided she was more than welcome to come as well to do your makeup. “Why can’t I get a sugar daddy?”

“Hey!” Jace protested, his arm defensively going over her shoulder, “Give me a few years alright im still in uni,”

Sara scoffed as she pushed Jaces arm off to explore the house. Now it was time for business, “Where’s your dress?” Aemond asked, forgetting to say hello as he searched his uncle’s house.

You unzipped the dress bag revealing the dark purple satin evening dress that Daemon had made to your exact size. “Ta da,” you said, turning the dress to show the group.

“That’ll do,” Aemond said, nodding his head approvingly as he took the dress out the bag, “Now for makeup- “

“i’ve got that bit covered Aem’s,” Sara said as she flung her arm over Aemond’s shoulder, pinching his cheek. The two had grown a love hate relationship since Aemond took time off where Sara was her usual bubbly self and Aemond pretended to hate it. “Oh my god I forgot how gorgeous this dress is,” she gushed as she reached for the dress, “Hey!” Sara protested as Aemond snatched it away.

Aemond rolled his eyes as he slipped it back in the protective bag, “Not a chance. I don’t know where your hands have been. Now let’s get this show on the road,”

“Princess diaries style,” Jace grinned causing everyone to look at him, head tilted, “Sara made me watch it,” he mumbled.

“Bitch please you made me watch it,” Sara said before grabbing your shoulders and leading you to sit down, “Now let me at this face. I have work to do,”

Daemon had given you his credit card to get everything you needed for the Gala; makeup, shoes, jewellery, whatever you needed to complete the look. Sara took great pride in picking out the makeup with you and now began to slather it on your face with Aemond watching over her shoulder to keep it tasteful. You were thankful Jace was there to mediate.

She ended up giving you a soft purple eye look with a little bit of smoke and glitter, a more natural face and just gloss for lips. “Perfect,”

“Hot,”

“Looking good babes,” Jace cheered from the other end of the couch from where he was playing wordle on his phone.

Sara stood up with a gleeful smile, “My work here is done,” she said, clasping her hands together. You didn’t even question how Aemond knew how to do hair as he began to curl and pin it in place.

Jace and Aemond eventually went to get in their tuxes themselves and now all you had to do was get dressed. As you were heading upstairs for Sara to help you into the dress you heard Daemon getting home. “I’m home doll,” his voice called out across the entrance.

“Omg he calls you doll?” Sara whispered, grabbing your arm tightly.

“I’m just getting changed Daemon. Jace and Aemond are downstairs,” you called back as Sara dragged you to the bedroom, squealing at the sight.

The dress fit like a glove and the material was so soft it felt like ice water on a hot day. Sara made sure your hair was sitting perfect, shoes and jewellery was on, and makeup was perfect before you walked down. She was determined to give you your ‘teen movie’ moment as she called it.

When you walked down the stairs, seeing Daemon sitting on the couch with Jace and Aemond waiting for you, you almost felt nervous for some reason. At that exact moment that you contemplated turning back Daemons head turned to face you. You watched as his jaw went slack, his eyes scanning up your body as he stood from the couch.

He walked from the couch to the stairs silently, meeting you at the bottom and taking your hand softly into his, “Beautiful,” he murmured before holding your hand up and making you give him a slow spin, “Absolutely gorgeous love,” he said, pulling you in for a brief kiss while Sara awed and Jace gagged.

“Thanks doll,” you said, rolling your eyes to disguise you blush, “Are you gonna get ready?”

“Give me five minutes doll. Just gotta change,” he said as he finally let you go, moving past you to head up the stairs before pausing, “Sara, right?” He asked, taking her hand to shake softly.

“Yeah,” she said, her eyes wide as Daemon almost smirked before walking up the stairs. “Wow,” she mouthed to you as she walked down the stairs.

“Babe!” Jace whined at his girlfriend’s actions. The teasing and bantering didn’t stop until you saw Daemon reappearing at the top of the staircase. Unlike Jace who chose a plain black tuxedo and Aemond’s white one Daemon had opted for a dark purple tux to match yours with a lavender shirt underneath. Jaw dropping was an understatement. “You clean up nice,” you grinned, moving to stand beside daemon.

“Thank you love,” he said, his arm moving to wrap around yours before kissing the top of your head. Daemon smiled at you for a moment before turning to the nephews, “Called the cars. One to drop you home,” he said pointing to sara who looked like she may swoon at any second. Lucky for her Jace decided to spare her the war that was the Targaryen gala. “One for you both,” he nodded towards the boys before turning to you with a light smile, “Then one for us,”

You could melt under his gaze despite Jaces ews and Aemond’s eyerolls. For a moment you weren’t even worried about the gala. You just wanted to enjoy the moment as you all shared a glass of wine before the cars came. Sara was practically bouncing as she got into the car, hers being the first to show. Daemon sent Jace and Aemond in the next one, wanting to savour the last few moments alone with you. “Promise you won’t hate me if I show myself up tonight?” You joked as Aemond and Jace left.

“Nothing could make me hate you doll,” Daemon said, kissing your lips softly before pausing, “I got you something,” he finally said as he pulled a small box out of his pocket.

You gasped when he opened the box to reveal the most beautiful ring you had ever seen, “This is too much,” you said as you studied the ring.

“I could give you the world and it still wouldn’t be enough,” Daemon said as he took the ring out of the box, slipping onto your finger as he kept his eyes on yours. You couldn’t look away from those lilac eyes, even when the car honked outside you didn’t want to walk away. “c’mon love we’ll be late,” Daemon said softly as he took your hand in his.

“Okay,” you said, grabbing your purse and readying yourself. “Let’s do this,”

Despite all the prep you hadn’t expected all the flashing cameras or the lilac carpet, something you wondered if Daemon had suggested as you stood beside your date to pose for the cameras. Daemon work his signature sexy smirk as his arm slinked around your waist, resting on your hip, before you were ushered off the carpet to finally get inside of the gala.

Inside was thankfully less hectic but there was still a lot of hustle and bustle as people waited for the gala to usher them in. Servers passed out strange hors d'oeuvre you’d never heard the name of and, thankfully for you, champagne and wine. You gladly accepted a glass, almost drinking it in one go to steady your nerves. Daemons arm was locked protectively around you the whole time.

You glanced over to where Aemond looked like he was being sharply questioned by his mother, Jace standing a few feet away trying not to laugh. He gave you a slight nod when he noticed you looking. At least there were some friendly faces you supposed.

When the doors were finally opened you were ushered into a large hall with circle tables covered in red table clothes. Daemon guided you through the mess of tables and people to your seat. Apparently, the table assignments had been a lengthy process that he and his brother studied together while organising the affair. You were sat at a table with Daemon on one side and Jace on the other.

You smiled as Jace sat down and did your best to act natural when Rhaenyra, Lucerys, and Harwin strong arrived at the table. As they took their seats Jace began to whisper to you how his aunt tried to have Harwin banned from the affair but once they found out they were engaged nothing could be done.

“Who’s your friend sweetie?” Rhaenyra asked as she scooted her chair in before looking up and tilting her head, “Do I know you from somewhere?”

“She’s friends with Sara mum,” Jace said, blushing at the mention of his girlfriend which only made Luke start to make fun of his older brother.

Rhaenyra scolded Luke but before anything else could be said a loud microphone static rang across the room. “Is it on now?” Viserys voice was supposed to be a whisper but you and Jace sniggered as it rang across the room. “Okay good, good. Well, I would like to welcome…” Daemon had warned you about his brothers’ lengthy speeches at these things however you tried to listen but all you really heard was fundraiser, food, champagne, and eat. And eat you would.

You almost moaned as you bit into the food, something Daemon couldn’t help but chuckle at. Even though part of you knew Rhaenyra had recognised you, you were grateful for her discretion. The whole meal was surprisingly painless, even enjoyable, as Rhaenyra told you embarrassing stories about Jace, and daemon and daemon finally seemed to let loose around his family. During dinner they began to pace out donation slips for everyone to fill out. When you tried to peak at Daemons donation slip, he quickly pulled it away with a grin, telling you not to be so nosey.

When the dinner was over you were all ushered to the bar while they rearranged the tables, but you didn’t complain when you learned it was an open bar. You were stood beside Jace at the bar sipping your drink, your buzz already going, as daemon wandered off with Rhaenyra to talk to a client.

Jace waved at someone behind you and when you turned you felt your stomach churn. “Hi grampa, granny,” Jace said as he gave Rhaenys a hug and Coryls a firm handshake with a pointed but goofy look.

“Your grips improving son and look who it is,” he said turning to you, his arms opening, “Jace I see you’ve stolen my best employee,”

You blushed as you tried to avoid Rhaenys confused look, “Uh no she’s just my friend grampa. My girlfriend couldn’t make it,” Jace explained, “She’s uncle daemons date,”

Coryls let out a loud chuckle at that one, “Oh Daemon what’s he like,” Coryls said shaking his head, “I’d say you better make him happy but im sure you do sweetheart,” he tried to joke when his wife exclaimed.

“I know you!” She said, almost staggering as she pointed at you, “You used to work for me, at the Den. Oh sweetie how have you been?” She gushed, throwing her arms around you. You gave your boss a wide eyed look as he attempted to pry his drunk wife from you, “You know I know I should say this but,” she said, looking around as if someone was spying on her, “I’m so glad someone finally yelled at that awful witch,” she whispered in the loud way all drunk people do.

“Sorry bout that,” you said but you couldn’t help but laugh at her state as Coryls pulled him back to his side.

“No don’t be,” she said, holding your arms, “I would’ve done it years ago but someone,” she said giving her husband a dirty look, “said I wasn’t allowed,”

“Okay sweetie,” Coryls said as he brought Rhaenys properly into his grip, “Lets go find you some hors d’oeuvre, okay? Sorry about this,” he said turning back to you.

“I don’t know what you’re on about boss,” you grinned.

“That a girl,” he said before steering his wife off in search for food to sober her up.

You turned back to Jace, wide eyed as he sniggered at the interaction. “Well, that was fun,” before you could do anything else everyone began to shuffle back into the hall which had now pushed all the tables around the edges to create more of a dance floor. Viserys gave yet another speech before the music began.

While it wasn’t the music you and Jace would usually dance to he still insisted on dragging you out onto the floor. You and Jace were easily the youngest pair dancing. Aemond had taught you many of the dances he had been forced to learn in childhood, so it was surprisingly painless as you danced the Dornish Waltz.

As you danced however you could feel daemons eyes on you and when you looked you couldn’t help but smile at the way he watched you. However, there were another pair of eyes on you as you danced, and those ones were less forgiving.

When the dance ended daemon gave a slow clap as he approached you, taking your hand into his, “i’ve got her from here,” Daemon said, nodding for Jace to leave as another song began. The next song was dance of the dragons and it was easily your favourite one you had learned despite you being out of breath by the end, “You did perfect doll,” Daemon praised, giving you a brief kiss. However that much of a kiss seemed to be considered PDA by the way people looked at you.

For the rest of the night, you went between talking to and dancing with Jace, Daemon, and even Aemond who reluctantly gave you a dance. Aegon had asked for one, but Aemond had unceremoniously told him to fuck off making him retreat like a kicked puppy. Aemond also made sure to introduce you to a very sweet but very shy Heleana. You could feel ottos and Alicent’s death stares on you, especially when you danced with either of her children, but it was too busy for her to do anything about.

After much dancing and even more drinking, you found yourself sweaty and out of breath at the side of the dance floor. Daemon was off talking with Coryls while you hung out with Aemond when a girl, a very cute girl you mentally noted, approached Aemond with a warm hug that made his pale cheeks tinge red. Apparently it was one of his sisters’ friends she went to boarding school with. When Aly asked Aemond for a dance you practically answered yes for him, pushing him to show off his moves.

You meanwhile were buzzed, alone, and far too warm so you decided to step out for a few moments for some fresh air. Luckily for you just outside the door to the banquet hall was a balcony over facing the city that some people used to smoke but you used for some cool crisp air. The two men who were on there smoking left not long after you walked out leaving you alone to enjoy the noise of the city.

