#i replied to three? i think thats the new rule??

[dfortrafalgar]

I'm Losing You... (But We're Filling the Cracks)

Having a family isn't always as easy as fairy tales make it seem. But sometimes, you just need a little bit of love... and a little bit of science.

Warnings: read chapter 1 for warnings

Taglist: @phsycochan | @mirillua | @augustanna | @chaixsherlock | @whore-of-many-hot-men | @nerdisthenewcool | @lilypadmomentum

Interlude II

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Law only gave you his phone number for study group purposes.  He was strictly adamant that he didn’t want you texting him outside of that single reason.

It was also him that broke that rule.  After only 5 days.

You woke up at around 9 in the morning on a Saturday, exhausted from a night out with your friends.  You lazily rolled over in your bed, squinting your eyes at the sunlight that beamed through the closed blinds of you and Ikkaku’s dorm room.  She had stayed at her boyfriend’s, so you had the entire space to yourself for the morning.  You reached your hand over to the small table you kept by your bed, grabbing your phone and holding it close to your face.  A few texts from your friends containing pictures from the night previous were in your messages, but one stood out to you.

Mean guy from study group Isn’t this the guy that was bothering you?

Mean guy from study group [1 Attachment]

You sat up in your bed, rubbing your eyes as you opened your conversation with Law.  You had only texted three times exactly, first to state your name for his contact (if he even bothered to change your contact), followed by a text from him about the time for the next study group meeting, and lastly you saying ‘thanks’.

But now this.

He had attached a hyperlink that opened up to a news headline dated from the day previous.

North Blue University student arrested for cyberstalking and harassment, officials say.

You quickly tapped on the text window to reply to Law, your hands trembling.

Holy shit, yeah thats him alright

The incoming message bubble popped up and disappeared a few times while Law was typing on the other end.  You weren’t expecting him to respond at all, but what he did follow up with made your breath catch in your throat.

Mean guy from study group Are you alright?

Were.  You.  Alright.

Was he asking about your wellbeing?

With your fingers trembling for a completely different reason, you tapped out a response.

Are you worried about me???

You threw your phone down onto your comforter, your hands going to cup your warm cheeks as you watched those three little bubbles appear, then disappear, then appear again, and disappear.  He was surely struggling.  You snatched your phone back up, intent on typing an apologetic message, thinking that you came across more accusatory than you intended, but his response popped up before you could type anything out.

Mean guy from study group I guess.

Mean guy from study group It’s scary being harassed, so I wanted to make sure you saw the news.  Unless you were one of the ones who reported him.

He was worried about you.  Law was worried about you.

You felt blood rush to your face.  You were for sure overreacting.  Some alcohol must still be in your system from how quickly your exhaustion-riddled mind was jumping to conclusions.  He was only sending you this info because he was with you when you were confronted, that’s all.  It couldn’t be anymore than that.

But a strange part of you, a part of you that you struggled to consider, almost wished it was something more.

You quickly typed out a response.

Thank you, I really appreiate iy

Ot**

It***

Appreciate****

Im sorry ;3;

Now you've done it.  He hated spam messages.  If this didn’t get your number blocked by him officially, then you’d resign yourself to never showing up to another study meeting.  You plopped your phone down and swung your legs over the side of your mattress to hop down and retreat to the bathroom, but your screen lit up one more time.

Mean guy from study group Lol.  It’s okay.

Lol.

LOL.

You sprinted to the bathroom, adrenaline coursing through your veins.

What was wrong with you?!  He was an asshole.  He was a massive douche who barely bothered to look at you, never talked to you outside of the study group (despite both of your schedules eerily aligning on multiple days of the week).  He made a point to avoid you when you approached his friends on campus to say hello.  He kept his head down, never looking at anyone.

You slapped your hands against your cheeks in the mirror, attempting to snap yourself out of whatever meet-cute daydream your subconscious was trapped in.

He was an asshole you studied with and he helped you out of a predicament once.  It was nothing more than that.

