#i dunno best case scenario to me is to tell a new story but that still feels tied to the original story

[corpocyborg]

you know what would have been really cool if they wanted a franchise "reset"? a dragon age game set in the age of andraste. that way they wouldn't have to worry about whether past choices matter because they haven't happened yet but it also avoids the problem that andromeda has (in the sense that it doesn't really feel like it's actually the same setting as mass effect) because the narrative would still be deeply tied to the lore of the original games

[totaldramafan-lauri]

As I was sitting there eating my birthday cake, talking with my family...I realized something.

It hit me just how.....fffffffflipping nervous I am.....

Holy crap, I am terrified of doing this....

I-I mean, it's nothing new.....I was really nervous submitting practically ALL of my previous fics too. Heck, I remember right after posting Bruises, I took a break from all my socials for a whole day just to get my mind off it. There's always that feeling of "dear god I just realized how AWFUL this is, why am I doing this, no one's gonna read it", but....this is a special case.

This will be my first time EVER submitting an unfinished fic. That's the big thing for me. My mind is currently going through every single worst-case scenario trying to tell me how bad of an idea this is. "People are gonna be unsatisfied". "They're gonna be super critical of how slow it is". "They're gonna say it was a waste of their time". Most of the BIG STUFF hasn't happened yet, and that's why....

...part of me is thinking....Maybe I just should've been more patient. Maybe it would've been best to just....wait to post the completed story all at once. That probably would've been the best thing to do, and would've been a victory lap for this finished project....

....b-but I know I can't do that anymore. I-I promised people I'd do this. I-I CAN'T go back on that, or I'd look like the biggest coward....Now that I know there are people that are interested in this thing, I can't take it back and be like "actually, never mind, I'm waiting til it's all done". Especially since I dunno when that'll be right now...

I-I told them I'd post the first three chapters (although they might have to become four chapters on AO3 if Chapter 3 needs to be split for character limit reasons, it's still roughly the first half of the story that's done, no matter how many chapters it is).

I-I just really don't wanna let people down by this thing not being good enough....

I know I'm probably overreacting.....I-I know that....p-people who won't be into this, aren't gonna read it, cuz AO3's tagging system is the best thing ever. The only people that are gonna be clicking should be my fellow simps, who won't mind long fics, who won't mind slow pacing, who will see it's incomplete, and who will most likely read my notes. There's also the fact that I still don't like Chapter 1, but I'll be sure to let people know it gets "better" after that. That chapter no longer being on its own is a good thing about this....

I-I'm gonna be OK.....I-I'm almost ready....I-I can do this....

I can...do this......

[ibasae]

Sprout*Waning Hermitage - Saturday

Mika: ---Eh? That kinda thing has happened?

Hajime: Yeah, are you physically fine now, Kagehira-senpai?

Mika: Even if ya say that, since I don't remember anything, it doesn't really feel real...

I was tired yesterday, so I slept for a good long while. Now 'M mostly fine.

I don't remember anythin' from before, m'pologies! Sorry for worrying everyone.

Shu: Hmph, seriously. You have to be on your guard more in the future.

Izumi: Exactly. How dare you get us caught up in all this mess...

Hajime: Haha. Seems like Sena-senpai and Itsuki-senpai are both very worried about Kagehira-senpai!

Izumi: W-wait! Hajime-kun, don't say unnecessary things like that!

Hajime: Ehehe. Speaking of which, self-hypnosis really is real. That says a lot about how focused Kagehira-senpai was!

Mika: Uuu~... Did I really cast hypnosis on myself?

I was really fustrated about the new song's character buildin'... But I really got no strong feelings in that factor?

Izumi: Well, of course you wouldn't. You don't even remember anything from it, so of course it won't feel real.

Lots of people get too caught up in their characters and have trouble returning to reality, it's a common phenomenon in my field of work.

Hajime: That's right... I've heard of things like that as well. Do they recover with time in that scenario, too?

Izumi: Maybe? By the way, if we knew the solution was going to be this simple, we wouldn't have been that panicked.

Hajime: Huuhuu. You'd only think that after the matter is resolved.

Shu: ...

Izumi: Wait. Itsuki, what's wrong? Why is your expression even more sour now?

Shu: Ah, it's nothing.

(Everyone thinks it's self hypnosis... Is that really for the best?)

(Since Sena and Shino helped me so much, I don't really like the feeling of having lied to them...)

(Still, a haunted doll legend is definitely too weird.)

(Is it really the power of the doll? Or is it because Kagehira happened to undo his own self hypnosis at the same time? I'm quite on the fence about the whole ordeal myself...)

(...Ah, this is the right path forward after all... I won't tell them about the doll incident. I do not have the heart to make them worry so.)

Shu: Alright. That's enough chitchatting. Kagehira, let's get prepared.

Mika: Eh? Where to, Oshi-san? Did I make plans to go with ya to somehwere?

Shu: You scatterbrain! There's only a few days left until the shooting of the MV, did you forget that too?

Whatever, it might be because Kagehira does not remember anything, so all of this still feels surreal.

Especially because most of the training was done in your frenzy, I have no idea how much you actually grasped the material.

In summary, I will have very intensive training planned for you from now on, be mentally prepared.

Mika: Ah, so that's the case! I thought I was training every day up to this point, turns out that wasn't what happened.

Hajime: Then, since Kagehira-senpai is fine now, we will take our leave.

Izumi: Alright, alright. Just don't involve us in strange matters from now on, okay?

Mika: Mhmm, 'M real sorry that happened. Thank ya kindly ♪

Uwah~... training~ I haven't trained in a long time, I dunno if I can still do well in it. 'M a bit nervous~...

Shu: Well, that can't be helped... Before the proper training, properly look over the storyboard again. Here.

Mika: Eh? Why's Oshi-san carryin' the storyboard around?

Shu: Because I was planning on training immediately after this. I thought I might as well bring the storyboard.

Mika: Of course, only Oshi-san would prepare this well. Hm...

... I was thinkin', Oshi-san.

Shu: Oh? Do you have a question?

Mika: Not really... I was just gonna ask, 's it okay if I change the script a little?

Ah, I know we don't have much time. I'll be responsible 'n change whatever I wanted to have changed before tomorrow.

Shu: Hm? Why do you bring that up all of a sudden? Are you unhappy with the storyboard?

Mika: No, of course I would never be unhappy with Oshi-san's storyboardin'. I think I just finally figured out what kinda story I wanna tell, yanno?

The story I wanted to tell, wasn't a story of becoming a doll. It was a story of a doll coming to life.

Shu: ...!

Kagehira, why would you want the story to end that way? Is it because you remember...?

Mika: Eh? How do I put this... If Oshi-san suddenly asked me somethin' like that, I wouldn't know how to answer. I dunno either, I just felt compelled to do it, yanno? Maybe I just randomly thought of it...

Plus, I think this song deserves a happy ending.

Shu: Hm...

I understand. I think we can do that.

Mika: Ah... so we can't after all...

--EH? Didja say yes ?! I didn't hear ya wrong, did I?! Did Oshi-san say "I think we can" just now?

Shu: Yes, I already said we could. Is it really that surprising? Also, don't imitate the way I talk. You aren't even doing a good impression.

Mika: But, we don't have much time, 'n to change something in a finished product... isn't that what Oshi-san hates? Which is why I thought ya wouldn't agree to it in a million years.

Shu: You're right. There's not much time left, and you still made this kind of request. Usually, I'd get quite upset.

Mika: Then... why did Oshi-san agree?

Shu: How do I put this... it's because Kagehira is the creator of this song.

If an artist has found a way to elevate his work further, of course I wouldn't mind offering my support.

Although there's often cruelty and darkness in art, a happy ending is good once in a while.

[littlemisssquiggles]

Hey squiggles, I have a fun au for you, imagine the rose garden pair in a arcane au where they take the places of jinx and ekko

Hiya Key! Happy holidays to ya m’fam!

To answer your question: Hmmm an intriguing concept definitely. However…I can only see the Rosegarden pair retaining their wholesome friendship into a Timebomb-inspired Arcane AU if it were a scenario in which Jinx was never found by Silco and his gang and was instead found by Ekko before she had time to reunite with Vi and discover that she was the one responsible for the deaths of their friends and foster brothers.

I’ve been considering that alternative a lot since I finished Arcane actually.

What if…Powder had actually listened to Vii and stayed away in their room safely back home out of danger and instead entrusted Ekko to go help her sister and their friends?

In this alternative I’m imagining, the final outcome is still the same in which Powder’s bomb (which Ekko never revealed he got from Powder) ends up detonating and killing everyone. Except for Vii. Vi managed to survive but instead of being found by Marcus and imprisoned, Vii is instead captured by Silco and made into a lab-rat for Singed to experiment on and torture for years.

And the entire time Vii is a prisoner of Silco, Ekko takes Powder under his wing---looking after her and protecting her within the Firelights, almost treating her like a princess or in his case, the queen of his castle since technically Ekko is the crowned prince and leader of the Firelights. The Boy Saviour as he’s come to be known by.

I considered the possibility of Ekko never discovering that Vii was still alive after the bombing so he just ends up returning home empty-handed to give Powder the bad news that her family and beloved and sister were all dead. But rather than reveal that it was Powder’s bomb that ruined things, Ekko decides to lie to Powder and blame the whole thing on Silco while promising to protect Jinx in her sister’s place.

So essentially it’s an opposite scenariowhere Jinx, who remains as Powder, grows up being very close to Ekko (maybe even secretly harbouring romantic feelings for him) while simultaneously hating Silco with a burning passion to the point of wanting to go after him and avenge her family herself. However Ekko is the one holding back an increasingly vengeful Powder while secretly doing his best to maintain the lie he’s told her for years.

I know this is supposed to be me discussing a Rosegarden Arcane AU but I ended up talking more about Timebomb because I’m sorry I need to get this idea off my chest m’dude XD You have no idea how long I’ve been sitting on this ever since I finished Arcane and discovered that it’s actually canon that Ekko likes Jinx/Powder.

While I’m aware it was in the past before she became Jinx, I don’t care! Tell that to my shipping heart! As someone who walked into Arcane knowing jack-shit about League and walked out still knowing jack-shit about League but still was intrigued enough to keep learning about it through following Arcane’s story, I was not prepared to jump on the Timebomb ship as fast as I did.

While my love for Timebomb will never truly eclipse my love for Rosegarden, like I said, Arcane really got this squiggle meister thinking of what if Jinx was never “born” and Powder lived on being cared for and loved by Ekko who was willing to do everything in his power to protect her; even if it meant simultaneously lying to her about everything.

This concept has been swimming in my brain for TOO LONG so if I had to envision an Rosegarden Arcane AU where they took the places of Ekko and Jinx, it would be just like my what if scenario.

While I can picture either Ruby or Oscar fitting perfectly into the role of Ekko as the “saviour” archetype who fought the bad guys, somehow I can’t picture either in the Jinx role at all. Jinx, as we know, is a very tragic and misunderstood character and unless it’s a case where Salem in this AU is meant to play Silco and…I dunno, raise one of them---like Ruby as her daughter to replace the daughters that she lost with Ozma, that would actually be pretty cool and can work for me.

Like it could be a case where Oz is Vander in this AU. He raised Ruby and Oscar together but Oscar always had a low-key crush on Ruby that was obvious to everyone but Ruby. Perhaps Oz ends up abandoning Ruby in a similar fashion to Vii when her interference causes him a lot of harm and grief. Devastated by this, Ruby is ultimately found by Salem who takes her under her wing and raises her as another surrogate daughter second to Cinder who was also adopted by Salem. But let’s say, it’s a case where despite practically living for Salem doing everything she ordered her to do---y’know playing the “obedient child”, Cinder was never Salem’s favourite! At least…she was her favourite UNTIL Ruby came into the picture and Salem began treating her more like the daughter she loved and wanted to cherish as opposed to the moulded killing machine and megalomaniac monster she made Cinder into.

Then on the other side, you have Oz finding Oscar again and raising him to become his successor while lying to him about Ruby. Like imagine it’s a case where after he walked away from Ruby, Oz immediately regretted his decision and tried to go back for her but by that time, it was too late. Salem had already taken her.

And after that, Oz never tried to get Ruby back. He always just presumed Ruby was dead---killed by Salem and the first time Oz reunites with Ruby is after she had grown up and had become Salem’s greatest weapon against him.

So Ruby fights for Salem who she ended up loving her like a mother and Oscar ends up fighting for Ozpin because that’s how he raised the boy. And similar to Oz, the first time Oscar reunites with Ruby is on the battlefield after he had been lied to for many years that his best friend and the girl he loved was dead by the very mentor and father figure he trusted and dedicated his life to fight for their cause. Or so the young boy naively believed for far too long.

That’s how I can see this story going for an AU like that. But as always, this is just me spitting ideas as always XV I hope you like it.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2021)

[cotncandyboifics]

The Bidding of the Prince Twins: Chapter 1

AO3 Link

Masterpost

Chapter 2 ~

Pairings: (vague/qpr) Loceit, eventual Analoceit

Word count: 2,977

Story summary: Virgil finds himself being held hostage in an unknown location. His two suspected captors seem to care for him more than any strangers should, especially strangers who kidnapped him. But were they really the ones who kidnapped him? That aside, Virgil also can't shake the feeling that there's something familiar about them. He just can't pin-point what it is. As time passes, the layers of lies the three of them are caught in are gradually peeled away, one by one.

General CW: U!Roman, U!Remus, food, kidnapping, implied Stockholm Syndrome, moderate to severe amnesia, swearing, sexual innuendos, graphic descriptions of gore/violence/scarring, minor character d-aths, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, non-graphic descriptions of needles (will be added to as I write more)

Chapter CW: food mentioned, minor amnesia, kidnapping hostage, swearing, non-graphic description of anxiety attack, non-graphic description of a needle (let me know if i missed anything please!)

Author Notes: <none>

...

Virgil winced, squinting sharply as a blinding white light was trained on his face. A giant light getting forced into someone's face would be jarring under any circumstances, but it was especially so considering he had previously been engulfed in an almost equally jarring darkness. He'd also just awoken from an unexpected stint of disorienting unconsciousness.

He felt a presence behind the light, and the edges of hair tufts caught bits of light from behind the cone of death that was focused on him. The figure was clearly tall, and though Virgil was seated, he could easily tell that if he weren't, this person would probably be a head taller than him at the very least. He tried to twist his wrists in the several zip-ties that had them bound together behind his back, as well as to a rod running up the center of the back of his chair. He clenched his jaw, looking down as the light sent a shock-wave of pain through his eyes.

"Virgil Black." A stern monotone voice came from where he'd seen the shiny bits of hair before. It's familiarity wasn't striking, but it had a relatively calming effect on Virgil's nerves, so his mind didn't feel the need to follow that train of thought.

"That's me, man," He tried, voice coming out slightly hoarse. "Mind explaining why the fuck you've got me tied up in this interrogation basement? Last I checked I'm not involved in any CIA bullshit," He sneered. Suddenly, he heard the sound of someone pushing a chair out and standing sounded somewhere to his right, behind the first figure. Someone else was there too. A step or two sounded as the second entity vaguely came toward Virgil. Great, two assholes to shake off.

"Very funny." A deeper voice came, much snarkier than the first. Virgil felt his spine tingle. This voice was oddly familiar as well, but he was still too out of sorts to try and figure out why.

"I apologize for the unsavory conditions, but it is imperative that our identities be kept classified for the time being. All we need is a minute amount of information, and we will be on our way." The first voice again. A very small clacking sound of plastic came from near the figure's face.

"Imperative to what?" Virgil hissed between clenched teeth, looking back up at the mysterious person. This time, he was able to pick out another feature; the light also caught what appeared to be the rim and lens of a pair of square prescription glasses. That explained the plastic clacking, he guessed. Virgil doubted they could be any other sort of glasses; it's possible that this person was a constantly-wearing-sunglasses type, but based on his brief time interacting with them, Virgil didn't really buy that. As well, some part of his intuition told him they were most certainly prescription, the same part that had noted the familiarity of both voices.

