#home repair script

[subjectsix]

I don't know I'm not done talking about it. It's insane that I can't just uninstall Edge or Copilot. That websites require my phone number to sign up. That people share their contacts to find their friends on social media.

I wouldn't use an adblocker if ads were just banners on the side funding a website I enjoy using and want to support. Ads pop up invasively and fill my whole screen, I misclick and get warped away to another page just for trying to read an article or get a recipe.

Every app shouldn't be like every other app. Instagram didn't need reels and a shop. TikTok doesn't need a store. Instagram doesn't need to be connected to Facebook. I don't want my apps to do everything, I want a hub for a specific thing, and I'll go to that place accordingly.

I love discord, but so much information gets lost to it. I don't want to join to view things. I want to lurk on forums. I want to be a user who can log in and join a conversation by replying to a thread, even if that conversation was two days ago. I know discord has threads, it's not the same. I don't want to have to verify my account with a phone number. I understand safety and digital concerns, but I'm concerned about information like that with leaks everywhere, even with password managers.

I shouldn't have to pay subscriptions to use services and get locked out of old versions. My old disk copy of photoshop should work. I should want to upgrade eventually because I like photoshop and supporting the business. Adobe is a whole other can of worms here.

Streaming is so splintered across everything. Shows release so fast. Things don't get physical releases. I can't stream a movie I own digitally to friends because the share-screen blocks it, even though I own two digital copies, even though I own a physical copy.

I have an iPod, and I had to install a third party OS to easily put my music on it without having to tangle with iTunes. Spotify bricked hardware I purchased because they were unwillingly to upkeep it. They don't pay their artists. iTunes isn't even iTunes anymore and Apple struggles to upkeep it.

My TV shows me ads on the home screen. My dad lost access to eBook he purchased because they were digital and got revoked by the company distributing them. Hitman 1-3 only runs online most of the time. Flash died and is staying alive because people love it and made efforts to keep it up.

I have to click "not now" and can't click "no". I don't just get emails, they want to text me to purchase things online too. My windows start search bar searches online, not just my computer. Everything is blindly called an app now. Everything wants me to upload to the cloud. These are good tools! But why am I forced to use them! Why am I not allowed to own or control them?

No more!!!!! I love my iPod with so much storage and FLAC files. I love having all my fics on my harddrive. I love having USBs and backups. I love running scripts to gut suck stuff out of my Windows computer I don't want that spies on me. I love having forums. I love sending letters. I love neocities and webpages and webrings. I will not be scanning QR codes. Please hand me a physical menu. If I didn't need a smartphone for work I'd get a "dumb" phone so fast. I want things to have buttons. I want to use a mouse. I want replaceable batteries. I want the right to repair. I grew up online and I won't forget how it was!

[quicktimeeventfull]

HE BROKE MY SINK LMAO so he's coming back AGAIN ghjighfjgflknhjlgnhjl <- please read in a tone of bemusement & not distress

everyone it has somehow taken my super five appointments to patch a hole on my ceiling and this is horrendous for me but i feel it has potential as premise for like. a lawlight fic. or something. someone please use this somehow.

[haikyu-mp4]

Congrats on the milestone I love your work😸.

Applying with Sakusa, I am organized and a problem solver

thank you very very much, love!! I'm happy to hire you<3

Human error

Sakusa is a regular and finally asks you out, for the now hiring! event

word count; 1087 – f!reader

Every time you got to see Sakusa, the mysteriously handsome volleyball player was accompanied by one or more of his fellow jackals. Their training facilities just so happened to be around the corner from the cafe where you worked and you had recognised him from the posters one of the first times he stopped by.

Sakusa wasn’t sure he’d ever have a chance with you, but he told himself it was even less likely if his teammates were to get involved. No doubt, they would try to play Cupid and ruin his already slim chances as if the prospect of them knowing he had somewhat of a crush wasn’t already embarrassing enough. So he put some effort into little ‘schemes’ that would allow him to talk to you without them.

One time, he left his MSBY jacket on the counter after he picked up his coffee. As he and Hinata left the shop, he put on what he felt was quite the acting performance, telling Hinata “I left my jacket, you go ahead,” before turning around to do so.

He had walked right up to the counter and you perked up when you spotted him, pulling the jacket up from behind the bar in a neat bag. You always wore a mask at work, which he greatly appreciated, but you pulled it down for a second to smile at him after he took the bag from you with a brief ‘thank you’. “You’re lucky I know you jackals and your uniforms by now,” you teased. “Someone tried to tell me it was theirs after they saw you left it.”

“Lucky me,” he agreed, completely abandoning the whole script. Instead, he just bowed and walked away.

Let’s just say, most of his schemes didn’t work out. Human error, one might call it.

Sakusa wouldn’t say he gave up, but he took some time trying to come up with a new plan to approach you. The next time he saw you, it was with the full squad of Bokuto, Hinata and Atsumu alongside him. They were talking loudly, not even lowering their volume when they got inside, which made Sakusa look away from them in embarrassment.

But then you laughed. And it annoyed him so much because he loved that laugh, but he never got close to being the reason for it. There’s one guy in line in front of the four volleyball players, and Sakusa was trying to tune in to your conversation. By now, one or two of his friends had caught on to where his attention lay.

“Would you let me take you out sometime?”

What did that guy just ask you?

Sakusa loudly cleared his throat and didn’t even realise he was moving until he stood in front of you, eyebrows furrowed as he turned his attention to the apparent competition. “Are you done ordering? There’s a line back here.”

You glanced at Sakusa and huffed out another short laugh, then looked back at the guy who had asked you out. “Sorry, I’m not interested. Remind me, did you want whipped cream on that?”

After a deep breath and watching the rejected guy step away to wait for his coffee, Sakusa was happy to find your attention back on him but not as happy about the playful glint of your eyes, even though it suited you painfully well. “Hello there, Sakusa. The usual?”

After confirming with a shy nod, Sakusa looked over his shoulder hesitantly. Atsumu was covering his mouth with his hand to contain his commentary, Hinata gave him a thumbs up, and Bokuto looked happily at the menu boards hanging above them to decide what he wanted to try today.

Sakusa could not believe his luck. Not only did he have to stay late at practice, meaning he couldn’t stop by your cafe before you closed as he planned, but his car also decided to give up on him and stay in the parking lot. He called the repair guy, who said he could be there in the morning, and Sakusa begrudgingly agreed before hanging up. Taking public transport home was not an option if he could avoid it.

Might as well start walking. He stared at his feet while walking to make sure he didn’t step on anything gross, but the slam of a door in front of him made his gaze sharply turn upwards. His feet stopped moving and he stared as you locked up the door.

Is this... destiny- no. Sakusa didn’t want to entertain such childish ideas, but at least it was an opportunity. He hesitated. Should he finally talk to you? None of the other volleyball players were there to snicker or make teasing comments and no other customers could rudely ask you out right in front of him.

You were closing up the shop and it had been a long day. Working at the cafe was amazing, but even you were susceptible to bad days. It didn’t help either that Sakusa hadn’t stopped by, so you did your hair all nice for nothing.

Speaking of the devil, you heard someone clear their throat behind you, making you startle and clutch your key like a weapon. When you saw those brown eyes, you calmed down slightly before tensing up again.

Your mind went back to earlier that day when Bokuto, Atsumu and Hinata had come into the cafe and the trio leaned their elbows on the counter.

“Between us girls, what’s your type?” Atsumu had asked, followed by Hinata adding,

“We’re asking for a friend!”

“Who might be interested,” Atsumu continued after realising that Bokuto had gotten distracted and forgot his line.

“Someone might call him the silent dark type, do you like that?” Hinata added like Atsumu had told him earlier.

“A friend?” you asked, pulling up the top of your mask a little to hopefully hide your cheeks more. They looked at each other and smirked, not giving you a proper answer.

“Could I get a raspberry refresher?” Bokuto asked with his sweet smile, and you clicked your pen more times than necessary before finally getting back into what you were doing.

Now, you looked at Sakusa and the blush seemed to be back. Your mask was hanging off one of your ears and you thought it might be too obvious if you put it back on now to hide it.

“Fancy meeting you here,” you said.

Sakusa seemed to consider his words. “I was going to get something to eat. Would you join me?”

“Gladly.”

masterlist

[legokingfisher]

Yeah I draw this guy a lot but I thought it was time i put together my take on him in a more Coherent way. Lots of design notes/lore/hc stuff under the cut.

-> Usually dragons Riyu’s age are more lanky, but between ninja training and his unconventional diet (he eats So much human(oid) food lol. Probably a v different meat-to-everything-else ratio than a typical mtn dragon has), he has put on a lot of muscle and fat. He’s built like the dragon equivalent of a pro body builder it’s so funny i love him

-> Mtn dragons have relatively long wings as far as dragons go. Their wingtips naturally are deeply notched as well. These adaptations are good for passive soaring without sacrificing much maneuverability; two things that are important for living, traveling, and hunting in their home mountain ranges.

-> My idea for a scarification tradition in mtn dragon communities 🎉 patterns associated with clan or group carved/burned into the keratin of tail clubs:

This is most done by older or higher ranking members of a clan or family, to teen dragons as a coming of age thing. It is also done at any age to show allegiance to groups/causes/etc not directly affiliated with birth clan/family. It is done with sharp tools heated over a fire, or simply with a claw charged with the carver’s own powers/energy in order to the burn patterns.

Keratin is the same material that makes up fingernails, hooves, and the sheaths on horns of many irl animals. I imagine the keratin layer on mtn dragons’ tail clubs is very thick. So, done correctly, the process isn’t painful (mildly painful at worst) but can be uncomfortable. Since the layer continues to grow and repair itself throughout a mtn dragon’s life, the ritual needs to be repeated occasionally over the years lest the patterns fade/fill with time. Riyu had his club engraved for the first time during the time skip between drs1-2.

Mtn dragons will also have symbols or patterns added to their tail clubs throughout their lives that represent affiliations to causes, other groups, accomplishments, their interests, etc. Riyu has a ninjargon “R” because having something in a ninjagan human script represents his association with, and status as, a ninja. Also I based his clan markings off one of the shapes on his Matriarch’s crown.

-> Accessories time 🎉🎉🎉:

Carry bag: he doesn’t have pockets… he needs pockets… give him pockets. And bags (there is a bag on each shoulder). He’s got a couple of these but the green one is his favorite.

Glove-shoes: Riyu walks on his hands, but also uses them as.. well. Hands. Wouldn’t want to handle things like food (or objects which he otherwise wouldn’t want to dirty) with the same hands that are all over the ground all the time. This way, his glove-shoes can get dirty while his hands stay clean inside. He can just take them off when it’s time to eat or handle anything that doesn’t need to get dirty. He also just likes how they look; he’s got a few pairs. Stylish guy.

Friendship bracelets: for funsies :) an orange one for Arin, a pink one for Sora, and a red one for Wyldfyre.

[lynaferns]

The Forest On The Other Side

Chapter 1: I want to go home.

Ver. [ENGLISH / SPANISH]

EDIT: This fic is now on AO3

A girl gets lost in the forest and finds a misterious gate in the middle of nowhere. At the other side she meets a... very peculiar individual who seems to only want to befriend her and play. Everything seems fine. Until night falls and someone else joins to play...

Again, I appreciate feedback about the english adaptation. English is not my first lenguage and I still mess up sometimes.

This is in some way a more "joyful" story than BIOMáquina, still with its dark themes. I wrote this a year ago. By this I mean I forced myself to get it written down and ended up hating it and burning myself out. A couple of weeks ago I decided to reread it and I though it was pretty ok actually, so I edited it a bit to make it flow better. It used to be written more as a script for the comic I wanted to draw buuuut that didn't happen (cough stressed myself out cough forced myself cough don't force yourself to make content out of a hobby, a hobby is supposed to be for your own fun). I'm not completely satisfied with the final draft but I think is good enough for my first ever fic written.

I originally planned to make it a Y/N thing but that didn't last long. But I keeped the original idea of the first person POV. The Y/N stories I've read has always some narrator telling you what you do insert you in the story. I thought of making the MC the narrator, this way the reader can insert themselves like it's their story or they can read it as if someone else is telling them a story. This is also a bit limiting, since the narration is also the MCs thought process and sometimes I may skip details MC couldn't have seen.

AU, Magical forest, DCA centered, Sun fnaf, Moon fnaf, Elves Sun & Moon, OC, Selfinsert, Character & OC, platonic, friendship, slowburn (kind of), Moon is agresive at first, Moon is also a bit of a gremlin, Protective Sun (I think), OC is a potty mouth, Female Main Character, First person, Angst.

The first post where I showed this AU and my first sketches ideas.

Tumblr archive with all of the art, ideas and anwsered asks.

Youtube Playlist which I'm pretty proud of how it turned out :] It's in a specific order but you can put it on mix.

Note: even though I try to keep things light some things may be triggering for some readers.

CW: Anxiety, Suicide ideation, Implied death, Choking, Non sexual abuse.

Wordcount: 9,700 (It's not rounded, that's literally the number Word tells me it's at lol)

Welp.

Here we are again, in the old village house (yey...). Well, 'I am', my family won't arrive to settle in for another week. They brought me here beforehand a few days ago for organizational reasons. They took a quick look inside before they left to see the state of the house, if it needed any repairs and such, and they headed back to the city. While they finish preparing everything, I take care of the house and text them messages about anything that may be needed for when they return.

We haven't been here in years, the house needs some repairs, and I'm sorry for the spiders, but it could use a deep cleaning. We can't do a deep cleaning but I have been cleaning what I can these last few days, at least so that it looks decent... at first glance.

Well, it's not like anyone is coming to visit.

It's a quiet town, until the kids from the town next door come to make a racket with their bikes. They play in our field, scare away the cats and throw cans around. They are assholes.

Anyways, the people in the village are nice. The adults I mean, the kids I used to play with, I don't get along with them anymore. Some of them aren't kids anymore, we have grown up and are going down different paths. But those who are still kids... they're still interested in the only older kid in the town who listened to them and let them do whatever they wanted, to a certain extent.

I don't want them to come looking for me to go out and play. I've been avoiding them by saying that I'm busy cleaning the house and getting it ready for when my family arrives, but I feel like interacting with them less and less. That's why I'm going out to the woods behind the house to get lost for a while, as always. The kids don't go near the forest so they won't bother me there.

There is an area for tourism and hiking but not many people come, some police cars border the forest from time to time but they never go inside. The reports of missing people in this forest have been coming in for decades, only some lost children have returned but there is no trace of any of the adults who disappeared along with the rest of the children. The areas marked with signs are safe but you can't go out of bounds unless you want to disappear with those people.

And I, who right now am alone and with no one to notice my absence if I go missing, am going to head straight to the forest. Don't you think, I don't want to disappear, I just don't like people and I usually go into the forest but I don't go too far away. As long as I see my house in the distance, I know how to return.

I grab my bag with my sketchbook and pencil case, in case I feel like drawing (probably won't) and step out to the back porch. The outer sliding metal door that protects the inner one is rusty and difficult to open. It would be better to oil it but I don't know when it will be done, considering that the broken railing has had a wooden board tied to it for years. I already sent my mother a message talking about it.

I enter the forest and start walking around. It's hot, of course, it's early summer, but it's quite noticeable after being in the cool inside the brick and stone house. That's the good thing about coming here in summer, the houses are made to stay cold inside and it's great, sometimes I even need to wear a jacket. But outside I'm dying, the trees don't provide enough shade. In fact, some trees are missing. I used to have my routes memorized but time has passed and some paths have changed, some have disappeared and others have formed. I admit that it makes me a little sad... I began to walk absorbed in my thoughts not paying attention to where I was going.

I'm walking away, I should go back. I'm not going to draw anything here anyway, and it's hotter outside than inside so I'm gonna to turn around-

I hear screams and laughter in the distance, the sound of the voices produces me an immediate disgust. It's those kids from the next door village. They must have come to 'investigate' about the disappearances or maybe they don't care and they just came to be idiots-

They're getting closer.