That was until you heard the glass door to the balcony open again. “I wondered if it was really you,” Ottos cold voice made you spin round on your heels leaving you face to face with the man who tormented you at the restaurant for months with his petty orders, “Im shocked you’re brave enough to show your face,”

“I should be going,” you muttered, trying to move past him but Otto blocked the door making you sigh, “Look I’m sorry about before but can I just get past- “

“You really think sorry will cut it? After you embarrassed me in front of my daughter,” he said, taking a few steps closer making you back up. All you could do was hope someone would walk past or to sneak past, but each move you made he copied, “Then now this. You show up to my family’s fundraiser uninvited looking like a tart,”

“I’m here with Daemon,” you practically spat out the words as you tried to push past. “He’ll be looking for me,”

Otto rolled his eyes, “Please that mans always drunk off his arse. Don’t act like I don’t know what you are,”

Your eyes narrowed at the man, stepping closer to him, “And what’s that?” You asked, smelling the whisky reeking from his breath.

“Just some whore,” before you could think you felt his cheek against your palm as a loud slap rang through the air. Your eyes widened, realising what you’d done as Otto roughly grabbed your wrist, “Don’t think we all can’t tell,”

“Father,” you heard the harsh whisper of Alicent’s voice before you saw her snake through the door, closing it quietly behind her, “What are you doing?” She hissed.

“Don’t you recognise her?” Otto asked, finally letting your wrist go and shoving you away.

Alicent tried to pull her father to the side, but he kept pushing her off, “Dad we’re in public,” she tried to reason with him as he continued his tyred.

As the two struggled you tried to rush away but as you reached for the door handle you saw daemon storming over to the balcony. “Why are you defending that gold digger?” Otto said as Daemon opened the door.

“What did you call her?” Daemon practically growled at Otto who finally moved on from Alicent to Daemon. You glanced over at Alicent, her face briefly contorted into some kind of sadness before she covered it again with a hard-line smile. “Go on say it again Hightower,” Daemon spat as he pushed at Ottos shoulders.

“She,” Otto said, pointing past Daemon, his finger wagging straight at you, “Is a gold digging whore,” he said the words slowly as if he was talking to a child, “And you-“ he said jabbing a finger into daemons chest, “are embarrassing the company by parading around some prostitute,”

Before you or Alicent could do anything, a loud cracking sound came from Ottos face as Daemons fist crashed down on the drunk. Otto stumbled back and part of you wondered whether Daemon was about to throw him from the balcony. Thankfully the doors were thrown open yet again but this time by the eldest Targaryen and two security men.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Viserys yelled, as much as an old man can, as you and Alicent backed into a corner, Alicent putting herself in front of you and for a moment you wondered if she cared. “Care to explain Daemon?” He said gesturing at his brother like a mad man.

“He was calling my date a prostitute,” Daemon said, his voice low and eerily calm. As he spoke you thought of a plan, silently but quickly switching the ring daemon had given you earlier from your right middle finger to your left ring finger.

Viserys paused for a moment, looking between you and Otto, “Brother you can’t understand how one might think- “

“I’m not a prostitute!” You said, finally speaking up for yourself and pushing past Alicent. “Or a gold digger or anything else,” you said as you put on your best indignant voice as you moved to stand by daemon, taking his right hand in your left, squeezing it quickly. Daemon glanced down, pausing for a moment when he saw the ring had switched.

Viserys paused, stammering for words, as a security guard checked out Otto and another tried to comfort Alicent, but she just pushed him off. Finally, Daemon looked up, raising your hand in his so that Viserys could see the ring, “She’s my fiancé you twat,” his spitting like venom but still the word fiancé sounded so nice off his tongue. “I was going to announce it tonight, but Hightower over here cornered her on a balcony to call her a slut,”

Otto tried to stutter for an answer but finally Viserys piped up, “She’s your-how long have you even known her, Daemon?”

“Two years,” he lied.

Before Viserys could keep questioning you continued the lie, “He came into the café I worked at before the Dragons Den and asked for my number,”

“We’ve been dating since,” Daemon said, expertly bouncing off your own lies. “I proposed last week and thought id share the good news with my brother but apparently not,” Daemon said, his face screwing up and for a moment you thought he should take up a career in acting.

“That’s the ring he proposed with?” Alicent asked indignantly, smelling a lie but unable to prove it.

You rolled your eyes before answering, “This is a temporary one, the real ones at the jewellers,”

“I bought the wrong size Alicent, hardly worth your father threatening my fiancé,” Daemon said as his arm linked around your waist.

Viserys sighed as he got in between his brother and wife, holding his hands up for peace, “Okay okay enough. Daemon I’m sorry we didn’t know. Otto- “Otto tried to pipe up, but Viserys raised a hand to silence him, “Is deeply sorry. Aren’t you otto?” Viserys shot him a nasty glare till otto reluctantly nodded. “And I’m sorry (Y/N),” Viserys said turning to look at you finally while you did your best to seem like you were bursting from excitement from getting away with the lie.

“I think its best if we leave,” Daemon said, holding his head high, “I trust you will deal with Otto on Monday considering this is a company event,” he said with a pointed look to his older brother.

“Yes of course,” Viserys said as he walked you and Daemon inside, leading down to the exit, “And I am happy for you brother. You two make quite the pair,”

Daemons eyes fell on you as he smirked, “I agree,” he said before bidding his brother goodbye. You tried to be nice with Viserys who looked exhausted from the whole interaction.

As Daemon reached into his pocket for his phone to call a car you stopped him, “Lets just walk,” you told him. Daemon squinted at you for a moment before finally nodding in agreement, taking you by the arm, “I know a 24/7 dinner we can try. It doesn’t have the same level of caviar,” you said in your best posh voice making daemon chuckle as you walked into the cool evening air, “but its good food,”

“Whatever you want love,” daemon said, kissing the top of your head as you walked.

As you walked you thought for a moment, your mind going back to the ring, “Daemon?” You said and he hummed in response, “If you wanted to propose, for real, I wouldn’t be totally opposed,”

Daemon glanced down at you, a smile playing on his lips, “I wouldn’t mind if you said yes,” he said before his eyes flickered away. His arm tightened around your waist, grinning as he did, “i’ll order the flower petals,”

Taglist: @clairacassidy @valeskafics @starkleila @delicious-xx @pet1t3 @skyesayshi @urmomsgirlfriend1 @dark-night-sky-99 @lantsovheiress@themotherofblood @avalyaaa @simbaaas-stuff @lunampacheco

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb:

Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Review:

Knives out meets holiday murder mystery romance... need I say more? Maggie Chase is a writer who is known as the Queen of Cozy Mystery meanwhile her nemesis is Ethan Wyatt, the king of Thriller Books. Maggie and Ethan have famously not gotten along, he's actually never gotten her name write in all the years he's known her and no matter how many times she's told him. Yet when they both accept a mysterious invitation to attend an exclusive Christmas party at the English estate of a reclusive fan.... neither of them expected that said fan was none other than the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley herself. However as the party goes on their host disappears... and then murder is afoot. Now Ethan and Maggie have to solve the mystery and that also means finding a way to work together... and confronting their feelings for one another. Maggie might be the queen of cozy mystery but she's about to realize the greatest mystery of all is her relationship with Ethan and what she thought was a bad relationship was completely wrong. Can they solve the mystery before it's too late and they end up dead too? This was such a cute holiday mystery romance read and I had so much fun with it. Ethan and Maggie were really cute, Ethan was especially adorable as a love interest. I loved that we do get his POV and get to see his meetcute with Maggie. It's a cute romance and the mystery was fun. It definitely is an adorable holiday read that I'd recommend!

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest reviewe*

[rito-flips]

BALISONG SPOTLIGHT: NRB NEMESIS V3

The Nemesis was a bit of an interesting case; I'm relatively new to the hobby, and while I had known about NRB as a maker, I hadn't known about the Nemesis. For people not in the know, the Nemesis is the second production balisong designed by one Garrett Harris, the lone man spearheading NRB. A little over a year ago, he announced its discontinuation to the dismay of some flippers, but last August, he announced bringing it back with what he considered a facelift. After looking into the Nemesis more, I decided to make it my first dip into channel titanium, and it's quickly became one of my favorite flippers at the time of writing this.

TL;DR: The Good: Built like a tank, and a good value proposition for channel titanium. Weighty flipping experience that fans and carries momentum in a way few other balisongs can do.

The Bad: Can be a bit heavy for some people and weight makes ladders a bit fatiguing.

The knife can be bought on NRB's site here.

GENERAL INFO:

The Nemesis V3 is at the higher end of mid-range balisongs, sitting at a price of $315 USD for the trainer version and $365 USD for the live blade version (as a disclaimer, I bought my Nemesis during the initial wave of preorders at the reduced price of $275 USD). It uses channel construction handles with speed channels down the sides, using grade 5 titanium as the handle material, which means that while I have babied my personal unit, it'll have no problem taking a beating like a champ.

The unboxing experience is about as bare-bones as it gets. You get the box the knife comes in, a sticker, and the knife itself. No spare hardware, which is a bummer, but because Garrett provides links to the hardware he uses on his website, it isn't that much of a downside.

Out of the box, the balisong came with a great tune—it had minimal handle play and no tap, and courtesy of extra relief in the channel itself, it allows for a much more forgiving tune than on some other balisongs coughcoughnautilus. If you'd like a sound test, you can find it here on NRB's Instagram page.

FLIPPING:

I was a bit worried about how the Nemesis would flip and about how I would like it based on my preferences. For one, as I mentioned before, I got my Nemesis during the first wave of preorders, meaning that because no one had their hands on one, I went into things completely blind; the only thing I could base my purchase off of was how people liked previous versions. Another point of concern I had was the weight; at 4.5 oz, it's damned sight heavier than everything else I own as well. My two main flippers flippers, the Nautilus and 101, sit at 3.6 and 3.9 oz respectively, and my heaviest balisong before this was my Kraken at 4.2 oz.

I can say with confidence that I was worrying for no reason.

The Nemesis has been an interesting flipping experience that strikes a good balance between consistency and uniqueness. The closest thing I can compare it to in terms of balance is the Tay Flipper Calico, with a noticeable handle bias and some weight concentrated at the tip of the blade and the ends of the handles. However, the Nemesis's weight is much more evenly distributed than the Calico, which is a blessing considering that it made the Calico feel a lot heavier than it actually was, and that really isn't something you want at a weight of 4.5 oz.

This kind of balance means that doing rollovers and fans are a complete non-issue. The knife carries momentum extraordinarily well, and because it's on the heavier side, you can feel the weight during momentum-based tricks, and not in a bad way.

Of course, the weight still isn't anything to scoff at, and it does have its downsides—the knife is more fatiguing to flip than something like a Kraken would be, and with the preferences of the community moving towards lighter knives, some people will definitely think it's too heavy for their tastes. The weight really shows its downsides on ladders, though. The knife has jimping at the ends of the handles, so grip isn't an issue especially considering they're titanium handles. The problem lies within the fact that because there's so much weight being thrown around ladders are a lot more fatiguing on the fingers than other balisongs.

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

If I had any closing thoughts or feedback to give Garrett, it'd be just to make the Nemesis lighter—the "issues" I discussed are nitpicks at most, and I posit that taking the weight down to around 4.2–4.3 oz would fix these issues entirely. I know if that it were around that weight, I'd neglecting most of my collection in favor of this. Garrett still has one hell of a knife on his hands, and while I'm happy that he now has a job at Machinewise, I'm much more excited about whatever he has cooking this year. If you're interested in buying the Nemesis V3, it can be found here.

[movies-i-watched-this-week]

week 1 (9.01 - 15.01)

hello and welcome to the blog, this experience will be my experiment as well as documentation for myself of movies i had watched or rewatched

since most of the movies will have rating and brief review, im hoping you'll find a motion picture that interests you as well

- District 9 , 4.5/5

this week was a sci-fi mood, and district 9 is a one of a kind classic in its category. this movie can be described as a subversive expectations for an alien sci-fi movie and feels unique with its takes. a masterpiece of its kind with wonderful acting

- Snowpiercer , 4/5

dystopian sci-fi, with a very interesting concept to it (in result of ice age, humanity is forced to shelter in a never stopping train). the sgi isn't perfect and it does look like the indie movie at times, but i cant say i did not enjoy its imaginative (tiny) world and diverse characters, which the movie isn't afraid to kill no warning ahead.

- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish , 4.5/5

animation adventure comedy, had to rewatch it for the second time after watching a phone cinema recording two weeks ago for the animation of course. but also because this movie is a pleasure to experience, the story flows perfectly and no character (despite being a lot of them) is left behind in development. im happy for dreamworks to release such unique in their style movies lately.

- The Road , 4.5/5

post-apocalyptic drama, i felt like this movie is targeted towards a specific niche, if you arent interested in post-apocalyptic world building, you will find this movie boring. and since i love that stuff, this movie won me over, and not only with the genre but also with its two wonderful main characters (father and son). a melancholic, peaceful masterpiece.

- Tarzan , 4.5/5

hmhm, i only now watched this wonderful animated classic for the first time. watch it if you never did

-Tangled , 5/5

rewatched it for 30th time, and the first time in english. sometimes when i watch a movie i begin to think how did the writers think of such plot or this or that, and i just can never figure out how one Wrote Tangled, as funny as that sounds. simply a classic must-watch.

- Velma , 2/5

ye, tv series, cartoons, shows count. in time of writing this, the series has only 2 episodes and i cant say i liked them, but probably didnt dislike them as much as everyone else. its.. fine? i wouldnt recommend it but i found some really funny lines and jokes so its not 1 out of 5. and to the criticism that this show is a disgrace to the scooby doo legacy, as a scooby doo cartoons fan i did not have that feeling at all. although true, it shouldve had its own original characters since some of the jokes built for the characters come out awkward

also since its the first post it will break the rules a little and mention all the movies i watched since the beginning of 2023 that i highly recommend:

- Funny Pages (!!!)

- Glass Onion

- Knives Out

- Entergalactic (!!!)

- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

- Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio

- Aftersun (!!!)

bye

[truckreincarnation]

Confession Pt. 2 || Theophania || Trial 4.5 || Re: Avery, Manami

No! No, goddammit! There Avery was, thwarting her plans. She'd hurt them once again, not unlike only a few short hours prior. That brief moment of peace shared between them in Avery's room. That look of anguish on their face. There it was again, with their words only acting as more and more knives to the chest with each one.

Avery had refused to promise her one thing. They'd said they would protect her no matter what. Should've figured that also meant from herself.

Theophania's hope was that everyone would be too angry to find the holes in her story, but Avery intercepted before anyone but Bian could say a word. She clenched her jaw so tightly it hurt, her teeth grinding together.

Why would you have used the thing you know I love to murder someone on purpose?

Those words stung more than anything. She wondered how Avery would react if she said yes. If they would yell at her, scream at her, just like she deserved. It would be easy.

But she just couldn't do that. She couldn't lie to them. And she certainly couldn't cause them pain, even if it meant she'd get her due punishment. Losing Avery was the least she could do to repent, but watching that look of pain on their face... She didn't know whether it was the selfishness of wanting to keep them, or the fact she just loved them too much to see them in pain. Either way, they told her to finally be honest.

She opened her mouth to respond, but then Manami chimed in.

Do you hate us that much?

How could she even answer that? All of the words she'd pushed down started bubbling to the surface. All the things she'd hidden, tried to get over. Now was hardly the time to hash it all out, but like the bomb that went off at the Gate, she was threatening to explode.

"...I hate you... That's right, I hate you!" The words tumbled out, somewhere between a snarl and a sob. Tears pooled in her eyes. "I hate all of you people so damn much! I hate that you were so quick to abandon Meili in favor of her unrepentant killer! I hate that you all pick and choose your morals based on how much you like a person! I hate how untrustworthy you all, how I've sacrificed my own power because I thought it was better! Because I thought I had to! Become a healer to boost everyone else's strength, you can rely on them to protect you! Except I can't because you've all proven time and time again that I can't trust any of you to do that right thing or have my back! So now I'm weak and pathetic and vulnerable and scared. I promised myself I wouldn't help any of you anymore! I would put myself first! So why...s-so why...I hate you all so much, so why did I still try to save Frank anyway?"

She couldn't control the wretched sobs that escaped her. The way her body shook and shivered from the exertion of it all. Ever since this trial began, she'd been holding everything back. The pain, the guilt, the emotion. It was all too much. But everything needed to come out.

"...And I hate that the one thing I can rely on you all to do, to yell, and scream, and insult, and accuse...you didn't do. I h-hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate...th-that you won't just punish me already, like I deserve. Because I'm a filthy killer."

She had truly never felt more repulsive. She hid her face in her hands as she continued to cry. She hadn't given any answers, not really. Avery wanted the truth. She had to pull it together long enough to. She had to. She had to. If she couldn't do this one thing for the one remaining person she cared about left, then what worth was she?

"...Purify..." Success. She only had one charge of this. She wanted to save it for Avery later, before her execution, so she could Purify their pain away. So they wouldn't have to struggle when she marched to her death.

The overwhelming emotional distress faded away into a distant hum, enough that she could pull herself together. She tugged her hands away from her face, tear streaks and makeup smears covering it.

"...I built the bomb and placed it by the Gate. Then I backed up as much as I was able while still being able to see it, and I used the slingshot to sling the knockout bomb at the larger one. That's what detonated it." She stared down solemnly at her feet. "...No one else was supposed to be there. I studied days in advance, memorizing the patrol patterns of Cap, but I didn't calculate anyone else coming out there into my plans. I didn't even see or hear Frank and Luz. If I had...I never would have detonated that bomb. Putting myself at risk...that's one thing, but I wouldn't do that to anyone else. I should've studied the barrier first. I should've done a test, like Avery said. But I was reckless and desperate. I hate this place. I thought...I thought if there was a big enough explosion..." She couldn't even finish. It didn't matter. There was no point making excuses. "...I only saw Frank after the explosion, and it was only because he was moving. I didn't even know Luz was with him. My head was in a haze, but I thought...this was my fault, he shouldn't die because of it, so I sent my Phoenix Blossom over to him, but...he refused it. For Luz. I didn't know... I didn't know..."

At least, if she'd been conscious a little longer, if she'd just seen Luz there...maybe she could've at least saved one of the victims of her negligence.

[almostcorporeal]

On Radiohead

I listened to the entire Radiohead discography yesterday because I figured it was about time I gave them a proper second chance and I want to flesh out my Rate Your Music.

Here are my thoughts on each album (:

Pablo Honey - Rating: 1.5/5 The fact that I even have to discuss this album pisses me off. I Do Not Like Pablo Honey is the most succinct way I can put how I feel about this album. It wants to be Nevermind era Nirvana so bad in the first half and then it just loses the plot in the second half. The only song I like on this album, it's opening track "You", I only like because it sounds like a typical wannabe Nirvana grunge song. "Creep" is terrible and the whole band is right to hate it. "Anyone Can Play Guitar" except Radiohead, I guess. Favorite tracks: You

The Bends - Rating: 2.5/5 I can see how this is a clear improvement from the atrocities committed on their debut album, but I still think it falls short of being. meaningful, I guess? However, it does have one of my favorite Radiohead tracks on it ("My Iron Lung". Why is that guitar so fuckin DIRTY I love it) so I will give it that. I feel it closes out strong with "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", but otherwise for the most part the album is largely just more forgettable grunge. Favorite tracks: Fake Plastic Tress, My Iron Lung, Street Spirit (Fade Out)

OK Computer - Rating: 4/5 I can see why this is largely regarded as one of, if not the (according to Rate Your Music lmfao), best albums of all time. However, it feels a bit too mechanical for my taste. The experimentalism that I'm looking for when it comes to Radiohead and their preceding reputation is there, but it feels unnatural and manufactured to me. Which I suppose fits with the album's name. Still fantastic, just not the vibe I'm particularly looking for. Favorite tracks: Karma Police, Lucky

Kid A - Rating: 4.5/5 God, I could gush about this album for a while. This is the album that makes me make a goofy "I Finally Get Radiohead" YouTube video. I've never been the biggest Radiohead fan, but this album really took my breath away. It's lonely, it's cold, it's desolate and bittersweet, full of ghosts. Favorite tracks: Everything In Its Right Place, How To Disappear Completely, Treefingers, Idioteque

Amnesiac - Rating: 3.5/5 I was told that Amnesiac is basically a compilation of stuff Thom didn't think fit with Kid A, and while I agree with that decision to separate the albums, I disagree with the seemingly pervasive fan belief that Amnesiac is bad because of it. It's a bit disjointed I suppose, but considering the source material, I don't think it detracts from the overall mood or enjoyment of the album. Imo Amnesiac is nearly as good as Kid A, which tracks cuz they're cut from the same cloth. Favorite tracks: Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box, Knives Out

Hail To The Thief - Rating: 4/5 This album is definitely leaning more into the electronic experimentation I really enjoyed on Kid A from Radiohead. It sounds very Autechre inspired, it makes me feel like Thom sat in on one too many Warp Records recording sessions and was like "Yeah I can do that too." and God DAMN can he. Supposedly the political messaging behind the lyrics leaves more to be desired but honestly Thom could say nearly anything over this instrumentation and I'd be fine with it. Favorite tracks: Myxomatosis, Scatterbrain, A Wolf at the Door

In Rainbows - Rating: 3.5/5 I had really high hopes for In Rainbows, especially seeing as many of the Radiohead fans around me really enjoy it. However, it ended up just leaving me wanting. It felt more like it was right on the edge of greatness like I did with OK Computer than as if it had achieved what it set out for like I felt with Kid A. Ultimately, I still really like the vibe of this overall album and it's tied with OK Computer as my second favorite Radiohead album. Favorite tracks: 15 Step, Nude, House of Cards

The King of Limbs - Rating: 3/5 I really didn't feel very strongly about this album. For the most part it felt forgettable and middle of the road to me except for Bloom. I loved how the percussion in Bloom sounds like it's falling down the stairs on an alien planet with the synth in the background. I wish I had more to say about this album but I think I'll give it more time and return to it at a later date and reassess. Favorite tracks: Bloom, Feral

A Moon Shaped Pool - Rating: 3/5 I'll just come right out and say it - something about this album scratches my brain really nice. It feels haunting but hopeful at the same time. Also very lonely. I think it's representative of Radiohead's overall sound. It feels much slower than I'm used to from their previous albums but I appreciate Thom showing us all that he can slow down and still put out good music. I'm interested in seeing how their sound evolves from here and I hope this isn't the last we hear from Radiohead. Favorite tracks: Burn The Witch, Daydreaming, Ful Stop

All in all I had a great time listening to this discography and I'm glad I did so I can form my own opinion on "one of the greatest bands of all time". I learned I like Radiohead a lot more than I previously believed in the course of all of this.

Lastly, I leave you with 2 things:

Listen to Autechre, it's what Thom Yorke would want

Radiohead should make a funk album

[galemasters]

So, the Version 4.5 Special Program didn't have any hints that Chiori was a ninja, although they were unusually secretive about the events of her Story Quest. Chiori's Character Teaser is a different story.

On the surface, the video is about Chiori dealing with a snotty customer. There are a couple of things that are worth noting.

For one, in the flashback, Chiori was chided by her mentor for keeping a Tenryou Commission official waiting. Chiori gives her mentor the excuse that he was last in line, but her mentor disowns her regardless.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Chiori being a ninja at all. So, what gives?

While the video implies that this has something to do with tailoring by starting with the snotty customer demanding that Chiori tailor his suit, they never say what the official is there for, what Chiori is supposed to be doing, or what she is being mentored in.

This could be to avoid unnecessary details. If it turns out that Chiori is just a tailor, I will accept that.

But as soon as the video establishes how repelling this customer is by having him shout that his business meeting is more important than a wedding, what does Chiori do?

Throw shears like a knife.

Twice. With pinpoint accuracy. She damages his suit without leaving a scratch on his body.

Chiori being trained in self-defense so she can deal with unruly customers as an outsider in Fontaine makes sense, but that level of skill with throwing knives is improbable.

She then threatens to murder this man with a real knife. The conversation she has with Chevreuse afterwards implies that this is routine for her and she didn't actually intend to kill him, but that doesn't make it any less brutal.

This comes across less like a teaser for a tailor and more like one for a retired assassin.

