#hopefully if they get another season they’ll course correct

[theswampghost]

man i really hated this past season of so you think you can dance

[stellocchia]

I just wanted to analize the conversation between Foolish and Tommy for a bit because I’m still thinking about it

I did technically intend for this to be a short little thing with just a couple of my thoughts on it but... brevity is NOT my strong suit!

So I put everything under the cut and obviously it’s all about the characters.

You can find the conversation here at 02:52:55 and onwards

What is extremely interesting about this whole conversation is that Foolish is mostly unaware of what happened prior to him joining and about most things that happened afterwards, meaning he has as detached and objective of an opinion as you can get. For example Foolish doesn’t know almost anything about L’Manburg, as it was destroyed before he joined and he also didn’t know that Tommy went in the prison to kill Dream (which is why he asks how that went when Tommy mentions it). That paired together with the fact that Foolish has proven to be quite a good listener is probably the reason why Tommy felt so comfortable opening up with him.

“No what do you mean you fought Dream?” “Well you know... you’ve seen Wilbur haven’t you?” “No, no actually” (as I said, completely unaware, though he did seem a bit worried at the idea of Tommy fighting Dream)

“Ghostbur’s uhm... Ghostbur’s not here anymore” “Oh did he pack up? Move out? Got bored? He seems like a free spirit” “Yeah he moved out to this little train station far far away. There’s a little train station, you know? Right near the world border. There’s a little train station” “Oh that’s cool! I wanna see that sometimes" (...) “There’s a little train station out near the world border and Ghostbur went but he left Friend” “He left Friend?!” “But we’ll get Friend to him soon, ‘cause then they’ll all be happy”

Tommy’s way of explaining things to others is always so fascinating to me. It’s childish and charged with emotions, but I don’t mean this negatively, because it gets the point across better then any grand and eloquent speaches really could in my opinion. How attached he was to Ghostbur is also extremely sweet and this is simply his way of dealing with grief: trying to find a practical solution (he was suggested to Tubbo to wash up and now his solution is bringing Friend to Ghostbur), trying to find something he can do to make things better.

“How much can you take Foolish? Blood! Blood! Does that upset you?” (it’s nice seeing Tommy being mindful of other people’s triggers since not many people are mindful with his)

“All I know is I’m proving that bitch [Wilbur] wrong! Because he told me- he told me I’m weak” (another example that the manipulation did work to some extent)

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about that [his revival] with you Foolish if I’m honest” “No, fair enough!” (and Foolish repaying the favour right after)

“I don’t really se how this solves the problem” “Well it doesn’t ‘solve’ the problem, it’s preventing the problem Foolish, alright? Have you noticed that all the problems come they don’t get solved, do they? Ends up with some madman screaming ‘I solved it’ alright? And now- and then look at him, alright, now he’s taken away everyone’s favourite man: Ghostbur, alright? Problems don’t really get solved in this server”

So, for context Foolish was commenting on how gathering stone didn’t seem like a good solution for Tommy to prove to Wilbur that he wasn’t weak, but Tommy’s answer is about more then that. There isn’t much he can do at the moment, not knowing what Wilbur is planning, so the only thing he CAN do for now is what he was asked and, hopefully, prove himself to Wilbur so that he may be able to stop Wilbur from committing atrocities before he starts. Also the “madman” he’s talking about could be Dream (the one who thinks he is a God and actually killed Ghostbur) as well as Sam (the one who thought the prison was gonna be a solution to the Dream problem and who let Ghostbur die) or it could be Wilbur (who seems so self assured about being right on everything and is now the one who replaced Ghostbur), any of them fits. It is also true that, so far, every problem that seemed to have been “solved” turned out to be far from it every single time. That said, of course it should not be Tommy’s responsability to get Wilbur on the “right path” nor should he bear sole responsability for avoiding disaster once more, but, by now, he’s convinced that that’s not the truth, probably because he sees himself as far more sacrificable then those around him.

“Well, how do we go about changing that [problems not getting solved]?” “That’s what I’m doing” “By gathering stone?” “No what I’m doing my friend is preventing the problem before it gets out of hand like it did before, alright?” (again, it’s all about prevention now through getting Wilburs trust and maybe steering him in the correct path)

“L’manburg! This was mine and Wilbur’s na- it was Wilbur’s nation! It was Wilbur’s which makes it all the more heart wrenching, alright?” (referring to his talk with Wilbur about L’Manburg, which does make it more heart wrenching)

“Now we were okay- I was okay when we were banished and I knew that we’d get it back and we’d talk about it, right? As you said: ‘peace is the option’. But here’s the thing Foolish, Wilbur didn’t wanna do anymore talking, he’d given up with that, because some people aren’t strong enough, alright, some people stop talking. You know the phrase ‘treat others how you wanna be treated’ Foolish? That’s a very important phrase (...) Wilbur disregarded that rule. He decided that he wanted to be treated poorly so he’d treat everyone else poorly” “Why do you think that?” “Honestly sometimes I don’t really know myself”

So a very interesting thing that emerged from this conversation is that Tommy has a much better understanding of Wilbur then most people originally assumed and he is possibly the only person (in universe) who has picked up on the fact that all of Wilburs “villain speaches” and behaviours were nothing more then him treating others like he thought he himself deserved to be treated, like sh*t. It’s also interesting that Tommy relates the concept of strenght here once again both with the ability to stay peaceful and, this time, also the ability to communicate properly with those you care about (probably because this are both things he himself lacked when he considered himself to be at his worst, meaning in exile and later with Techno). It is also to be noted though that, while Tommy is undoubtedly the one person who understand Wilbur best, he is still not aware of how bad his spiral had gotten because Wilbur never communicated it.

“Now Wilbur, he was a good man- he IS a good man, deep inside him, alright?” “So you’re saying that there’s still redemption for him?” “Well he’s been a good man deep inside him, but he’s been a bad guy for a very very long time” (Short introduction to Tommy’s concept of “good” or “bad” in season 3. He has gotten a lot more nuanced over time realizing that the world isn’t simply black or white)

“You believe in second chances?” “No I don’t. I don’t really believe- I- that’s not a thing for me Foolish, is just that... *sigh* I believe that everyone has got a little bit of good in them. And I know that Wilbur had good in him” (A little bit more about his concept of morality, this time explaining that he doesn’t really believe in giving people a quantifiable number of “chances”, but more so in the fact that everyone has capacity for good, which also implies that everyone has capacity for bad, but he chooses to hang onto the first one for those he cares about)

“Now I just think Wilbur’s being a bad guy, and that’s okay! We’re all bad guys, everyone messes up. You learn the most from your mistakes” (he also moved on from the fear of becoming a “bad guy” now it seems by noticing that your mistakes don’t define you as a person and that they are opportunities to better yourself)

“He’s made sooo many mistakes, so many that have hurt so many people, but, what this is gonna be about isn’t giving him a second chance, isn’t giving him a third chance, is not about chances! Foolish, it’s about not giving up on the people you care about”

And this is the culmination of all the previous point. The idea of chances implies that you’re gonna give up at some point if the person doesn’t changes (which is a healthy thing to do, by the way, sometimes it’s better to cut people off when they aren’t good for you) and Tommy doesn’t believe in that. He believes that everyone has some good in them and perhaps, if you stick by them long enough, that good may shine threough. Now this is a nice concept in theory, but in reality if people wanna change it has to start from themselves (wether that be changing an opinion or needing to reach out for help) and it’s especially not a good idea to stick by someone if they are harmful to you. I’m sure no one likes Wilbur being in this example, so think what would happen if Tommy applied the same mentality to, say, Dream, someone who has hurt him more then anyone else and who considers him less then human (more like his propriety) and who’s most probably never gonna change since he never regretted anything he did: would you still think that the idea of “never give up on people if you care about them” would be a positive one? This sadly is an example of excessive selflessness on Tommy’s part that ends up being self-destructive.

“You consider yourself to be the ‘good guy’ or the ‘bad guy’?” “That really depends who you ask, doesn’t it? You know? You ask Dream he’s say I’m- he’d say I’m his little- I’m his little play- his little toy that he plays with, you know, it doesn’t- Foolish honestly I used to consider myself the ‘good guy’, the fucking second in command going around going ‘yeah let’s do this!’ but I- recently- this past- this past like six months or so Foolish everything got so much harder then it was before, but because before it was us fighting the bad guys and everything was so clear, it was all so clear! But it’s not been clear for so long”

A few things to unpack here: Tommy once again demonstrating quite a bit of awareness that he didn’t always have about Dream and how he now views him (this has been a gradual and difficult realization for him and it is still clearly hard for him to talk about it) and then explaining that things simply got more complicated then they once were (which is an important thing to keep in mind, because Wilbur missed all of that, he missed the world becoming shades of gray) and that he really doesn’t believe in ‘bad guys’ or ‘good guys’ any longer.

“It seems like you’ve been the hero, you’ve been the viallian, the conquerer, the saviour and, even now, I still have no idea of what you exactly are” “It’s up to you to decide, isn’t it?”

Now this can be interpreted in a few different ways. It could be that Tommy has simply given up in tring to define himself since others keep insisting in putting him into small little boxes that don’t fit him. It could be that he simply refuses the labels and leaves it up to others to decide what he is in relation to them. Or it could be something else entirely and I’m leaving it up to you to decide.

“Unlike you I don’t really have a choice. I have to try and be who I want to be, ‘cause if I don’t... very bad things are gonna happen on this server. Now Wilbur’s back Foolish I can’t- quite frankly no one can risk that, so I don’t really have a choice”

And this is how it ends on a quite hopeless note actually. By this point the responsability to solve problems has been put on his shoulders so many times that he doesn’t really think he has a choice any longer and he also recognizes Wilbur as a genuine threat to the server as a whole if left alone.

[hopeshoodie]

Ok so in light of the Independent article (see my tag #fusebox layoffs for more info), I’ve been trying to piece together the sequence of events that lead to FB Going to Shit™. 

All of the below is based on articles, tweets from the staff, and dates from screenshots. Especially with the Matchmaker stuff, I’m using the dates I personally accessed the stories- that might not be accurate to when they were actually released to an international audience, just when my phone updated the app. In hindsight, I’m not a great person to do this because I have a shit memory and don’t keep receipts, so if you have any corrections PLEASE lmk either in the dms or replies. 

In sum, the timeline appears to be:

1. Key players left Fusebox in early 2020. 

The one that people are probably most familiar with is David Gallopim, one of the artists who helped define the S2’s distinct style, leaving sometime before March 2020. He seemed to indicate that there was conflict over the new art style of S3, and released assets he’d designed of Harry in his own style (notably way prettier than Harry looks in-game). 

But probably more important to the direction of the company, Michael Othen, one of the co-founders and former CEO, left in July of 2020 (I had thought it was earlier in the year but according to LinkedIn it was July). It’s much more unclear why he left, but it’s notable because he was a huge force in making the game inclusive of LGBTQ characters. 

So all in all, not a great sign when employees who had a huge hand in creating the content and direction of a game that defined its success jump ship. Especially after the game was seemingly hitting its stride, with the host of Love Island (the TV show) doing a sponsored Let’s Play of S3 and projects in the works like Boat Party and CMM.

2. It seems like Fusebox‘s CEO/executives hired new management, either in 2020 or early 2021. Employees complain that the executives don’t understand what it takes to make a game and are pulling the studio in the wrong direction. It’s unclear if the newly hired execs had experience. 

Wil Stephens, the CEO/founder, has been with FB since its inception but also appears to have only founded game distribution ventures and not worked in any development or employment capacity. If that’s the case, maybe the complaints about lack of experience/knowledge about the mechanics of making games work are about him. If not, then some of the newly hired execs would likely be to blame. 

Paul Virapen, COO, was brought on in November of 2020. He’s worked with Disney’s gaming division, Big Pixel studios, Wooga. The quality of that experience is dubious since he headed up the ‘let’s make apps for Apple watches, it’ll be the next big thing’ department… Lol. Notably also, all of his roles had been in the executive/managerial realm, not the development teams, so the complains might have been about him. THIS IS SPECULATION, but I’m willing to bet that Virapen was a if not THE driving force in switching Fusebox’s focus entirely to matchmaker. All the studios he’s worked with have primarily produced and promoted Match 3 games, and he has a background working with big studios that produce games for large international audiences, not small studios making narrative games for limited audiences.

A new Manager of Finances, Ruth Erskine, was brought on in December of 2020

Rob Goddard, a new producer, was brought in January of 2021

Several key operations positions were filled by existing employees being promoted to management- 2 as far as I can tell. But as a whole it seems like December 2020 was a huge shift in leadership for the upper management while a lot of the other teams expanded but kept their old players as well.

3. At some point in late 2020- mid 2021, the executive team made the decision to switch LITG’s focus from a narrative pass-based game to a Match 3 incorporating romance narrative cut scenes. In early 2021, Fusebox teased more content to come while releasing S3 (seemingly referring to Matchmaker and not S4). In the interim between S3 endings and Boat Party’s release they put out an interview confirming the new game will be Match 3 but did seem to indicate that the plan at that time was for Matchmaker to be a side project with a different development team and not replace the main game. Notably, the LITG writers and artists were reassured that their roles will continue to exist (according to the independent article) as they’re working on S4.

3. In September of 2020, Matchmaker became briefly available in the US. That’s when I first downloaded it, at least. It would be added/removed from the google play store multiple times before having a unilateral release in July of 2021. 

Throughout 2020, Matchmaker is available to Asian audiences solely with LITG S1 getting rolled out in incremental updates. 

Eventually, Beanie Quinn is released (March 2021)

LA Noir is released (May 2021)

Seduction Games is released (late May or June 2021- I got the update and played it June 3rd, but hadn’t opened the app for a month or so. It might have come out before then, which is unfortunate for this timeline since it’s so inextricably linked to the open letter and layoff dates)

LITG S2 is released (only like 20 levels of it) the same month- June 19th for me. Notably, all of these stories are only released to an international audience, with the UK and USA still not having access to the app.

4. At the same time, Fusebox’s internal affairs are pretty quiet from 2020-2021, at least on social media. 

S3 comes out in 2020, Boat Party comes out later in the year and finishes in 2021. Post S3 in October of 2021, a survey goes out gauging player interest in new art styles and representation, which was pretty in keeping with past actions and seemed promising for S4. 

Boat Party features a promising cross promotion implementing irl brands into the game. It’s unclear if enough money was made from this on FB or the sponsor’s end to make that strategy viable, but that might’ve impacted management’s outlook for the profitability of LITG.  

Fusebox teases more content for the summer on Instagram, and then follows up and confirms it’ll be a proper season.

5. More key players leave in early 2021

Ed Sibley is still listed as Narrative Direction on LinkedIn, but he’s not credited as a writer on Season 4 (he was on 3,2,and 1) and started work with NetSpeak games in May of 2021, so we can assume he left around then or at least transitioned away from Fusebox then.

Fred Francis, another writer who had been on the team since S1, turns in his resignation ‘weeks’ before the layoffs were announced in late June. So we can assume he made his exit sometime early June or late May.

6. Prior to the release of Seduction games in May/June, staff expressed concern about the biphobia in Seduction Games. No sources have given a specific time when this took place. They were reassured that the problem would be corrected prior to release, but then the story was released as is to an international audience in June. The article released by the Independent is unclear- there might have been discussion prior to the open letter where staff expressed concerns and then were reassured before the game going live. OR the open letter might have been the first expression of concern by the staff. I tend to think the former, and the open letter was a response to Matchmaker going live with Seduction Games anyways, but I have no proof for that. On May 24th, 31 employees sent an open letter of concern regarding the problematic content in Matchmaker. This letter isn’t public, so we don’t know the scope of the employees' concerns or who the employees were.

7. To resolve the situation, a meeting between the staff and at least the COO (likely more than just him though) was held sometime after May 24th. Allegedly, Virapen was disrespectful to the employees who had questions, refused to answer, and ended the meeting early before any resolution was had by closing his laptop and leaving the room. At least 4 HR complaints were made in the wake of that meeting, we do not know the nature of those complaints. 

8. Some time mid-July (maybe July 26th? A writer tweeted about their job ending soon on that date), employees were made aware that the LITG app would move into ‘sunset mode’. It’s unclear what was communicated, but it seems as though S4 will be heavily delayed or cancelled altogether and no future seasons would be made. Writers begin to post about looking for work on Twitter

9. June 30th- The majority of Fusebox writing staff announce on twitter they’re out of work. In addition to the entire writing staff, unity engineers and producers are also let go.

10. July 5th - Fusebox executives respond to an article by MCVUK with a statement asserting they were “consulting with [their] employees on a proposed change to its business model” that would focus on producing Matchmaker content. They also expounded that the move was to secure “cash injections and and continued support from respected investors across the media and gaming industry”

11. July 6th- Fusebox announces that S4 will be delayed from the summer release date and that there is no fixed release date. 

12. August 2nd- three jobs are posted to Fusebox’s careers page on their website, one being Head of Narrative Content. In the job listing, it specifies that they’ll be maintaining existing properties as well as new ones, and that because of the co-development model (re:fusebox outsourcing Matchmaker to another studio) the new Narrative Lead must collaborate with external content creators.

Hopefully posting this timeline gives players a better understanding of how radically Fusebox has changed in the course of 2021 (and how royally they screwed over the people who made LITG what it is). Again, please let me know if you have receipts showing dates are different or things to add. 

[thisisawonderfulusername]

let’s save the world

season one, episode eight

five hargreeves x reader

summary: a new piece of information surfaces, and you end up following another trail, which leads to something bad.

trigger warnings: cursing, gore(?)

word count: 2k

a/n: the beginning kinda sucks??? i legit couldn’t think of how to write it for some reason, so i’m sorry about that :/ it’s also kinda short again, due to the lack of action once again. anywho, enjoyyyy

sleeping in a chair isn’t the most comfortable thing. it was nearly impossible to even get into that sweet state of unconsciousness, but you managed it.

you didn’t have much time to stay that way, as you fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, and now, someone was shaking you violently to pull you out of the sleep that you wished lasted longer.

"i’m awake.” you grumble, grabbing at the hands that held your shoulders to get them to stop shaking you, and thankfully they do. “just give me a moment.”

after rubbing your eyes for a moment, you open them, looking up in front of you and sighing when you see five standing in front of you. “you’re supposed to be resting.” you mumble, standing up and stretching your arms up above your head.

“the end of the world isn’t going to wait.” he responds simply, giving a tight-lipped smile. “i’ll be fine.”

you sigh softly, shaking your head. “fine, but if you die, i’ll kill you.” you fix the cuffs of your shirt, glancing up at him. “nice pajamas.” you comment on the matching set, a small grin on your face.

he rolls his eyes, “yeah, thanks.” he says sarcastically, sitting at the edge of the bed. “did you put delores in the wardrobe?” he questions, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he looks at you.

“yeah.” after fixing your sleeves, you look to him. “lift your shirt up.” you tell him, grabbing the medical kit that grace had left behind the night before, opening it up.

“why?”

“so i can change the gauze, idiot.” you shoot back, grabbing everything you need.

he does as you say, but speaks again as he lays back on the bed. “no, i meant why did you put delores in the wardrobe?” he corrects himself on his question, and you look back at him.

“she was annoying me.” you mumble after a moment of silence, avoiding his gaze as you pull the bloodied gauze off of his stomach, scrunching your nose up as you toss it to the side. you can see his grin out of the corner of your eye. “why are you smiling like that?” you question, pursing your lips.

he chuckles as he watches you replace the dressing. “she was annoying you?” he repeats your answer, an amusement in his tone that you hated to no end.