I don't want them to see me. God. Don't let them see me. Anyone but them. They're getting closser. Don't let them see me. I can't go back home now. They're cutting me off. Of all the people who could have found me. It had to be them. No, please. Don't let them see me. I have to go further into the forest, I can't let them see me. They're getting closer. Don't let them see me. I want to leave. I want to leave. I'm getting too far. I want to leave. I don't see my house. I want to leave. I don't see the village. I want to leave. I don't see the kids.

...

...

...

Where am I?

Fuck.

Where am I?

I want to leave.

I want to leave.

I want to leave.

I want to leave.

…

—

Now I'm wandering through the forest. I don't want to go back. I want to get out of here. Even though I'm walking in a straight line I feel like I'm going around in circles, and I'm not going to get out of here now. Great. I'm lost. Now what? People who get lost in this forest don't return, no one has returned except for some children.

...

I'm going to disappear.

...

For now I keep walking until something happens. Maybe there's an animal that kills people who get lost, or maybe it's a group of kidnappers, or maybe I should stop giving myself anxiety and focus on getting out of here. Maybe if I find a field or road, or even the tourist area, I'll be able to get out of here and return bordering the fores-

...

There is... colorful graffitis on the trees. Someone has painted eyes, hands, stars and more on the bark of the trees...

What's this?

I don't know where I've come to, I didn't know this was here, in the middle of nowhere in the forest. The trees have red leaves like in autumn even though summer has just started... The first thing I thought was 'climate change's fault' but there is something that stands out in the middle of this entire flat area and it is disturbing me.

In the center there is a kind of circular gate made of stones supported by roots.

Okay, maybe it doesn't sound aaaaas disturbing as, I don't know, a totem with a human figure being impaled or something, but it's giving me a bad vibe. What is this place? Who built a stone arch in the middle of everything and why?

A bird appears flying from behind me and goes through the gate, but nothing comes out on the other side... wait what? how? The bird has crossed the gate, and disappeared behind the stone arch? ...I had to imagine it, it's not possible that that happened. I approach the arch but not before picking up a rock from the ground and throwing it to the other side of the gate.

It's still there.

…

For some reason the thought of going through the gate makes me uncomfortable, so I go around it.

...

...And the rock? It's not there.

I go back and look from inside the portal.

The rock is there.

...

I look from outside. The rock is not there. I repeat this multiple times. Rock. No rock. Rock. No rock. Rock. No rock... What?

Alright, this is weird, this is VERY weird.

Even though it is clear that this isn't normal, I have to go back, pick up a fallen branch from the ground and pass it through the portal. This time I don't throw it, I've grabbed a branch long enough to see it peek out from the other side of the arch.

...

Welp.

I should be seeing not only the branch, but also my hand sticking out of the side, but I'M NOT SEEING IT. OKAY. OK. ALRIGHT. IT'S CONFIRMED. THIS IS WEIRD.

I'm asleep, right? Or unconscious. I must have passed out from exhaustion from endlessly wandering through the woods and I'm delirious or something. No, wait, it can't be, in my dreams I'm not this aware of what's around me. Where am I?

A breeze begins to pass through the gate. It's getting stronger but not enough to push me. The leaves rise from the ground and float towards the portal, none slipping outside, all entering through the stone arch. Suddenly the breeze that had become wind stops. The leaves fall to the ground.

...

I look back for a moment, as if there was something behind me that could help me make a decision. Grabbing with both hands my bag strap I look back at the portal again. Okay. Alright. This is possibly the death of me. I'm going to cross. I'm going to go to the other side. I'm just one step away from crossing. I wrinkle my face and narrow my eyes before taking the last step.

...

Nothing has happened. Everything seems the same. However, I know it's not the same... Or at least it doesn't feel the same!

Well, I've already crossed. I'm gonna... keep walking, I guess, even though this is scaring me and I don't know if I'll know how to go back. For now I'm moving forward. The red leaves have disappeared several meters ago. It's starting to look like a normal forest, except for the multicolored drawings and handprints that I keep seeing on the trees. In fact, it seems like the trees are taller with every step I take. So high that I can barely see the top. I almost tripped while looking up. Whether this is the same forest I come from, I no longer know.

This was a bad idea. I just hope to find something that'll help me know where I am, a sign or the road if possible.

*cling*

...?

I hit something with my foot. There is a ball attached to a small chain on the ground. Oh, no, wait. *cling diring ding* It's a rusty bell, I think. It doesn't have the typical cross-shaped hole or slot, rather it has several holes in a pattern. It looks like it can be opened.

There's nothing inside.

?

There's nothing? But I could have sworn it had rang. I close it again and shake it.

*...*

Nothing.

I'm going to put it in the bag, it's totally a good idea. I'll think about it later, for now I'm moving on.

—

I've been walking for a while now and throughout this time I had a constant chill on the back of my neck, as if someone had their eyes on me.

*din dirring* I hear a soft tinkling in the distance.

Okay, I'm not alone, awesome, what do I do now? Do I say hi and risk the potential danger finding me? Do I ignore the sound of bells and keep moving? It's very possible that whatever made that sound is watching me right now...

“Hello?” Still nervous, I try to say hello looking around “...” “Is someone there? H-hello?”

“-HEEEEELLO!”

“AAAAAH-!” I cover my mouth with my hands as I turn to look at what the hell has greeted me back. I take a few steps back while I look at the figure of earthy and sunny tones who responded, he seems as surprised as I am, I think (with the scream I made, normal), at least it looks like he's surprised. He wears a two toned wooden mask... it looks like a sun, with a crescent moon on its right... It gives the impression of two faces merged into one... Damn, he is tall, he's almost doubles my size. He appears to have two skin tones dividing him in half, his right side being the lighter and the left darker, especially the arm, which also has a light-colored tattoo of lines representing a sun symbol that covers from the shoulder to the pectoral and to the middle of the bicep. The right arm is covered by a long fingerless glove that reaches to the shoulder and is tied around the chest. He's wearing baggy pants with leaves coming out of the waist and legs, some... cloth boots? with a long toe bending sharply and curving in a geometric swirl with a bell at the tips, a bag hangs from the waistband of his pants and falls below his hips. His chest and neck are tied by ropes decorated with hanging stones, metals and crystals, he wears a pendant that ends in a carved symbol of a crescent moon with rays. Some of the 'sunrays' on his mask have ropes tied between them holding them in place and some metal dangling. Some red ribbons along with bells hang from his wrists.

“um... Helloooooo.” He greets again, this time he lowers his tone of voice. I manage to react, I turn around and walk away. “¡ah- eh- Wait!” Nope, I'm not going to wait and see what he does with me, I'm leaving. “He-! Hey!” Nope. I quicken my pace and try to get lost among the trees, changing direction every time he appears in my vision angle. “Human? Human-! FRIEND. Can I call you friend?!” Nope, nope, nopnop, nop, nop, nope. “Friend! Hey!” God, no, god, god, no, why are you following me? “Look, I know what you're trying to look for...! And believe me, you're not going to find it~!” How are you still following me? Where do you come from? “Hey! Listen! Why don't we do something else besides running in circles!?” Noooooooooo... “There are TONS of other activities we could do! Like... HOLY MOLY, look at this stick! Do you like sticks!?” Leave me aloneee... “You aren't looking at it! Okay, alright, you don't like sticks, erm... what might be of interest to you...” If I don't look at it it doesn't exist. “Could you help me a little here?” I want to leave... “Look, no matter how much you wander around, you won't find the portal-!”

“STOP—! STOP FOLLOWING ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!” The sudden scream startles him again, making him jump in place. He stands completely still looking at me. I'm leaving before he gets angry.

“B-but I- ...okay.” I thought I heard him say before I left him behind.

It seems that this time he's not following me, finally... Although I'm not calm, he could still be following me and simply not be in sight. Anyway, I think I'm coming back? I hope I am. I want to find that portal as soon as possible and go back to the house- what the fu-? “WHY?”

He's there. Right where I left him. Sitting on a rock. Waiting. “...! I haven't moved from the spot!”

“Yeah- but- WHY?”

“Because I knew you were going to come back here!”

“...What?”

“Is what I was trying to tell you! You can't leave! No matter how hard you try to find the portal, it won't appear before you!” The Sunman exclaimed.

“…” I'm just about to turn around. In fact, I'm already turning around.

“N-No, wait! Please don't go!” I stop in my track and look back at him. He gets off the rock he was sitting on but remains squatting, almost at my height, a little below. I move back, keeping my distance. He puts his hands up. “Look, I'm not doing anything! I won't chase you! Just- ...don't go.”

“…”

“L-look, listen, there's no way it's going to show up! Well, not to you at least. But even if you find it back, it won't work! It only works when it wants to work.”

“...” Let's imagine that I trust what he says “Ok... and when does it want to be working?”

“...” “No idea!”

“...”

“...”

I'm about to collapse on the spot. At least he doesn't seem hostile, for now. “...” “Okay... Good... Great...” “...” “FanTAS-tic.”

“...” “You don't seem like it.”

*ಠ_ಠ* I could only look to the side in frustration in response to that. I looked back at him with concern showing on my face and grabbing the strap of my bag with both hands. “And... what... do you plan to do with me?”

He took his hand to the chin of his mask and with the other he held his elbow in a comical thoughtful pose. “MmmmnnDUN know! What do you plan to do?” He asked so nonchalantly. He ended up sitting on the ground crossing his legs. “You have a good while until the portal opens again...!”

“...”

“...”

“...”

He started swaying. The silence has become uncomfortable for a while now, but I can't organize myself on what to say, and I don't know if I trust him. I don't even know if he's human, although something tells me he's not.

“You could wait here.” He suggested, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Or anywhere else, if you want. I would recommend somewhere high like the treetops (for no particular reason)! If you're going to wait... But wouldn't that be really boring?” There was something in his tone of voice... “Being there... at the top of a tree... waiting... alone... with no friends to hang out with (can I call you a friend?). Aaall on your own until the portal opens again.” He looks aside for a moment “...” And back at me again. “With no one to be with you.” He repeats the head motion “...” “alone...” Wow... I wonder what he's implying, ahem. “Wouldn't you want to have someone...? ...Someone...keeping you company?” Yeah, yeah...

“...” I guess... “I-I guess I wouldn't want to be alon-?”

He rises to his knees. “That's what I thought! Do you want me to accompany you? Only if you want! But can I?” He clasped his hands together as if asking a favor.

“um...”

“Can I?Can I?Can I?Can I?Can I?Can I?Can I?” He approaches, dragging his knees on the ground.

I'm starting to miss personal space. “Okay! Okay, alright...”

“REALLY?” He started hopping and jumping around me. “OH, ohoho hO! Great! Oh, there are TONS of things we could do! Like... Like...!” He moves faster, doing bigger and bigger flips and jumps, it almost seems that he is very light, as if the breeze of air lifted him. “We could paint and decorate trees! Or we can also paint on rocks! Or paint leaves! Or paint us! Oh! We can tell stories! I'm very good at making shadows and puppets.” He moves from place to place with each sentence he says. “We can also play something!” It's moving so fast all I can see is the wind and the leaves it stirs up as it moves. “Anything! Whatever you want!” Finally he stopped in front of me half crouched. “What do ya say?! Hmm! Friend!?”

“Don't... call me like that.” Makes me feel awkward.

“Oh...why not-? Oh true, true! How silly, I don't know your name! What do you call yourself, potential friend?”

“...”

“...” “Aren't... you gonna tell me your name?”

I twist the bag strap “Depends...” I must say I'm a little skeptical about this. “Are there any consequences for telling you my name?”

“...Consequences...?”

“Like... I don't know... Mmm-by telling you my name I become your possession and cannot regain my freedom until... certain conditions are met...”

“...”

“...”

“Why- how-? Where did you get that from!?” It did sound a bit stupid when I said it out loud.

“I dunno- that's what they say in old children's stories about elves and fairies!” I just hope the embarrassment isn't showing on my face.

“Really?” I could feel his deadpan expression behind the mask.

I shrugged.

“...” “Okay... Oh, what if I tell you my name first? Will you tell me yours? It's only fair, I'm Sun!”

“...”

“Can I know your name now?” He asked expectantly.

“...How do I know you're not trying to trick me?”

“...” I must be driving him crazy with this “The only thing I can do with your name is treasure it in my memory.” He put his hands together as if he was carefully holding something and brought them to the forehead of the mask. I gave him a distrustful look. It doesn't seem like it made him desist “Please?”

I grip at my worn out bag strap “...” “ Fern...” I ended up murmuring.

“Hmm? Fern? OH, I like it!” “Sounds like FRIEND.” He emphasized the last word by making a gesture like jazz hands, leaning to the side and moving his head closer to me.

“Yeah... I think you are missing a couple of letters.”

He straightened his posture again. “Nope, I don't think so!”

“You're still not my friend.”

“Oooowwwwwnnnnnggghhh” He lowers his head dramatically until it practically touches the ground “nnnnnnngggghh, alright!” And cartwheels to stand up again “So... what will it be?”

“Hm?”

He straightened his posture and puts his arms on his hips “We have plenty of time, ya? What do you wanna to do?”

“I don't know, what do you want to do-?” Bad mistake.

“Come with me!”

“aaAAAAA-!” Before I knew it, he had grabbed my arm and I was being dragged through the woods. We visited several places and he offered me an activity to do in each of them.

—

Sun took me to a place where the trees were full of colorful paint “We practice painting on the trees here!” He said.

“Ah.” That explains the crossed out lines and the repeated imperfect shapes. By the look of it is also where he tests the quality of the paint.

“Do you want us to paint something!?”

“Not really...”

“Oh, would you prefer it to be on a rock?”

“Nah.”

“...And in star leaves-?”

“I don't want to paint, Sun.”

“Oh... Well, I can show you more places!”

“OkayyEEEEEE-” And I'm being dragged away again.

—

He brought me to another area of the forest, the ground here seemed more leveled. Not a single tree was straight, all of them were twisted and even seemed to be hollow. “How about playing something!? Like hide and seek-! No, wait, I can’t let you out of my sight.” He mumbled at the end “And chase?! We can climb a tree and see who reaches the top first! We have a place full of vines and it's perfect for swinging- and jumping from one tree to another-!”

“I don't... really want to move a lot…” With the way he runs without getting tired and me, who doesn't exercise... he would let me dead.

“Oh... well, theeen-”

—

We arrived at a place full of vegetation and humidity. Sun seemed quite excited... “This place is full of insects! We can look for cool bugs!”

“Mmmmmnoooo... I don't want to.” I had to tell him, trying to show as little disinterest as I could.

“You don't like them?” He sounded a little disappointed hearing my reaction.

“No, I do like them, some of them, but I don't like to touch them.” And I'm terrified of them flying into my face.

“Oh, well, it's okay!” He said brushing it off and we moved on to the next stop.

—

“I know that bird!” He stopped us on the way to point at a robin high up on a branch.

“ah.” I said as I removed leaves from my hair and clothes, and checked that I still had my glasses.

“He's a little rascal!”

“...” I think the bird is making us the equivalent of 'mooning'.

—

“Look fish-! Oh, they're gone…” The noise must have scared them away “We can go find more places to look at them if you want!”

“...” “...no, pass...”

“…”

—

“Look at this stick!” Sun had suddenly sprinted past me, picked up something from the ground, and came back just as fast, showing me the stick as if it were a sword.

“oh.” It's a cool stick, must admit it.

“Do you want to look for more sticks!?”

“No...”

“oh...” He looked at the ground in disappointment.

“Why would we go looking for sticks? There are all over the ground.” Specifically, in this area the ground was all sticks. We are literally just stepping on sticks right now. I don't see the ground.

“Variety!” Sun said pointing at the ground with both hands. A branch is heard falling in the distance.

—

“That's a deer!” He pointed at the deer passing nearby. The deer stopped to look at us.

“Yeah, I see.”

“We call 'em Adoquín!”