"That will also have to remain classified for now. But enough." The voice grew firm. Virgil tried to keep himself from swallowing audibly. "What are the most recent events that you remember, Virgil?"

He tried to think. "Well it's awful hard to recall anything with that giant light in my face, so can I have a minute to think? On top of that my memory is shit anyway because of my anxiety. Is that cool with you, thing 1 and thing 2?" A scoff came from Thing 2, seemingly off in the corner. Virgil hoped the half-hearted remark would keep them entertained as he tried twisting his ankles. They were tightly and securely duct taped to the legs of his chair, which was slowly cutting off his circulation. He felt his toes starting to grow cold and tingly. That meant he'd only been secured like this for a short amount of time, a couple minutes at most.

"By all means. Take your time." Still the first figure's voice, dripping with sincerity. Virgil detected what seemed to be a hint of remorse in their voice, as if they genuinely felt sorry, or at least uncomfortable with what they were doing. Virgil wondered why the second person was so evasive. He figured he'd try to provoke them into speaking again soon.

But for now, he had to think. What was the last thing he remembered? Before a throbbing headache, before the pitch black, before the sound of heavy rusty doors whining open and closed, and two sets of footsteps approaching him. He hadn't really registered them at the time; he'd been too disoriented, he guessed from some sort of anesthetic.

He tried to think back further. He pulled basic facts from his mind, hoping to jog his memory. He lived in New York, in a one-bedroom apartment with his roommate and best friend Patton. They'd fit two twin beds in their little bedroom. They were both Seniors at NYU. That started things off, at least. He spent a lingering moment recalling the cat they both took care of together. Her name was Natalie, and she was pitch black, each and every hair on her body a rich raven shade.

He knew Patton had planned to have a little get-together with some Psych major friends he had, and encouraged Virgil to bring some of his Techie buddies. They'd gone shopping for snacks last night.

He figured he'd start with that.

"Well, I remember Tuesday night for sure. Me and my roommate went grocery shopping. Getting snacks for a little get-together we were having. Not my idea, of course. I'm not a huge fan of parties, or-"

"We asked for your most recent memories, not your life story," drawled the second voice. Virgil smirked behind his bangs. "Will you get on with it already? Unless Tuesday night is really your most recent memory."

"As much as your- contributions - are appreciated, J, I am conducting this interrogation, and I'd prefer if you'd keep your snide comments to yourself for at least the first session," The first voice came again, hushed and sounding strained. Virgil clung to what little information he got from the comment. The second voice belonged to someone who could be identified as "J" apparently, and this was the first... session? Virgil had to set his mental notes aside for the time being though, since he had evidently not yet produced an adequate response. "My apologies, Virgil. My colleague is... rather, anxious, to... move things along. You may continue."

"No sweat. Sounds like J just needs a bit of a chill pill." Virgil smirked in the general direction he'd heard J's voice coming from. He was met with an almost disturbing silence. As expected. "Anyway. I remember shopping, and heading home, and... eventually sleeping. Ah, I guess I woke up a little late Wednesday morning, because I was rushing around and shit. My roommate looked kinda worried about it, but that's just how he is." Virgil paused for a moment. He wondered if these two mysterious figures knew about Patton and NYU and where he lived and everything, and considering he knew nothing about them or what they wanted from him, he wouldn't have been surprised. Regardless, he figured it would be best to keep things as anonymous as possible for the time being. "...Hmm. Then I think I rushed onto the bus. I think I caught it just before it was leaving. I got to, where I was going, and did what I was meaning to do, and then... I guess I headed home? I remember the thing I had to do, and finishing it, but... after that things get kinda foggy. I dunno." He paused again. A beat of silence. "Then again, I'll probably remember more in a few minutes. Especially if I'm not being literally slowly blinded." He finished, looking up at the figure behind the light with as large eyes as he could manage. The figure cleared their throat.

"Thank you Virgil. As well, there is no need for anonymity. We are fully aware of your roommate Patton, and the Economics lecture you nearly missed on Wednesday. However, your attempt at omission was... if nothing else, entertaining." Virgil scoffed under his breath. Even if his anxiety had predicted this just moments before, he was getting really freaked out now. It's never the same at all, imagining worst case scenarios and actually living them. The initial shock of this whole situation was wearing off, giving way to panic.

"At this time, in return all I can offer you is this. You are aware of the second man in your presence, I'm sure. For now you will know him as J, as you clearly caught on to rather quickly."

"He loves the witty ones," J's voice came this time directly from Virgil's left, and much closer than before. It took all of Virgil's self control not to flinch away. "So you'll entertain him well. He's L, by the way."

L cleared his throat. "Yes, thank you J. I shall be addressed as L. You will likely only see both of us at once. Perhaps on rare occasions we will each come in alone, but J and I are partnered, so that would likely do little more than impair our... performance."

"Partnered? Performance? What am I, a high school science project?" Virgil snickered bitterly. "My wrists are starting to hurt pretty fucking bad. This is pretty sketchy, L. I didn't fucking do anything wrong. Why am I here?" Virgil tried not to let the shrill breathiness overtake his voice too much, but the anxiety rising in his chest was far from merciful. He tried to calm himself internally, but that wasn't exactly working out.

"I can understand your frustrations," L replied, and the glint of his glasses shifted, the small plastic clacking sound coming again with it. Virgil realized it was just L adjusting his glasses, likely out of habit. "But, for your safety, I cannot give you a direct answer to any of those questions yet. Ah, except; no, you are not a high school science project." Virgil could practically taste the smirk on L's face. He wanted to spit at him. He wanted to tear himself out of the fucking zip ties and duct tape. He felt his heart pounding in his chest.

"Listen, I get that you two are having a jolly good time fucking me up, but I'm," Virgil struggled, each word becoming harder to force out of his trembling mouth, "I'm kinda freaking out here." He hated the way his voice cracked then.

Virgil could see the glint of L's glasses shifting again, the tall man turning to look at his sarcastic counterpart. A short nod, and with a small clicking sound, the light was shut off.

Somehow, the room seemed darker than it had before. The change was so disorienting that Virgil couldn't pinpoint just where the sounds of shuffling of feet around him were coming from or going. No screeching metal door sounds came though, so he knew J and L had to be in the room with him still. His breathing was becoming very labored, and it overwhelmed him as the only sound he could hear. God, how he hated anxiety attacks.

"Virgil." J's voice came from directly in front of him - J was likely crouched to be on Virgil's level - and it was uncharacteristically silky smooth. He flinched that time, but was able to keep himself from hissing. He was only sure it was J's because of its specific inflections; there was no way this could be L, and there was certainly no fourth person in the room (he hoped). "I understand you are very disoriented right now, but the last thing we want to do is cause you an anxiety attack. My sincerest apologies for triggering the beginning of one. That aside, I need you to focus on your breathing. Nothing but your breaths and the sound of my voice."

His voice felt like butter melting, gliding across a hot pan and leaving a silky trail. Or maybe like warm honey running down flushed skin. Virgil was captivated, and thank fuck, because if it weren't for Fuck Face #2 over here, he doubted he would have been able to get out of this one so easily. So he focused, focused hard on the labored breaths he was huffing.

"Now, I need you to try to slow down. Just a little bit. Slow down for me. Feel the air filling and retreating in your lungs. Let it stay a little longer. Then, let it leave in a gentle skip instead of a frantic sprint." God, if Virgil wasn't Fucking Freaking Out right now, he'd probably be trying to flirt with Mr. Butter-tongue, considering the shivers going up his spine weren't only thanks to his panic disorder.

Gradually, he managed to slow down. It wasn't a straight path, but eventually he got there. J continued cooing sweet nothings to him as he came down before any sort of climax. He thanked the darkness for hiding his horridly hot face from his captors. He heard a slight creasing of fabric.

"All better?" J's smile was practically visible with the way he almost sweetly sneered those words. His voice came from higher up, so Virgil knew he must've stood once again. He just scoffed in a half-assed cover up.

"Sure, Fuck Face Number two." He tried rocking himself side to side in his chair, but it seemed to be attached to the floor. He groaned.

J tsked a few times. "Is that any way to talk to someone who just kept you from what would surely have been a horridly exhausting anxiety attack? Honestly. You ought to be more grateful, Virgil." Virgil was beginning to passionately hate the way J talked; so sassy and drawly, as if he thought he was some serious hot stuff. Virgil wanted to smack him something awful.

He heard soft receding footsteps, feeling J's presence recoil.

"So how does this work? Is someone gonna have to whip out my dick for me when I have to pee?" Virgil prodded at the void around him.

"Very funny, Virgil. No, you will soon be... enlightened, regarding your temporary living situation, so to speak." L's voice came again, finally, from slightly to the right. It was a lot less variant in tone than J's, and Virgil greatly appreciated the constancy.

He couldn't respond soon enough; he felt something pierce his skin on his left outer thigh. Warm breath teasing at skin behind his left ear was the last thing he remembered. "Go to sleep, V. We'll see you again very soon."

"Night night, J," He whispered, before the lights really went out.

...

Logan sighed, shrugging off his navy pinstriped suit jacket as he shut the door behind him. He held it by the collar in one hand, turning to survey the disheveled mess that the observation room had become over such a short period of time.

Piles and piles of paper were stacked high on the wall-to-wall desk, and stacked higher on the floor. The interrogation light - just an industrial Flashlight with a cone of metal wrapped around it's end to amplify it - had been discarded lazily in one corner. Janus was seated at said desk, slouched over himself on a fold-out metal chair, resting his chin on his palm as he looked out through the false mirror at a peacefully sleeping Virgil.

His hat was resting on a corner of the back of his chair, along with his gold-encrusted swallowtail coat. He looked a bit of a mess. His hair was fraying and splaying everywhere. His eyes looked tired, even if Logan could only see his one blind eye from this angle. The jagged scars that crept up his neck and covered the side of his face seemed paler than usual.

"Are you okay, Janus?" Logan inquired as neutrally as he could manage, sitting beside his friend.

Janus merely side-eyed Logan, in his all-knowing way. "I think you and I both know the answer to that question."

"Look, I know this method is-- well, disconcerting," Logan's words rushed out of his mouth as if they were being chased, "but we do not have another choice right now. We will get this over with soon... we will find a way to get through this." Logan cleared his throat and fidgeted with his tie. Janus considered rolling his eyes and responding snidely, but he knew Logan wasn't taking kindly to these new... circumstances either.

"We will." He settled on an attempt to be reassuring. Janus had always been good at that, or at least he'd been told so. He only wished it worked on himself too, especially now. Logan offered a small smile.

A long silence overtook them. They both simply sat side by side and observed their unconscious hostage. He was sprawled rather inelegantly across a deep grey satin bed, one arm wrapped in a death grip around a plush pillow. His leg stuck out haphazardly over the edge of the bed, and his hair was in worse shape than Janus' - which was saying something, since Janus' hair was notoriously wavy and curly and constantly out of sorts, while Virgil's was just straight. His mouth was slacked open, but he didn't snore. His eyebags were somehow visible under his black eyeshadow.

Logan broke the silence first. This normally would have dismayed Janus, but again, these were... unusual circumstances. "Well, he seems figuratively out cold for the time being. Shall we seek out some sustenance?" Logan shrugged his suit jacket back on. Janus didn't move a muscle.

"I'm not hungry right now. You go ahead, I'll make sure he doesn't wake up and start tearing out his hair or something." Janus' somber tone stole his voice's usual sarcasm. Logan rested a hand on his shoulder with a great softness.

"I'll grab you a little something. Try not to stress yourself out too much." With that, Logan set a water bottle on the desk beside Janus' elbow and left in near silence.

Janus heard a faint receding clicking as Logan walked away down the hall.

[ragsweas]

Thank you @sunnyrosewritesstuff for the tag!!

Fandoms: Primarily Hobbit! I do have old works in MCU, OUAT, HP, Arrowverse which I need to finish someday and read Castlevania, DW and Good Omens.

Two-Shot: They have either turned into three-shot or four-shot lol! The only one is in MCU, called Turning Back Time. Other than that it’s all Multi-chapter or One-Shots.

Most popular multi-chapter: When the Sun Rises, I will... I love this story and I have been able to meet some amazing amazing people through this one piece. Coming close is The future sucked, so we are going to change it and maybe when it is finished it might just take over lol!

Actual worst part of writing: The writing itself! There’s a perfect image, the absolutely fitting dialogue, I can see the scenario, smell it, taste it, do everything. But when it comes to putting it down on paper/doc? wHat ArE wOrDs kjdjkdhkewfhk

How you choose your titles: It’s the theme. Whatever the main theme of the story is, it goes in the title. Like, When The Sun Rises and The Sun Sets is essentially about the two idiots declaring their undying love for each other, every moment of the day.

Do you outline: Oh God yes! I always have two docs- one where the whole writing thing is going on and the other where every detail can be found. Sometimes they are in bullet points, other times as random scribbling. Most of the times the outline doc ends up with alternate scenes, some details, some dialogues, and the notes of the upcoming chapter. Because almost all the world are multi-chap, this is what follows. One-shots are usually just me sitting down with a feeling and word-vomiting.

I also have a notebook that is kept aside just for fanfic, with new ideas, outlines for stories that haven’t been published and just some random stuff.

Ideas you probably won’t get to but wouldn’t it be nice: Ummmmmmm, okay here they are:

Dragon! Bilbo AU where Bilbo, Bard and Smaug have a History (Not telling just in case I ever get around to writing this lol)

Modern Day Reincarnation AU with Fiki, Bagginshield and just general Angst

Another Modern Day Reincarnation AU where it’s all fluff and Bilbo has a coffee shop

A series of One-shots of ‘what if the other Durin survived’ with storylines for Thorin, Fili and Kili planned out and a continuation where they meet in the afterlife which is essentially a redoing of Quest of Erebor and it is about all of these three forgiving themselves (it’s super angsty for Thorin and Kili, but for Fili he actually ends up in Shire cause Bilbo dies in his universe and like, he raises Frodo and then joins the Fellowship...I think about this a LOT!)

Fili, Kili, Thorin and Bilbo waking up in an AU where Erebor never fell and some Hobbits settled down on the foothills of Erebor.

Callouts @ yourself: I actually did end up planning the next few chapter of The Sun Sets!!! Which ended up being extremely hard but yaay I did it! I also made sort of goals?? where I roughly plan how many chapter I want each chapter to be and how long it can take to write and publish them so yaaay!

Best writing traits: Dunno...probably my ability to actually plot out multi-chaps and make ELABORATE backstories for many characters? I do that a lot and I love doing that.

(If all goes well I might just write a story which is a lot of backstory of Erebor with Bilbo and get it across!)

So Tagging: @lordoftherazzles, @frostedej @frostyfanfics @magravenwrites @inkconito @azimuthal-main and whoever else wants to go!

[my-one-true-l]

Um, I dunno if you've done this before, but if not, I'd like to put in a small request. How do you think the Whammy boys (+Light, although if you don't want to, feel free to leave him out haha) would do if they found out their kid had homicidal tendencies? Perhaps even if they were hospitalized for said tendencies? I really enjoy your HCs, so I was curious as to your interpretation of this scenario. (Obvi, if you dont want to, feel free to ignore this haha)

Hello Dear Anon!😊🖤 Interesting ask!! I tried my best (TBH, This was hard! lol). Also, thank you for your kind words! I’m so sorry this took me so long to get to!

L

Worries that growing up being exposed to the cases L works on played a part in this.

Wonders about others in his biological family and if anyone else had similar tendencies. Sometimes it’s suggested that this could be genetic, but L doesn’t know his genetics. (Not that it would help, but may give him insight into what his child is up against.)

Gets them anything the need. There is no cost to large. He wants them to have every opportunity to live a healthy life without being plagued by these tendencies. He will do anything to help his child.

Mello

Blames himself. This is his fault somehow. He never wanted to kill anyone, but he was certainly willing to take lives if it helped him accomplish his goals. He worries that this trait was inherited or maybe Mello’s personality just rubbed off on them.

