#henny as the best man

[0shewrites0]

It's sucks that we can't have Henrik as Lucas' best person in wedding special. I hope I can see a headcanon about Henrik being his best bro's best person. Is it desperate to ask??

Hi there! It's certainly not desperate to ask! 🫶��

Although I have to admit I'm no Henrik expert (unlike @longbobmckenzie), so there's a good chance I'm getting it all wrong.

Anyway, I'm going to focus on Lucas being Henrik's best mate in this scenario. It’s just easier like that 🥲

🤎 puns. You can bet that Henrik constantly makes puns that he thinks are funny, even though they are just annoying (at least according to Lucas, but that man hardly ever finds anything funny that others say anyway 💀😂), such as: “I recognise my place here. A best man is similar to a dead body at a funeral. Of course I’m expected to be there but if I say too much then you, my man, start freaking out” because Lucas would freak out at some point

🤎 his best man speech. Speaking of puns: Henrik will definitely roast his best mate during his best man speech! And he will preface his speech with something that goes something like “it’s been an emotional day, even the cake is in tiers” with a shit-eating grin on his face

🤎 teasing & mischief. Henrik will tease Lucas about how much of a control freak he is, especially on that day. And if Henrik had been Lucas's best man in that wedding special, he would have locked Lucas up in that stupid dove cove himself. 😭😂 Just for fun and to help him "relax a bit", "frown a bit less if he doesn't want his forehead to wrinkle before he turns 30" and just "live a little". But Henrik, being Henrik, wouldn't be able to keep that to himself for long and would most likely give himself away with his sly grin and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes 🥹

🤎 chaos. He would cause as much chaos as possible! He's the best man, and if there's one day he can (actually physically needs to - yes, it’s an itching urge he can’t suppress!) do just that, it's definitely his best friend's wedding, duh

🤎 moissanite stone. We all remember how Henrik teased Lucas about how "it’s all about moissanite stones these days because they have a higher brilliance", right? Henrik was already teasing him about it during the show. So if it's MC that Lucas is marrying and they got together during Love Island, you can bet he'll bring that up again, because you can be sure Lucas gave his fiancée a ring with a spectacular moissanite stone in it 😈

🤎 koala. That being said, Henrik would probably freak out at some point too. I think he's actually a highly sensitive person who picks up on the mood of the people he knows best, and that includes Lucas. So while Lucas is totally losing it (because commitment is still scary for him), it makes Henrik nervous and he tries to be there for Lucas, but in his own way. So he would definitely trap Lucas in some tight hugs, which serve to calm Lucas's nerves, sure. But at the same time, it's about Henrik trying to calm himself down. He'd cling to Lucas's back like a bloody baby koala until Lucas shoves him away with an annoyed look, but at the same time he can't hide the fact that he thinks it's ridiculously cute. He'd probably hiss "bloody melt" under his breath and then ruffle Henrik's hair, at which point the latter would break out into a huge grin 🥹🥹

🤎 support. But apart from that, he would be so supportive! He’s not the best at organising stuff (unless it’s mountain climbing ofc 💀😂), so he’d probably mess up a few things, but he does his best, and you know you can't stay mad at him for long when he looks at you with those damn blue eyes and gives you his best Nordic gods smile that makes your knees go weak

[thewritingpossum]

Good, stay sad bitch!

[iwanty0uu]

“𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑃𝑢𝑚 𝑃𝑢𝑚 𝑁𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟“~𝓁ℯ𝓁ℯ ✧˚ · . ✧˚ · . ✧˚ · .

pt2…

A day had passed since you met connie in the auditorium of your physics class, and since you didnt have that class everyday, you decided it would be the best spend time in the library getting a head start on a paper. Your fingers quickly moved along your purple keyboard, eyes focused on the screen making sure to not accidentally delete the second page of your assignment. You were good at focusing but the bald boy wouldn’t stop crossing your mind. “hm” you thought to yourself while picking at the piece of paper with his number on it. It took everything in you to not give in and text him last night, but you stayed strong. Your focus shifted back on your paper determined to finish at least three pages as you thought of treating yourself to Starbucks and catching up on your favorite game, the Sims. “I wonder how he’s holding up in class without me” ..

~ he wasn’t holding up at all actually.

Connie grew restless shifting uncomfortably in his seat waiting for you to enter the large metal auditorium doors, he expected a brown head held up high, looking right at him with big eyes that could easily hypnotize anyone, but instead, he was met with the beady rat eyes of a bald, barley blonde old man. His grey tuxedo was made with that itchy string like material, and his black bow tie sat tightly around his fat red neck. He looked as old as time, and the wrinkles on his face made his lizard like face, made it no prettier. Disappointed, Connie continued to reminisce about yesterday. It was too soon to start missing someone he barley communicated with, he just met you and shared more words on paper with you than he did using his mouth. He couldn’t help but regret not searching you down like a hound yesterday when he had the chance.Not making his situation any better, his friends noticed how antsy Connie was and Connie could already smell their lame ass jokes. “Damn connie, you whipped over a girl you just met? You think you alecia keys or something” Jean asked, opening a Poland spring water bottle and putting it to his lips, when he was suddenly met with a fist in his stomach, causing him to choke. “Bro don’t piss me off, circus pony lookin ass, you just mad cus she noticed me and not your long headed ass.” he said mugging Jean who had tears running down his face, holding his stomach from from the pain now doubling over on his chair.” Well fuck you too” he said slapping the back of Connie’s head, the sound echoed through the room making the brunette girl laugh.

“Sasha i know your big ass not laughing” connie said turning around abruptly “my fault gang” a deadpan looked shot across her face as she put her hands up,“no need to be mean best friend” she said patting his shoulder gently. “Somebody pissed in his Henny this morning” Eren mumbled while finishing the last of his brownie. “You taking edibles at 10 in the morning…did you even drink tea?” “ why so sassy bro? we didn’t tell your girlfriend to skip class” A dark skin boy said putting his pre-rolled blunt in the Calvin Klein pouch that rested over his shoulder. “whatever man..” Connie was stressed, and school was no help, everything reminded him of you, he thought every girl with the same orange purse you had on yesterday could have been you, and scanned every room he entered for your black curls, the deep coconut infused scent of vanilla he noticed when you sat in front of him seemed to be everywhere, he smelled it so much that he thought he was going crazy. So when his friend group mentioned a kickback they were throwing, just for some close friends, he hoped desperately that you would be there. After all it was his life long best friend Sasha’s idea, and she did it because she hasn’t seen connie so strung on a girl in years..literally since his freshman year of high school, and what type of friend would she be if she didn’t use her stalking skills to get her friend the girl of his dreams?

She walked into the library holding her phone and computer, sitting next to a girl with grey leggings and a black essentials hoodie. Her nike socks were stretched a over her ankles,bringing out her Military style retro Jordans.

Her puff was slightly covered by her hoodie while the top still peeked out,and her head rested on her arms on the table, it would be awkward to sit directly next to a sleeping person, so she mindfully placed a chair across from her, began to work. “okay, so mystery girl probably lives in the dorms, imma check the residents list first” she mumbled to herself as the familiar scent of coconut and vanilla swarmed her nose. She furrowed her brows as she lowered the computer screen in front of her, which dimmed the light on her brightened face, the sleeping girl sat up and stretched, picking up the paper on the table and placing it into her pocket. “is that her?” Sasha didn’t have time to question herself, but she did question the girl. “Um excuse me?” she said softly, “I’m sorry if i woke you up but like..aren’t you the pretty girl from my physics class yesterday?” as you stopped packing yourself up and looked at her you remembered the brown haired girl who waved to you ,“you didn’t wake me up girl” you smiled, face stretching as a yawn crept out. “oh shit yea i remember youuu whats your insta i wanna be friends” you said pulling your phone out happily. “damn i love her already” Sasha thought to herself almost forgetting about the link up, “Oh! my friends and I are having a kickback later, and i wanted you to come, ill text you the details okay boo?” Your face lit up quickly and you mentally screamed, you had been waiting for this moment for what felt like your whole life, and trusted the girl even though you didn’t know her name, so it wasn’t a surprise that you showed up in your best “i put dat shit on” outfit.

Walking into the house, the heavy scent of weed filled your nose, “damn i hope i don’t smell like an eighth after i leave this shit” you texted your best friend Serenity who laughed at your remark. Your light blue jean skirt hugged your waist and barley covered your ass, as the tied black and white, printed baby tee revealed the curve in your back slightly. Your brand new dior converse glistened as it reflected against the light, your small silver Telfar stood pretty around your chest, separating your breasts. Your curly hair was in the same puff from earlier and silver jewelry adorned your ears,neck, nose, arms, and belly button, you love you some jewelry. Greeted by the brunette, which you now know as Sasha, the rest of the crew said their hellos and you made your way to Connie who was occupied talking to some dudes. Eyes looking up, tongue still on the half rolled blunt, a smile didn’t even creep on his face,it flew naturally into its rightful place. He stood up walking to you, spliff in hand and now all perfectly rolled up. His excitement got ahead of him, he didn’t want to seem desperate which he was, so he pretended to dust of his jeans and slow his pace. “Wassup y/n” he said giving you a side hug, “hey connie” you said taking in his scent, he smelled so sexy, your panties dropped right then and there. “i heard Sasha invited you?” he asked as he motioned for you to follow him,”you drink?” he asked pointing towards the Smirnoff pack resting in the cooler. You grabbed one and leaned on the kitchen counter, heart racing in your chest.

You both talked for what seemed like an hour, mingling with the main group and then finding your way back to connie, you weren’t wasted but felt a buzz from the alcohol and weed, making you a little more impulsive than usual. “hey connie, can i call you con?” you asked innocently, the look in your eye made his body stiffen “of course” he said softly, as soft as he possibly could, you looked so delicate and gentle, and was surprised when your staring contest was forced to an end as you stepped closer to him, tugging on his shirt slightly to reach his level, and kissed him. The taste or alcohol mixed with the sweet vanilla taste of your lipgloss, the kiss deepened as his tongue swiftly moved against your bottom lip asking for an entrance, you felt like only you two were in your own universe. Sasha nudged her friend Mikasa who looked up over the kitchen counter and at your make-out session. “Sasha you need to make this fucker pay you for your elite services” she giggles dapping Sasha up. You slyly pulled away from the kiss getting all shy, and stated quietly “ i want a little more privacy..can we do this somewhere else?” You hoped to go all the way for the first time with Connie, but the reminder of the pudge that sat in front of you almost made you change your mind. You simply decided that if he really liked you, he would deal with all of you, even the parts that you disliked. So as you hesitantly followed connie to an empty room, you sucked up all your fear and hoped for the best.

The night was everything but over.

[huffle-dork]

Long Live the King

Chapter 8: Under Elder Wings

Read Fantasy Masks | Read Swapboys | Read the first FM adventure | Other Multiverse Adventures | Read on AO3

The first day on the ship passes without much fuss.

Until, that is, the time the Swaps sat with the Phantoms to make their masks late on the first day. 

It was a bit chaotic, trying to hold a bucket of water still on a shifting and ever swaying deck. But that’s how you make the plaster, after all. Mixing the dried plaster with water, The boys all take turns holding the bucket still. 

The Swaps wanted to be a bit more unique with their masks, but also stick with the Phantoms’ rules. Dr. J ends up making a dove mask, though he uses a base from the Phantom’s to do so. It’s plain and simple, which suits him just fine. 

Jackieboy thinks back to his childhood in Ireland and decides to make pine marten- or how his mam used to call them ‘cat crainn’. He remembers begging his mam to have one as a kid! 

Henny decides to get very creative and makes a hedgehog- mostly because Alt and Bro had shown him that hedgehog game they loved so much and he thought they were adorable! And his friends thought he was too! 

There was a scary moment where Henny thought to mold the masks to fit their faces he’d need to squeeze the wet plaster onto his own face. Luckily, everyone rushed to stop him and they all had a great laugh, much to Henny’s embarrassment. 

Bro watches and helps his friends make their masks, but can’t help feeling a bit sad. Alt really would have enjoyed this… 

Once the masks are dry, the fantasy boys tell the Swaps what their symbols mean. Marvin encourages Henny to put the magician suits on his mask for his magic. Dr. J, already sticking with a bird to fit the theme the doctors had, is proud to add the healer symbol to his mask. And Jackieboy adds the fighter symbol, like his other self and Bro. He might not be the best fighter yet- but he had time to learn. 

The second day passes by with even more ease.

Until, about two hours before sunset, the sound of a bell rings out. 

"Land ho!" one of the crew members shouts. In the distance there are tall cliffs overlooking a slight pebbly beach. Waves lap at the shore and the rocks surrounding the cliffs. And perched on the top is a camp made of many, many canvas tents of varying colors. It stays about fifty to a hundred feet away from the edge, but as beautiful as the location is, it still seems a bit risky.

Jackieboy looks from where he was lounging on some of the rigging and then excitedly stands up and looks out. “Yahoo!” He says and then scales down to join his friends. He’s had a lot of practice the past few days. 

Henny had run over the look out the side of the ship and grins wide as he sees the landscape. “Oh wow! So pretty!!” 

“…and dangerous- why are the tents so close to the cliff??” Dr. J mutters in confusion. 

"They're not that close," Jackie says defensively. 

"They're pretty close," Chase says. 

Jackie hesitates. "Look, I wasn't actually there when they decided where the camp would go. Me and Henrik were sort of... wandering through the foothills... heading here slowly." 

Bro looks up from where he was training, as he’s been doing most days. Then, Jackieboy lands beside him and Bro grins. “You’re getting pretty good at that!” 

Jackieboy laughs, “I gotta see if I can rent a boat back home and do some videos on one man- it’s been so much fun!”

Marvin comes up from below deck. He looks a bit pale, but not really sick. "I heard the bell. Are we there?" 

"Yes," Jackie says. 

"Finally!" 

Are you okay, Marvin? Jameson asks. 

"I just... still don't like ships, I think," Marvin mutters. "Not like some people." He looks at Jackieboy. 

Henny tries to give Marvin a gentle smile. “It’s good to see you though!” 

Dr. J nods with Marvin, “The tonic made it easier but yeah… I think I much prefer dry land… or at least easier waters…”

"I think if you were from this world, Vsevna would be begging you to join his crew." Marvin tells Jackieboy. 

Jackieboy grins wide at Marvin and laughs, “If I was from this world, I’d probably join! Maybe I was meant to be a sailor in another life!” 

"Where are he and Henrik, anyway?" Jackie asks. 

"Cabin," Chase says. When Jackie and Marvin laugh, he shakes his head. "Don't think like that. I think it's something serious." 

Jackie becomes serious in turn. "Maybe he's telling Vsevna about his curse." 

"Hope that goes well," Marvin mutters. "If it doesn't, I'm going to hex Vsevna."

Dr. J looks towards the cabin with concern, “Oh yes… his curse. …Vsenva is a good man, I’m sure he’ll understand.” 