“...Why is it called Adoquí-?”

*THUMP!*

“…”

The deer smacked itself against a tree when trying to run away. It stands still for a minute, processing the hit, looks at a side and then the other, then runs off again but this time avoiding the tree.

Another *thump!* is heard in the distance.

“...” Alright.

—

“Do you wannaaaa look for pine cones? There will be some fallen around here. Oh! We can also look for mushrooms!”

I keep saying no to everything he suggests and it doesn't look like he's going to run out of ideas to pass the time. In fact, he's very insistent that we do something. I guess at some point I'll have to say yes to something. “...” “...okay...”

“Hmm?! Okay? Okay to what?” His exaggerated surprise offends me but I don't blame him.

“To... I don't know, pine cones?”

“...You don't look very convinced.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“OKAY! On the hunt for pine cones then!” I startle a little at the sudden shout. He makes a pose pointing in a direction, as if he were leading an expedition.

He takes me through the forest looking for pine cones. We aren't finding many, especially me who's not paying any interest. He tries encouraging me to put more effort into it but I keep looking at my boots.

We passed near a shingle river. I find a pebble at my feet and bend down to pick it up and take a better look. It's like a bluish gray, it has some reddish lines in the shape of waves, it feels good to the touch.

I hear the soft tinkling of a bell and feel a shadow fall beside me. “You like pebbles?” Sun is crouched next to me with his arms full of pine cones.

“…” I nod.

We go down to the river and spend some time collecting pebbles with curious shapes or small details of colors, lines, spots, etc. He comes over to show me one every time he finds weird shapes.

“…”

*rin* This time he's hunched over resting his hands on his knees. “You look… a little down.”

“…”

“Hey... we can do something else if you're tired of the pebbles.”

“...” I drop the pebbles I was looking at on the ground.

“...” He turns his gaze from me to the sky. It hasn't gotten late enough to be getting dark, but it's been a while between the walks we've taken (dragging me from here to there), looking for pine cones and then pebbles in the river. He looks back at me. “Oh, I know! Can I take you to one last place? A better place than the ones I've shown you!”

“…” I got up from the ground and waited for him to start leading to follow him.

We enter the increasingly thick forest. The trees are taller and bigger, in fact, I start to see platforms and bridges lying between the trees, I even see small shanties in them.

“Wait here!” He takes a run and jumps onto one of the trees with bridges. He takes three steps running up the tree, with a jump he pushes himself off and climbs with agility until he reaches the platform and climbs on it. “Just a moment!” It can't be seen from here but I can faintly hear some squeaks. I have no idea of what he's doin-

*rush*

“........eh?”

A rope.

A rope has fallen. At the level of my head.

“.......”

What?

…

He said he knew a better place.

No. It can't be this.

“Is it at a good height?! Can you reach it?!” He says...

It can't be.

A better place.

He can't be referring to this.

A better place.

A better place. A better place. A better place. A better place.

“Can you put your foot in?!”

“..........” For some reason what he said throws me off. “WAT-?”

“Can you put your foot in the loop and hold on to the rope so I can pull you up!?”

“..............”

“You can't climb trees, can you?! ...or you can?"

… “...” Oh “....It's...It's too high!”

“Okay!” Squeaks are heard and the rope descends to the ground.

I put my foot into the rope as he told me and hold on to it. “O-okay...!”

“Are you ready!?”

“Yes!”

“Okay!”

He begins to pull up the rope (which doesn't tighten around my foot as it supports my weight) and helps me up to the platform. (That's what it was for, obviously, what else would he want? I'm such an...) “Come on!” He says cheerfully, as always, and takes me over the bridges. “You seem tense... Don't tell me you're afraid of heights!”

“S-something like that... it's nothing.” He tilts his head at that but he says nothing. I have an unpleasant sensation in my throat.

We arrived at a high place with a view of waterfalls, I can't see above the trees. We sat on one of the bridges, resting our arms on the rope that serves as a railing and letting our legs hang off the bridge. I've thought about taking out the sketchbook to draw... but I don't really feel like it right now, so I just quietly observe the landscape. It is a better place, yeah.

…

I feel watched. I turn to look at him ...Of course he was looking at me. I don't even know whether to say something or keep quiet. ...I decide... not to say anything and look to the front.

“You... aren't very talkative, huh.”

“…”

“Not that it's a bad thing! Many people who have come here weren't very talkative at first either.” More people...

“...” “I have… nothing to talk about.” I don't want to talk.

“...” “Well, I do.”

“…”

“If it's okay with you, of course.” He laughed. Although something tells me that he is going to talk anyway.

“…”

“...” “What brings you to the forest?”

“...” Really? “I got lost.”

“Yeah, I already know!” He says between laughs “But what made you get lost?”

“...” “There was a group of kids I didn't want to get close to and I decided to go into the woods to lose them.” He makes a 'hum' sound and looks at me expectantly waiting for me to continue “And... I ended up getting myself lost...”

“...” “Only that?”

“...” “Well, yeah.” What do you mean 'oNlY tHaT'?

“...Mmm...” He places his hand on the chin of the mask.

“...” “What?”

“Nothing!” “...” “You know? You're the first human to visit the forest in a loooong time. For several cycles now…”

“Cycles?”

“Mhm” He nods.

“...What are cycles?”

Sun points to the sky “The turns that the Moon makes in the sky!” He emphasizes by rotating his arm in the air. It's pointing right at the Moon that's visible in the sky.

“Oh...” He uses the lunar cycles to know what day he's in, makes sense. “...” “So no one has been here in a while.”

“That's what I said! Well no, but yes!”

“A-and so the humans who came are still here? Have they been here all this time?”

“Yeah...! Well, no!” He paused. “They're gone!”

“What do you mean they're-?” He didn't let me finish the question.

“They are gone! They 'left'!” It sounded like he had given this answer many times already.

“What do you mean they left-?”

“They 'left'!”

“...” “...You mean...they disappear-?”

“Nope!” “...” “Something like that!” “…” “Mmmore or less…” He hesitated between one answer and another.

It seemed worthless to ask about the missing people. “...okay.” “Can I ask you-?”

“You can ask me anything!” A hint of nervousness escaped his tone.

“...okay. What is this forest?”

“My home! And the home of many other animals.”

“...” “Alright, and... how many are you...? How many of you live here? I mean. You have taken me everywhere and we haven't seen anyone of your…” I make a pointing gesture, spinning my hand around in the air. He can't be human, it doesn't look like he is. “...” “Honestly, I don't know what you are.”

“...” “There's only me... And someone else!” He looks away, as if trying to hide something.

“Oh... and who's that someone?”

“Oh! N-no, don't worry! He’s… just a friend… But it’s not important that you meet him or anything!” He brushes it off making a gesture with his hand. “Uh-um- How about we talk about you!? huh? What things do you like? Earlier, since you said no to everything, I thought you didn't like ANYTHING!” He continued talking without letting me respond. “I didn't know what to do if I ran out of ideas. I started to worry! But at least you're not one of those who spend all day shouting and threatening with a weapon in hand, ahaha...” He let out a nervous laugh.

“Um-”

“Well, you ran away screaming, yes.” He began to gesticulate widely as he complained “Like everyone-! No, not like everyone, some don't run, but those who, apart from running and screaming, attack you...! I mean...!” Something tells me he wasn't going to shut up and I was already half listening. “First they throw rocks at my head, then they insult me and run away. And I have to run after them because I can't just leave a human running around alone! No! I can't! Not in this forest! Anything could happen to them! But they never let me warn them!” He sounded tired. “And when I get them to stop running away from me, they throw things at me again and yell before demanding me to tell them where are they and how to get out of here, and when I explain it, they yell at me even more and accuse me of lying!” He turns to look at me with his hands pointing to his chest. “What reason would I have to lie?!” I don't know if he hasn't noticed or if he's ignoring the deapan I responded with. “UGH! I don't know what to do with those! But anyhow... I'm so glad we found something to do in the end!

“eh?” I snap out of my thoughts. It seems that now he is directing the conversation to me.

“The pebbles!” He sits turning his body towards me, leaving one single leg hanging from the bridge and the other resting on it. He takes out of his pocket some of the pebbles that he had been collecting with me. “I don't know why I assumed you wouldn't want to look for rocks. Maybe because you didn't want to paint them before... You left them back in the river in the end tho, I thought you would keep some.”

“Ah... I don't know. I didn't think I could take them with me.”

“You can keep some of mine!”

“No, it's okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“You suuuuure??” He insist.

“Yeees.”

He puts a pebble very close to my face “Suuuuuuuure?” Each 'u' sounding higher than the last.

“...” I push the pebble away from my face “Yeeeees.”

“mmmh... Okay! But I hope you don't regret it later when you don't have a cool rock like these and think 'Oh man, I could have a cool rock right now!'.” After a bad impression of me, he keeps the rocks in his pants. “So... Besides pebbles, what else do you like? Mm? I haven't been able to deduce much from today.”

“Don't know.”

“What do you mean you don't know!? Oh! Is it a secret?” He approaches and starts to whisper, putting his hands to the mask's mouth “I won't tell anyone, promise.”

“No. I don't know.” I looked to the side. “I can't think of anything... so suddenly.”

“ooow...” He slumps a little over the railing, looking sad.

“…” I hesitate whether to say something or not “...Drawing...”

“Mmm?!” He no longer seems sad.

“And listening to music, I guess.” “It's... all I do... most of the time.”

“Really!? Oh! I also like drawing! And music! But is that really all you do all day? Don't you do other kinds of things? Like reading! Or writting. Don't you go out for a walk or play with your friends?” I wrinkle my face at that last bit and he tilts his head in confusion.

“I don't go out.” “I have comics, but I rarely read.”

“Comics?”

“Um... They are stories but instead of narrating what happens there are drawings and only what the characters say is written.”

“...It's a book with drawings?”

“Yeah, but with a lot of drawings on each page, from start to finish.”

“WOAH.” He sounded perplexed. “That's drawing A LOT.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Ahh, I'd love to see what they look like.” He rested his arm on the railing to hold his head in his hand “Too bad I can't…”

“I didn't bring them anyway.”

“Do you normally carry them around?”

“No, it's just that I didn't bring them to the village with me, I left them at home.”

“...” “Oh!” It seems that something has clicked on him. “You are not from the village.”

“No, I'm from a more urban area. My family used to come to the village every year in the summer, but we stopped coming. Now it seems that we are trying to get back into the habit.” I sighed.

“Why did you stop coming?”

“...That's personal.”

“Oh... okay.” He let a minute of awkward silence pass. “Hey, I can bring some books that I have at home! I think you might be interes-!” He looks away from me to the sunset behind us, the sun is almost gone. “-ted...” I look at the sunset too and then at him with confusion. “...” “...oh...oh-OH, Oh-no!” He stands up abruptly causing the bridge to shake slightly. What could have he seen? “We have to move!” He extends a hand to help me up. “We have to start moving!”

I get up in a hurry on my own, ignoring his hand. “O-okay, to where?”

“Come, run!” Once again he grabs me by the arm and leads me over the bridges between the trees until we reach a tree hut. It's small and dark, it looks like a small shelter. He opens the door and enters “You'll spend the night here, stay inside, do not go out, try to hide well and don't open the windows or doors, okay? Here, there are some blankets. I'll come back later.”

“Wait wait wait! What? What do you mean you'll come back later? What's happening? Why do I have to hide-!?”

“Sssh-ssh-sh” He grabs me and covers my hand with his, his left hand resting on the back of my right hand. He begins to speak in a calmer tone, with a voice that I had not heard him use until now. “It's okay, nothing happens. I have to go, I'll come back, but I can't stay now. You hide, try to rest, I'll be back, I promise.”

“...” I take my hand away from his. “Okay.” “I'll stay, but don't take too long.” Please, I don't want to be here alone.

“Yes. I'll be back.” He affirmed one last time. I watch him run away and disappear among the trees and undergrowth. I enter the small shelter to inspect it.

*TAP TAP TAP* *PLOK* *TAP TAP FOOSSSH! *

…? A noise comes from behind me. I turn around and there's a pebble on the floor.

…

Okay.

I take out my phones flashlight to see better inside the house. There are what appear to be some trunks, small cabinets, and a trapdoor in the floor, It seems that there are corners and blind spots for the windows where the little moonlight that enters through the cracks cannot reach. It's freezing cold and I haven't brought my jacket. I leave the bag on the floor against the wall, I cover myself with the blanket and curl up in a ball in the most hidden corner I can find. I'm tired, I want to sleep, but I can't close my eyes.

…

—

It's been a few hours now.

…

I can't sleep, I simply can't.

…

It doesn't look like he's coming back.

*creek*

…?

*rin*

*tap tap, creek*

Sun?

“S-...” I pause before saying a word, I have the feeling I shouldn't speak. I remain silent and wait.

*tap, tap, tap, creeeeeek, tap*

*rin dirrin*

If it were Sun he would have already let me know it is him. That or he's playing a prank on me which isn't funny, but I'd better stay silent. From the shadow I look at the windows. I notice movement through the cracks, something has just passed through the wall next to me.

*dirriring dirring*

I cover myself more with the blanket, back against the wall, I stay as still as I can, I leave a gap between the blankets and the floor to see. A red glow sneaks through the cracks in the window and scans the room.

…

The glow is gone.

*tap, tap, rin, tap, dirring, tap, tap*

It's on the roof.

…

*tap, tap, tap...*

It moves again.

*rin *

…

It sounded on the other side of the wall.

…

…

“nghehe...”

It laughed. Why did it laugh? Whatever is on the other side of the wall just let out a laugh that made the hairs on the back of my neck and all over my back rise.

…

Oh no.

Oh no no no no no no no no.

I have to move. I have to get out of here. I can't stay here.

*creeek*

It came from the door. It's trying to get in.

*rin*

The trapdoor.

*rin dirring*

Where was the trapdoor?

*creek creeeek*

I crawl across the floor making the minimum noise, carefully feeling the floor, looking for the edge of the door.

*tap tap ring dirring*

…!

I found it. I open it carefully. It's too high. I'm at a very high altitude, I don't know if I'll be able to go down.

*rin, creeek...*

…

Fuck it. I slip through the gap quietly, closing it slowly, but that doesn't stop the door from creaking. I cling to the bark of the tree-

…

I left my bag. If it comes in and see it it'll know for sure that I have been there-

…

It doesn't matter now. I have to focus on getting down from the tree without killing myself. My fingers hurt and I can't put my foot down properly because of the soles of my boots. I feel like I'm going to slip at any moment. Somehow I make it to the ground. Still attached to the tree, I look up at the house. I don't see it-

…

A shadow appears from behind the tree. I press myself against the tree and hold my breath. It's looking for something. When he doesn't seem to look I move to a nearby tree, he moves to another tree, I move to the next, and the next, and the next. We continue like this until I start to get further and further away from him. When I think I've lost him I start running. I hide behind a tree to catch my breath.

…

I slowly peek out from behind the tree.

*rin*

…

It sounded above me.

…

I don't look up, I run.

“nnghehee...” He laughs.

He gives me a few seconds advantage before coming after me. The chase begins.

I run forward as much as I can, I hear his footsteps behind me but I don't look back, there's no time for that. I hear him laughing like a madman as he moves from left to right, from one tree to another, crawling on the ground, trying to confuse me, waiting for me to make the slightest mistake to catch me.

“Ah-” I trip. As soon as I fall to the ground I get up, ripping my stockings and scraping my knees, falling again, my nerves not letting me stand up.

“Nnhehehhehe...” Asshole. He has stopped running, he approaches by walking. I try to keep as much distance as my hands and legs allow me to move. I search desperately with my hand for something on the ground to throw. Finally my hand finds something.

I throw a rock at him “AGH!”

The rock passes by him, flying one or two meters away from him. He hasn't even moved, he didn't move a single muscle to avoid it, he just watches me still from where he is. I hear the nearby *pof* of the rock falling to the ground.

“...”

“...”

