#guess who is back at the dominion grind?

[correct-minecrafters-quotes]

Sneve: They need to accept our peaceful nether ways, and if they don't. We will kill them.

Legundo: We will show them our love for peace, by force if we must.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 50: Stirred

On Saturday, Makoto was called into Principal Kobayakawa’s office. “You wanted to see me sir?”

Kobayakawa was indignant. “I hear you’re asking about Kamoshida. Why is that?”

Makoto grew slightly indignant herself, but kept a level head. “Well, you wanted me to investigate the Phantom Thieves, right? I figured that since we didn’t know of their possible existence until they sent Kamoshida that calling card, then the Phantom Thieves, if they do go to this school, might have an ax to grind with him. Hence the interviews.”

Kobayakawa glared at her. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Is there an issue with my explanation?” Makoto asked. “Because if there is, it sounds like you don’t want people talking about Mr. Kamoshida.”

“Well, it’s just old news at this point,” Kobayakawa deflected. “I don’t want to stubbornly dwell on the past and all.”

“Yeah, but if you want to know who these thieves are, this has to be a part of it,” Makoto instructed. “So what do you want? Do you want to protect Mr. Kamoshida, or do you want to know who the Phantom Thieves are?”

Kobayakawa was about to burst. Begrudgingly, he said “I want to know who the Phantom Thieves are.”

“Very well then” Makoto said, leaving the office.

Once Makoto had left, Kobayakawa smirked. “You want information, Miss Niijima? You’re going to get it!”

During the day, Ren was being treated like a celebrity due to her interaction with Akechi, with both pros and cons. The students divided themselves up between pro-Phantom Thieves, and by extension, Pro-Ren, and Pro-Akechi factions. When it came time for lunch, it was almost too much for her to bear. “Ugh. I almost miss being isolated from everyone” Ren moaned.

“Hey, it’s not so bad,” Ann said, trying to cheer her up. “Besides, things move fast in the city. Who knows, by Monday, this interview thing will be old hat.”

Ren gave a goofy smile. “Thanks…”

Just then, someone burst into their class. It was a male student with shaggy orange hair and purple glasses. He looked around with his gaze coming to a halt on Ren. “Ah ha!” He walked over to her. “Miss Amamiya, the woman of the hour. I am here on behalf of the student council, and I would wish to speak to you.”

Ren was exhausted with the attention. “If it’s about the interview…”

“No, this is about something else,” he explained. “We’ve been conducting interviews at the request of the president. And personally, I’m on your side with that.”

“Oh, um, well, sure, I guess then” Ren said, confused, but figured that this might be better than the constant attention.

“Then let’s head up,” the student council member said. He started walking and Ren followed him. As they were walking, he said “By the way, my name’s Hiroki.”

Ren was perplexed. “No last name?”

“Meh” Hiroki cheeped. “It’s not my thing.”

“Well then, if it’s all the same to you, would you mind calling me Ren?” she asked.

“Of course,” Hiroki smiled. They made it to the student council room and sat down. “So, Ren,” Ren chuckled slightly at him emphasizing her name, “if it’s alright with you, I’d like to talk about Mr. Kamoshida.”

Ren was surprised. “Mr. Kamoshida?”

Hiroki nodded. “We’re investigating the incident to see how we can prevent such a thing from happening again.”

Ren was a tad suspicious, but decided to go for it. “Um, sure. I guess the starting point was my first day here. I’m a transfer student, so that was a little ways into the school year. Anyways, as I was heading over to a crosswalk, there was another girl standing there, Ann, although I didn’t know her at the time. Anyways, Mr. Kamoshida pulled up and invited her into his car. Soon after, he invited me as well. Ann looked hesitant, so I decided to hop in to make sure nothing happened.”

“Wait, you took a ride with a stranger to protect someone else?” Hiroki said, interrupting her. Ren nodded. “I gotta commend you on that. That’s pretty bold.” Ren slightly blushed. “Anyways, please continue.”

“Well, nothing really happened in the car,” Ren continued. “After that, Ann and I hung out all day, and we became fast friends. After school though, Ann had to leave for a bit, and Kamoshida called me to his office. It was there he tried to make a move on me.” Ren looked down. “I have a bit of baggage from my hometown, and Kamoshida was hoping to exploit it to get what he wanted.”

“Oh my” Hiroki said. “Did anything happen?”

Ren smiled and shook her head. “Before anything could happen, Ann and Shiho stopped him. Ann whisked me away and then apologized profusely and then told me about the kind of person Mr. Kamoshida was.”

“I see,” Hiroki noted. “Did anything else happen?”

“Well, I did save a different student from Kamoshida’s advances,” Ren said.

“Could you tell me their name?” Hiroki inquired.

“Sumire” Ren answered.

“I see” Hiroki wrote it down. “And that’s it?”

Ren nodded. “I think Ann and Shiho’s interruption was enough to dissuade Kamoshida, at least for a bit. Besides, I wasn’t here for long before the Phantom Thieves sent out that calling card.”

“Right,” Hiroki agreed. “Well, thanks for coming in. I know this couldn’t have been easy to talk about.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Ren said. “If it’s to make sure a new Kamoshida doesn’t spring up, I’m all for it. Besides, Dr. Maruki has told me I should work on opening up more.”

“You’ve visited Dr. Maruki?” Hiroki asked. Ren nodded. “Huh. Maybe I should give it a try then.”

“By all means” Ren said.

She got up, but before she could leave, Hiroki shouted “Wait!” Ren was surprised. “Uh, I just have a personal question, if you don’t mind.” Ren tilted her head. “Not about you, just something I’d like to know for myself.”

“O...K…?” Ren said, still confused.

Hiroki sighed. “What do you get the girl who has everything? To, you know, show her your affection.”

Ren was still weirded out, but it did seem like he just wanted some dating advice. “Well, the one thing not to get the girl who has everything is a contract with a sea witch” she joked.

Hiroki laughed. “Yeah, I guess it was a bit unusual to spring that on you. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Ren said. “And good luck with your girl problem.” Ren left.

Once she got back to class, Ann asked her “What was that about?”

“Kamoshida” Ren answered directly.

“Really?” Ann asked. Ren nodded. “Why?”

“I’m not sure,” Ren said. “But they say it’s to help them prevent another Kamoshida-like incident.”

Ann seemed distrustful. “I want to believe that, but…”

“Yeah…” Ren agreed. “Still, even if they are being honest, it is better not to tell the truth about the whole Phantom Thieves thing.”

“Right,” Ann agreed. Almost immediately afterwards, they got a message.

Yusuke: Can we meet up?

Jose: Yusuke…

Sumire: What for?

Yusuke: I’m just frustrated is all.

Yusuke: Dorm life isn’t turning out like I’d hope it would.

Ryuji: I get it. Ya need to blow off some steam.

Ann: Come to think of it, we haven’t had an initiation party for Yusuke yet.

Ann: Or really, Sumire and Jose.

Jose: We went to that diner.

Ryuji: Yeah, but that was more to hammer out the details of us going forward.

Ryuji: We need to really celebrate you joining the team.

Sumire: I see.

Ren: As much as I would love to, I’m afraid I’d get recognized wherever I go.

Yusuke: Ah, yes, I did see the interview.

Yuuke: You did wonderful, by the way.

Jose: Yeah, it’s all everyone talks about here at Kosei.

Ren: Ughhhhhhhhh.

Jose: Something the matter?

Ann: Ren-chan’s not a fan of the attention.

Ren: I’m not used to it.

Ryuji: Well, I mean, I guess it wouldn’t be much of a celebration, but how about we just head to your place?

Ren: That’s fine, I guess.

Ren: Come to think of it, I do have a hot pot in my room.

Yusuke: Hot pot, you say?

Yusuke: It’s settled then.

Ryuji: ...Someone’s excited.

Ann: We’ll meet up at Station Square after school, OK?

Sumire: OK!

Yusuke: Works for me!

Ryuji: Alright.

Jose: OK!

Ren: Very well then.

They put their phones away.

As they were heading out, Hiroki met up with Ren and Ann. “Hi, um, Ann.”

“...Hello?” Ann said, taken aback.

“If it’s alright with you, would you mind coming with me to the student council room?” Hiroki invited.

“Ummmm, OK?” Ann said, still confused.

Ren giggled slightly. “Don’t worry, Hiroki here doesn’t bite.”

“Of course,” Hiroki said, grinning like an idiot.

Ann laughed. “OK, OK.” The two left. Ren took out her phone.

Ren: It’s gonna be a bit.

Ryuji: Why’s that?

Ren: A student council member is interviewing her.

Ryuji: WHAT?!

Sumire: Oh yeah.

Sumire: I should have told you. They’re interviewing people about Kamoshida.

Ryuji: Why?

Ren: They say it’s to prevent another Kamoshida from happening.

Ryuji: And you believe that?!

Ren: Well, so long as we keep quiet about us being the Phantom Thieves, there’s no harm in humoring them, right?

Ryuji: I guess…?

Yusuke: I agree. If they are noble, then this is fine. And if they aren’t, you can push them toward nobility.

Sumire: Right. I guess.

Ren: It shouldn’t take too long.

Meanwhile, Hiroki and Ann entered the student council room, each taking a seat. “So, um, do you know why we’re here?”

Ann nodded. “Ren told me you’re asking people about Kamoshida.”

Hiroki smiled. “Very well. Do you feel comfortable talking about him?”

Ann fidgets. “I’m not sure, but I guess I’ll go for it, if this is to help you prevent another Kamoshida.” Hiroki nodded. Ann was still a little hesitant. “Ever since coming to this school, Kamoshida has been a shadow lurking at every turn. As head of track and volleyball, he had dominion over my two best friends. He manipulated them to get us to split up. He also approached me several times pretending to be innocent. But I’m a model, and I could tell what he wanted right away. I kept brushing him off, but he kept insisting. Eventually, he tried using my friends to get what he wanted from me.”

Hiroki sighed. “I've heard a lot of similar stories from people today, and yet it never fails to send chills down my spine.”

Ann was surprised. “Huh.”

“Anyways, continue,” Hiroki instructed.

Ann nodded. “I didn’t know what to do. I was perpetually stuck between a rock and hard place. I didn’t think the school was going to do anything about Kamoshida, so I kept trying to delay what I thought was inevitable.” Ann smiled. “But then one day, Kamoshida invited me into his car, and another girl came along with. I was frightened by this, but soon we became close friends. However, Kamoshida called her into his office, and I was at my wit's end.”

“So, what did you do?” Hiroki asked.

“I rushed over there,” Ann said. “Luckily, nothing had happened, but I was so scared that I had betrayed my new friend’s trust,” Ann started crying. “But she said it was alright. Later, she told me she came into his car to protect me. Isn’t that something?” Ann smiled. “Ever since Kamoshida entered the scene, things seemed bleak. I felt like I couldn’t do anything. My friends and I were in his grasp. But I wasn’t about to let someone else fall there too.”

“I see,” Hiroki said, jotting it down. “Did anything else happen?”

“Ummm, I’m not sure how to answer that,” Ann said. “I mean, I know the Phantom Thieves showed up sometime after that, but…”

Hiroki chuckled slightly. “I meant with you.”

“Oh, no,” Ann answered. “Not really. But after Kamoshida confessed, I felt freer than ever.”

“Hm,” Hiroki said. “Well, thank you for your time. I’m sure this wasn’t easy.”

“Yeah” Ann said. “But if it helps…”

“Right,” Hiroki said. “Speaking of, your friend Ren has some nice words about Dr. Maruki. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, or if this opened any old wounds, I’d suggest paying him a visit.”

Ann smiled. “Yeah, she’s told me as such. And I’ve been thinking about it. I might go soon.”

“Well then, have a good rest of your day,” Hiroki said. Ann nodded and walked out.

Once she met up with Ren, Ren asked “Well, how’d it go.”

Ann was thinking about how to answer that. “About as well as you’d expect. I mean, I had been in Kamoshida’s sights for a while, so there was a lot to unpack.”

Ren frowned. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be sorry” Ann insisted. “You’ve done so much for me. You’re basically my hero.”

Ren blushed immensely. “Thanks.”

“Anyways, we should get going,” Ann said. “We don’t want to keep them too long.”

“Right” Ren nodded. They both headed to Station Square.