Worries that they remember the violent lifestyle of their early childhood. Mello stopped his old ways, but thinks the child might have been affected by this.

If they were hospitalized for their tendencies, he is an active participant in their recovery. He never fails to be there for them and won’t stop trying to help them until they are well and home again.

Near

Doesn’t know exactly what to do, though he’s sure there’s a solution if he just keeps looking for one.

Researches the best ways to approach the situation and makes a plan based on what has had the best results.

Wonders if he was too detached as a father and that it led to this.

Matt

Has never been one to see a lot of potential in humanity and worries that his attitude towards people could be a factor.

Doesn’t Know how to help them, but whatever they need, he’s in 100%. He’s always got their back and knows that they will be ok.

Beyond

Doesn’t think their tendencies are that big of a deal. It doesn’t mean they will turn into a killer. He doesn’t think they need to be hospitalized.

If they did turn into a killer though, he has a lot he can teach them.

He finally has someone to share all his stories with from the LABB case. ( I HC B loves to talk about himself and tell stories, hence all the things he told Mello in Another Note.)

Light

Light doesn’t know how to feel about this. Certainly he does anything that will help his child, but this entire situation has set the God of the New World thinking. “Is my child no different than those I exact justice on? Surely I could not have produced such a person.”

The plan was for them to take over as Kira one day. Now He second guesses whether giving them that power is a good idea.

[alovevigilante]

....on trying to think of ways to create the process of getting laundry done without actually having to physically do it, and also feeling good... and writing about how to achieve feeling good, thereby creating and experiencing a great life. (Side note: Dave Chappelle yells out the word “bitches” a lot. Maybe not in this instance, but he has in the past. So I’d like you to read this gif as if Dave Chappelle was saying it. And that loving and fun “Dave Chappelle” energy is my intention though out this piece below. Clarity, is everything. 😉 Thank you, the management)

I really want to wear this certain shirt today, but it’s either buried or isn’t, in amongst 3 loads of clean laundry that I proceeded to fold, not put away, and unfold after rifling through it looking for other clothes to wear on other days. It now needs to be refolded, and put away in its proper places. Sometimes when I put laundry away, I shove it into the drawer over other clothes I have also rifled through at other times in my haste, leaving the drawer hard to navigate, cause it now consists of folded clothes shoved on top of other clothes, over unfolded, craziness. I can’t even open the drawers, they’re so chalk full of disorganized chaos. But I haven’t even gotten that far yet. I’m still at the point, where I’m laying on the bed, thinking about the shirt I was hoping to wear today, that I’m also hoping would somehow magically float into my hands from somewhere, but I dunno from where yet, because too much effort. All of me, is upended.

When you don’t keep up with your organization, it becomes harder to find your way, or, in this case, your shirt. So, what do you do, when you are wanting something that you don’t have yet, but you know it’s going to take some effort to get it? Yes. Good question. Now, let’s go back. Did my thoughts make it harder, or easier to believe that I can find my shirt in a timely manner? Ok... 3 loads of mish mosh laundry, not even sure if it’s in there... more implied mess... overstuffed, unorganized drawers, always a pleasure to recall... you feel that? Some would call it, resistance. And it is. I like to call it something way more “nail on the head”. I call it, “I don’t want to frickin do it so I think about how hard and annoying it’s gonna be to achieve it and no, don’t want to, so there, I’ll lay on my bed” syndrome. Let’s choose to call it “resistance” for short.

What some call, “the path of least resistance” is the way to more easily navigate through life, and is only accessible, truly, with your thoughts, and belief that it will be easier for you to choose, easier. So let’s do that. Ok, using my 10 days of endless laundry sitting in baskets in my room as an example, how can I get what I want, and take the “thoughts of least resistance” instead of the action. Cause let’s face it, the thoughts I was thinking, are only going to keep me not only from achieving anything, but it will also keep me stuck to this bed.

So, let’s start with how I feel about this shirt I want to find. Let’s entertain the feeling of that for a bit. This shirt, is fantastic! Why you don’t ask? I’ll tell you! It’s soft, and flowy. It’s really comfortable, and the best part is, I can get away with not wearing a bra in it! Or not, I guess it depends on the beholder. But, it’s a great choice on a Sunday morning where all I have is one errand, so i think I’ll wear it. Great! Good news. We have completed a few sentences of thought, thinking about the good feelings of the shirt. It even has a cool saying on the front, as most of my tees tend to sport. Yes. I like it. Ok. Don’t think sports cause you don’t know about sports... ok. Well, I backslid a bit. Sports, sometimes make me feel, not included with about the 82% of the world population that loves them. Crap.... ok, that’s ok. I’m aware of that. I made a conscious choice, to choose a next better thought (energy) to experience from the last one. Here it is, ready? Who gives a rip! Great! Well, wait a minute... I clearly do, if I mentioned it. Ok, oh no. I’ve gone from one thought (energy) to another about how I’m feeling inadequate. Rats! Ok, rats remind me of the Pixar movie, ratatouille. Cute. I like that. I like both Pixar, and that movie. Ok, getting better. Now, I have one of 2 ways I can go with this. I can bemoan the fact that I too, am a story teller (in my case, most of the time, a story yeller) and I’m out of work and I have no connections to cool people who write stories cause I don’t have a background in animation, OR, I can think about how the rat cooks awesome food for a human who’s trying to better himself, and put trust, in a rat. Crap! That’s not a great thought to have. It’s also, not a real scenario. Let’s choose better.

Let’s try, SHIFTING energies completely. Sometimes when you’re trying to think about what you don’t desire, it doesn’t help you. Because you can’t switch topics and expect a different result. You can, however, switch energies. How to we do that? Ok. Also a great question. Now we’re really getting somewhere, because that question, had the energy of wanting better for ourselves, and that feels better. Yes! Ok! We’re on a roll now! Yes, rolling on in... with the good energy! Evita, is my all time favorite musical. They have a song, called, “rolling on in” or not, cause I’m not good at knowing lyrics, or names of songs. Eh. I used to sing professionally, and now, I’m trying to find myself another completely different career. One that I’d appreciate more, and feel like I belonged in. Well, these thoughts, are ass, and just make me want to continue laying on the bed, cause although I love the people who love them and perform in them, I’m not generally a big fan, of the genre of musical theater. There. Now I feel worse, by that admission, and worse, then when I started discussing my shirt in my clean laundry pile.

My point, however long winded, is this: it’s never about the laundry. It’s about your resistant feelings. So, thinking your way out of things, won’t work unless you can hold a different, slightly better feeling for a certain amount of time. Let’s say, a few seconds. Again, how to we shift the energy deliberately, and stay with it long enough to create a new, slightly better energy we can maintain? Ok, let’s try this: think about the word, BLANK for 15 seconds. Go! I’ll time you...

Did you think about the word blank, and only the word blank? If you thought about other things, don’t worry. Try it again. I’ll wait. Think about the word “blank” without entertaining any other thoughts during that time. Ok? Go! Again, I’ll time it.

Did you think about how I was going to time it and tell you when to stop? Or did you think of the word blank for 15 seconds and time yourself? Either way is cool. One way, is “this Kari broad, is a serious nut ball”, and can make you laugh. Another way, you thought about blankness, for 15 seconds. Either way, you interrupted the momentum of your last energy, and created some new stuff to play with. That’s fun! Play! Yeah! How can I insert that into my daily life in this moment? I know! Just for now, I can stay in my pjs and not get dressed yet. Then, when I feel inspired to, like I’m kinda feeling now, I’ll turn on some tunes, and reorganize my mind a bit around the fact that it will feel so much better to have the laundry cleaned up once and for all til more eventually comes but I won’t think about that last part, shit!

Ok, no problem. Music is still fun. I like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and Nazareth, and a whole bunch of other bands. Let’s just choose enjoy the music, and get this shit done cause my future me will be elated with the cleaned up situation. Yes, I will do that, for the future me. I will choose, better thoughts and actions for the future me. Cool.

And that’s how you take, happiness, into your own very deliberate hands. By choosing to feel better, and feeling, and choosing and subsequently doing whatever it takes, to get yourself there, minute by minute, day by day. The fact is, unless you’re a laundry fanatic, it’s not exactly what most of us want to spend our time doing. But we can deliberately choose to think our way into making the best out of any situation.

Dream on (Aerosmith), or ramble on (Led Zeppelin)? Does love hurt (Nazareth)? Or can it heal your feelings, by choosing it? Only you can decide for yourself. Recognizing and making a deliberate choice and effort to reorganize your thoughts before they get out of hand, like my laundry is, helps. 😉⚡️💕

P.S. I found my shirt! And yeah, it’s a lil wrinkled, but it’s Sunday! And I’m all about the message, and not so much the outside appearance... well... maybe a lil bit of both. And yes, I’m still in bed, cause it gives me more pleasure writing about my laundry, then actually doing it. 🙈🤷‍♀️😉💕☺️

[starshineandbooks]

Is it bad if I pretend?

This is the firs in the laoft (by @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors ) self insert series I have, written with permission.

Warnings: Car crash mention, angst, mutual pining, deals with the fae, General stupidity

Summary: A supernatural boyfriend squad, a faerie blessed human, Unrequited love that is requited but They're idiots, and the start of either a tragedy or a love story. We're not sure yet, but it should be fun to watch.

Also known as a shameless laoft self insert where in I change my name, gender, and style but very few other things.

Ao3

Bailey would like to point out that they were not at fault for the day’s relizations, and if Virgil hadn’t smiled at them like that, nothing would be wrong. They were used to pining uselessly after Roman, Logan, and Patton, they had been since seven, even after they moved away, but now they’re back. Now there’s Virgil dating the boys their hopeless on, and a new boy to pine over. Perfect.

 

    “So?” Angie says, looking up from painting Elliot’s nails, “I still think you should just tell them.”

 

    “But I can’t!” Bailey protests, and they can’t, not now!

 

    “Well, you’re capable,” Elliot says, “And they would never be mad at you.”

 

    “Have you met me? I’ve tried tellin’ them!” Bailey says, and the way their voice strangles is just a little pitiful. “ ‘sdies, last time I tried tellin’ them I ended up talking about how they’re Sickeningly adorable and if they don’t stop making cow eyes I was gonna puke.”

 

    Elliot winces, their own face turning more sympathetic.

 

    Angie just scoffs “Oh my god, Bailey, either tell them, or shut up about it!”

 

    The look they level her with is aggressively teasing, not unfriendly but a little mean, as one is to their friends, “You whine about Jessamine.”

 

    “Jess isn’t someone I’ve pined after for years, Jess is my crush I met online.”

 

    “Meh meh meh meh,” Bailey scoffs, making their hand move as is it were talking,  mocking Angie.

 

    “Mature,” 

 

    Elliot giggles, “Bailey!”

 

    “Yeah yeah, I know, I’m immature.”

 

    “Yeah, you are.” Angie sighs, “You got two choices here toots, either tell them and worst case scenario it’s a little awkward for a while, or you could sit here and suffer.”

 

    “I like the second one,” Bailey says quickly, “Then only I’m awkward.”

 

    Elliot sighs, shaking their head, “Oh, c’mon Bailey.”

 

    “I’ll think about it.”

 

    “I’ll sick Thomas on you.”

 

    “I said I’d think about it!” Bailey snorts, “Lemme think?”

 

    “Fine, fine.”

 

    And they go back to what they were doing before, Elliot settled on Angie’s bed, Bailey sprawled on their back on the floor, Angie painting Elliot’s nails black. Music playing from Bailey’s phone, softly, Elliot humming along gently.

 

    Thomas would be over in an hour, then two hours after that the whole group, a big slumber party before spring break ended, and Angie’s house was the spot this time, her parents deciding to take a shift with the teens. 

 

    “Did I tell you about the new stone I found?” Bailey asks suddenly.

 

    “No, what is it?” Elliot asks, as they know is polite, but also out of interest.

 

    “Dunno, it’s cool though, I’ll show you later.”

 

    Angie blows on Elliot’s nails, wondering how on earth she can be friends with Bailey sometimes.

 

    The door opens to one of Angie’s mothers, “Hey guys, everyone okay? Any one want any snacks?”

 

    “No, thank you Maria,” BAiley smiles.

 

    “Of course,” Maria nods then, “Honey are you sure the floor is comfortable?”

 

    “Yeah, of course.”

 

    “Okay if you say so baby,” Maria sighs, slipping away and shutting the door again.

 

    “Twenty bucks Bailey ends up asleep on one of their boyfriends.” Angie says suddenly, looking gleeful.”

 

    “Twenty bucks and a coke I don’t.”

 

    The duo share a look then turn to Elliot waiting expectantly.

 

    “Virgil’s love and affection?”

 

    “No, you can’t gamble that,” Bailey scoffs.

 

    “You be the judge then,” Angie says simply.

 

    “Yeah!”

 

    -------

 

    By the time The Disaster ™ takes place, BAiley has sprawled herself across the living room floor, head in Kai’s lap while he pretends he either doesn't notice, or doesn't care, having already given a token protest.

 

    Virgil looks down at her, smiling, “Do you just attach yourself to someone at all times?”

 

    “No.”

 

    “Yes,” Kai scoffs, “Go bother the boyfriends.”

 

    And thus ends Kai’s quiet endurance of Bailey’s shenanigans, but that’s okay. She rolls her eyes, rolling off Kai, her head knocking Virgil’s foot, and he chuckles slowly, smile widening slightly.

 

    And oh, oh no. She is not doing this. She is not in love with him too. 

 

    She’s in love with Virgil too.

 

    Oh god no.

 

    “You okay?” He asks, and his voice is always low, but this time it’s extra rumbly and she nearly squeaks.

 

    “Bailey?” Elliot asks, poking her.

 

    “Uh- yeah?” She blinks, looking to Elliot.

 

    “Virgil has said your name three times now,” Logan says, leaning closer, reaching a hand out, “May I check your temperature?”

 

    “Uh-”

 

    Angie puts the back of her hand to Bailey’s forehead quickly, “I got them Lo, they’re fine.”

 

    “She,” BAiley says softly, “Right now.”

 

    “She’s fine.” Angie says.

 

    Virgil just stares at them, and his gaze is always a little heavy, or maybe that’s just her who thinks so. But he watches her, and she feels distinctly uncomfortable, she wishes she was a better actor, but her face has always worked against her unless she had actively rehearsed something to muscle memory.

 

    “And you are sure you are well?” Logan asks.

 

    Bailey nods, making her face turn into a teasing look, she’s practiced that one enough it should fool the others. Though Angie, Elliot, and Virgil don’t seem convinced, even when she speaks in an even voice, “Yeah, of course, you worried about me Lo?”

 

    “Of course I am,” Logan says, “You are my friend.”

 

    Bailey can’t help the way she reacts, actually jerking back, her face as if she’s been slapped. And the residing silence thickens, she nearly laughs, because it’s funny. Usually she has slightly better control, but here she is, unsteady, newly in realization, and just their friend.

 

    “Oh, Bailey,” Elliot says softly.

 

    She does laugh at that, strangled and high, the others stare at her as if she’s either a flighty pet, or has grown a second head.

 

    “Honey,” Patton starts, reaching out to touch her shoulder and when he does she tenses, “I think you need to tell us what’s going on.”

 

    “I-”

 

    “Bailey,” Roman says, “C’mon, no one here’s going to judge you.”

 

    “Roman is right,” Logan says.

 

    “He is,” Virgil nods.

 

    “Nothing, I’m just- I’ve not been taking my medication, and you know I hear everything said, Angie’s parrot has a very bad temper.”

 

    “Just because you can lie,” Virgil says, “Does not mean you should.”

 

    “I’d rather not talk about it then,” Bailey says.

 

    “Honey,” Patton says, squeezing her shoulder gently, “I really think-”

 

    “Patton please,” Bailey says sharper than she meant, “I’ll talk this out, but this is a Claire thing, not a y’all thing.”