—

Law didn’t text you for almost a week after he initially sent you that news article, followed up his message with uncharacteristic concern for your wellbeing, and then an ‘lol’.  He was too embarrassed to even open his text messages, the mere glimpse of your contact name making him anxious.

Lunch girl

He couldn’t come up with anything better.  You probably named him something stupid on your phone, too.  Regardless, he was avoiding you like the plague when he could.  Keeping his head down during study group, dodging eye contact like a rogue flyball at a baseball game, and keeping his lips shut when his friends were in conversation with you.  

This was getting annoying.

The next Friday evening, a week after your last brief text message conversation, Law had holed himself up in his room for the evening, intent on swallowing himself into a medical documentary series he had started watching a few days earlier.  All the lights in his single dorm room were off, a small fan was blowing cool air around his room, and his computer was on his bed with the brightness turned all the way up.  He had just sat down on his mattress and popped one earbud in when a loud knock pounded on his door.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d think it was one of the residential assistants.

But that knock was too familiar to him.  With a deep groan, he slid off of his bed and pulled out his earbud, trudging toward the door with one of his hands shoved deep in the pocket of his yellow hoodie.  He pulled the door open, his eyes squinting from the bright light of the hallway.

“The hermit appears,” Shachi chided.  “Come on, we’re taking you out.”

“I hope you mean to kill me,” Law muttered back.  “Whatever you have planned, I’m not interested.”

“Well, we’re not giving you a choice.  Come on,” Penguin replied, grabbing his friend’s arm and yanking him out of his dorm.  Shachi closed the door for Law, making sure to slip inside and grab his friend’s key that was hung on the back of the door handle.

“What the fuck?!” Law hollered as he was dragged into the elevator.  Penguin punched the button to the ground floor, and the three began their slow descent.

“We’re going to Ikkaku’s, we’re gonna have a movie night,” Shachi piped up with an excited lilt in his voice.

Law swallowed sharply.  Ikkaku’s dorm was also your dorm.

“No.  Let me go,” he demanded, trying to push himself away from Penguin, who’s hand was still firmly wrapped around Law’s wrist.

Penguin made a tsk sound in his mouth.  “No-can-do, buck-a-roo,” he sang.  “Besides, it’s getting annoying watching you beat around the bush when it comes to New Girl.  Ikkaku told me she’s been getting sad that you’ve been avoiding her.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Law snapped, his voice dripping with venom.  “I don’t like her.”

“Bullshit,” Shachi snapped.  “You’re smitten for her and you know it.”

Law bit the inside of his lip as the elevator door slid open and his friends dragged him into the lobby of their building, pulling him into the early autumn air.

“Besides, she’s cute.  And somehow she’s been able to put up with your dick energy without getting upset about it.  Well, until now, obviously,” Penguin added.

“I don’t understand why it’s either of your business,” Law barked, tripping over his feet as he was dragged along.

Your dorm building, as well as Law’s, was part of a quadruple group of five-story buildings appropriately named ‘The Quad.’  Your’s was directly across from Law’s, past a fairly large center green with a few benches and a small stone statue of a pig.  No one really knew why the pig was there, and no one really questioned it.

The pig’s marbled eyes reflected Law’s nervous energy in the dark.  The raven-haired man gulped as he was dragged through the doors of your building, into the lobby, and subsequently up the elevator.

“Can you let go of my wrist now?” he asked, wiggling his fingers to make sure he still had feeling in them.  Penguin’s grip might as well have been a handcuff.

“No, ‘cus you’re just gonna run away,” Penguin responded, squeezing his friend’s wrist to punctuate his point.

“I hate you two,” he groaned.

“Love you too, buddy,” Shachi replied with a shit-eating grin.

The elevator door opened on the third floor and the three men stepped out, trudging down the hallway closer toward you and Ikkaku’s dorm.  Your room was located near the end of the hallway.  The outside of it was decorated with paper flowers and a whiteboard that had both of your names on it.  In the corner, a tiny penis was drawn with the dry erase marker that was kept clipped to the top of the board.

