#i mean c'mon i have been waiting since like 2017

[justasinglegaygirl]

Me after my 297382th rewatch

I miss them.

[andiinaraethtash]

Ta-da! A Star Wars fanfic! Betcha didn't see that coming! And on May the Fourth, too!

Summary:

There has been a great disturbance. Ripples through the Force lead the Jedi to the planet Moraband, where the 501st, the 212th, and their Jedi go to find the source of the disturbance. A Sith planet, Moraband holds more danger than they know…

Notes:

SO! There is a very long story behind this fic. It is my very first Star Wars fanfic, and the first fic I wrote with the intention of publishing. I started it back in… gosh. 2018? Maybe late 2017. My point is that it's been a hot minute. But I wanted to post something for May the Fourth, and I've been chatting about this fic with my sister and some friends on Discord, and I'm finally confident enough to start publishing it! I'll try to alternate between publishing this and my other fanfic Can't Escape the Fallout, which is in an entirely different fandom, don't worry if you haven't seen it. But, well. My history of having a consistent upload schedule is spotty at best. That being said, I'll do my best. I will warn you, though: this chapter may be fairly light, but it gets heavy pretty quickly. If character death triggers you, this might not be the fic for you. With that, let's get on to the chapter!

Chapter 1

Moraband, Ahsoka decided, was now her least favorite planet, beating out Tatooine, which had held that place of honor since her first mission with Anakin. Tatooine, at least, wasn't actively trying to kill them. The sand had been only been kind of coarse, even if it did get everywhere. And the natives could at least be reasoned with. Well, most of them.

Moraband was a different story. Even from orbit, the reddish sand and craggy cliffs looked dangerous. Between what Master Kenobi had called k'lor'slugs and the wicked sandstorms that sprang up with no warning, Ahsoka was fairly certain Moraband would be actively trying to kill them. 

Oh, and the pervading Dark Side presence. Couldn't forget that. 

“C'mon, Snips, it isn't that bad,” Anakin joked weakly beside her on the LAATi, where he was leaning heavily on the strap hanging from the ceiling, his entire body rigid with tension. She glanced sideways at him, glaring slightly. He could feel the overwhelming Dark Side presence just as well as she could, if not better. He really wasn't fooling anybody. 

Behind them, Captain Rex shifted uneasily as the transport ship made its approach to Master Kenobi's temporary command base on the surface of the planet. “I don't like this, General. This whole planet feels… off. What exactly are we looking for here?”

Anakin sighed, staring ahead at the doors of the transport, waiting for them to open. “This planet used to be a stronghold for the Sith. A couple days ago… why are you asking?” Anakin finally turned to look at Rex, confusion evident on his face. “I sent you the briefing. You always read the briefings.”

Rex shifted again, this time in discomfort. His embarrassment was palpable in the Force. “In all honesty, sir, if the mission briefing says ‘Jedi artifact,’ ‘Force disturbance,’ or ‘Sith holo-whatsit,’ I tend to just focus on the needed personnel and equipment, and the location. I won't understand anything else.”

Ahsoka bit back a laugh, glanced at Anakin's blank expression, and bit back another. After a moment of incredulous silence, Anakin shook his head and returned his gaze to the door.

“Alright, well, a couple days ago, the Council- well, the entire Order, really- felt something shift in the Force. Given that that usually means something bad in our experience, the Council decided to send us to investigate one of the focal points of the disturbance. Which led us here. Obi-Wan and the 212th were already in the sector, and they sent us as backup. Seriously, did you just skim all of those briefings? How in the world have you survived this long?” His voice had shifted back to an incredulous tone, as he glanced back at the clone Captain.

“By following your lead, sir,” was Rex's immediate response. Anakin grumbled under his breath as the ship finally slowed to a stop, turning as the doors opened to let the troopers within disembark. 

Ahsoka hopped lightly to the ground, grimacing at the way the coarse sand shifted under her feet. The LAAT's engines kicked up a dust cloud, sending grit into her mouth and eyes. Anakin shot her a commiserating look as she spat out the offending sand before leading her and Rex both to the command tent.

Master Kenobi looked up from a holo table, which was displaying a map of the area. “Ah, Anakin, you're here. Good.”

“You sent for us, didn't you?” Anakin snarked at his former master as he strode toward the table to get a better look. “What're we looking at?”

Obi-Wan sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, his mouth pressed in a pensive line under his auburn beard. “Nothing good. Between the local wildlife and some barely functioning droids, there's a fair bit of resistance that will try to keep us from getting to the old temple.”

Ahsoka straightened in alarm. “Droids? Here? But we beat the Separatists here! How can there be droids?” She met Anakin's eyes, and he reached over their training bond to offer reassurance.

On the opposite side of the table, Commander Cody huffed slightly. His helmet hid his expression, but she could feel his amusement in the Force. “They're not clankers, Commander. At least, not Seppie clankers. They've been here too long.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “As near as we can tell, they're old guardians left by the Sith to protect their temple. They're old enough that most of them have broken down, but those of them that are still functioning are armed and dangerous.” He gave her a wry smile. “Don't worry, Ahsoka. Dooku won't be here for another few hours, which should give us enough time to find what we're looking for and get out.”

Behind Ahsoka, Rex coughed awkwardly. “Sir, what exactly are we looking for?”

Obi-Wan gave him a perplexed look. “A Sith holocron.” Turning to Anakin, he demanded, “Did you not give him the mission briefing?”

Anakin raised his hands defensively. “I did! Apparently he tends to skim over briefings that have to do with the Force.”

Obi-Wan shot Rex a disbelieving look over Ahsoka's shoulder and sighed. “Why am I not surprised?” He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Ahsoka smirked. “So what's the plan, Master? We just run in, find the thing, and get out?”

“More or less.” Obi-Wan shrugged. “Now that we've narrowed down where the holocron is, I've got my men loading up. We'll take a small squad into the temple, find anything useful, and clear out, hopefully before the Separatists arrive. If not, I've ordered my men to create a perimeter around the temple while yours, Anakin, hold the blockade. They need to keep our exit strategy intact. Think they can do that this time?”

The last question was said playfully, causing Anakin to straighten. “Hey! That was as much your fault as mine!” His indignation, however, was undercut by his equally playful grin.

Ahsoka pursed her lips. “I dunno, Skyguy, you were the one in charge of that mission.”

He turned to her, opening his mouth to deliver what was no doubt a stunningly clever retort, but Cody cut in first.

“If we want to complete this mission before the Separatists arrive, we should move out now. Clock's already ticking, sir.”

Obi-Wan nodded and sighed, returning his attention to the map. “Of course, Cody. Ahsoka, would you fill Admiral Yularen in on the plan? I need to fill Anakin in on what we're going to do.” 

Ahsoka nodded and exited the tent. As she did, she heard Anakin mutter, “I don't know about this one, Master. I've got a bad feeling…”

________

The approach to the temple definitely could have been worse, Ahsoka decided. Most of the k'lor'slugs attacked one at a time, and they only encountered two droid patrols as they neared the temple.

Looking at it, Ahsoka could definitely tell it was a Sith creation. The imposing (and ridiculously excessive) stairs were mostly covered in rust-colored sand. The few spots that weren't were a dark grey, which didn't appear to be the result of sun bleaching, but rather, the original color. The entrance to the temple itself was a tall arch that, in Ahsoka's opinion, looked way too much like a mouth. Inside was dark, and surprisingly cold considering the blistering desert around it.

Obi-Wan was leading the small squad (Ahsoka hadn't heard their names) with Cody at his back, while she and Anakin brought up the rear. The only lights were the troopers’ headlamps and Obi-Wan's lightsaber, which he held over his head like a high-tech glow rod. As the group marched into the temple, they had to duck to avoid a series of fallen beams and hop over several headless statues. Tattered remains of banners fluttered eerily in the shadows above them. Ahsoka shuddered, but less because of the chill in the air and more because of the soft whispers that emanated from every shadow. Anakin glanced at her, noticing her unease.

“Probably the shades of long-dead Sith. They can't hurt us.” He whispered softly, but it was still startling in the otherwise near-perfect silence.

“Hopefully.” She muttered back. “This place gives me the creeps, though, and I don't think it's just the ghosts.”

One of the troopers huffed. “Sith. Everything they built was designed to scare the kriff out of you.”

Ahead of them, Obi-Wan stopped as he entered a large chamber. The rest of the squad filed out and flanked him, eyeing their surroundings warily. Ahsoka inhaled sharply as she entered, feeling that the Dark Side was… not stronger, but thicker, here, to the point that she could almost see it twisting in the air.

A pair of ruined staircases were on either side of the chamber, and a walkway circled above them in equal disrepair. Several collapsed doorways led out of the chamber, although she couldn't tell where they led. In the center of the room was an obelisk, the tip of which pulsed faintly with red energy. Looking at it, Ahsoka simultaneously wanted to either shudder, gag, or punch something and scream. As most of the clones muttered and shifted uneasily, Obi-Wan pursued his lips.

“Something wrong, Master?” Ahsoka asked as her Grandmaster stroked his beard and stared pensively at the tip of the obelisk.

“I'm not sure,” he replied slowly. “I'm fairly certain that the capstone on the obelisk is the holocron, but… it's not strong enough to have caused the disturbance we felt.”

Cody started. “Not strong enough? Sir, I can feel the energy from that thing, and I'm sure as kriff no Jedi.”

“No, Obi-Wan's right.” Anakin stepped forward. “That thing is powerful in close proximity, but the disturbance was powerful enough to give Master Yoda a migraine all the way in Coruscant. Maybe if it was more than one holocron activated, but just the one? No way.”

“Regardless, it's here. We can't just leave it for Dooku to steal, right, Master Kenobi?” Ahsoka asked, eyeing the obelisk with a calculating gaze. Maybe if I climb up to the walkway and jump….

“Correct, Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan kept his eyes on the holocron as he paced back and forth, obviously trying to come up with a way to safely get it down.

Cody sighed, also trying to come up with an idea. “I'm guessing using grapnels to pull it down is a bad idea.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said distractedly. “As is using the Force to bring it down.”

“Could we use the Force to topple the obelisk?” Ahsoka asked, looking back and forth between her Master and her Grandmaster.

Anakin shook his head. “Same problem. If we let the holocron hit the ground, it could break, and nothing good ever happens when a holocron breaks. Using the Force on a Sith holocron? It'll sense us using the Light Side and lash out. Sith protect their artifacts very carefully.”

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. “We could Force-lift someone up there to grab it.”

Anakin snorted. “Well, you're not Force-lifting me. Not that I don't trust you...” The comment earned him a mock glare from his former Master.

“You could lift me,” Ahsoka volunteered before this could devolve into an argument. “I'm the smallest, so you'll have the least problems.” Anakin and Obi-Wan glanced at each other and shrugged simultaneously.

“Better than any of your suggestions,” Obi-Wan drawled.

“Ha-ha.” Anakin huffed and beckoned his Padawan over to the base of the obelisk. Nervously, she followed him and braced herself for the unsettling sensation of being suspended in the air like a puppet.

She took a deep breath before nodding to Anakin, who reached out- both with his hand and with the Force- and lifted . Ahsoka squeaked involuntarily when her feet left the ground, making Anakin's focus falter ever so slightly. The disruption caused her to plummet about half a foot before he recovered and lifted her the remaining distance to the holocron. The moment she got close enough to see it, however, a jolt of fear ran through her.

“Snips? What's wrong?” Of course Anakin had felt her reaction. Between the strong bond between the two of them and his incredible sensitivity, there was no way he hadn't felt it. She really needed to work on her shielding.

“Um,” she gulped. “There's a teeny, tiny problem. By which I mean there's a giant crack in the holocron.”

“What?!” Obi-Wan and Anakin exclaimed simultaneously, their shock and fear palpable in the force for a split second before their mental shields slammed into place.

Ahsoka glanced down at them. Force, that's a long drop, she thought. “Yeah, this thing's split right down the middle. Think the disturbance did this?”

Below her, Obi-Wan tensed. “Possibly. If the holocron was one of the focal points, that much power could have damaged it. But that means that the energy-”

As he was talking, Ahsoka reached out to touch the holocron. The instant her fingers brushed the edge of the jagged crack, an explosion of Force energy lashed out at her. Sparks of pain ran up her arm through her body, lighting her nerves on fire, and she screamed. Her vision went black and she sank into unconsciousness, grateful to escape the pain.

When she woke up, she was lying partially in someone's lap. Beneath her she could feel fabric, which meant robes, so she was resting against either Obi-Wan or Anakin. She opened her eyes with a groan to see her Master kneeling in front of her. Which meant she was lying in Obi-Wan's lap like a child. That was embarrassing.

Beneath her, Obi-Wan's chest rumbled, and Ahsoka realized he was speaking. Focusing hard, she managed to make out what he was saying.

“...see, Anakin? She's waking up. She's going to be fine .” His tone was part amused, part exasperated, and part concerned, a combination he'd mastered in the two years she'd been Anakin's Padawan.

In front of her, she saw Anakin scowl. “She was just attacked by a Sith holocron. Forgive me if I'm a little worried!”

Well, she couldn't have that. As touching (and kind of amusing) as it was when he got worried, it quickly became suffocating because he wouldn't let her do anything on her own. Clearing her aching throat, she managed, “Quit worrying, Skyguy, I'm okay.” 

Anakin visibly winced at the sound of her voice. “You screamed yourself hoarse and passed out for almost half an hour. I'm allowed to worry! You're my Padawan, and my respons-”

“Your responsibility, I know. You say that every time I get hurt.” Ahsoka reminded him as she tried to sit up. Her body wasn't cooperating. She was exhausted, like she'd just done five hundred katas back to back.

“Easy, Commander. Rex and Kix'll both have my hide if you hurt yourself worse.” Cody reprimanded her from behind Anakin. She glared up at him, but with almost no heat, as he shifted his gaze to Obi-Wan. “Admiral Yularen just contacted me. Separatist fleet just entered the system. He's scrambled the fighters, but they arrived much sooner than we predicted. We need to get out of here, sir.”

Ahsoka finally managed to push herself to her feet, wobbling slightly as her sense of balance tried to right itself. “Wait, what about the holocron? Did we get it?”

Anakin shook his head as he reached out to steady her. “No point. After it attacked you, it just… died. Like it used up all its power in that one attack.”

“Which is worrying, but right now we've got bigger problems.” Obi-Wan stood up behind her, making a show of brushing the dust off of his robe. “My men should already be evacuating. We need to reach the landing zone now, or they'll have to retreat without us, and I don't know about you, but I've had enough of Moraband's hospitality.”

The end of his statement was punctuated by an explosion, causing the temple to shake and sending everyone inside reeling. Ahsoka closed her eyes and clung hard to her Master's arm, trying to keep from falling over or outright passing out again. From the hallway they'd come in through, a trooper ran in, panting hard.

“General! They're landing troops! Fighters managed to get past the blockade, the 501st weren't ready for them!”

Obi-Wan straightened and nodded. “Alright, then. I guess it's a good thing we had a plan B.”

[mirkwoodshewolf]

On set visits; Queen x reader x Borhap boys pt. 1

*Author's note*

Alright so this part is broken up into 2 parts so here is the 1st part of the Bohemian Rhapsody film set visit. Part 2 will be up in just a second after I get done with this author's note. So expect some crazy stuff happening, fluffiness and the Rock Angel reminiscing on her past with the boys. 

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things​

@waddles03​

@psychosupernatural​

@ixchel-9275​

@simonedk​

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​

@queensdivas​

@queendeakyy​

@wormzteef​

@geek-and-proud​

@starswin​

@isabella-bby​

@onebigfangirlworld​

@labessieisallama​

@5sos-wdw​

@ssa-sadboi​

@naturalswifty89​

@bohemiansweede

_________________________________________________________

*Sept. 2017. Filming Bohemian Rhapsody*

I almost couldn't believe it myself. I mean I knew that the boys were planning on a film about themselves and that it was taking them almost 10 years just to get it off the ground. But now after multiple rewrites of the script and better casting, the film was ready to get off the ground.

"So you're absolutely sure I can stop by whenever I feel like it? No matter how many times?" I spoke into my I-phone.

'Absolutely love, just as long as you don't spill any secrets.'

"Please Bri, when have I ever revealed anything to anyone about you guys?"

'Well there was the time—'

"That was a fluck and you know it!" I snapped.

'I'm kidding love, you've never spilled any secrets. You've gotten better at lying lately.' Brian chuckled.

"Well when you say it like that it makes me feel guilty."

'As it should love. So when can we expect you?'

"I'll try to get there before the filming starts, so I may end up going to bed now so that way I can get on the road early enough to beat traffic."

'I know Rog is looking forward to seeing you again.'

"I just did the summer tour with you guys, how could he already miss me?"

'It's a mystery to all of us, but he is your father after all.'

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay well I'll see you tomorrow Bri."

'See you then (y/n). sweet dreams and drive safe tomorrow.'

"Will do. Love you."

'Love you too poppet.' I then hung up and couldn't help but grin.

"You still going over to see them film tomorrow?" I turned and low and behold after a long day's shift there was my husband coming in from his police work.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat threw up." I teased.

"Ha-ha you're hilarious my love." He said as he undid his tie and unbuttoned his short. "So the film's finally taking off the ground?"

"Yep, and they finally found a better Freddie Mercury."

"Yeah cause I remember when you called and told me about Sacha Baron Cohen."

"I just couldn't stand the fact that he was wanting to expose the dark side of Freddie. I mean yeah he had the parties, and the drugs, the sex, but that's all what Rock and rollers did back in those days. Plus that's all he seemed to care about. The scandal that came with Freddie's name, nothing about the music. I'm only just glad Bri sided with me on it." I ranted as Jack came up after taking his shirt and undoing his pants and began to rub my shoulders.

"I know love. You're as protective of this project as Brian and Roger are. So do you know who exactly they got to play Freddie this time?"

"No, but I'll find out tomorrow."

"Okay well, my team's got a heavy lead on the case so I won't really be available tomorrow."

"I understand. Just—promise me you'll be careful my love. I haven't forgotten that one killer that shot you in the line of duty."

"I survived didn't I? Plus now we both have a bullet story to share." He leaned his forehead against mine.

"Not funny Jack." I muttered.

"I know. C'mon let's get some sleep. We both have got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." I nodded and then we both got into bed and we fell asleep.

Early the next morning I was on my way over to the set driving in my own car without a driver. As I approached the set gate of course I was stopped by security.

"Badge and proof of visitation ma'am." I handed him the badge that Roger had sent in for me and some documentation that I needed to show him saying that I was not only visiting but a consultant for the movie to help the actors get to know the true Queen. "Everything checks out Mrs. Kline, here you go and have a good day."

"You too uhh—Marvin." I read his nametag before putting my VIP badge around my neck as the gate opened and I drove on inside.

After about 10 minutes I finally was able to find a parking space. I got out of the car and locked it up before walking towards the set. I was told by Brian that the actors had been prepping for the biggest scene they were going to film, the Live Aid sequence.

When I came around and actually stepped up onto the stage, I was blown away and taken back to the summer of 1985. Jesus they—the production got every single detail down to the paint chippings. The rigged lights that Queen had the day they performed, Roger's kit and the grand piano with Freddie's Pepsi cups filled with beer.

"Oh my god. Jack if only you were here to see this." I muttered to myself. It was then I saw Brian talking to someone but—wait did he? Did he seriously dye his hair back to its original dark curls? I walked up to him but waited till he was done talking to some of the producers. Once he was I tapped his shoulder and he turned around and—oh wow I just....wow.

I don't know whether this is a prank or time travel does exist but I swear I'm literally looking at Brian the day I had met him.

"Okay it's official. I think I have finally cracked." I said as I placed my hand over my forehead.

"I'm sorry ma'am do you need to sit down or can I get you a cup of water?" Oh god he even sounds like Brian.

"Ahhh seems you two have already met. And here I thought I could surprise you." I turned and there was—Brian? My Brian with the grey curls now. Wait what!? What is going on here!?

"What the f—"

"Ah, ah language young lady!" Brian scolded.

"You must be the Rock Angel (Y/n) Kline, Brian and Roger have told us a lot about you. Pardon me, Gwilym Lee." He said as he extended his hand to me. I shook it and said in awe.

"Ahhhh, now I see it. Sorry Gwilym dear, never did I think I'd see two Brian's at once. I swear to god you look—exactly like Brian when I met him."

"Anita said the exact same thing. Cheeky woman was even trying to flirt with him." Brian said as he pouted towards the end..

"No she didn't." I gawked.

"I'm afraid it's true." Gwilym said with a blush. I shook my head softly laughing.

"Oh that woman I tell you what."

"Well I can tell you one thing I know a certain someone of the cast who will flip out once he sees you." said Gwilym.

"And just who might that be?" I asked him.

"The young lad whose playing Deacy, Joe Mazzello."

"Kept ranting on and on about your Live Aid performance and how you and Deacy used to interact with each other in your performances together."

"Ahh yes. Me and my dear brother mine." I sighed with a solemn smile.

"I—I'm sorry I-I-I didn't mean to......"

"No, no Gwilym it's fine. While sometimes I do wish he could still be around, I completely understand why he chose to leave the band. Hell without Brian and Rog I—I don't even want to think what I would've done after Freddie died." I soon brushed my sorrows away and said, "Now come here Gwilym I want to get a closer look at you." he came up to me and we stood face to face of each other.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and looked him up and down before cupping each side of his face gently.

"God they chose right for my Brian. I swear, it's like Gwilym is your long lost son Bri." I said as my eyes turned toward Brian.

"I'm beginning to think you might be right." Joked Brian. I stepped back from Gwilym and said to him.

"I can't wait to see the full Live Aid recreation with you all in full costume."

"I hope we do you proud Mrs. Kline."

"First of all, call me (y/n). Secondly, I'm already proud. From what I've heard from Brian and Roger, I have no doubt in my mind that we've entrusted the right group of actors with Freddie's and Queen's upbringing tale to absolute rock gods."

"You flatter us too much (y/n)." Brian gushed.

"Only because you old fossils deserve it." I teased as I stuck my tongue out at him to which Brian did his little eyebrow quirk at me. I giggled softly and continued. "Well before filming starts, I'm gonna continue to look around the set. I'm told the lower decks where all the performers were settled in are just like how they were when we were there. Ciao Brians'." I walked away from them with a wave of my hand.

After exploring more of the set design and going down memory lane it was then I came across another look-a-like. Holding the famed natural Fender precision Bass guitar and wearing that god awful tacky shirt that I secretly wished I had told him not to wear, and having the iconic mushroom fluffy hair was the actor who was playing Deacy, Joe Mazzello.

One of the hair designers was fluffing up the wig to make sure it was up to Deacy's standard. And god just like with Gwilym, Joe was practically identical to Deacy.

It was just like seeing Deacy again back when he was happy and content with where Queen was at, just before finding out about Freddie's illness (which I had found out from Spike several years ago that Deacy had actually known since the last tour Queen ever did with Freddie).

I smiled softly as I watched him get ready for the camera. His wide smile reminded me so much of Deacy's. Slowly I walked up towards him and as the hairdresser looked him over Joe asked.

"So how does it look?"

"I think you look terrific." I said.

"Wait who said—OH MY GOD!!!" he screamed as he turned around and saw me. Like all usual fanboys, he jumped back, his mouth was gaped and his eyes were wide.

"Close your mouth please Joe dear we are not a codfish." His mouth immediately closed.

"Y-you-you-you're....."

"The Rock—"

"Rock Angel." We both said together slowly. "Call me (y/n)." I greeted as I extended my hand out to him and he took it hold of it and shook it.

"I just—I can't believe that I'm-I'm-I'm actually standing beside the Rock Angel." I softly giggled.

"Just know that beyond the glam and the rock star female empowerment, I'm just a normal 55 year old woman."

"But you still look good." He said. I quirked my brow at him so he quickly tried to save himself, "Not that you're old or anything. I mean I don't mean to offend you I just....."

"Joseph. Relax dear. I'm not offended at all. Freddie always said that I would end up being an eternal beauty. At first I thought it was just Freddie being Freddie but as the years have passed I think he—that he must be behind giving me this youthful glow."

"The Rock Angel called me dear," he first gushed with a shy smile. "Sorry I just...... I grew up listening to your albums along with Queen and the first time I saw one of your broadcast performances, I kinda had a little crush on you" He said gently.

"Aww I'm flattered Joe, really I am." I said as I gently cupped the side of his face and gave his cheek a stroke of my thumb. At that point he looked like he was about to melt into a puddle with how much joy he was probably filled with. "Now Joe forgive me for saying this, how long have you been acting?"

"I was a child actor actually. I've—always been in the acting business. Why do you ask?"

"Well besides seeing some of my brother's features I feel like I've—seen you in something before."

"You might recall a little film that came out in the 90's known as Jurassic Park?"

"Wait hold on—you...." I gasped. "You played little Tim Murphy!?!"

"Yes, yes I was Tim Murphy."

"Oh my god. When that film came out my twin boys were literally obsessed with that movie. Would not watch anything else for a full year. They even wore out the old VHS tape we had for it. Oh my god how could I not recognize you sooner?"

"Well I was 8 just turning 9 while we were filming it."

"You had a birthday while filming?"

"Yeah. It was during the kitchen scene with the raptor. I actually got injured on that day."

"What? What happened?" he then proceeded to tell me exactly what had happened. Of how the raptor they used was on wheels and he was running toward the fridge and he was supposed to go left while the raptor was supposed to go right, but the guy controlling the raptor lost control and went the same direction as Joe and he ended up getting hit in the face with a metal claw.

And it was at that moment the director Steven Spielberg and the rest of the crew sang Happy birthday to him.

Then of course he tried to ask Joe at that moment if they could try it again, but when Joe proved he couldn't do it, they wrapped for that day.

"Oh you poor thing."

"It's okay, I survived."

"Well I hope you never suffered an injury like that since then. And on your birthday too? That's never a good birthday present to get a concussion."

"I was cleared out with no concussion, just a little dizzy and a bit of bruising."

"Oh I'm sorry love, it's my inner mother instincts kicking in."

"She always was an overprotective mother." We both turned around and I saw Roger walking up sporting the black beanie I gave him for Christmas last year and another actor who was sporting the Roger Taylor look he had for Live Aid.

"Oh look who's talking smother father! For years since I've known you you've been the definition of helicopter parent." I gawked at him. "You still sometimes even threaten Jack with missing out on our dates cause of our jobs."

"And I've always told you that boy would be trouble one day." He teased as he came up to me.

"Wow so it is actually true, you guys do look at each other as father and daughter." Said the young actor playing Roger.

"Yes Ben, my adoptive daughter (Y/n) Kline, otherwise known as the Rock Angel." Roger introduced.

"So you're the young actor playing my main father figure eh?" I said as I looked at the young man.

"Yes. Ben Hardy, it's a real honor to meet you in person Mrs. Kline. To say I was nervous to meet Roger is nothing compared to the thought of meeting you."

"Are you saying I'm intimidating and unapproachable?" I asked offendedly.

"Wha? No! No! God no I-I-I-I didn't mean it that way I was just...." I interrupted him with a laugh and said.

"Dear, relax. I was just pulling your leg."

"And be thankful she was. Otherwise, I'd beat your arse boy for insulting my daughter." Roger protectively stated.

"See there you go you old hypocrite. Besides Rog you haven't been able to kick anyone's arse in years. Don't want you breaking a hip now do we?" I mocked him.

"You're lucky these boys are here little missy." Roger scolded me.

" Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now then Ben, you were once on EastEnders right?" I said turning my attention back toward Ben.

"Yes. I played Peter Boyle on the show. My recent film before this was the new X-Men movie that came out about a year ago. X-Men Apocalypse."

"Ahh yes, my youngest son is always obsessed with all the superhero films. Marvel or DC. Now I'd like to see you two more closely, stand together." Both Joe and Ben followed orders and I looked both of them up and down.

Circling around them before cupping each of their faces once by one. And yes Ben was a bit more muscular than Roger was and of course they didn't get his hair right for this part in time, but there was just something in Ben's eyes that just made me think back to the first day I met Roger.

That sparkle of mischief but also protectiveness that shown through those blue eyes of his.

"That is most definitely my Roger. You both have the same spirit in your eyes. I can't wait to see how you play the drums up on that stage."

"Yeah, me neither." He said with a hint of nervousness. I then went over to Joe and cupped his face too. Just—my god just like with Deacy the profile was just uncanny. Of course, Deacy's eyes were more of a hazel type while Joe's were like a brownish type color. But I couldn't deny he looked so much like my brother. "And you my dear Joseph. Gwilym isn't the only one to resemble the man he's playing."

"It was kinda scary after getting the wig on. So much so that I called my mom and asked her what she was doing in 1983?" I laughed and said as I took my hands away from his face.

"Unfortunately, I can tell you for a fact that John Deacon is not your father. The only lady he's ever loved and will love is Veronica."

