#he reminds me of jason too ahhhhhHHH

[deviant-valeska]

the the when the skunkle the how. just some little nonsense doodles of this silly guy <3 

[roominthecastle]

A ‘bullet point text reaction’ post thing to the season premiere would be forking good. If you can spare the time in between all the rewatching and RL, which again might be messin with the rewatching. Ps. sexy librarian ftw.

Apologies for the late reply, anon, and thank you for the interest. I gave it a try but apparently I had a lot more rambling in me than expected, so I’m not sure how much the bullet point format will help. Still, I rolled w/ it behind the cut:

obv spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen + it’s mostly Michael focused but who is surprised at this point? ok, here we go:

Yes. All hail the Sexy Librarian Guy! 👍

and his ~~flawless~~ Australian accent lmao. I am no native speaker but even I could hear it was just… delightfully off. I love this disaster zone demon so much.

and how pleased he was that Eleanor was pleased w/ that particular “intervention”. It’s a small but nice reminder of how making her happy makes him happy now. #oppositeTorturesRule

it’s a v small thing but I also loved the “fast food link”: Michael being ecstatic about the Pizza Hut/Taco Bell combo & Eleanor fantasizing about Chipotle during Chidi’s lecture on Aristotle. It reminded me of that s1 moment when she tells Michael about those Arizona churro dogs and they both just go ahhhhhhhh at the image + Judge Gen ofc (they love fast food in the afterlife)

also also the sweet ache of Michael being entangled in her ticker tape while insisting on nudgy-nudge-nudge her & Chidi together bc that’s how it should be is still pressing hard on my heart thank you v much

but

I think that being deprived of close contact w/ his humans is causing Michael to slide back into puppet master mode again. His motivation is different or “reformed” now (secretly helping instead of secretly torturing) but his methods, his itch to control everything (and failing), and the rigid focus on his goals are… not so much, imo, and I love it bc this is Michael: he is a nerd but also an idiot w/ Wile E. Coyote vibes. Janet tries to reel him in but she can’t. Eleanor was the only one who could control him and she was the only one whose advice he actively sought and listened to, but she cannot be there for him now, so yes, I am getting a lot of S1 vibes from this double ep complete w/ her unintentionally messing w/ his formula by not falling for Chidi & the arrival of Trevor. *rubs hands*

COCOONS

so many

so… squishy

and TODD! I never thought I would see him so soon but I was right: he is the best lava monster and fork you, Shawn, for being a jerk to him when he was nothing but supportive and even brought you guys Dunkin’ Spiders to snack on.

I love Shawn, he is the perfect baddie, and I love that we got another glimpse into how TBP operates w/ all their excruciatingly low-tech gadgets. It’s in sharp contrast to (even Michael’s fake) TGP where everything is so neat, efficient, and high-tech. It’s another nice reminder of how the torturers are also being made miserable in TBP in various ways. I can’t blame Michael for wanting to keep his failing experiment running as long as possible.

Judge Gen (who continues to be a delight and way too relatable w/ her binge-watching of media content) is so up to something, people. I cannot shake this feeling that this whole “Operation Resurrection” is not what it looks like on the surface at all. Maybe it’s an experiment within an experiment sort of deal. I mean, why does she trust Michael of all creatures w/ the monitoring duty at all?? She might be quirky but she is def not stupid. She must know he’s a natural rule breaker who’s incapable of sitting still for longer than 2 seconds and he’s not at all impartial here. The way she set this all up reminds me of the test she gave Jason, and Michael is already failing just like Jason did bc he couldn’t opt out of “playing” due to lack of impulse control and a massive personal bias regarding his favorite team, the Cockroaches. idk what this will mean long-term but I think he’s gonna be in a lot of trouble soon.

speaking of Jason and Michael: theirs is my favorite (sort of bonding) scene, hands down. Again, it reminded me of an early S2 moment when Jason stumbles on a brooding, lost Michael and tells him a dope story about his 60-person dance crew that unexpectedly inspires Michael to seek out Eleanor & Co. The situations are reversed here but it’s an excellent parallel, esp when you compare the two scenes and see the development in both characters and their relationship. Jason is a bit   more grounded and Michael is less dismissive and much kinder to him now. I also love Jason’s continued immunity to Michael’s b.s. It’s different from Eleanor’s (his is stupid-based and hers is about being smartbrained) but it works and pushes Michael to just level w/ him and the second he does, Jason becomes instantly receptive. It’s just a really really great character moment that also moves the plot, so it’s basically perfect. Also I think this is the moment when Michael is temporarily pulled from his puppet master mode due to being near one of his human friends again, and his other side peeks out as he lets himself rest a bit - it’s in his body language, too, as he leans back against the bridge railing and has a semi-honest chat w/ Jason.