Shachi knocked three times in quick succession.  The frantic sound of footsteps bounced from inside of the room.  Large brown eyes and frizzy, curly brown hair was behind the door when it swung open.  

“You got him!” Ikkaku called, a bright smile on her face.

“We needed to trap him like a stray cat,” Penguin said back, his voice almost prideful, as if kidnapping his friend from a nice, peaceful, solitary movie night was an affable feat.

“Come in, come in, we got some drinks,” she said, opening her door wider and beckoning the three inside.  She planted a kiss on Penguin’s cheek when he passed by, making Shachi groan.

Your room was substantially larger than Law’s, on account of there being two of you, and each side was decorated with your respective tastes.  Ikkaku’s bed was lifted, with a tidy desk area underneath and plush blankets covering her mattress.  Her side of the wall was decorated with flowers and posters from her favorite musicians, and some polaroid photos attached to string lights hanging near the ceiling.  Your side was similar, with a large amount of fluffy pillows and blankets, but the poster that was hanging above the head of your bed frame was what caught his eye first.

It was a framed poster of ‘Sora: Warrior of the Sea’.  The bottom of it was signed with a few names in metallic alcohol markers.  You were sitting on your bed with your legs crossed, holding a pillow to your chest.  When Law finally tore his eyes away from the poster, they landed on you staring back at him.  You must have known he was ogling your mounted possession, as you simply tossed him a shy, knowing smile.

“So, what are we watching?” Penguin asked, finally releasing Law’s grip to clamor onto Ikkaku’s bed.

Ikkaku grinned.  “I found this cool murder mystery documentary.  I think it’s based on a true story, or something.  Perfect for a Friday night.”

Your shoulders stiffened.  “Are you sure…?  Ika, you know I don’t like stuff like that…”

Law’s chest clenched at the sound of your unsure voice.  He thought about how nervous you became when he first encountered you during lunch that day, how you shied away from the kid confronting you as if you hoped the wall would swallow you whole.  You looked so small, then.  He remained standing in the center of your room, feeling too awkward to take a seat anywhere.  He finally decided to simply sit on the floor against the back wall, facing the small television that was connected to Ikkaku’s laptop.

“You’ll be fine,” Ikkaku chided.  “You’re with us, nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

He didn’t miss the way your throat bobbed slightly as you swallowed a thick glob of spit.

With a few taps against the trackpad of Ikkaku’s laptop, the movie started.  She turned off her string lights with her phone, plunging the room into darkness, with the only light being from the television screen.  Some opening credits flashed on the screen as the documentary started.  Some over-dramatic narration about a serial killer who was found guilty for an estimated 20 or so murders of college-aged women.

How topical.

Some comments were passed around between Shachi, Penguin, and Ikkaku, some dry jokes here and there related to the crimes committed by this degenerate man.

Everything was going smoothly, until the documentary made a bold choice to act out the scene of an assault.  Suddenly, you bolted upright from your bed, landing on your feet, bolting to your door in the dark based on muscle memory.  Law watched as your figure eclipsed the television screen, the door to your room opening and closing quickly cutting off the light from the hallway.

“What was that about?” Shachi asked, confusion and slight annoyance in his voice.

“She can’t stand stuff like this, I don’t get it.  It’s all over dramatic, anyway,” Ikkaku replied.

Law bit the inside of his cheek.  His body began moving on its own, pushing him to his feet and out the door, tripping over a pair of shoes in the dark as he fumbled to leave the room.  The bright light from the hallway infiltrated his eyes and made them water slightly, but he took long strides down the hallway to the stairwell to ascend to the first floor.  He wasn’t telling himself to look for you, but at the same time, that’s exactly what he was doing.

The stairs dumped him outside where a fire escape door was attached to the side of the building.  The sun had officially set now, plunging the entire campus into darkness save for the walkway lamps that lit the sidewalk.  He frantically looked left, right, then left again, before rounding the back of the building.  You must have been somewhere out here.  He had a feeling.