“yes,” you gritted your teeth, keeping yourself from looking up at him. sometimes, he was unbearably annoying. “is that funny to you?” you finally look away from his wound for a moment, raising an eyebrow at him.

he looked at you for a moment, the grin still plastered on his face, making it very tempting to punch him just so he would stop. “yeah, kind of.” he doesn’t even bother to hide it, and you roll your eyes as you look back to the wound to secure the gauze with medical tape. “i thought you said she’s just a mannequin.”

glaring at him as you throw everything back into the kit, you place it on the table. “she is. doesn’t mean she can’t be annoying. she’s almost as bad as you.” you mutter, standing from the bed as he sits up and pulls his shirt back down over his stomach. “maybe you’re where she gets it.”

he doesn’t say anything else about it, simply walking past you with the smirk still plastered on his face. “let’s have some coffee. klaus said he had something to tell us.” he glances at you as you follow him out of the room, “apparently it’s important.”

you both made your way down the stairs and into the kitchen, seeing luther slumped over at the table with klaus taking a pot off of the coffee maker, grabbing a few mugs and filling them up with the coffee.

luther grabs one of the mugs, but just as he’s about to take a sip, five steals it from him, and you hold back a laugh at the look of dejection that crosses his face.

“jesus,” you look to five as he looks in disgust at the mug, “who do i have to kill to get a decent cup of coffee?”

shaking your head, you grab one of the full mugs, taking a sip as you stand at the end of the table, leaning against the edge. you unconsciously tapped your fingers against the wood, the faintest tapping being heard from the action.

“anyone seen any of the others?” klaus questions, glancing around the kitchen, “allison, diego? no?” nobody gives a reply and he shrugs, “alright then, guess this is the closest thing we’re gonna get to a quorum.” he hits a spatula against the table, and luther groans at the sound. “alright, there’s no easy way to say this, so i’m just going to spit it out.”

he hits the spatula against his hand, sighing softly. it goes quiet for a moment, and after a second of him staring off without saying anything, luther grabs his attention again. “i conjured dad last night.” he spits out, pressing his lips together as he looks between you and the other two.

pursing your lips, you glance to the boys, before slowly picking up your coffee. “yeah, this seems like more of a family thing so i’ll just...” you take slow steps towards the door, pointing into the hall, “bye.” you turn on your heel and quickly leave, not wanting to stick around for whatever sibling fight would happen. five could just fill you in.

you made your way back up to five’s room as quickly as you could without spilling the contents of your mug, sighing softly as you get into the room and shut the door behind you.

you sit on the bed, leaning back against the wall behind it, just sipping your coffee while you wait.

within a few minutes, or maybe more, you couldn’t really tell, five appeared in the room with a blue flash, and you jump slightly from the surprise. luckily, your mug was mostly empty so you could keep the coffee from splashing out. “well,” you look at him with a raised eyebrow, “what happened?”

he sighs as he sits on the edge of the bed, looking off into nothing. “apparently, the old man killed himself.”

you’re a bit shocked, but you only keep your mouth shut for a second. “why would he do that?” you question, downing the rest of the warm drink and setting the cup to the side. “that doesn’t make any sense.”

“from what klaus said- and what pogo confirmed,” your eyes widen slightly at the fact that the druggie was actually telling the truth, “he was trying to get us all back together. to save the world.”

you stare at him for a moment, lips parted as you try to find words. “that doesn’t make any sense.” you mumble quietly after a second, looking to the equation riddled walls, “how would he know that the world needed to be saved? he can’t time travel, he wouldn’t know about the apocalypse.”

“i have no idea.” he admits with a shrug, standing from the bed and going to the wardrobe, opening it up and pulling delores out and putting her on the bed before grabbing one of the uniforms. you took it as a sign to turn around, “but somehow, he knew to kill himself a week before the end of the world, and the plan worked.”

sighing softly, you nod, getting a bit lost in your thoughts about how he could possibly know about all this. in the end, it wouldn’t really matter, but it would still be nice to know.

after a minute or so, he tells you he’s finished changing so you get up from the bed. “i guess we have to get this show on the road.” you hum, sticking your hands in the pockets of your skirt, “hopefully this harold dude is actually who we need. i couldn’t stand it if we follow another trail that leads to nothing.”

“hopefully this is the big break in our little mission.” five sighs, “let’s go find the others. we’ll need their help, of course.”

you grin as you follow him out of the room, “i never thought you would admit to needing your siblings’ help.” you tease, poking his arm.

he rolls his eyes, not acknowledging your comment as he knocks on klaus’ door and walks in. he explains what he was thinking to him and the plan as he gets ready for the adventure of finding others while you lean against the door frame.

once he’s ready, you all begin to walk down the hall, ready to leave the academy, but diego comes running in. furrowing your eyebrows, you watch him go into his room as he pulls off his jacket. “where have you been?”

“jail.” he responds, and you look to the other two, raising an eyebrow. they’re just as clueless. “long story. where’s luther?” he grabs his little vest thing strapped with all of his knives.

“we haven’t seen him since breakfast.” five tells him as he comes out of the room, standing in front of you all as he puts the vest on.

klaus sighs, “yeah, two days until the world ends, great time to drop off the grid.”

“shit.” diego breathes out, still catching his breath from running in. “allison is in danger.”

you all look to each other, before deciding it would be best to get going.

-

walking into a bar, the irish republic, klaus points to one of the tables, an unmistakable big, hairy man sitting there. all of you make your way towards him, and klaus puts a hand on the table to lean against it. “trying a little hair of the dog?”

diego takes the other seat at the table, setting his gloves on the table. “give us a minute.”

“okay, c’mon.” klaus glances between you and five, “maybe they’ll brood each other to death.” he stands straight again, and you all leave them, instead leaning against one of the tables lining the walls and watching them talk.

it takes a few minutes, but something diego said managed to get him up and running to the door. “well, shit.” you chuckle, quickly following as he opens the door (and breaks it).

-

it was getting dark, and all of you crammed into the small car, luckily you got to the front seat before any of the others, so you didn’t have to be smushed by luther as klaus and diego were.

it was silent as you sped down the road lined by trees, showing how you were basically in the middle of nowhere.

perfect place for a murderer like jenkins.

you had the window on your side open, needing fresh air to calm yourself a bit. you would never tell any of them, but you were a bit worried. allison could have wandered into a dangerous situation and got herself hurt, or you guys could wander into a dangerous situation together and get hurt or even killed.

the only time anyone spoke was when luther asked five if he could go any faster, only getting a threat in return.

you pull up to the cabin, the front lights were on but the house was seemingly empty. everyone clambered out, running up the front steps.

luther got there first, kicking the door open then freezing in his place. that couldn’t mean anything good. you heard him saying allison’s name, and when you entered the house, you’re eyes widened at the sight. her throat had been cut, from what you don’t know, but you had a feeling it was harold.

the pool of blood that covered the wooden floor beneath her head was enough to make your stomach churn.

“shit.” you mutter, standing frozen in your spot as you watched luther cry.

-

taglists:

main: @horrorklaus​

tua: @rasberrymay​ @noodlextrash​

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[rubix-writings]

Punisher Pt. 3

Third part of Punisher. I apologize it’s taking me so long to post these, but want to make sure they’re good for you all. Thank you for the support so far!! This is a Chicago PD/Fire imagine with an original character. I don’t own any of the plot points or characters from the show. Also, it doesn’t follow any particular season or sequence in the shows.

Series Summary: Josephine (Jo) never expected to find support and pure love when she left Los Angeles. She ran away to Chicago and was content with living an insignificant, hidden life. But everything changes when she walks into Molly’s to get a job.

Josephine (OC) x Jay Halstead

The italicized lines are internal thoughts of the character.

Warnings: language, mentions of drinking, long (!)

Things are going really well at Molly’s. It’s like falling into step during a choreographed dance. It feels odd to say that I’m comfortable and confident when it’s only my second shift. I’m working with Stella tonight, who to say the least had a lot of fun the night before. When she first walked into the bar she looked as if Casper made a stop in Chicago. At the start of opening she kept her jacket on and slammed down cups of black coffee. Her body seemed to stay in a permanent state hunched over the bar top while she only communicated through slow movements with her fingers. I couldn’t watch her pain any longer, so I used my break to grab a cheeseburger and fries so greasy the oil soaked the paper bag. 

“You need to put something solid into your body,” I announce as I plop the white, greased bag on the bar top in front of Stella’s practically limp body. She slowly lifts her head with a deep groan and analyzes the bag.

“I’m a firefighter Jo, my body is a temple. I can’t eat this,” I can’t stop the laugh that escapes my lips.

“Are tequila shots a part of your ‘temple’s’ regimen?” she sniffs the bag and sighs.

“You see, the tequila actually kills all the bacteria in the stomach,” Stella examines the golden fry before taking a bite. 

“Be sure to tell your theory to the doctors that come in later, I’m sure they’d love to hear that.”

“I will,” she says with a mouthful of cheeseburger. 

Just like magic, Stella is back to her bouncy self. It amazes me how much like Hermann she is, she practically floats around Molly’s. She talks to everyone and makes sure they’re having a good time. Stella sets the tone of the entire bar, bringing life to every inch of the place. It’s nice to watch her interact with others, a part of me is envious of how natural it comes to her. A part of me is, also, envious of her relationship with Kelly. His eyes when he looks at her are filled with unconditional love and the way Stella looks at him when he’s not looking confirms that she feels the same. I’ve never had that… or will have it. The bar top serves its purpose as a closed door to the patrons on the other side, I open it as much as I want and they see what I want them to see. I’m in control.

It’s a busy Friday night, the bar filled quickly. The firemen I met last night stroll in with the same vigor as the night before, obviously hurting a lot less than Stella was a few hours ago. Stella plays it off as if she didn’t have a raging hangover, but Kelly quickly throws her under the bus. Cruz yells as he claims he’s known the truth all along, but Mouch steps in to deny it, leading to Cruz listing out facts about how he knew. I place a few beer bottles in front of the guys, trying not to get involved.

“I’m sorry about them,” Matt says.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. They’re funny,” I smile.

“You don’t have to hear it all day long,” Matt grumbles as he takes a long sip from his beer.

“This is true. I get them in concentrated doses,” I excuse myself to collect empties at the tables scattered around the room. With my hands full I turn to head back to the bar top, but crash into a hard body. I stumble back from the blow and the mystery man swiftly grabs my arms to keep me from falling. Once I get my footing back, he releases my arms.

“Sorry about that. Are you okay?” His voice is like velvet that draws my eyes up to look at his face. Wow. My mind fell into a haze barely registering his question. 

“Um, yeah. Thanks,” he smirks at how long it took me to answer his question. Really smooth Jo. “I should get back to work, sorry about running into you,” I walk backwards a few steps, he immediately steps forward keeping the same amount of space between us as before.

“Let me at least help you with those, I’m heading to the bar anyway,” before I could object, his large hand cradles the numerous beer bottles that were once in my hand. Before my brain can spiral about his large hands, I spin and head back to the bar. I silently weave through the customer’s of Molly’s, I needed to get back to my safe zone to hopefully make his charm less effective. He gently places the bottles on the bar top for me to discard, I smile and thank him. Before I can ask for his order, the firemen and Stella welcome him to the bar.

“Hey Jay, haven’t seen you around here in awhile,” Stella mentions. 

“Yeah I know. Um have you seen my brother anywhere?” Stella shakes her head no. Brother? I try to seem like I’m not listening while cleaning up behind the bar and get any excuse not to look at him again. One embarrassing moment for tonight is enough. Out of nowhere, Will pops up and slaps Jay on the back. They go in for a quick hug before Will says hi to everyone. 

“Hey don’t kill me, but I invited Nat. I know it’s supposed to just be us, but she had a really rough day,” Will whispers, Jay shakes his head to let him know he’s totally fine with it. “Great, thanks man.”

I put two glasses of red wine on the bar top for two women that definitely want to take a firefighter home tonight. After how many women these men turned down the night before I highly doubt they’ll have any luck, but I’m kinda rooting for them.

“Hey Jo,” Will smiles.

“Hi Will,” I say in monotone to mess with him.

“Have you met my brother Jay?” Will slaps Jay’s chest which startles Jay a little, making me smile. Geez, these guys must have gorgeous parents. Will is handsome of course, but Jay... 

“We kinda ran into each other actually.” I smirk.

“Oh that’s great, he’s a really good guy. He’s a cop, detective, sorry,” Will corrects himself, Jay is glaring at him.

“I’m not making you a manhattan,” he slaps his hand against the bar top.

“Worth a shot. Can I get a glass of chardonnay and a beer, oh and whatever Jay’s having,” I nod and grab Will his drinks. He slides me his credit card to open a tab then walks off to see Natalie at the table.

“I’m definitely missing something, why does my brother want a manhattan?” Jay finally asks. 

“Oh Jay it was great!” Stella jumps in to tell a very colorful version of the events that happened between Will and I. As she finishes up she is swept to the end of the bar to take an order. 

“She was drunk last night” I mumble under my breath. Jay smirks, knowing Stella’s retelling was probably fabricated. “What can I get you?” I try to change the subject.

“A beer please,” I nod. “You’re new here Jo?” He phrases it as a question, but it's definitely more of a statement. 

“Yeah, started yesterday,” I hand him his beer. 

“Thanks. Are you from Chicago?”

“No, LA actually, lived there my whole life,” I lean my forearms on the bar top in front of him.

“Wow, big change.” “Yeah, I don’t know if I thought it all the way through to be honest,” he smiles.

“Well let me tell you if you haven’t figured it out already, snow and winter are incredibly overrated.” “Ah yes, that’s exactly what I needed to hear. I can go back to LA now.” “Glad to be of service,” he shrugs. Jay stayed on the same stoll at the bar for the rest of the night. It was strange how easy it was to talk with him, he offered stories about his job and funny stories about him and Will growing up. It’s so beautiful to have those stories, that he’s gone through life with someone that deeply and come out the other side. I tell him that I don’t have siblings and mostly spent time with my mom when I was young. Jay was quick to offer up Will to fill the void.

“I’ll keep you updated on that,” I laugh.

“Are you and your mom still close?”

“Um no, she… she died about ten years ago,” even though her death happened so long ago it still felt so weird saying it out loud. 

“I’m sorry Jo. I lost my mom to cancer a few years back.”

“So you get it,” he nods and offers a somber smile. 

It wasn’t till Will and Natalie announced their departure, that Jay made any moves to leave Molly’s. The bar was slowly emptying out as last call was already declared. 

“I should head out, it was really nice talking with you Jo,” Jay stands.

“It was really nice talking with you too Jay,” I say sincerely. He smiles wide before making a beeline for the front door. I can’t help but stare until he’s fully out of sight, my cheeks start to hurt from fighting the smile on my face. I tuck my loose hair behind my ear and start grabbing the empty glasses from the bar top. 

“Have fun?” Stella questions, I jump slightly not realizing she was standing there.

“Another good night for tips, yeah,” she looks at Kelly who’s the last of the firefighters at the bar. 

“Sure, doesn’t hurt that Officer Handsome was here all night either.” “I… I’m going to wash the glasses,” I pick up the large plastic crate with dirty drinking glasses and head to the back where Hermann showed me where the sink was. Stella didn’t mention Jay again, but it didn’t matter. The damage was done, Jay’s blue eyes and the way he got so passionate during a story were ingrained in my mind for the rest of the night. 

***

Hermann asked if I could open Molly’s for him the next day as he was running late with paperwork at the firehouse. I had a short shift that night anyway and could use the extra money no matter how little. Hermann told me to meet him at the firehouse to give me the keys since they haven’t been able to cut me my own yet. The firehouse isn’t far from Molly’s, a couple blocks on foot. I prepared myself with my warmest coat for the trek since the wind chill makes Chicago brutally cold. I focus on the sound of my shoes against the wet pavement to take my mind off of how cold I really am. 

The firehouse is a ball of color on this cold, dark Chicago day. The plain brick buildings surrounding it emphasize the reds and yellows. It somehow feels untouched by the rest of the city, a true sign of purity. As soon as I walk through the doors of the firehouse I’m met with the sweet smell of food cooking. It’s as if my feet have a mind of their own and take my body towards the magnificent smell’s source. The kitchen was buzzing with people cooking, talking, and playing card games. 

“Jo!” Stella yells, “what are you doing here?” she walks over to me, leaving her conversation with Matt and Kelly, who both wave at me.

“I’m here to get the keys from Hermann, do you know where he is?” 

“Yeah, he’s in the garage let me take you to him,” I try to argue that it could wait, but Stella insists. “Hermman!” she yells once we get into the garage. 

“What?!” he snaps back. She giggles as we both walk towards the outburst. As we turn around the big fire engine, I see why Stella was so insistent about not waiting. “Oh hey, Jo,” he says calmer.

Jay is standing tall with a notepad in front of Hermann. Stella silently excuses herself from the conversation and makes her way back inside. Hermann pays no attention to his surroundings as he’s searching for the three keys I need to open Molly’s. 

“Hey,” Jay smiles.

“Hi.”

“Here you go, I labeled them for you so you know what lock they go into. Once you get inside, lock the front door, just in case,” I nod and take the keys from him. The silver keys have thin pieces of masking tape on them with dark blue sharpie stating what they open. 

“Thanks, I’ll see you there,” I back away from the men to head back to the bar. Hermann nods and waves.

“Hermann we’re done here right?” Jay asks.

“Yeah, let me know if you find anything,” Hermann states somewhat hopeless. Jay puts away the notepad in his back pocket of his jeans and jogs to catch up to me. The sound of Jay’s thick boots hitting the cement fills the sound of the garage. When he finally catches up to me, he moves ahead to open the door to outside for me. 

“So you’re stalking me now?” He jokes.

“Um how did you get to that? Hermann asked me to come here,” Jay quickly fell into step with me, not that it was difficult as he’s much taller than me.

“I was here first,” he says plainly.

“Oh well, with that bulletproof logic…” he laughs.

“You headed to Molly’s?” we stop walking once we get to the sidewalk.

“Yeah, I’m opening today,” Jay slips the keys to his car from his jacket pocket. 

“Let me drive you.” “Oh no, you don’t have to do that. It’s only a couple of blocks and you’re working,” I spew out trying to find an excuse that’ll stick.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m parked right here,” he brushes off quickly. I roll my eyes at his back and get into the car. Jay puts the car into gear and sets off towards Molly’s. 

“So, is Hermann okay?” I ask since I couldn’t get his hopeless tone out of my head.

“His house was broken into, they didn’t get a lot, just some jewelry and a few Alexa’s. His wife came home which freaked them out and they bolted before they did any real damage.” “Jesus. Poor Hermann. Do you think you’ll find his stuff?” “Probably not, that sort of stuff is so small that they may keep it for themselves instead of pawning it, but we’ll try,” the car is silent for a little while till Jay pulls in front of Molly’s.

“Thanks for the ride.” “Course,” I get out of the car and make my way onto the sidewalk. “Hey Jo,” Jay says out of his rolled down window. 

“Hey Jay,” I say while playing with the keys Hermann gave me.

“Are you working late tonight?”

“Not too late, I have a short shift.”

“How about I meet you here later and we get a drink?” Jay says casually. I bite my lip and look down the street in hopes to take my mind off of what he just asked.

“Maybe,” I say as I make eye contact with him again. “See yah Jay.”

“See yah Jo.”

I’m losing control.

