#for now anyway I do have to go to my negotiations class for the next couple hours but then it's Thanksgiving Break

[it-is-the-hannah]

I'm stuck in the office for another half hour bc I have to wait around for a class and there is a very intense discussion of a plea bargain happening a few desks away while I'm here, scrolling through Tumblr

[dreamwritesimagines]

The Eye of the Hurricane [20] - Nightclub

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, you made my day! ❤️I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please don’t forget to tell me what you think! ❤️

Summary: Business deals are open to negotiation.  

Word Count: 2600

Pairing: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Violence, guns, crime, blood, explicit language, dysfunctional relationship. This is an AU, friendly reminder that I don’t condone any of the actions depicted on this story and please read with care.

Series Masterlist

“Unbelievable,” you muttered to yourself, scratching at Alpine’s head with one hand while holding your phone with the other, your eyes skimming the lines. “Seriously…”

Bucky sipped his coffee. “Care to share with the class, Charm?”

You heaved a sigh and shot him a look, holding up the phone so that he could see the screen.

“Clint leaves the city for a couple of days and HYDRA immediately attacks his territory?” you asked and Bucky hummed.

“I mean he had his people covering it,” he said. “Just because he wasn’t here, doesn’t mean it was open to any attack.”

“Which makes it worse,” you told him with a sigh, then reached out for the jar of peanut butter to dip a spoon into it. “How many sources do these guys have?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Bucky said, reaching out to run his fingers through Alpine’s soft fur as she meowed at him. “You’re coming to the club tonight, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Your phone buzzed in your hand and you took a look at the notification, then licked your lips.

“Buck.”

“Hm?”

“So you know how our therapist said open communication is very important?”

“I don’t trust the therapist.”

“Shocking,” you deadpanned. “Anyway, I’m meeting Ethan today for lunch.”

Bucky let out a groan before he threw his head back. “Charm…”

“This is me openly communicating.”

“This is you throwing a knife at me and calling it communication,” Bucky corrected you, making your jaw drop.

“It’s not!”

“I will ask this question once again; why are you meeting your ex who wants to fuck you?”

“That’s not—I know the idea isn’t familiar to you, but some people can be friends with their exes.”

“So it’d be fine if I met up with one of my exes for lunch?” he asked and you shrugged your shoulders, trying to ignore the unpleasant flip your stomach did.

“If you can find an ex who doesn’t want to kill you?” you said. “Go ahead.”

He scoffed. “Not all of them hate me.”

“Is the ex who doesn’t hate you in the room with us right now?” you asked back and he made a face.

“I don’t know who fed you those lies, I’m guessing Becca—”

“Becca is very objective when it comes to your exes,” you pointed out. “And how terrible you are in relationships.”

“I’m not terrible in relationships.”

“Did you stay friends with any of your exes?”

“Yeah!”

“Give me a name.”

He blinked a couple of times and cleared his throat. “…Dot.”

“Dot hates your guts, Buck.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know she dumped you,” you said and Bucky clicked his tongue.

“It was a mutual decision.”

“It really wasn’t,” you said. “You do realize that I’ve been best friends with your sister since I was in kindergarten? I know everything about your terrible relationships.”

“To repeat, they’re not—don’t change the subject,” he said as you sipped your coffee. “Your ex?”

“My ex does not want to kill me like your exes or fuck me like you seem to think.”

“Oh he wants to marry you then?” he asked and even though you knew he was being sarcastic, your stomach did a flip. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, I beat him to it.”

You clicked your tongue as you dipped your spoon in the peanut butter jar again.

“As much as I enjoy you referring to me like I’m the last piece of cake,” you deadpanned. “I will make sure both your dick and you regret it the next time you do that.”

He blinked a couple of times and you gave him a bright grin, then popped the spoon into your mouth, then pulled it out to point at him with it.

“See?” you asked him. “Open communication. Therapy works wonderfully for this relationship.”

                                                  *

“Tell me I didn’t make you wait for long,” Ethan said as he rushed into the café and you let out a laugh, then stood up to kiss his cheek.

“I just got here, no worries,” you said. “Ordered your coffee though.”

“You know my coffee order?”

“Yeah,” you said and made a face at him. “Terrible order but yeah. Burned into my mind.”

That made him smile as he sat down.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I was going to come sooner but—”

“Let me guess, your boss?”

“One of these days, that man will get in an accident that I’ve been hoping and praying for,” he told you, making you laugh.

“That’s doable,” you said. “I told you before.”

He heaved a sigh. “Stop. Right now, I feel like taking you up on that offer.”

“You can.”

He frowned, then shook his head.

“No no,” he said. “I’ve watched too many movies about this.”

“I’m not going to put a horse head in your bed, Ethan.”

“No, not that!” he said, letting out a chuckle. “Power corrupts.”

You shrugged again. “Nah it doesn’t.”

“It would corrupt me,” he told you as the waitress brought your coffees. “How about you? How’s uh…how’s marriage?”

Your eyes snapped to his and you cleared your throat, shifting in your seat.

“Ethan, if it’s going to lead to yet another—”

“It won’t,” he cut you off and offered you a small smile. “Don’t worry. I got the message.”

A silence fell upon you. You could feel your stomach doing a flip at the implication of what he had said and even though you actually wanted to talk about it, you knew you couldn’t.

Now to think of it…

You weren’t sure if you could even get together with him after your divorce. The idea was tempting yes, but you weren’t sure he could handle the life the job brought with it. While you and Bucky could torture an agent of HYDRA and then get takeout afterwards, doing the same wasn’t possible with Ethan and—

Strangely enough, you found yourself wondering whether you could still do it with Bucky after you two would get a divorce.

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up and you cleared your throat, then smiled at him.

“Sorry,” you said. “Blanked out for a second. You were saying?”

                                                   *

Opening night of a club, especially if it was in Barnes, Wilson or Rogers territories, was always so much fun that even when you were teenagers, you and Becca would sneak into them, most of the time to get caught by Steve. Now that you were a grown up, you still enjoyed them but you also knew what was happening in the background.

It was the perfect time to make deals.

The crowd, the music, the alcohol, it all served its purpose to make better deals without getting the weapons or threats involved. Not to mention, getting invited to the opening night showed respect to whoever was a part of any negotiation.

You took a sip of your drink and leaned back on the sofa, keeping your eyes on Mr. Clifford. He was one of the new players in town, but powerful enough to be invited to your -well, Bucky’s- VIP booth tonight. If this deal worked, he could make the shipments to your territory much smoother but the problem was, neither you nor Bucky could decide whether you could trust him or not.

He had good references, but he was still sort of a mystery.

“I wasn’t aware you would be here as well, Mrs. Barnes,” Mr. Clifford said. “So the word on the street is true?”

“What word?” you asked and he smiled.

“That you’re…not just a guest?”

Bucky raised his brows and shot you a small grin while you shrugged your shoulders.

“No, I’m not.”

“She’s the only one I trust,” Bucky said and you smirked, reaching out to hold his hand. Mr. Clifford nodded.

“I see,” he said. “And um—if you don’t mind me ask, will it affect any deals I may make with your father?”

“You will have to ask my father that,” you said. “I hear he’s not open to any new deals but you can try your chances.”

He hummed. “And his heir, Ian?”

Your jaw clenched but you managed to keep your expression flat while Bucky squeezed your hand as if trying to assure you.

“Ian hasn’t been named yet,” he said. “And either way, if you’re making deals with heirs, I may have to rethink my decision to do business with you. Are you that much of an amateur?”

“Bucky.”

“No, I’m not going to do business with him if he’s making deals with people who can’t sit at the grown-ups table.” 

“I assure you, that’s not the case,” Mr. Clifford said. “I was just voicing my curiosity, that’s all.”

You downed your drink and leaned in to whisper into Bucky’s ear.

“I’ll be right back,” you said. “Don’t shoot him?”

“No promises,” he murmured and you tried to bite back your smile, then grabbed your purse and stood up to make your way through the dance floor to the bathroom. When you stepped out again, your eyes fell upon Ryan who was by the bar and you smiled to yourself, then approached the bar as well.

“I think you’re the only person who drinks water at a club opening,” you said, making him turn his head and he blinked a couple of times as if he was surprised to see you, then looked down at the glass in his hand.

“Ma’am,” he said, taking a sip of his water and you tilted your head.

“Let me guess,” you said. “Ian told you to be completely sober just in case?”

“It’s my idea, ma’am.”

“Where’s he?”

“In the VIP room there,” he motioned at the closest room and you pulled your brows together.

“And he sent you away?”

Ryan sipped his water in silence and you heaved a sigh.

“Does he know that keeping his right arm out of deals is a terrible idea?”

“I’m just his bodyguard ma’am, nothing more.”

You pursed your lips together and cleared your throat.

“You might as well dance with someone, you know,” you joked. “If he’s going to be there alone, no need for you to get bored.”

The look of complete terror on his face at the suggestion was almost funny. He was a huge guy, and you were pretty sure he could crush someone’s skull with his bare hands if he wanted to, but he looked absolutely terrified at the idea of dancing with someone at the club.

“I’m a great wing-woman,” you told him, making him blink a couple of times. “Anyone caught your attention?”

“Ma’am I—I wouldn’t—” he stammered and you waved a hand in the air.

“And how many times should I tell you to call me Y/N?” you asked and he licked his lips, staring at you.

“I don’t mean disrespect.”

“I don’t think it’s disrespect,” you told him and out of the corner of your eye, you saw the waiter leaving your VIP room mutter something at one of Clifford’s bodyguards by the door before walking away. You frowned.

“Excuse me,” you said as you made your way to the fire exit the waiter walked into. You looked over your shoulder and pulled the small pistol out of your purse, then pushed open the door quietly to step into the hallway.

The waiter was too busy to notice your presence as he pulled a gun out of the cleaning bucket in front of him, but he froze when he heard the sound of you cocking the gun.

“Hi,” you said and he gritted his teeth, raising his hands. “Put the gun down.”

He slowly put the gun down and you smiled.

“There you go,” you said. “Good boy.”

“What are you doing?” he asked as he turned to you and you shrugged your shoulders.

“I mean I’m trying to enjoy my night to be honest but…”

“Just walk away.”

You scoffed.

“Right,” you said. “That’s gonna happen.”

“If you walk away now, you’ll benefit from it,” he said. “Mr. Clifford says if Barnes dies, you could take over his territory, his business. It’ll be your right.”

You rolled your eyes.

“Well yeah but also if Bucky dies, I’ll have to wear black and I can’t really pull off black dresses,” you said. “Becca says it has something to do with my undertone—”

You didn’t get to finish your sentence when he lunged to throw a punch at you but you caught his hand and twisted it, making him cry out in pain. You headbutted him right in the nose, hearing the crack of the bone before you grabbed the bigger pistol on the floor to slam it against his head, causing him to drop to the floor unconscious.

“This night is getting more and more fun,” you murmured as you shook your head, then pushed your pistol back into your purse. You made your way to the door again to open it, then approached Ryan to tap him on the shoulder.

“Can I borrow you for a moment?” you asked and turned around without waiting for him to answer, but he followed you anyway until you got to the hallway and opened the door. Ryan grabbed his gun from his waistband the moment he saw the unconscious guy lying on the floor, then turned to you.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” he asked, stepping into the hallway with his gun ready, checking for any threats. “Did he hurt you?”

“Not at all,” you said. “Keep an eye on him until I get back.”

His back straightened immediately like he was a soldier and you were his commander. “Yes ma’am.”

“And if Ian says anything,” you said. “This happened in Barnes territory, he’s our hostage. No one else’s.”

“Yes ma’am.”

You nodded your head and took a step to the door, then turned around.

“And thank you, Ryan,” you said, making him pull his brows together in confusion as if he wasn’t used to hearing it. “I appreciate it.”

He swallowed thickly, then nodded.

“Ma’am,” he said and you pushed open the door, then made your way to the VIP room Bucky was in.

“As I was saying, our price isn’t…” Clifford stopped talking when he saw you walk inside. “Ah Mrs. Barnes, welcome back.”

You shot him a fake smile, then leaned in closer to Bucky so that you could whisper into his ear.

“He’s trying to kill you.”

Bucky’s gaze snapped to yours when you pulled back and he heaved a sigh as if he was exhausted, then ran a hand over his eyes.

“Great,” he muttered. “Do you want to stay and watch, sweetheart?”

You thought for a moment, then shook your head.

“I got one of his men, I’ll be by the fire exit,” you murmured. “Come there when you’re done?”

“Sure thing.”

“What’s going on?” Clifford asked and you turned to shoot him a glare before pecking Bucky on the cheek.

“Have fun!”

“I will,” Bucky said and motioned at one of the bodyguards. “Paul, escort my wife to where she’s going.”

“Yes Mr. Barnes.”

“And Hannah,” Bucky’s voice was completely calm. “Lock the room down.”

“Mr. Barnes, please—” Clifford’s voice was cut off when the door shut behind you and Bucky’s bodyguards started dragging Clifford’s men away while you turned to Paul with a sigh.

“How fucking rude, right?”

“Ma’am?”

“I mean honestly…” you muttered while you walked to the fire exit with Paul following you. “Sending an amateur to kill him? People today have no manners.”

Chapter 21

[victoriansecret]

Servants and Upward Mobility

This is focused on paid servants in England in the mid-late 18th century. One thing I find fascinating about the structure of domestic service roles was the existence of what essentially we might call a career ladder today. It was not uncommon for a servant to start their career near the bottom of the hierarchy as, say, a boot boy who cleans the shoes and boots of the household, or the scullery maid who does all the dirty kitchen work like scrubbing iron cooking vessels or plucking chickens, but progressively move up the list to better positions.

Part of why this was the case was that it was typical in England to hire servants for one year terms at a time. Often they'd be hired at festivals on the quarter days of the year, which as part of the festivities would often include what today we'd call a job fair. For some reason, Michaelmas (September 29) seems to be the most common as far as I can tell. I had never really thought about why that might be until I started planning this post, and I now wonder if it might have something to do with that being right around when harvest time usually comes in England. I could easily imagine people, especially young people, being on the cusp of another labourious harvest and thinking that maybe they could find another job instead. Related tangent: There are a number of remarks in the period that servants from the northern parts of England were considered to be much more respectful than servants from more populated, urban areas. Those communities were (at least considered to be) a lot stricter about remembering one's place and respecting your social 'betters', and their behaviour as servants was believed to reflect that. Some people would actively have their agents look to hire people from those rural areas, and apparently it was easy to attract potential employees: there are a number of remarks about how when a fancy carriage would drive through a small town, with the fancily-liveried footmen riding on the back, it would bring young people to stare in awe and want to be part of that. Which as someone whose interest in domestic service started in part because of my obsession with livery, I can understand. Anyway, back to the main point: because they often served one-year terms, there was an annual chance for both parties - the servant and the served - to review and determine how to move forward. A servant who was favoured might negotiate for a new position in the household, at least one step higher on the ladder (if not more), and they had leverage because they could leave the field entirely or possibly go off to a new household and find a higher position there. There was also a practice of asking for your master or mistress to provide a "character", essentially what we would today call a reference: a letter to show potential employers detailing their behaviour and skill in their role. Certainly there were times that some employers refused to give a good character, and sometimes that was explicitly because they wanted to keep the servant because they were a valuable asset to their household, but it was considered part of the obligation of the master class to be honest in these.

And it is not at all uncommon to find people who have served many different people/households throughout their career. The most I have seen is 28, although that's slightly misleading: that was a man who decided he wanted to travel, so hired himself to gentleman going on journeys for the duration of the trips, many of which were only a couple months. (The book he published, which he wrote about his travels and the "exotic" places and people he encountered, is interesting, and for my purposes super helpful because he turned out to be a narcissist and wrote a lot about himself, including his career as a servant. It's the only quasi-memoir of a paid servant from this time I am aware of. I might write a post about it/him sometime. I digress.) [continued in next post]

[those70scomics]

Hi hi hi!