To his mild surprise, you were indeed behind the building, sitting on a concrete ledge with your arms around your head.  The only light above you was a flood light that barely cast enough of an image over the building’s exterior, but it was enough to make out your posture.  You had essentially folded yourself in half, your chest pressed against your knees as your feet dangled a few inches above the ground.  Even in the darkness, Law could see you trembling.  His heart skipped a beat as he approached you faster than he would have liked.  He felt like he was out of his body.

“H-Hey…” he uttered, afraid his words were too quiet.

Your head shot up, your eyes widened in surprise.  Tears were streaming down your swollen cheeks, your chin quivering as you held in your hiccups and sobs.

“What do you want,” you uttered, your eyebrows furrowing.

Law couldn’t blame you for your venomous tone, after all the disinterest he had given you over the past week.  You probably thought he wanted you dead, if anything.

“I just… wanted to make sure you were okay,” he muttered back, his low voice barely above a whisper.

You wiped your eyes against the sleeve of your own sweatshirt.  “Why do you care?  Don’t you hate me, or something?”

“I don’t hate you,” he replied.  It wasn’t a lie.  Maybe when he first met you he wanted it to be, but after getting thrice-a-week doses of your smile when you talked to his friends, he was finding it harder and harder to hate you.  If anything, he struggled to admit that he had actually grown quite fond of you.  The thought still made a shiver run up his spine.  It was so foreign, so unlike him.  The kid who had grown to hate the thought of love, having lost everything to its toxic clutches.

You were staring at him with red, puffy eyes.  You wanted to ask him why he had been so off putting toward you after your brief text conversation with him the week prior.  You wanted to yell at him for being a dickhead toward you, for not having the balls to simply tell you that he didn’t want you around instead of acting like you didn’t exist.  But your lips stayed closed, trembling as you held in your tears.

A deep-rooted part of you wanted him to sit next to you.

Law’s feet started moving on their own again, a mere subconscious in a vessel of flesh.  He sat on the concrete beside you.

After a few painfully awkward moments, he finally opened his mouth to speak.  “I’m kind of a dick.”

You snorted, dry and sarcastic.  “I couldn’t tell.”

Law brought one of his knees to his chest, his heel resting against the concrete retaining wall.  “I’m not good with words, either.”

This time, you simply stayed silent.  The only noises coming from you were weak sniffles as your tears died down, your mind finding peace with his presence.  A peace you would have never expected.  Through the low light from the flood lamp above your heads, your eyes caught another look at the tattoos on his hands.  DEATH.

Neither of you moved when your head knocked against his shoulder, your upper body leaning to the side.  You could feel his chest still as he held his breath, eyes surly blown wide with the suddenness of your movement.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” you muttered.  “I don’t know why I’m leaning on you.”

“Are you some kind of zombie?” he replied, keeping his voice low.  A very small smirk creeped onto his lips, but he forced it down as soon as he felt his muscles twitch.

“Probably,” you responded, serious as you could be.  “I don’t like assault.”

Law’s mind flashed back to the scene that had made you get up and leave.  Not many people did like assault, but he had a keen feeling your words were a bit deeper than that.

Without thinking, he blurted, “What do you like?”

You kept your skull against his bony shoulder.  He had a certain scent to him, a boyish musk mixed with the scent of cedar and something citrus-y.  It was… comforting.  With a small grin, you replied, “Sora.”

Law’s heart skipped a beat.

You finally picked your head up.  “I saw you staring at my poster.  I got it a few years ago at a con… the voice actors from the anime were in the dealer’s room doing a signing event.”

“Have you read the latest chapters of the comic?” he asked, finally turning his attention toward you.  Your eyes were still swollen from crying, but you had a small smile on your face, very similar to the one you gave him during your lunchroom encounter.  His chest fluttered again.  He was probably dying of acute heart failure.  Perhaps an aortic aneurysm.

“I have, I pirate it online,” you replied.  “Yo ho ho.”