Once there, they saw everyone else. “Yo” Ryuji greeted them. “How’d it go? You OK?”

Ann smiled. “Yeah. It is a lot, but I think I did OK.”

“Lady Ann…” Morgana said, popping out of Ren’s bag.

“I’m sorry” Sumire blurted. “I should have said something earlier.”

The three other Shujin students were taken aback. “It’s OK,” Ren said, trying to calm her.

“Yeah, Kamoshida’s A LOT, even with a proper warning” Ryuji stated.

“Yeah. Don’t beat yourself up over it” Ann said. “Really, it’s fine.”

Sumire smiled. “Oh. Right. Speaking of warnings, had I known Akechi was going to be the interviewee, or that you were going to the TV studio at all, I might have told you about him.”

Ren smiled. “That’s fine,” she said. “I like charging into things head first sometimes.”

Sumire smiled back. “I can see why Akechi found you so engaging.”

Ann also smiled. “But you know who else we met?”

Sumire became inquizitive. “Who?”

“Your dad,” Ann answered.

“That’s right,” Ryuji said. “He thanked us for being your friend, and wanted us to thank Jose and Yusuke as well.”

Sumire was embarrassed. “R-Really?!”

“He actually talked to me twice,” Ren said.

This surprised Ann and Ryuji. “When was the second time?” Ryuji asked.

“After the interview,” Ren replied. “When you two left, Akechi came up to me with an offer of friendship. He came up to us and we had a little chat.”

“And you said ‘no’, right?” Ryuji asked. “To being friends with Akechi.”

“I actually said ‘yes’” Ren informed him.

“WHAT?!” Ryuji reacted.

“Well, he seemed nice enough,” Ren said. “Besides, he’s not totally against us, just if we abuse our power, which we won’t.”

“I think that makes sense,” Jose said. “It’s more of a fear than an outrage.”

“Fear, huh” Ryuji reflected. He stared at the dirt.

“What’s wrong?” Yusuke asked.

Ryuji looked up. “N-Nuthin’.”

“It’s OK, we’re all friends here” Ren said, assuring him.

Ryuji looked at her. “Not here. We’re too public.”

“I see,” Ren said. “Well, shall we head over.”

“Of course!” Yusuke said. “I cannot wait for this hot pot!” The gang started walking over to Leblanc. “By the way Ann,” Yusuke began. Ann looked at him. “If I decide to leave the dorms, would it be OK to live with you?”

Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana panicked. Ann blushed. “Of course not!”

“Huh?” Yusuke said, surprised.

Ren seemed a tad confused. “I’m not sure he’s the type to do what you’re thinking.”

“Well, maybe, I guess…” Ann trailed off. “But it would be a bit awkward. I mean, there would be times when it would be just the two of us.”

“Yeah…” Ryuji added.

“Oh. I didn’t know” Yusuke said.

“It’s fine,” Ann said.

They reached Leblanc. Yusuke looked up. “This is where you live?”

“Yup” Ren said. She opened the door.

Sojiro turned around. “Huh. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“I’m just bringing some friends over,” Ren explained. “Is that OK?”

One by one, everyone started walking in. Yusuke stepped in and took a considerable look around. “Ah, you have a new guy with you,” Sojiro noted.

“Yup” Jose said. “He’s my senpai at Kosei. He’s been feeling a bit anxious, so we thought some time amongst friends would be helpful.”

“Ah. Where are my manners?” Yusuke said. “My name is Yusuke Kitagawa.”

“I see,” Sojiro said. He saw Yusuke looking around. “My name’s Sojiro but you can call me ‘Boss’ If you’d like. So, anything strike your fancy?”

“Huh?” Yusuke said. “Oh, sorry. I’m just perplexed is all. I’ve never met anyone who lives in a dining establishment.

“Heh, well, it takes all kinds,” Sojiro said.

“I’ll say,” Yusuke said. He looked over to see a set of stairs. “Do you live upstairs, or does she?”

“I do,” Ren said. “Sojiro lives in a house close by.”

“Ah, I see,” Yusuke said. “...Wait…”

“Before you ask, it’s complicated,” Sojiro said. “Moreso with me than with her.”

“Thanks boss,” Ren said. “So, if you don’t mind, I noticed a hot pot upstairs. Mind if we use it?”

“That old thing?” Sojiro responded. “Go ahead. I almost forgot it was there.”

“Sweet. Thanks” Ren said. “Well, you heard the man, let’s get this set up!” The gang headed upstairs. Ren and Ryuji got the hot pot down. “Alright then. I suppose ingredients are next. I’ll go see what we have, and what we need. Does anyone have any preferences?”

“Nah!” Ryuji said. “I’m sure whatever we make will be delicious!”

“Anyone else?” Ren asked.

“I’m with Ryuji-senpai,” Sumire said.

“Well, then I guess it’s settled,” Ren said. “I’ll be right back.” Ren went downstairs.

Ryuji looked around. “What’s up?” Jose asked

Ryuji was taken off guard. “Well, it’s just, we haven’t really been up here before…”

“Yeah…” Ann realized. She also looked around. “This place is...a bit different than I expected. But like...good different?”

Sumire looked around. “It’s not traditional, but I guess it works.”

“I’ll say,” Yusuke noted. “I wonder why she doesn’t live with her father.”

“Well, that’s more her place today” Ann said.

“But didn’t he say it was more on him?” Yuske inquired.

“Oh” Ann said. “No, Sojiro isn’t her father.”

“Huh,” Yusuke noted.

Ren came back up. “OK, I’m missing a few ingredients. Who wants to come with me to get some?”

“I’ll go,” Yusuke offered. “I’d like to know more about this place you call home.”

No one was expecting quite a dramatic take on it, but they settled into it quickly. “OK, sure” Ren said. “Anyone else?”

“Nah, we’ll hold down the fort here,” Ryuji said.

“Alright then Let’s go Yusuke,” Ren said. The two of them left to grab some ingredients for the hot pot.

While in the grocery store, Yusuke asked “So, why are you living there?”

Ren turned her attention to him. “Oh yeah. I guess you wouldn’t know, would you. It might be better to explain things when we get back, since I don’t think Jose knows either.”

“I see,” Yusuke responded. “Very well. Let’s continue.” Ren and Yusue picked out some more ingredients and headed back. Once upstairs, Yusuke declared “Alright! Let’s make some hot pot!”

The gang began making hot pot. Ren took charge since it was her room and Sojiro’s pot. She wanted to be careful, while listening to the group to get some good input. Once they finished, they began serving it.

“MMMMMMMM” Ann deighted. “This is SOOOO GOOOOD!”

“Indeed,” Yusuke said. This is DELICIOUS!”

“Boy, I’ll say,” Ryuji said. “Maybe you should become a professional.”

Ren swallowed her latest bit of hot pot. “That might be a bad idea. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be the only cook with a record.”

“R-Record?” Yusuk said, surprised.

“Oh right, Yusuke doesn’t know,” Ann said.

“Yeah” Ren said, “but I did promise to tell him.” Ren smiled. “So, basically, what happened was one night in my hometown, some guy was trying to force this woman into his car. I decided to try and stop it, but he fell down and had me arrested for assault.”

Yusuke was incensed. “Surely the woman would have said something.”

Ren shook her head. “The guy had immense sway. He even had the police leave his name out of the report. Once I got out on probation, my parents thought that with my already turbulent school life, things might become too much, and so they arranged for me to stay here.”

Yusuke was stunned. “Huh.”

“To be honest, we’re all kind of like that, at least a little,” Sumire noted. “I mean, you already know about my trauma, and we all know yours.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Yusuke said.

“Yeah” Ryuji said. “We’re all just a bunch of misfits here. I think that’s what makes us good thieves.” Ryuji looked at the floor.

“Ryuji?” Ann asked.

“Ah, right,” Ryuji said, refocusing. “I was just thinking about what Jose said earlier. About how that Akechi guy might be motivated by a fear of us. I’m just… My mom practically lived in fear of my dad until the day he left. She’s still kind of afraid of him. Not that she’d ever tell me. But I see it.” Ryuji looked at his hands. “I get why someone might be afraid of what we do, but I don’t want people to fear us. I don’t want to use what we have to scare people.”

Everyone went a little silent. Yusuke then spoke up. “As someone who also lived by fear, I can assure you, what we do is different. The people we are fighting are more about using fear to get what they want. When we reject their scare tactics, we are ripping off their mask to reveal the pathetic people they really are.”

Everyone was stunned. “Woah!” Ryuji said.

Ann smiled. “Well, so long as we’re talking about this sort of thing…”

“You too?” Yusuke said, surprised.

“Well, I don’t have anything quite so extreme,” Ann explained, “but… I dunno. I’ve always felt out of place. People only see me for my looks most of the time, so they think that’s who I really am.”

“Ah! I’m sorry” Yusuke said, bowing.

“...Uh, what for?” Ann asked.

“When I asked to paint you,” Yusuke said. “At the time, I didn’t know much about you, but I was taken in with your look and your energy. Forgive me.”

Ann smiled. “You’re fine. In fact, you’re a lot better than a lot of other people. A lot of the time, they don’t think to ask me what I feel, or care what I think like you did, they just want me as they see me, without any input from me.”

“Oh” Yusuke said. “That sounds difficult.”

“Yeah” Ann said. She smiled. “However, after finding people like you all, I finally feel better and more confident about what I want, and putting a voice to that confidence.”

“Way to go Ann” Jose said.

Yusuke looked at Jose. “So, what about you?”

Jose smiled. “Well, I don’t really have much.”

Morgana joined in. “Yeah, Jose and I are kind of in the same boat.”

“How come?” Yusuke asked.

“Well, Mr. Morgana and I aren’t originally from this world” Jose explained.

“Right…” Yusuke said. “I remember now. You did explain that.”

“I’m here as an assistant to Ren, and Jose was exploring Mementos until some shadows raided him” Morgana reiterated.

“So, we’re both looking at humanity from the outside in,” Jose continued. “I’ve been tasked with learning about humans, and the Phantom Thieves have been helping me.”

I see” Yusuke said. “Hm. Delightful.”

“Huh?” Ann asked.

‘Forgive me,” Yusuke continued. “I was being selfish. At the first sign of trouble with dorm life, I intended to turn tail and run. But hearing your stories made me change my mind. I felt so alone in my torment from Madarame that I forgot other people have hardships too. So, to follow your example, I need to face things head on, instead of running from them. Besides, I doubt the dorms will be as bad as Madarame.”

“Yusuke…” Ann said.

Ren smiled and clapped. Everyone who could clapped too. “Great job Yusuke.”

“Huh?” Yusuke said, confused.

“You’re taking your first step into the real world. I know it can be hard, but we’ll be with you every step of the way” Ren continued.

Yusuke was stunned, then smiled. “I see. Thank you.” The group continued eating.

Fool-The Phantom Thieves: Rank 4

They spent some more time together, but pretty much once the pot was empty, everyone started heading home.

As Ren was just getting ready for bed, Ann messaged her.

Ann: Hey.

Ann: I know I’m not the one who determines these things,

Ann: but I remember at our last celebration you told Ryuji, Morgana, and I that you were a lesbian.

Ann: Why not this time?

Ren smiled and blushed ever so slightly.

Ren: It’s not that I don’t want to.

Ren: There’s just another compilation.

Ann: Complication?

Ann: What do you mean?

Ren: ...Sumire…

There was a minute of no response.

Ann: Oh. OH. Huh.

Ann: Well, I hope you can tell her one day.

Ren: I hope so too.

Ren: I’m just...very afraid.

Ann: I don’t think she’d hate you or anything.

Ren: Right.

Ren: Still…

Ann: Yeah, I doubt any of this is easy.

Ann: But you know I’m always there for you.

Ren: Yeah. Thanks.

Ann: Any time.

Ren smiled, put her phone down, and fell asleep.

The next morning, she got up, and headed downstairs for breakfast when she noticed something new. The original “Sayuri”, the one they stole from Madarame’s palace, hanging up in Leblanc. “You like?” Sojiro said. “That Yusuke boy came by this morning and asked if he could hang it up here. I asked him if he really wanted to. He seemed dead set on the idea. Honestly, that kid marches to the beat of his own drum. But then again, look who I’m talking to.”

“I see,” Ren said. She smiled.