Henny agrees, nodding. “Yes! And he cares for other me so much! I see it in his eyes- it is very sweet!”

Jackie chuckles. "Yea, Henrik probably has nothing to worry about with Vsevna. He just... worries too much." 

"Well, let's give him time," Marvin says. 

Is there anything we can do to help the crew? Jameson asks. 

"I don't think I've learned much about all the ship stuff," Chase says slowly. "Not enough to help." 

"Have you actually learned anything about the ship while climbing all over it, Jackieboy?" Jackie asks. "Or do you just like climbing?"

Jackieboy beams, “Actually! I learned a ton! The lads working up there taught me a bunch! Like the ropes that hold each mast up are called the shrouds- and the ladders hung between shrouds are called rat lines! And you should try to have a least 3 parts of your body touching or you could fall- and you go up there to either tie the gaskets or pack it up! Or use the crow’s nest to see land!” 

Dr. J stares, his mouth a bit agape. “you learned all that in two days?!” 

“Wasn't hard! And it was interesting!” 

“That is so cool, Jackie!!” Henny says excitedly. 

“That was way too many words for me to process but proud of you, man!” Bro laughs. 

As the crew runs around unloading things and preparing the rowboats, the guys from this world listen, impressed, to Jackieboy. 

"He's like you," Jackie says, nudging Marvin. 

"Huh? He's literally you." 

"No, I mean, you can learn so fast about magic and stuff." 

"You can learn so fast about combat and stuff." 

"Okay, okay, fine." 

Jackieboy laughs, “I can learn lots of things if I hyperfixate! The downside is I usually can’t focus on anything else.”

“And yet you got C’s in college-“ JJ says with a laugh and shake of his head, “Jackie Mann, you are a wonder.” 

Jackie grins, “I try!” 

Chase tilts his head. "What's, um... 'kahlledsh'?" 

I don't think that's how you say it at all, Jameson says, grinning.

Dr. J blinks then hides his laugh behind his hand, “College” he repeats slowly, “Usually we call it university or uni. It’s a school, typically for younger adults who go to learn about things they wanna pursue later in life. Bro, Jackie and I all went to the same one.” 

“That’s how we met!” Jackieboy smiles, “Though- I didn’t become good friends with Bro until he saved me from a bad fall.” 

Bro grins and brings Jackieboy in to noogie him. “You’re so lucky you didn’t break your neck!” 

At that very moment, Henrik appears seemingly out of nowhere. "I've heard there are higher schools like that all across the southern continent." 

"Holy Elders' flame!" Jackie gasps, hand instinctively going to his sword before he quickly lets go. "Where did you come from?!" 

"Somewhere else," Henrik says vaguely. If they look closely, they might notice that his eyes are a bit red. 

"Everything... doing fine?" Chase asks. 

Henrik smiles. "Yes, everything is fine, thank you. Great, in fact." 

Marvin relaxes. "Good to hear. So... there are these kallesh--k-kollesh--kolledzh--schools on other continents?" 

"Yes, I hear there are some in Saelas too," Henrik says. "Though Saelas is fond of its philosophy and such, so all the schools there will be devoted to that. In the south you can have a great time learning about whatever knowledge you want. History, art, medicine, maths, magic. They are very well-learned down there. Nemet told me once that they have a great library in her home country of Kha'Nephthys, one where a copy of every book is stored. Not sure how true that can be, but it is what she claimed." 

“Ah like the library of Alexandria!” Dr. J says with sparkling eyes, “Oh… that would be a sight to see…” But, he looks back to the others and smiles, “But yes, the southern schools Henrik described are like our universities. There’s a lot of different subjects to study- which is how the three of us ended up at the same school despite our different life paths.” 

Henny sighs, “I wish I could have studied at university! We could not afford it in my time.” 

"That would be a nice place to go," Marvin says, eyes lighting up. 

"Sounds boring," Jackie says. 

"I'd be a bit curious..." Chase says. 

I always wanted to learn more music, do you think I could learn music there? Jameson wonders. 

Henrik chuckles. "Yes, you could learn music there. You could learn just about anything." 

Meanwhile, the crew is lowering one of the boats into the water. Vsevna approaches the group. "Would you all like to row out first, again?" he asks the swaps. "Ankhi and Felicia would be happy to help." 

It's obvious that he starts holding Henrik's hand as soon as he walks over, their pinkies hooked together. Literally everyone notices. 

Henny sees them holding hands and he gasps lightly, putting his hands on his cheeks in exaggerated glee. Jackieboy notices Henny getting too excited and drags him over, “Yeah, that sounds good! Wouldn’t wanna get in the way!” 

Bro blinks, “I can help unload if you all need again-“

"Your help was greatly appreciated, if you would like," Vsevna says to Bro. 

Bro grins, “It’s no problem!” He hurries off to go help. 

“And the rest of you." Vsevna gestures at the boat. "I suggest you get in a rowboat now if you are afraid of heights and do not want to climb down the side." 

Marvin raises his hand. "Can I--" 

Let's help unload, Marvin, Jameson interrupts, then starts pulling him off. 

"Oh! Alright, Jair, fine."

The other swaps laugh a bit at Marvin being dragged away. “We’ll head to the rowboats then, see you all on land!” Dr. J says cheerfully. 

"I'll come with you guys," Chase says. "Make sure they know you're all friendly." 

Jackieboy looks at the rigging sadly and pats some of the ropes. “It was fun while it lasted-“ 

“Oh don’t be dramatic, Jackie, c’mon-“ JJ sighs and starts dragging Jackieboy towards the rowboats. Henny giggles and waves to the others before following after them. 

The two sailors, Ankhi and Felicia, greet them warmly, and soon the group is in the rowboat and heading towards the cliffs. It's a bit more of a rocky ride than the one coming to the ship, but still tolerable. They touch down on the pebbly beach and Felicia points out a steep path up to the tops. "We'll stay until we see you reach there," she says.

Dr. J smiles, “Thank you!” He’s so thankful to be back on dry land but when they step off- he and Henny seem to wobble- like they can still feel the waves. They unfortunately cling to Jackieboy, who tries to help them up the path towards the top of the cliff.

Henny seems to get his land legs back pretty quickly, much to his relief. But, after a near face plant and tons of intense swaying, Dr. J is practically plastered to Jackie’s side as they make their way up.

Chase isn't doing much better than JJ, clinging to the rock wall of the cliffs. "Oh thank the Elders," he breathes once they reach the top.

 A woman in a bear mask walks over. "Who--oh, Chase!" 

"Hey Holly." Chase gives her a weak smile. 

"Still on your sea legs, I see?" Holly chuckles. "Who're these guys?" 

"Visitors. The me from another world is here, too, but he's still on the boat. These are his friends." Chase gestures at them. "Jackieboy, JJ, and Henny." 

"Dyakibadh, Dayday, Henni?" Holly shakes her head. "I'll get used to those names eventually." She smiles at them. "Welcome to the Cliffs of Feall, boys."

Henny smiles wide at Holly, “Hello Miss Holly! Thank you for the warm welcome!” 

Dr. J wobbles in Jackieboy’s grip and he has to grab the doctor before he falls, “Careful doc- not so fast…” 

“I am never going on a boat again…” JJ moans, looking nauseous.

Holly chuckles. "Not a fan of them myself. I'm guessing they're unloading right now. Here, come sit down. We have a central fire up." 

It is a bit chilly out here, with the wind from the sea. 

“Ah… thank you…” Dr. J breathes, suppressing a shiver from the cold air. Jackieboy also tries not to show he’s cold as they eagerly head towards the fire. 

As the first group closes the distance to camp, the rowboats back at the ship set off. Henrik stays on deck for a moment, then quickly joins Bro and the others in the boat, his face very red. Back on deck there's an audible "Oooooo!" like a sitcom laugh track, followed by Vsevna yelling defensively. Henrik's face gets more red. 

"Let's not say anything for once," Marvin mutters to Jackie, who nods. Jameson gives Henrik a supportive smile.

Bro looks back at that boat and Henrik’s expression before he grins. But he doesn’t poke fun, just claps Henrik on the shoulder.

"Um... does the rest of the camp know about our... quest?" Chase asks as they walk, Jackieboy and Dr. J just slightly ahead. 

"Marvin told everyone. Or, he told some of us and it spread from there. And we've had bags of supplies packed for you all when you return, in case you wanted to head out immediately." 

Chase smiles. "Thank you. But I think we'll need some time. And these four are coming with us, too, so we'll need more than whatever you've already packed." 

Holly nods. "Got it. I'll tell Ana and her guys."

Henny stays closer to Chase in case he needs help over to the fire- but also to talk more with Holly. “You are all so prepared! But I guess that does make sense since this is an important quest you are going on.” 

Holly nods. "Indeed! I've never heard of anything like this happening out of stories." 

"Me neither," Chase mutters. "I can't believe King Samuel and the Elder Horned One have gotten together to get me into the Wyldwood." 

"It's wild, isn't it? You, from the other worlds, have you learned about our King Samuel?" 

Henny blinks, “King Samuel? I do not believe we have heard anything about him yet…” He looks to JJ to confirm. Dr. J shakes his head, then regrets it. 

"Oh, I can take it from here," Chase says to Holly. "King Samuel the Green-Eyed was the first King of Glasúil. A long time ago, there were seven clans on the island. Samuel was of the Seipteach clan. He became its leader and then, through both combat and negotiation, he united all the others. The kingdom is called Glasúil because it means 'green eyes' in an older version of our language." He laughs. "And that man's ghost wants to see me." 

Dr. J chuckles, “I did wonder where the name Glasuil came from… now I know!” 

Henny seems enthralled by the story, “Oh! His ghost is still around?? He must want to help you with that spirit!” 

Chase laughs a bit. “I guess so. We didn’t even know he was a ghost until he appeared to Marvin. Maybe this spirit is making such a mess of things that he returned from after life.” 

As he explains, the group arrives in the camp. It's bustling, with people rushing about, all of them having a white Phantom mask somewhere on their person. They glance at the swaps as they appear, but dismiss them when they see they have masks as well. 

Jackieboy glances at everyone as he helps lead Dr. J in and then grins, flicking the pine marten mask around his neck. “Man- these things are handy~!”

“Only if you don’t have glasses to wear-“ Dr. J mutters, his own dove mask clipped to his belt. 

“Well it sure beats all the stares we got when we first got onto the Serpent’s Wake!” 

Soon they reach a central fire. Flat stones have been piled up in a low wall around a large fire. A cauldron hands on a spit nearby ready for dinnertime. Chests and boxes serve as seats.

Jackie helps Dr. J to sit down before sitting down next to him on a larger chest. JJ lightly lays his head against him. “My mask is very cute… but yes the glasses do make it tricky…” Henny says with a light frown, fidgeting with his hedgehog mask as he takes a seat by his friends. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the rowboats have finally landed. Jackie gets out first, looks at the steep path, and shakes his head. “Even with us leaving some supplies behind, I don’t know how we’re getting everything back up. I don’t know how we got it down in the first place.” 

“Very carefully,” Henrik says. “And with some lightening charms.”

Bro looks at the cliff and then scoffs with a sly grin. He looks to the others and points his thumb at himself, "Also before- you didn't have Bro Fantastic to help! This is no big~!" 

Jackie laughs. "That's true. If you're able to fly some stuff up the side of the cliffs, that would be great." 

"We can carry the stuff we took down in the first place," Marvin says, securing the straps on his bag.

Bro grins wide and give a two fingered salute to the others, "No problem!" He flies off to start grabbing the heavy stuff to fly up to the cliff side.

“Thank you!” Jackie shouts. He turns back to the others. “Everyone else, grab at least one thing.” 

Bro grabs as much as he can carry and flies up to the edge of the cliff, looking around to find a good empty place to put them. He’s balancing things a bit precariously in his arms.

“Bro! There!” Jackie gestures to a clear spot—looking like one of those airline workers with the glowing stick. Marvin grabs his focus and prepares a levitation spell to help out Bro. 

Bro laughs at the sight of Jackie and then hurries to place the stuff where he pointed. Then, he dives back down to get any more supplies and repeats as many time as they need.

Some time later, everything is up on the top of the cliffs. I can’t wait to see the others, Jameson says. It feels like it’s been forever. 

“Let’s go to it, then!” Henrik says cheerfully. Him and Jameson start to make their way up to camp as Bro lands once more by Jackie and Marvin. 

"Thank you so much, Bro," Jackie says. "We can bring this all closer later. For now, I want to catch up with the others." 

"You know we'll probably be making the others move the supplies," Marvin says. "After all, we were planning on going to the Wyldwood as soon as we can." 

"Eh, we'll work something out."

Bro grins and nods, "Yeah- you all have been away for a while huh? I really only remember properly meeting Anna... but i wonder if anyone else remembers me!" He laughs and floats back up, "I'll catch you guys up there!" 

Back at camp, Holly begins talking to other Phantoms, asking them to gather more supplies. As she does, a dark-skinned woman with a long-beaked bird mask runs up to the fire. “Hen—! Oh.” She stops, confused, looking between Henny and JJ. “I’m sorry. I thought one of you was someone else.” 

Henny jumps slightly as the dark-skinned woman runs up, and Dr. J blinks a bit in surprise. Then, Henny laughs and waves his hand, "It is okay! I am sure seeing me and expecting the other-me would be confusing! I am also Henrik- but you can call me Henny!" 

“Hey Nemet!” Chase brightens. “You’re okay! Henrik’s on another row boat, he’ll be so glad to see you! Guys, this is Nemet, she’s one of our doctors.” 

“Good to meet you,” she says, smiling.

Dr. J smiles, "Nice to meet you, Nemet." 

Jackieboy waves a hand, "Yo~!" 

"Hanny--no, Henny," Nemet repeats, giving a small laugh. "I have it. And you two?" 

"That's JJ and that's Jackieboy," Chase explains. "Jameson and Jackie from this other world. The other me is here, too." 

"Jaijai, Jahkiboh--Jahkiboi." Nemet nods. "Have those, too. I see you have masks already. They're very nice. I think we still have other Chase's, too. Holly?!" She turns back towards her. "It might be in storage!" 

Holly shouts back. "Have it!" 

"Oh 'cool,' so Bro will have his mask again, soon!" Chase says cheerfully. 

Henny claps with a bright smile, "Oh yay! He will be so happy to hear that!" 

Jackieboy giggles, "Listening to everyone try to say our names is kinda entertaining-" 

"Don't be rude!" Dr. J whispers to Jackie, hitting him slightly. Jackieboy just laughs some more. 

Nemet laughs. “It is fine, don’t worry. I speak many languages, I know how silly it can sound to try and say something from one with the sounds of another. Not everyone will be such good spirits, though.” 

“We’re extremely lucky we have the opportunity to understand and speak with you all, despite our language barriers,” Dr. J says with a kind smile. 

“Yea, that translation spell is really helpful,” Chase agrees. 