…

I get up and run. He grabs my leg and I fall to the ground again. He won't let me get up, every time I try he throws me to the ground. I struggle, I kick, but I don't break free from his grip. He never stops laughing, he is enjoying this. He drags me closer to him, no matter how much I twists, he doesn't let go. “ACKH-!...Hhhh-hh...-hh-h...” He grabs me by the neck, red pupils stared at me, I'm looking straight into his crescent moon mask (or waning, I don't know. Do you think I care right now?). He raises his free hand and his veins begin to glow a platinum color that extends to his fingertips. The hand approaches my face, I don't know what it's going to do to me, I'm scared, I don't want to look. I close my eyes, cover my face with my hands. I wait.

…

…

…?

Nothing's happening. It stopped. Why?

“Mun, nïe.” I hear Sun's voice. I open my hands a little to see what's going on. Indeed, it is Sun, several meters away from us... He looks exhausted. The one with the moon mask stares at him for a moment, until he decides to look at me again while bringing his glowing veiny hand closer. “¡Mun!” The Moonman looks at Sun again “Fehreh.” He seems to speak another language, I don't understand what he says.

“...” “Nïe” For the first time I hear him say something else besides laughing. Even though I can't understand him.

“Fïer pehgïer.” Sun responds.

“...” Moonman remains silent again.

“Bïelïe óubseh góuh...” Sun continues.

“Móu txehb móunsuvïe.” The Moon responds.

“Lïe bóu ¿Sóundïe mïesugïeb fehreh nïe txehtehrlïe?”

…

The air feels tense. Probably because of the hand grabbing my neck.

“¿Zkaóu fuóunbehb txehtóur tkaehnvïe nïe bóueh mehb zkaóu ïesreh rehuh óunsóurrehveh óun leh suóurreh?” Longest sentence I've heard him say so far.

“...” “Fïer óubseh góuh.” “...” “Vóuyehmóu óuntehrdehrmóu vóu óulleh” Sun takes a step forward “Nïe suóunóu fïer zkaóu ehtehkehr ehbu” Another step forward “Nïe sóunóumïeb fïer zkaóu txehtóurlóub... óubsïe” Another step “Óullïeb bïelïe óubsehn... fóurvuvïeb.”

“...” There's no response from the moon man.

“Behkehb tïemïe óub óubïe.”

“...”

…

The hand that grabbed my neck now grabs my shirt and yanks it. I grab his wrist as he pulls me to my feet and drags me to Sun, making me stumble. He throws me against him. Sun catches me before I fall over.

“Ska óubpkaóurhïe óub óun gehnïe.” The moon says something as he walks past. Sun puts a hand on his shoulder before letting him go, there's a pause between the two. The Moonman disappears into the trees. Wind and leaves are heard passing by.

…

He's gone. I feel dizzy. I fall down.

—

…

…

…

A faint light begins to seep through the cracks, illuminating enough to wake me up and make me open my eyes, I look around. I see my bag propped against the wall. I'm at the shelter where Sun left me.

…

My body aches, I have a hard time keeping my eyes open, it feels like I've been sleeping on the hard floor. No, wait, there are some blankets underneath me... It's still too hard to sleep well, either that or as I said, it shouldn't help me at all that everything hurts. After a while of staring at the ceiling I try to sit up. I emphasize trying. With every slight effort a pained moan escapes me.

“Oof...” Hurts.

*creek, tap tap tap tap*

Those wood creaks bring back bad memories from last night (which by the way, I'm alive, wow, I just realized), I can't help but cringe at every noise, I hear footsteps approaching, I try to move but the stinging pain prevents me from it.

*creek... *

The door opens.

Triangular shapes appear through the door followed by orange earth tones. “…Oh…!” “Early bird!” Thank god it's Sun and not the other one, or something worse “I didn't expect you up this early!” He says laughingly.

“ah?”

“How are you feeling?” He walks in. When he sets foot inside I lean back, towards the wall. “...” I don't really know why I did that. Sun stands at the door showing confusion with his usual head tilt. “...Arrr...re you okay, Fern?”

“...” I became tense suddenly. I really don't know still if I can trust him? He hasn't done anything to me yet but that doesn't mean that I can trust him. I don't know if he plans to do something with me like whatever that other one, the moon one, was going to do last night. “...ehh...hhh...h...” I can't get a word out, I'm afraid to ask.

“Mm?”

“...” I don't know what to say to him. My eyes go somewhere else.

…

He enters further into the house, ignoring that I keep my distance from him, leaves a bag he was carrying on the floor and begins to open the windows, letting in the little light of the dawn that is just beginning. He kneels on the floor in front of me with the bag. “Are you hungry?” He opens the bag and takes out an apple “Do you like apples?”

“...”

“No?”

“...”

“Um... I also brought berries... (It's what I had on hand coming here) There are... different types, you can choose” He brings the bag closer to me. I move further away. “uhhh...”

“...” I want to leave.

“You don't like them either...?”

“...” I don't want to eat. I want to leave.

“...”

“*snif... *”

“u-um...!”

“...*snif* *sob*...” I started crying out of nowhere.

“Ahhh...! D-do- don't cry! Ah-I-Um- Ca-can go find other things you might like-!”

I felt ashamed for crying and I put my hands to my face trying to wipe away the tears, but they wouldn't stop coming. “*hic, sniff, snif *” I looked away in an attempt to cover my face. I ended up looking at the floor, letting my hair act as a curtain.

“I can go in a moment!” Sun was already getting up.

“...w-want to leave...” I managed to get a murmur out.

“...W-what? Um...”

“...” *hic, hic *

“O-okay, um... If you aren't hungry... -we can do something else- uh- we can go look for rocks like yesterday in the river!”

“...” I don't want to do anything “...want to leave...”

“O-or we can do something else! Ah-bah-b-b-b- W-won't you like to go draw??! Somewhere, some landscape?! Wherever you want! We can draw together! If you prefer we can look for animals instead of landscapes!”

“...leave...want to...go... *hic, snif *”

“¡D-don't n- uh! ¡L-let's... um- let's not- uh!” He no longer knew how to order his words “H-hey, ¿Why don't we go to-?” He extends his hand towards my arm.

“I want to go home...”

He stops before touching me and removes his hand. “...” “...home?” There is a pause. He remains silent and unmoving. He finally speaks “Do you want…?” His tone became more serious.

“...”

“...to... go see the portal?” I look up slightly, I can't see through the tears and the fogged lenses of my glasses.

“...” I nod my head.

—

…

We didn't walk far until the red began to become visible. He brought me back to the portal. The same plain of red leaves and stone arch in the center of it all, as yesterday.

…

Sun has been quiet the entire time.

He advances towards the portal and stands facing it. He turns. “Come.” He extends his hand towards me. “You can pass through.”

“...”

I advance towards the portal. I stop before crossing. If it doesn't take me back home, what do I do? I don't want to stay.

A breeze begins to come out of the portal. The breeze turns to wind, the leaves rise, they pass through us. It's the same thing that happened yesterday when I went to cross. I turn to face Sun. Motionless, he looks back at me, the leaves pause in the air for a second as if time has stopped, the wind changes. From where the wind and leaves came now they come in, they push me towards the portal. I finally cross it.

…

Am I in the forest I know? I turn to look at Sun who stayed behind in the portal. “...Sun?” He's not there. I look around. He's not here. I've already crossed the portal, he must have left.

I notice a sudden draft pass by me. It's soft, like someone walking past you. I turn towards the forest, I have to start moving, I don't want to be here another minute.

...The air current that I noticed has lifted some leaves, they reach the trees, between them the wind does something strange, it forms a transparent silhouette. It looks like Sun, I can barely see him but I could swear it's him. The wind figure raises its hand and makes a gesture, it wants me to follow it. When I approach it turns around and walks into the forest, leaving a trail of leaves behind it. I follow the trail of the air current. Sometimes it stops to look at me, making sure I'm still following it. The red-leafed trees and the paintings disappear from view the farther we go. We crossed the forest until we arrived at the entrance of the town, near my house. There is no one on the street. If I walked into the house and pretended nothing had happened, officially no one would have noticed my absence.

I'm not one hundred percent sure if the wind figure that guided me is Sun or not, but I should at least thank him for bringing me back.

…

The air current has dissipated before I turn around. I look around, there's no one.

…

…

…

I enter the house, go up to my room and throw the bag on the floor. I go to the bathroom to wash. …I feel something strange in my hands but I couldn't say what. Doesn't matter. I change my clothes and get into bed, the tiredness of the previous night makes my body succumb immediately and I fall asleep instantly.

—

…

…

…

“ah...!” I wake up with my lungs begging for air. I need a moment to calm my breathing. I look at the clock without lifting my head from the pillow.

…

It is 12 midday. I rub my eyes and from my eyes I move to my face. I'm still tired. My body still aches. I stare at the ceiling.

…

My bag. I reach out to pick it up from the floor, making strange positions so as not to get out of bed.

I open it and search in the pockets. The bell. I put the bell to my ear. “...” I shake it.

*rin, diring diring*

“...”

I open it.

…

It's empty.

[edenmemes]

resident evil: 4 remake starters

❝ man, that stinks. ❞ ❝ this just keeps getting worse. ❞ ❝ you’re still a kid holding onto fantasies of what’s right and wrong. ❞ ❝ i’m gonna let you in on a little secret. just between us. ❞ ❝ the hell is going on? ❞ ❝ hey, we’re a team, right? ❞ ❝ where’s everyone going? bingo? ❞ ❝ you and me are two sides of the same coin. ❞ ❝ that’s just like you. you always had poor judgement. ❞ ❝ ah, so you aren’t heartless after all. ❞ ❝ like i told you, i’m gonna get you home safe. ❞ ❝ i’m not falling for your mind games. ❞ ❝ you proved you can handle yourself. ❞ ❝ you haven’t changed a damn bit. ❞ ❝ you look like you’ve got something to say. ❞ ❝ gotta fix everything myself. ❞ ❝ you can’t run. you got to keep moving forward. ❞ ❝ you’re nothing but an extra in my script. ❞ ❝ i thought you were gonna die. ❞ ❝ i don’t pay you to ask questions. ❞ ❝ there’s no time for resting. ❞ ❝ revenge? you think i’m doing all this...for revenge? ❞ ❝ i need you to trust me, and do exactly as i say. ❞ ❝ you’re too soft to do what’s necessary. ❞ ❝ i know your potential better than anyone. ❞ ❝ you’ve made it all this way, but you haven’t learned a thing. ❞ ❝ maybe you’ll live to meet me again. ❞ ❝ the most important thing in this world is pure, unadulterated power. ❞ ❝ i’ve something to ask you...but i don’t think i’ll get a straight answer. ❞ ❝ you didn’t answer my question. what’re you after? ❞ ❝ you know, you were always an asshole. ❞ ❝ you have a strange sense of humor. ❞ ❝ you are nothing if not unyielding. ❞ ❝ i just wanna feel good about myself. make amends. or something like that. ❞ ❝ just give me a heads-up before you stab me next time, okay? ❞ ❝ it’s okay to be afraid, you know. ❞ ❝ what do you think? people can change, right? ❞ ❝ not looking good, eh, my friend? ❞ ❝ you try to save one person; a hundred others die. ❞ ❝ was that an act of defiance? against me? ❞ ❝ a well-tuned weapon can make up for a lack of skill. ❞ ❝ i’ll let myself out. ❞ ❝ you won’t get away with this. ❞ ❝ be a shame to live the rest of your life wondering ‘what if’ - am i right? ❞ ❝ you have the stench of battle on you. ❞ ❝ so, tell me, why did you come to this horrible place? ❞ ❝ you wanna help? cause i could use it. ❞ ❝ if i could just forget what happened that night, the pain - even for a second... ❞ ❝ i knew i could count on you. ❞ ❝ i think you’d be pretty dashing in it. ❞ ❝ i’m not used to having such good company. ❞ ❝ hey. it’s dangerous outside. ❞ ❝ god damn...i was almost a pancake. ❞ ❝ a lot of people have gone missing around here. and it’s been like that for a while now. ❞ ❝ sorry. i, uh, screwed up. ❞ ❝ i’m so scared. when that happened...i wasn’t myself any more. ❞ ❝ well done. you’ve proven yourself reliable. ❞ ❝ won’t be going anywhere in this thing. ❞ ❝ sorry, didn’t realize that was yours. ❞ ❝ this time, it can be different. it has to. ❞ ❝ everything will work out just fine. ❞ ❝ you missed. that’s not like you. ❞ ❝ come to my rescue, prince charming! ❞ ❝ sometimes it’s more fun not knowing. ❞ ❝ if you do well, i’ll make it worth your while. ❞ ❝ that hurts, you know. ❞ ❝ this is one hell of a gloomy place. ❞ ❝ why help me, though? what’s in it for you? ❞ ❝ oh, well, maybe just untie me then? ❞ ❝ knowledge is power. remember that. ❞ ❝ i can’t tell if that’s meant to be a compliment. ❞ ❝ i’m sure you’ll do your best to help me. ❞ ❝ bill me for the repairs later. ❞ ❝ it seemed like you really wanted to talk. ❞ ❝ you know, those things will kill you. ❞ ❝ you haven’t changed. you just think you have. ❞ ❝ don’t let the smallfry distract you from the big fish. ❞ ❝ quiet type, eh? ❞ ❝ guess you picked the wrong spot to vacation. ❞ ❝ a most warm welcome to my castle. ❞ ❝ bet you’ve been in spots like this before. ❞ ❝ to think you could be this foolish. ❞ ❝ give me a break already. ❞ ❝ i’m sorry. i wish i could do more to help. ❞ ❝ i don’t want to recall what happened down there. ❞ ❝ years haven’t been kind to us, i suppose. ❞ ❝ finally, some peace and quiet. ❞ ❝ who are you? and what are you doing here? ❞ ❝ i’m just an average guy who happens to be quite the ladies’ man. ❞ ❝ you should really be telling me what a good job i did. ❞ ❝ is this the first time you coughed up blood like this? ❞ ❝ so much for helping me. ❞ ❝ so, who are you working for this time? ❞ ❝ you think i’m gonna give up that easily? ❞ ❝ hey, are you sure you’re good? ❞ ❝ i’m gonna get you home safe. ❞ ❝ i have a plan. but you’re going to have to trust me. ❞ ❝ gimme some space. ❞ ❝ i don’t get you. why risk your life like this? ❞ ❝ it’s a little over-the-top, don’t you think? ❞ ❝ they’re coming! get behind me. ❞ ❝ does that hurt? are you in pain? distressed? ❞ ❝ you are really starting to become a giant pain in my ass. ❞ ❝ you know i don’t work and tell. ❞ ❝ you’ve done well to make it this far. ❞ ❝ tell someone who gives a shit. ❞ ❝ happy to help. now you owe me. ❞ ❝ are you just trying to use me again? ❞ ❝ what’re you, my mother? ❞ ❝ i’m definitely gonna catch a cold. ❞ ❝ this artwork...doesn’t it look like it’s telling some kind of story? ❞ ❝ what do we do? there’s no way out. ❞ ❝ what’s wrong with wanting the same for myself? ❞ ❝ it’s a little old fashioned for my taste. ❞ ❝ you’re losing your cool. making mistakes. ❞ ❝ don’t scare me like that. ❞ ❝ you’re slow. and so goddamn weak. ❞ ❝ wow, you’ve really gone all out for me! you shouldn’t have. ❞ ❝ i will send you back to the hell you came from. ❞ ❝ heheh, having a rough day? ❞ ❝ the reaper comes for cowards and the careless alike. which are you? ❞ ❝ i’ve got to think. need to get my head straight. ❞ ❝ i shall leave tomorrow. go far away. ❞ ❝ here’s my question...have you changed? ❞ ❝ we will beat this. together. ❞ ❝ what’s wrong? show no mercy! ❞ ❝ i admit - you’ve done well to stay alive this long. ❞ ❝ this means death. a slow, miserable death. ❞

[frumfrumfroo]

I mean, I’m still glad it was flat out stated that Ben fell in love with Rey because there were people still insisting he only wanted her power or that there was never anything romantic between them, but I get what you’re saying. We have more evidence, I think, of his feelings for her than of her feelings for him. I think it would change things up a bit to have actual concrete canon evidence of those feelings being mutual.