“He also gave me this message for you,” Sojiro said, handing her a piece of paper.

Ren took it and began reading. “Ren, Thank you for yesterday. It really helped me put things into perspective. I wish to continue serving the Phantom Thieves, and yesterday really gave me the chance to truly understand what that means. I will not run away or back down. I will face these challenges head on.

As for the painting, the legacy of the ‘Sayuri’ is pretty much tainted. However, it is such a beautiful and masterful piece of art on its own that I cannot let it go to waste. It then hit me: You and the ‘Sayuri’ are similar in this way. You’ve both lost your place to belong. So I decided to emulate you and place it here, so that it can gain a new home, and hopefully a new purpose. I hope you and the Boss take good care of it. -Yusuke”

As Ren read it, she wiped a tear forming in her eyes. “Thank you. I needed that perspective too.” Sojiro just looked on, smiled, and whipped her up a cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, Yusuke was looking at the picture he had taken of the “Sayuri” in Leblanc. He eventually decided to send it to Kosuke. When Kosuke got it, he smiled and said “Right where it belongs.”

[dolansontheblock]

Written in the Sand by Old Dominion

masterlist

hiiii love, thank you so much for requesting this! i actually fell in love with the song, so i added it to my playlist! you didn’t specify which twin you wanted so i chose ethan! i hope you enjoy!!

warnings: slight mention of smut

Turn me on, turn me off, then you turn me back on by the weekend

And you won't say the words that I want but you flirt when you're drinkin'

I see those bubbles pop up like you're texting then they disappear

Let's cut through the shit then let's get to what we're doing here

You’re not sure how you let yourself get so involved with someone, let alone someone from LA. You always told yourself that you would never fall for one when you moved from New York to take a job on the gold coast.

It was a Saturday night and you were at a party downtown when your friend Ryan approached you, saying something about introducing you to his friends before he grabbed your hand and started to drag you towards the back of the room, almost spilling your drink in the process.

You saw them both standing against the wall, keeping to themselves mostly. Once Ryan introduced you, you kind of felt unwelcome and awkward standing there so you slowly floated your way across the room and found yourself by the bar again.

You felt the uncomfortableness radiating off of them even from where you stood. After finally getting the bartender's attention you ordered your drink and decided that you weren’t going to feel bad. They were big boys who made the choice to come here, you don’t owe them anything. Grabbing your beverage from the bar, you decided to do what you do best, socialize. People love to call you a social butterfly, but you liked to think of yourself as being personable, friendly even. That’s exactly why as you were making your rounds, you found your eyes moving towards the back wall. And every time, you saw Ethan staring at you, looking away quickly when you caught him. This went on a few more times until you looked over and saw him standing alone now, Grayson and Ryan being nowhere in sight. You decided enough was enough, so you walked to the bar for the upteenth time that night, ordered yourself a screwdriver and Ethan a water, and weaved your way through the crowded dance floor to get to him.

When he saw you approaching, he bowed his head and looked down towards his feet and stuffed his hands in his pockets. You extended the water to him with raised eyebrows, waiting for him to take it from you.

“Oh, thanks but I don’t drink.” You sighed before answering.

“Good thing it’s water then, huh?” Raising your eyebrows again, he took the water from your hand with his tattooed palm, taking a small sip. The two of you just stood there and you quickly realized that you were going to have to be the one to initiate some form of conversation.

“I like your tattoo,” You say as you wrap your lips around your straw, taking a small sip. “I have a few myself, some meaningful, others stupidity at its finest. I’ve been meaning to get another one but I guess I just haven’t gotten around to it.” Ethan was just looking at you, admiring you as you rambled on. He was enthralled by the way your hands waved as you spoke, the way your nose crinkled as you laughed. He was envious of your ability to strike up a conversation with anyone in any surrounding and make them feel like they’re talking to an old friend. You two spoke for the rest of the night, even after Grayson came back from wherever he was at. Eventually you two found yourselves out on the balcony after Grayson decided to leave the two of you be and chill with Ryan and the others. When the night came to an end, the two of you exchanged numbers before heading your separate ways.

The days following were filled with each other. You were texting from sunrise to sunset, facetiming at night until one of you fell asleep on the other. Not long after, you began to come over almost every day. You would hang out with Ethan, Grayson or both of them, doing whatever came to you that day. Eventually you had a designated spot for your car in the driveway, your own hook to put your keys on, a spot to keep your shoes and the guest bed made up for you. You became so close to them, especially Ethan. It was clear that something special was happening between the two of you, everyone could see it.

One night, the guys decided to have a little get together, and of course you were there, but you had a few too many cocktails and had decided to crash there, like you did many times before. You followed Ethan to his room so he could give you a hoodie to wear to bed, because you always ‘forget’ to bring clothes. You took off your too and put the hoodie on, his sent enveloping you bringing a smile to your face. You shimmied out of your jeans and decided to crawl under his covers while you waited for him to get out of the bathroom, staring at the ceiling with the goofiest of grins on your face. When Ethan opened the door to find you laying in his bed wearing his clothes, his heart melted.

“Whatcha doing there little one?” You looked at him with your big beady eyes, crossing your arms and pouting at him as he maneuvered around the room.

“I’m not little, Ethan. I’m a bad ass.” He smiled at your declaration, plugging in his phone before lifting up the covers to join you.

“Am I bigger than you?” You nodded at his question, snuggling into his side. “Then you are little, compared to me.” You furrowed your eyebrows, ready to fight him with your words when he continued.

“You’re my little bad ass, okay?” That seemed to satisfy you, a soft smile graced your features and you reached for his hand so you could play with his fingers. There was a moment of comfortable silence before you spoke.

“I like it when you call me pet names, it gives me butterflies,” You sigh, thinking of all the times you felt the familiar flutter around him. “Like the other day, when you called me babe by accident? It made me feel soft, I liked it.” You giggled lightly before continuing.

“I especially liked how you blushed afterwards. Your cheeks turn the same color as your lips, you have really pretty lips. Sometimes I find myself staring at them, I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help myself.” Ethan was in shock. You were never one to talk openly about your feelings like this. You were the type of person to talk about others feelings and help them before ever expressing your own. You built your walls high and strong, and right now they were cracking before Ethan’s eyes.

Are we just a backseat, tryna get it while we can?

Are we names in a tattoo, or just a number on a hand?

Are we last-call kissing or will we be reminiscing with each other for the next forty years?

Are we written in the stars, baby, or are we written in the sand?

Things started to progress after that night. You and Ethan were more touchy with each other, hands lingering on the small of your back in passing, on your thigh as he drove. On your weekly movie nights with the twins you found yourself curling up into Ethan’s side, legs thrown on top of his under a shared blanket. You were over their house almost every day, it didn’t matter if they were there or not. They trusted you with their house and belongings. You even helped them decorate the house and make design changes, permanently making their mark on the house, but unknowingly making a mark on their hearts, especially Ethan’s.

You started to get up early with Grayson to teach him a little about yoga and show him how to properly stretch without hurting himself, it was something that brought you two closer. Grayson was aware of how his brother felt about you. He didn’t even have to ask, he knows his twin better than anyone. He was just glad it was you and not anyone else, Grayson liked you & liked the influence you had on his brother. You were good for him.

The day that you two crossed the line into a physical relationship started like any other day. You were hanging around the house, doing a whole lot of nothing when you and Ethan decided to go to the beach on a whim to watch the sunset. You usually watched it in the backyard but you just wanted to get out of the house, and Ethan wanted to do whatever you did. After a few snaps and a photo shoot later, you found yourself in the backseat, looking at the stars appearing in the sky through the open sun roof while laying on him, his arms wrapped around you, rubbing the little moon tattoo you have just above your elbow. You swear you’ve never felt like this before, so safe and warm, and loved in someone’s arms before. Ethan makes you feel things that you swore you never wanted to feel.

You turned your head to look at him only to find his eyes already on you, a soft smile on his lips. You both were looking deep into each others eyes, slowly moving closer together until you could feel his breath fan your face, lips barely touching. It was Ethan who finally closed the space, kissing you so soft and tenderly. You swore it was the sweetest kiss you’ve ever shared with another person.

Both of you got lost in each other, hands wandering and breathy moans until you broke the kiss and too your shirt off, exposing your bare chest to him for the first time. Before you could even react, his hands were on you, gently exploring this new uncharted territory for him. The way he was holding you made you feel like you were the most precious thing in the world. You grabbed his shirt in your hands and he got the hint, taking it off quickly before pulling you down to taste you once again. Your hands were tangled in his hair when you started to move your hips against his, grinding ever so softly because you needed more. His hands found your hips quickly and broke away, both of you panting heavily. You whimpered at the loss and brought your hands to the waistband of his pants and to kiss him again when he stopped you.

“Wait, wait Y/N, I need to hear you say you want this, because we don’t have to go any further.” His eyes were shining, hair a mess, and lips swollen. You were never more sure about anything in your life, mumbling a yes on his lips before you both got lost in each other again. That night, Ethan took your innocence under the stars in the back seat of his telsa.

Yeah, I want you to want me to take you back home to my mama

Put my name on your lips, call me yours and forget all this drama

Your makeup is next to my toothbrush but you never put it away on the shelf

I'm asking you baby 'cause I'm tired of asking myself

After the night in his car, things were very different between the two of you. You were much more affectionate towards each other, so much so that others were beginning to catch on. You no longer slept in the guest bedroom, instead you shared Ethan’s bed every night, tangled up with each other throughout the night. He was what you woke up to and who you fell asleep next to. You eventually began to find a flow between the three of you living under one roof. Every Saturday morning you would get up early, much to Ethan’s dismay, and do yoga with Grayson outside, then you would take the list that Grayson had written throughout the week and do the grocery shopping, picking up breakfast on your way back to the house because Ethan always woke up around the same time you got back. You did household things like the dishes, cooking and cleaning. Soon your laundry loads weren’t separated anymore, being thrown in with theirs. Little pieces of you were littered across the house. You had your little succulent plants lining the windowsill in the kitchen, a vase of fresh flowers always rested on the counter. There was your big fluffy blanket draped across the back of the couch, because you insisted that it was necessary when the AC was on full blast. Books were left on every table in the house, the soap in the bathrooms were replaced with the lavender scented ones you loved so much. The house even smelled of lavender, you insisted that it calmed you, so the boys bought you an essential oil diffuser for the common rooms and one for Ethan’s room, which was always on with lavender oil in. You had a corner of Ethan’s walk in dedicated to you, your skincare was right next to his, along with your toothbrush and all your makeup that took up half the counter. The boys kept finding hair bands in the strangest of places, your long hair always needing to be up if you weren’t going out.

Ethan wanted so desperately to ask what you were. He knew what you felt like you were, but he needed to hear the words. He knew in his heart that he loved you, you were it for him. His sister and mom knew all about you, but you haven’t met because he has yet to talk with you. The bubble you two were living in was near perfect, he didn’t want to take the chance and pop it.

Not too long after, the twins were planning on going back home for a little bit just to regroup and see their family. When they first mentioned it to you, you immediately got nervous. You thought Ethan was going to invite you right then & there, putting you on the spot. But he didn’t, so it made you question many things. You started to second guess things, did he not want you to meet his family? What were you doing here? You’ve given all of yourself to Ethan and opened up yourself in the most vulnerable of ways. You started to think that maybe this all was a bad idea. Nothing should’ve started until you both had spoke about where this was going, what each of you wanted from each other.

That night, you decided to sleep in the guest room for the first time in months. You didn’t feel comfortable sleeping with him until you knew what you were, but you were too scared to ask, fearing what his answer might be.

You were just stepping out of the bath, droplets of water falling onto the plush yellow carpet on the floor when you heard the door click open.

“Babe? Are you in here?” You sighed, wrapping yourself in your robe. You had hoped you could have at least one more night to sleep on your thoughts, but it needs to be done now. You needed to wake up from whatever this dream might be, no matter how wonderfully amazing it’s been.

Walking out of the bathroom, you saw him standing in the doorway with a puzzled look on his face.

“Yeah E, I was just taking a bath.” He started to walk towards you, arms reaching to wrap around you into a warm embrace. You gladly welcomed it, knowing this might be the last time you feel them. Ethan pulled away and looked deeply into your eyes.