So, since you watched the show as it was airing I wanted to ask if Hyde and Jackie were always intended to become a ship and if they were, how do you know? Also, how do you know the original intention was for them to get engaged at the end of season 7, before it was renewed? (Outside from the obvious) I'm so curious

Hi! 😊

I'll start with how I know what I know. The T7S message board at Fan Forum was created very shortly after T7S began airing. When I became co-moderator of the board (less than ten years ago? Around ten?), I read every single post. Including those that were lost in what was called "the purge" by using the Internet Wayback Machine when Fan Forum was called Forum 4 Fans. These are the earliest posts one can find about the show.

This effort took me weeks. I read tens upon tens of thousands of posts and T7S / T7S fandom history. Followed links to defunct T7S fansites (again, the Internet Wayback Machine). This includes reading articles and transcripts of interviews with the cast, producers, writers, and showrunners. Press releases. News about cast negotiations.

Within these posts and fansites are people who went to tapings and wrote thorough reports. People who spoke to producers at tapings. People who (were) connected to people who worked on the show. Wilmer Valderrama posted himself in the board and interacted with fans. Remember, this forum existed before Twitter/X, before Facebook, before Tumblr. These forums were where social media started.

This was also the time of Myspace, and some of the cast posted there, too, which was reported on the message board.

As I found all the info through my research, I posted it in fresh threads on the message board. I also inherited my grandfather's eiditic memory and have partial highly superior autobiographical memory -- which is, thankfully, nowhere near Marilu Henner's complete HSAM. Of course, if I place a pen down and I'm distracted, I'll forget where I put the pen a second later 😂.

Facts stick in my head. Once I know it, I remember it. For example, I used to recite one of my college classes from start to finish to my friends (those who were interested). I've forgotten half the class by now. I learned how to let go of certain info so it wouldn't drive me 🤪. But not autobiographical memories. Those I re-experience like I'm watching a movie but with all thoughts and feelings attached. It's a visceral trip. A blessing and sometimes not so much. 😅

Anyway, there's the how.

Jackie and Hyde weren't always intended to endgame. The Filgos were writers on the show a few years before they were chosen as showrunners. During Jackie and Hyde's season 2-3 arc, the Filgos became enamored of the chemistry between the characters.

When the Filgos were chosen sometimes during season 4 to be the showrunners moving ahead (season 5 through the original end of the show, season 7), they asked the current showrunners to break up Jackie and Kelso by the end of season 4 because they wanted to pair Jackie and Hyde in season 5.

In the second half of season 4, one can see the change in Jackie and Kelso's relationship. It grows more and more toxic, a turn from their previous growth away from their original toxicity. It's written in stages rather than a sudden shift, so it's grounded in story and character.

From season 5, Jackie and Hyde were intended to be endgame. During the press for season 7 before it aired, the cast made clear this was the final season.

The Filgos were contracted through season 7. They got their next job since T7S was ending. Topher was moving into his movie career fully. The scripts, including the series finale, were written. Shows were filmed and began to air

Then Fox decides to renew the show (safer to continue a popular series than to risk $$$ on a new show). But the Filgos already had a new job lined up. They couldn't break that contract. They hoped whoever was hired after them would follow through on their vision for the show and reasonably expected the new showrunners to respect the past seven years of character a d relationship development.

But the showrunners hired were a) probably cheaper to pay because this was their first showrunning gig and b) presented their vision for season 8, which was to "bring it back to the humor and feel of season 1" -- the only season they liked, clearly, but didn't watch very carefully or with any depth of understanding.

W.V. also had in his contract changes for his character, including him ending up with one of the principal female characters. It wasn't going to be Donna, obviously, so that left Jackie. Not a problem for the S8 showrunners who hated J/H and, very evidently, Jackie as a character.

So instead of following through on the storyline the Filgos left them (i.e. reconcile fan-favorite couple Jackie and Hyde for good) to ease them into the role, they destroyed Jackie and Hyde's relationship because [partially direct quotation, partially close paraphrase from a magazine interview published before season 8 aired], "We never understood it. We never liked it. We think it was a mistake for the show to pair them romantically, so we're returning them to their season 1 dynamic. They were originally antagonists, and they should have stayed that way. That's where the humor is."

Fortunately, frustratingly, and sadly, someone connected to the show revealed Jackie's endgame from the original series finale, the original season 7 finale: Hyde proposes to Jackie, and they get engaged. Their season 7 arc is built around this endgame. Despite the script revisions and rewrites made when season 8 was greenlit, their original endgame remains evident throughout the second half of season 7.

Hyde tells Eric peacefully and happily (for Hyde) that he's decided [to marry Jackie]. Jackie would have actually left for Chicago, leaving Hyde the note he reads shortly after his decision. Kelso was not involved. But the rewrite, I believe, changed Jackie to having pretended to leave. It's messy writing, but it sets up that Kelso must now drive Jackie to Chicago. He's in her motel room, etc.

The original scripts likely have Jackie go to Chicago before the deadline she set for the ultimatum. Hyde is naturally upset and angry because he'd decided within her deadline to propose, but she deprived him of the chance after forcing the choice.

Hyde's conversation with Eric and Donna about his feelings (in Hyde's way) was probably in the original script. Donna calls out Hyde, realizing he was going to propose. Later, Eric tells Hyde he recognizes that Hyde became happy once he and Jackie got together.

All of the above is easily discernable. The following is conjecture based on the facts, foreshadowing, the Filgos' intended endgame for Jackie and Hyde, and my education and experience as a writer.

These conversations lead Hyde to break out of his misery and go to Chicago (with a ring) and follow-through with the proposal -- a huge character moment for him. He's going to fight for Jackie even if she ultimately rejects him (a parallel to "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" in season 5, where Jackie professes her love and doesn't care if Hyde says it back).

Hyde would have knocked on Jackie's motel door. She would've been shocked and asked Hyde what he's doing there. He would have entered and gotten on one knee. The audience would have squealed. Hyde would have proposed in a way true to himself -- not sentimentally but touching nonetheless.

She'd be in shock. "I can't believe you came to Chicago ... "

Hyde says his knee is starting to hurt, so she better make up her mind before he's forced to stand up.

Jackie: "Yes! Steven, yes, I'll marry you!"

Hyde blows out a heavy breath in all kinds of relief, stands up, and puts the ring on Jackie's finger. Jackie and Hyde kiss and embrace. Then Jackie examines the ring and is surprised he didn't go on the cheap like Eric.

Hyde: "Yeah, well, I asked W.B. for help."

Jackie: "But you hate hand-outs!"

Hyde: "It's not a hand-out! It's a loan. I'm gonna pay him back."

Jackie stares at Hyde lovingly.

Hyde: "What?"

Jackie: "This is our first fight as fiancés!"

Hyde laughs quietly then kisses Jackie again.

Fade out.

Other scenes to finish off the series, including the reveal to Jackie and Hyde's friends and family about their engagement.

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Stars Beyond Number - Chapter 11

Between the Motion and the Act

Rating: M - Minors DNI

Pairings: Echo x Riyo Chuchi; Gregor x OFC Cerra Kilian

Wordcount: 4.2k

Warnings and tags: fluff; a sneaky OT reference (literally wrote a whole scene just so I could make that joke); some angst; SMUT; oral sex; Echo x Riyo is GO!!!

Suggested Listening:

Summary: The team plans for Balmorra; Echo commences diplomatic negotiations with the senator from Pantora.

A/N: This story shares continuity with Martyrs and Kings and "Do It Again," but all three fics can be read as stand-alones.

Start here | Previous chapter | Next chapter | Masterlist | Sign up for my tag list | Read on AO3

Between the idea and the reality

Between the motion and the act

Falls the Shadow

—T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”

cerulean-senator: Would you rather fight one rancor-sized tooka or ten tooka-sized rancors?

Echo grinned as he typed a response. 

ur-fav-cyborg:That’s easy. I’ve already encountered a rancor-sized rancor, so I know the secret to defeating them. They’re hierarchical by nature, so I would rather fight the ten tooka-sized rancors and set them against each other. When they established which one was the alpha, I would challenge it for supremacy. My turn: would you rather eat nothing but dessert for a week, or no dessert for a year?

There was a pause as he waited for Riyo to respond. Rex and Cerra were debating the technical specifications they needed in their ship for the Balmorra mission. Echo and Rex had determined that their best chance of success was to extract Howzer when he was being transported. Rex’s mysterious contact hadn’t known exactly when that would happen, but had said it was inevitable. They’d pored over blueprints of the Gozanti-class cruisers that were being used as prisoner transports as they’d formulated a battle plan.

“What about a leech vessel?” Cerra asked. “Two points of entry.”

“That… could work,” Echo said. “Dock with the main vessel as a diversion, and then breach the hull with the leech.”

“We’d have to divide our forces,” Rex said.

“The pilot would have to stay with the ship anyway,” Echo pointed out. “Gregor can keep their troops occupied at the docking port while the extraction team boards from the leech.”

“Flank ‘em and spank ‘em,” Cerra said, tapping her beer bottle against Rex’s.

“Always so eloquent,” Rex teased as he took a swig.

“I learned from the best, and he learned from you,” she said with a grin. “You’re like my tactical granddaddy.”

“I thought you said I was a youngling,” Rex said.

“Granddaddy is a state of mind,” Cerra shrugged.

She slouched on the sofa with her boot-clad feet propped on the holotable, and Echo had the brief, tangential thought that Tech would have an aneurysm if he could witness it. 

His comm chirped, and he checked the message immediately. 

cerulean-senator: Wait, when did you fight a rancor? That sounds like a story worth hearing.

ur-fav-cyborg: I’ll tell you all about it next time I see you. Now quit stalling and answer the question, Riyo.

The reply was immediate and indignant. 

cerulean-senator: I wasn’t stalling! I was thinking. I do like dessert, but a week of nothing but sugar might put me in a coma. I’ll have to say I’d rather go a year without desserts. Would you rather kiss a Gungan or a Wookiee?

ur-fav-cyborg: That depends. Are we talking a mouth kiss, or just a quick peck on the cheek?

cerulean-senator: Full-on mouth kiss, with tongue.

ur-fav-cyborg: In that case, I’d rather kiss a Pantoran.

cerulean-senator: You’re not going to charm your way out of answering the question, trooper.

ur-fav-cyborg: Worth a shot. Fine. Assuming consent from all parties involved, and given the knowledge that Gungan tongues are nearly a meter in length—which would present a high probability of death by choking—and considering that I’ve met some very nice Wookiees who almost certainly wouldn’t rip off my one remaining arm, I would rather kiss a Wookiee. But only if the Pantoran is unavailable.

“Care to share the joke, Echo?” Rex asked.

“Sorry, sir,” Echo said, stashing his commlink away.

“You know, we’re not in the GAR any more,” Cerra said. “He’s allowed to check his comm in meetings.”

Echo glanced quickly at Cerra, surprised that she had defended him. Rex sighed, and Echo immediately felt guilty.

“You're right,” Rex admitted. “Old habits are hard to break, but what are we fighting for if not the right to live our lives as we choose?”

Echo wasn’t sure what to say. Freedom was a complex thing to navigate when he’d been trained his entire life to follow orders. It was different with the Batch; they had always had a more relaxed dynamic, and all the members were accustomed to speaking their minds freely, even if the ultimate command decision defaulted to Hunter. But this was Rex, who’d saved Echo’s life more times than he could count, who’d been his longest-standing commanding officer, who’d hand picked him to join the 501st, who’d recommended him for ARC training, who’d believed in him against all odds, who’d fought to bring him back from Skako Minor when everyone else had written him off. Every instinct Echo possessed screamed for him to obey the captain.

Suddenly, he recalled something he’d overheard Cerra tell Rex. “He trusts you so much that he’ll do whatever you order.” Gregor had said something similar when he confronted Rex after the disastrous mission to 79’s. There was something about Rex that inspired absolute loyalty in his soldiers. The problem was, they weren’t just soldiers any more. Perhaps Riyo was right, and they had always been more than that.

Cerra stood and stretched. “I don’t know about you boys, but I could use some food.”

“Good luck finding anything,” Rex said as she dug through the kitchen cabinets. “I cleared out the conservator last night.”

“We have ration bars,” Cerra said. “I can’t wait ‘til Gregor gets back so we can eat some decent food again. Want anything, Echo?”

“I could eat,” Echo admitted. “Are we finished here?”

“I’ve got what I need to start looking for a ship,” Cerra said. “Rex?”

“We’ve done as much as we can with our current intel,” Rex replied.

Cerra tossed them each a ration bar, and when Echo’s comm chirped again, he checked it, careful to maintain a neutral expression.

cerulean-senator: Solid reasoning all around, but now I have blackmail material in the form of written proof that you want to kiss a Wookiee. 

ur-fav-cyborg: Only under duress. Now it’s my turn: would you rather be too hot or too cold?

cerulean-senator: That’s easy! I would rather be too cold. You can do all sorts of fun things to warm up.

ur-fav-cyborg: Such as?

cerulean-senator: Drinking caf, wearing cozy sweaters, snuggling in front of a fireplace—and other things.

ur-fav-cyborg: What kinds of other things?

cerulean-senator: That’s for me to know and you to find out. My turn: would you rather have dinner with me or breakfast with me?”

ur-fav-cyborg: Both.

cerulean-senator: Great! When is a good day for you?

Echo choked on his ration bar and dropped his comlink. It skittered across the floor and came to rest against Rex’s boot. The captain arched one eyebrow and handed the comlink back to Echo without a word. Echo took it and sent a quick response.

ur-fav-cyborg: After the next mission?

cerulean-senator: Sounds perfect. I’ll meet you there and we’ll see where the night takes us.

Echo smiled and tucked his comlink away. Turning to Cerra, he asked, “Is your hand healed enough to spar?”

She nodded. “I’ve been wanting to practice those moves you showed me. Would you rather be my partner or my coach?”

“I’ll coach if Rex will partner with you,” Echo said. “Sparring is a little tricky with my prosthetics.”

“Rex?” Cerra asked.

“Only if you go easy on me,” Rex replied. “Remember, I’m a grandfather.”

Cerra snorted. “Sure, grandpa. When I fail to land a single hit on you, it’ll be because I’m going easy on an old man.”

Despite her self-deprecation, Echo found that Cerra was a decently competent fighter. It was true that she was far outmatched by Rex, but most opponents she was likely to face would not be genetically engineered supersoldiers with years of combat experience. She had good form and technique, and she took direction well. With a blaster and a few modifications to her armor, Echo suspected that she would be able to hold her own against a wide range of adversaries.

Just as Echo was contemplating the best armor mods to augment Cerra’s reach and upper body strength, Rex took her to the ground and pinned her. She tapped out immediately, contradicting Rex’s claim that she didn’t know how to back down from a fight. Rex stood and pulled her to her feet.

“Again,” Echo ordered. “And Cerra, remember what I showed you.”

She nodded and snapped into a fighting stance at once. Rex tested her defenses a few times, light punches to see how well she could block. He moved with rigid control, never taking it too far and risking hurting her. It was very different from the way Echo had been trained. ARC trooper training had been brutal and no-holds-barred. There was a very good reason that so few clones successfully passed, and that was that the training was extreme even by the Kaminoans’ standards. A nat-born wouldn’t just fail; they would very likely be killed or permanently debilitated.

“Attack, Cerra,” Echo ordered. “You can’t just dance around him all day.”

She hesitated, and Rex saw his opening. His fist darted past her block and tapped her jaw. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, just to get her attention. She tightened her stance and returned the hit, albeit too slowly. Rex blocked her effortlessly.

“Like I showed you, Cerra,” Echo said. “Do it.”

“I don’t want to hurt him,” she panted.

Rex smirked. “You won’t.”

“That’s not Rex,” Echo snapped sternly. “That’s an enemy. Take him down, now. He’s going to hurt you. He’s going to hurt Tup.”

Cerra gasped and dropped her fists. Rex struck just as Cerra turned, his blow connecting much harder than he’d intended. Cerra staggered backward.

“Kark!” Rex exclaimed. “Are you all right?”

Cerra’s large, wounded eyes weren’t looking at Rex, though. She stared at Echo instead. A trickle of blood dripped from her lip, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“How do you know that name?” she asked, her voice shaken.