[averagesmw]

Penny Haywood x MC- Come with me (1/4)

Game: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

____________________

The time for the holidays was approaching Hogwarts. The colorful lights and gentle snowfall made paved the way for the most peaceful time of the year

A time when there was no such thing as an enemy and tensions were indeed at an all-time low

This would be an ideal time to celebrate and surround yourself with loved ones, but after a brutal sixth year, festive wouldn't be a way to describe how Y/N was feeling

It was so hard to believe that it was over, that after... everything, they were free. However, it didn't feel like a victory

In fact, it didn't feel like anything. Even Beatrice wasn't as gloom

This behavior did not go unnoticed, however. Across the Great Hall, while the Curse-Breaker was staring at their giant sandwich, their friends were plotting

Well, at least the ones who hadn't left for Christmas yet

Tulip, Liz, Tonks, and Penny were waiting on Chiara, who was holding a plate with barely eaten food

"They didn't even eat. They just took a bite to not make me feel bad..."

The silver-haired girl sighed, earning sympathy from the girls, except for Penny, who was looking back at them

Not many students were left, but Y/N was so lost in thought that they didn't notice the girls

"This isn't good. Y/N has been as lonely as Talbot"

"...Who?" Tonks asked

"The point is, there has to be something we can do to help them"

"I tried cheering them up with Puffskeins, but Y/N just ended up falling asleep..." Liz sighed in defeat

"Have you tried taking them to Hogsmeade?" Tulip suggested to Penny

"Yes, but they didn't want to go. Said there were too many memories"

There was silence after that, at least until more ideas brewed

Y/N went through unimaginable lengths to protect their friends and even ensure their happiness. After everything that happened with Rakepick and the Vaults, it was only fair that they got some of that as well

The girls were devastated to know that wasn't the case, and they made it their mission to correct it immediately

Unfortunately, every attempt at improving their friend's mood had failed, and with Christmas approaching, time was running out

Unless...

"Wait, you said Hogsmeade brought Y/N bad memories?"

Penny nodded at the question, curious to see what Tonks had come up with

"Why not take Y/N somewhere else? Maybe a change of scenery would help them"

"Brilliant idea, Tonks! It could do wonders for their health if the environment is right"

Chiara's comment earned a proud smile from the methamorphmagus, at least until Liz came in with another question

"But where would it be ideal for that?"

With her hand on her chin, looking around for an answer. Her blue eyes eventually landed on the Christmas tree that was decorating the place

That's when she got a fragment of what could be an idea. She just needed a bit more intimation

"Where are you going on Christmas?"

The girls seemed to pick up on this idea, but their reactions didn't help much

"Y/N L/N is one of my best friends, I wouldn't let them anywhere near my parents"

With Tulip's parents working for the Ministry and Y/N being...well, Y/N, it only made sense

" I'm staying to help Hagrid look after the creatures"

Liz's statement made Chiara look at her with surprise

"And I will learn from Madam Pomfrey. Maybe we can get together for lunch!"

The silver-haired girl smiled at the idea as soon as she heard it

"I'd love that!"

The girls' excitement only made Penny worry, seeing as her options were running out. But that's when she thought about what she'd be doing in the holidays

Visiting the countryside, away from conflict and just near family and friends from a nearby village

"Then I'll ask Y/N to come with me for the holidays!" She thought out loud, gaining the attention of her friends

"You sure your parents would let you?"

"I'll send them an owl to ask them. Hopefully, they'll say yes"

Shortly after that, her gaze shifted to the student at the table

"But first, the guest of honor"

Without further due she approached Y/N and sat in front of them, her presence making then snap out of it

"Oh. Hey, Penny"

She returned the greeting with a smile

"Hi, Y/N. How are you today?"

"I'm holding up. I thought you'd be going with your family for Christmas"

This provided Penny the opportunity she was looking for, and she wouldn't waste it

"Actually, that's what I came here to talk about"

The suspense that accompanied that statement made Y/N look at her with concerned eyes

"Is everything alright?"

The Hufflepuff picked up on this and gently smiled at them

"Oh yes, don't worry about it. See, I was thinking..."

A sigh left her soft lips before she finally allowed herself to be as honest as she could with Y/N, or at least enough to proceed

"You've done far too much for us, especially this year, and while it has been difficult, it's been even worse for you"

"That's...a way to describe it, yes"

"But you deserve to enjoy this breath of fresh air, Y/N, and I was wondering if you..."

If she had their attention, now she also counted with their curiosity

"Yes?"

Her blue eyes met their e/c eyes as she finally asked what she came there to know

"If you'd like to come to the countryside with me for the holidays"

Penny waited for Y/N to politely decline the invitation as they would probably do given their mood

However, something that the young lady didn't account for was that talking to her would always help to cheer them up, even now

So rather than declining such an offer, Y/N showed surprise

"Really? You want me to go with you?"

Their reaction was as if they had forgotten just how much they meant to Penny, but seeing this change in behavior gave her the boost she needed to continue

"Of course! There's nobody else I'd rather spend them with"

She could tell that the curse-breaker was moved by her words, but also that they were seriously considering her offer. It was only a minute, but it felt like an eternity to the blonde witch

"Well, I could use the scenery change"

There she was, the confirmation she needed to get started. Penny got up and flashed one of the brightest smiles Y/N had ever seen

Not literally of course, but he had to be dead for it not to be heartwarming

"Brilliant! I'll send an owl to my parents to tell them about it. I'll tell you when we're leaving and...Y/N?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity"

Without further due, she left the Great Hall and headed straight to her Common Room so she could write a letter asking her parents if Y/N could indeed tag along

Penny would explain that they were responsible for saving Hogwarts on multiple occasions, including the Haywood sisters themselves and also the fact that they didn't quite deserve to spend such a gloomy Christmas by themselves

The owl left as soon as she delivered the letter. Fortunately, the weather was calm enough for it to fly normally and there weren't as many letters going around

It took a day for Penny to receive an answer, and what she saw made her squeal with overwhelming joy. Y/N would spend the holidays with them

For Y/N it might be just a change of scenery, but for her? It was all she wanted

To spend the best time of her year surrounded by the people she loved the most, no exceptions

And so, she went to find Y/N and tell them that the time to leave was near...after eating breakfast, of course

They all ate together and wished Y/N a pleasant trip. One could tell that more than saddened by their departure, they were glad they were taking their time

Except for Alanza, she wouldn't let go, literally. Even if she wouldn't admit it, that made Penny a bit jealous

Regardless, the Haywood sisters and Y/N found themselves walking into the Hogsmeade train station, with their baggage included

The plan was to take the train, get to a specific location where they'd meet Penny's parents, and from there continue with the holidays

Nothing Penny hadn't done many times before, so it wasn't all that complicated to follow

"I'm so glad you agreed to come with us, Y/N!"

"I think you'll find the countryside rather charming. Even I still enjoy it" Beatrice added

"Then I guess I really have to see it for myself"

"You'll love nature in there, it's so relaxing. There, let's find a seat!"

Penny grabbed Y/N's hand out of instinct as she guided them through the station, with Beatrice not far behind, chuckling at the sight of it

Plenty of things had taken place during their sixth year at Hogwarts, most of them dreadful, but one exception was Beatrice's relationship with both Penny and Y/N themselves

While still adjusting to her new self, she found comfort in the curse-breaker's company and help. Now she was ready to move on

And it showed, while they were all waiting for the train, the chatter was not gloomy or resentful, but rather charming instead

It even brought some semblance of normality

Something that seemed like such a rare commodity nowadays

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long for the train to arrive. They had timed their arrival perfectly, which was a relief considering that the station's clock cannot be relied on

It didn't take long for them to find a place to sit while the journey began, Penny and Beatrice sat on one side and Y/N on the other. Regardless, the window provided a breathtaking view of the landscape

As if the mountains and fields weren't beautiful enough, the snow gave them a refreshing new look. That was perhaps the best thing about winter, it made everything look brand new, even if it was older than you

An hour and a half went by with nothing to report. A hint of orange had taken over the scene, reminiscing the colors of the past season in a gentle way

Beatrice fell asleep in no time, practically leaning on her sister, who was reviewing potion materials when she noticed this

"Hey Y/N? Do you mind if I sit with you?"

The curse-breaker, on the other hand, was reading a book that Madam Villanelle recommended for the long trip. They lowered the book to look at the blonde and immediately understood what she meant

And so, Y/N moved so that there was enough space for Penny. She wanted to give her sister more space to get some rest...and it was also the perfect excuse to scoot a bit closer

"Thanks!"

In a swift motion, the blonde gently laid her sister to rest and got up, switching seats so that she was now beside her other companion

Said companion found themselves unable to return to their book, as the light that made it through the window highlighted Penny's delicate features

From the way her braids were done, to the softness and color of her lips, and more importantly, her joyful attitude

Y/N found themselves lucky just to be witness to this, but it also came to them that so far, they hadn't said anything to the girl, they had just tagged along

Perhaps now would be the right time to correct that

"Penny?"

The delicate way her name left Y/N's lips got her attention in seconds, and when she saw them put away their book, Penny was genuinely intrigued

"Yes?"

They scratched the back of their neck as words failed to come out at first, but after a sigh, that was no longer a problem

"Thank you for taking me with you. I mean it"

She gave them a sympathetic smile, she knew why she was doing this and didn't feel like she was owed anything

"There's no need to thank me, I didn't want you to stay alone in the castle"

"I'm not precisely alone, but I get what you mean"

"You didn't have to do it"

This time, both of them shook off the nervousness

"But I wanted to. You saved Hogwarts, Y/N, but you also saved my word. I want to share it with you"

The curse-breaker didn't know how to answer that. Although their surprised expression and later smile said everything

Penny spared them of the silence and chose to continue, with a softer approach this time, and one closer to the truth as well

Her truth, of course

"Besides, I like spending time with you outside the school. Like that time we went to the dragon reserve"

Y/N chuckled at the memory of that "field trip", choosing to focus on the less lethal parts of it, but also going with the flow of the conversation

"That time when we roasted marshmallows together and slept in an oversized tent?"

"Exactly! But...less dangerous"

They laughed at this comment, taking the opportunity to go over the events of the last year together

Not only the dragon reserve but also getting to welcome Alanza to the school, the times they had snuck out together to investigate or just talk in the Courtyard

It wasn't a Celestial Ball or a tournament, but there was no denying those small moments

Of course, it had been a dark year, but it wasn't one without its lighter moments, and even if Y/N couldn't find enough of them, Penny would provide light, for both of them

This chatter lasted for at least another hour, soon, both of them returned to their respective books, smiling tiredly after making the journey much sweeter

But then, after a few minutes of reading, the Hufflepuff felt a gentle weight on her shoulder. Glancing over, she discovered the familiar h/c hair so close to her

Did...did Y/N just fall asleep on her shoulder?

Yes, yes they did

And they looked so peaceful as well

Penny found herself smiling fondly at this

" I could use a little rest..." She thought

Penny didn't think it twice before she closed her book, putting it to the side

Then, she got comfortable and snuggled closer to Y/N, allowing herself to cuddle up and just...close her eyes too

[mirkwoodshewolf]

My #1 fan; Ben Hardy x child sister reader

*Author’s note*

Hey guys well here I am with yet another BoRhap boy story, this time it's of Ben Hardy (god it's been FOREVER since I wrote a story of Benny boi) but here it is. Now this is a Big Brother!Ben fic so unlike the last time there is NO ROMANCE, JUST FLUFFY PLATONIC GOODNESS THAT I CAN DISH UP!!!! Also in this fic I would like to point out that I do NOT OWN WORLD OF DANCE!! IT BELONGS TO J-LO AND NBC and all the people involved with the making of this amazing dance competition (if you haven't heard of it, go check it out the recent season is out NOW!!) Also watch the video links (from actual previous competitors on the show) to get a feel of what I'm seeing for the dances cause I am NOT  dancer so I do not know all the moves that you dancers do out there, but I hope you all still enjoy this fic :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@simonedk

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@queensdivas

@platawnic

@queendeakyy

@geek-and-proud

@kairosfreddie

@iambambi5

______________________________________________________________

God it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve seen each other.  From the time I got my first real American movie role in X-men Apocalypse, everything just seemed to fold right before me.  From my biggest success of Bohemian Rhapsody (where I became best friends with probably the three greatest guys in the world), followed by the Netflix movie 6 Underground with Ryan Reynolds (and yes he’s just as hilarious and humble as he presents himself).

My life has just exploded from there, I try to be home whenever I can but when I do, she’s just as busy as I am.  

Now that things have calmed down on my end and she’s preparing for an upcoming audition on a dance show, I can finally take the time to go see her (especially now since I’m in LA where she’s to audition). God I haven’t seen her in years, I wonder how she’s been?

“BENJAMIN!!!” Joe’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to him.

“Hmm what?”

“Geez mate you were really out of it back there. We’ve been trying to get your attention for like 10 minutes.” Gwil said as he sipped his beer.

“Oh sorry guys, I was just—thinking.”

“And just who was it that had your attention so badly that you tuned out from the rest of the world?” teased Rami.

“Benjamin Hardy are you cheating on me!? Oh my god you’re cheating! Who is it! What’s their name!?” Joe accused me.  I rolled my eyes as I shoved him.

“Is it a girl?” Rami asked.

“Oh great. Now I gotta get breast implants just to get you to notice me.” Joked Joe.  We all looked at him strangely and I said.

“Not in that way, but yes I am thinking about a girl. My sister actually.”

“Your sister? You—never mentioned a sister before.” Gwil said.

“I kinda like to keep her separate from my name.”

“What you guys don’t get along?” asked Joe.

“No, no we get along amazingly. We’re each other’s #1 fans. But ever since Bohemian Rhapsody everyone now knows my name. I don’t want people comparing the two of us and making her feel like I’m outshining her. That’s one of the other reasons why I changed my last name from Jones to Hardy.”

“Is she an actress too?” Rami asked with a head tilt.

“No, no. She’s a dancer actually.”

“A dancer? Fancy.” Joe said in a posh accent.

“What kind of dancing does she do?” Gwil said.

“Mostly contemporary. But she also does ballet and a bit of Hip-hop. This one competition she was on, she actually combined ballet and hip-hop together. Got 1st place for it, and was the youngest winner to ever win the Glasgow dance competition.” They all whistled.

“She must be good then, how old is she?”

“She was 7 years old.” They all gaped at me.

“You’re joking right?” Joe said with wide eyes and a gaped mouth.

“No, not at all. In fact in her ballet school where she trains, she’s actually the youngest student to have been chosen to get a full run scholarship to the London Academy for Dance. Once she’s 12 years old, they’ll give her the full ride.”

“Wait, wait, wait. How old is she now?” Gwil asked.

“She’s nine.”

“So they’re gonna hold onto her scholarship for another three years?” Rami said.  I nodded.

“Damn she must be good for them to do that.” Joe said with a sigh.

“She is. Fell in love with dancing at 2 years old and did her first pirouette within the first three months of joining her ballet school.”

“Geez, and my sister couldn’t do one till she was about 9.”

“Guess my sister’s got yours beat.” I teased to Joe.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah don’t rub it in.”

“So Ben, when was the last time you saw her?”

“Five years.” I said as I sipped my beer solemnly.

“Wait what? You haven’t seen your sister in five years!?” Joe gawked.

“I told you guys, ever since X-men it’s been one project after another. And even when I did have a break, she was out of state doing a competition either with her school or as a soloist. But—hopefully that’ll change in the next few weeks. She’s actually here in LA.”

“She is?” Rami said.  I nodded.

“Yeah. She’s auditioning for some sort of dance show they film here.”

“So you think you can dance is doing a junior competition now?” asked Joe.

“No not that one. It’s a recent one. They’ve only done like 3 or 4 seasons of it. I think it’s called Dancing world…..no World of Dance. That’s it.”

“Oh that show is awesome! I’ve auditioned for that show.” Joe bragged.

“No you haven’t.” Rami exclaimed at Joe’s lie.

“I’m serious I auditioned during their first 2 seasons. Couldn’t commit cause of obvious reasons.”

“I’m calling BS on that.” Gwil said as he leaned back.

“Uhh excuse me; who got the part of the Disco Deacy? Me. Who perfected the BAB dance? Me. I’m perfectly qualified to be a dancer. In fact why don’t we go see your little sis and she can be the judge!”

“What?”

“You heard me, right now! Let’s go see her!” Joe said as he downed his drink and stood up.

“Hang on guys……”

“Well besides of Joe’s reason, I think it’d be fair for us to meet your little sis. I mean we’ve practically seen each other’s siblings. You all met my twin Sami and my sis Jasmine.”

“I agree with Rami, and you all met my older brother at my engagement party.”

“And of course you all met John and Mary at the BoRhap premiere.” At this rate I knew I wasn’t going to win this argument.

“Fine. I—guess I’ll call up my mum and ask her where she’s rehearsing at.” I just hope (y/n) doesn’t mind having my friends come and see her rehearse.

Cause when she’s in rehearsal mode, she can be quite the little jumpy bug.

*My POV*

Two days.  I had two days till the Qualifier rounds for World of Dance.  I had my routine down to the T and my mum says it’s perfect (but she has to say that she’s my mum), however I’m still doubting myself on some of the moves, or if I’m not showing enough emotion (cause J-Lo loves herself some dancers who can convey emotion).

I was sitting in the rehearsal room having myself a break after rehearsing my dance for the past half hour.  I had this studio slotted for a 45min. rehearsal so I had about 15 minutes left to practice.

“I swear each time you dance your routine, you get more graceful every time.” Mum said as she came in with some lunch.

“Thanks mum, but is it good enough for the judges?”

“I know it is.” I chose not to respond to her. Like I said she has to say these things, but I know there are some flaws to my dance.  I didn’t stick the landing hard enough, I tripped up on the landing from the 540, my leg wasn’t straight enough with I lifted it outward, so many flaws. “Oh I forgot, there’s a little surprise waiting for you downstairs.”

“Mum I—I don’t know. I mean I haven’t even found out if I’ll make it into the next round.”

“Trust me love, you’ll like this surprise.” She raced over to the door and opened it and soon coming in my brother and his three friends from his film Bohemian Rhapsody.

“Benny!” I cheered as I hopped off my seat and raced right over to him.  A huge smile spread across his face as he extended his arms out and caught me as he picked me up and spun me around.

“Hey kiddo oh it’s been forever! Oh you’ve gotten so big since I last saw you.”

“I missed you Benny.”

“I missed you too kiddo. God you have no idea how much I missed you.” he said as he repeatedly kissed the top of my head.

“Your brother happened to be in LA so we planned a little surprise visit for you.” mum said as she closed the door.

“And I hope you don’t mind that I brought a few friends over.” Ben said as he gestured towards the three actors who starred with him on Bohemian Rhapsody.

“I don’t mind. I’ve heard so much about these guys that I figured it’s about time I met them in person.” He set me down and I walked up to the actor who played the legendary Freddie Mercury. “Rami Malek, right?”

“That is correct, and you must be his famous little dancing sister.”

“Well I wouldn’t call myself famous yet, but I hope to be one day.” We shook hands with each other.  I then moved onto the next one, the tallest out of all of them who even looked like Brian May even without the wig. “Now forgive me if I pronounce your name wrong, my Welsh isn’t that great. Is it—Gwilym.” I pronounced the “I” like I was saying “ice cream”.

“Close, it’s pronounced Gwilym. Think of the “wi” like will.”

“Right, sorry.”

“No worries—(Y/n) right?”

“Yeah.” We both shook hands with each other and I told him, “Can I just say, I thought you were phenomenal as Brian May.”

“Well thank you love, I take it you’re a Queen fan as well?”

“Yeah. You can thank Benny for that. He introduced me to the band when I was a little girl. I even did a dance routine to White Queen when I was around 4-5 years old.”

“Wow, if you remember it, we’d sure like to see it.” Rami said.

“I think I might remember it. Again it was a while ago so I might improvise something if I don’t remember the whole routine.”

“No problem there.” Rami said with a warm smile. I then moved on to the last actor who played (my personal favorite member of Queen, John Deacon).