Your voice was dry, but the sound of your lazy imitation of a pirate laugh made him snort.  He couldn’t help it.  His body was acting on its own.  He shouldn’t be laughing with you, he shouldn’t have let you lean your head on his shoulder.  He needed to keep you at arm’s length, or even further away.  But something about you kept drawing him in.  Something about you, the sound of your voice, the faint smell of lavender on your skin, the way your eyes sparkled on cloudless days, the softness of your lips when they curled into a smile while you laughed.

Fuck.

“Law…?” you questioned, his golden eyes staring off into space.

He snapped back to attention, tearing his eyes away from you and staring at the ground below his feet.  “Sorry.”

Your lips fell.  “It’s alright.”

A few brief moments of silence passed through you before he suddenly blurted, “I wouldn’t be a good man for you.”

FUCK.

You turned your head to face him.  “What?”

“Nothing,” he stated bluntly.  “I spoke without thinking.”

You had heard him loud and clear, though.  Your heart hammered in your chest, hoping, begging for him to repeat those words.  You were shocked with how badly you wanted to prove him wrong.

“I don’t think that’s true,” you whispered.  “I think you could be a really good man for me.”

Law sucked in a breath, his eyes widening.  He slowly picked his head up, his weary golden eyes meeting your own.  You were gazing at him, a mixture of apprehension and understanding painting your features.  You seemed just as damaged as he was.

“Do you…” he mumbled, trying to collect his racing thoughts.  “Do you want to go back to my place and watch Sora?”

Your lips broke out into a nervous grin.  “I’d love to.”

[lovelykhaleesiii]

Since I know you were sad at part 3 of the greens win a.u I figured I could extend mercy and give you a second ending 😘❤

Tw - angst with a happy ending, mentions of s.a (no act is done, they just talk about it!!), and cursing, i think thats it!

-🔥

.

.

The princess bolts up. Her is heart is racing and she is drenched in sweat.

It had only been a dream.

She didn't stab Aemond through the heart, literally. He was still alive. Still alive and breathing and laying next to her, sleeping.

She was silently both relived and disappointed. Relived as she had not killed Aemond and disappointed at the fact Aegon and Alicent was still alive.

The next morning, the princess watches Aemond every move. She couldn't shake the nightmare she had. And how she had woken up, tears staining her face, and sweating in fear and regret of Aemond actually being dead.

She had to accept it; she was in love with Aemond one-eye. The kinslaying devil who butchered her brother.

She felt like a traitor.

"Has something disturbed you, lady-wife?" Aemond asked. He had, of course, noticed her sudden change in mood. Full of hatred in her eyes now were total love. He may have lost an eye but he wasn't totally blind. She had followed him all morning like a love struck girl and displayed a some sort of protectiveness. He just couldn't put a finger on why the sudden change.

She shakes her head, twisting her rings. "N-no my husband. Sorry for staring."

"Quite alright."

Silence fills the gap between them.

The Valyrian then chose to speak. "Do you remember when we had to visit the brothel to find Aegon? And the lady said you had been then when you were thirteen because of Aegon?"

Confused, Aemond nods.

"I saw how you reacted...i'm sorry."

Aemond's good eye grew wide. Seriously, what the fuck was up with his wife who just a couple months prior tried to stab him to death?

The princess gulps nervously. "I just wanted to say that...I know how you feel."

Aemond suddenly then had got this protective instinct in his gut. Who the hell hurt his wife? He'd have to kill them.

"When I was tweleve, I had this friend. He was three years older then me but we were best friends."

Aemond sucks in a breath.

"One day, we were in the gardens when he suddenly told me that he had planned to court and marry me. I didn't see him like that so I refused. He got angry and...forced himself on me. Daemon had found me after. I didn't tell him who because I was afraid that Daemon would tell my mother and they would kill him."

Aemond could see tears falling from the Valyrian's face. He hesitated for a moment. No words were spoken as he gently wiped her eyes.

This time, she didn't jump from his touch or shutter away like the other times.

"I'm sorry that happened."

"I'm sorry Aegon had did that to you too."

Aemond could only give her a small sad smile.

A few days later, after playing with their new born, being a real family, the princess decided to finally act in her emotions.

"Aemond?"