Sure, of course people are happy to hear it. I don't think it's new information at all, and it's honestly weird to me that some people act like it is, but it's nice to actually get recognition of your canon pairing after all the bullshit we've been through. It's the rock bottom bare minimum, but DLF hasn't been clearing that bar for a long time, so it feels like a win.

I think it's 100% clear that Rey, the actual character, loves Ben and desperately wants to be with him, but Rey the actual character was taken out back and shot so DLF could have their SWCU brand avatar. I don't hold tros against the Rey of the first two films or her potential, just like I don't allow tros to ruin Luke and Leia for me. I'm not taking that shit on board because it was a bunch of incoherent nonsense which fundamentally destroyed the entire narrative and thematic heart of SW.

We don't have a declaration from Rey, but she showed us where her heart was by leaping into the lion's den with zero back up or exit strategy. She threw her life down at Ben's feet knowing that her life represented one of the last hopes for the galaxy. She believed in him that strongly. She wanted him that badly.

And, you know, despite the absolute shit show of tros, the actors managed to deliver us a perfect moment based solely on the emotional continuity from TLJ without any scripted dialogue to fuck it up. Her face when she wakes up in his arms. Her kiss. He is the home she's yearned for all her life.

If people can't understand that means she loves him, that's a them problem.

And yeah, it would be great if DLF would acknowledge this incredibly obvious and well-established fact of the ST in words, it'd be nice to have more ammunition because at this point we've earned being petty, but I don't think it would change anything. They literally kissed on the mouth for longer than any other couple in all of SW and antis were blind suddenly, they couldn't see. We get 'kiss of gratitude' and 'but isn't that incest tho' ludicrous copes to this day.

No amount of validation from DLF is going to move the needle for the entrenched doofus brigade in this fandom. Ep IX was the crucial moment which would have vindicated the story and brought the audience together (not that it would ever have won over some people, but you know) and they whiffed that. Even in the shitty, nonsensical execution of tros, we saw the microcosm of what the ST's RotJ would have done. So many people finally 'got' Ben just from two minutes without dialogue, imagine if the movie had been coherent and had had the ending the narrative needed and promised.

But yeah, anyway. I expect nothing from DLF and I don't think anything they could do will ever make much difference now. The canon is already broken and can't be fixed without just redoing ep IX, which would never happen. The audience and the GFFA are both fractured beyond repair.

[littlemssam]

Mod Updates

As always delete old Mods Files and the localthumbcache when updating my Mods!

***

Update for Script Files, so they don't contribute to the script limit anymore. Don’t know about the script limit? Read @mizoreyukii‘s Explanation here 

Anti Heat Pill (Pets)

Extract Fossils at the Archaeology Table

Ask to Go for a Walk & Bath (Dogs)

Auto Employees | Custom Lot Trait

Autonomous Repairs

Call a Babysitter

Better Nanny (Second Nanny & more)

Can i come over?

Change Outfit via Closets, Coat Rack & Wardrobe

Choose Your Roommate

Eco Dishwasher

Entrance Fee on Community Lots | Custom Lot Trait

First Love

Foster Family

Maid & Gardener Service

Gender & More | Custom Lot Trait

Go for a Walk with Dogs will fill up Needs

Hire certain Sims (incl. Family Members) at Restaurants

Hired Employees earn Money (Vet, Retail, Restaurant)

Hire MakeUp Artist & Get Appearance Styling

Improved Meditation Stool

Live in Business

Miscarriage Chance & Abortion

More Buyable Venues and new Venue Types

More Fun Stuff (Motives, Skills, Life Skills & More Overhaul)

More Umbrella Variations in World

More Visitors | Custom Lot Trait

My Pets

No Sick, Dirty, Sad and Hungry Cats & Dogs

Online Learning System

Play your own Tracks as a DJ

30 Minutes Power Workout & 30 Minutes Swimming

Retail Overhaul (Hire certain Employees/Better Shopping as a Customer & more)

Roommates

School Holidays

SimDa Dating App

SimsLootBox

Small Invite to Hang Out Overhaul

Snorkel Everywhere

Spend Weekend With

Sul Sul Weather App

Train your Puppies

Where are you?

Fixed an issue with dirt piles digging

Collectibles (Rock Digging) Rework (Slower/Harder)

Random Bug Fixes:

Missing Channels got party fixed by EA. Still missing is the Weather Channel. Update of Script Files

Missing Channels

Random Small Mods:

Update for Script Files, so they don't contribute to the script limit anymore

No Aging Trait

No Shoes at Home

Release all Ghosts & Get Urn for

Buy Treats via PC

Dogs change into Everyday Outfit after a Walk

Buy Spells and Potions Tomes via PC

Update for Script Files. Added Addon which hides the Interactions in the Shift Click Cheat Menu.

Toddler Don't go to Daycare

Update for Script Files. Reworked Mod to use RouteEvent instead of just inside/outside tests

Change into Everyday when inside

Update for Script Files. Update to Support the Cottage Living "Simple Living" Lot Challenge

Healthy Food On Fridges

***

Translations

Live in Business (Update of Chinese Translations by Licer) More Visitors | Custom Lot Trait (Update of Chinese Translations by Licer) Sul Sul Weather App (Update of Chinese Translations by Licer) Social Activities (Visit Friends, Family and more) (Update of Chinese Translations by Licer) Better Autonomous Homework (Added Chinese Translations by Licer) Gender & More | Custom Lot Trait (Update of Russian Translation by wild_guy) Buy a better Mattress (Better Energy/Comfort on Beds) (Added French Translation by Kimikosoma) Sell via Simbay (Update of Chinese Translations by Licer)

***

Don’t download these Updates if you have the Legacy Edition!

[lostsoulofdragon]

regarding this post;

THE REST OF THE BOYS(ft. The Star Sanses, Error & Cross)!!! (In alphabetical order) (under the cut)

Blue:

Origami & writing amateur comedic theater scripts because it keeps him occupied and he likes to learn new things, like new paper figures, and new (character-) tropes for the scripts

Cross:

Model building because I think it reminds him of the home AU he lost (maybe that’s a bit dark, but I think that could be how he copes with it.)

Beading, because it might give him a sense of organization he rarely experienced. Like- being able to clearly control which color follows which, and where which color is stored.

Dream:

embroidery/lettering because it’s something that can be so very pretty, just like the childhood he remembers , and it requires a calm hand which he needs for his archery. (And I head canon he’s kind of insecure about his wonky natural handwriting)

Collecting stickers from every AU he’s been to, as a small token of his accomplishments.

Dust:

I think he would he makes candles because the light bulbs in his room would be to bright for his eyes (I headcanon the LV strains his energy/makes him feel overwhelmed).

Maybe that even causes sensory issues. That’s why I though to him making soaps, because that way, he can control if the soap is feeling rough, soft, chunky, and so on.

Error:

So we know Error is into making dolls by sewing - but what if we add crocheting to that? I think that’d fit him

Floristy- he likes cute things, and hey, flowers are supposed to be cute. No but seriously, it’s just relaxing seeing the colors come together.

Horror:

Fishing because it’s so calm and peaceful, and he is actually really smart so he memorized, like, every single fish.

And carpentry because he can blow of steam if he’s agitated by making furniture to fill Nightmares endless rooms(no, seriously, WHATS IN THERE?)

Ink (ngl I struggled with him):

Sewing because idk he likes outfit changes

poetry. no explanation.

Nightmare:

I headcanon him to have lost some of his senses when he corrupted. Especially his sense of taste. So what if he makes cocktails because he can regulate what he tastes? Fuck, who would dare touch HIS liquor cabinet? Exactly, no one. He can make the drinks as strong as he wants as long as he knows how to handle his alcohol.

Book binding. Not only does he own many books he wrote himself over the 500 years he lived, but it’s also productive as it makes sure SOMEONE can repair the fucking books in his many libraries.

[the-catmans-offical-2]

Meow

Wrath seemed very familiar with the rockbell home in CoS when they were shown to be wandering inside of it and outside of it.

I think Wrath being found and taken back to Resembool and the Rockbell home was actually a long time occurance between Wrath and Winry. Think that Winry would take them back in, repair their automail and clean them up, maybe even feed them (like in the CoS scrapped script they seemed so familiar with Pinako since she was said to be feeding them.) . And then they'd be off again doing random shit.

And in turn of this, would you think this could've been Wrath's way to stop by and see if Al was doing OK from a distance? To make sure he wouldn't try and use himself as sacrifice to bring back Ed again? They were seen in Dublith by Izumi's grave, would that mean they could've been hiding out in Dublith keeping an eye on Al there too? (Wrath in the scrapped script showed up unannounced in Izumi's home without any warning, so this could've been a common occurance without Izumi or Sig knowing or painfully choosing not to acknowledge them.)

Because, like I keep insisting, you have to keep in mind what Wrath stated before they died. ("That's right.. That's why I came with you. I know you're planning to offer your own life as the price for saving your brother.. I don't ever want to see that happen.. Never again!") If they knew Al's intentions, that would mean they'd of likely been paying attention to him more.

Also, I saw a post a while back by @jojojooo33 stating Wrath wouldn't be normal about Al looking like Sloth/Trisha - and I raise you another point, they'd probably not be normal about him looking like Ed too.

Think about it, those were the two people Wrath was focused on the most - Sloth and Ed, their mother figure and their rival - and they can see them BOTH in Al. And I bet that crushes them since they seemed to switch up onto Ed's side at the end of 03, and because of Ed telling Rosé to help Wrath for him (one of the few times Wrath was shown kindness). I just AUAFDLSK GNAWS ON THE BARS OF MY CAGE

Also the fact they lost Sloth and Ed on the same day 9r so. THEY LOST SLOTH AND ED AND THEN THEY GAINED AL (who looks like them both) I'm bawling..

Such silly things to think about.

[madd-nix]

Battling on the Train to Reunion

Ingo and Emmet finally reunite after Ingo has come home from Hisui. But before Ingo reveals himself to his brother, he decides that it would be more fun to challenge him to a battle first. My first time writing out pokemon battling!

Also, I didn't intend to post this on the 2nd anniversary of Legends Arceus' release, but hey! It worked out well! I just wanna say again how much I love this game cuz it brought back my love for Pokemon and it gave me more blorbos to love and get attached to. Amazing game, and I hope we get to see more games like it in the future!

Words: 3,592

Rating: PG (maybe like one or two swear words)

The battle continued for a while. Emmet's opponent had thrown out an Alakazam, which hit Garbodor pretty hard with Psychic. Luckily, she stayed standing, but the man's Magnezone finally managed to take out Archeops with Thunder. Emmet then sent out Galvantula, who made sure to quickly take out the Alakazam. The man sent out a Tangrowth, but he soon had to recall Magnezone when Garbodor took it out with a Focus Blast. He sent out a Probopass, then together with Tangrowth, they took out Garbodor after a few good hits. Emmet finally sent out Eelektross, his trusty partner. Now he had two pokemon out on the field and just one still waiting to be released.

Ingo healed up his pokemon one last time after defeating the last 20 depot agents. He knew the next car was the last one, where the lone Subway Boss was waiting for him.

Emmet, his twin brother. He was a little anxious about seeing him again, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement after having been gone for over five years. But now, here he was, back in modern Unova after being stuck in Hisui for so long.

With a sigh, he pocketed his pokeballs and adjusted the face mask he was wearing. He hadn't wanted to get recognized just yet, so he decided on wearing a mask to conceal the lower half of his face, a plain black squirtleneck shirt, black pants, brown boots, and a light gray trench coat. Meanwhile, his Subway Boss hat and coat were packed away safely, waiting to be worn again and probably repaired later. But for now, he just wanted to challenge the Doubles Line on the Battle Subway to surprise his brother.

After taking another moment to compose himself, Ingo stepped through the doorway to the final car. Emmet stood there, waiting patiently for him. His brother studied his appearance, but there was no sense of recognition in his eyes. Instead, he simply stood tall with a smile on his face and tipped his hat politely.

"I am Emmet. I am the Subway Boss. I like double battles. I like combinations of two pokemon. I like a challenge. You have come here verrry quickly. I am eager to see whether you will leave victorious or defeated. But I will not go easy on you. I like winning more than anything else. So, let's start a great battle in which every pokemon uses various moves."

Ingo nodded slowly, recognizing his brother's usual script. He had added in a few details, since apparently Ingo's battling proficiency had impressed Emmet enough to comment on it.

With that, Emmet threw out Archeops and Klinklang. Ingo took note, then took two pokeballs out of his pocket. He threw them and released Machamp and Magnezone. As soon as he caught and pocketed the now empty pokeballs, he positioned himself, ready to move.

"Archeops, use Aerial Ace on Machamp! Klinklang, Giga Impact on Magnezone!" Emmet called out.

"Both of you, dodge!" Ingo exclaimed.

Archeops flew up and then dove down towards Machamp, who luckily dodged the attack. Klinklang's Giga Impact was much harder to avoid, resulting in Magnezone taking the hit and forcing Ingo to dodge and roll out of the way.

"Sir, I must advise you to stay behind the yellow line," Emmet said as he watched Ingo.

"Ah, my apologies! I must have just grown used to battling more closely with my pokemon," Ingo replied. "I promise I am following the proper safety procedures." Emmet looked at him for a moment, but said nothing. Ingo had initially wondered if his voice would give him away, but his volume and vocal control had certainly changed while in Hisui. He could now keep better control of how loud he was, a skill that became necessary when needing to be quiet and hide from wild pokemon. This change must be what was preventing Emmet or any of the depot agents from recognizing him. That, and his change of appearance.

Finally, with a nod from Emmet, the former warden took his opportunity to attack.

"Machamp, Fire Punch agile style on Klinklang, followed by Close Combat! Magnezone, Flash Cannon on Archeops!" Ingo commanded.

Emmet opened his mouth, presumably to question what agile style was, or maybe to ask why he was giving Machamp two moves to use in one turn, but before he could, Machamp was already moving. Machamp swiftly punched Klinklang with a flaming fist, then immediately started using Close Combat and rapidly punched her opponent. Klinklang floated back, its gears rotating irritably.

As Machamp pulled back, Magnezone finally released the power it had been building up on Archeops. The poor fossil pokemon squawked as it took the hit, not fast enough to dodge.

"Verrrry interesting battle technique. I would like to know more about that later. But first," Emmet smirked as he pointed at his opponent, "Archeops, Rock Slide on Magnezone! Klinklang, Gear Grind on Machamp!"

Before Ingo could say anything, Emmet's pokemon flew in to attack. Archeops sent an avalanche of rocks at Magnezone, coming close enough to force Ingo to again dodge out of the way, and Klinklang sent two gears out to hit and grind against Machamp. Both of his pokemon took the hits, but they weren't down yet.

"Magnezone, Tri Attack strong style on Archeops!" Ingo exclaimed. "Machamp, another Fire Punch on Klinklang, strong style!"

Both pokemon prepared their attacks. Magnezone sent out three blasts of energy at Archeops while Machamp sent out another Fire Punch, now stronger than the last attack. Archeops managed to survive the hit, but unfortunately for Emmet, Klinklang fainted. He recalled his pokemon.

"Verrry good job, Klinklang. You did well," he said to the steel type in the pokeball. Emmet then pocketed Klinklang's pokeball and took out a new one. He released Garbodor, which Ingo recognized after a moment.

Garbodor had been one of his pokemon. She was incredibly sweet and could be shy at times, but she always gave it her all in battle. It was good to see that his brother was taking good care of his pokemon in his absence.

As much as he wanted to hug his old pokemon, Ingo had a battle to finish. And with his pokemon still recovering their energy from the last two strong style moves, Emmet was able to take his turn again.