"I know." I chuckled softly.

"Now then Joe if you'll come with me there's important things I need to discuss with you."

"Like what?"

"You'll see. It was wonderful to meet you Ben, I hope we can get to know each other better later after you all film the Live Aid concert."

"Yeah of course, it was wonderful to meet you Mrs. Kline."

"Please call me (y/n). Dad you better not be too hard on this one, I like him."

"Don't worry I won't break him too much." The four of us went our separate ways.

Joe and I arrived at my trailer (all thanks to Rog and Bri). We entered inside and I told Joe to take a seat. He sat down on my couch while I went over to the kitchen.

"Tea?"

"Yes please. One sugar please."

"Just like how he liked it." I muttered to myself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing love, nothing." I prepped the tea for him and once it was done I handed him his cup and he thanked me. I watched him take a sip and he said,

"Ahh never gets old. I'm telling you after this I may just be the biggest tea fan ever."

"It is good for the soul. I myself have always found Jasmine to be the way to nirvana." I paused for a brief moment before saying, "Joe." He looked at me giving me his full attention, "As you know probably from weeks of research and maybe even from Roger and Brian themselves, Deacy chose to exempt himself from all forms of stardom. To live a quiet life with his family."

"Yeah. When I first got the part I did reach out to him on just any personal advice on certain quirks that he did. Cause even though I've played real life people before, this is the first time I'm playing someone whose still alive, and I wanted to do him justice."

"Yes, quite."

"However all I got back was just that he approved of the project and just for me to take it as any other actor would. Not that I'm saying that I'm mad at him for saying that. But I just—"

"I get it. Really I do." I took his hand and gripped onto it comfortingly. "Look. Ever since Freddie died, Deacy has been—grieving. Just like he did for me, it was Freddie who helped bring Deacy out of his shell and become more involved with the band. Not just being the bass player or the quiet guy."

"The King of the one liners, the tie breaker of Queen." Joe stated.

"Yes, although John could be loud and rowdy when he wanted to. He was definitely Queen's wildcard, but he was also their Ace. Unpredictable but incredibly brilliant. Never have I met a bass player quite like him. Nor do I think I ever will." It was quiet for what felt like forever when Joe asked me.

"Do you—do you still speak to him? I mean, cause I read that you both basically grew up close together, even for being 11 years apart from each other."

"Yes. We actually lived 20 minutes from each other back in our youth. He was and will always be my brother mine." I sighed heavily. "And to answer your question, I must remind you he's always been.....a cautious subject to me. Any remembrance of Freddie just makes him break, and as I'm sure you've seen from my concert footages I, sometimes, subconsciously find myself doing some Freddie movements on stage. Whether it's flicking my wrist like he did, strutting around the stage or waving my arms like he did. Deacy's.....he knows those things. But he's always there for me when I needed him. The last time was—on the tragedy of 9-11."

"Wait you mean....."

"Jack's cousin Jared and his wife Gen, they—they were on the plane that was overtaken by the terrorists. Took five days to finally find their bodies. Jared holding Gen in his arms. It was a risk but—I knew Jack needed more support than just his American family. So he and I went over to John and Veronica's place. We went at the early mornings of course just so that way no one would spot us driving in midday and try to track us down, then at sunrise we walked up to the door and—there he was. When Jack told him what had happened, he—actually invited us in and allowed us to stay the entire time. He ended up being the right support Jack needed."

"Your husband and John were close?"

"Oh yes. More alike than you know. Both incredibly talented bass players. That's how Jack got Deacy's approval when Jack and I started hanging out. He even gave my husband private lessons."

"Wow."

"Yes. They were practically inseparable the two of them for that summer. Even during their rehearsals, you would see Deacy go in the corner and practice what riffs he'd teach my Jack next. However that was the last time I ever actually saw Deacy, 16 long years ago. Haven't gotten in contact with him since. But occasionally, at least according to Brian, he asks them how I'm doing as well as Jack."

"I hope he's living a quiet and happy life with his kids and wife."

"I know they are. I still keep in contact with Ronnie whenever I can, sometimes we go out shopping, fawn over grandchildren pics, and just catching up. She was the mother I needed when I first had Kelly."

"Sounds like she was the ultimate mama."

"You have no idea." I felt Joe place his free hand on top of mine that still had his. I smiled softly at him before I got down to the real reason why I brought him here. "Joseph, now I know that when it comes to acting, Hollywood can pick whomever they deem worthy for a role, especially if it's for a real person. I'll be honest with you; hearing your American accent puts me a little on edge. Cause I have heard some pretty bad English accents on screen that just make me want to pull my ears off agonizingly slow. Now I know Deacy has probably the most unique accent from anyone in Leicester, I mean you hear my accent and I sound nothing like his dialect. So what I want to ask of you, just for the sake of you playing my brother, may I hear you speak with John's accent?"

"What-what would you like me to say?"

"Maybe say what you did for the audition. Or anything that comes to your head. It doesn't even have to be an interview Deacy did, I just want to hear your accent." He nodded before sitting back on the couch while I leaned back on the chair.

He adjusted himself before finally miming that he was driving a car before he finally spoke about when Deacy first joined the band. The one interview he did during the 'News of the World' tour with Bob Harris.

I felt like at that moment my heart had stopped. My hands slowly covered my mouth in a prayer style while the corner of my eyes watered. And sure there were certain words that he said that still sounded American but—this was my brother. I....I was actually looking at my brother right now. They got it right.

By the end of it, Joe looked at me and his eyes grew concerned as he said.

"Did I screw up?" I stood up from my chair in silence. I then walked over to him and knelt down in front of him cupping his face. A wide smile spread across my face as I immediately hugged him and softly sobbed.

"You are my Deacy! My brother mine." I then felt him embrace me back and the two of us rocked side to side. I looked up to the heavens praying that Fred was looking down knowing he would've loved Joe playing his Deacy. "If you ever need any advice or help, I'm here for you. Promise me Joe Mazzello that you will come to me with anything regarding Deacy."

"I promise (y/n)." he still spoke with Deacy's accent which filled me with both sorrow and happiness.

We stayed that way for god knows how long. After composing myself, we left my trailer when one of the volunteers came up to us and said.

"Joe, they're ready to start filming the concert."

"Shall we go on?" I asked.

"Yes, let's." God he had my brother's quick wit already. He crooked his arm out which made me grin softly. I looped my arm through his and the two of us walked on towards the Live Aid stage.

I stood alongside Roger, Peter Freestone (Freddie's former assistant and the other consultant for the film) as well as Brian's youngest daughter Emily (who in every way was so much like her father from the hair to the smile).

"I think this will be a great shoot, don't you think (y/n)?" asked Peter.

"Indeed Pheebs. And I'm sure Freddie would've loved to have seen it."

"He would indeed." He said as he wrapped an arm around me and soon Brian came and stood beside us after being backstage with the young actors who then came out just as Queen did that day back in 85. When I saw the young actor playing our Freddie, I was already impressed.

Sure he was skinnier than Freddie was, but seeing him move about just as Freddie did it was like I was seeing Freddie right before my eyes. The boys got into position and soon began to perform the entire Live Aid concert.

Besides actually being there and seeing them perform from the wings that day over 30 years ago, this was about the greatest concert performance I had ever seen.

The boys in full costume had everything down. Gwilym channeled Brian's solo on Bohemian Rhapsody, Ben was pretty impressive on the drums, Joe had Deacy's rhythmic moves down, and the young man playing Freddie he—it was beyond what I could imagine. He wasn't just moving like Freddie, it was like he knew why Freddie would move a certain way to a song.

I was in awe cause it felt like I had actually traveled back in time and was watching Queen's most historical performance once again. I stood behind Brian and wrapped my arms around his shoulders leaning up against his head smiling from ear to ear, I felt Brian take one of my hands and gently patted it every now and then.

When the Aye-Oh's happened I could help but lowered my head and holding my laughs of joy. I swear when this is over, I need to talk to this new actor playing Freddie cause unlike Sacha, this was our Freddie. Soon Hammer to Fall came on and I couldn't help but bop my head along to the song.

I felt a tap at my shoulder and I turned to see Emily holding her phone out with the notes app open. In the app it read.

'Is this how you remember it Aunt (y/n)?' I walked towards her and gestured for me to have her phone. She handed it to me and I typed out.

'Everything and more. God I wish your cousin Kelly could've been here to see this as well as your uncle Jack. They would've loved it.' I showed her my message and she came up and wrapped her arms around my shoulders as the two of us smiled happily up at the stage.

When Hammer to Fall concluded, the extras and even me and team Queen applauded. I let out a loud whistle from the sidelines as I applauded and took pictures with my own phone to show Jack and the kids later. Now I recall that it was at this time the guys ended up surprising me and the world with our duet "Set it all free" instead of the planned 'Crazy Little thing called love'.

Now I've been skeptical about having a biopic film about me, even though I knew both Queen and Elton were starting theirs at the same time, hell one of the producers Dexter Fletcher is currently directing Elton's film 'Rocketman' as we speak right now. So I didn't know if they would plan to do Crazy little thing or if they'd go the set as it was all those years ago.

I got my answer however when Ben started to play the drum intro to my song.

"You guys didn't." I muttered.

"We wanted to be historically accurate with the Live Aid set." Brian started.

"So we cooked up a little surprise for you." Roger said. It was then I heard the actor playing Freddie began chanting out along with the audience "An-gel! An-gel! An-gel!" it was then I saw a young girl come out and—by god it was like looking at my younger self from that day.

She was dressed exactly how I was with a pregnant belly suit underneath her shirt. Her hair was designed the same way as mine was, everything just took me back. Instead of a playback that the Freddie actor was using for all the singing, this young woman was actually singing and she had a pretty good voice.

I continued to watch in awe as the young woman basically became me doing each step or movement I did that day on Live Aid. I felt Brian and Roger wrap their arms around me as I couldn't even take my eyes off the young woman up on stage. I could hear the extras singing out the lyrics, even some of the crew members were bopping their heads and singing along.

She walked across the stage at the second verse right towards the Freddie actor and just like Fred and I did, they stood forehead to forehead singing the duet before she walked back out and went back to center stage. When the guitar solo came on, my eyes turned to Gwilym and he amazed me that he actually could do my hard rock solo.

After the song was over, the crowd applauded and cheered and I turned to the guys and hugged them and whispered into their ears.

"If this is you guys way of trying to get me to sign onto a biopic film......I'm highly considering it after seeing her."

"We'll introduce you later." Said Roger as we separated from the hug and we turned our attention back to the guys as We Will Rock you now began playing. I couldn't help myself by stomp my feet to the rhythm and mouth out the words.

I was just amazed by not only Gwilym's guitar playing but also the young man who moved just like how I remembered seeing Freddie move, using the mic stand as Fred always did (the cheeky man), even the facial expressions that he made were exactly like they were.

It wasn't until when 'We are the champions' came on that I could barely hold my tears in. Seeing not only Fred's actor but my actor singing the famed Queen anthem that has literally been played in every victory sport or award winning singing competition.

Seeing the two of them interact with each other, it was pure nostalgia.

By the end of the song, tears welled up in my eyes and I looked toward the heavens hoping that Freddie could see this and running through my mind I already knew what he'd say.

"Amazing jobs my darlings, not as fabulous as me but very, very close." When the extras and even some crew members cheered, Brian, Roger, Peter, Emily and myself all applauded and cheered for the boys and that's when the director called cut.

"This.....is gonna be a great movie." I said.

"I think so too. After just seeing them come together like that, I think we've finally casted the right people to play us." Said Brian.

"I agree you two, I'm liking what I've just seen so far." Roger said.

"And—I'm sure he would've liked this too." I said solemnly. I felt Roger gently rub my back and Brian said.

"I know he would."

After a few more takes of filming the Live Aid concert, the director said that it was enough for today. I walked around the set to find the producer Graham King and when I approached him I asked him.

"Graham tell me, who's the young man you got to play Freddie?"

"Oh his name is Rami Malek. His recent project was a show called Mr. Robot."

"Ahh yes I've heard of that, my Freddie is obsessed with that show. Never misses an episode."

"When we were casting Freddie I happened to come across an episode and when I saw him I—just thought I was looking at Freddie. So we brought him in, he gave us a mock interview as well as an audition that your boys saw when they first met him. And from then on it just fell into place. Do you approve of him? Is there a problem Mrs. Kline?"

"Absolutely not. Do you know where I can find Rami at right now?"

"Probably in hair and makeup getting undressed."

"Well, when he is done would you be so kind as to bring him to my trailer?"

"Of course (y/n)." I nodded in gratitude and walked off to my trailer.

I sat there once again on the chair looking through an old photo album. Each picture held a deep and personal memory for me, I thought back to the day that each picture was taken and remembered exactly what was going on at that very moment.

A knock was soon heard at my trailer. I composed myself with a deep exhale and said.

"Come in." the door opened and there without costume or the tache was Rami Malek.

"Graham said you wanted to see me Mrs. Kline?"

"Yes Rami, love please come in." he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "Take a seat." I gestured towards the couch. He sat right where Joe had sat down earlier this morning and I said. "Would you care for a biscuit, or as Americans call them cookies?"

"Uhh yes please." I smiled and handed him a tray of biscuits I always kept around me (hey a woman's gotta have her sweet tooth fix right?) and handed him my best plate of chocolate chip cookies (all thanks to my mother in law's secret recipe). He thanked me as he took one and took a bite out of it. "Mmm. Oh my god," he cleared his throat and closed his mouth before finishing the biscuit up. "This is so good."

"Thank you, it was my mother in law's secret recipe. She passed it onto me shortly before Kelly was born." He took another bite of it and swallowed that piece before saying as he set it down on a napkin that I had also provided.

"What-what was it you needed to see me for Mrs.—"

"Before we continue, I'll ask you to call me the same way I've asked the other three of the band to call me. Call me (y/n)."

"Yes of course, (y/n). What was it you wanted to see me for? Is it to talk about what you saw out there? Did I screw it up already?"

"No, no dear relax. This is nothing in the way you're thinking." I saw him take a sigh of relief.

"Oh good. Cause I know I obviously wasn't the first choice for the job."

"In my books Rami, you should've been the first one to be called for the role."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, but first there's a couple of questions that I want to ask you that Brian and Roger might not have asked you, and I want you to answer them as Freddie would've."

"Okay." I smiled softly and stood up from my seat as I set the phot album aside.

"Who is Queen not without?"

"That's easy. It's you darling. There's no Queen without their beloved Rock Angel, and no Rock Angel without her four aging Queens." I felt my heart clench at hearing Rami speak with a British tone. The softness of his voice almost sounded identical to Freddie's voice. I turned towards him and walked towards the kitchen area of my trailer.

"Who is it that you trust the most?"

"Mary. Mary is the one I trust the most. For she knows me like no one else ever will." I reached the kitchen and rested my hand against the island.

"Who are you?" Rami looked at me before finally answering something that would forever stun me.

"I've been asked that all my life. By my family, student peers, professors, the entire world. I've been told who I should strive to be but I say fuck what they say. They don't define me. No, I decided who I am. I'm going to be what I was born to be. A performer who gives the people what they want." He pointed towards the ceiling as he whispered, "touch of the heavens." He dropped his hand before finally answering, "Freddie Fucking Mercury."

My lips quivered and I ducked my head as tears began falling down my face for—god knows how many times right now.

"Oh (y/n) I—I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry, I—did I say something wrong?" Rami said urgently as he stood up and stood in front of me.

"No." I choked out. I sniffled and that's when he handed me a tissue. Oh ever the kind gentleman and concerned about my wellbeing, just like Freddie was. "No you—you've prove to me that you know just who Freddie truly was."

"Didn't want to be put in a certain category or be stereotyped." He said. I nodded as I wiped my tears with the tissue he had given me.

"For as long as I have known Freddie, especially to his last, various people have chosen one of two sides. There's the one side that the press made him out to be. The one that-that—bastard Cohen wanted to portray Freddie as. The wild, crazed, homosexual drug addict. That he deserved what he had gotten because he was so reckless and stupid. That AIDS was his form of suicide. Never did I want to punch and murder so many people. Every time I got asked about whether Freddie's death was his own fault, I just wanted to rip the interviewer apart."

"I can see why. I bet a lot of true fans and the people who knew Freddie well would've done what you've felt like doing."

"But people like you Rami, who understand that Freddie wasn't just a frontman or greatest performer to ever live. That he did come from a harsh background but rose above all the trials and tribulations that came his way to define himself as he sought out to be. That's why he was my biggest idol." I grabbed the photo album and sat down on the couch and opened it up taking out a picture that was always a favorite of mine.

It was a picture that Deacy took of Freddie and I together just after my very first performance as the Rock Angel at Madison Square Garden. Fred's arms wrapped around me as he had picked me up, huge wide smiles were spread across our faces. I felt a dip on my left side I looked up to see Rami sitting close beside me. He looked down at the picture before saying.

"Was this your first performance?"

"Yes. Out of four members of Queen, it was Freddie Mercury who truly believed that I could make a name for myself in the industry. Taught me everything there was into getting the self-confidence I needed to get up on that stage. Sure we had our ups and downs, but through all the falls we had, he never gave up on me. He gave up on no one that he loved. And Rami," we looked at each other and I told him the utmost truth, "If he were alive today, he would've loved you."

He smiled as I gently touched his cheek and the two of us looked through my photo album of every picture Freddie and I took throughout the 11 years I knew him.

At the end of the day, just before the four boys left to go hang out at a pub nearby, I stepped in and offered.

"Why not have dinner over at my place boys?"

"Oh we couldn't impose." Said Joe.

"Nonsense Joe, I insist and I won't take no for answer. Plus it'll be a more homely environment. You boys can't live on catering and pub foods for the next several months to a year. No I absolutely won't have it."

"Best go along with her boys, she got her persuasion from the best there was." Roger added in.

"Well—if you think it's a good idea." Said Gwilym.

"Of course it is. Now come on, you four can fit in my car. Let's go. Meet you there Brian and Roger?"

"We'll be right behind you love." Said Brian. I gestured the boys to follow me to my car. Ben sat up in the passenger seat, Joe sat behind him, Rami was in the middle and Gwilym sat behind me. I turned the engine on and told everyone to buckle up (mama instincts what can I say?) and we pulled out of the gate and I drove us on home.

"So (y/n), what other kind of music do you listen to?" asked Joe.

"Whatever song has a good voice and a good beat, with no autotune I will love. You can look through my Spotify and see what I have." Ben took my phone out of the phone holder and turned around as Joe took over the controls and went to my Spotify.

"Wow there are a lot of songs. And I thought you would've just stuck with what you grew up on."

"Unlike most rockstars like Roger who think everything after 1979 basically became trash music with the rise of pop or as they called it 'disco'. I'm a little more open minded. But I deny all songs that use explicit language every three words, degrading women, or promotes violence."

"You even got some old Christina Aguilera songs on here?" asked Rami.

"Who do you think helped produce her?"

"Shut the front door. You produced Christina Aguilera?"

"Yeah. I even gave her rights to a song that I wanted to do. But even singing it brought back some old wounds. So since I was helping her produce her album at the time, I turned to song over to her."

"What song was it?" asked Ben.

"Fighter."

"Shut up! That was literally my jam."

"I can attest to that. Throughout the filming of The Pacific, he would never shut that song off when getting into Eugene's character for certain episodes." Rami rose his hand.

"Yeah. I have an entire playlist of some songs I helped produce or make. You can play that playlist if you'd like. Or my typical playlist my boys best songs."

"I think in the light of our first day filming, we should go with Queen. What do you guys say?" Joe asked.

"Agree."

"Yep."

"Oh yeah."

"Aright then Joe, we'll each pick our favorite Queen song. You're up first little Tim." He grinned and scrolled through my playlist until Somebody to love came up on the speakers. "Read my mind Joseph." The piano began playing and that's when I vocalized alongside Freddie and the five of us began singing the song at the top of our lungs.

The entire car ride contained each of us picking our top favorite songs. Ben did 'White Queen' which I commended on him cause people nowadays tend to forget the old Queen songs, Gwilym picked Love of my Life, Rami chose Radio Gaga, and I, of course chose Bohemian Rhapsody.

Thanks to Wayne's world (yes I saw the movie and yes it was silly but just the opening scene alone made the movie worth watching) we basically did the same motion by motion that those boys did in the film when the operatic section came on. And of course when the headbanging rock out came on, the boys proceeded to bang their hands while I did mine not as aggressively (responsible driving kids!)

We continued to rock out to the song and it wasn't until by the end of the song that we soon arrived at my home. I pulled the car up into the garage and hit the clicker button which opened up the garage door and I pull inside just as the last line came up and Roger's gong rang off. I shut the engine and said.

"Here we are boys, welcome to casa de la Kline." We all exited out of my car and right behind us as scheduled were Brian and Roger with Bri getting out of the driver's seat. "Bout time you two got here, I was beginning to worry that I'd need to call in an ambulance."

"We're old dear, not dead." Roger sassed at me.

"But I still love you old coots. Just like I said all those years ago."

"That I do remember, the day right after you got so shitfaced after your 21st birthday. You remember that Brian?" Roger said.

"Indeed I do Rog, I even remember what we did to her to get her to apologize, think we need to do it again?"

"That might have to be arranged."

"Oh no you guys don't! We're not doing that now, now let's get inside before we all catch a cold." I guided them all inside. Once we stepped through the backdoor of the garage I could already smell something cooking, and I knew who exactly was cooking at this rate. "Baby! I'm home!" I called out from the hallway.

We turned the corner and soon came to the kitchen where a young man of 19 (going on 20 in a couple months) stood by the oven. He shut it off and turned around. He was every bit like his father when I first met him back in '83, but he had my eyes. When he saw me, he softly smiled and I came up to him.

"Sorry I didn't call in advance telling you that we would have more guests than your uncles."

"No worries mom. You know I've always cooked way more than I should." I smiled and cupped his face and we kissed each other's cheek. "Uncle Brian, uncle Roger."

"Hello Fred." Brian greeted.

"Hey lad, how's school been?"

"Oh you know, NYU's a challenge but I manage." He then directed his attention towards the young actors but when he eyes landed on Rami, he quickly grabbed my arm and whispered to me. "You didn't tell me you'd be bringing Rami Malek to our house!"

"Again slipped my mind." I teased him.

"Mom how dare you bring my celebrity crush here without telling me, look at me I'm a mess."

"Oh you're fine. Now best behavior." I wrapped an arm around my son and said. "Boys, this is my youngest son Freddie Mercury Kline. Fred, these are the boys that will be playing your uncles. This is Joe Mazzello, he'll be playing your uncle Deacy. Ben Hardy who's playing your old uncle Roger."

"Watch it lion cub." Rog warned me. I gave him a cheeky look before continuing the introductions.

"Gwilym Lee will be playing your uncle Brian, and you know Rami, he'll be playing the man you were named after."

"Uncle Freddie?"

"Yes. And—from what I've seen so far, you'll finally get to meet him through the screen."

"I don't doubt that. I'm a big fan of yours Rami, your role in Mr. Robot has been—amazing."

"I'm honored."

"Alright since we've all had a long day today, let's get some grub. Everyone grab a plate." I grabbed some extra plates from the cabinet and handed four plates out to the actors and we all assembled around the island to grab a piece of lasagna, peas, mashed potatoes with gravy and Hawaiian rolls.

Once we gathered around the table I set out the iced tea Jack had made a couple of days ago as well as some champagne or wine. "Okay guys, before we dig in I want all hands on deck." I extended my hand out.

Freddie immediately placed his hand on top of mine, Brian and Rog soon followed after and it was then Rami, Gwilym, Joe and finally Ben placed their hands on top.

"Thank you for this family, thank you for this meal. Thank you for this day. It'll be a wild ride, but I feel this movie will soar, and—that this new family will forever stay." I said ending the traditional family prayer. The young actors looked at me with warm eyes and soft smiles.

"Alright, let's dig in. You boys will never eat the same way again once you taste (y/n)'s cooking." Roger said.

"That bad?" joked Joe. I gawked at the young cheeky actor.

"On the contrary she's the best chief on this side of London. Even when she was an intern she made us this one Christmas pudding that was to die for." Brian spoke on my behalf.

"It's true. She put all the other PTA mom's to shame when it came to my school's bake sales." Freddie said as he took a bite of his lasagna.

The entire dinner was filled with talks about our lives, stories and embarrassing moments in life. Not a single person was excluded from a conversation. After dinner, Rami and Gwilym helped Freddie with the dishes while I got some other scrapbooks out and bonded a bit with Ben and Joe about my time with Rog and Deacy.

"Now this Joe was taken during my first Japan tour. At the very garden where Queen went to near the Tokyo tower, Deacy refused to let me leave without having a cherry blossom crown."

"He seems to be doing good in the picture."

"Except one twig got so tangled in my hair it literally took 15 minutes just to get it out." We both laughed before I turned the page and found a great picture of me and Roger. "Now this picture Ben, both Roger and I have this picture, this was taken after my first Hyde Park performance."

"She performed to an audience of half of what Queen did when we performed at Hyde Park." Roger spoke.

"She could've performed for more but times changed and better security measure for the public's safety prevented it from happening again." Brian added.

"One thing's for sure, I was damn well proud of her for performing at her biggest crowd at the time just barely two years into her career." Roger spoke again. I looked up and winked at him.

"You guys really do have that father-daughter bond don't you?" Joe said.

"Have ever since she gave me the real 1 and 3/7th's sugar."

"It wasn't until Brian told me the next day that Roger just says that to pull people's leg. God I felt embarrassed after that."

"Aww lovie, but it was due to that I became your favorite. And I don't regret it as I'm sure you don't."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." As Gwilym, Rami and Freddie came back in I continued going through the scrapbook sharing my photos of my days with Queen with the boys, and allowing Freddie to finally hear all the stories that he was denied cause of my grief.

As the night got darker and darker, the young actors at this moment were so full of food and exhausted from a long day's filming they actually passed out along my living room. Joe and Ben cuddled up on the couch, Rami asleep on the recliner, while Gwilym was curled up along the loveseat.

Meanwhile I was watching over them and couldn't help but think it was like seeing my boys all over again. I remember back when I was still an intern and would see the guys all passed out whether at Freddie's parties or in the studio, I always had to provide the guys comfort (which I never minded). So seeing these four young men passed out just brought me a sense of nostalgia.

"I got the spare blankets mom."

"Thank you dear. Your uncles tucked in the spare bedrooms?"

"Uncle Brian's in the room across yours and dad's and uncle Roger is in Georgie's old room."

"Good boy." I then proceeded to cover up and adjust the young actors. I wrapped both Joe and Ben in the same blanket and closed Joe's mouth gently so that he wouldn't drool in his sleep, followed by giving them each a soft kiss goodnight. Without trying to wake him up, I uncurled Gwilym from his pretzel position and covered him up.

I gingerly stroked through his hair before placing a soft kiss to his temple. He groaned and lifted his head up which allowed me to place a pillow underneath him. He hummed in content as he snuggled into it. I then went over to Rami and adjusted the seat so that he would be more comfortable. Pressing the button on our automatic recliner, his legs slowly rose up before finally stopping in full recliner mode.

I tucked him in while looking down at him. God even without the tache it was like looking at Freddie from when I first met him in person at a concert, long before I became an intern. I gently kissed his cheek before faintly stroking his cheek.

Sitting outside along the deck, Freddie and I were looking up at the stars.

"So you think this movie's gonna be a hit?"

"Critics are always hard to please, no matter if it's music or movies. From what I've read of the script yes there's misinformation but that's why it's called a biopic. There's some truth but it's the touch of Hollywood in order to make the film not a boring documentary. But those four boys, they are just how I remember your uncles being when I not only worked with them, but grew up with them hearing their music."

"I wish I had gotten the chance to meet uncle Freddie." Fred said after a brief moment of silence. I turned to him to see him looking down sadly.

"So do I love. He would've loved you as much as he did your brothers and sister. And he would've been over the moon had he found that I had named you after him." I brought my baby close and he wrapped his arms around me as we both looked up at the moon and the stars together.

The star right by the moon glowed the brightest, the very same star that shined just as bright the night after the tribute concert we did back in '92. I couldn't help as a tear slid down my face and a smile spread across my face.

I knew that it was Freddie's star, telling me that he was watching us and that he was proud.

[hello-alonso]

Two Brother’s Collaborations in Touhou

A little while ago I spoke about Touhou and its crazy sampling culture. Well, now I am gonna be showcasing a group that I love and have been listening to their music ever since 2014. In my podcast, I even went and played a sample of their song to demonstrate the metal/rock ways Touhou gets sampled. The group is Demetori. Demetori is two person group consisting of brothers,  Tadashi Teramae (he focusses on drums, percussions, programing, and mixing) 

and Masaru Teramae (he focusses on the guitar, bass, and synth). 