 

    It’s Patton’s turn to flinch back, and Bailey nearly reaches out to apologize, but the way he looks, she almost wants to kiss the misery from his face and then life, and she can not be trusted.

 

    “Okay, sweetheart.”

 

    “Well, is anyone else hungry?” Kai asks, “I could go for some food.”

 

    The others begin to agree, and Bailey excuses herself to the restroom, she settles on the floor, back against the door and lights off, she sighs, starting a breathing exercise.

 

    She rejoins the group twenty minutes later, just as dinner is being served, and no one points out her long absence, though ANgie does take her hand under the table gently.

 

    Virgil continues to watch her, though she ignores him as best she can, without being outright rude. 

 

    Bailey happily salts her fries, she has always been a little salt crazy, she jokes it’s to make up for Logan’s inability to eat it.

    “So Bailey,” Emile prods, “You said you had a story about the bruised knuckles and cheek from last week?”

 

    Bailey snorts, “He was hitting on Ally.”

 

    “No.”

 

    “Yes, so I told him back off, he didn’t. Then he did.”

 

    “And you didn’t tell me?!” Remy gasps, “Bailey I’m disappointed!”

 

    She rolls her eyes.

[psychosistr]

The Stars of the Stage- Chapter 2

Summary: Jonathan runs into a familiar face while getting breakfast at his local coffee shop- lucky for him, that familiar face is quite handsome.

Notes: Who doesn't love a good old fashioned cute "accidentally met up at the coffee shop scenario"? x3

-First Chapter-

Needless to say, Speedwagon got the part of Sir Haste Dray without any other actors really being considered. Soon enough, the rest of the cast list was set, full scripts were sent out to the chosen actors, and rehearsals were scheduled to begin.

Jonathan was excited to see how well the show would come together. However, first, he had to finish up a few last-minute touch-ups for the script. The lines would still be essentially the same, he was just revising the movements for the climactic final fight to make it more dramatic while still being believable.

To help with his concentration, he went to work at the same place he always did when the weather was nice- his favorite coffee shop situated along the river near his apartment complex, The Ripple. He was seated outside at a table under the awning with his laptop open on the table in front of him and a large covered coffee cup with a plate of pastries off to the side. In the middle of deleting a line he’d just typed and had found less than satisfactory, however, he heard a voice calling his name.

“Mr.Joestar?” A figure accompanied the voice approaching him and he looked up to see a familiar looking blonde man dressed in a white tank top and a dark hat. “Ah, thought that was you. ‘ow’s it goin’, Mr.Joestar?” The man greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Oh! Mr.Speedwagon!” Jonathan smiled at him, taking off his glasses and setting them down on the keyboard to see the other man more clearly. “What a pleasant surprise.” He gestured to the seat across from himself at the table. “Stopping in for a drink? If you would like, you’re more than welcome to join me.”

“Mighty kind o’ y’.” Speedwagon grinned and headed for the entrance to the café. “Lemme just go grab a cup an’ I’ll be right back.” He was quick to return with a much smaller cup than Jonathan’s own and a simple croissant rather than Jonathan’s platter of pastries. “So, do y’ come ‘ere often?”

“Actually, yes.” Jonathan chuckled, pointing to his apartment complex down the street. “I actually live right over there. I usually end up here nearly every day of the week, depending on how busy I am.”

“Ha! Y’ gotta be kiddin’ me!” The other man chuckled and pointed at an apartment complex on the opposite side of the river facing the one that Jonathan had pointed at. “I live over in that one, on the fourth floor. Just moved in a few weeks back an’ I’m learnin’ me way ‘round the neighborhood.”

“Really?” Jonathan looked at where he’d pointed then back to his own, noting how the fourth floor lined up with the floor he lived on almost evenly. “Why, it would appear that we are neighbors then.” He chuckled a bit- life sure did work in mysterious ways. “In all likelihood, we’ll certainly be seeing quite a bit of each other.”

Speedwagon took a sip of his drink with a pleased hum. “Well, I sure wouln’ mind that one bit.” He set the cup down and broke off a piece of his croissant. “Say, while I got y’ ‘ere, there’s somethin’ I’d been meanin’ t’ ask y’.”

Jonathan watched the blonde curiously while eating one of his own confections. “Oh?” He swallowed and gestured for Speedwagon to continue. “What would that be, Mr.Speedwagon?”

The blonde man winced slightly at the title. “Ugh, please don’ call me that..makes me feel old. Just Speedwagon’s fine, or even Robert- but don’ go callin’ me Bob or anythin’ like that or I may have t’ deck y’.”

Jonathan chuckled a bit and nodded in agreement. “In that case, please refrain from calling me ‘Mr.Joestar’- just Jonathan is fine, or even Jojo, as that is how most of my friends and colleagues refer to me.”

“Alrigh’ then, Jojo.” Speedwagon’s smile returned, apparently pleased with the increased familiarity between the two of them now. “I read through the script that y’ sent me, an’ I was wonderin’ if I could ask y’ somethin’ ‘bout me character.”

Jonathan nodded as he listened, wondering if perhaps he’d made something unclear about Sir Haste Dray that he would need to explain in more detail. “About Sir Dray? Of course, what would you like to know?”

“Well..it might jus’ be me readin’ too much of meself int’ the character..but..” He paused, tapping his finger against the coffee cup as if considering his wording carefully. “I know the romantic focus for Lord Samuel Sunstone ‘s Lady Bella Penrith..but..does Sir Dray, y’know, ‘ave feelin’s for Lord Sunstone, too?”

Jonathan’s eyes widened slightly. “What..?” Had he really…?

Speedwagon looked back up at him with a thoughtful expression. “Don’ get me wrong, I love the relationship with Samuel an’ Bella, i’s really sweet an’ a long time comin’..but..I dunno, when I read Dray’s lines, the way ‘e talks about lovin’ Samuel’s good nature an’ ‘ow ‘e completely devotes ‘imself to the guy..it just makes me think ‘e might ‘ave a thing for ‘im, y’know?” He frowned at Jonathan’s wide-eyed stare. “I mean, if I’m wrong, y’ can tell me, I was just wonderin’-”

He was startled when Jonathan suddenly reached across the table with both hands and grabbed Speedwagon’s shoulders with an excited smile on his face and stars in his eyes. “You actually picked up on that?! Oh, I cannot believe it! I did not know if that would still come through, but I am delighted you were able to see it!!”

Speedwagon blinked in confusion. “Wait..so..I got it right..?”

“You did!” Jonathan suddenly realized that he had grabbed the smaller man and released him, settling back down in his seat with a slight flush to his cheeks. “My apologies, I became too excited again..I just..I am so happy you were able to notice the truth about Sir Dray’s feelings!” He was still smiling, he couldn’t help it with how excited he was. “I wanted to write their relationship into the story as well, but William said it would confuse the audience since most don’t associate such things with the time period. I tried to tell him that there was an entire subculture and code-system practiced by homosexuals during the Victorian era, but he said it would feel like too much for the audience to believe. So, I was forced to remove a few scenes with Samuel and Dray having the discussion about Dray’s sexual identity and the implications of such a thing between himself and Samuel, but I did not want to change any of the other scenes with them, so I left the dialogue unchanged. I cannot tell you how happy I am to know that their connection was still able to shine through enough for someone to recognize it!”

Speedwagon smiled too, beaming with pride. “I’m jus’ glad I wasn’ misjudgin’ the guy. People tell me all the time I’m tryin’ t’ projec’ me own ‘preferences’ ont’ characters. Good t’ know I was right on this one.”

Jonathan paused for a moment hearing those words, trying not to blush as a rogue idea crossed his mind. “So then..you are..?”

Speedwagon winked at him with a chuckle. “Yep. Gay as a maypole, mate.”

“O-Oh..I see..” Jonathan glanced away, his cheeks feeling warm. Really, now, how ridiculous was that? He barely knew the man and after one short conversation he felt like a school boy with a crush? Honestly, why was he like this? “Well, in any case, I am truly glad you identified so well with Sir Dray. Honestly, I was overjoyed that William allowed me to caste you for the part- you were a perfect fit.”

“Glad y’ thought so, ‘e caught my attention from the moment I read ‘is description.” He took a sip of his coffee and finished up his croissant. “By the way..mind if I ask y’ one more question ‘bout Dray an’ Samuel?”

“You may ask as many questions as you please- I am always excited to talk about my work.” Jonathan replied honestly, more than happy to discuss such things with someone insightful enough to understand his writing so well.

“Hmh, good t’ know.” Speedwagon smiled and set down his coffee cup before asking his question. “I jus’ wanted t’ know..are Dray’s feelin’s for Samuel one-sided, or does Samuel return some of it? Like I said, I’m fine with Samuel an’ Bella’s romance, but thinkin’ that ‘e doesn’ know ‘bout Dray’s feelin’s or jus’ allows the guy t’ follow ‘im ‘round knowin’ ‘e loves ‘im is kinda sad, y’know?”

“Ah..that is a good question.” Jonathan’s smile softened into something more understanding. “To answer it simply- no, Dray’s feelings are not one-sided. Samuel is quite aware of how his dearest friend feels, and, in one of the scenes I unfortunately had to cut, he discusses with his mentor that he has feelings for both his best friend and his long-time crush. He goes on to say that, in a perfect world, he would be allowed to marry both of them and live a long, happy life with the two who have supported him and showed him such love and kindness right when he needed it the most. His teacher acknowledges that his feelings are pure and that he deserves such a life, but advises him on how, even without the influence of the same dark forces the antagonist controls, that peoples’ hearts are fickle and easily led astray by misconceptions and tells him not to be too public with his affections, for both his own and Dray’s safety. I even wrote a scene towards the end where, after Samuel’s wedding to Bella, when they step into their horse-drawn carriage to be carted off for their honeymoon, Dray was the one waiting to open the door for them instead of a random servant. Dray and Samuel would have shared a loving smile at one another before Dray and Bella winked at each other knowingly and each kissed one of Samuel’s cheeks before all three went off into the carriage together to start their new life.”

Speedwagon listened to his words intently, looking positively riveted by the story. “That sounds beautiful, Jojo! Do y’ still ‘ave a copy with those scenes? I’d love t’ read ‘em some time.”

“Certainly.” He replied with a grin. “Would you like me to bring them to the set during the first rehearsal?”

“Hm..I’d rather not wait that long..” Speedwagon reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. He then proceeded to write something on his coffee cup as he talked. “Tell y’ what, seein’ as we live so close t’ each other, ‘ow ‘bout we just meet up ‘ere again sometime?” He brought the cup to his lips and chugged the last of his drink before setting the cup down near Jonathan’s hand. “I gotta get goin’, else I’ll miss work, but I usually keep me phone on me.” He gave Jonathan a wink as he stood up and grabbed the rest of his trash before walking away. “Be seein’ y’, Jojo.”

Jonathan’s face heated up again from the wink. “F-Farewell for now, Speedwagon.” He managed a wave and a smile, feeling really shy and screaming at himself internally because DID HE REALLY JUST STUTTER LIKE THAT?!!

Once Speedwagon was out of sight, Jonathan looked back down at the coffee cup and grabbed it. He turned it around until he saw that Speedwagon had written his phone number along the side of it along with a message:

“You’re really cute and I like listening to you talk. Looking forward to doing it again sometime- maybe here, or maybe somewhere else? ;) <3 –Speedwagon”

The heat that had previously been burning at his cheeks blossomed into a full-fledged blush that encompassed both of his cheeks and his ears, leaving his face very red.

So, he wasn’t the only one feeling something? That was good to know…

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: That's all I have for now, but will post more when I eventually get the chance x3

Also, for anyone curious about the names of the characters from the play, they're all synonyms or close-enough names to the characters from the regular universe because I am half-lazy and half-bad taste in humor x3

[experimentalmadness]

A Bad Bet

Heyo, back with more Harvey/Jacky one-shots. Y’all have been so nice in sharing and liking these little stories. Thank you! :D If you’re looking for more content with this bonkers OC you can check out her tag here. 

---

“What is it that you want to do, Jacky?”

She was busy cleaning off the espresso machine before getting started on wiping down the counter. Most of the lights were off except for the ones in the front. She could hear rain coming down from outside, one of those sudden summer downpours. The AC was on high in the bakery and it was a rare Gotham night that actually made her happy to live in this city.

“Break into this whiskey after I count out the till?” she smiled to herself, casting a glance at the one lone customer left in the shop.

Harvey Dent sat at a corner table, surrounded by papers, books, and a laptop. He’d been held up in that position since he’d come in from his office three hours ago. “That’s not what I meant,” he clarified, wagging a pen in her direction.

“You’re using me to procrastinate, Harv,” Jacky countered, ducking down to get at the cabinets below the register.

“C’mon, humor me.”

She grinned at the sound of his voice, even though she couldn’t see him. “I dunno,” she said as she cleaned. “Keeping this place together is about all I can handle.”

“You told me this was always your sister’s dream, and Miri’s clearly better at it.”

“Excuse me?” Jacky popped her head back up, glaring at the smug man across the way. “Who exactly has been making you coffee for the last few hours?”

Oh, the crimes she was capable of committing to get a smile out of that man. He’d been so stressed recently with the DA elections, the move to get Maroni behind bars, the only time she saw him now was when he was using her shop as a work space after hours. And then only because Gilda was already drowning in his paperwork that he left around their apartment, and he knew full well Jacky would ply him with better coffee than whatever he was getting in his office.

“Okay, alright, I’ve thought about going back to school sometimes. Not sure for what, but...nah it’s stupid.” Jacky shook her head waving off Harvey’s renewed enthusiasm at her answer. “When would I have time to do that, anyway?”

It took most of her extra funds just to keep the place running, not to mention Miri’s medical expenses. Something told her Falcone wouldn’t be too keen on funding his hitwoman’s college funds. Even the idea seemed absurd.

“I don’t think it’s stupid at all,” Harvey’s voice cut through the despairing thoughts rattling around in Jacky’s head. “Take some courses at Gotham U at night if you have to.”

Sure, only doing prime working hours. Jacky rolled her eyes, grateful she had the distance of the counter as Harvey came over. He had that conspiratorial look in his eyes.

“No way,” she said, poking him in the chest “And stop procrastinating so I can close up.”

Harvey pulled out the silver dollar he kept in his pocket. She knew instantly what he was going to do. That little coin flip routine of his was so incredibly cheesy. And charming. He leaned over the counter. “Make a little bet with me, Jacky.”

“Seriously, Harvey, I’m happy with the way things are,” she lied through her teeth as those blue eyes trapped her in place.

“Heads you’ll at least put in an application. Tails, you win and you can stay working in your sister’s place and I’ll never bring this up again. Ready?”

“You’re not getting any more free drinks from me, Harv,” Jacky teased, watching him toss the coin up in the air.

Harvey didn’t even watch the coin, opting instead to give Jacky a wink as he caught it one-handed. He kept his hand closed tightly around the coin as another devious smile stole across his face. “What do you want it to be, Jacky?”

The bell over the door to the shop chimed and Jacky’s good mood vanished as Carmine Falcone flanked by two of his men stepped into the shop. She dropped the rag and immediately straightened up, leaning away from the counter where she had been inches from conspiring with the new would-be DA. “Mr. Falcone, I was just about to close up for the night.”

Taking his cues from Jacky, Harvey also stepped aside. She watched an unnerving illusion steal across Harvey’s face, wiping away any visible markers of her friend. Those bright blue eyes went ice cold. The smile vanished into a thin, hard line. He pocketed the coin, but his hands were still balled into fists.

Falcone did not seem phased in the least. He assessed the other customer in the shop with a cursory glance and a civil nod before reverting his attention back to Jacky. “You’re closed now. Tell your last customer to get out.”

“Of course. Mr. Dent, I apologize for the inconvenience, but if you would—?”  

“Like hell,” Harvey snarled.

Oh no, not here, not now. Tension gave Jacky a spine of iron as she stepped around the counter. “Let me just help you gather your things.” Her voice was impossibly even, calm, and devoid of all emotion.