Michael’s disguises are an eternal source of happiness to me. All of them (and based on promo pics, more is coming). I also love the way he approaches each human bc it is reminiscent of how he steered them during the reboots: to Eleanor he gave a small clue and just let her chew on it and work w/ it. W/ Chidi, he was more direct, posing as a wise helper/guide. W/ Tahani, he targeted her sense of self-worth. W/ Jason, he gave up after 5 seconds and just told him what he wanted him to do.

I doubt his aliases raised many eyebrows, tho, not in a universe where Simone has colleagues called Mrelk and Catapulp :D but Eleanor seemed to have a bit of a “hmm” reaction to the name of Dr. Charles Brainman, so… we’ll see.

Dr. Simone Garnett had probably the smoothest entry into an established character group, imo. I’m usually sensitive to changes like this but it’s like she’s always been here - another excellent casting choice right there. I am not gonna touch shipping issues, thank you, but I love how Simone’s presence, which is a lot of fun in itself, instantly enriched the landscape of relationship dynamics regarding the present, the future and also the past. I feel that every character combination exists somewhere in canon whether it’s explicitly on screen or not, and that’s just an incredibly freeing, resourceful attitude to have on a show w/ this sort of “multiverse” setup, imo. They have the premise, so why not milk its full potential? The writers use relationships as tools to aid character development, they have admitted as much already, and I am looking forward to seeing what other combos they have in mind and how they play out.

despite his limited screen time and despite him spending most of it being flat and emotionless, frog guy aka The Doorman managed to deliver the biggest punch in my heart w/ that reaction to Michael’s gift. I.crumbled. the way his flatness did when he saw the frog on the mug. Thank you, Mike O'Malley.

It’s probably a good thing that they are becoming buddies now bc w/ evil Trevor in the mix, Michael’s gonna turn that Earth entrance into a revolving door. Unless Judge Gen is onto him and steps in at some point. And I still don’t know how he will interact w/ the team now since they’ve all met him already and he was posing as a different person each time. And given his track record, whatever solution he comes up with, Eleanor will see right through him eventually anyway.

ok this is way too long already, so I’m just gonna say that I am very excited for this season, I love the new setup, I miss the fake Good Place but the university environment is growing on me fast, too, and just bring it, show, ok?

my body is ready

[filmfanatic82]

The Long Game - Chapter 17: Facing Demons (Part II)

AO3 link (HERE)

Chapter 17: Facing Demons (Part II)

Kim takes a sharp inhale of breath as she is jolted back into the confines of her childhood bedroom once again. Every inch of her tingles with a strange electric sensation as her mind re-adjusts to her new surrounding.

It isn’t the first time Kim as relived the events of that day. No. Those moments are always lingering just beneath the surface of her subconsciousness, ready to break free at a moment’s notice.

But this experience…

This is completely different.

“Enjoy that little stroll down memory lane?” The First re-emerges within the room, still looking like a 17-year-old Kimberly, and plops herself down onto the bed. She stretches out, folding her arms behind her head as another sickening smirk crawls across her lips.

“No,” Kim responds with a hint of underlying tension to her voice.

“What’s wrong, Kimmy? Don’t like what you saw?”

Kim doesn’t respond right away. She runs her hands through her hair and lets out a sigh of frustration. “I don’t like being played with.”

“Ah, that’s cute. You think this is a game.”

“What’d you want from me?”

The First lets a light chuckle of amusement. “Oh Kim. For someone as talented as you are, you aren’t that quick on the uptake. You know the answer to that question.”

“What if I refuse?”

“You and both know that’s not an option. You gave up your free will almost a decade ago.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“But is there?” The First raises an eyebrow in question. “Has any of this been your choice? Any of it at all?”