“You called Fireball Tup the other night,” Echo said, taken aback. “I thought it was a friend of yours.”

Cerra spun and stalked out of the sparring ring, not stopping until the barracks door slid closed behind her. Echo turned to Rex, whose mouth was set in a grim line.

“Tup was Fives’s best friend after Umbara,” Rex said quietly. “The three of them were more than close. They were inseparable. Cerra thought of Tup as her little brother, and he was the first she lost. And a few days later, she lost Fives, too.”

“Kriff,” Echo breathed. “I had no idea.”

“She keeps to herself,” Rex said. “Probably more than she should.”

“Why?” Echo asked bluntly.

Rex sighed. “Cerra is a soldier, but she’s not like us clones. We’ve always had each other, even when we didn’t have anyone else. But Cerra’s family turned on her when she needed them most. It’s not easy for her to trust.”

“I thought she told Gregor everything,” Echo said.

“She doesn’t even tell me everything,” Rex replied enigmatically.

Echo remembered now that even Gregor had not recognized Tup’s name the night that Cerra mistakenly called Fireball by it. 

“Kriff,” he said again. “I need to apologize.”

“Better give her some space,” Rex counseled. “If I know Cerra, she’d rather just pretend none of this happened. She’ll be all right.”

“That doesn’t seem like the healthiest way of dealing with it,” Echo said.

“Do you want to be the one who tells her that?” Rex asked.

“Fair point,” Echo acknowledged. “Maybe I’ll take the speeder bike and get some air.”

Echo strode out of the garage and hopped onto the speeder bike, riding without paying much attention to where he was going. He avoided the Federal District, and after a while, he piloted the bike to the top of a ramshackle skyscraper. Maybe sometime long ago it had been a beautiful and prestigious edifice like 500 Republica, but now it was crumbling. Still, it had an expansive view of the city and the setting sun, and he parked the speeder on the roof after a quick recon determined it to be abandoned.

He stared out across the city of trillions, hating how alone he felt. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Fives’s death than Rex had told him. They were soldiers. Cerra was a soldier. They were accustomed to losing people—it hurt like hell, but they knew the risks. What had happened to carve that deep well of pain in Cerra’s eyes? What was Rex not telling him? On impulse, he holocommed Riyo.

“Hello, Echo,” she said with a smile. “This is a nice surprise.”

“Is this a good time?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m done with work for the day, and I’ve just finished eating dinner. I’m all yours for as long as you want me. Is everything all right?”

Kriff, she was pretty. Her full lips curved in an alluring smile, and the sparkle in her golden eyes was visible even through the shaky hologram.

“Yes,” he said. “Everything is fine. I just wanted to see you.”

“I didn’t think you got many opportunities to be alone,” she said.

“I don’t, but I needed some air. Cerra and Rex are back at the garage.”

“And where are you?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” he frowned. “On top of some abandoned building in a part of the city where I would never bring you.”

“Is that safe?” she asked, concerned.

“I’m not worried,” he said.

“I’m a little worried,” she said. “Why don’t you come to my flat?”

Echo was startled. “Are you sure?”

“There’s a private landing platform that accesses my suite at the Pantoran embassy. I’m sending the coordinates and access code now.”

“In that case, I’ll see you soon,” he said.

Riyo paced in her suite, unaccountably nervous. It was strange; she could easily give a speech to tens of thousands of senators and dignitaries, but as she checked and rechecked her reflection to make sure her hair wasn’t doing anything strange and she didn’t have anything stuck in her teeth, her body filled with jittery energy. She smoothed her hands over her blouse, trying to brush away some of the wrinkles it had accumulated after a long day of committee sessions and meetings with constituents.

The door chimed. Not the main door; the private entrance at the back of her suite. A quick glance at the security holocams revealed Echo, helmeted and in full armor. Riyo’s heart lodged in her throat as she hurried to admit him. The door slid open, and Echo removed his helmet. 

“Hello,” she said, feeling suddenly shy.

“Ma’am,” he said with a formal nod, and she realized this was just as awkward for him. Somehow, that eased her nerves.

“Please come in,” she said. 

He glanced quickly around the room as he entered, and she wondered if he was looking for threats. It must be practically instinctive for him by now. His eyes came to rest on her, and he gave her a small, gentle smile that sent warmth tingling through her.

“Thank you for the invitation,” he said.

“Of—of course!” she stammered. “You seemed like you might need to talk to a friend.”

“Is that what we are?” he asked. “Friends?”

“I hope so,” she said.

“I hope so, too,” he replied. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope we could also be more. Is that something you want?”

There was something refreshing about his directness, accustomed as she was to the doublespeak and prevarication of her fellow politicians. 

“I think you know the answer,” she said.

“I need to hear you say it,” he replied, taking a step closer to her. 

Oh, stars, he smells amazing.

“Yes,” she whispered.

He raised his hand to her face, trailing his fingers along her jaw, brushing his thumb over her lips. She swallowed thickly as her breath became shallow and fast. She closed the space between them, tilting her head back to meet his gaze.

“You have the most beautiful eyes,” she said softly.

He slid his hand to the back of her head, fingers threading into her hair, and then he kissed her. His lips were soft and warm, and Riyo let out a quiet, involuntary moan as his tongue brushed against hers. She felt as though she were drowning in him—his taste, his scent, his touch. When their lips parted, she gradually became aware that her arms had wrapped around him, seemingly of their own volition, as she had explored his armored body with her hands. He was holding her, too, his prosthetic arm wrapped firmly around her waist, and he traced a path down her throat with his thumb.

His gaze roamed over her, taking in the way her lips parted and her breasts rose and fell with each quick breath, the way her wide eyes gave away too many of her thoughts, and she felt vulnerable, exposed, as though he had laid bare her entire soul. Look away, her mind begged. Don’t let him see. It’s too soon for you to feel this way. What if he thinks you’re a pathetic little girl with a silly crush? He could destroy you, grind your heart beneath his heel and leave you a mangled, bloody mess.

But somehow, as she looked deeply into his eyes, she knew that he would never, ever do that. That he would carry her heart as carefully and securely as he did his own. And so, she traced her hands lightly down his chest plate until she reached the belt that held up his heavy kama and unbuckled it with a deft movement. Next, she slipped her fingers beneath the shoulder straps of his cuirass until she found the clips that held the two pieces together, and one by one, she teased them open. She removed the plates carefully, setting them aside, and then stroked her palms down his chest and abdomen, feeling the firm, wiry muscles beneath the dark red fabric of his jacket.

He watched her with undisguised hunger, and when she stood on her tiptoes to lick the bit of exposed skin at the top of his neck, he snapped, pulling her body tightly against his and crushing his lips to hers in a ravenous kiss. He walked her backward until she pressed against the wall, and when he rocked his hips against her, she could feel the rigid length of his cock through their clothing.

“Oh, stars,” she panted, breaking away from his lips. But he didn’t end the kiss; he worked his mouth across her jaw and down her throat, licking and biting and sucking gently on her skin, and the sounds she made would have embarrassed her if she hadn’t been so aroused. “Don’t stop, Echo, please don’t stop.”

She felt his hand cup her breast and dimly wondered when he’d unbuttoned and slipped her blouse off her arms, but it didn’t matter, because he was making his way down her chest with that incredible, talented mouth of his, and then he was kneeling in front of her, and when he sucked her nipple into his mouth, her legs nearly gave out. She tugged at his pauldrons until they clattered to the floor, and then she felt the waistband of her trousers loosen and the fabric slide down her hips, leaving her utterly exposed.

Echo paused long enough to bite down on the fingertip of his glove and yank it off, and then Riyo felt the smooth, glorious slide of his skin against hers as he grasped her inner thigh and glided his hand upwards. She cradled his head in her hands as he sucked on her breasts, and when his fingertips brushed over her sex and felt her slippery arousal, he groaned against her.

“Fuck, Riyo,” he said, sitting back on his heels to take in the sight of her. “Look how beautiful you are. So, so kriffing beautiful.”

He leaned forward until he was nearly pressed against her, but before he touched her, he raised his eyes to her face.

“Is this all right?” he asked, his honey-gold eyes wide and serious.

“Yes, please yes,” she said. “Please, Echo, I need you to—oohh—”

Her brain skidded to a halt and took her power of speech with it as Echo slid his tongue into her, latching his lips over her cunt.

“Fuck!” she gasped, her voice barely a breath. “Gods, fuck, I can’t—”

He dropped lower and leaned forward, stroking his scomplink up the inside of her calf and encouraging her to drape her leg over him. His height made it a little difficult for her to reach, but once Riyo rested her thigh on his shoulder, he moved in between her legs, his tongue diving deep inside her as his thumb traced firm circles around her clit, not pressing directly on the sensitive flesh, but finding the perfect rhythm to drive all the thoughts from her head. Quiet grunts of pleasure escaped him, as though he had never tasted anything so delicious in his life.

Riyo was less controlled than Echo. She tried to keep her voice down so as not to draw the attention of the guards outside the doors of her suite, but she couldn’t suppress her whimpers and gasps as Echo devoured her like a man starved. Her leg trembled as pleasure swirled tightly through her body. Echo flattened his palm against her belly and slid up her body to cup her breast, squeezing gently and rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He gazed worshipfully up at her from between her thighs, and she locked eyes with him as the pressure in her abdomen finally snapped and sent her hurtling into ecstasy.

Her body crumpled, but Echo caught her, clamping his hand firmly over her mouth to muffle her cries, even as he wrecked her over and over with his mouth. At last, when he had wrung every last shuddering drop of pleasure out of her body, he lowered her onto his lap and wrapped her comfortingly in his arms, stroking his hand gently across her skin.

“That’s it, love,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s my lovely girl. You look so beautiful like this. You make such pretty sounds when you come. I hated to stop you. I wanted to hear every little moan and gasp and scream. Next time, love.”

Riyo shook her head. “Bedroom,” she gasped. “Soundproof.”

Echo smiled. “Lead the way.”

Cerra didn’t look up when the barracks door opened. The mattress shifted as Rex sat next to her on the bunk. He leaned close to peer at the holo she held.

“Was that at 79’s?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said.

In the picture, Tup’s long hair tumbled around his shoulders as Cerra hugged him close. They were both laughing uproariously as Fives made a crude gesture at the holocam. She remembered the night with crystal clarity, even though they’d all just done a round of shots with Jesse and Kix when Kix snapped the holo. Jesse had been teasing Tup about his non-regulation hair and had threatened to shave it off next time Tup fell asleep.

“Never!” Cerra had exclaimed, shrieking with laughter as she wrapped her arms around Tup’s head. “I’ll protect you, Tup!”

“Kix took this about five minutes before we all got bounced for being too loud,” Cerra said. “I’m honestly surprised we didn’t end up in the Corrie drunk tank.”

Rex cupped Cerra’s chin in his hand and tilted her face toward him. “Do you need bacta?”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

He leaned in to confirm that she wasn’t seriously injured then stroked along her jaw. “You’re going to have a nice bruise. Gregor is going to kick my ass when he finds out how you got it.”

“I’ll tell him I had an argument with the speeder, and the speeder won,” she said. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve dropped a vehicle on myself.”

“I’m sorry I hit you,” he said.

“No need to apologize, Rex. I know it was an accident.”

“Echo didn’t mean to hurt you, either,” Rex said in a low voice.

“I know,” she said. “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting it. I’ll talk to him in a bit.”

“He took the bike out for a spin,” he said. “It’s just us for now.”

“Just like the bad old days,” she said with the faintest flicker of humor. “Maker forbid.”

Rex had slept like the dead for more than half a day, but he still looked exhausted: the kind of bone-deep weariness that could never be cured by a mere few hours of extra rest. She wondered if she looked like that, too. His thigh felt reassuringly warm and solid as it pressed along her leg, and she shifted a little, seeking the comfort of his touch.

His breath ghosted softly across her skin, and she swayed unconsciously closer to him, close enough to see the individual hairs of the stubble on his jaw, close enough to smell the soap they all shared on his skin. His thumb traced back down her cheek, and when she raised her eyes, his gaze was riveted to her mouth.

“I’m not him, Cerra,” he whispered.

“I know,” she said quietly. “And I’m not her.”

At last, Rex dragged his eyes away from her mouth and shot her a rueful smile. “Quite a pair, aren’t we?”

She tried and failed to return his smile, then closed her eyes as he dropped his forehead to rest against hers.

“Rex?” she asked without opening her eyes.

“Hmm?”

“Do you ever think about giving up?”

“Every day,” he said. “You?”

“Every day.”

“Do you think you will?” he asked.

“Never.”

---

Next chapter

A/N: Want to read about the night from Cerra's hologram? It's from the first half of this one-shot: "Do It Again."

[monsieuroverlord]

NYX #1 Thoughts:

It was alright, very Kamala/Ms. Marvel and Sophie-focused. It was a decent set up of the premise, and I'll keep an eye on it.

Spoilers:

The Krakoan is Julian Keller/Hellion as everyone called it. Just in case anyone missed the leaks on Twitter.

Him and the rest of Cuckoos are apparently working with Empath, and the current implication is that he may be amping up and/or twisting their post-Krakoa emotions.

Anole, we didn't see much of, other than he's a bartender now.

Not only is David teaching, but he's also a tenure-track professor.

As someone who works for an American university, I'd be so curious to see how that happened. I mean, at least for the department I work for (very research-heavy stem field), its a LOT to negotiate tenure-track, even with years of experience and a Ph.D. Its like a 3-4 day marathon of presentations, wining-and-dining, meetings after meetings, tours, and a red-eye flight back home. You basically gotta meet everyone in our department and not only show that you know what you're talking about, but also that you won't be an asshole to the established professors (I know this, because I'm the one assisting in organizing everything and making sure the right faculty shows up on time to give a lab tour to the applicant, lol)

I think in some areas, you can get away with an M.S. degree for tenure, but in most cases, its Ph.D.

And that doesn't even mean you are guaranteed to get tenure. There's a whole other review process for that.

Anyway, Sophie is right to call it out here. It does kinda feel like a hand-out. I wonder if that will come into play later?

I'd like to see David's point of view first, though. Maybe there's a secret plot where some of the faculty are evil and its an anti-mutant trap to lure him into a false sense of security. But he's too smart for that and plays them. I don't know.

Or maybe he got his P.h.D. That'd be dope.

I don't trust David's new boyfriend. He hasn't said much yet, but I don't trust him.

This issue is heavily focused on Kamala's point of view, and strongly features Sophie as well. It makes sense, as Kamala is the "newer mutant" in a sense, and serves well to introduce the reader to the setting and potentional storylines to follow.

Sophie and Kamala also have a budding friendship, and I think it's very cute.

I think the next issue at least is supposed to shift to Laura's point of view.

We also don't see too much of Laura, and she didn't appear to be in the college class? Maybe she joins later, or is a guest speaker, I don't know. OR maybe she's going undercover?!?!

We did get this pretty image on the opening page:

Laura only runs into Kamala while she's investigating a mutant terrorist attack.

I love her new look so much. It's very fashionable and actually makes her look distinct from Logan while she's still clearly a Wolverine. Props to the designer.

And now Marvel needs to free Akihiro from Hellverine psuedo-death-ressurection and give him a unique outfit and/or codename too. Thank you.

Laura really only says this though:

I don't know how I feel about her characterization here. I mean, its not the worst thing, but it lacks context for me.

I mean, what is Laura doing? Where is Gabby? Is Akihiro still dead and she's surly with grief? (because Hellverine hasn't finished yet and we don't know how that will end) Does she feel like she has to pick up the pieces and play hero because Logan fucked off to the Canadian Wilderness again?

I have many questions about my girl and her general well-being.

In general, I'm currently on the fence about her characterization. It could go either way.

I suppose we'll have to wait until next issue ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In summary, it was a decent set-up. I read the X-Men Monday interview, so there was nothing that surprised me. Art is very good.