Harvey looked as if he was about to haul off and clock Falcone across the face. Jacky saw every outcome in between those seconds of her moving towards the table. The two men with Falcone would pull out their concealed revolvers and shoot Harvey, multiple times, even though they were good enough to kill him with one bullet. Then she’d be told to clean up the blood, and at this distance she’d be coated in it herself. Or, Harvey would swing, and they’d only kneecap him and she’d watch as he’d be dragged into the car that was no doubt out front. Then she’d be getting in. They’d go to a warehouse on the docks, somewhere secure where Falcone would tell Jacky to kill him. To make an example of him. Jacky could not make her mind imagine the look on Harvey’s face.

Mechanically she swept up the papers, closed the laptop, took the books and shoved as much as she could into his briefcase, all the while watching as Falcone and Harvey stared one another down. “Mr. Dent, if you would?” her teeth were going to break if she had to keep talking to him like this. “I’d hate to damage something valuable,” she held out the case.

A small line of tension released as Harvey took a step towards her, breaking contact with Falcone. He took the briefcase, grabbing her wrist at the same time. “Please,” Jacky whispered as quietly as she could, keeping her face neutral, impassive. She did not know this man, he was just a customer, and if Falcone so much as saw her twitch in recognition they’d both be dead tonight. “Go.”

Harvey’s grip tightened on her arm, his head gave a small shake. “Jacky…”

“Thank you so much for coming,” she pulled out of his grasp and opened the door for him. Every second he hesitated she saw new ways he’d die tonight. He hadn’t even been elected DA yet and every crime family in Gotham knew Harvey Dent. Falcone had been ranting about him for weeks. Even if they both did everything right tonight Falcone could still decide the timing was too perfect. He was alone. And Jacky was right there, and she had her gun under the counter. All Falcone had to do was give the word.

But Harvey was going to walk out of here tonight and she was going to see him alive tomorrow if it was the only decent thing she ever did in her life.

He walked slowly, mechanically towards the door. Murderous intent radiating with every step away from Falcone. In his eyes, she saw the promise of violence and worry, raw and palpable for her. He didn’t know this was only a surprise business meeting. He’d think the worst. On any other night, if it were any other scenario this city had to offer, Jacky would let that tug on already vulnerable heartstrings. The second he was beyond the threshold she slammed the door shut, bolting it. He lingered at the window while Jacky frantically tried to tell him to leave with only her eyes.

“It’s late, Mr. Falcone,” she said, turning back to her boss with a friendly smile. “I can still get you something if you’d like.”

He never came to the shop after hours.

He or his boys would come by during the day and Miri, smart as whip, knew it was in her best interest to keep them happy. She never questioned why Falcone’s men frequented her little bakery. It was Gotham.

“Take a seat, Miss Ripley,” Falcone gestured to her own table as he pulled up a chair.

This wasn’t a business meeting.

Jacky sat down as the two other men took up space on either side of her. She recognized them both, but they wouldn’t make eye contact. Falcone rifled through a briefcase of his own before he pulled out yesterday’s paper and laid it flat on the table. And Jacky felt real fear lock her limbs into place.

The splashy page six spread had a picture in black and white of her and Harvey Dent dancing at Wayne Manor. Jacky had cut a clip of it and stashed it in a shoebox under her bed in her room. She liked the woman in that photo, happy, carefree. She liked how the photographer managed to get the shot where Harvey was laughing at a stupid joke she had told. She liked how Harvey had been right and that getting her name in the Gazette had been leading to a slight bump in customers. It almost looked like a little window into a world where a girl like her belonged with a man like Harvey Dent.

“You’re moving up in the world, Miss Ripley,” Falcone said, reminding her exactly why a girl like her could never belong to a man like Harvey. “You’ve gotten some friends in rather high places.”

“Mr. Falcone, I had to accept that invite...it was good for the shop—”

“What have you been telling that lawyer?”

“Nothing! Jesus, sir, I wouldn’t do that after all you’ve done for me and my family. Look, he comes into the shop. We’re near the courthouse, what can I do? I gotta make nice when I’m helping Miri out.” Somehow Jacky managed to keep her voice calm while her heart hammered through her ribs.

“You see why this makes me nervous?” Falcone sat back, eyeing her with a look of disappointment.

“I do, Mr. Falcone,” she nodded a little too vigorously.

“And then I come in and see him here,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Jacky, what are we going to do about this little problem?”

“Look, you want him gone, boss, I’ll tell him he can’t come back to the shop.”

“I suspect that’s not going to work the way you think, Miss Ripley. Your knight in shining armor is still watching us.”

Jacky forced herself to turn around slowly. Sure enough, there was Harvey, looming in the rain-soaked night under the street lamp. What was the idiot thinking? “You know what that tells me, Ripley? It tells me you and Mr. Dent have a rather cozy relationship. And that’s what troubles me.”

“Mr. Falcone, have I ever done you wrong?” She was betting on a lot here, punching way above her weight.

“No,” he replied, settling back against the chair, folding his hands on his lap.

“Ever had a job go bad? Ever compromised your family?” Jacky turned back to face him, locking eyes with him, feigning something that tasted like bravery. Falcone shook his head to each of her questions. “Then why would I do something so phenomenally stupid now? He’s a customer, Mr. Falcone, nothing more.”

“While we’re keeping score here, Ripley, do me the courtesy of not lying to me.”

“Sir, I’m—”

“He’s not just a customer.”

Jacky’s impassive eyes went wide ever so slightly. It was enough. “...no…” she whispered.

“You’ve been quite friendly for...two years by my count. Now, Mr. Dent wasn’t much of a problem until his recent forays onto the political stage. I could overlook your dealings with a prosecutor because, as you said, your loyalty and work have always been impeccable. You’re a smart girl, Ripley. You know what happens next.”

Jacky sagged in the chair. “Don’t...don’t take it out on the shop, Mr. Falcone. This is Miri’s place, not mine. She’s been nothing but good to you and she doesn’t know...she doesn’t know, Mr. Falcone. Now look, I’ll sit here and take it. I know it’s business. I’ll fix this after, you know I will.”

Falcone stood up from his chair, rapping his knuckles on the wooden tabletop. “You see that’s why I’ve always liked you, Ripley. You have a sense of honor, however small,” he put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll leave the shop as is. Your sister’s a fine woman, none of us want to upset her, do we boys?”

The two men on either side of Jacky shook their heads. Falcone made his way to the door. “Your knight seems to have left you, Miss Ripley,” he remarked as he stared out onto the empty street. “If he comes back I’m afraid we’ll be revisiting upsetting that sister of yours. Good night, Jacqueline.”

***

It wasn’t as bad as she had thought.

The men had only broken one table.

And Jacky guessed they’d only broken two of her ribs. Fair deal.

She sat, slumped, against the wrecked table legs, blood dripping from a cut above her forehead. Her nose was broken. Again. She poked her tongue around her mouth. No missing teeth, at least. All things considered, she’d gotten off easy. She’d have a nasty black eye and a swollen jaw for a few days and the rest of Falcone’s crew would know exactly what happened to her next time they saw her. Lesson well learned.

She was just contemplating getting to her feet and cleaning the place up before Miri could come home when she heard a bang from the back door. It repeated in quick succession as Jacky hauled herself upright, on hand clutching her ribs as she hobbled to the counter for her revolver. This night just didn’t want to end. The banging turned frantic as the door suddenly crashed over, hanging off its hinges, leaning awkwardly against the baking trays stacked up on the sink.

Jacky already had the gun out. If it was Falcone’s men coming back for the actual jump, she’d fire first, beg forgiveness later. If Falcone wanted her dead he ought to have shot her while she was still sitting in the chair expecting a business deal.

She dropped the gun as Harvey Dent came careening into the shop.

He was soaking wet, panting, and looked about as unhinged as the door. Jacky had enough time to back up against the counter as Harvey lunged for her. “You have to get out,” she choked through gritted teeth.

Not even an hour ago she would have killed someone herself to get him to so much as accidentally brush a finger against her. Now he had a whole arm around her shoulders as he pushed her into a chair. “How in deep are you, Jacky?”

“Harvey, get out, go home, I’ve got this under control,” she waved his hand away as he reached out to assess her injuries.

Someone was probably still watching the shop. The lights were all one, the blinds open. Anyone could see right in.

“Falcone’s got most of the businesses in Gotham paying protection, you don’t think I know that? Why didn’t you tell me he’d gotten a hold of this place? Jacky, I can help—”

“Help me by going home and telling Gilda I have to cancel our plans tomorrow,” Jacky grunted. She wasn’t going to be making any outings anytime soon. And she still had to come up with a story before Miri got back from the movies with her friends.

Harvey fumbled for the cell in his pocket. “What are you doing?” Jacky groaned as he put in a call. “I’m not going to a hospital if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Hey Jim,” Harvey said, ignoring her, “Yeah I know it’s late, but I need a squad down on 9th and—”

Jacky surged out the chair, ribs screaming as she knocked the phone out of Harvey’s hands. “Falcone gets even a fucking whiff of cops around my place and you’ll have killed me sure as the gun he gets to off me.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Jacky,” Harvey retrieved the fallen phone, the call having already been ended, thank God. “I’m going to get them off these streets. Falcone, Maroni, I’m taking them all down.”

“Yeah, but not tonight,” Jacky sat back in the chair. She’d heard the speech before, but never with this much bite. She doubted this much anger would play well with voters.

“This is our city and we’re gonna show them exactly what happens when they go after what’s ours.”

Jacky didn’t think the knock she took to her head was that bad, but that did not sound like Harvey’s voice. It was a guttural growl, a nasty little threat that was league’s away from the man who had been teasing her about going back to college. He shook his head, a hand going up to his brow as if he was shocked by what he had admitted.

“Go home, Harvey.”

Those blue eyes were looking to trap her again, make her say things she barely cared to admit to herself. She’d never seen them look that helpless. Harvey had a plan for everything, had to help everyone, always ready with the magical solution making life seem easy. And in a perfect world if she was just a down on her luck working class gal who had made the wrong deal with the wrong guy she’d leap at the chance to have a man like him solve all her problems. But the solution here was that neat little jail cell she knew was coming. Selfishly, she just wanted a few more days where he looked at her like she was someone worth saving.

“I think you should come with me, we’ll call Miri, and you two can stay at Gilda’s and mine’s until—”

“You know what I think?” Her ribs hurt too much to start crying. “I think...maybe it’s better if you don’t come by the shop for a few days.”

“You can’t let that man dictate your life, Jacky,” Harvey took a step towards her as Jacky flinched back in the chair. If he touched her now she’d crack, fall apart like a house of cards and ruin everything.

“It’s not for my life that I’m asking.”

She let that hang between them as Harvey slowly nodded, turning to leave. “I’ll...I’ll, ah, get the door fixed for you.”

Jacky laughed so hard her chest heaved and tears fell down her cheeks. “Harvey?” His face was blurry in her washed out vision. “Just so you know...I really wanted it to be heads.”

[zephyrthejester]

Steven Universe Future: A Predictive Wish List

The future is now. And by that, I mean that the debut of Steven Universe Future is at hand! A super special "limited series" (whatever that means) that will ultimately wrap up the greatest cartoon to grace television this decade. Indeed, all good things must come to an end. Regardless of what the Future holds, it is doubtless that I'll love and continue to love this show forever... So! Let's have a good ol' chat about what we want to see in the upcoming episodes!

I'm going to divide this wish list into two distinct sections, both of which should be self explanatory. Things that I "need," that my heart burns with desire for, and things that I "hope," that would be cool if it happens but it's no big deal if it doesn't.

This is going to be a loooooong post, so click Keep Reading to see it all!

What I NEED to Happen

Lars needs closure for his three ongoing story arcs. From Lars, I hope we see him expressing how much he and his life has changed, and how he's dealing with the return to tranquil life on Earth and his zombie status. Secondly, he and Sadie need to have a good, long chat. Their relationship was in turmoil at the time Lars got abducted by Aquamarine, and since then Sadie has redirected her life with a self-empowering attitude. There is a lot that remains unsaid between the two of them. Thirdly, Lars and Ronaldo were once childhood friends and had a feud as kids that lasted into their teens. I hope that gets touched upon, even if it's something as simple as the two apologizing to each other.

When it comes to Jasper... I don't want the show to handle her story in Future like a "redemption." Being redeemed is not what her character is about, and it's not what she needs. No, Jasper has lived her entire life clinging to an ideal and the perception of her strength. Both those things were ripped away from her. What Jasper needs is to learn acceptance of her reality, to embrace that even someone who is "flawless" can be fallible, and to become responsible for herself. The happiest ending for Jasper, I think, is not to become friends with the Crystal Gems or even to like Earth, but to accept herself.

On the subject of Jasper, the last thing I want are any positive interactions with Lapis Lazuli. In the best case scenario, the two won't interact at all. They were each other's mutual abusers and were both responsible for the most painful days of their lives. Some might say you need to confront the past to move beyond it, but Lapis already has and Jasper can learn to do the same. To cut someone toxic out of your life and move on without them should be celebrated. Could you imagine if Greg tried to reconnect with Marty? Yuck, right? That's how I feel about Lapis and Jasper.

Fusion Experiments and especially the Cluster need to be formally dealt with. While bubbles can keep them in stasis for eternity, Steven's not the sort of person to abandon those who suffer (unless you're a Ruby floating in space). The question is, how? Can he repair the shattered? Or will he give them the best lives they can get in their state? And how could the Cluster be removed from inside the Earth?

Speaking of those who remain in solitude... Pink Diamond's Zoo needs to be dealt with. There are dozens of Zoomans, a skeleton crew of Quartzes (including Holly Blue Agate, most likely) and most importantly of all, the entire Gem population of Rose Quartzes. REAL Rose Quartzes. We've never actually seen a real Rose Quartz, and it's high time we do. What do they sound like?! Dude, it’d be super funny if the real Rose Quartz voice sounds super distinct and Steven would wonder how Pink Diamond’s disguise fooled anyone.

We need an episode dedicated to Nephrite! She's technically been in the show longer than Lapis and Peridot, debuting in episode 01, and she's represented the entire Corrupted Gem plotline! We need to learn more about her! See her interact with people, including Steven! If not a whole episode for her, than at least some hearty screen time!

Spinel and the Diamonds need some screen time. It's a safe bet since they were all in the new intro, so to take a riskier request, I'm going to hope that the Diamonds come out and directly admit how horrible of monsters they've been. Their crimes are infinitely cruel, in both number and scale. And so far, the only thing they've done about it is to make an effort to... not commit more crimes against humanity. Err, Gemanity? Perhaps in their experience with a free Gempire they can actually get context for what they did, recognize the night-and-day difference between suffering and not-suffering, and get a little introspective about themselves.

Pink Pearl... Just, Pink Pearl. Like, hot dang, dude. If anything, make her the poster child of the above point about the Diamonds' crimes. Simply for wanting Pink Diamond to be happy, White overwrote Pink Pearl's individuality, even scarring her form, and kept her that way for thousands of years. How does Pink Pearl feel about that?! How will she deal with Pink Diamond being gone? What's next for her?

This last one tows the line between the two categories and might even be a bit selfish, but... I hope we see Mystery Girl again. I know Pearl's been "playing the field" since she met her, but it'd be cool to catch up with Pearl's relationship(s). It's not something we need to see, but just a quick line or two to reference it would be cool. Although, there is the unresolved hint that Mystery Girl might be Kevin's ex...

What I HOPE Will Happen

It'd be a crime not to introduce a fusion that involves Lapis, Peridot, and/or Bismuth. And, well... My take might surprise you. I'm hoping that Peridot will remain fusionless, because she is my oh-so-precious Ace representation. As for Lapis... I dunno. Is fusion something she desires? Could there possibly be a threat big enough to warrant fusing for combat purposes? It's hard to imagine either, though it would be sweet if fusion could become something more than Malachite for her. And that leaves Bismuth! To that I say, HELL YEAH! We heard tell of Bismuth once fusing with Garnet back in the Rebellion, and I can only dream how incredible that would be. Alternatively, maybe Bismuth and her best buddie in the whole world, Biggs, would make a good pair.