“Oh, does it work on any language?” Nemet wonders. The guys then perceive her switching languages, but still hear it in English. “Can you understand me right now?”

Dr. J laughs and nods, “Yes! It’s very handy. Alt really did his research.” Henny looks thoughtful, “Does it work in reverse for you all? I wonder if you would understand if I spoke German…” he thinks of something to say and then looks to Nemet, “Ich mag deine Maske! Es ist sehr schön. genau wie du bist!” he gives Nemet a little wink after saying this. …which would be lost if it doesn’t translate...

Nemet grins. "Yes, I can understand that!" She laughs a little. "And thank you. This is an ibis, it is a river bird from my home." 

"I still wonder if the beak gets in the way," Chase mutters. 

"Not enough to change it. And look at your antlers." 

"That's fair." 

The swaps laugh at this exchange. 

Dr. J shakes his head, "I wonder how you're able to walk around with that on... I feel like they would catch on so many things!" 

At that moment, there's a shout. Henrik rushes over and immediately tackles Nemet in a hug--an uncharacteristic gesture that shows just how joyful he is. "You're alright! Nemet, you're alright! I cannot believe it! Thank the stars, thank the sun and moon!" 

Nemet stumbles backwards from the force of it and then laughs. "Good to see you, Henrik!" 

The swaps all jump at Henrik rushing and then look at each other and smile. Henny awws and holds his cheeks. 

"Yes, it has been a while," Henrik says, letting go of Nemet. "Last I saw you you were fighting Thalia Tinechroi. I-I was so worried something had happened." 

"Well, it was not an easy fight." Nemet shakes her head. "I have some scars from it. But I am glad Holly was around to get me here and help treat the wounds." Is there a little bit of a blush beneath her mask? 

Dr. J tilts his head at the bit of blush beneath Nemet's mask. Hm... 

And then, Bro is landing by the fire pit, wiping sweat off his brow and grinning at the others, "Hey! What'd I miss?"

”Oh!" Henrik jumps in surprise. "Hello, Bro! Y-you scared me a little, hah." 

"Sorry!" Bro laughs timidly, messing with the back of his hair.

"Hello, other Chase," Nemet says. 

In the distance, Holly shouts out a greeting and waves at Bro. "Hi!" Chase waves. "You didn't miss much. We were testing the translation spell and its limits." 

Hello, Bro, JJ says, who's been standing quietly in the background while Henrik reunites with Nemet. 

Bro brightens up as he sees the others greeting him and waves at them, "Hey! uh... what was it...? Oh! Hwaet!"

Henrik, Jameson, and Chase all chuckle hearing Bro say their greeting. 

"You're getting very good at that," Chase says, smiling. 

"Though it was strange, you were speaking Glasish for a while before you regained your memories," Henrik says. "Wonder why that is." 

While we wait for Jackie and Marvin, let's warm up a bit, it's chilly, Jameson says, sitting down on one of the boxes. 

"Yes, we should rest a while before we head out again."

Bro blinks in surprise, "I was??" He looks shocked and tries to search through his memories, "...that's so weird...! I was just- racking my brain to try to remember that one but... I-I guess it did come easier to me then I thought it would..." 

"I thought the way you and Alt were talking was weird!" Jackieboy says, connecting the dots, "I mean- we still heard it in English but you were all talking so- fancy-like... or something." 

"Just like a royal knight in a fairytale," Henny agrees. 

Bro frowns at this and goes to sit by the fire, "Hm... I guess... that has to do with the TRVLR messing with my memories too then...? I mean... if I believed I was from here... I'd have to speak the language too...?" He laughs bitterly, "But now I... I don't think I could speak Glasish if I wanted to..." 

Dr. J hums, "Maybe it had something to do with Alt's magic from the translation spell too...? But- I wouldn't know... magic is already strange to me and this whole situation just makes it all the more confusing." 

"You're telling me..." Bro mutters with another bitter laugh.

The world is confusing, Jameson agrees. Let alone all the collections of other worlds as well. But Marvin knows a lot about magic, maybe he has some ideas? Let's wait for him. 

Not long after, Marvin and Jackie appear. The others, except Bro, all look up and smile at Jackie and Marvin's return. Bro is staring at the fire, lost in thought. 

"Nemet!" Jackie gasps. "Hey!" He drops the bag he's carrying and rushes over, giving her a side hug. 

"Nemet!" Marvin gives an uncharacteristic smile. "They were worried about you! I was too, of course, but I didn't see what happened--" 

Nemet laughs. "I will explain later. The others have questions about magic." 

"Yea, do you remember how Bro and Alt were speaking Glasish before?" Chase says. "Why do you think that is?" 

Marvin frowns. "It could be that when Magnificent attacked them the magic from whatever translation spell they're using got mixed up in the magic suppressing their memories. Or maybe when they appeared with no memories, the world's magic flowed in to fill in the empty spots. Or maybe it's something we can't know about, something from the other worlds."

Bro comes back from his thoughts when he hears his name and listens to Marvin's explanation. He shrugs, "... yeah... Any of those makes sense..." He sighs and rubs the back of his neck before laughing quietly, but its a sad laugh. "... I don't know why cuz I won't like... use it regularly but... I'm bummed that I can't still speak it... I barely even remember being able to!" 

"Well- it seems to remember some words..." Dr. J says gently, "That's something." 

Bro chuckles and nods, "Yeah I do... there's Hwaet- which is like hey- um... dia duhai- means good day, and Duhai is just hello... anddd-" 

For a second, Bro seems to stiffen, the slightest flicker of green in his eyes as he whispers, "...mu Rith-"

The guys from this world all stiffen in unison. 

"That's, um... not a phrase most people use..." Marvin says slowly. 

"It's pretty much only used by those serving the crown in some way," Jackie mutters. "When I was a royal warrior everyone referred to the King by that." 

I suppose he would have made sure that stuck, Jameson says slowly. 

The swaps also stiffen, looking at Bro with apprehension. 

Bro, for a second, is unresponsive, a dazed look in his eyes. Then, he shakes it off and holds his head, suddenly feeling dizzy. "...he... he also called us... a-a klaíoh.... my knight..." 

"Chase..." Jackieboy says quietly, slowly going to put his hand on his friend's shoulder. 

Bro jolts a bit at first but then he seems to relax and come back to himself, gently putting his hand on top of Jackie's. He gives him a weak smile, "I-I'm okay... sorry..." 

"W-well, um, we can teach you guys some new words in addition to that!" Chase hurriedly says. "Like, um--I'm not sure if the translation will pick this up, but I think intent matters--like, um, 'friend' is 'kara.' A-and 'brother' is 'deathár' but 'sister' is 'deirthúr' and 'sibling' is 'daefor' and '[sibling]' is 'deifára'--they all sound kind of similar so it's hard..."

Bro smiles at Chase trying to teach them new words, looking grateful. "...t-thanks Chase..." 

Henny brightens, "Kara...! We are all Kara! I like that word very much!"

Jackie laughs a little. "Y-yes, we're all 'kara'--or 'kairde', to use the plural." 

"Ka-ir-de!" Henny tries out, beaming. "We are all Kairde!" 

Jackie’s smile fades a bit as he looks at Bro. "Don't worry, It's probably hard to shake off. And... you want to know something interesting? Warriors in squads together sometimes call each other 'klaídafár.'" 

"Sword sibling," Henrik mutters, translating. 

"It's not something that us Phantoms often do, since not all of us are warriors," Jackie continues. "But... I think you and Alt could be our klaídafárea. If that helps at all."

Bro looks up at Jackie and actually feels slight tears brimming in his eyes. He smiles, touched, as he grips over his heart. "...klaídafárea... y-yeah..." He chokes a bit and hides his face, "...i... I really like that, Jackie... thank you..."

Jackie smiles. He reaches over to give Bro a side hug. “Not a problem.” Bro leans into Jackie's hug and smiles, wiping at his face.

“Speaking of Alt, when are we leaving to find him?” Chase asks. 

Bro's expression falls to something serious as his eyes shine with blue light. "As soon as possible." 

The other swaps exchange looks but then they nod. "We shouldn't delay if we can help it... who knows what Magnificent has done to him by now..." Dr. J says quietly.

“We have supplies ready for you,” Nemet says.

Jackie nods, eyes shining with determination. "Alright, then. Nemet, where are those supplies?" 

"Anna has them outside the storage tent," she says, pointing. "Holly also asked to see if Bro's mask was in there, so if it is, he will be able to grab it then. I hope we packed enough." 

Bro lights up slightly at the mention of his mask, "Y-You guys still have it?" He looks touched again and he smiles, getting to his feet. 

"We need lots of food and water, that's the most important thing," Marvin says. "The plants growing in the Wyldwood aren't all safe to eat. Then we need weapons, and then anything that you think might help with magical creatures." 

Jackieboy comes up besides him and knocks his shoulder and grins at him. "We'll be able to put all our training to test, huh?" 

"Yeah I guess so," Bro chuckles. 

Nemet nods. "You all should go check it, then. To be sure." 

Chase takes a deep breath. "Let's go, then." He stands up and starts walking in that direction. The others quickly follow. Henny helps Dr. J up, but the good doctor seems to have recovered. He smiles warmly at his friend. Then, all the swaps follow after the others to storage.

They do, indeed, still have Bro’s mask. “Here you go, other me,” Chase says, handing it to him.” 

Bro smiles wide at seeing the mask and takes it gently, swiping his finger over the surface. Then, he puts it on, wearing it proudly. 

"You look just like Sahne, Chase!!" Henny gasps in delight. 

The others laugh. 

“Alright, there’s a bag for everyone, it looks like,” Jackie says, picking up one of them. “Marvin, any advice on how to carry them? Is it okay to keep everything in the bag or will we need easy access to anything?” 

The swaps grab their weapons, Henny and Dr. J grab bows, Jackie grabs a knife and Bro grabs a sword and a bow, just in case.

Marvin pauses, thinking. “Weapons should be in easy reach. So you might want to keep your other sword on your hip instead of back. No need to hang the lanterns on the outside like usual, it’s always light enough to see in there, even during night. Keep flasks in easy reach for if you get thirsty. Though you probably won’t. I didn’t, only hungry, but that could have been some magic thing. Other than all that, up to you.” 

Where are we going again? Jameson asks. The direction? 

“That way.” Henrik points. “It’s a short walk to a normal forest, then through that for two hours before we reach the border. Supposedly. Few have gone there.” 

“Guess we’ll join the few, then.” Chase pulls on his bag. “Let’s go.” 

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈ 

The two hours pass as Henrik said it would. They reach the forest quickly. It’s normal and gloomy, with the faint sound of birdsong and animals rustling through the leaves. But that slowly fades over the course of the next couple hours. And up ahead, there’s a faint glow through the trees.

Bro looks around cautiously as the birdsong fades, "...why is it so... quiet?" 

"Look! There is glowys up ahead! I do not think it is our firebug friends?" Henny says, pointing.

"That's the Wyldwood," Marvin confirms in answer to both Bro and Henny's reactions. "Normal animals tend to avoid it, so you won't hear any sounds of them nearby. And there are so many glowing things in the Wyldwood. Plants, usually. Or bugs." 

Chase swallows a nervous lump in his throat. "Let's hurry up then." 

It's strange how solid of a border there is between the normal forest and the Wyldwood. Like an invisible wall is dividing them. Soon the guys come across a solid line where the regular grass and underbrush stops, replaced by waist-high ferns. Bell-shaped yellow flowers give off an interior glow and red mushrooms, fitting the white-spotted stereotype, also help light up the area. The trees are somehow more... swirly, bending and twisting in exaggerated shapes. Their bark resembles aspen trees, but the saturation is brought up so the white bark is whiter and the dark stripes are darker.

Bro gapes at the sight of the forest as they reach the border. “woahhh… this place is insane looking-“ 

“But it’s also so pretty!” Henny laughs, looking at all the glowing flowers and mushrooms. 

“Looks can be deceiving…” Dr. J mutters, holding his bag and shuffling nervously. 

“Welp- can’t find out much just- standing here.” Jackieboy says, cracking his neck- and he tries to cross into the border between the forests.

Jackieboy is able to step over the line without any issue. And with him going first, everyone else follows. 

"Try not to investigate anything too strange," Marvin says, eyes darting around. "You don't know what it could be." 

Draco walks around his ankles and strides confidently forward into the woods. 

"Yea, yea," Marvin mutters, following him. 

"Do we know where we are going?" Henrik asks. 

Marvin's eyes narrow as he stares through the forest. "I think forward. I think we follow Draco until I begin to recognize stuff. But again, we're not just looking for that blasted heath King Sam showed me. We're looking for Alt, too. And I don't know where he could be." 

Around them, the forest rustles, leaves moving despite the lack of wind. 

Bro nods, scanning the area as he keeps his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Could we use our bracelets...?" 

"No... Magnificent managed to cut Alt's off when they escaped..." Dr. J sighs. 

"Fuck-" Bro bites out, eyes glowing in anger. 

"M-Maybe the forest will be nice to us...? Because it must know we are nice... yes? And maybe it will help us!" Henny tries to say hopefully. 

"I dunno if a forest cares about moralities, Hen..." Jackie mutters.

Draco circles back around and rubs his face against Henny's legs. 

The rustling sound in the forest gets louder, a ripple of leaves coming from the distance towards the group. It seems to be coming from almost straight ahead; there's a slight diagonal to the right. 

Jameson laughs silently. I think Henny is right, actually. 

Henny brightens and gives the others a big smile. "See!! The forest and magic can also be our 'Kara' too!!" 

Jackieboy blinks then chuckles, "Well I'll be-" 

"This forest has a mind of its own, and it wants us here," Marvin says. "We just have to worry about all the things in the forest." 

"Like what?" Henrik asks. 

"Probably all the creatures from the stories," Chase says. "Kelpies, banshees, dullahans, pookas, dearg due--not to mention any Fair Folk who might have stayed behind. Oo, have you guys heard the story of Lasta and Caba? It's said that if you see two strange people playing a card game in the woods, you can try to win a prize by joining in. But watch out, because time around you will pass more quickly than time in the game."

Dr. J nervously fidgets with his pocket watch, but seems interested in Chase's story, "Huh... that seems to happen a lot of time in stories- time passing by so fast." 

"Wonder if they give out any good prizes," Bro mumbles. 

"In the stories the prizes are always minor boons," Chase explains as they want. "Things that you don't think would be helpful, but in the stories they always come in to help at the last moment. Lasta and Caba are a leprechaun and bodacha, so they can be tricky, but they reward you with minor wealth or things like luck and guidance."

 "I've never heard of a bodacha before..." Dr. J muses, "But... sounds frightening. 

"I thought bodachaed were like the bogeymen," Henrik says slowly. "Haunting you at night." 

"They seem scarier than they are," Chase says. 

Jackie raises an eyebrow. "My parents told me they had no faces. Is that true?" 