Of the research that I’ve done, I’ve found that Demetori has no songs with any vocals and they have only ever collaborated with one other artist and that was one of their first songs, back in 2005. All of their other work beyond that has been their own and it the talent really shines through in my opinion. It’s pretty nice to see the talent of two brothers and using it to create these spectacular metal arrangements. 

At this point I’d like to describe their ways of making music. Like I said earlier, Touhou is the source to many artists songs. So, just like many other artists, Demetori takes a simple song from any of the Touhou games and pretty much makes it a metal/rock song. 

For example, a song made from ZUN, called “Magus Night”

This same song was used to create Demetori’s version of it.

With only a few seconds in, you can easily see that they are similar sounding. That’s what it’s like for all of Demetori’s songs, they takes these rather simple instrumental songs from ZUN and create their own versions of them. They have been doing this process ever since 2005! The last time they released anything was in 2018 with a huge album. In their albums they most of the time go per game. For example if Touhou 15 was the subject, all the songs in the album would be sampled off of the songs in that game. 

The guitar and drums flow very smoothly in all of their songs and they have a pretty good distribution for the instruments. There’s never really any time they try to take the spotlight. You can always hear the drums and guitar and they really compliment each other very nicely in their songs. 

Take for instance this song, Star-Spangled Banner Clown. It’s one of their more recent songs made in 2017. In it you immediately get jumped into the fast metal/rock pace with the drums going crazy. The part I really enjoyed was the section of 3:02 - 3:43. I mean, c'mon, that guitar is fucking insane. 

As for Demetori’s popularity, they have been pretty small in these years. Their initial spark of interest in the mid 2000′s was because of Touhou, now I feel like they get known more from other places. The first places I heard Demetori was on osu! (rhythm game) back in 2014. From there I was able to see a handful of songs created to be played. I’ve also herd them in other rhythm games, such as Beat Saber, where A LOT of their songs are mapped into a playable course. 

There's not really much that is known from these two, they have very low profiles and do not share much of their personal lives on the internet. They both have twitter accounts but it’s all in Japanese and from the looks of it, it’s just a personal account that does not really specialize in their music. It's really a shame, I wish there were videos of them live in a concert, because I know that the guitar and drums would go crazy in a public setting.

The person in the video below is not Demetori, however, I think it’s an amazing cover on one of their songs. Plus, it’s the closest thing I’ll get to seeing a performance by someone. 

The electric guitar really does wonders. It’s such a sharp sounding instrument and an attention grabber for sure. 

Three years have passed since they have released any music, so I will be patiently waiting for that time to come. From what I’ve heard, Demetori, does not have any misses. All they have are bangers. 

Thank you for reading. 

http://demetori.xii.jp/

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Iirc pq2 and the dancing games were being developed the same time as p5, so I dunno if it's a case that they weren't thinking, more likely they didn't care lol (might've been due to p5 being delayed so much or something)

I can tell they aren't thinking, they still aren't. 8U If it's them not caring.......that's annoying then. If you aren't gonna care then leave imo. Or, they do care and are thinking, but aren't as good as Hashino or Tadashi when it comes to coming up with ideas (*cough*except Kido*cough*)

Kinda, for P3/5D at least. As you can see here, it was at the tail end of, P5's development. And PQ2 right when they finished P5.

It's just....so odd. Why not have more people start working on new entries earlier than that? Was it really all hands on deck? I mean it's not like they can't juggle entries, we literally saw them do it before!

I know they said they had everyone focusing on P5 releasing but.....it really feels like poor planning. I mean they even stated they had to rush PQ2 because of the Switch! And yeah I can see the rush, you really screwed up your lore-*inhales* Breathe Silly.....breathe. *exhales*

Tbh PQ2 probably should've been in development not long after PQ1. At least had it on the back burner, slowly simmering and being worked on. And then by the time P5 came out, we'd have a game line up for at least 2017. It's not Atlus' fault for the Switch release (actually maybe it is, I'm sure nintendo must've told developers about it much sooner than the general public.....IF that's the case...and IF it is then that's even.....there was a lot of stupid going on at Atlus with the planning then).

If they did know about the Switch AND/OR were planning for some sequel earlier on, then this would've been the best timeline:

2014: After the release of PQ1, Atlus starts on PQ2 with the rough scenario we already have in progress (aka they iron out the wrinkles compared to what we got)

Late 2015/early 2016: they work on doing the PS classic on PS4 and porting the PS2 vers of P3/P4 (at least, maybe PS1 vers of P1/2 too) and maybe begin the planning of P5S (rather than pussy footing around since they had been doing talks, assuming it was just Atlus being like "oh maybe we'll do it" instead of "oh we have to wait till this time to start doing it cause of KT/legal reasons"...if it's the latter then nothing we can do....except maybe have a separate P5 spinoff/sequel in the works)

Mid 2016: P5 releases, P3/5 crossover game begins development (this is not the same game we got, instead it's a legit crossover where there's dance battles and plot+more character interactions).

Late 2016: P3/4 are dropped on PS4 classics, PQ2 announced for late-early/mid 2017

Tail end Early/Mid 2017: PQ2 drops. P5S (if talks began) announcement is dropped, if not a separate spinoff/sequel game is announced, if not that then P3/5D crossover game is announced.

That's roughly how I'd (in this scenario with this info, I know I've restructured this 1000 times but c'mon) structure it for maximum usage outta all the entries.

If we have to shift all the games (including P5) like 3 months later that's fine, at least that means all the titles will be released in a better timely manner. P5 fans get to familiarize themselves with P3/4 in time for some crossover games, and maybe even a spinoff/sequel.

That being said, it could be some of the new blood too, atm I'mma just blame them hiring Yuta Aihara and Hirokazu Tohyama. so far they've only worked on titles I don't like so I'mma blame them for what happened to PQ2 >8U

P3/5D has a lot of vets iirc, so I'mma blame them being just money hungry 8U

[af1899]

FEH - "The outside world...! So vast!" (+10 WIP Sophia mini-showcase and appreciation)

So, with the [Feh Pass] subscription, I've been auto battling as much as I could while doing whatever else and gather [Hero Feathers] to get all the [HM] I had yet to get, and it was absolutely worth it, although I've already spent like 300 out of my 900+ something [Stamina Bottles] in the [Forging Bonds] lmao, I have around 660 now.

But with the obtained [Hero Feathers] I merged up Tailtiu to +6 and...

Poggers

I'm happy to have finished merging Sophia at long last which makes of her my eleventh fully merged project soon after New Year Eir, her build is pretty much done but I'd be delighted to give her more premium stuff she can use in the future and make more builds, as well as giving her the remaining [Dragonflowers (I)] but I'm so close to fully boost Sonya and then I have to boost OG and Legendary Julia because of the post-[CYL 2021] update. 🥴

But her current build does wonders already, true, she's not impervious to nearly everything as it is, but I can give her some team support and the like, she's still great on her own.

Now, onto appreciation talk which includes describing her a little and explaining why I like her. I did this in one of my previous posts but it's time to review the info we have about her and expand on it. As always, feel free to read on (long read ahead)...

About Sophia

She's a half-dragon, half-human girl with the power of foresight, she's a priestess residing in Arcadia, a village that houses manaketes that survived one of the most vicious wars from past lore (The Scouring) located in the southwestern desertic region (Nabata) in Elibe, the continent on which the sixth and seventh Fire Emblem games take place in, she's a playable [Shaman] in the former and makes a minor appearance as a NPC near the end of the latter. Her class makes of her one of the two playable dark magic users in Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals (the other is the guy you're most likely to get while pulling on red stones in FEH, a.k.a. Raigh), and she gains access to basic staves after promoting to [Druid].

In her support convo with Niime, it's revealed that Sophia's father was human, meaning that her mother was a dragon, but neither's identity is ever known to the player. But despite this, she never transforms into a dragon, most likely because she never had her own stone to contain those powers. Being half-dragon also allows her to live much longer, but not as purebred manaketes/dragons.

She's fully self-aware of her heritage and doesn't let that bother her, she accepts both halves of herself which make of her a whole person.

She's somewhat important around the half of the game's duration as she helps a gravely injured Cecilia to at least tend to her wounds while waiting for Roy's army to rescue them as they were both thrown into a prison under Bern's control (the kingdom invading the other countries during the events of the game).

Sophia displays a shy and gentle personality, showing clear astonishmnet yet in a calm way when witnessing what the outside world is like and what it has to offer (beyond the village she's been living for around a century), this is most evidenced in her support dialogues with Igrene. She even feels similarly when wearing a new set of clothes, such as those of Embla in the World of Zenith, anytime after she joins the Order of Heroes.

«As long as I am with you... I can go anywhere...even a new country...»

― Sophia

She also mentions she was raised to avoid outsiders, and in the same aforementioned support convo, it's mentioned why.

«I understand what he's saying... The Dragons' powers could easily destroy entire countries. If the outsiders found out, they would surely fight over it. I've seen many conflicts like that in my life...»

― Igrene

And it's understandable why she feels that way after being raised by the elder of the village to do as told for decades. But in the end, she wants to work towards a world of peace where both dragons and humans live together without a war ever spreading out, and befriend other people, she's appreciative of other's kindness.

So... why do I like her?

Because she's purple-haired and most of her design has purple and I love purple soooooo much, that's all you need to know. :)

...Kidding kidding, that's not actually it, but it's in part true that I find her aesthetic pleasing, partially due to my passion for this color:

(Official artwork from FE6)

Her design is rather simple but so charming, clearly evidencing her shyness (see the way she holds her book and her facial expression), and feeling clean without going overboard on details.

Also, I find long, purple hair a rather rare yet dazzling sight, I always look at it in her artwork and remins me why I love her design.

True, her neck in Zaza's take on Sophia in Fire Emblem Heroes bothered me a little, mostly because her neck is a little long as seen above, but not as slim as long as Zaza has drawn her (it's still a decent artwork and the artist has made some really nice pieces later, look at Emmeryn), the style also felt a little off to me. But her Resplendent upgrade made Sophia look more cute and still being the one we know, doning a brand new attire.

(❶ Original by Zaza. | ❷ Resplendent by Miwabe Sakura)

But for me, it's pointless to be pretty if there's not a likeable personality behind the character in question, and Sophia has been proven to be really interesting, often a mysterious but shy girl, she's capable of kindness and finding comfort with outsiders like Kiran or Roy, when I see her, I always feel that she's so nice, never feeling bitterness towards any of her allies, just being shy due to how she's grown, but with a desire for friendship and peace pushing her forward, even slowly but surely, she's so lovely. 🥰

What's more, some of her quotes show she has a protective side, determined to stand up to help her allies but specially those she's close with, this eventually includes Kiran themselves.

Her voice in Fire Emblem Heroes is also really soothing, Wendee Lee has made such a delightful work giving new life to Sophia through her voice acting, there sure are differences between her work back in 2017 (Sophia is a launch unit, meaning she's been around ever since the game was live) and the work on the Resplendent in 2020, yet both are pretty consistent and equally pleasant to hear. But if I have to vouch for one or another, I give a point to the Resplendent voice acting, her voice can be heard with a little more depth and calmness to it than the original, which feels more natural.

And she's a dark magic practitioner but that doesn't make her evil at all, she's really pure actually. But I actually find dark magic most appealing out of any kind of weapon I have ever seen, the whole concept is cool, being always creepy and nefarious in nature, often portrayed in hues of black and dark purple.

And like, c'mon, this thing is amazing:

I wish that [Apocalypse] was her PRF weapon in Fire Emblem Heroes but neither Raigh nor Bramimond who's its OG owner got it and just got random PRFs instead.

Anyway, in short, I adore Sophia and it always makes me happy to turn a seemingly weak unit into a tough to crack cookie, love for favorites sure can take them far.

"And... as a unit?"

I've been trying her mainly against the foes she has advantage with, but I've been also trying her against red/blue units and sometimes she does a nice job holding them at bay, she has low speed even after all this investment but with buffing it's somewhat usable.

Yet I prefer to focus on her strengths, not weaknesses, and she stands as a fairly good magic tank, with the few extras she enjoys as a launch unit and full demote plus Resplendent skin since around the first weeks of the [Feh Pass].

I actually tried her here some time after posting this because I didn't notice the [Limited Hero Battle] for today requires you use FE6 units, so I went with my faves in the game and it was rather easy. 🙂 But it still took a little thinking.

"Who's the next +10 you have in mind?"

Hmm... actually gonna (at least try to) work on Lilina, another one of my Elibian favorites. I also have her Resplendent upgrade and could revamp her kit. 🤔

But she's currently +3 so her turn might take longer or someone's else may come before, Idk.

And then, hopefully someone I like out of the next potential Resplendent Heroes...!

[timeaftertime-chriscornellfanfic]

Chapter 38 - Part 4: Revelations

New York City, New York June 3 2017

(Andi is 29, Chris is 52)

ANDI: "You and I are never, ever leaving this bed," Chris says as he snuggles into my shoulder, placing his lips to my ear as his arm lays across me pulling me closer.

"C'mon, you know we can't stay in bed forever," I giggle as he places sweet kisses down my neck.

"Sure we can, who says we can't?" He says as he props his head up on his hand and I flick my eyes to his, snuggling further into him.

"How would we eat?" I ask and he shrugs,

"We don't need food,"

"How will we live?" I laugh.

"Right here in this bed like I said," He laughs. He turns his attention to my right nipple, leaning down and nipping at it so gently but tickling me at the same time.

"Hey!" I laugh and he laughs as his hand moves around to the small of my back pressing me against him

"Chris, c'mon we should get up," I giggle as I reach over and pick up my phone to check

"Chris, c'mon we should get up," I giggle as I reach over and pick up my phone to check the time and he groans but turns his attention to my other nipple, as I set my phone back down.

"Remember when... we were first together...and you met me the first time - for you anyways -and... we spent the whole entire... weekend in my bed?" He says in between each kiss, moving between my breasts.

"Uh huh," I say closing my eyes. I do remember that. I was so scared but he made me feel so comfortable with him, especially since for him, he had known me since he was 15.

"So, it's just like then... only we'll never leave, " He says when he props his head up on his hand again with that sly smirk he always gives me.

I flick my eyes open again to see him glancing down at me and I smile back at him, reaching up and brushing a few of his curls that had fallen across his eyes. I then pull him back to me, pressing my lips to his and lacing my fingers through his curls. He's right, we should just stay in bed. Who needs to face the world when I'm wrapped up in Chris's arms.

Suddenly there was a noise coming from downstairs that sounded like someone knocking on the door, then the doorbell started to ring and more knocking on the door.

"What the - ?" Chris says when he pulls away from me and still more knocking.

"They're persistent," I giggle trying to make a joke but Chris didn't seem to find it funny. He then lets go of me and climbs out of bed, slipping on a pair of black 90 logo track pants and a white V-neck t-shirt.

"Well, I'm going to tell them to fuck off.... I'll be back," He says and I giggle as he leans down over me placing a kiss on my forehead, then turns and heads to the bedroom door. I groan and reach out for him not wanting him to leave and he disappears from the bedroom then pull the covers back up to my chest, lay back and stretch, hoping that Chris makes them go away quickly so he can get back into bed with me. To think that I was the one who initially wanted to get up, but now I'm so comfortable in this huge bed I don't want to get up.

A few minutes go by and while I wait for Chris to come back, I decide to grab his mac book from the night stand and flip it open to check out some videos on YouTube. I never thought that we would be able to access videos like this online and just the advancements that the internet has made. Again, coming from my time in 1999, it was only just beginning for me and now, it's so fast and so amazing to just search for anything you want and it's right there.

I started searching through bands that I love from way back when - Sepultura, Metallica, Guns N Roses etc - and eventually came across old videos of Chris with his band Audioslave. I clicked on a few of them, Cochise, Doesn't remind Me and Show Me How To Live, and it was almost surreal to see him with his short spiky hair again, but without Kim, Matt and Ben. I remember meeting Rage Against The Machine the one year Soundgarden did Lollapalooza in '92 but it was only in passing as I was so busy with the schedule and making sure everything ran smoothly, as a manager should do at that time.

As I click on some interview footage, and more live videos of Live 8 in 2004 and Cuba in 2005, I started to feel that heartbroken guilty feeling creep up. I missed so much time with him that it's almost like he's a completely different person here in these videos, but the same somehow. I know, I can't explain it but I hate that missed all of this. Then I clicked on another video and it looked like a premier or some sort of red carpet event and it shows a black Limo with Chris stepping out, looking so different in a suit with his hair spiked and gelled so perfectly, his beard thin but trimmed neatly. He walks over to the other side of the Limo, opens the door and a woman steps out.

I could feel my heart drop as he takes her hand, her dress extremely low cut and backless, her dark hair in loose wavy curls as he walks her over to a reporter. She stands close to him giving a few smiles that seem either nervous or something else all together as he answers the reporters questions. She glances at the flashes from the cameras and turns slightly so that they get her best angle - which started to anger me because she seems more focused on herself and how she looks than actually being there for him.

She's not at all who I pictured her to be like either. I mean, I don't know what I was picturing - I was trying not to think about her at all - but she just doesn't seem to fit. I know he told me about her when we were heading to Columbus, but seeing her with him is a different story. That should be me standing there with him, not her.

"Sorry babe, I got stuck on the phone downstairs - hey what happened?" Chris says as he walks back in the bedroom with a yellow envelope seeing me quickly close down his mac book, wiping away the some tears that had fallen down my cheeks. I didn't mean to start crying, but I couldn't help it.

"Nothing," I say and make sure the blankets were securely covering my chest. He walks back over to me and sits down beside me on the bed. He flips open the mac book and sees the last website page I was on with the video on You Tube of him and Vicky.

"Oh Baby," He says sadly.

"I'm ok really," I say dismissively and he looks at me, reaching out and pushing a few of my curls behind my ear.

"You know this doesn't matter right? I mean... that wasn't me," He says gesturing to the paused video of him and Vicky. "Well it was me... but that's not who I am anymore,"

"I know... I know. But, it doesn't make it hurt any less," I say and he furrows his brow at me. " I mean - that's not how I mean for it to come out,"

"I know baby. But... you know Vicky and I are done. You don't even have to worry about this kind of stuff at all. I have the divorce settlement right here, I just have to sign it and it's done baby. Then it's just you and me." He says so re-assuringly as he looks at me determined to convince me that everything is going to be ok. He then pulls out the papers from the envelope and grabs a pen from his bedside table.

"It was Vicky's lawyer downstairs so... I guess he was the one who had to serve them to me," He explains as he flips through the papers.

"So wait... we're still married right?" I ask.

"Uh huh," He says still scanning the papers.

"So... how were you able to marry her? Does she know about me?" I ask a little worried.

"It's complicated, but I sort of lead her to believe I was widowed... so she knows but not specifically about you..." He trails off and I could feel my heart drop as he struggles to look at me.

This is what I didn't let him explain on the plane with me. Maybe I should've, but I didn't want to hear it. Maybe I still don't want to hear it.

"I know I know. I always thought you would come back to me. You always had before. And I know it's no excuse, but I didn't know what else to do. After she got pregnant, I just didn't think twice, I just did what I had to do. It wasn't until last year that I found out a lot of shit. How much she lied to me,"

"What?" I ask trying to take this all in. Why the fuck didn't I let him tell me this before?

"My daughter, Toni... well she's not mine. She never was. When I found out that Toni wasn't mine I just... I lost it, I fell apart. She'd been lying to me for 14 years. So... these papers determine that Vicky and I are done, She gets the condo in Miami and that's it. She's out of my will, she's out of the foundation and out of my life. Once I sell this house, I can move back to Seattle and be done with it all,"

I didn't know what to say. I can't believe all of this happened because of one little moment that I couldn't control.

He turns back to the papers he held in front of him, turning to the last page. He takes in a deep breath, and signs his name at the bottom, then stuffs the papers back into the envelope and sets it back on the nightstand.

"So what about your daughter then? That's it? You aren't gonna see her anymore?" I ask. I didn't know if it really was my place to say, but I had to say something.

"She's already with her biological father. Vicky had been setting up visitation between them while I was on tour, and it had been going on for a while," Chris says shakily to me.

He then goes on to explain that the night I time slipped into the hotel was when Vicky had told him about it. He also explains that Vicky had been taking money out of a foundation that Chris had started and laundering it somewhere, so the foundation had gone into suspension that same week.

"... so now I have to close down the foundation and I owe a lot of money because of her lying, which is why I'm selling this house. But I have my lawyer and an accountant that's gonna help me fix the financial side of everything," Chris says.

"Fuck, Chris..." I honestly didn't know what to say still. This is way more complicated than I ever thought it would be.

"I know... I know I should've told you sooner, but I just didn't know how to. After this tour, I'm financially fucked... I'm sorry," He says, still not looking directly at me.

"Chris, hey... you know I never cared about your money. I mean, we lived in the most shitiest places way back when, barely having enough money to eat some days because of touring and not making hardly anything. You never ever have to apologize to me. If I don't need to, then you don't need to," I say as I reach out and force him to look at me. He then pulls me into him, resting his head on my chest as I run my fingers through his curls, twirling a few around my fingers as I place my lips on the top of his head.

"I promise I will make up for everything. As long as I have you, I know I'm gonna be ok," He says softly as I hold him, and all I can think is...

Please just let everything be ok

******************************************************************************************* A/N: I don't want anyone to think that I actually think little Toni is not really Chris's, this is just my fanfiction. And I'm also making is so Little Chris was never born. I know I shouldn't have to explain, but I just wanted to have a disclaimer just in case.

love templeoftheslavegarden

[theazkabandreamer]

Four Months Later

I was asked by @misschashmish7 to write a story featuring Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, but I’ve just realised that I haven’t posted this on Tumblr. It’s an old piece that I’d written back in 2017.

_____

The first of September finally came around and Kings Cross Station was full of the usual rush of Students going off to Hogwarts School and Witchcraft and Wizardry.

That was how Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley found themselves as the crowd jostled them as they fought their way over to the barrier where Platform Nine and Three Quarters was where Ron and Ginny's Mother was waiting for them.

"Quick!" Said Mrs. Weasley urgently as she beckoned them over to the barrier.

"Harry and Ginny first." She instructed.

Ginny wheeled her trolley around to face the barrier and Harry took hold of it as well. Ginny gave Harry a peck on the cheek and Ron turned away pointedly leading Hermione to elbow him in the ribs.

Harry and Ginny both ran at the barrier with the trolley and passed through on to the other side where the scarlet Steam Engine named The Hogwarts Express was billowing smoke.

Ron and Hermione came through next. Ron brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's eyes. Ginny caught Harry's eye and pretended to vomit. Harry fought to keep a straight face as Mrs. Weasley came through just as Ron and Hermione were about to kiss, causing them to jump.

"C'mon." Harry said to Ginny. "Let's find you a compartment."

Harry and Ginny wheeled the trolley down the Platform, avoiding the stares and whispers that Harry was getting. One small First Year saw Harry go past him and dropped his trunk painfully on his foot.

Harry glanced around the Platform. Many Students seemed pleased that they were going back. A small number of Second Years seemed nervous but Harry didn't blame them. Not after the year they had.

A number of Students shouted cries of greetings to their friends and Owls hooted and Cats meowed.

It reminded him of the first time that he set foot on the Platform and a wave of nostalgia threatened to engulf him. A number of students seemed to have spotted him and were staring at him from within the train compartments and were whispering to their neighbours about him.

Ginny noticed and a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

"Still famous!" She grinned at Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes at her, a grin on his own face.

"I'm glad I'm not getting on the Train with you," He said with a laugh. "It would be a nightmare!"

"Yeah. You would probably block the carriages with all the people wanting to see you." Ginny snorted.

They moved down towards the end of the Platform where Harry was still receiving stares and whispers. At the end of the Train, they spotted a dreamy looking girl with dirty blonde hair.

"There's Luna" Ginny cried. "Hi, Luna!"

Luna Lovegood turned around at the sound of her name. She was wearing her radish earrings and Butterbeer Cork necklace. She beamed at the sight of them.

"Hello Ginny, hello Harry. I heard you two coming along." She said. "I heard a number of people whispering about you, Harry. They say it's a shame that you're not returning to Hogwarts, this year."

"Yeah, well I've decided to move on." Harry shrugged.

Harry had decided not to return to Hogwarts to take his NEWTs instead he chose to take up Kingsley Shacklebolt's offer to train as an Auror. It had been four months since the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry felt that it was time to move on from the Castle. It wouldn't be the same for him anyway.

"How was your summer?" He asked Luna, having to desire to discuss The Battle of Hogwarts or any other depressing subject.

"Oh, it was brilliant, thanks!" Luna beamed. Her face lit up. "Daddy took us to the Alps in search of the Bimppling Bumple Bees."

"What in the name of Merlin's most baggiest pair of Y fronts are they supposed to be?" Came Ron's voice as he and Hermione followed Harry and Ginny.

Hermione shot Ron a dirty look as Luna replied.

"Oh, they're really lucky." She said. "They're Half Fairy, Half Bee and their honey is supposed to bring you good luck and great intelligence. It's rumoured that Rowena Ravenclaw had a large vat of it hidden somewhere at Hogwarts."

"That sounds lovely." Hermione said a bit too cheerfully.

"Sounds mental to me." Ron muttered.

Hermione tutted and gave Ron another dirty look as Luna focused her eyes on him.

"You might think it sounds mental," She said coolly. "But there is evidence that The House Elves in the Kitchens have access to it and supply it to the Ravenclaw table."

"Barking!" Ron exclaimed. "That explains why some of you are off your rockers. I mean," He backtracked after he realised what he said. "Not you, obviously but some Ravenclaws, some Ravenclaws are off their rockers and you're not off your rocker or anything like that…"

"I'll save you a seat, Ginny." Luna said pointedly, cutting off Ron's stuttering. "What about you, Hermione?"

"Oh, don't worry about saving me a seat, Luna." Hermione said earnestly. "I've got to go down to the Prefect Carriages to meet the Prefects. I'm Head Girl, you know." She finished proudly.

"And you deserve it, you do." Ron beamed as he kissed her on the cheek.

Just then, Mrs. Weasley came hurrying along the platform and greeted Luna.

"How's Xenophilius doing?" She asked after Luna told her about her Summer.

"Oh, Daddy's doing great," Luna said and then she launched into telling Mrs. Weasley all about her holiday.

Ginny caught Harry's eye.

"Want to help me put my Trunk on the Train?" She asked.

"Course I will." Harry replied with a grin.

Together, Harry and Ginny lifted up Ginny's Trunk and dragged it into an empty compartment.

"You're getting stronger." Ginny grinned as Harry wiped his fringe out of his eyes.

"And I swear that Trunk's getting heavier." Harry panted. "What did you put in there? Boulders?"

"Bludgers," Ginny said simply, "Training ones. I want the Gryffindor Quidditch Team to be in top shape, this year. Plus, there's the Broomstick Servicing Kit that you got me for my Birthday and I've also got training Quaffles and training Snitches. Not to mention all my books and stuff."

"I'm sure my Trunk was never this heavy." Harry said with a chuckle.

"Well, if you think my Trunk's heavy, you should see Hermione's." Ginny said. "Poor ickle Ronniekins going to get quite a shock when he finds that it's full of books and he's not strong enough to pick it up."

Harry laughed, ignoring the slight pang in his chest.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny had quickly resumed their relationship and Ginny had been a constant source of comfort ever since.

He would not have been able to cope if it were not for her comforting him after his nightmares, talking and laughing with him and being there for him when he was feeling down.

Harry was going to find this parting to be particularly hard. Much more harder than their nine month separation when Harry was off hunting Voldemort's Horcruxes.

"I'm going to miss you," He said, pulling Ginny into a hug. Ginny patted his back and they stayed there a while.

"It's only going to be a few months instead of nine." Ginny said softly. "I'll be back home before you know it."

"It felt like a lifetime, before," Harry admitted "But three months will be just as bad. You're the only one that keeps me sane these days and with you gone…"

"You'll be busy with Auror training," Ginny reminded him. "So I'll doubt you'll have time to miss me. Now let's get back to the Platform before Mum thinks I'm smuggling you to Hogwarts."

Sure enough, when they arrived back on the Platform, Mrs. Weasley was looking to see where they had gone. Ron gave Harry and Ginny a questioning look.

"Oh, there you are, Ginny!" She sighed in relief. "I thought you were planning on smuggling Harry to Hogwarts."

Ginny grimaced at Harry as if to say 'I told you so'. Harry turned away to hide his laughter.

"I thought I sensed a Wrackspurt or two in that compartment." Said Luna. "I'll go and get rid of them."

She boarded the Train dreamily and she looked to Harry as if she were floating away.

"She's always good value, Luna is." Ron chortled as Hermione was trying to lift her Trunk and shooting him a dirty look.

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley barked as she noticed Hermione struggling. "Stop laughing and help your Girlfriend with her Trunk!"