Kim opens her mouth but before her words can come out, she’s hit with a sudden but familiar pang of urgency. Her eyes are instantly drawn to her full length closet mirror.

To Kim’s shock, the mirror isn’t simply showing a reflection of the room but the actual outside world. The world, where on some subconscious level, she still resides.

And it clicks.

The pang that is fluttering around in the depths of her inner being is in fact her fellow rangers themselves. Jason. Billy. Zack. And most of all Trini. Kim can feel them all and their varying emotions move through her. A steady and constant reminder that she isn’t alone…

Not this time.

Trini, fully decked out in her yellow armor, flashes into the mirror’s reflection first. She’s stationed right outside of the Krispy Kreme, defending the door as if her life depends on it.

The very door that Kim resides behind.

A small swarm of faceless creatures descend upon Trini at a voracious rate. Each wielding large ornate daggers and all are out for blood. They attack for every angle, all with the same, clear objective…

To get through the door.

Trini flips backwards into a flawless back handspring, just narrowly avoiding the swipe of a dagger. But before she can securely land on the ground, though, a second faceless creature lunges forward delivering a sickening kick to Trini’s rib cage.

Trini, momentarily thrown off guard, tumbles to the ground with a broken crushing thud. She quickly recovers, but in the split second it takes her to get back on her feet, the faceless creatures tighten their circle. It’s only a matter of time now before they manage to get past Trini.

“Need a hand, Crazy Girl?” Zack’s voice cuts through the chaos like a breath of fresh air.

Zack, Billy, and Jason burst onto the scene, each in full armor, immediately coming to Trini’s aid. They just take on a handful of creatures, helping Trini create a human barricade in front of the Krispy Kreme entrance.

“Took you guys long enough,” Trini responds, as she gives them a quick nod hello, before going back to fighting.

“We came as soon as we felt it. Did Kim--”

“She’s in there now. And I felt it too. A few seconds after she disappeared through the door,” Trini cuts Jason off. She gives a split second glance towards the doors, as if contemplating whether or not to go inside and then turns her attention back to the onslaught of creatures.

“Any idea on how long she needs?” Zack pipes up as he grabs hold of a faceless creature by the arms and tosses it like a ragdoll into the air.

“All she said is as long as we can give her,” Trini responds, dodging the slash of a dagger.

Jason positions himself besides Trini, as the two take on the task of defending the area directly in front of the actual door itself. “Then that’s what we’re going to do.”

A small smile creeps across Kim’s face at the utterance of these words as the realization sinks in. They are there. Jason. Zack. Billy. Trini. Her family. Each one of them are there, even though…

Even after everything she’s done.

They are there. Ready and willing to fight.

And for Kim, in that very moment, it’s the glimmer of hope she needs.

“It amazes me just how loyal they are to you. Even after everything you’ve done to them. All of the lies. And betrayal. And pain. Even after all of it, they’re still willing to protect you.” The First slowly gets up from the bed and approaches Kim. “Such blind fools. Don’t they know it’s useless?”

Kim pulls her attention away from the mirror and once again faces the First, but she doesn’t respond. She knows deep, down inside that silence is way more effective. Kim needs to hold on. Just a little bit longer for the last piece of plan, that was hatched so many years ago, to finally come into play.

“Who says it’s useless?”

A sick laugh escapes the First’s lips as she shakes her head in slight disbelief. “Enough with this act, Kimmy. You and I both know it is. You can feel it. Deep, down inside. There’s no denying it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Kim’s voice waivers slightly, as she tries to hold on to her nerves for dear life.  

“Really?” The First raises an eyebrow causing Kim’s stomach to churn. “Then let me remind you.”

And before Kim can start to utter a response, she’s propelled back into blackness once again.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The world comes back to into view for Kim and she spots herself -- her younger self -- now fully donning the emerald green armor and instantly she can feel her anxiety start to rise. She knows what comes next.

Kim knows it like the back of her hand.

But, for some odd reason, having to watch it from this perspective somehow makes it a thousand times worse.

“I’m so sorry, Jase.” The words fall from Kim’s lips like an unspoken prayer as she takes a deep, sobering breath of air.

Kimberly regains her footing as a surge of raw, anger-driven energy pounds through her veins. She feels powerful. No. More than powerful...

Kimberly feels god-like.