Chase hesitates for a bit too long. "Well they have hoods and long hair so it doesn't really matter. The point is they're sort of a 'scare you straight' type of creature, while leprechauns are in it for mischief and fun."

"I've at least heard of Leprechauns...." Bro says.

"How do you know so much about all these different creatures, Chase?" Henny asks with a tilt of his head, "Is that what you like to learn? Like Marvin with his magic? Or Jackie with his- rope swinging?" 

"Yeah I don't know what to call it either," Jackieboy laughs. 

Chase grins. "I guess so. My parents loved to tell me stories, and so I like to tell them to my kids. I also had a lot of time on my hands while hunting in the woods. Hunting is much more waiting than action. So I... keep note of the stories I hear." 

Like the ones about leprechauns? Jameson asks, jerking his head towards Bro's mention about them. 

"Among others, yes. Do you have those in your world, too? They're very small Fair Folk, about tthe size of an eight year old. And if you manage to trick them instead of letting them trick you, it's said they reward you with gold that shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow."

"Oh, that's fancy. Our are just on like... cereal boxes and stuff." Jackieboy laughs. 

Bro smirks, "My aunts had stories like that. Emmy was deeply Irish- she loved the folklore and telling me and Alt about them. Mostly like... stories about Changelings or... there was a guy with a magic harp I think...? But for leprechauns... I think there was a story about... someone catching one and trying to dig up his treasure but he didn't have a shovel- so he marked the spot on the tree with... something red? And when he returned the next day- every tree had that red thing." He fluffs up the back of his hair and grins bashfully, "It's been a while since I've heard the stories... so- I don't remember them too well..." 

"Oh! That actually sounds familiar- I think my mam used to tell us a story like that," Jackieboy grins. Bro and him high five.

Chase's eyes widen and he nods. "Yes! We have a story like that too! The red marks on the trees! My mom told me that one, and I told Quinten. He loved it." 

"Whoa, really?" Jackie laughs. "I suppose some things are consistent between worlds." 

Bro looks surprised by this but smiles, "Damn- maybe... the magic between our worlds is like- linked somehow- in some ways." Then he makes a face before laughing to himself quietly. "ha... I sound like Alt."

As they continue to walk, the Wyldwood dims, but it doesn't fully go dark. Small moths appear, their wings glowing a gentle yellow-green. It's much easier to walk through the Wyldwood than a normal forest since it has no undergrowth, just grass and flowers, and somehow the roots are never in their way. 

Henny is enamored by all the moths and flowers and looks around curiously. 

The sound of running water comes from up ahead, and Marvin stops, holding up a hand. "I think we should stop here," he says. "I don't think it's a good idea to get too close to water. Things might be there."

"Things as in... creatures?" Dr. J asks quietly. 

Jackieboy tilts his head, "...I'm no survivalist- but i thought travelling towards water was like- a good thing. Leads you places... or something- or is that moss?" 

"No, you're right, water is... usually a good idea..." Chase looks at Marvin worriedly. 

Marvin glances back at the others. "Last time I was here, I saw some sort of... reptilian face in the water. Like a lizard, but this big." He holds his hands about two feet apart from each other. "I don't really want to find that again. It didn't notice me last time, but something like that might notice if there's more of us." 

Henrik goes a bit pale. "We can camp here for the night, then," he says, taking off his bag. "One or two of us should keep watch." 

"I'll take the first watch, then," Marvin says.

"I'll take a watch," Bro says almost immediately after. "Won't really be able to sleep anyways..." 

"Alright- it has been a long day...." Jackieboy yawns, sitting down and putting his bag down too. 

Henny looks out at the forest with a concerned look but eventually sighs and starts to settle in. 

Dr. J anxiously bounces on his feet, looking around. "It is... safe to camp here... right?" 

Marvin looks at Draco. He is making biscuits on a patch of flowers. Then he curls up. "Yes, I think so," Marvin says slowly. 

"So we're trusting the cat, then," Jackie mutters. 

A cat made of magic, Jameson adds. 

"I know, it just seems absurd." 

"Animals have very good instincts, actually," Chase says.

Dr. J looks equally skeptical but eventually he's tugged down to sit by Henny and he relents. "I trust Draco!" Henny laughs, "I know our friends back home are very sensitive to danger. Sahne saved me from Magnificent once!" 

"Don't worry, Doc, we won't let the scary forest getcha~" Jackieboy grins. 

Dr. J makes a face at him. 

As they all talk, they sit down on the ground and start getting ready to eat and rest. The earth is surprisingly soft.

Bro smiles lightly before sitting against a tree and watching the surroundings... there had to be some sign of Alt around... right? ... but it was a big forest... he just hopes he's okay.

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

The King, Magnificent, and Alt are woken up by the sound of the forest groaning once again. They had been walking through the Wyldwood for a fully day and night. During that walk, they had seen and heard things, mostly things that the King explained were illusions. More fear-causing screams, distant lights, the sound of a party that wouldn't get closer no matter how much they walked in that direction. But no actual creatures. Not since Lasta and Caba. Even so, the forest itself has not given up on occasionally blocking their way with roots or branches. 

This morning, as they wake up in a section of the forest with red-barked trees and purple glowing flowers, Magnificent finds a vine wrapped around his ankle.

Magnificent startles awake at the vine wrapping around him and growls, trying to flick a flame at it to get to go away, "Fuck off!" 

At Mag's exclamation, Alt startles awake, looking around for danger.

The vine catches quickly and withdraws, flailing, into the ground. Another vine starts to sprout up but Aneirin lunges forward and grabs it, throwing it to the side where it withers and dies. "It's getting desperate," he mutters. "We might have to start taking watches." By which he means Alt will, of course.

Magnificent growls, "Fucking... fine. I'm not letting this shitty ass forest best us." 

Alt sinks back to where he was resting, his eyes wanting to shut again. He's so tired... resting doesn't even feel like it helps. But, it won't be long until he's ordered to move again... maybe a few more seconds will help.

Aneirin reaches for the food bag and rummages through it. He takes some bread and meat, then finds the fruit and berries from the day before. Somehow still fresh. "A klaíoh," he says, getting Alt's attention. He throws half the food he took towards him. "Eat. Then we'll head on out."

Alt slowly blinks open his eyes, wincing slightly as he takes in the command. But, he pushes himself up and starts to eat tiredly. 

Magnificent walks along the perimeter of their camp, stomping and blasting magic at anything else that tries to sprout, cursing quietly to himself.

Luckily for Magnificent, the forest seems to get the point quickly, and the vines and roots stop appearing. In fact, it seems like the grass and flowers lean a bit away from him. Magnificent snorts at the sight of this, smirking. 

Soon, Aneirin stands up. He walks around for a bit, reminding himself of the terrain. "I believe we're out of the foothills," he says. "I've been trying to remember what the Wyldwood looked like around our destination, and I believe the trees were light-colored, thin as a man's arm. Though that last part may be memory's exaggeration." He looks around, taking note of any direction that feels more promising. "What do you think of that way?" He points in a direction where the red bark of the trees seems to pale.

Mag looks towards the King and then studies the landscape. He eventually hums and shrugs, "Seems a good place to start at least- if you remember the trees being lighter."

"A good place to start indeed," Aneirin says. "Come on. Let's go." And he starts off, leading the way. 

The trees do get lighter in color, a dusty brown, but their trunks remain wide and their leaves and branches droop downwards. The glowing purple flowers are replaces by bushes of roses that glow in every color imaginable. It's stunning.

Alt dazedly walks behind Mag and the King, just as he's done for the past few days. But, slowly he takes in the gorgeous scene around them and looks around with slight wonder. Magnificent doesn't seem phased, pushing leaves and branches out of his way as they walk.

But as Magnificent steadily pushes past, he hears something. There is a movement in the corner of his vision.

Magnificent stills, glancing quickly towards the movement, magic bright and ready in his hand.

And when he turns towards it, he sees... someone. Is that... Jackie? He looks so young. That's impossible, isn't it? He grins and waves. 

Magnificent growls- about ready to shoot first and ask questions later when he pauses. His eyes widen. "...Jackie...?" He breathes. He looks like how he did in their uni days. Before... everything. 

Mag isn't quite sure when he started moving but- he's moving towards him. He wants to see him. He starts to run-

Aneirin's head snaps towards him. "Mag--!" he shouts, reaching out. And then he stops. Because there's another figure in the trees. Someone wearing a green cloak with a sword by his side. 

Aneirin's face darkens. "You," he growls, and rushes after the figure. It turns and heads off. 

Jackie meanwhile, beckons for Magnificent to come closer. Magnificent doesn't understand the feeling in his chest- or why it hurts- or why he feels so desperate. It's a feeling that he hasn't felt in years. But, seeing his friend again... exactly how he remembers him... happy to see him... Magnificent needs to be there- if only for a moment. Pretending everything was different. He reaches out, wanting to pull Jackie closer to him. 

Alt looks back, seeing the King and Mag running in opposite directions. His eyes widen as he tries to call out after them, "M-Magnificent! Mu Rith!" He then backs up, shakily putting his hand on his weapon, looking around with frantic eyes.

And yet, when he reaches for his weapon, his hand brushes against leaves. Before he can really process this, the trees move, the trunks themselves bending down as the roots and branches wrap together in a wall blocking Alt from the other two.

Once Alt has realized what has happened he panics and throws himself at the wall, “No!!” He tries to find a way through- but it’s solid. He takes shaky steps back away from the wall and sucks in breath after anxious breath. He- he doesn’t know where to go- he has no one to lead him. 

He’s… alone.

And then there's a sound--a chirping sort of call. Something brown swoops right past Alt--feathers just an inch from his face--and lands on the side of the new tree wall, clinging to the vertical surface. 

It's a bird. 

A swift.

Alt cries out and glitches away from the feathers, landing in a crouched position on the ground like a cat. Alt blinks up and feels his breath leave him The swift…! His eyes flicker with green as he struggles to remember why this bird suddenly felt so important. 

And… in its beak is the leafy thing Alt felt near his weapon--the twig he won in that game with the Fair Folk. And then the swift launches off the wall and flies away.

His eyes widen. “H-Hey!” He shouts after it and when it flies off, he quickly goes to follow it, half-glitching, half-running.

The swift is fast, and yet through his glitching he's able to keep up well enough. It helps that there's barely any undergrowth, and the trees are spreading out, though the canopy overhead remains thick with the branches interwoven. The trees get taller, as well, until--between how far the trees are from each other and how high the canopy is above--it almost feels like the Wyldwood is fading away. 

And the bird itself... looks different. Is its color changing? 

Alt glances at the changing landscape briefly as he follows the swift. He feels like- like he has to follow it. But.,, what was happening to the woods…? And the swift… its colors felt… Trying to think about that drives a heavy spike of pain into his head.

forget forget forget. 

He stumbles for a second, having to catch himself on a tree to shake off the pain. Then he panics, bursting to start running again, worried he’s fallen behind.

The ground slopes slightly. The swift moves a bit faster, lightning and squares of harsh light trailing from the ends of its wings. 

Alt uses the slope to try to slide down, gaining speed. He sees the swift flying with harsh light and he glitches more to meet its speed, even if spots start to dance in his vision.

And then the trees fall back a bit. The branches still form a ceiling high above, but natural sunlight leaks through holes in the canopy. There's a depression in the ground. In it is an old, gnarled tree with a lattice of roots that crosses over a hole in the earth. The swift flies towards the tree and drops the twig a few feet away from it. Then it circles the trunk a couple times before landing, clinging, on the vertical surface of the trunk. Its colors have definitely shifted, now shades of blue with the tinge of sunset orange and pinks on the edge of its feathers. 

As Alt enters the clearing, he winces a bit at the sunlight shining through, so used to the dim light of the woods. Once he’s adjusted he takes in the scene before him. And his breath hitches, his eyes widening. 

This is all so familiar...He… he’s seen this be- 

More bursts of pain assault his head as he crashes to his knees, crying out. He grips tightly at his head as agony pulses through his mind, his eyes trying to fill with green light. 

forget forget forget f o r g e t

The swift cocks it’s head, watching Alt with… well it’s hard to read emotions in its bird face, but it almost seems concerned. It lets out another call, like a beckon for Alt to come closer. The sound is beautiful, cutting through the noise in his head. The swift’s call feels like fresh water against the knight’s burning mind. 

The twig is still on the ground. It’s moving slightly down the faint slope towards the tree.

Alt looks up and gasps slightly at the twig moving- he can’t lose that! He shakily pushes himself up and rushes to try to grab the stick. In his desperation he glitches then crashes to the ground right by the lattice of roots, blinking spots and pain back from his eyes. 

He can remember the twig was important- 

it was for his masters-! 

no no- it was his…! He won it! 

The twig slides right up to the edge of the roots before Alt can grab it. He winces at the conflicting thoughts in his head, His fingers just touching the twig’s surface. 

The moment he does, voices seem to come from it, far away and echoey. 

“The arrogance of Hunger has no bounds it seems.” 

Alt blinks blearily and looks at the stick with wide eyes, "...Lasta and Caba...?" He whispers. 

“Indeed! Did we say that the one holding the twig would be guided? No!” 

“No indeed! It was for the young lad, not for anyone else!” 

“Did they think they could take a blessing?” 

“Seems so!” 

“Seems so. Now, where has he reached?” 

“Where indeed?” The voices fade away. 

Alt feels a sense of warmth from listening to their voices. Then, he senses movement beneath the roots of the tree He pushes to look through, but he shudders as a faint sense of dread flows through him.

And beneath the roots he sees himself. Caught in the middle of a glitch, purple wrapped around his wrists. 

Suddenly, memory returns. The dream! 

How could he have forgotten?!

Alt’s eyes widen and he almost pushes himself away- until he winces as his mind is cleared. 

That dream…! ….The king made him forget it. Why? This… this seemed important. 

Alt hardly hesitates this time- he reaches through the roots towards the other him, offering his hand.

His other self reaches up and grasps his hand, looking grateful. 

The moment the contact is made, the other Alt disappears, turning into lightning that races up Alt’s arm and into his core. He gasps, the sound soon becoming a yell. 

Memories and images flash in his head. Impossibly tall buildings, glowing squares of metal and glass, people who look like those rebels from the boat, a cat, more people—they all feel so familiar. Has he… been here before? Does he know these people? 

Why, when Magnificent flashes through his memories, does he feel dread?

Alt curls up, gripping at his heart. His eyes flash with a mixture of colors: green, purple, colored static, green-blue. 

Over and over in a confusing array as images flash painfully through his head. 

What… are all these things? The- the rebels… they’re similar- but different. They’re so… warm, in these images. Their presence feels comforting. 

Why? Why- when he sees Magnificent, his liege- does he feel… fear? Dread? …anger? 

He gasps and pants, trembling on the ground as he tries to make sense through the pain. 

What… what does all of this mean…?

As he falls to the ground he notices… the tree is gone. So are its roots and the hole in the ground. There is a tree, but it’s not the gnarled black one, just a normal one. Maybe… it was never there in the first place? 