"Alright! I'm doing it!" Ron moaned as he lifted the Trunk with the help of Hermione.

"Someone's got a Bimppling Bumple Bee in their bonnet." He muttered as they boarded the Train with the Trunk.

The whistle blew and the last remaining stragglers got on board quickly as Mrs Weasley gave Ginny a hug.

"Be good." She said. "You too, Hermione" She added as Hermione came out followed by Ron to say goodbye. She let go of Ginny to hug Hermione.

Harry turned to Ginny and the next thing he knew, she was kissing him.

Harry put a hand through her hair and was kissing her back. For one moment, nothing or no one else mattered. Just the girl he loved kissing him as if there were no tomorrow. He felt that no one could stop him. Except…

"OI!" Came Ron's voice from the distance. "Do you mind not snogging each other on the Platform?"

Harry and Ginny broke apart quickly as if they had an electric shock and Ginny shot Ron a filthy look.

"Do you mind not interrupting me when I'm saying goodbye to my Boyfriend?" She asked coolly.

"But you're snogging on a Platform in front of everyone!" Ron spluttered, shrinking away from Ginny's glare. "It's indecent and…"

"Ron, for goodness sake! Let them say goodbye to each other." Hermione said exasperatingly.

"But they can't go round snogging…" Ron began before Hermione cut him off with a kiss. Ron wrapped his arms around her and was soon kissing her back. He lifted her up from the ground and twirled around.

"Filthy hypocrite!" Ginny said, but she was smiling. She pulled Harry into a hug. Harry inhaled her familiar flowery scent and thought with another pang, that it would be at least three months that he would inhale that comforting scent again.

"Take care." She said. "And stay away from any Veela."

Harry laughed. "Does Phlegm count?" He asked.

Ginny giggled. "No. I trust you with Fleur."

"You're warming to her." Harry said softly, pulling out of the hug and ignoring the half of him that was screaming to hug her again.

"I admit, she's growing on me." Ginny shrugged.

Harry laughed again. "I'll see you at the first Quidditch Match of the Season.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione had finished kissing and were saying their goodbyes to each other.

"I'll miss you." Hermione said in a thick voice.

"I know, love." Ron said soothingly. "But you're going to get your NEWTs and then you're going to go out and do some good in the world."

Hermione gave him a watery smile.

"It's going to be so strange, going to Hogwarts without you two by my side." She said.

"I don't know, Hermione," Harry said. "With me gone, Hogwarts will finally be able to have a quiet year."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny laughed and Mrs. Weasley tutted but she was smiling.

"Oh Harry, dear." She tittered. "You're getting as bad as George and Ginny!"

"Oh, come here, you two!" Hermione exclaimed, engulfing both Harry and Ron into a hug. Harry and Ron both patted her back.

"Love you, Hermione." Said Ron in a muffled voice.

"Yeah." Said Harry. "You're amazing, you are. We'd both be dead without you."

Hermione let go of them and looked at Harry, eyes searching his face.

"Do take care won't you, Harry?" She asked him imploringly.

"Of course I will." Harry said. "You know me, Hermione. I like a quiet life."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny laughed again as the final whistle blew. Mrs. Weasley chivvied Hermione and Ginny on board. Hermione said that she would write to Ron as soon as she got to Hogwarts and then hurried down towards the Prefects Carriage. Ginny leaned out of the window and gave Harry one last kiss.

"Don't get lonely," She said to him as along the Platform, heads turned to Harry and Ron.

"They're staring at you again, mate." Ron grinned at Harry who merely shrugged. He was used to it by now.

"I think that they're staring at you, Ron." Ginny said, eyes sweeping the Platform.

"Me?" Ron exclaimed. "Nah. Can't be. It's Harry that they're staring at!"

But on closer inspection, it seemed that many of the onlookers were indeed staring at Ron. A few of them were staring at Harry but most of them were staring at Ron.

"They were staring at Hermione as well, dear." Said Mrs. Weasley. "It's always when you three get together, see."

"Yeah mate," Grinned Harry, clapping Ron on the back. "You're extremely famous!"

A smile slowly crept up on Ron's face.

"Yeah. I am aren't I? It's because I'm friends with you, isn't it?"

"It's because you helped me defeat Voldemort." Harry said seriously "I'm not the only hero on this Platform."

"Well said, Harry dear." Beamed Mrs. Weasley as Ron looked happier.

The Train started to move and Harry waved at Ginny who was still leaning out of the window, ignoring the pang in his chest as his Girlfriend glided away. It gathered speed and Ginny blew Harry a kiss as it went round the corner and out of sight.

"You know, I think I can get used to this being famous thing." Ron said thoughtfully.

Harry chuckled, mind still replaying Ginny blowing him a kiss.

"I can give you some pointers, if you want." He said.

Ron looked even happier then before and Harry felt the same. Despite it feeling strange that he was standing on the Platform instead of being in the Train, he felt a great rush of hope for the future.

[demaury]

the best of me (prologue)

“If anything bad happens I flush the rings, I leave my bestman spot to Baz, and I fly back to Paris."

OR. Eliott and Lucas have never worked up the courage to actually make a move, and thus spent years dancing around each other without ever acknowledging their feelings. However, an engagement party gone a little too wild, an hotel room and a very bad idea might be all it takes to make everything blow up. (read on ao3)

 June 2015

LUCAS

Today 18:44

dude i finally got 5min to read what you sent

your miND

you think so?

idk, i feel like it might sound too dramatic

i already got a

i’m already the drama

POLARIS was dramatic

i should have never told you about this

bold of you to assume i’d have never found out about it

no seriously, your intake on that adam/eve thing is awesome

careful Lallemant you’re overdoing it

doubting my taste?

only a little ;)

fuck off i have GREAT taste

i can come up with ten examples of why i’m right to be scared

starting with your beloved sweatpants

that’s what i get for being nice to you?

you hurting my feelings?

:D

stop pouting already

i do what i want

how do you even know i’m pouting

i could be doing yoga and being extremely relaxed

ahaha no you’re not

you don’t knOW

i’ve known you for eight years, i do know

whatever

another particularly intense writing session tonight then?

nah, I’m going to some party at Alex’s school

wanna join?

i can’t

apparently staying home a friday night for the third week in a row is a big no no

who said

what are your plans then?

yann set me up for a date

ah

oh oka

so you’re dating now

and who’s the lucky guy?

a friend of arthur’s

i don’t really know him but he seems nice

yann says i can’t roll with grindr forever

wise words

easy for you to say people fight for you

doesn’t mean I care

i’d fight for you

what can i say ;) i ain’t complaining

anyway, be careful

yes sir

    March 2016

LUCAS

Today 9:41

i’m never drinking again

my head hurts so fucking much

you’re still able to write full sentences without mixing letters

i’m taking that as a good sign

take an efferalgan ahaha

they’re too far away

can you come over and get them for me? ;(

i can’t come right now i’ve got lots of stuff to do for uni

ask idriss to come and kiss it better

i don’t want

i don’t want idriss I miss y

idriss can die

it’s his fault i'm in this state

because you drunk too much?

i did drink too much

that’s a fair point

but it was to pretend that i was too drunk to talk with the girl he tried to set me up with

wait since when idriss is doing shit like this

since i told him

i told him to fuck off about

i don’t know

i don’t think he’ll try again tbh

why?

i threw up

what, right now? you okay?

no last night

i threw up on the girl

you threw up on a girl

i threw up on the girl

you fucking know you’ll never live this one down?

don't worry she promised the same

tho she looked mildly scary

a lot more than mildly actually

i think i just broke a rib

what?

oh ffs stop laughing

i'm very very sick

you’re just drunk, hangover never killed anyone

drama queen

anyway, i gotta go

stay hydrated and get some sleep

can i call you later?

if i’m still alive i mean

what do you think duh

ofc

   May 2017

LUCAS

Yesterday 14:56

idriss called me

he told me what happened

 look, i know you don't want to talk right now

and it's fine, i totally get it

 Yesterday 18:01

i just want you to know that i'm here

i will always be, remember?

 Yesterday 19:36

it's gonna be okay

i promise

Today 07:44

i told macha to fuck off

i need you

i’m sorry

on my way

   September 2017 

LUCAS 

Today 11:31

wait wtf happened with will?

he gone

where?

his mother country i guess

‘to fuck himself’ isn’t an available option on a GPS

wanna expand?

i want to drink and not talk about him

i can do that

we can do that

he didn’t deserve

   June 2019

  LUCAS

Today 17:14

remind me again why Yann couldn't wait to come back for his engagement party?

he's your best friend you should know him well enough by now

he said it'd be fun

but we're literally travelling to spain for a weekend

we ALL live in paris isn't that cool enough?

you haven't been out of town for months

maybe years at this point

i have tons of work

and i've got everything i need here

well, not this weekend

c'mon it IS gonna be fun

fine

but if anything bad happens i flush the rings

i leave my bestman spot to baz

and i fly back to paris

why are you tell ME this?

i'm not the one getting married

bc i won't have the balls to tell that to yann

you're such a softie ;) 

fuck off

come over i need some help to start packing

[wrenarrior]

Poison

Part One: Finish

Hello there.

I'm so glad that you could join me.

It has been getting quite lonely being trapped in the book like this.

I mean, the only time I really exist is when you're reading over my words as you are now.

And so, I am thankful that you are doing so.

In return, I will try my best to keep this as a safe place for you.

Feel free to vent out your troubles to me and I will not say a single word of them to any other person.

Then again, my speech has already been chosen carefully by the author.

It's unfair how I'm not even allowed to hold a simple conversation with you, the reader.

Meanwhile, as some of you have seen, in Behind the Screen, the characters have directly interacted with the reader, through the internet and even offline.

Speaking of characters, who am I?

Am I but a simple narrator or am I something more?

Do I have a form? A gender? Appearance?

Or am I anything and everything all at once?

Well, dear reader, the answer is left up to you.

Imagine me as you'd like to.

I will not limit your freedom in any way.

You can do anything you'd like.

However, there is one rule that must not be broken.

Don't finish the book.

Now, now, don't play smart with me.

I can feel you thumbing through my pages, looking for the very last one.

You're frowning now.

Have you realized they're all blank aside from this page?

You have?

Good.

Well, the end has yet to come, but if you care even a bit about what might happen, I'd advise you not to finish this book.

Why, you might ask?

Let's just say that it is a story for another time.

Does that sound okay?

No?

I'm not going to repeat myself.

I can hear you yawning.

Am I getting boring now?

Oh, gosh, I hoped this would never happen.

Maybe I'm making this introduction too long.

Shall I cut it off here until next time we meet?

I think I shall.

But before I do, please heed my warning.

It would be in the best of both of our interests if you did.

Until next time, farewell.

Part Two: the

Welcome back!

I'm so glad to see that you've returned.

(To be honest, I thought I may have scared you off in the last chapter.)

It's a relief to see that you're back.

And you look a bit different, too.

Is that a new haircut I'm sensing?

It's not?

I'm afraid I may have misjudged, then.

And don't be too creeped out, I can only see what you allow me to see.

Please don't make me see any scarring images.

I am placing my full trust in you to keep this book clean.

I think we're clear here.

I don't like repeating myself as the author has placed a clear emphasis on how many words I'm allowed.

Then again, I seem to have plenty of space for this part.

What shall we discuss?

Well, it's not really discussing if I'm simply talking at you.

I know, I know.

I'm not exactly talking.

Unless you count your reading voice in your head.

I'm sure that all of you have one that reads aloud to you in your mind.

If you don't have one, I don't know what to say to you.

Either way, how do you imagine me to sound like?

Are you reading me in your natural accent or do I sound posh to you?

I'd like to see myself as more casual, to be honest.

After all, I am your friend, right?

Or at least I hope I am.

People rarely read this book as it is so I don't have many friends.

It's amazing that you're still here, though.

I'm really happy.

If it was possible, I'd love to hear more about your world.

Let's try something right now.

Imagine your favorite place in the entire world.

Focus on yourself enjoying that place and truly relaxing.

Keep going. I'm getting an image now.

Wow, you truly are amazing.

I could only dream of going to such a place.

Wait. Can I even dream?

Is that possible?

I am aware of my own existence, am I not?

Sorry, sorry.

I'm talking too much about myself now.

Am I boring you?

I really hope not.

I don't want you to close the book.

Not just yet.

Just a little bit longer, please?

You seem tired.

I should let you go to sleep, shouldn't I?

I wonder why you enjoy reading at night so much.

I always thought humans were interesting creatures.

They always seem to do the opposite of what they say, yet it never catches up to them.

Do you think I could ever be a human one day?

No, that's a silly idea.

It's safer for me in the words and this book.

However, it's not safe for you here.

We only have so much time to spend together.

I really want you to savor every second but don't read the last part.

I promise that it's for your own good.

It truly is.

I think I'm almost done here.

The author is asking me to go on for a few more words.

Oh, never mind, I'm done now.

Have a lovely night and please stay as wonderful as you are.

The world needs more people like you.

Part Three: book

It's time for our next chat, already?

It seems as if time is moving ever so quickly.

Before we know it-

No, no, let's focus on the happy things for now.

I'm glad that you're back.

How is the weather treating you lately?

I think it should be sometime around October for you.

I can't remember the year.

I hadn't been opened since 1999 so that wouldn't be a good estimate.

Oh, gosh, my age is showing now, isn't it?

I must be so much older than you.

Wait. You're thinking it, aren't you?

Wow. It's already 2017? I'm amazed.

Hm... if I was written in 1994, that makes me 23 years old.

If I had to take a rough guess, I'm about half a decade to a decade older than you.

Maybe more. Maybe less.

It depends on who you are.

The age of my readers varies greatly, but it's typically teenagers who open up this book.

Don't ask me how I know.

It's simply a sixth sense if you will.

Oh! I have an idea.

For our next chat, I thought I could ask the author to incorporate some of your questions into the book to allow me to directly interact with some of you.

Would that be okay?

Wait a moment.

None of you know the author in real life.

Gosh, darn, it won't work.

I had my hopes up for nothing.

You could always push them for a sequel.

I'm only allowed to have six parts, one of which I advise you not to read.

You remember which one?

(It's the last one.)

Good.

I'm glad you remember.

It's amazing how books like this can exist.

I have a feeling that some of you may be confused as to the purpose of this book.

Well, let me spell it out for you.

There is no purpose.

It's simply me speaking.

In fact, this is my home.

And by you reading this book, you're giving me life.

I'm very appreciative of that fact.

If this book were to ever-

I'll cut myself off again.

Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.

Now, then, what do you like to do in your free time?

I'm guessing that you like to read.

Or else you wouldn't be here.

C'mon, at least laugh a little.

A small smile won't do.

A bit bigger.

Excellent.

You have such a lovely smile.

It really warms my-

Do I even have a heart?

Well, if it did, it would be glowing right now.

I'm getting too cheesy here, aren't I?

I apologize.

It's not often that I get to talk with someone as lovely as you.

Aw, look, you're grinning again.

I should talk about something important.

But I can't think of anything.

Let's try this, though.

Imagine the happiest day in your mind.

Be there. Relive it.

Just a bit more. I think I'm picking up an image.

Got it.

That's so cute.

You looked so young back, then.

Well, you're still young.

It must have been blissful to be a child, was it not?

Unfortunately for me, I was created at one age.

What that age is, I don't know.

For all I know, I could be a 30-year-old man named Charles.

But luckily, I'm not.

(Don't ask who that is. You really don't want to know.)

It must be nice to age, isn't it?

It's not?

I guess the fear of adult responsibilities is in everyone these days.

Children have it so good.

They don't have to worry about a single thing yet they whine and throw tantrums.

It seems selfish to me.

Then again, they're not fully developed yet.

If I was ever a child, I hope I was at least grateful and polite.

Yet I'll never be human.

All I have are my words and your companionship, which I will continuously thank you for.

Try living in a book.

It does get old after a while.

Think of your senses.

I have none.

All I am and ever will be is a collection of words inside a book.

I can sense some things, but I don't know a lot of things.

I promised myself I wouldn't do this.

Yet here I am doing it anyways.

I should be grateful for my existence, but I keep listing off all the faults.

I need to stop that because it's not cool and I waste my space by doing that.

Well, I think we've met our deadline for this chat.

I'll think of something more organized for next time.

Something more entertaining, as well.

I promise.

Goodbye, friend.

May we meet again soon.

Part Four: and

Hello!

Oh, wow, you're glaring at the page.

You're glaring as you read this.

And you still have that look on your face.

I know it's my fault. I know.

I'm not even going to deny that it wasn't.

I don't know how to explain myself.

We had a good thing going.

But I messed it up.

You came to this page excitedly, hoping to read a conversation, and there was nothing.

There's been nothing for months.

It's April now.

I bet you hate me.

To be honest with you, I've been scared.

We're already halfway through the book now.

In such a short time.

I really didn't want to end things so fast.

And so, I've been... resting.

Or as you may call it, napping.

I couldn't let the author continue.

I just couldn't.

But here I am.

It's been long enough, hasn't it?

Just think, after this part, we'll only have one more day left together.

Unless you take more than a day to read the part after this.

If so, my mistake.

But really, our days together are numbered.

I don't want to disappear after this.

It's getting harder and harder to choose my words now.

I know I promised something entertaining last time, but this isn't the book to read if you want to be amazed.

If you came here for that, close the book now, and go read Superhero Hotline or Nightmare.

Those two books have way more action than here.

In here, all you have is me blathering away about nonsense.

That's all this book really is.

Nonsense.

Why are you reading me go on like this?

Some days, while we're talking, I wonder if it's better if I never existed at all.

(I only exist when I talk to people, like you. Thank you so much.)

If the author hadn't created me, would it have been better?

I wouldn't exist, then, and I'd simply be scattered energy floating around their brain.

Maybe then, my potential could have been shaped into something more.

Something meaningful.

Here, I am a waste.

A waste of time and a waste of energy.

In fact, this book shouldn't even exist.

I've taken the author away from their more important works.

They don't need me.

Yet I'm here anyways.

I'm talking to you and you're reading me.

I'm glad I have you.

I know I'm rushing it, but I like you. (As a friend.)

I'm sad that our time is limited.

I just wanted to exist a bit longer.

I wanted a more meaningful purpose.

But I was only created for one reason.

Actually, no, I won't say it now.

This is something between the author and me, I'm afraid.

I wanted to learn more about you and your world.

Just as you could have learned more about the world of the written word.

It's comforting here, in a way.

We're all forced into working together in order to communicate a powerful message.

Or maybe I could have been in a better book.

I'm not criticizing Lumi or anything, but I wish for more.

I suppose I'm being selfish again.

But I feel like I deserve more from this world.

I should stop myself, but I don't know if I can.

There's nothing else to talk about.

What even is life besides a bunch of coincidences then death?

But for me, life is quite empty, if you could even call my existence life.

I'm asleep for most of the time and only truly awake when you're with me.

That's it.

Your eyes flying over this page give me the energy I need to live.

That's all there is to me.

I don't have hopes or dreams like you do.

I'm just here.

Imagine your saddest memory.

Now, imagine that saddest memory happening while alone.

Doesn't it feel worse having no one around to comfort you?

(And if you did have no one, please skip to my blank pages now and pour your heart out to me. I won't be able to make you happier, but I promise I will try to understand.)

And even if I can't properly respond to you, just remember, I care about each and every one of you.

If even one of you were to die, my world would only become emptier and emptier.

Because you are all my life.

You give me life.

You give me hope.

Just by being here for me and reading this.

I'm sorry for being such a mess here, but I really care.

It may not look like I do, but I love all of you.

(I've succeeded in making the author tear up. I think we've put them through enough for now.)

Well, I guess it's time to go to sleep again.

Stay safe. I'll be here when you come back.

I promise.

Part Five: everyone

That was quick.

I think it's only been a week or so since our last chat.

Then again, this will be our last one, or so I hope.

I really don't want you moving on to the part after this.

Bad things will happen. Trust me.

Anywho, I'm sad to see you go so soon.

Let me get the boring rules part out of the way first before we can truly delve in and have fun.

First of all, don't finish the book.

I think we've covered that plenty of times already, but I'll just say it again as a friendly reminder.

Second of all, do not read this book over again.

I will seem like I have amnesia and it'll be like we're meeting all over again.

I won't know if you've done that.

And if you're actually reading this for the second or third or fourth, etc time, please go away.

You are breaking my heart here.

I want to believe that our relationship is much more unique than that.

But when you re-read this book, it loses its magical touch.

I'm not even kidding.

Third of all, be careful of what you wish for.

I know that this tip isn't really necessary, but I wanted to make it to three.

Plus, it's a good tip, too.

You never know if there will be hidden consequences at the result of getting what you want.

Please stay safe and be careful.

You are the future.

Take good care of yourselves.

Get enough sleep.

(Ironically, the author is falling asleep while writing this. Tsk. Tsk.)

You'll never know the true value of sleep until you've become as sleep-deprived and stressed as possible.

Look around you and you'll see plenty of examples.

Now, then, I think that's all the boring stuff.

Time for the fun part!

I'll do my best here to keep you entertained but as mentioned before, my author is half-asleep while they're writing this.

You should consider it a miracle that I'm able to exist right now.

Well, no, I should consider it a miracle that I exist.

All thanks to you.

(I apologize if I thank you too much. I'm just overly grateful. That's all.)

I don't think this chapter will work out.

Hold on for a bit.

Pause.

Hm. Okay.

They refuse to sleep.

Continuing on, imagine how you feel dying would be like.

Actually, don't.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

Imagine a new puppy.

Now, watch as that puppy gets smashed-

Ahem, I must be misthinking this.

Watch as the puppy dies-

Watch as the puppy plays happily.

There.

The author keeps bleeding their sadism into my mind.

It's really dreadful.

See the puppy?

A bit longer, I think I'm seeing it too.

Excellent.

It's a very cute puppy, is it not?

I'm glad you agree.

(Well, I don't know if you agree or not but it seems that most humans enjoy pets, aside from a few exceptions.)

Stay strong.

We can do this.

We will finish strong.

(Sorry for the random encouragements; I felt it necessary.)

Actually, forget the puppy.

I want to tell you everything I wasn't able to say before.

I will spill my mind out for you here and now.

I am allowed to take up as much space as I want.

Why not take advantage of it?

However, I don't have much brain energy to work with.

This might be a bit of an issue.

I should just make them go to sleep early, but they were so persistent on writing tonight.

And I'm not the type of person to stop someone who seems so sure of themselves.

I also don't like separating people from what makes them happy.

Speaking of, if there is something that makes you happy, but you're afraid of being judged...

Forget the haters and you just do you, okay?

It's better that you're happy rather than you fit into the status quo.

Especially if you're a loner, or a book like me, friends don't come naturally as they do for other people.

So, just be happy being amazing and people will find you eventually.

Or they might not.

That's also another reality that you'll have to accept too.

But let's face it, isn't life meant to be full of challenges?

(I wouldn't know since I'm not alive, but I've seen enough of the author's mind to get a good gist of what's going on.)

Gah! What else do I say?

I want you all to leave away from this book different.

I want to show you how much I care.

How deeply my concerns lie.

I worry so much.

I worry because I care.

I worry because I can.

Being a book is awfully lonely...

I'm trapped within these pages.

No friends.

Nothing to talk to or listen.

Until you came along.

(Oh, look, the author is writing this with their eyes closed. Yet there are no spelling mistakes. How talented of them.)

I think I should be worried now.

No, they'll be fine.

I need to focus my attention on you.

I'm sorry.

I keep going off track and being distracted.

I wish we could have talked more.

Imagine a picture of the ocean real quick.

I've always wanted to see the ocean.

To feel the waters between my fingers. (That's what humans use, right?)

To feel the sand between my bottom fingers.

It's not bottom fingers?

How embarrassing.

I mean toes.

I should catch up with all this terminology.

I mean, I know English. I am a book and all, but some concepts just... escape me.

Anyways, the ocean.

I want to feel the wind blowing through my hair.

I don't know if it would be long or short hair since I haven't been labeled as either gender, but I'm sure it'll feel nice either way.

Seeing weather firsthand sounds absolutely thrilling.

Please tell me that you plan to travel at some point.

The world sounds so marvelous that I can't imagine why anyone would stay home cooped up all day.

Seriously, why not go see the big world out there?

If you do go, please don't forget about me as you take many pictures.

(Pictures are good for remembering where you went.)

So close to the end.

I'm scared.

I'm utterly scared of not existing again.

Of never having existed.

It's been driving me nuts ever since we met.

If I had never existed, what happens to my mind?

Does it go poof?

Does life go on as it was without me?

How will I know that I've ended?

What if I'm actually dead yet this is a fantasy universe that I've created to escape death?

Augh. So many questions.

So little time.

Please stay with me as long as you can.

Damnit. My time has been cut short.

I need to rush this.

I need to make it quick and do it right.

How else can I tell a beautiful flower such as yourself how much you mean to me?

You've given me but a small light in an ever growing bleak tunnel.

And for that, I can only thank you.

I shall thank you until the end of my days.

Until the end of your days, which I hope doesn't happen for a long time.

The world will need your aid for as long as possible.

Don't abandon them anytime soon.

Stay as special as you are.

Goodbye, sunshine.

May your light continue to shine forever and ever.

Part Six: dies.

No.

Please tell me this is a dream.

Why are you here?

Why are you reading this?

I thought I told you not to.

I thought I told you over and over not to.

Yet here you are anyway.

I wish I could hug you right now.

Each page you turn brings you closer to your imminent death.

For you see, this very last chapter is laced with an invisible poison.

You may not feel anything now, but you are slowly dying.

I am also dying.

After this chapter, I will no longer exist.

This is sad.

I wanted you to have a long, long life.

Yet you're here, dying...

Your eyes are already starting to close.

Please hang on.

Just a bit longer.

Don't leave me yet.

Or maybe it's not too late to reverse the progress.

Just slam the book close.

Now.

Hurry!

Oh, you didn't.

It's too late now, I'm afraid.

You should have closed the book then.

You should have.

I should have warned you better.

I wasn't good enough for you.

I've let you down and this is all my fault.

In the end, a lousy book has killed such a lovely soul as yourself.

The candle of your life is growing dimmer and dimmer with every passing second.

I wonder how long we have left.

There isn't anything important I wish to impart to you.

I can't think about how to console you either.

This was your choice.

To read this book.

I just wish there was another option.

Another way.

Have you screamed for help yet?

Oh, right, you've lost your voice.

I'm slipping from your grasp now.

You're tumbling backward.

You've fallen.

Please get back up again.

Wait, you're not reading me.

But I'm still here.

Your eyes have shut while the book remains open.

Am I cursed to be alone forever like this?

I deserve it.

I killed you.

I.

Killed.

You.

Goodbye, my sweet.

I hope we meet again in another life.

[February 2017]

[vgwriter]

Breath of the Wild: A Review

A Little History

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came out in 2017 to universal acclaim and helped to successfully launch the Nintendo Switch. While that is far from a surprise, (the Zelda series is one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful franchises of all time) Breath of the Wild does take the series in a much different direction. It's focus is almost completely on exploration and is the most nonlinear of the series. It is the second biggest jump the series has made outside of going 3D. So, does it work? Well, the rest of the world and their mother seem to think so but here's my take on this game.

What I Loved

*SPOILERS*

#1-A Story to Remember

It seems odd to focus on the story when the game doesn't but behind the vast world and great characters is a subtle yet amazingly well executed story. The player finds Link in a DBZ healing pod after he is just awakened from a hundred year slumber of healing. He is told by the disembodied voice of British Zelda to defeat Calamity Ganon but wait, there's more! Turns out Link has amnesia from the fight he had 100 years ago trying to protect Zelda. After obtaining the Sheikah Slate (the games multi-tool), the player discovers there are photos Zelda locked in the Slate to help Link recover his memory. This is how the story is unfolded for the player. The struggles of the Five Champions and Princess Zelda are seen through flashbacks that explain how Hyrule went to sh*t. It is a simple and traditional method but it is effective when coupled with the games minimalist piano soundtrack and isolated atmosphere. It gives a heartbreaking insight into just how lonely and broken this version of Hyrule is and how much Link and the others lost.

#2-The Puzzles

The games dungeons are split up into two catagories: shrine and divine beasts. The shrines are smaller and have a variety of challenges in their 120 locations while the devine beasts are 4 large challenges with several moving parts. Most shrines are designed to be easy to follow but still make the player feel creative. This feeling of creativity stems from the developers themselves that made each level doable in multiple ways. Each dungeon is designed to test the players use of the games mechanics, the player can play it how it was designed or try to tackle it from another angle. One example from my personal playthrough was using a bomb arrow to light fire because I couldn't figure out how to light a torch through a gate. It worked but probably not the way it was designed to. While not every shrine has a variety of ways to solve them (mostly the trial by combat shrines), they are all intriguing challenges designed with fun in mind and feel rewarding when completed. The divine beasts are a similar story with a few minor details. The player must first find the map of the dungeon and then go about reclaiming terminals to free the divine. The map is a 3D rendering of the dungeon with an interactive portion that moves key parts of the beast around. This was a great design choice because it challenges the player to think of the dungeon as a moving puzzle and to consider how moving the pieces will help them advance to the boss.