“What are we?” He blurted out abruptly, shocking both himself and you at his forwardness. The bubble just popped. Sliding out of the warmth of his arms, you sat down on the bed, fiddling with your fingers.

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing lately,” You felt the tears welling in your eyes, throat getting tight & itchy. You didn’t want to cry in front of him. You needed to be strong, you could not break.

“Well, what do you want to be Y/N?” No more playing cat and mouse. Ethan needed answers and he needed them now. These games were getting tiring and he has to know if he’s going to get his heart broken or not.

“I don’t know, E.” You shook your head, a rogue tear falling on your lap.

“What does that even mean Y/N?!” He could feel his heart shattering right there. Those were not the words he wanted to hear, so his words were coated in anger to hide the sadness.

“I don’t know! I’m so lost, I feel like we’re in this limbo and I don’t know where I stand with you,” Your tears started free falling at that point, crashing like waves into the stone walls you had built so high, breaking under the pressure. “I don’t know what the right thing to say is, I’m constantly afraid that I’ll overstep the boundaries that I’m not even sure what they are!” Ethan ran his hand through his hair, ready to put it all out on the line.

“You want to know where I stand with you?” He raised his eyebrows high in question. “I don’t know much, I’m just a boy from Jersey who made stupid videos on youtube with his twin, somehow was able to move to LA and chase my dreams with my best friend by my side. I thought I had it all, I didn’t think I needed another goddamn thing, I was happy.” You couldn’t look at him, scared of the words that were going to come next.

“Until I met you. Y/N, you changed me for the better, you changed Grayson for the better. You brought us out of our comfort zones and challenged us in ways we wouldn’t have otherwise. I can’t even begin to imagine my life without you in it. You’ve become one of the most important people to me, I would be lost without you. I can’t fall asleep without holding you in my arms. You never fail to make me laugh, no matter how angry I am at Gray. You cook food for us, you do the laundry and go grocery shopping. You made me so incredibly happy and somewhere down the line, I fell in love with you.” Your heart jumped to your throat. You never thought that he would say this to you, let alone while you were in a robe in the guest bedroom, ready to walk out of his life for good. Ethan brought his hand to grasp your chin, moving upward so you had no choice but to look you in the eyes.

“I want you to come home and meet my family. I want you to move in. I want you to be with me, for the rest of my life. I want to grow old with you. I would follow you to the ends of the earth, you have my heart, you’ve had it for a while now. There’s nothing else in the world I want more than you.” Both if you had tears falling down your cheeks. You were so overwhelmed with emotion, you didn’t even know if you could form words. So you reached on your tippy toes and kissed him with all your might. You kissed him like your life depended on it.

“I love you too, E. So much. We’re written in the stars baby, not in the sand.”

Are we written in the stars baby, or are we written in the sand?

[omegatheunknown]

re: I guess, Lil Nas X's new video where he appropriates the apocalyptic imagery presumably meant to scare him straight his whole life causing satanic panic, pearl-clutching and 'won't somebody please think of the children'--

Every time there's a flare-up in what I guess is the uniquely American brand of Christian outrage (with plenty of bleed over into Canada, as is tradition,) I am reminded again of what a pity it was that 'new atheism' turned away from a leftist position so sharply that it is now mostly associated with the alt-right pipeline, as though all it ever was was islamophobia wearing a coat, or one of the angry provocateurs considered 'spokesmen' of the movement made a bricklayer cry on TV one time and that was a step too far and it exposed the new atheism as being primarily misanthropic, mean-spirited, smug and 'i am very smart' memes come to life. (Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, whoever else, can rot, of course.)

That this has largely been replaced with tolerance without nuance is... very fucking annoying. I am, of course, tolerant and accepting of the concept that a person might have a belief system wherein they have a relationship with a church or god (almost always due to the relationship their parents have with a church or god, by strange coincidence,) but like... it's never just that, is it? (s/o to some eastern traditions, some of the Jewish traditions, some harmless new-agers...) Rarely is it just a metaphorical guide for how to live following some key philosophical points. At the higher levels isn't it always about grouping up and controlling your neighbourhood, your community, your country to spread the good news? Leads to entire countries where women can't own property or have any reasonable level of autonomy. Dry counties, dry countries, countries where religious authorities are empowered to such a degree they can put you to death for not following their societal prescriptions...

The staggering level of ignorance endemic to policymakers in the US is innately tied to religiosity, and policies that reflect beliefs in things like prosperity theology, humanity's supposedly sinful nature, protestant work ethic, dominion over all the earth, the law of attraction and a just world... obviously fail the public. Fails future generations. Fails the world. Fails the species. Holds us back, grinds us back into the mire.

And that's without getting into the implications of many tens of millions of Americans apparently un-ironically believing in an actual, literal non-metaphorical Satan in red with big black horns who is manifest in any deviation from their worldview, and who must be fought and warred against (I mean, when in America...) In an anti-christ bearing the mark of the beast who may or may not be Barack Obama. In the coming end times and the world ending in fire and brimstone where the believers will be saved. In angels and heaven and eternal rewards.

I had a post saved in my drafts I was going to comment on, it was a pair of tweets, the first decrying the growing brazenness with which people adopt attitudes of me-first crass individualism and the second tying this to secularism... anyway it turns out I have nothing coherent to say about that other than it's fucking laughable and absurd to try and lay blame for American exceptionalism and American selfishness anywhere other than with the evangelical hysterics and related currents of egomaniacal American traditions that without fault tie patriotism firmly to the cross: calvinist predestination and manifest destiny, inane and constant refrains of god bless america, one nation under god and a pernicious attitude of international 'exemptionalism' and contempt for any concept of internationalism.

I just... truly used to look forward to what humans could accomplish in a godless world. I used to think it was inevitable. Maybe it is. Maybe this is the death rattle.

[kitten-keith]

Bad Blood (Pt1?)

Bask in my SUPER ORIGINAL TITLE RIGHT?

Whatever. Wrote this on Halloween while in the tub immediately after seeing this post on Instagram by @genelpan (I’d share the link  to Instagram as it isn’t on tumblr at alllll but my computer is acting all kinds of stupid atm and I’m pretty sure Gen’s on private now anyway)

Point is, I saw vampires and couldn’t be stopped.

Klance. Vampires. Implied lime-y things but not much.

---

They meet by accident, caught in each other’s sights, recognition in each other’s scents.

Lance smiles, and neither of them know if it’s a challenge or sincere given the look in his eyes, but Keith is gone.

It’s a summit meeting, a new ruler is to be chosen and all the higher ups have been called to witness the ascension of their superior.

Keith knows his sire, Lotor, will most likely be chosen. He’s done much to protect their kind from prying eyes of inquisitive but destructive humans. He renounced his claim years ago, an attempt at penance for the monstrous reign of his father, but Keith knows that doesn’t matter in the long run.

His actions speak for him, not his lineage.

On the other hand, there is a woman, Allura.

She has just as much claim to the position as her family held dominion prior to Lotor’s coming to power, but she’s been gone from court so long (doing lord knows what) that it would be absolutely ludicrous for her to take over.

Perhaps if she’d had more time, she could be a valid contender. She seemed to have a level head on her shoulders, she seemed strong enough.

But once again, what counted were her actions, and she had nothing to show.

He glanced across the court floor to where his sire sat, almost nestled in by the rest of his chosen kin. He smiled and kept his voice small but Keith could still feel his worry.

Lotor would ascend or there would be blood.

Whether he liked it or not.

Keith himself would drink his fill of the blood on tap and await the inevitable.

And that was when he saw him. Dark hair on sun browned skin. A day walker, surely.

Keith had never seen one besides Lotor. The rest of them had enchanted items worn when the need to wander in the day was necessary. Keith had a blade in his back pocket for the occasion but he was fine traveling by night.

Still, it was intriguing to see a man who looked so human standing here in this room full of high level vampires.

The day walker turned at Keith’s attention and there was a long moment of pause. A moment where Keith could take in his full countenance and try to remind himself to breathe.

A moment for a small but clear smile to spread on lightly blood stained lips and Keith can’t help it.

With the blood in his system what little remained in his own veins started to thrum.

He’s stunning.

And it’s been some time since Keith has wanted so badly for anything.

The day walker raises his brow, a request for an invitation and Keith can feel the faint rush to his cheeks before quickly turning away.

Because who is he? Some prepubescent child? Blushing at a suitors attention?

Keith was two hundred years old, he was better than that.

“Well aren’t you something…” says the day walker, now close enough to whisper into Keith’s ear.

Keith grits his teeth. He’d been aware of the other’s movements but had tried to ignore it with everything in his being, wanted to pretend he wasn’t keyed up for any and all interactions with the man.

That said, couldn’t he have said something else? Anything else?

“The names Lance.”

Better. Not great. But better.

Lance.

Lance….

It… suited him.

Keith keeps his face pointed away, toward the old archivist who’s been holding the required ceremonies far toward the front of the grand hall to the disinterest of all those attending.

Still, he peers at Lance from the corner of his eyes, “...Keith.”

“Huh. That’s unfortunate.”

Keith blinks.

Twice.

That was an insult wasn’t it?

“Excuse me?” He turns and faces Lance directly, mentally preparing for a fight whether the man was lovely or not.

Lance laughs then though, completely disarming him.

“That's it. Wanted you to look at me.” He reaches forward and casually holds Keith’s chin between his thumb and forefinger.

“Your eyes are beautiful… needed to get a look at them myself.”

Keith should pull his face away.

Keith should dismiss this wayward child.

Because now that they’re touching, Keith can tell, Lance is a fledgling at best. How he’s even here is anyone’s guess. Someone high on the food chain must have sired him to bring him along.

Keith can’t be interested in a fledgling, they’re messy and stupid and always getting into trouble.

But he can’t pull away.

Doesn’t want to.

“Your eyes are probably your most redeeming feature though, what with that hair and your name? Yeesh.”

Keith grits his teeth.

Okay, he can pull away now. And he does so quickly, a growl in his throat as he steps back and away.

“And what’s wrong with my hair?”

Lance’s smile is constant.

“I mean I survived the 80s too, but the hair didn’t need to Mr. Mullet.”

Keith cannot believe what he’s hearing.

Then Lance leans in again, “but at least it would give me something to grab on to. Would probably look much nicer tugged between my fingers, don’t you think?”

The image plays in his head, far too detailed and scintillating for his own imagination.

Keith’s legs wrapped around his waist, Lance’s fangs in his neck, an intimacy Keith has shared with no one to this point, long brown fingers digging into the hair at the base of his scalp and yanking—

Lance’s eyes gleam.

Keith already hates him.

Hates him.

Grabs him by the collar and he hates him. Tugs him away from the grand hall even though he knows the time is coming, but he hates him and he has to.

He has to put this fledgling in his place.

Has to make him squirm and beg his superior for repentance.

Beg him.

They end up in a storage room when the announcement is made.

They miss it.

They miss it somewhere between the grind of their hips and Lance’s hand slipping past the zipper of Keith’s dark leather pants.

Keith can’t believe it. Can’t believe he let himself get swept away like this for— for—

“Oh come on, we knew who was going to ascend anyway.” Lance offers, fixing his coat.

Keith rubs at his neck where he almost, but absolutely DID NOT, allow Lance to bite harder than a light pink mark, “while true, I should have been out there! He’s my sire and will need the support—“

“He? You mean Loturd?”

Keith feels his blood start to burn for a new reason now.

“What did you just call him?”

Lance rolls his eyes, “oh man, hold on, you really thought Lotor was going to be new lord of vampires?”

Keith has his hand on the doorknob but is quickly weighing the pros and cons of killing the man he just made out with first.

“Come on, Lotor, little lord death, child of the tyrant??”

Keith is seeing red.

“Dude, didn’t he have a bunch of halflings on tap like ninety years ago?”

Oh this again, Keith throws his hands down to educate this little fledgling brat, “six hundred and ninety, and that was to handle a pureblood revolt with the least casualties, if you knew anything about our people—“

“Oh I know plenty, and I know my sire, the true princess, is more than due her crown!” Lance runs his hands through his hair, looking put out, “man, and here I thought you were actually kind of hot.”

Keith is furious.

Livid.

His eyes are violet to denote the magic he acquired when he became a vampire, and everything in him is screaming to burn this infant to ashes.