"Archeops, use Protect! Garbodor, use Psychic on Machamp!"

Archeops put up an invisible barrier to protect himself, while Garbodor focused her energy on blasting Machamp. Machamp took the hit even as Ingo called out to dodge the attack. This ended up causing Machamp to faint. Ingo recalled her to her pokeball.

"Bravo, Machamp! You did wonderfully," he told her. He then pocketed the pokeball and got ready to toss out his next pokemon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the battle went on, Emmet couldn't help but study his opponent. His actions, his pokemon, even his voice and appearance. He was using some strange battle technique involving "strong" and "agile" style moves. From what Emmet could see, that meant that his pokemon either attacked with all their strength, forcing them to take a turn to regain their energy, or they were able to attack quickly with little strength to allow them to attack again right after. It was an interesting strategy, and Emmet hoped to ask him more about it after the battle.

He had also noticed that while the man appeared to be older - only based on his slouch, the bags under his eyes, and the receding hairline since he couldn't see the rest of his face - he was quite fit and agile. He kept close to his pokemon, which was something Emmet got tired of reminding him not to do, but every time an attack came his way, he was able to dodge it. It was pretty impressive and fascinating to watch.

However, even though he was incredibly different and a complete stranger, Emmet couldn't help but feel something familiar about the man. His voice wasn't terribly loud, except to call out attacks for his pokemon. But even then, he wasn't a booming loud like someone Emmet knew. His eyes were a bright gray, reminding Emmet of his own gray eyes, and even though the man's hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, the gray color was also familiar. Little details about the man's vocabulary and way of speaking also tipped Emmet off, but he had to remind himself that these could all be coincidences. He wouldn't get his hopes up now, especially after nothing had been found for over five years.

Eventually, Eelektross managed to take down Tangrowth, leaving the man to release his final pokemon. He tossed out his last pokeball - which Emmet had already noticed that all of his pokeballs looked old and handmade - releasing a Gliscor. A ground and flying dual type. Emmet nodded as he waited for the man to attack.

"Alright, that Galvantula should only take a few more hits," the man thought aloud. "Probopass, use Power Gem, and Gliscor, use Aerial Ace!"

Probopass powered up a sparkling blast, then shot it at Galvantula. Gliscor then followed by dive bombing the bug type from the air, hitting her and sending her flying back. Emmet turned as his pokemon hit the wall behind him. Galvantula was out. He recalled her to her pokeball.

"You did verrrry well, Galvantula. Get some rest," he told her. He pocketed her pokeball and took out the last pokemon he had.

"I see we are both down to our final two pokemon," Emmet said to his opponent. "You are putting up a verrrrry good fight. But like I said, I like winning more than anything else. We are not done yet."

He tossed out the pokeball and released Chandelure. She trilled excitedly, then looked at the man across the train car. She froze, her flames flared, and then she immediately moved to fly over to him. Emmet reached out to try and stop her, but she was too quick. She flew right into the man's chest, nuzzling her face against him. Now, normally, most people would be surprised or shocked or even startled by this. But once the man had seen what she was doing, he had welcomed her and wrapped his arms around her glass bowl. Emmet could faintly hear the man's voice, but he was speaking quietly to her, and with the distance between them and the clacking sound of the train moving, Emmet couldn't make out what he was saying. Chandelure just trilled happily, and after he pat her glass once more, she floated back to Emmet.

"I am verrry sorry for Chandelure," Emmet apologized with a tip of his hat. "She is not normally like this."

"It's alright, she meant no harm," the man said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "She is a very sweet pokemon, and I'm excited to see how she does in battle!"

Emmet nodded, adjusted his hat, then pointed towards his opponent.

"Chandelure, Will-O-Wisp on Probopass! Eelektross, Thunderbolt on Gliscor!"

Both pokemon sent out their attacks, with purple flames and electricity shooting across the train car. The man rolled back to avoid the hit, but his pokemon weren't so lucky. Probopass and Gliscor both took the hits, but they still stayed floating in the air. They were hurt, but ready to attack.

"Probopass, Earth Power on Eelektross, agile style! Then go for Flash Cannon! Gliscor, Stone Edge on Chandelure, strong style!" The man commanded as he pointed towards Emmet's team.

Probopass glowed as it created a crack in the flooring. Luckily, the cars of the Battle Subway were built to be reinforced, able to take attacks of any type without sustaining damage. This crack would simply need welded down later at best. The crack continued on towards Eelektross, then dirt and ground formed and shot up from the floor, hitting the eel pokemon. It didn't do much damage, but Probopass quickly changed tracks to shoot a powerful beam at Eelektross, sending Emmet's partner back a bit. He still stayed up though, and Emmet flashed a proud smile to his pokemon.

Meanwhile, Gliscor stabbed both of his claws into the floor, creating huge rocks. The rocks shot up all the way towards Chandelure, hitting her and sending her spinning. She quickly steadied herself, but it was clear that she had been badly hurt. She was still determined though.

"Okay, Chandelure, use Overheat on Probopass! Eelektross, use Discharge!"

Chandelure and Eelektross did as they were told. Chandelure sent a fiery blast at Probopass, dealing a good bit of damage. Eelektross then sent out an electric wave, hitting every pokemon in the car, and also causing the hairs on Emmet's neck and arms to stand up, as well as the man's ponytail to frizz out a bit. Gliscor and Probopass both took the hit, and while Chandelure was hit too, she at least shook it off fairly well.

"Gliscor, Aerial Ace on Eelektross! Probopass, Power Gem strong style on Chandelure!"

"Dodge it!"

Chandelure managed to dodge the blast from Probopass, but Gliscor's Aerial Ace unfortunately hit Eelektross. He was still able to fight, but Emmet knew it wouldn't be for too long. He had to end this.

"Eelektross, Thunderbolt again on Gliscor! Chandelure, another Will-O-Wisp on Probopass!"

"Dodge!"

Probopass was able to dodge the attack, but Gliscor wasn't so lucky. It seemed like all of their pokemon were getting close to fainting. This was going to be a close battle.

"Let's finish this!" The man exclaimed. "Gliscor, Earth Power strong style on Eelektross! Probopass, another Power Gem strong style on Chandelure!"

Both pokemon readied their attacks.

"Dodge it!"

But it was too late. The ground came up and hit Eelektross, and the sparkling blast flew across the train car to hit Chandelure. Emmet had to shield his eyes from the bright blast, but once he opened them, he saw both of his pokemon were fainted on the floor. He had lost.

He recalled Eelektross and Chandelure, then held their pokeballs close to himself.

"You both did great. We came verrrry close. You and the rest of the team have earned some treats tonight."

Emmet pocketed the pokeballs and turned to look at his opponent. The man had recalled his pokemon and was quietly talking to them, presumably to congratulate them on their win. Emmet walked across the car to face him.

"I am Emmet. I lost against you. Because you are the strongest trainer I've fought lately. Yup! You put up a verrrrry fun challenge. I hope you will ride the trains some more."

Emmet then stuck out his hand to properly congratulate his opponent. The man shook his hand, then chuckled a little.

"That was a great battle, Emmet! I forgot how fun it was to battle you! Now, remind me, how many wins is that for me now?"

Before Emmet could even think of a response, the man pulled down his face mask. Emmet's eyes widened as he looked back at a face that almost exactly mirrored his own. Ingo. His brother Ingo. His twin brother Ingo had just beaten him in a doubles battle and was now smiling back at him and shaking his hand.

"Ingo?!" Emmet immediately let go of his hand and pulled his brother into a hug. Ingo just laughed and hugged him back, harder than Emmet had ever thought was possible from his twin. There was a mix of laughing and crying from both of them as Emmet tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Ingo, i-is it... is it really you?" Emmet pulled away just enough to look at his brother.

He looked older, but that was mostly just around the eyes. Ingo had some wrinkles and eye bags, but it wasn't like Emmet could say that he himself didn't have the same wrinkles and heavy eye bags. After many sleepless nights and years spent worrying over his brother's whereabouts, he knew he had aged quite a bit. Along with that, Ingo's normal frown was pulled up a bit into a smile. It was a small, warm smile, but coming from Ingo, that was the biggest smile he had ever seen. His brother also had a short pointed goatee, which Emmet had to laugh at. It almost matched his own goatee, which was shorter and pointed more up towards his mouth. Even while separated, they still found ways to match. However, the receding hairline had certainly caught Emmet off guard, along with how long his brother's hair had grown. Sure, Emmet's hair was starting to thin, but not that drastically, and he still managed to keep his hair cut short. Where had his brother been, and what had he been up to?

"It's really me, Emmet, I promise," Ingo said, answering his earlier question. He sniffled, and even though he was crying with tears staining his cheeks, Ingo instead wiped at his brother's eyes. The affectionate gesture just brought more tears for Emmet.

"You... you're really home," Emmet cried. "You're alive and back home."

"Yeah, I'm alive and here," Ingo said. When had his voice become so quiet? "And I'm so incredibly happy to see you."

Emmet pulled Ingo into another tight squeeze. After a moment, he realized something and pulled away again.

"I am Emmet. You battled me before telling me you were here!" he exclaimed. "And what's with the mask and the disguise?"

Ingo laughed and patted his brother's shoulder.

"Haha, I wanted to see how you'd react!" Ingo said between laughs. "I thought it would be fun to surprise you!"

"You are so mean!" Emmet punched Ingo in the shoulder, but he wasn't actually mad. Sure, he was a little pissed off that Ingo had made him go through a whole battle without telling him who he was, but he also had to admit that it was a little funny. "You are so mean to me! My own brother! Battling me and beating me before telling me you are back! The worst brother ever!"

Ingo just laughed more, then raised a hand to his chest in mock hurt and shock as he gasped dramatically.

"Emmet! How could you say such a thing! My own brother!" His voice played up the mock hurt, but his eyes were upturned in the way that let Emmet know he was really smiling.

"Yup! I am deeply hurt, Ingo. Verrrry hurt! Disguising yourself from me."

"It was just a joke, brother! I meant no harm!"

"Verrrry mean to your poor, sweet twin brother. I am Emmet. I will never recover."

"Nooo!" Ingo lifted his arms dramatically, which just caused Emmet to laugh. They both fell into another laughing fit and hugged each other.

"...I am Emmet. I have missed this. I missed you verrrrrry much, Ingo. I am so glad you are back," Emmet said once they were calmed down. He rested his head on his brother's shoulder, and Ingo responded by gently rubbing Emmet's back.

"I missed you too, Emmet," Ingo said, his voice once again uncharacteristically soft. "Although, I must admit that my amnesia prevented me from fully remembering you for quite a while."

Emmet pulled away a little at that.

"Amnesia?"

"I'm okay, I promise," Ingo assured him. "But it's a long story. The short version is that I had sustained a head injury, resulting in amnesia. I couldn't remember much aside from my name. But I could eventually vaguely remember a man that looked like me. That was all I knew for a while, other than the fact that I knew he was someone close to me that I missed deeply. But I had some help, and I've been able to remember you and our home here in Unova, and our pokemon. I will need assistance remembering more, so, I hope you'll help conduct me back onto the right tracks."

"Of course," Emmet held his twin close. "Of course I will help you. I am Emmet. You are Ingo. We are a two car train again. I will help you in any way I can."

"Thank you, Emmet," Ingo said as he buried his face in Emmet's shoulder again. Emmet hugged him close for a while longer. If he could, he would just stay like this forever.

However, the train eventually had to pull back into Gear Station. Ingo pulled his mask back up, saying how he didn't want to cause a huge fuss with his reappearance just yet. Emmet understood that, and together, they stepped off of the train. Emmet then made a call over his radio to the depot agents, saying he would be taking the rest of the day off, citing that something with his family had come up. As they walked out of the station, Ingo suddenly perked up.

"Oh! There are two people that I'd like you to meet," he said excitedly as he pulled out a phone. He eagerly began sending a text to a group chat. Emmet peeked over at his brother's phone and saw the names Dawn and Johanna.

"Who are Dawn and Johanna?" he asked.

"The people I'd like you to meet!" Ingo explained excitedly. "Dawn is a wonderful young girl with incredible battling skills! She is actually the one who helped me get home. As for Johanna, she is Dawn's mother. She's an incredibly kind and strong woman, and she's actually a talented contest coordinator from Sinnoh! She is, um, also my girlfriend."

Even with the mask on, Emmet could tell that his brother was blushing. Emmet's jaw hung open slightly.

"You have a girlfriend?!"

[mintywolf]

A Long Road Home - Page 80 Author's Notes

Page 80

This was one of my favorite pages in the script. :)

It was inspired by two actual events — the first is the origin story of the real-life Calamari (whose real name is Baby), whom I found like 15 years ago at a tiny, cluttered, wonderful shop in Charlottesville, VA that sold exclusively cat-themed items. I dearly hope it’s still there. On one of the shelves were 3 or 4 of these cute little cat plushies, one of them wearing a sticker with “$4 as-is” written on it. When I picked her up I realized that they had meowing voice boxes in them but this one was broken and then I had to give her a home. (I had an OC at the time with selective mutism so it felt particularly fitting. She is the perfect size for a pocket.)

(That's her on the left with some friends.)

So I’ve had this character detail in my head for years — the idea of someone finding a broken, silent toy cat in a shop and loving it even more for its brokenness and afraid that if they don’t buy it, no one else will and it will sit unloved on the shelf forever — waiting for the right situation and character to write it for. And it’s Laudna! Of course it’s Laudna!!

The other is a family story and one of my favorite examples of the tendency of the English language to confound even its native speakers.

Some of our relatives from Ireland were traveling in Alabama and driving behind a guy carrying a load of gravel in the back of his pickup truck. A chunk of it flew off and hit the windshield of their car, cracking it. They flagged the guy down and got him to pull over to discuss the problem.

“Excuse me, but a bit of rubble fell off your lorry and cracked our windscreen.”

In response they received a blank stare and a puzzled drawl of, “Whuut?”

“A bit of rubble fell off your lorry and cracked our windscreen!”

Eventually they managed to get that mess sorted out and went to an auto repair place to get the windshield fixed. As they were leaving, the clerk amiably called out a typical Southern goodbye, “Y’all come back now, y’hear?”

So they of course turned around and went back.

Other details on this page include vintage-style advertisements (genuinely one of my favorite genres of art) for Zenotha’s Throat Elixir,* tuskpaste for orcs, Eisfuura air mail, whatever the Exandrian equivalent of Coca-Cola is with a polar owlbear mascot, handy haversacks, and immovable rods.

* This was mentioned in the previous chapter, where it was out of stock. It was meant to evoke dubious Victorian-era patent medicines which often carried the name of a real or fictitious creator to lend them an air of authority. Because I was pressed for time owing to the ELABORATENESS of this page, the poster child is unused art of one of my Elder Scrolls Online characters. Her real name is Peaches Sweet-Whiskers but I’d always imagined the unseen Zenotha to be a Katari and used the UESP page on Khajiit naming conventions as inspiration for naming her.

[hischeapcigar]

𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉

TBB Tech x reader

summary: he's seen you dressed up and he's seen you in your simple fit, but which one really gets to him?

fluff. FLUFF.

warning: slight allusion to smut so MDI!!!

word count: 2.6k ish

a/n: this was supposed to be a drabble based on "never seen anything quite like you" by The Script but I ended up writing this one-shot. | comments and reblog is appreciated <3 |

You and Tech were the match made in stars. It had all started in Pabu when he first laid his eyes on you. It was like every missing puzzle was put into place. He felt a tingle in his heart, as his breath hitched at your eye-contact. You looked simple with no make-up on, you were on your way back home, so you were sure you looked like a mess. You slipped a slight smile, and he knew he was a goner.  

Through all the information he has gathered in his life, he was left clueless, mouth dry and brain not being able to calculate his next move. He just stood there, and just as soon as you had shown up, you left.  