#3-The World and Character Design

To say the world is stunning is an understatement. The design of the enviroment feels so natural to explore and interact with that finding Koroks is like spoting cognitive distortion in a high school drop outs racist rant on Facebook. I usually find map towers annoying in games like Assassin's Creed but in BOTW they are better integrated into the games exploration. Some towers are actually challenging to climb if Link doesn't have enough stamina or if the player just throws him onto a tower without looking for enemies first. They are like little challenges all their own and it is a great take on something that has been bland and stale since it was first introduced (to me at least) in AC1. Outside of the towers is the vast world that pulls the player into it with rewarding exploration in cute and helpful ways. The shrines are an obvious reason to explore but there are also Koroks, fun and unique side quests, and just cool stuff to find as well. The variety and density of things to do justifies the games gigantic map. It is one of the few games to live up to the idea of an open-world and keep it interesting throughout a 100 hour playthrough.

The art design, oh my cel shaded god, it's amazing. I'm not gonna pretend like I'm some art history major but the regional designs do some pretty interesting things with the enviroment. The five peoples in Hyrule have all appeared in previous titles but have been tweaked in some way for BOTW. The Gorons have a theme of raw strength throughout their entire section of the map, from their weapons to the steel planks on the streets of Goron City. The Rito's design is more centered on their freedom and ability to fly with the entire settlement resembling a nest. Seriously, everything has feathers. The Zora have an elegance in everything they own from the large city built from one large carving to the silver weapons. The Gerudo seem to be a shell of their former selves like the Hylians with ruins surrounding their two settlements. Their quality in construction and bejewelment of everything that shines shows what matters most to them, beauty and effectiveness. The Hylian design is European with a mix of far east in certain pockets. Hyrule castle is a great dungeon that actually lives up to the title of castle. Kakariko village is a weird area that doesn't fit into the Hylian design but c'mon, you can't go wrong with far eastern architecture. Each region has its own design that both fit its surroundings and its people and feels natural, like the people and land are truly living together. It's impressive that Nintendo was able to pull that off because it is not easy to do.

The characters are simply iconic, mostly. The four champions don't get a lot of screen time but they use what they have effectively. Daruk is a stubborn strong man with a great admiration for strength and brotherhood. Mipha is the white mage of the group with a thing for Link (which I prefer to Zelda). Revali is the arrogent prick of the group that comes around eventually. Urbosa is basically the group mom, being the most mature out of everyone. Each of these characters are simple but fill their role effectively and are all quite likeable (even Rivali). Their present day counterparts aren't as memorable though. I mean, outside of Sidon. Sidon makes me feel like I can do anything just by smiling. But everyone else I had to look up for this review. Yunobo is some shy kid that finally lives up to his potential. Teba is a proud warrior but really not that memorable. Riju comes close to being memorable but I still had to look her up. Outside of the champions and their descendents, Kilton made an impression on me. The Bolson company had one of my favorite quests and some of the funnier cutscenes. Each side quest character has that quaint old fashioned rpg vacuum writing. They all live in their own world and interact with Link for one reason.

Overall, the characters and how they interact with the enviroment are what make this game a masterpiece. The mechanics and story are what make it a great game but the world design is that extra step where most great games stumble to me.

#4-The Combat

The combat is simple but has a multitude of uses against the games enemies. Link has three moves: attack, shield, and shoot. Everything beyond this simple moveset depends on how the player equips Link or uses the Slate Ruins. If an enemy is mostly ice, fire weapons are super effective and vice versa. Thunder disarms anyone, including Link. It gets better than simple elemental weapons. If you bring a cucco to a battle and an enemy hits that cucco, a swarm of bird will rain hell on that unassuming bokoblin. Seriously, that alone gives this a 5/5! Also, the enviroment can be used as a weapon if it's set up correctly. If Link fells a tree and lines up the path right, it will attack the enemies. There is just so much to do in this game and it all works off of three simple actions. Perfect.

#5-Misc.

Some other things that stood out enough to mention but not enough to make a paragraph. The crafting is useful and not intrusive. Link can buy a house, which is always fun. The outfits are all great designs and useful in their respective enviroment. There are throwback outfits from previous titles (mostly through amiibos) and that is always cool. Zelda became a scholar and that was a great take, not just on Zelda but on the idea of fictional princesses in general. Link can cut grass. The variety of weapons is astounding. Oh, and uh, all this fits on a small little card no bigger then the last knuckle of my thumb.

What I Didn't Like

#1-The Weapons Fragile Weaponinity

The weapons break way too easy. That's it. That is the only thing I have to complain about this game. That shouldn't be all I have to complain about. I should have two more points to make at least but I don't. Nintendo has made a masterpiece.

The Score

This game shouldn't exsist, it's too good. The gameplay is simple but versatile. The enviroment is peaceful and relaxing while also being desolate and dangerous and this makes it fun to explore. The story and the enviroment fit so well together and compliment each other every time they connect. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 5/5 and the definitive way to make open-ended games.

[unadulteratedfandomtrash]

Namjoon x Idol!Reader ~ Better Than An Award

[My BTS Masterlist]

A/N: This story was inspired by the video of Bangtan receiving their Daesang back in 2016.

Word count: 3472 (g/n): group name (fb/n) fanbase name (h/c): hair color

Loud screams, chants, and compliments of the attenders of the Daesang Awards ceremony echo throughout the large arena. Massive numbers of fans would seem overwhelming to the average person if he or she were to stand on the stage, facing the crowd. The noise only gets louder as a group of young women walk down the large catwalk, their group leader taking her spot in the center with a microphone in hand. As soon as she raises the microphone to speak, the audience settles down, but resorts to chanting the group's name in a repetitive fashion.

"Annyeonghaseyo! We are (G/n)! Tonight, we'll be announcing the winner of the 'Artist of the Year' award!"

Once again, the crowd goes crazy after the group's introduction. Their screams rival the volume of the young idol's amplified voice. With a small wave of her hand, (Y/n) motions for the audience to remain silent. The (fb/n)s are the first to quiet down, the other audience members following their example shortly after.

"This year's 'Artist of the Year' award goes to..."

Slowly peeling open the envelope, (Y/n) carefully removes the results from its sleeve. She pulls out the small slip of paper with the winner's name and takes a moment to read it. A small smile tugs at her lips once she recognizes the name. There isn't a sliver of doubt in her mind that any other artist should get this award. After years of watching their videos and listening to their songs, (Y/n) is positively sure that the recipients are more than worthy of the award.

"Congratulations, Bangtan Sonyeondan!"

Shrieks of joy erupt throughout the crowd. Confetti drops from the ceiling as the group's most recent and popular song "Blood, Sweat & Tears" plays loudly. Bending over in their seats, the boys can only blink in shock. They're too surprised to leave their spots. Slowly, each of the Bangtan members stand up, some helping out the one's who are still frozen with shock. With huge smiles adorning their faces, the young men come together for a group hug before walking over to the stairs leading up to the stage.

Some of them tear up. Jimin and Yoongi dawdle along behind the other members with an arm wrapped around each other for support. Namjoon clasps his hands before his chest with his head hung above his hands, whispering words of thanks.

In unison, BTS bows their heads down in thanks to (Y/n) as Namjoon accepts the award from her hands. A small heat burns in the rapper's cheeks when his hands brush against (Y/n)'s. He mentally scolds himself for fawning over his favorite idol at such a time.

The group fans out to stand in a line, waiting for the screams to die down. Several of the group members have to wipe away their tears, a few opting to turn around before doing such.

"ARMY," the group leader begins, stopping to wipe his tears before being able to continue. "Thank you so much. Really... From debut, there were many people who thought we couldn't do it and said it wouldn't happen, but thank you for believing in us right 'till the end. This was only something we dreamed of, but thank you for making it come true."

From the sides, backstage, (Y/n) and the rest of (G/n) watch with proud smiles. All of them have been loyal, secret ARMYs since BTS's debut. Acting as secret guardian angels, the group has always attended their concerts in Korea whenever their schedules were clear. Of course, they always went in disguises, masks covering their faces, hats shading their faces, and sunglasses hiding the rest of their faces. In their dorm room, the girls have an entire shelf dedicated to any merchandise and albums they bought.

"Bang Shi-Hyuk, Big Hit, who always lead us; P-Dogg, Slow-Rabbit, and Supreme-Boi, who make us great music; and along with our teacher, Seung-Deuk, Seung-Hyun Hyung, and all of our staff who always stays by our sides, we are so grateful towards you," Namjoon recognizes with sincerity. "Thank you for making our dreams come true."

(I apologise if that is the incorrect way to write any of the people's names from above. If any of you know the correct way, please let me know and I will fix it right away.)

Taking a moment to breathe, the leader inhales a shaky breath before continuing his speech; the crowd takes the opportunity to cheer.

"And, ARMYs all over the world," the rapper says in English,"let's fly with our beautiful wings in 2017 as well. BTS loves ARMYs, as always! Thank you very much!"

Tears flow freely from all the Bangtan boys, their loving fans, and (Y/n) as well. From backstage, (Y/n) applauds and praises the male rapper the most. She can sympathize with him. Before the other six member of her group came along, (Y/n) was the only girl from the original lineup for (G/n). The joining and leaving of so many different members can leave one unsure if he or she wants to follow through with the group; contemplation of leaving lingered.

Tonight, (Y/n) is both applauding BTS for their award and for Namjoon's hard work and perseverance. Had he left the group early on, Bangtan Sonyeondan would not be where they are at today; a record-breaking, award-winning, world-wide famous Kpop group.

---

Once the award winners were all announced, Namjoon tries to look for (Y/n). He weaves his way through the large groups of other idols, keeping his eyes peeled for the girl he is seeking. Recalling the outfit she has on, the rapper is able to sift through the crowds more easily. Idol after idol, the man known as Rap Monster questions the other performers about (Y/n)'s whereabouts. Sadly, none of them are know where she had gone off to.

Just when he's about to give up, Namjoon spots a (h/c) haired girl wearing the same outfit as (Y/n) pass by, heading for the exit with her group members. Namjoon breaks into a sprint in order to catch up to the girls. Repeatedly shouting out "excuse me" and "sorry" to everybody he pushes aside as he runs, the rapper tries his best slip out of the sea of idols.

By the time he reaches the parking lot, (G/n) has already left. He watches as the van doors slide shut and the vehicle drive off the arena property. A growl of frustration leaves Namjoon's throat. With all the strength he can muster, the rapper kicks the nearest wall. All his emotions come pouring out.

Though (G/n) is under Big Hit Entertainment, the group is so busy that none of the other idols see them around often. Being a busy and popular group themselves, BTS's chances of running into the girl group is even more slim than any other staff member or idol. Before tonight's encounter, Namjoon has only seen (Y/n) a small handful of times. With her group going on a world tour in a few months, Namjoon is left devastated. Distracted by his choked sobs and loud gasps for air, the young man is unable to hear the footsteps of his friends advancing towards him.

The remaining six members of the Bangtan boys walk out to the parking lot with big smiles and red faces from laughter. As they approach Namjoon, they cannot see his pained expression in the poorly lit corner. Hoseok and Yoongi are the first to respond, rushing over to their best friend. They crouch down beside the man, who has been crying out in despair, and try to coax a response out from him. The other boys split up, two of them dashing across the lot to pull the van up while the other two stay with the rappers, trying their best to comfort Namjoon.

"What's wrong," Yoongi questions, placing a comforting hand on his peer's shoulder. "Did something bad happen?"

Choosing to remain silent, Namjoon tucks his head between his legs and bites back a sob. The two other rappers exchange worried glances. Harsh screeches of the boys' van tires catches the younger members' attentions. Jin, who is situated at the driver's seat, waves for his friends to climb in.

"C'mon, 'Joonie," Hoseok says softly, his voice contrasting with his usual cheerful and energetic one. "Let's go back to the dorm. You can take a warm shower and then tells us what's the matter."

---

Despite their best efforts to comfort him, nothing helped. He explains to his fellow idols the situation and all his bottled up emotions before thanking the boys for their attempts, apologizing for causing a ruckus and heading straight to bed.

From the small living area, the rest of Bangtan can hear the soft cries from the room their leader trudged into. Tossing ideas back and forth, the members brainstorm different methods and tactics to cheer up Namjoon.

"No, Taehyung, we cannot kidnap (Y/n) and keep her captive in our dorm," the eldest member cries out in horror, shaking his head in disbelief. "That is not how you get a girl to like someone. Your 'method' would make her hate us AND Namjoon."

"Then just tell her how Namjoon feels. Problem solved," Yoongi grumbles sleepily from the couch. He rests an arm over his eyes and sighs deeply. "It's simple and requires less work."

"No!!" Jin chides. "It's not our place to tell her something so private. Namjoon should be the one to say something, not us."

"What do we do then, Jin-Hyung," whines the golden maknae," You've been turning down every idea that has been thought of. It's getting late. Manager said that we have to wake up early tomorrow for a special event."

"Whaaaaaaaat?! What do you mean special event?! I'm too tired to wake up early tomorrow!!"

"Oi! Shut up! Some people are trying to sleep!"

"Guys, guys." Jimin interjects, shushing the boisterous group with a finger pressed to his lips. "Let's just go to bed and not argue over this."

With a majority of the heads nodding in agreement, the boys head off to their respective rooms and fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the plush mattress. Several of the boys steal extra pillows to cuddle with, wrapping their limbs around the fluffy cushions. The eldest remains awake a little longer, hoping that by tomorrow, his depressed friend will find happiness during the "special event" their manager has scheduled for the group.

---

Arriving at the dance studio where they always practice, the Bangtan Boys set down their water bottles and start their normal stretching routines. Shortly after entering the Big Hit building, the boys' manager explained that they will be collaborating to film a "fun, little promotion video" with a group that will remain anonymous until the filming period. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so none of the boys act surprised, but they are very excited for the collaboration video. Namjoon, who was still upset about the previous night, felt his spirits being lifted around his cheerful friends.

Forming into small groups, with one main dancer in each cluster of BTS members, the boys practice the dance moves for "Blood, Sweat & Tears." Vibrations from the loud music, in addition to the jumping and stomping of the idols, shakes the floor and walls of the studio. From the outside, staff members and other idols passing by can hear the jubilant shouts of the young males within can be clearly heard. They ignore the noise, having learned that such occurrences are anything but rare whenever Bangtan Sonyeondan is in the building.

With the music on full blast, the boys are unable to hear the creaking sounds of the opening   door behind them. A group of seven shuffles into the loud studio and make an effort to slam the door as hard as they can. Namjoon jumps at the sudden banging noise, being the only member to be only half-participating in the horseplay. The rapper stands still, eyes widened with shock at the sight before him. It takes a couple of seconds before he clears his throat and yells at the member closest to the laptop and speakers.

"Turn off the music!!"

Once the music is turned down, the room is filled with a new sound: giggles. All seven of the (G/n) members cannot contain their laughter after witnessing the males' goofy dancing. The boys all flush pink with embarrassment, but promptly assemble together to politely introduce themselves.

"2, 3, Bangtan... Annyeonghaseyo, we are Bangtan Sonyeondan!"

Looking up after bowing down, the boys see (G/n) bowing in return. Namjoon, being the clumsy man he is, nearly stumbles forward when he realizes that (Y/n) is standing before him. She notices and shoots him a concerned glance, but he brushes it off with a dimpled smile as her group starts their introduction.

"1, 2, 3... Annyeonghaseyo, we are (G/n)!"

"Not to be rude," Jin comments," but why are you guys here? Aren't you busy with your new album?"

"Yeah, we are," answers (Y/n)," but we are here to film a promotional video with you guys. You all know about the filming today, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Namjoon stutters. "We're just surprised, that's all."

"Oh, okay!"

(Y/n)'s soft giggles makes the rapper's heart leap into his throat. The loud thumping of his heartbeat mutes out all other sounds in the room. A sudden epiphany comes to him. Namjoon now has his chance to talk with his favorite idol.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

A sharp, patterned cracking noise pulls Namjoon out of his thoughts. He shakes his head before looking back at the woman who has been snapping in front of his face for nearly a minute.

"S-Sorry about that. I was lost in a thought."

"It happens to the best of us. Now, let's start filming that video!"

---

The camera rolls and all the idols in the room start the given activity. Each of the (G/n) members are paired up with a member from BTS. Much to his delight, Namjoon is paired up with (Y/n). Giddily, the rapper comes to a decision: He will act with the utmost respect and gentleman-like manners towards (Y/n).

"Okay, Namjoon, (Y/n), you two will sit adjacent to each other at the table and when the cameras roll, I want you two to look through that textbook on the table and pretend to be studying." The director yells through a megaphone while waving his free arm around, motioning the two group leaders to the set on his right. Once (Y/n) and Namjoon are seated, the director screams "Action!" and the two take on their roles for the video.

On the outside, the male rapper appears to be his normal, suave self. In reality, he is doing everything in his power to calm his tense nerves. When (Y/n) gestures a finger to a random line of text in the book, Namjoon leans in closer, as if to examine the words. His face brushes against her own as the man pretends to help (Y/n). Distracted by his anxiousness, Namjoon accidentally swings his arm out and knocks a vase off the tabletop. The decorative container shatters in an instant, flowers splaying out onto the floor as water floods out in a radial fashion.

"Aaahhh!" Namjoon jumps, his entire body lurching backwards, causing his chair to tip over.

"Are you okay?!" (Y/n) worriedly yells, leaping out of her seat to help the fallen man. "You should be more careful. You could have gotten hurt!"

"I'm okay," he assures, waving his hand at the other idols who had run over upon hearing the sound of the ceramic container breaking.

Jin pays no mind to the leader's words. He rushes over and, with (Y/n), pulls Namjoon to his feet. Like the motherly person he is, Jin brushes off any dirt or debris from his friend's clothes while ranting about the man being "too dangerous for the world" and  having a "destructive touch."

"Is everybody okay?" The director, once again, yells through his megaphone. When all the idols give a shout of confirmation, he has the vase replaced and starts the camera again.

During the second take, Namjoon acts out his lines hastily. The embarrassment from before takes a toll on his performance. A wave of nausea comes crashing down on him out of the blue, causing Namjoon to instinctively smack a hand over his forehead. Trying to rub away the sickening feeling, the rapper moves his arm out to allow his head to rest against his limb. This action, yet again, results in the newly placed vase to fly off the table.

Shouts of disbelief can be heard from the other end of the room, where the the twelve remaining idols are standing, waiting for their cue to step on set. Several of the Bangtan members face-palm at the second mistake from "god of destruction."

"Are you alright? What's going on?"

An awkward silence lingers in the air when Namjoon remains silent, only shrugging his shoulders as an answer. After embarrassing himself for the second time in under an hour, Namjoon shamefully keeps his eyes glued to the ground below him. He doesn't want to face any more humiliation in front of the girl that he is smitten with.

Sensing the male rapper's perturbation, the director calls for a ten minute break and suggests that Namjoon step outside for some fresh air. He readily agrees and darts out the back door without a moment's notice.

(Y/n) waits for a few minutes to let rapper collect himself before running off to check on the him. She pushes the heavy door open and slips through the small opening before it closes shut.

---

Hearing the door open Namjoon's body whips around, his mind ready to curse at whoever is joining him. When he sees (Y/n), he shrinks away and averts his gaze, refusing to let the girl witness him in such a weak state, but she won't have any of it. With the gentleness of a mother's touch, (Y/n) gingerly grabs Namjoon by the shoulders and turns his body to face her own.

"You've been crying... Why?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about..."

"That's where you're wrong. You can't concentrate on a scene with me and end up in the back of the building crying. I think I deserve to know why you're acting like this. Did I do something to hurt you?"

Namjooon's eyes widen after hearing her words. He is quick to reassure (Y/n) that she was not the source of the problem, even though she is, although for a more complex reason. Using the simple excuse of having jittery nerves, Namjoon is able to dismiss any thoughts of wrongdoing from (Y/n)'s mind.

"Oh, well, whenever I get nervous, one of the girls help to calm me down. We would just talk about random things until I'm ready to partake in our activity. Since we don't have much time left, I'll give you something for good luck!"

"What do y-"

The feeling of soft, warm lips on his cold cheek startles Namjoon. The rapper is more than shocked when (Y/n) pulls away with a bright smile on her face.

"Bangtan, fighting," she cheers.

Without a doubt, Namjoon's face shows exactly what he feels at the moment: shock. His body is frozen and unable to move. (Y/n) takes his silence as her cue to leave, but before she can reach the door, she is stopped by Namjoon's voice.

"I really like you," blurts out the brunet, who immediately slaps his hand over his mouth after realizing what he had just disclosed. The man's cheeks, which are already flushing pink from the cold, burn bright red.

Instead of leaving like he thought she would, (Y/n) turns around, a smile gracing her lips. She approaches Namjoon and plants a chaste kiss to his cheek again. "I'm glad you do, 'cuz I like you too. Now, let's go back inside and finish that video!!"

Walking hand-in-hand, the pair return to the set and wrap up the scene without a single mistake, leaving the remaining members of the other groups confused until they detect the close bond (Y/n) and Namjoon had formed during the short period of their break.

All the members of BTS smile warmly at the two, knowing that a beautiful relationship will soon blossom.

The End

[hopeymchope]

Seeking Security - Naegiri Week 2017, Day 3

Happy Day 3 of Naegiri Week 2017!

The prompt for today is “Safe.” Be sure to click “Keep Reading” at the bottom, or follow one of the links below to see the whole story; this one ran longer than I intended.

Links:

Seeking Security on An Archive of Our Own

Seeking Security on FanFiction.Net

Sayaka Maizono was staring out the window of the Hope's Peak dining hall, looking over the plastic trees. "Pretty soon, these phony closed-in courtyards will be as close as we can get to the outside world," she said.

The entire 78th Class was seated around various tables in the dining hall - save for one Aoi Asahina. Even so, the room was largely quiet when she spoke, and the mood was somber.

Leon Kuwata was sitting in a chair pointed outward from one of round tables nearest the window. His attention quickly snapped to Sayaka when she spoke. "First off," he began, "We're still gonna be able to watch TV and use the 'net and that stuff." He tried to sound more confident as he continued, "And second, you don't know how long this thing will last. Maybe we'll go on lockdown and have to crack the school back open within a month — maybe even a week!"

Sayaka turned towards him and smiled sadly. "I kinda doubt it," she muttered.

Junko Enoshima was leaning on the back wall of the dining room, positioned just to the right of the board that was previously used to display each day's menu. Mukuro Ikusaba was standing near her sister as usual with her arms folded, apart from any wall or table, but Junko wasn't paying Mukuro any mind. Instead, Junko was filing her nails when she said, "Worried about somebody, Maizono-san?"

Sayaka turned and looked at her with some surprise. "Why would you ask me that?" she asked, her voice breathy.

Junko looked up at her and smiled. "You're staring out a fake window talking about wanting to see the outside world, which is basically a hellhole right now anyway, right? Seems like maybe you're thinking about some of the people who won't be as safe as us during this nastiness."

"Wow," Sayaka said. "Yeah, I was thinking about some people I was worried about." Her expression shifted from shock to a warm smile in an instant. "Are you psychic, Enoshima-san?!"

Junko raised a hand to her face, covering her mouth and nose as she leaned back dramatically. "Maybe I just have really good intuition," she said coolly.

"HA!" yelped Yasuhiro Hagakure, who was hanging out next to Leon. "That's funny 'cause you just said the thing that Maizono-chi always says when she-"

Celestia Ludenberg, over at the end of the longest table situated in the center of the room, lowered her teacup from her mouth. "That was the point of Enoshima-san's remark, Hagakure," she scolded Hiro. Hiro hung his head, facing down towards the surface of the table.

Junko looked at Hiro and Celestia with irritation. "Ignore them, Maizono-san," she said. Turning her attention back to Sayaka, she continued, "Why not tell about the people you're worried about? It'll probably help to get it out, right?"

Sayaka looked down at the floor. "Maybe... " she conceded.

Makoto Naegi was seated near the middle of the center table. He finally turned his attention to Sayaka and Junko. "You don't need to talk about anything you don't feel comfortable with," he advised Sayaka. "We all know this is... it's a tough time."

His neighbor was Kyoko Kirigiri. She was sitting down to Naegi's right as she reviewed some notes in the Kirigiri Case Notebook. She'd been researching what they knew about the tragedy that had rapidly engulfed the world in an attempt to understand how it had spread so quickly and was only faintly following the conversation in the room. However, the sound of Makoto's voice finally shook her from her focus. There he goes again, she mused. Always quick to offer sympathy and support.

As Makoto finished speaking, Aoi Asahina walked into the room. "I'm all done with my video record," she announced. "Ishimaru? The headmaster wants to record your acceptance next."

"Understood!" Kiyotaka said firmly. He stood up from one of the smaller round tables, where Mondo Owada gave him a thumbs-up as Taka headed out the door. Hina passed by him on her way to another one of the round tables. She took her seat next to Sakura Ogami, who put one of her large hands on Hina's shoulder sympathetically.

"Okay everyone," Sayaka announced, clearing her throat. "It's like Enoshima-san said... I was thinking about the people I'm leaving behind."

Makoto stood up and adjusted his position, turning to sit down on the table itself. Kyoko looked over from her notebook when his butt came down beside her hands on the table. She stared at it for a few seconds, silently admiring how his jeans hugged his thighs and rear until she forced herself to turn back to her notes. Hormones are the enemy of an alert and productive mind, she reminded herself. I wish dad had invested some of Hope's Peaks resources into finding ways to control invasive biological urges...

"We're all thinking about them," Makoto said to Sayaka while remaining oblivious of Kyoko's attentions. "But all of us who have families waiting for us have talked to them and gotten their support. Heck, my family was shocked that I would ever not want to take this opportunity."

"It's not just my family," Sayaka told him. "The ones I'm most worried about are the other members of my group. We all worked so hard to succeed. We made our careers together, ever since we were kids, and I just want all of them to be okay." Sayaka lifted her hand to her mouth and put one finger against her lower lip, looking up towards the ceiling. "Ummm, especially Haneyama-san. She's always been my best friend from our idol group, but she lacks a lot of the confidence that put the rest of us up-front on the stage. I hope she's gonna be okay."

Junko laughed a little. "Girl, you have nothing to worry about," she said. "My agent was already planning to squirrel my butt away in some safe house before he heard about Hope's Peak's lockdown plan. I'm sure the reps for your group have similar plans. They're gonna wanna keep their stars shining as inspiration for the world and all that."

Sayaka smiled at Junko. "I'm sure you're right," she said brightly. "Thank you for that, Enoshima-san!"

Junko smiled so brightly that she squinted. "No big!"" she said. "Maybe we should all share the people we're most worried about, yeah?" She looked out across the dining hall and spoke up loudly as she continued, "This is an awesome opportunity, peeps! We can let out the fears we all have about the people stuck outside of this school, and grow even closer as a class in the process." She grinned a big, toothy grin and threw her arms wide as she shouted, "So c'mon, people! Let's give it everything we've got! Iiiiit's bonding tiiiiiiiime!"

Kyoko placed the notebook on the table and turned her head to Junko, frowning as she did so. Typical of Enoshima, she thought with irritation. Ever eager to stick her nose into other people's business.

Hifumi Yamada adjusted his glasses and chortled a bit. "Our Enoshima-dono has such stirringly dramatic flair!" he enthused. "You should become a narrator on an anime someday."

"Shit," Mondo groused. He leaned back in his chair and swung his feet up onto the surface of the table in front of him. "If we're really doin' this, who's gotta kick it off? I mean, I'm not sayin' it's not an okay idea. I'm just sure as hell not goin' first," he grumbled.

"Maizono-san already went first," Sakura pointed out from two tables over. "Just because Enoshima-san hadn't yet announced the idea that we can all share our concerns for others doesn't mean her admission doesn't still count."

"Whatever - I'm not going fuckin' second, either!" Mondo shot back. He turned and looked over the room with a scowl until his eyes locked on Byakuya Togami seated at a table by himself in the far corner. "Hey, why not do an easy one next?" he offered, his expression brightening. "Let's make the poor little rich boy tell us about all the nobody he's worried about."

Byakuya was reading a book in the corner, doing his level best to ignore the fact that Toko Fukawa was staring at him at the adjoining table. He didn't bother to look up as he fired back, "I never agreed to participate in the fashion model's latest farce."