Theory: Chiori was a member of the Shuumatsuban

Genshin isn't a game which shies away from having playable characters that are just guys, in spite of the ludonarrative dissonance involved. You have people who have blatantly never been anywhere near a battlefield mowing down hilichurls in droves. This is what makes Chiori interesting.

Chiori is a fashion designer who is also a stone cold badass. Her cynicism and world-weary demeanor suggest someone who has experienced hardship, and she's more than capable enough to physically throw troublemakers out of her boutique. Meanwhile, Charlotte has been tied up and thrown into the lake by a gang of criminals before. There's no need for Chiori to be so tough. Xavier did suggest that being a foreigner has made life hard for Chiori in Fontaine, but then again, we don't know why exactly she left Inazuma in the first place. Maybe it's because she had a Vision around the time of the Vision Hunt Decree... Or maybe she was a spy who was nearly outed and had to skip town to avoid implicating the Kamisato Clan.

I mean, think about it. While Chiori did claim that she doesn't moonlight as anything if the player took the chance to ask her in the Roses and Muskets event, that's exactly what a spy is supposed to say. Not only that, she was speaking in the present tense. Technically, it's true, and you were to look into her activity in Fontaine that's exactly what you'd find. But that says nothing about what she was before she came to Fontaine.

Chiori has all the skills a spy needs. She's capable of saying one thing while meaning another, she has a sharp wit, and more importantly, she gathers intelligence for the Special Security and Surveilance Patrol. Not only that, designing costumes is a part of spy work. Chiori's work on the Two Musketeers film demonstrated some skill in making disguises, in addition to designing fashionable clothing, as she identified correctly that Chevreuse would have a much easier time acting as an innocent older sibling than Ayato. While she does know the Inazuman tailor Ogura Mio personally, this could be because she needed someone to teach her to make costumes.

You might say that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for Chiori to be childhood friends with Ayaka, given how professional the Shuumatsuban is. Sayu is very much an outlier. In reality, part of the reason why Chiori was likely a ninja is because it's even more unlikely that a member of Inazuma's artisan class would be childhood friends with Ayaka. Ayaka lacked friends because of her social class, which made it difficult to connect to others her own age. Ayaka mentions in her Story Quest that when she exited her estate, she was accompanied by family and staff. This makes it unlikely that Chiori would even have the chance to strike up a conversation with her. If she was part of the staff, that explains how she got to meet Ayaka and Ayato.

[besanii]

“you don’t love me anymore?” for wangxian from the angst print list please ❤️❤️ (bc i love to hurt myself 😭😭)

Lan Zhan, I know you can hear me, so I’m just going to say it, alright?

You’ll probably be upset with me when you wake up and realise what I’ve done, but I’m going to do it anyway. You gave your life to save the world, so it’s only fair that someone should do the same for you.

Don’t worry about me. All members of the Phoenix Tribe will go through nirvana at least once in our lives and are reborn again. I’m just going through it a little earlier than expected, that’s all. 

He finds him dancing across the lake, surrounded by giggling water spirits, his long hair fluttering behind him as he leaps and twirls, his bare feet barely grazing the surface of the water. The lotus blossoms in the lake sing in response, pink and red petals unfurling as he passes, the soft glow of their spiritual essence hovering in the air like fireflies to greet him. There’s a soft, faraway smile on his face as he greets them with a bow, before he’s gone again in a flurry of silk.

His heart thuds painfully in recognition and he’s stepping out onto the pier before he can stop himself. 

At the first creak beneath his feet, all motion over the lake comes to a halt. It leaves him suddenly self-conscious as the young man pauses in mid-turn and looks at him curiously over his shoulder. 

“Wei Ying,” he breathes, frozen where he stands. “You’re back.”

Other immortals have always talked reverently about the Crown Prince of the Phoenix Tribe and his beautiful eyes, an enchantingly dark, silvery grey with starlight in their depths. Once upon a time, he had been held in those eyes above all others and they had shone for him and him alone. Now they hold no recognition whatsoever.

The realisation is like a lightning strike through the heart, shattering the world beneath his feet.

“Shangshen,” Wei Wuxian says with a polite bow, his fingertips clasped in front of his chest. “What can I do for you?”

“Wei Ying,” he says, horror creeping into his veins and into his throat, strangling his voice as he speaks. “Do you know who I am?”

Wei Wuxian’s head tilts to the side, confused.

“Of course I do,” he replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re Lan Wangji, the God of War.”

There was a time when Wei Wuxian would greet him with a beaming smile and boisterous laughter and throw himself into his arms without hesitation. The Wei Wuxian he remembers would have gleefully wormed his way to his side and batted his eyelashes at him until he acquiesced and showed him the affection he demanded. He searches for an inkling, a ghost of that Wei Wuxian now, only to be met with polite indifference.

It punches the air from his lungs until he’s shaking; he clenches his fists to stop himself from reaching out and grabbing hold of Wei Wuxian.

“Is there something wrong, Shangshen?” Wei Wuxian asks. Lan Wangji exhales.

“Do you not remember me?” he asks, already afraid of the answer. “Do you not remember...us?”

Wei Wuxian covers his mouth with a hand and laughs and for a moment, Lan Wangji’s heart soars with hope. Maybe this is a game and Wei Wuxian is only testing him—

“Us?” Wei Wuxian laughs again, but there is confusion in his eyes. “What do you mean? Have we met before?”

When he had woken up from his slumber after three hundred years, the fragments of his soul finally pieced together again and his heart beating to an unfamiliar rhythm in his chest, it was to the news that Wei Wuxian was gone. That he had exchanged his heart and all fifty thousand years of his cultivation for Lan Wangji’s resurrection.

The news had come, two hundred years later: the Crown Prince has returned, and Lan Wangji was out the door in an instant. Wei Wuxian is a phoenix, and phoenixes can be reborn. Wei Wuxian had come back to him at last.

That tiny shred of hope plummets back into the pit of his stomach and crumbles into dust. Wei Wuxian’s mother had warned him this may happen and his brother had cautioned him against hope, but he had not heeded their advice.

“Wei Ying,” he says numbly. “Wei Ying...I’m your husband.”

He waits with bated breath for any sign of recognition or recollection, but the confusion does not lessen in the slightest. Instead, a frown appears on Wei Wuxian’s face and he takes half a step back, suddenly wary.

“Husband?” he echoes. “Shangshen, you must be mistaken. I’ve never been married, so how can I have a husband?”

“Lan Zhan! We’re married now, so you can’t run from me anymore!”

Fondness bubbles up in his chest as he feels a pair of arms wind around his; he looks down to see Wei Wuxian beaming up at him, his dark grey eyes sparkling with mischief. He looks breathtaking in red.

There is no deception in his eyes, no amusement, no teasing; no matter how hard Lan Wangji tries, he cannot find a trace of his husband in Wei Wuxian. Still, he has to try. Wei Wuxian did not give up on him even in death, he refuses to give up on him in life.

“We were married five hundred years ago,” he tells him desperately. “It was arranged between the Nine Heavens and the Phoenix Tribe. Everyone thought we were being forced into it, but it was a love match.”

He remembers the whispers, the pitying looks they had received at the ceremony. The poor Phoenix prince, forced to marry a God almost twice his age when he could have his pick of any immortal in all the realms. He knew their age difference was larger than most and that marrying him would ruin Wei Wuxian’s chances of ever making a better match after his soul returns to the universe, but Wei Wuxian had only laughed and said it was none of their business who they chose to love.

The Wei Wuxian before him now only looks uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “A-Niang tells me I went through nirvana five hundred years ago and have only just woken up from the rebirthing sleep. I have no memories of my previous life.”

There is guilt in his eyes when he looks at Lan Wangji and his voice when he next speaks is kind, almost pitying. It stings more than incredulity.

“I don’t doubt we loved each other in my previous life,” he says. “But regardless of my feelings then, I do not wish to tie you to a marriage when my feelings are no longer what they once were.”

Lan Wangji feels the ground crumbling, piece by piece, around him as the words sink in; his legs buckle beneath him, sending him stumbling backward a step before he can catch himself. Still standing over the lake, Wei Wuxian’s body jerks forward as if to come to his aid. His fists flex repeatedly by his side but he does not move or speak further.

“You—” the words scrape his throat raw. “You don’t love me anymore?”

Wei Wuxian inhales sharply at the brittleness of his voice. His grey eyes are wide with shock and uncertainty as he stares at Lan Wangji; his lips part without a sound, the ghost of a tremor passing through them.

“I-I don’t—” he looks away quickly, lips pressed together in a thin line. “I’m sorry. I know you said we’re married—if you wish to divorce, I am willing to bear that responsibility—”

Lan Wangji gasps at the sudden, searing pain that erupts in his chest; he brings a hand up to press against it, feeling the way it races erratically beneath his hands, threatening to tear itself apart. Wei Wuxian turns back to him, horrified, reaching out to help, but Lan Wangji halts him with an outstretched hand.

“I-I’m sorry,” Wei Wuxian stammers again as he struggles to hold himself back. “Is there—are you alright?”

Lan Wangji takes several deep breaths, focusing his spirit inward to stabilise himself; the pain gradually subsides, leaving him weak and aching.

“Our marriage was decreed by both the Nine Heavens and the Phoenix Tribe,” he says heavily. “Everyone knows you are my husband, and I yours. A divorce would have lasting consequences for both realms. It is not so simple.”

“Oh,” Wei Wuxian says, gnawing on his bottom lip. “I guess—”

“If that is your wish, however,” Lan Wangji continues, staring at him with a hollow, wrung-out expression. “If that is truly your wish, I will do everything in my power to grant you your freedom.”

He straightens, clasps his fingers before him, and bows low at the waist. It is too formal a bow for a High God to give to an immortal half his age—he hears Wei Wuxian’s startled gasp, but pays it no mind. He is not bowing to just anyone. He is bowing to the man who sacrificed himself, the entirety of his existence, for him; the man who had done it all out of love for him. He is bowing to his husband, to whom he owes a debt too great to repay. The least he can do now is to set him free.

And then, before Wei Wuxian can recover from his shock to respond, he turns on his heel and leaves.

Lan Zhan, I’m giving you my heart, so you better take good care of it, alright?

If...if I survive this, if I am reborn again...A-Niang says I won’t remember anything about this life, so...this Wei Wuxian—the one who fell in love with you at first sight, the one who married you and willingly carved out his own heart to save you—this Wei Wuxian will die, and another one will take my place.

If you fall in love with him after I’m gone, I think I’ll be jealous. So please...promise me. Promise me that no matter how much you love him, you’ll save some of that love for me.

Goodbye, Lan Zhan. I love you.

Notes:

shangshen (上神) - High God

I guess you can consider this in the same verse as this previous prompt? Maybe? I don’t know where it fits exactly, but it’s Phoenix!WWX and Dragon/God of War!LWJ as well.

// buy me a ko-fi //

[weheartchrisevans]

Chris Evans on 'Lightyear,' playing bad guys and being 'a romantic person': 'I love love, who doesn't?'

Finally, Chris Evans gets to play an iconic hero that doesn’t involve working out.

That’s why it was so nice hitting a recording studio rather than a gym for his role as Buzz Lightyear in the animated sci-fi adventure “Lightyear” (in theaters Friday). “Pixar literally does the heavy lifting for this one,” quips Evans, whose buff and star-spangled Captain America won over Marvel fandom’s hearts and minds.

The "Toy Story" spinoff is an origin story for the beloved space ranger, with Evans voicing the role popularized by Tim Allen. In “Lightyear,” Buzz and his fellow intergalactic travelers get stuck on a planet millions of light years from Earth and have to fight a robot army led by the evil emperor Zurg.

Evans, 41, didn’t stray too far from his predecessor for inspiration.

“The reason we're doing this movie is because Tim Allen made such an iconic impact,” Evans says. “Not only would you be a fool to not take his interpretation because it worked so well, but the truth is this character is in fact the human version of that toy, so there does need to be overlap in terms of their cadence and nature."

“Lightyear” director Angus MacLane says he didn’t want to cast an Allen impressionist or even a “superheroic type” for Buzz but instead someone who had “a commanding presence that also is able to be funny without being goofy.” The filmmaker found that watching Evans in Bong Joon-ho’s dystopian film “Snowpiercer,” “where you really could see the range of what Chris could do.”