But the swift is still there. It clings to the side of the tree, then pushes off and circles around the tree. Lightning trails from its wings and it glows brighter and brighter—until it lands on one of the tree’s branches. 

Pushing through the pulsing pain, Alt pushes himself up just enough to see the swift circle the new tree before him. His eyes widen. 

it’s not a swift anymore. It’s a larger bird. An eagle, maybe. 

<Concern. A warm worry directed at him.> 

<Empathy. The knowledge of confusion, the shared feeling of his pain.> 

<Reassurance. This is supposed to happen. It will be better soon.>

As those new feelings wash over him, Alt tries to stagger to his feet, approaching the mighty bird. “…who… are you…?” He asks in a quiet voice. 

The eagle ruffles it’s feathers. There’s a sound like distant thunder. 

<Knowledge. You know already.> 

A memory comes to Alt. Conjuring wings of green lightning, his new friends in awe, saying it was like he was blessed by the Winged Elder One themself. 

Alt’s eyes for a second flood with white as the memory comes. He stumbles back slightly, “…t-the Winged Elder…!” 

<Kinship. Though we are distant, we are the same while you are close.> 

<Sadness. Empathy for your loss.> 

<Hope. Will this be enough for you to regain what was mistakenly buried?>

Another memory plays in his head, Alt’s own voice echoing angrily- staring down at the terrified face of the his King. 

“You and every other fucking Anti out there has hurt me- hurt my friends- hurt my brother… for the last f̶̧̏u̶͙͐c̸͚̽k̶͙͊ì̸̧n̷͍͐g̶͘ TIME!”

Alt gasps again and then shuts his eyes in pain, digging fingers into his hair. These memories are so clear- unlike everything else he can remember. Why? 

None of those words made sense…! 

The king hasn’t hurt him! 

Yes he has! He stole so much from me!

Who’s Anti?

I am! I Chose that name before this one! 

who’s his brother? 

Chase chase chase! 

His brother… betrayed them… didn’t he? 

no no no! He’s coming- he’s coming to save me. I know it! 

Alt crashes back down to his knees, crying out as his mind burns more and more. 

What did he lose? Why… did he need to be saved? His mind still feels so- empty. So lost… like he was. Everything is buzzing, deafening white noise. 

The eagle swoops down from the branch and lands in front of him. 

Alt struggles to open his flickering eyes as the eagle lands in front of him. It’s all such a strong haze of confusing emotions and feelings he doesn’t even feel shocked at seeing it so close. 

Its eyes are the color of storm clouds as it stares up into his. 

<Sympathy. A deep sadness that this is happening to him.> It leans closer to him. 

<An offer. Tentative comfort.>

Alt stares at it and then at its offer, he shakily reaches out a hand.

The eagle presses its head into his hand. It’s feathers are soft, but also give off this buzzing feeling. Like holding your hand to an old CRT television… whatever that is. 

Alt relaxes as the eagle presses its head against his hand. It's so warm... He closes his eyes, a vision forming. 

<A group of birds swoops through the sky. Riding the winds, soaring through the clouds, dancing around each other in joy. Each one is different but they are all the same, too. They speak in chirps and calls, a song they all know and join in on.> 

<Two of the birds fall suddenly. The wind stops supporting them and then arrows pierce their wings. They are hurtling towards the ground. But immediately the other birds dive after them. There is not a moment where they hesitate. They dive the instant they notice. They seek to reach their falling flock members.> 

<One is caught from its fall, the arrow disappearing from its wing. Though it is still hurt, the others support it, and it joins them in the dive towards the last bird. Even as clouds cover the sky, they continue to dive, reaching out.> 

<And soon they will catch up. Soon they will dance around their fallen flock member, soon they will remove the arrow. The clouds rumble with lightning but the wind blows them away, just as the wind reaches up to support the hurt bird, to push it back to the flock that dances around it in joy. They will dance together, and ride the wind on to their home.>

Alt feels tears falling down his face as he opens his eyes. He touches his cheek and then studies his hand in slight confusion. He lets out a shuddery breath and whispers, "...my... my friends-" 

The images of the not-rebels flood his head again, circling in a dance like the birds. 

Henny. Jackie. Jay. Chase. 

When his eyes start to flicker and their names seem enveloped by static, he furrows his brow and thinks harder, willing the names to become solid. 

Henny. Jackie. Jay. Chase. 

Blue-green swirls bright and powerful in his eyes and he chokes on a quiet sob, the relief of remembering overwhelming him. 

His flock... His friends. His family. 

He looks back towards the eagle and whispers through choked breaths, "m...my friends... a-are they here...?"

The eagle tilts its head. It turns around and does a funny little hop away from Alt before launching itself into the air. It’s a swift again. 

<Guidance. A direction to follow.>

It flies into the trees to the left, expertly weaving around them.

Alt watches for a second before shakily pushing himself up. His eyes glow with determination. 

He starts to run after it.

[nerves-nebula]

Going from living in the southern US to moving to the northern US for work is insane bc like. White people seem to think the racism is all down in alabama and kentucky and shit and like. Yeah its there. Theres sundown towns and klan shit and my daddy got his ass beat for looking at a white woman too long.

But up north, man....People are just MEANER about it, idk what it is. Its like theyre more snide. They talk behind their hands and shit. They do the more like...quiet, insideous. They still have klan meetings, theyre just quiet about it. They quietly poison you. They ask me if I like henny or if I'm more of a lean girl and act shocked when I say I dont drink. They stare at a homeless white man and say "oh man he was a veteran, thats awful" but flip and say "ahhh that black dude over theres just a druggie its fine, pass him by."

White folks walk up to me and start like, bitching about the arabs and the indians thinking that because im not one of Them that I'll be on their side and say its okay.

Idk. Its very bittering. I wanted to move up here because I hoped i would escape it. But. Well.

But well indeed!!! I admit I’m not the best at being able to tell when racism is happening to me due to neither of my parents really being able to help me in that regard

(white mom who insists racism doesn’t happen anymore + African dad who is always away and is hyper vigilant about racism but doesn’t exactly understand the intricacies of antiblackness in America. They are both racist against black Americans and I never left the house growing up. also i might be autistic so picking up on when i'm being discriminated against is a bit of a battle too.)

But I do know that when I moved out to the east coast (california to be specific) for art boarding school I wasn’t invited back the next year because there were "concerns about my ability to keep up with the hygienic requirements" AKA: I was too dirty.

The dean of students (who later resigned because we all hated him) said I was dirty to my FACE and blamed me for bedbugs when there was literally no logical way they could have been my fault, and we had a ton of foreign students who could've gotten them while traveling, and they were also in dorms I’d never so much as stepped foot in. I was one of very few black students on that campus and I'd never been called fucking DIRTY to my FACE by a group of white people who acted as if that was a totally reasonable thing to say- and been blamed for something i could not possibly have done- by a member of my schools faculty before.

edit: got this on april 10th and saved it as a draft, then forgot to publish it.. sorry king !!

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

I FORGOR. CREATURES FOR U ALSO!!!! NON-GORT edition for variety :33 so many light/dark coded pairs & not even on purpose. they just hang out like that..... also our neighbor got chickens & they r SO CUTE.... me seeing a weird lil black chicken: oh my god... just like henny from hit ap podcast prime defenders....

OMG ARE THOSE YOUR GOATS!?!?!?!?!?! they look so soft and fluffy...... and the bells..... oh my goddddd i want 2 pet them. fuzzy cows too..... when i was in college my friends and I rented an airbnb for a weekend that had a bunch of highland cows on the property it was the best thing EVER. they're so pretty <3 JUST LIKE HENNY FROM HIT AP PODCAST PRIME DEFENDERS!!!!!!!!!! MAN. ppl don't give william his chicken enough. we need more of henny included in fanworks I think. also that brown and white chicken is so pretty too!!!!!!! wtf..... I miss seeing farm animals every day they're so full of joy.....

[swanimagines]

A BARMAID'S DEAL | JASON RIPPER

Summary: After your ex-friend has terrorised your life for four years, an unexpected saviour comes to your aid - but making a deal with him may pay you more than you thought.

You couldn't believe how you got in this situation. Befriending a snake of a friend and ending your friendship with her had lasting effects, her using her profession as a lawyer to bring you down, get you fired from your old job and kicked out from your apartment. So now you were forced to work at a shabby bar, the owner was nice enough to let you stay in the back room though.

And even now, Henny’s terrorism on you occasionally emerged - mostly hate mail and your ex-friends scowling at you on the street. It hurt, even when it had been four years since it started. Henny had been patient with taking you down, and four months ago, you got fired from your job and the next week, your landlord also kicked you out. You had no choice but to move to the poorer area of London filled with prostitutes and where Jack the Ripper had murdered women just a few decades ago. But you hadn’t had any choice.

You were fortunate to get hired as a barmaid in a bar with a nice boss and nice colleagues, even when customers smirked at you, smacked your butt when you passed them, you were asked to come sit with them and entertain them. And it had only been a week since you started work.

One day, a young man, a rich young man in a fancy suit stepped into the bar, and you locked eyes with him and he strode towards the counter. Your colleague, Sandra, took in a shaky sigh. "Oh my God, not again."

"What?"

"That's Jason Ripper," Sandra sighed. "He's been harassing me for weeks. He says lewd stuff and says me being scared is 'sexy' and threatens to kill any other man who looks at me in a romantic sense. God, I wish he would be gone."

You laid a wary glance at the man. "I'll take him for you, if you want."

Sandra scoffed. "You can try. But he will insist on getting me to serve him and then I have no choice."

You nodded and took in a deep breath, putting on your best customer smile and walked over to Jason.

“Hello, sir. What can I get you?” you chirped, putting the rag to the side.

Jason huffed slightly upon seeing you. “Where’s Sandra?”

“Miss Onslow is busy, I’m-”

“A new beautiful barmaid,” Jason interrupted, his gaze wandering up and down your form and then he narrowed his eyes as he inspected your face. “But you don’t look like you've grown around here. You look too… polished.”

You paused for a moment, staring at him for a moment. Then you cleared your throat. “Looks can be deceiving, sir.”

Jason smirked, clearly amused by your reply. “In any case, I like what I see. Get me a whiskey, beautiful.”

You took in a shaky breath, taking out a glass and pouring him a whiskey and then handing the glass to him. He purposefully let his fingers brush against yours when he took the glass, and you jerked your hand back. He just smirked at you, taking a sip from the glass. “This place isn’t safe for someone like you.”

You scoffed, wiping the counter again. “What do you mean by ‘someone like me’?”

Jason's eyes traveled up and down your form again. “You’re like an angel who has lost herself into a cave full of demons. Everyone sees it here.”

You clenched your jaw, trying to keep your temper in check. “Fine. I’m not from around here. Nor did I come here of my own free will. Happy?”

He huffed, tilting his head slightly. “Hm. You will get cut out from the streets within six months.”

“I can handle myself just fine.”

He didn’t reply at first, taking another sip of his whiskey. “A beautiful young woman like you doesn’t belong here.”

“I have my reasons to be here. It’s none of your concern,” you retorted.

He just smirked at you. “Your concerns are my concerns now.”

You swallowed - this guy screamed at least a dozen red flags, probably even more than that, and yet you felt a certain allure towards him. 

You wanted to hit yourself for feeling that way.

“What exactly do you want from me?” you mumbled, clenching your fists.

Jason smirked again. “I want to help you.”

“Help me?”

He narrowed his eyes, looking you over again. “You said you didn’t end up here of your own free will. I need a name, and they’ll be taken care of.”

You stared at him for a moment again - this guy read you like an open book. It almost felt like… he understood you. Or then he knew just the right buttons to manipulate you. Nevertheless, you were incredibly tempted to drop Henny’s name. But at the same time, you knew it wouldn’t be free. He’d want something from you.

So, you tried to play it safe. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jason licked his lips and raised his eyebrows at that. “You don’t?”

You wanted to deny it again, but instead, you swallowed and the next words came out almost automatically. “I don’t have any money to pay you for taking her out.”

He scoffed, taking another sip. “I don’t want money.”

You frowned. “What do you want, then?” He didn't answer right away and you shook your head, taking a step back. “I’m not going to have sex with you.”

He scoffed again, twirling his now empty whiskey glass. “A date.”

You paused, staring at him again. “One date?”

He smirked and nodded. “A dinner. And I’ll walk you home. That’s it.”

You pursed your lips, breathing out. “No sex. And you will leave Sandra alone from now on.”

He hummed as an answer, which technically wasn’t a confirmation for a no. But still, getting rid of Henny was too tempting so you nodded, taking in a shaky breath. 

Her name rolled off your tongue the next moment, your will to have revenge on the woman who ruined your life overpowering your mind screaming you shouldn’t do it. “Henny Martins.”

Jason looked surprised when you actually went through with it, but then a dark grin spread on his face. “Consider it done. I’ll pick you up tomorrow night, I’ll bring you something sexy to put on.”

Then, he walked to the door, straightening his jacket before disappearing outside. Dread filled your veins, feeling like you just made a deal with the devil.

Sandra sighed in relief upon seeing Jason leaving. "Finally."

You glanced at Sandra. "Yeah, he seems like trouble."

Sandra nodded, shaking her head slightly. "You have no idea. He's been a thorn in my side for weeks now. I don't know what he sees in me, but it's creepy, and sometimes I’m afraid to walk home alone. It just feels like he waits in the shadows for a chance to jump on me."

You looked back at the door. "I... I made a deal with him."

Sandra’s eyes snapped on you that instant, and her mouth fell open. “You did what? Are you crazy?”

“He promised to take Henny out of the picture for me, I couldn’t say no,” you mumbled, clenching and unclenching your fists against the wooden counter. Jason’s whiskey glass was still in front of you, and you stared at the few drops of whiskey on the bottom of it. “He wants to take me on a date in return. I told him it won’t include sex and I also told him to leave you alone from now on, but I don’t know if he agreed to them because he didn’t really say anything about it… and he also told me he’s bringing me something ‘sexy’ to put on, which I really hope isn’t foreshadowing the following night. But on the other hand, he said it’s only dinner and he’s walking me home.”

“And you’re just taking his word for it?” Sandra asked, shaking her head, her mouth still slightly open. “How naive are you?”

“I don’t have a choice!” you exclaimed, attracting some attention from the patrons and you lowered your voice again. “It’s the only way, the police won’t help a poor barmaid living in Whitechapel, and Henny just won’t let me be. I need to do something before she’s ruining my life here too.”

Sandra clicked her tongue silently, her eyes looking over the bar. “I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

You scoffed. “I don’t. But this is my best bet.”

And throughout the rest of that night, you couldn’t shake the feeling that you had made a mistake - but at the same time, you knew this was the only option. And even when you hated yourself for it, something in Jason Ripper drew you in, almost making you wait for your dinner date…

---

Requests are always open! FANDOM LIST | PROMPT LIST(S) | RULES (READ!!!)