“Kimberly!” Trini’s voice cuts through the chaos, but Kimberly chooses to ignore it. Her entire focus shifts towards one thing and one thing only…

The Zeo Crystal.

The ground begins to violently quake, causing the surrounding asphalt and concrete to crack open into massive, fiery lashes. Instantly, both Billy and Zack are cut off from the rest of the group, trapped by individual towering walls of flames.

“Billy!” Jason screams out, no longer able to spot his beloved blue ranger.

“I’m okay. Just trapped.”

“Me too. There’s no way out of these flames,” Zack chimes in from the nearby distance.

“But you’re okay?” Jason shouts back, trying to maintain his footing in between the tremors.

“For now, yes,” Billy responds in a slightly unsure voice.

“Jase! I can’t reach her!” Trini screams while trying to fend off a pack of flame creatures, grabbing Jason’s attention. He whips back around and spots Kimberly, ever so slowly walking directly towards the Krispy Kreme as if she’s under some sort of demonic trance.

Without even a moment’s hesitation, he charges at her, leaping through pockets of flames and fiery debris. “Kim, stop!”

But Kimberly doesn’t even pause to acknowledge him. She can’t. The draw of what’s about to be birthed from beneath the flames is just too much to fight.

And then there’s the plan. Kimberly has to stay the course. No matter what transpires. No matter what -- or who -- attempts to stop her.

Suddenly, a strong familiar hand clamps down upon Kimberly’s forearm, preventing her from taking another step forward.

“Kimberly!” Jason yells out once again, this time only a mere inches away, hand locked onto her forearm with a vise like grip.

“Let go of me,” Kimberly growls in response and attempts to wrench her arm away from Jason, but he refuses to let go.

“Kim, what’s going--”

SMACK.

Kimberly decks Jason across the face with her free arm. His face mask cracks slightly from the impact, but yet he doesn’t let go.

“LET GO!”

“No. Not until you--”

Kimberly once again delivers an almost lethal blow to Jason’s head, given little to no consideration to the damage she’s inflicting upon him.

Jason lets out a harsh grunt in pain, but manages to continue to hold onto Kimberly’s arm. “Let me help you…”

Suddenly, Kimberly hit with another wave of rage. This time more intense and even more all consuming the the one before. Any lingering traces of conflicting emotions melt away and are replaced with a singular, clear thought--

Kimberly has to break free and get to the Zeo Crystal in time… no matter what the cost or casualties.

In an unorthodox move, Kimberly clamps her free hand down upon Jason’s wrist and wrenches his arm around, pulling it upwards in the process.

CRACK.

A sickening pop, followed close behind by Jason’s screams of pain.

Jason instantly lets go of Kimberly’s arm as his knees buckle from beneath him. His body spasms uncontrollably in a reaction to the damage being done to his limb.

But Kimberly doesn’t stop. She pulls Jason’s arm even farther upwards, almost as if she plans on rip it right off of his body.

“AHHHHHHHH!” Jason falls fully to his knees as he chokes back sobs of pain.

Then, there a second, more definitive POP and suddenly--

Jason passes out.

Kimberly releases her grip, letting Jason’s body fall to the ground and continues to move towards the Krispy Kreme.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tears.

A steady stream of tears pour out from Kim’s eyes, burning her skin as they snake their way down her cheeks.

“Awww. What’s wrong?” The First’s voice calls out as the world shifts back into Kim’s childhood bedroom.

Kim’s hands immediately reach up and compulsive wipe away any and all evidence of the tears. She can’t show weakness. Not when she’s so painfully close…

“Nothing.”

“Oh please, Kimmy. Remember, we’re connected. The rage and anger you feel swirling around inside of you. That’s me.” The First goes to get up off of the bed, but falters for a moment, almost unable to control her limbs. It’s only momentary. Just the briefest of seconds… but regardless, Kim notices it and a hint of a smirk flashes within her eyes.

It’s working.

“Why are you fighting it? Even now. You’re still…” The First trails off mid-sentence as if she’s lost the ability to find her next word.

Kim seizes the moment by taking another step away from the the First and closer towards the mirror. She longs to keep on watching it, partly to ease her anxiety about the battle at hand and partly for selfish reasons. There’s a strong chance that this might just be the last few glimpses Kim get of her friends… Of Trini.