“So you’re the famous Joe Mazzello that my brother won’t shut up about.”

“Sure am kid. And you’re the world time dance champion and scholarship holder for the best London dance academy ehh?”

“You could say that.”

“Well little missy I happen to be a dance champion too, and I challenge you to a dance off!” Already I could see Ben, Gwilym and Rami either shaking their heads or rolling their eyes as Joe’s proclamation.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with my brother would it?”

“And if it is?” questioned Joe in a challenging manner.

“No reason.” I shrugged. “Just hope you’re prepared to lose.” The guys all oooh in a challenging manner and that’s when Joe nodded along.

“Okay, okay little one. But I’m giving it all I got so you better watch out.” I gestured that the dancefloor was all his.  Gwil went over to the stereo and went through my Spotify app till he found the song that Joe wanted to dance to.

He chose Wham’s ‘Wake me up before you go-go’. I’ll admit he has some pretty good moves—for an amateur.  After doing a minute and a half of his little on the spot dance moves, he posed as he panted heavily.

“It was okay.” I shrugged.

“Okay?”

“Yeah I mean—it was…..cute. It was cute. For like an Instagram or TikTok video.”

“Okay then little miss Prima donna. Show me your little ballet moves.” Challenged Joe.  Oh he don’t know me very well, do he? I first took off my ballet shoes and put on my sneakers.

I told Gwilym which song to play and he nodded to me that he would wait till I was ready before he played the song.  I now stood in the middle of the room and took a deep breath before turning to Gwilym.  He nodded and pressed his finger on my phone to play the song and soon YG’s “One time coming” began playing.

Play video

With this song I unleashed my Hip-hop background. Poppin and locking my body when needed, going in time with the beat, even doing things with my limbs to which no one had ever seen (like this one move where I had my right arm out and only by moving my left index finger, either the upper or lower portion of my arm would move up).

The guys and my mum were amazed and just in awe at my dancing.  And when I did a little patterned tip-toe strut with my arms tucked in like duck wings, did I hear the guys exclaim and just flip out.  When my minute and a half dance break was over, I flipped my hair towards Joe telling him that he got owned.

In pure defeat, Joe collapsed to the ground and lay there dead while my brother came up and hoisted me onto his shoulder.

“The winner and undefeated champion of the dance. (Y/n) Jones!” I bowed and thanked the guys and my mum as they cheered. Benny set me back down on the ground just as Joe finally came up and revived himself.  I stood before him and he said.

“You surprise me kiddo. I accept defeat. Benjamin is yours.”

“Well he is my brother. But—we can share him.” At hearing that, Joe took me in his arms and spun me around thanking me repeatedly.

“Do you think whenever we get some free time, could you show me some stuff. I really liked that little tip-toe strut.”

“I learned it from a friend of mine whose into Hip-hop back at my school. In fact he competed on the first season of World of Dance he and his group. They didn’t win but they got to the Semi-finals.”

“That’s awesome. You really are the dance master. And I can’t wait to see what you bring to the World of Dance stage.”

“In fact (Y/n), can we see your routine?” asked Ben.

“Yeah I was just about to ask that. Ben’s told us that while you can combine certain genres of dance, your main focus was on contemporary. I’ve always been intrigued anytime someone says they’re a contemporary dancer.” Gwilym said.  I turned to my mum and asked her how long did I have for rehearsal.

When she told me five minutes, I knew I could show them my audition routine that I had planned.  But after that we had to leave cause the next group to come in had to set up their things and warmup.  

The guys all took a seat along the mirrored wall while my mum handled the music.

Once my song began playing, I did my entire routine before the guys.  Showing Ben’s friends that while I can unleash the beast in Hip-hop, I can be as graceful and elegant as a swan.

After the routine was done, I got a standing ovation from all four of the guys as they applauded and whistled.  I gathered up my stuff and as I did, the guys all swarmed around me telling me what an amazing job I did, and that for some of the *cough*Joe*cough* I had them crying by the end of my routine.

We then left the dance studio and Ben’s friends allowed us to have our own personal family time (since Ben and I hadn’t seen each other in literally five years).  We said our goodbyes and soon our mum took us out to eat as sorta a family reunion/congratulations on all of our combined successes.

It was time.  The World of Dance qualifier rounds.  Today was my filming date and I knew in several weeks they would soon air it on TV worldwide.  Now I have performed in front of crowd before, but this—this was something else.

And not to even make me twice as nervous, I have seen what people comment on the show or the specific dancers.  Most of them are nice comments but then again it’s the Internet so there’s bound to be haters out there.

This one girl from last season just a few years older than me got so much hate in fact, that she ended up shutting down her Twitter page and I’m told she gave up on dancing all together.  I don’t know what I’m gonna do if that ends up being me.

I was running my routine through my head and stretching myself out.  With me to support me was my mum, Ben and Ben’s friends of Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami, Gwil and Joe.  With each dancing group or person that went up, I got more and more nervous.  Soon a producer came up to me and said.

“(Y/n), you’ll be on up after The Jumperz.”

“Okay, thank you.” I told him.  He nodded and walked away from me, at that moment I felt like I wanted to puke.

“Hey kiddo, how’s it going?” I looked up to see Ben standing over me.

“Good, very good.” He sat down beside me, his brow furrowed with concern.  Crap he knows, he always knows.

“You sure?” at this point I knew I couldn’t hide it anymore.  I tucked my legs into my chest and curled myself into a ball.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore Ben.”

“What do you mean?” he questioned.

“Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Can we go home? Yeah, yeah let’s go home.” I said as I stood up.

“Now hold on, hold on love.” He took my hand into his stopping me from even walking away. “Let’s just sit down and talk about it real quick.” He stood up and we went outside of the room and stood along the hallway.

I leaned up against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest protectively and my leg bouncing with anxiety.

“Talk to me sis, what’s going on?”

“I just……I’m scared Ben. I don’t know why I am, I’ve performed in front of an audience before, I don’t know why I’m this nervous. It’s stupid I know.”

“Hey, hey, hey. No it’s not.” He said to me gently as he cupped my face, trying his best to not ruin my makeup. “You’re human, you have every right to be nervous. I’ll bet not a single one of these dancers you’re competing against isn’t feeling what you’re feeling now. And some of these guys might’ve been with well-known performers and are still feeling the nerves.”

“Is it always this nerve wracking for you every time you film something?” he nodded.

“Of course it is. I’m always worried about people’s reactions to me on screen. Even with all the positive feedback I get, I always keep my eye focused on that one negative outlook, no matter how many people say I’m good in a role.”

“I just don’t want the haters to pull me away from my dream like they did to that one dancer that came on the show last season.”

“Come here, have a seat in my lap.” He sat down on the floor and guided me till I was now sitting on his lap, holding me like a teddy bear. “There will always be haters and trolls out there in the world. That’s just what they get off of, is by bringing other people down, especially kids who go on shows like this. It’s wrong and vile but I won’t say you won’t encounter some hate. But the one thing you must keep in mind; is to never, ever let them dictate on who you are as a person.”

“Do you think I can do that?”

“Absolutely. You’re incredibly talented, you’re smart, kind, the most talented person I’ve ever met. I mean yeah I can dance but nowhere near to the level that you can. Hell you even beat out Joe in that little dance competition when you first met him a couple days ago.”

“I did do that, didn’t I?” he chuckled.

“You schooled him.”

“Ben no one says that anymore.”

“Whatever I’m a 90’s kid that was the lingo back then.”

“Back in the ancient times.” He scoffed.

“Alright miss smart-aleck I guess since you’re feeling well enough to sass me off you don’t need me anymore.” He plopped me off his lap and went to stand up but I gripped his shirt and begged.

“No Benny please!” all I could hear was his soft laughter.  I hit his arm and pouted. “You are so mean!”

“Aww sissy, you know I can’t help but be a little cheeky with you.” he teased as he playfully nudged my shoulder with his arm. I smiled and nodded.

“Yeah I know cause that’s your job.”

“It is my job. Well one of the many qualifications of being your Big Brother. The most important one though, is to be there for you when you need it.” He stroked the top of my head and I hugged him.

“Thanks Ben. I’m glad that you could be here.”

“Me too. And hey, accepted or not. I’m proud of all that you’ve done in your dancing career.” He whispered in my ear as he gave me a snug embrace.  

After our little bro-sis cuddle, we separated from each other and he asked me, “Do you still feel nervous?”

“A little but not as much.”

“Okay so there are two options we can do here; we can shake out the nerves, or my favorite—I can tickle them out of you.”

“No Ben you’ll ruin my costume!” I whined out as he chuckled.

“Okay, so we’ll shake them out then.” We both stood up and did our nerve shakeout.

Which was basically what he learned in theatre which was just shaking out your hands and feet counting backwards from 10, but each time we’d count, we’d go a bit faster.  Once we got one, Ben picked me up and spun me around before setting me down.

“Better?”

“Better.”

“Good, oh wait one last thing before you go out, gotta shake out those negative thoughts in that brain of yours.” He cupped my face in his hands and playfully shook my head around as he growled out in an angry tone, “Get out of my sister’s head you dirty rotter’s!”

“Ben!” I laughed.  He stopped as he grinned down at me.

“Had to make sure. You look beautiful, and I know you’re gonna wow everyone out there, especially the judges.”

“Thanks Benny. I love you.”

“Love you too kiddo.” He gave my nose a peck before escorting me back into the dance room.  A producer was calling out my name, I looked up at Ben and he nodded to me before I went racing off towards the producer to tell him I was here.

When he saw me, he guided me towards the corridor where I would walk down, go up the stairs and racing across towards the stage. I could hear the chanting claps of the audience and their cheers and soon I heard the announcer say through the speaker.

“Give it up, for (Y/n) Jones.” I raced across the corridor, took the steps two at a time before racing across the catwalk towards the stage.  As soon as I came on stage, everyone cheered and soon I was standing before Ne-Yo, Derek Hough, and Jennifer Lopez.  They greeted me with waves or nods and I waved to them.

“Hello sweetie.” Jennifer greeted me.

“Hi.” I waved back to her.

“Why don’t you tell us your name?”

“My name is (Y/n) Jones and I’m from London, England.”

“Oh a British Dancer. Finally someone from the UK.” Derek proclaimed.

“So how old are you?” Ne-Yo asked me.

“I just turned nine last month.” At that the crowd cheered for me and that’s when Ne-Yo said.

“Well happy belated birthday.”

“Thank you Ne-Yo.” He winked at me and said to me.

“Let’s see what you got (Y/n).” I nodded and handed my microphone to one of the assistants before racing off towards the back of the stage as the lights went down.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in before exhaling slowly.  This was it, make it or break it.

*Ben’s POV*

From backstage, my mum, the guys and I along with the other dancers could watch and see what was going on stage.  I pressed my hands together in a prayer motion as I had them against my lips, c’mon little sis I know you can do it.

*Play video*

Her song routine, Ashes by Celine Dion soon came on through the speakers and she began her routine.  The lights softly lit up in a sunrise color of yellow, orange, and purple.  She truly shined as her dance went on, going slow when she needed before finally sticking the landing or going with the beat of the song.

That entire stage was hers to command and she used the entirety of that stage for her routine.  I could hear the judges voices sound impressed with my sister’s routine, especially once the chorus struck and the hard drumbeats of the song kicked in.

The crowd was just in awe and applauded my sister, dazzled by her grace yet strength she was giving them in her performance.  Doing her 540’s, leg lifts, front flips, she was like the Freddie Mercury of dancing on that stage as she showed her true colors on that stage, especially as it lit up with her as the song got more powerful.

By the end of it when she stood up and just gave that pleading face of help as she reached out towards J-Lo, the lights went dark and the entire audience went nuts.  

“That was even amazing with the lights.” Said Joe.

“Agreed, she really lit that stage up.” Rami agreed.

“That’s our girl.” Mum said as I wrapped my arm around her.

“Alright, alright, alright, alright (Y/n). Now remind me how old you are?” Derek said.

“I just turned nine.” At that point Derek stood up from his chair flipping his pen which made everyone laugh. “Girl you look like you’ve been doing this for 20 years.” Everyone laughed.

“How old were you when you got into dancing?” asked J-Lo.

“I was 2.” (y/n) responded.

“Well it shows that you definitely have a passion for this. And you literally have been doing this your whole life. Just seeing you being able to do moves that—I couldn’t even do at your age till I was much older, that to me…..shows you have true love for dancing. And you already gave me goosies little missy and we just met you.”

“Uh-oh Jennifer with her goosies.” Ne-Yo said.

“She gave them to me, the goosies do not lie!”

“No they do not.” Derek said before he continued, “But just like Jennifer said. I mean my sister and I we did some contemporary a bit as kids but nowhere could we master it down just like you’ve done (Y/n). And that final move where you just landed right on your knees. I literally jumped from my seat.”

“Yeah it was like you had no bones little miss.” Ne-Yo said as my sister smiled and laughed. “Besides from what both Derek and Jennifer has said. Your timing is what really stuck out to me. Like it was like you were a part of the song itself. Like first you’d be like all smooth and fluid when the beat was gentle. But when the drumbeat kicked in hard with boom- boom boom-boom. That right there is what really stuck out to me.”

“I completely agree.” Derek said.

“Alright we’re gonna lock in our scores and we’ll see if you make it to the duels (Y/n).” J-Lo said with a smile. (Y/n) nodded and that’s when the lights dimmed down on her and we watched as the three judges locked in their scores, while making their silent commentaries to each other.

“Okay (Y/n), you need an 88 or above to qualify for the duels, let’s see what you scored.” The host said as he came out and stood beside my sister.  The lights shown down (like those game show lights whenever something gets suspenseful).

First up was Derek’s score; he gave her an 90.

At that my sister made a face of shock as her smile widened and she covered her mouth in shock.  The crowd cheered and up next was Ne-Yo’s score.

He gave her an 89.  Finally J-Lo’s score was a 92.  When the scores rounded up together was 90.3.  Her score shined up on the ceiling scoreboard and (Y/n) couldn’t believe it, poor sissy was even crying.

“Congratulations (Y/n) you made it to the Duels. How’s it feel?” the host asked as he held his microphone to her.

“It feel just—absolutely amazing. All three of you have been an inspiration to be in wanting to become a dancer and this just means so much to me. Thank you for letting me get this opportunity.”

“We can’t wait to see what you bring us, cause already little Miss, you’ve got the competitive edge. It better only get better from here on out.” Ne-Yo told her.  She nodded and thanked the judges one last time before running off the stage.

As she came running towards us, I had to be the first one she saw.  I cheered for her as I opened my arms out for her and she raced towards me before leaping right into my arms.  I spun her around as the two of us laughing joyously.

“You did it kiddo! I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks to you Ben. I kept thinking about what you said, I dedicated my performance to you.” I felt myself tear up as I buried my face into her ponytailed hair.

“I would’ve been proud of you either way.” At this point the rest of the guys as well as our mum came up and congratulated her.

That night we celebrated her victory on making it to the next round of World of Dance.  Drinks for me and the guys, we danced, sung some karaoke, and just partied all night long.

[dcbbw]

Hi, I'm here to request Riam Riley demanding that Liam make Forbidden Falls more accessible for her and the babies per our convo 😂😂😂😂

Hi, @burnsoslow! Thank you for the ask, #mykarev. So, this definitely did not go the way we discussed but hopefully you like it anyway!

Riley’s body swayed as she held an 8-month-old Fric in her arms; the sand was warm and gritty beneath her feet. In front of her, Liam smiled as one arm snaked around her waist, his hand coming to settle on her hip. In his other arm, he held Frac.

The royal family and their friends were at the private beach where the social season’s beach party had been held. Governance was hard work, and everyone had been stepping up the past few months to keep Cordonia prosperous and at peace. Liam wanted to do something to show his appreciation, and Riley suggested a day at the beach.

There was food, a volleyball net, and music; currently Bob Marley’s Jamming was playing. Riley laughed as she held her son in front of her, gently bouncing him to the song. The babies were slathered in sunscreen, wore wide brimmed hats on top of their thick curls, and tiny sunglasses over their eyes.

Fric giggled before squirming, indicating he wanted to get down. Rileypulled him close to her body, before plopping on the beach blanket. She sat the baby on it, laying her head on Liam’s shoulder as he settled next to her. The twins picked up their plastic sand shovels, beating them against the soft fabric. They babbled softly to themselves, occasionally stopping to observe what the other was doing.

“This was a great idea,” Riley said as her eyes scanned the beach.

Maxwell, Drake, Rashad, and Ezekiel were playing a game of volleyball. Kiara, Penelope, and Madeleine were tanning. Olivia, Hana, and Leo were at the buffet, perusing food options. Crystal blue water lapped at the shore, it’s sounds muted by the music, which was still blaring.

“We should dip the babies’ toes in the water,” Liam suggested.

“AAACK!” Riley hollered as Frac took off his sunglasses, trying to pull them apart.

Liam chuckled as he pried the glasses from the toddler’s chubby hands and placed them gently back on his face. “Master Frac, I need you to keep these on.”

Frac waved his arms as he chattered in gibberish to Liam, as if explaining why he needed to take them off. Liam said “Oopa” as he lifted his son, planting a kiss on the chubby cheek.

Riley looked at Liam curiously. “You always say that when you pick them up. What does it mean?”

“It’s a version of …” Liam thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “Upsa-daisy! My father used to say it when I was younger.”

Riley was silent. She had forgiven Constantine before his death, but she had never made peace with the man or his actions. But she wouldn’t deny Liam the good memories he had of his father.

“We haven’t been here since social season,” Riley observed.

“We sneaked away to the Forgotten Falls.” Liam smiled at the memory. “Where I first confessed my love for you.”

Riley scoffed as she straightened Fric’s hat. “You chickened out!”

“I jumped, didn’t I?” Liam demanded.

Riley smirked as her finger traced a lazy line up Liam’s thigh. “I had to drag you!”

“You are exaggerating, my love,” Liam said as he nuzzled Riley’s neck.

“I wish we could go back.”

Liam arched his brow. “We can!” He spread his arm out towards the rest of the beach. “We have babysitters at our disposal. We can sneak away and be back before the twins’ feeding in an hour.”

Just then, Drake and Hana walked over, both sweaty from the sun. “What’s happening over here, other than wedded bliss?” Drake asked as he pinched Fric’s cheek.

“Hey, Drake,” Riley purred.

Drake looked at the Queen suspiciously. “What do you want, Brooks?”

“A babysitter. For about a half hour,” Liam replied.

“Forty-five minutes!” Riley corrected.

Hana laughed as she tickled Frac’s belly. “I’m happy to babysit. Do they need to be changed or fed?”

“We’ll be back before feeding, but just in case, bottles and jars of baby food are in the cooler, and the diaper genie is here.” Riley gestured to the diaper pail sitting on a corner of the blanket. “Diapers and wipes are in the bag.”

“You guys go on. Hana and I got this.”

Riley and Liam kissed their sons before standing and sliding their feet into flip flops.

“Make sure they keep their hats and glasses on. And don’t sit them on the sand, they’ll eat it.” Liam cautioned.

“We got you! Now, go!” Drake ordered.

Grinning, the royal couple clasped hands, and headed for the trail that would take them to the falls.

Hana and Drake exchanged knowing looks, not seeing the twins watch their parents walk away. The boys began to cry, and Drake and Hana busied themselves soothing the babies.

At the falls, Riley and Liam sat on the banks of the plunge pool, staring at the majestic waterfall as endless volumes of water poured over craggy black rocks. The rushing water and surrounding lush greenery muted the sounds of the beach party. Riley kicked her feet in the water, causing it to splash and ripple.

“I miss this place,” Riley murmured.