It took a while, however, for Evans to find the right voice-acting mojo. “At the beginning, I almost felt like a deer in the headlights,” he recalls. “I would just be so still. You're so focused on your voice, it almost would rest every other part of my body. But with every passing session, you find a little more comfort and before you know it, you are incorporating your physicality and that would inform the deliveries.”

After almost a decade of playing Cap, Evans is switching up his “creative appetite” and playing some antagonists for a change. He played the shady, sweater-clad Ransom in Rian Johnson’s 2019 murder mystery “Knives Out” and in the upcoming Netflix spy film “The Gray Man” (in theaters July 15, streaming July 22), Evans stars as psychopathic rogue secret agent Lloyd Hansen, who's hunting down a former CIA colleague played by Ryan Gosling. (In the movie, Gosling’s character mocks his foe’s “trash 'stache.” Evans’ key to growing it? “Luckily, I just had to sit and wait.”)

Evans enjoys exploring “a frame of mind that's so dissimilar from my own. It's easy when you're playing someone like Captain America to understand why he feels compelled to do what's right. You certainly can relate to the desire to be good.”

In contrast, “someone like Lloyd has such a unique perspective on the world,” he adds, “and it manifests in such a dark way, but to him it's completely normal. It's a fun chess game to try and get inside a role like that.”

After co-starring with Ana de Armas in “Knives Out” and “The Gray Man,” she and Evans reunite for next year’s Apple TV+ film “Ghosted,” which Evans describes as “a little throwback” to '80s and '90s action adventures like “Romancing the Stone."

“It's the type of movies that I love that I don't think get made enough,” says Evans, who got a kick out of mixing romance and comedy. “Most characters you channel through your own experience and I consider myself a romantic person. I love love, who doesn't? It's nice to have that take a center role in a piece of material as opposed to saving the world.”

An Instagram photo of his “fluffy” hairdo for the role snagged 4.5 million likes, proof of Evans’ exceeding popularity and penchant to go viral at any time. “Most of my career, I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants already. So if that type of interest in my hair is the downstream impact of the artistry of other people, I'll take it,” he says. However, Evans admits that he’s not as into the leading-man gig as he is group efforts these days.

“Playing a supporting role is the dream career. It's my favorite thing,” says Evans, whose upcoming films include “Red One” with Dwayne Johnson and “Project Artemis” opposite longtime “Avengers” partner Scarlett Johansson. “Being No. 1 on the call sheet, it can be a strange burden. Letting me be like three or four or five is the sweet spot. Plus the role is usually a little more fun anyway.”

[bansheeoftheforest]

Y'all better stop updating the syndicate au while in gone, my wifi is out because the cable frickin melted and it wont he repaired until hopefully Friday, so until then 🔫 /lh

-

1: The Society being more than tall enough to do leaps of faith off of

2: Listening to Jacob ride carriages, I have decided he loves horses. He and Jekyll are horse boyfriends and after the events of the game + tgs they run away and start a horse farm together <3

3: Having not yet heard anything contradictory. Jacob gives animals names like "Sweetroll" or "Birdy"

4: I HAVE MET THE ROTH, he is wonderful and I love he. Blighter Jekyll would 100% be in the plays when he had the free time because hey! They cant tell him he's avoiding doing work for the gang when Maxwell Roth is Right There and encouraging it. (To clarify, normal theater shows and plays, not like the one he made for Jacob :p)

OOOOOOOOH WHAT IF. They meet while at and escaping the last show. I have no clue how itd go about but it seems very fun and I love the thought of them wearing masquerade clothes n masks,

also, Jacob 🤝 Jekyll, being very likely to have a fear of fire after their respective series' fires

4.5, (just any blighter Jekyll): ALSO we dont have to worry about the blighters caring when Jekyll leaves because they tend to change sides rather easily when the twins conquer their section. So I doubt many Blighters are loyal, and I doubt Jekyll is in a high enough position in the gang to be worth caring about. The only reason he stays in is because of his brothers. Hey do you think the gang would keep the Jekyll brothers' death a secret from him? So he doesn't leave? ALSO ALSO, I saw some asks and I really dont think Jekyll would ever be a templar, the templars are loyal to their cause, and they know full well Jekyll doesn't want to be there, his brothers may be templars but it's far more reasonable hed be a blighter, the templars would never put someone who hated them in their midst. (He would look good in a templar outfit though)

5: Ghost + Syndicate crossover au because by golly I hit /alot/ of people with carriages in this game /j

---

Game update: The more I play this game the more I want to call Jacob a himbo

The /governor of the bank/ is named twopenny

I have "beat" the game, aka killed Crawford and unlocked the queen Victoria quests

I have so far unlocked 32 throwing knife capacity for Evie because gosh I adore throwing knives

You cannot stop us Darlene 🔫 (Either way, you just have to wait another day! Hopefully it will be back soon!! <3)

--

1. Imagine Jacob teaching Henry to do leap of faiths on the roof, a Lodger walks up and just manages to see the tail end of what they think is someone trying to encourage Henry to take suicide. They watch as both of them fall and the Lodger scream and runs to the edge... Only to hear laughter and see Henry and that guy poking out a haybale. That would be fun and also a very easy way to get a heart attack <3

--

2. Ehehehehe yes!! That's why I love Jacob so much bc Evie just... Insults the horses, or isn't as sweet to them so Jacob my beloved. Jacob and Henry retiring and starting a horse farm together and they get to be happy and take picnics in the forest on horseback and the events of the Jack The Ripper DLC never happens <3 3. He definitely would name all animals he owns smt really sweet. He probably would silently nickname any and all of the animals in the Society and refuse to call them by their names once he actually learns them <3<3

--

4. Jekyll and Roth being pals until Jekyll realizes how fucked up Roth is, deliberately deciding to take a few steps back but still using Roth as an excuse to get out of Blighter work and also be the star of plays. Roth would gush on about how his eyes are set on Jacob and Henry would first think he was planning to kill him but then he realizes that Roth is just very gay for the enemy.

OOH I HAVE BEEN DAYDREAMING ABOUT THAT SO HARD. Ok mainly it was them already knowing each other but Henry is too busy saving the others so he gets caught and trapped inside the building. Jacob sees him almost passing out from all the smoke and saves him. But I can also imagine Jacob trying to escape and seeing Henry getting caught by burning ceiling beams after having helped everyone else escape so Jacob carries him and ziplines over the debris and until they get to the door... Henry realizing that this is the Jacob Maxwell was working with (or if they met before when Jacob was in the theater, he realizes why Maxwell fell for him) Mmm... Traumatic meet cute <3 I think Jacob has a canonical fear of fire after that, but either way, gimme the two of them both having nightmares about fire and spending late nights cuddled up in blankets comforting each other <3

--

4.5 I honestly would not put it past them to try to hide it from him but if it was he who killed them, they wouldn't be able to keep it a secret very well... That would certainly be fun to imagine <3

True but blighters are more... The actual gang, ya know? Like they are the fighters and street ruffians and stuff and Henry certainly would not be the same kind of fighting guy like Blighters and Rooks, so I'm mostly just saying Templar because it would fit his role and position better, even if he doesn't want to be. Being a templar also seems to be a bit of an inherited role as well, smt that gets passed down from family and stuff (like, say, if you take a look at the Kenway family and if I remember correctly from them) so it probably would not be impossible that Henry would be forced into being a templar. Maybe not a real templar like his brothers but certainly somewhere between Blighter and Templar. I don't know, I just say templar bc I can imagine Henry in that role better, y'know? XD Or maybe he and Roth would share the title as the leader of the Blighters... Oooohh... That would be fun <3

--

5. I used to deliberately run over street lights and stuff when streaming the game to my friend and she thought I was really weird. To be fair it's fun to run things and people over and I wanted the achievement <3

---

Jacob is a Himbo. He really is. Don't worry about it. Himbo Jacob my beloved <3 (wait if Morcant is a Herbo (not bimbo) does that mean Henry has a type--)

Y'know how much I laughed when I realized that? That was fun XD

I still need to get around to the Victoria quests bc so far I have only finished Darwin's, Dickens', and Duleep Singh's memories so! We are both blind with this <3.

---

Mmm... Au route potential. Perhaps someone who wanted to join the Society but got rejected bc he was actually evil? Maybe Henry has his role until the Twins recruit him?

??? Where??? I think you can actually open most locked doors or find a way inside somehow!! What quest was it?? I have only one golden chest i couldn't unlock bc I skipped most of them and took them later and that's the one in the WW1 memories so I think you can get it somehow?

[scarlettaagni]

Halkrath works on his prosthetics/has Dhi’rauta come over when no one is home (which usually happens when the mothers go out to watch Lo’bane or Missy train)

so once he’s done and Dhi’rauta attaches the parts to him the first thing he’s gonna do is put on a different mask and armor, and run over to the arena Missy is training in, then crash the party by shooting plasma at her and act like a silent stranger out to kill her so he gets to finally spar his daughter for the first time and Missy is definitely going to fight like she wants to kill him (also Halkrath has to try very hard not to fight Vosandi who definitely jumps in even though she doesn’t wear armor daily and is unarmed, because he just wants 1v1 with Missy)

he knows how much she likes her knives so he brings a pair for a knife fight,  taking stabs to his prostheses like a champ and exhibiting not immediately noticeable extra strength in them compared to his real arm and leg

as she whittles down his weapons, first taking out his plasmacaster (with which he intentionally misses her), his energy flechette (ditto), then he reveals the plasma cannon he built in his fake arm (ditto)

when whoever has the upper hand pins the other (when they’ve fought long enough to satisfy him/before shit becomes Irreversible™️), he unmasks himself and immediately lightens up like “....SURPRISE !!!!”

Dhi’rauta runs up out of breath like 5 minutes later going “I TRIED TO STOP HIM... THAT LEG MAKES HIM TOO FAST”

everyone is elated Halkrath’s got sweet new kicks but Dhi’rauta and Vosandi are pissed he fucked them up JUST after putting them on, for thinking this was in any way shape or form a good idea that wouldn’t kill anybody involved, for apparently trying to kill Missy, and also manhandling Vosandi

he’s just kinda embarrassed about it as if he just bought a hot rod car he didn’t need and not just fight his daughter with deadly force, cause his defenses in order are: 1) gotta test them out [sheepish shrug] and they can be fixed i’ll be the one fixing them, 2) never fought with my daughter before and i really wanted her to give it her all, 3) I was holding back the entire time, she wouldn’t have killed me... NOT SAYING SHE COULDN’T HAVE, SHE IS VERY GOOD but basically neither of us were in danger and we could’ve taken each other out at the same time if we had, 3.5) I revealed myself before a final blow was struck, 4) darling it was supposed to be just me and her i didn’t want you caught in the crossfire, it was safer on the sidelines with Lo’bane and the other girlfriends and 4.5) the two of you together the entire time would have killed me

Lo’bane, local 60 year old (basically like 14) is just like “you could have just pretended to be a stranger and walk in challenging her”

his 360 (36) year old father is like “.... well that was plan B, but if I said something you all would have recognized my voice”

“that was PLAN B?”

“plan A was more fun and spontaneous, and it felt like a good idea at the time”

“WELL IT NEVER WAS”

Missy is busy processing everything, probably mad about being shot at and still experiencing the anger of a stranger attacking her and not answering her and manhandling her mom, absolutely overjoyed her father is back on his feet and she just went head-to-head with him for the first time EVER and kind of whooped him, also he can SHOOT PLASMA BOLTS OUT OF HIS HAND

Dhi’rauta disapproves immensely of the arm cannon but Halkrath is the one building/fixing it so she can’t do a thing about it

[juuls]

Pharmacist/Me = 1 🏆 Doctor/Nursing Staff = 0

Thank you in advance for reading this rant. I’ve been really frustrated and just needed to get this off my chest, and today at least I had a wonderful knight in a white lab coat. 🩺❤️‍🩹🥽🥼💪🏻

Content warnings and squicky squicks: (further down there is) an image of a medical vial with a clipped image of a more benign part of a syringe, health conditions (endometriosis, fibromyalgia), menstrual cycles and associated terms such as bleeding and other things, lack of empathy in my specific healthcare system, hysterectomies, pain, swearing and losing patience. Most important warning: self-administered syringes and injection discussions of legal medications (Depo-Provera) approved of by professionals and properly researched. P.S. this may sound rather Karen-like but I would never do this to someone’s face. Online ranting and acknowledging where I could do better is not the same as screaming in public for bossy requests or comps, etc. Ew.

