#guess who just found out about this blueprint of a movie that may or may not be the cause release of Kingdom 2019 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

slashbitch2 · 3 years ago

Text

Extra Complications PT3

Previous Chapter

"Don't bother coming back into work tomorrow."

Her words had been replaying in your mind since the final encounter, bouncing round like a taunting echo. It'd only been a week since you'd stopped working at Alchemex, yet had felt like a lifetime of boredom and fatigue. With no job or persistent villain to chase after, if you could even call Liv a villain anymore, there was no reason to get out of bed in the morning, nothing to stop you from moping around your apartment. The days blended into what felt like one long sick day, disregarding the occasional break to rescue a cat stuck in a tree.

Although, your only sickness was of the mind. Whenever you attempted to get some rest, your thoughts would inevitably drift to Liv; the cold, distanced tone to her voice, the look of betrayal in her eyes, how empty the week had felt without her. By the third night plagued with insomnia, you were starting to accept that your feelings towards her may be more than a simple crush. On the eighth night, you decided you ought to do something about it and began to formulate a plan.

Entering the building like you were still an employee would be almost impossible since anyone who left their job was rarely welcomed back with open arms. It'd also be better to avoid the security and CCTV cameras, which you'd learnt used face recognition technology. And finally, locating a security card would pose a potential problem, as walking round the facility until you happened to stumble across a janitor to steal from was unfortunately no longer a possibility. So, what was the solution to all your problems? Vents.

Which is how you found yourself scouring over blueprints like a cliched protagonist from a bygone age movie, but at least the irony hadn't escaped you, and thankfully laboratories generally required a great deal of ventilation, so you had multiple routes memorised by the time the bus had arrived at Alchemex. You'd spent the entire journey on edge, fearful that any fellow passenger might accost you for looking so suspicious. But apparently an agitated figure buried beneath a pile of blueprints wearing a spider-suit underneath a jumper was normal enough to be ignored.

Nonetheless, stepping onto the concrete ground of the car park was a relief which inspired a tad more optimism. Moreover, leaving the burdening stacks of blueprints behind further alleviated some of your anxiety. It felt like a final confirmation that this was your one and only chance, and you weren't about to mess it up. Even as the building loomed over you casting a shadow of uncertainty, nothing could discourage your determination.

There was the remarkable sense that you didn't belong here, though it was a familiar sensation. One that persuaded you to tug the mask over your head before darting toward the edge of the car park. It was your belief that as long as you stuck to the outskirts of the facility, few would pay you any attention while you were out in the open. Therefore allowing you to manoeuvre into position and take the quickest passage straight to Liv's office. Which is exactly what you did.

The first stretch of the vent system was a straight drop, a narrow plunge that went on for longer than anticipated. Like a slide with no angle of inclination and a lot less fun. You hit the metal base with an ungraceful clang, certain that your legs would've buckled upon impact had it not been for the lack of space to do so. Overall an uncomfortable start. The remainder of the journey was a lot of crawling and muscle cramps, your only incentive being the occasional grate to peer down which reassured you that your destination was drawing nearer. Everything was going to plan.

Until you heard her.

Olivia's voice rung clear as if from a dream. It stood out from the general ruckus, initially leading you to believe you were hallucinating, that it was some kind of audible mirage. Yet you refocused your senses and it didn't go away. She was almost directly below you, separated simply by a thin layer of metal. With renewed ambition, you crawled toward the nearest grate as quickly and quietly as possible, frantically lowering your head to find the perfect angle, all just to catch a glimpse of her.

"What do you mean the program hasn't worked?" Liv pinched the bridge of her nose, her words laced with an an uncharacteristic anger. You'd never known her to be an irritable person, she loved her job and every challenge that came with it. Was she uptight? Sure. Passionate? Undeniably. But never angry.

"I've tried rerunning and rewriting parts of the code. And it just doesn't work!" Some poor employee (Mark, if you remembered correctly) was fighting for his dignity below. You could see he was flushing, wildly flailing his hands around as he tried to justify his mistake.

"You've rewritten part of it?!" She repeated, volume rising in frustration.

"I- I thought I knew how to fix it."

"I told you not to mess with my work." She growled, stepping closer.

"With all due respect," He didn't back down, clearly caught off guard and unsure how to deal with an irritated Liv. "it's actually Y/N's work."

Upon hearing your name, you ducked out of view as if you'd been seen. Although, it was evident that this was not the case, so slowly you edged forward to peer down at them once more.

Liv's face had dropped at the mention of your name. But by the time you'd settled back in place, anger was already seeping into her expression, then was suddenly smoothed into disturbingly sweet smile. "Well, Y/N isn't here anymore. So I suggest you keep your incompetent hands off of things you don't understand."

Judging by her vague wording, you guessed she hadn't told anyone the real reason you'd been fired. A fond appreciation flooded your mind. Despite everything that had happened, she still respected your secret enough to keep it. You begun to consider that maybe Liv cared about you as much as you did her. Why else would she lie on your behalf?

Mark muttered an ashamed. "Ok." Then left to try and atone for his mistake.

Liv stayed where she was for another minute before taking a deep breath, shaking off her annoyance, and setting a determined path. You assumed she was heading for her office and were about to follow, but then paused. Was this really the best time for a reunion? She obviously wasn't in the best mood, and if you had to guess, it was likely due to your betrayal. Was it too soon to reappear in her life? You'd arrived here with the intention to apologise and make amends, however, you had no idea how Liv would react or what would happen after. If there would even be an after. She could attack you on first sight for all you knew.

No. You'd come too far to turn around now. You continued along the vent before you could overthink the decision. It would be foolish to turn around now: the end was in sight, and rapidly growing closer.

Reaching the final grate, you were greeted with the familiar yet new aerial view of Liv's office. It'd remained mainly the same since your departure. She hadn't even bothered to remove your lab coat, which was still carelessly thrown over the chair you'd frequented everyday. And Liv herself hadn't changed much either, disregarding the seemingly permanent anger lines upon her face. She was sitting at her desk, head in hand, mindlessly flipping through a folder. It occurred to you at that moment that she didn't look irritated, rather sad. Another unexpected emotion for her to display.

After a minute, she sighed, tossing the papers to one side and bringing her other hand up to crash forward into. She looked defeated, seeing her this way felt wrong. You honestly preferred the anger because it showed she'd maintained at least some of her usual intensity.

You sighed. It was time to fix this. With unsteady hands you delicately unscrewed the bolts holding the grate in place, careful to make as little noise as possible. It was as you were removing the final screw that you realised something: you had no idea what to say to her. No planned speech or prepared apology, you'd resigned to hoping for a spontaneous burst of thoughtfulness in the moment. You sat there for a minute, fidgeting with one of the screws while attempting to come up with what you would say. Should you start by apologising for breaking in, or for lying to her, or for applying to the job in the first place? You had a lot of things to apologise for.

And unfortunately, the chance to think it through any further was taken from you as the screw slipped out of your hand. You gasped watching it fall, hitting the ground with an faint thud. Although quiet enough for most people to ignore, you knew Liv was too thorough to not investigate. And as expected, following your sharp intake of breath was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, then footsteps gradually approaching.

Liv appeared below you, bending down to inspect the screw before glancing up. Her eyes locked with yours through the mask and widened in shock.

"Hey." The casual tone to your voice sounded forced and you grimaced. But rather than dwelling on it, you dropped from the exposed hiding place and pulled off your mask. You smiled awkwardly, eyes scanning and overanalysing her reaction.

Liv stepped back to lean on the desk for support. Her mouth was agape, but otherwise her face was worryingly blank.

"If this is a bad time I can come back later."

Still no response. The room was drowning in a tense silence.

"Well, actually I probably can't come back." With no social cues to interact with, you began to ramble aimlessly. "I'm guessing you'll find a way to patch that particular security breach." You gestured up to the gap in the ceiling and laughed lightly. "Sorry about that. I didn't know how else to-"

You're cut off as Liv moves impossibly fast, grabbing your shoulders and shoving you backwards against the wall. A thousand different thoughts run through your mind at once, all wondering what she's about to do. The majority are focused on the possibility that she's going to hurt you in some way, although, even if she did have the intention to cause harm, you wouldn't fight back. You were tired of conflict, especially when it involved Liv.

She was standing close, breathing heavily and saying nothing. You couldn't help but let your eyes flicker down to her lips, the temptation to kiss her becoming increasingly vehement. So instead you forced your attention up to her eyes, which held an air of confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was deep, full of unvoiced emotions.

You licked your lips, glancing at her mouth one last time. "I came here to apologise. I didn't mean for any of this to go so far."

"You're lying." She backed away slightly and you immediately missed the proximity.

"I'm not! I just-" You stuttered, then admitted in a quieter voice. "I never meant to hurt you."

She inhaled shakily and swallowed, your eyes tracing the movement of her throat. "And?"

"And because I care about you too much to let you think I did any of this on purpose." You lowered your head, her invasive glare becoming overwhelming.

Soft fingers firmly gripped your chin, compelling you to look up. Her eyes displayed distrust, confusion which you suddenly feel the need to wipe away. You wanted to make your affection for her clear, but found yourself annoyingly speechless. All the recurring thoughts and confined confessions that had been plaguing you for a week suddenly gone from your mind. You were infuriatingly at a loss for words. Although, the warmth of her fingers against your skin reminded you that actions speak louder than words.

You leant in slowly, giving her sufficient time to stop you. She didn't move so you kissed her lightly at first, searingly next. Your arm shifted to wrap around her back tentatively and she moaned faintly in response. Although, it wasn't until you allowed her to take control that any remaining anger dissipated. At that point the kiss became bruising, her hold on you tightening as a wave of shared desperation rolled over the both of you. Before the desperation could reach its peak, however, you separated from her.

Liv was almost panting, her cheeks tinged pink and hair a mess. She promptly attempted to kiss you again, though you dodged the advance and she whined. Her mouth latched onto your neck, sucking at the skin there.

Your head fell back against the wall, dizzy from lust. "Does this mean I can have my job back?" You quipped, running a hand through your hair.

"Depends." She murmured in between kisses. "Do you have anymore secrets?"

"None that I can think of." You smiled, the prospect of returning to what you'd come to consider as normality was an appealing one. Of course there were things you would need to work through with Liv, and many, many extra complications alongside having a relationship with your boss. But nothing easy was ever worthwhile, and Liv was living proof of that.

"Alright. You're hired."

#olivia octavius x reader

104 notes · View notes

navyhyuck · 4 years ago

Text

week two | previous | masterlist | next

𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃, 𝐉𝐀𝐘.

↳ a love letter a week, and it has you wondering who’s your secret admirer. you have nine weeks, eight candidates, and one story to live. will you find out who your ‘jay’ is?

a/n :: here’s part two my sexy friends, i’ll be starting to add a little warnings tag from now on because parts will start to get longer and may include some triggering topics!!

wc :: 2.9k (i’m sorry it’s getting longer and longer i know)

warnings: mentions of sex (kinda, not explicit), a singular mention of death, someone’s borderline a bully but not quite (they’re just mean)

taglist: @childofthecycle @the8luvr @staywrites @chocolattees @cloudzume @babytoadz @cherrystay @sandaigdigan-reads @hoes4hoseok @ctrlaltfangirl @kodzu-ken @xazucaradictax @qtieskz @blueprint-han

couldn’t tag: @x-dawna-x

let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist!

You’re listening to Ryujin go on and on about Han Jisung at practically 6 a.m. (okay, it was around halfway to 8 o’clock, but her words were making you lose track of time), your head resting against the cool metal of the locker, almost wishing you were banging your head against it instead. As much as you knew your friend had a thing for the boy, you never thought you’d be stuck in the middle listening to her over analyzing everything that happened in English the day before. Sure, the precarious boy could be outstanding at pipetting in chemistry, but his social skills weren’t the best. Or at least, they weren’t the best with you.

“Anyway, I’ll shut up now, you look like you just watched The Conjuring and threw up on yourself.” She exclaims rather dryly, and you raise your head, glimpsing at the questioning look on her face. “By the way, that movie was shit. I’ll get to the point, then. I was gonna ask who you’re going to homecoming with.”

You scoff, rolling your eyes at both the comment on one of your favorite horror movies ever (that you’ve watched four times already, each time with the same girl who insists it’s not scary but ends up peeking past her fingers anyway) and homecoming. “Myself,” you reply, returning your head to its original position. “Do I look like the kind of person that would go to homecoming with a date? Really?”

“You went last year,” she points out, and you realize it’s true with a groan. It wasn’t your fault that you couldn’t refuse the captain of the basketball team when he proposed the idea in the middle of the cafeteria, halfway through the sixth period. Honestly, San wasn’t too bad anyway, he just wanted to have some fun with a girl that wasn’t following after him in the general sheep crowd; after the night was over, however, you swore to yourself that you would never come to a dance voluntarily wearing stilettos without one of your go-to friends. “And you liked it. Plus, I was thinking, we should all get dates this year! You know, since it’s our senior year and all. You won’t have another hoco to miss after this one.”

“Get dates? You’re acting like it’s buying takeout.”

“It basically is,” she shrugs. “You go out, ask for something from someone, and they either give it to you or not. Though I’m not really sure if restaurants are allowed to refuse service.”

“We could just all go as friends,” you suggest, finally opening up your locker. “As great as having some random dude as my date, no thanks. Like you said, it’s our last year. And hoco’s been fun since freshman year for us anyway, what’s the point of setting us up with dudes when we’re just gonna ditch them?”

“Who said I’m gonna ditch my date?”

“Me, I just did,” you deadpan, shuffling through your books to grab onto your chemistry lab book and stuffing it into your bag. “Remember sophomore year? Yeah, you might not want to remember it, but I do. Lee Daehwi?” She groans at the sound of the familiar name, making you chuckle.

“Okay, fair enough, but I’m not gonna ditch my date this time. Not if I get the one I want.” Ryujin smacks your arm to grab your attention, making you hiss before you see the knowing look on her face as she wiggles her eyebrows. You cross your arms in confusion, trying to scan and rescan her face for hints to what she was getting at, but when your mind finally clicks, you freeze. And then, your jaw drops. “Shut up.”

“I-I didn’t even say anything!”

“I know what you’re gonna say!” She points at you, shaking her finger before bringing it back down. “Look, like you said, it’s senior year. I don’t have a chance, really, not after this one. Either I ask him out for homecoming in the next week or I mope around for the rest of my life regretting not going to a high school dance with the hottest guy in school. Yeah, okay, I guess that kinda does sound a little pathetic.”

You consider it for a moment, imagining how awkward the interaction between Ryujin’s infamous crush and her would be; there would be a whole lot of tripping at the feet and ten times the amount of stuttering. Plus, you’re sure that the boy didn’t have the heart capacity to receive a request without passing out cold. He’s a little fragile after all. “You think Jisung’s the hottest guy in school?”

“Duh, who else do you think? That Hyunjin dude? Yeah, maybe, I saw him a few times in the past few days, but so what? People just get hyped over some guy whenever they come to the school and like four days later he’s no longer a cool transfer student and just ‘the guy next to me in calculus.’” You give her a look, one that you hope resembles something that conveyed the message of ‘you just brought up Hyunjin completely unprovoked’ but she doesn’t budge, her eyes trailed on her nails as she continues. “...and I’ll ask Jisung. Chaeryoung said she’s going with that other guy from your chem, whatever his name was, him. So then, it’s just you.”

You’re reminded suddenly of the letter that you pulled from your locker a few days earlier, the one that followed after the previous introduction and pleaded for you to attend the dance. Even if the letter had never arrived, you were planning on it anyway, but now, you had a purpose. “I don’t really want a date,” you say carefully, your eyes darting across the busy hallway before focusing on the blue of your best friend’s hair. “I mean, I don’t know, maybe, whatever. I don’t feel like stressing out about asking someone, so maybe if someone asks me, I'll be their date. But don’t count on it, alright?”

Ryujin narrows her eyes at you, as if searching for something underneath (something that wasn’t there, you’d like to point out, but she’s still looking intently) before humming. “Alright, sure.” She finishes abruptly, clearly wanting to add onto her sentence but refraining from doing so, making you raise an eyebrow at her shenanigans.

“Spit it out, c’mon, I know you have more to say.”

Your best friend gives you a deadly look but considers it, resting her back against the lockers before turning back to you. “Okay, this is just a thought, got it? Just something running through my head right now that I want to share.”

You cross your arms. “A thought? You? Thinking? Well, that’s no good.”

“Shut up and listen to me first,” she waves you off, shuffling closer until you can see the glimmer of her eyeshadow smudged on the side of her winged eyeliner. “Think about this. You, Y/N, a beautiful girl with absolutely no intention on going to homecoming with a date because of the lack of attraction towards snotty teenage boys, asking the Hwang Hyunjin, a transfer student that’s extremely good-looking and apparently affectionately kind who has no intention on going to homecoming with a date because of the lack of connection with beautiful girls, to homecoming.”

You blink twice, looking up at the ceiling as you quietly process her words. It’s a bit jumbled in your head, but once you think it’s clear enough, you look at her. “Ryujin. May I express my feelings about this ‘thought?’”

She scans you up and down, and then nods.

“It’s absolute bullshit.”

“Hey!”

“I hate my life,” you say to yourself as you swing open the door of your car, stepping out rather impatiently onto the asphalt. Having forgotten to grab your psychology notebook at the end of the day, you found yourself taking an unwanted U-turn back to the school to pick it up; in your defense, you would rather maintain your A in the class even if you had to stop by the gas station on your way back. Like you were told, a class requires commitment.

You march your way into the school once again, wondering why the school officials never thought to add any precautionary measures to the buildings. It makes you wonder if someone had ever snuck onto campus since you were a freshman. From the very deep memories of your sophomore year, you remember a junior at that time sneaking in one of his friends during finals week thinking he’d get away with it. Honestly, Juyeon was something else.

Just as you make your way to your locker, you quietly scroll through your phone distractedly before seeing a text pop up in your infamous group chat.

[3:05 p.m.] chaechaer: guess what guys!! :D

[3:05 p.m.] praying mantis: don’t wanna guess

[3:05 p.m.] hwangji: she’s finally getting dick

[3:05 p.m.] chaechaer: i’ll fucking bite you yeji.

[3:06 p.m.] hwangji: bite me baby i wanna see you try

[3:06 p.m.] you: spill c’mon

[3:07 p.m.] praying mantis: y/n.

[3:07 p.m.] praying mantis: why are you at school right now

[3:07 p.m.] chaechaer: gasp

[3:07 p.m.] chaechaer: looks like i’m not the only one getting dick

[3:08 p.m.] you: oh fuck off, i came back bc i forgot something

[3:08 p.m.] you: wait did you just say ‘not the only one’

[3:09 p.m.] hwangji: so you ARE getting dick???

[3:09 p.m.] hwangji: spill mf, right now

[3:09 p.m.] you: ryujin, are you checking my snap location rn??? hello??

[3:10 p.m.] praying mantis: ofc i am, i’m your guardian angel :)

[3:10 p.m.] you: you’re a stalker

[3:10 p.m.] praying mantis: but whose dick are you getting? that’s the real question

You roll your eyes as hard as you can, hoping that your best friend would know even from a distance. Just as you continue to tap furiously into the glass of your phone, you’re suddenly hit by your left shoulder, sending you flying down to the ground in an instant. “Shit,” you whisper under your breath, brushing your hair out of your eyes well enough to look up and see that the hard object you just ran into wasn’t a wall. In fact, it was a human.

“Watch where you’re going,” the boy snaps at you, rather loudly in fact, making you flinch as you slowly stand up, gathering your phone. “This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t on your phone. Who walks in a hallway with their head down like that? Do you want to die?”

It takes you a minute to realize who’s actually standing in front of you, and it’s only when you’ve managed to gulp down his harsh words. Seo Changbin. He looks at you from head to toe, the scowl still evident on his face when your eyes widen. Suddenly, you’re a little more aware of yourself, shifting uncomfortably in his gaze as he doesn’t move.

“Well?” He crosses his arms across his chest, now approaching you. “I don’t hear an apology.”

You instinctively back away, avoiding the boy’s eyes before you’re looking right back into them. If you weren’t mistaken, there was no one in front of you until there was, and there was no way that you could’ve ran into someone without noticing their presence earlier. Scoffing, you mimic his posture, looking behind him to see if you’re right about your assumption. In fact, you are, seeing the door of the locker room staring right back at you. “Me? Shouldn’t you be watching where you’re going?”

Changbin looks taken aback by your retaliation, somehow making his forehead lines fall into a straight line. “Don’t talk back to me, bitch.”

“Bitch?” You want to laugh, but instead, you press a smile down. “Seriously? Who do you think you are?”

You’re honestly appalled at the way the admired swimmer is acting towards you, but you’re not surprised. You would be lying if you didn’t say you weren’t in the faintest surprised. The entire team could act like a handful of bullies that didn’t have any other free time on their hands, if you looked into it more. Changbin seems to be dissatisfied with your answer, closing in on you as your back presses against the wall.

“What did you say to me?”

You’re about to respond with an equally harsh answer but there’s a sudden call of Changbin’s name from the end of the hallway, making the both of you turn your heads. Yet another swimming team member comes jogging your way, sporting a school branded shirt that tells you exactly what he’s part of. The boy stops a few feet away from the two of you, a large smile spreading across his face as he looks from Changbin to you. You scratch your head. Is Bang Chan currently standing in front of you? Or was it just a figment of your imagination?

“Hi! What’s your name?” He asks, coming closer before glancing over at Changbin and stopping. “W-What? Wait, what? What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Changbin defends immediately, making you raise an eyebrow as he holds up his palms. “I didn’t! Nothing happened, Chan. It’s all good. Let’s just go now.”

Chan doesn’t budge when he grabs onto his arm, tugging to pull him away, but he instead focuses his attention on you. His smile persists. “Hi sweetheart, judging from the look on your face, he did do something, right?”

You’re taken aback at his soft voice, a complete contrast from what you just heard from the other boy. Pursing your lips, you try not to let your cheeks flame up. Sweetheart? “It’s nothing—he just ran into me and tried to pin the whole thing on me—it’s all good, really. I’m fine, I didn’t get hurt. So…”

“You didn’t get hurt? But he ran into you?” Chan shoots Changbin a sharp look, one that looks much darker than the gaze he returns to you. “Are you okay? It might’ve been a hard fall. I can take you to the nurse’s office, if you’d like?”