“Me too,” Liam agreed.

Riley turned to look at Liam, a question in her eyes.

“What?” Liam asked.

“Am I the only person you’ve brought here?”

“I told you then, this is a special place. I don’t share it with just anyone!” Liam argued.

Riley continued to stare at her husband, an expectant look on her face.

Liam furrowed his brow. “Does it make it a difference?”

Riley stared at him a moment longer, then nodded her head. “Who, Liam?”

“Riley …”

She pushed his arm; it was a little too forceful to be considered playful.

Wincing as he rubbed his arm, Liam answered her question. “I bought one other woman here. Girl actually, as we were both teenagers at the time. She wouldn’t jump with me.”

Riley looked down at the ground, plucking blades of grass. “Mary Prescott?”

Liam nodded. “Yes,” he said softly.

Riley exhaled a long, loud sigh. “I cannot stand that woman.”

Liam looked at Riley. “Why? It was a long time ago. And I found the woman who was meant for the falls, for the briefcase, … who was meant for me.”

“Because she hurt you, Liam! Unnecessarily! I don’t want you to ever hurt!”

Liam chuckled lightly. “My protector! Are you going to stop kissing Yu and dancing with Annabelle Parsons?”

Riley frowned. “Don’t be silly! They’re the glue holding our marriage together.”

Liam laughed out loud. He placed his hand over his heart, a wounded expression on his face. “But it hurts me deeply, love.”

This time, Riley did push him playfully. Liam pulled Riley closer to him. “Don’t hate Mary Prescott, Riley. She … she was raised to not believe in love, and to seek her happiness in other ways. I found you and say prayers of thanksgiving every day that you never left. That you saw me.”

Silence while Liam’s fingers combed through Riley’s hair. She kissed his neck. He tasted of sun and slightly of sweat.

“I’d like to try for another baby,” he said quietly.

Riley stiffened. “I don’t know if I can give you that, Liam. It took us so long to get the boys. And we lost Little One before them. Honestly, I’m scared.”

Liam kissed her hair. “I’m not saying right away. And I’m not talking about ovulation charts and sex at specific times on certain days. I want it to happen naturally. We’ll talk to Dr. Felger. If she gives us the go ahead, I ask you keep an open mind.”

Riley burrowed herself in Liam’s side. “Can’t we just have sex?”

“Of course, love. All the time if you want.”

“We have twin boys under the age of one, and no nanny.”

Liam raised his eyebrow suggestively as he grinned down at Riley. “But we have babysitters right now.”

“I have sand in my butt crack.”

Riley’s eyes looked to the top of the waterfall. “I want to jump off with the boys one day.”

“The legend says only lovers get the blessing.”

“I think the Lady of the Waterfall would make an exception.”

Liam’s eyes searched Riley’s before capturing her lips in a deep kiss. When they separated, his hand cupped her cheek. “You’re my honey: warm, sensuous, sweet. I’m so in love with you, Riley Brooks.”

Riley wrapped her arms around his neck. A smile curved her lips. “I recall the last time we were here, you said I was ‘tart’,” she reminded him.

Liam rubbed his nose against hers. “I stand by that statement.” He pulled away to look over at the falls. “We should jump before we head back.”

Riley looked at him dubiously. “Is there an elevator or something to get up there? Because the last time I climbed up there was twenty pounds ago. And you had to help me then!”

“I like touching your skin!”

“Yeah, well, now there’s more of it and not willing to risk injury so much anymore. Install an elevator, and I’ll go with you.”

Liam smirked as he lifted himself from the ground. His arm reached out, and Riley latched onto his hand, pulling herself up. “Where are we going?” She asked suspiciously.

“The waterfall has a secret.”

The couple walked in silence around the left side of the waterfall, batting and swatting at low hanging branches. They reached a clearing; carved into the side of the waterfall were stairs that led to the top of the cascade. Riley looked at Liam with accusing eyes.

“How long has this been here?”

Liam began to climb. “Are you coming, love?”

“It’s been here the entire time, hasn’t it?”

“Don’t dawdle! We have children to feed!”

Riley grumbled under her breath the entire trip up. When the reached the ledge, she drew in a breath at the view. Until she looked down.

“I’m still scared of heights.”

“It’s still best not to think about that.” Liam grabbed her hand. “Can we make this a tradition? Every year, on our anniversary, we come here to renew the blessing?”

Riley brought his hands to her lips, kissing his knuckles. “Until we can’t climb anymore.”

The couple looked at each other with wide grins. “Ready?” Liam asked.

Riley nodded, and the pair leapt from the top of the falls.

Again.

Their shrieks of fear and excitement drowned out the whispered blessing from the Lady of the Waterfalls.

Again.

Tagging: @sirbeepsalot @wannabemc2 @jared2612 @katedrakeohd @hopefulmoonobject @custaroonie @jovialyouthmusic @thequeenofcronuts @amomentofsinclairity @bobasheebaby @ao719 @sashatrr @marietrinmimi @ladyangel70 @gardeningourmet @umccall71 @angi15h @romanticatheart-posts @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @blznbaby @tabithacarlisle @bbrandy2002 @ab1901 @janezillow @debramcg1106 @radlovedreamer @lodberg @thecordoniandiaries @ramseyandrys @caroldxnvxrs @princess-geek @burnsoslow @annekebbphotography @merridithsmiscellany-blog @queenjilian @emichelle @indiacater @loveellamae @forthebrokenheartedthings @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @zaffrenotes @bebepac @liyanin @dibberdipper @choiceslife @ac27dj @the-soot-sprite @gnatbrain @seriouslybadchoices @sanchita012 @anotherbeingsworld @atha68 @aworldoffandoms @hopelessromanticmonie @amandablink

[linskywords]

Updated Hockey Writing Guide

Thanks to everyone who offered corrections on the original post! Most of this is unchanged, but there are a few tweaks and additions. There are probably still things I’ve gotten wrong, so feel free to let me know.

For context, this was originally a response to an ask from someone who was writing a hockey story on short notice and didn’t have time to watch or read widely. Watching games and reading about players (or just reading fic about them) are still the best ways to learn things, especially since this doesn’t touch on the details of particular teams. But hopefully it will be helpful to some of you!

The schedule:

The hockey season starts in early October. It goes until early April. Training camp is mid-September, and then there are a few weeks of preseason games before the season starts, where everyone doesn’t play every game; the teams are trying to get a look at prospects and see how players gel, and longtime vets may not play. Prospect camp or development camp is July-ish, but you don’t go to that if you’re a returning player.

Players don’t really get a break during the year except for the All-Star or Olympic breaks, if they happen. In the last year or two (I think?) each team has started getting one bye week of five days off per year. This year it looks like they’re all overlapping with the All-Star break, which sucks for the players chosen for that game. Other than that they might get a day off at a time but not usually much more than that – maybe a few days at Christmas, depending on the game schedule.

There’s a game roughly every other day, but it’s not quite as regular as that. I usually write with the Wikipedia or hockey-reference.com page open for that team’s season. I tend to assume the team has practice or some kind of skate pretty much every day, which may or may not be accurate for any given team. There’s also media stuff and team events, so true days off are rare.

Players take naps in the afternoon before a game. It’s an important sports performance thing.

Half the games will be at home and half will be on the road. Some teams tend to fly home late at night after their last game on a road trip, and others choose to fly back the next day.

Sometimes road trips are pretty long, like if they’re going to play a bunch of teams far away. Some teams have an annual long road trip when some other group is using their home arena (e.g. the Blackhawks used to have an annual circus trip in November). They fly on private flights and will take a bus to and from the hotel and the rink.

Playoffs start a few days after the regular season wraps up. 16 teams qualify, based on their number of wins (2 points per win, 1 point per overtime loss, 0 points per loss in regulation). Non-qualifying teams are usually mathematically eliminated in late March or early April, depending on how badly they’ve done that year. There are four rounds of playoffs: two rounds within their conference, then conference finals, then Stanley Cup finals. Each round is the best of seven games and stops after one team has won four.

Teams play other teams in their division most often, then teams within the other division in their conference, then teams in the other conference. Divisions and conferences are organized geographically, so this makes sense for ease of travel.

In the off-season, players rest up, train, see the people they don’t get to during the year, and play a lot of golf (they’re jocks, but they’re prohibited from playing dangerous sports by the terms of their contracts, so golf is one of their few refuges). Sometimes they’ll try to bulk up because it’s hard to keep weight on during the season. They usually take at least something of a break from training right when the season ends, and they won’t start skating again until partway through the summer. A lot of them go to special training camps or work with professional trainers.

Worlds happens during the Stanley Cup playoffs, so players who aren’t in the playoffs, or who get knocked out early, will go represent their countries. Junior Worlds is around Christmastime. There’s sometimes a World Cup of Hockey, which is in theory every four years but has been irregular. It happened in 2016, but the 2020 tournament was cancelled. When it does happen, it’s in September, just prior to the start of the season.

The game:

If a player earns a point, that means they’ve gotten a goal or an assist. An assist is when they passed to someone who scored (a primary assist) or passed to someone who passed to someone who scored (a secondary assist). Goals are better than assists but both are good, and both are worth a point in terms of player stats.

A point per game average is very good. If a player’s at a point per game, he’ll be very happy. Your top players probably do a little better than that. Of course, this is an average; it’s very rare to score in every game, and players have point streaks and also stretches where they’re held scoreless. There’s a LOT of randomness in hockey.

Shots on goal is another good stat: how many times did a player have a scoring opportunity where the goalie denied him?

You get three forwards, two D-men (defensemen), and one goalie on the ice at a given time. The forwards are organized into four lines of three: one winger on each side and a forward. The D-men are organized into three D-pairings. Defensemen will usually play for more minutes per game than forwards because of this. Your top line (of forwards) will play close to or just over 20 minutes per game. Your bottom line might play more like 10. The top D-pairing might be more like 25 minutes or even higher.

Play starts with a faceoff, where one forward, usually the center, faces off against a forward from the opposing team. The ref drops the puck, and the two players in the faceoff both try to knock it back toward their own players. The one who succeeds wins the faceoff. Sometimes a player will move toward the puck before it’s legal to do so, and the ref will throw them out of the playoff circle and one of the other forwards will have to take the faceoff.

There are a bunch of penalties you can get for stuff like illegal checks, high sticking, holding, tripping, hooking, delay of game (e.g. if the ref thinks you deliberately knocked the puck out of play). If you commit a penalty, you go into the penalty box and your team is on the penalty kill for two minutes, meaning they’re down a player. The other team is on the power play. If the team on the power play scores, the power play is over and the offending player is released from the penalty box early. If the team on the penalty kill scores, it’s called a shorthanded goal, and the power play continues. How often a team scores on the power play is a stat people talk about – sometimes teams have stretches where their power play is terrible, and they never manage to convert (score).

The two-minute penalties mentioned above are called minor penalties. You can get a five-minute major for fighting, or you can get thrown out of the game or suspended for multiple games for really bad stuff.

There are three main parts of a hockey rink (there are probably technically more, but eh): each team’s offensive zone, where the opposing goal is located, and the neutral zone between them. You can’t take the puck into the offensive zone if there’s another player from your team already there; if you do, it’s offsides, and there’s a stoppage of play and a faceoff in the neutral zone. That means you can’t pass to someone deep in the offensive zone. Because of that, sometimes when players enter they dump the puck, meaning they shoot it deep into the offensive zone even though there’s no one there to receive it. They might do this if they need to buy a little bit of time for a shift change.

They might also try to buy time for a shift change by shooting the puck deep into the offensive zone from behind the center line, but it will not work, because this is called icing, and results in a stoppage of play. The team responsible is NOT allowed to have a shift change, and there’s a faceoff in their own defensive zone. You can get some really long shifts from this. (The exception is when you’re on the penalty kill, when you are allowed to ice the puck.)

Shifts are usually about a minute long. When players aren’t playing, they’re on the bench. When it’s their turn to play, they go over the boards.

If a player gets the puck and has no members of the opposing team between him and the goal, it’s called a breakaway.

If two players have the puck and are facing one member of the opposition, it’s called a two-on-one.

There are three twenty-minute periods divided by two fifteen-minute intermissions. If at the end of the game, play is tied, they go directly to one five-minute overtime period, which for the past few years has been three-on-three (three players plus a goalie, usually two forwards and a D-man) and is very exciting. If no one scores in overtime they go to a shootout, where the players take turns shooting on the opposing goalies. Overtime rules are different in playoffs, where I believe they keep playing regular twenty-minute periods until someone scores.

If one team is down by a lot at the end of the third period, they’ll often pull the goalie so they can have another forward on the ice without going over their six-player limit. If the other team scores while there’s no goalie, it’s called an empty-netter.

Players wear a ton of pads but still get a lot of bruising. Which can be fun for writers. 😆

The team and the players:

There are up to twenty-three players on a team at a time. Twenty can dress for a given game, which includes the goalie and the backup goalie.

There’s usually a captain and two or three assistant captains (A’s). They have general leadership responsibilities among the players. The captain wears a C on his jersey and the A’s wear an A.

If a player gets injured, he might be put on IR and someone would get called up in his place from the minors (the AHL, or American Hockey League). There’s been a particular focus on concussions in recent years, since a lot of players have had major problems with them. There’s a concussion protocol players have to go through if one is suspected. Players still, unfortunately, lie about their symptoms to try to play through concussions sometimes.

The NHL has a CBA (collective bargaining agreement) with the NHLPA (the NHL Players Association) that determines a lot of player treatment, salary, etc. When a given CBA runs out and the NHL and players can’t agree on terms, you get a lockout, like the 2004-2005 lockout that lasted the whole season and the 2012-13 lockout that shortened it.

There’s a cap to how much salary a team can pay out to its players in a year. This can get very complicated so I’m not even going to try.

When players are first signed, they go on a three-year ELC (entry-level contract) which is capped at I want to say $895K per year, but I don’t think that includes bonuses. Again, this is complicated stuff and I’m not even going to attempt the details. Players on ELCs aren’t guaranteed their own hotel rooms, so you get road roommates. Good times for us fic writers! After their ELC runs out, they’ll negotiate a more lucrative contract with their team; there are also some limited ways in which they can choose to go to a different team. Later in their career they’ll become free agents and can choose which team to sign with.

Players get drafted at 18 or so, or older in rare circumstances. Draft picks are determined by a lottery that’s weighted by how badly your team did this year. Again, you can look up the math on this – it’s a limited number of teams that have a shot at a first overall pick. The draft happens in a bunch of rounds where each team gets a pick, but sometimes teams trade their picks in advance as part of complicated trade deals. The first round of the draft is televised and the players go up onstage and shake their new GM’s hand and get a jersey.

Players often come up through Major Juniors, which is the CHL (Canadian Hockey League, though a lot of the teams are in the U.S.). The CHL has different divisions: the OHL, the WHL, and the QMJHL. Players get paid and are considered professional, so they become ineligible for top-tier college hockey in the U.S. There are scholarships offered to CHL players at Canadian universities; I don’t know the details of that. While they’re playing Juniors they often live far away from their families with billet (host) families. Junior teams are limited in how many players they can have who are over 18.

Other places players might come from: American colleges; private prep schools or even public school systems; the U.S. NTDP (National Team Development Program); or many places overseas.

Most draftees don’t start playing for their NHL team right away, if they ever do. They might stay in Juniors for a year or two, or play for the A (the AHL) once they’re old enough, or go to college first.

NHL players in their rookie year often billet with an older player or sometimes even front office staff. Partly this is because they don’t want to invest in long-term housing until they get their housing letter, which is the team saying that they plan to keep them around. Partly it’s because they’re only technically not children anymore.

Players will each have an agent who negotiates contracts and does other stuff for them.

The teams each have a head coach and a bunch of other coaches, a lot of them specialized. I don’t have a lot of detail about this. There’s also a front-office staff, headed by a General Manager, who reports to the owner(s). The GM makes staffing decisions as well as draft and trade decisions.

Teams usually have an official arena where they play home games and their front office has their actual offices, and they’ll also have a practice facility which may be theirs or may be something local that they rent.

There are a bunch of awards players can get: the Art Ross for the most points in a season; the Hart for MVP; the Conn-Smythe for MVP of the playoffs; the Calder for best rookie. (There are a bunch more that you can look up.) These are given out at the NHL Awards in June. And of course what everyone wants to win is the Stanley Cup. If your team wins, you get a specially designed cup ring with your name and number on it (possibly everyone in the front office does, too??), and you get to spend a day with the Cup during that off-season. Players usually throw a big party for all their family and friends.

Players get nicknames and this is super fun! If you’re writing about existing players, they probably have nicknames already, but you can also make up hockey nicknames (like if you’re writing about obscure players, or making the players up) by taking the whole or partial last name and added -y (or -ie) or -er. Sometimes just -s. Sometimes it’s the first name. And sometimes they get more creative, like Soupy for someone with the last name Campbell. There is much potential here.

Other general stuff:

These boys are kind of dumb in general and specifically about emotions. It’s one of my favorite things about writing them, honestly. It also means you can go as bro-y as you want with the language.

The NHL is pretty deeply homophobic. Its official position is not homophobic, and there’s an organization called You Can Play that’s fighting to eradicate homophobia, but there are no out players, which speaks for itself. It’s pretty much like all major male American sports in that way. The homophobia is something I really enjoy exploring in some of my stories and in other stories just elide entirely if I feel like imagining a better world. You definitely have flexibility there.

Watching is definitely helpful but also I didn’t watch a hockey game until at least two stories in, soooo you can get away with a lot by just reading fic. :)

Reading fic is especially helpful because honestly the stuff I’ve laid out here doesn’t even touch on the details of a particular player’s life or a team’s traditions and history and dynamics. You can Google some of that, but the prior research done by other fans is going to be so helpful.

On the plus side, if you don’t know much about how something works, you don’t have to go into a lot of detail about it. I’ve written some stories where I’ve gone into a bunch of game details and others where you wouldn’t even know they played hockey if it weren’t for their spending a lot of time changing next to other men. Feel free to stick to the parts you know.

Another thing you’ll get from fic, which I’m not even going to go into here, is the plethora of tropes that are popular in hockey fandom. Or fandom in general, of course – you can always import new tropes, or make them up from whole cloth. AO3 is your oyster.

Again, please let me know if there’s anything I should correct, and feel free to make additions of your own. Happy hockeying, everyone!

[magireco]

ive never played/watched magireco but do you think the large cast is a part of iroha just being seen as “madoka 2” ?? ive never touched the thing because from what i know its much darker than the original anime, but i do know there’s like 20 thousand megucas in the game and each of them has their own story, so there’s plenty of characters that could be seen as more interesting. theres also the fact that a lot of people dont like gacha games (and magireco, other than being one, is sexualized quite a bit so that probably makes people steer away from it as well, but that’s another topic) and magireco NA no longer exists anyways so it’s harder to actually understand the new content, plus as far as i’m aware season 2 of the magireco anime has not been confirmed to be planned? correct me if i’m wrong on that though

hi!! i have a lot to cover with this ask, so i’m going to answer your questions as neatly as i can in a fun little numbered list. read under the cut!

1. what do you mean by large cast? if you’re talking about how there’s more characters in the game/anime than in the original series, then i don’t think that really has anything to do with iroha. it might just be to garner fans’ collective interest since the original anime hit it off so hard. also, it’s just really hard to please huge collectives of people, especially really critical anime fans... *shiver.*

2. i think iroha bearing a similar resemblance to madoka was used to draw old fans back in, as well as living up to the tradition of all “main character” magical girls having pink hair. iroha and yachiyo were probably meant to resemble madoka and homura at least design-wise, and also seeing iroha, madoka, and homura together in one image is visually appealing; the colors and the familiar faces next to a new face are nice to look at.