But also, with those last words in the air and the memory of their actions so recently in mind and hell, even on his body, Keith decides psychological warfare will suffice.

He reaches forward, lightly clawed hand tapping quickly along Lance’s chest as he pushes him harshly against the vacant wall Lance has just had him lifted against.

He presses his body in close, sliding up Lance’s front with his eyes half lidded and his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Oh please, Lance…”

The fledgling’s breath catches. His hand hovered over Keith’s hip, unsure how to handle the mood change, of course.

But Keith doesn’t care.

“You and I both know how hot I can be.” Keith smiles, knowing for damn sure that Lance is torn between terrified and turned on, and that’s exactly where he wants him.

Keith drags his claws down Lance’s front as he pulls away, just a touch of fire there to burn through his clothes if Lance isn’t fast enough to stop it.

Keith leaves before he can figure it out.

Lotor is the new lord of the vampires, much to his frustration, but his followers are rejoicing and Keith decides to follow suit. He’s not too big on parties, but for this he’ll try.

It also helps that he can’t stifle his giggle when one of his chosen kin starts talking about the half naked fledgling in the storage room trying to put out a fire.

[flyingblackhawk]

A Soul for a Soul (The Vormir Fix)

Avengers fic

3,204 words

-

“Welcome, Steven, son of Sarah.”

Clint warned him about this, though he didn’t have a name to tell Steve. Here, on this rock at the centre of the universe, a face from the past.

“Schmidt.”

The eyes are the same, he realises, though the man is floating, surrounded by the ghostly tendrils of his reaper’s cloak. A guide, Clint said. Steve has guessed correctly.

“Not anymore,” says the figure. “I am a guide now, here to show the way to a treasure. You, however, already possess it.”

Steve’s grip on the case tightens and relaxes. That’s why he’s here. To return what was taken.

“So,” Steve says. “Do I just hand it to you?”

The skull can’t smile itself, but the muscles contort into the facsimile of a grimace, and the black raiment moves as if he is shrugging.

“Never in its history has the soul stone been willingly returned by those who claimed it.” The hollow eyes watch him a moment. “Come.”

He turns, and floats towards the cliff. Steve follows, and at the edge, he watches as the cloaked figure floats out over the chasm below. Steve opens the case. He taps his wrist, and the nanosuit gloves his hand, shimmering energy ready to protect him from the chaos contained within. He takes the glowing yellow stone in his hand, and stands. The figure reaches out, his hand lost somewhere beneath the robes, if he has a hand at all.

Steve drops the stone.

It falls through Schmidt as if he is smoke. Steve watches as the glinting yellow stone vanishes out of sight. When he looks up, his guide has vanished too. He is alone.

On the cliff where his friend made the ultimate sacrifice, Steve bows his head and takes a moment to thank her. Natasha, the woman who saved the universe. Maybe she knows. He hopes so.

Steve taps in his next coordinates, and winks out of existence.

-

A dominion-

She falls. The wind howls.

Please-

The air is ice.

…dominion of death-

Screaming. Maybe it’s her.

Let me go.

Only moments left.

…of death at the very centre-

For him, all for him, always for him-

No. Please, no-

It will be okay. She knows.

…the very centre of celestial existence-

Her last thought is of his face.

It’s okay.

Then nothing.

-

Natasha opens her eyes. Above, a moon in eclipse. The sky is dark. Shallow water laps at the borders of her body and she realises that she can feel it. She sits up. Blinks. If this is the afterlife, it’s a lot wetter than she thought it would be.

The word Vormir appears in her head. It swims up through the fog of her cerebral cortex and hangs there in her mind, waiting to be comprehended. Clint pops up alongside it. Stone. Death. No. Please, no. She shakes her head. Her hair is wet. Let me go. It’s okay.

“Fuck.”

The word tumbles out of her as the gravity in her head readjusts and she remembers what she was about to do. No, what she did. She jumped. That much she knows for sure. She fell. She must have hit the rocks below, and- Clint, where is Clint?

She wonders briefly if she’s dead. She’s not injured, which doesn’t seem right after leaping off a cliff. Dreaming? Maybe she’s dying down there on the rocks. She hopes Clint doesn’t have to watch her. But no. The things around her are real. Tangible. She is alive, but how?

Natasha looks around, and there is no mountain to be seen. No cliffs. No Clint. She only knows she’s still on Vormir thanks to the bruised sky and the glimmering eclipse. She doesn’t know when, though. What day is it? What time?

Time.

She looks down. Her hands are submerged in the water, propping her up. Is the suit affected by water? She never thought to ask. It didn’t occur to her to ask Stark if she could swim laps in this thing. Too preoccupied with the concept of travelling through time.

She touches the panel with hesitant fingertips, and it lights up. Apparently her luck doesn’t end with survival, because the whole thing seems to be functioning. Natasha keys in the date and coordinates for the return, as per the plan. She’ll appear back on the platform with the others. Clint will be there. Natasha is seized by the complete conviction that this is going to work, and she stands in the shallow water, ready to fly.

She hits the button.

The vortex opens and she closes her eyes as she is sucked back into the quantum realm. She locks her arms by her sides as she flies through the flashing tunnels of energy, and her blood is roaring in her ears, and the tunnel is looping back- no, something is wrong, something doesn’t feel like before- she hits something quasi-solid, and cartwheels into the energy stream, the light blinds her and-

She splashes back into the water. Her knees hit the ground below and she grunts, and puts her hands out to stop the rest of her body falling, and realises all at once that she is still here, still on this fucking rock in the middle of space.

Her wrist beeps, and she looks at the panel. 2023. She’s in the right time, but still in the same place. The tunnel has brought her through time but she hasn’t travelled physically. Not ideal for someone without a spaceship. Natasha grinds her teeth, and then takes a breath. She centres herself. A voice in her head that sounds a lot like Clint tells her to put her brain back in gear, so she does. She stands up, and walks out of the water onto what looks, in the dim light, to be a sand dune. She sits. Breathes. At least she can breathe. Bonus.

“Come on,” she mutters, tapping the panel. Red lights are blinking at her, telling her she can’t get anywhere. No Pym Particles, she realises. She’s used the last of them. There is nowhere else she can go. She doesn’t stop tweaking the panel, though, because Natasha Romanoff is not going to fucking die on Vormir. Not again.

It takes almost an hour, and her fingernails are ripped to shreds, but she manages to cannibalise the transmitter from her commlink and patch it into the power source of the panel. Now she has a beacon. Natasha doesn’t hesitate, and the second it’s ready, she switches it on. Anyone could find her, she knows that. It’s a big universe, and there could be any number of dangerous people who could pick up the signal. But anything is better than being here. She cradles the transmitter in her hands, and settles down in the sand to wait.

-

“5…4…3…2…1.”

The air crackles, and Steve appears on the platform. The empty case is in his hand, and as he steps down to the grass, Sam can see the tracks of tears on his cheeks.

“Is it done?” Bruce asks. Steve nods. Bucky’s eyebrows are raised, and Steve meets his gaze briefly but looks away, shaking his head.

“I need a drink,” Bucky says. Sam looks from him to Steve, and nods. What else can they do but be together now? As Steve brushes past him, Sam can smell a faint hint of perfume. He opens his mouth to say something, but he sees Bucky’s face and stops short.

The makeshift base is on the edge of the forest, built from emergency shelter tents, shipping containers, demountable buildings and any useful rubble they’ve found around the ruins of the facility. Pepper has told them numerous times that they don’t have to stay here, that there is accommodation available if they want, but they are all of them soldiers, aside from Banner, and they’re all used to sleeping rough. They even have beds in their tents, which is madness.

Sam raids the wreckage while Steve takes a shower in the demountable bathrooms and changes in his tent. He comes back to the clearing to find three friends waiting with worried eyes and dusty bottles of liquor, and he just knows they want to talk, but he can’t do that just yet, so he takes a plastic cup and sits in silence. Everyone is mercifully receptive to his game plan, so they just drink as the sun begins to sink on a day of good work.

Just as Steve starts to think up excuses to be alone, a phone rings. The four of them look around, confused, until Bruce fishes a cell out of his pocket. Gingerly, he tries to tap a button. Sam rescues the phone from his grip, and answers. He flicks it onto speakerphone.

“Hello?”

There is a crackling, and a voice pushes through the static.

“-ner. Banner? Banner, can you hear me?”

“Thor?” Bruce asks. Bucky looks at Steve as if to ask how the hell Thor has a phone. Steve shrugs helplessly.

“The computer found your number,” Thor says, on the other end of the line. “There’s a-”

The static returns. Sam shakes the phone like he’s trying to dislodge the sound.

“Thor?” Bruce calls. “You there?”

“-signal. It’s coming from Vormir.”

There is silence among them.

“Say that again?” Sam requests.

“We’re receiving a homing signal. It’s coming from Vormir.”

The silence is heavier now.

“Nat’s suit,” Steve says. His voice is thick. Emotion rises back to the surface, and he tries to swallow it with a mouthful of whatever the hell is in the cup he’s holding.

“We’re going in to investigate,” Thor says. “If it’s her, we will bring her home, so we can say goodbye properly.”

“Thank you,” Bruce says. “Thank you, Thor.”

-

The farmhouse has been quiet for a while. Laura does what she can, but to her it’s been a matter of weeks since they were out on the field, having lunch. Next thing, they were back there, Clint was gone, and the house looked like it had been abandoned for years. Which, of course, it was. Clint is back, he’s with them, but he’s different. It’s not just the extra five years, Laura thinks, or the haircut, or the tattoos. It’s the loss of his best friend. Laura mourns with him, and the kids do too, but he was there. He saw her die. It’s not the only thing he won’t talk about, but it’s up there.

When the quinjet lands, she almost wants to tell Steve that Clint isn’t here. He doesn’t need to suffer today. Her husband hasn’t made it a full day without crying yet. Neither has she. Laura takes Steve to where Clint is tinkering with the tractor anyway. Can’t turn away Captain America.

“Hey,” says Clint. The word is quiet, yet loaded. Steve can see his eyes are red. He looks so tired.

“Thor and the Guardians picked up a signal,” Steve says. No preamble. Clint deserves better than that. “We think it might be Natasha’s body.”

“Oh my God,” Laura says, voice soft. She puts a hand to her mouth.

Clint drops his head. “Okay. Good. They’re bringing her back?”

Steve nods. “We’ll know for sure in the next couple of hours. If you want to come back-”

“Yeah. I’ll come.”

Steve doesn’t know the protocol. Is Clint a hugging kind of guy? He looks like he needs it. Laura saves the day by walking over to her husband. He wraps his arms around her and clings to her. Steve looks away as Clint buries his face in his wife’s shoulder.

“I’ll be at the jet,” he says, and leaves them in the shed. The air outside is cool, and the last of the light is fading from the sky. Steve can see the beginnings of the field of stars stretching out overhead. The universe is so much bigger than he ever could have imagined. Here, the world still feels small.

“Let’s go.”

It’s Clint. He has grabbed a go bag from somewhere. Steve leads the way onto the jet. Clint sits in the copilot’s seat, and even though they are all of three feet apart, and there is a shared loss between them, the journey back to the ruins of the facility is silent.

-

Natasha is thirsty. How long does it take for a human to starve to death? Three weeks, she recalls. Three days without water. She has oxygen. That’s a small comfort.

Maybe it was too much to hope that someone would pick up the beacon. It’s a big universe. Hopefully she will fall asleep and not wake up. It’s a much more peaceful death than she thought she’d have. That, at least, is good. She wishes, though, that there was some way to get a message to Clint.

It’s hard to tell how long it’s been. There’s no light here. The unmoving eclipsed moon hangs overhead, and the dunes are lit with a dim purple light that does not change. She can’t tell if it’s been hours or days. From the hunger, she guesses around twenty-four hours.

The water is salty. She tried to drink it before. How long ago? Hard to say. The air around her isn’t getting colder, but her body’s core temperature is dropping as she gets weaker and more weary. She lies back on the sand, and looks up at the sky. At least there are stars. Maybe one of them is Earth. She knows she probably can’t see her own planet from here, but it’s nice to think one of the twinkling lights is her home. Clint is there. Steve. Everyone she’s ever known. Her family. Natasha smiles, dry lips cracking. She focuses on the brightest star. A planet? It’s flickering. It’s bright. Really bright. Getting… brighter?