Also, this is me being a grumpy old bastard, but I hate the QR code pages they're doing now. Just print the damn page. I tried the scanner on both my phone and tablet, and it kept redirecting me to a broken link and I get a "500 Internal Error" message. I have no idea what that page is about. I personally don't like this concept of secret QR code pages and is irritating.

For digital reading, its more okay, but I also buy physical copies. I don't want to have to whip out my phone and/or tablet just for a gimmick to get the full issue. And who knows if the website eventually goes defunt years from now and then the QR codes are rendered useless. Then what?

[akehoshimystar]

Riku SSR

#7043BB

Part 1

Kiho: Yes, the matter is settled. We managed to convince them. Riku’s cooperation is truly something else, he really made it easier in every aspect. Ito: That's good… I knew he could do it.

A problem occurred during the special request. It was resolved peacefully, and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Kiho: Oh, right. I was going to ask you something when there’s a chance. Are you free on July 25th? It’s Riku’s birthday on the 26th, so the whole Negotiation Dept. are having a dinner, would you like to join? Ito: (Not on the day, but the day before. So it's his birthday’s eve?) I think I’m free on that day. Though I'll check the schedule just to be sure. (25th July…………25th July………………)

Riku: Good work. Ito: Oh, Riku-san. Good work. Kiho: Speak of the devil. Riku: Huh? Kiho: The case was resolved thanks to your help, Riku. Riku: Oh, that one? I’m glad to hear that. Kiho: Now that it's settled, I was asking Ito about her schedule on the 25th. Riku: Oh, I see. I guess it’s hard to refuse when I’m here. Ito: (I think I have a little deadline I have to deal with just before then.) I think it’ll be fine so… Well, I don’t think I’m convincing anyone here. Umm, do I have to hand in the calendar as proof? Riku: Haha. You don't have to go that far. I'd be happy if you could come, but if that costs a change in your plan, I don’t mind if you prioritize it. Kiho: Riku. I think you already know this. What Ito is trying to say is she doesn’t want you to be concerned and be held back by her. It’s rude if you don't take her feeling into account. Riku: Of course I know, and thanks to that I'm on the verge of falling for you. But if we were in different positions, Kiho would have the same reaction as me, no? Kiho: I won’t deny that. Except for the "I'm on the verge of falling for you” part.

Ito: (They get along well.)

As I was watching the casual exchange between these two, my heart skipped a beat when I suddenly saw Riku-san turn towards me.

Riku: Thank you, Ito. I'm looking forward to 25th July.

Ito: Same here.

From the way he looked directly in my eyes, I could tell that his words were not just a lip-service.

Part 2

And then, the night before Riku-san's birthday has arrived….

Riku: Hmm, now this is quite tasteful.

The sound of Shishi-odoshi echoed from the garden. The big set meal lined up in front of us is bright and delicately arranged.

Ito: (.….Wow.) (Since they are the members from Negotiation Dept., I expected it to have a relaxing atmosphere.) (I never thought they'd come to such a high-class restaurant…)

Kiho: By the way, Ito. Everything okay with your work? Ito: Yes, I managed to get it done.

Kyoya: That’s a relief, isn’t it, Riku-san? You were really worried whether she pushed herself too hard. Riku: Come on, don’t just blurt out something like that. Ito: Thank you for your concern. I adjusted myself properly so that I could join you with a clear mind. There's no problem. Riku: Does that mean you worked hard for my sake? Ito: Since I did all that to celebrate Riku-san’s birthday, so in a way you’re not wrong… Kyoya: There doesn't seem to be any deep emotion behind it, Riku-san. Riku: I guess so. Anyway, I'm glad you’re free from your concern now. I'd be happy if you could enjoy yourself today Kiho: I chose a private room so don’t hold yourself back. Ito: Yes. Kyoya: By the way, Riku-san. It seems like this store also has some good whiskey. Riku: Oh, nice. Let's have that next once we finish our beer. Ito: (Riku-san must really like whiskey.) Kyoya: Which brand should we go for? Riku: I'll leave that to you, Kyoya. Just pick out the recommended one. Kyoya: Got it. Riku: I kinda want to increase my drinking pace for this occasion, but I guess I have to keep it moderate to avoid hangover tomorrow. Kyoya: I'm pretty sure you have plans tomorrow night. Riku: Yes, a very important matter. Ito: (I see, since tomorrow is Riku-san’s birthday…) (It's not surprising that he has plans to spend time with someone important.) So that’s why the celebration with Negotiation Dept. came a day early. Riku: Yup. Kiho: ………..

Part 3

Kiho: Even so, Riku is also a serious type. Riku: Where is that coming from? Kiho: Regarding that very important matter of yours. Even though you were asked to go earlier than the original date, there was no need for you to screw your birthday over that, right? Ito: (…………………Huh?) Riku: Well, it seemed like my client needs my presence as soon as possible, even if it’s one day earlier. Ito: (Don’t tell me…..) Kyoya: Oh yeah. Riku-san is a high-demand counselor after all. Ito: (So his important appointment is about work?) Riku: Well, at this age, something like birthday doesn’t really feel special anymore. Even if I have to spend my days working, I don't really mind. Kiho: Funny how when everyone was a kid, they looked forward to it and was excited for days in advance. Kyoya: Does that apply to you too, Kiho-san? Kiho: Who knows? Riku: I can't imagine Kiho being what he is now when he was a child. Ito: (…. I guess they're trying to subtly correct my misunderstanding without mentioning it.)

More than feeling sorry for the mistake, I felt warmed by their smart consideration.

Kyoya: But, Riku-san. There may be people who don't feel special about it, but those around you think of your birthday as a special day. Riku: Oh? Kiho: That's right. The fact that we all gathered here to celebrate Riku’s birthday is enough proof, isn’t it? Riku: You guys really know your way with words, huh? To the point where I really want to capture this marvelous and leisure moment I spend with friends like this.

With that said, Riku-san took out a professional camera from his bag.

Kyoya: In that case, the main character should be in the picture as well. Ito: Oh, I'll do it! Just press the shutter, right? Riku: What are you talking about? We’re all in this together. Let's ask the waitress.

By the time I nodded in response to Riku-san's suggestion, Kiho-san had already made the request to waitress via extension.

Soon after, the commemorative shot was taken.

Riku: Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

After taking a camera from the waitress, we all looked into it. Riku-san and his warm smile were surrounded by everyone.

Riku: ……. Kyoya: It turns out nicely, doesn’t it? Kiho: Right. Ito: (It's refreshing to see Riku-san wear this expression.)

Kyoya: Once again, happy birthday.

Kiho: Happy birthday, Riku. Ito: Happy birthday.

Riku: Hey, you’re making me shy here. But, thank you. The feelings I got from everyone today really touched my heart.

Riku-san looked straight at each person and smiled. Even though it’s not actually his birthday, everyone could tell that today is his special day.

[greateasternj69]

While Ruleton was speaking in his office on the phone negotiating with the BR locomotive department for the loaning of a DMU. Outside at the station's main concourse. A lone Class 47 wearing the livery of the Overhead yellow and orange with black cab windows and with the number DTO3 stood looking up at the windows to the offices from a vantage point at Platform three. With a long face he wondered how his manager was coping after the meeting with Alistair earlier. He had seen the staff who were with Ruleton earlier leave the offices for home earlier with looks of disappointment on their faces and uncertainty. To him they were the looks of hopelessness as a sign of them losing hope, and when seeing that losing of hope he immediately knew what the outcome of the meeting was, and it wasn’t in the railways favour. For as long as the 47 could remember since had arrived on the railway, he knew that Alistair had been cutting subsidies to his owners railway as part of his and his corporate partners intention to eliminate the cities public transport network having heard the rumours from the residence, and he had seen it all come true unfold before his very eyes. The overhead bridges and structures were in a desperate state of repair and could collapse at any moment, the carriage stock was broken and outdated, they were in short supply of locomotives due to his owner being unable to afford another one, and a lot of the railways staff had been laid off due to Ruleton being unable to pay, leaving them with only a few staff in each department left. Seeing that this last meeting had once again failed to turn things around for the better and get Alistair to see sense in his actions towards the railway. The 47 felt there was no hope for the railway to get out of its financial situation, and with the election coming up next month he knew the outcome would be in Alistair's favour, and he would go through with his intentions of cutting the final subsidies the overhead had been on life support on, finishing the railway off for good, and Highstruct would win. The sinking feeling of what will eventually happen, made him feel that his home, which had been the whole world to him, would finally come crashing down once Alistair put his plan after his reelection into action. He wished there was something he could do to help save the overhead and save his home. But he was afraid that he would only make the situation worse for the railway and his manager. Alistair most likely wouldn’t take his words seriously, as he saw his kind as nothing but an outdated piece of technology that was a relic of a bygone era that was now over, and were to be replaced by a technology that gave people the so-called freedom to go anywhere, and he believed was superior to them in every single way possible. Contrary to the truth that he and his friends, including his manager, saw in front of them with their own eyes, everyday. “I want to raise my voice and stand up to Alistair and show him the consequences his and his cronies' actions are bringing upon everyone in Tarmingham… But I might only make everything worse and no one will understand me or take me seriously anyway… There is nothing I can do to save my home, this railway…” the 47 said sadly to himself, as he lowered his eyes in sadness as he slowly rolled away back to the shed. Feeling that nothing could be done to save the overhead within the next month, and convinced that Alistair and HighwayStruct would finally win the battle. However, what he didn’t know was that the overhead’s situation was about to change for the better, and it would come with the DMU’s that Ruleton was about to meet and bring to his railway.

Another Illustration done for Chapter 1 of TFTTOH Book 1, this one is near to the end of the chapter where we're introduced to another major character in the story, Andrew the Class 47 who is standing at platform two at Tarmingham Piccadilly Street station looking hopeless after eavesdropping on the meeting between his railways owner Mr. Ruleton and the cities mayor Alistair Lancaster over where the funding for the overhead was going, with the outcome not being in the railways favour. With him being afraid about losing his home after the next election in which he fears Alistair is sure to win for sure and would cut the final subsidies from the railway afterwards, and wishes he could do something to help save it, but fears that he would only make the situation worse for the railway and his manager, believing no one will understand him. Convincing himself that Alistair and HighwayStruct will win for sure, little knowing that the railways situation is about to change for the better.

Tarmingham Overhead Railway and Characters: © GreatEasternJ69

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

Hello!! it's my first time doing an Anon, this is kind of a vent also,

Recently someone confessed to me which i was rlly flattered about I noticed they really wanted to chase me so I warned them I'm cupioromatic and they replied with "same" like bestie wtf? anyways the next day, they messaged me in the morning (actually it was just earlier) and they said "I was in their dreams" which was cringe my dude, and also I think they're love bombing me?? bc previously they had a crush on a girl in the same class as mine and that girl returned their feelings (idk what happened but they're not on speaking terms anymore) but now they're saying they had a crush on me since the first day of school???? I want to turn them down but we're still classmates the next school year so I don't want to make things awkward especially since I know we're going to get grouped in projects and stuff and they're our top 2 out of the whole class so It's really nice to get academic advice from them

Yeah, there's definitely some flags there, mostly in how strong they're coming on, and definitely not sounding genuine/honest in a lot of what they're saying. Make sure you trust your instincts, Anon, if it feels off it probably is.

Turning people down is hard, you want to be nice, but no matter how nice you are it will always hurt to be rejected. I think it's always best to make sure you have a very clear no, it can be a nice/gentle no, you can even lie about why if you want, but it has to be clear and non-negotiable. It's a hard position to be in, but the longer you draw it out, the worse it'll usually be and the more hurt the other person's feelings are likely to be.

I'm sorry you're in this position, Anon. Good luck!

[writersmorgue]

FIC IDEA! Katsuki asks Deku out with wording that to the reader is OBVIOUSLY romantic but just subtle enough that it is PLAUSIBLE for Deku to have misunderstood the situation. Katsuki immediately starts taking him on outings and being more physically affectionate and cooking for him all the time and Deku appears to reciprocate and at least half the class ALSO thinks they're dating. This goes on for at least a couple months.

Then, someone flirts with and touches Deku in some way that is obviously romantic (maybe tucking his hair or touching his face, maybe kissing his hand, maybe just straight up kissing him?) or even explicitly asks him out and gets a flustered "maybe" kind of response from Deku and Katsuki sees and is obviously very upset. He storms off and Deku follows him to find out what's wrong.

When he actually outright asks "hey, Kacchan, are you okay? What's wrong?" Katsuki is floored and responds "Are you gaslighting me or are really just this stupid? Even if you're poly or whatever, if you want to see multiple people you have to SAY that. You have to negotiate that shit, you can't just do whatever you want!"

And Deku is like "what??? are you talking about??? what multiple people??? I'm not dating anyone, it was just harmless flirting??? why are you acting like this??? do you want to be my boyfriend or something???"

And Katsuki is even more floored and upset and screams "I AM your fucking boyfriend! But maybe I shouldn't be!"

-

Shindo's fingers are soft on Izuku's chin, pulling his gaze up. His pupils are blown from something he and Sero had been passing around. The smell is acrid to his senses, but honestly, he's not sober enough to care.

He'd been surprised when Shindo had shown up to Mina's mixer, though he probably shouldn't be. He seems to be seeing the man everywhere these days.

He can't help but think of Kacchan, the way Yo looks at him. That heat in his eyes. Though Kacchan would never look at him quite like this, with this level of lust.

His cheeks burn with the thought, and he brushes Shindo's fingers off.

"Ah, the rumors are true? Thought maybe I'd have a chance, but it seems little murder lord actually grew some balls." He pouts, retreating his hands to his slack pockets.

Izuku frowns, brow pinching, "Kacchan- we're not like that."

"You're partners, everyone knows that."

"Hero partners," Izuku corrects, "He asked me when we graduated."

Shindo huffs, smirking, "He asked you to be hero partners, and nothing else?"

Izuku rolls his eyes, tapping his foot to the beat of the music more aggressively as frustration rises in his gut.

"He asked if we could be partners and if I wanted to find a place with him after graduation. We got a one-room because it was cheap, so naturally we're close by proximity." He grumbles, crossing his arms.

Shindo nods, but Izuku can sense the underlying doubt.

"Right, so you sleep in one bed, co-parent a cat, go to fancy restaurants alone on Valentine's Day, share an office at work, and travel everywhere together-" Shindo stares at him flatly, "-as friends."

"YES." Izuku throws his hands up, compelling the girl dancing next to him to slowly inch away, "Is that so hard to believe? Kacchan isn't interested in anyone, anyway. I think I'd have figured out something like that in the three years we've spent basically every day together."

Shindo rolls his eyes, "Deku, I think you underestimate how dense you can be. Your roomie trying to set me on fire with his eyes right now."

"We're not together. Kacchan is only focused on being a hero. We both are." Izuku grits, shoving his pointer finger into Shindo's stupidly buff chest.

"Are you sure?" Shindo raises an eyebrow, gaze flickering to the side,

"Yeah, so maybe leave it alone?!" Izuku gripes, jolting when Shindo suddenly grabs his hand and lifts it, slamming it back on the wall behind him.

"Then let's see what Kacchan has to say about me shoving my tongue down his Deku's throat, hm?" He purrs, leaning in closer.

Izuku's breath hitches, the sweat beading on his neck from the writhing bodies surrounding them suddenly ice cold, "Wh- who said anything about-"

Izuku barely has time to blink before Shindo's hand is ripped from his wrist, and he's thrown back into the beer pong table twelve feet away.

Kacchan barely spares Izuku a glance before he's lunging at the crumpled pro hero. His ears are practically steaming with all the rage emanating from his body

"Keep your slimy little hands off of my fucking boyfriend or I will explode your sad little dick and shove the remains down your damn throat, do you fucking understand?" He shouts, crouching down to pull Shindo up by his shirt collar.

Shindo barely flinches at the threat, opting instead to lean his head around Kacchan's hulking form and wink at Izuku, mouthing a smug little 'I told you so.'

Izuku doesn't even feel bad when Kacchan breaks his nose.

It's only on the way home from the party, when Kacchan rests his hand protectively on Izuku's thigh and apologizes for making a scene, that Izuku realizes how dumb he is.