3. magia record is not nearly as dark as the original series! in the anime, there are no main-cast deaths. this does not inherently prove that a show isn’t dark, but literally, the only onscreen death is of yachiyo’s friend from her original team, and that was in a flashback... rather than slowly losing characters as the story goes on, it starts off with iroha alone, then she meets other magical girls and they form a team, etc. i go on about this on my blog bc, once again, in my opinion, magia record has much more hopeful undertones and actually gives the girls a chance to, well... live. it’s an alternate timeline(that madokami can’t interfere with, there’s lore to that) wherein glasses homura is the homura featured(she actually gets a lot of character growth in the game), the main quintet is all together, the mikazuki villa crew really are just the found family trope combined in a little package. 

4. there are a few reasons for there being a lot of characters in the game, one of them being that they literally adapted every spinoff into the game. oriko magica, tart magica, suzune magica, kazumi magica... all those characters are there. then they added a bunch of side characters, which, i dunno? there are some side characters i really like and others i just kind of don’t really care about. but they really grow on you! .... most of them. 

5. yeah, blegh. the game certainly has its flaws(the whole series does, but that’s another ask for another day). the anime is much, much less fanservicey though! i have my gripes about the designs and i certainly have my gripes about the way the characters are drawn sometimes (looking at you, swimsuit mami artist), but with me being an experienced gacha player (unfortunately) that was just something i decided to put up with in exchange for a fun story. i can see why people might get the misconception that the anime is just as sexualized, though. i don’t like the main characters’ designs that much, honestly... they all show too much skin, so i agree. weird.

6. season 2 was confirmed! 

7. NA was discontinued right after the first arc of the series. disappointing (oh, i could go on), but we got to see a lot of iroha’s character development in the story.

8. what i was really trying to get across with that post was really just to gripe about in-fandom stuff. there are plenty of other characters that could be seen as more interesting than iroha, especially considering the mikazuki villa girls are all so varied, but that’s kind of how it is with every series, honestly. there’s always going to be one character that seems less interesting compared to other ones. i just kind of realized that iroha gets the short end of the stick compared to the other girls. not only because of her resemblance to madoka, but because of her perceived blandness and the lack of people who care to analyze why she might act that way. her pink motif and gentle, kind demeanor translates as “madoka copy” in people’s heads, and, y’know, it translated like that in mine the first time i saw her, too. but, when you actually think about her arc aside from her resemblance to madoka in several different ways, you get a really interesting and special character; just as special as the others! there was a similar issue with madoka, honestly, with people brushing her off because she wasn’t as “emotionally deep” as the rest of the quintet, even though that’s not true at all. i think it’s unfair that people will brush off a character just because they’re nice; that they’ll reduce characters like iroha and madoka to their cuteness and kindness only and not analyze the rest of the details that they have intentionally(or sometimes unintentionally, y’know how anime writing can be) been written with! 

...but then again, i’m biased in my own way, admittedly. i relate to iroha (i really just made that post because i was thinking about how i’ve never seen someone touch on how her memory gaps affect her), and i just wasn’t seeing any coverage on it, so i thought, someone has to do this! i also just... don’t see people who coin themselves as “iroha fans” very often? she’s one of the characters who is there, but usually not deemed interesting enough for someone to be a superfan of. i’m probably hypocritical, considering homura akemi is my favorite character and she’s pretty popular in the fandom, but what i said is more of an observation than an accusation anyway. i had similar feelings with madoka, but i haven’t gone on a proper ramble about that yet. 

...these characters also aren’t real people, so i’d say i probably shouldn’t go on such long rambles about them, but i really do feel like they reflect a lot of real life experiences sometimes. like, me connecting to iroha’s struggles is something that connects her character to an actual experience. however, like i said in my original post, i am very much an overanalyzer, and i tend to take concepts and just run with them, especially when something stands out to me. this is also just a magical girl show, so i’m really not taking anything that personally. 

also, to clear anything up, the original post wasn’t meant to come across as me being angry, per se, at people who think iroha is boring, it just kind of ticks me off that she’s brushed off so quickly in the larger fandom because of her demeanor. this doesn’t really apply to people who aren’t into the series at all yet, because i’d literally also think “okay so we have madoka, and madoka with a hood” if i were in your shoes! also, people are allowed to dislike characters for no reason. i’m just silly and go on long defensive rants over the sad magical girls, and would probably be sad if people didn’t like iroha because of the reasons i mentioned. 

all in all, i do reccomend magia record very much if you can get past the sexualization of the gacha cards and the, um... poorly designed outfits. because the NA server has been shut down, there are channels on youtube that graciously upload videos of the in-game stories as well as side stories! in the game, there are sometimes entire side stories for characters’ outfits. because it’s a gacha game, there are events and such, and the event stories i’ve seen and/or read (most of the ones i’ve read have to do with homura though) are a lot of fun. i reccommend checking out muffinrecord’s channel if you’d like to read any of the stories (hopefully you’re the type of person who can sit and watch live2d models move around with boxes of text on the bottom for 25 minutes like me). they have everything sorted into playlists in that section of their youtube. of course, i also reccomend watching the anime, if you’re interested! the animation is polished and nice, even if the story is a little hard to follow at times. but if not, that’s okay too. 

thank you for the ask, and i hope i could clear some things up for you!

[bi-outta-cordonia]

Ebb and Flow

Last chapter moved kinda quickly in terms of progression and maybe there’s a miniseries lodged somewhere in all the development I’m shocked we didn’t get to see. Hopefully there’s more hiding in the later chapters. We’ll see!

Blades of Light and Shadow. Tyril Starfury x f!elf MC (if you squint, now complete with light touching!) sfw, all ages. Tags include: Tyril has secrets, that’s why his hair is so long, because it’s full of secrets, also he’s still grappling with some of that juicy early onset sexual tension with Ashala, maybe he’ll deal with it one, maybe. 

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

“Salt of the air, taste of the fury on the tongue. The high winds rise as the sea roll low. Clutch the vessel starboard and let Honerva flow!”

Tyril’s ears twitch along to the melody, lifting and bending easy from years of involuntary practice. The priestess—Nia—her song is familiar to him but also completely foreign. Parents of Undermount sing the same tales to their restless and misbehaving children, not as an upbeat shanty but rather as a warning to the wise. Honerva is a goddess that demands much from the mortals that traverse her realm. Stay humble but maintain vigilance. Stay the course but do not ignore the many weaving paths that make up the sea. Honerva may grant safe passage or she may dash a ship full of innocents against craggy stones, whichever mood strikes her first. 

Nia does beautifully as her voice ebbs and the sailors whoop heartily. She offers a dainty bow and heads back to her bunk beneath deck with Threep still perched on her shoulder. 

Much like the odd whims of Honerva, the air shifts as soon as familiar magic cuts through the thin barrier around him. He often erects a small shield when he stands on his own, nothing like the ones he forces up in battle. It’s just enough to give the humes pause as they walk by him—perhaps they’ll turn away so he doesn’t have to stomach looking at them. He knows how they take to him all too well. Better to steer them clear of him before something unpleasant unfolds. 

Even so, there is no guarantee that all the walls around him will remain in tact. Ashala Venralei is impossible to miss and her magic is advanced enough that crossing into his doesn’t give her the overwhelming need to be elsewhere. She quietly folds her hands one over the other and leans against the wooden rails. 

“Honerva is not a gentle goddess yet humans have such cheerful songs about her,” she says. 

“I see,” is all he says. “I didn’t think you’d know of the stories surrounding her.”

“Did the mage miss the morning ritual I conducted prior to our departure?” she teases, head turning completely towards him. He glances at her from the corner of his eye and frowns heavily. “Perhaps I am more elf than he cares to admit—I practically begged for safe passage. Honerva changes moods as often as Mal changes the details of the stories he’s already told. We should be grateful that her temperament has not changed yet.” Her lips quirk. “And that Mal’s stories are amusing. We move amongst seasoned travelers, it seems.”

“Ah, you speak not of I, lowlander,” he corrects. “Undermount has been my home for decades until now. What stories Mal provides come from his adventures. The ones I provide belong to me yet seem to surface whenever it suddenly becomes the fancy of one extremely nosy lowlander.”

She doesn’t laugh and it irritates him in a way. Instead, he watches that sly smile of hers crack across her face, golden eyes as bright as the beaming sun. What little she conveys with her body he can read upon her face. 

Sometimes.

“You could always stop me yourself,” she says. “Two days out from port and you’ve yet to spend time with anyone aside from myself. A choice, I presume?”

Tyril doesn’t answer for a long moment. In the skies above, a flock of gulls circle and swoop down towards the sea to scoop up fish for their meals. White feathers shine wetly as they beat their wings and head back to land. He averts his gaze and stares at the distance ahead of him—nothing but miles and miles of endless sea, the horizon almost indiscernible between the place where the sky meets the water. 

“I don’t…” He stops and narrows his eyes. “All that I could say about the life I’ve grown accustomed to matters little compared to the reality I embrace now.” He stands taller but takes a shaky breath of the salty air. “Stories of the past often matter greatly depending upon the context but my stories are nothing. Just the ramblings of…”

He grows quiet, bowing his head a bit, and he dares not risk a glance towards the woman beside him. His old governess would give him a whack on the knuckles for such weakness. First and foremost are the lessons of propriety—how to maintain veneer with ease and how to trick one’s enemies into believing the face displayed for them. Of all the sickly sweet smiles and taut smirks, nothing delivers more emphatically than the look of unwavering curiosity brimming in Ashala’s eyes. 

Slowly, Tyril turns his head towards her and meets that gaze with his. She exudes smoke and ash, chokes the world around her into a violent submission for it has walked its course over her. She will walk her own path to save a man unrelated to her by blood but in between, the natural well of magic in the world will tip in her bend and the elements all around her will move aside for she refuses to be moved by them. 

“You are…” he starts, resting his chin upon his hand. Her eyes flash—a warning or amusement? He isn’t entirely sure. “A strange creature.”

Ashala shrugs. “You are blue. And tall.” She squints at him. “And horribly gruff. I expected elves from the city beneath the stone to be a lot more refined.”

“I can be if I choose so.”

“But you choose not to be in any given moment.” Her head nods towards the door leading to the bunks beneath deck. “Save for when you interact with Nia, of course. Imtura seems unbothered but Mal does everything in his power to crack the frosty exterior you put up.” 

He chuckles. “And you seem to think I exist for the sake of reciting old stories. You and Mal are no different in that sense—you are both bothersome. Only he seems to do it because nothing else in this world could possibly entertain him more.”

“You have a vein that pops up on that rather large forehead of yours when you get riled up,” she says. His fingers twitch and his jaw works. He will not rise to the bait. He is better than this. 

Better than the coy smirk that tugs at her lips when he does reach up. 

And much better than the playful glint in her eyes as he silently tucks his hair behind his ear, very much avoiding the spot on his forehead where the vein could be. 

He will not think about this later. 

“Is there something in particular you desire, lowlander?” he hisses. “Or have you come to pester me for yet another story?”

She remains silent for a long moment. Her golden eyes sweep back over the water and take in the sight of clear skies all the way in the distance. Her body closes off, turns away to face completely forward. There is a blankness about her face and his brow furrows. 

“We all carry secrets, Tyril,” she says quietly. Ashala’s head remains high despite the strange air settling between them. Before the words leave her mouth, he knows the question sitting on her tongue. “Undermount is your home, yet the minute you called out the next destination, there seemed…there was a hesitation on your part.”

His lips press together. “I see.”

“Your skill is unparalleled. Of the five of us, it is clear your training as House Starfuy’s heir—” His jaw works, “—has granted you the boon of power beyond imagining. Knowledge, tactics—there is much to speak of regarding you but we respect your need to hold such truths to your being. Perhaps there is something we are unaware of that is too painful for you to recall—something that would leave you vulnerable.”

He sighs and lays his arm flat against the railing. 

“No, it…” 

Memories flood the empty space within his mind. Meditation keeps it clear but there are nights where he is restless, tossing and turning as events of the past play out in the form of nightmares most unimaginable. Where there is wisdom there is pride most evil, most corrupting of those that cross its path. His mother—her face is there but hazy. Fanciful feasts, the boisterous laughter of men and women dressed in the finest of silks as servants present delicacies from far and wide—

There was a man whose lips he can still taste—

The woman with straw blonde hair that smiled so beautifully—

House rankings, climbing the rungs of hollowed out ladders that snap so easily but mend just as well if only he would think.

Climb faster.

Push harder. 

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs again. 

“It’s…far too complicated to explain at the moment,” he finally answers. Weight presses on his shoulders and a knot forms in his belly. He remembers a sensation like this back then, only it was much more constant. “In some ways, I envy the life you’ve led.”

Ashala offers nothing at first, her eyes never straying from the horizon slowly moving in the distance. “You’ve been surrounded by luxuries most of your life. Your knowledge of our—of your culture is far more extensive. I cannot fathom the idea of envying one born to nothing.”

“I...I was not lacking for anything, no. You assume correctly in a sense. Even the happiness was constant for a time.” Quiet again. At the very least, she does not push. “Everything moved towards a single goal and that was the most exhilarating aspect. To be able to provide for the house meant just as much as being a part of it. Climbing the ranks was a ruthless game but standing atop the other children brought glory beyond compare.”

“You were heir,” Ashala says. 

A rueful smile tugs at his lips. “Everything I could ever want at my very fingertips—and now? Now, I travel the world committed to a mission that the others of our kind would rather blatantly ignore.” His head shakes. “What good does it do to only partially stop an evil that would destroy us all? Why stop at splitting the shards and why not completely cleanse the world of the Court’s influence?”

Ashala hums but does not respond immediately. Her head turns and she observes him quietly. 

“Then it was pure altruism that saw you abandon such a lucrative role?” His eyes dart away and he knows the exact number of whacks on the knuckles the gesture would earn him. 

“I’ve been away from Undermount for a long while,” he says. “It’s been months at best yet I know the exact number of whacks I’d get for being so loose with my feelings.”

“Oh? How rare to see such a sight,” she says, hand raising to point at the corners of his mouth twitching. Tyril jerks his head away and snorts, drawing a small laugh from her. “A rare yet delightful thing to see. Perhaps I was mistaken about your ability to express any emotion aside from disinterest and disgust.”

“You could stand to repress some of yours more often,” he fires back. “Humes are widely regarded as loud creatures—you are an elf. Some stoicism would make you tolerable at the very least.”

Her laugh is a full-hearted cackle. None of the heat nor venom of his words take for she finds any slight instance of his annoyance enjoyable. Heat floods his cheeks and he can’t help the small smile that tugs at his lips as she howls with laughter. 

“To have an elf accuse me of not being stoic enough!” she wheezes, wiping at the corners of her eyes. “Would you believe that humans find me to be the most unapproachable creature that walks this land? The children would often run from the pull of my magic lest it would swallow them whole. I suppose those in possession of magic naturally terrify the folk who have so little experience with it.”

He nods. “Much of yours was self-taught, however. Being able to conceal it is one of the first lessons a proper instructor should’ve taught you, but…” He coughs. “I suppose I could…show you. It would be a useful skill when we face certain enemies.”

She quirks a brow. “Now you instructing me? Perhaps it is a moment I eagerly await if only to see the bitter disdain on your face when you realize how difficult it is to teach me!” His eyes roll but she ignores it. “You still didn’t answer my question, Tyril.”

“It was…” He pauses for a long moment. “It was mostly for that reason, yes. But in truth, it is like you mentioned before. There are some secrets I would still prefer to ‘hold to my chest,’ as you say. It isn’t…it isn’t the most pleasant thing to recall, not now. I…”

Again in an instant—

The faces of hundreds who looked upon him with hope—

That looked broken and angry when he turned his back on them—

There is no shame in doing what needs to be done—for doing the right thing. Pride is not the only source of his sense of self. It makes up only a small portion of all of him but the thought still eats at him—the question of what could’ve been always lingers no matter how hard he tries to convince himself that it isn’t important to know the answer. 

Tyril crosses his arms and gently smooths his fingertips over his bracers. His head bows and he stares at the water violently lapping at the hull as Imtura’s ship cuts through the sea. 

“You don’t regret this,” Ashala says, pulling him from his thoughts. 

“No, not at all.”

“But there are things you wonder about. Things that you cannot change or reverse as a result of your actions…”

He stands still for a moment before nodding once. “All that I do here matters more to me than the circumstances that put me on this path. I chose it, yes. There are factors that led me here, that is also true.”

She stares at him for a long while, that piercing gaze stirring something a bit unsettling within him. It’s like looking into the base of a flame all consuming, a void all encompassing. Ashala Venralei—would he ever tell her the truth about her name and all the reasons why no person in Undermount would ever consider stringing such words together to form a child’s name? He knows what Tyril is—Orthonus, Livienna, Myhri, and Rashki.

“The child born from ash and dreams”—to get to where they needed to go, Ashala’s parents burned a considerable bridge that meant that home would never be a place they could return. 

“We will stop the Shadow Court,” she says and she does something dangerous—far too dangerous—

She reaches across and lays a warm hand on top of his. He swallows and stares into her eyes once more, something far more uncomfortable welling in the pit of his belly. It’s a warmth and a storm in one that starts in his gut before it shoots through the rest of him in uneasy webs. 

He wills himself to nod curtly. When she graces him with a warm and genuine smile, he quivers. 

It must be luck she turns on her heel and leaves him before she notices. 

[simonxriley]

Tachanka and Skylar first kiss?

Thank you!! And tbh I’ve been wanting to write about this for a while now and you gave me the opportunity, not that I wouldn’t have written this eventually! 

Kiss prompts

Also on Ao3

Russian Translations: Kotyonok = Kitten. Milaya = Darling. Der’mo = Crap and  водка = Vodka.

Parties were never Skylar’s thing, or at least not until she came to Rainbow. It was the yearly holiday party and she was talking with Valkyrie with a drink in hand about their plans for Christmas. Valkyrie was going back home to visit her parents’ in California and Skylar wasn’t sure about what she was doing, was she going back home to Maine to visit her parents; and sisters’ or staying on base. Luckily she still had time to think of an answer.

The room was filled with the majority of the Operators mingling amongst one another with drinks in hand as music played in the background. From where she stood with Valkyrie she could see Bandit and Jager talking on the couch, probably over some documentary Jager saw the night before. Thermite was talking with Pulse and Hibana on the other side of the room, about who knows what and she saw Tachanka with Glaz, Kapkan and Fuze doing shots of Russian vodka at a nearby table.

“So have you had any good mission’s lately?” asked Valkyrie after a moment.

“No.” she snorts. “I haven’t been called on a mission for a while, the last one I went on was three weeks ago.”

Skylar took a sip of her beer, glancing over at the Slavs with their vodka that she would very much like to help drink with them.

“Maybe you’ll get lucky and Six will call you for more missions.”

“Hopefully, I’m getting bored with no action. There’s only so much training I can handle with no missions.”

Valkyrie nodded her head in agreement and took a sip of her drink. “It’s funny how our lives can be either very hectic or boring.”

She took another sip of her beer, watching Kapkan take a shot before turning her attention back to Valkyrie. “Sometimes I miss how it was when I was with the Marines. We might not have a mission, but at least we had something to do throughout the day. Here, we train in the morning and are free for the rest of the day. There’s not much to do here.”

“It was the same in the Navy. There isn’t much to do in little old Hereford, I’m sure we could find a lot to do in London. If it wasn’t three hours away.” Confusion etched on her face as her phone went off. She grabbed it from her pocket, looking down to see who it was. “I’m sorry, our conversation is gonna have to get cut short. Ela needs me.”

“I wonder what for.” She shot her a knowing look, making her shakes her head. ”Alright, have fun.”