And she doesn’t want to miss a single, solitary second of it.

Another flash of familiar metallic blue streaks across the mirror, grabbing Kim’s full attention. Her eyes pull away from the First and back towards the ongoing battle.

“Billy!” Jason yells out to his husband as he struggles to fend of a handful faceless creatures. He blocks and dodges the onslaught of dagger slashes and swipes, unable to get a moment’s break. The attacks just keep on coming.

“I’m coming!” Billy takes out two rogue creatures with a lethal combo of kicks and then starts to race towards Jason. But before he can manage to get within striking distance--

BOOM!

A fiery explosion erupts out of the ground below, knocking Billy right off of his feet and sends him rocketing into the brick facade of a nearby building.

Billy hits the wall with a sickening crack and instantly crumples to the ground in a lifeless heavy of limbs.

“BILLY!!!!!” Jason freezes in the moment, unable to do anything except stare helplessly at the love of his life.

“Go! I’ve got them,” Trini states, snapping Jason instantly out of his paralysis. He doesn’t need to be told twice. Jason takes off at an almost inhuman like pace, straight towards Billy.   

Trini re-positions herself squarely in front of the doors as Zack joins her side.

“Just you and me, Crazy Girl,” Zack says with a hint of quiver to his voice. Although he will never admit it, there’s an underlying fear there. That maybe this time, they won’t be as lucky.

Trini reaches over and gives Zack’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We’ve got this.”

Zack nods in response and then the two line up back to back, readying themselves for the next wave of attacks.

But instead, the faceless creatures suddenly start to slightly retreat, backing away from Trini and Zack as if they’re anticipating something…

“What the…” Before Zack can even finish his sentence, though, the ground begins to violent shake, ripping open huge canyon size holes within the surrounding asphalt and concrete. Both Trini and Zack desperately try to stay upright, but it’s of little use.

Trini falls to the ground as a shower of building debris rains down upon her.

BAM… BAM… BAM…

Trini rolls left and then right and then left again, nearly avoiding impact with boulder sized chunks of debris. She somehow manages to pull herself back up on her feet, even as the world around her continues to break apart.

Nothing in the world is going stop Trini from protecting that door… Absolutely nothing.

A small gasp escapes Kim’s lips as she feels her heart start to crack open at the sight of the woman she loves fighting for her life.

“Ah… The infamous Yellow Ranger.”

The sound of the First once again pulls Kim away from the mirror and back into the reality of the moment. “Leave her out of this.”

“Or what? You’re going to attack me?” The First starts to take a step closer to Kim, but wobbles a bit on her feet and has to grip onto the nearby desk chair for support.

“Leave her alone,” Kim growls through gritted teeth. She can feel the raw anger bubbling up just beneath the surface of her skin, just itching to be set free. But not now…

“I’ve never laid a finger on her. I swear. But you already know that.” Another twisted smile crawls across the First’s face. “You’re the only one who’s ever inflicted any real damage upon her.”

Kim shuts her eyes as she feels the world shift yet again around her.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Kim feels the world settle but refuses to open her eyes. She doesn’t need to look to know exactly what she’s about to witness next… It’s the moment that’s haunted her the most for the last eight years.

“Oh no. You don’t get to hide from this one,” the First’s voice echoes in the dark confines of Kim’s mind and suddenly, as if an invisible string has been pulled, her eyelids pop open on their own.

Kim doesn’t even attempt to stop the flow of tears that fall from her eyes as she locks in on the sight of her younger self, in full blown green armor, walking towards the newly formed gaping crater where the entrance of the Krispy Kreme should be.

This is the moment. The singular biggest regret out of everything she’s been forced to do over the last eight years.

And Kim, unfortunately, can’t seem to look away.

Slowly, the earth beneath the remnants of what was once the Krispy Kreme splits open and a monstrous, flame laced, creature begins to emerge. First it’s mammoth hands… Then arms… then lava sculpted torso…  And then finally its legs.

It lets loose a nightmarish roar of anger as it starts to make its way directly towards Kimberly.

Kimberly swallows down the massive lump of terror residing in her throat as she attempts to move her body forward, not faulting for a single second.

This is what she’s been preparing for. The moment of truth…

If all goes according to plan, then the hellish creature before her will sense the essence of evil residing within her and simply let her pass, granting her access to the Zeo Crystal.