Natasha sits up. It’s getting bigger. No, closer. It’s moving. She squints at it. The light extinguishes, and she realises that it’s something coming through the atmosphere. She sees lights again, this time in the shape of-

“About time,” she croaks. It’s a ship. A goddamn ship. As it draws closer, Natasha realises something, and it forces her to her feet, fills her with energy she didn’t know she could access.

She knows that ship.

-

He’s not ready. Clint will never be ready for this. It was hard enough the first time, and he’s had nightmares about her body for weeks. Now he has to face it, he has to see whatever is left of her. He doesn’t know what to expect, but he knows it will stay with him forever. All he can hope for is a chance to say he’s sorry. He knows he will hate himself for drawing breath over her, when she is dead because of him. For him, Laura said. He tries to tell himself that, and it works sometimes. Other times Clint can’t breathe for the grief, for wishing that he’d just run faster, or knocked her down harder. Something, anything not to feel this gaping hole in his chest, this loss that can’t ever be remedied.

“Clint.”

“I can’t do this.”

Steve has been crying too, but he puts his hand on Clint’s shoulder anyway. They’re all crying. It’s nothing these days. They’ve been crying for five years, why stop now? The sun is breaking over the horizon. It has been a sleepless night at the makeshift facility camp.

“This is the best we could hope for,” says Steve. Clint believes that. Getting her back, even if it’s just a body to bury, is infinitely better than leaving her on that godforsaken planet, alone forever. It’s not bringing her back that Clint can’t face. It’s knowing that there’s nothing left to do. It’s the thought of moving on in a world without Natasha, without his partner and best friend.

“Steve!”

It’s Sam, calling them both. Steve turns his attention to the sky, and hears a faint rumble. From above, the ship appears. Clint watches as it descends, and he feels the twist in his gut that reminds him of the last time he saw it - from the pilot’s seat, with Natasha by his side, giddy and laughing their way to her death.

They walk over to where the ship is touching down. The ramp lowers, and Clint steels himself. He feels Sam’s hand on one shoulder, and Steve’s on the other. The team surrounds him, ready to brace him against whatever agony will be carried down off that ship.

Rocket appears first. He walks over to the waiting men.

“Don’t be mad, okay?” he says. “I promised I wouldn’t call you before we got here.”

Confused, Clint looks back at the ramp. Walking out of the ship is Thor, followed by Quill. Groot and Drax appear too. Clint doesn’t understand.

“You couldn’t get her?” he asks Thor. His voice is broken. This too has failed. He’s never going to get to tell her he’s sorry.

“Clint,” Steve says. The colour has departed from his face, and his mouth is open. Sam is staring. Clint follows their lines of sight to the ramp, where Natasha Romanoff is stepping onto the grass, supported by Nebula on one side and Mantis on the other.

“Nat,” he chokes. Then he’s running. He hears someone shout something, hears a gasp, a soft ‘oh my god’ from someone, he doesn’t know, doesn’t care who it is. Natasha sees him, and her face slackens- is she crying? Clint is blinded by his own tears and he skids to a halt in front of her. Is she a ghost? A symptom of his mind finally folding in on itself from grief? He reaches out and touches her shoulder. She’s real. Solid. She collapses into him and Clint slumps with her onto the damp grass. The first light of the sun is just touching them, and it’s not warm yet, but she is. She’s alive. Natasha is alive.

“How-”

“I don’t know,” she says. She sounds terrible. She looks like she’s half dead. Better than all dead, Clint thinks, and he cups her face in his hands and inspects her.

“Clint-”

“I’m so sorry.”

“No,” she says. “No, don’t. I’m sorry.”

“Nat-”

She buries her face in his neck and he holds her, realising they are surrounded by clamouring Avengers. Steve is crying, Bucky at his shoulder, Sam is punching the air, and Thor is trying to look smug while he disguises his own tears. Even the Guardians look touched. Clint doesn’t give a shit. His whole world is in his arms, and Natasha pulls back and looks at him, smiling a smile he never thought he’d see again.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” he says.

“Can’t promise anything.”

He pulls her close in the light of the dawn, and presses his lips to her forehead.

Natasha closes her eyes and savours the feeling. The dew is wet on her legs. The weak sunlight is warm on her skin. Clint surrounds her with more warmth, with a presence so solid and safe she never wants to leave his embrace.

“Welcome home,” he says, and they simply hold onto one another, each silently thanking the universe for the gift of the other.

[akingdomtheorist]

KH Catch-Up: BBS FM Ventus

VEN STORY START

"Xehanort fuckin' used darkness in plain sight! I didn't notice that!"

"And that's when Xehanort was like 'ooh that's gonna be my new vessel'."

"I just realized- that's Haley Joel Osment? That's on purpose, that's on purpose isn't it. Why do you sound like Sora?"

"How did you get in my room?"

"This is really bitter sweet now."

"Why were we allowed to just leave?"

"We have a skateboard? Oh heck yeah we do."

"Wait it was Xehanort that refused Terra's Mastery?"

DWARF WOODLANDS

"Let's go follow those little peo- I mean wait no, little people's the correct term."

You're not here for our diamonds? "No I'm not playing Minecraft."

"Obviously no one can be that tall, god."

"I'm sad." "Why are you sad?" "You know whats not there?" "What?" "Cure..." "Yeah." "BUT YOU KNOW WHO HAS CURE?" -proceeds to D-Link with Aqua-

"Are we seriously playing Hide & Seek?"

"This is a wide open area and you're telling me no Unversed are here?"

"Ven, get with the program, we gotta rhyme in this world."

"Now all the Unversed are gonna show up."

"UHHHHH... that's a big boy."

CASTLE OF DREAMS

"What the fuck? Yeah you almost look like a person! What?!"

"Mhmm. Yup Terra. About that dream. Nothing bad's gonna happen."

"I wasn't expecting to be shrunk down to the size of a mouse, and then saved by a giant- oh this is pathetic."

"Now we're breaking into her room! This is someone's fetish."

"Has no one noticed I look like a human yet? I guess with talking mice a tiny human is not the weirdest thing Cinderella has seen."

He immediately buys Cure the first chance he gets.

-sees fork- "Ooh, I know what to do here."

"What does the cheese do..."

"I get to beat up a cat."

"I've done this boss fight a hundred times."

ENCHANTED DOMINION

Can you tell me why she's sleeping? "Because it's night Ven."

"Damn invisible walls, I want to be king."

"You missed a bird." "I'll get him when I'm done with these." "See?" -completely WHIFFS the finisher- "Flawless."

-walks into room with magic circles, pans camera around- "Nope. Nope not dealing with that."

"Aww no this is the Rainbow Rocket bullshit."

"I hate this. Oh look it's the end I'm not gonna get any chests but fuck it whatever."

"I'm just waiting for Maleficent to dragon me."

He got hit out of Cure after being Doom Stunned.

"OH NO. OH GOD. OH NO I NEED LEAF BRACER."

-sees spiral of doom- "Wtf is this?"

"NO, NO YOU DON'T GET TO SLEEP ME."

"Aqua! =D"

"Can we just talk about the fact that Ven took the presence of a nightmare being in his room very well?"

"Welp time to go to the Keyblade Graveyard. I know what this is now, it's not just Land Before Time meets Chernobog to me."

KEYBLADE GRAVEYARD

-Vanitas summons keyblade- "Oh good..."

"Jesus-wait did he just actually kill me? Oh no it's an I had to lose fight."

"Hi Mickey?!"

"Now we fight for real!" "Yeah with that one inch of HP you took off his health bar." "Shut up."

"I miss Leaf Bracer so much."

He died. So he made Cura, and then went to go get it and Second Chance.

"It is weird hearing Haley Joel Osment being all edgey and shit."

"I almost said I didn't need Cura this entire time, but I didn't, because I would have died."

"Oh my god, Mickey is like a little baby right now."

"Oh, no Radiant Garden yet?" "That's LITERALLY RIGHT THERE." "Oh. I'm an idiot."

RADIANT GARDEN

"Are we gonna meet Ansem?"

"Who is that?" "Well put an X with Even and what do you get?" "Uh... Vexen?" "Yeah." "That's not--that IS Vexen!"

-gets Disney Town passes- "That's a credit card!"

"Ven is like 'Mom Dad stop fighting!'"

"Who is that? Is that Siax?" "No, but his real name is Ienzo." "OH THAT'S ZEXION?" "Yeah he little!"

"There are so many people with grey hair and blue eyes."

-gets Reversal- "-GASP- YAAAAY!"

"Poor Ven! Poor Ven... I'm sad now." "Well get ready for a flashback and a callback."

"Is that? IT IS! And theres-" "I told you."

"Oh my god you dork."

"AAAAAAH. This is why Axel is so attatched to Roxas! Right?" "It might help."

"I LOVE HIM."

"Oh my god, Isa laughed, what."

"I love Lea. AHH I GOT A KEYBLADE FROM HIM!"

OLYMPUS COLISEUM

"Hi Zack."

"Oh it's this again."

He won the mini game by two points and had no right to win that.

"Why is Phil a jerk in this one?"

"Well yeah your only friend in the world that isn't Aqua is about to get Norted so I mean..."

-sees the onslaught of Unversed- "Time Splicer is gonna be so good in this..."

"Aww Zack..."

DISNEY TOWN

"Is this Pete's new scheme?"

-unlocks Master Mode for It's a Small World- "Excuse me...?"

I wish I had someone lookin' out for me. "Yes Ven and they all told you to go home."

DEEP SPACE

"I feel like a security system that can be defeated by spitting is a very bad security system."

-Gantu shoots Stitch's wayfinder- "How DARE you!"

Gantu is now a dick for what he did.

"Did you read what the tutorial thing said?" "No, not at all. I assume I have to stop the ship from taking too much damage?" "Well yeah. The strategy is to yeet Stitch at the boss." "Ohhhhoho... or I could just do that!" "What did you do?" "I Time Splicer'd it took out half it's health!"

"Did we just get tossed into space? Aw we just got Mass Effect 2'd... alright when are we gonna wake up dead on a spaceship..."

NEVERLAND

-sees Vanitas- "Oh my god..."

"WINGBLADE???" "You gots an upgrade."

"Why is there no Moogle here?" "Moogle probably went on Union Break."

"Or I could just beat you up with a giant key..."

"I like how he told the Unversed to scram."

"I feel like I've seen this (Wingblade) before..."

"Hello old grinding spot, I missed you."

"I know where I've seen that animation before! Noctis!"

"WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE ANAKIN PART YET."

"You could say he's caught between a croc... and a hard place." "....." "Now excuse me while I beat up this middle aged man."

Then there was a lot of grinding for a lot of rare commands to meld them into.

KEYBLADE GRAVEYARD

"Sorry I'm late I had to grind!"

"Oh hello bad man."

"Oh good we got our memories back. This was the perfect time for this to happen."

"Oh that's why he puts the x in everyone's name..."

"I'm not falling for it and neither is Terra!"

"Oh, are we getting sent to the Anakin part?"

LAND OF DEPARTURE

"Shit, I feel WAY less bad about the Anakin thing now."

"Honestly this is on Eraqus."

DESTINY ISLANDS

"Oh heck... I forgot they go to Destiny Islands. I forgot Terra sent Riku on the path to super villainy."

"Oh you bitch..."

"Those are Heartless, those are straight up Heartless."

"Very intentionally hiding Vanitas' face."

KEYBLADE GRAVEYARD AGAIN

-uses Faith for the first time- "OH... well that's a thing."

"Some of these are stretching the definition of key. Some of them are just straight up swords."

"Oh hey Vanitas."

"The only one who actually takes off his helmet is Terra. God dammit Terra."

"Yeah yeah Kingdom Hearts is fuckin' here I don't know why."

"Oh hey Braig. He's been Norted!"

"Ven is VERY angry..."

"Oh no I know how this works, we never attack first, we always dodge."

"Oh right we weren't supposed to do that, shit."

"OKAY WHAT THE FUCK WHAT- WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE SORA?"

"Oh hello asshole. Oh. Hello broken X-Blade."

If Time Splicer had IFrames, it could one shot bosses. Thats what we are learning.

"That was the COOLEST SHIT. BEST ending fight in this series so far."

"That's right bitch, don't got your sword now do ya?"