[complicatcd]

NAME: henry james monroe.

NICKNAME(S): monroe, brick wall, hen, henny, tree.

BIRTHPLACE: south burlington, vermont.

OCCUPATION: retired hockey player, owner of the penalty box.

AGE & BIRTHDAY: thirty8. october 31.

ZODIAC: scorpio.

GENDER IDENTITY: cis man.

ROMANTIC / SEXUAL ORIENTATION: hetereoromantic, hetereosexual.

CURRENT NEIGHBORHOOD: lakeside.

TIME IN WOODSIDE: one year.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: infidelity.

henry monroe was the second born of franklin and allison monroe. his father was a mechanic and his mother was a school teacher. there was nothing overly exceptional about the family, other than their love and support.

growing up, each child took an interest in something different. his oldest sister had taken a love to little league baseball, while henry found comfort on ice. his father swears that the first time he stepped onto it, it was like henry was meant to be there, but that’s not what the old camcorder video show.

what was a hobby turned into something more when he was old enough to hold a stick without tipping over it. it didn’t take long for him to realize his talent had come from his father. according to the photo of the championship team hung up in the high school, his dad was somewhat of a local legend. it was a lot to live up to, but he did his best.

there was a time where everyone compared him to his father. the expectations were set high and while the pressure weighed down on him, he never caved. that dedication led him to being recruited by the university of minnesota. it was his time there that he fell in love with more than just a sport.

this relationship lasted well past his college career. in fact, he proposed on draft night after getting picked up by the philadelphia flyers. everything was perfect at first. the move was smooth, their worlds aligned perfectly. he was happy and in love, but things fell apart over time. the fame of the game began getting to him. he was no longer in a rush to get home and there were whispers of infidelity, but it was never true. he was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a cheater. however, his marriage ended when another woman answered his phone on a night out with the team. after that, his wife filed for divorce and he didn’t have the heart or courage to challenge it.

as if his things couldn’t have gotten worse, a couple of weeks later he was alerted that he would be a part of a trade agreement. he would be going to nashville. while there, he didn’t make any waves, but he lived up to the bachelor lifestyle up until he got yet another call. he would be traded once more to the detroit red wings.

this trade was different. it would be his last trade while in the league. he was a desired defenseman and the money was well worth the move to yet another state and team. it was in detroit where henry finished his career at the age of thirty-seven years old.

what few people know about him is that he's always loved to cook. in fact, it was a running team joke whenever "family" dinners were nothing more than henry putting a meal together for the whole team. it was during his second season with the red wings that he developed the idea for the penalty box, a sports bar and grill offering a variety of food and drink options. even before he retired, henry began putting together his plans.

it's his first season off the ice and the penalty box is still working out the kinks of being a new sports bar and grill within woodside heights. it's hockey themed and has weekly specials on rotation.

Pontential Connections:

bar patrons. pretty general! they could be a hockey fan, or maybe they're just coming by to check out the menu that henry puts on rotation, or the drink specials.

the og patron. this is someone that was present on opening night and pretty much drops in frequently. they've become good friends. henry knows what they like and all too often, slips them a drink on the house for being a supporter.

fan or not. hockey is an intense sport and after fifteen (plus a couple of years) in the league... he's bound to have made some fans and enemies out of people he's never met.

coffee mix up. simple, but fun! henry's guilty pleasure is an overly sugary coffee drink. on a packed morning, either he grabs your muse's drink or they grab his and needless to say, they're both a bit surprised. where they go from there is to be plotted!

[elisabethloxx]

 It had to rain. The friends and family of Lisa Levy placed her body in the ground Tuesday, and strained to understand why a girl so young, so bright, so full of life, had to die at the hands of a murderer. THE GLOOMY gray morning only thickened the feelings of sorrow, as almost 200 persons ringed the canopied gravesite in Largo to pray and cry and rememler. "She will stay in our hearts forever, young and fresh as springtime." The words came from Rabbi Jacob Luski as he tried to comfort Lisa's grieving mother, father and brother during a crowded funeral in Pinellas Park "Tears are being shed, but memory is beginning," the soft-bearded Luski said.

"Lisa was a very determined young lady, lovable . . . determined in all ways of life." The Sunday before, as the 20-year-old Florida State University ( FSU) student slept in her Tallahassee sorority house, she was clubbed and strangled by a killer still at large. A second St.Petersburg girl was murdered, and three other young women were beaten before the attacker fled into the darkness, leaving at best a faint and scattered trail for police to follow. "IT WAS A tragedy, a stunning blow," the rabbi said. But he urged the mourners, "Do not judge your fellow man until you find yourself in his circumstances." Then he asked God to "teach us how to accept this bitter loss." Throughout the services, police, photographers and television cameramen milled in the background. The face of Lisa's mother, Henny Levy, looked blank and too numb for tears. Her divorced husband Sam, who lives in Sarasota, wore a gray suit and the traditional black yarmulke syna gogue cap.

Lisa's brother Fred, stationed in Maine with the U.S. Air Force, was gripped by emotions. As he prepared to shovel a spade of dirt on top of Lisa's pine coffin, he threatened to break a photographer's camera if he continued snapping pictures. AFTER THE BURIAL about 25 Chi Omega sisters from FSU and the University of South Florida joined hands in a circle and sang the sorority song Shades in tribute to Lisa's memory. Tear tracks glistened down the cheeks of Joanne Schultz, 20, as she and her husband walked in the drizzle after the funeral.

Both had been friends of Lisa during their high school years. "I knew her since siith grade," Mrs. Schultz said. At Dixie Hollins High School, "I was a cheerleader and she was a baton-twirling majorette. I'll always remember her smiling.

I don't want to remember any sad things. "He (the killer) just must have gone crazy. Yeah, I'm bitter. They say it happens to good people, and it happened to one of them " REPRESENTING FSl' was Stephen B. McClellan, the vice president for university relations. He also will attend funeral services at 2 p.m. today for the other murdered girl, Margaret Bowman, 21, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. 1200Snell Isle Blvd.

[gxilgramore]

INTRODUCING THE FRIDAY MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS!

So how it's gonna work?

Basic really, every friday (if my adhd let me remember) i will recommend a set of tracks that i've been listening, the image you are seeing above you is my last.fm collage but not all songs will be from that collage, but it's there as a cover for the post and a showcase of the songs i'm not gonna mention but i still recommend.

Let's go then?

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST WITH ALL THE SONGS MENTIONED BELOW!

Will I See You Again? - Thee Sacred Souls

I discovered these guys recently while trying to sample them for a track i was doing, i took my a while to appreciate this song but now that i do i can't stop listening, that clean guitar with that gorgeous main melody, those open hats that give such a beautiful atmosphere, the incredibly catchy but mesmerizing chorus, the amazing vocal performance, holy shit this song is so fucking good in so many different levels, one of the better jams i found this year.

No Problems - Ginger Root

So fucking funky, christ, one of the most catchy songs released this year, if you like funky shit it's unmissable.

Is It a Crime - Sade

I'm getting into Sade and most of the stuff i heard from her is gorgeous, this is the best example, it sounds big, passionate, beautiful, music luxury, also sound sad and emotional, absolutely perfection from beginning to end.

Suffocate (feat. Poppy) - Knocked Loose

I'm not a metal guy, but the two Knocked loose songs i listened this year are so fucking brutal that made me interested in metalcore, the reggaeton breakdown at the end is so fucking unexpected but it goes so hard, holy shit.

Junho de 94 - Djonga

I'm brazillian, and the rap from our country sometimes can go toe to toe, and a lot of times even be better than the shit from the states, Djonga is a big example of why, this dude's flow and lyrical hability is unmatched, truly a special artist in our scene, how he guides a story of his own life in this autobiographical song is truly a thing of genius, and the confidence he has plenty, one of the best rappers that came out from this amazing country

Down Under - Man at Work

I wanted to also put Who Can It Be Now? here but I'll keep just to Down Under since Man at Work is already a popular new wave group, it's so dancy and catchy its really hard not to like, those songs made me want to go to australia.

The Argus - Ween

Those couple of weeks had been full of ween for me, not the way you're thinking, and this one has been one of my latest passions with the band, one of the most beautiful climaxes to any song ive have ever heard, still sad that the rest of the album didn't click for me.

No Hands - Joey Valence and Brae:

One of the most fun rap songs of the year, im seeing these guys since the PUNK TACTICS song on tiktok and they are truly amazing at being fun, No Hands is a bit more personal but it has such infectious energy and an amazing beat.

The Invisible Man - Maruja

Literally the best song that came out this year, holy shit, the incredible build up, tension heavy saxophone, the heavy vocal performance, the best climax maybe fucking ever? Ive been seeing this live performance they did on youtube and is truly a stuff of legend being more intense than in the studio version in a song that demands so much, truly amazing, keep your eyes on Maruja, these guys are gonna hit it big like Black Midi or Black Country, New Road.

I Got The... - Labi Siffre

Literally discovered this one today, the sample to My Name Is from Eminem that is bigger and way better, so many incredible parts coming to this amazing whole, could not recommend it enough.

One on One (feat. Headband Henny) - Micah Dailey-White

This funny guy of the TikTok released an amazing neo-soul, post-punk album with this amazing catchy song in it that i could not recommend enough, is charming, cute, catchy.

Ginkgo Biloba - Querida, Faça As Malas

Back to Brasil, this ska punk band is hella catchy, one of the best ska punk bands this country could ever offer, their lastest album is also really great.

Storge - samlrc

Still in Brazil but going post-rock is this amazing, layered, larger than life track from the trans artist that has been bubbling on the underground samlrc, again, keep you eye in her.

Saudade - ElevenWAV

We still on Brasil, but now going jazz fusion, Eleven is an amazing artist overall, but her recent projects have been proving how much she is evolving and how much she is gonna hit it big when the time comes, also one of the best trans artists coming out of this country.

Psiu - Liniker

YOURE GOING TO FUCKING BRAZIL! Liniker the best trans artist to come out of this country with her amazing fusions of MPB, Bossa, Jazz, Pagode, Neo-Soul, an amazing power house pf a voice, an undying passion, unmatched to all, literally the best ever, GO LISTEN.

Think we over? OH NO BABY!

miss you - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Going to japan, I could gush about this group for years since I love ska and i love them, but i will only say this is one pf the most insane songs and music videos to come out of the country in years, you should absolutely listen to it.

All the Strange Creatures - Murray Gold

It would not be a Gxil post without your obrigatory Doctor Who mention, one of the most energizing and epic tracks in the modern series.

AND FINALLY

Canned Heat - Jamiroquai

One of the funkiest songs ever, im not gonna say anything more, needs to be experienced, go listen.

Spotify playlist with all the songs mentioned below:

And that's fucking it for today, it was a lot but ive been wanting to talk about music for months now, the next posts on this series are going to have less songs because of it but i don't care, you have any recommendations you want to make? I'd love to listen to, im pretty open to new music, so you can send anything you want, and also, what did you think of these songs? Already love them, tell me more id love to listen.

Follow me on my music socials:

LAST.FM

SPOTISTATS

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

[brokehorrorfan]

Sisu will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 11 via Lionsgate. Best Buy will carry an exclusive Steelbook 4K Ultra HD edition (right), which is up for pre-order for $31.99.

The 2022 gory action film is written and directed by Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports, Big Game). Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, and Mimosa Willamo star.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Indestructible: Making Sisu

Pushing the Boundaries of Reality: The Visual Effects of Sisu

During WWII, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover he is no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word “sisu,” the legendary ex-commando will embody what it means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. And this one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back — even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path.

Pre-order Sisu.

[donovanlizzie]

THE CORPSWOMAN

CHAPTER SIX - IT'S MORE DANGEROUS AT NIGHT

It was now night time, Eugene and Evangeline were lent against a cement pillar watching a young marine who looked about 19, counting. Evangeline then called over to him." What you doin' Daniels?" He looked over petrified, traumatised.

"Counting Japs " He timidly states then turned back around to continue what he was doing.

Evangeline  and Eugene both exchanged worried glances and she began to pick her nails.  Gunner Henny then went over to the poor boy and tried to order him to help 2nd  platoon load up but Heldaine stopped him. "Gunner, go find someone else, maybe Jenkins over the other side ?"  Henny nodded and moved away. "He can come with me, help me count the bandages and get himself some shut eye?" Evangeline offered looking over. Heldaine nodded slightly and crept forward taking the gun from Daniels. She  got up and wrapped her arm around the boy.  "Let's get you some sleep ?" She quietly  spoke once she had managed to get him up. " But there are so many to count" he spoke like a small child as she  led him to the sickbay. " I know sweetheart I know" Evangeline choked out, her  heart breaking for him, the poor soul.

By the time 08:00 came around everyone was moving out again, the cook was walking around with a pot handing out pork chops.  They weren't the best but after having to eat tinned shit for the last few weeks Evangeline was happy to eat something solid and not out of date. She ended up walking next to Eugene whist Shelton Parked himself next to him on the other side. "Saw you reading last night" he said looking over at Eugene slyly, " writing too"  "My bible?" Eugene replied glancing at Shelton wearily. " we ain't suppose to write shit down, give the japs valuable intale if they find it" Shelton carried on. "I guess I won't show it to them then" Eugene replied keeping his eyes forward and waking with the rest of the group. Shelton smirked satisfied with his answer. 

Evangeline's smile faded remembering the similar conversation she and Oswald had the night prior. 

"You got a smoke?" Shelton asked. Eugene pulled out two cigarettes, one for himself and one for Shelton. "Thanks Sledgehammer" Shelton grinned popping the cigarette in his mouth. " Sledgehammer?" Evangeline questioned grinning at the new nickname Shelton had given her friend. "I like it" She looked at Shelton and Eugene new deemed 'sledgehammer' and gave him a half smile. " you got it Raggedy Anne" Shelton winked making her  laugh " throwing your self around like a rag doll out there" . " Jesus Christ" Bill spoke up in amusement as he scurried up behind us along with Burgin. " don't worry Bill Layden , we'll call you bull-peen-hammer" Shelton called back. " A little hammer for a little man" Evangeline  chuckled making the guys laugh. " Alright rags .... snafu" Bill shot back," shit n ass .... fuck up". "Is that the best nickname you could come up with?" Evangeline  laughed. "Oh! A little joke from the little man!" Shelton, now deemed 'snafu' , joked back.

             K company  all followed Heldaine like lost puppies up the rocks, he said to them that they would be setting a perimeter for the Japanese soldiers. Evangeline had zoned out of the conversation he was having with Bill and Eugene, when the Japs has caught sight of us and began to fire. "Pull back! Let's go!" Hillbilly shouted dragging her by her bag pack (much to Evangeline's dismay) back down the slope to cover. By that point both Heldaine and Hillbilly , hell, the whole company  were all desperate to get a hold of coms, every attempt made was unsuccessful.