“N-No, it’s fine!” You shake your hands in refusal, an awkward chuckle leaving your lips. Chan only laughs brightly in response, his entire face somehow appearing ten times more charming than before. You notice with another fleeting glimpse that there are dimples that crease into his skin as he smiles, now making your heart do an unidentifiable leap inside your chest. “Um, okay, I actually have to go now! I’ll, uh, yeah! Bye!”

You turn in your heel, trying to walk at a casual but extremely quick pace at the same time, which proves to be difficult. Just as you’re about to turn at the corner, there’s a shout from down the hall.

“Hey!” Peaking your head back, you see Chan waving his hand at you. “What’s your name?!”

“Y/N!”

“Nice to meet you Y/N! I hope to see you around!”

Gulping, you lean back against one of the lockers near yours, placing a hand over your chest as you finally notice the thumping. You take a deep breath, shaking your head a few times to get the entire situation out of your head; it doesn’t work, not with your brain taking you back to that exact moment once again. You just spoke to one, no, scratch that, two extremely talented swimming players with your own two eyes. And perhaps the rapid beating of your heart wasn’t just because one of them was being nice to you. But you wouldn’t admit that now, would you?

dear y/n love,

hi hi! i’ve missed talking to you (yes, i know, there’s no way you can respond to me, but anyway), but this letter will be unfortunately short today. please don’t think too much of it! my class is about to end, haha.

i saw you at one of the swimming meets a few days ago, and oh my god, i really couldn’t take my eyes off of you. i don’t know if anyone has ever told you, y/n, but you are so beautiful. i remember what you were wearing; was it...a black shirt? and jeans, oh yes. your sense of style is so simple yet somehow so perfect. i couldn’t even take my eyes off of you, oh god, i remember all my friends yelling at me to pay attention but all i was doing was staring at you. sounds like a problem, huh? but i enjoy it. shit, this sounds kinda creepy again, doesn’t it? i’m so sorry, love, that’s not what i was going for. i just...really admire you. a lot.

also, the homecoming game is this weekend! i hope you end up going, you can even go with your friend! the blue-haired one, yeah, ryujin, i think. that’s her name, right? oh god, you probably think i’m even weirder now that i just told you that i know your friend. fuck. anyway.

once again, i hope to see you there! there’s something waiting for you there and i want to be able to surprise you, even if i don’t want to reveal my identity just yet. see you soon, love.

signed, jay

#inkidz #stayhavennet #kpopscape #skz fluff #skz series #stray kids scenarios #stray kids fluff #stray kids fic #skz x reader #skz au #stray kids series #stray kids writing #skz angst #stray kids angst #stray kids au #stray kids x reader

42 notes · View notes

travllingbunny · 4 years ago

Text

Tribes of Europa, season 1 - thoughts

I finished season 1 of German post-apocalyptic Netflix drama Tribes of Europa a couple of days ago, and I have... lots of thoughts and mixed feelings.

It's a standard post-apocalyptic show with all the usual tropes, but mostly well done, and has potential. I ended up liking it better than I expected, mostly because one of the storylines (Kiano’s) turned out to be pretty good/interesting.

The main problem of the show is that most characters, so far, don't have a lot of depth. An exception is a female villain who has proven to be quite complex and interesting. On the other hand, while I loved seeing Oliver Masucci, in a role completely different from Ulrich Nielsen, and he's great and charismatic, I feel like I've seen the exact same lovable rogue-turned-mentor character a dozen times in various shows and movies. The main trio of young protagonists have the potential for interesting character development, but it remains to be seen what saason 2 does with it.

At least there's one thing that makes the show different than most post-apocalyptic shows I'm aware of - I can't think of any others that take place on the European continent? Usually it's North America, Australia, or UK. So, that's interesting... But then, after I finished it, I started thinking a bit more about some of the elements of the worldbuilding, which are a bit... questionable? I'm reserving judgment till these things are explained.

Spoilers under the cut.

In the first episode, the show did the GoT thing of introducing us to a likable family and then having siblings separated by fate and trying to get back together, while having different storylines. But they should've spent a bit more time with them together and explaining their history.

The show also does that thing where the siblings look nothing like each other and are played by actors of different ethnic origins, so I was waiting to hear they were half-siblings or some other explanation, but there was none. Well, OK then.

One thing I wasn't crazy about is that Kiano had a girlfriend we saw for about 20 seconds and then she apparently got killed for no particular reason. I can't say it's even fridging, since he never even mentions her afterwards and he has a lot of other reasons to hate the Crows.

But Kiano's storyline turned out to be the most interesting , and most disturbing, the kind that can make or break the show, depending on how it deals with issues like slavery, rape, trauma. So far, the show has dealt with it well, which made me like the show more than I thought. (It definitely beats The 100 - a show it was the 100 in the Netflix promo campaign - in that respect. I was already scared it would do something similar to The 100, which really dropped the ball when it touched on such issues in a really clumsy way in season 3.)

Lord Varvara has turned out to be the most interesting and compelling character, and excellently played by Melika Foroutan. (I wish I could say the same about the Crows’ big boss, Yvar - but whether it is mostly due to the OTT costume and makeup or the similarly OTT acting, I had a hard time taking this guy seriously.) She is not exactly morally grey - she is definitely a villain, slaver rapist and murderer, but her role as a former slave - a victim of abuse turned abuser, and someone who upholds the ideas of Social Darwinism - makes her role very interesting and ambiguous. I think that (especially based on some hints) that she used to be a sex slave, too, and if she was also made to be a Crow by her former slave master, that would probably mean Yvar used to be her master. That could lead to some interesting tension and conflicts, as she probably hates this guy deep inside, but still has to vie for his approval, even now that she has “made it”. And she sees to see something in Kiano that makes her think they are similar, that he is 'strong' like she thinks she is (on the other hand, she despised her other slave who had a huge Stockholm Syndrome for her).

I'm curious how they deal with Kiano's character development next season, and how far into moral greyness or darkness it will be willing to go with him. Varvara is a blueprint of what he could become. He didn't exactly show much concern for the lives of other slaves, except his father.

Liv's storyline was also pretty interesting. with her navigating the political issues of the Crimsons. I liked that the Crimsons as a whole turned out to be more morally grey than I initially expected - with their strict military discipline to the point of authorianism and lack of tolerance for dissent.

I don't know if the show expected me to side with the general (aka "Father") or think his views were right, as Liv did? I did not.. "Let's make peace and unity with slavers"? No, dude. But I’ll go with the idea that we are not necessarily supposed to side with him rather than David just because Liv did; or that a third option may be found (such as causing a rebellion among the Crows themselves, which would be my preferred direction of that storyline).

(I also rolled my eyes whenever he started going on about "old European dream" or whatever he called it. No, my dude, you need to brush up on your history. Your plan is nothing like the EU, unless your plan is to go and deliver a bunch of demands to the Crows: "Unless you guys: abolish slavery; ensure human rights for everyone; install a viable non-slavery based economy etc.. - we're not letting you into our new unified Europe!" He also may needed to be reminded EU was formed after Axis powers were defeated.)

I've heard that a lot of people didn't like Elja's storyline because they found it the least interesting, and sure, it wasn't very emotional and didn't have much character development, but I'm very curious about the mystery of the Black December, the Atlantians etc. so I liked it. And I liked the fact that Elja wasn't a naive kid and could deceive people and keep secrets when he needed to.

But there are certain problems I have with the show’s world-building... which, at its worse, may end up being just as problematic as The 100′s was.

While I like the idea of a post-apocalyptic show set in continental Europe, and with languages other than English - almost all of the characters are only speaking German or English (the latter, I guess, for the same reason it's widespread today - people speak it as a second language and use it to communicate). We should really see more people who speak other languages. So far, that’s only happened sporadically - but my problem is more with the fact that the most villainous tribe, Crows (murderous, slave-owning Eurotrash-like villains with very Social Darwinist views) - even though they speak German or English 99% of the time - very notably use certain words from Slavic languages - and only for specific terms like "lubovnik" ('lover' - actually sex slave), "boi" (fight/battle), "svobodnik" (free man?). These were very recognizable. I have no idea what "Bozie" means, but I read somewhere it comes from Russian. What's supposed to be the backtory behind that? Sure, I am for more language diversity, but did a German show have to give the kind of barbaric-version-of-fascist villains these questionable Slavic references? That would be uncomfortable in so many ways.... It's not just Slavs, because another notable Crow character, Grieta at some point used Romanian (and the actress is Romanian), but I hope they're not going with the Evil Barbaric Eastern Europeans here. To be fair, many Crows were clearly slaves at the beginning, which complicates things... but Varvara says her real name - slave name - was Sophia, which could be anything - while her Crow names is Varvara - which definitely sounds Russian or Bulgarian (or, I guess, it could be Greek).

On the other side, opposed to the Crows, we have the more “civilized” tribe/army of former Eurocorps, whose members have so far only been heard speaking English, German and, at one point, Dutch - curiously called Red Crimson Army (!), I have so many questions...

Another questionable thing, pointed by the host of the Culture Cave YouTube podcast, who did an overall favorable review of the show, howeverpointed out that the Crows - the villains - are the only ones who don't conform to gender roles? And the males who are the most 'effeminate' looking are baddies. I didn’t even think of that initially, but thinking about it... yes, it has been like that so far, hasn’t it?

I’m reserving judgment till next season, but I only used to give The 100 the benefit of doubt with its questionable world-building, and we know how that turned out.

#tribes of europa

19 notes · View notes

sazc94 · 4 years ago

Text

If These Sheets Were States

I had this idea based of the song If These Sheets Were States by All Time Low. All chapters will start with lyrics from the song. Its written form Steve's POV and yours.

(Also this was my first time writing so be nice please) Context you are British, you and Steve Rogers have been dating for about two years. You're not an Avenger you're just the average reader.

Lots of Fluff, a bit of angst and there will be some smut in the final chapter. Words 1.2k

Chapter 1

If these sheets were the states, and you were miles away, I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me. Because I don't sleep at all without you pressed up against me. I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk again.

“Earth to Rogers” Natasha snapped her fingers in front of Steve, he removed his ear buds and sighed. He didn’t really like Pop Punk like you did but this song was one that felt especially fitting. He had been on a mission with Natasha, Clint and Tony in Dallas for what felt like forever. It had been almost 8 weeks since he had last seen you in New York and he was missing New York and more importantly you.

“Let’s go through the plan one more time, our window is coming up and it’s a small one” Stark Said.

“Natasha and I will enter through the first-floor window on the rear side of the building brining us directly into the Library” Steve pointed to the blueprint they had managed to secure. Steve knew a lot was resting on this mission 7 weeks of recon 3 days of planning and one aborted mission later tonight was their final chance to get Darcy Lewis out of Hydra’s grasp. Darcy had been working on something top secret for Fury after Thor had introduced the pair of them when he was last on Earth. It was clearly of importance as Fury had instructed the four of them that if they failed then then may God have mercy on their souls. This was the teams last chance to pull her out, they had gotten intel that after tonight the abandoned school building was going to be demolished and Hydra would be in the wind.

The team ran through the plan once more, Clint was to wait in the Jeep they had hired in a quiet street which was about two minutes’ drive from the building, Tony was going to wait for Steve’s signal before causing the generator to short circuit, this would create a distraction and leave the building without power for about 10 minutes, allowing Natasha and Steve just enough time to make their way from the library at the rear of the building to Darcy who was at the front of the building in what they believed was the computer lab, and bust Darcy (and her laptop) out of there. Once the generator was down Tony was to stick around the generator for 5 minutes before he and his suit were to make their way to the computer lab ready to assist with getting Darcy the hell out of there.

20:45 CDT Texas “Show time fellas” – called Natasha over the coms.

21:45 EDT New York City

I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk again. I'm lost in empty pillow talk again.

“I’m fine Bucky, I’m letting myself into the apartment now” you were holding your phone up to your ear with your shoulder, trying to unlock the door, balance your takeout pizza and reassure Bucky you were fine. Bucky was Steve’s best friend and as much as you loved your Avenger boyfriend looking out for you, having Bucky call you every day to make sure you were okay was a little exhausting after a while. Today he had called you twice after he’d found out the subway train you were in had gotten stuck between stations after a small fire had been set by some immature school kids (thanks Wanda, that’s the last time I tell you anything) . “Honestly, Bucky, I’m fine, I just want to eat my takeout, take long bath and curl up in bed and sleep. It’s just a little scratch and the paramedics checked me out at the scene said it wont even scar if I take care of it. You were known for being clumsy and during your exit from the subway car you had missed a step on the ladder causing you to slip down the remainder of the ladder and you had caught your arm, during your attempts to steady yourself you had somehow managed you slice your arm.

“Okay Y/N” as long as you’re sure, Steve’s gonna kill me for not taking you to the hospital if something happens” Bucky chuckled “However being honest you scare me more than he does, take care doll and call me if anything if changes or you need anything” with that Bucky clicked of the phone. It was another hot week in NYC and being stuck in the subway for two hours had left you exhausted, overwhelmed and in desperate need of a soak in your bath. You kicked of your shoes, let out a sigh and slammed the door shut behind you. It was week 7, day 4 since Steve had left for his mission and you were missing him, this was the longest mission he’d been on in two years. Steve had moved in 6 months before his mission, and you had gotten used to the feeling of his furnace like body next to you in bed of a nighttime.

Depending on the Mission and how deep undercover the Avengers were would depend on whether you heard from Steve or not, this particular mission it appeared was deep undercover because it had been radio silence since he left. “Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y, call Wanda” “Yes Miss L/N” replied the AI, dating an Avenger had its perks, as soon as Steve had realized you two were getting serious he had asked Tony to add some security precautions to your apartment, and that included installing F.R.I.D.A.Y and some serious upgrades to your sound system and lights.

“Hey Y/N” Wanda sounded chipper for someone who had dropped you in it with Bucky. “Seriously Wanda, what the fuck?!” you cried “What” she replied innocently, all though you couldn’t see her you knew she was probably smirking. “I told you as my friend, not another informant for Steve, I was just letting off steam about how embarrassed I was with the fact that I had managed to injure myself when nearly no one else had” you exclaimed. You settled down on your old red fabric sofa with your takeout pizza and turned on the TV. “Hey, you may be my friend but if something serious had happened as a result and I’d kept it from Bucky which in turn kept it from Steve, he would have given me the next shit mission that came across his and Tony’s desk…. Besides, I didn’t technically tell Bucky. I told vision who I knew would tell Bucky” you could hear the grin in her voice. “therefore, I didn’t technically break my promise to you about not telling Bucky and also didn’t get in Steve’s bad books” by now she was chuckling feeling rather pleased with herself. You let out a long exhale. “Fine you win this round, but next time I am texting one of my friends who don’t have ties to the Avengers and more importantly Steve” you found yourself chuckling at that last part, when you moved to New York 3 years ago you would never have guessed you’d be friends with the rest of the Avengers, let alone dating America’s golden boy Steve Rogers. You flicked through the channels until settling on a Disney movie for background noise whilst you ate your pizza and caught Wanda up on the day’s events.

#steve rogers #avengers #steve x female reader #steve rogers x y/n #natasha romanoff #darcy lewis #captain america #captain america fanfiction #the avengers #marvel fanfic series

11 notes · View notes

reidingandwriting · 5 years ago

Text

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Word Count: ~1700 words

Ship: Pepper x Tony Stark, Peter Parker x Reader (platonic until the end), IronFam, Stark!Reader

Warnings:Nothing but fluff!

Summary: The one where you, Peter Parker, Morgan Stark team up to help give your parents the best Valentine’s Day possible- with the help of a few other members of the family.

You and Peter had a plan. For good this time, promise. Your plans typically ended with one of you, often both, in trouble. It’s not that you went out looking for trouble, but trouble was always looking for you. You and Peter had to bring brownies for a bake sale once, and you decided that you would bake them together. Peter had planned on buying some, but he said yes to your plan. How hard could it be to bake brownies? Turns out, it was very hard for you two to bake brownies. After your second failed batch literally caught on fire, and after being yelled at by your dad, you and Peter cleaned up the kitchen and bought the brownies from a local bakery.

And when your little sister Morgan got older, she turned the duo into a trio of trouble. You and Peter were very careful when it came to the youngest Stark, but with those puppy eyes, Morgan could get what she wanted from you both. And that’s why Pepper and Tony came home to a backyard full of giant spiderwebs, formed in-between trees like trampolines. Tony swore he grew dozens of gray hairs in seconds at the scene of his youngest daughter jumping on web trampolines.

However, it was the week of Valentine’s Day, and you and Peter were planning what you could do for your parents. When you came up with the perfect plan, you recruited Morgan, Rhodey, and Happy to help you with the execution.

“Alright, team.” You grinned as you looked around the room. “Time for phase one.”

Phase one consisted of you, Peter, and Happy going into your mom and dad’s calendars and taking care of business on Monday. Peter checked on some blueprints, making sure everything was accurate. You found your parents’ notes for phone calls to be made Friday, and you made the phone calls to handle business matters while Happy rearranged your parents’ calendars to finish two hours early on Friday- plenty of time to get them ready. Phase two started Tuesday.

------

“Mr. Stark!” Peter whined as he walked into the living room. Tony looked up from the television, arching a brow at the teenager.

“What’s up, kid?” Peter stood in front of Tony, groaning.

“I need your help! I have a date on Friday, and we’re supposed to go to this really nice restaurant, so I have to look like I belong there. I have a few nice things, but I want to wear a suit, and I don’t know how to make it look good. I really want to make a good impression.” Tony chuckled as he stood up, resting a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Come on, I’ll help you pick out something.” Tony walked with Peter to his room, and Peter tapped his fingers against your door once they passed, signaling you. You peeked your head out of the door once you heard Peter’s bedroom door open and shut and you went to the elevator, going up to your dad’s room, meeting Rhodey inside. As Tony went through Peter’s closet, talking to him about how to pull the outfit together, Peter texted you what your dad was saying, and you picked out a suit for your dad to wear. You gave the suit to Rhodey, who took it to his room, before you texted Peter. “Phase two complete. Time to get the secret weapon for phase three.”

------

“Mommy!” Morgan barreled into her mom’s room on Wednesday, jumping onto the bed. “Mommy, guess what?”

“Hmm, was there a snow fairy outside today?” Pepper teased and Morgan shook her head, giggling.

“That would be awesome. But we’re having a mom and daughter party at school on Friday, at... seven! Can we pretty, pretty, pretty please go? We can wear matching dresses.” Morgan climbed off the bed, walking to Pepper’s closet. “This red one is pretty. And I have a red one, too!”

“FRIDAY, how is my calendar for Friday night?” Your mom asked and FRIDAY responded.

“Your Friday is free after five P.M.” Pepper looked at Morgan and smiled wide.

“Looks like we’re going to your party.” Morgan cheered and ran to Pepper, hugging her mom tight.

“So, I heard you and Morgan have a party Friday.” You spoke softly, rubbing your sleeping sister’s back. You were sitting besides your mom in the living room for your weekly girls’ night. Morgan had decided to watch a movie, but she had fallen asleep halfway through. You took the time to talk to your mom, enjoying a rare moment alone. Your dad was with Happy on a business trip and wouldn’t get back until Friday night, just in time for your plan to work.

“We do.” Your mom smiled, her arm wrapped around your shoulders. “Do you have any plans for Friday?”

“MJ and I were thinking about going to that new bookstore that opened up near her house. Maybe go get some dinner, spy on Peter on his date.” Your mother grinned, playfully swatting your shoulder.

“Do not spy on him! Poor kid is nervous enough without you and MJ there.” You feigned innocence, looking at your mom.

“We wouldn’t scare him.” Your mom rolled her eyes at your grin.

“Y/N...” You raised one of your hands in defense.

“Okay, okay, I promise, no spying on Peter. We’ll get our intel in other ways.” You lowered your voice and kept a straight face, until you and your mother broke into laughter.

------

Phase four began Thursday. You, Peter, and Rhodey spent the entire day getting everything ready for tomorrow. You bought some decor for the dinner, got gifts for your family and Peter (and for Happy and Rhodey to thank them for their help), and got everything you needed to cook dinner for your parents- with Rhodey’s supervision and DUM-E standing by with a fire extinguisher.

Before you knew it, it was Friday evening. Peter and Rhodey were finishing setting up the dining room. You just finished curling Morgan’s hair and you were now putting makeup on your mom.

“Y/N, you don’t have to put my makeup on, darling.”

“I know, Mom.” You smiled, focusing as you applied her makeup. “You deserve to be pampered, too.” You finished her makeup right as Peter texted you.

‘They’re pulling up! Is Pep ready?’

‘Yep! Coming down now’

“Okay, Mom. Let’s go downstairs, we need to get pictures of you and Morgan.” You helped your mom stand up, and Morgan took her hand. You lead the way down to the living area, you and Morgan grinning.

“Hi, Pepper! You look beautiful.” Peter spoke up, Pepper not knowing Peter was here.

“Hi, Pete- Peter, what are you doing here? I thought you had a date.” Pepper’s brows furrowed, and Peter hummed.

“There may have been a change of plans.” It was Rhodey’s turn to speak. Your mom started to speak as you heard your dad walk in with Happy.

“Happy, why am I still wearing this suit? I wanted to change on the plane, but-”

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Everyone cheered except for your parents, who both had surprised looks on their faces.

“Rhodey, Peter, what are you doing here?” Tony looked around. “What’s with.. all of this?” Pepper and Tony took in the decorations in the living room.

“We wanted to do something for you for Valentine’s Day. You haven’t had a proper date in the longest time, so we put this together for you.” You smiled.

“What about Morgan’s party at school?” Pepper asked.

“Just an excuse to get you in a dress.” You hummed.

“What about Peter’s date?” Tony asked.

“I’ve got my dates here.” Peter picked up Morgan when she walked over and smiled at you.

“What did Happy and Rhodey have to do with this?” Pepper questioned, looking at the two men.

“I made sure your dinner was edible. Peter helped me cook, it’s staying warm in the oven now. Happy kept Tony out of the house, and we all made sure your schedule was cleared for tonight.” Rhodey admitted. “I’m pretty proud of the kids, they planned all of this themselves.” Tony’s eyes met yours, eyes full of pride.

“You three did all of this for us?” You walked to your dad, giving him a hug.

“Of course, Dad. You and Mom do so much for us, we thought it was about time we do something for you in return.” Tony hugged you tighter, pulling back when Peter walked over with Morgan.

“Do you like it, Mr. Stark?” It was Peter’s turn to get hugged, which he happily returned.

“It’s perfect, kid. Thank you, all of you.” Tony pressed a kiss to Morgan’s cheek before pulling away.

“Now, I think you’ve got a lovely dinner ahead of you. Peter, Morgan, and I are going out for dinner, we’ll be back before curfew.” You walked over to Peter, taking his hand.