I want an episode that's a good ol' Space Adventure. Hopefully with Connie along for the ride! There's a massive galaxy out there ripe for exploring. The possibilities are endless! An episode of this nature would be a good excuse to see more of certain Gems such as Nephrite, Emerald, the Zircons, and maybe Lemon Jade.

It'd be cool to see some characters from the games, even if only as background easter eggs. I'm talkin' the Prism, Hessonite, Squaridot, those new garnets from the recently announced game I forget the name of (Unleash the Light?)...

At least one episode to meet and greet the Little Homeworld denizens, specifically Bismuth's big three (Biggs, Crazy Lace, and Snowflake). But especially Snowflake Obsidian. She looks super cool.

Finally, I'd like to see some light shed on the many, many unexplored mysteries. I'd be surprised if we got any of the following, but I can dream: What is the origin of Gem Species and/or The Diamonds? What is the deal with the Crystal Heart? What is the Geode? What's up with the space outside Warp tunnels? What's the latest on Watermelon Island? What are the rooms in the Temple like for most of the main cast Fusions, + Ruby and Sapphire's rooms? What has become of Pink Diamond's palanquin in Korea? Can Steven kiss up the Kindergartens to heal it like he did for Beach City in the movie? What's the deal with Rose's lion pride in the desert near her leg ship? And most importantly: WHAT WAS IN THE FREAKING CHEST?!?!?!?!?!?!?

WHAT WAS IN THE CHEST, SUGAR?!

...Okay. That’s it. That’s everything I want to say. Hmm. Looking back, I’m surprised how little Amethyst, Garnet, Connie, and Greg figure into my desires. I guess I’m totally complacent about their current status in the story.

So, I hope you’ll join me tomorrow when we take our first look at Steven Universe Future! Until then... Check out my analysis of the new Opening, if you haven’t already!

[sevenincubistolemyheart]

Hi guys-

So as you can tell from my inactivity school, work and unfortunately now bouts of depression has been kicking my ass lately. I have been seeing yall's asks but I could respond between work and Thanksgiving but I will soon- hopefully tomorrow.

Thank you Yellow Heart anon and that lovely ranty ask I got about Tainting Purity y'all both made me smile.

Truth is much as I adore Tainting Purity and Black Ties, White Lies I've been trying to force my inspiration and that just makes me discouraged and anxious as fuck so...I may be putting out some other projects and (finally) updating the 'I like my men like I like my...' series.

Theory talk and talking about them is fine but I'm literally begging you guys to not ask when I'm updating next- especially if that's all you say (this goes especially for Tainting Purity since I get them pretty frequently now).

It just...wrecks my already low motivation to shreds and makes me not even wanna look at my inbox.

Anyway- I'm sorry guys. I feel like shit, really. I've got a few lines for TP- ideas galore but I just can't find the mental energy or right mindset to put them into words and Black Ties, White Lies is...honestly a bit too real for me right now.

That being said- Tainting Purity and Black Ties, White Lies will be on a brief hiatus through December. I say hiatus loosely since my inspiration typically hits very fast and very hard out of the blue so who knows if I may bang out one of them during the break. But don't expect any main content; just AMM. I thank you in advance for your patience guys!

In other news- potential projects to hopefully pique your interest(do let me know if there's any y'all are really looking forward to- I'll try and prioritize them depending on how I'm feeling)

A Scream AU- This will be based on the movie- because I've been plunged back into the fandom after binging the whole series. I'm unsure if I'll be being a faithful adaptation or not- in either case I hope to keep you on your toes. I'd like for it to be a oneshot- but we'll see if I get deep into charachter quirks and motivations to maybe make it up to a 2 or 3 shot. This is all up in the air though.

Halloween Fic- I dunno if you guys still want this one but I started a fic where basically you claim to not get scared easily but your best friend and his friends(who work at a haunted house attraction) set it up for you in an attempt to give you the scare of a lifetime.

It has a lot of my personal fears(mainly arachnophobia, being vulnerable, and yes- Scream the movie) (Don't judge me okay-it makes sense once you see the ending.) I don't wanna spoil it here since it's such a good movie and it wouldn't have shaken me to my core like it did if I knew what happened so I'll tag any Scream spoilers if they come up in asks!)

The next oneshot for Namjoon or Seokjin in the 'I like my men like I like my...' Series: Self-explanatory! Those 2 are tied for first in the surverymonkey poll I made so one of them will be done first!

Final Fantasy 4 Au: This one is kind of... personal. This is a game I go to for comfort- it was actually the first game I ever played along with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. I'd like to shift my focus here- figure out who's playing what role and then absolutely lose myself in the fic. It's gonna be a damn wild ride folks.

For those who don't know the story which I'll assume is the majority of you- y'all are in for a good time. It's highly fantasy based with each castle or kingdom having it's own values and feel. There's drama, romance, death, hatred, family, jealousy- all of it's here. I also feel like I can do it justice. The World Ends With You(my favorite game of all time) was a potential choice as well but I don't think I'm up to snuff for that one yet. Maybe after I finish out this one. We'll see. One game at a time. 😉

Life Is Strange(First game) AU: Okay so I know I just one game at a time lmao but I feel like the focus on time travel elements(though it'll be Reader with them and not Jin) and the realistic characters and focus on their relationships just fits perfectly. I'm leaning towards making this an interactive story like the game does(with my own twists of course)- though that does mean it'll be a significant wait between chapters as I'll be typing out all scenarios and such. It sounds really fun though so I hope you guys like the sound of it!

Boys Over Flowers/Cheese in the Trap/Shut Up Flower Boy Band or a Combination of some sort AU: Because I'm a slut for kdrama and need to get my creative juices out by ranting about the characters and amazing storylines through BTS.

And finally-

A soulmate au of somekind: I have 1 already in the works where the boys are all supernatural creatures but I'm debating one with either a sub/dom bond(switches won't be let out so don't worry) and/or a hybrid/A/B/O universe since I've been intrigued by those storylines after some Life is Strange fanfic.

Thank you guys so much for your patience. I'm eternally grateful, truly. If you'd like- feel free to send in a ranking of the above ideas so I can get a feel for what you want to see next!

Thanks and sorry again for being MIA!

[dvp95]

quiet on widow’s peak (6)

pairing: dan howell/phil lester, pj liguori/sophie newton/chris kendall rating: teen & up tags: paranormal investigator, mystery, online friendship, slow burn, strangers to lovers, nonbinary character, trans character, background poly, phil does some buzzfeed unsolved shit and dan is a fan word count: 2.9k (this chapter), 19.7k (total) summary: Phil’s got a list of paranormal experiences a mile long that he likes to share with the world. Abandoned buildings, cemeteries, and ghost stories have always called his name, and a particular fan of his has a really, really good ghost story.

read this chapter on ao3 or here!

Hope my friends and I didn't make things weird for you yesterday. We're heading to the city around noon if you're still up for helping us with the boring part.

noon?? fucking alright i guess i gotta put pants on

lmao yeah, sorry. My parents woke us up at EIGHT like that's a normal time to be awake????

desgostang

What?

ill send u the link later and also no i didnt feel weird yesterday you guys are nice

That's good! And hey I wanted to ask. You were kind of put on the spot with introducing yourself, would you rather we called you Dan or Winnie? I just wanna make sure we aren't making you uncomfortable at all lmao

no its all fine you can call me dan idc and actually its best if you do call me dan when youre in my work lmao

Are you totally sure?

why would i lie abt this. dont be an idiot it isnt a good look on you

haha okay. I’ll see you around noon.

--

“Christopher is a nice boy,” Phil’s mum is telling him as she helps him with their fancy new coffeemaker. There are so many buttons and Phil is so, so tired. “And Sophie is lovely, such a soft-spoken thing. Why haven’t we met them before, dear?”

“Dunno,” Phil says instead of the truth, which is that he’d had no idea how he was supposed to introduce them. “You have now, though.”

His mum laughs and reaches up to pat his cheek. “True enough. I’m so happy that you’ve got good people around you, Philip. I’ve gotten quite worried about you down there by yourself, you know.”

“I’m not by myself,” says Phil. “I live with, like, thirty people.”

“Bunch of strangers, I’ll bet,” she says, because she knows him. “Aside from those three.”

The thing is, she’s not wrong. Phil’s obviously exaggerating about the number of people under the roof of the creaky Brighton house, but the truth is that he can’t keep track half the time. A lot of the rooms get sublet out randomly, or a significant other will start spending so much time around the place that they might as well pay rent, and Phil really isn’t good with new people. He gets along fine with Holly and Dave, but they’ve been there as long as he has and the closest they’ve ever come to a heart-to-heart was comparing anxiety meds over burned pancakes.

Chris and Sophie were there when Phil moved in, and they’d taken one look at him and decided to just keep shoving into his space until he liked having them there, like they were on a mission to adopt PJ’s sad, ghost-obsessed friend from the internet.

“You might be right,” Phil says, feeling a smile tug at his lips for the first time all morning. He’s already had a coffee - and a half, when PJ declared that not even Kath could make coffee taste good and shoved the rest of his Phil’s way - but he still doesn’t feel fully awake. “I’m only really friends with Chris and Soph because of PJ.”

“PJ is a good friend to you, isn’t he?” his mum hums. That slightly pointed tone doesn’t get to Phil the way it usually does, because he knows that she’s just trying to understand him.

It doesn’t escape Phil’s notice that he’s looking into a mirror whenever he sees his parents watching him carefully, waiting for him to tell them something he hasn’t explicitly said, because he’s been doing the exact same thing to his housemates for nearly two years.

Maybe he’ll tell his parents when he’s got someone serious or even, like, semi-serious. Longer than two dates would be a record at this point. But right now he already feels like he’s been one misstep away from disappointing them, and he doesn’t want to take the gamble that his sexuality will be that misstep.

He’s not up for this conversation, though, isn’t sure he’ll ever be, so he just says, “Yeah, he is.”

--

Dan is late. They’re so late, actually, that Phil’s wheel of worst case scenarios has been spinning silently and getting faster and faster the more caffeine he chugs. They roll in with flushed cheeks and a jacket that looks too thin, apologies on their shiny lips that Phil doesn’t even hear for a couple of seconds because he’s too busy staring at them.

“No worries,” Sophie says, interrupting their rambling before they lose another half hour to it. “You want something? I’m getting a refill.”

“No, no, let me,” says Dan. They shrug off their jacket and hang it on one of the empty chairs. Phil and his friends have co-opted the largest table in the place so they can spread out with their laptops and notebooks, and it doesn’t escape Phil’s notice that Dan has decided to sit next to him when they’ve got a couple of options. “I get free drinks if Gabe’s in a good mood. Anyone else need a refill?”

“Me,” Chris says, not looking up from his screen. “Not Phil. He’s cut off.”

“Hey,” Phil protests weakly. His heart rate really has picked up since they sat down, so he knows Chris has a point.

Dan grins, their soft cheeks giving way to the dimples that Phil is very quickly growing obsessed with. He just wants to make Dan smile and laugh constantly, to hear them cackle and see all the lines in their round face deepen with happiness.

Right. Phil watched a horror movie with PJ instead of unpacking this fluttering start of a crush last night, and now he’s just got to deal with it for the rest of the day.

As if it’s a compulsion, Dan clears the empty mugs from their table before heading up to the counter. Phil focuses on the EMF readings so he doesn’t get caught up on Dan holding four mugs by the handles with total ease.

PJ has got headphones on and his eyes closed, so he might not even have noticed that Dan is there. He’s been going through Sophie’s footage and his own audio recordings to try and find some anomalies while Chris looks for the weird visual stuff - they’re a great team at that, and it makes Phil feel like he’s not doing enough. Sure, he could find those things on his own, but not as quickly as they can when it’s a team effort, and they’re on a bit of a tight schedule here. Well, his housemates are. They’ve got actual jobs to get back to once the weekend is over.

Allegedly, Sophie is doing research on sigils, but it looks to Phil like she’s just doodling. Not that he really blames her if she is. He’s barely been paying attention to the chart he’s making of spikes in electromagnetism because he’s been so busy watching the door for Dan.

And Dan looks… good. They’re wearing chunky boots and a shirt that falls to their thighs - a dress, maybe, but it looks like a regular black t-shirt that got extended at the hem - with tight white jeans. The only colour on them is the plaid shirt around their waist and the shiny red product on their lips to match it. Phil watches them lean against the counter and grin at the older barista, and he’s so distracted by looking at their profile that he startles when a foot connects with his under the table.

“Stop staring,” Sophie says, quiet and smiling. “He’s going to notice.”

Phil considers correcting her, but then he remembers that he probably doesn’t have to. Dan had said any pronouns, that they didn’t care how they were referred to, so it would definitely be weirder to act like he knows better than Sophie.

He knows he won’t be able to use masculine terms for Dan. Not because they aren’t true, because he’s pretty sure they’re no less accurate than neutral or feminine would be, but because thinking of Dan as a maculine person is only going to allow Phil’s brain to fall into the familiar traps of gender in ways he doesn’t want to allow.

Gay monkey brain doesn’t need any more leeway in finding Dan attractive, that’s for damn sure.

“So, what are we doing?” Dan asks, interrupting Phil’s thoughts, and, wow, four mugs is a lot more impressive when they’re full of hot liquid. Phil marvels at Dan’s ability not to trip and spill it all as they dole out the coffee and teas.

“I’m doing the boring part,” says Phil. He turns his screen so Dan can see the Excel spreadsheet and laughs at the face they make. “Yeah. It's not glamorous, but it's the easiest way to find patterns in the EMF readings. Honestly, most of my job is just staring at things and finding patterns in them. Like, uh, what's that guy? With the butterfly splotches?"

"Worcestershire," Chris suggests.

"Rorschach," Dan corrects him, lips twitching like they aren't sure if they're allowed to laugh in Chris' face or not.

“That’s exactly what I said,” says Chris.

“You know EMF meters don’t have anything to do with ghosts, right?” Dan asks, ignoring Chris completely and leaning a bit closer to Phil to get a better look at his laptop. “I mean, none of this has anything to do with ghosts, really, but you’re more or less just measuring electricity.”

Phil is aware of that. He wonders if Dan thinks he just stumbles into haunted houses with equipment he hasn’t researched and waits to be spooked. He’s too distracted by how close Dan is and how good they smell to work up to proper offense, though. “Yeah,” he says simply. “But don’t you think it’s weird that the place still has electricity to begin with? Who’s paying for that?”

“A Wilkins, I’d imagine.”

“But why? If they’ve forgotten about the property or abandoned it on purpose, surely they wouldn’t still pay the bills.”

“Maybe they don’t handle their own finances,” Dan suggests. “How rich were these assholes?”

“I honestly don’t know,” says Phil. He taps his fingers in an erratic pattern on the edge of his laptop, trying to spark something in his mind.

It’s almost disappointing when Dan pulls away to dig out their own sleek Macbook out of their messenger bag, but Phil is also glad for it. He can think a lot easier when the warm scent of spice and mint isn’t clogging his brain.

Dan slots into the work as easily as if a space was left for them. They’ve got dozens of tabs open already and they start to go through them, cross-referencing magic things with Sophie in quiet tones and digging deeper into the Wilkins family than Phil ever would have thought to. Every so often they tap Phil on the arm and drag him into whatever rabbithole they’ve fallen down, chatting animatedly.

Phil knows, objectively, that Dan is a fan of his and that Dan is weird about research. It’s another thing entirely to watch it happen in real time, to see Dan pull up local census PDFs from the eighties and explain why chaos magic is bullshit in the same breath.

An hour or so goes by like that, all of them working on their own things with minimal words exchanged by everybody but Dan, and then Chris shouts loud enough to make the barista jump. Nobody else is in the coffee shop right now, which is lucky, because Dan’s got a hand over their chest and Sophie has slopped tea down her front. PJ, with his headphones on, simply cracks an eye open.