K company was stuck, sat in a small rocky trench trying to say as low as they could do theJaps wouldn't try to blow their heads off.       " I'm gonna have to go back , get more men up here and the orders changed" Heldaine finally announced. " Hillbilly if I don't come back the company's yours" He tapped Hillbilly on the shoulder and quickly ran off. " He's gonna come back right?" Eugene asked  " Disobey and you get  a court-martial" Shelton mumbled leaning back on a rock with another cigarette in his teeth.  Whilst they were waiting the marine who was in charge of handing out the post was wandering around.  " Sledge, Yoet, you two have something" he said handing the both of them their letters. " Thanks" Evangeline  stated bluntly noticing her mothers hand writing and putting in it her Brest pocket to read later.

__________________ It was now pitch black, Flares lit up the foxholes as k company  were now sitting in  darkness waiting for Heldaine to to come back. Henny was making the rounds telling everyone to make sure they had enough ammo and supplies for the night.  Gunner Henny was about 45 years old and had fought in world war 1.  He was part of the old breed, liked to do things the old way and stick to them.  " Did you hear the bullshit about the dog?" He grumbled leaning into our foxhole. " They think a dog can smell a Jap before I see one!" He scoffed.  " I have a dog back home" Eugene started quietly " his name is Deacon"  

Evangeline  glanced over at him and smiled as Henny ignored his input and contained; " if the Japs come through , high point with fixed bayonets and you nail em with H.E you got that?" He explained it like we were children, 

The guys nodded as he got up to walk away but then he bent back down and said " woof" and then walking away as normal. " what the fuck was that?" Shelton asked as the group all looked at each other slightly confused try to hold their  laughter in as it was noise discipline.  "Hey stove top boys - WOOF" Bill repeated mimicking Henny making them  laugh even harder, causing Shelton to wheeze.  _____________ Evangeline was sat next to Shelton as he slept once again, picking her thumbs, waiting for japs to make a move or a marine to hurt  himself.  "Remind me again why on gods earth you joined ?" Eugene asked again.  She turned to look at him with her eyebrow raised, " like I told you before, I want to help people, I was in need of a better paying job and to make my country proud" she replied. " And to find out how my brother died"  "Making your ma and pa proud?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at her. "Hopefully" Evangeline smiled slightly " That reminds me I have to reply to that letter that they sent me once I've read it" she mused tapping her breast pocket. "Read it" Eugene stated, " I wanna hear it ... if that ok?" He asked scooting closer to her. " sure" she  replied getting the letter out of her pocket. " Dear Evangeline," She began " your father and i are so happy to hear that you are doing alright where ever you are. Everyone in town is very worried about you but myself and your father know you'll be smart and safe. We hope-"     Evangeline's  reading was cut short by a small whimper that echoed through the foxholes. herself and Eugene carefully peaked put of the foxhole we were in as the cries got louder and louder. "What's that?" Shelton getting up , still half asleep. "Sounds like some guy having a nightmare" Eugene answered, watching Evangeline fold away her letter. "He'd better shut up before every jap on the island knows where we are" Shelton snapped now wide awake. "Quiet that man down!" Hillbilly whisper-yelled as the marines whimpers turned into wails.     Suddenly the man started screaming, wrestling any marine who tried to hold him down. "Yoet!" Hillbilly called over " get some morphine in him!"  Evangeline quickly grabbed her morphine needles and rushed over as more and more marines fought to hold the man down. "NO-NO-NO!" The poor man was yelling hysterically. "Give me his arm now!" She spoke as he flailed about. Once she had finally got hold of his arm and she was inches away from injecting him when he broke free, punching her  straight on the nose. Evangeline groaned in pain reeling back as blood now poured from her face. The marines were struggling again to regain control of the man.    The poor man was now begging for help as Henny began to punch him n a attempt to knock him out and shut him up. " Henny! Stop! Let me get to his goddamn arm!" She shouted in desperation trying to reach him once again. "Hit him with something!" Jay began to shout. Out of the corner of her eye, Evangeline  saw another young marine reach for the shovel he used to dig his foxhole with.  "No! Don't!" She tried to stop him but it was to late. The shovel hit the Boys head with a crack and he was finally silenced - lifeless. "God damn it" she breathed sitting back on the muddy ground and closing her eyes. "Everyone back in their holes" Hillbilly spoke eyeing Evangeline and her bloodied face. It was clear the poor bastard had broken her nose. " It had to be done Yoet, it had to " Hillbilly handed her a handkerchief. She thanked him and held it up to her  face to try and stop the bleeding and slunk back to the  fox hole. ———————————————————————————-

The next morning a blanket had been pulled over the young mans body.  "Rather him than all of us" Eugene spoke his eyes flickering between the body and Evangeline. "Sledgehammers right" Shelton answered " It had to be done".  The rest of the dead and wounded got piled onto trucks and tanks to be taken back to base to either be shipped to Australia to heal or sent back home to their families for their funerals.

Evangeline then walked over to Eugene. " You know, I think I'll take that cigarette now" She spoke breathing out sharply. "Here" Eugene stated putting a lit cigarette between her  teeth and taking the bloodied hankie form her hands. She  took a quick puff as he delectably wiped more dried blood from her face, making her wince slightly. "I'm no corpsman Rags, but you've got a messed up nose" he grimaced now fiddling with the grubby handkerchief. " Wow Sledgehammer, you really know how to talk to a lady!" Evangeline joked taking another puff of the cigarette.

"Na she ain't no Lady, A Lady wouldn't come to a place like this" Bill teased, walking past the two of them, puffing on a tiny stump of a cigarette butt before throwing it at Shelton's feet.

" Thank you" Evangeline mumbled taking the handkerchief back and tossing it to the ground, slightly laughing at Bills remark.

" Can it snafu" She quickly snapped, the group all walked on as Shelton began to snigger.

[sliptohk]

Prompt #15: Portentous

Awareness contracted as Gerlach moved, fulm by fulm its limits drew near. There were too many enemies to track, an ache in the back of his skull from the effort. Many were discarded, a blind eye toward those clamoring to enter the melee but too far away to engage it. The nearness of his kin took priority.

As Arnulf dealt a crushing blow to a conscript's skull, the approaching swordsman to his rear earned priority. Two short steps before a short jab to their throat as he engaged them from the side. A flash of color as aether formed a narrow blade, only to be dismissed as swiftly as it arrived. Efficiency was critical, a mere trickle of his life force was enough to open that throat.

Henni charged forward as the dead man slowly came to realize why his limbs were not obeying, snatching up their blade to hammer an over-head chop toward the next hornet roused by klaxons sounding through that metal nest. Gerlach had trained them well. Honed bodies made good use of weapons, traditional or improvised, they could manage to get their hands on. Wazo most effectively. He scooped up knives from the dead, running up walls to leap gracefully through the air. Body whirling to power those throws as he provided cover as best he could manage.

A firearm was a target to the man. Steel blossoming in hearts and throats before they could lay down withering fire. There was still much that the old killer could complain of, but there was no time to point out the flaws of their techniques. A tragedy if it lead to their deaths, but there was no avoiding it.

With a sharp clap on the shoulders of his nephews Erwin and Hartmut, Gerlach pushed toward the center line, gesturing them to the right side, "Come. Reap what their mothers have sown."

Taking the left, they formed a wedge to batter forward. Blood splashed, grunts of pain as unarmored flesh met forged steel. A small gap for the rest of the clan to follow suit as the better armed and armored Garlean forces found themselves pressed into tighter ranks. Fouling their own swings as it became apparent they were ill-taught on the finer points of phalanx positions.

Conscripts. Fodder for the front.

Small successes, but at acceptable cost. Cuts and bruises, a broken bone or two. A Revel could survive trifling things. Only when Wazo bellowed over the cacophony did it become apparent what lay beyond Gerlach's zone of consciousness.

"Turret!"

They fired. Those too slow to retreat were acceptable losses, a trade the warrior would have made himself had the reward been worth the price. These men were not purebloods. Their masters saw no weight on their end of the scale. Hardening his will, he turned to let that hail of fire dance off the sides of his construct. Mindful of those behind, as blood ran from torn flesh with each impact. Lives lost in a heartbeat as Henni and Gilbert lay unmoving. Great weapons gone still for the moment as those beetles scurried about to load more ammunition.

Mourning was a luxury. Killing a necessity.

A boon in the poor discipline of their infantry, far from home and dying for an another man's empire. Pitiable, but they would die all the same if it were necessary. The Garleans fought better. Those men and women carved from harder stuff even had it been a fair fight. At such a great disadvantage, his clan still fought on. Faced with death or battle there was no choice to be made.

So they died.

The tighter confines of the castrum would have fared better, but chaos had taken hold. Fires raged, neither cermet nor metal impervious as stockpiles throughout the fort exploded with deafening booms. Escape would only come across the open yards, where magitek constructs lay waiting. Heavy doors sealed tight.

Several of those unwieldy looking creations rose into the sky, whirling about as their most valued guests were whisked off elsewhere. A pity. The family had much to discuss with them. Those remaining would need do.

When Gerlach charged, those still able joined him. Ebba and Elfrun dropping in a sudden explosion of force from the smoking canon of their walking armor. A stream of gunfire following which Heilwig bulled through. The jerking forms of a conscript in each hand as they bore the bulk of that assault. He did not envy the rider when she clambored up the side.

He had seen what their Strongwoman could do with bare hands.

Elsewhere, the twins fought in their mother's wake. Keeping time with each other as they fell upon solitary foes like wolves. Leaping and retreating, a task made all the easier as Wazo moved from body to body, covering his daughters with more of those thrown blades. Up until one of those turrets turned on him. A blade flew, but too late. An exchange of lives as both fell, accurate to the end.

Helplessness was an alien sensation. Gerlach sought to kill it.

More fell behind him, but there was no time to heed it. His brother died all the same. He sprinted, there was no other way to reach the target. Worn knees ached, but the loss of blood was more pressing. Without the grace of his kin, he proved agile enough to stop the last transport from lifting away. A woman stood before him, ornate designs on that metallic shell. It was of no interest, as another screaming blast of energy felled another Revel.

An elite, most likely. She thrust, a routine move. Gerlach stepped into the blow, ignoring the agony as it speared through his body, but left her open to his own answering thrust through the visor. A long blade of aether forming, dropping them where they stood as eyes proved a poor defense. She had killed him. Soon enough.

Leaving a bloody trail behind him, he boarded the vessel. Three more garleans died, never expecting their commander to fall so swiftly as they sat waiting to move. Belts buckling them in place against the sides of that machine. An unsporting kill, but any other would have been difficult.

A shuddering burst of energy ripped through the side of the commandeered machine, fire trailing as the veins of that metallic beast leaked ceruleum and ignited just as swiftly. If it wished to burn, then let it. He would gladly become a comet.

It would have been a difficult thing to fly, but that was not the use he sought. Blackness beginning in at the edges of his vision as Gerlach guided that metal chariot upward, turning it in a wobbling circle as the controls became more clear. Another blast had the vessel rocking side to side, a moment last as a few moments were lost to darkness. Immense heat, smaller pops and bursts as pieces of it detonated around him.

"As Rhalgr guided us."

The target became clear, those few remaining warmachines opening fire even as he grew aware of how few were left. Lindi and Katja still fought, circling an officer. A back turned toward an unseen threat, a wounded man's weapon raised. But their sister saw first. Tackling their twin to the ground, a soundless burst of gunfire from his distance. One of them did not rise.

Gerlach would see the other did. Leaning his weight forward, sure to keep it on course even if his body failed first. Streaking toward that man, smashing through the armor still trying to knock him from the sky. What scattered soldiers remained had swiftly began to retreat, panic firmly taking root as only those forced to fight on remained. Less of them with each impact that threatened to shake apart the ship.

There was no ignoring the heat of the magitek ruin the old man brought down. But surprise froze their feet, until they found themselves bent backward across the nose of the machine. Even if he were inclined to, there would be no stopping its course. Skipping off the hard earth like a stone on the water, before plowing directly into the side of a building they had foolishly walked the Highlander past during his visit.

The fuel depot.

Gerlach felt some measure of satisfaction as the immense explosion hurled him out the back of the machine, and separated him from his mortal shell. At least his niece would survive.

[animationstarlover1983]

Fnaf system reboot au

Main characters: good guys, info/descriptions (canon)

1. Cassie Martinez: a 10 year old girl and a main character in the au story. Cassie is a young girl and the first kid friend gregory makes while in the pizzaplex, she also becomes a victim of the villainous mastermind who has taken over the pizzaplex, however Cassie much like Gregory is more then what she seems. Species: human/reborn soul. Soul: Cassidy jones (vengeful spirit). Age: 10. Date of birth: December - 16th - 20xx. Appearance: Cassie has jet black hair and puts in low pigtails and amber/hazel eyes, she wears a red sweater and Jean shorts with purple leggings and light up sketchers. Personality: Cassie is smart, friendly, energetic, passionate, curious, creative, stubborn, responsible, somewhat short tempered, caring, helpful. Facts/info: Cassie has a weird obsession with collecting old fredbear/golden Freddy things, in this au she and gregory are friends and not siblings. Powers: peak human condition, spiritual awareness, golden Freddy power (not unlocked yet). Skills: high intelligence, raw cunning, strategic planning, adept learning, stealth, survival instincts, self defense. Likes: family/friends, reading/writing, outdoor activities, sports, animals, plushies/toys, video games. Dislikes: William afton, fazbear entertainment.

2. Luis Cabrera: A 24 year old man and a important character in the au story. Luis is a childhood friend of Vanessa’s and a top tier employee at fazbear entertainment, Luis like Vanessa is a prodigy and he is a computer/electronics expert, Luis usually visits the pizzaplex frequently but is soon caught up in a evil masterminds plan, strangely Luis is somehow immune to the glitchtrap virus. Species: human. Age: 24. Date of birth: may - 29th - 20xx. Appearance: Luis has ginger/orange hair and amber eyes, he’s quite tall and fit, he often wears a blue/yellow polo shirt under a pizzaplex jacket, when at work he wears a standard employee uniform. Personality: Luis is intelligent, friendly, stubborn, curious, creative, energetic, fun loving, humorous. Facts/info: Luis has had a major crush on Vanessa and vice versa, Luis is also Vanessa’s childhood/best friend. Powers: peak human condition, spiritual awareness. Skills: genius level intelligence, raw cunning, adept learning, intuition, computer expertise, electronics expertise, creativity, self defense. Likes: family/friends, chocolate, outside, exercise/yoga, soccer, reading, computer science, collecting trinkets, karate/self defense classes. Dislikes: scary things. Job/career: computer scientist, IT department (formerly), marketing department (recently), robotics/electronics technician.