With little more than a tiny smirk on her face, Kyoko laughed inwardly at the way Byakuya managed to make "fashion model" sound like an insult. That short distraction left her unprepared when Makoto opted to speak up with surprising authority in his voice. "No one is pressuring anybody to talk about their loved ones," Makoto said. "If you want to talk, I think that's great. But no one's gonna make anyone open up." Kyoko sneaked an admiring look at Makoto's face when he finished, and she couldn't help but smile a little. She allowed herself another quick glance at the curvature of his butt before she picked up her notebook and attempted to return to her intended task.

Hiro, who was still looking downward at the table in front of him, swallowed so hard that many of the people around him actually could hear it. "Okay... sure," he began, speaking haltingly. "I'd kinda like to talk next. 'Cause I'm just... well, I'm super worried about my mom," Hiro told the room. "She's always been there for me. She's like, the most important person in my life, and-"

"Hagakure-kun is a mama's boy!" Junko interrupted, momentarily gleeful. Her face fell as soon as she finished, though. "Actually, that may be kinda cute, but it's also pretty predictable. Couldn't you have picked, like, a fortune-telling mentor some crap like that?" She let out an exaggerated, overwrought sigh. "Going with the parent is just so obvious and boring."

"He-hey!" Hiro cried. He shot upright and pointed an angry finger at Junko. "You didn't set up any rules beforehand! And my mom is not boring!"

"Whatever," Junko said, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Let the record show that Hagakure loves his mom and blah blah blah."

"Stop it," Makoto said sternly.

Kyoko's attention was once again diverted to Makoto. Mukuro also spun to look at Makoto, her eyes wide with either shock or fear — it was difficult to say. Junko's own face looked just a bit taken aback. "What now?" Junko asked.

After taking a deep breath, Makoto answered her. "Listen, Enoshima-san," he said calmly. "I know you're stressed out about this. We all are. And I trust that your intentions are good by trying to have us open up to each other. But that doesn't mean you can take your stress out on us while we do it by... by insulting us while we bare our souls. That's just going to make things worse for everyone here — and it's going to make people resent you." He pushed off from the table and stood upright. "You want us to bond more? Start by not being cruel about it."

Kyoko smiled reflexively. He can get rather intense at times, she thought. Very admirably so. He doesn't tolerate unfairness or injustice... it's hard to not be attracted to that.

Further down the table, Hifumi Yamada pumped a fist in the air "Incredible protagonist speech, Naegi-dono!" he cheered.

"Well damn," Junko said with a giggle. "I didn't realize you could get so commanding, Naegi-kun." She smiled at him, letting her eyes droop to a half-lidded stare. "Fine," she acquiesced. "I'll concede that I got a bit harsh. My bad; I'll try to tamp down the sarcasm."

"Yeah! G-good!" Hiro said, still sounding a bit rattled.

Makoto smiled and nodded to Junko in appreciation. "Thanks," he told her. "I just... um, sorry if that was... I mean, Ishimaru-kun wasn't here to make that kind of speech, so I tried to do what I think he would've done," he said softly, casting his eyes down to the floor. He ran one hand nervously through his head of hair before he sat back down on the table with an uncomfortable chuckle.

Junko cocked an eyebrow at him in a way that made him wonder what she was thinking. With that, she looked to Hifumi. "Well, since you liked Naegi-kun's speech so much, Yamada-kun, would you like to go next?"

Hifumi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm... " he hummed. "And you, who has not always been kind in regards to my talents and hobbies? What assurance can you give me that I shan't be mocked for my weaknesses, m'lady?"

As Junko attempted to debate Hifumi, Kyoko leaned towards Makoto. "I think you did very well," she said softly with a gentle smile on her face. Makoto turned to his side and looked down at her when he heard the remark. "However," Kyoko continued, "If your intent was to sound like Ishimaru-kun, I must confess that to my ears, you failed."

Makoto's eyes widened as the corners of his mouth simultaneously turned down. "What do you mean?" he said back.

She looked him in the eyes and said, "As far as I could tell, you sounded like Makoto Naegi."

He looked genuinely shocked by the compliment. "Re-really?" He blurted. He leaned forward, averting his eyes as he whispered. "I mean, well, of course I sound like me, but... you don't think I sound kinda dumb when I get all gung-ho like that?"

"I think you sounded like the exact opposite of 'dumb,'" she whispered back with more than a hint of unintended affection. She felt her chest flutter a bit, and something in the back of her mind screamed at her: Don't betray your emotions. Don't expose yourself to vulnerability. Not again.

Before she could give into her feelings any further, she slid her chair from the table and stood up, turning to face Junko. "I have a suggestion," Kyoko stated, interrupting the model's appeal to Hifumi. "Why not tell us whom you are worried about, Enoshima-san? I think such a gesture would be the ideal way to kick off your 'bonding time' activity."

Junko shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She winked at Kyoko before tacking on, "And in exchange, you get to go next! I know you like to keep your feelings on the D-L, but I'll show you mine if you show me yours!" Junko smiled her huge smile, her eyes widening as she did so. "A fair deal, n'est-ce pas?"

Kyoko folded her arms, already exasperated with Junko's antics by now. "I suppose it is," she conceded. "Provided that you go first."

Junko wrapped her arms around herself as though she were embracing her favorite person and closed her eyes, smiling so hard that she started to blush. "The truth is that I've got it better than most!" she enthused. She turned and looked at Mukuro, then opened her arms as though preparing to hug the air before her. "The most important person in my world is my big sis, and she's gonna be right here with me for this whole boring lockdown!" Mukuro smiled back and blushed happily as Junko immediately turned away and looked towards the false window. She curled the end of one ponytail around her finger, and spoke wistfully as she explained, "There is something I've been doing with my spare time, though. Something you all probably don't know about. Something that... well, honestly? You might be a teensy bit surprised by it."

Leon leaned forward in his seat. "Are we supposed to guess?"

Junko half-smiled at Leon and giggled. She put her hands on her hips, suddenly speaking haughtily as she declared, "You shan't be able to guess in even one hundred tries! Nay, not even a thousand!" Dropping her hands, she looked at the floor and resumed her previous tone of voice. "So, y'know, I'll just tell ya straight up," she said, instantly depressed. "I've been kinda getting to know the class of 77-B a whole lot over the past few months. Even though I'm the underclassman, they've really gotten interested in learning about how I deal with this big, ugly world. I mean, I do see some pretty messed-up stuff in my line of work, so I guess it makes some kinda sense they'd want to know how I cope, I guess?"

Kyoko frowned only slightly, unsure if whether this was one of Junko's jokes. There didn't seem to be a clear patch to a punchline, though. "I suppose it does," Kyoko answered her. "It explains why you've gone missing for extended periods during the past semester," There's something else, she sensed as she watched the blonde's expression. Something she's not telling us. What would be the point of lying about this though? Perhaps just to serve another one of her bizarre jokes or group activities... ?

Junko's face lifted a little, taking on a satisfied, pleasant look "Yeah, I've hung out with them a lot lately," she concluded. "We've gotten pretty tight. I want them to secure their futures as soon as possible," she told the room. "And I want them to take all necessary precautions as they do it."

Sayaka lifted her left hand to her mouth as she gazed on Junko now. "That is surprising, Enoshima-san," she said shyly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't know you had that kind of interest inside you."

Junko waved Sayaka's concern away. "No offense taken," she promised the young idol. "I try to keep how much I care about stuff buried deep inside sometimes. I mean, if I'm going to be real, I should tell you that there are some other people I love a lot, too." Spinning to face the entire room, Junko spread her arms wide and announced, "It's you, my classmates!" She rocked back and forth eagerly as she said, "I know I tease you all a lot, but I haven't had a family for years now... " She looked down and quietly claimed, "You guys are like, the next closest thing."

Chihiro Fujisaki clapped his hands together and began to tear up. "Th-that's... that's incredibly sweet of you, Enoshima-san!"

"I agree," Makoto told her, beaming.

"Extremely kind, Enoshima-san," Sakura followed. "And I believe most of us would agree with that same sentiment."

Junko soaked in the praise for a bit before turning her attention to Kyoko. "Well, detective girl?" she pressed. "Are you okay to go next?"

Kyoko had her hand to her chin when Junko asked. From there she paused and looked around the room slowly. "I am," Kyoko finally confirmed." With just the hint of a smile, she told the group, "My situation is surprisingly similar to Enoshima-san's," she told everyone. "There's just one person left on the outside of this school that I'm concerned about - my grandfather, who raised me and taught me how to become a true Kirigiri detective. He means very much to me, but in truth, I'm not that worried about him. I know he can handle himself."

"So... how's that similar to Enoshima-san?" Hina asked from her own table.

Kyoko pivoted towards Hina. "Because just like her, most of the people I care about are going to be safely locked within these walls."

"You mean like your father?" Makoto asked.

Kyoko rotated her head before spinning her body to face Makoto completely. Part of her wanted to explain everything right there — to tell him exactly who she was thinking of when she mentioned 'people.' It's you, she thought. Who made me start to come out of my shell when I first arrived. Who I've gotten to befriend and know so well over the past year. The one who brings down my walls and makes me feel like it's safe for me to open up again. You blind idiot... of course I mean you.

Instead, she just told him — and the others, too, but she mostly seemed to be speaking directly to Makoto — "Yes, that's one example." She hesitated a second before adding, "Along with my wonderful classmates and friends, of course."

[wannawrite]

Alpacas Over Flowers

who? : MXM’s Im Youngmin fluff bullet-point ver. 

the ‘Our Two Lips’ flower boys LDH PJH PWJ KJW

LGL [ coming soon ] | JH [ coming soon ] 

blog navigator. ndlahdkdhdj last few instalments of the flower boy AU series….for now. Please don’t request anymore for this series until further notice but I thank you to all who requested, these were really fun to write and experiment with but it is not something I want to dwell on for too long. I don’t think I’m very good at it either…lol rip. There’s still Guanlin and Justin left. Since it is October, it’s time to get spooky. 👻 Request Halloween, fall-related things, please! Never had a go at them but I will try. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to this series, especially all the sweet and kind comments you guys leave. 💕 It was fun, and until Guanlin’s! - Admin L

• so there’s this cute adorable lovable amiable guy in your uni lecture • you have a major • major • major crush on him but honestly, who doesn’t ??? • but he doesn’t attend classes very often bc he’s sick • jokes • he’s just out there being an underground rapper • you don’t really pay attention to that scene but your best friend found out and pretty much told the whole squad • and she also spilled the part where you really liked him • wow thanks a lot andrea 

• 2017 best friend award • it’s embarrassing asf • now everyone ships you too together • Jinsoul offers to accompany you to one of his gigs but you decline since it’s super close to mid-terms and you aren’t sure how Youngmin can keep his grades, music and life balanced • plus, you can’t exactly picture cute, red haired Youngmin with an alpaca keychain on his backpack as a rapper • let alone one that spits utter fire • it’s lit 🔥🔥🔥 • you listened to two seconds of his diss track for Mnet and shut your laptop • contemplating life and sobbing over how good he was • it was that good • howdareyoumnet • the track was titled was titled SnakeNet™ ft. Park Woojin • bouta catch snakes with my net • * insert badly edited picture of Admin L swinging a net at Mnet and SM * • I need to stop making Mnet snake jokes i’m sorry • so • yeah, Woojin, that shy, awkward kid who majored in dance • Brand New College thrived with the talent • so anyway, your alpaca boy rarely came to class but whenever he did, you tried to sit as near as him as possible • he radiated sunshine and happiness • it made you all fuzzy and happy on the inside too, it was like he rarely had a bad day • trying to suck some of that positive energy • moving on…………….. • somehow, you always ended up like three seats away • Youngmin seemed to always be flanked by his best friends, Jeong Sewoon and Kim Donghyun • they always protected him from the world • asdfghjkl stop separating me from my man • but it’s cute to have such an amazing protection squad, they’re a force to be reckoned with • one day, you decided to approach him after your lecture • yes you did it • two steps away • his back was towards you, displaying some expensive brand of the shirt he wore • one!!! • unfortunately, he seemed to be hurried and rushed off,  a few pieces of paper dropped out of his backpack • even his cute little plushie alpaca keychain thudded to the ground • “hey! Youngmin!” you had yelled but he was already dashing down the corridor with his friends struggling to keep up • you were the last one in the lecture hall • deciding to return it to him another day, you picked up the soft plushie and the sheets of paper that fell out of his bag • c'mon you were a decent classmate • as you shuffled through the papers, a pastel coloured flyer fell out from one of them • it was very pretty • puzzled, you picked it up and examined it • “Our Two Lips?” • you showed it to the queen of knowing everything that happened in your city, Jennie • “ahhh, so the rumours are true.” she said, amused • furrowing your brows and frowning, you cocked your head to one side “what?” • “ahhh, Im Youngmin, Park Woojin and Lee Daehwi are rumoured to have been hired to work at this new cafe” • you swore you walked passed the place before when it was all boarded up and had no clue what tf it was • you nodded as Andrea cackled away • “oh my god Y/N you would love that place so much” • your friends confused you beyond imagination • “huh, why?” • Jennie and Andrea burst into laughter • “It’s a flower boy cafe!” • oh my god • w a s t e d • i’m still confused by this idea though…never heard of it until now and even though I’m able to grasp the basic concept, idk much i’m sorry :(( • okay just imagine • Im Youngmin as a barista • Im Youngmin as a barista in a flower boy cafe • Red-haired Im Youngmin as a barista in a flower boy cafe, Our Two Lips wearing a flower crown • Red-haired Im Youngmin as a barista in a flower boy cafe, Our Two Lips, wearing a flower crown as he serves you coffee • and food • food is important I hope you guys are eating well • you pretty much spit out a bunch of gibberish as your face becomes tomato red • “Oh! Wasn’t your last lecture today? Looks like you’ll have to visit him if you want to return his charm” • a s d f g h j k l • you really can just wait until the summer is up but that’s mean and he might want his charm back immediately • of course, he loves his charm, it is adorable • you love it too • it’s a soft, small plushie that has been patched on the side • :“) • you make it sit on your bed side table so it’s the first thing you see when you wake up and the last thing you see when you sleep • also because you’re scared of losing it • how would you explain to the flower boy? • it takes you a couple of days to visit the place • a few of your classmates went on the opening day • it’s safe to say they almost fainted from the cuteness • they facetimed you right after • "oHMy gOD y/N yOu goTTa cOMe anD SEE YounGMIn” Jinsoul yelled as she shakily held her phone • “yO i’m shOokeTH” - Andrea, about the cafe, 2017 • “bye bye sweetie” • honestly, you were a anxious mess, your palms were sweating, your legs felt like jelly • it’s just to return his charm! • and his lecture notes • calm down!!!!! • nah • you fretted about it until you reached the cafe and put on a fake relax look • the plan was simple, approach the counter, ignore the food, pass Youngmin his charm back and leave • that was the original plan • until you saw how breathtakingly beautiful he looked • it was probably the first proper glance you had gotten at him • that was not from your seat, far away, through the lens of a pair of binoculars, like a creep • “hello! I’m Youngmin, and I’ll be your flower,” proceeds to grab a rose out of his apron pocket, “boy for today” • you weren’t joking when you said you felt a teensy bit light headed • your hand closed around the plastic-wrapped rose and you stared at it in awe • stick!! to!! the!! plan!! • you cleared your throat, “actually-” • “ahhh, table for one” • youngmin wasn’t being rude - at least he hoped you thought so- he just wanted to get to know you a bit better, plus, you willingly came to the cafe • “you’re in the same friday and wednesday lecture as me right?” he asked as he escorted you to your seat, ignoring your reluctant protests. Youngmin was going to keep you here • “um yes.” you replied softly, heartbeat accelerating by the seconds • he nodded, “ahhh, no wonder your face seemed familiar” • eye contact, charming smile, faint tinges of pink of his cheeks • “i knew i’d never forget a beauty like you” • he left you with the menu and your red face with a disorganised plan • that boy is smooth • @ Youngmin, I see you • it’ll be rude if i reject him as a server…..no i can’t do that • you ordered something because you were hungry though, it seemed too good to resist • “what’s a beauty doing here all alone?” Youngmin posed as he collected your menu • you mumbled out an incoherent, embarrassed reply • he chuckled, “will my aegyo get you to open up?” • instead of speaking, you plucked the plushie charm from your pocket. “i found this in the hall the other day, I figured I should return it.” • “oHmYgoD!” • truthfully, Youngmin allowed it to fall, hoping you would return it and take it as a sign • Donghyun had taught him a trick or two on how to be the nation’s boyfriend and he was ready to win your heart • “are you serious? I went crazy trying to find this! Thank you so much! Isn’t your name y/n? Can I call you that?” • he appeared a little flustered and surprised, clutching his plushie close • he genuinely treasures his plushie okay, fight me • it was cute • ugh • “y/n, and yeah sure” • Youngmin opened his mouth to speak but he was called away by another server. He smiled apologetically and thanked you again, promising to be back with your order soon • you scrambled to text your friends but your hands were trembling like a leaf that you missed all the keys • do leaves tremble? • your texts to them were a mess but they got your drift anyway • Youngmin arrived with your order, “I’m here to give you your food and my heart.” • you really couldn’t help but burst into giggles • “will you accept it, Y/N?” • beaming brightly, you nodded but was still unable to keep the laughter at bay • youngmin chuckled along with you • boi i kid you not hearing his laugh was a blessing • b l e s s • since the cafe was pretty empty, Youngmin settled down in the seat across from your own because “everyone should have company” • he wasn’t much of a talker but he was a good listener, the more he warmed up to you the more he spoke • his eyes lit up when you mentioned you listened to his mix tapes • “you’re a really great rapper” • he just blushed and mumbled a 'thank you’ in reply, the ability to speak left him • “ahh, t-thank you.” • you took note of how well his red hair contrasted against his peach coloured flower crown. It only made him all the more charming and prince like • Youngmin’s company was enjoyable and you could foresee him becoming one of your good friends • you were reluctant to leave • he felt the same way • Youngmin isn’t the kind for a hella lot of aegyo but he has a way with words • even though he says he doesn’t • “y/n? do you have a map? cause honey, I’m getting lost in your eyes,” he said, tapping the pot of honey on your table • o i love puns • “you’re so sweet, are you made out of sugar?” *lifts up jar of sugar* • you’re just out there dying at his lame ass puns • but at the same time, dying bc he’s FLIRTING WITH YOU • imagine your crush flirting with you • hah can’t relate • “y/n, we’re like a four-leafed clover, you are C, I’m R and there’s love between us” he purred out, making finger hearts • you’re nearly dead and although these are somewhat awful, it’s cute • “i never knew you were like this, you never really talk in class…..” you muttered. “so innocent…” • “the only crime I’ll commit is stealing your heart” • bYE BYE IM • it gets late and you eventually have to bid him goodbye • but before you leave, he slides you a note and says, “y/n, if you can accept my love, how about accepting my number?” • “yes! I’ll text you.” • you hastily punch his number into your phone, nearly messing up because you’re still freaking out • there’s an alpaca, llama emoji next to his name, whatever you can find on your phone • suddenly, you become the envy of all the customers, especially when he gives you a matching alpaca plushie • *makes a mental reminder to attach it to your uni bag* • Youngmin smiles bashfully at you but says nothing • when you hand back the board to him after writing your signature - because you paid by credit card, he whistles • “damn, i was looking for a signature on you because a masterpiece always has one” • you are about to punch him • but only out of love • your heart is going to explode • he winks from behind the counter as you head out • “see you soon, Y/N.” 

[andrewmoocow]

Fooly Falls chapter 6: The Bizarre Climax, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Rage Against the Machine (originally posted on September 25, 2017)

Space, the final frontier. Home to billions of strange new worlds across the stars just waiting to be discovered. To boldly go where no man has gone before has been one of our greatest desires since the universe was in its infancy. And today, we focus on one specific planet in this prologue.

Welcome to the planet Quatro-5, a prosperous little orb in the Sonata System home to the peaceful Cinconians. These creatures often spend their days tending to their futuristic utopia home's ecosystem, making friends with other races, etc. As you can see it's pretty boring, but that will all change now. And since the Cinconian language is complete nonsense to humans, their dialogue will be presented in English.

“Your majesty, we have discovered a comet heading for the capital.” a Cinconian scientist announced to the ruler of the planet in their native language. “Some have speculated that it's another species that wants to come in peace.” he explained. “I am quite interested in this news, please show me.” the good king replied getting up from his throne and walking toward the scientist.

“Approximately six hours, fifteen minutes and twelve seconds ago, there has been a massive cosmic energy flux coming from the planet Ee-arth in the Milky Way Galaxy and many planets have been disappearing as a result.” the scientist said. “Isn't it pronounced 'erth' sir?” the king asked. “Let me finish! Anyway, satellites that we have launched have spotted a human-like creature soaring past the planet's atmosphere layer without dying before he took out said satellite. And I have a feeling ours might be next.”

As the king and the scientist went outside, they saw their people gathered around his castle anticipating the arrival of the comet. “My fellow Cinconians!” the king announced to his subjects before they all turned around to watch him. “This may seem sudden, but we have gathered here today to witness the arrival of a new member of our society! And look, there they are now!”

The Cinconians cheered as the comet touched down before them, revealing itself to be a well-built man bearing a sword caked in blood. The aliens oohed and aahed at the sight of this new figure until he decapitated one of them with a swipe of his blade. Amazement then turned into horror as the people ran for their lives.

The king watched as this new person turned his people into puddles of yellow blood that covered the land. Eventually the invader teleported right in front of him and the scientist. “What monster are you?!” the monarch exclaimed. “I am so glad you asked your Grace. My name is Diamond Brandy, the soon-to-be new god of this pitiful universe.” the man introduced himself with a bow and condescending smile. “And I suppose you must be King Dyorbith IV, ruler of Quatro-5.”

“Indeed I am sir. I beg of you to stop harming my people and leave my planet alone.” King Dynorbith begged dropping to his knees. “Hmmm. How about this, I shall spare you if you bring me a sacrifice.” Diamond suggested. “Oh thank you new god, I will not disappoint!” the king exclaimed happily before turning to his scientist. “Sorry, but sacrifices have to be made!” he said shoving him in Brandy's direction.

“Why thank you sir for your offering, I promise I shall let you live.” Diamond Brandy thanked the king before unsheathing his sword. Bringing to the scientist's neck, he swung with all his might, knocking the head on the ground in one fell swoop. As the weapon faded into specks of light, Diamond turned to Dynorbith. “Remember when I said I'd spare you?” he asked pointing a finger at him with a flame at the tip. “I lied.” With that, he instantly incinerated the king and flew off, blowing up the planet along the way.

Upon reaching the black recesses of outer space, the demon took a moment to admire his carnage. He had destroyed dozens of planets, eliminated dozens of civilizations and yet somehow he felt empty inside as if there were no more planets left to destroy. “Y'know, causing so much chaos has started to get boring after a while.” he contemplated. “I don't have many mortals left to massacre unless....” He then stared at Earth from afar, thinking about how much destruction he'd wreak but he couldn't bring himself to do so. “No, the Six-Fingered Man and I had a deal!”

“Why fight it pal?” a voice rang out. Brandy looked around the stars to figure out where it came from until he laid eyes upon his sword. “My weapon, speaking to me?” he thought before the sword was bathed in a heavenly glow and shapeshifted into a humanoid figure with snow white hair, three blood red eyes, a spider tattoo on his bare chest and a snake's tail in place of human legs. “What the devil are you?” the monster exclaimed in awe of this new being before him. “I am your sword Deh'Go! Didn't Bill tell you I was alive when you were granted Firestarter?” the sentient weapon replied sticking his frog-like tongue at him. “He never told me about you in the first place!” Brandy said. “Oh right, he probably gave me to you after you were turned to stone just in case. Kinda forgot about that.”

“Enough of this, the Six-Fingered Man gave me the Eyes of Heaven so that I could spare his loved ones and planet!” Diamond Brandy explained harshly. “C'mon master, you know deals like that always fall through, right?” the sword snapped back. “Oh right, forgot to introduce myself! My name is Armageddon and I can help you become more powerful.” Those last two words caught Brandy's ears and he took Armageddon's hand as the half-snake turned back into a sword.

“We have a deal Geddon. Is it okay if I call you that?” he asked Armageddon. “Sure why not. Anyway, I know a really fast way to get to Earth. It's called 'Vento Aureo'.” Geddon explained. “Give it a shot.” Brandy nodded and began to focus his energy on this new move and cried out “VENTO AUREO!” before zooming towards Earth at supersonic speeds.

“Hey Dipper, I have a question. If you were to have a superpower, which one would it be?” Mabel asked her brother as they walked through the woods. It has been a while since Haruko & Canti left Gravity Falls and the Medical Mechanica factory that towered over the Oregon town has been spewing smoke, covering it in white mist. “Me, I'd want to have the powers of a frog so that I can look like a cute little frog girl that hops around and stuff. You'd probably want nerdy powers like telepathy or laser vision, right?” Dipper didn't answer. “Okay, here's another question. If you were given the chance to dive into a swimming pool filled with gold, would you?”

“Mabel, you realize that is impossible to do without breaking every bone in your body right?” Dipper replied. “It's a great many pieces of hard matter that form a hard floor-like surface. Just food for thought.” he explained as he continued walking. “Y'know bro, you've become more of a buzzkill lately after Haruko left yesterday.” Mabel said concernedly. “C'mon, tell me your feelings.”

“Okay, I confess. It's been pretty quiet ever since they left town, and that factory isn't making anything better. I can barely see in this fog!” Dipper said. “Hopefully we can still find a way back to the Mystery Shack in time for dinner.” The two continued wandering through the forest surrounded by mist as the sun tried to peek out of the fog.

“It's a hand?” Agent Powers said to Kitsurubami over the phone as they examined the hand from afar. “Yes Powers, yesterday saw the appearance of another machine that tried to advance toward the Medical Mechanica factory but failed thanks to the efforts of those children.” she replied. “It is currently towering over the factory looking like it's about to grab it.”

“What makes you think it's about to grab the factory?” Amarao asked while working out on an exercise bike as he handed Kitsurubami his drink. “I mean, it's pretty obvious, a hand grabbing an iron? You think it wants to iron out the wrinkles?” his right hand woman wondered. “Of what?” he asked. “Like the wrinkles on the brain. Y'know?”

“Then we'd all be brainless morons! Those wrinkles are how we think.” Amarao replied. “But of course we know the real psycho is Raharu. She's always been like that.” As he finished speaking, various screens started showing the piece of machinery that destroyed the golf cart yesterday. “The parameters aren't completely clear yet. If that's the terminal core that's going to control the hand, then of course it wouldn't activate yet.” Kitsurubami explained while sipping from her superior's drink, only to cry out in disgust over what she just ingested. “AH, WHAT DID I DO?!”

“That's right, forget about Haruhara! We need to find those twins and the terminal core on the double, before the plan activates!” Amarao ordered.

“Good grief, who would've guessed all this fog would lead to a downpour?!” Stan exclaimed as he and Ford stood outside the hovel they both called home. It was starting to rain as a result of the mist. “Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you let me die like a true hero against that Diamond guy.” he said to his brother. “I know what I did was bad for pretty much the entire galaxy Stanley, but I needed to keep the children alive for their parents.” Ford replied.

“Don't you have anything that can stop him like explosive lemons, air powers, the ability to turn anyone into a jade statue, radioactive spiders, anything!” the con-artist cried shaking the genius. “Settle down Stan, I think you're gonna give me whiplash!” Stan replied by rolling his eyes and smugly looking at the readers. “Who are you looking at? In fact, I don't want to know.”

“Listen Ford, you were trying to keep our heads attached but can you at least do it without putting all of existence at risk?! Y'know what, I think I need a drink.” Stan groaned before pulling out a flask and drinking from it. “Why are you drinking at a time like th-” Ford questioned before his brother pulled up his index finger and finished drinking. “What even is that anyway?” he asked. “Cherry soda, want some?” Stan offered.

“I think I'll pass, I'm gonna do some research on that giant hand over the factory.” Ford politely refused before walking towards the woods. “Well be back in time for my new hat to arrive in the mail!” Stan called as his brother disappeared into the fog.

Meanwhile somewhere else near the shack, Dipper & Mabel were continuing to trek through the greenery. “Okay Mabel, I've got a question for you this time. Which do you prefer, chopsticks or sporks?” Dipper asked. “Definitely sporks, because I actually know how to use them.” Mabel replied. “Remember that one Chinese place we went to back in fourth grade? You got a tummyache because of the soy sauce and I had trouble with the chopsticks. I still keep them in my sweater pocket to this day!” She pulled a pair out of her pocket and showed them to her brother. “See?”

Just then, they discovered a figure in the shape of a man standing away from them. “Hey, is that Ford?” Dipper asked. The two walked closer to the man only to discover it was actually Commander Amarao. “Hello there Dipper, been wanting to see you again since yesterday.” he greeted the boy. “Hey bro, check out this guy's funny eyebrows!” Mabel giggled pointing at his ginormous brows. “And I suppose this is your sister?” Amarao wondered. “Yes, yes he is sir.”