I had to go find the one cutscene to watch because I was mad it didn't show up.

"So that's Ven arriving in Sora's heart?"

"This is really cute."

"Awwwww..."

VEN STORY END

So we will be doing Aqua’s as the last KH Catch-Up post, only because of time constraints. KH3 will be streamed on Twitch and I will post about that, and then eventually KH3D because even though he watched all the cutscenes, I refuse to not let him play it.

[sleepymarmot]

DS9 season 2 liveblog

[Season index: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PS]

The Homecoming

They're opening the season with a three-parter about Bajoran-Cardassian problems, and Dukat will show up right in the first episode? The writers are not wasting time...

Sisko's unusually cheerful.

Again, I'm amazed at this new heroic O'Brien who is so unlike the background character I've watched press buttons for years.

One does not simply walk into a Cardassian camp! Unless you're these two.

This is completely crazy! What'll stop the Cardassians from destroying their ship?

Just as I was going to say "Why not beam the wounded right from the runabout?", they actually do so -- but just after exiting it. Is there any in-universe reason behind it, or just the ease of fiming?

Why is Dukat being so friendly? Maybe he has spies among the freed Bajorans? If so, it better not be Li Nalas himself...

Bashir you're embarrassing yourself -_-

Quark, why are you always such an ass to your brother? Is that really necessary?

Poor guy.

Oooookay?? The previous scene made me completely trust him, but now my suspicions are stronger than ever. He's replacing Kira? Seriously? That has got to be someone's plan.

Well, this episode was meaty. And it really seems like the show is finding its feet -- unlike Duet, this episode didn't remind me of the other series and feels uniquely DS9.

The Circle

Aw, Odo's being a good friend! I don't remember him ever becoming so agitated before.

Vedek Winn as guest star? *grinds teeth in advance*

what a mess... I don't know if it's funny or sad. What a contrast to Data's friendly, nice and organized goodbye party :D 

"These are my... these are my friends" 

Do the Prophets really need to show her this sexy crap? Also, I'm too faceblind, is the guy in the vision the freedom fighter or the priest?

Odo and Quark!

I don't understand, which of these two is trying to convince the other to support them? And I don't like how blatantly evil they act.

AUGHHHH NOT A STUPID STARFLEET ADMIRAL AND THE PRIME DIRECTIVE!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!! GET THIS CRAP AWAY FROM ME!

(Seriously though, you say "Prime Directive", I hear "stupid bureaucratic crap that gets in the way of doing the obviously right thing". Either retire it or write it better, dammit!)

The Siege

Okay, I might change my mind by the end of the episode, but this might be the strongest of the multi-episode stories so far.

Aww Nog

"The Cardies" haha

Ugh, don't do the "wife asks husband not to be a hero" thing

The freedom fighter becomes a leader for real!

Sisko and Bashir turn and walk away in sync lol

"Is that a spider or a dog?"

Please stop ruining your engaging story with scenes about cartoonish villains...

I've... actually completely forgotten that O'Brien had been in the Cardassian war until this very moment. That's probably why he has been so opinionated, not just because of Picard. 

That's it? Kinda underwhelming.

Ugh, killing Li Nalas? I didn't expect this show to cling so hard to status quo...

The first episode was the most impactful, but the entire story is still very impressive, epic and engaging!

Invasive Procedures

End of previous episode: Everyone happily returns after evacuation! Beginning of this episode: The station has been evacuated

Quark and Odo: *bicker* O'Brien: Ughhhh get a room already

Previous episodes: main characters defeat the forces of the entire Bajor This episode: DS9 is easily hijiacked by a handful of mercs & amateurs

That's an impressive "As you know" speech, Dax

When will poor Jadzia get an episode that's not about her being victimized and quietly accepting death?

Yes, I get it, the entire thing is just a plot device to show us Dax without Jadzia (and hopefully, Jadzia without Dax, if she'll be awake for it?), get on with it please

I hope the second half of the episode is about Dax working against the antagonist literally from the inside

Well, it's pretty disappointing that Dax by themself has so little personality and moral compass. I guess Sisko was all this time really friends with just Curzon and Jadzia, not Dax. Honestly, it's easier to forgive Quark (who sort of redeemed himself with an amusing scene) than Dax after this episode.

I was planning to go to bed after this one, but hell, I need to wash down this nonsense

Cardassians

I see Bashir has gained a lot of confidence since Past Prologue

"I am no more a spy than you are--" "A doctor"

I guess not everyone is fine with strangers touching them haha

"To us, he isn't even one of them any more" uh.....

"They won't hurt you. They're humans, they're not Cardassians" jfc...

"Don't apologize. It's been the high point of my day. DON'T DO IT AGAIN." 

(Sisko seems to chew out Bashir more often than others. Is Bashir just the most undisciplined?)

Oh, here we go, O'Brien's anti-Cardassian racism again, makes sense for it to be in this episode

Poor Keiko, she's trying so hard

Miles is getting over himself! I'm proud of him

Bashir is learning to yell at people! Two episodes in a row now.

Um, Miles, I don't think it's a great idea to tell these things to the boy's father...

Dukat's neck scared me. is that normal

GOD IT'S EVEN WEIRDER FROM THE FRONT why am I so bothered by this lmao. honestly was their casting requirement "not only be able to look ominous without actually doing anything, but to have an extremely long neck so we could sculpt interesting things around it"? i'm sorry i'm gonna shut up about this now

Garak if you hold that satisfied smile for some time more you're going to turn into a child-drawn picture of a sun

I love that Dukat doesn't even bother to finish the conversation, he just turns around and leaves without a word the moment it becomes clear that he lost

Ugh, poor boy... What a choice. Abusive family he loves and considers his own or the planet of strangers from an unfamiliar culture he hates, both claiming to love him and expecting him to identify with them? Even if they didn't tell who took him in the end -- he gets a bad deal either way.

it's much more easier to take Garak seriously when he's not dressed like a grandma who stopped giving a fuck 20 years ago. that's probably why he does dress like this, though... but shouldn't that hurt his reputation as a tailor?

This episode was awesome! Exploration of social issues, family drama, political intrigue -- all tightly wound together and making perfect sense. So far the Cardassian stories are the highlight of the show, I hope it's going to stay this way.

It's really weird how Bashir changed between seasons. He hasn't gotten a lot of screentime apart from this episode, but he seems less naive, awkward and bouncy, he's grown more confident, and the crush on Jadzia has disappeared without a trace. Tbh I'm kind of disappointed -- I was expecting a smoother character arc that would let him grow before our eyes and phase out his immature traits one by one. Same goes for his relationship with Garak -- we've only seen their meeting and now they act like besties, how did they get here?

No, wait, let me get back to the plot of the episode. So Dukat had a politician's child kindapped just in case that politician becomes his opponent at some indefinite point in the future, so that he could go through another complicated scheme to humiliate him? Had he absolutely nothing better to do?!! Did he arrange something like this for everyone who could ever possibly cross him?

Melora

Um, Julian, that sounded a bit too much like Geordi's style of creepy almost-stalking...

Wait, Melora is Grace Holloway? :D I didn't recognize her until the familiar name appeared on screen.

She complains about being treated differently and about following the same rules as everyone else in the same breath. Did the writers make her hypocritical on purpose?

Why is he doing this? Is he actually interested in her as a woman? Does he want to help her acclimatize? Or to put her in her place?

Okay, the low gravity scene is pretty cute even if it doesn't make much sense

Daphne Ashbrook in all your fandoms, kissing all of your pretty Doctors

so far it seems like in season 2 the good episodes are better than in season 1, but the mediocre ones are worse

god, the writing and design are so bad, I don't want to list everything that doesn't make sense to me, let's just move on

Rules of Acquisition

I was tired but the plot twist woke me up!!

Dax is so sweet

Poor Pel :( Shitty Ferengi values win again I guess 

Well, I'm glad he took a stand after all. And that they kissed. HELP I'M HAVING FEELINGS ABOUT FERENGI ROMANCE

Necessary Evil

Aw, Sisko called Rom "a family friend"

...so do Odo and Sisko perform the bad cop-good cop routine often?

yoo a flashback! I was wondering how Dukat was going to fit into this

"Cardassian neck trick" I... think I've already said enough on the subject lol

First meetings!

First meetingS!

I was distracted for some reason and didn't appreciate this episode enough :/ But it was very good!

Second Sight

Yikes Sisko don't embarrass yourself

"She's a married woman" "That would have never stopped Curzon" ew

ah I've missed the starship uniforms

what a boring episode. can we stop with the love interests of the week, please? I don't understand why the writers are suddenly forcing them so hard this season, and watching three of these in one day has turned my brain into soup. okay, Rules of Acquisition worked, but Melora and this episode were terrible!

(only pros: gorgeous woman, gorgeous dress)

Sanctuary

What was even the point of the universal translator not working for a while? This had nothing to do with the story, and the only thing it did was to remind the viewer how implausible the entire concept is.

Second mention of the Dominion -- I guess we'll meet them in the season finale?

Yep, I'd be surprised if the promised land didn't turn out to be Bajor

Bajoran Leia!

Wait, why is famine a problem? Why can't the Federation just provide Bajor with replicators? Prime Directive again? I mean, they almost seem to want me to ask this question by cutting right to refugees in front of a food replicator.

Why are they so attached to the idea it MUST be Bajor? Ugh, I hate these stories.

Rivals

Are you implying that El-Aurians have supernatural abilities and all this time people confided in Guinan not because she's charming and wise but because she mind-controlled them? 

Julian is a NERD and Miles is regretting all of his life choices that led to this point

(Gosh, I didn't realize how much I've missed scenes where the main characters just hang out together off-duty)

8 minutes into the episode and I still have no idea what it's about

Are you saying that O'Brien and Bashir's tennis rivalry is legitimately the B-plot because I'm really into it

"Not in this space-time continuum you won't"

oh my goooood

wait a sec, the listener is only figuring it out NOW?! h o w

finally, a really fun silly episode!

The Alternate

Wait, so when Odo is in humanoid form, does he see and hear like us, or "percieve" like in liquid form? Does he have 360 degree vision?

Put it back! This is either a defense mechanism or the environment needs this column to function for some reason; beam it back down

So Bashir's crush on Dax isn't dead? We haven't seen it for so long, I thought it was over. But why is he monologuing? that's just bad writing.

plot twist! D:

god, this doctor is so creepy with his Measure of the Man reenaction

poor Odo is literally having a meltdown :(

Armageddon Game

Another O'Brien and Bashir episode, nice!

Poor Keiko

Bashir's speech about wife and children at home is weirdly sexist, especially since the previous episode re-established his interest in Dax, and his previous romantic involvement this season was a fellow Stafleet officer too -- he should have the opposite problem (which was already discussed in "Melora")!

aw Quark, you don't have to hide behind the Rules of Acquisition to admit you care

Whispers

Everyone around seemed to be acting like he smells bad, does this mean that's actually true?

"It's not doctors I have a problem with, it's--" "You, Julian"

jfc Miles, she's your wife, you should try to talk at least to her

Quark can't name a rule of acquisition by number? alright, for the first time in the episode I believe someone is fake

O'Brien is a badass

Are they absolutely sure the dead one is the clone and the real one takes his place, not the other way around? That was an awfully convenient excuse to shoot a Starfleet officer point blank without anyone asking questions... 

Poor communication kills. At first it seems like something is wrong with O'Brien, but since people refuse to talk to him about it, he becomes convinced literally everyone else is conspiring against him -- and turns out, no, the problem was with him after all! And then they kill him off for no reason just to maintain status quo and avoid the Thomas Riker situation. They could have told him at literally any point instead of being so stupidly vague, but no, gotta keep the plot moving for 45 minutes! Before they found the real O'Brien they could have arrested the clone and told him everything, I'm sure O'Brien would understand; and after they rescued the real one, they could have just transmitted the image, if they're so averse to words. And after acting so stupid, as a final insult the other characters keep talking over their poor dying friend in third person like complete jerks. The episode is great... until that ending. Which just doubles my frustration, because it's one thing when a story is mediocre to begin with, but it really sucks when a wonderful episode is ruined by shitty conclusion.