[lilacella]

I've got 99 problems, would you like to be one?

Ao3

Chapter 3: Like Cats and Dogs

Previous Next

"Just leave him, you know he'll come around to it."

The female voice coming from the corridor in front of the common room made Remus look up from his book.

"He better! If he thinks this is negotiable..."

That was Sirius, unmistakably. Apparently the board meeting hadn't went as smoothly as they both had hoped.

AWERE had been founded with the intention to help werewolves of all classes and backgrounds. But children had never been considered. Maybe because the thought of children being affected was too hard to stomach to even think about or maybe because they needed a lot more in depth care than adults.

The inhabitants of the housing project were mostly responsible for themselves. Food and shelter were provided, but they were expected to prepare their own meals - except for two days after the moon where, Remus had been told, the board members pulled double shifts to make sure everyone was taken care of - and to mostly occupy themselves.

Children however came with a whole different bag of responsibilites. They needed supervision - depending on the age pretty much constantly, they needed to be fed and kept clean, they needed to be taught and parented.

The association simply didn't have the resources to provide these services on top of what they already did. The active members consisted of only five people: Sirius, Gilford, Acacia, Renfred and Aisling - a lot less than Remus had assumed. And they already ran on fumes.

Still, Sirius had assured him throughout the past week that Olivia would be able to stay. As long as Remus stayed with her and took over the main responsibility.

He hadn't been ready for this. It had scared him and honestly, taking care of a child on top of the mess he currently called his life was the last thing he needed.

Of course he had agreed.

Olivia needed someone. And as scary as it might seem, Remus would do his best to step up. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, as long as Sirius had his back...

The door to the common room was pushed open and Sirius and Acacia entered. Olivia looked up from her magical creatures puzzle and excitedly waved at them.

Sirius smiled back but Remus could see the worry in his eyes. That did not bode well.

"Go talk to Remus," he heard Acacia say quietly while she nuged Sirius towards the couch Remus was sitting on, making her own way over to Olivia. "Wow, you almost got it solved already! Good job!"

Sirius plopped down next to Remus and sighed. Then he glanced over to the book on his lap with a smirk.

"Oh my, you are reading a book? I thought you never do that!"

Remus snorted in annoyance and slapped the book shut.

"I merely said that it's not the only thing I do."

"Which I never implied."

"Yes you did!"

"No, I just said you would enjoy the library and you got all catty..."

"I didn't get catty, I just pointed out that..." Acacia shot them a look from across the room and Remus faltered.

"How did the meeting go?"

Sirius dropped back into the seating and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Peachy. Gilford thinks Olivia will 'destabilise the integrity of the whole project' - ridiculous, really - and I think Aisling just doesn't want our workload to increase. Acacia is on my side though. I think Olivia reminds her of her sister..."

Remus nodded. During a quick intro to his fellow board members, Sirius had mentioned how Acacia joined because her little sister got bitten young and died, because the local hospital had refused to treat her.

"I think Aisling might be onto something...If you take one, you are..."

"Setting a precedent, Merlin you sound like Gilford," Sirius growled. "So what, then let's set a precedent! We should figure out what we can do for affected children anyways, we might as well start now!"

"But you don't have the people for it."

"We've got you, for Olivia. And...Well, I guess I agree that we can't make this a large scale situation now. But I don't think it is ludicrous to allow children, as long as they are accompanied by an adult."

Remus nodded again. "I'm the adult."

Sirius laughed.

"Looks like it."

"So can she stay?"

"Yes. But Gilford hates it and will blame me, if anything goes wrong. And he refuses to take any type of responsibility for her so if it's his shift, you will be on your own I'm afraid."

"That's alright." Remus drew thoughtful circles on his thigh. These were good news. If Olivia wouldn't have been able to stay, he would have left with her. And he didn't want to leave. He didn't like to admit it, but Sirius was really a life saviour in this case..."Thank you, for taking care of this."

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly and leaned his arm onto the backrest behind Remus.

"It's no bother."

He threw a look at Remus' book again.

"What are you reading?"

"The tragic tales of Timonberd the Troll hunter. It's a memorial biography for... Well, for Timonberd the Troll hunter. Apparently he died in a ravine because a Troll threw a rock at him... It's not very good."

Sirius grinned in amusement.

"Then why are you reading it? Considering that you have so many other options..."

Remus huffed. This fucker.

"It's not like I don't have any interests besides reading, it's rather that I lack the energy to do much..."

That should shut him up.

"Excuses. You could do anything you wanted, for at least two weeks of the month. You just like reading, admit it."

"I want to kill you, how about I do that?"

Sirius grinned widely.

"See, that is a great idea! Would keep us both busy."

Remus felt warm. Something about bickering with Sirius like that felt oddly comfortable. Like it was something that was theirs...

"You are one to talk about hobbies, actually. What do you even do besides AWERE? You are here all the time!"

Sirius let out an indignant gasp.

"I do have hobbies! I have my bike..."

"Riding a vehicle is hardly a hobby."

"Well, I also need to fix things on it occasionally..."

"Fix things?! I thought it was perfectly safe?"

"It is, because I fix the things!"

"Still, hardly a hobby. What else have you got?"

Sirius snorted and crossed his arms.

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

"So you don't have anything else then."

"I do! I read, as well."

"You do?"

"Did you just sound surprised?!"

"No no, I've just never seen you read..."

"Because I read so fast."

Remus couldn't hold back a laugh.

"I bet you do."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Now, Sirius seemed actually a little offended.

"No," Remus said quickly. "Reading has nothing to do with how smart you are..."

"I do read though..."

"Fine, name five authors?" This was a stupid question, but ribbing at Sirius was just so much fun...

"Oh boy, be careful that you don't get a cramp, holding that gate so tightly..."

Remus spluttered at the mental image.

"I'm sorry I'm just getting at you."

Sirius rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Are you reading anything right now?"

"Yes. But it's mostly specialized non-fiction to be honest. I don't think I could get invested into Timonberd's adventures..."

"It's a hard thing to do."

"Trollskin hard..."

They burst into inexplicable laughter.

Remus had found that he enjoyed spending time with Sirius. With him, things just seemed to flow. Sometimes in the wrong direction, leading them into whitewater, always in motion, never stalling, but it didn't concern Remus. He knew that if he would fall off the boat, no matter how mad Sirius would be at him in the moment, he'd jump after him in a heartbeat. And then continue to pretend like he really didn't care at all, after dragging him back on board...

Pretentious bastard.

**

"Ouch, you are pulling too hard!" Olivia slapped Remus' fingers off her head. "And this looks really bad!"

"I'm sorry, I'm not very well versed in braiding hair..."

Olivia pulled on her half braided plait and inspected it with open distaste. Remus cringed in frustration. He was trying his best here!

Something Remus hadn't considered when taking over the care of the small girl, was the long hair. You couldn't just keep it open, it would tangle horribly and brushing it at night would become an unmanageable ordeal.

Remus had figured out how to do a ponytail and pigtails, quickly. Wasn't that hard. Brainding, on the other hand turned out to be rather complicated and he was a little out of his depth. But Olivia had asked for plaits and Remus really didn't want to dissapoint her.

An idea crossed his mind.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

He rushed out the door towards the reception where Sirius was bent over a notebook, scribbeling down numbers.

"Hey. Are you busy?"

Sirius looked up and regarded him with a brief smile.

"Just writing the list for next month. We are low on a bunch of stuff... Do you need anything?"

"Uhm. Yes. Could you maybe just come with me real quick?"

Sirius frowned, but followed Remus into his room.

"I can't figure out how to do plaits. And... I thought maybe you knew how to."

Sirius crossed his arms, defensively.

"And why would I know that?"

"Well, you've got long hair and..."

"Is it braided?"

"No, but..."

"You are unbelievable."

Sirius shoved Remus aside and picked up the questionable braid.

"This is parted awfully, and what is this supposed to be?"

Remus pressed his lips together. Olivia giggled.

"He is really bad!"

"Don't worry love, I'm here now," Sirius said softly to Olivia, shooting Remus a side-eye, before proceeding to undo Remus' work while clicking his tounge with contemptuousness.

"I want pretty plaits! Not the simple ones!"

"French or fishtail?"

Olivia squealed. "I don't know. Pretty ones!"

"Then let's go for french braids today," Sirius said as if these words were commonplace knowledge and started brushing Olivias hair into more even parts.

He threw Remus a look.

"Don't just stand there. Pick up the other side and follow along! I'm not going to do this everyday!"

Olivia giggled and kicked her feet on the chair as Remus meekly followed Sirius' directions.

"So you do know how to braid," he stated as he tried to somehow follow what on earth Sirius was doing there, pulling strands from the outside in and crossing them over in a rapid rhythm, creating a clean and even pattern. Remus own fingers constantly got entangled in the hair and he had to reopen sections, because they looked wonky.

"But not my own. Used to do it for my cousins when I was a kid. When we were still close... Kept me busy during all the dismal family functions."

Remus realised, that he barely knew anything about Sirius' family. He knew that the Blacks were blood supremacists, all in Slytherin, except Sirius.

Sirius, the black sheep of the black family. Rather ironic. He also knew, that Sirius had ran away from home during one summer. Apparently things had been pretty bad. Remus didn't know any details, only faint gossip and theories about the most horrible things. He couldn't imagine them to be true. Or maybe he just didn't want to imagine something like that happening to carefree, brave Sirius.

"What are you doing? You will ruin her hair!" Sirius pulled Remus' hand off the braid, having already finished his own and swiftly undid Remus' braiding once more.

"Watch closely! Take hair from the outside, right over the middle. Take hair from outside again, left over the middle. It's really not that difficult!"

"I'm just not used to it, okay? No need to be so snappish."

"I'm not snappish, you are..."

"Are you two in love?"

Olivias innocent words made them both freeze up.

"What?"

"Well, Mommy always said that if a boy is being mean to me, it means he likes me. So you two like eachother?"

Sirius smiled painfully and mumbled between gritted teeth: "What a great thing to teach a child. Maybe it's good we are keeping you here..."

"We aren't mean to each other," Remus tried to explain. "We were just..."

"Bantering." Sirius helped him out.

"Right. Just bantering. Friendly."

"So you aren't in love then?" Olivia didn't seem entirely convinced. Sirius shot Remus a look that he couldn't quite read.

"No, love. Were just... Friends."

Sirius let Remus take over the braiding again, this time only gently correcting him when he picked up the wrong strands.

**

"Can I keep it?" Olivia looked up at Remus with large, pleading eyes, tightly clutching the crusty stray cat she had met while playing on the street and had promptly carried into the foyer.

"No pets! Take the cat outside!" Aisling said sternly and pointed towards the door. Olivia directed her puppy eyes towards her now.

"But it doesn't have a home! And this is a shelter!"

"It is a cat! This is a werewolf shelter!" Aisling said, already a lot less sharp. She threw a look over to Remus, seeking for backup.

Remus knelt down and carefully removed the animal from Olivia's grip.

"Please let go, love. Look, you can't just pick animals off the street like that," he gently explained. "Maybe it does have a home."

Both Aisling and Olivia looked rather sceptical at the emaciated creature. It meowed heartbreakingly and latched onto Remus' jumper.

"See," Olivia said excitedly. "She likes you. Oh, can't we keep her? Pleeeease?"

Remus sighed. This was one of the tough moments of parenthood...

"No," he said firmly. "We will have to take it back outside. But we can start feeding it, if you like...Outside!"

Olivia pouted.

"But I want to keep the kitty!"

The cat looked rather like an old tomcat than a kitty. And it smelled. No way Remus was going to let this thing sleep in Olivia's room. It probably had fleas...

"No," Remus repeated and started to carry the cat back towards the door.

"Nooo! You are so mean! I want to keep the kitty!"

Olivia started wailing and did not stop, following Remus all the way outside. He had to carry her back to her room, kicking and screaming.

"Olivia! You cannot keep the cat, okay?" He placed her down on a chair. "It lives outside. It probably wouldn't even like being in a house."

"It would! You are being mean, like Gilford!"

Remus flinched. Now that was uncalled for!

Despite Remus' and Aisling's many attempts to console her, Olivia kept sulking the entire rest of the day. Throwing whistful glances out the window, looking for Kitty. Remus felt awful. But part of parenting was keeping firm boundaries. He had read this in a parenting guidebook from the library.

When Olivia heard the front door, she dashed out of her room, tearfully storming into Sirius' arms. Remus hurried after her.

"What's wrong, love?" Sirius picked Olivia up with concern. He turned to Remus and Aisling. "Did something happen?"

"She is just mad, because we aren't letting her keep the cat," said Aisling and started to gather her belongings from the reception desk - more than ready to be replaced by Sirius. "She has been sulking all day, so enjoy the night..."

Sirius frowned in confusion.

"What cat?"

"Kitty! They are mean to her because she is dirty!"

Sirius raised a questioning eyebrow at Remus. Remus sighed.

"It is a stray cat she met outside. It looked quite neglected, so I didn't think it would be a good idea to let her keep it."

"But kitty needs a home! She is all by herself! And I want to keep her! Can we, please?" She turned to Sirius, clinging onto his shoulders. Remus took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Olivia! I already said no. There will be no further discussions!"

Sirius set her down, pulling a thoughtful face.

"Why not, though? If she wants to keep the cat, why don't we let her? I don't see the problem with it..."

"Well, you never see problems with anything," Remus murmured. The last thing he needed now, was Sirius playing the fun dad.

"We can't let everyone keep a cat, Sirius," Aisling pitched in and gave Olivia an apologetic look.

"But she is just a kid. She needs a companion..."

"She's got me!" Remus stated, feeling mildly offended.

"Yeah sure, but that's different. She's got no other kids to play with... And if the cat would like to stay..."

"If the cat would like to stay?!" What a ridiculous thing to say. Remus couldn't imagine anyone saying something like that apart from Sirius...

"Well, it wouldn't be fair to just imprison it inside all of a sudden. It would still need to be able to get out. Maybe we could install a cat flap in Olivia's room..."

"Out of the question! Who knows what else would crawl inside!" Remus was shocked that Sirius would even suggest this. He already saw Olivia buried under a nursery of racoons!

"We could secure it magically so it only lets this particular cat through. Can't be that hard..."

"I leave you two to this, I'm out! But if you are doing reconstructions on the building without consulting the board, Gilford will choke you." Aisling waved and rushed out the door, faintly shaking her head.

"A magical cat flap? Really?" Remus crossed his arms. He was pissed. All day he'd had been the mean one, to teach Olivia an important lesson, only for Sirius to turn up and blow his efforts to smithereens!

Remus watched with barely concealed anger how Sirius went to look for Kitty and proceeded to sit down with Olivia in her room to clean up the filthy cat.

"Looks like she has some fleas. What do you think we should do about that?"

"Give her a bath!" Olivia shouted and rushed to fill her bathroom sink.

"That's right! But it needs to be a special bath, so the fleas go away. I'm going to get some stuff from the supply room, don't put Kitty into the water until I'm back!"

When Sirius left the room, Remus followed him, determined to give him a piece of his mind.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Sirius turned around looking innocent.

"Bathing a cat?"

"She can't keep it!"

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

Sirius scoffed.

"That is a horrible argument."

"Children need to listen to their parents. She is five! We need to provide guidance at that age! Not let them do whatever they want!"

"You sound like my parents," Sirius spat and unlocked the door to the supply chamber. Remus had a feeling that that was hardly a compliment. And he had about enough of being compared with awful people!

"I am just trying to raise her! That's what you wanted, right? That I take over responsibility. Well, I am! And I don't need you to sabotage me..."

"Sabotage you? I just don't agree with you. What is the issue with her keeping the cat?"

"That she won't ever listen to me again if I say no, because she knows you will override my decision!"

"I'm not...," Sirius paused, turning around from the shelf he'd been inspecting. "I didn't mean to override anything."

Remus let out a breath as his anger quickly subsided at Sirius' change of tone.

"I mean, she just got abandoned by her own parents. That can't be easy for her. And I really think she would benefit from a pet. Don't you agree?"

Remus' heart clenched. Of course he did.