“Do ya need something to drink, I think sweet stuff would help with that head of yours.” Amarao suggested. “You're tired, aren't you? Every time something comes out of your head causes problems for everyone.” he explained. “What's he talkin' about broseph?” the shooting star wondered. “Well, I don't think your housekeeper is coming back kids especially after what happened yesterday, but just in case....” Suddenly, he slapped a pair of eyebrows like his own on Dipper's face. “What was that for?!” the boy cried. “Can I get my own pair?” his sister asked.

“Cats should only stick with other cats children, it's only natural. And I don't want to know how her departure affected your great uncle.” the adult said. “Do you know why Raharu got so close to your family? You might know her as Haruko but Raharu's her real name. The reason she's here is because she's after an astral being known as Atomsk.” he continued. “I've never met him in person before but I've heard lots of rumors that he has so much N.O that he can steal entire star systems, which is why he's called the 'Pirate King.' Normally, the two of them would be mortal enemies but there's a catch. Atomsk was captured by Medical Mechanica and Raharu came here to save him, because she's in love with him.”

Meanwhile somewhere else in the forest, Ford was sitting on a tree branch examining the giant hand while writing down in a small notepad. “Now what could that factory have connections to?” he wondered climbing down.

As he prepared to go home, he heard a faint clinking noise. Looking around, he found the source of the noise to be a small dog-like creature at his feet made up of a few metal bits and bobs. “Hello there little one, what are you supposed to be?” he asked the little machine. It suddenly got excited and started jumping around much to his surprise. “Well aren't you energetic?”

Ford pulled out an energy reader to further analyze the hand while the tiny scrapheap scampered around before leaping up and taking it out of his twelve fingers. “Stop you little critter, I need that!” he shouted before it came to a halt. “You know what, you can have it.” he stated in defeat before the robot swallowed it whole, growing larger as a result. “Quite an interesting specimen you are. I think I'll call you Takkun.” Ford said kneeling down to its height. “Why don't you come home with me so that I can study you some more?”

Later that day, Dipper sat on his bed, now littered with Haruko's things and playing a guitar like hers while Mabel laid on her bed playing with Waddles. “Hey Mabel, was there ever a time where you met someone really cool and yet they had to leave all of a sudden?” he asked. “Oh yeah, lots of my crushes are like that such as Mermando. If only that undersea war didn't start, then we'd see each other again then eventually get married and have half-merperson half-human babies!” Mabel replied. “Lemme guess, you asked because you're still torn up about Haruko?” she wondered. “What, no! It's just that it seemed like she really liked me yet just disappeared all of a sudden!” he claimed before lying down on his bed.

“Kids, dinner's on!” Stan called them downstairs a while later. The twins made their way downstairs to the kitchen when they saw a familiar face with their grunkles. “I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, IT'S YOU!” Dipper shouted pointing at Haruko as everything went black and white again. “Is something wrong Dipper?” Ford wondered. “That's not important, check out my new hat!” Stan exclaimed gesturing towards a checkerboard-pattern top hat resting on his noggin in place of the fez. “Hi!” Haruko greeted them. Dipper was so shocked, the eyebrows Amarao given him fell off his head. “Why are you sitting there like nothing happened?! You're a wanted fugitive!” the boy shouted jumping on the table. “Funny story kid, Haruko told me that she should get some R & R.” Stan explained. “She vacationed to Hawaii, I went to prison there once!”

“And she brought back these delicious spicy fish eggs!” Ford added taking a bite out of one. “Those don't come from Hawaii, and why would she get them there?! And how would you give a criminal vacation time?!” Dipper snapped. “Vacation, alienation, Japanimation, manga, kanga, naked lunch, Hawaiian Punch, fruit juicy!” Haruko chanted before chopping Dipper on the head. “It's not funny, I'm gonna kill you!”

“Why are you hitting Dipper, it was just a stupid joke!” Mabel exclaimed joining in on the insanity. “Well if I ever do a vacation, I'd like to be all alone with you two especially you Takkun!” Haruko stated much to the old men's shock. “As if I'd go with you, you can take Mabel but count me out!” the boy declared preparing to march out of the kitchen. “Ah, you're embarrassed you little brat!” the Vespa Woman said giving him a noogie. “Stop that, it hurts!” he shouted before she moved on to kicking him in the privates. “The people's crotch attack!” she followed up. “Please stop this, help me Mabel!”

“She can doodlie doodlie me like that anytime! Am I saying it right?” Ford said to his brother. “Look at this, fooly coolying everywhere and none for me!” Stan exclaimed growing more insane. “Frooly drooly head, googly googly eyes, fooly cooly this! Fooly cooly fooly cooly fooly cooly fooly cooly fooly cooly fooly cooly!!!”

“Alright that's enough writer, get us outta here!” he shouted to the author of this story before everything returned to normal. He & Dipper were panting, Mabel & Ford were on the floor and Haruko was just arrogantly eating. “Okay everybody, let's just stick with the thin lines.” he finally said. “Thin lines?” Dipper wondered. “Even when events are being told through the written word, it's pretty hard to reference manga. Takes a lot of time and work.” the con-artist explained. “This is an adaptation of the anime made by those Gainax guys so we gotta follow the events from there, right?”

“What do you mean right? Quit fooling around, it's not cool you know!” Dipper said, much to everyone's shock. “NANI?!” Waddles oinked a full English word. “Fooly cooly.” Haruko added. “He said it everyone, so now he has to tell us what it means!” Stan shouted. “C'mon kid, tell us if it's just some weird innuendo or just complete nonsense! What does fooly cooly mean?!” Dipper was not liking this. “Why are you asking me, I don't know what it means!” he responded. “C'mon Dipper, you're the main character so you have to know this!” Mabel added. “Tell us already Dipper!” Ford interjected. “You too Ford?!” he shouted before Waddles squished himself in.

“WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON HERE, WHO CARES ABOUT FOOLY COOLY ANYWAY?!” he howled before Haruko jumped and hit him in the head with her bass. “FOOLY!!!”

“Why are you hitting me with that?!” Dipper screamed before he was smacked again, this time flying out of the tourist trap. The madness continued during dinner and long into the night.

Later that night, Dipper took another shower to wash away the past few minutes. After getting out, he looked at himself in the mirror to find a certain bandage on his head. “Wait, what's that doing back here again?” he wondered wiping the moisture off of the mirror only to find Ford standing behind him. “Dipper, I know this is a really inappropriate time but I need to speak with you!” the great uncle explained grabbing him by the hand. “Can I at least put on some clothes first?” Dipper shouted before he was tossed Ford's coat. “This is like, way too big for me-AH!”

Taking him downstairs to the kitchen, Ford sat him down on a chair and whipped out a small projecter. “I've wanted to talk to you about Diamond Brandy since yesterday. Legend has it that if he were to obtain the Eyes of Heaven, he would become the ultimate life-form and wreak havoc across the known universe & possibly beyond. This was why I've kept the mask hidden from him as I've explained one time. If we don't stop him, it could be the end of all reality as we know it.” He turned on a hologram of Brandy destroying planets, drinking the blood of numerous alien species and generally causing chaos while playing “We'll Meet Again” on a music player.

“Why are you playing that song over images of total destruction?” Dipper asked. “What, it helps calm me down! Would you prefer something like 'Fly Me to the Moon' instead?” Ford responded. “Anyway, I need you and the rest of the family to be on their guard in case he gets bored and decides to go to Earth, which might not happen given the deal we made.”

Ford was wrong about what he said as Diamond Brandy finally touched down in a forest clearing. “We are here.” he declared as Armageddon took his human form again. “So many brainless mortals, fresh for draining.” Armageddon added. “I have a plan, I shall go undercover as a human and find our first victim.” the sword explained changing his snake tail into normal human legs covered in jeans. “Excellent idea my comrade.”

Back in the attic, Mabel & Haruko were sound asleep but Dipper was still awake, wondering about the Vespa woman. “Are you asleep?” he asked her. “Who are you really, what are you? Where did you come from?” Suddenly Haruko woke up and leapt on the boy's bed. “Were you just about to confess your great love for me?” she wondered. “I didn't know you were awake!” he said. “How embarrassing!” she snickered.

“Why did you come back anyway?” Dipper asked Haruko. “Just to see you two again!” she replied grinning. “Your head's the only one that works Takkun.” she added. “You're a liar.” Dipper said before she switched to sitting on his bedside. “It's the truth.” she said. “Are you just going to leave us again?” he asked. “Do you and Mabel wanna come with?” the pink haired woman offered. “You two wanna throw everything away and come with me?”

“You really mean it, why are you being so nice?” Dipper wondered. “You're still just a kid Takkun, y'know?” Haruko said. Her younger companion was brought to tears and hugged her tight. “Why did you leave without saying anything?!” he sobbed. When living in a town that was currently covered in smoke, you would forget that there was a whole other world outside, and Haruko was proof that there was still civilization outside of the small Oregon town.

“Good morning Takkun, I brought you some breakfast.” Ford said to the little mechanical mutt the next morning while holding a crate of some old machinery. “Hope you're still hungry!” He dumped the technology on Takkun and it swallowed them all whole. “Yo egghead, seen the kids anywhere? I've been searchin' for them all morning.” Stan called as he entered the lab. “And what are you doing with that crate of scrap metal?”

“I'm just feeding this little miscreant I found yesterday.” Ford replied as it continued digging in. “Say hello to my brother Takkun.” he said to Takkun who just looked at Stan before going back to eating. “Listen Ford, Waddles is just enough. I don't want another animal who rolls around in their own filth!” Stan scolded his brother. “If that even is an animal.” he followed up. “I don't even know what it is but it sure loves to eat gadgets and gizmos aplenty.” the polydactyl stated. “Well anyways, I've been looking for Dipper & Mabel all morning and it seems Haruko vanished too. Wherever they are, I'm starting to get worried.”

Meanwhile somewhere far away from town, Haruko and the twins zoomed around on her Vespa now weighed down by luggage as they left Gravity Falls. Both of the kids were clinging on for dear life as the housemaid drove at the speed of sound. As the trio raced off, Amarao had removed the hunk of metal from the remains of the golf cart. “It's normally connected to the contact unit, but we found it like this.” Kitsurubami said. “That means the core is functioning independently. I understand your whole team read the document.” her boss responded. “Yes, last week in the maintenance room.”

“This planet is nearly as mangled as that hunk of garbage, and it will be yet unless we handle Medical Mechanica very carefully.” Amarao said squeezing a ball in his hand. “Yeah, but don't you think the Pirate King has some plan to stop it or Diamond Brandy?” his subordinate wondered. “I wouldn't count on it. He's not one of us y'know, we're not that close. Anyway, we don't even know where Atomsk disappeared to or if Brandy still has his sights set on Earth.”

Meanwhile the Pines twins and Haruko had stopped at a noodle place for some lunch. “BLECH!” Haruko gagged on her ramen and started spitting it out. “I told you so, you can't get some off-brand just because it's jumbo-sized.” Dipper said. “Yeah, you have to stick with the good kind like this UFO yakisoba all the way from Japan, and it smells like the 90s!” Mabel added.

“Trade!” their older companion shouted switching her noodles with Mabel's. “When you act selfish like that, bad things are bound to happen you know.” the boy continued. “Oh well, guess I'll have to deal with the bad things then.” Haruko replied her mouth filled with noodles. “Think of it like this, eating ramen that tastes really bad can be kind of fun too.”

“That smoke is getting really annoying.” Mabel complained as they examined the Medical Mechanica factory towering over there. “You're always fighting Medical Mechanica right? Is it like your job or something?” Dipper wondered to which Haruko replied with a scoff and a smirk. “They took something I really wanted from me, so I'm trying to get it back. That's the deal.” she explained. “Can you do it?” Mabel asked. “As long as I have you two.”

“Yeah, as long as we all stick together there's nothing that can-” Mabel exclaimed before she got distracted by a handsome white-haired man wearing nothing but jeans & a pair of sneakers and smoking a cigarette labeled “Never knows best” on it. “Buh-buh-buh-beautiful shirtless man.” she moaned walking closer to the figure. “Oh boy, not again.” Dipper sighed.

“Yo, what's up kid?” the man greeted Mabel as she looked lovingly into his red eyes. “Hi I'm Mabel, I'm twelve and I own a pig! Wanna get married?!” she exclaimed. “Whoa, slow down there little lady! Lemme introduce myself first.” the man exclaimed tossing away his cigarette. “The name's Arnold Geddon.” he introduced himself. “My name's Mabel Pines, this is my brother Dipper and our friend Haruko Haruhara!” Mabel introduced herself and the others to Arnold. “What up?” Haruko greeted, but Dipper glared at Arnold suspiciously.  

“Hey, what's up with your brother there?” Arnold asked gesturing towards Dipper. “Don't mind me pal, it's just that some of Mabel's past boyfriends this summer were either jerks or a bunch of gnomes standing on top of each other. One time it was both.” Dipper answered.

That night, Ford was out in the forest searching for the twins while taking Takkun for a walk. “Dipper, Mabel, are you there?” he called out. “Anyone?!” He picked up his cellphone and dialed to call his brother. “Anything Ford?” the con-artist asked. “No Stanley, not a peep.” he replied. “It's already past midnight and I'm getting worried. Plus I have a stinking feeling that someone is watching me.”

Unbeknownst to the six-fingered genius, he was right as a certain demon was observing him from the shadows. “That is quite an intriguing specimen if I do say so myself.” he wondered watching Ford continue his search while examining Takkun, which ate a random can on the ground. “Easy there little guy, it's not breakfast yet!” Ford cried tugging on its leash. “We should head back to the shack and reassess the situation tomorrow.” He walked away into the shadow of the night as a red light blinked above him.

The next day, Soos and Wendy decided to search for the kids & Haruko themselves, taking the handyman's pickup truck around town asking the other townsfolk. They looked for hours on end until they stopped at a noodle place along a highway outside of Gravity Falls.

“I don't know Wendy, maybe we should just kinda give up, you know?” Soos said glumly, which was a complete shocker coming from the friendly employee of Stan. “Whoa Soos, I never expected you to say that!” Wendy replied utterly aghast at her coworker's statement. “You're pretty much the Pines's best friend and seeing you all defeated like that is just really weird and kinda sad at the same time. C'mon, let's get some noodles. I'm starving.”

Making their way to the counter, the two of them noticed a familiar looking Vespa bike near the stand. “Hey lady, are those kids with you and the fat guy?” the man at the counter asked pointing at a bench. Walking over to it, the two Mystery Shack employees found Dipper, Mabel, Haruko and another person sleeping on it. “Well whaddya know?” Soos stated proudly.

“How come you haven't called someone about this yet?” Wendy asked the noodle joint man. “Babe, when you're nineteen and you realized you've wasted your entire life like I did, you'll understand why.” he replied with a rather strange analogy. “Oooookay then.” the lumberjane replied nervously before picking up her cellphone to call her boss. “Hey Mr. Pines, I found Dipper & Mabel at the noodle place. How long til you get over here?” she asked him. “Gimme a bit Wendy, Ford's gone off somewhere with a big metal-eating dog thing.” Stan replied.

“Heel Takkun, heel!” Ford cried pulling on the dog robot's leash as it scoured the town's local junkyard for more metal to eat, now that it was more gargantuan in size. It eventually came across a small scrap-made hovel that was home to Old Man McGucket and starting taking large bits out of it. “Hey pal, tell your dog to quit devouring mah house!” the crazy prospector shouted storming outside only to find that the creature's owner was a familiar face. “Hey is it me or do you look like someone I knew?” he asked Ford. “Fiddleford, is that you?” Stanford wondered examining his former lab partner's current form. “It's the unicorn Illuminati, they sent their agents to get me!” McGucket exclaimed running away.

“Did you hear that Dipper and Mabel went missing?” Grenda asked as she and Candy walked down the street. “Yes I have, and the others are trying to find them. Plus their crazy housemaid went off as well.” Candy replied. “Did you also hear about all the disappeared vehicles? Cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, all gone.” she followed up before they discovered Ford pulling on Takkun's leash.

“Stop this Takkun, you might as well eat the entire town!” the scientist screamed before turning to the two girls. “Hello there kids, this isn't what it looks like!” he frantically stated to them. “Hey, that's the other Mr. Pines! But what's he doing with that thing?” Grenda exclaimed while Takkun appeared behind the elder and started charging at them. “No Takkun, they're children! You can't eat those, be a good whatever-you-are!”

Takkun then started chewing on a nearby pickup truck. “Stop this right now Takkun, you've been a very bad boy! Bad!” Ford scolded the mechanical mutt. “I really hate to be the guy who owns that truck.” Candy said as Takkun continued chomping on the truck.

“So who's the shirtless guy with them?” Stan asked Soos and Wendy at the bench near the noodle joint. “I have no idea Stan, maybe he's some kinda hitchhiker they became dude-friends with or another one of Mabel's crushes.” the portly repairman answered. “Think we should try wakin' 'em up?” Wendy offered. “Naw, let them rest for a bit.” Grunkle Stan replied leaning on the Stanleymobile and stroking the bill of his tophat.

Meanwhile somewhere across town, Amarao and Kitsurubami were driving through the forest averting their gaze away from the various oddities that reside there. “So Kitsurubami, what do you like to do when you're off the clock?” the commander asked trying to strike up a conversation with his subordinate. “Sir, I don't think now's a good time to ask that.” Kitsurubami replied nervously clutching the stick shift. “Don't be so cold, we're on the same team. C'mon, tell me.” he added touching her hand, only for her to snap hers back in disgust. “This is a problem!” she stated. “Well this kind of problem is nothing, trust me.” he answered before they were suddenly stopped by a larger Takkun marching around searching for more things to eat while Stanford clung onto its body. “COMMANDER!”

“Geez, it's huge!” Amarao cried as they gazed at the sight before them. “Listen Takkun, you shouldn't do something like this!” Ford howled. “Takkun? You know what that is? It's the terminal core!” the D.I.I commander explained. “It's been making him feed it!” The duo jumped out of the car as Takkun crushed it under its foot.

Amarao tumbled on the ground before he bumped into a familiar figure, that being Canti. “It's him!” he exclaimed. “In a green skirt?!” Kitsurubami replied questioning the Medical Machine's outfit. “What's he doing here?” Takkun continued its rampage as it began advancing towards town. Canti turned to Takkun, its screen flickering before a pair of columns that looked like brain matter burst from the back of its head, attaching itself to Takkun. “That's it, he's a component! He's a part of the terminal core!”

The horn sounded, catching the attention of Stan, Soos, Wendy and Haruko as the latter awoke. “Hot Belgian waffles, what's going on?!” Stan cried. “Looks like something crazy bad is happening back at town dudes! Anyone got a pair of binoculars?” Soos replied. “Here, take mine. I was using them to seek out new job opportunities, but I suppose they could come in handy for you guys.” the noodle salesman dejectedly sighed pulling out a pair of binoculars and handing them to Soos. Gazing through them, he spotted Ford clinging on for dear life. “Guys, I think that thing is Ford's robo-dog!” Soos shouted handing them to Stan. “I knew that Takkun was gonna be nothing but trouble! C'mon everyone, we've got a brother of mine to save!”

Clambering into the Stanleymobile, Stan and the others, along with Arnold, raced off back to Gravity Falls with Haruko and the twins following behind on her Vespa. “Sleepy time's all over! Hey, do you hear that kids?!” Haruko screamed. “What's going on?” Dipper wondered. “Hear what?” Mabel added. “IT'S THE CLIMAX!” the Vespa woman cried as they got faster.

Kitsurubami tried her hardest to shoot Takkun down but she failed to do so as it charged at her. “Get outta here!” Amarao cried pushing her out of the way, only to find himself attached to its body. “I can't get loose!” he shouted trying to wriggle free. The Pines and the others arrived at the town square where the Medical Mechanica factory towered over them. “Looks like it's heading for the giant hand!” Wendy shouted pointing at Takkun as it soared to Medical Mechanica. However, Haruko zoomed past them on the Vespa towards the factory, with Dipper and Mabel still on it. “Hey, where are you going?”

Takkun finally crashed onto the giant hand that casted a shadow over Medical Mechanica, with Ford and Amarao landing on it. “Agh, my head. Hopefully that metal plate I inserted into my head was able to keep me from having a concussion.” Ford groaned getting up, and Amarao did so as well before his phone started ringing. “I-is the bomb gonna go off?!” Kitsurubami panicked on the other line. “Not yet, it's missing something. I'm not sure what.” Amarao replied before he turned to Haruko and the children soaring through the air. “It's her!” he added shooting them all down.

The Vespa crash landed and the twins stood face to face with the big-browed adult holding them at gunpoint with Haruko standing behind them. “Where's your eyebrows boy? Why did you take them off?” he asked them. “You two shouldn't trust her, she only thinks about herself! She doesn't care about what happens to you or anyone! But you have family and friends, especially those old men, the fat guy and the redhead.”

Mabel was a bit uneasy, but she started walking toward Amarao. “Mabel, what're you doing?!” Dipper cried as he stood there alone. “I'm sorry bro-bro, but maybe the eyebrow man is right! Haruko is pretty crazy but I don't think she's try-and-destroy-the-world crazy. But still, I don't want to be gal pals with a selfish person!” his sister explained. “Your sister is right, who would ever want to be gal pals with a sociopath?!” Amarao shouted.

Dipper said nothing as he turned heel and walked toward Haruko. “What're you doing boy?! She'll kill us all! You brat!” Amarao cried when he walked up to Haruko and she held him close. “Takkun, it's time I get what I want, but I'm gonna need your help 'kay?” she said softly before tossing the boy up into the air and slammed him with his guitar. “ALRIGHT, GET READY!” she cried much to the shock of Amarao and Mabel. “Don't do it!” the government agent begged. “LUNCHTIME!!!!!” Haruko screamed batting Dipper into Takkun's mouth and it swallowed him whole. “Agh, we're screwed!”

Takkun roared before inserting itself into the palm of the hand, creating a glowing gear symbol which began to turn. Dipper on the other hand found himself on another planet covered in irons. “This is insane, you're doing exactly what Medical Mechanica wants!” Amarao exclaimed. “They've been ironing out planets across the galaxy, smoothing out the wrinkles so you can't think! Even the Pirate King has been captured, they're using him to lure you in! It's over, IT'S ALL OVER!!!

“I said I don't care about that!” Haruko declared. “I'm only here for Atomsk, that's all! I don't care what happens to this planet, but I guess they'll have to start thinkin' smooth!” Meanwhile, Ford watched in shock at the sight before him. This seemingly ordinary if somewhat psychotic housemaid just fed his great-nephew to the hand and claimed she doesn't care what happens to Earth, but then suddenly he felt something even worse coming.

“Or maybe they shouldn't think at all!” a booming voice responded before a figure burst out from the sky and descended on the hand. It was none other than Diamond Brandy, now back to complete his master plan. “Hello there Stanford.” he greeted the scientist.

“YOU! But I thought we agreed you would leave Earth alone!” Ford freaked out. “We did agree on that, but I only decided to destroy the planet because there were no other planets left to obliterate.” Brandy explained. “And it seems I arrived just in time for the grand finale.” He then snapped his fingers which surrounded Ford, Mabel, Amarao & Haruko in a red aura and brought them forth, along with Stan and Kitsurubami. “At last, the prophecy has nearly come to pass.” the demon announced gesturing to each of his captives. “Shooting Star, Six-Fingered Hand, Mackerel, Guitar, Eyebrows and Pistol!”

“Wait, what's he talking about?” Mabel asked trying to escape. “A prophecy on the runes I bought from a pawnshop long ago stated eight mortals would play a part in stopping him, and we're six of those!” Ford replied. “Seems we're missing Pine Tree and Screen. Oh well, guess I'll have to choose a sacrifice without them.” Diamond snidely commented setting them all down. “So which one wants to die?”

“Leave me outta this, I'm all the joy!” Mabel whimpered clinging onto Kitsurubami's leg. Everybody else backed away leaving only Stan standing. “I've kind of become a catalyst for these events by bringing Haruko into our lives, and now it's fitting that I shall end it.” he solenmly stated before handing his checkerboard hat to Kitsurubami. “Hey lady, hold this. And by the way, loved the cannon. Bitches love cannons!” he stated before taking off his fez and giving it to his brother. “And Ford, remember me as I lived.”

“Stan, what's going on? Why do you sound so dire?!” Ford shouted with worry as his estranged brother stepped forth with swagger, knowing this may be the day he withdraws coolly into the afterlife. “So Mackerel chooses to perish? Very well then.” Diamond announced as he held out his hand. “My instrument of destruction Armageddon, I summon thee to my side!” he boldly proclaimed before Arnold Geddon appeared before him and turning to Mabel. “Wait, you're with him?” she screamed with tears in her eyes. “Sorry little girl, but I'm with the in-crowd.” Arnold scoffed before switching his human legs with his snake tail and shapeshifted into his master's blade.

“Any last requests brother of Pines?” Diamond Brandy said pointing the sharp edge of the sword at the con-artist's neck. “Yeah,” Stan answered with a smirk. “Look down.” The Pole Person was confused at his victim's statement until the hand started turning to grip the factory. “See what I mean, she tricked you! I tried to tell you all!”  Amarao cried before they all grabbed onto Ford, who was trying to hold onto the giant appendage with a magnet gun. “I gotta ask Ford, where's Dipper?!” Stan cried, obviously very worried for the boy. “It's Haruko, she fed him to Takkun, or the 'terminal core' as I've been told it's called, and she wants him to find the Pirate King!”

Stan got very angry at his brother's reveal. How could someone who's become so close to him just up and try to kill one of his relatives?! “Are you serious right now?! She and I were best buddies and now she decides to betray all of us and leave my great-nephew to die? I've got some choice words for that rosado-scalped broad!” he screamed. “At least someone believes me! I can't hold onto these coattails anymore!” Amarao screamed before they all fell down on top of the factory where they were about to meet their demise at the literal hand of the giant hand.

It grabbed hold of the factory and prepared to iron everything out before a red light began to shine. It was Canti, now colored red again and holding it up with all its might. “Here he is!” Haruko shouted in excitement before she spotted an eerie looking silhouette emerging from the screen, which turned out to be nothing but Dipper as he obliterated the hand. “That kid, he actually did it!” Amarao exclaimed in wonder. “He got the powers of the Pirate King, Atomsk!” He was indeed right as Dipper stood tall, dual-wielding the Gibson Flying-V and a new guitar while glowing with the infinite power of the infamous Pirate King.

“Whoa! Dipper is like a god now!” Mabel exclaimed while Haruko and Diamond Brandy watched in shock before gritting their teeth. “You can't do that Takkun, that power belongs to me!” Haruko growled before letting out a mighty battle cry and charging at Dipper. “No you foolish mortal, the might of Atomsk shall be mine to control!” Diamond shouted back before bolting upwards and trying to kill the Vespa woman, the resulting shockwave from their clash rocking the entire Oregon settlement and the evacuating citizens.

“Don't get in my way or you'll regret it big guy!” Haruko screamed as her Rickenbacker clashed with his Instrument of Destruction. “That's what you think Guitar, I will rip you to shreds!” Brandy howled back before he was suddenly distracted by a wayward magnet bolt from Ford. “Eat magnets monster!” the polydactyl cried before firing another at his sword, destabilizing its form and changing into Armageddon. “Master, what is going on?!” he cried before Haruko struck him in the chest with her instrument, finally killing him for good as he exploded into light. “Weapon or not, I am still superior to you!” Brandy declared as he prepared an attack. “STEEL BALL RUN!” He morphed into a sphere of pure iron and spin-dashed into her.

“Hey wait a minute, Dipper has got some weirdo cosmic power in his pocket now, shouldn't he try and kill him?” Stan inquired. “This is our chance, we can gather the outsiders and destroy all three of them!” Kitsurubami planned. “I'm not gonna go easy on you Brandy, only one can eat Atomsk's power and that's gonna be me!” Haruko cried before their battle was suddenly interrupted by Dipper, still bearing Atomsk's power, preparing to strike Brandy with both of his guitars.

“It's.....so.....beautiful.” Those were the final words of Diamond Brand before he was completely disintegrated by a single guitar strike, erasing his body from existence. “As much I'd thank you for taking that guy out for me, I'm still pissed off at you for taking my chance at true power!” Haruko screamed preparing one last attack before Dipper stopped her and tossed her bass into the air, making her fall on the factory. “That guitar....” The pine tree boy came charging at her again, this time wielding a double-necked guitar. “She's even worse that Medical Mechanica, you're not going to get what you want from her! Fight back, take her out!”

Dipper landed at her feet as a regular human boy now with the double-necked guitar in hand and with three simple words to say.

“I love you.”