“And I’ll be nearby for when the trio’s acts of kindness end and they go back to causing chaos.” You all laughed at Happy’s (probably true) statement and said your goodbyes, your parents now alone in the tower.

“We really have the best kids.” Pepper smiled as she felt Tony’s arms wrap around her waist.

“We do, don’t we?” Pepper leaned into Tony’s touch, eyes closing as Tony pressed a kiss to her head.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Pep.” Tony’s voice was soft, hand gently circling her hip.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Tony.” Pepper turned around, pressing a gentle kiss to her husband’s lips. “Now, since we know Rhodey cooked, let’s eat dinner.” Tony laughed and followed Pepper to the kitchen.

When you, Peter, and Morgan got home, you smiled to see your parents asleep on the couch. You walked over to the couch, draped a blanket over your parents, and went to your room with Peter and Morgan. The three of you started watching a movie, you and Morgan both falling asleep shortly after it started. You slept in the middle of the bed, with Morgan tucked into your right side and Peter on your left. Peter smiled when he saw you were asleep and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N.”

Taglist: @daughter-of-stark @agent-barnes40 💖 Taglist is open, let me know if you’d like to be added! I absolutely loved writing this, finally giving Pepper and Tony the ending they deserved. I hope you enjoyed this one-shot and feedback is always appreciated!

235 notes · View notes

danganronpa-ea · 4 years ago

Text

DR: EA2 Chapter 4 part 1

To Read the Prologue click here;

Prologue: part 1 | part 2

Chapter 1 Daily Life: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

Chapter 1 Deadly Life: Investigation | CT part 1 | CT part 2 | CT part 3

Chapter 2 Daily Life: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

Chapter 2 Deadly Life: Investigation | CT part 1 | CT part 2 | CT part 3

Chapter 3 Daily Life: part 1 | part 2 | part 3

Chapter 3 Deadly Life: Investigation | CT part 1 | CT part 2

Chapter 4 Daily Life: part 2

Chapter 4 Deadly Life: Investigation | CT part 1 | CT part 2

Chapter 5 Daily Life: part 1 | part 2 | part 3

Chapter 5 Deadly Life: Investigation | CT part 1 | CT part 2

Chapter 6 Deadly Life/Epilogue: Investigation | CT | Epilogue

Anyway, all credit goes to respective owners.

Chapter 4: The Love of Surviving | Daily Life part 1

It was night time as Katou Doi, the Ultimate Mascot had come inside carrying what look to be a Radio and Kobayashi Eito a boy with a mysterious talent walks inside with files and blueprints which it seems Hayashi Ryoko, the Ultimate Survivalist and Kita Jobon, the Ultimate Sniper took notice of this as the 2 were placing the items on the dining room table.

“Hey… what’s that you got there?” Ryoko had asked the pair as Jobon notice of the Radio almost instantly. “I haven’t seen that item ever since working in the army, where did you find it?” He asked as he look it over.

Clearly the military man was interested in the radio as Eito shrugged. “Well we found this room that likely the one controlling Hamoponi had, it had all this stuff in and I figure we talk about it tomorrow…” He stated which Ryoko nodded as she notice the blue prints.

“Which I guess that belongs to Hamoponi?” She asked as Doi place the blueprints on the table which he gave a nod. “Yep yep! Now with this stuff – maybe we can figure out who actually owns the resort and stuff!” He spoke almost excited like a child discovering new toys as then Eito cross his arms. “I mean – if we get Hamoponi’s creator on our side, we can figure out where that Haku guy went and will capture him, then I guess will contact those Future Foundation guys.” He stated.

It had been a while since they heard of Future Foundation but getting there help could be a wise choice which Ryoko ponder. “I guess it would make sense seeing as four people are dead and one has left, maybe it’ll help us get more resources.” She commented which Jobon nodded.

It seem as the four were talking, a figure had been watching over them as then they disappear and return back to their room…

The person look around as they walk over to the map they had, a map of the locations as they started to mark down the following; ‘movie theater’, ‘monitor room’ and ‘church with graveyard’.

A frown was on their face as they check over the locations as they mutter…

“Seems they change this location too…” They commented as then Hamoponi appear behind them which the person turn to him with a scowl, clearly they weren’t happy at all with this. “You promise no one would die.” They stated, clearly not please with this as then Hamoponi rubbed there chin with there hoof.

He… did promise that to the person that stood before them. “Well yes, I did promise that, didn’t I? Well it’s mostly for your own safety and most would suspect you instantly.” He explained which that person shook their head as they spoke. “I get that but even then, people are still dying, you promise they be protect… I swear, I should just tell them I’m the owner and explain the situation to them.” They commented.

Clearly the person was not impressed as Hamoponi eyed them. “You really wish to tell them? Keep in mind you’ll be endanger if you do…” He stated as they nodded. “I will, just… need to find someone I can trust easily… I’ve never been someone that trust people that easily.” They commented with annoyance.

It was sadly a flaw they had, they�� could never trust anyone that easily, they fear to let others in or even trust people but still, they need to know the situation and what happen.

They have to…

The next morning, I had woken up as usual, feeling better than I was yesterday as I did my usual routine as then I made my way downstairs and saw… everyone was there.

I was surprise that now… we only had twelve people left, which surprises me we only had that many left which then Hana-san notice me.

“Good mornin’! You sure took a while, huh?” She asked which I shrugged. “I had some good sleep and besides I’m just… happy, I guess.” I stated which Masa-san look to me but then she look to the ground.

I notice she didn’t seem as happy about what’s going on, but still I don’t blame her as then I notice Kita-san look to messing with what look to be the radio as the others were surrounding.

“Huh, isn’t that radio from that room we came across?” I asked as Katou-san flexed or try to. “Yep, carry it all the way here now Jobon-kun will work on it!” He stated which as then Kita-san eyed me with a nod. “I have work with these before, so this won’t take long…” He told me which Miwa-san couldn’t help but be looking at him with hearts.

Something tells me she was happy to see him at work as she walks over. “I think it’s great you’re working on this thing! But I never took you for a tech guy – isn’t that Rai-kun’s thing?” She asked which Rai-kun huffed in annoyance as he crosses his arm. “Well, if it were me, I could make it way stronger!” He spoke up.

As then Kobayashi-san look to the Electrical Engineer. “You can do that?” He asked which he nodded. “Well of course, it’s quite easy to do! However, I think will need some place of sorts where we can send signals.” He stated which I nodded.

“Oh, you mean like Wi-Fi? I mean we got it up and going quite a while ago so shouldn’t we use that?” Kimura-san spoke as drinking her tea which then Rai-kun shook his head. “Sadly not! We need something stronger for it to work.” He stated as then Kita-san stepped back from his work as looking to the others. “Rai-san has a point, will need something with a stronger signal like a Radio tower…” He informed them which Inoue-chan tilted her head to the side.

However it seems as the others were conversing and wondering about it, I took notice that Norman-san look to be not saying anything as then I walk over to him. “Hey, your… still upset about what happen yesterday?” I asked which he look to me which he turn away. “I guess it’s that obvious but I just… I can’t accept when someone dies for the sake of another, I mean they had people that care for them and clearly those that need them… I just can’t accept that at all.” He spoke as I went silent.

I feel that Norman-san could not accept Benjiro-san’s death as a suicide which I can respect that however it seems that Miwa-san turn to them which she frowns. “If anything, you’re coming off as ungrateful…” She spoke as this cause Norman-san to glare at her. “Ungrateful?! Why would you assume that! I can’t help but feel that those that give up their lives are leaving those behind – having to pick up the pieces and work what they left off… I just felt like Benjiro didn’t need to die like that-.” He spoke which as he was about to…

A loud noise came, it was one that got our attention and one that took me and everyone by surprise which was Hayashi-san, she slapped Norman-san across the face as it froze him which we look to her as she crosses her arms, clearly not please with his words.

“You don’t seem to realize that while one may day, others can live and I think we understood that except for you…” She spoke as Norman-san was shock by this reaction from the survivalist.

Which as then Norman-san went silent, clearly disturbed by that slap suddenly Hamoponi appear as he seems happier as he had an apple in his hand. “I have heard talks about the radio tower and good news for you all, there is a Radio tower that you can use! But there is a forest so there is dangerous animals roaming around.” He spoke as all of us look to him which Rai-kun seem very excited. “Re-Really?! Then let’s go right now! We need to hurry and get to that tower!” He declared.

Not seeming to care for what happen but clearly more interested in the new area which then he turns to Kita-san. “Soldier boy, we’re off to get this baby set up now let’s go!” He shouted as he rushes out of the lodge at quick speed.

I swear, Rai-kun was really like lightning that flash by which Inoue-chan seem shock by that reaction. “He really is on the go, huh? Did he suddenly get super speed like the Flash?” She asked which Kobayashi-san gave a nervous look. “I think it would scare me more if he WAS the Flash…” He stated as a joke which then Hayashi-san smiled a bit. “Well them, let’s get going.” As then she walk over as helping the sniper with the radio. “How about you get a gun…” She told him.

“Huh, you think so?” He asked which she nodded. “Counting we have no idea what’s going to be in the area we better be careful.” She stated which he gave a nod. “Thanks, well you think you can carry that just fine… I mean if you need help, I don’t mind.” He stated which she blushed. “I… can handle this, besides it be wise to have a gun man with us and with my survival skills we’re a great team.” She stated as she took her leave which cause the sniper to blush a bit.

“A… Team, yeah we sure are.” He commented as Masa-san laughed a bit. “Huh, seems your developing something, right?” She asked which he look at her with confusion. “I… guess? I mean as far as I know, we just have the same view of life so might be why I connected with her so well.” He stated as he rush upstairs.

However as everyone was leaving, I notice… Miwa-san seem to be looking at the conversation with disappointment which I walk over. “Hey, is… everything okay?” I asked which the figure skater notice me which she places her hand on her check. “Oh, don’t worry for me! It’s nothing… anyway, let’s get going then~.” She commented as she left in a hurry.

Hana-san frown as she crosses her arms. “Something tells me she is hidin’ something; she really should be more honest with herself.” She commented which Inoue-chan shook her head, still not getting the whole deal. “I mean, she should just come out and confess, y’know… I hate teenage drama like this…” She spoke as if bored of it then she left the room.

As then all of us left the lodge and headed to the new area…

When we came up to; seems Hamoponi say was true to his word and honestly, I couldn’t but look around.

It was entirely forest and what look to be a radio tower not too far from here. Does that mean…we can contact the outside world?!

As then I felt excitement from this – we can finally call for help, we can finally contact people!

“Alright, your all here! Now let’s go and get to that Radio Tower!” Rai-kun spoke, just as excited as I am which he lead the way which Kita-san and Hayashi-san turn to the others. “Will follow after him, just to keep him safe and if any trouble comes along…” The survivalist spoke as she follows after the Electrical Engineer as well as Kita-san.

As then Masa-san look to everyone else. “Well I guess we find a way to communicate but I think it be best if I follow after them.” She commented as then everyone began to go along the trail with the last being Norman-san who had remain quiet however, I notice something…

The trail was pretty simple as there were pines and then lead up a slope until we reach a side of a cliff as we follow it along which as we walk along, I look around just trying to get a grasp of where we are but as then I felt the ground shake as I pause which Inoue-chan, Kobayashi-san, Kimura-san, Katou-san and Norman-san were behind me.

“Huh? Hey why aren’t you moving?” The blue hair boy asked, clearly confused as then I turn around. “I… I think we have to be careful.” I answered which Kimura-san seem confused. “Careful? About what?” She asked which I look around. “I just felt the ground move, so let’s move carefully…” I told them as we all try to move carefully across the ledge as so to not cause trouble.

Suddenly I felt the ground shake except it felt more violent which this time Kobayashi-san notice it too. “I… think you might be right Fuji-san, this sounds bad we better turn back and-.” As about to suddenly the shaking happen and became even worse as suddenly snow started falling as I look up then I turn to the others in the panic.

“RUN!!!”

I shouted as the six of us try to make a mad dash back to where we came from but then the avalanche cave in on the other side as it did the other side then finally-.

It went dark I… don’t recall what happen all I remember is snow falling on top of us and then we fell down the trial and ended up somewhere dark…

…

“He-Hey, Big sis Fuji! Get up, please tell me if your okay!” I open my eyes and look around. “O-oh, Inoue-chan – your... okay but where are we?” I asked as I look around which I saw that myself, Inoue-chan, Kobayashi-san who look to be lighting a lantern, Kimura-san who look to be helping Katou-san up and Norman-san look around. “Seems… were in an old mine shaft.” The Ringmaster spoke as he looks around.

I got up slowly as I check the surroundings, I was surprise that I didn’t suffer any injuries oddly enough as then Kobayashi-san look to me. “At least most of us came unharmed but still… this really is bad luck, isn’t it?” He asked as Katou-san walk over as giving a worried look. “I think I’m worry for the others; you think there okay?” He asked.

I was so excited to finally get help but now… were separated from Masa-san, Hayashi-san, Kita-san, Miwa-san, Hana-san and… Rai-kun, he was really excited but now I’m worried. We got to get out of here and fast.

“Right then, let’s go and see if we can find the exit…” I told the others which with a nod from them we decided to look around the old mine shaft.

As then we began to wander around and as I notice there were… items lying around and even things that look new which then I realize…

“Hold on, did Hamoponi put that stuff that is dangerous in here?” I turn to Kimura-san who ask as she notices things like guns, bombs, various bottles, knives and even books were kept in here as well as then Katou-san walk over as looking at the gun. “I guess he wanted to keep these somewhere but still, it’s a lot of stuff, even weapons too…” Kobayashi-san check over a bomb.

As then I walk over and took notice of the various items as Inoue-chan walk beside me as seeing the items. “I guess I could see why Hamoponi would place this stuff here but still… what luck for us to end up here, huh?” She asked as I gave a nod however as I turn to the others.

As then Norman-san walk away which he looks to be carrying a book as stuffing in his pocket which he turns to the rest of us. “We better be off; I think will need a way out…” He stated which Katou-san nodded.

“Yeah, I don’t want to stay too long and I think the others are worried for us so let’s get out of here…!” He told us as he went on ahead as the rest of us follow after Katou-san which then we found what look to be an elevator.

“Is… this the way out?” I asked as then Norman-san look at it then towards me. “Seems like it, well let’s go in…” He told them as myself, Kobayashi-san, Kimura-san, Katou-san and Inoue-chan walk into the elevator which then we gone up which then we reach the top floor however as I was as we were getting off.

Suddenly Norman-san rush out as he close the elevator door. “Sorry but I don’t think I want you lot to get involved as I discover the owner of the resort AND Hamoponi’s creator!” “Th-The Hell, Norman-san wait-!” was all Kobayashi-san shouted before Norman-took out garden sheers as then the elevator fell.

It was going dark, seriously… why do we keep falling?!

The fall took a while then it went to black… total blackness once more as then I passed out again…

…

I slowly open my eyes again and this time… we were in a deeper part of the mines as I look around, it was cave in and rocks were everywhere. Was it due to the elevator shaft?

I look to see that the others were okay which Inoue-chan look dizzy. “Wow, we fell and can never get up; seriously are we becoming Alice in Wonderland now…?” She asked as then I look around it seem the only source of light were lanterns as Kobayashi-san turn them out which he look to us.

“Seems… were trap, what the actual hell.” He commented as then he gesture. “Well, what the hell do we do?” He asked as then Kimura-san look around then notice a pile of rocks. “He-hey, there looks to be rocks over that way that could be move if we work together…” She stated as Katou-san got up as he walk over which he huffed.

“There looks to be quite a few actually! We can try and move them if we can, so let’s go and-!” “Are you sure it’s the way out…?” Kobayashi-san asked as Katou-san look to him. “Huh? Well it has to be… I mean we could move them out of the way if we want…” He stated as trying to stay positive which Kobayashi-san frown. “Look, I know you do but what can we do? First we fell into a mine shaft and now someone might do something, it’s totally hopeless! How the hell can we get out?” He asked, clearly annoyed.

As then I walk over as placing a hand on Kobayashi-san’s shoulder.

“Eito-san, I… don’t think we should give up, our friends really do need us; we… can’t lose hope, we must find a way out and warn them.” I told him which then Eito-san stepped back. “Hmph, going on about hope? I really hope your not connecting to Hope’s Peak…” He stated which I frown.

Clearly the guy does not like hope as I shook my head. “No, I’m not – I’m not thinking about that school but hoping to survive with the others; we need that hope to live and even try to reconnect with them – I’m… sure we can get out and find a way to escape, we can’t give up! We must try and make an escape ourselves, We… don’t need Hope’s Peak to be a symbol of hope, we need to work together so c’mon… let’s try then.” I told him as the others look to me.

“She’s… right, we should try and make an escape ourselves, these rocks don’t seem as sturdy so let’s go and try.” Kimura-san spoke as checking over the rocks which Inoue-chan gave a nod. “Yep, even if I’m only a kid we should try and stay hopeful, we shouldn’t give up now Eito-kun…” She stated as she walk over as the three of us try to carry rocks.

The last person to look to Eito-san was Katou-san which he tilted his head to the side. “Those three are right, while yes Hope’s Peak is a symbol of Hope… we should see ourselves as symbols of hope too, so let’s try and work together.” He told him which Eito-san stare at them which the shoved his hands in his coat pocket.

Clearly, he was thinking then with a shrug he rushes over as decided to help take the rocks out. “Damn you guys really are cheesy, huh? Like some power of friendship stuff, I think we can try and work together so let’s go…” He snarked which I couldn’t help but laugh as he helps lift a rock.

As then… we all started working together to escape out of here and return to the others, all we can do… is hope, hope for an escape and hope for an exit if anything.

As such… we can give up, we must hope for an escape and survive with the others!

As Fuji and her group had work on an escape, let’s see how our group is doing…

#Danganronpa Every After 2 #DR: EA2 #Dangan Fangan #Fuji Okamoto #Sunako Inoue #hana hamasaki #Masa Esumi #miwa mori #ryoko hayashi #Eito Kobayashi #Norman Hanlon #Jobon Kita #Rai Nakahara #Doi Katou #Hamoponi

3 notes · View notes

kenkamishiro · 5 years ago

Text

Ishida Sui’s Review of 2019

I didn’t think I’d ever finish this with my onslaught of classes including pharmacology, but I somehow managed! 6k word count, the longest TL I’ve done to date besides Parvati’s interlude for FGO. Lots of insight into Jack Jeanne’s production and what Ishida’s been up to for the past year. It was tough to translate because it was so long, but I had a lot of fun.

Let me know if there are any mistakes, I’m sure there’s a whole bunch. Have fun reading!

Original can be found here.

＊＊＊

2019. I’m reflecting on this past year while flipping through my agenda. Since I’m writing this for my sake, there’s going to be a lot of sections without much explanation.

January

○ This was when Jack Jeanne had yet to be announced, so I was mostly doing preliminary work at the time. Stuff like “BU” and “character facial expressions” will be finished some time this month, is written in my schedule book.

○ New Year’s party in Tokyo from the 16th - 19th. The New Year’s party is a joint party that’s comprised of the 4th editorial department (Shueisha’s seinen magazine branch) that’s held every year in January. I attended the party with the staff every year during serialization, minus my first year.

2019 will be the first New Year’s party since the series ended, but I thought I should stop inviting the staff to attend since we’re not working together anymore (plus it’d be a hassle), so I didn’t really invite anyone. But the day before the event, Editor M brought up the topic inside the taxi and asked, “Are none of the staff coming this year?” (Even if they’re invited now, it’s going to be impossible, asking them to fly the next day and causing a ruckus…) When I replied, “Hey, I’m sure it’d be fun if you invited them and they all came~”, the editor contacted Goubaru-kun, and after said, “He said he’s going.” Guess he wasn’t busy. In the end, the staff during serialization and several people from OB and OG came, almost identical to the lineup from previous years, and it occurred to me that maybe I should have just invited them from the start.

Anyway, at this year’s New Year’s party, I don’t really remember much of what happened. I talked with my senpais from back when I was an assistant for Kingdom, and outside the venue I sobered up from the agoraphobic dizziness I was feeling inside. At the second party I remember people talking to me haphazardly and being photographed. I wish I’d refused. Also, I was sexually harassed by Rikudou Matsubara, my senpai from the same region as me. This New Year’s party will be my last.

February

Briefing session for the game held in Tokyo. Key visual created. It says here [on the agenda] that I want to go to Kagoshima. Every week there’s a checklist for 10 km of jogging and weight training 2-3 times a week. I spent about a week doing some composition work. It ended up being helpful for me, but it made me decide not to work anymore with people with different levels of interest from me.

○ TRPG is written for the 28th. Usually we use the DX (Double Cross) system, but this time one of our participating players, M’s schedule was under mysterious attack. As game master, taking consideration of everyone who’d made time in their schedules for tonight, I thought we could switch to Cthulhu and asked them to wait an hour. 2 hours later I finished coming up with a scenario and began the session. It was fairly fun.

March

Finish BU this month, is clearly noted down. BU stands for bust-up, which are drawings of characters in standing poses [sprites] that are common in ADV games. Normally, since it takes a huge amount of work, the BU work is always divided up. The original drawings are done by the illustrator, in this case I do the base illustrations (line drawing & colouring), and using them as the base, the department sharing the work cleans up the line drawings and recolours it...that’s how the process goes. But since I’m a mangaka and don’t have the technology needed to make gaming assets, I thought it’d be best to leave it to the pros in that field, so that was how that stage proceeded. At that point in time at least.

I also had plans written down to go to Kagoshima. Looks like I didn’t go.

○ TRPG on the 25th. Player M’s schedule lined up with ours, so we played DX with 6 PL plus me as GM. We went to the aquarium, were attacked by witches, and so on.

April

Finish BU, is faintly written down. It seems like the work was more or less completed earlier this month.

○ High school friend K’s wedding on the 6th. Up until then I’d only been to two other wedding receptions. The weddings were for a different friend from high school, and Tajika-san, one of my senpais from Kingdom. This suddenly reminds me of that time at Tajika-san’s reception, when I took a super early flight because I absolutely didn’t want to be late whatsoever, but I ended up not being able to fly for about an hour and a half because of engine trouble or whatever, so I entered at almost the same time as the bride and groom during the reception…

K’s wedding was the first time in my life where I was present all the way from the wedding to the reception, but how should I put it, I was struck by a beam of light. I don’t know who he’s getting married to, I have no clue what their relationship is like. But I was somehow bombarded...by all these thoughts that became jumbled in my head, like the energy in this place, the power of their oaths, questioning what it was, how light isn’t always justice.