Another ‘warning’… pharmacists being kick-ass allies and giving a damn about their patients.

I’m really annoyed because (and I know healthcare and scheduling is a clusterfuck right now, but…) for over a month now I’ve been trying to get an appointment in person to get this injectable medication that is, yes, birth control, but is also used for endometriosis in my case. And I have severe endometriosis (exacerbated severely by fibromyalgia, siiiiigh) to the point I bleed enough and lose so much I have to go to the hospital when my care is not properly preventative… like in this case, and the pain is unbelievably severe also to the point I’ve spent time in the hospital, including my 11th Christmas Eve and Day. I started this injectable medication at 13 because it was the only thing that came close to helping reduce my endometrial tissue. Even a hysterectomy wouldn’t help as much, unless they decided to go the super invasive route and remove all the organs (or parts of them) that had become ‘infected’ by the tissue. Again, tissue where it’s not supposed to be, and it causes extreme pain as the tissue tries to flush out of my body each period, even if it’s attached to, like, my pancreas. Just no. That does not work at all. No. That is not fun.

SO. I’m 31, nearing 32, and the doctor’s office knows this. I’ve had the same doctor since I was 10. Been on this medication nearly non-stop for just shy of two decades (with appropriate precautions such as bone density tests) because of the absolute severity of the pain and my inability to function when it hits… which can be months at a time of non-stop bleeding and morning sickness-level nausea and vomiting, migraines and the occasional complete inability to move—in other words, it’s debilitating.

My doctor (even the nurses, as it’s in large print at the top of my file in the system) knows all about this. They’re supposed to call me if I’m overdue by a certain margin (I get they’re busy but months and months???). But my doc’s also a bit of an airhead (albeit a smart one when he focuses) and takes forever to reply to anything on time, even when it’s a severe issue, but not severe enough to go to the hospital. But it’s gotten to the point where the nurses say to go to the ER and then the ER nurses and doctors there get SUPER pissed off (AT ME AND SOMEHOW NOT AT MY DOCTOR/NURSES AND THEIR ORDERS) at the ‘waste of time’, and it’s just a clusterfuck.

Oh yeah, and that ER visit while I was overdue for my injection? Internal intestinal bleeding along with a lovely, even if small, perforation in my fucking uterus from the growth of endometrial tissue. I MEAN COME ON — WHAT IN THE HELL. Totally preventable if they fit me in when I called literally over a month ago.

But I will not change my doctor (the other docs at the practice know what is going on and have offered to take me on, but they don’t have the experience with myself and my conditions or the history, but they can do little else because of professional conduct—it’s between myself and my doc) because he is the only one who treats me with humanity and understands fibromyalgia, endometriosis, pre-MS and pre-RhA/PsA, endo-related IBS, (ulcerative) colitis, and other neurological conditions with any degree of empathy. (See, I told you I’m a mess!) There is no way I’m switching offices in the perpetual shortage of doctors in Canada moving elsewhere for m o n e y (plus Covid-19 being a teen hooligan and constantly coming back to wreck more goddamn shit, including everyone’s sanity, then setting things on fire like the real hooligans in my village have been doing this summer — I mean… what in the hell!?!?), so with all that in mind I actually thank my lucky stars. So I put up with a lot of this shit because he treats me, besides him being an airhead, like an actual human being deserving of compassion and care and quality of life despite my severe disabilities and pain. So.

I’m usually treated really well (even if they often think I’m a nuisance for daring to be severely chronically ill/in pain all the time) so I try to be patient and good and understanding when I can.

But his STAFF (I know they’re busy and I’ve been patient but they’ve been so awful honestly to the point I cried hard enough my dad noticed my red eyes and frustration-tear fracks on my face)! And the doc himself’s inability to reply to notes on time even when urgent and when he knows the circumstances (I admit I am a bit of a hard patient so I can understand if he just kinda ignores me sometimes, honestly). But in this case I was THREE DAMN MONTHS LATE for my injection and they’ve always called in the past when I was coming due if it looked like I hadn’t scheduled an injection, so that I was all on time and squared away and didn’t risk severe pain and damage to my already-fucked hormonal system (learning I couldn’t have kids was absolutely heartbreaking, let me tell you, but even a hysterectomy in that case would solve nothing — this is by far the easiest option, especially considering how my fibromyalgia would fuck with my post-surgery recovery and leave me with lasting pain for years if not decades; sigh).

Anyway. So. After some ridiculous levels of back and forth and some truly remarkable levels of lack of compassion (she kept giving me the exact same, word for word response in a bored tone UGH) considering the severe pain I was in (I was told, in front of OTHER PATIENTS AND STAFF, that I could just wait until I talk to the doctor myself at my next phone appointment and then schedule my injection for my next MONTHLY followup — 4.5 months overdue at that point, it would’ve been — because, and I quote, ‘am used to dealing with pain because of my fibromyalgia and years of dealing with it and other conditions’ which they named in front of others!!!!!!!! what. the. fuck. But I kept my cool because I know all these people, my mom taught their kids music, they’re a fixture of the community, etc. and I refuse to be a Karen…. At least externally.

But here comes the nice part that makes me love our new (okay, he’s been here like 5 years but still, in a small town that’s pretty new lmao) pharmacist that much more. Rasik was aware of my frustration with the doctor and nurses and was even the one who brought to my attention that, at the time, I was 2 months late for my injection and he was a bit concerned since he’s privy to how much pain I exist in without throwing in one or more knives directly into my womb, ovaries, tummy, hips, and other areas my endometrial tissue has taken root. He’s such a sweetheart and he really does care for his patients— the work he does with my father’s diabetes (the tricky one where you’re not obese) management is above and beyond the call of a pharmacist and I will forever be grateful for that alone, never mind how he cares for me.

So I went in today to pick up another medication, after yet another frustrating stop-over at the nurses’ desks, and he suggested I ask for my injectable medication (it’s Depo-Provera, by the way) and the syringe plus the two tips necessary — I’m actually familiar with this since I had to learn epinephrine injections from an early age (not Epipen) and how to give testosterone daily to my ex-husband (sorry not sorry, dude, but congrats on your first kid *grouchy thumbs up*). But yeah! Legally he’s not allowed to suggest I give it to myself, but he was getting super fed up with the nurses and doctors dragging their feet and ‘being assholes with little empathy’ in his own words, so I took the hint and requested my vial plus syringe, as well as the drawing and injection gauge needles…. which he gleefully filled for me, and I reiterated that it was ‘fully my idea, not yours, Rasik, because everyone knows I’m dumb and would never think it’s you if something happened’ (I’m not dumb and I’ve given injections to others many times looool).

Long story short: HERE’S TO PHARMACISTS AROUND THE WORLD, BEING AMAZING AND CARING FOR THEIR PATIENTS AND ‘BENDING BUT NOT REALLY BENDING’ THE RULES TO MAKE SURE THEIR CLIENTS ARE CARED FOR PROPERLY. They are amazing and deserve every last bit of your courtesy, especially when they pull double duty every. single. day. because of Covid and their subsequent boosters. (i.e. boosters in the form of humans who are fucking stupid if they have no medical reason not to get the vaccine… I mean JFC.)

Rasik? You are amazing and I am 100% going to find you some Indian-Canadian (or North Indian; I believe that’s where he’s from originally) treats or desserts or make some myself after slyly asking his assistant what he leans toward liking.

Be kind to one another, yeah, but… my goodness: be kind to those who can truly make a difference in your health, sanity, and even life or death.

Pharmacists, volunteers, and frontline health workers: the true heroes of these times.

Thank you so much. So very much.

💜💙🇨🇦👨🏽‍⚕️❤️‍🩹🙏🏻

P.S. … now I just gotta stab myself intramuscularly after making sure there’s no air bubbles and etc., and swap out to the proper gauge needle (different, smaller, to draw from the vial, larger to inject so that it goes in more quickly and, oddly enough, hurts less haha). I don’t think air bubbles are as much of an issue as when injecting intravenously (ummm I have a doctor uncle and grandma nurse and nurse friends, so shush 😆). But I’ve done this for others and animals so I should be good! :)

I’m a smart enough cookie even if I’ve lost a few nibble-size pieces around the edges. 😉😘 buahaha

Cheers to my pharmacist!!!! You are amazing and I can’t wait for the pain and months and months of bleeding to settle down.

Remind me again why humans are the only mammals (animals?) with monthly fluxes? UGH wtf ever. 🙃

[ob-seth-ed]

Seth Route: Part 4 + Normal Check

*DISCLAIMER: All translations are pulled and translated from the JP app using EverTranslator and Google Translate, along with a variety of other translation sources. Translations may be modified to fit better phrasing and comprehension in English, as well as using context clues. Some information may be translated incorrectly.*

4.1

Seth came closer to MC and told her she doesn’t need to train and she should forget the story she had overheard in the hallway, reminding her that he’d tell her anything she wanted to know about and she doesn’t have to do dangerous things like that, because he’s her protector. They both fall silent and she thinks about what Seth told her and about what she had heard, even if it wasn’t the full story.

She squared herself up and told him that she may be a girl and need to be protected, but she can’t just look at the dangers ahead of them and leave them alone. Seth is surprised by her response and she adds that she had made a promise with Ray and she’s prepared to do what she can for both him and for Cradle. Seth gives her a bitter smile and tells her that she is a strong woman. Seth holds onto her arm and when MC meets his eyes, she finds that he is looking at her rather coldly. He tells her if she won’t listen to his words, then she should listen with her body.

4.2

Seth wraps an arm around MC and lifts her up, putting her on his bed. MC is confused over what Seth’s thinking or what he’s planning on doing. The bed creaks as Seth gets on his knees on the bed, pinning her hands by either side of her head. He smiles down at her and asks her if she’s not able to move. She says his name and his expression changes to one she’s unfamiliar with. He comments that Alice has a power that nobody else has, but even she is helpless under the strength of a man. He entwines his fingers with hers and tells her that he won’t allow a weak girl to the battlefield. That this isn’t her fight to fight. He smiles softly and says that her power shouldn’t be used for war and asks if she doesn’t want to live peacefully. MC realizes that this is Seth’s way of trying to protect her. MC opens her mouth to give her response.

4.3

MC tries to keep herself as calm as possible as she forms her response, trapped under Seth on his bed. She tells him that she can’t just wait and be protected, that if she has the ability to help, she will do anything to do so. She tells him that she knows that what he says is also true and she cuts off as she gets emotional, closing her eyes and thinking that she just wants to do her best. Seth sighs and mutters that women are truly strong. She opens her eyes and Seth watches her in silence.

He smiles bitterly and says that he thought she would be scared to be in a position like this. MC trails off after saying his name and Seth brings his face closer and out of her view as he presses his lips to her neck with a warm sigh. The kiss was not sweet for long, a sharp pain causing her to cry out. Her hands pinned by his pushed her down harder against the bed. She thinks to herself on why Seth would bite her and he pulls away with a light comment on her reaction. She asks what Seth did and he said that he marked her. When she asked why, he said that it was a seal to protect her from wolves. He moves off her and looks satisfied. He tells her that she can train but to remember that he will be her one and only knight, touching the spot he left on her neck. 

4.4

Stunned by what just happened, MC leaves Seth’s room. She thinks about how Seth definitely isn’t sister-like in her mind anymore. Every time he touched her, it was a reminder of how he was a man. Seth talks about how all men are wolves, but wouldn’t that also make him a wolf? MC blushes to herself as she thinks about the bite he’d given her and wonders what that was all about, covering the mark with her hand. She thinks that she will look in the mirror later to see the damage done but her name is called from down the hallway.

Ray and Sirius are there and ask her what she’s doing. She’s reminded that she had just been eavesdropping over their conversation before the incident with Seth and that they must be done talking now. They came closer and she decided that if they asked her if she’d heard them talking, she would confess, but instead they asked her why she was holding her neck. She removes her hand and tries to come up with an excuse.

It looks like my neck. [+4, +4]* 

It’s an insect bite.

It’s nothing.