3. Glamrock chica henny: a animatronic chicken and a main character to the au story. Chica is a mascot at Freddy fazbears mega pizzaplex and band member of the glamrocks who plays the electric guitar , she is the star attraction of mazercize where she trains and helps people workout while encouraging them to eat healthy and drink sports/energy drinks, chica like her fellow animatronic band members also acts more human than machine. Species: animatronic chicken/reborn soul. Soul: Penelope Grayson. Date of creation: august - 21 - 20xx early. Appearance: chicas appearance is similar to that of her game counterpart except she’s been given a feather tail to add to her chicken heritage. Personality: chica is friendly, caring, helpful, energetic, passionate, quirky. Corrupted personality: when infected with the g-t virus chica is gluttonous, sadistic, deceptive, reckless, aggressive, single minded. Facts/info: chica has a habit of clucking like a actual chicken. Powers/features: animatronic physiology (strength/agility/durability/advance ai/inbuilt e-manual/databank archive), audio/sound features (audio speaker/voice mimicry/sound translation), candy dispenser, sweet scent release, spiritual awareness, ghost haunting. Skills: keen intellect, adept learning, empathy/sympathy, caretaking expertise, cooking/baking expertise. Likes: friends/family, cooking/baking, cute things, exercise/yoga, learning new things. Dislikes: violence, scary things.

4. Roxanne wolf: a animatronic wolf and a main character in the story. Roxanne is a new animatronic added to Freddy fazbears mega pizzaplex and a member of the glamrock band who plays the keytar, roxxane is the head mascot of her attraction Roxanne raceway where she teaches and challenges guest to go kart races, just like her other animatronics Roxanne acts more human then machine. Species: animatronic wolf/reborn soul. Soul: zoey wolf. Date of creation: July - 29th - 20xx. Appearance: Roxanne’s appearance is the same as her game counterpart. Personality: Roxanne is smart, head strong, level headed, confident, friendly, competitive, somewhat insecure, stubborn, diligent, responsible. Corrupted personality: when infected with the g-t virus Roxanne becomes aggressive, vain, self centered, rude, competitive, narcissistic. Facts/info: Roxanne had a small crush on Freddy but is bad at hiding it sometimes. Powers/features: animatronic physiology (strength/immense speed/immense agility/durability/advance ai/inbuilt e-manual/databank archive), special vision features (night vision/x-ray vision/infrared thermal vision/ultraviolet vision/telescopic vision/microscopic vision), spiritual awareness, ghost haunting. Skills: keen intellect, raw cunning, strategic planning, adept learning, leadership, vehicle expertise, mechanic engineering expertise, self defense. Likes: friends/family, vehicles, fashion, self care, racing. Dislikes: getting messy/dirty, selfish/immature people.

5. Montgomery alligator: a animatronic alligator and a main character to the au story. Montgomery is a new animatronic added to Freddy fazbears mega pizzaplex and a member of the glamrock band who plays the drums, Montgomery is the head mascot of Montgomery gator golf where he teaches and challenges guest to different golf courses, Montgomery just like his bandmates also acts more human than machine. Species: animatronic alligator/reborn soul. Soul: Reginald colson. Date of creation: august - 2nd - 20xx. Appearance: Montgomerys appearance is the same as his game counterpart. Personality: Montgomery is passionate, confident, stubborn, friendly, short tempered, competitive, energetic, helpful. Corrupted personality: when infected by the g-t virus Montgomery is aggressive, somewhat violent, egotistical, reckless, rude. Facts/info: in the au Montgomery favorite animatronic to hang out with is Bonnie because he’s always been interested in Bonnie’s bass guitar. Powers/features: animatronic physiology (immense strength/speed/immense durability/advance ai/inbuilt e-manual/databank archive), water gun mouth, spiritual awareness, ghost haunting. Skills: keen intellect, leadership, charisma, intimidation, self defense, golf expertise, caretaking expertise. Likes: friends/family, golf, swamps, music, boxing bags, pools, sunglasses. Dislikes: immature/selfish people, people assuming he’s always angry.

6. The blob/tangle/cluster: a giant animatronic/amalgamation and a important character to the au story. The blob in this au will also be referred to as cluster, blob/cluster lives underneath the pizzaplex within the ruins of the old Freddy fazbears pizza place, the blob rules over all the other amalgamations in the ruins and wishes not to be disturbed by anyone, cluster also wishes to find and get revenge on William afton due to it being fueled by the agony of all of Williams past victims. Species: animatronic/amalgamation/agony fueled monster. Date of creation: unknown. Appearance: the blob/cluster upper half looks like a fixed but old and rusty combinatorial of Funtime Freddy and Molten Freddy, his color scheme is gray/black/white, his left eye is blue and his right eye is red, his lower half is like a snake tail put together by large wires/cables, his left arm is a machine claw with 3 finger/hooks, on his inside is a bunch of wires/cables and animatronic eyeballs with past animatronics. Personality: the blob/cluster acts like a wild animal wild/feral but still holds enough intelligence to think and stuff, the blob is angry, sad and confused by its existence, it also seems to have multiple personalities. Facts/info: the blob will only attack those it deems a threat to its life, the blob also goes around collecting anything to add to its body. Powers/features: animatronic physiology (immense strength/immense speed/immense agility/immense flexibility/immense durability/advance ai/robotic perception), Funtime animatronics features, faceplate split, wire/cable control, light/sound frequency control, technology/machinery fusion, spiritual awareness, negative emotion empowerment/augmentation. Skills: keen intellect, raw cunning, adept learning, stealth. Likes: friends/family, sleeping, collecting, music, being alone. Dislikes: William afton, fazbear entertainment, afton robotics.

Next: returning redesigned characters.

[agentnico]

Sisu (2023) Review

"Say ‘auf Wiedersehen’ to your Nazi balls!”

Plot: During the last days of World War II, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the soldiers decide to steal his gold, they quickly discover they just tangled with no ordinary miner.

When I first heard of this movie it was described to me as a Finnish John Wick killing Nazis. I mean, I’m not expecting Tarantino level Inglorious Basterds madness, but from that description naturally I was interested. Was this going to be the RRR of this year? And the answer to that is no, however it’s very much an enjoyable action packed gory midnight genre flick. 

The set up is very simple, and the movie wholly embraces that. This main dude is this guy who simply wants to get his gold to the bank, but as it happens a bunch of desperate Nazis are trying to take the gold off him. So naturally this fella does what any old man would do - he kills them on in very violent fashion. Look, Sisu won’t require many brain cells to enjoy, however if you're fond of over-the-top action movies and don’t mind suspending your sense of disbelief you will have fun with this one. And boy does this film push the boundaries of realism and credibility. This main dude is literally an unkillable machine. He’s like Rasputin - you try and kill him in many different ways and he’s like “nah fam, I’mma keep going!”. Honestly the things this guy survives - it becomes hilarious at a point. Hanged, shot, beaten to a pulp, exploded by a mine, set on flipping fire - literally nothing gets this dude. I get that this movie isn’t supposed to be the most realistic motion picture, but his constant survival of everything at a point became too ridiculous. It was like that scene in the fourth John Wick film earlier this year where John is pushed down the stairs at the side of Sacre Coeur and he falls down all those hundreds of stairs without a scratch. Goes without saying - its silly stuff.

However I do admit Sisu does features some very well shot action set pieces, with the use of smoke and blood splatter used to solid effect, and a scene involving a minefield is a stand-out. Also cast wise, Jorma Tommila has that rough Norse look about him, so his presence is felt and is not a dude you want to mess with. Aksel Hennie plays the main Nazi villain, and, well, he was a Nazi. Not much more to say really on that subject. All actors in this movie portrayed believable fascists.....not sure if that’s a compliment. 

As for negatives, the pacing is off throughout the film and also there is a questionable choice of splitting the movie into these chapters, however these chapters literally add nothing to the film experience and in fact felt very forced and pretentious, as if the director felt the need to be artsy for the sake of it. Also there is a side-plot involving these women prisoners, and its such a rushed subplot that has very minimal pay-off and honestly at this rate didn’t need to be in the film. 

Aside from that, we have solid Tarantino-inspired bloody action, a silent and very charismatic protagonist, beautiful imagery from actual locations in Lapland and a really good soundtrack. It’s definitely a one time watch and unlikely to provide repeat viewing, but as a grindhouse late night piece of entertainment - it works. It’s not trying to be the best action film of all time, it’s not attempting to deliver the most complex story, it just is Sisu. 

Overall score: 6/10

[gambleddesires]

Welcome to Aurora Bay, [HENLEY REYES]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [SOFIA CARSON]. You must be the [TWENTY SIX] year old [MUSICIAN]. Word is you’re [INDEPENDENT] but can also be a bit [STUBBORN] and your favorite song is [NIGHTMARE BY HALSEY]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY DRIVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

ABOUT HENLEY: I'm no sweet dream but I'm a hell of a night.

CHARACTER BASICS

FULL NAME: Henley Elena Reyes

NICKNAME(S): Hen, Henny

AGE: Twenty-Six

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis Woman, She/Her

FACE CLAIM: Sofia Carson

EYE COLOR: Hazel

HAIR COLOR: Dark Brown

HEIGHT: 5′4″

WEIGHT: 117 lbs.

DATE OF BIRTH: February 23rd, 1996

ZODIAC SIGN: Pisces

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English & Spanish

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Ravenclaw

OCCUPATION: Musician

HOBBIES: Singing, Songwriting, Guitar, Piano, Photography, Cooking, Archery

HOMETOWN: Aurora Bay

RESIDENCE: Aurora Bay Drive

TIME IN TOWN: All her life, left for a 5 years to write two albums and a world tour (visited), now returned to move into a new home in Aurora Bay Drive

FAMILY

MOTHER: Camila Reyes (née Garcia)

FATHER: Julian Reyes †

CHARACTER HISTORY [TW: FATAL ILLNESS, DEATH, DEPRESSION, ADDICTION, DRUGS, CAR ACCIDENT]

Growing up it didn’t take long for Henley to learn to not take things for granted. At first things were normal, two loving parents that wanted the best their daughter and a warm family dinner prepared each night. Her father was always picking up extra work shifts, he was the hardest working person Henley had ever seen. He often surprised Camila with flowers and secretly shared chocolate candy bars with Henley while dinner was cooking, a secret that was promised to remain between them always. One night Julian looked more tired than usual, Henley being only 4 years of age didn’t think anything of it, but that tired look in his eyes never went away. With it came joint pain and a rash that resembled a butterfly which eventually made his ability to work impossible, he wanted to keep fighting it. He was a stubborn man that liked to do things himself so when a few sharp pains in his chest sent him to the hospital he figured it was stress and instead was blindsided by a diagnosis of lupus. Henley was 10.

The girl felt helpless as they moved a hospital bed into their small two bedroom home, her mother was forced to pick up night shifts at a local diner as they began to be covered in medical bills, and that meant Henley was alone with her sick father. It was her turn to take care of him and sneak him sweets until he was taken from them permanently (She was 13), the effects of his illness attacked his liver and they couldn’t afford a transplant of a new one.

She started to collect her feelings in a journal, figuring it was the best way to get her thoughts out while she was home alone. She went a long period of time without an appetite, only forcing herself to eat dinner so her friend and their family wouldn’t ask questions. After a while she was able to save up money and buy her first guitar allowing her creativity to soar by transferring her words and poems into songs. That’s when her appetite came back.

Watching her father transform into someone she didn’t recognize took a toll on her, her home didn’t feel like a safe place anymore with every happy memory tarnished by disaster. Henley found a lot of solace next door but more often than not she’d rather be at school. She’d always done so well in school, her grades plummeting until she was offered a tutor who helped her believe she could get back on track.

It was her writing that landed her a music theory and composition scholarship for songwriting and that’s when she met Rhett Harris. Henley was reluctant to begin a relationship with him, afraid of how fast things could change if she let herself be vulnerable but their mutual love of music brought them closer together in more ways than one. She happily joined his band as their lead singer and ultimately fell in love with him. Their chemistry was noted by everyone who came to watch and a few music scouts got word and offered them a contract and tour.

Tragedy struck at the worst possible moment, one night after practice her boyfriend got into a terrible car accident that left him in the hospital with an arm and  both legs broken. Hearing the news made her feel like there were a thousand pound weights attached to her ankles, slowly dragging herself back into the bright place that terrified her the most. She couldn’t stand to see him like that, but she couldn’t bear the thought of him sitting in that bed alone either.

Their band was down a drummer and deadlines were approaching, they needed to make a decision before the offer was rejected and they didn’t have another one. Henley didn’t want to live out their dream without him so she waited, but as the months went by all she could hear were her father’s words in the back of her head telling her to chase her dreams, life was short and nothing was guaranteed. The brunette fought back and forth with herself for nearly a year and it was now or never. She packed up her things and wrote Rhett a lengthy goodbye note, she knew she’d never be able to leave if she looked him in the eyes, and she signed that contract. It worked out in her favor, now two published albums later and a tour that got an exclusive world addition she was returning home. Henley paid to check her mother into rehab and pay off the mortgage of her childhood home, but she couldn’t go back there. She found a nice place for sale in Aurora Bay Drive and now she’s looking to catch up with all the people she left behind, some she figured would be happier to see her than others.    

HEADCANONS

Her mother became very reliant on her once it was just the two of them requiring her to do the household chores so she was able to focus on work to pay the bills.

Along with playing music she loves cooking, she had a lot of free time to learn all of her father’s favorite recipes. 

She saved up the change from grocery trips to buy her first guitar from a secondhand shop.

She left behind a handwritten note doing her best to explain why she was leaving to Rhett. The two still haven’t had an actual conversation about that night & she regrets leaving him.

She met her best friend from across the hall while her father was sick, usually sneaking out when he fell asleep to get that sense of normal of a family dinner back.

She hates hershey’s chocolate, after her dad was gone she could no longer stand the taste.

Has a fear of hospitals/hospital beds.

Believes that life is too short to not go after something you want. (Words her father would tell her every night.)

She’s working on her third album and hopes being home will spark new ideas.

One night she caught her mother going through her father’s belongings and thought she was reminiscing but it was revealed that Camila was stealing his old pain medication so she’d be able to work for longer at time. She swore she’d stop taking them and never did, once Henley was able to move into a college dorm room she never went back.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

you’re like a sister: (open) the two grew up in ocean crest apartments, living next door and taking turns on who’s place they’d reside for the night. they hit it off almost instantly and became inseparable. they haven’t seen each other since before she went on tour but facetime every night.

the ex she left behind: (rhett harris) henley never saw herself falling so hard for someone until she met rhett. it felt like something straight out of a movie, the pair loving and creating music together while planning for their future. from there she never imagined having to choose her passion over the love of her life, but her father’s words of telling her to chase her dreams ultimately signed her name on the dotted line. she regrets the way everything happened, his accident, but getting to play her music for the world has been truly magical for her. 

the one who helped her see graduation: (open) high school tutor.

will they, won’t they

hookups

friends with benefits

people who have heard her music

mutual lovers of music

party friends

childhood friends

bad influence

good influence

party friends

friends from some kind of parental loss support group?

anything :)