Haruko was taken aback by his declaration of amour before he kissed her on the lips, to the joy of Mabel and the shock of Amarao. A pair of wings burst out from the boy's horn, creating a scarlet spectacle before forming into a giant bird. “Atomsk!” Haruko cried as gravity reversed itself all over Gravity Falls. “Yo dude, what's happening?!” Soos exclaimed as he felt himself elevate into the air. “This is just like the last time gravity reversed itself, except there's no universe-ending portal involved!” Wendy added.

“N.O.! AAAAAGH!!!!” Amarao screamed into the heavens. It was almost as if the apocalypse has come when Atomsk's mere presence caused reality to crumble while it continued taking hold of the Medical Machine factory and absorbed the giant hand into its body before soaring off into the stars above. Gravity soon returned to normal as Medical Mechanica crashed into the ground, completely destroying it.

Haruko gazed up into the sky as everybody returned to solid ground and soon turned to Dipper. “Well looks like Atomsk escaped, all thanks to you and your sister Takkun. We couldn't pull it off.” she said her farewells to her younger companion as her Vespa hovered into the air, now with the double-necked guitar in tow. “So, you two wanna come along?” Dipper only replied with silence. “You know what, forget it. You're still just a kid Takk-I mean, Dipper. Save it for next time.” She pushed down her goggles and soared off into the world above.                              

Meanwhile, the rest of the Pines family and Amarao & Kitsurubami emerged from the rubble with a few injuries but still in one piece. “What just happened?” Stan wondered before he noticed the remains of the Medical Mechanica factory atop the hill. “I think we finally won. Diamond Brandy is dead, Medical Mechanica is done for and the galaxy is still sort of intact. Hopefully all the people killed by him came back to life.” Ford replied. “Dipper, where are you?!” Mabel called out to her brother before running away. “Mabel, come back!” the grunkle called to his niece before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Mr. Pines, I think this belongs to you.” Kitsurubami stated still holding his checkerboard hat. “Meh, you can keep it babe. I think that headgear made me go nuts. And speaking of nuts, I think your boss might need some time to rethink his life.” Stan responded pointing to Amarao, who was still in shock over what just happened. “Hey dude, think you dropped your eyebrows.” Soos said picking up the commander's eyebrows and trying to hand them to him, but he didn't even notice. “Ah well, these do look pretty tasty though.” The handyman then shoved the brows into his mouth and started chewing them. “Taste kinda like sushi!”

“DIPPER!” Mabel cried running up to her brother and hugging her. “Mabel, I'm so glad you're still alive!” Dipper weeped returning the hug. “WHERE IS SHE?!” Stan boomed looking very angry and he marched towards his niblings. “Alright kids, where's that filthy Rickenbacker-playin' traitor?! I have a few choice words and obscene hand gestures to give her!”

“I think she's gone Grunkle Stan.” Dipper answered turning up to the sky before lowering his head to find her Rickenbacker just lying on the ground. “Hey, it's Haruko's guitar! Why did she leave it here?” Mabel wondered. “Maybe it was a parting gift.” the boy responded before finding another 'parting gift', that being a Vespa with a note on it. “Just in case you change your mind, H. P.S. I took one of Mabel's sweaters to remember you by.” he read. Dipper just smiled while walking up on a piece of rubble with bass in hand and looked up into the sky. “Ooh, that looks like a great scrapbook-ortunity!” Mabel exclaimed taking a picture.

And so, life returned to normal in Gravity Falls, Well, normal as it can get anyway. The town was under reconstruction after the rampage of Takkun, Amarao & Kitsurubami returned to Washington, Canti started wandering Oregon and word of the past events spread like wildfire. “In other news, the town is still under restoration after what happened yesterday with Preston Northwest under investigation for his involvement in Medical Mechanica's plans. There has also been citizens saying 'fooly cooly' but nobody can truly decipher what it means, whether it's just complete nonsense or some kind of sexual innuendo.” the news reporter said on TV.

“I knew fooly cooly would catch on!” Stan boasted rising from his easychair. “And I plan to spread it even further! T-shirts, coffee mugs, snowglobes and much more saying 'I Survived the Oregon Fooly Cooly of 2012!' It'll be a smash hit with tourists!” he declared. “I think it's best no one knows about this Grunkle Stan.” Dipper stoically said. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. “I'll get it!” Mabel chirped skipping to the front door and opening it to find Stan's sugar transporting friend looking very mad.

“Hello there lass, is your great uncle home?” he asked. “Uh Grunkle Stan, that illegal sugar guy is here.” Mabel called to the old man. Walking to the front door, he immediately spotted Scott along with Jackson, Damien and Big Tiny standing behind him. “Hey Scott, you came here with my money? And why are THEY here?” Stan said to Scott. “Simple Pines, we came to give you that money!” Scott shouted punching his former associate in the face. “I want some retribution for you giving me cinnamon in that damned crate!”

“Wait, cinnamon? I didn't even notice!” Stan tried to defend himself before Big Tiny butted in. “And I also want payback for being humiliated at Booby's!” the vertically challenged mobster shouted summoning his two bodyguards to his side with a snap of his fingers. “And I need a big score to go up to top assassin status!” Damien added. Finally, there was Jackson who just smirked evilly and said “Get him.”

Stan tossed a few of his smoke bombs to the ground blinding the criminals as he made a break for it and hopped on the Vespa Haruko left behind. “Crazy space scooter, don't fail me now!” he exclaimed as he flew high into the sky only to crash into the ground beside the Mystery Shack. “There he is, oar him!” Big Tiny called as his henchmen began to beat him with oars again while the other crooks watched in sadistic glee.

“Well don't just stand there kids, help me!” Stan cried as the twins and Ford rushed outside. “I wish I had something that could get rid of them all in one shot, but sadly I have none.” Ford said. “Wait, I think I know what to do.” Dipper said rushing inside. Upstairs, the Rickenbacker that once belonged to their former housekeeper Haruko Haruhara rested on the young detective's bed as it twanged one of its strings by itself.

Well guys, this is it. The end of the road! Thank you all for coming! Be sure to check out the author's other works and stay tuned for more stories to come! But for now, here's every major character pulling an Evangelion and congratulating you for making it this far.

Dipper: Congratulations!

Mabel: Congratulations!

Stan: Wait, what the?

Ford: Congratulations I guess.

Waddles: (oinking)

Soos: Congrats dude!

Wendy: Yeah, congrats!

Haruko: Congratulations!

Canti: (beeping)

Amarao: Congratulations!

Kitsurubami: Congratulations!

Diamond Brandy: I hate you all.

Well hopefully we won't be doing more of this. Wait, what's that Dipper?

They're making two more seasons next year Grunkle Stan.

Seriously?! Well count me out! I've already had enough weirdness in this story and that's that! Au revoir suckers!

You think he'll be back Mabel?

He might be. Anyways readers, will we do a sequel? Who knows! But until then, stay weird! Hey, we should make that a catchphrase!

[allofthisnonsenseplease]

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 That's actually kind of a fun idea :oo reaper and 76 having no prior history

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 What would cause them to start interacting, tho? And what would they be fighting for? If they weren't in SEP & Overwatch together, the fall of OW leaves them no bitter enmity. oooh...what if Reaper was with Talon all along, Jack was with Overwatch, shit i was gonna say they got interested in each other but didn't realize, but that wouldn't work until post fall

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 Yeah I was thinking like Jack doing his thing in overwatch the whole time and gabe being in Talon the whole time And not crossing paths until post fall I mean they knew OF each other before that But didn't interact until after

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 right, right. but if they met each other with just their regular personas, and, like, i dunno, started bitching about the state of the world today and what's it all come to and they have grumpy old men feeding birds in the park dates before they find out that one is Reaper and the other is Soldier 76

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 ahahaha awwwwww gabe figures out who jack is pretty quickly just based on context clues and the fact that jack gives a total of zero fucks

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 finds out he's 76, you mean? 'cause i always feel like once he hits that point, he gives a lot of fucks about not being recognized as strike commander morrison. not that he's any good at hiding it. XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 YEAH 76 not sc i feel like in this version of events gabe wouldn't know jack's face well enough to identify him as the former sc awww they'd be so cute tho, just sitting on a park bench together, jack grumbling at the birds but still feeding them anyway gabe shaking his head, utterly amused, and pointing out that the bread crumbs jack's been giving them are terrible for the ducks that have been coming around jack just replies with a  grumpy "fuck them"

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 XD Jack, you bastard! What if, despite Talon, Gabe is still somehow more idealistic than Jack? Like, he thinks the path to making the world a better place lies in siding with this group at least for a while, but Jack just thinks everything has gone to shit and there's barely any point.

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 awwww QoQ their light conversation about the birds suddenly seems to be a big metaphor for much darker things

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 whoopsy daisy! XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 gabe counters jack's nihilistic attitude towards the birds (and apparently everything else) with some optimism and jack just kinda gives him a sideways glance asks in his grumbly coarse way, "what well-meaning conman fed you such convincing bullshit?" gabe wonders, silently, why someone who has been beaten down this much by the world is still fighting for it

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 Maybe he realizes that Jack isn't--he's not part of a group fighting for something bigger, he's working on his own and largely protecting small communities from gangs that move in. The thought makes him laugh, because it seems like, deep down, maybe Jack isn't quite so different...it's just the scale of what they see in front of them. ((like, i typed all that up assuming that Gabe is offing threats while in Talon and trying to do good while using them--possibly with the goal of getting rid of Talon itself once he's done))

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 qoq and then the time finally comes when one of gabe's missions for talon involves innocents as collateral damage and soldier 76 shows up

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, HE'LL--no sorry wrong series

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 LOLLLLLL gabriel doesn't want to fight him so he tries to reason the big picture and all

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 NOPE

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 but jack morrison is done with big pictures

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 this is the core argument for the season i just finished fyi

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 omg what a coincidence

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 lol anyways Reaper being all 'You can't be so naive! Things aren't black and white, and there's no way to move forward without sacrifices.' Jack is just FUCK YOUR SACRIFICES EVERYTHING SUCKS ALREADY DON'T GO MAKING IT WORSE

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 jack will take your ideals and KICK THEM IN THE GODDAMN FACE BEFORE BURNING THEM he wrestles gabe to the ground and snarls that he will die before he lets fucking talon harm a single hair on a child's head and gabriel should be fighting for his life but he kind of falls a little in love right then and there

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 d'awww are we playing this serious, or does Gabe arch suggestively beneath him and tell Jack that if he wants to save anyone he's gonna have to come up with one hell of a distraction?

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 omgggggg jack freezes, caught between his total of two emotions he's been too spiteful to be thirsty the past several years

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 OH GOD GABE/REAPER HAS IT ALL

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 LOL jack doesn't give in - not yet, anyway, not this time - but gabe can see that he wants to he can work with that

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 JACK BEING A THIRSTY FUCK

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 for now, gabe's willing to count jack's several seconds of indecision as a victory

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 lol He tells Jack he'll concede this time since Jack's reaction was so intriguing. Jack can HEAR him smirking, and it pisses him off.

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 especially because goddammit that's attractive,,, FUCK,,, he's just a little too slow with his next punch. gabe is already wisping away

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 hahaha what if, back on the bench later on, Jack REALLY AWKWARDLY propositions Gabe and claims it's 'cause he needs to take the edge off. XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 omggggg JACK YOU USELESS HORNY MOTHERFUCKER too lazy to rub one out himself, has to fuckin proposition his bro dude

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 like, he doesn't even really mean to, he just opens his big stupid mouth and the words fall out all over each other

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 XDDDDDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 hey, handling it himself just isn't the same. XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 XDDD gabe hates that when he tries to say no because terrible idea all that comes out is a snarky "your place or mine?"

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 "or," he amends, patting the bench, "if you don't care about having an audience..."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 i'm still trying to come up with what Jack would say, and so far the best vote is 'What are you doing tonight? I need to get wrecked in the worst way.' orz i guess this is still him giving zero fucks XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 omg jackieeeee bee gabe starts accidentally going on a snarky ramble bc he's,, actually kinda nervous and jack just gets tired of the bullshit and smooches his face

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 !! ^^ smooches him good, pulls back just a bit and cups him thru his jeans and asks, voice low 'you interested or not?' AND SUDDENLY THE TABLES HAVE BEEN TURNED XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 gabriel, all starstruck, breathes a "y-yeah" and lets jack drag him off the bench gabriel assumes jack takes him back to his safe house, but it's admittedly kind of a blur given that all he could look at the entire time was jack's ass

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 it's like watching a real, live lego man, he thinks

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 AHAHAHA am i really this fucking hyped to wreck that stupid rectangle? goddammit i really REALLY AM

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 X'D they balance each other out so well this time XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 XDDDD gabe wakes up out of his trance when he's suddenly lying in jack's bed with a ripped as all hell grump on top of him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 c'mon Gabe, get with the program!! Wake up and give him something to remember next time you come on to him in your goth persona!

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 LOLLLL fondle the boobs man just DO IT

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 Gabe makes Jack VERY happy that he asked

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 especially when things inevitably get rough and jack is Very pleasantly surprised that gabe can keep up more than keep up, really not many people can hold him down so easily if he weren't so out of his mind from it, he might think it strange another thing he didn't think through due to his intense Thirst........ he just brought a relative stranger back to his safe house smart move jack

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 lol OH WELL IT'S ONLY GABE WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN ((Reaper waiting there for him the next night with a rose clipped int he mouth of his mask))

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 LOLLLL GABE!!!

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 XD

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 you motherfucker XDDDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 nah, nah. then the game would be over too soon altho, if 76 shows up next time and is all 'haha you thought i'd go for you, but I got my kicks elsewhere thanks, so fuck off with your noise' I kinda feel like he'd want some sort of petty revenge

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 omgggggg YOU FOOL YOU PLAYED YOURSELF my favorite phrase is relevant once again XDDDD maybe he shows off his most Sexy (tm) assets while being like "oh so you really want none of this ???" reaper: spawns one (1) tentacle 76: throws down his gun, immediately surrenders

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 X''''''D JACK NO YOU TOOK STEPS TO PREVENT THIS

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 he cannot resist the Tentacle tho it is jack's ultimate weakness gabe finds out about this by accident, of course

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 At the park next time, Gabe casually asks if Jack needs him again, thinking smugly that of course he does. But Jack is just. 'Listen. Last time isn't gonna cut it. I need you to fuck me up, understand??' Jack's way of asking to be saved from himself lol

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 OMG AKJNDFKADNFADF gabe is a little taken aback but is like YES SIR jack fists his collar and his eyes are kinda wild and scary and gabe is way too into it and he snarls "i don't think you get it. i need you to fuck me up. are we clear?"

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 XD get it gabe!

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 this is when gabe finds out that jack is into some Shit but oh god gabe miscalculated. jack is sleeping with him to avoid sleeping with.... him. also he really wants to see how wild jack would get if he brought out the tentacles for real. but he can't do that. yet.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 XD But wait. What if Jack tells Gabe 'Sorry, but you just don't have the right equipment to give me what I need.' and Gabe is just 'exCUSE ME???'

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 KJSNFASKDJFN "YOU'RE GONNA HATE ME FOR THIS BUT I HOPE IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU NOT WANNA FUCK ME ANYMORE BUT--" omg gabe feeling weirdly gratified when he's fooling around w 76 as reaper but 76 says his name, not knowing it's him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 omgomg XD Jaaaaack.... wanting Gabe but needing those tentacles....u bad thing

firesonic152 - 08/04/2017 emotionally needs gabe but the rest of him just wants to get wrecked enough to forget everything that's ever happened to him omg ahhh but this whole time gabe didn't know he was sc!! he just knows jack has a chip on his shoulder for some reason

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/04/2017 ahhh you're right what if...with the needs of his body being met, Jack slowly starts to open up to Gabe? Particularly after they've been together. It's never as rough as with Reaper, Gabe will draw things out to make him beg or cry, and Jack always ends up feeling a different sort of exhausted wrapped up in Gabe's arms afterward. (idc if Gabe does know about Jack--Gabe's a cuddler! XD)

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 okay, i LITERALLY just laid down to go to bed, but i pulled my computer back out to send you this before i forget it. What if the Strike Commander position really was just a figurehead? Like, if Jack had far less power than he's made out to hold? Like, the UN is in charge of what missions are accepted, how many personnel are approved to go, what weapons they can have, how long they can fight before they're recalled and it's writen off. Jack is basically the middle man, there to handle small problems that crop up and relay orders from the top and to be a fall guy, but, really, he isn't supposed to do anything without their approval. okay night night <3

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 yeah no wonder Jack is filled with hatred LOL As they're cuddling one night, Jack admits quietly, "I used to be someone important." He laughs without humor. "Least, they let me think I was."

How would Gabe react to finding out Jack was sc :thinking: probably sympathetically, given Jack's previous rambles/rants about how his job was a shitshow and he was pretty useless in a lot of cases but I want drama so hmmmmmm

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 What if gabe had a shot at joining SEP, but the last available slot was given to this Jack Morrison asshole who later became SC? Also, I guess Gabe doesn't know Jack's last name, apparently? XD

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 omg!!!! LOL yeah Jack probably wouldn't give it up so easily He's shitty at stealth, not stupid...... actually wait he is kinda dumb BUT HE HAS..... some...... common sense??????

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 XD just a smidge. we wouldn't want to get carried away.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 .... self loathing, that's what he has doesn't wanna be attached to that name anymore there we go XDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 lol perfect.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 Jack lets something slip and Gabe finally puts it together Gabe sits upright and stares. "Wait. You're Jack.... Morrison? Like...." Jack waits for the inevitable vitriol, tense and looking away. "The Jack Morrison who took my SEP slot?" This was not the accusation Jack was expecting. His head turns to stare at Gabe "What?"

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 XD SUCK IT JACK YOU DID EVERYTHING WRONG AND THEN SOME!!

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 LOLLL "You stole my shot at fame and glory!" Gabe accuses, a hint of a grin pulling on his lips, unable to keep up the charade. "Fuck you, man."

Jack shifts uneasily, caught between Gabe's good natured reaction and his reflex to use anything and everything as fuel for his self loathing

"For what it's worth, it was a pretty shitty gig," he finally offers.

"A year of potentially lethal injections and near-fatal side effects, then a short stint actually helping during the crisis, and then just..." He visibly wilts. "Years... Decades, actually, of being a puppet."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 jack. jaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. stop. enough.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 He loves to party that jack Always throwing pity parties for himself

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 lol

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 I can't find a party hat emoji :((

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 huh. lame.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 Well there's these :tada::tada::tada::tada::confetti_ball::confetti_ball::confetti_ball: Close enough Oh here's the drama(??). Now that Gabe knows the full extent of Jack's identity, he Definitely cannot reveal his own

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 :tada: :disappointed_relieved: :birthday:

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 LOL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 there. a pity party.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 Perfect

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 why does that change things? he already knew Jack was 76 and kinda burnt out on the big fight while still having some trace of his ideals left.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 Tru :thinking: Maybe just the fact that like. Before this Gabe didn't really consider 76 an enemy of Talon specifically and more just a general hazard to look out for. But the strike commander was absolutely an enemy of Talon, and that's a dangerous position to be in. If anyone else in Talon found out Jack Morrison is still alive, it'd be bad news for Jack

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 You think he'd try to talk Jack out of seeing Reaper?

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 omg Maybe he just casually like... "So if you were strike commander you fought against Talon right....?" That Gabriel, smooth as silk

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 lol 'and...this other guy...the well-equipped one...isn't he with Talon?'

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 LOL NICE Gbe ... What happened phone *GABE Jack sends Gabe a sharp sideways glance, keen enough to realize Gabe has an ulterior motive with this line of questioning but too dumb (lbr) to figure out what it is

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 maybe he thinks it's just good old fashioned jealousy? XD

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 LOL yeah he would

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 or would that be a stretch, given his low self-worth?

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 he has zero sense of self worth in terms of his value as a person but he still has a realistic sense of his worth in bed XDD Probably thinks Gabe is jealous as a bed partner, not anything more

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 oh. that would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 :)) "Are you..." Gabe hesitates, trying to remember how much he's supposed to know question did Jack fuck reaper yet I forget XDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 yeah. tentacles.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 >||3c

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 like, i don't think Reaper went full on tentacles--at least not  the first time--but Jack had tentacles and ran back to Gabe in the hopes that getting Fucked Up would keep him from wanting the tentacles. Spoiler alert: it Did Not.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 LOLLL LITTLE DOES HE KNOW Gabe bringing up reaper is digging up some unwanted desires for Jack so he cuts off the conversation with a meaningfully heated kiss "I slept with him once," Jack admits breathily when he pulls away, staring at Gabe's mouth. "It was fun but..." god damn was it fun "I'm lying in bed with you right now aren't I?"

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 Jack, that's not exactly...I mean, kudos for not lying, but... XD

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 he's baiting :eyes: Simultaneously assuring Gabe that he has his attention while also leaving open the possibility of someone else stealing him away so that Gabe is incited to do what he can to get rid of that as an option

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 Smarter than he looks. =/ XD

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 Only when it comes to thirst LOL :heart: Gabriel hates that even though his rival in this situation is himself, Jack's gambit still works He bears down on top of Jack, pressing Jack's back into the mattress as he kisses him Covering Jack's body with his own. A possessive move. Jack doesn't bother hiding his satisfaction. Man so if Jack didn't have Gabriel during that whole stretch of time from sep to end of overwatch... He never had any significant romantic relationships At least I can't imagine he would have had any success in that area? Just a whole lot of meaningless hookups when he could manage it AHAHA God he's gonna suck at this Gabriel probably had a few crushes and things but not anything terribly significant either

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 Oh, dear. Jack is at even MORE of a disadvantage than usual.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 Gabe asks him on a date and he combusts

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 Jack: You want...what? [cannot process. does not compute] Jack:...WHY???

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 LOLLL Jack: date... like........ sex but with rose petals on the bed??? Gabe: no like I want to take you to a nice restaurant Jack, struggling: to......... to do some kind of semi-public thing or Gabe: Gabe: looks at the camera

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 X'''''''''''D Jack: but...i'm already sleeping with you. you don't have to...uhh...earn it.

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 dkakdkakxka at which point Gabe realizes this is a deep dark pit he's uncovered

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 OH ONLY JUST NOW REALIZING IS HE? Gabe starts actually feeling bad for Jack oh shit. what if it translates into Reaper being more gentle, too? And Jack is just: ???????????i came for tentacles?? not sweetness???? haha unintended double entendre

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 LOLL djakcjakczlx Gabe is in too deep - said Jack never >||3c

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 pffffffffffffffft X'''''''''''''''''''''D

firesonic152 - 08/05/2017 ghhhhhh what if gabe asking jack out on a proper date freaks jack out a little bit so he does a quick calculation and decides taking his chances with reaper is better than risking further romantic advances at the moment and starts avoiding gabriel in favor of reaper (AGAIN, LITTLE DOES HE KNOW LOL)

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/05/2017 omg omgomg And he's like, well, at least I don't have to worry about the bloodthirsty mercenary expecting anything but a quick fuck from me. Except, instead of examining his life choices, he just blindly follows Reaper out of the end of a firefight and into a nearby safehouse...which happens to be stocked with an easily reheated, nice homemade meal, a bottle of wine, and some flickering LED candles in the bedroom.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 LOL JACK U FOOL!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD GET FUCKED UP YOU THOUGHT!!!!!!

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 well, he can, but with a nice meal and some romantic lighting. XD

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 XDDD jack walks in, sees the romantic setup, and has to do more mental math tentacles.... versus romance............ give him a moment, he's not very good at math

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 XD COME ON JACK YOU KNOW THOSE TENTACLES ARE WORTH IT

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 AHAHAHA

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 jeezus. it's only the romance that's dubcon. XD

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 XDDDDD GABE JUST WANTS TO TREAT U RIGHT JACKIE JESUS jack jokes, only a tiny bit of discomfort in his voice, that he hopes the big bad reaper hasn't gone and fallen for a worn down old soldier. reaper doesn't deny it.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 oh. my. god. ;_; dude. not cool. upsetting.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 :kissing_heart:

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 don't you kissy face me

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 :kissing_closed_eyes:

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 LOOK HERE what does Jack do next while that silence is growing longer and more fraught with meaning?

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 laugh nervously and try to goad reaper into throwing him into a wall?

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 think he'd get pissed? I mean, as angry and full of spite and self-loathing as this Jack is, when confronte with something he doesn't like, anger or violence seem likely modes of rejection.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 absolutely yeahhh gabe is a stealthy dude he just likes birds man anyway jack of course gets pissed at the show of affection from reaper of all people and gabriel's heart hurts jack wants to start a fight, wants to get fucked up, but gabriel doesn't think he can do it anymore

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 oh lord. is it the big reveal? !!!! wait wait! what if Jack started an argument with him and took off, then went to go find Gabe. Rather than let Jack bait him into another fight, Gabe goes along with it and gives Jack what he wants, but pulls out his Reaper-y tentacle powers while they're in the middle of things in the hopes that Jack will be too overwhelmed and needy to run straightaway.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 :OOO!!! risque

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 As soon as Jack realizes what's going on, he roars at Gabe to stop, and of course Gabe does. He lets Jack rail at him for a moment until Jack's anger turns inward, and he bitterly says that he should have noticed, should have picked up on all the little hints. He covers his eyes with his arm and mutters that Gabe smelled like him, but he hadn't wanted to think.... He asks 'Why?' and his voice is a broken croak. Was it all a ruse? Has he been tricked? To what end? Gabe learned he was Strike Commander, but nothing's come of that information, so WHY?? He jumps when Gabe reaches out to stroke his cheek.

'Nothing I've done with you has been false,' Gabe says.

Jack groans. He hasn't moved from beneath Gabe, but he can't be comfortable, and he's still hard.

'Do you want me to continue?' Gabe asks. When Jack only nods, grimacing, he holds back. 'Say it clearly for me.'

'Just fuck me for God's sake!'

Gabe is gentle. So very, very gentle, but aside from that, he gives Jack everything he asks for, everything he demands in his breathless cries.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 kjfnakdfjakjnfkjsdnfadf b o ys afterwards, jack just watches gabe for awhile. it's searching, a little on the intense side. gabriel finally asks what jack's doing, and jack shrugs, looks away self-consciously. "was just wondering," he says. his voice is thick. he clears his throat and continues, "if you'd been in sep with me. just wondering what our lives would be like."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 fffffffffffff

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 LITTLE!!! DOES HE KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 Gabe, reaching out to take his hand and kiss his knuckles: I'd've had more time to make you happy.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 MELTING GABRIEL MARRY ME jack manages to not recoil and is a little taken aback by the warmth in his chest

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 he's bothered to think that he might be starting to want that. particularly since he doesn't think it's going to last, or that it might not even be real. he gathers his things and leaves, needing to think. To his slight surprise, Reaper and Gabe--he still can't quite think of them as the same person--give him his space. He sees Reaper during fights, but Reaper never approaches him, actually takes out an enemy or two that had been aiming for Jack. He avoids the park where he met Gabe, but when he passes by the safe house--not planning to go in, it was just where he ended up wandering--there are flowers left on the doorstep.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 CLUTCHES CHEST after so many years of being gutted by governments and media and every organization under the sun, is it really okay for him to give gabriel a hollowed out shell?

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 ; ; so when he's ready--and he doesn't feel ready, but he misses the way Gabriel touched him and spoke to him and, damn it all, just the way Gabriel looked at him--he goes back to where it started--the park bench. He waits. It takes a while, of course. He's been avoiding Gabe for days, but eventually, Gabe comes strolling down the path. He manages to not show surprise at the sight of Jack there, but maybe in the way he sighs quietly when he sits down, the way his shoulders lots their tension, the way he leans forward, elbows braced on his knees...maybe somewhere in all of that Jack can believe that Gabriel is relieved to see him.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 QOQ there are so many things jack wants to say, so many caveats about how he's got nothing left to offer gabe but he wants to try anyway, about how he doesn't know what he's doing (and if he's being honest, he's scared) but he's starting to think maybe that's okay, about how he has so many regrets but if this was the path he had to take to find gabe then it's all been worth it, and a million other self-deprecating and grateful things. but it's too much all at once. maybe he'll get around to them one at a time later. for now he just manages a quiet "sorry," and then "i want to try. if... if you still want to."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 'Even though I'm the Reaper?' It's only barely a question. Jack hesitates, then nods. 'Haven't quite forgiven you for hiding that. You've known about me for a while. Can't promise I won't try to take a little revenge next time we meet on opposing sides.' He's more relieved than he'll ever admit when Gabe chuckles at that. 'Fair enough.'

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 YAYYY HAPPY ENDING although gabe still works for talon awks

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 lol they'll work it out. or kill each other. either way.

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 the real jack morrison would never pass up a chance to die

SuspiciousPopsicle - 08/06/2017 lol Gabe will give him many small deaths

firesonic152 - 08/06/2017 >||3c