He quickly decided to get over the whole incident, so he distracted himself with the data pad he owned. He succeeded, for a week, he managed to keep his thoughts at bay but then a few more days later, he was walking down the aisle of repair shops when he spotted you. You were with your friends. You were laughing and oh you looked so beautiful. He was a little jealous of your friends. 

Wait.  

They were his friends. It was Wrecker and Omega.  

His first instinct told him to turn on his heels and move in the opposite direction but before he could do that Wrecker called him loudly.  

So, he had to walk towards you. You shyly introduced yourself. He stammered a bit before he got part of his introduction out of his mouth.  

It had been months since that interaction and since then you would casually show up at the hangar-47 where the marauder was stationed, hanging out with Wrecker and Omega. Before you know it, you befriended Hunter and Echo too.  

But that one clone with goggles and data pad would always find his way away from you whenever he spotted you on the marauder.  

Wrecker and Omega were the first ones to point out his crush on you and they would endlessly tease him about it,  

“Y/N is really a nice person, but that has nothing to do with me, ' he would say every time.  

This inner joke was no longer a secret when Hunter and Echo found out about it. They wouldn't participate but their knowing glance was enough for Tech to feel flustered. They started to invite you over more. And soon tech ran out excuses to take the leave.  

The rest of the batch would start plotting to get you and Tech together. Like one time when Hunter invited you for dinner together and you politely accepted. You showed up at their rented hut, you knocked at the door. You hardly ever dressed up; you never had the opportunity to but tonight you had put on your favorite red dress. It was a little fancy, but you weren’t sure if you would ever get the chance to wear it. 

Tech opened the door, his eyes trained on the data pad before they shot up at you. His brows raised as he looked at you from head to toe, he was in awe.  

His gaze snapped back at you when you chirped “Hi, tech”  

“H-Hello, Y/n” he looked confused, he even forgot to move aside to let you in, “I- um- Wrecker- wait sorry you should come-”  

His words died on his tongue when your comm beeped, it was from Echo,  

“Hey y/n, we had some change of plans last minute, there were some things to buy, Tech’s home, dinner’s ready, don't change your plans” there was a short giggle before the comm ended.  

Nothing made sense to you, why didn't they update me before leaving? You looked up to see equally confused tech.  

He scratched the back of his neck, his eyes darting around you.  

“I- uh- well- I suggest you come in; I will immediately warm the food-” 

“No- no i’ll just leave, it's okay-” you cut him off, not wanting to disturb his peace and whatever he was doing before you showed up  

He finally looked at you, “Y/n, we have sufficient food, we wouldn’t want to go to waste when it was meant for you” 

You didn't want to be ungrateful and still argue so you just nodded your head and went in.  

That was the first time you were really in Tech’s company. Without him running away. It was awkward at first, sure, but soon you both fell into places and got comfortable.  

You listened to his info dumping without a complaint. Though there were things that you didn't understand, you let them slide. You asked some of them and he patiently answered.  

Before it got late you decided to leave,  

“I'm immensely sorry for constant ranting, it's just that no one has shown interest. They think it’s all boring”  

You smiled gently at him, “nothing to apologize about Tech, I enjoyed it”  

He looked at you wide eyed and mentally cursed himself for running away from your company because he was missing out on such a kind and interesting person.  

After that dinner, you and Tech got close. He sought your company every time he saw you in the market or any street. No words were exchanged but you both knew you were falling hard for each other.  

The batch constantly nagged him about you, and he would get flustered, still adamant “there’s nothing between y/n and me, except good friendship”  

After constant push from his brothers, he finally mustered his strength to ask you out properly. He was a blushing mess before he even got the words out.  

- 

You both were currently in the marauder cockpit where he was lying on his back fixing the wires under the control panel. He kept showing and telling you about the things to the point where you predicted his next move, and handed him the right instruments  

He got up and dusted his pants and he saw you fidgeting mindlessly with the instruments telling him about your day  

“-and Phee was there so that wa-” 

“Y/n” his voice was high pitched that caused you to stop and look at him  

You gave him the look, asking him what was up  

 “I- I was wondering if we could- no i mean if I could take you to-” 

He was nervous, he was really nervous. So, you took his hands in yours guiding him to sit across from you, and that was enough to relax him  

He took a deep breath, “y/n,  I want you to be my girlfriend, I want you more than want”  

- 

You spent more time together than ever. You accompanied them on their missions. You stayed with Tech whenever he needed to repair something. You were learning too, he would assign you to fix small parts while he took care of the bigger, more complicated problems.  

In no time, you felt like a part of them. Omega got a big sister like she always wanted. It had been a year of being together and all the missions together.  

- 

You all had landed back in Pabu yesterday after a mission on Teth. It was an ambush, and you were injured along with others. But for you, it was the first time. Tech felt his world falling apart when he saw the blaster hit you and you helplessly fell on the ground. He immediately ran to you, checking the signs of your heartbeat. He did not rest until you were taken back to the ship and were assisted by him, and you opened your eyes after a few hours.  

Hunter had never seen Tech like that before, losing control, and panicking instead of looking for solutions. He stayed with Tech asking him if he needed anything, but every time Tech shook his head no.  

Currently you were getting up from the bed to fetch yourself water when Tech emerged from the door, a tray of food and a glass of water in his hands. You immediately sat back down 

“Where did you think you were going?” he asked, setting the tray beside you.  

 You smiled at him, grateful, “nowhere, sir”  

He took his data pad and scanned your scar on your shoulder, “You need to rest one more day before I allow you out of this hut again,”  

“Relax Tech, I'm okay and alive. And you guys get hit all the time but none of you let me assist the wounds,” you pouted 

“y/n we are capable of nursing our injuries-” 

“And you think I'm not?” you asked, raising your eyebrows 

“No!” he said instantly, “it's just I'm always worried for you every time you’re on the battlefield with us, and my first priority is to look out for you, i didn't know how i just got distracted and…” he sighed looking down, “I'm trying to ease my guilt by taking care of you, because i need you” he whispered the last part.  

You looked at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish, unable to utter a word. He filled the silence,  

“You know i was so nervous, looking at you immobile on the ground, my brain went haywire and for the first time i was clueless about the wires” he tapped on the data pad in an anxious manner, still not making eye contact.  

You cupped his face and brought his gaze back on you, “I'm sorry i made you worry, but it’s because of you that i’m alive and breathing” you reminded him gently 

- 

Hunter was shaken from the last mission so he announced that you will no longer accompany them in the mission where there’s a chance of complications and Omega will stay with you. 

 You were upset at first, telling them you wouldn’t sit back until you knew about their safety. You even promised them that you’ll keep your distance from the opponents. Because the truth was, they meant so much to you than you could ever imagine, but Hunter was resolute about his decision.   

- 

The morning came quicker than you thought, when they were leaving for the mission. Tech had stayed the night, as you asked him to, your legs still intertwined. The flashes of images, and soft sighs and screams from last night awoke the tingle between your legs, as a smile tugged at your lips.  

Tech woke up soon after, as he pulled you closer to him, your back to his chest. He kissed your nape, before untangling from you.  

“Let’s do breakfast, then I'll have to go” he sat up, the ugly reminder sank your heart,  

“Can we stay in bed for 5 more minutes?” you tried to convince him, but he was already getting up, 

“No y/n, i cannot afford to be late, please darling get up”  

- 

 Before leaving for the mission, you helped them with their last-minute equipment needs. You even cooked and packed food for them.  

Tech was hurriedly shuffling around the cockpit, getting the marauder ready to fly, while you watched him, your face distraught as you bit your fingernails. You halted his movements, grabbing his elbow,  

“Tech” your breaths were uneven due to the tension in your bones 

His hand slid down your arm to hold your hand, “what is it, y/n?”  

You took a deep breath, “tell me, promise me you will comm me to update me about your well-being”  

His expressions softened, “of course y/n, you’re worrying too much,” he gently kissed your forehead. He let go of you after squeezing your hand one last time. Then busying himself with the preparations.  

- 

Hunter had mentioned that it was a one-week mission. It was only day 2 and you missed them like crazy.  You were doing just fine before they showed up, get it together y/n, you mentally scolded yourself.  

Omega kept herself busy with her friends and her flying lessons with Wujing, a local pilot who Tech had hired to train Omega while he was gone.  

You were at hangar-47 because Phee asked you to fix some machinery parts. Some other ship was parked there, and you didn’t like it at all, missing the batch even more. 

 Phee had seen you assisting Tech so here you were seated on the floor. Your jeans were stained with mud and grease. There were some stains on your face, but you were too concentrated on the task at hand that you didn’t care about your appearance.  

You were trying to rearrange the wires when they accidentally touched, and a spark went off causing you to yelp. That was the first time you had taken your eyes off from your surroundings as your gaze landed on Tech, leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded in front of his chest, a little smirk on his face. Now that startled you even more.  

You thought you missed him so much that you were hallucinating him, 

“T-Tech?” you asked squinting your eyes trying to focus on his figure 

He straightened and slowly made your way to you. “y/n” he greeted but his voice was thick, very unusual 

 You scrambled to get up to meet him halfway to envelope him in a hug, but he held your shoulders, resisting. He held you at a little distance, as he took in your appearance.  

Suddenly you were embarrassed, you abruptly broke your eye contact as your cheeks flushed. He just stood there, holding you, examining you.  

One hand settled on your waist, while the other one reached up, softly touching your neck and tilting your face to meet your gaze. You visually gulped at the look in his eyes. He was turned on. His pupils were blown wide, his mouth agape, attempting to steady his breathing.   

He softly traced your lips with his thumb, parting them, as he pulled you closer by your waist. The deliberate movements made you squirm, before he whispered, “I've never seen anything quite like you tonight,”  

He kissed your forehead before pulling your face away to look at you, marvel at you again.  

“Missed you every second at the mission. And when I come back, I find you looking all messed up doing things that I taught you. I could take this moment now, right into the grave with me. All these stains on you…” 

You felt him twitch inside his pants as he pulled you further close, rolling his hips against you, he was hard 

“...see what they do to me?”  

You whimpered at his words that he whispered, knowing your own voice would betray you. He smirked watching the effect his words had on you.  

Your lips were aching to be touched by his, and as if he could read your mind, he closed the distance. The kiss was heated and soft at the same time, he poured all his emotions, 

He missed you so much 

He’s so turned on  

He wants you right. now.  

He moved both of you til your back made contact with the cold wall behind you. You caught the glimpse of your undone project from the corner of your eyes as you pulled away, breathing hard 

“Tech…”  

“What?” slightly annoyed you had to break the make out kiss 

“I - I had to fix that for Phee-”  

“The moment Phee brought me to you, i knew it was gonna be a long night, i told her that she’d get her stuff tomorrow,” he leaned in closer, “i also instructed her to lock the hangar because we would be so busy all night, we wouldn’t like to be bothered.”  

You blushed at his plans but before you could comment, his lips were on you.  

It was gonna be a long night.  

thankyou for reading ^-^

[gaylordscooter]

Log of the Multiverse: Cross and XChara

Cross and XChara (usually referred to as just "Chara") both hail from Xtale, an au that's fallen into ruin ever since the creator, XGaster, was contained.

I was shocked to find out that the creator was one of the characters in their universe, but Ink told me he was a false creator, as he was merely a puppet to the true creator that lies beyond our realm and comprehension. It's like how a meta character in a piece of fiction can be written to act "aware", but it's still being written by somebody. Ain't that weird?

Don't think about that for too long.

So Xtale was kinda an empty void after XGaster was taken care of—that's the fault of Cross who killed like, all of his friends (but xpapyrus was the one who killed basically everyone else. GEEZ i couldn't imagine my brother killing a fly! hurting a fly definitely. but killing?? yeesh) and then absorbed xfrisk's soul because he thought he'd be able to OVERWRITE (<- a mechanic their world has where you can basically do whatever the hell you want, or something) his world turned out he couldn't do that sooo.

yeah he was NOT happy about losing his world (and somewhat playing a part in its downfall)

and also xchara's linked to frisk's soul for some reason. so he kinda just had xchara haunting him for awhile.

Luckily! Ink, Dream and I were able to help Cross cope through his loss!

It took so much time. like so much.

He eventually came to accept his world would never come back, but he got an idea. Since his universe couldn't be repaired to what it was before, why not create something new? Of course he couldn't create new people but after learning there were more people that have lost their homes like him (and me) he thought: why not make this place a safe haven for people like him?

Ink encouraged him. He was Very enthusiastic about it actually, he even helped with decorating the place (as in he painted every building. and all the scenery).

Of course, Cross isn't like Dream and Ink, who can sense negativity or when someone's world is destroyed, so those two tend to give him a heads up on where to go (or they just drop people off themselves)

At first we've just been calling it "Xtale" but obviously the place has changed drastically so we decided to call it something else.

unfortunately somehow all of us (even the ARTIST) weren't able to come up with that creative of a name and settled for calling it "the hub"

Now, I didn't forget about XChara, they were getting tired of having to haunt Cross all the time, so I decided to take up a little project.

And by me, I mean I asked Alphys (from a post-pacifist undertale au, we're buddies. yes i'm allowed to be friends with her because they're no longer following the game's script) to help me make a robot body. i made a prototype that ended up being completely non-functional. so alphys kindly made a complete one that WAS functional for me. even though i insisted she didn't need to do that but she said she enjoyed doing it and that i would've popped blood vessels i didn't have if i kept trying to make one (she's right. i was never that big of an engineer)

so the hard part was separating cross and chara. except it WASNT because their souls are WEIRD and i literally just wrenched their pieces apart like lego pieces it was crazy. unfortunately they still only have half of each of their souls. but hey, they can live just fine like that! they're just not as strong as they would be.

well, mainly in cross's case. chara has a cool robot body now that's loaded with defense.

So anyway, yeah! That's about it.

Pretty happy outcome for these guys, despite all the hardships of course.

But I heard from Ink, in this other multiverse this thing called the "X-Event" occurs. It sounded pretty rough from what I remember. But fortunately our Ink isn't like the one in that multiverse! He's too much of a softy

[dr-futbol-blog]

The Brotherhood, Pt. 2

So, yes. We find Acastus Kolya, let's say, having finished training. Taking his frustration out on two young half-naked men. We never learn that much about him or his personal life but I am wondering whether there was in fact a reason for why he was able to recognize that there was something special between Sheppard and McKay so quickly, how he was able to use them to get to the other so expertly. And now, he's fully consumed by his need for vengeance. He wants Sheppard, and he wants McKay as a way of getting to Sheppard. And since they're not here, he can't get to them at present, he's taking it out on these two. They are stand-ins for Sheppard and McKay.

They are that symbolically, as well, helping each other to stand when the other has been knocked down. There are several scenes in this episode where we get some meta commentary on the show:

Pranos: Does it still pain you? Kolya: Leave us.

What Sheppard did to him still causes him pain. What he did to Sheppard similarly still causes him pain, only Sheppard's pain is not physical. This is very much personal to both of them by now.

Pranos: They must be getting close to it. Kolya: Do we have any idea what "it" is yet? Pranos: We know a little more.

Make a note of the relative heights of the half-naked men.

They keep referring to closeness a lot. This is a motif in the episode. Pranos even tells him that "This is the first planet we've managed to get this close to them" which is the 6th time the word is mentioned in this episode, and it's only just starting. In the previous episode, we were shown that Sheppard and McKay are comfortable being extremely close. In this episode, the concept of closeness is textualized.

While this unnecessarily erotic scene is taking place on the Genii home world, on Atlantis Zelenka is doing some repairs. Make a note of the fact that this is something that McKay should be doing. His skill-set would be much better suited for this than playing Indiana Jones but what they are doing, trying to find the ZPM, is important enough to warrant him being on the case. In addition to closeness, the concept of touching is brought up:

Chuck: I don't know what happened. It just stopped working. I got some of the functionality back. It still isn't doing everything it used to. Zelenka: Yes, well, maybe if people stop insisting on having food and liquid in such close proximity to the ten-thousand-year-old equipment… Chuck: Hey, we're very careful. We're not the problem here. Zelenka: Yes -- What did you touch?! Chuck: Nothing! I didn't touch anything!