I got the feeling that this was what proper, respectable humans take part in, but since I'm fine with not being a proper, respectable human, I decided to not do anything other than what my heart desires.

I'm definitely not good with places where I’m in the spotlight. But congratulations.

○ “Play Sekiro” is strongly noted down. Thank you for supporting me in the first half of 2019.

○ TRPG for the 29th - 30th. DX. Player M’s character dies.

May - June

My schedule book is starting to look more scattered now. On the other hand, since I’ve got a good memory of this time, I can write while recalling the events.

○ I did the covers for the Touken stage play book.

I drew the cover illustrations for the Touken [Ranbu] stage play that Mikasano-san, who I’m grateful to for his work on the anime and movie scripts for TG, worked on. In my mind, it feels like I'm watching the back of who I'd consider my older brother in the creative world, or a fellow comrade on another battlefield fighting to the death. I think it came out quite charmingly, so I’ll include the links for now. Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3

During this time of work for Jack Jeanne, I was working on “model sheets”. Blueprints for the characters’ attire, not just from the front but also the internal structure.

Unlike most other games, Jack Jeanne has “performance costumes” in addition to normal attire. Because of its “revue” theme, costumes that will be worn onstage needed to be prepared. I was shocked when I suddenly admitted that I needed model sheets for 5 different performances (spring, summer, fall, winter, final) for the 6 main characters, making 30 designs in total.

Back in the TG era, these kind of drawings that I just explained, or drawings that needed a lot of layers, were a pain in the ass. Plus I wasn’t good at them, so I thought that I didn’t want to do it for the rest of my life if possible. But it seems like I have to do this myself. With a sense of determination, I decided to work solely on this for all of May. At the same time, I made nothing but curry for all my meals. There’s no deep reason behind it, but my aim was to kinda boost my ability to concentrate daily by choosing to be decisive in that action.

○ Working on model sheets It came with an unintended effect. Because I spent a month on work that required balance and consistency, my right-left checking skills got better, and completely unrelated, I improved in drawing perfect copies. The design work for the model sheets itself became really fun to do, starting around when I became obsessed with the scarf design (sumo wrestler drawing) I definitely couldn’t use for Neji’s summer costume. I discovered that it’s precisely because I’m not good at this that my labour bore fruit. I feel like this was my experience for the latter half of the year.

July

The cast members were chosen. Unlike TG, there are 6 people + 1 person who can be referred to as the main character, so it was interesting to have a cast with some breadth.

Seems like lyrical work was the main thing I worked on.

Lyrical work. In Jack Jeanne, each performance contains several songs to sing and dance to, so each one is supposed to be sung. ...hence the lyrics.

The topic of what to do with the lyrics was brought up in November 2018. What happens typically is that, let’s say there’s singing in an idol game, then a company that specializes in it is asked to produce the songs. Even for Jack Jeanne, there were several candidates I could pick and choose from. But after a quick look-through, frankly speaking, they all looked the same to me. There’s one person that’s good, it’d be great if we could get them...is what I thought, but, “Even though I don’t have the skills, I’m the one who understands this world the best,” crossed my mind. ...should I try? I tried it. To be honest, I was super embarrassed since it’d be seen by a lot of people, but it evolved into, “Who cares if you’re doing it?” And so Jack Jeanne’s lyrics were tasked to me.

I mentioned this earlier, but there are multiple songs for each performance. So if you combine those plus the opening and ending songs, that makes 17 songs in total. Lyrics for 17 songs that I’m fully responsible for. What the hell...am I doing? Maybe it was from that moment that I started losing it.

Including the lyrics that I’d been working on bit by bit every month, the remaining ones were finished in one go this July. By the time I finished everything, my current state was, “Give me more songs...let me write more lyrics!” But it wasn’t over just yet.

August

Every time I meet someone I tell this story. I’m thinking of keeping it up. Here I am, relieved to have finished the lyrics, when a message pops up on the Skype group chat. It’s from Yamashita Daisuke of Broccoli.

To briefly touch upon Yamashita Daisuke, he is a young man who’s been involved with this project since October of 2018, and a poor soul who was tasked with conducting very important meetings on his third day of working at the company.

The producer from Broccoli was going on maternity leave, so he was scouted as her replacement. As an aside, if I have to be honest, the exchanges between me and Towada-san, and Broccoli’s Jack Jeanne team up until then were quite frustrating. “How about doing it like this?” they would counter. And we’d respond with something like, “This part is going to be developed later on, and since this will become foreshadowing for the entirety of the story, it can’t be modified that easily.” This kind of situation, having to explain everything in detail one by one, going 3 steps forward and being held 2 steps back, had been going on for about 3 years, so the two of us would often whine about it over drinks, going, “When should we quit, this is ridiculous,” etc.

Finally when things began going more smoothly, the producer who was leading the project took her leave, so I wondered if we’d be able to get along with Yamashita Daisuke, but he was, how should I put it, very diligent. For the last year I've been working with people who don’t put in their best effort, so I was very hopeful and thankful to him.

But I digress. This was the gist of the message that Daisuke sent.

“Kosemura-san’s who’s in charge of musical composition wants ‘scratch vocal tracks’ for when the singers are recording.” “Does Ishida-sensei happen to know anyone he could ask for this favour?” “I’m sure it won’t be a problem for you!” “Frankly speaking, it’s okay even if they’re bad.”

Huh. Well, as you might have already guessed, even with the lyrics, it’s impossible to really understand the song at first sight without knowing what kind of rhythm, what kind of emotions are being expressed in the bar measure. Of course we’d need ‘scratch vocal tracks’ to explain the general feeling of the song.

Now, what Daisuke said was, “Do you have anyone you can ask? It’s okay even if they’re bad. Or even you can do it.” But if I found a “it’s okay even if they’re bad” kind of person, we’d still have to show them how to sing it and explain how the rhythm goes. Daisuke already knew which was probably why he asked for the favour. “The person writing the lyrics would be able to make the scratch vocal tracks the fastest.” ...come to think of it, the demo songs that Kunimitsu sent me every time that were sung using Vocaloid, weren’t they also scratch vocal tracks?

Daisuke must have been in a pinch trying to figure out how he should ask me candidly. Ishida-sensei, I couldn’t just ask you to sing it, so I had to ask in a roundabout manner.

I’d already given my answer, but I was still hesitant. It’s true that after I finished writing the lyrics for the 17 songs I’d already lost sight of myself, but if I sang, my singing would reach Broccoli and Kosemura-san’s team’s ears. But I couldn’t just leave poor Daisuke hanging.

So I consult Towada-shi, whom I’d been collaborating with in creating the scripts for Jack Jeanne, for advice. (He had been in charge of TG’s novels, and I’ve known him for a long time.) “Did you check Skype?” “I did.” “What do you think?” “Start by looking up scratch vocal tracks,” so we paid a visit to YouTube. The first search result that came up for ‘scratch vocal track’ was a video of a vocalist who was used to sing a scratch track for AKB or something. I see, so that’s what it looks like. Innocuous, but I could see it was very professionally done.

And the second result that came up was Tsunku♂-shi. The figure of Tsunku♂-shi himself recording a scratch track for his idols. The producer himself became an idol, and was singing really cutely, in his emotions and how he sang it. “This is it?” I said. “Yeah, it is,” Towada-shi agreed. If Kosemura-san and his team, and the people who will be performing the songs have to listen to it, it’d be a disservice to them to half-ass it. I don’t like people who don’t try their best. That means I have to show that attitude myself. Let’s come out of my shell for poor Daisuke as well.

“You’re gonna become Tsunku♂.” “Yeah...I’m gonna be Tsunku♂!” And that was how I became Tsunku♂.

I replied to Daisuke on the Skype group chat. “Understood, I’ll do what I can.”

So this guy, who doesn’t even know what the ‘D’ in DTM stands for, first downloads the software, and begins setting up a recording environment. Other work is pushed aside. I set 3 days to work on this.

I timidly begin working on the scratch tracks. From the perspective of someone who doesn’t have to listen to their singing for a living, it starts out as a living hell, but you get used to it as you listen to it over and over.

And so I kept learning new things. I noticed I was harmonizing with myself.

Just like Tsunku♂-shi, I’d change the voice for each character. If it was Jack (male in a male role) I’d sing like a man, and if it was Jeanne (male in a female role), then like a woman, while the main character Kisa (female) should sound cute... No, Kisa needs to be cuter! I re-recorded her part many times. Depending on the song, I’d sing for 7 people. I was Jack Jeanne now.

Tsunku♂ (I) recorded 17 songs in 3 days, and sent the data first to Towada-shi. Since I was now Tsunku♂, I no longer felt any sense of embarrassment.

“I listened to it,” the reply came, and I called him. Towada-shi was roaring with laughter. I regained the embarrassment I’d forgotten.

“Oh no, I was laughing ‘cause I was impressed,” he said, but my heart was already as fragile as that of an abandoned dog.

“Even this is a big help to Kosemura-san, and Daisuke should be grateful, right?” Yeah. Although Towada-shi guffawed at me, Daisuke will surely thank me. And then he’ll definitely tell me what a good job I did!

I dumped the music into the Skype group chat. “I did what I could,” I added.

How will Daisuke react to my Tsunku♂? I waited restlessly. Three days later on August 5th, a formal message arrived after it was received.

“Thank you very much. We will schedule a meeting with Kosemura-san…”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. My hard work got dismissed with, “Thank you very much.”

Daisuke, why? I thought you were in a pinch, so I...were...were you fooling with me from the start? Answer me! Daisuke! Just tell me I did a good job, or follow up with something, I’m fine with anything! So much for my heart being like an abandoned dog, it’s more like a grown-ass man left naked on a snowy mountain. I did what I could! This feeling was welling up inside me, but was it myself that managed to do it?

○ Later, at a meeting with Kosemura-san “It’s great that you could do this much for us. You didn’t have to do all that.” With the gist of those words, a warm blanket was finally placed over my heart, which had almost frozen to death.

“I didn’t know how to respond. I wasn’t sure if Sensei was the most who did it in the first place,” Daisuke said, so I decided to satisfy myself by threatening, “I’m gonna tell this story until the day I die.”

September

○ Responses to the Questions to Ishida Sui contest We did a “Ask anything to Ishida Sui” contest as a project for the art book “zakki:re”, where purchasers could apply with a postcard. I was writing the replies for them.

I thought there’d be a lot more questions about TG or its contents, but surprisingly there were a lot of questions asking for life advice. There were quite a few questions that I had to seriously think about to answer.

It was kinda tough since there were over a hundred of them, but I thought it’d be nice to get in touch like this every once in a while.

○ BU work for Jack Jeanne Once the music-related tasks like lyrical composition and scratch vocal tracks were completed, I worked on BU. ...BU work? Wasn’t it finished back in April?

Well, a similar situation arose just like what happened with the lyrics. Regarding sprite quality I might not be able to beat the pros, but since I’m the one who best understands how the characters look best and their body balance, I had decided to do all the line drawing colouring myself in June. I had no clue whether I’d make the deadline or maintain the quality, but thanks to Broccoli’s understanding, I was allowed to make it myself.

I realized once again that I’m terrible at splitting up work. If I can do it by myself, I will.

Plus, it’s, how should I put it, starting from my TG days, even though it wasn’t a lot I got to see various types of workplaces. I’d see places where there was no sense of responsibility whatsoever, or the work may have been divvied up appropriately, but it felt like they were making something without a sense of purpose, like a main plot line that isn’t going anywhere.

It’s impossible to accomplish big things with that kind of stance, and I understand that the more people that intervene, the more uncertain the core becomes, so I didn’t like that kind of approach. It makes me wonder whether there’s any meaning in creating a work that’s conservative and unchallenged, and if it’s nothing more than a money grab.

Since I don’t have any desire for material things, getting fed up about it is useless, but I just can’t help thinking about it.

Of course, it may be difficult to get what I want 100% of the time, but I want to create things in an environment that I think is beautiful, even in places that I’m slightly involved in.

...in other words, BU work is tough, but I began remaking the sprites once again by myself. This was the toughest work I’ve ever done out of everything, including the serialization...

○ Scratch vocals training camp at the end of September I went to the recording for the scratch vocal tracks. Based on the scratch tracks that I made, we got professional vocalists to sing it again properly. This is what the actual cast would use as a reference to sing. (So my version was like the pre-scratch vocal track.)

I was stuck in Tokyo for almost a week. Wake up, get ready, go to the recording studio. Come back at 8 or 9 pm, rest and sleep, repeat.

It was like I was back in school, and since I don’t have a steady lifestyle, I enjoyed it.

Kosemura-san’s team is really great, and I know I mentioned this before, but I felt like their workplace was a very healthy production site. When I was drawing manga, I never had much time to talk with fellow manga artists, and I’ve never had the chance to experience what other professionals’ workplaces were like, so it was very exciting for me to see people as professionals tackle one thing seriously. The vocalists were as amazing as I expected, and although my scratch tracks were played at a loud volume to annoy me, I had a great time.

The game might have a high level of entry, but it’s worth listening to just for the songs, is what I truly thought.

○ Parting words to Editor M-shi This might have been back in August, but from 2018 to 2019 I had a lot of things on my mind, so I began talking to the editor.

In between the 11 years of serialization starting from my rookie days, I’d received guidance from him so it wasn’t easy, but I expressed to him that we should keep our distance for any future works.

“I want to become absorbed in myself, not to Ishida Sui or Tokyo Ghoul,” I told him. The other part said he also felt the same way, and accepted it. The next time we meet, I hope we can talk about what we’re into, what we’re going crazy over, he said.

And so, 2 months after that conversation was the scratch vocals training camp in Tokyo, and I had the chance for the two of us to talk again. That day I was completely tuckered out from recording the scratch track, but it was a day filled with accomplishments.

He took me to a restaurant with delicious food in Ebisu or somewhere, and after concluding our brief business meeting, I tried throwing out the cliched, “So, what are you up to lately?” As the lead writer, there was a part of me that was curious about how he was doing after that talk we had.

The editor began talking about homemade curry.

...that’s what he’s into? I decide everything from selecting and picking the ingredients myself, and next time I want Ishida-kun to also see how delicious the curry is...he told me passionately, but how should I put it, the conversation wasn’t very spicy.

The food was delicious.

October

○ BU work

What’s hard about BU work is that it’s difficult to separate the layers according to the face, hair and clothes, and they all have to have the same style and touch to it. If it was manga, then maybe...no, even in manga, there’s still some need to match the outfits, but it doesn’t really matter to that extent.

It’s because I don’t like game sprites. “This character has so much energy from their sideways pose! Amazing!” This never happens…

Around this time of the year, my older sister called this elaborate task, “the task you’re probably the worst at.”

○ The bean life I’m not really fat in particular, but I made up my mind to try dieting. At the time, my body fat percentage was at 18%, and I’ve never been below 10% ever in my entire life, so I’m thinking of aiming for that. Instead of eating rice with unseasoned chickpeas and black soybeans, I began my lifestyle of consuming vegetables and cuts of meat with less fat. Hopefully I can achieve my goal in about six months’ time.

○ Ano-chan, Honda Keisuke, and I After Ano-chan left “You’ll Melt More!”, her official Twitter account removed every single account she was following, but for some reason only two people remained. Those two people were Honda Keisuke and Ishida Sui. To Ano-chan, Honda Keisuke and Ishida Sui belonged in the same category. After some time passed, even we were removed, but I consider this one of my hottest mysteries of 2019. Ano-chan! I’ll always be waiting, so let’s have tea some time with Honda Keisuke!

November

○ BU Need I say more.

○ Main cast’s first recording session from the 26th - 27th.

I visited Tokyo with Towada-shi to supervise the main cast members’ recording session. Wow, everyone was so amazing~

Of course, not just the main characters. Terasaki Yuka-san who plays the main character, Tachibana Kisa, was wonderful as well.

In this kind of game genre, the position as the main character feels less important than the male characters, but I want her to stand firmly in this story’s script. I thought it’d be nice to have the main character not stand out too much and have her watch over the male characters, and I felt that Terasaki-san’s voice and acting fit that image perfectly.

About the cast members, it seems like there’ll be a chance to speak to them eventually, so I’ll come back again.

○ 1 month into the bean life I’m steadily losing weight. Basically I always work from home. I go to the gym and supermarket 2-3 times a week. I started cooking for myself. I got a brand new refrigerator to replace the one that suddenly broke. It actually cools things down now. Living standards have risen.

December

○ I break off ties with M who I played TRPG together with. He was a former classmate who was even chief assistant at some point during the series’ run, but eventually he ended up getting fired due to falling asleep at work. He said he’d attend the last session for the story that day (although his own character had already died), and I was working on a schedule to accommodate him, but once again he cancelled at the last minute.

It’s fine to cause trouble for me (although I’ll probably get pissed), but I can’t overlook treating others the same way. And it’s not the fact that his schedule didn’t match up, it’s because he was complete trash who didn’t know how to behave like an adult once he made plans with others, that I felt sorry for the other TRPG people who took time out of their schedules. Since I felt ashamed when I was together with him, I decided I’d had enough.

This was a year where I cut ties with a lot of people, but I think what they had in common was that I was ashamed to be with them. From now on, I don’t want to associate with such people.

What’s more, when I finally told him, he didn’t even try to deal with it and just gave up, responding, “So that’s how you felt about me. Okay. My bad.”

I won’t go anywhere with those kind of people again.

○ The bean life ⇒ the potato life. I changed it to potatoes.

○ BU is over...

On December 17th, I finally finished the BU work that I spent ageeeeeeeees on.

Although I said that serialization is tough, as long as I finished 18 pages a week that was it (although there were times where I was chasing myself with other work), so I could finish it as long as I didn’t sleep. I somehow managed to finish both the manuscripts and the colour illustrations this way, so expecting BU to be similar, I wasn’t really scared about it never ending, but BU truly was despair. When is this gonna end? I’m even working super hard… This is how it went on the entire time for over a month.

There were about 200 different sprites I had to make myself, including the different costumes and poses, and I had to do all of them.

For one thing, when, “This process is necessary,” came out, I had to go through the same process roughly 200 times, that it felt like I was facing the final boss who already transformed many times. Also, it’s like not equipping myself with a lot of equipment and recovery items in the previous town, but the dungeon I somehow managed to enter is extremely dangerous and even though there’s no safe points anywhere in sight, the boss suddenly comes up behind you, and you go I’m gonna die I’m gonna die

○ If you eat a lot while you’re losing weight, you’re going to have a bad time.

On December 15th I had trouble concentrating, so I tidied up the living room, created a space in the middle of the room, and darkened the lights. After an hour of meditating, only the sound of my breathing could be heard in the room, and so I went back to work with renewed concentration after confronting the issue (like a monk?).

On December 16th, I’ve been working the entire time since morning. I thought today was going to be the last day, but an entire day has passed and I don’t have any energy...

I’ll buy a midnight snack, replenish my energy, and end it once and for all. I’m trying to lose weight, but I went to the convenience store while thinking about how I’m gonna eat a katsu sandwich (I didn’t have the energy to cook).

While looking for something at a convenience store I can eat during weight loss, I think back over the last few months.

Like how it seems like BU is finally over, how a lot of things have happened, how I’m working hard, how lately I’ve been eating only potatoes, vegetables and meat.

And then I suddenly thought, “I wonder if the reason I don’t have any energy is because I haven’t had any rice lately.”

...I thought I should go on a diet in October, so I’ve been living a very modest life since then. Thanks to that, my weight has steadily decreased, and my body fat percentage has gone down 3% to 15%. What will happen if I continue with my relatively strict dietary restrictions during this difficult time?

...even if you’re losing weight, there’s a technique you can set up to binge eat during periods where weight loss stagnates, called cheat day (though results may vary), but what is it that makes no-cheating so inefficient even for weight loss?

...should I have a cheat day today?

“Huh, is it really okay?” I asked my mind. “Do it!” was the answer I got. From that moment, everything around me morphed into things I could eat.

No exaggeration, my knees trembled.

I crammed into my shopping basket carbohydrates, carbs, more carbs… It’s okay just for today, I say as I shove cream puffs, dorayaki, pudding, Family Mart chicken and ice cream. (Even if it's a cheat day, it’s probably not a good idea to take non-nutritional foods, but shh.)

With food in both hands and in high spirits, the first thing I ate was the delicious part of the Family Mart chicken.

I groaned loudly, all alone in the room.

Alright, let’s finish this work! I was energized, but my blood sugar levels spiked so much that I felt extremely sleepy and went to bed instead.

The next day on the 17th, I wake up at 4 am and immediately notice something unusual. My body is burning. I’m sweating.

I immediately wake up, and overflowing with energy, I head for my desk. I’m working actively, and I finish the BU work. It felt like I was pushing forward with only positive energy, feeling uplifted.

I break out a laugh at a slight joke I found funny from a foreign drama (The Mentalist) I’m playing while working. The greenery of the plants and the lighted sink glisten, and the scenery is vivid.

What is this?

I suddenly recall the story of a YouTuber I saw recently. He lives in a region where medical marijuana is legalized, and he explained in detail what changes would occur if you smoked cannabis.

To put it roughly, you feel calm and your senses sharpen. Trivial things can become funny, and funny videos can make you roar with laughter.

Then maybe...I thought, I'll watch Nagareboshi (a comedy duo) on YouTube. Usually I go, haha, that's funny! But that day I exploded with laughter...all of their videos were just too funny.

I learned that when you’re losing weight and suddenly eat a lot, it alters your mind and body as if you smoked cannabis. (※ Just to be clear, I don’t know what cannabis is like.)

Thus the BU work ended with me being high as a kite.

(※ I’m covering it with mosaics for now. I’ll remove it once I can announce it.)

○ I stopped playing TRPGs. I’ve been doing it for about two and a half years, but it also helped me in honing my creative skills. I’d sometimes perform, so it was useful when I was recording the scratch vocals… It was a good experience, managing to vicariously live the energy of ending a story. It was a story about a group of friends, so it was easy to appreciate.

Summing up 2019

After the weekly series finished in 2018, I was in a daze for a few months, but in 2019 I worked only on Jack Jeanne for the year.

This year I tried various things, and trite as it may seem, felt the possibilities within myself expanding. I had many opportunities to realize how important it is to keep a distance from bad things that don’t do anything for me.

During my work on Jack Jeanne, I vaguely thought about my future creations. The work I’m doing now in game production is fun so I wonder if I can keep working in this field, but I’d also like an environment where I can release things more constantly.

I can’t promise anything specific, but I’m going to work on things that I want to do.

I look forward to what 2020 has to offer. Have a happy New Year.