"I...Yes, but..."

"Then don't say no, just for the sake of it."

"I wasn't..."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but there was none of the usual disparage in his expression.

"Remus...She will listen to you, even if you sometimes revert your decisions. Actually it's way more likely she won't listen to you, if you keep making up pointless rules. Or tell her to listen to you just because. It will only drive her away. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about..."

Remus sighed in defeat.

"I just want to protect her."

"From a cat?" Sirius cocked his head.

"From making rash decisions. People like us can't afford that."

"You made a rash decision when you took her here."

Remus looked up, meeting Sirius' gaze. It was almost magnetic, drawing him towards him.

He sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I did. But I don't like it."

"Then leave the rash decisions to me. I'm not saying we should allow her to do everything she wants. But this is not a threat to her wellbeing. I won't let anything happen to her..."

"Does it have to be this crusty animal though..."

"We'll clean it!"

"Still. What if it scratches her..."

Sirius raised an eyebrow again.

"You see the irony in this conversation, do you? Remus, I run a werewolf shelter program. I don't think someones - or somethings - sheer potential to hurt you should be the indication whether you let it in."

Remus frowned deeply at Sirius' wise words, when he suddenly had an epiphany. He chuckled.

"You are doing this to piss off your parents don't you? I'm sure they aren't a fan of their offspring working at something like this."

Sirius looked taken aback.

"What? I..." His eyes wandered to the ceiling lights. "Well... Maybe. A little. But I think I pissed them off sufficiently even without spending all my assets on a minority support project. I do care about this!"

"I didn't say you didn't. But I did wonder... I mean, Acacia's motivation is her late little sister, Aisling is in it because she witnessed the stigma first hand due to her scratch marks, eventhough she isn't a wolf, Renfred studied law and came across it this way. But Gilford and you are a puzzle to me. How did you even stumble upon this?"

Sirius scoffed.

"Gilford thinks it's unjust. Believe it or not, but he really doesn't like it if things aren't right. And when he got with Justine, he was pretty offended on her behalf..."

"Gilford has a werewolf girlfriend?!"

Wild news. And Sirius was dropping it as if it was something to be expected of the uptight dandy...

"Wife."

"Oh."

"Yep."

Remus nodded, processing the new information and trying to adjust his image of Gilford.

"And you?"

"I don't have a wife."

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Well, I figured. You don't wear a ring..."

"You noticed?" Sirius smirked, causing Remus to blush.

"Your motivation, Sirius. What is it? If it's not youthful rebellion..."

"Oh it's always a little rebellion, I'm afraid. Everything I do. But...Well, I guess Gilford and I aren't that different - at least regarding this. After school, I started Auror training and one of the first hands-on jobs I tagged along on was a "wolf hunt". They had spotted a rampaging werewolf in a village in Kent and our superiors took the chance to demonstrate how to take one down..." Sirius glared at the floor, rubbing his elbows. "Needless to say, I didn't care much for their strategies. They just killed the poor lad... Apparently that's easier than to catch them. And...I never believed in that 'werewolves have no soul' bullshit. They were just killing them like rabid animals! It wasn't...It wasn't right." He sighed. "After that I started to look into the legislation, because I couldn't believe that that could be legal! But it was. And among it, I found so much more...So much bullshit to fight against. So that's what I decided to do..."

"Bullshit like 'parents bear no responsibility for the wellbeing of a lycanthropist child' and are free to abandon them in the woods?"

Sirius nodded.

"Yeah. I'll make sure we'll tackle that one next," he said grimly. He looked back up to Remus. "I'll keep Olivia safe, I promise."

Remus sighed.

"You take responsibility for the bloody cat," he murmured and turned to walk back to the room, where Olivia was tending to Kitty. He had a lump in his throat as he watched her petting its head, quietly reiterating what she had had for dinner. Maybe Sirius was right. At least this time.

**

Remus was reading a book in his room, enjoying his well deserved peace after spending an hour reading Olivia to sleep, when Sirius popped his head in.

"Heading out. If there are any issues with Olivia, send me an owl." Sirius handed Remus a card with an address on it.

"Going to a pub, huh?" Remus mused as he saw the logo. Sirius smirked.

"Mandatory pub night. Can't call out on that." He gave Remus a thoughtful look while he hovered in the doorway. "Do you want to come with me? Might do you good to get out a little..."

Remus huffed. He had no desire to go out whatsoever. On the other hand... The thought of spending the evening with Sirius did have a strange appeal.

"I can't leave Olivia alone."

Sirius' smirk was replaced by a fond smile.

"Don't worry about her. She's in bed."

"And yet you gave me the address of the pub in case something goes wrong."

"Sure, but I'll just give it to Acacia instead. It's her shift and I'm sure she won't mind having an eye out for Olivia."

Remus contemplated it for a second. He didn't exactly have any money to go to a pub.

"Come on, prefect boy, my treat."

Had Sirius read his mind? Maybe he should go. No real excuse not to.

"I don't know anyone there. Won't that be a little weird? I don't think anyone would want me there."

Sirius waved him off.

"Just people from school. They know you and sure will be glad to see you again. And besides that..." Sirius paused and leaned against the door frame, his eyes shooting down to Remus' feet. "I'd want you there. I'm sure you can be great fun if you aren't busy moping around..."

"I'm not moping, I'm..."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Are you coming or not?" Sirius had already turned to leave and threw him a questioning look over his shoulder. Last chance.

Remus clambered out of his chair, quickly snatching his jacket.

"Yes, wait. I'm coming."

Sirius didn't exactly wait, only slowed down his steps towards the entrance, asking Acacia to check on Olivia every once in a while, before steering towards his motorcycle. Remus stopped in his tracks.

"We are not riding that thing again, are we?"

"Yep, we are. Hop on Lupin."

"But you will be drinking! Isn't that against the law?"

Sirius laughed.

"So is drunk disapparation and yet everyone does it. Besides, I won't drink that much, so chill." He swung his leg over the bench. "We can still decide to take the train back, but we will fly now. Come on!"

Reluctantly, Remus climbed behind Sirius, barely having the time to hold onto him before they set off.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius, his cheek pressed against his leather jacket. He wondered, whether Sirius could feel his racing heart. He could always claim it was his acrophobia.

"So, how did you guys meet? I mean, again?" James looked back and forth between them. Remus almost choked on his beer.

Things had gone considerably well so far. Sirius' pub group was thankfully not that big and Remus did actually know everyone at the table:

Sitting next to Sirius was James Potter, of course he was there. Remus would have been surprised and concerned if he wouldn't have been. Sirius and him had always been joined at the hip.

Next to James sat Lily Evans. Remus had been genuinely glad to see her as he had been something close to friends with her, during their joined prefect years.

And then, at the opposite side of the table, next to Remus, there was Peter Pettigrew. A friend of James and Sirius that had always been running after them at school and he seemingly hadn't stopped.

The conversations had been nice and they had indeed all enjoyed to catch up a little. Remus had had a good time so far.

But now this.

They couldn't know the truth - his secret.

"We hooked up."

Now Sirius was the one who almost choked, throwing Remus an aghast look over his glass.

"You what?!" James grinned brightly at Sirius and slapped his back jovially.

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

Sirius only pulled a face and hummed apologetically, while taking a large swig of his beer.

Remus wanted to vanish. Why had he said that? This was ridiculous. His wishful thinking had gotten the better of him. As if Sirius would ever hook up with someone like him. He bit the inside of his cheek.

James didn't seem as shocked and surprised as Remus had expected, though. He leaned back in his chair and wrapped an arm around Sirius.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with a thing for prefects, huh?"

Sirius gave him a tortured smile before shooting Remus a barely concealed glare.

Remus found Sirius in front of the pub, smoking. He had excused himself shortly after Remus had blurted out his badly thought out explanation. Probably to avoid further questioning by James and Lily, who both seemed very intrigued by their supposed hookup. Only Peter had eyed Remus with questioning suspicion. He probably wondered what his handsome friend wanted with a bland looking dude like him.

"I'm sorry about this. I just didn't want them to find out." He leaned himself next to Sirius against the brick wall.

Sirius threw him a look from the corner of his eye and pulled on the cigarette, blowing the smoke into the night.

"You couldn't have thought of something else? Like, literally anything else? A hookup, really..."

Remus cringed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I know it's ridiculous. You would never hook up with someone like me..."

Sirius snorted.

"Quit your self loathing bullshit, I don't want to deal with that right now." He took another drag. "I just don't do hookups in general. Nothing to do with you."

Remus frowned. "You don't do hookups? Really?"

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" Remus defensively raised his hands. "I just figured you had options... so why not use them?"

Sirius huffed. "I don't like any of my options."

"Picky, huh?"

"I'm not picky, I just have standards. Not my fault noone is meeting them..." Sirius tapped on his cigarette, sending the ash to the pavement. "I won't waste my time with people that don't deserve it."

Remus nodded quietly, eventhough he found this statement awfully arrogant. But it made some kind of sense. Why would you go see someone that you knew wouldn't do it for you anyways? Remus found himself wondering why Sirius was spending time with him then.

The door to the pub opened and for a second the merry voices mixed with clinking glasses spilled out onto the quiet street, before they faded back out as the door thumped shut again.

James sprang down the few stairs to the street and joined them.

"Ah, there you are Pads." He stopped, looked at Remus and gave them a conspiratorial grin. "Oh, sorry! Am I interrupting something?"

Sirius put out his cigarette and shook his head.

"No. We were finished. Let's go back inside." He lightly nuged Remus' elbow, sending tingles up into his shoulder. What had he done?

"So...how did you hook up then?" James leaned his elbows on the table fixating Remus again. He threw a helpless look to the bar, where Sirius was getting their next round, but he seemed to still be waiting for the pub keepers attention.

"Uhm. We met at a bar." Remus took a nervous sip from his almost empty pint.

"A bar? I didn't know Sirius went to bars? And without me? We always have to drag him out."

Peter nodded vigorously in agreement.

Fuck.

"I don't know, maybe it was a one off thing..."

"And then?" Lily seemed just as determined to get the details as James, obviously trying to squeeze Remus out before Sirius would return and put a stop to it.

"Ah, erm... Well, I... He... I just recognised him and then we got talking."

The two were hanging on his lips, giving him a synchronized encouraging nod.

"And then... We talked about his bike. And then he showed me his bike... And then..." He drew a circle around the rim of his glass. "Well, you can imagine."

"He gave you a ride?" Lily asked with a wicked grin. Remus blushed so hard he was sure he must have looked like a ripe tomato. What was he doing here?

"Lily!" James nuged his girlfriend, but giggled himself. "Oh Padfoot... I really didn't think he'd be like that. He must really like you."

"Maybe he was just really drunk," mumbled Remus into his glas. God, this was awful. Sirius would kill him!

"Hmm maybe, but he liked you enough to bring you around." James grinned knowingly. "That means something."

Remus shrugged, too embarrassed and mortified to talk anymore.

"I'm surprised he even has time for dating, next to his werewolf thing," Peter said. Remus knocked over his empty pint, scrambling to pick it back up.

"Right, did he tell you about that, Remus? You must know, don't you?" Lily turned to him, pretending she hadn't noticed his clumsiness.

"You... You mean the..."

"AWERE. Ambassadors for Werewolf Empowerment and..."

"Resource Establishment. Yes, he told me about that."

James chuckled. "Would have surprised me if he hadn't. He won't shut up about it since he founded it."

"He founded it?" Now, this was new.

"Yes. Did he omit that?"

"Apparently. I knew he was part of the board but I didn't know he was the original founder."

"Well, him and Renfred. But Sirius came up with the name. He's very proud of it."

"Right."

"I just don't think he should invest this much," Peter pitched in. "He barely spends time with us anymore, always has shifts in this shelter thing they run or is busy preparing meetings with the ministry. I mean, they won't change anything anyways so why waste your time."

"I think they could! And they are doing great work actually. If noone ever tries to change anything, everything will stay the same!"

Peter looked a bit startled by Remus sudden enthusiasm, and to be honest, so was he.

Lily nodded encouragingly.

"I agree. It's a good thing that Sirius is doing this. So you've been there then?"

"Uh, yes." Fuck. How was he supposed to answer this without further entangling Sirius and him in lies? Remus turned around to the bar again, seeing Sirius balancing their drinks on a tablet. "I should go and help him!"

He scrambled to his feet and pushed his way towards Sirius, who gave him a questioning look.

"I can manage, thank you."

Remus leaned in and took two glasses of the tablet, almost ruining the careful balance Sirius had created.

"We met in a bar," he whispered.

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Did we now?"

"Yes. I chatted you up and you showed me your bike." Sirius looked awfully amused, but nodded, surpressing a grin.

"And when did we meet? Want to keep it cohesive."

"I didn't say that. Three months ago?"

"That's not a hookup anymore."

"Well, I thought you don't do hookups anyways." Remus' traitorous heart started beating in his throat.

Sirius snorted but nodded again. "Fine then. Three months it is."

They reached the table and set down the drinks. Sirius returned to his chair across from Remus, giving him a reprimanding smile and shook his a head a little.

"You can't make me lie to James," Sirius said, on the train home. He had stretched his long legs out in front of him, watching the darkness pass by, through the scratched windows of the tube. "I'm not good at it. He can, like, read my mind."

"Sorry." Remus rubbed his knuckles together. "I didn't mean to get you into trouble."

Sirius snickered.

"Who would have thought that you would get me into trouble. Should be the other way around, really." He nudged Remus' knee. Remus gave him a pressed smile.

"You can just tell them that it didn't work out and we stopped seeing each other after this..."

Sirius looked over, his eyes lingering on Remus' face for a couple heartbeats.

"Maybe I'll do that."

Maybe. Why did he say it like that? Didn't mean anything.

Maybe it does.

Stop it, mom.

[diaryofamadsunwukongfan]

A Minor Hiccup while Painting the Town

•The episode begins in Ports classroom, where he is once again going on one of his rants instead of teaching. Jaune then gives a bouquet of white roses to Weiss, who rejects them and then turns her attention to Pyrrha.

•"So Pyrrha, I just thinking about how we're the two most popular girls at school and the strongest of our class! (~Weiss stop lying~) We have so much in common and we are both incredible, and yet we don't even have dates for prom yet. So, I was just wondering... uh, if we still don't have dates for the prom, maybe you would consider we go together as sisters-in-arms?"

•"Weiss... are you asking me to be your date?" Pyrrha asks while flashing a smirk.

•"WH-WAHT!!! N-No, I w-wasn't suggesting th-that?! A-as a Schnee, I need to consider my bloodline and all, hehe!"

•"I can continue your bloodline for you, if you want!" Jaune perks up.

•"EWW, GROSS! No way, Jaune!" Weiss screams loud enough to catch the classes, and Port's, attention.

•Weiss fake smiles at Port until he returns to the lecture.

•Pyrrha then restarts the conversation, "Weiss, going on a date dosen't mean we're married. Have you even been with another woman before?"

•"Wha, women with woman? That's not me, unless you want it to be Pyrrha, wait no I'm just kidding, ahahahaha."

•"Aha, well I think this is something about yourself that you should give more thought to, Weiss." Pyrrha says before looking away and muttering under her breath, "...I'm, not incredible..."

•Jaune notices this comment, but doesn't say anything.

•The scene shifts to team RWBY's dorm room, where the girls are trying on their new outfits and thanking Weiss for ordering them from the SDC fashion department.

•The girls then explain their plan to uncover Roman's plot with the White Fang: Ruby and Weiss will head to Vale's CCT and use Weiss' connections to check the SDC's records for any inconsistances between past Dust robberies and Roman's current activities; Blake will attend the local White Fang rally which not-so-secretly recruits new members and hands out orders after dark to discover what they are planning; Yang will head to Vale's red-light district to "negotiate" information from the local Broker. The reason why Blake and Yang are working alone is because, as Ruby admits, "you two are a lot tougher than Weiss and me, so if anything goes wrong, you can handle yourselves." And because Yang's location is in between the CCT and the Fang rally, the girls plan to have a rendevouz at her location to share what they have found.