And if not… Kimberly can’t let herself go there. Not now.

She holds her breath and continues to put one foot in front of the other, ignoring the growing aftershocks the creature is producing with each and every step it takes.

15 feet… 10 feet… 5 feet…

The hellish creature pauses for the briefest of moments as it comes within striking distance of Kimberly, almost as if it senses that something is not quite right. But then, just like Zordon had said it would, it continues on its way, ignoring Kimberly all together and instead starts in on a path of complete and utter destruction.

Kimberly exhales in a slight sigh of relief. Step one down… Step two to go.

“KIMBERLY!!!!!” Trini screams out in a fine mixture of sheer panic and terror as she races towards Kimberly at breakneck speed. She manages to cut Kimberly off only seconds before reaching the edge of the crater and stands directly in the taller girl’s path, blocking her access. “Please stop.”

“Don’t Trini,” Kimberly responds as she attempts to shove Trini aside, but it’s no use. Trini isn’t budging.

“This isn’t you, baby. I know it! You need to fight whatever has a hold of you. Please. Just fight it!” Trini reaches out to grab hold of Kimberly’s shoulders, but Kimberly swats her away.

“Move.” Kimberly growls at Trini with the ever so slight hint of a plea buried within the word.

“No.” Trini straightens herself up, attempting to match Kimberly in sheer presence. There’s a clear cut definitive answer in her stance that instantly causes Kimberly’s stomach to churn with complete and utter dread.

The only way she’s going to get around Trini is by physically taking her down.

Kimberly can feel the sting of tears roll down her cheeks as she grapples with this sobering realization. If she starts to fight now, she might not be able to actually stop herself from going all the--

THUD.

Kimberly’s blindsided by a powerful blow to the side of her helmet. She doesn’t need to look around to know who’s delivered it. Before Kimberly can recover her bearings, though, another hit comes. This time to her ribs. And then another to her kidneys. And another… And another… And another…   

Trini isn’t exactly hitting at her full strenght but she isn’t exactly holding back either.

Kimberly can feel the rage and anger building up within her as she attempts to block the barrage of hits. She knows deep down inside that all it will take to leash the darkness is one, singular punch and then… and then there will be no turning back.

“Just… Get… Out… Of… My… Way!” Kimberly spats out in between hits.

“NO!” Trini doubles her efforts, attacking Kimberly from every angle possible. Kick… Punch… Kick again…

Kimberly struggles to hold on.

Another kick. This time to her left shoulder. Kimberly hears the crack to her armor as tiny shards of green splinter off in the aftermath of the blow.

And then…

It happens.

Kimberly feels the sudden, mind numbing surge of raw, anger-driven power crash over her like a tidal wave, suffocating all lingering doubts and rogue emotions. As if possessed by an invisible force, her hands jut out and wrap themselves around Trini’s neck with a deadly grip.

Kimberly slams Trini down onto the ground by the neck and flings her body over the Yellow Ranger, instantly pinning her limbs with her own sheer force. Her grip tightens around Trini’s throat, as she can feel her fingers crack through the surface of the yellow armor. Blood starts to trickle out between the newly formed gaps, clashing against the metallic yellow of the suit.

Trini’s visor disappears as the younger girl flails around underneath Kimberly, desperate to escape. Her mouth opens, but all she can manage to produce is a series of strangled sounds. There’s a confused and terrified look present within Trini’s eyes as she stares up helplessly at Kimberly. She knows she’s moments away from dying…

And yet, Kimberly keeps the pressure on. She can’t seem to stop. It’s as if her body simply doesn’t belong to her anymore.

Trini locks eyes with Kimberly and just before she slips into the darkness, she mouths the words “I love you”.

Kimberly hands instantly let go as she chokes out a sob of raw pain. She can feel the anger suddenly subside as a second tidal wave of heartache and guilty crashes down upon her.

Kimberly rolls off of Trini and checks for a pulse. It’s weak but it’s there.

She didn’t kill Trini.

Kimberly desperately wants to stay there, just a few seconds longer… just to make sure Trini -- her Trini-- will be okay. But she knows better.

There’s still the Zeo Crystal to take of.