“Thanks and enjoy the rest of the party.”

Skylar watched her leave, then sighed. She didn’t know what she should do, head back to her room or go over to where Thermite, Pulse and Hibana were. After watching them for a moment she decided to head to her room. She only took a few steps until a certain familiar Russian accent spoke her name.

She turned around seeing Tachanka waving her over. “Fuze left us for his Matryoshka. I need a partner.”

“A partner for what exactly?” She arched a brow, glancing between him and Glaz and Kapkan.

“Uh...drinking.”

She laughed and walked over to them, sitting in the seat that was once occupied by Fuze. “How can I say no to that.”

They all laughed and Glaz slid one of the shot glasses over to her and poured her a drink. She nodded her head in thanks and downed it, scrunching her face for a brief second as it went down.

“Oh, that’s actually pretty good.”

“Good.” said Tachanka as he grabbed the beer bottle in front of her and moved it to the side. “Now you can drink some authentic Russian водка instead of that der’mo.”

She turned her head to glare at him and huffed. “Don’t judge my drinking habits, I didn’t want to get full on drunk tonight. Unfortunately vodka is my kryptonite and you offered.”

Kapkan chuckled as he poured all of them another shot.

“I didn’t take you for a hard liquor person Skylar.” said Glaz after downing his shot.

“It tastes better than beer and it’s easier to sneak onto a base.” she glanced between Kapkan and Glaz, feeling Tachanka’s eyes on her. “So what are you guys doing for the holidays?”

Kapkan drank his shot, placing the glass back on the table. “I’m going on a hunting trip, get away from the city and visit my family.”

“I’m going home too.” said Glaz. “Mama wouldn’t be too happy if I didn’t.”

They all turned to Tachanka who was being rather quiet. Which was a little unusual for the man.

“What about you?” asked Skylar

He leaned forward, placing both of his arms on the table and sighed. “I don’t know yet, I might stay on base, might go back to Saint Petersburg.”

She nodded her head. “Yeah I don’t know if I’m going back to Bangor or staying here. I don’t really want to fly for eight hours.”

“Won’t your family miss you?” asked Glaz

Skylar quickly downed the shot that was still in her glass and sighed. “Yes, but they’ll understand. And I can always go back for my birthday, when the airports won’t be busy with all the people traveling for the holiday’s.”

They all nodded in agreement. No one liked travelling, let alone during the holidays when the airport is packed with a bunch of people, crying kids and chaos. Even though their lives may be chaos from time to time, an airport during the holiday season was worse.

“Makes sense.” Kapkan grabbed the bottle pouring himself another glass. “I’m looking forward to getting off base for a few weeks, disappear into the woods for a while. Where it’s peaceful and quiet.”

“Honestly, that sounds really nice.” Skylar gave him a small smile than looked over at Glaz. “Don’t you live in a port town?”

“Da, I do. Lots of boats and fishermen.”

“Ooo, do you fish?” asked Skylar with a smile on her face. “I do sometimes with my dad.”

Glaz’s face lit up and he sat up a bit straighter. “I do a little bit. I’m really good at a fisherman’s knot.”

Kapkan scoffed and set the bottle back down on the table. “You do it wrong Timur. How many times have I told you that.”

“I do not do it wrong Maxim. I was taught by an actual fisherman, you learned from a book.” Glaz retorted back.

“Timur I was deployed to the Barents Sea, I didn’t learn from a book.”

As Kapkan and Glaz started to argue over the correct way on how to make a fisherman's knot Tachanka tapped Skylar’s shoulder and motioned for her to follow him.

He got up from his seat as did she and followed him out of the room and down the small hallway to the door leading outside. She looked up at him with a raised brow and amusement etched on her face.

“We’re going outside?”

“Da. I thought it would do us some good to get some fresh air and away from everyone.”

She nodded her head in agreement. “No argument there.”

Tachanka chuckled and opened the door for her. She gave him a smile as she walked past him, feeling the cool evening air on her body. Then she noticed it was snowing, it was hard to see outside from the mess-hall the party was in because of the glare from the lights.

He let the door shut on it’s own and started to walk over to her, that’s when he noticed the smile on her face. “You like the snow?”

She crossed her arms and leaned against the beam of the awning, watching the snowfall down to the ground. “I do actually, I think it looks pretty.”

He stood beside her, crossing his own arms and hummed. “It does look pretty. I can name prettier.”

Skylar turned her head towards him, seeing him look out across the yard. “Can you now? What’s more prettier in Lord Tachanka’s eyes.”

Tachanka turned his head back to her, narrowing his eyes for a brief second and then chuckled. “My LMG.”

The smile that graced her face made his heart skip a beat, but her laugh, her laugh was one of the things that could melt his heart into a puddle. And for someone as blunt as he is, he couldn’t find it in him to say, he found her more prettier than the snow. So he went for the obvious instead.

“Of course, I should’ve known.” She chuckled and looked back out to watch the snow fall. “You do seem to love that thing quite a bit.”

“It’s the first Degtyaryov I received, it’s gone through countless updates, made by me and has saved my life and others more times than I can count.”

“Good point.” She looked over at him and sighed. “I know you don’t like people touching it, but would you ever let someone, you really trust to hold it?”

He turned to her with an amused look on his face. “Skylar! Do you want to hold my Degtyaryov?”

“No!” She chuckled. “I was just wondering if you would let anyone hold it. Besides I don’t even think I could lift it.”

He didn’t truly believe her that she didn’t want to hold it, why else would she have asked almost coily? “If someone comes around that I trust enough with it, I’ll let them. It’s not that heavy milaya, I’m sure you could pick it up with ease.”

“Yes mister I’m built like a tank.” She laughed. “I wonder who that person will be.”

“I am not built like a tank.” He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, maybe I haven’t met the person yet.”

Skylar laughed again and looked back out onto the yard. Christmas was right around the corner and she has no clue what she was doing. She didn’t want to take that eight hour flight back to Maine in a cramped and grounded plane, but she knew her parents’ might get upset that she’s staying on base for the holidays when they’re so excited to see her.

“Or maybe you have and you just haven’t realized it yet.”

“Maybe.” He looked back over at her, taking in her beauty from the nearby light. “How’s training with Kapkan? He’s mentioned he took you under his wing.”

“It’s going good.” She turned to him with a small smile on her face. “I’m learning a lot from him.”

“That’s good, you don’t think he’s too intense? A lot of people he trains say he is.”

“I went through the hardest basic training in the US, I can handle Kapkan.”

He watched as her eyes glimmered, tugging at his heart. He loved how she could come off as innocent, like she didn’t know the harsh’s of war or what it can do to people. It seemed like she was plucked from the streets and placed inside Rainbow. Still, he wasn’t that stupid, he’s been in the military long enough to know it was a facade and that she’s seen the worse of the worse. The huge scar on her neck and collarbone tells the truth.

“Point taken.”

She snorted, then pushed herself off of the post and walked out into the snow. The snow crunched under her boot with every step, and then an idea popped into her head. She glanced back at Tachanka who happen to be looking down at his phone, with a smirk on her face she leaned down and grabbed some snow, packing it in her hands to form a snowball.

“Hey?”

As soon as he looked up she threw it at him, hitting him right in the chest. He looked down at the spot where it hit then back to her. That’s when she saw that devious smirk spread across his face. He placed his phone back in his pocket and took a step forward, leaning down to pick up some snow to make his own snowball.

“Didn’t your mama ever tell you it’s not nice to throw things at people?” He chuckled as he launched the snowball at her, only to have her move to the side before it could hit her in the chest.

She laughed and leaned down again to make another snowball. “And didn’t your mama teach you the same thing?”

She threw the snowball in his direction seeing him dodge it this time. She pouted her bottom lip as she watched him walk closer to her with another snowball in hand.

With a smirk on her face she began to back up, keeping her distance. Skylar knew he was taunting her by slowly walking towards her when he could easily take a few steps forward and get her.  

As Tachanka slowly walked towards her, tossing the snowball in the air and back down to his hand, he looked at her with a devious look in his eyes and a smirk on his face. That sent a shiver down her spine. “Why are you walking away Skylar? Afraid you’ll get hit with a snowball too?”

“Nonsense. I’m not afraid of a little snow.” She slowed down her pace a little, glancing at the snowball in his hand. “I just don’t trust that mischievous look on your face Alex.”

“What mischievous look, kotyonok?”

Skylar to another step back, unfortunately hitting an icy spot and fell backwards. Tachanka dropped the snowball and reached out to grab. Only to miss and fall forward, landing on top of her.

Luckily he didn’t land his full weight on her, keeping it on his arms instead. He looked down at her laughing, eyes crinkling at the side.

“I can’t believe we fell.”

“Well, we sure did. I’m just happy I didn’t land on you fully.”

Her laughing died down and they locked eyes. Tachanka brought his hand up, moving some strands of brown chestnut hair out of her face.

She gulped, feeling her heart skipped a beat as she gazed into his blue eyes, not knowing if she should ask him to move off of her or to stay where she was. Something about having him on top of her was turning her on and she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt for him.

Tachanka inhaled a breath, slowly moving his face closer to hers until their lips met in a firm, yet sensual kiss.

Skylar hummed into it, bringing her hand up to cup the side of his face. A brief moment later he pulled away, looking down at her with a smile on his face.

She mirrored his smile and giggled. “Was that the real reason we were out here Alex?”

“More or less.” He chuckled.

He got off her and up onto his feet, then offered her his hand. She smiled up at him and took it. After he lifted her back up on her feet she brushed off any snow that was on her pants and shirt.

“More or less huh?”

A small smile spread across his face and he shook his head, then cupped her face in his hands. “Why don’t we head back inside kotyonok? Grab the extra bottle of vodka and continue this in my room?”

“I think I would like that!”

“Good!”

He leaned down giving her another kiss before letting go of her face to grab her hand, leading her back into the building. Skylar smiled to herself, wondering what this night was about to bring.

[rwbyconversations]

RTX RWBY 2019 Panel Summary

Sorry this was late, I had an inconvenient shift at work.

Comics/Books/Manga:

We’re getting a new book from Schoolastic called Before The Dawn. Some people thought this was the STRQ prequel but Schoolastic’s website has confirmed it’s an After The Fall sequel focusing on CFVY and SSSN. Apparently there’s something about the teams splitting up going around on the web so hopefully Scarlet and Sage won’t get cucked for screentime again, but after AtF made Yatsu and Fox cool I’m hopeful they’ll get some deserved limelight. Just hope the cover’s better this time...

We got some new intel on the RT/DC collaboration. The RWBY comic will be written by Marguerite Bennett, with art by Mirka Andolfo and Arif Prianto, and will “follow the adventures of Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang as they continue to try to protect the world of Remnant from the supernatural threat of Grimm.” That they’re wearing the Mistral outfits has me hopeful it’s not just another retelling of Volume 1. More info about the comic is set to be revealed at a Sunday panel about the RT/DC comics.

Talking of Volume 1 retellings, Buntou’s Shonen Jump manga is getting a physical release in Q1 2020.

Viz Media’s The World of RWBY lorebook is still on track for an October release. 

Art by Mirka Andolfo

Merch/Video game news

Merch news was mostly dominated by the announcement of a full life-sized Crescent Rose model that will be on sale on the RT store.

Gaming wise, the crew reminded everyone that Crunchroll is still making a shitty Bejeweled clone called Crystal Quest set to release at the end of July. 

RWBY is crossing over with a mobile game called Knights Chroncle. It seems to be fairly popular as it’s crossed over with Fullmetal Alchemist and Fairy Tale in the past. RWBY and Cinder are confirmed to appear. It starts on July 11th. If it sounds good I’ll give it a spin.

RT is working with a company called Good Smile. I don’t know anything about this but my more merch-aligned friends have told me this is very good news.

Volume 7 news

We have two new main writers- Eddy Rivas and Kiersi Burkhart. Eddy helped write Red Vs Blue Season 10, the Unofficial Fan Guide and has served as a sort of loremaster for RWBY for some time new. Kiersi is a published author who has two books under her name and is the first full-time female writer for the show. Her previous works have been praised as a mix of “Game of Thrones meets Harry Potter” and for handling dark and sensitive topics such as rape culture with appropriate care.

There are four episodic directors, including Kerry and Connor Perkins (the android sent by Cyberlife who helped co-direct Volume 6).

Volume 7 scripts are nearly done- they’re working on the finale.

Kerry confirmed that Volume 7 will be thirteen episodes like V6.

We got our first looks at the new Atlas outfits for RWBY. I’m overall very impressed at these, barring maybe Yang- I’ll wait for a full-body shot. Looks a bit too similar to Vernal for me. But otherwise, Ruby, Weiss and Blake look stellar. RIP Weiss’s scarf though.

No character short this year, which follows up on Miles’ comments last year that the shorts took too much time and money away from the season proper- hi Volume 5. That they don’t need to actively course-correct any of the villains like they did Adam (am I still allowed to say that without having people on Reddit spam “WASTED POTENTIAL” at me?) means they didn’t need to so IMO it’s fine that we got no short. I do feel bad for the Ironwood and Winter fans who were hopeful they’d show up. They even flew out Ironwood’s VA seemingly just to get people hyped into thinking he’d be introducing an Ironwood short.

What we instead got was a work in progress clip of the first episode, showing RWBY, Qrow and JNR fighting Grimm based off saber-tooth tigers (they’re still in their Mistral outfits). Ren apparently gets to actually fight and gets a cool combo move with Weiss. M&K revealed in the commentary that the 14th episode of V6 would have been RWBY’s first hours in Atlas before that episode got cut, so it seems a lot of those concepts are being refitted for the V7 premiere.

Volume 7 is currently set to premiere on November 2nd, but Kerry took great pains to note that the airdate may change depending on production.

Entertainment Weekly has a summary of the volume:

“Enemies and allies banding together” to me screams of Em and Merc so hopefully they’ll get something to do this year (Merc vs Yang rematch and EmWeiss fight hype let’s fucking go!)

Q&A

There wasn’t a lot of new stuff to come from the Q&A, but still some interesting tidbits.

Miles and Kerry revealed that Volume 7 will have a scene dedicated to explaining Semblances when asked if two people could have the same Semblance (hopefully it goes better than Ren’s Semblance scene in Volume 5). Kerry made a joke of how “we’re not retconning anything, we just did a shitty job of explaining everything the first time.” 

Mama Schnee is all but confirmed to be appearing in Volume 7.

Kerry spoke rather candidly about the crunch in RT Animation when asked how he handled stress in the wake of the crunch scandal (@ anyone who tried telling me RT would never respond and that the Glassdoor story would never do anything good, ha. Ha.). It was actually surprising to hear him actually address it. Per Kerry, the team are trying to take steps on fixing the crunch situation, including hiring more staff and setting looser deadlines. Kerry stressed that the November release date wasn’t set in stone- that if they’re not ready by then, they’ll push the date back. Hopefully he wasn’t BSing, but we’ll see in a year after contracts expire whether or not it was all smoke and mirrors. 

There’s only one RWBY panel this year (we are getting an After The Fall panel on Saturday but I have no clue what to expect from that barring maybe Before The Dawn’s art) so barring news about the DC comic on Sunday, that’ll be it for most of the pressing RWBY news. Overall a decent year for RTX RWBY. The new outfits look good, though I hope JNR and Merc/Em get new outfits too.

[luvtessascott]

Battle of the Blades: Epi 1 Write-Up (Live Taping)

Last Thursday, I got the opportunity to attend the Battle of the Blades live filming with Danielle, her mom, and my mom. We had dinner at this great German restaurant in town and had amazing Schnitzel. [[Danielle wants you to know that Schnitzel and Spaetzle is the love of her life]]. Since Danielle was shooting the event, we got to the venue quite early around 5:45pm. Danielle went straight in while the rest of us stayed outside for a bit. We saw Mike Marinaro and Alma Moir outside so we chatted with them for a while (Danielle's Mom knows them more personally).

After that we headed into the venue and local skating clubs and hockey teams had some skaters paired together for a little show. These were the skaters that Scott had worked with a few weeks prior. They were all very cute, each pair containing a figure skater and a hockey player. Tessa, Scott, and Colby (the 3rd judge, who used to be a contest) came out to watch the little kids perform. Tessa looked like an ABSOLUTE DIVA in the black jumpsuit and the bangs and updo. I LOVED IT! My mom didn't even recognize Tessa with her hair and outfit. I pointed them out and my mom said "That's Scott but that doesn't look like Tessa". At that time they were in shoes so I had no clue they were going to wear skates. From the first time they sat in the judges chairs, you could sort of tell that Scott was uncomfortable in the tall chairs. He like sat down and then got up and sat on the edge with his feet on the ground. They left right after the performances and didn't come back till being announced at the beginning of the show.

The venue was nicely set up with the judges on one short end of the rink and the skaters entering from the other. They had giant screens on both sides of the rink and the Battle of the Blades signs on both sides with lots of sparkles. Just before the taping started they had all of us move down as close as possible to fill in all the empty seats. That worked out great for us as we ended up being 3rd row! So close that it was a better shooting location for Danielle that she came to sit with us.

When they introduced Tessa and Scott there was an arena wide standing ovation! I was surprised they were in skates while being real clothes, it was kind of funny LOL. It was so nice to see such a warm response to them and have the whole crowd on their feet. Since everyone was talking about the hand grab thing, it was one of those reaching for her hand without looking and landing on her wrist. If you watch my video again they turn to go back to their seats and hold hands properly, so calm down. Right after they launched into their retirement spiel. I have a video of it that I posted on my Youtube, linked here (x). Sorry about them being in portrait, you'd think by now I'd remember to make them landscape but it was a fast record it and I forget!

For the show itself, I was super excited to see Natalie Spooner because I'm a fan of hers. She was really great with Andrew, I thought her posture was so great for a hockey player. For sure Shelley and Kaitlyn were my biggest surprise. Danielle and I were SCREAMING when they started doing the polka-- how adventurous for a first outing! The crowd had a great atmosphere and was reacting well to everything it was a nice crowd to be in. The costumes for the most part were really well done-- kudos to Matthieu of course! I thought that the judges might change out of their skates after the intro but they were in them the whole time. Kurt was the first one to jump up and show a skater an example of what they’d like to see from them and then it made sense to why the judges were so far from where the skaters were standing to get their scores! The tv crew wanted the judges to stand up and show the skills as needed and left them ice space to do that. Danielle and I got the vibes really quickly that Tessa and Scott were playing good cop bad cop on judging. Tessa being positive and Scott giving those coaches corrections, it seemed to be working well. I wonder if they’ll switch that up next time.

During commercial breaks, all the judges would get make-up and hair touch-ups! Kelly was there fixing Tessa's hair as well as the make-up person. Scott was always quick to jump out of his seat (which he had been fidgeting in the whole time) and skate around or talk to Kurt. Tessa would also chat with Colby some of the time. Other times, Scott would stand in front of Tessa and they would chat. It was nice to see them looking at each other when dancing in their seats to the music, laughing, and whispering with each other as usual (typical VM dynamic!).

Since Tessa and Scott represented one score, they would whisper to each other during the performances. Tessa often holding up her cue card for them to look at and then they would quickly decide on a score. I know there was lots of talk about Scott talking over Tessa but I have to mention that the judges chairs were pretty far apart and there was a mic delay. Tessa and Scott were also seated side by side where in interviews they can usually sit on angles so they can anticipate when they finish speaking. I think it was just honest mistakes when they overlapped.