•"Yeah, let's do this!" (Ruby excitedly screams) "Allright!" (Sun excitedly screams outside the window). "Sun?!" (Blake screams), "What are you doing outside our window???" (Yang angrily asks Sun while taking step forward). "Oh, y'know... just, hanging around? Anyway, let's do this team mission thing!"

•"You aren't on our team." Weiss sasses him. The girls then hear a knock on their door and Blake opens it, revealing Scarlet and Sage standing outside. Scarlet then barges ibto the girls room while complaing about how freezing the hallway's AC was. Sage asks Blake if he can come in, and she sighs before saying yes.

•"Whoa, there's a lot more people in here, hehe..." Ruby jokes before shrinking in on herself. Yang then starts to connect the dots before asking "wait a minuet, Sun are you spying on us?!"

•"Whaaat, spying??? That's crazy talk! And, we just got here anyway, so..." Yang then turns to Sage. "Headmaster Lionheart tasked us with investigating anything suspicious, and Sun suspected you all were up to something." Sage matter-of-factly states. "Dude, not cool." Sun tells his teammate.

•Weiss then creates a wind glyph behind Sun to blow him into the room. This also blows Neptune into the room.

•"Another one?!" Yang yells. Weiss then rushes past her and kneels next to Neptune. "Oh my light, Neptune! I'm so sorry! Are you hurt? Here, let me help you up!!" "Ow- I mean, I'm fine Snow Angel. Now please, don't hurt your pretty little hands helping me u- Ow!!" Neptune shrieks as Weiss helps him to his feet anyway. The rest of team RWBY roll their eyes at her.

•"Hooray, that boy bands all here! Now get out of our room and never come back!" Yang sarcastically tells team SSSN while pushing them out of the room.

•"Wait," Blake calls out to Yang, "having them with us... could be useful." "I-I second that notion!!!" Weiss jumps up. "Blake, we can't even trust them! What if they snitch on us to their headmaster?" Blake then walks up to Sun and looks him in the eye. Before she can speak, Sun starts up "Ok, I know what you're going to say and I just want you to know even if you were doing something against the rules I would never tell the authorities and I'm really sorry for spying and-" "Swear it. Don't spy on me or lie to me ever again." "... I swear it. Never again." Blake then smiles and turns to the rest of her team. "We can trust them."

•Yang sighs before saying, "Alright boys, my partner's giving you a second chance. Don't make me regret it!" Yang says while looking at a nervous Sun. "Now since your here, Ruby, what do you think they should do?" Ruby, who had been hiding in the corner underneath her cloak, jumps up, "Oh, uh, well Blake and Sun are both faunus so they should go to the rally and Sage and Yang are both big so they should go to togather so I guess that means me and Weiss will be going with Scar and Tune!!! Ahahaha, let's gooo!!!" Ruby then burts out of the room to catch her breath, which the rest of the girls catch onto.

•"Sigh, well Neptune, I guess we'll be alone togather out there..." "I wouldn't have it any other way, Snow angel." Neptune then takes Weiss' hand and they walk out the room togather. Scarlet whispers underneath his breath, "someone please shoot meee..." as he reluctantly follows them.

• The scene changes to Ruby, Weiss & Neptune, and Scarlet all at the CCT tower. Ruby is excited to see it, Weiss gives her exposition dump dump to the rest of the gang, Neptune flirts with her somemore, and Scarlet really doesn't want to be there. Ruby then drops her Scroll trying to take a picture, which gets picked up by Penny.

•Ruby asks Penny why she dissapeared at the Docks, Penny pretends she dosen't know her and runs away, Ruby chases after her, leaving Weiss with the two boys.

•Scarlet opts to wait outside for when Ruby returns, so Weiss and Neptune enter the CCT together.

•Inside the the Elevator, Weiss practices her smiles while standing in front of Neptune. However, Neptune is able to see her reflection across the silver walls of the elevator. "Know that you don't have to pretend to be happy with me, Snow Angel..." Neptune's sentiment surpises Weiss, and she almost cries. Before she can, the doors open. Weiss fixes herself, grabs Neptune's hand, and leads him into the communications room.

•As Weiss and Neptune walk over to her assigned cubical, all of the background shadow people stop and stare at the two of them, whispering "weiss schnee" and "neptune vasilias".

•As Weiss sits down at the cubical and readies herself for the call ahead, Neptune behind her with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

•"Thank you for calling the Atlas- Oh! Miss Schnee! Good afternoon! I'll patch you to your father immediatly!" "No-", before Weiss can finish, the operater switches to the CEOs private channel.

•"There you are Weiss," the voice of Jacques Schnee, Weiss' father comes through the channel, "I've been worried sick about you!"

•"Hello, father." Weiss says in fake nice tone. "I'm sorry if I made you worry about me, I've been so busy with my studies and-"

•"Cut the crap Weiss!" Jacques voice turns crass and cold. "You haven't been returning my calls, you've been ignoring my messages, you spend my money on clothes, and now your at Vale's CCT and your first thought isn't to call me!?"

•Weiss voice drops to an uncharacteristically submissive tone, "I really am sorry I-" "NO YOU ARE NOT!!!" "Father, I'm in public!" "I DON'T CARE!!! If this is how you act when I stop watching over you, then maybe you shouldn't be a huntress at all!!!" "...that's not fair." "Not fair??? What's not fair is that you have adoring fans worldwide that are wondering why their favorite idol is on hiatus? Oh yeah, she's in Vale playing huntress and putting on pounds!! Are you even watching what your eating?!"

•That lost comment increases the intensity of the whispering around Weiss and Neptune.

•"Weiss, who is gripping your shoulder???" Jacques commands his daughter tell him. Before she can respond, Neptune kneels down and faces Jacques directly.

•"Neptune Vasilias, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Schnee." Neptune says in his charming voice. Jacques eyes go wide as he looks at him, "Weiss, you finnaly found a man! And he's rich!?! Foolish girl, why didn't you tell me sooner??? Oh, this news could get your mother to stop drinking!" Jacques then lets out a bellowing laugh at his own joke.

•"Wait I-", Weiss elbows Neptune to stop talking and eyes at him to play along. "Father, the real reason why I haven't been in contact was because I wanted to surpise you with my fiance Neptune here. I know you always worry me about having children soon, so... here he is!" Weiss says with an even faker smile. "Weiss, you know I don't like surpises! Ugh, they don't call you the smart Schnee for a reason, but at least young Vasilias here can more than make up for it aye my boy hahaha!"

•"Anyway, father, my you give me the files requested on my scroll?" "What do you want with those files." Jacques doesn't ask, but commands Weiss tell him. "Weiss and I are doing a joint school project on crime reports in the area, sir. I'm sorry we ask so much of you, but may we please have them?" Neptune saves Weiss again.

•"Hmm, normally I would say no... but not even I can say no to my future son in law! Here you go my boy!!" Jacques transfers the files, and Weiss + Neptune both breath a sigh of relief.

•"Oh, and Weiss," Jacques turns his attention back to his daughter, "do call again soon. You know how much I love you." Jacques then ends the feed right there.

•Weiss and Neptune march back to the elevator, and inside Weiss hugs tightly Neptune... before kissing him on the lips.

•Neptune is surpised at first, but reluctantly gives in.

•As they break away, Weiss takes a step back from Neptune, the two of them both have dour expressions on their faces.

•"Did... did you like it?" Weiss asks Neptune in a sad voice. Neptune takes a breath, and tells her "I did if you did."

•"I... didn't. Light, what's wrong with me? You're the perfect boyfriend and I'm just, I just..." ""... you're not the only one that has that problem." Weiss looks back up at Neptune, surpised. ""Every girl at my school loves me, but I just can't love them." as Weiss hears those words, she comes to a realization about him, and herself.

•"We might not be partners, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends." Weiss then hugs Neptune again before thanking him.

•Cut back to Ruby and Penny, the scenes where they talk, learn about Ironwood's robot army, get chased by Atlas guards, Penny stops a truck, then Penny reveals to Ruby that she is a robot, ending the first part.

•Part two begins exactly the same as vanilla Rwby: Penny explains she is the first ever gynoid to have an aura, Ruby tells Penny that she is real girl because she has a real soul (Ruby can see her soul using the third eye technique), Penny acidentally lets drop that the world is in danger and she was built to save it, etc.

•Cut to Yang and Sage, who have just arrived at Juniors club. The duo were talking about their relationship with the rest of their teammates off screen.

•"...and it's like, sometimes they treat me like I'm their mom! But I don't even know my mom!!!" Yang admits to Sage as tears streak down her face. "That's rough buddy." "This is the worst field trip ever!" (It's a joke).

•Yang's grand entrance to Junior's club is the exact same as vanilla rwby.

•Cut to Blake and Sun, who have just arrived at a public White Fang rally as it ended. Sun thinks they are two late, but Blake tells him that the public rally is just for show. The real White Fang rally would be in secret location after dark. Blake then realizes that a number of the Faunus that attended the rally are walking in the exact opposite direction as everyone else. Blake and Sun follow them to a building that has three claw marks scratched onto the door.

•"This is it." "You sure?" Blake glares at him and starts moving towards the entrance while unfastening her bow. "Y'know, I'm just gonna take your word for it."

•Inside, Blake and Sun are given Grimm masks and told to head down the right hall.

•"I don't get it. If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?" Sun asks Blake as they walk down the hall.

•"The masks are a symbol. Humanity called us grimmspawn, so we chose to don the faces of Grimm."

•"Grimm masks... that's kind of dark."

•"So was the guy who started it" Blake puts on the mask and walks down the hall.

•"Always sunshine and rainbows with you..." Sun puts on his mask and follows her lead.

•Inside the recruitment meeting room, a snake grimm masked man with tattoos is standing on a stage before the audiance.

•When Blake spots him, she whispers to herself "Nyeusi Mamba..." (that's his name).

•"Thank you all for coming. Sadly, Father Corsac could not join us tonight to welcome our awoken brothers and sisters..." As Nyeusi talks, Blake moves closer to the stage and Sun follows her.

•"...so allow me to introduce a very special instrument of ours! I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long!"

•Roman Torchwick then walks onto the stage, with a short woman with heterochromia trailing behind him. "Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause!"

•A Deer Faunus standing behind Blake point's and yells "What's a human doing here?!"

•"I'm glad you asked, Dee- er, Miss! Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans... are the worst." Roman salutes as an example. "Case in point. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, killed!"

•Sun leans over to Blake. "So, is he going somewhere with this?"

•"But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy: the ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms!" The crowd changes their tune and starts agreeing with him. "Councils, Atlesians, even the Academies: they're all to blame for your lot in life!" A few members of the crowd begin to cheer. "And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around!" (A mouse faunus makes a loud "Hey!" directed at Roman) "No offense to any rodents in the room."

•Roman then snaps his fingers, and the short woman behind him unveils their secret weapon: the Atlesian Paladin-290.

•Sun and Blake stare up at the mech. "Whoa, that's a big robot..." "How did he get that?"

•"As some of you may have heard, this right here," Roman taps the giant mech, "is Atlas' newest defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my "employer", we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, "hit the shelves". Now, me and my friends have already started our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine... But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?" The White Fang's roaring applause tells him the answer.

•"I'm stopping this right now." Blake tells Sun before flipping onto the stage. "Wait what are you-"

•When Blake lands on the stage her Grimm mask falls off her face and lands on the floor, shattering like glass. The entire room of almost one hundred people is speechless.

•"My name is Blake Bête, daughter of Kali and Ghira Bête, founders of the White Fang!" Blake addresses to the crowd. Within seconds, their cheering becomes louder than it was for Roman.

•Blake then points to Roman, "This human 'collaborated' with our kind before, and what did it get them? Thrown into cages like animals, meanwhile he's here free!!" The crowd's cheering turns into screams as they all start turning on Roman and the girl behind him. One Faunus tries to climb onto the stage, but Nyeusi kicks him down while trying to get them to calm down.

•"If princess kitty over here is so mad her brothers are in jail, then why did she throw them in their in the first place!!" Roman yells at the crowd. This shocks them into silence, and Blake's eyes grow wide in response. "As a matter of fact, your long lost princess has been kissing up to Weiss Schnee while masquerading as a human!!!" Roman than motions to the short woman behind him, and she snaps her fingers. Suddenly, a light projection pops up in front of the stage, showing an image of Blake (her bow on) huging Weiss at the docks from last volume. As soon as the light projection goes away, the crowd becomes dead silent.

•"That's not, I-" before Blake can finish, Nyeusi points at her, "So what Adam says is true, you've gone mad!" "Is that what he's been saying about me?!"

•Nyeusi than yells to the crowd, "Brothers and sisters, capture the beautiful beast! She's been bewitched by the humans!!!" Multiple Faunus start climbing the stage and Nyeusi starts charging Blake.

•Sun leaps towards Blake, "We gotta get out of here, now!" He then pulls out Burn and Wash Dust crystals from his pockets and throws them both onto the ground. This creates a massive smoke cloud that gives Blake and Sun enough time to escapes the building. However, as soon as they do, the mech poileted by Roman crashes through the walls of the building and starts chasing them.

•ROBOT CHASE SEQUENCE!!! ROBOT CHASE SEQUNCE!!! ROBOT CHASE SEQUENCE!!!!!!!!! (Is it cheating if I tell you to imagine team SSSN are there only to all get knocked away?)

•RWBY VS Roman Torch:WICK!!!!!!!

•BUMBELBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

•NEOPOLITAN INTRODUCTION!!!

•Team SSSN eating noodles.

•The end.

[lady-assnali]

It’s the babiest Crygi yet, teacher au Crygi but their friendship is still pretty new. Walking home from the bar after a night out, Crystal finds out that Gigi does not like to walk when she drinks.

“Of course you live on the top floor.” Gigi whines, standing at the bottom of the fifth flight of stairs. Crystal, already halfway up the flight, stops where she is and stares down at her newest friend. The ginger is leaning heavily against the railing, eyes half-shut and posture gradually failing. She balances on some precariously high heels that Crystal isn’t sure how she managed to walk the few blocks to her apartment in, huffing.

           “I didn’t choose for the elevator to break down today, Geege. We could’ve gone to yours…”

           “Nope. You know I want my deadweight roommate evicted, I can’t let her meet you. She’s tried to be me for far too long. You’ll charm the pants right off of her and I can’t have that-you’re  mine, not hers.”

           Crystal’s stomach flips at the possessive, and it takes her a minute to regain her own awareness. It’s the liquor finally hitting them both, she decides, and Gigi had tried too hard to keep up with the girls to be completely cohesive. Besides, she’d spent the entire night on her arm making sure that everyone knew Crystal, the best person I’ve ever met, my best friend, which let her know where she really stood.

           Not that she wants anything else to happen. Gigi’s just someone she wants around all the time, someone she’s become an and with very quickly. That doesn’t mean anything. She could be considered an and with Daya, although that’s a very clearly drawn sisterhood.

She’d met Gigi, a stunningly beautiful fashion design major, in a college art history course where they’d sat together for two weeks. Crystal had thought she’d be a bitch. Gigi overwhelmed her with compliments on her pattern mixing and her hair and they’d been instant friends. Gigi had been a good study buddy-silly, yet wanting nothing more than to do well. They’d exchanged numbers and had gotten lunch together a few times a week. Then one morning Gigi had texted her in perfectly simple terms;

Just dropped out-am going to take an internship instead. I can do so much more there than in a classroom where they’re teaching us how to thread a machine.

That’s when Crystal learned about her determination.

They get to see each other a bit less now, Gigi’s internship and Crystal’s coursework causing a clash in schedules, but even without Gigi with her in class their friendship has only grown. Gigi still helps Crystal study. Crystal brings coffee to the studio when she’s having a rough day. They have sleepovers every Friday night at least, if not more.

Gigi holds her hand (and only her hand. Don’t touch me is a big part of her vocabulary, but never for Crystal.). Gigi sits next to her and leaves no room between them. Gigi has introduced her to every single one of her friends as her best friend. It all leaves Crystal a little breathless. It leaves the lines feeling a bit blurred.