2019.12.31 Ishida Sui

#Jack Jeanne #Ishida Sui #Translations #my translations #time to hibernate

125 notes · View notes

roswelldetails · 4 years ago

Text

RNM 2x12 - Crash Into Me

EPISODE SUMMARY:

WELCOME TO CRASHCON — As the town prepares for CrashCon, Liz (Jeanine Mason) and Max (Nathan Dean) attempt to piece together who may be behind a potentially deadly plan targeting the festival. Elsewhere, Maria (Heather Hemmens) and Isobel (Lily Cowles) take drastic measure to learn more about the night Mimi (guest star Sherri Saum) disappeared, while Michael (Michael Vlamis) is forced to do someone else’s bidding.

DETAILS:

Max is secretly practicing with his powers. Was Max's "light cardio" actually just him trying to strengthen his powers?

Max has a land line. Hee. Which Liz doesn't mind answering for him.

Liz is looking for a pen on his desk when she finds the empty vials of the antidote. Max plays them off as being leftover from when he had amnesia.

Liz mentions that the phone call was Max's bank calling to verify a deposit for him.

Max is choosing not to worry about Michael because he and Isobel can feel that he's not badly injured or in serious danger.

Liz called Dirk:

"He said before she left she was getting nonstop calls from a 575 number. The Sunset Mesa facility where Mimi DeLuca lives."

"Wait, Mimi was calling your mom before the abductions?...Mimi was always obsessed with alien movies. Maybe fiction and reality are blurring. Your mom is working with Flint Manes who spent years making an alien-killing weapon while at Caulfield. What if your mom found out Rosa was killed by an alien? She'd want revenge."

Note: Max and I apparently think alike, because this was my assumption going into the episode as well. For the sake of detailing and not making this confusing plotline any more confusing...Max and I were both wrong.

Also, I love that they mentioned cell service issues during Crash Con. That is extremely realistic and makes a ton of sense, speaking from experience at like, concerts and baseball playoff games and such.

Maria gets Liz's voicemail and immediately confronts Mimi.

"I just got a message from Liz. Mom...when you disappeared, it was Helena Ortecho that took you...You didn't have butyricol in your system when they found you. You know Liz's mom. You'd remember if you spent a month with her. Mom, are you covering for Helena?"

"Everything is going to be fine."

"I'm not fine. Alex and Michael are missing."

"Helena is a lot of things, but she won't hurt your friends. I'm sure… (Isobel walks in) You're the blonde. The one that Rosa was afraid of."

"Hi Mimi...I'm your cool Aunt Isobel. Hopefully we can get to know each other under better circumstances sometime. Sure about this DeLuca?"

"Desperate times call for desperate alien invasions."

Isobel's first trip into Mimi's mindscape:

"Show me what happened the night you disappeared, Mimi."

Mimi turns to see headlights approaching. It's the hunting van. Helena is driving it. After they greet each other they talk in the van.

"I saw her. I saw her in a vision.

"I didn't believe you. I had to see it with my own eyes."

"You saw her. You saw Rosa."

Flashback to Liz and Rosa arguing over Rosa's necklace in 2x01. Just as a note, Isobel is in Mimi's head, not Helena's, so she shouldn't really be able to see this flashback since Mimi wasn't there when Helena saw Rosa.

"This is a good thing, Helena. Your daughter is alive. She needs you."

"When Jim Valenti was dying, I came home to say goodbye. He kept saying Rosa could live again, that she was preserved."

"But you didn't believe him. No one ever believes us."

"If Rosa is alive, it means Jim was telling the truth. Which means everything else he said could be true, like aliens are real and Jesse Manes has a weapon that can kill them. It means I have to go to war, Mimi. First, you need some shoes."

Then Mimi somehow kicks Isobel out of her memories, which gives Isobel a nosebleed. But Mimi doesn't seem to know what happened. It's almost like she has a kind of subconscious protection on her own mind, somehow.

Note: the hunting van must not be Flint's, because Helena is driving it when she first considers teaming up with Flint, I assume based on the above. Maybe she was the suspicious figure in Flint's house when Max and Kyle were hiding in the closet? And what about the car that Rosa blew up? Did she have access to multiple vehicles? Am I overthinking this?? Haha.

Kyle's tip to Max:

"I found this at Flint's, but it's from a florist my dad used when he was in the doghouse with my mom. I finally guessed the password today. Rosa's birthday. The only thing on it is a note my dad wrote to Helena. It's a lot of romantic crap followed by details for a storage unit he had up near Haystack Mountain."

Haystack Mountain is an off-road vehicle recreation area about 30 miles northeast of Roswell.

Michael working on the "bomb". Charlie is working on the toxin nearby and Helena is keeping an eye on both of them.

"This entire process would be more efficient if I could attach the release chamber to the other side."

"Ay, mijo. Now is not the time to get creative. Time is running out. Follow the blueprints exactly."

"You don't look like an obedient soldier. Who'd she take to force you to do her bidding?"

"A friend. It's complicated. Why are you helping her? Jenna's free."

"Flint Manes has a sniper rifle on the roof pointed at her bedroom window. If I step out of line and something happens…"

"You'll never forgive yourself."

"I'll never forgive myself anyway. Helena has me formulating a pathogen that I invented when I was 17. It's a poison that dismantles specific DNA. If targeted your death is quick and ugly. A bleeding from every orifice kind of deal… I thought that I was saving people. Okay, imagine a weapon that you could drop into a populated city and the only people targeted would be al-Qaeda leaders and their direct descendants. Okay? In the right hands my weapon could prevent innocent civilian casualties and save our troops."

"I'm guessing these are not the right hands? Why am I building the bomb when the inventor is under Helena's thumb?"

"I do chemicals, not mechanics. And technically it's not a bomb. It's a catalytic toxin atomizer that was developed in a top secret operation involving weapons specialists from both the Army and the Air Force."

"Project Shepherd. One more question for you, Charlie. Whose DNA is that poison you're making gonna target?"

"Judging from conversations I've heard between Helena and Flint, it's alien DNA. Like, literal aliens."

This is actually the part of this story that's crystal clear to me. We've been getting tidbits on this dating back to 1x12, when Flint told Alex about his "smart bomb". Jesse told Jenna in 2x04 about Charlie's toxin that could pinpoint specific DNA, and even used a similar metaphor in explaining it as Charlie did in this episode. The part that doesn't make sense to me is, why did FLINT need Michael to build it, if he developed the blueprints?

Liz and Rosa in the lab discussing Max taking the antidote.

"He's only supposed to take a drop when he has amnesia. It's not vitamin C. In high doses it could cause surges of adrenaline that could be dangerous."

"No offense, but you sound like a mom. Like a real mom, the kind who actually give a duck. Oh I just figured out what autocorrect is. It's hilarious."

"Speaking of moms, ours hasn't reached out to any of your old dealers and she hasn't shown up at any of the churches in town, so you got any other ideas?"

"It's CrashCon. We usually find her wearing the loudest t-shirts and flirting with the richest nerds."

"Yeah, but Flint and Jesse Manes hate aliens. I mean it's literally their only hobby. If she's with them, I'm betting she's lost her affection for the simple charms of UFO novelty kitch."

"Wait, if you were going to get revenge on aliens, CrashCon is the perfect place. There's all kinds of conspiracy theorists and press. You know how mom loves attention."

"You think something's gonna happen tonight?"

"Papi is there by himself setting up. I think he should come home."

Note: my phone autocorrected duck to fuck. So I guess that tells you something about me. 😳

Also I just realized that for once ROSA and not Liz is the one who put the pieces together! Good for her. I wonder if that's purposeful since she's the daughter who is more like their mom? Like, she understands Helena's motivations better than Liz or something.

Steph and her father are going to CrashCon together. Kyle helps her with her makeup. Super sweet, but rather pointless since the scenes of Steph at CrashCon were cut. Mostly just including this here as a reminder that she's there in case it comes up in the finale.

Max and Cam, who got her job back!

"Thanks for the assist. I'm guessing that guard wouldn't let me through with bolt cutters unless I had an officer of the law present."

"Oh well, don't be jealous, Evans. Valenti has me on desk duty. So this little adventure is my lunch break."

"Valenti did the right thing, giving you your job back."

"Yeah well, you know, apparently some local bartender gave her reason to doubt the events the night of the gala were my fault. So I owe you."

"I've lost track of who owes who what at this point."

They break into the storage unit. It's empty except for an empty shelving unit, a locked chest, and a puddle of purple alien goo.

"What is that?"

"It looks like embryonic fluid. There must have been a pod in here."

Note: no, Max! Pod Goo evaporates upon contact with Earth's atmosphere/air. So it's not pod goo.

There isn't a super clear shot of inside the chest, but Max pulls out a love letter from Helena to Jim Valenti. I can transcribe it if you want me to. It's pretty easy to read and frankly, there's nothing important there. My heart is forever yours...it feels good to actually love and be loved in return...blah blah cheesy platitudes.

But seriously. Just send me an ask if you need me to transcribe it. But I'm gonna skip for now.

Isobel is chugging acetone straight from the bottle in the middle of the Pony.

Isobel's second trip into Mimi's mindscape:

"Mimi. I know you think you're doing the right thing, but Helena is holding people hostage. We have to understand her motive."

"You all think I'm losing my mind. But I just...slip out of my time and into a different one every once in a while. Sometimes Maria's. Or Mama's. Other women in our future or past. I saw you when you were a baby. The sky was red."

"What can you tell me about your time with Helena? She had you for a month."

"We were in a motel. We watched movies. We laughed and gossiped. She wanted to trigger my visions...gather information."

"What information? What did you tell her? What did you see?"

"What's important is Helena will take care of our girls. I'm not afraid. That's enough."

Mimi kicks her out again.

"I tried. She's fading."

"She's tired. It's harder when she's tired. Come on, Mom. I'm gonna take you back to Sunset Mesa."

"Maria, you just have to look for the signs in the water. You have to believe. Go on, you'd better hurry."

"Hurry where?"

"CrashCon closing night! You don't want to miss the fireworks. You always loved the fireworks."

Max and Cam going through the chest of letters back at Max's house:

"Okay, all these notes are from Helena to Jim Valenti. This is from the week Rosa died. I mean even 20 years after their affair she's still writing and he's still saving her letters."

"Pining after an Ortecho for years and years. It's so weird. Who does that. This is a receipt. It's a money transfer he made around the same time. He paid Daniel Fuller a thousand bucks."

"Fuller was the county coroner. Okay we still don't know how Noah got Rosa's body into the pod, right? But Jim had Project Shepherd connections to the morgue. So maybe if Noah knew about Jim and knew that he'd be grieving Rosa, he could have told him where to find the pod, right, and maybe he didn't even take the pod back until after Jim died."

"I mean, this is all a bunch of conjecture."

"Jim pulled me aside at high school graduation, he said I was the kind of guy the sheriff's department could use. Look, I mean maybe… I mean, he never let on, but maybe he knew I was an alien, right? Maybe he knew more than that."

"Okay, Evans? Breathe. You're looking a little clammy. What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"No. See, something's going on, and you're gonna tell me or I'm out, I swear to God."

"Okay you can't tell anyone."

"You know I won't."

"Okay, I've been taking this antidote that Liz made. No...she doesn't know. But its rebuilding some of my memories from before the 1947 crash, right? I was just a little kid, but I had a destiny. I had responsibilities."

"Right, you're the savior."

"Yes! Well, maybe. But I was starting to remember these symbols from our old language, right? I remember what they mean, but it's like the meaning is just out of reach. And I'm out of the antidote. And you know, Liz is getting suspicious. So…"

"No."

"I didn't say anything."

"Really? Can you tell that to your face? I am not using my friendship with your girlfriend to steal alien steroids for you. Okay? Our partnership has limits."

Michael and Helena:

"It's done. So now what? You inject my spine with your mind-eraser?"

"We only used the butyricol on Jenna Cameron because there was still work to be done. And Flint was afraid she'd ruin it for us. You told Flint Charlie was creating a toxin that would kill aliens. But if you wanted aliens dead, you'd be testing it on me right now. 'Cause that's what I would do if I was a criminal mastermind."

"I needed Flint for the schematics and the muscle. Our agendas didn't need to align perfectly."

"You don't have to do this. If you kill anyone tonight, Liz and Rosa will never look at you the same."

"That ship has sailed. Besides, I'm not killing anyone. If disaster never strikes, justice won't be served. Do you want to see Alex or not?"

Liz tries to get Arturo to go back to the Crashdown. She tells him that the kitchen is backed up because it's so busy. The interesting part of this exchange from a character perspective though:

"Papi, please. I have a bad vibe, all right? A gut feeling I can't shake."

Diego walks up.

"Who are you? Elizabeth Ortecho doesn't do feelings. She believes in facts and evidence."

"No, I do feelings now. I've evolved."

Alex is chained up in the house. There's a takeout box and coffee cup next to him. He's humming a song under his breath. Michael walks in and they talk.

"Guerin, you were right. They used me to get to you. My dad hit me over the head and then he swiped the piece of the console. And then Flint showed up with a gun to my head."

"Did anyone hurt you?"

"Nothing I can't handle. Helena's been weirdly motherly. She's bringing me clothes and meals."

"Your leg."

"Yeah they took the prosthetic. I tried to bludgeon my brother with it. Come on, use your powers. Get me out of this."

"Helena dosed me with something. I'm basically human until it wears off."

"Okay then find something that'll break the cuff or my wrist. I don't care."

"Alex, tonight at CrashCon, your dad plans to release a toxin that kills anyone with alien DNA...Helena made Charlie and I build an identical device, but one that targets a different DNA. She somehow got her hands on your dad's cells. She knows your dad killed Kyle's dad. She wants revenge. But she wants him to take himself out. When he pulls the trigger on us tonight your dad's gonna die because of a device I built."

"No, that is not on you, okay? Now let me out of here."

"I can't. The atomizer will kill anyone in your dad's direct line. You are safer here."

"Are you serious?"

"And I gotta go. I'm gonna come back for you."

While Michael explains to Alex, we get a flashback to Helena in her totally fake blonde wig at the hospital in 2x02.

Helena disguises herself as Jesse's maid using her totally fake blonde wig and switches out the bombs while Jesse is in the shower.

The @ladiesofrnm have their first scene all together! (With Max...and eventually Michael…) reading through Helena's letters together. Michael makes quite an entrance. Afterwards:

"You're such an idiot! You don't comply with a kidnapper's ransom demands. Without telling me."

"Alex was in trouble. He had to go."

"Mikey, where are Alex and Charley?"

"They're safe. Your mom doesn't want to hurt them."

"Look I don't get it. Does she want to kill aliens?"

"No. She's avenging her murdered lover."

Back to the house where Helena talks to Charlie:

"This atomizer contains the poison that kills anyone with alien DNA. I need you to destroy it."

"Does Flint know that you have it?"

"Flint. Jesse really broke that boy. Some people were never meant to be parents. You can go when you're done. The door's unlocked. Flint's rifle shoots blanks."

"What's to stop me from leaving now?"

"The knowledge that that deadly device only exists because of you. You decide. I'm off to CrashCon. I hear there will be quite a show."

Note, when Helena says Flint's name she says a word in Spanish that I can't make out and isn't in the closed captions.

Max and Liz's conversation about racism and privilege:

"I want to help. Your mom's not the villain here. All right? She's going about this all wrong, yes. But Manes is already a murderer. I mean, if he'd succeeded today…"

"I know...I could have lost almost everyone I care about in a moment. I remember every day what it was like to lose you and Rosa. I don't think I could survive that again. She could've built a decoy bomb that wouldn't have hurt anyone."

"He'd just get angry and do it again."

"Yeah, but he's not the only one that this would hurt. I mean, the headlines if she gets caught? Illegal Mexican Immigrant Slaughters Decorated American Vet via Bioweapon. People will line up to lay bricks at the border wall. But hey, maybe the president will talk about my family at his rallies. That's gonna be fun."

"That's not gonna happen. This will get covered up like every other strange death in this town."

"In case you haven't noticed those cover-ups don't tend to protect the Mexicans. Even when…"

"Even when Rosa died. You can say it, Liz. It's okay. It's fair. Rosa got blamed. White people didn't. Okay? I get it."

"I know you're on my side, but you don't get this. And that's not your fault, that's just the reality of our experiences. If I mess up. If I so much as roll through a stop sign, it reflects badly on any Mexican who came before me. And it hurts any Mexican who comes after me. I used to think that nothing would ever change that, but lately I think...maybe if something extraordinary happened it could."

"Extraordinary? Like what you're doing in your lab?"

"I've discovered something that could be the key to curing people who have no hope otherwise. I can't walk away."

"So you're gonna turn my family's stem cells into the hottest commodity?"

"No, I won't. I...we'll find a way to synthesize it or replicate it."

"Is this about the people you're trying to save or about becoming the poster girl for immigrants everywhere? You want the president to talk about your family because of you. Because you saved the world."

"If those in power see what happens when people are given opportunity…"

"You want the glory."

"I want recognition. I want to be the example I never had. And people who want glory, they're just in it for selfish reasons. People like Jesse Manes want the glory. He wants to be a big American hero. He wants the parades, he wants the medals. If he sets off his alien atomizer at CrashCon, a handful of twenty-something's will die of some mysterious ailment and it's barely gonna make the news. That's not what he wants. We're missing part of his plan."

"First, something violent. Large-scale that'll draw media attention. And then, once all eyes are in Roswell…"

"He'll blame the violence on the aliens. He only gets his parade if he makes people afraid and then he destroys the thing that they fear. If he makes people think that you're terrorists before he kills you."

Graham Green's reveal at CrashCon. Graham is announced and takes the stage as Max, Liz, and Rosa arrive to find Michael, Isobel, and Maria nearby.

"Hey, you guys shouldn't be here."

"I was held hostage, Max. I deserve to ride the Sizzler until I barf cotton candy, and maybe watch a bad man die."

"You guys, we think that…"

Graham Green starts his presentation.

"Hello loyal fans and devoted supporters! You patience is about to be rewarded. Today I am thrilled, nay, honored to show you the result of years or painstaking work. The moment we've all been waiting for. Irrefutable extraterrestrial proof! A bona fide alien artifact!"

Graham pulls the curtain and reveals what appears to be something similar to Michael's console, only it is complete and intact.

Flint brings Alex food and they discuss Flint's motives:

"If you're doing this to impress dad, it is never gonna work."

"I'm not trying to impress dad. His shutdown of Project Shepherd was an inform decision, but he's trained me my entire life to take it on.

Flint goes to leave but Alex stops him.

"Do you remember when mom used to drive us to the res, and you would sit at the loom with Granddad? Weaving stories. When was the last time you made something, Flint? Anything that wasn't built to destroy?"

"Around the time that mom decided that to leave dad, she had to leave us."

"She didn't know what he would do to us."

"He didn't do anything to us. Me and Clay are fine. He'll, even Gregory is coming to see dad today."

"...You are wrong. We are all dad's victims. Sure, he beat me up, but what he put the rest of you through was abuse too. He made you watch while he kicked my ass… He scared you into thinking that there was only one type of man that you could become."

Alex manages to knock Flint out, steal the key to his handcuffs, and free himself.

"You're so pathetic. You don't know me at all. This has nothing to do with dad and everything to do with our history. Aliens are a foreign threat. They're invaders."

Back to CrashCon, where the gang discuss the alien object:

"Alex's piece must have been the last one that Manes needed to finish building it. Where's he been keeping the rest of this?"

Sanders appears out of nowhere.

"Kid, I seen that thing before. Your mother built that back in the old barn. I don't know what it is, but it is definitely explosive. I always wondered what'd happened to the pieces."

"Maybe Harlan or Tripp Manes gathered them up. Rebuilt it."

"Yeah but if Manes is gonna use that to blow up CrashCon, it's gonna make Graham Green look like the bad guy. No one's gonna think an alien planted it."

"Unless they follow the money. I got an alert from my bank this morning. A $10,000 deposit had cleared."

"You think Manes set it up so that the investigation would lead to you?"

"If I become the world's first alien terrorist and he takes me out, the world cheers."

"Guys, you need to do whatever you can to get as many people out of here as possible, okay? Get help."

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Michael and I have studied this material before. It's part tech, but it's also part organic. And if it's part organic, that means it can be killed. I gotta get back to my lab."

Diego sees Max toss Liz his keys.

Max and Michael sneak backstage and convince Graham Green to let them have a moment with the alien ship thingie. Max takes photos of it with his phone.

"Do you think we can destroy it?"

"No. The pieces want to be together and now that it's complete if we break the bonds with brute force we risk a violent reaction."

Max hears voices whispering and reaches out to touch the alien tech. The alien symbol forms under his hand and he pressed it. There's a surge from the tech and it almost appears like Max is absorbing something from it. The voices get a little louder. When he breaks the connection it almost seems like it takes effort and he seems stunned.

"What the hell just happened to you?"

"Nothing. I think this is a remote. I think this controls a ship."

"It's a what?"

Gif by @maxortecho

Note, the way Max laughs when he says nothing is oddly similar to how he responded to Cam when she called him out on his weird behavior from the antidote. Like he's hiding something or brushing off the worry or something.

Sanders interrupts before Max can respond. Points out that the top of the stage is varnished which is highly flammable.

"Wait, if this is fresh varnish, this whole platform is set up like a tinderbox."

"There's gonna be fireworks tonight."

"One spark'll light a fire. I mean, this whole thing, the whole platform will go up."

"If this giant remote goes kaboom aliens will be framed as terrorists. You have to get out of here."

"What? No. I'm not going anywhere."

"Max you are all sorts of worked up right now. What happens when you're worked up?"

"Sparks fly. Right, okay. Yeah. I'll go."

Before Max leaves he spots something on one of the display boards that makes him pause. He grabs it before leaving.

Charlie is working on her chemicals in the makeshift lab when Flint sneaks up on her and puts a gun to her head, demanding that she gives him the atomizer.

Maria and Rosa hurry through CrashCon discussing each other's alien biology and Mimi's vision. They spot Gregory Manes and decide to try to get him to leave since the Manes bomb would kill him. He has 12 kids with them so they suggest that he take them to the Crashdown for free milkshakes. He recognizes Rosa, but they tell him she's Rosa's cousin.

Liz works in the lab while blasting Alanis Morissettte - great call back to last year when she told Michael that Alanis helped her channel Rosa's creativity. She says to herself:

"Destroy the organic cell membrane. Disable the nanotech."

She mixes some chemicals which react and explode her flask and start a fire. Really don't know if that's supposed to represent success or not.