[MC says that it looks like she’d been bit and she fake laughs as Ray stares at it.] Ray expresses that he’s not sure about that and her eyes tear up as they both look at her and their eyes widen in response as they realized what it really was.

Cut to the Magic Tower. Amon drops the black knight from his chessboard to the floor. He asks why the capture of Alice failed. Dalim apologizes and says that the Black Army is strengthening their defences in their war preparations. He tells Amon they should wait until the war starts in five days so they can capture Alice easily among the ruckus. Amon grumbles about them being too slow and says that they would go with their alternate plan then. He raises Dalim’s head from where he was knelt by his side. He looks at the chess piece on the floor and says that it’s time to use their discarded pieces.

4.5

Seth sits on his bed alone after MC left. Seth speaks the name of his sister** faintly and puts his hand over his left shoulder and sighs deeply.

26 days remain until the full moon.

The next morning, MC goes to the dining room, blushing and looking at the ground as she walks. She thinks about how Seth said the mark was a seal to protect her from wolves and thinks there’s no way it could be anything like that. Ray and Sirius had already seen it the night before and she picked clothes she’d purchased with Seth that first day that would cover her neck and styled her hair down to cover it as well. She didn’t want to have rumors spread about her around the barracks.

She entered the room with a sigh and was brightly greeted by Seth. He came up to her and asked why she had such a scary expression first thing in the morning. She says that he knows full well why and he let out a giggle. She doesn’t say anything because she doesn’t want to be overheard by the others in the room and he told her that he has a good idea on how she can cover her neck. He pulled something from the chair nearby and wrapped it around her neck.

4.Normal

Seth wrapped something warm and white around her neck. He says that it’s his fox, Mimo. MC is shocked that it’s an animal and she looks at her shoulder. The fox lifted it’s head to look at her in return. Seth pet the fox’s tail and said that Mimo’s specialty is disguising itself and that he often wears Mimo around his neck at parties. Mimo nodded and hid his head under his tail again. MC comments how when he hides his face, he really does look like an accessory. Seth says that he’ll have Mimo hide the mark on her neck for the whole day.

She is a bit unsure about this plan, since it seems to have her sticking out even more, as some of the other soldiers in the room are staring at her. Seth speaks loudly and says that Alice looks really cute, but he won’t hesitate to show his knives up close and personal to anyone who gives her too much attention. The men quickly look away. MC feels a bit sorry for the men, as that was a rather violent image.

With Mimo around her neck, MC bumps into Luka in the hallway after breakfast. He asks MC if she’s already been to the training grounds. She says that she had been there with Seth before. Ray had given her permission to train her nullifying powers. MC asks Luka what he knows about Seth. Luka says that he doesn’t really think anyone knows much about Seth. MC asks him how long he’d known Seth. After some thought, Luka says that Seth joined the Black Army four years prior. Luka says that if she has any other questions, she should ask Seth herself.

At the training grounds, Seth and Fenrir are there waiting for her. Fenrir asked if she was prepared for training, sporting a grin and pulling his gun out.

------

*(A/N: I took the phrase through four translators and this is the best I can come up with at this time. Original phrase: 首がこ つたみたいで)

**(A/N: Seth’s sister’s name is “ノヂシャ.” When searching this word, it comes up as the name of the plant Valerianella locusta, which has many different common names including corn salad, lamb’s lettuce, field salad, and rapunzel. We believe that the English team may go with the name Rapunzel, both for the recognizable English name and the fairy tale reference. We will be referring to her as Rapunzel going forward with the translations.)

[tigerlilyhasablog]

What I’ve Been Watching

Hello everyone! If you read my comeback post, you know that I promised a round-up of  the movies I’ve seen so far in 2020. This post has taken WAYYYY too long for me to get around to writing, but now I’m self-isolating and have plenty of time on my hands, so hopefully I should be writing more! So let’s get into it. Before I talk about films from this year, I’ve got to sneak in my thoughts about my absolute FAVORITE film of 2019…

Knives Out – 5/5

I cannot tell you how much I love this movie. I’ve seen it three times in the theater since it came out! I knew that I wanted to see it the moment that I saw the trailer, and I had heard good things about it, but I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Everything about this movie is just so. Damn. Good. The characters, the storytelling, the aesthetic setting and costume design… perfection, perfection, perfection. The cast, of course, is incredible. This movie is just so much FUN, and I’m obsessed. If you haven’t seen it already, GO SEE KNIVES OUT GODDAMMIT!!!

Now for 2020…

Richard Jewell – 4/5

I went back and forth on whether to give this a 3.5 or a 4, because its been a minute since I watched it, and honestly, I had kind of forgotten about it. Upon reflection, I’ve decided that is because of how many really good films I’ve seen so far this year, not because Richard Jewell is a forgettable movie. I really enjoyed it at the time… it has just gotten overshadowed by things I’ve watched since. The performances are great; Paul Walter Hauser was not someone I was super familiar with before this film, but he seriously impressed me as the titular character. It is just a very solid film about an important story that I really should have known more about since it happened in my home state.🤷‍♀️

Just Mercy – 4/5

Oh boy, bring some tissues for this one. What can I say, this is just a really good movie: its a well-told story of a real-life issue, its hard-hitting and tear-jerking af, the performances are great (Michael B Jordan, man🙌🏻), its just super solid all around. If you don’t cry your eyes out watching this, then sorry, you have no heart.

1917 – 4.5/5

Whoa. Okay, this is an absolute must-see. Holy shit, this movie is something else. As you have probably heard, this movie is shot and edited in a way that makes it look like it was one long take. Not only is this seriously impressive, but it is also effective as hell. There is never a break from the intensity of the film, and you will be on the edge of your seat every second (I’ve seen it twice, and I was completely on edge the entire time even during the second watch.) That’s not the only thing that makes ‘1917’ super impactful, though. The actors are fantastic… I was really impressed by George MacKay. This movie really doesn’t hold back; it is an honest, horrific, emotional depiction of war, and wow, it really isn’t like any war movie I’ve ever seen before.

Like A Boss – 3/5

Okay, time for a drastic change of tone from the last few movies! Not gonna lie, I went into this movie with basically no expectations, as I had heard nothing good about it. But you know, I liked it better than I thought I would. It was funnier than I expected, though not all the jokes hit, and it was overall incredibly silly. But it’s also a fairly sweet story about female friendship. I went to see it with one of my own female friends, we had the theater to ourselves, we laughed at all the stupid parts and we had a good time. So yeah, I didn’t hate it.😅

Dolittle – 3/5

This movie was… weird. Not necessarily a bad weird, but like, really, really bizarre. It’s hard to explain exactly why without giving plot points as examples, but I’ll tell you that there were numerous times throughout the movie where I turned to my sister and said “what the fuck??” I think that there were some drugs involved in the making of this film. On the plus side, I kinda enjoyed it. There were some parts that were genuinely funny, and overall it was something fun to watch with my younger siblings. My 12-year-old brother loved it, and that’s the real test, isn’t it?

The Gentlemen – 4.5/5

Ok, this movie was fucking GOOD. Not gonna lie, when I first saw the poster and trailer for this film, my first thoughts were, god, do we really need another cool-guy crime comedy with an almost entirely white male cast? The answer is no, no we don’t. But damn, if this isn’t a great movie anyway. It surpassed my expectations in every way… I loved it. The humor is not going to be for everyone; it is very British and often extremely crude, but I fucking cried laughing, it was hilarious. The laughs alone were enough for me to like this movie, but there is more to it than that. The plot is engaging, and although I’ve heard some people complain it was slow or too hard to follow, I liked it and enjoyed the story-telling elements. I also found myself caring way more about the characters than I thought I would. Oh, and there are some gorgeous cinematic elements to it as well. Overall, great movie. I guess I need to go and educate myself on some other Guy Ritchie films.

Birds of Prey – 4/5

So, I’ve given this a 4, but this is another one that I debated giving a 3.5. I had wanted to see it again before I reviewed, but the coronavirus screwed that plan up. I decided to round up, however, because my overall feeling about this movie is that I enjoyed it. It isn’t perfect… There were some odd plot decisions, and some so-so action, but you know, I liked it. It’s just FUN. The characters are all bad-ass, the music is on point, it’s funny, it’s colorful, it’s just really enjoyable. The cast are all great, and I thought Ewan McGregor made a great villain. Also, in amongst the mediocre action there were some really great scenes (small spoiler: I’m obsessed with Harley breaking people’s legs.) Like I said, I feel like I need to watch it again to really decide how I feel about it, but overall it’s a thumbs up from me.

The Photograph – 3/5

Huh, this movie was an odd one. I really wanted to like it, and I mean, I didn’t dislike it, but I just wasn’t feeling it, you know? I confess, romance is not really my genre (I like a good rom com, but just straight up romance? Meh), but I just found myself completely uninterested in the main couple. If you haven’t seen this movie, the plot is split between the relationship between Michael and Mae (LaKeith Stanfield and Issa Rae), and flashbacks to the 80s that focus on the relationship between Mae’s mother, Christina (Chante Adams,) and a man named Isaac (Y’lan Noel.) When it came to Michael and Mae, I just did not care at all whether or not they ended up together. I didn’t give a shit about their relationship throughout the entire movie. I liked their characters individually, but together I just wasn’t feeling the chemistry. Now, with the other couple, Sara and Isaac, I actually cared a lot more. I looked forward to the parts that would focus on them, and was annoyed when the film would jump forward to the present day again. I dunno, I mean, I didn’t hate it. It was funny in places and moving (to an extent) in others. The storyline outside of the romance was alright. I just didn’t love it.

Parasite – 4.5/5

Ok, usually I only do reviews for films I see in the theater, but I had to make an exception for this… I had some friends came over and we watched it from my couch, but only because nowhere nearby was showing it. If you haven’t heard of Parasite, you’ve probably been living under a rock. After it scooped up 4 Oscars, everyone was talking about it, and rightly so. Honestly I’m not gonna give it a proper review, because you just. Need. To. Watch. It. Basically, the first half is genuinely really funny, and then it slowly gets darker and darker, and holy fuck, I did NOT see that ending coming. The story, the acting, the symbolism, the cinematography, the setting… All fucking amazing. Watch Parasite, people. Just do it.

[knivestothroats]

Part 5

Based on content it could be part 4.5 because it’s more of Luke’s pov during his/Ace’s captivity, but for the sake of simplicity... 5.

Masterlist of previous parts

THE GOOD/BAD STUFF depending on who you ask: Mind control, captivity, knives, blood, denied medical help, stitching up own wounds. 

~

As much Luke hated being left alone, it was always worse when his captors came back.

Or maybe, his captor and his follow captive. He wasn’t sure. Maybe it was just a food chain, and he was at the bottom. Sometimes it seemed like their roles depended on the day.

Often, he was left with Ace. He spent most of that time trying to figure out which they were that day; prisoner and warden, or two trapped captives.  

Ace would speak when spoken to, but they weren’t much for conversation. Luke found that if he asked for things – simple things – Ace would usually comply. Ice for bruises on his face, an extra portion of food here and there. The cot, however, was off limits.

Luke was trying to get a clear picture of how Ace operated. What things were standing orders, where he could find loopholes, the limits of Ace’s own thoughts and reason. How to convince Ace to do something. Maybe, one day, how to hold a conversation with them. He started to think of it as befriending the prison guard.

And then Miranda would come back, and he would be invisible again. Miranda certainly didn’t acknowledge him, and he couldn’t risk talking to Ace with her around.

One day, Miranda brought Ace another gift. Not a human, this time, but a switchblade. She tossed it carelessly to Ace, who caught it easily. Miranda stalked off again, leaving Ace with their toys.

“Here. Have fun. Don’t hurt yourself,” was all she said.

Ace opened the blade and turned it over in their hands. Luke thought he could see a hint of a smile on their face. They got off the bed and knelt down next to Luke on the floor.

“Give me your arm,” Ace said.

“No!” Luke protested, shying away. “Why?”

“So I can test the knife,” Ace said. “Switchblades are usually stabbing knives, but I want to see how it does on slicing.”

That was probably the longest sentence Luke had ever heard Ace speak.

“Can’t you test it some other way?” Luke asked.

“Mm. Miranda told me not to hurt myself.”