At the end of the night, we ran into Cara and Alma and had another quick chat with them. And just before leaving in the parking lot we saw QUEEN KIRSTEN MOORE-TOWERS!! She always has such great outfits and is SO SWEET-- she remembered me and HUGGED me (I DIE). After chatting with her for a bit, we called it a night. We had a really good time! We were planning on going to the finale but when we went to get tickets they were ALL SOLD OUT. So as of rn, I don't have ticket but hopefully they'll release more. I'm looking forward to watching the season on tv!

(This was a second time I wrote this, bc it got deleted so if I remember anything I add it after).

[amwritingmeta]

i am living for all this meta talk tbh, it makes me feel less Tragically Optimistic and more regular optimistic. SO, we know that Dean and Cas' respective stories, and the story as a whole, doesn’t necessarily NEED that romantic element to be complete, right? supernatural isn’t a romance story. but, dean's response to the idea of “settling down with someone” is never “i don’t want that,” it’s, “i can’t have that,” essentially. which, in my mind, is just really good, ah, cannon fodder

Hello, sweetling! 

Aw that’s so brilliant to read! And regular optimistic is good! Welcome to the fold. :)

supernatural isn’t a romance story.

Exactly! It truly isn’t. And even if the scenes we get between Dean and Cas from here on out, or at least in S15, begin to illuminate the fact that they’re in love with each other, I will still say that the show won’t be about them and so the narrative axis and its main plot points, if you will, most likely won’t have anything directly to do with their love story.

If that makes sense?

We won’t get a finale centred around Destiel, is what I’m saying. Like, I’d bet my hair. (and I’m quite fond of my hair) (never mind it’s greying around the edges) And, can I be frank? Hope so ‘cause I’m gonna be. I actually don’t want a finale centred around Destiel. Or centred completely on the brothers. I would like it to be about TFW!

Adding to that statement the reason for it, which is that I would love the love story to come into bloom slowly and organically and I know these writers and these actors could make something quietly spectacular out of it so I’m just gonna sit here and cross my fingers and toes, yeah? 

That said, if we get high drama then hell, I’m not gonna say no to that. I just hope we get it, and that we get it indisputably on screen, whatever it may be. I have such high hopes that we won’t just get it strongly hinted at (because the commentary will then be lost on every viewer who actually doesn’t read the subtext) or that we land in it in the very final episode or something like NO! GIVE ME SCENES DAMN IT! GIVE ME IT!! GIVE ME THEM TEXTUALLY FLIRTING DARN IT!! GIVE ME LINGERING BLOODY EYE CONTACT AND BUTTERFLIES IN STOMACH SMILES AND JUST WHATEVER!! ALL THE DAMN ROMANCE!! 

Pretty please. With all the cherries.

This may not be a romance story, but it is a story about love and… love. :)

Look, I believe we will get it, but I don’t know we will, so my faith is entirely based in hope here. I just really want to actually witness those moments when they begin to open up to the goddamn truth of their relationship: they love each other equally and they truly balance each other out beautifully. 

They’re so good for each other. They bicker and argue and push and pull, yes, but they both need that, you know? They both need someone to question their behaviour, and it just so happens that the person questioning them is the one person neither wants to let down. It’s gorgeous! It’s the foundation for opening up to change. Someone you respect questioning your actions while never turning away from you, even when you mess up so badly you grow to hate yourself. 

Aw, it’s so important that they have the other there as quiet support no matter what!

And, back to your actual ask, YES! Dean’s issue has always been that he thinks he doesn’t deserve to have good things and his fear of happiness is entirely based in this deeply rooted belief that Good Things Don’t Last, which is entirely tied to Mary’s untimely death, yeah? And this has been, to my mind, what has informed how he relates himself to this man he’s falling madly in love with who happens to kind of sort of be an angel that dicks off at any given moment without so much as a by your leave, good things don’t last, yeah, very aware.

Cas’ unreliability hasn’t stopped Dean falling in love with him, though, which I think is a part of Dean’s character progression. Instead of him having even the whisper of a codependent relationship with Cas (though their reliance on the other is unhealthy in other ways) and it feeding Dean’s insecurities, it’s the complete opposite and it exposes Dean’s insecurities as false. Because CAS ALWAYS COMES BACK. :P

As for the unhealthy part, I do believe that losing the person you love doesn’t have to stop your life in its tracks. I’m not dismissing the incapacitating weight of depression or grief related depression, but I also believe that there’s help to be had, you know? I’ve gone through horrendous grief in my life. It never goes away, that loss. But you can learn to deal with it, yeah?

Losing Cas has derailed or stopped Dean’s progression twice. Hugely. Majorly so. And however romantic the undertones, the reality of it (the way I see it) is that it’s unhealthy. Instead of Dean unconsciously relying on Cas to be his compass, since Cas represents faith to Dean, Dean should have faith in himself regardless. Same goes for Cas, but I think Cas is a little farther along here, because he’s stepped into the place of humanity himself many times over, especially this season, in how he relates himself to Jack (though Cas still refers to himself not as a human of course not but rather as a thing) (never over it), and in how Jack chose Cas as father figure, which is just all shades of pretty.

Dean and Cas’ relationship will be happy and balanced when both of them are moving into their true identities, chill to be themselves, no more armour to be seen.

Gah! I want it for them so badly. *clutches at heart*

Your ask is pretty much you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed agreeing with the idea of Destiel not having to happen, but that it happening will deepen the overall message of the show, once the narrative truly wraps up and we land in what that message was always (or not) meant to be, yeah? 

I mean, I sincerely think they don’t have to deliver on anything, because, as said, the narrative could be tied up without the love story coming to a conclusion, but I believe the writers want the love story to conclude, because of how intentional the subtext has always been, and because of how important Cas has been, subtextually, to Dean’s progression. That takes thought power. That takes awareness and love and care. Immense love and care for these characters and their needs and wants. And huge respect for the narrative as a whole. The writers have worked with these tools for going on fifteen years and for a reason. I cannot fathom that it’d be for no good reason. The reason for it is right there in the narrative.

But I don’t need to argue for this. We all know this. :P

What I believe in, very firmly, is that the writers also don’t want the love story to conclude ahead of its time. Every time its been building towards an actual conclusion they haven’t changed their mind, they’ve just had to draw it out, because there was more story to tell, more character progression to explore, and I’m stoked that they now have the chance to finish this narrative and finish it the way they’ve envisioned it for the last few seasons. Or that Dabb envisions it now, as they know for certain they’re truly wrapping it up. Whichever it is.

Now, as already agreed, the narrative doesn’t need the love story to conclude to end on a good note, it really doesn’t. But like I said in another ask today: if the love story is left open to interpretation, that openness will leave a hole. Perhaps not for the GA, as it were, but certainly for us, right? It won’t diminish the subtext in any way, but leaving it wholly open to interpretation would, at least to me, be taking away from making a more resounding statement about breaking free of societal norms and fear of judgement, which is what I believe has kept Dean away from being openly queer for such a very long time.

Either way, I’m excited to see how much they give us and how far they’ll go. Truly, truly excited. I’d love to get to watch all three characters level out and grow truly comfortable in their own skin. With a fourteen year build towards the show’s climax, the denouement should hopefully be something we get to witness for more than an episode or the very final scene of the entire series. I hope we get more. But I also know the show we’re watching and it’s possible they’ll keep it excruciatingly subtle right to the very end. 

We shall see!! Whatever happens, I’m sure it shall be spectacular!

[sharperthewriter]

How the Rockwaller Stole Christmas (1/2)

"How the Rockwaller Stole Christmas" For the first of the two winter poems That you're reading away or at your home Just to let everyone know, the entire selection (including the intro) is in rhyme This is to save everyone, especially Whitem, a whole lot of time It is for his 10th Winter Writing Contest, so it'll be brief I promise that I won't take any Fannies awards for this, or else I'd be a thief It features Bonnie in such a grumpy Grinchy feeling But Junior gives her an idea that is worth...how should I say...stealing Let's see how it goes Will they get away scot-free or get caught? Who knows. The poem is rated T As you can see For some minor swear words (but including a gesture that is obscene) So it is why is it suitable for those over the age of 13. And humor that is crude And for the snark in Bonnie's 'Queen B' attitude Kim Possible is created by Schooley and McCorkle and (c) by Disney This is to (hopefully) prevent the Mouse's lawyers from getting all in a suing tizzy. And as for the Seuss Estate, there will be no feelings of ill will or resentment. For this very poem is parody and satire, and fair use, covered by the First Amendment. So without further ado, Here is this treat of a poem, especially for the reader...which is you.

"How the Rockwaller Stole Christmas" (PART I)

This is the time of year A time of happiness and joy Where there is the spreading of good and cheer For almost every Middletonian girl and boy

As stated before, almost every young citizen Down in Middleton Liked Christmas a lot. But Bonnie Rockwaller, who lived just next door to the Possibles, did NOT!!

She hated how the Possibles celebrated Christmas in their house Giving a low growl that would even frighten a small mouse Every single day of the accursed Christmas season. If you are wondering to try To ask the question of why She does have her reasons.

And no, it wasn't because her head wasn't screwed on right Or that her Country Club Banana boots were too tight Or that a probable main reason of all Could be that her heart was three sizes too small

No, all she had to do was go back years past Of how past Christmases at the Rockwallers sucked when she was a young lass. From the hand-me-downs of her sisters to the infamous photo of her crying in Santa's lap Those winter "memories", she knew, would be crap The only bright spot of her Christmases, if it even would bother Would be the gifts given to her from Donald Rockwaller aka her father But, alas, this year, her dad's gift would be proven fruitless, of course For the Rockwallers are (currently) going through a very tough divorce.

And then there was the part where, a few years ago if one can gleam Bonnie starred as an angel in a Nativity scene They sang songs such as "Silent Night", "Joy to the World" and similar sounds Only problem was that said Nativity scene was played on courthouse grounds Some politically-correct people in the audience pointed out, if they can relate, That this was a blatant violation of the separation of church and state. The Queen, who had enjoyed this, flew in a rage On the Nativity scene stage She shocked the audience, her parents, and her fellow singers, By giving the politically-correct people two middle fingers

So she stared there on Christmas Eve from her bedroom window, Hating the Possibles all the while Middleton was covered in record-setting snow. From the lighted windows of their house, Kim was hanging a mistletoe wreath, Just in case Ron  came,  she can kiss him from beneath.

Bonnie couldn't believe That today was indeed Christmas Eve She continued to growl, her fingers continued drumming "I MUST find a way to prevent the Possible Christmas from coming!" She stood there, brooding and stewed

For tomorrow, she knew... (PART II) All the Possible girls and boys Yes, this includes Ron and Rufus They would all rush for their gadgets and toys. Including, as Bonnie called him, the blonde-haired doofus. She would be rattled and awakened by all the NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!!! All the NOISE!!! NOISE!!! NOISE!!! That was one thing she hated while trying to sleep in her bed On every single Christmas Day The continuing screaming sounds of video games being played repeatedly in her head Unfortunately for her, it had always been this way.

She'll (that being Kim) call and beep Wade on the new Kimmunicator The Tweebs would fly around with their drone, armed with an incinerator Joss would buck around with her large mechanical horse, making bucking sounds Cousin Larry would do roleplay while playing the latest version of Everlot, a quest to be found Kim will also blare the rare $50 Britina CD on her CD player as if she captured the Holy Grail Bonnie had been demanding said CD from her mother all month long...but to no avail. And as of Ron and Rufus, he will play noisy games to get that high score. Like the latest installment of the M-rated gorefest known as Zombie Mayhem IV. Oh...the Queen hated that that noise a plenty When Ron plays it for hours on end on his PSX720.

To her, this was no fair. The comparison of gifts really almost made her tear out her brunette hair. She even tried to get her dad, whom was the chief of police, to stop the squeaks and squeals While the Possibles raced around on ATVs with 4 wheels. Alas, it was no use for her to stop this noise torture from Hell. Bonnie felt as if her house was one big jail cell.

As if this were another reason for her to hate on the Possible's holiday moods, to be quite frank There was Ron turning up the volume, watching "The Six Tasks of Snowman Hank" Oh, if only the Queen had earplugs A type that would drown out the warm clink of Possible cocoa-moo mugs

And then the Possibles, young and old Will then all sit down to a feast And they all feast, feast, FEAST!!! The food from their cabinets and fridge flowed like never-ending gold They devour a large Christmas turkey, which was about as big as a 10-pound Beast Oh, a Christmas Turkey Beast is a feast Bonnie couldn't stand in the very least. In the sweets department, there were the famous lemon squares by her Nana But all Bonnie got was after the Rockwaller Xmas Dinner was a rotten banana.

And then, the Possibles do something that the Queen hated most of all Every Possible in the Possible house, the tall and small. Will stand close hand in hand With Christmas Bells on their phone apps constantly  ringing And the Possibles, standing on their property land... ...they start SINGING!!! And they'll SING, SING, SING!!!!!! That is what will make her the most feral When the Possibles sing their Christmas carols.

And the more Bonnie thought of the Possible-Christmas sing.... ...The more the Queen thought!

She must stop this whole entire thing. "Why, for five years, I've put up with it now!"

"I HAVE to stop the Possible's Christmas from coming....but how?"

(PART III) As she continued to stare outside Bonnie then heard two taps on her door The figure came from the hallway, not making an attempt to hide It was only her rich boyfriend, Senor Senior Junior, nothing more. Junior had come to his first Rockwaller Christmas, being that he was in town This was an attempt by Veronica to try to turn her daughter's frown upside-down Like Bonnie, his heart was three sizes too small. But it was his brain that was tiny, most of all.

"Oh hey, my rich hottie. Wonder why you're doing here in my place!"

Bonnie said with a slight smile on her face. She waited on what her dim BF was trying to say "Hey, my love." Junior replied, "I came here for the food and any games that you usually play."

Bonnie scoffed, "Junior, I know that this is your first time, and you're trying But I suspect that you may be a be a bit...lying.

And I like that," she continued with a salacious grin. For she knew Junior was loaded, a fact she knew he was an instant win. Junior said, "My love, I can bring you anything this year, a fact that my father had taught I can even buy you a multi-million-dollar yacht."

Bonnie sighed, fading away from her smile "Junior, that is all well and good, and I can see..." She continued to stare outside the window for a little while "...but I got issues with the Possibles' Christmas continuing to mock me."

"Today is Christmas Eve, in case if you're wondering Come tumi, I will constantly be irritated by their noises, and that wannabe, I am still trying to think on what to do...in this case...pondering... I guarantee you, Junior, that she will flaunt her gifts for all the world to see."

Junior then suggested something vile "Why not have me dressed as Santa? Like with the coat and hat" Replied the oft-complaining man-child "I can guarantee you that you can steal their Christmas in a snap."

Then the Queen got an idea. An awful idea. The Queen got a wonderful, awful idea. (PART IV)

"Junior, I think I know a way."

Bonnie replied with the salacious grin "Hear me out on what I have to say!" She knew her plan would be as dirty as sin.

"A month ago, my dad arrested a drunk Santa at a mall He confiscated the belt, fake beard, hat, boots and all." She laughed in her throat. But Junior asked "Did he also get the coat?" "Oh yes, he did get that well..." Bonnie remembered. For she saw that incident in late-November.

Junior still questioned "But where can we get that suit in such short time?" "And will it fit this sexy booty of mine?" Bonnie said with a wide grin, "Junior, the suit's a perfect fit for you. It's in the basement by the way under boxes of old shoes."

"But I don't wanna go down the basement!" Junior whined for a while. That was the least of his problems for the overgrown man-child. Unlike his dad, he wasn't used to doing a life of crime Bonnie scoffed at him, "I'll go first and you'll follow behind." Junior whimpered "I hope that I don't look fat in that coat at all."

While his girlfriend held on to her baggy bib-down overall.

So about 30 minutes later, the evil couple found the Santa clothes Junior took a deep breath and said, "Let's see how this goes." To his amazement, they fit perfectly. Right down to the coat, which covered up his muscular belly. Bonnie grinned, "What a great and vile trick.

With this coat, fake beard, and hat, you look exactly like St. Nick.

Junior rightly pointed out. "Now that I am dressed as a Santa and that's all glad,  ..." "...how can we destroy Kim Possible's Christmas so that we can make her sad."

"The solution to that problem is simple." Bonnie said, tenting her fingers "We are going to steal them in the middle of the night, and let nothing linger." "Contractor style trash bags and sacks are the best method to use "They are perfect to take on any trashy weight of abuse. "Once we steal all of the Possibles' gifts "We're going to jam them into a car, 'borrowed' from Cruella De Vil, for a lift."

"And then once we get outside the city limits where the elevation is higher. "We will then burn all their gifts and food in one great big fire."

Junior gasped at the audacity of this crime It would put their relationship to the test If they got caught by Team Possible, it surely would result in their arrest. Then again, he has some added muscle from HenchCo so he had one less thing to whine

"My love, I am ready to do the stealing with you, In case we win, I even reserved a romantic spot on the island for two! Just say the word and I can call upon some strong henchmen It would make our job easier, with me and you times ten."

"Now all I need to complete the look of fear Is that of a reindeer."

Bonnie looked outside her house for any of them, if that is so Unfortunately, a reindeer's habitat did not include Colorado Just as it so happens, her Pit Bull, Queenie, made his way down the stairs He began to drool everywhere His look was so fierce and full of hate Why the Queen named a male dog a female name, shouldn't be for debate But did this stop her? Not at all. She also stared at one of the bucks her father killed, mounted on the basement wall Bonnie simply said, "If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!"

She instructed Junior to take a saw, duct tape, and some strong thread And tied a couple of big horns to Queenie's head. Junior asked "So when would be the stealing? What would be a perfect time to enter the Possible's main den?" Bonnie replied "I got a feeling..."

....That we will strike at ten!" "I know of a back alleyway That connects to their house But we have to be quiet, nothing more to say Nothing above the squeak of a mouse.

Agreeing to the plan set, Junior and Bonnie called up HenchCo To send in their stealthiest henchmen for at least ten in tow.

__________________________________________________________________________ (PART V) It was now 10pm as Bonnie, Junior and the henchmen started down Toward the Possible house, whose inhabitants lay snoring within town.

Despite the fact that they were sleeping, they thought they were protected By an exquisite alarm system that would blare a loud sound When an intruder would be found And he/or she would be detected

Their windows were also dark and the doors were locked They made sure an intruder's way out would be blocked All the Possibles, especially Kim, were dreaming without a single care When the villains came to their house on Middleton Square

The whole evil team snuck to the den at exactly 10 o'clock In order to undergo their villainous vice Ooooh....stealing Christmas from the Possibles will be quite nice.... ....That is, if they can get through the lock.

"We need to get through this door without causing the plan any harm... ...If we go in, it would surely set off that alarm. "Miss Rockwaller..." the lead henchman said, "...if it may say to suffice"

"This looks like a job for the HenchCo Automatic Disarming Alarm Device!"

The HADAD did it job It cracked the code for the alarm, rendering it useless But now came the issue of the door, still locked at its knob. "Lucky for me, I brought out my hairpin! Surely, it would let us in."

Unfortunately for her, the pin broke as a makeshift key Grunting, but not deterred, the Queen has a plan B She took out Junior's solid-gold limitless credit card Junior then whispered, as if he were doing a Sonnet from the Immortal Bard "Be careful, my love! That is my rarest card of all It's supposed to be used for the World's Richest Mall!"

This time, though, the hack card did work (Oh, if she only could invent the dance known as the twerk) The villainous team entered quietly into the room To begin Operation Villainous Christmas of Doom Bonnie gave a wide open smirk, so evil and so blatant That it rivaled that of the Prince of Darkness, Satan. She then saw all of the Possible stockings hung in a row. "Their stockings..." she grinned, "...are the first things to go!"

She instructed her dim BF to use a magnet for her first method of attack It loosened the nails and the stockings immediately fell in the sack