Flint and Helena talk at CrashCon. She is surprised to see him. He tells her that he cleaned up the mess at the house.

We flash back to the house which is on fire. Charlie is chained up and trapped.

Liz hurries from the lab and doesn't realize that Diego followed her there. He sneaks his way into the building while Liz rushes for the car.

Speaking of cars...they're in the middle of nowhere. Where's Diego's car? I had the same thought last week when Max and Kyle were searching Flint's house and they almost got caught. Whoever pulled up in the hunting van should have seen their car!

Maria and Rosa are helping get the kids loaded onto a bus when Rosa points out Pisces to Maria. Call back to 1x03 when Maria tells Liz that she and Rosa used to compete to see which one of them could spot the constellation first. It gives Maria an epiphany. Pisces is "the water sign" which was one of Mimi's clues from her vision. Maria goes to follow the sign. She runs into Max who tries to get her to safety. They spot Flint Manes carrying the atomizer. Max tells Maria to get out of there and hurries after Flint. He tries to sneak up on Flint, but Flint is able to disarm him and beat him up. Flint sets the atomizer to go off in two minutes and then throws it like a Hail Mary into the crowd. Max chases after Flint while Maria goes after the atomizer. She pushes through the crowd and spots another clue from Mimi's vision - a poster of aliens asking "Do you believe?" The atomizer is sitting below it. Maria grabs the atomizer and takes off running with it. Cam spots Maria and follows.

Flint beats Max up again and then pulls a gun and threatens to shoot Max. Max disarms him and is holding the gun to Flint now. He laughs and asks Max if he's really going to shoot a soldier. Tells him that he already pulled the trigger to kill Max by setting off the atomizer. Max tosses the gun aside, and uses his powers instead to kill Flint,

Michael and Isobel are trying to keep the stage from catching fire, but then the fireworks start going off into the wind (which blows the embers towards the fair). The hay bales easily catch on fire. Isobel used her powers to hold back the flames. She can feel that something is wrong with Max and send Michael to find him.

Instead Michael finds Jesse and Alex. Their exchange:

"You know, I actually started to believe that you had changed."

"You never could tell friend from foe. I actually counted on it."

"Hey I know exactly who you are. You were gonna let all of these people die and you were gonna let the aliens take the blame."

"It's high time they got blamed for something, I think. I'm gonna drag them from the shadows."

"Yeah and then what? You're gonna use the atomizer to kill them all? Then you become some hero by destroying the enemy that you created?"

"American children are gonna read about the events of tonight in their history books... And don't worry about collateral damage, son. That's just an unfortunate aspect of war. You know that better than anyone, Alex."

"You're gonna become your own collateral damage if that thing goes off. Helena Ortecho switched the devices. That's not gonna kill aliens. That is set to destroy your DNA. If it goes off, you are going to die in a puddle of your own blood."

"What are you doing? Are you bluffing to protect the aliens?"

"What I'm doing is I'm trying to protect our family. Dad, if that goes off it kills all of your direct descendants. Flint and Greg are somewhere in here. And I don't care how much I disgust you, I am still your son!"

Greg runs up looking for help responding to the fire. He spots the atomizer and immediately recognizes it as a weapon. Alex tries to get him to leave. Michael runs up and Jesse pulls his gun on him. Greg steps between Michael and the gun to protect Michael for Alex.

Maria throws the atomizer off into the desert and immediately begins bleeding. Thankfully Cam is there to try to help.

Max kills Flint which in turn gives him another heart attack. Liz arrives as he's collapsing and starts CPR. Rosa runs up and tries to get Liz to let her step in to help Max so that Liz can stop the alien device from exploding… And cliffhanger.

MUSIC:

1. Valley Queen "Chasing The Muse"

2. The HawtThorns "Give Me A Sign"

3. Everclear "Everything To Everyone"

4. Alanis Morissette "All I Really Want"

5. Gary Numan "I Am Dust"

#roswell new mexico #rnm season 2 #episode details #long post #rnm 212 #crash into me

18 notes · View notes

dccomicsnews · 5 years ago

Text

Directed by: Cathy Yan

Written by: Christina Hodson

Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ewan McGregor

Review by: Eric Joseph

Summary

Somewhat capitalizing on the success of 2016’s Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn in an ensemble tale that kind of functions as a solo adventure all at the same time. The Clown Princess of Crime may share the screen with several other DC favorites, sure, but it still feels like it’s her movie in the end. Think of how Steve Rogers remained the central character in Captain America: Civil War amid guest stars galore, and you have somewhat of a decent parallel here – albeit with a much smaller cast, of course.

Unfortunately, Birds of Prey didn’t rake in the box office dough it should have, but we can only hope that more people discover it once the home video release hits shelves. In my view, this film turned out much better than I’d anticipated, so I’m going to tell you why it’s worth your time and money. Questionable marketing, costume choices, and an unnecessarily long title that should have been simplified to “Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey” in the first place were likely the biggest factors contributing to financial shortcomings, although there’s nothing we can do about any of those at this point.

Basically, the story follows Harley Quinn, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya as they call come together while the villainous Black Mask and Victor Zsasz hunt the human MacGuffin that is Cassandra Cain. I won’t spoil why they’re pursuing said child in case you haven’t seen the picture for yourself, but that’s the gist of it.

Positives

The greatest positive to mention is that of the gal whose name is included in the title itself: Harley Quinn. Like I said, this is damn near a Harley solo film, although I can’t complain too much because Margot Robbie simply knocks it out of the park. It’s as if Suicide Squad were the appetizer and Birds of Prey is the main course. Her performance is spot-on, and I can tell she put a lot of effort and research into every onscreen decision she made while inhabiting the character’s skin. My guess is that she’d just begun reading the comics while filming Suicide Squad, and then read a lot more in the time since. I know for a fact that she’s become a fan of the source material, and it really shows.

In fact, I must say that the rest of the main cast did commendable jobs with the roles they landed – even if some of those portrayals were questionable. Well, any missteps when it came to characterization weren’t their fault, as actors just play with the scripts they’re given. We’ll pick up on that point when we get to the “negatives” part of this review, alright?

Actually, it could be argued that some gripes can be tolerated when the end product turns out so well. The narrative itself unfolds in nonlinear fashion, yet it comes across as quite smooth. It’s a far cry from the editing nightmare that was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s theatrical cut, that’s for sure.

If anyone deserves a round of high fives, it’s 87eleven, the stunt team who choreographed the stellar action sequences. There’s a very good reason why the fight scenes are on par with John Wick films – and that’s because the same talented folks just mentioned worked on those. Here’s hoping they’re brought aboard for more DC projects in the future, particularly anything having to do with Batman.

K.K. Barrett and his production design crew also warrant a tip of the hat. I’m aware that they wanted their Gotham City to look different and more realistic, but it’s my belief they achieved something closer to the comics than anything lensed by Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder. Not meaning to knock what those guys did, but their Gothams simply looked like everyday major cities. Gotham City is a character unto itself, and that’s something I haven’t seen portrayed to the fullest extent outside of the Tim Burton-Joel Schumacher era and the Gotham TV series. But here, we’re transported to Black Mask’s nightclub, an eerie amusement park and otherworldly pier that look like they were plucked from Batman: The Animated Series, with daytime romps through the city forcing me to recall something like the Burnside borough from the comics.

And when it comes to supplemental content, WB sure didn’t skimp on that for the Blu-ray release. I recommend checking out “Birds Eye View Mode” for your second viewing of the feature presentation, as it is essentially a video commentary, behind-the-scenes tour, and pop-up video-style factoid dropper all rolled into one. Beyond that, there are featurettes that delve into production design, stunts, costuming and much more.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Negatives

Okay, here’s where I have to get dead serious.

My first airing of grievances has to be directed at costuming. That particular department may have wanted to avoid skimpy spandex outfits and “onesies” as they put it, but not many characters in this movie are recognizable to readers of comics. Although most people flocking to theaters don’t actually read the books, the core audience will kickoff the snowball effect of advance poor word of mouth without fail, and that definitely happened well before opening weekend this past February.

Now, I’m not saying Mary Elizabeth Winstead had to run around in a singlet as if she were going for a swim, but they could’ve figured out some sort of tactical gear akin to the blueprint laid by comic book artists. If other movies in the genre can do it, why couldn’t this one? And when she finally does don the black and purple complemented by a white cross, it’s in a tracksuit-type whatever-it-is that looks like it was ordered online and arrived several sizes too big. You see, this is what grinds the gears of diehard fans. If their familiar getup is supposedly so impractical and unfavorable to women, then Harley Quinn and Black Canary wouldn’t be cosplayed ad infinitum worldwide, would they?

Now, I’m not going to do likewise for every other character – save for Harley, who couldn’t even wear her familiar red and black color scheme – but there’s a reason why I singled out Huntress: I’d been waiting years for her to come to the silver screen. Not only that, but both the Birds of Prey and Arrow TV series had already struck out when it came to her costume, so that’s why I had high hopes for this. And to be clear, I have no criticisms of Ms. Winstead herself; the casting department found the right actress. It’s just that they missed the mark with her gear.

As for poor characterization mentioned earlier, I can’t fathom how Black Mask and Cassandra Cain got so f—ed up. The former would be more aptly described as “Black Mascara” and the latter is not the disabled hero who once took up cape and cowl as Batgirl in the comics. I’d go as far to say they could’ve called her “Jimmy Olsen” and it wouldn’t have made a difference. Really, why mess up them both when every other major character in this production was pretty much nailed from a writing standpoint? But that’s Hollywood, baby, and they know better than you or I.

Verdict

In the case of Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the pros far outweigh the cons. Trust me when I say this film is a must-see for fans of Harley Quinn and DC Comics in general, so do yourself a favor and pick it up on whatever home video format you prefer. It’s insane, R-rated fun on the same level as Deadpool, so fingers remain crossed that this finds the larger audience it deserves.

Blu-ray Review: Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) Directed by: Cathy Yan Written by: Christina Hodson Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ewan McGregor…

#Birds of Prey #Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

3 notes · View notes

calligraphist-artemisia · 5 years ago

Text

Across Time and Space (Chapter 13)

Summary: Sequel to I’ll Take Her Place. Slav is showing off a piece of experimental equipment, when it malfunctions and blasts Katie and Keithir to another universe. At the same time, it drags Pidge and Keith over into theirs, effectively swapping places. With their fate resting in the hands of Slav, will they be able to get back home? Or are they stuck to live the rest of their lives in the wrong universe?

Also posted on AO3 and fanfiction.net under the username “kishirokitsune”.

Chapter 13

OLKARION – CASTLE OF LIONS

Katie hung back as Keithir reunited with his dad, his pleasure at seeing him obvious to everyone. She had a worry, however, and as she caught Allura's eye she knew she wasn't the only one to realize it.

Sending someone to another reality was far easier to retrieving them.

Katie subtly shook her head, hoping Allura would understand it as a silent request to not say anything immediately. Keithir deserved a moment before they broke the news.

Thankfully, Slav was busy eagerly looking over the blueprints and parts, too distracted to blabber on about complications or percentages of failure. In fact, it was the most delighted she'd seen the mad genius. Period. She hoped he stayed like that. Keithir deserved to hear the news in a more gentle manner, unlike the blunt surprise of her pregnancy.

Everyone else was starting to disperse; Hunk all but dragged Lance from the room, citing the need for a helper while he cooked up a feast to celebrate. Kolivan leaned in to quietly speak with Shiro before they left together. Allura remained for a moment longer, but when it became clear that Slav wasn't interested in help, she and Coran quietly absconded.

“Are you going to tell him?”

Katie jumped in surprise at the sound of Matt's voice in her ear, and as always when she saw the scar across his face, felt a rush of guilt rise in her chest. It was silly of her to feel that way, but she figured she could get away with blaming hormones.

“I, um, not yet,” Katie told him, looking away. “I will soon, but he deserves to have this. It hasn't been an easy two weeks.”

Matt sighed, gentle and tired all at once. “It won't be too much longer and then you'll get to go home.”

“And you'll have Pidge back,” Katie said. “Soon everything will go back to the way it's supposed to be. Or almost everything.” She bit her lip as she watched her husband and father-in-law. “I hope we're worrying for nothing.”

“I do too,” Matt said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

His support, even though he wasn't her Matt, lifted a weight she didn't know she'd been carrying. She hadn't known how to treat him when he first showed up at the Castle – still didn't, in some ways – but he was still Matt. A younger, slightly more serious and battle scarred version of her brother, who likely felt the same way about her as she did for him.

And it reminded her of something important. Something she had been meaning to say, but hadn't found the time to. Catching him up on all of the super important details had taken priority over everything else.

“Listen, Matt, about dad,” Katie began, well aware of how flustered she sounded. “It may be a long shot, but I think I know how you and Pidge can find him. Or rather, who you need to talk to in order to find out.” She looked up to see surprise color Matt's face, which then settled to steely determination.

Katie took a deep breath and explained her idea.

If Lotor was the culprit in her reality, then it stood to reason that he knew something about where their dad was located, even if he wasn't directly involved in his capture. Matt would have to be careful and not outright accuse Lotor of knowingly concealing the whereabouts of their dad, but she knew he'd be far better at it than her younger self, who was much more likely to go charging in at full sprint.

“Just be careful,” Katie advised as Keithir and Travis approached. She tried to smile, but one look at Keithir's face had her crumbling.

He said nothing and simply pulled her into his arms and held her for a long moment. She heard Matt say something and then the sound of a door opening and shutting, signaling his departure.

“Is it okay if I spend some time with my dad?” Keithir asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Katie swallowed around the lump in her throat, doing her best to hold it together and be strong for him. “Of course. Take all of the time you need.”

Keithir pulled away and gave her a small smile. “We'll see you at dinner. Promise.”

Katie nodded. She wished with all her heart that she could give him the reassurance he wanted. That everything was going to be okay. That they would all make it home together.

But she couldn't.

“I'll be with Hunk and Lance. Maybe we'll find something I can keep down today.” Her attempted joke fell a little flat, but Keithir bowed his head and kissed her anyway.

Krolia dropped the plate of food she was holding when they walked in, and it shattered and splattered all over the floor, drawing everyone's attention. Hunk hurried over to clean up the mess, but Krolia stood there, frozen in shock.

Keithir shifted, uncomfortable with the attention on him and his family. He hadn't expected everyone to be in the room when they arrived. Weren't there still another thirty doboshes before dinner?

Even without their bond, Katie knew exactly what he needed and quickly stepped forward to give Travis a big hug, effectively breaking the tension in the air. From two feet away, Keithir could hear his dad's soft “congratulations” and the equally quiet exchange about potential names, though he couldn't make out whatever name Katie whispered to him.

His attention was drawn to Krolia, whose gaze softened as she watched the pair, and when they separated she found the strength to step forward. “You came from the other reality?”

It took Travis a moment to respond, equally as floored to see her even with Keithir's warning. “I am. You, um, you look good.”

“So do you.”

Keithir cleared his throat to hide the fact that he was trying to cover up his laughter. Honestly, it shouldn't have been as funny as it was to him, but a quick glance at Katie told him she thought the same – it was so similar to some of their own first dates. The stilted conversation of two people who had heard of each other, but never met.

(Which was wrong and right all at the same time. Keithir decided it was best not to think about it or else he would develop a headache.)

While his parents awkwardly reintroduced themselves, Keithir turned his attention to Katie, who was having difficulty meeting his eyes. He pulled her in close and pressed his lips to her forehead, hoping it would help put her at ease.

It worked.

Katie relaxed against him, wrapping her arms around him and holding on tight. “I'm so sorry...”

“Dad made his choice, even knowing what would happen,” Keithir said softly. “Talking to him, hearing his reasons, even if I don't understand them, it helped more than I thought.” He took a deep breath and let her go. “He... He says the parts he brought with him are to echo clone the machine. It means-”

“It doesn't have the ability to send anyone on its own,” Katie cut in with a frown. “It's just amplifying the range of the one in our reality to make sure we get home. But I thought the plan was to build an exact clone. Unless... the parts were too sensitive for the journey? Or the chance of anyone else getting their hands on it is too risky.”

“But how would they?” Keithir asked.

Katie bit her lip and glanced across the room, where Shiro was seated at the table and talking to Kolivan, Coran, and Allura.

“Shit,” Keithir grumbled. “I forgot about that.”

“So I guess there's still no word from Allura on that?”

Keithir shook his head. “There's nothing we can do, so maybe she's going to leave it to Pidge and Keith. I can't imagine she would send them back without having some idea in mind.”

Katie crossed her arms over her chest. “She could have passed that along to us.”

“Cut her a little slack, there's a lot going on,” Keithir reminded her, unable to resist leaning in to kiss her forehead once again.

Katie grumbled a little bit, but it was with the utmost fondness for the Altean princess.

Keithir stepped back and offered her his arm, which she took with a pleased smile. It was no time to worry about such things. They would set it aside and enjoy their remaining time in that reality.

In the morning, they were going home.

ALTEA – CASTLE OF LIONS

Maybe she went a little overboard, but it wasn't like Hunk and Lance weren't there to encourage her the whole time. Not to mention the fact that it clearly amused Keith, who'd gone extra quiet ever since his dad volunteered to travel to their reality with the necessary parts.

Pidge stared at the bulging duffel bag on her bed, wondering if she should take everything out and reorganize it once again. She was sure Lance snuck something else in there when she wasn't looking, just as he'd done three other times since she started packing.

It was almost like she was on vacation and trying to find the best way to pack souveniers.

A knock on the door distracted her from fully making a decision. “Come in!”

Keith stepped inside with a new set of thin packages in his arms and Pidge started to rerun calculations of what they'd have to leave behind. Did she really need that book on Altean customs? Or the anthology of unusual movies Lance shoved on her after learning of her and Keith's movie night?

“These are from Allura,” he said, handing one of them to Pidge. “She said we can wear ours home if we want to.”

“Wear them...?” Pidge curiously examined her package, testing the weight and flexibility. It did feel like clothing, but why would Allura give them something like that?

She glanced up at Keith, who didn't appear to be in any rush to change into his, but she had to ask anyway. “Do you want to go first?”

Keith shrugged. “We could both go. I'll take the bathroom and you can stay out here. Just let me know once you're finished.”

Pidge had no reason to argue and nodded in agreement, waiting until he was securely in the next room before opening her package to see what Allura gave her.

“Oh,” she breathed softly, lifting up a lovely green dress. It had a simple scoop neckline and short sleeves and she could tell that once it was on, it would flare out and fall near her knees. There was a faint pattern printed on it, which when caught in the light revealed subtle flowers in shades barely lighter and darker than the rest of the fabric. Also in the package was a pair of plain white leggings and a cute headband with flowers decorating one side.

It was by far one of the prettiest dresses she'd ever been given.

Pidge glanced down at her orange and white shoes, feeling that they weren't at all appropriate, but as she began to get dressed she found a note beneath everything else written in Lance's surprisingly legible scrawl.

'Look in the closet.'

If Lance was waiting for her in the closet she was going to deck him right in the face.

She breathed a sigh of relief when all she found was a box with her name on it. Inside was a pair of sturdy brown boots to go along with her new dress. She sat down on her bed to put them on, just remembering to call out to Keith that she was done.

Keith took another few minutes before stepping out in what at first glance looked like a variation of his Blade uniform, but he more she looked, the more she saw a design for comfort over function. A hooded jacket, cropped short in a mimicry of the chest armor, turtleneck underneath, and loose-fitting pants.

It was a good look for him; all of the dark grays and the stripes of blue-violet, which enhanced the blue of his eyes, though part of her missed seeing him in his eye-catching red jacket.

“You look good,” she said, looking away when she became aware that she was staring. Never once did she consider he was going to same to her. To distract herself, she took a few things out of the duffel bag in order to fit in her old clothes, as well as the additional packages from Allura.

“I think I'm going to miss it here.”

Pidge looked up as she tried to cram her sweater into the bag. “I know what you mean. It's been nice. Even sharing a room has been kind of fun, and that was always what I dreaded most about going to the Garrison. I think Matt enjoyed telling me nightmarish stories about roommates.”

Keith chuckled. “I got lucky there. No one ever wanted to be my roommate.”

“Keith...” Pidge's smile slipped away. “That's awful.”

“It wasn't so bad. I got a room all to myself and didn't have to deal with anyone else,” Keith said dismissively.

Pidge frowned as she dropped her eyes back down to the bag. Her clothing barely fit, which left no room for her shoes. She resigned herself to carrying them herself. “For the record, anyone would be lucky to have you as their roommate. Seriously, Keith. I wasn't lying when I said this has been fun.”

Just as she didn't see him staring earlier, she also missed the faint blush spreading across his cheeks.

“Thank you, Pidge.”

Before Pidge could respond, Keith swooped in to help zip up the bag and then picked it up with the clear intent of carrying it for her.

It was time to go.

Knowingly traveling through realities was even worse than their original trip and twice as disorienting, though that was likely because they had been unconscious for that first trip. Pidge only wished she had a better way to describe the sensation, but there were no words that she knew of that would appropriately convey what it was like. Nothing even close.

“I want to die,” she muttered melodramatically, clinging to Keith to try and stay upright. “If we ever do this again, knock me out first.”

Keith, looking rather pale, carefully dropped the bag at his feet, holding onto Pidge just like she was hanging on him. Somehow, they balanced each other out and were able to remain standing. “We are never doing that again.”

For a moment, they continued to exist there in their own little bubble, their ears ringing as they tried to acclimate. And then Hunk burst that bubble with a joyous cry of: “It worked!” before rushing to them and dragging them in for a teary hug.

“I never thought I'd be so happy to see Keith,” Lance joked as he joined in. “We've missed you guys. I mean, your other selves are pretty cool – way cooler, in Keithir's case – but it's not the same.”

“Same to you,” Keith responded, and while his exhaustion was clear in his voice, there was also a fondness lurking beneath the surface.

Pidge grinned as she leaned into her friends. “We've missed you too. It's good to be home.”

Allura approached next, slow and unsure about whether or not she was intruding, but Hunk and Lance naturally shifted aside to let her in.

“Aww, group hug!” Matt called out, swinging in on the other side of Lance so he would be closest to Pidge, at the same time as Shiro joined them on the other side of Hunk.

“Alright now, give 'em some space. Traveling through that ain't easy.”

Pidge jerked her head in the direction of the voice, her heart sinking at the sight of Travis standing there and smiling kindly at the two of them. For a moment, breathing was difficult. “You're still here? But... but I thought it would work! I'm so sorry! We should have waited and run more tests and-”

“Pidge, it's okay,” Keith gently interrupted.

“No it isn't!” she exclaimed, shaking her head. “It isn't fair!”