“But… I’m your toy, right?” Luke hated himself for saying it, but he saw an angle and he had to try it. “You – you have to take care of your toys if you… if you want them to last. If you want to keep them.”

He hoped, desperately, that Ace wanted to keep him.

Ace looked like they were thinking as hard as they were physically capable of. He expected smoke to start coming out of their ears.

“Why don’t… you… uh, try it on the mattress?” Luke suggested.

Ace got up and walked over to the cot. They pulled back the blanket, sighed, and then plunged the blade down into the center of the mattress.

“I already knew it was built for stabbing,” Ace said as they pulled the knife back out. They turned around and sat on the edge of the bed. They looked over the blade again. “Actually, you’re supposed to stab up when using a switchblade.”

“You, uh, use switchblades much?” Luke asked.

Ace shook their head, and then pressed their hand to their temple, as if they were getting a headache.

They looked sad.

Fuck, they actually looked sad.

“Is there, like, an apple or something in the kitchen?” Luke asked. “You could try slicing on that.”

Ace perked up immediately and left in search of fruit. Luke breathed out a heavy sigh and uncurled himself from his defensive position.

He felt like he had made progress. Perhaps discovered a trick he could pull out again later if he needed to.

What he had done, really, was make an impact.

--

Luke was sneaking food from the kitchen when he heard the door open.

Shit. He had hoped to have more time before Miranda and Ace got back. Convincing Ace not to test out a knife on him was one thing, but there’s no way he could work around a direct order from Miranda to punish him. He dashed back into the common area in a desperate attempt to simply not be caught in the kitchen.

No one was paying attention to him.

Ace had their hands clasped over one eye. Blood was streaming down from under their palms, through their fingers.

“I shouldn’t even keep you around if you’re going to make careless mistakes like that,” Miranda was yelling. “You are supposed to be a skilled fighter. You’re not supposed to slip up. You’re not supposed to get hurt.”

She didn’t say it out of concern. She said it in a way that meant, you aren’t supposed to lose.

“Move your hands,” Miranda ordered. “Let me look at it.”

Ace, grimacing, lowered their hands. Blood was smeared all over the side of their face, but gash was clearly defined, running from Ace’s forehead down onto their cheek. Luke’s stomach churned when he saw it.

“Open your eye,” Miranda commanded.

Ace did their best to comply, blinking rapidly as blood began to seep in.

“Hmm. Your eye itself is intact. You are lucky,” she said. “You’d be useless to me with a blind side like that.”

Today, Luke decided, we both captives.

“I can heal this,” Miranda said. “Do you want me to heal it?”

“Yes,” Ace said, voice thick with the tears they were trying to hold back. Luke wouldn’t be surprised if that had been an order from Miranda. Stop your incessant crying.

“Too bad,” Miranda snapped. “I want this to be a lesson. Wait here.”

Ace stood and waited, arms at their sides, until Miranda returned with an embroidery kit. She thrust it toward Ace, who took it obediently with bloodied hands.

“Go to the bathroom. Clean yourself up. And then sew it shut.”

Miranda turned and stormed out. Ace stood in place for a moment, looking with their one good eye at the kit in their red, trembling hands. A long needle and thick embroidery floss. They walked to the bathroom without a word.

Luke, ignored by all, returned to his familiar spot on the floor. He could see the open bathroom door down the hall, and he could hear shuddered gasps of pain as Ace did what they were told.

Luke pressed his back against the wall and pulled his knees to his chest.

Today, they were both captives.

[continues here]

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #216

Thu Sep 12 2019 [08:27 PM] Wack'd: Previously: Blastaar is running through NYC's sewers. Also Reed's friend Professor Randolph James turned himself into a god. A vengeful god. [08:28 PM] maxwellelvis: An angry god [08:28 PM] Umbramatic: god i wish that were me [08:29 PM] Umbramatic: yes [08:32 PM] Bocaj: We need more gods like chill Hercules [08:32 PM] Bocaj: Specifically Chill Hercules [08:32 PM] Wack'd: "I am as different to them as an elephant is to an ant! Also an attack on me is clearly ant-on-ant violence"

[08:33 PM] Bocaj: This guy is clearly a palette swap of Uautu [08:33 PM] Wack'd: I said last time he turned himself into a Watcher, yeah [08:33 PM] maxwellelvis: Was his head so Ferengi-shaped last time? [08:33 PM] Bocaj: This is a Mortal Kombat move [08:33 PM] Bocaj: "Here's a COMPLETELY NEW AND ORIGINAL CHARACTER purple Sub Zero" [08:34 PM] Wack'd: Anyway he turns these guys into gnats and then lasers a police officer who tries to arrest him for "first degree something" [08:35 PM] Wack'd: Yes. Ally with the best friend of your nemesis. A good plan

[08:36 PM] Bocaj: Has there ever been a futurist in comics who isn't a jerk or a part time jerk? [08:36 PM] Bocaj: Tony Stark only calls himself a futurist like five seconds before he tries to arrest all his friends [08:36 PM] Wack'd: Man, full-time jerk is good work if you can get it [08:36 PM] Bocaj: And then when Carol decides she's all about the future he's like "FUCK THE FUTURE" [08:37 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Reed's like "hey, wasn't James gonna follow me back to the Baxter? ...well, fuck." [08:37 PM] Wack'd: And then gets Johnny and Ben to help him with his search [08:38 PM] Wack'd: Sue has to stay behind with Franklin because of fucking course [08:39 PM] Bocaj: .......... [08:39 PM] Bocaj: why do they even have a witch nanny [08:39 PM] Wack'd: We haven't seen Agatha in a while. I think she retired again [08:40 PM] maxwellelvis: Either that or she's dead, or moved to Stark Mansion, or something [08:40 PM] Wack'd: Kind of a stupid god, huh

[08:41 PM] Wack'd: James convinces himself that Reed is jealous of his newfound power [08:41 PM] Umbramatic: uh oh [08:41 PM] Wack'd: And Blastaar's like "yeah sure let's go with that" [08:41 PM] Wack'd: Fight fight fight [08:43 PM] Wack'd:

Blastaar: Do not bother rising, gargoyle! You will soon find yourself blasted back down again--permanently! Ben: There's only two things "permanent" in this life--taxes an' death! An' since you probably ain't never had to worry about taxes, I'm gonna dole out a healthy double dose of death!

[08:45 PM] Wack'd: Johnny defeats Blastaar by covering him in molten pavement [08:47 PM] Wack'd: But James is like "well, fuck that", and freezes Reed, Johnny, and Ben and frees Blastaar [08:47 PM] Wack'd: Offering him anything he wants and exchange for "opening my eyes about my former friends" [08:47 PM] Mousa The 14: ... has anyone told this grey that he looks like a hairy Darkseid [08:48 PM] Mousa The 14: Like people talk about Thanos being a rip, but look at this guy. [08:47 PM] Wack'd: Deadpool might’ve [08:48 PM] maxwellelvis: I'd say he looks more like Kalibak [08:49 PM] maxwellelvis: What's that? Jack Kirby recycling a design? Preposterous [08:49 PM] Wack'd: Blastaar asks that James destroy the Negative Zone portal, so that the Four can't thwart him anymore, and James is like "yeah okay" [08:49 PM] Wack'd: (Also yeah Blastaar predates the New Gods and Fourth World) [08:49 PM] Bocaj: Dammit James [08:50 PM] Wack'd: Sue tries to stop them but James puts her to sleep [08:50 PM] Bocaj: Dammit James [08:50 PM] Wack'd: this can only end well

[08:51 PM] Bocaj: Does he have an emotional meltdown whenever she naps? [08:51 PM] Wack'd: Well, Franklin saw James hit her with eye lasers [08:51 PM] maxwellelvis: Also, no one has any idea how old Franklin is supposed to be [08:51 PM] Mousa The 14: Sure, let’s make the god child upset [08:51 PM] Mousa The 14: Franklin is moppet years old [08:51 PM] Wack'd: Also hey first appearance of Franklin's 4½ shirt [08:52 PM] Bocaj: Both hilarious and cruel [08:52 PM] Mousa The 14: Okay that’s kind of cute [08:52 PM] Mousa The 14: The 4.5 [08:53 PM] Mousa The 14: Wait, does that decimal change with Valeria [08:53 PM] Mousa The 14: What’s the new fraction when you count her in [08:53 PM] Mousa The 14: The Fantastic 4.66666... [08:53 PM] Wack'd: The gag changes so Franklin has a 5 shirt and Valeria has a 6 [08:54 PM] maxwellelvis: Also Franklin's probably actually 4-1/2 years old, and will be for quite some time. [08:54 PM] Umbramatic: he's eternally 8-12 [08:56 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Blastaar decides to destroy the portal himself but Reed build that thing strong and Blastaar gets frustrated

[08:56 PM] Wack'd: Franklin, as you can see, is also frustrated [08:57 PM] maxwellelvis: He's going full-on Gohan! Everybody run! [08:57 PM] Mousa The 14: Oh that’s not good [08:57 PM] Umbramatic: OH SHIT [08:57 PM] Mousa The 14: Somewhat less of a child and more of a convenient plot device [08:57 PM] maxwellelvis: Just like Gohan! [08:58 PM] Umbramatic: fantastic 4 dragonball z crossover when [08:58 PM] Mousa The 14: In that instant Franklin Richards becomes somewhat less of a child and somewhat more of a Deus Ex Machina [08:58 PM] Aleph Null: ...reed and franklin is like if you switch gohan (the non-grandpa one) and goku but gohan was still just as shitty of a father [08:59 PM] Umbramatic: ...i [09:00 PM] Wack'd: So Franklin yeets Blastaar back into the Negative Zone [09:00 PM] Bocaj: Blastaar got yoted? [09:00 PM] Wack'd: Sure [09:00 PM] Bocaj: Spider Gwen’s Reed is cool [09:01 PM] Mousa The 14: I think the correct term was that he was “yeeted” [09:01 PM] Wack'd: Anyway. James realized the error of his ways. Off panel. Sure [09:01 PM] Bocaj: Off panel is a hive of scum and villainy [09:02 PM] Wack'd: And then yeets himself into space

[09:02 PM] Wack'd: This is our first-ever suggestion that Franklin is anything more frightening than just a really powerful psychic [09:03 PM] maxwellelvis: Hey, Reed, you, uh, you got that mind-eraser gun around? You might need it. [09:03 PM] Wack'd: Don't give him ideas, max [09:03 PM] Bocaj: 1) we can tell this guy isn’t as god as he thinks he is [09:03 PM] Bocaj: Because he imagines reed having an emotion [09:04 PM] Bocaj: 2) good riddance and hope you never turn up again [09:04 PM] Wack'd: He was kind of a dink, yeah [09:04 PM] Wack'd: Wonder if he fixed all those folks he turned into bugs and mice before he left [09:04 PM] Wack'd: Probably not [09:04 PM] Bocaj: It’s fine [09:04 PM] Bocaj: Some of them were cops [09:05 PM] maxwellelvis: Some of them had knives [09:05 PM] Wack'd: Nah he spared the cop. He lasered him with a punch from the punch dimension [09:05 PM] Bocaj: Alas [09:05 PM] Umbramatic: THE PUNCH DIMENSION [09:05 PM] maxwellelvis: Oh, from the sound of it I assumed he vaporized that guy [09:05 PM] Wack'd: I could've been more clear [09:06 PM] maxwellelvis: Like in Star Trek when the guy with the red shirt gets shot and he turns into a crude red outline [09:06 PM] Wack'd: Oh good Franklin already forgot the whole thing

[09:06 PM] Wack'd: But also hey HERBIE is still a problem [09:06 PM] maxwellelvis: He IS Psychic Gohan! [09:07 PM] Umbramatic: uh-oh [09:07 PM] Bocaj: Dammit HERBIE [09:07 PM] maxwellelvis: I like how HERBIE has managed to creep you out despite how cute his design is and ostensibly his every actual action has been to the Four's benefit/aid [09:08 PM] Wack'd: I don't find him creepy [09:08 PM] Bocaj: Vpvpvpvpvpvpvpvp [09:08 PM] Wack'd: It's just hilarious to me he's an arc villain [09:08 PM] maxwellelvis: You find his actions creepy, it seemed [09:08 PM] Wack'd: Meh