           “Crys,” Gigi refuses to move, pouting. “I can’t do it, I just can’t. There’s so many stairs and there’s only one of me. How do you expect me to make it?”

           “One foot in front of the other!”

           “Please can you carry me?”

           Crystal narrows her eyes but makes her way down the staircase anyway, shaking her head. She’d chosen a sensible pair of platform boots for the night, a much sturdier option than the red-bottomed heels Gigi’s mother had gifted her after selling her first commissioned gown. She’d been so proud to wear them that there was no negotiation, even now.

           When she makes it to the landing Gigi spins her around, wrapping her arms around her and jumping onto her back. Crystal only falters slightly, stumbling and repositioning her hands on Gigi’s thighs to get a better grip. Once she’s adjusted, she stands at the bottom of the staircase and readies herself. From behind her Gigi sighs thankfully, dropping her head into the crook of Crystal’s neck.

           “That’s a lot of stairs.”

           “You’re lucky I love you. If I didn’t you’d be taking those shoes off and walking the rest of the way.”

           “I can’t take these off, ever. My mom got them for me! I miss her. Can we call her tonight?”

           “Maybe tomorrow would be a better idea. It’s late; I promise we can call her in the morning, maybe after we’ve both slept everything off.”

           “Will you do it with me? My mom loves you, she asks about you a lot. I talk about you a lot, though, so don’t let it get to your head.”

           “Well, your mom is my favorite Goode.”

           “Take that back!”

           “Or what” You’ll walk home?” Crystal snickers. Gigi jolts her thigh with the side of her foot gently.

           “Hey!”

           Crystal can only laugh harder, which in turn makes for a bumpy ride up the last two flights of stairs for Gigi. She even has to stop once, when she can’t catch her breath over Gigi’s petulant mumbling over why she should be Crystal’s favorite. The ginger slips off of her back and Crystal catches her just in time for them both to plop safely onto the landing of the ninth floor, staring at each other with wide, shell-shocked eyes before dissolving into a fit of laughter. The air between them is dizzying and warm, and for a moment they sit tangled in each other, comfortable and light. Gigi leans further into Crystal, their bodies pressed together from head to toe, and the older girl is suddenly shocked awake. She pats her hand on the ground, shifting away from Gigi and holding out her hands.

           “Come on, we only have one more flight to go. You still want me to carry you?”

           Gigi, flustered and wine-fogged, slides onto Crystal’s back without saying another word.

           When they finally make it to Crystal’s apartment Gigi finally takes off the shoes, shuffling over to the pantry and sliding them onto the floor before shutting the door behind her. When she turns, Crystal is standing behind her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face.

           “What?”

“The pantry?”

“I’m not the one who decided to get a kitten. You know I love Tic Tac but can I really trust that cat with a new pair of shoes?”

           “Did you hear that? She doesn’t trust you.”

           “Don’t listen to her, you’re my favorite Methyd.” Gigi scoops up the kitten while Crystal watches, jaw dropped. She moves through the apartment with ease, carrying Tic Tac to the bathroom while Crystal pours them two glasses of water and turns off the lights, leaving them on the nightstands. She can hear Gigi’s baby talk from the bathroom as she changes, Tic Tac no doubt sitting dutifully on the counter while her best friend takes off her makeup and brushes her teeth. She emerges from the bathroom with the tiny kitten still cradled in her arms. She’s dressed in one of Crystal’s old t-shirts, baggy and short, with her hair in wild flames down her back. She climbs into her side of the bed.

“Drink that water,” Crystal orders. As she makes her way to the bathroom for her turn she can hear Gigi’s sleepy, silly voice mutter sarcastic yes ma’am.

When she returns, the glass is half-full and Gigi’s almost already asleep.

She turns off the last of the lights, snuggling into the slightly chilled blankets. Gigi immediately rolls over onto her side to face her, cheeks flushed and eyelids just beginning to droop.

“Thank you for climbing all those stairs for me. I adore you, Crystal Methyd. I’m really glad we met.”

“Me too.” It’s all she can manage to get out, and suddenly she’s wishing she’d had that one last shot before they’d left. Although sleepovers have become a common occurrence for them, she certainly feels a bit too lucid for this. Gigi shifts to close the distance between them, tangling their legs and resting her head on Crystal’s chest. She’s asleep before the older girl can remember how to breathe, Tic Tac purring happily between them. The kitten looks up at Crystal almost intuitively and she rolls her eyes.

“That’s enough out of you.” She scolds.

She falls asleep with her head on top of Gigi’s and her heart hammering in her chest,  a new mantra volleying with Gigi’s sleepy words.

I adore you, Crystal Methyd.

It’s nothing, we’re just friends.

[six-of-ravens]

oc questionnaire

tagged by @princesshoneytea (thank you!!). apologies if this makes no sense cause i don't consistently talk about my writing here, but it looked like fun so im gonna do it anyway!!

favourite oc: probably James. Hot doctor, trans man, British expat who lives either on a spaceship or a cottage in Iceland. impeccable snark. originally from the 1830s, but then died trying to escape from a vampire blood mage and ended up on an intergalactic quest that....never ended, because he married the MacGuffin of said quest.

newest oc: uhhhh Kitty and Theo from a story just called "50s thing" about newlyweds who move to the desert to work on a secret scientific research base. Shenanigans and possible time travel ensue. Theo is a theoretical physicist and Kitty is a housewife (and happy about it, she considers housework, cooking, and sewing to be her "only" skills. Obviously there is more to her than that but, that's where she's at in her head after escaping from a neglectful household where she basically had to raise her younger siblings).

oldest oc: Ari! A healer who lives in a cottage in a fairytale-esque world i made up when I created her when i was 11, and refuse to change. She's tough as nails and yet soft when you need her, though if you get on her bad side she will make you clean her floors. Also, if you're a particular sort of miserable wet dog of a person and stand near her for more than 10 seconds, she will legally adopt you. Non-negotiable. That is how she became James' and Keiyel's mother.

meanest oc: this is a tough one but probably June from my urban fantasy world. She's not mean so much as mistrusting of new people, but she'll also go off on you if you treat her/others poorly (I believe one of her introductory scenes involves her Karening at a shop owner for trying to pass off opalite (glass) as moonstone). She's bi, and somewhat butch, but grew up in a very homophobic household and therefore has a massive chip on her shoulder that she's still healing.

softest oc: ironically, Seneca, June's younger sister, from that same story. She likes to think she's "not naive, I just have faith in humanity :)" but she's 18, so...she's super naive anyway. She means well though, and her plot involves learning how to function in the adult world (after a very sheltered childhood) while still keeping her softness.

most aloof/standoffish oc: Eliza from North! She doesn't mean to be, she's just a) socially awkward, b) an aristocrat who's expected to be a bit standoffish, and c) a bit deluded about her skills with the sword. A big chunk of the first part of North is her getting taken down a peg or three.

dumbest (affectionate) oc: I'm sure there's a dumber one but I can't think of them right now, so Maris from North. Upper class merchant's daughter who runs away to follow Eliza on a dangerous, impulsive trip to Anteria, the magical, arctic country next door. She's not dumb so much as sheltered and a bit too convinced of the reality of adventure novels.

smartest oc: Probably James, but I already talked about him so I'll say Keiyel, a "wizard" who "minmaxed wisdom and intelligence" and is therefore incredibly intellectually smart, and basically uses her magic to perform complex particle physics experiments, but also like, buys her acid from a cult on Etsy (this is real, there was (is still?) a cult called Weird Hollywood Youth who would make and sell acid on etsy labelled as "blotting paper." Their leader also has the Nbisco logo tattooed onto his head. Don't ask me why. I just co-opted that for Keiyel because it seemed like the kind of dumb thing she'd do lol). Is well-known for showing up injured horribly and proudly announcing "I learned how to turn radioactive isotopes into magical energy!" or some shit. She's very lucky James is her adoptive brother.

oc i'd like to be friends with: Eliza! I feel like we'd get along, and maybe she could teach me cool sword moves.

idk who to tag cause I don't know who's cool with talking about their OCs online (aside from @princesshoneytea lol) soooo if you wanna do this pls consider yourself tagged!

[solarsavoy]

Everything for Krystar, here we go! 😁

🪩—Would you want a movie adaption, TV, or something else? Animated or live action?

Definitely an anime! No live action. No. Will not approve. Nope. Never!!

🎧—What would the soundtrack be like?

I'm not sure because I've never really paid attention to soundtracks before, but I'd try to add some rock sounding songs for things like fight scenes and such and I 100% want "Still Here" by Digital Daggers to play during the end of the Fragment series. These are non-negotiable. Also, I need an extended opening sequence for Fourth Fragment that goes to I Prevail's "Pull the Plug". Also non-negotiable.

✅—Which character/plot point/etc would be your favorite to see on screen?

The end of the Fifth Fragment... It's what inspired me to start writing the story again at age 29. I saw the ending so clearly in my head, and I'd absolutely love to see it on screen someday, going to the some "Still Here" by Digital Daggers, bawling my eyes out. I'd probably watch it over and over again because that would mean it was finished, that I made it, that the scene that drove me to write so much since then is finally a reality.

If I'm being honest though, seeing the opening scene described below would be just as awesome too, but not near as powerful as seeing the ending. And then there's the Echo series because Stag... Grr, what a jerk, making a whole ass second series just so he can get more screen time. XD Seriously, the story was supposed to end with the Fifth Fragment and then Stag went and made a whole origin story which started a whole other series and it's all his fault it's going to be twelve books now. All Stag's fault. XD

🥀—Which character/plot point/etc is most important for an adaption to get right?

This isn't for all adaptations, just for mine. I need the characters to age the way they do in the story. Because I deal with time, we sometimes go forward and back and characters will be younger and older and this is impossible to do for live action without changing the actual actors. Second to this is my secrets. If I say a detail is important, they better damn well include it in the fucking anime or I'll be pissed. Look, it's important!! Like, if they decided to exclude Taki's interludes or show an extra scene that wasn't in the book because it wasn't in Deshi's POV, then I am not okay with it. The fact that it's in Deshi's POV is very important to me, okay? There are other things, but I'd hate to draw attention to them by pointing them out here. XD Girl's gotta keep her secrets close to the chest, you know.

❌—What’s the worst thing an adaption of your WIP could do? Your absolute worst nightmare?

Making a live action anyway and destroying it like they did Percy Jackson. They changed his 16yo prophecy to 25yo, they didn't have the characters look or act like they're described in the book, and it's like they didn't even read the actual books at all… Don't do that to me. Read the fucking book. Follow the fucking book. Adapt the fucking book. I get that some changes will need to be made for different media types, but there's a right way to do it and a wrong way. At least make it look like you read the book, okay?

🎬—Who would you cast as your characters?

This will take some listening to VAs. The only one I'm sure of, absolutely non-negotiably sure of, is John Burgmeier for Mythren using the same voice as he uses for Shigure from Fruits Basket. Non-negotiable. As for the rest, I'm going to be listening to a bunch of voice actors over the next week so I can pick some for other characters. I will say that I'd love to get Vic Mignogna and Jason Liebrecht for a role, but I'm not sure which ones yet.

🎤—Describe the opening scene

I'm not sure I'd keep it this way which is why I'm sharing it, but this was the scene I first envisioned when the story idea came to me at age 12. There's a girl with her head laid down on a desk and she's presumably sleeping during class. Her desk is right next to a window that goes outside, but instead of the city, it's a meadow. Inside, the colors are dull and boring, but outside the meadow if vibrant and beaming with life. The camera zooms into the window until the classroom and sleeping girl's head are out of the frame and then it goes out to the meadow, traveling out towards something in the distance. It starts to focus on the back of the head of a girl, possibly the same girl, with long, dirty blonde hair going all the way past her backside. She slowly turns around, her hair flaring out, and looks at the camera sadly. She isn't wearing any clothes, but her hair covers everything. Her hands pull out what looks like a glowing blue item (I later decide this is a blue flower) and the sad glow fills her face, making her look sadder. The colors start to fade, to the bland look the classroom had, but it keeps going and going until everything around her is dark and black. She opens her mouth to breath, but then drops the flower, which starts to wilt as it too fades, and cluthes at her neck. Then she she too fades, after she struggles to breathe and eventually stops moving. Then the title would appear: Krystar: First Fragment. This is the scene that 12yo me came up with. I've never forgotten it. I remember attempting to draw it even, but those pictures are long gone. 😅 Whatcha think?

💿—Free space for anything I didn’t mention! Talk about things you would add, things that are important to you, or even lay out the plot of every episode of your Netflix Original if it suits you!!

I haven't planned out that much detail for it actually. I'd love to break out of the standard 13/26 episode blocks and just do as many as are necessary for each book. I've also considered separating B1 in half and doing the second half with B2, for reasons. Either way, the details of each episode I think would be better laid out in comic form, which I do plan on making someday, but the ideal goal is for it to be an anime. Someday, someday.

Thank you so much for the ask, tuuli! You just never let me down. 💙 Hope there was some interesting stuff here for you!

Ask thing.

[omi-papus]

My mom is like ALMOST a Karen. The type thats not crazy enough to be seen online and even when shes being unreasonable shes always been polite, and the only thing shell do is be like “Are you sure theres no discount? And argue when theres nothing to argue about. Like seven thousand times until somebody stops her or she gives up. (Which she CAN do oddly enough, but never when it would make sense.) Woman deadass asked if she could get a discount on a fucking covid test.

And heres the thing. I know for a fact, that where shes from, what she does can work. Small city in a much more lenient latinamerican country than the one were in right now. And you can in fact haggle a lot more over there. But I dont think I can get you guys to understand that I cant quite call her a Karen,

BECAUSE IT ALMOST ALWAYS WORKS!

My mother has bypassed federal laws by just asking for it enough. Like gotten unregistered animals through the airport in plain sight for example.

And Im reflecting on this now because I was at the embassy the other day, and its my first time going in like five years, so my first time going in as an adult. And she made this apointment without telling me, (yhea she sometimes sucks like that) and I told her damn well I wasnt going to get my ass all the way over there when I had class only a few hours later. And I can only use public transport and because of that cant make it to class because the wait for buses can be up to two hours in the worst of days. And she was like “No, Ill drive you there, I need to get my own documents sorted too.” And Im like, “Mother if you think Im going to sit there throught the wait of two apointments Im not going because I could only get to school in time if you drive me there too” and this lady. Says to me,

“No I only booked your apointment, Im going to tell them to sort out my documents as they do yours”

And like thats not how that works. Thats not how any of this works. At all. Shes crazy. A complete and utter Karen.

And the day comes. We get up extra early and go to the embassy. When were there my trun comes and and Im about to talk to the guard and tell him whats up and what I need to do. Then my mom comes up next to me and is like “Oh by the way, I would like to go in with her and get my own papers taken care of” he asks how old I am and I tell him and he tell her “Sorry, we cant let you in shes an adult and shes the one with the apointment” and she does the “are you sure” this twice and then calmly takes a step back. I go in I have my papers, my trun comes again and I go up to the desk and start doing all the stuff (I had only dealt with paperwork a few times and this is the first time I handled something with my passport” and its like

“Ok so Im here fo-“

“Shes here to get her passport, *grabs papers* she has this this and this. Anyway while Im here I would like to get this sorted”

My fucking mother, is just standing next to me taking over the apointment and I am just standing there wondering how she got inside the god damn building. Shes cut the line, and is openly saying “I dont have an apointment, but do this”.

And at the end of all of this.

THEY FUCKING DID IT FOR HER.

I didnt say a word the entire rest of the apointment save for one or two questions, she just up and held the whole conversation, while Im just standing there trying to find the gun she must holding because thats the only explanation I can think of.

And like we just left????? The guard seemed alive and fine and I have not been the same ever since. Any annoyance I had for both being made to do this and then having her take that minor autonomy from me with my own legal proceedings is compleatly overshadowed by the fact that she just broke at least ninteen diferent policies and got away with it. And shes not a good negotiator, in the slightest. She just makes unreasonable demands and people just do it??? They dont even look mad just confused?????

So I cant tell if shes just perfected karenism or shes an actual witch.