“I wanted to stay.”

Her fighting strength drained away at those words, replaced by pure confusion. “But why? What about Keithir and everyone else?”

“I'll miss them every day, but Keithir has his adoptive parents. He has Thace and Ulaz. He has Kolivan. His wife and son, and soon, a little girl. He doesn't need his old man hanging around.” Travis paused, his gaze shifting over to Keith. “I figure there might be someone here who needs me. If he wants to give this family thing a try, of course.”

“You know I do,” Keith admitted, choking up a little.

Pidge restrained herself from reaching out and offering him comfort. He wouldn't appreciate it when they were in front of everyone. Instead, she moved until she was leaning against Matt, relying on him to keep her upright and giving Keith the freedom to move.

The heavy weight of the rock hidden in the pocket of her dress reminded her that they had one other very important matter to worry about before they could do much else. A “compass stone”, Honerva called it. Apparently it was the key to something called “Oriande”, which Allura was likely to know about, and that was how they would save Shiro.

Pidge yawned. “Hey Lance, could you grab that bag for me? Keep it somewhere safe.”

Everything could wait until she and Keith got some rest. A quick nap and they'd both be refreshed and ready to take on anything. And though she knew it would be better to think about it with a fresh mind, she couldn't help but sluggishly consider what needed to be done first and how they would keep Shiro away from the group meeting. Maybe a distraction of some kind?

She yawned again and closed her eyes. “Feels like the worst jetlag ever,” she tried to say, but her words slurred together into something incomprehensible.

Matt chuckled. “Okay, lets get you both to bed before you pass out.”

Bed... sounded nice.

#voltron #kidge #kidgemas #fanfiction #reality swap au

18 notes · View notes

daddysfangirls-marvel · 6 years ago

Text

Breathe darling

Request

Pairing: Tony Stark x teen! reader

warning: mention of suicide, angst, sadness

summary: reader is a girl and looks up to Tony and he visits her school and sees how smart she is and she has a good family but they aren't super close so he takes her under his wing and she becomes an Avenger and she's bullied so she comes home crying one day after hiding it for so long and Tony comforts her and she tells Tony about how she was thinking about suicide and he cries and helps her?

Help me out buy me a lo-fi

He remembered the first day he saw her. He was picking up Peter from school the windows were tinted so no one could see him but he made sure Peter knew what car he was in. Soon as the school door opened she was the first one out the door speedily walking down the sidewalk clenching books to her chest as other students slowly trickled out of the building everyone else taking their time. Back then he didn’t think much of it maybe she had work or homework to do either way it wasn’t his business. He had to focus on Peter and his recklessness.

He remembered when he first took an interest in her. It all started with her notebook.

“awe man,” Peter said as he took out a notebook from his backpack.

“what’s up?” Tony asked not really caring but he felt the need to ask.

“My lab partner got and I our notebooks mixed up”

“just called Ned up and have him bring it over”

“new semester teacher changed the seating chart so we’ll have new partners. My New Partner is a girl name (y/n) I don’t have her number”

”oh... a girl,” Tony asked he was going to tease him to no end. Now he was happy he asked.

“no, not like that. She doesn't even talk to me unless it has to do with class and even that is rare. Although she is very smart. She’ll usually do her work by herself or whatever I say ... she agrees with me a lot... I guess I’m the leader of our team.”

As Peter rambled on about his new lab partner Tony picked up the notebook and flipped through it. It was amazing on the side of her notes she managed to make little blueprints for small devices to anyone else they would have looked like small doodles but Tony could make out everything and this girl was a genius.

“what’s her name again?”

“(Y/n), (y/n) (l/n)”

He remembered the first time they first officially met. After talking to Peter and looking through her notebook some more he decided he needs to meet her. Taking her notebooks he found out where she lived he went to meet her parents first.

“Hello, Mrs. (l/n)” a woman came to the door she opened the door with her cell phone in her hand she didn’t even bother looking up to see who was at the door. She looked just liked (y/n) besides the hair and eyes, but her hair was obviously dyed. “ I’m here to talk to you about your daughter” she still didn’t look up “ I’m Tony Stark” That seemed to get her attention she immediately looked up and was shocked she put away her phone and smiled.

“Oh my, Mr.Stark to whom do we oh this visit too” she opened the door further waving him in

“um, your daughter (Y/n)”

“what did she do?” she said dread she imagined the worse but quickly changed her attitude now showing cheer “I mean, um, what did she do to get your attention?”

“nothing bad I can assure you,” He said as she leads him to the living room

“How about I get us some snacks? be right back” as she rushed to the kitchen Tony looked around the room. There were no family pictures on the wall nothing to imply that they even had a child which was strange most families put up family pictures and if not they’d put up awards from there child there was always something to imply children or a child. It was strange there was no sign of her existing.

“you have a beautiful home”

“Thank you. I hope you like sugar cookies and tea,” she said setting a trace on the coffee table. “now, may I asked how my daughter managed to get your attention? I mean she doesn’t do much”

“actually your daughter is very intelligent. My intern told me about your daughter and I decided to look more into her and your daughter is very gifted. I have this internship program I’d like her to be a part of.” and that’s how the conversation began.

Mrs. (l/n) seemed clueless of her daughter’s talent, not caring for her daughter much at all, and trying to steer the conversation elsewhere he always brought it back on topic or mentioned his soon to be wive Pepper.

It wasn’t until an hour later that (y/n) walked in the door completely exhausted and looked ready to pass out. Tony took note of her wet pants and the busted lip but didn’t say anything.

“Oh (y/n) sweetheart where have you been? someone is here to see you” Mrs. (L/n) mother didn’t notice her daughter’s exhausted and distressed look. “ Come have a seat, come and have a seat “ her mother encouraged. It wasn’t until she was seated that her mother noticed her appearances.

“Oh, honey what happened?”

“walked to close to the curve and got soaked. And slipped on the stairs up to the subway. You’re Tony Stark” (y/n) took note of the celebrate sitting on the couch across from her.

“Oh yes. Mr.Stark is here to offer you an Internship. Someone put in a good word for you” her mother said squeezing her with excitement.

“Do you know Peter Parker?”

“yes”

He remembered when she moved in it was a few months after she accepted the internship. He started noticing how she came in looking exhausted and when he took her how he noticed how her parents didn’t notice it. They were clueless about her struggles. It was then that he decided to move her and Peter into the Tower. Aunt May was hesitant at first but after a lot of convincing and promises she said yes as long as he called every day and visit home once a week. (y/n) parents didn’t hesitate said yes immediately and started packing for her, much to both their daughter and Tony’s shock.

“They didn’t put up much of a fight,” Tony said as he leaned up against (y/n) new bedroom door as he watched her put up her belongings.

“yeah... My family is close we aren’t the lovey-dovey cuddly type. If I tell my parents what’s wrong and ask for help they’ll deliberately ignore it or be clueless to the problem. That’s how my family is.” (y/n) said putting knick-knacks on her new dresser.

“well, I’m sorry to say this family is different. Your problems will be our problems and we’re always here to help” Tony said smiling “now excuse me while I got admire the Iron Man shrine in Peter’s room”

He remembered when she became an unofficial official Avenger just like Peter. She also found out he was Spider-Man.

It was when they were on a mission when Friday stopped working. Everyone had become a bit clueless as to where they were going since Tony no longer had eyes and ears. (y/n) managed to hack into everyone's comms and helping out. Using a computer she pulled up the building blueprints and hacked into the security feed and began to give everyone instruction on where to go and what to do and how many enemies there were. By the end, everything went smoothly and everyone was okay.

“That was amazing (y/n), how did you do that?” Steve asked when everyone returned

“I’m very good with computers, hacking, and my hands, “ she said

“really?”

“Yeah, you should have seen her in the robotic competition she got second place. I’m pretty sure first place had connections to the judges so yeah. But her bot was amazing”

“Peter, how did you know I did the Robot competition?”

“teachers were talking about it. I may or may not have been snooping” Peter laughed and (y/n) blushed.

“(y/n) have you ever thought about being an Avenger,” Tony said surprising (y/n) and the others

“ I...um... I don’t have powers there’s nothing special about me. I couldn’t help”

“I don’t have power neither doesn��t Natasha, Clint, Rhodey, and Sam but we still help. There are other ways you could help”

And she did with the help of Tony she built weapons and iron suits for the team. With the help of Natasha and Clint, she trained in combat and weapons. Everyone on the team pinched in to help (y/n) and Peter, but mostly (y/n), train to become Avengers. Before long just like Peter, she was doing small missions and rescues in the city.

He remembered their worse day together the day she stopped hiding.

It was a rainy day the clouds gathered so tight it made mid-day look like early night. Everyone was gathered in the common room watching a movie when (y/n) rushed in and up the stairs to her room. Everyone noticed her arrive but didn’t say anything she was soaked to the bone from the rain and they figured she went to change. It was only Tony who noticed her red eyes and sniffling as she practically ran away.

Tony quickly followed her to her room “ (y/n), sweetheart, Babygirl” he knocked on her door hearing her sniffle “what’s wrong, what happened?” he slowly opened the door inviting himself in. She was sitting on the floor in front of the window her back towards him.

“I can’t take it anymore” he heard her cry and saw her shoulders shake “ I don’t want this anymore. I can’t do this anymore, I’m so tired. I tried I really did but I can’t....”

Tony took a seat next to (y/n) on the floor he tried to pull her into a hug but she flinched away he was then he took notice of the bruises on her arms and face. “oh baby, who did this to you?”

“it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be here”

“you don‘t want to be here? do you want to go back to your parents?”

“No” she cried “ I don’t want to live “ she collapsed into Tony’s chest. He himself let out a sob as his own tears spilled out. He hugged her tight without hurting her. “ I don’t want this. I can’t I don’t know how anymore”

“y-you don’t have to not alone, just breathe,” Tony said crying with her. It broke his heart he loved (y/n) like a daughter and would never want anything bad to happen to her. Yet here she was struggling and he didn’t even notice.

“I-I can’t -”

“you can I’ll help, I promise I’ll help. Please, breath darling breath” Tony cried as he held her close and kissed her forehead.

“It hurts, I’m so tired, it hurts”

“It’ll be okay, It’ll be okay,” Tony said kissing her forehead as she cried herself to sleep on his chest. And as she slept on his chest and the other watched a movie downstairs unaware of the distress and pain (y/n) was in. Tony promised he’d help his little girl and make up for being blind this whole time.

“Breathe ... it’ll be okay” now he’s just saying it for himself.

Request tags and/or stories up to anything (within reason)

Permanent tags

@lovely-lollipops-blog @sexysamsungl @totallyweirdsam @lilylovelyxo @iamwarrenspeace @geeksareunique @that-random-emu @supreme-leader-jazlo-ren @stone2576 @lil-dino-trash @metal-armed-dino @dylanobrienmoviekid @theshortegg @dontevenblink-badwolf-tardis @mandylove1000 @isnotashtonstan @broitsmydick @onceaballeralwaysaballer1213 @mypage-myfandoms @jordynhartley2001 @midnightdream83 @allheart36 @cookies186 @i-am-marvel-trash-forever @gabriels-gumdrop @aebeessun @lokilvrr1 @marvels-queen-bee @the-best-alchemist @cookies186 @smile-my-bean @valeriae2903 @cassiopeia-barrow

MCU tags

@acupofhotlatte

@qwazykayyy

#Tony Stark fanfiction #tony stark #tony stark x reader #tony stark x teen! reader #fanfiction #teen reader #request

123 notes · View notes

violetwolfraven · 6 years ago

Text

Bluepulse Week Day 6: Past/Future

((Sort of different than my normal style, but it details my headcanons for Bart’s past and future.))

.............................................................................

Bart is young, and a slave. He expected things to change when he discovered his powers at age 5. He even tried to use them to kill Blue Beetle. He failed, and the Reach found out what he was. They confined him to an inhibitor collar and worked him even harder. Sometimes they’d give him his power back for things they knew no one else could do, but they always took it away again. Bart hates all of them, but most of all Blue Beetle; the man who tried to break him. But he failed. Bart is scared, but he’s still bitter, and most of all, so angry. And he is not broken.

...

Bart is 9 when he finds the Rebellion. People like him, who aren’t broken and want to fight. Some are legacies like him, or elderly heroes who still haven’t lost hope. They give him back his power for good and he is willing to help in any way he can. They ask for his soul, and Bart gives it. He becomes their killer, and tries not to think of the blood on his hands between missions.

...

Bart is 11 when he meets a young woman, but she talks like someone who’s seen too much and can tell you what color Nightwing’s eyes were or what Superman’s favorite cake flavor was. M’gann is the one who tells Bart he is the grandson of the Flash. She tells him stories from before the Reach. Stories of her friendships with heroes dead and gone, and of the one who betrayed them.

Bart later meets an old man who talks with M’gann like they’ve been through everything together. Wally can’t run anymore, but he does the best he can. The two of them tell Bart of their team. Of their dead lovers and of their friends who may as well be their family who they lost along the way. They are the last of a long gone generation, except for Blue Beetle. Strangely, they don’t even seem hate him that much. They are bitter, but more sad. Bart doesn’t understand it.

...

Bart is 12 when he has to mourn for Wally and M’gann, who died in an explosion to save him. They didn’t run from Blue Beetle. They were ready to see their friends from the stories. They wanted to be with Dick, and Kaldur, and Roy, and Garfield, and Artemis, and Connor, and so many others. Bart manages to grit his teeth through tears and vow to avenge them. To kill Blue Beetle no matter the cost, and he tells the Rebellion so. They give him an assignment more difficult than any he’s done before; go back in time and stop any of this from happening. Go back in time and kill Blue Beetle.

A few months later, he gets the help he needs from Nathaniel. He isn’t fast enough to run back that far himself. He needs to build a Time Sphere, and the blueprints for a machine like that were lost to time. Nathaniel helps him fill in the blanks, and provides comfort Bart hasn’t had since M’gann and Wally died. Bart tries hard not to get attached to him. He knows getting attached only leads to pain.

...

Bart is 13 when the machine is complete. He says goodbye to everyone worth saying goodbye to, not that there are many people he cares enough about. He goes back in time to start his mission. He nearly gets distracted by a younger version of Wally, and a Megan who looks exactly the same. But this Wally and M’gann haven’t lost everything yet. They still have Dick, and Kaldur, and Roy, and Garfield, and Artemis, and Connor, and everyone else the versions of them that Bart knew had lost. And Bart knows it’s up to him to make sure they never loose those people this time.

It doesn’t take Bart long to figure out that Jaime Reyes is not the Blue Beetle from the future. He is a good person, and he cares about people, and there is no way he will ever cause so many people all that pain. Bart knows that if he kills Jaime, he will change the timeline for sure, but he can’t. He can’t hurt him. He has to find another way. Bart is more conflicted than he’s been in his life.

Jaime is on-mode, and Bart almost wishes he’d just killed him before he’d gotten to know him. He’s relieved, obviously. Now he knows for sure it wasn’t Jaime who betrayed the human race; it was the bugs making him do it. It makes sense why M’gann and Wally in the future never blamed him. They knew. They knew Jaime, and they knew it wasn’t his fault. But on the other hand... Bart is terrified. Even if it wasn’t Jaime who caused his horror show of a future, him being brought on-mode is a near-guarantee that future will happen. Bart wonders if him coming to the past even changed it at all, or even if him coming back here had caused it. It all makes his head hurt.

Jaime is back, and Bart has never felt so happy. His future is prevented, Jaime didn’t have to die, and neither did anyone else, except Wally. The last part almost breaks him, but he guesses it’s better than the alternative; Wally growing old, losing everything, then dying painfully. Bart takes his place as Kid Flash, but he doesn’t deserve it. No matter what he tells himself, he knows it’s his fault that Wally died.

...

Bart is 15 when he admits his love for his best friend. He’s pretty sure it’s unrequited. Jaime’s reaction isn’t exactly the movie ending. Not to mention, he still has nightmares. Jaime looking just as emotionless and cold as the Blue Beetle from his future. He’s almost glad when Jaime pretends it didn’t happen. Almost. He’s disappointed, but not sure how it would have went with Bart still paranoid about Jaime being forced to betray him.

When Wally comes back to life, Bart is happy to go back to being Impulse. Artemis stops being Tigress, and goes back to being Artemis after about a year of maternity leave. Bart is always happy to babysit Wally Jr, and he knows that he will die before he lets anything happen to this kid.

...

Bart is 16 when Jaime tells him he likes him back. They get together, and they’re overall pretty happy. When M’gann announces she’s going to have Connor’s baby, Bart tells her about his version of future-her. They become close friends, and if anything happens to her and Connor, she makes it clear that she wants Bart and Jaime to raise Marie.

...

Bart is 22 when Jaime proposes. They’ve been together for six years, and they feel like it’s time. The wedding isn’t big, but they both feel like it’s perfect. There are mixed reactions when the world finds out Impulse and Blue Beetle are married, but Bart doesn’t care. Those people can go screw themselves as far as Bart’s concerned. He’s happy, and he’s free. What else should he care about?

#BluepulseWeek2018 #BluepulseWeek #bluepulse #speedbuggy #jaime reyes #bart allen #blue beetle #impulse #past/future

45 notes · View notes

buckv-barnes · 6 years ago

Text

Ace Comic Con Panel - Sebastian’s Q&A

full video - part one | two | three

note: i’ve put brackets around some of the fan questions that you might have heard about or you don’t want to read :)

Kevin Smith: -Give it up for Bucky Barnes himself - Sebastian Stan.

Sebastian Stan: What an intro, thank you so much. Thank you.

KS: Don’t be weird, sit right here man.

SS: This couch-

KS: Come on closer, it’s not like we’re in a movie theater like, you sit over there. How are you sir?

SS: No, i’m good. I’m just seeing this couch is big for three. But of, course there’s only one. You know, I’m the only one here, of course, because Tom Holland is two hours behind. “Two hours behind.” And he’s not gonna be here with me. So, I wonder why that is?

KS: He doesn’t like sharing the stage with you?

SS: No, no he doesn't. I actually heard a rumour from Joe that said, you know, he was like Holland doesn't want to have any scenes with you and Mackie. And I was like c'mon that's a joke. Like you know, the whole things a joke. There might be some truth to it, but I don't know.

KS: It was after that first experience in Civil War like, 'I’m done with these guys?'

SS: Yeah, maybe. That might have been it, or just any other times we walked into each other sort of, you know like, on the lot, or on the set or whatever. He doesn't, you know, he just seems to be very after his own needs.

KS: He's not looking after Bucky's needs is what you’re saying?

SS: No, he's looking at the Downey camp like, 'When am I going to have that camp?' That's kind of what he's like. Anyway.

KS: We're gonna tell him when he comes out here and see if he cries.

SS: Please do.

KS: What, er, take us back to the beginning, when you first find out you're going to be in 'Captain America: The First Avenger'. Did they tell you, this character, could keep going? Was there plans at that point?

SS: Yeah, I mean they, you know, they did talk about that, and-, but it was a very strange kinda conversation, because there was nothing definitive about it, just sort of like- 'Look we'd like to see this go that way one day, if we're lucky enough and the movies doing(?) well.' And I was like, 'Great, that sounds great. Let’s do it.' But, yeah, I didn't necessary think that was going to happen. I just, it was good they told me because I, tried to think about the future when we were shooting that first movie and just hopefully, lay in stuff that may, be able to track later in the movies and the character.

KS: So, when you were shooting, ‘The First Avenger’, and ‘Bucky, dies’, for all intensive(?) purposes, there is no guarantee you can come back, you’ll be like, ‘this may be my death scene’.

SS: Well, you know I had a little guarantee, I’ve said this before. The first time I fell off the train, I did only have the one arm. I had a green sleeve, meaning that they were going to do something with it. And I was like this is good, that means we could probably, maybe, that’s where it’s gonna go. And then we ended up re-shooting that scene without the green sleeve, and I was like, ‘Oh’. Maybe, I am dead. Which is kind of- am now?

KS: Apparently, I’m not Bucky as much as I Sucky(?) and they cut me out of the movie. So when do you find out though, like hey man, next movie your character’s right in the title with the main character?

SS: Well, I pretty sure, the way I found out about that title was, a friend of mine called me from Comic Con and said, ‘Dude, you’re in the movie.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, really?’ and they were like, ‘Yeah! Because the title is your characters’ in the title.’ (note: that is how he said it!) And that’s how I found out.

KS: What was it like as an actor, I’m sure you were never ‘Man, I wanna be in blockbusters’, but eventually it happened. What was it like, when somebody’s like you’re going from playing a very sporting character in the first movie to, it’s going to be your movie, your co-sharing that movie, the second time around?

SS: It’s probably a lot of pressure when but not, you feel a little scared, I certainly was. I don’t- You rise up to the challenge, I mean, it’s good to be scared. Right? It’s good thing and there was a real opportunity there for me and, in a sense of like taking the character in that direction. I welcomed it. But again, I never- I’m used to it now, I never know where they’re going to take that situation. I didn’t even know what happened in the last movie (Infinity War) until we were shooting it.

KS: I spoke to Elizabeth (Olsen) and Paul Bettany this morning, and we were talking about the ending in Infinity War, and they were like, the Russo’s pulled them into a van and just before they shot the scene they were like, this is the ending of the movie. That’s how they found out about it. Did you get the van treatment as well?

SS: I know the van they’re talking about. I said, I’m not going in that van.

KS: You were raised right, you had smart parents.

SS: I was like, I wanna be around people when they tell me this. But yeah, this is when you disappear. I was like, ‘what does this mean? Really?’ or, I don’t know, it was right on the day. It’s kind of amazing, the Russo’s, if you think about it you have- If you think about it my character makes sense to be in the dark, in a way, he sort of is in the dark. Just the way they were able to put that movie together is fascinating. It was kind of exciting for all of us because when we were sitting there at the premiere, we were seeing it for the first time.

KS: Something as spiralling as that, I imagine, it’s hard to keep track of a movie, you’re almost in every scene, something like Infinity War you’re like ‘Wait, we’re in Wakanda. What’s going on in space? Don’t worry about it.’

SS: Yeah, which is what the character sort of got as a message anyway. It was sort of like, you’re needed again, so if you wanna gain anybody’s trust, you better go with the flow.

KS: The movies like this in terms of other performances an actor gets to do, a lot of it is physical, there’s a lot of action and what not. How long in advance, I’ve always wondered, everyone in these movies is in impeccably in shape. Sooner or later they’ll be like, ‘Take you shirt off!’ and we’ll see dudes with their shirts of which I know makes me feel bad. (Crowd screaming) He’s not going to take his shirt of.