“What the fuck was that about?” Phil asks, putting his own palm against his chest to feel his heart race. Dan raises their eyebrows and looks at Phil, seemingly distracted from the startling, wordless exclamation.

They don’t get a chance to say whatever they’re thinking, though, because Chris is turning his laptop to the rest of the table and grinning wide like the Cheshire Cat. “I found something.”

Everybody gathers round, PJ getting up to lean over the back of Phil’s chair and Sophie getting so far into Dan’s personal space that Phil is certain they’re uncomfortable with it, and then Chris presses play upside down. It’s part of Sophie’s footage, Phil standing in the dim foyer and looking frustrated. Even without sound, Phil can tell that this is when he was arguing with Sophie about going upstairs. He squints, but he can’t see whatever it is that’s got Chris being so loud.

“What am I looking at?” PJ asks when the short clip ends, and Dan hums an agreement. Chris makes a frustrated noise like they’re being obtuse on purpose and rewinds to the beginning.

"There," Chris says, excited like he hasn't been since they got to Manchester. He taps his finger against the laptop screen. "D'you see it? D'you see the shadow?"

Now that Chris has pointed it out, Phil does see something. He moves his own laptop and notebook out of the way to pull Chris’ closer with a frown. Chris lets him do that, bouncing in his seat a little bit.

“That’s straight up a person,” Phil says slowly, tracing the outline of the shadow with the mouse. It’s behind him, in the entry to the kitchen, and it looks tall. Quite a bit taller than Phil, anyway, if he’s remembering that doorframe correctly. He decides to measure it next time they go so he isn’t going off memory. “I knew we weren’t alone in there. Like. I’m not crazy, that’s a human being.”

“That’s what I thought,” says Chris. “But press play.”

So Phil presses play. He watches the shadow stay perfectly still in the kitchen doorway until, suddenly, it’s not there anymore. He blinks, rewinds, and watches it disappear again.

Phil’s caffeinated brain is firing on all cylinders now. He grins and shoves his sleeves up to his elbows before he starts fiddling with the clip. The lighting gets played with until the shadow is more obvious and then he slows it down to 0.25 times speed to see if the shadow really just vanishes.

He presses play again. This time, with a very slow-motion Phil talking in the foreground, he sees the shadow move. It runs sideways, further into the house.

“What the fuck?” Dan breathes.

“We are not going back there without some serious protection,” PJ says, even firmer on the topic now.

“What, like sigils?” Dan asks, their pretty eyes wide even as they scoff. “You’d be better off with a fucking, like, baseball bat, mate. That doesn’t look like something that wants to be your friend.”

“I’ve got a crowbar in PJ’s trunk,” Phil says, absent-minded as he plays with the clip some more.

“Excuse me? When did you put that in my car?”

“Couple months ago.”

“Huh. How have I not noticed?”

“You’re not the most observant person I’ve ever met,” says Phil. He looks up at Chris, who’s got the same exhilarated look that Phil is sure he’s mirroring. They don’t get evidence like this very often, something so clearly there that it’s even got a skeptic’s mind racing. Phil exports the edited clip and then the original, putting them both into the Cloud and emailing them to himself. “Was this the only time you saw it?”

Chris nods, accepting his laptop back when Phil is done with it. “I’ll look through everything again, now that I know what I’m looking for and all, but I think that’s it.”

“Okay, cool.” Phil looks around at his friends and Dan, beaming. “Something weird is happening. I love it when something weird is happening.”

“I hate it when something weird is happening,” PJ says, which is a blatant lie.

“Well, we can’t go snooping around until it’s darker out, anyhow,” Sophie reminds them.

“Wait, we’re snooping?” Dan asks, their voice going up an entire octave in disbelief. “Like… you just saw that someone is there and probably not happy about people sneaking around, right? Don’t you have enough for a video already?”

“We’re spending the night,” says Phil. “It’s what we do.”

“It’s what you do,” PJ corrects him.

“Okay, yeah, you guys don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’m coming,” says PJ.

As if she can’t hear them bickering, Sophie turns to Dan with a sweet smile, her eyes twinkling with the same excitement in Chris’. They love this, just like Phil does. “What about you, Dan?” she asks. “Are you going to have a ghost sleepover with us?”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” Dan says, their eyes still glued to the back of Chris’ laptop like they can see the shadow through it.

“Guess you don’t have anything to be afraid of, then,” says Chris.

“Uh, axe murderers, maybe?”

“We know what we’re doing, Dan,” Phil reassures them. He reaches a hand out to pat at their arm, feeling a bit awkward about it. “But you don’t have to come with us if you’re scared.”

That makes Dan’s gaze shift. Suddenly, those brown eyes are staring right into Phil’s soul, defiant and beautiful and impossible to look away from.

“Who said I was fucking scared?”

[keldae]

Drastic Measures -- Chapter 29

“Your brother told us part of what had happened to you,” Lana shook her head as they walked down the killik tunnel, leaving the rest of the new arrivals from Dantooine to scatter into the rest of the cell, “but the full story is even more insane.”

“Tell me about it,” Xaja muttered. “I’m considering switching career paths and becoming an author.”

Lana’s lips twitched in a smile. “You would have to market this as fictional, I'm afraid. No one would ever believe it to be true.”

“If I hadn't just lived it, I wouldn’t either.” Theron looked over at Xaja and lightly nudged her arm. “As co-star of your future bestseller, do I get royalties?”

Xaja laughed as she followed Lana around a curve in the tunnel, opening up to what seemed to be the main command hub of the base. “Naturally. Hopefully this story gets a happy ending.”

“We’ll do our best to make certain that happens,” Lana reassured the Jedi with a smile. “Keeping you alive and out of Arcann’s hands is our goal.”

“And pissing Arcann off with our continuous survival is my current objective in life.”

On Lana’s other side, the Zakuulan officer she had introduced as Koth Vortena grinned. “That’s a good objective to have. Assassin or not, you’re all right, Outlander.”

“I do my best,” Xaja smirked, deciding she liked Koth already. Her first instinct upon Lana introducing him as a Zakuulan defector was one of caution and worry, but within a few moments of meeting him, she and Theron both relaxed. She resisted the urge to ask what had driven him away from Zakuul. That could wait… for now.

Beside her, Theron lowly whistled as he looked around the base. “I knew there was a cell here, but I didn’t realize it was this expansive. This is all Thunder’s network?”

“To the best of my knowledge, most of it is.” Lana nodded in confirmation as she led them up the ramp of one of the larger command platforms. “We’re reconvening here to plan our next movements. Thunder still has assets across the galaxy, but they’re remaining in place for the time being.”

“Any thoughts as to those next steps?” Xaja asked as she flopped into a metal chair beside a table covered in datapads and flimsi pages. 

“Take stock of our losses from Dantooine; determine how many of us can still move freely without attracting a legion of bounty hunters; and then find a new location to serve as headquarters. Thunder has indicated that they want to increase the rebellion’s power base, which will mean more resources than we can accumulate by having several scattered little cells. Tatooine served as the last major base, but with your brother attacking the Star Fortress bunker there, the system’s now too dangerous for us to hide in.”

Xaja felt a little burst of pride that Korin, her renegade, responsibility-dodging brother, had led the strike team that landed such a successful hit on one of Zakuul’s most visible assets. Being an active leader in the rebellion might make a responsible adult out of Korin yet. “But between that hit, Theron and I dodging capture this long, and the loss of the Zakuulan forces on the ship on Dantooine…”

“He’s gotta be furious,” Theron finished with a grin, leaning against the table beside Xaja. The bond rippled with a feeling of smug satisfaction.

A grin pulled at Xaja’s mouth, only to fade at the thoughts of what could come of Arcann growing vindictive. “Is he taking it out on anyone else?” she asked. Stars, if he was anything like Darth Angral had been… 

“Not yet -- or at least, not as far as we know.” Koth sat down in another chair and scrubbed long fingers across his goatee. “Besides the attack on Dantooine, and reinforcements arriving as we were leaving Tatooine, nobody’s heard of another conflict recently. My crew -- they deserted with me when I left Zakuul —  they’re keeping an eye on things from a distance.”

“There are still Eternal Fleet ships stationed at Coruscant,” Lana added. “And after learning you had been on Dromund Kaas, Arcann sent some of his forces there to investigate. But with your brother having fled already and Acina having no idea about you being on the planet, the pressure has lessened there… from Zakuul, at any rate.”

“Last I’ve heard,” Sorand added as he walked up the ramp, having been held back by Shara and Corey for a few minutes. “The tensions between the Republic and the Empire are escalating. Saresh is calling you both traitors to the Republic — sorry about that — and claiming you’ve been working with me since the Revanite crisis. Which technically isn’t wrong…”

“The schutta ,” Xaja hissed as she felt Theron settle his hand on her arm. “She’s saying that publicly?”

“And kriffing over any chance you might have had of being able to disappear into the Republic,” Sorand muttered as he frowned down at a datapad in his hands. “From what I’m reading, it’s full-blown propaganda. She’s probably hoping for any loyal citizens who see either of you to turn you in as traitors.”

“Which gets Arcann off her neck,” Theron muttered. “The Empire?”

“While she might, in other circumstances, do so, Acina’s acting thoroughly insulted by the notion that she would ever have an allegiance with a Jedi.” Sorand rolled his eyes. “Besides naming me a traitor, and putting Lana and Dad about a step below me on the most-wanted list, she’s made a comeback at Saresh along the lines of calling her a slave-race coward who can’t admit she can’t find two high-profile war heroes-turned-traitors.”

Xaja winced at that. Theron’s own cringe echoed along the bond as he spoke up again. “Dare I ask what Saresh said in response to that?”

“Probably not,” Koth commented. “But if this keeps up, it’s going to turn into a galactic-stage catfight.”

“I’d find that more amusing if we weren’t stuck in the middle of it with Zakuul tearing the galaxy apart looking for us,” Xaja muttered.

“Both Saresh and Acina will be hesitant to go to open war,” Lana interjected with a frown. “With Commander Malcom walking away from the Republic, and Acina missing the two top assets in Sith Intelligence and one of the surviving Dark Council, they’re both strategically crippled. And that’s without mentioning how few Jedi remain, or how many soldiers from both sides have followed their chosen leaders into rebellion.”

“They just have their own fleets and militaries, and more resources to their names,” Koth grumbled. 

“But while they’re threatening each other with said fleets,” Sorand started, “this is the perfect time for the resistance to vanish. Considering we’re not sure how long Alderaan will be safe, I feel like we should find a new base soon. Arcann’s not going to greatly care about the Republic and Empire clawing at each other, not while he’s still looking for you two.” He nodded at Theron and Xaja. 

“There’s too many high-value targets here, and too many civilians who could be endangered by us,” Xaja muttered. “Worst case scenario, how long could the resistance keep running?”

“Perhaps another few years. But I’d rather not see it come to that.” Sorand hummed in thought. “The galaxy is vast enough that we should be able to find an unpopulated planet, or one with a low population. Perhaps Rakata Prime?”

“Force knows there shouldn’t be too many live Rakata left there after Revan bombarded the place,” Xaja said.

“Not Rakata, but there have been Republic historians exploring that world since the fall of the Revanites,” Theron spoke up. “Not to mention that it’s near to the Core.” And too close to Coruscant went unspoken.

“That one ice ball from hell -- Hoth, maybe?” Koth offered. “Distant Outer Rim, and nobody sane goes there.”

“Aside from both Imperial and Republic forces trying to raid the starship ruins, and pirates crawling all over the place. Rumour has it there’s a new Star Fortress being constructed in the Hoth system as well.” Lana frowned at her crossed arms, then looked up. “I don’t suppose there are any other abandoned Jedi planets like Tython to be reclaimed?”

“If Ahch-To or Ossus had been found, it would have been all over the Holonet by now,” Sorand mused, running a hand over his own scruff in thought. Xaja barely had time to be surprised by the fact that her brother seemingly was familiar with Jedi history, or to remind herself that his academic leanings and his insatiable curiosity about the Jedi would have pushed him to learn all he could about the near-mythical Jedi worlds. “Yavin is the only other system I can think of that might work, but it’s uncomfortably close to Imperial territory. It’s something we’ll need to think about while we plan our next moves. Maybe we can find an uninhabited moon somewhere.”

“Cipher Nine may also have contacts who can help us,” Lana suggested. 

“That wouldn’t surprise me. I swear my father knows at least half the galaxy, and there has to be a decent number that don’t want to shoot him… somewhere.” A grin flickered across Sorand’s face for a second. “When he gets in, I’ll talk to him, see if he has any suggestions.”

That was a reasonable strategy. Xaja was pretty sure Sorand wasn’t exaggerating the claim of how many people their father knew. And Force knew the old spy could be… persuasive. “When is he expected?”

“Within the next couple of days, I think.” Sorand straightened up from where he had been leaning against a console. “Anything else that anyone wants to discuss right now?”

Silence answered him for a moment before Koth shook his head. “I dunno, I think that got just about everything important. I’ll send a ping out to my crew on Asylum, see if they’ve got any leads for uninhabited planets they’ve found.”

“Thank you, Koth.” Lana stood up and gave Xaja and Theron a smile. “Corey’s been in contact with Mandalore; I had best check in with her latest updates. We’ll have a chance to catch up soon.” 

Theron nodded as the blonde Sith took her leave of the platform, then looked back at Koth. “So, former Zakuulan Navy, huh?”

“Yep. Captain and only decent pilot in my crew…”

Xaja looked away from the conversation, making eye contact with Sorand. He subtly nodded, indicating the far corner. She rose and fell into step with him as they stepped off the platform, leaving Theron and Koth to talk.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Sorand let the worried frown show on his face. “You said things wound up… complicated?” he softly asked, touching his forehead. “You feel… better, almost like normal.”

Xaja nodded. “The Dreamwalkers had been wiped out,” she quietly answered, and saw Sorand’s shoulders slump at the news. “There were other Voss healers who helped me as much as they could.”

“But…?”

“He’s still in my head.” Xaja shuddered as Sorand sighed in worried disappointment, raking a hand through his hair. “They think they’ve managed to suppress him for the time being.” She hesitated, worrying her lower lip for an instant. “You know that bond I had with Theron before…?”

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Annya froze as her boot touched down on the duracrete floor of the Republic-friendly spaceport. Ignoring Jonas bumping into her back, she stretched out her focus, closing her eyes. She could pick up on Jakar Forseti’s nearby Force-signature as he landed the Balance of Justice, and could recognize a few Organa civilians whom she’d met on earlier visits. But right then, she didn’t care about that.

It was what she could sense a couple of kilometres distant that demanded her attention. Her brow furrowed slightly when she recognized her aunt’s presence — what the blazes is Aunt Mairen doing here? But that was quickly put to the side, to think about later. 

A slight nudge confirmed Xaja’s presence, and Annya grinned as her cousin reached back, just able to feel the other Jedi’s delighted surprise. She lightly pushed again, getting a read on her cousin’s well-being. The younger woman felt alright — no flares of pain, no lines of grief or rage. There was a strange darkness clouding part of her signature, and beside that, a small thread of light that Annya was pretty sure hadn’t been there before. But that was something to worry about later. Xaja wasn’t physically hurt, and if she wasn’t being consumed by grief, Agent Shan had to be here too.

She turned to face a confused-looking Jonas and gave him a delighted smile. “Xaja made it. She’s here. And I’m pretty sure Theron is too.”

Jonas’ eyes widened in relief as he let out a breath. “Good!” He nodded before his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Theron better be here. That asshole has a punch coming that he deserves.”

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Xaja suddenly fell silent mid-sentence as a bright Force-signature she knew made itself known only a short distance away. Ignoring Sorand frowning in confusion, she reached out, and felt a familiar nudge pressing against her mind. Joy flooded through her as she recognized her cousin, a delight she could feel echoed in the Force.

She turned her attention back to the present as Doc made his way over to her and Sorand. “Annya’s here!” she exclaimed, turning to Doc with a happy smile.