Not only did Chuck touch the computer, he brushes his lip before touching it, basically giving it a kiss by proxy. What is that?

All of this is setting up the finale of the A-plot for the season but, at the same time, it seems to be commenting on the subtext. They are very careful, they tell us. They (the writers) are not the reason "it" isn't doing everything it used to do (inserting a male character and a female character into situations to create UST?). They mention "deep space sensors" that have been running in the background and have suddenly been foregrounded. The reason for this is the unexpected popularity of the "'ship".

With episodic television, the scripts for the first part of the season are pretty much written by the time they start filming but while there may an overall arc for the season roughly plotted, the scripts for the latter half are only finalized when the season is already underway and there is possibility for course correction e.g., following the November Sweeps that assesses viewer (and hence, advertiser) satisfaction. Often this leads to tweaks, the very least. Sometimes to jarring changes in the middle of the season when they feel that a greater course correction is needed. Anyway, professional writers like to occasionally poke fun at their own craft:

Zelenka: From what I can tell, they've been running silently in the background along with our other primary systems. Weir: In the background? Zelenka: Yes. Weir: So why the sudden leap to the foreground? Zelenka: Excellent question. Weir: We don't have an answer for that yet, do we? Zelenka: Not as of yet, no. Weir: Okay, well. Keep me in the loop. Zelenka: You are the loop. Weir: Isn't that a nice thing to say!

Weir appreciates that someone wants to keep her in the loop as Sheppard doesn't want her prying into his loops and McKay's loops are too complicated for her to follow most of the time.

Now, while it wasn't the focus of the show when it started, the dynamic between the characters of Sheppard and McKay had resulted in the kind of magic you can't really plan for, so why not lean into it? Obviously they could never go full hog because, for one, there were actual USAF consultants involved with making the show (lampshaded in the SG-1 episode Wormhole X-Treme), and they actually won several awards for a realistic depiction of the Air Force. And yet. There is this undercurrent, this definite subtext, that very much runs along the main story that a lot of people seem to have been making happen. So why the sudden leap to the foreground, why foreground these two characters on an ensemble show? Because the interaction between Sheppard and McKay is what audiences wanted to see, how ever they interpreted the nature of their relationship. Whether they watch it for the buddy comedy, the odd couple schtick, the homoerotic subtext, for what ever reason, it was worth foregrounding. If you find something that works, you make use of it. So they do.

From here on out, there are at least two alternative ways of interpreting the subtext. The storytelling is purposefully polysemic, allowing for multiple readings. We can read the subtext as implying that Sheppard wants McKay but that this desire remains unrequited because due to regulations he is never going to act on it, and you can take this reading all the way to the final episode. Given how they constructed the relationships between O'Neill and Carter, and Jackson and Vala, this is a perfectly valid way of interpreting their interaction.

The other option is that they are, and have been for a while by this time, very much fucking (or playing "the game") and due to regulations, they are required to keep this a secret. McKay has been doing civilian contracting for the military long enough to know how this works. We saw in the alternative timeline of Moebius that he understands the need to protect servicemen of alternative sexual orientations even when he has no personal stake in it, which is very Canadian of him. And because Sheppard is military, it falls on McKay to put up a performance that is not easy for him, and that does not come to him naturally. Sheppard is the one whose character and reputation has to be protected, and it falls on McKay to make sure that it gets done. But make note of the fact that they take care to keep both options for interpreting the story open. They leave just enough ambiguity to allow the audience to insert their interpretation to events.

Here, and from hereon out, I am choosing to go with the latter interpretation because at least one of the actors actually seems to have played it that way (and has explicitly said that reading the character as gay is a valid interpretation), and because unlike most network television shows of this era, this show had an actual reason for playing it out like they did. They managed to do an awful lot with what they had, and it just makes for an overall better, more interesting story. So, anyway.

Back on Dagan, we find the whole team being briefed by Allina. Sheppard is seated at the table, and McKay is standing behind him; had apparently been reading some ancient document just standing up there like Sheppard's personal body guard or guardian like that's a normal thing to do. Also, his body isn't angled toward her or where she had been like he was just expecting her to return, it's angled toward Sheppard. Here, in the beginning, Sheppard is between McKay and this woman with the whole table between them.

The dialogue is interesting. She gives some more exposition, to which McKay and Sheppard respond as follows:

McKay: Hm. It's fascinating. Sheppard: Yes. Fascinating. McKay: Please, go on.

They exchange a look, seeming to share their level of fascination. Note the huge, thick candle placed strategically in front of McKay. She goes on, and we get this:

Allina: We think it's a map. McKay: Mm. Amazing. Sheppard: It is, actually. This looks like an Ancient numbering system. Allina: That's what we thought. From what we can tell, they're numbers three, six, and seven. McKay: Excellent work. I mean, seriously, I'm very impressed here.

Surface level reading is that McKay finds this woman attractive and thus, is being very complimentary. But that's not at all who he is. His idea of actually flirting with a woman was to call her a dumb blonde to her face. The kindest thing we've ever heard him say to a woman was to call someone who worked for him "lovely and talented" when he was in a particularly good mood and barely paying her any attention. McKay does not particularly like women and does not find it easy to respect them. He's not captivated by her.

This is McKay on his "best behaviour," as he was instructed by Sheppard on Proculus the last time they had something really important they wanted to get from the natives. These scenarios are paralleled, only the roles of McKay and Sheppard are flipped here. It wasn't entirely McKay's fault that he was unable to actually behave and display his best behaviour in a way that would have helped them get what they were looking for there, because the planet's Ancient guardian was never going to let that happen, but it does not mean that he doesn't know how to make the effort when it's required. And he seems to be making the effort here. From the briefing they had with Weir we know that he considers them severely underdeveloped and their beliefs primitive, his tone here is like he's indulging a child.

This reading is supported by Sheppard's comments. He's trying to help McKay. Clearly this woman seems to respond best to McKay, so their best bet is to use him as a liaison (or, given what happened previously and how badly he was burned, it's possible that Sheppard is all charmed out at this time and simply can't bring himself to do it). Only, McKay s not really that good at this kind of thing, it doesn't come to him as naturally as it does to Sheppard. He doesn't sound genuine in his compliments, earnest in his encouraging comments.

He says "It's fascinating" like he's commenting on a child's finger painting which is why Sheppard reinforces with "Yes, fascinating," with an apologetic smile, trying to make it sound more genuine but only managing to make it more awkward. When he says "Amazing," it sounds dismissive, like his mind is already working on some other thing. Sheppard follows this with "It is, actually," acknowledging that they might be on to something even if all of this is wrapped in the kind of hokey religion McKay normally has no patience for. So, McKay is on his best behaviour and is trying to be personable, and Sheppard is very much trying to help him be the best that he can be.

There seems to be a puzzle involving nine mystery plates, and this interests McKay. There's a problem to be solved, there's something to figure out, to occupy his mind with. Sheppard is half-listening to the exposition and idly (even dreamily) looking over some parchment while his mind is clearly half-way somewhere else, so he doesn't even notice that McKay has moved at first.

McKay walks from behind Sheppard to look at the tablets, and although his mind seems to be entirely on solving the problem and not on her, we see Sheppard's mood change. First, he's smiling to himself. And then, all of a sudden, he looks at them and seems upset.

Someone described Sheppard in this episode as being "a huge eye-rolling bitch" and to be sure, he is. But I don't necessarily think jealousy is the crux of the issue here. At least, not in the sense one would usually think (liking someone who is giving someone else attention). He is jealous, but not of her being interested in McKay, or McKay being interested in her (and certainly not because he wants her to himself, let's not even entertain this reading).

Now, let's just start with the fact that McKay is not interested in this woman. There's nothing interesting about her, she's a Renaissance historian, as in actually from a Renaissance society, meaning that he barely thinks she's evolved enough to be considered the same species as he is. There's no reason to think that Sheppard thinks that McKay is interested, either, since he knows what McKay's interest looks like (both the feigned and the genuine kind), and the man is so obviously clueless here.* Like, he barely manages to feign interest in things she says that might be relevant for finding the ZPM here. Sheppard also cannot blame someone for finding the man and his intelligence attractive, especially when he's in his element. He thinks falling for Rodney McKay is as easy as breathing.

But he doesn't have to like it. He especially doesn't have to like the fact that this woman is free to express her attraction openly and that he would be unable to make any sort of reclamation of territory even if he wanted to. If he was a civilian and woman and someone was moving in on his man, he would be free to express how he feels about that. They would be free to be around each other in a way that would prevent that from happening in the first place because everyone could just see that they are something to each other. But as it is, he will never be able to do that. It's just something he has to live with. He especially doesn't have to like the fact that McKay can just walk up and stand this close to her like it's no big deal when he has to always make sure there are inches between them that he would rather were not there. So yes, he jealous after a fashion. But most of all, he is feeling bitter.

When you're newly in love, your step is supposed to be lighter, your smile brighter. The world is supposed to be rose-coloured, you're supposed to be on the top of it, walking in the air. You've found someone important, someone who seems to like you as much as you like them, and even though there are so many, many, many reasons why you know it's a bad idea to try to forge any kind of a relationship under the conditions they are in, he has found himself a helpless moth circling the flame anyway.

John Sheppard is not young anymore, he's been through things. He's in a whole other galaxy where he was supposed to get away from the pettiness of some of their particular social conventions. And yet he's still not free to love, not like other people are. He's not free to let it show to the world, the thing that you're supposed to want to scream from the mountain tops. The feeling that is supposed to be pure and beautiful is ever tainted by the need for secrecy, the requirement to keep it hidden. It's not right. But that's the way it has to be.

But, make no mistake that McKay's act is a performance. You can tell his genuine reaction from the feigned ones when Sheppard mentions his observation about the tablets. First, this this is foreshadowing to the resolution of the episode where we see even more clearly how much McKay admires and respects Sheppard. And McKay actually pays attention to what Sheppard says.

While he has pretty much been humouring the Renaissance woman so far, as soon as Sheppard mentions that he actually finds something interesting, McKay looks up. That has meaning to him, it is of value to him. It gets his attention easily.

Allina confirms that Sheppard is on the right track, that they had figured out the same thing, only they've had much more time to come to the conclusion that Sheppard arrived at pretty much instantly. This is foreshadowing him impressing McKay with his math skills once more, later. It's interesting that it is only now that we get the first comment from McKay to Allina that seems genuine. He smiles at her and says "Excellent work. I mean, seriously, I'm very impressed here." He seems pleased. He is impressed that their Renaissance minds could arrive at a solution, and the fact that he has to underline it just confirms to us that he meant nothing he had been saying to her previously. It tells us that up until that moment he was making a performance of it.

It might be that he's able to make the compliment sound so much more genuine than the previous ones because he really, truly feels it. Just, not about her (and also, when he's seriously very impressed with Sheppard later, he doesn't have to say it, we can see it in his eyes). And even here, he seems slightly awkward about having to say it to her because McKay is more about showing than he is about telling. Note also that it's when she smiles and says "It's very kind of you, Doctor" that Sheppard rolls his eyes. McKay is many things, some them good and some of them awful, but kind is not one of them. Sheppard knows McKay; by this time he has seen the other man in many different situations, has seen him pushed to all kinds of extremes. Knows that in his heart of hearts, he's a good man. But kind he is not. Kindness is the most alien of all dispositions to McKay.

This just tells him that she doesn't even see McKay. Doesn't know who he is. Could never appreciate him the way he does. He's annoyed by the freedom she has for showing her appreciation and affection for McKay, but he's not worried for one second that she has a chance with him.

Since all the characters are looking at McKay as the smart one that's going to figure everything out it's easy to miss the fact that McKay and Sheppard actually solve the whole thing together. Sheppard makes small comments that prompt McKay to figure out the system the Brotherhood had used in hiding the stone tablets that are meant to lead them to the ZPM. But we are again reminded of the fact that Sheppard has absolute trust in McKay's abilities. As soon as he's done explaining, Sheppard is ready to execute his plan. Like, immediately.

This also tells us that he understood McKay's explanation very quickly. In fact, there's an argument to be made that he figured it out even before McKay when she first mentioned the numbers of the stones they had discovered. He's clearly mentally piecing something together there and, as a pilot, probably has much better spatial awareness than McKay and wouldn't need the map to visualize it; but letting McKay shine and impress her here serves their purpose. And so Sheppard splits them up into two teams, and they start looking for buried treasure.

Continued in Pt. 3

-* I'm also convinced that up until the moment he tells them "Woolsey wasn't the weirdest thing about that timeline" in The Seed (S05E02) that he believed McKay was a Kinsey 6. Sheppard doesn't understand that it only happened because McKay and Keller were grieving together and she was literally the only thing left in his world that reminded him of Atlantis and of Sheppard. And because he did not understand this he, through his own actions, ironically, pushes them on a trajectory in our reality where McKay ends up exploring something that seems to make him very unhappy at the end of the day.

[themackenziemachine]

Played In Stars and Time recently and immediately started making a Sif playlist. Check below the read more for an annotated tracklist! Will you get a favorite lyric? A game quote? Incoherent rambling? Only one way to find out. (Also if you have a favorite song, or thoughts or songs you like for them that I don't have let me know! I don't bite)

Breathing Underwater Metric

(You breathe in, and out.)

Time Will Change You The Crane Wives

Something hurts, something aches/ Something bends until it breaks/ It’s only time that tortures you

(A neat song to explore the themes of change vs stagnation)

Achey Bones The Happy Fits

I see, I see it’s too true to believe/ You were just lying next to me/ Hear it all and by the hour forget

And equally good

What you sayin’? What you sayin’/ That I can’t move on?

No Need for Dreaming MisterWives

No halt on the days that we spent wasting away/ You let me in/ Without ever seeking praise/ You overflowed my soul/ And made all good things grow

rock bottom MisterWives

To see how far I could go/ Underneath the lowest low/ To feel anything at all/ Runnin’ runnin’ runnin’ from my life/ I’m playing hide and seek with the light

You’re Not Alone The Mowgli’s

(In this moment, you are loved.)

Numb Little Bug Em Beihold

Like your body’s in the room but you’re not really there/ Like you have empathy inside but you don’t really care

Also, also, ALSO

A little bit tired of quick repairs to cope/ A little tired of sinking, there’s water in my boat/ I’m barely breathing, trying to stay afloat

Weight Of Living, Pt. 1 Bastille

All the things you’ve said/ And things  you’ve done/ Can you carry it with no regrets?/  Can you stand the person you’ve become?

Monster Imagine Dragons

[Memory of SADNESSESS] They’re scared of you.

Out of Breath Frank Turner

Insert “start again” screen montage here

Sympathy The Goo Goo Dolls

And I wished for things that I don’t need (all I wanted)/ And what I chased won’t set me free (It’s all I wanted)

Six Feet Patent Pending

Loop voice: Welcome to the real world kid/ You didn't ask to be here, but this is where you are/ And this is all you will know and this is all you will do, follow me

Gotta grind through the slow times/ 'Cause thinking about the clock don't make the time fly/ When you're counting down the minutes, adding up the hours given/ Remember the fact the fight ain't over just because you think you're finished

This Is Home Cavetown

Get a load of this trainwreck/ His hair’s a mess and he doesn’t know who he is yet/ But little do we know the stars/ Welcome him with open arms

Achilles Come Down Gang of Youths

Just, uh…. Just go ahead and imagine that violin in the background of the end of Act 5 fight for a minute. Cool. Thanks

The Scientist Coldplay

Nobody said it was easy/ Oh, it’s such a shame for us to part/ Nobody said it was easy/ No one ever said it would be this hard/ I’m going back to the start

It’s Alright Mother Mother

It’s alright, it’s okay, it’s alright, it’s okay/ You’re not a monster, just a human/ And you made a few mistakes

Best Imitation of Myself Ben Folds Five

(Get back to the stage.) (Follow the script.)