With all of her remaining strength she can muster, Kimberly slowly rises again to her feet and stumbles towards the edge of the gaping hole where the Zeo Crystal resides. She gives Trini one last look and then proceeds to leap right into the open chasm.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Enough!” Kim cries out through her tears as her bedroom comes back into view. The First stares back at her, still sporting a sicken smile, but unlike before, there’s a stark difference in her overall stature. She appears to be growing weaker by the minute. As if her very life force is slipping away.

“Too much?” The First follows these words with a series of harsh coughs. Each breath seems to be harder to grasp than the one before it.

And that’s the cue. The one sign that Kim’s been waiting for all after all of these years.

The plan has worked. “Something wrong?” Kim replies as she regains her cool composure, once again wiping away all evidence of tears.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure? You seem to be struggling a bit,” Kim takes a step closer to the First, adopting a slightly more menacing stance as she does. “It seems like something’s affecting you… Almost as if you might’ve been dosed by something.”

The First’s face drops as the realization of what Kim’s actually is saying sinks in. “What did you do?”

Kim takes another step closer, causing the First to inch backwards “Only what I had to.”

The First backs up until she hits the edge of the bed, falling weakly down upon it. Kim continues forward until she’s practically looming over the First.

“I don’t understand… You have the essence -- my essence -- inside of you. I can feel it,” The First responds in a shaky voice, eyes darting around, desperately searching for an answer to what’s transpiring.

“I do. But you’re forgetting one thing.”

“What?”

“That’s not all I have within me.” A triumphant smile spreads across Kim’s face. “Compassion. Empathy. Power. And most importantly… Love. An unwavering abundance of love.”

“Oh god… I… I let you near the Zeo Crystal. And you…”

“Made sure I dosed it with all the right things.”

“You conned me!” The First spats out in rage, desperate to fight, but lacking the strength to move.

“I’d like to think of it more as playing the long game… a very, very long game.”

“You bitch!”

“Not the first time I’ve been called that,” Kim responds with a bit of a laugh. She moves in even closer to the First, mentally readying herself for the final task. “And now there’s just one one thing left I need to do.”

“What?”

“Ensure that you never have the chance to return and wreak havoc on me and my friends ever again.”

And with those words, Kim plunges both of her hands down upon the First’s chest.

A mixture of blinding pink and green light pours out of Kim and into the First, as she feels her own essence being torn to shreds.

Love… Hate… Anger… Joy… Pain…

Each one of her raw emotions flow freely from her body, bombarding the First.

The First screams out in pain as its form start to dematerialize right before Kim’s eyes.

It fades faster… and faster… and faster…

Kim keeps going, even though she’s not sure how much longer she can stand it. The pain radiating out from the depths of her own soul is nothing short of unbearable, but she has to hold on.

There’s no other choice.

And then---

It’s gone.

Kim falls to the ground, gasping for air as the world around her starts to ever so slowly fade to black. Her hand reaches up and instinctually wraps itself around the sabertooth tiger pendant as a singular, comforting thought flashes through her mind.

She did it.

The First is gone and by nothing short of a miracle, it didn’t kill her in the process.

Kim closes her eyes and breathes a sigh of pure relief as she feels the blackness engulf more and more her surroundings. Her hand curls even tighter around the pendant, providing her with a constant reminder of the one thing and one thing only that matter most to her in the world… Trini.

“Princess… Princess… Princess…” Kim chants under her breath like a beloved prayer as finally the blackness reaches her, swallowing her whole.

[pavarottirevenge]

A Day in the Life of Patience

Today was like any other day, not too cold and not too hot. A pleasant in-between where winter begins to merge with spring.

Lovely.

I had spent most of my morning catching up on some work and making phone calls to my students, reminding them to bring in their finished sheets for next week’s sessions.

Typical Saturday, nothing special.

As I was finishing up on my last call, my dog, a french bulldog named Crowley, made his presence be known — it was afternoon potty time.

Yes, we have a doggy door, and yes he knows how to use it, but he’s a lazy douche and gets his rocks off making us do his bidding.

The little shit.

I attempt to hoist myself out of the computer chair, something that has been getting harder and harder to do the further along I get in my pregnancy, but I manage.

Is it graceful? Is it sexy? Hell no, but if anything, I rack up some style points for the flare and shock of my funkalicious moves.

Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah…

I get to my feet and I make my way over to the french doors that lead to my back yard. I look down at Crowley and shake my head with amusement. “You’re so lazy.”

He smiles.

Well, maybe it was just build up from where he had to go poop, but for sake of him keeping his cute factor, I’m choosing to believe it was a smile.

Poop ain’t cute.

Reaching down to open the door, I put pressure on the handle and let Crowley lead while I follow, deciding after I step out to leave the door open and allow some fresh air to circulate for a bit.

After all, today was a pretty day.

Crowley had ran off to do his business in peace, while I decide to spend the break from work by watering the potted plants that my bf keeps beside the hedges.

The hedges.

Yesterday afternoon flashes through my head like snaps from a camera.

The notorious Mr. Squirrel.

I frown with narrowing eyes.

Mr. Squirrel and I have some history. We have crossed paths two times now, and neither one were pleasant for me.

The first time being when he (now it could very well be a different squirrel entirely, but for the sake of my vendetta, I’m declaring it the same one) dropped an acorn just right from the tree onto my car that was parked under, which resulted in my back glass giving out and shattering to pieces.

No bueno.

The second being yesterday afternoon, when the rapid hell beast went rouge and caught me off guard when he burst out of my hedges with Bruce Lee Kung Fu fighting action.

He was nuts.

He was insane.

He was out for blood and I was going to be his next victim.

I let out a shriek of terror, the kind of shriek that could be passed off as a Mariah Carey cover.

I ran, he chased, I screamed.

I was the blonde busty virgin to his Jason Voorhees.

Luckily for me I made it to my door and was able to scramble inside and live to see another day.

Suck on them apples, Jason!

I shake my mind back to the present and go to turn off the water hose.

Flicking my fingers against my pants in an attempt to rid them of the cool water from the gardening, I make my way back up to the door and head inside.

When I reach the open doors I stop midstep.

There, chilling like the freaking Queen of Sheba, is my arch nemesis, Mr. Squirrel.

“You!” I growl out with a flavor of distaste, alerting the tree rat of my presence, “Get the hell out of my house!”

He does nothing but stare me down, hints of “make me, bitch” burning across his demonic pupils with challenge.

It was in that moment that I knew, I knew that I was about to have the showdown of my life.

I was Braveheart and he was King Edward I.

I would have to fight for my home, my land, and my pride.

I call for my troops, well, troop.

“CROWLEY!”

At the sound of my distress, Crowley comes booming in like a bat out of hell. He goes on high alert as he puts himself between me and the squirrel, blocking me off from any attacks or damage.

He growls with fury and protective instinct.

The two have a mini showdown, both holding their ground, neither one planning to lose.

I release the order.

“GET EM, CROWLEY!”

Crowley charges forward with a hop of his stubbly legs, his huge ass ears perked at full mass.

But he was met with a counterstrike.

Mr. Squirrel gave zero fucks today.

He leaps forward with his arms and legs spread wide, fully ready to take down his Goliath.

Crowley freaks.

The chicken shit.

He runs back to me, horror reading off his face with a, “fuck that!”

I scream.

I scream and make a break for my open kitchen that sits right beside the french doors.

I continue to scream as the hell spawn follows us.

I look around frantically for a weapon, something that won’t hurt the demented creature, but would hopefully scare him out of my house.

A broom.

Yes. A broom.

I grab the cleaning utensil and I start waving it around like a Jedi facing a Sith.

It was on like motherfucking donkey kong.

“FUCK YOU!” I yell repeatedly as I battle Mr. Squirrel throughout my kitchen and dining room.

Items are knocked off counters, walls banged, curses yelled.

I saw my opening and took it when I finally got him in front of the still opened doors.

I let out a high pitched banshee shrill as I charge forward, my makeshift sword held out in front of me, spinning like a katana.

“AHHHHHHHH”

He bolts.

Taking his leave from the madness before him.

Finally grown tired from this hectic game of thrones.

I get Mr. Squirrel out the doors and I slam them shut behind him.

Putting my back to the closed doors, and sliding to the ground to sit and rest, I finally breathe for the first time in what seemed like an eon.

I had won.

I reclaimed my home and defeated my adversary.

I looked the devil in the eye and told him to suck it.

Fuck yeah.