Paradise

Yes, yes, I get it, this woman would do anything to keep this way of life and probably sabotaged the technology in the first place

What's wrong with replicated food? I hate this stupid trope

did she send the runabout away too?

what the FUCK

look, it might be useful social commentary to depict these rhetoric and tactics, but watching it is still torturous

it adds another level of creepiness that all this shit is done to a black protagonist -- was it intentional?

she's a more proficient torturer than the guy from Chain of Command

this woman is one of the most horrifying antagonists in all Star Trek. she actually believes all this shit

the engineer is supporting her? they all want to stay? for fuck's sake. she made them all see five lights

well. if the writers wanted to upset me, they succeeded

Shadowplay

"How fascinating" :D

"Women don't react to me in that manner" What about Lwaxana, then?

"After seven lifetimes, the impersonal questions aren't much fun anymore"

Yeah, why does a 15 year old need a job?!

The local guy is surprised at Odo beaming up and back down, like he's never seen anything like this before, and two minutes later says he has scanned for transporter activity

I like how the Prime Directive isn't even mentioned :D Or is it a human colony? But isn't this the Gamma Quadrant?

"You want me to spy on Quark for you?" so excited, bless him :D

backstory for that one time Miles played cello on TNG!

I'm glad these villagers are not as conservative and stubborn as people from the previous episode

I am reminded how much more modern DS9's storytelling is than TNG's every time they namedrop the Dominion -- like Doctor Who did ten years later with Bad Wolf, Torchwood etc

I knew he'd transform for the little girl eventually :') Odo reminded me of Data more than usual this time because of the friendship with a child and the episode's general similarity to Thine Own Self. But while Data gets along with kids partially thanks to his own childish (in a good way) qualities, Odo is more like a grumpy but caring grandpa -- I'd even say there's some First Doctor vibe. 

(I'm a bit disappointed the episode didn't follow up on that promise of "Bashir practicing his purely theoretical spying skillz on Quark for Kira", because that sounds absolutely hilarious)

Playing God

Fun-loving cool senpai Jadzia is amazing

Interesting that Jadzia doesn't identify with Curzon at all in this case, despite presumably remembering their interaction from his point of view too

I didn't really understand how they solved the problem but I don't care

This is my favourite Jadzia episode so far. She finally got to show agency, have some fun, show off her professional skills, and explore her own identity (instead of standing around silently while other people explore it). And I love how other characters' scenes are vivid despite shortness: Quark playing tongo with Jadzia and giving well-intentioned if unhelpful advice to the initiate; Bashir's friendship with Jadzia and O'Brien; O'Brien calling across the border about his pest problem; Odo, Kira and Sisko's different approaches to the ethical dilemma.

Profit and Loss

Yesss! Cardassians!

Ooh Quark has romantic history with the pretty Cardassian woman?! This is getting better and better

A scene between Garak and Quark! is it my birthday?

"Personally, I find this style to be a bit too radical. But your friend seems the sort who appreciates that kind of thing" Does he know everything and everyone?! Though come to think of it, this shouldn't have surprised me at all -- even regardless of special channels Garak may use, these dissidents might be well-known to the point that their info is freely available on something like stateenemies.gov.car/wanted

I love how he casually rips an expensive dress to make his point

Passionate lover Quark is so strange to see

Odo's good at playing hard to get

lmao I've waited so long for someone to finally to hug Odo and... :D I do also love his relationship with Quark but I never expected these two things to intersect :D

so, did Garak change his mind on the fly or was he just stalling until that guy comes and can be disposed of?

alright, I amend my previous statement about one-episode love interests: Quark is allowed to have them, if all women who fall for him continue to be this awesome

Blood Oath

What, the holosuites have no sound isolation?! If so, who would ever use them for anything more... private than a recreation of a famous battle?

These Klingons have strange hair

It's so nice to see a young, human-looking woman as an equal to three old Klingons

ah bat'leth fighting, I didn't realize how I've missed it

-- and that young, human-looking woman is more of an old-fashioned honorable Klingon than the rest of them

what an outfit

I'm glad the Klingon interpreted her hesitation so favorably

*reads TVTropes* Wait, all these three are from TOS?! Damn... I could barely tell them apart. I really liked the episode, but turns out I didn't appreciate it nearly enough. Time for a little TOS rewatch?

The Maquis 1

What does the word Nor mean? Terok Nor, Bok'Nor...

The Vulcan woman looks great; nice dress.

"Jake-o" aww

Do Cardassians have a thing for showing up right in your quarters unexpectedly?

"We'll need one of your runabouts" "Where are we going?" Nice one, Sisko

"So you turn off my controls so I don't have enough light to take my photograph?" :D  

"Education is power. Joy is vulnerability" Dukat is being very quotable today?

"Of all the humans I've met you strike me as the most joyless and the least vulnerable" "I am when I'm with you"

Honestly it's as if they are writing Sisko and Dukat's interactions for me personally

I like how the Vulcan is taking Quark's courtship at face value

Wait, is Gul Evek that reasonable guy from Journey's End?

I'm starting to understand Preemptive Strike better -- so it all took place in the demilitarized zone? That makes sense. (How did I miss that?)

"I was looking forward to showing you more ways to mix business with pleasure" "Perhaps in the future. I do find you... intriguing, Quark" im screaming hooly shit I'd never have guessed that Quark of all people would be the chick magnet #1 on this station?? how did he manage to meet a woman this line would actually work on

good shit good shit

The Maquis 2

Sisko gives a show-defining speech!

"Vulcans are a species that appreciate good ears"

something tells me Dukat wasn't the one supplying weapons and the Central Command is trying to kill two birds with one stone -- oh look, this lie was so obvious that for once the characters saw through it right away too

"The Central Command wants him dead. That's reason enough for us to want him alive"

Interesting, Dukat suddenly started acting in a theatrical manner I've only seen in Garak before. Some Cardassian cultural thing?

Haha, I didn't even realize where Sisko was leading the conversation! He's excellent in this story

"With that kind of firepower, the Bajorans could have launched a full-scale assault on Cardassia" "And lost"

Damn, Dukat really has his Intimidate skill maxed out! Sisko fails the Paragon check, Dukat passes the Renegade check.

Finally we see someone explain to a Vulcan why they're being illogical instead of making some bullshit reference to emotion. I love you Quark

the only bad thing about this two-parter is that it kinda made me like the Totalitarian Lizard Man a bit too much??? how dare you. let me go back to my wholesome crushes on Bashir and Jadzia before I start stanning or something

oh, and also I hoped this episode would make the Maquis more sympathetic so I could feel better about Ro Laren leaving Stafleet for them... nnnot much.

The Wire

What a great episode!! I wasn't liveblogging at all because it was too intense. I don't even feel the need to comment on drama or character development -- the story and acting speak for themselves.

Alright, how the hell did Bashir reach Tain? How does one get the home address of the former head of secret service of a foreign empire?! And how did Bashir manage to convince Sisko to authorize this stunt and give him the runabout -- or did he steal it?

The "Elim" reveal isn't really a surprise after you've spent some time near a fandom where people tag characters by full name... 

What interests me now: is Garak going to act differently now that he's not keeping himself drugged? Will he go through withdrawal? In the final scene he pretends everything is Back To Normal, but... Or was the table-flipping scene the extent of his withdrawal symptoms?

Another disjointed thought: this is a wonderful example of a satisfying hurt/comfort story 

Star Trek has some amazingly intense dramas for two actors. The Most Toys, Chain of Command, Duet... This one is different because in order to bring the two characters together and at the same time isolate them from the rest of the world, instead of captivity it uses doctor-patient relationship. Oh, another story from a different fandom it reminds me of, now that I think of it: Scherzo.

Crossover

Lmao it's nice that even after leveling up at unstoppable determination and compassionate badassery in the previous episode, Bashir still can be a ridiculous dork 

...though it is pretty jarring that right after a high drama where he shows his capacity for patience and caring, and greatly deepens his relationship with someone, the next episode opens with the awkwardest attempt at befriending (and flirting?)

I didn't expect Garak to appear in two episodes in a row!

Why is Mirror Kira walking like this...

I started laughing at "I don't have a designation, sir" because my mind immediately went to "There's no need to call me sir, professor"

Female Cardassian guard! And Kira called herself attractive, heh.

Mirror Quark is dressed so poorly...

Okay, Mirror Kira definitely wants to fuck herself -- wait, that's actually canon? Do all evil Kiras hit on women? I wish they'd let our Kira do that too. I know it was written in the nineties, but I really don't appreciate the "evil=bi" trope

Well this was pretty weak. The only mirror character who works well, i.e. exposes the real character's darker side, is Odo. Kira looks just weak and hysterical. (Remember how I complained about her acting in the pilot?) Mirror Garak is actually less intimidating than our Garak.

The Collaborator

Can't say I'm very excited to see Vedek Bareil again. I liked him in his first episode for ideological reasons, but this romance...

Oh no, the Sydney Opera Hat is on the Promenade again? Is she planning another assassination?

"Welcome back. You're under arrest"

The episode was not engaging to watch, but I enjoyed the Grey Morality (tm).

Tribunal

These Cardassians have lost all shame, what do they think they're doing

Evek again, and I think another familiar face?

Yiiikes

Here comes the good cop

I'm glad they're not spending an entire episode on a Chain of Command remake. 

Not telling the accused what they're charged with: a deliberate ploy to mess with their mind, or do the Cardassians not even bother to think about these things anymore?

Huh, Odo had a Cardassian rank that's still valid? That's useful.

Alright, but wasn't O'Brien still declared guilty? So the scheme to discredit the Federation worked?

Also, a missing molar isn't good evidence. Maybe it means that man was just captured and processed by the Cardassians, like O'Brien. And why would a spy alter his appearance but forget about this? You'd think humans and Cardassians have different enough teeth that he'd have to get dental implants anyway. 

I found one good thing about the Cardassian "court"! The judge has fabulous hair.

The Jem'Hadar

Jake!

"I bet we'll have a great time!" "I know we will" Please don't say things like this in the opening scene of a season finale...

Aw poor Sisko :D

"Guess" "He said yes" "Guess again"

Aw Quark needs a hug

Aww kids

Aww Odo cares about Quark

"If the Dominion comes through the wormhole, the first battle will be fought here, and I intend to be ready for them." Well. That's a chilling line to end the season on.

As much as I like it when the Federation arrogance is called out, Quark's speech just doesn't work. "The way I see it, humans used to be a lot like Ferengi. Greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We're a constant reminder of a part of your past you'd like to forget." Well, yeah! That was basically the original concept for their species! "Humans used to be a lot worse than the Ferengi" -- so what? 24th century humans are disgusted by the atrocities of their ancestors, so why can't they also be disgusted by the exact same things perpetuated by their contemporaries? Domestic abuse and sexism are wrong, no matter who does it. Note how this entire speech sidesteps the violent misogyny, aka the Ferengi's most obvious appaling trait. This is like saying "Don't judge the Cardassian state for being totalitarian! That's just their culture, you don't understand!"

General impressions

Bashir and Jadzia finally got some character development!

I live for Cardassian episodes. It's fascinating to see a dystopia in the universe that started as a utopia, and see how characters from both sides deal with each other. 

(Random thought: I want an AU episode like "Crossover" where another universe/timeline's Cardassia is a free state, and for a Cardassian viewpoint character our world is a nightmare scenario just like the Mirror Universe is for our heroes.)

I don't loathe Winn as much as I did in the first season finale. That makes her kind of underwhelming as a recurring antagonist. On the other hand, that might be a good thing, because getting so angry repeatedly couldn't have been good for my health. But because they're represented mainly by the hateful-but-not-enough Winn and the bland Bareil, the Bajoran affairs are usually not as gripping as the Cardassian. I hope to see more of their secular politics next season.

First season was very even; second has two irredeemably clumsy stories (Melora and Second Sight), but a growing number of outstanding ones, too. 

First season was already an improvement over TNG in terms of serialization, and this one is better. Both multi-part stories are brilliant, too. I hope this trend continues. 

A noticeable weakness in the first season was the mundanity of the Gamma Quadrant. No sense of wonder, no noticeably stranger aliens. The introduction of the Dominion and their overwhelming threat partially rectified that problem, bringing back some of the feeling from "Q Who". Yes, setting foot in a far corner of the galaxy should be awesome in both senses of the word, and lead the previously unimaginable dangers right back to your home.

The costume design has visibly improved in this season!