“Annya? That cousin of yours on Corellia?” Doc grinned. “Hells, today’s full of good news, Red.”

Sorand blinked in surprise. “Wait — we have another cousin?”

“Yes! Annya is a Green Jedi who—” Another presence made itself known on the planet surface; the recognition of that presence sent shock flooding through Xaja’s veins, her words dying in her mouth again. Impossible! He was killed months before Zakuul hit… unless he…

Shock turned to confusion, then joy, then what could be best described as indignant fury. “I’m going to kill him,” Xaja hissed. She ignored Theron’s sudden confusion over their bond, or the slight hint of subtle, smug amusement from the new presence.

Doc frowned for a moment before his eyes widened knowingly, a grin appearing under the mustache. “Only one person would make you react like that, Red. Jakar isn’t dead after all?”

“Not yet, he’s not,” Xaja growled as she turned and began stalking toward the central hub of the hive, still inwardly debating if she was going to hug the Barsen’thor of the Jedi Order before strangling him.

Behind her, Doc took a step to follow, stopped by Sorand’s hand on his shoulder. “Not to interrupt,” the Sith slowly said, “but would you mind explaining what the Hells that was all about?”

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“I’m relieved you’re all right,” Senya said as she walked through the killik tunnels with Satele, their bootsteps echoing in the cave. “From arriving here and realizing nobody else knew where you were…”

“I’m relieved to be alive too.” Satele smiled and offered Senya’s arm a squeeze. “I was pleased to hear you had made it here with no problems.”

“None to speak of,” agreed Senya. She gave Satele a sidelong look as they walked for a few paces further. “While I was here, I did not find a way to heal my children, but I did learn something about… about your son.”

Satele’s eyes were cautious when they looked back at Senya, but she did finally nod. “So you know who he is,” she finally said. It was a statement, not a question.

Senya nodded. “I hardly blame you for keeping that quiet.” 

“I am not convinced that he was planning an attack like what Arcann claims.” Satele pursed her lips as the two women rounded a corner in the tunnel, coming across a busy crowd. Apparently more rebels had just arrived. “I don’t know what he was doing there, but terrorism wasn’t on his agenda. It’s not his style.”

“It could be argued that freeing someone accused of regicide is terrorism,” Senya commented.

“I’m not sure that he would care in that respect.” Satele strained to look out over the crowd. “Not when he was…” She paused, a frown marring her features. “Watching him after Master Taerich was declared killed in action… I didn’t know if he would ever be happy again. He was devastated.”

Senya slowly nodded as she followed Satele’s gaze. Her eyes landed on a handsome young man in a bright red jacket, currently talking with Captain Vortena and Lord Beniko— Lana, as the Sith had insisted on being addressed. She knew his face well from studying the bulletins, but seeing him in person, she could see now how much he favoured his mother in terms of appearance. He certainly didn’t look like the type of person to orchestrate a plan to blow up an entire city, especially not when he smiled and his amber eyes softened. 

A commotion off to her right stole her attention. Turning away from Satele’s son, the Knight focused immediately on the girl who had reportedly murdered Valkorion. Senya’s first impression was of brightness — vivid red hair, a blazing, almost-familiar presence in the Force, and a delighted smile as she ran to embrace another redhaired woman in Jedi clothing who had entered the cavern. She certainly didn’t resemble a coldhearted assassin. If anything, her bright presence almost reminded her of Vaylin… or how Vaylin had been before she had been taken to Nathema. 

The former Knight of Zakuul sighed and dropped her gaze from the Jedi girl. “I can’t blame you for not telling me their names,” she quietly said, low enough that Satele had to strain to hear her. “I can hardly judge.” She took a shaky breath and looked at the former Grand Master, watching the Jedi’s eyes go wide with shock at her next words. “Not when my son is the one hunting them down.”

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Fury raged through Arcann’s veins as he stalked back and forth in front of the Eternal Throne. The next person to deliver bad news to him was likely to be thrown off the walkway, run through with a lightsaber, or perhaps simply crushed to death with the Force.

The teams sent  to Tatooine turned up little more than exhaust fumes from the departed rebels. The inept Paladin had been far too slow to catch the resistance as they fled from the Fleet. For all that Arcann knew, Thunder themselves had been in that base, escaping before they could risk capture. Taking down the reputed coordinator of a sizable resistance group would be almost as great a boost to morale as capturing Taerich or Shan.

And that was another subject that enraged him. The few fragments of data collected from the ruins of the Dantooine outpost hinted that the two fugitives had been there; the former Jedi Grand Master had been confirmed by the presence of her personal ship. And yet, the Eternal Fleet patrol ship and its entire crew had been destroyed. He was still no closer to knowing who was responsible.

Had it been the Republic, coming to save their precious Jedi? The Empire, seeking Jedi playthings and not wanting to share? Imperius, or forces loyal to him, rushing to aid his Jedi sister and her people? Thunder’s forces? Arcann scowled behind his mask. There were too many options, too many variables, and not nearly enough answers.

“Brother.” Vaylin’s voice finally cut through the cloud of rage in Arcann’s mind. Judging from her tone, and her raised eyebrow and crossed arms, she had been trying to get his attention for some time now. “If you’re done stomping about for now?”

“There had better be an update,” Arcann growled as he stormed back up to the Throne, practically throwing himself into the seat. One eye glowered up at her. “What do you have?”

“Republic agents were seen on Dantooine, going through the ruins. Judging by the communications we were able to intercept, the poor idiots had no idea the outpost was even there.” Vaylin shrugged. “Clearly the Republic is even more inept than we thought, or it was a classified black-ops mission of sorts.”

The Republic, by all accounts, did have a few elite black ops teams who had survived the war and occupation. They had not been a priority of late, but Arcann filed that notion away for later consideration. His thoughts then lit on the one completely capable Republic commander he knew. “And Commander Malcom?”

“House Organa claims he’s been an honoured guest at their estate on Alderaan, this whole time. The spaceport records seem to support the claim.” Vaylin shrugged. “I suppose he really doesn’t care about his bastard son. Or he’s as stupid as the rest of the Republic and didn’t know about the Jedi outpost, or where Shan was last reported.”

That sounded like something Valkorion would have done, had he been in the same position as Malcom with the knowledge of where his offspring were. But if the Republic’s intelligence services hadn’t known about the Jedi hideout, perhaps the former Supreme Commander simply hadn’t known, either. “Has he been seen by any of our people?”

“He’s withdrawn into the castle after hearing about the raid.” Her voice was thick with contempt as she continued, “He’s reportedly in mourning .”

That was definitely not something Valkorion would have done. Arcann shrugged to himself. Malcom was clearly weak. “Anything else?”

“Still no news from the Empire regarding Imperius. But I do have one more little thing.” A smile pulled at Vaylin’s lips. “A diplomatic envoy from the Republic has contacted our diplomats, requesting parlay. Apparently the Senate believes that, since Satele Shan’s ship was on Dantooine and her body wasn’t, she was taken prisoner.” For a moment, the smile vanished in a frown. “Of course, this could be terribly awkward if news gets out that we don’t have her.”

“If news gets out,” Arcann said, grinning under his mask. This, he thought, could be a useful advantage. If Taerich and Shan had been on Dantooine, they had to know that the Grand Master wasn’t a captive. But the Senate didn’t need to know that, and it was doubtful Taerich or Shan would be in contact with the Chancellor. Then again, if the two fugitives hadn’t been on Dantooine at the time of the attack...

Yes… yes, he could use this.

[nautiscarader]

2019 in animation - very selected summary

So, I dunno if anyone’s noticed, but this year was crazy strong when it comes to animation, both in terms of amount and quality of it. No matter what type you liked - traditional...

...3D...

...cell-shaded...

...hyper-realistic...

 - oh, wait, wait, no, my mistake, that’s clearly live-action. 

Anyway, no matter what type of animation is your favourite, this year gave you something. and I’m gonna go chronologically, listing those that I have been able to see. Keep in mind, day only has 24 hours, so I couldn’t see every new season or premiere (for example, I had no interest in OK KO, or She-Ra). Some spoilers below. And Gifs. LOTS OF gifs.

In January: we were still riding on the Spiderverse bandwagon from last year,, which culminated with an Oscar in February. And though as I’ve said, the movie would have worked better imho as a, say, Netflix series, as only two of the spider-people were properly fleshed out, I have to admit, it was a well-earned prize.

Then we were hit by the finale of Steven Universe, and while some complained about the another redemption of cosmic regime, it was an incredibly satisfying ending to a great cartoon... so much so that a whole movie and an epilogue series was made.

plus, it had a segment animated by James Baxter, so it’s automatic win..

January also blessed us with a reboot of another old-forgotten property, Carmen Sandiego, with her second season arriving in October. And it proved that reboots do make sense, but only if you actually do something with it. The story was fresh, creative, and yet, similar in its serialised form to capture the imagination of viewers. Also, grappling hooks for the win.

February was the month of dragons. Not only we got the conclusion of How to Train Your Dragon franchise, but Netlfix gave us second season of The Dragon Prince. While I still consider HTTYD 1 as the best movie of the franchise, as it cleverly told the story of a conflict without any obvious villain, HTTYD 3 was a satisfying conclusion, strengthened by the Homecoming special in November. 

TDP S2 on the other hand, did everything season 1 did, except better. For once, the studio finally broke their piggy bank and bought a new graphics card, so the choppy 15FPS animation of S1 is gone. The story got darker, more mature, yet whimsical, and it only made us hungry for more. Luckily, S3 was just around the corner.

March gave us season 2 of Craig of the Creek. I have to admit, I missed out on this cartoon in 2018, and it was a humongous mistake. CotC is quite possibly the most wholesome cartoon out there, telling amazing story about a boy, his friends, and his family, glorifying the mundane adventures in the creek to truly epic proportions. The family is especially important part, I do not remember a cartoon where bonds between family members were as well written as here. Definitely a must-watch if you have missed it as well.

On 8th of March, the International Women’s day, DC Superhero Girls 2019, aka My Little Pony But Humans And With Superpowers, started, and it was a blast. Creator. Lauren Faust, has once again proven that whatever she touches turns into gold. The shorts were funny, clever, and changed just enough of the DC universe to feel familiar, yet show us new, interesting scenarios. 

 In April, Missing Link had its premiere, showing that traditional, stop motion animation not only has place in modern times, but it can deliver spectacular scenes, though of course, we expected nothing less of studio Laika.

In May, one of Disney’s long-running series, Star vs The Forces of Evil had its finale, and that brings us to the first screech of the list. Many people complained about the direction the show has taken, some claiming it has gone off-track in S3, some saying it was S4 that dropped the quality. Some, like me, saw nothing wrong with it, but the finale let people dissatisfied. If anything, it was too short, and definitely could use an epilogue movie that would tie some of the remaining plot threads in something bigger than one single pan-shot. 

Rest in piece, laser puppies

Wait, they’re alive? Well, then... rest in piece, Hekapoo and her puppies.

This month also presented a first contender for this Summer’s line-up, Twelve Forever. The cartoon took us into wild, bizarre land of imagination, and offered quite a few very mature lessons about growing up and acknowledging one’s responsibilities. It also provided much needed representation, both in terms of colour and sexuality. 

Sadly, amidst scandals with its creator, the show was canned, though it’s also Netflix’s fault for not marketing it enough.

A-and maybe the show was just a tad too... creepy....

Also somewhere in May some Games might have been lost and some Thrones burned, but no one cares about it anymore. i think it was popular for a while, though.

However, 12 Forever was just a start. June gave us Amphibia, my personal top-bingeable cartoon of the year. Disney has hit a jackpot, giving us an incredibly creative fantasy show with rich mythology and enough emotional conflict to create fantastic storytelling. The only slight complain was the scheduling, as episodes aired daily, meaning the season was over by the end of the month. But honestly, the amount of humour and adventures with Anne in the forg world we got compensates that thousandfold. Book 2, coming in 2020, can only makes thing more interesting. 

Going for a hat-trick, in August we got the premiere of a cartoon that I was betting would be my personal favourite, Infinity Train... Until I learned of its schedule, even weirder than Amphibia’s. While Amphibia took a right turn, and gave us 20 episodes, a perfect amount for both plot and filler stories, Infinity Train... turned out to be a mini-series with just ten episodes, airing daily, two per night. And that, in my opinion, was a fatal mistake. Not only we now know that the story is not over, as Season 2 arrives in January, but the short episodes and its density gave very little time to leave an impact on us. If it was at least spaced out, then maybe I wouldn’t be so judgemental, but for me it was a blow that deflated the balloon I was clinging to since 2016 pilot. Still, there is more to come, and the story was more than interesting, so we’ll see if I get used to the pocket mini-story arcs.

September. Remember Steven Universe? That cartoon that ended? SIKE, HAVE A TV MOVIE. And by gods, old and new, what a phenomenal movie it was. A musical telling its own, contained story of betrayal, trust and finding yourself, based on Rebecca Sugar’s mis-adventure with a phone that reset itself... I have seen this movie at least ten times, and its OST is one I come back to constantly on Spotify. The songs are amazing, catchy, incredibly-well written, deep, and, as usual, send very adult messages about growing up and finding one’s identity, which SU was already famous for. Must watch.

Continuing the theme of reboots that actually make sense, Ducktales finished its second season after duck-bombs in March and May, with a heart-breaking story of Della Duck and humongous finale, extending DT’s universe to other Disney Afternoon shows. Season 3 promises even more, and DT is a golden standard of making a reboot that stays faithful to a more than half-a-century old material, while adding enough material to keep things fresh and funny for modern audience. What I’m saying is, Disney could really learn from Disney (pictured below).

But while some things start, some have to finish. October saw the end of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, a show that has taken Internet by the storm in 2010 and...

...okay, cringy brony things aside, this was a clever re-imagining of the decades-old property, and its popularity, especially amongst the people outside the target demography is a proof of its quality. The ending was perfectly serviceable, nothing that stood out, in my opinion, but it definitely didn’t disappoint either. MLP FiM will live in history as the cartoon about pastel tiny horses that made adult men cry and gave them enough passion to create years of of visual crack. And porn. Lots of porn.

November:  Just In case if one season of human and elf adventures was enough, The Dragon Prince Season 3 arrived in November, and it provided a thrilling conclusion to its first smaller story arc. Though I wish the season was longer, and it dived into the history of Elves’ and Humans’ animosities, I would be lying if I said I didn’t binge-watch it all in one sitting, gripping my chair. 

Do you like Green Eggs and Ham? Yes, yes, I do, Sam-I-am. Question: how do you take a classic poem, made purposefully of limited vocabulary, and turn it into a thirteen episode series with a beginning, middle, and end? The answer: You add bunch of weird stuff and the mother of all complicated backstories... at least by the original’s standards. And here’s the thing: this is the first Dr Seuss’ adaption where it works. Somehow the writers were able to stretch each verse of the famous poem into a surprisingly emotional story about friendship, losing and restoring hope, as well as following your dreams. Plus, it gave us Fargo-esque team of Bad Guys. Come on. 

And just in time for Christmas season, we were blessed with Klaus, a clear contender for a Christmas classic in my opinion. This STUNNINGLY beautiful traditionally animated original Netflix movie is a very, very clever reinterpretation of St. Nick’s mythos, telling a deep, and very realistic story of greed and selfishness, and how can one turn their life around by changing their life, one present at a time.

We’re about to end the year, so HOW ABOUT SOME EMOTIONAL TRAUMA, KIDS? Yes, Steven Universe Future is here, and from the looks of it, Steven’s problems are just beginning, since they mature with him. The show’s too real, man. However, it also provided much needed levity, giving us a familiar taste. Nothing more to say, as the show is still airing, and it will surely give us more emotional moments.   

And that’s a wrap for 2019. As I’ve said, it is not exhaustive by any means, and from the looks of it, 2020 is gonna be as packed as its prequel. So yeah, the world might be on fire, but at least we got some nice cartoon to binge-watch.

Happy new year everyone! At least I have time until 6th of January when the first episode of Infinity Train Season two arriWHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S OUT ALREADY