SS: They’re not asking Anthony Mackie to take his shirt off. He’s up on those wires anyway.

KS: How long before the movie begins do you have to start getting in shape? Getting physical? Or is that normal a part of your regime anyway? Or do you have to double it up in a marvel movie?

SS: No, I mean it becomes an all-around routine because when you’re not working that’s kind of what you’re doing for your sanity. Depends, you start out with a goal and then when you start shooting, there’s no way you make it to the gym at like 4 in the morning. You still try but you shoot all day, your sweating a lot and losing a lot of weight. So, by the end of the movie everybody is at least 10 pounds less when they started.

KS: Is that right? Making one of these Marvel movies is the good way to lose weight?

SS: It kind of is. Here’s the thing, if your shooting in Atlanta, it’s really hot down there and then you’re strapped in these really tight outfits and your moving constantly, running around. Your body is like a furnace burning, burning, burning. We all go through some stress your making a movie.

KS: Bro, look at me. I never lose weight. On movies it’s the opposite, I gain 10-15 pounds like, this looks good. It’s free? I’ll take it.

SS: I’ve definitely done the- Because you’re waiting around too, so that’s the other thing. You’re always waiting around. I’ve definitely done that part, I know what you’re saying. Fortunately with these, it’s the moving around, and you start having a lot of- your ego is pretty high and you’re like, I’m gonna do the stunts, I’m going to do as much as I can. But then when you’re doing it on the eighteenth take, your body is kind of wrecked by that point.

KS: So you, ‘Bring in that stunt person, please.’

SS: They might bring them in a lot earlier than that but they’re also the best of guys. I mean those guys really make those action sequences, Sam Hargrave and James Young were just, all the way back to the ‘Winter Soldier’. In a way they reinvented the Captain America fighting style.

KS: That second one is badass, it sorts of, it’s the boat at the beginning and just takes everybody out (?). There has been 3 Captain America movies, and you’ve been in each one of them. You got to have a favourite, which one? Is it ‘The Winter Soldier’?

SS: Yeah, I really liked that one, that one has-

KS: It’s got a lot of Sebastian in it, so yeah

SS: The Winter Solider? No! I mean the Civil War does. The Winter Soldier was cryptic and was like strange. The whole process for that was a fun for me, I’m saying this and they’ll be like ‘perfect! Lets never write a line for him again.’ I didn’t have a lot of lines for that movie. It was all kind of like, trying to tell a story physically and it was interesting in a way, I guess.

KS: I haven’t thought about it, you have way more dialogue in Civil War than you do in The Winter Soldier.

SS: Yeah.

KS: The Winter Soldier was like ‘Who the hell is Bucky?’

SS: That’s it! And then you’re haunted by that line. I was haunted for a long time. I really think I was going in circles forever, like ‘who the hell, who the hell is Bucky, who the-‘ It’s just saying-

KS: You got one line in the movie and you gotta get it right man.

SS: It’s like the Aviator, where you’re like ‘show me the blueprints.’ ‘show me-‘ ‘who the hell is Bucky.’

KS: Excellent pull on the Aviator, man. Alright take us into the world of making marvel movies. Who are you friendly with? Who do you spend a lot of time with on set? Who’s your buddy?

SS: I mean, I think, Anthony and Chris obviously were the guys im closest to and I’ve spent the most time with and I genuinely feel like, we could not talk for a year and we’d pick it right up like nothing happened. Paul Bettany’s become a friend and I just love interacting with him, anything that I- I’ve got two scenes with him barely in the last movie and I just loved every minute of it. Chadwick’s actually really funny as well, he has a sense of humour that many don’t see right away. It’s a good group of people. I don’t know. Paul Rudd is a- Can’t keep a straight face around him. A lot of great people.

KS: It’s awesome to hear, you just call him Chadwick. The rest of us calls him Chadwick Boseman and you just call him Chadwick, and you can just leave it right there, because ‘I actually know the Black Panther.’

SS: Well, in Civil War, he was kinda doing his own thing- may have done it in Black Panther- he was doing a bit of a method acting situation. He was not interacting much with people, he was off on his own.

KS: Oh really, so he was like the character, I got to stay disconnected-

SS: I was like, we weren’t really talking very much and I remember on that rooftop scene in Civil War they we kind of going head to head. He and I didn’t exchange a lot of words, all I remember is that mask coming at me and these long arms coming at me, sweeping at me. So maybe it was effective, I don’t know. He’s just really, really talented.

KS: Take us into the airport sequence in Civil War which is the greatest comic book sequences ever put into film. There’s like 928 superheroes in this scene, so it was like a real clusterf-ck. What was it like to shoot it? Did it take place over the course of a couple of weeks?

SS: Months. It was months. We was always coming back to it. There was always another sequence in that bit that we hadn’t shot yet or needed to come back to. It’s surreal when you did have a bit of down time, I mean everybody was there interacting and kind of- you didn’t always have everybody there- but the few days you did, there was a couple of shots where we had everybody like the line-ups, and that was pretty special. I didn’t want be- I was always concerned like I was going to be the slowest runner and I was like, I can’t be the last guy getting across.

KS: Making a marvel movie is like a high school gym.

SS: Yes! It is, it is.

KS: I’m not letting Evans bet me!

SS: No. It gets a little bit like that… You didn’t have Hemsworth so that was a plus. He gets on set and you’re like I don’t even know why I go to the gym. Why would I even do that. I guess that it’s mental strength!

KS: I’m not even ‘Hemworthy’ enough to be here!

SS: Yes! Definitely not! He’s insane. It’s amazing.

KS: During the course of making these movies a lot of physicality, do you ever get hurt? Ever get injured?

SS: Yeah, for sure. You’re always getting something, some hit. You never know until later because the adrenaline is really high and you’re in the middle of it and want to keep doing it and its usually the next day, your trying to get out of bed and you can’t. You feel it. Yeah.

KS: At that point you’re like f-ck Marvel? Or do you work through it like money is good.

SS: You’re like, ‘I like my job.’ No! You’re always grateful, of course! The thing is you remember what it was like when you were little, like the cowboy and Indians thing. It’s sort of that thing that never leaves you in a way, you go to work and you go ‘wow’ this is my job. You wanna try and sell that fight as best as you can and you can’t really sell it once in a while without landing a- something.

KS: You watch something- having worked in production, I know they edit it and stuff and I know they throw fake punches. Sometimes these cats go together so hard you had to have connected.

SS: Oh! I’m sure, it’s happened a million times!

KS: What is your best memory of making a Marvel movie so far? Happiest moment, best day so far? Or in post, cause selling the movies seem like you have a lot of fun and going out on the press circuit and stuff.

SS: I’ve never been on a press- world press tour, for anything before, that was pretty special. Just going to different places and going to Asia for the first time is still a big memory for me cause I’ve never been and you see how everybody is so excited about the movies over there and then the same in Europe. You never get over that, you never get tired of that. I think that at the end of the day going home at night and feeling like you know your part of a good goal and everybody is on the same page. You wanna make the best possible product- the thing you can. And people are looking out for you that way, it doesn’t feel like- you can be in an environment where you feel like people are competitive, where it’s weird and something. Other than trying to run fast you don’t really feel- everyone’s on the same team with this one.

KS: Alright, I’m going to open up to these cats. We’ve got two microphones right there, and people are jumping up to them right now. We’re going to start on this side…

(Fan gets attacked by the mic, Kevin replies with don’t let it break your nose. Just a fyi.)

Fan 1: First of all, I love you.

SS: I love you too.

Fan 2: What’s the worst part of being an actor? What’s the worst things that happen.

SS: Oh god, probably, falling in love with a project and then not seeing it happen and having it fall apart right before you’re shooting. That’s happened to me a few times. Or hearing the word ‘No’ over and over again, that happens a lot too.

KS: A lot of rejection in this business.

SS: Yeah, you do, you have it but there’s a way to use that to come back to it. Stronger or something.

Fan 1: Ok, cool. Another question, what’s it like working with Robert Downey Jr.?

SS: The guy is a legend. I don’t know, I grew up on Chaplin and all those movies, you never know with him, you’re gonna end up with a real reaction, you never know what’s coming at you. He’s so quick and witted, in the moment it always amazes you.

KS: How close does he stay to the page? I’ve always wondered. He sounds like he (makes it up?) dialogue. Am I wrong?

SS: He does and he doesn’t. He will do it a few times. That’s the thing, he says it so naturally, you go ‘was that even written?’ once he’s done it a few times, I feel he can’t help himself, he’s got to do something different each time. He keeps it new, that kind of thing.

(Sketch book fan!)

Fan 3: I was wondering if you wanted to look at my sketch book?

SS: I would gladly look at your sketch book. Come find me after? (looking at Kevin) Is that what you say?

KS: Can we pass it up here? While we answer the next question? We can use everybody just passing forward. If you don’t get it back, Sebastian stole it.

SS: Yeah, it would be me.

Fan 3: That’s fine as well.

KS: Send it up! We’ll get it into his hands. Meanwhile, we’ll jump over here and jump back to you for a review of your portfolio.

Fan 4: If Bucky got hold of the infinity gauntlet, what do you think he would do with it?

(Background fan: Deep important question!)

KS: It’s a great question.

SS: It is a great question. There’s only one place he would go and that’s back in time! (sebastian’s now received the book) Yeah, he’d probably go back in time. Try to fix all the things he’s done wrong, for starters. Maybe… Not get on that train? I don’t know.

SS: (towards sketch book fan) This is really great, by the way! (looking through) Oh my god, hello!

KS: Flip it this way.. This is legit, man! I know you didn’t ask me, but excellent job!

SS: A lot of complex things going on there. Oh my god, you’re very talented. Nice recurring theme.

(Kevin notices Loki as a snake)

SS: Each one of these pictures is like my worst nightmare. Pretty much.

KS: Want him to tag the book for you, while he’s got it?

Fan 3: Sure. Why not.

KS: (Sebastian signs the book) He wrote, ‘I drew this.’

SS: This is really great. Keep drawing! Don’t stop!

(Here’s one of my warnings! Slightly awkward)

Fan 5: Before I ask my question, my brother is a huge fan of the Captain America franchise. He has a group that he cosplays with, a group of friends. He plays Captain American and his friend, N, is Bucky, obviously. I was wondering if you could give a quick, hello to my brother and his friend?

SS: Hello-

Fan 5: Wait, not ready!

SS: This is amazing. Hello N, and the brother!

Fan 5: My question is: I fell in love with you first when I saw you as Jefferson at the time. By the way, I love you.

SS: I love you too.

Fan 5: You play a lot of characters that, deal with a lot of heavy-

SS: Issues?

Fan 5: No! They really deal with hard emotions. It’s sometimes difficult as an actor to reach that place and it’s hard to come back from that. So I’m wondering, actor to actor, how do you not let the negative emotions that you portray in characters affect you and how do you translate over to- you! How do you keep them separate? Cause you’re always this happy puppy.

SS: Wow, that’s…

KS: Well happy puppy, what do you say?

SS: Yeah, exactly. I don’t know if I’m a happy puppy all the time. No-one really is right? I think you have to try and not isolate yourself. It’s who you keep around in your life, that’s why it’s so important, your family and friends, who you trust. You can’t lose that sense of ground that is you, yourself. If I’m away somewhere on set, I try to check in with people and it’s ok to check in! I think people are so scared sometimes to admit that ‘I’m not having a great day!’ like, ‘what’s up, what’s going on?’ I think it’s okay to say that, and one of your friends is going to call you back. Please tell people when you’re not having a good day! That’s what I do I guess.

KS: I’m going to ask you a quick question. When you play Bucky, you’re playing a character that carries expectation with him. People be like, ‘I’ve been reading this character in the books since I was a kid.’ So, there’s a certain amount of pressure there and there’s freedom because nobody knows what Bucky sounds like, until they put him on film for the first time and it’s you, so you get to set the tone. But recently, you were on I, Tonya, right? And so, in that case you had to play a person the world knew, somebody who was well documented on film and stuff. What was the difficultly in that and the marvel stuff?

SS: That has its own weird expectations, in its own way. Expectations is the biggest enemy no matter how you cut it. I think you have no choice to- it’s more mechanical, I just watched what I could on the guy (Jeff), over and over, I just listened to any audio I had of him over and over again. Until I could feel like it was becoming me. It’s tough because you have to adjust to something that already exists. But sometimes that’s good too! You know where you’re going. Bucky had source and material. But in the movies, like you said at the beginning, in the comic books, he was a kid.

KS: Yeah, there was nothing you could go off of.

SS: They came in and we like, okay we’re going to have him more of a bigger brother and have this guy whether or not enlist. It’s sort of it’s own pros and cons.

(LGBT fan)

SS: Hi, what’s up?

Fan 6: Nothing much.

SS: How’s the German Shepard? (Dog the fan has.)

Fan 6: The German Shepard is great. His name is R. As a gay man, I really appreciate it when you play gay characters. Do you feel like you’ll ever go back into playing and LGBT character?

SS: Yeah, why not? I would in a second. It’s always about the script, the story telling, what kind of obstacles a character has in their life and what they’re trying to get through and that doesn’t matter. We’re all fighting against something and we’re all facing something. We all want to change and get better at, that’s universal. It’s just about having the right story. If it happens, why not?

(End of part one. Part two with Sebastian and Anthony Mackie)

note: sorry for typos and grammar mistakes. I tried getting this out quickly!

#sebastian stan #kevin smith #ace comic con #anthony mackie #tom holland #long post

263 notes · View notes

moonraccoon-exe · 6 years ago

Note

Cindy and Crowe for the ship ask thing?

WELL WELL

AIN’T THIS AN INTERESTING SHIP, AAAH!

Let’s see what I can do! :3

[[I’ll add a Keep Reading at some point]]

Cindy/Crowe

Who’s the first to wake up in the morning:

It’s a 50/50. Both ladies have to usually be up for work, so that sets their natural clocks for relatively early. Sometimes Cindy wakes up first, sometimes it’s Crowe, it depends mostly in the amount of work they had the previous day, hence how tired they went to bed.

Who’s the one to make breakfast:

50/50 as well, deends on the mood or who wakes up first, but it’s usually Cindy. Despite her energy and great hand at cooking, Crowe is the laziest thing in the morning, so if Cindy could please do the favor instead, that would be great.

Who’s the one to serve the other breakfast in bed:

50/50, but, once more,it’s usually Cindy. Because of the extreme morning laziness that hits Crowe each day, it’s more tempting that she stays in bed and Cindy brings her breakfast. The first time that happened, Crowe laughed but was a bit shy and asked Cindy to not spoil her because if she barely makes it out of bed, being served breakfast in bed will make it worse and she’ll live in bed eternally. All that Cindy replied was that then they both could stay forever in bed.

Who would suggest a quickie in the morning before work:

Crowe. She knows discipline is important and everything, what with being part of the Glaives, but she likes to take it easy. Crowe thinks it’s useless being early to work if you’ll be stressed all through the day, because “stress will lead to frustration which will lea to you making a very poor job”, and Crowe doesn’t want to be a bad Glaive and Cindy doesn’t want to be a bad mechanic, right? It’s best to lost 5 minutes then be badass for 8 hours than be a useless idiot for 8 hours!

Cindy doesn’t even need all that explanation, but she likes to hear Crowe and, in some way, she shares the philosophy.

Guess who are the best at their jobs because they arrive fresh and happy every morning kasjdsahf.

Who suggests they both ditch work to lay around all day:

Crowe. While Crowe is the best mage Glaive and a very hard working soldier, she also knows when to take it easy. Cindy doesn’t; she can’t stop her hands from coming and going everywhere, she’s always working. Hence, a stressed Crowe reaching her limits, suggesting they skip one day to go back refreshed the following day (we don’t want to be useless idiot, do we? HAsdjkahf, these two dorks).

Who chooses the movies:

Both. Both look at the available titles together, one reads a title, the other says yes or not, the other agrees, and they move on until the other disagrees, they shortly talk about why they should or not watch that one, and finally decide together.

Who initiates kissing during the moving, thus distracting the other from the movie all together:

Crowe. She thinks that Cindy is absolutely adorable when she’s so attentive so a movie or cartoon, likes the way Cindy smiles and how her eyes look all shiny. It starts because Crowe got distracted with her eyes, until she wants to reach close to kiss her cheek. She usually tries to leave it there, but if she wants more, she’ll take a popcorn, tell Cindy to open wide, and when Cindy takes a bite of the popcorn Crowe will get close to kiss her on the lips.

From that point on it’s difficult to get Crowe off her. Even more difficult to want to.

Who orders lunch:

Crowe. Mostly when she gets tired or feels too lazy to cook by herself. She’ll always ask Cindy if she’s fine with it, and she usually is.

Truth be told, Cindy had troubles adapting to the greasy food (she’s more into fresh veggies and fruit, as compared to Crowe’s spicy and hot stuff), but eventually both found something in between to share. They’re nerds for ordering sushi.

Who steals food from the other’s plate without asking:

Cindy. She’s super, extra, hyper curious about everything, and this includes food.

Because she and Crowe have different tastes when it comes to food, they may usually have different dishes, mostly when they go to eat out or with friends, and Cindy gets super curious about what she’s eating. Mostly because, if they go out, with friends or not, Crowe usually asks for a traditional from Galahd (it’s Nyx and Libertus’ fault she’s so into it), the spicy and greasy sort of food, where Cindy has her average/more veggie-based dish.

So, curious grease.monkey unable to control the curiosity will always stare and stare and stare and before she knows it she’s snatching something from Crowe’s dish.

“I just want to taste”, Crowe has lost count of how many times Cindy has said this. It takes Crowe a bit off guard when Cindy steals something from her dish, but she finds it funny and laughs. She’s taken up to sometimes fork-feed Cindy when she catches her staring.

Who curls up next to the other and falls asleep due to a full tummy:

Cindy. Crowe is the kind to eat and not get sleepy at all (only a few times here and there), but Cindy sure gets sleepy after a good meal. Normally, if it’s a free day or if they have time, Crowe will sit on the couch and Cindy will lie there, her head on the Glaive’s lap, while Crowe either reads something or watches TV while caressing Cindy’s hair.

Who distracts the other from trying to work at home:

Crowe. Once more, she’s responsible and hard working, but knows when to take it easy. Besides, there are some days that for her work stays at work and as soon as the shift is over she’s OUT, sometimes she doesn’t want to know more of her job.

Curious overworking Cindy, however, she never knows when to quit. She could spend a whole entire shift without even noticing how late it’s gotten, so you can tell that she sometimes finds some work at home too.

As soon as Cindy wants to fix or upgrade something, she’s gone for the rest of the day, you can’t take her mind or hands off that thing, so Crowe’s learned to distract her from it before she starts. As soon as she sees Cindy lie eyes on something with that curious gleam of hers, Crowe will find a way.

Being a mage has its perks, too. Like when Crowe can bomb the bed and scream calling for Cindy just to distract her from the washing machine she’s about to upgrade into an airship or something.

Who asks to go get ice cream like a five year old:

It’s both, actually. They don’t ask for it like a five year old, but they feel the excitement of a five year old. Usually, they’ll just share a glance if there’s ice-crema nearby, and holding hands both will go running there. Or when one makes the suggestion, the other will for sure leave whatever she’s doing and agree and both will leave for their ice-cream.

Who takes pictures of their partner eating ice cream:

Crowe. She thinks Cindy is the most adorable and charming thing on Eos even above Molbol-kun (but much cuter), and Crowe’s up to take photos of Cindy for herself, or to share in social medias. There’s plenty selfies of them both up on her Kupogram and Libertus is always faving those.

Who makes a sexual joke about the dripping ice cream on their partner’s face:

Depends on the mood, the joke can come from either of them, but it’s slightly more frequent that it’s on Crowe’s end. Because she’s staring at Cindy or taking the photo, she’ll sometimes catch glimpse of the dripping ice cream on her mouth. Cindy’s nowhere behind, though; Crowe can get a bit messier when it comes to eating anything (she NYOMS AND CHOMS like she hasn’t eaten in weeks), so it’s even more frequent that Crowe gets the dripping ice-cream on herself.

The joke usually sends both into laughter; no one turns shy.

Who cooks dinner:

It’s 50/50. It depends highly on who’s home first, or who’s less tired. Sometimes they’ll team up for it because both are very tired and they have no other option.

Who cleans up the kitchen afterwards:

It’s usually both. Crowe has tried to convince Cindy to leave it for tomorrow morning, but Cindy really can’t get her hands off the mess. Crowe will just sihg, roll the eyes, smile, kiss her cheek and whisper “You, workaholic” and will join into helping with the kitchen.

Who stays up until 2 reading:

That’s not frequent in this house because both women are usually wrecked after a working day, and they sleep all through the night. However, if it’s happened before, it’s Cindy; just like Ignis comes up with new recipes, Cindy is often coming up with new upgrades or machines or things to do, and she’s sometimes woken up at 1, grabbed a book or looked for some blueprints or opened her laptop to look for info that she needs to complete her mental maps.

Crowe usually groans into the pillow loud enough to annoy Cindy on purpose until she comes back to bed.

Who stares at their partner while their sleeping:

Usually Crowe, when she can. Their sleeping schedules are not too different, so she mostly sleeps when Cindy does too, but sometimes the mechanic naps during the day, or sometimes Crowe’s given late shifts or missions that make her arrive too late, and finds Cindy asleep. Crowe doesn’t stare much because she doesn’t want to bother Cindy, but she does take a bit to look at her, admire her messy hair, and see that precious face sleeping in their bed or somewhere in their house.

Who kisses their partner while they sleep:

Sometimes, while Crowe’s staring, she’ll also lean in for a kiss, but she doesn’t dare to too often because she fears to wake Cindy up. Who kisses the other while they sleep is mostly Cindy; she sometimes wakes up during the night, and always kisses Crowe somewhere almost as if it was necessary to fall back asleep. It’s mostly a 50/50, depending on the situation.

My, this was enjoyable!!

I had heard of rarepairs, but this may as well takethe prize! I had heard of Luna and Crowe or Cindy and Luna, or things involving Aranea, but I never thought about Crowe and Cindy! What a pair they would make, huh!? ♡ ～('▽^人)

I hope I could make this some justice! There’s not much we know about Crowe, and really not THAT much for Cindy either, but I tried my best and I hope that you like it.Thank you for dropping this in! ( ´ ▽ ` )

#crowe/cindy #cindy x crowe #the bike gals B|#honestly it would be cute #crowe the bike addict and cindy the mechanic #i want this akjsldfklfdaj lkjlskj #coonheadcanons #coonanswers

6 notes · View notes