They were now in their chambers, getting ready for bed and she thought it would be a perfect time like any.

"Yes?"

"Hypothetical question. If a woman, who has loathed you, try to kill you, and stab you, were to walk into this very room and tells you she loves you, what would you say?"

And just like in her dream, Aemond replies with, "first, I would learn how to breath again." Almost whispering it.

"And then?"

Either of them answered as they both rushed toward each other and smashed their lips together in love, lust, and hunger for each other.

Prince Aemon had passed away, peacefully in his sleep, three years after his lady-wife. Together, their houses were join, creating what historians would deem the most peaceful rule they ever known. They had four children together, two boys and two girls with three grandchildren. Prince Aemond never remarried, claiming that the Valyrian princess was his true and only love.

-🔥

please this was so beautiful! You need to post these on your new blog now I ENCOURAGE IT 🥹💘

[softlittleheartsandsparkles]

Reasons why I left the three age regression servers I was in;;

I ended up leaving three age regression servers I was in. I felt uncomfortable, and I sorta wanted to list why in bullet points. *Sighs* The servers I was in, they are all for adults. (18 and up) so while reading this, just keep this in mind. But I think after this - I wanna stay away from servers. I feel like apart of it is because they are big, but the other part is - I think it's just... I don't feel as connected as I had wished? And because discomfort grows, i ended up just leaving because of the disconnected. 1.) Caregivers - surprisingly (or not) I feel on servers it's even more uncomfortable. The three serves I was in, they have area's set up for looking for cgs etc. I'm good at avoiding stuff that makes me uncomfortable. I just don't look! But once it gets in all areas of the server, there's not much I can do on my end outside of leaving... People talking about how they need/want/desire a cg really badly. The part that increases discomfort is: People will bring up there SO's/Partners and say how they won't 'cg' for them. So they must look for a replacement or someone to step into the cg role. I've also seen people complain it's not fair there SO/partner won't "cg" for them, and how there SO/partner is 'uncomfortable' by age regression. & it's uncomfortable with how many people reply with 'yeah me too' 'mhms, this is why i needs a cg... if they (SO) don't understand they probably toxic...' ... I've been 'replaced' before. (cheated on, but the term 'replaced' was used. I.e. "I just needed to find a replacement, cause your at school all day :( you need to think about me and my needs sometimes!') So these conversations are actually really uncomfortable to see. 2.) Baby talk / Baby babbling - I've noticed as I've been on servers, different ones i've been in, there are rules about where one can and cannot baby talk. Yet people will do it in all areas of the server. And when mention: hiii could you maybe move to littlespace... I've noticed either the person gets upset, wants to know 'why', or they leave. I stay away from areas on servers that are setup for baby talk because it's actually a big trigger for me, and I slightly suspect the reason why servers have it set up the way they do is because they are aware it can be triggering for some folks. But it's hard because you'll get defensive people who really want to know 'why' they can't. Or they want to know why it 'triggers' you. - And I'm not someone who's super comfortable mentioning my triggers all the time. I just default to one that feels a little less triggering which is, for me baby talk is apart of the experience of ableism I went through. People treat folks with intellectually based disorders as if we are huge doofus who are like brand new puppies, so baby talk is default. As if baby talk magically makes stuff more understandable.... So there's that trigger, but there's also my trauma from growing up, and being infantialized by my mother. So my brain takes baby talk a lot of the time as 'mocking'. Baby babble is similar. my brain by default files as 'mocking'. 3.) "Kiddo safe" - I noticed Kiddo safe slowly became more of an phrase. And while I'd assume kiddo safe means things like: Don't bring up nsfw topics/ Or if topics are of that nature pls use right areas on server. (I.e. vent/serious) however this isn't the case. What a lot of people mean when they say kiddo safe - they seem to mean more so there niche interests. For example, shows, movies, and hobbies or books. Picture books = kiddo safe. Chapter books = / = not kiddo safe... The issues is people could be talking about anime (inuyasha for example) and someone will run in and be like 'thats not kiddo safe, pls spoil it, it has spookie demons which are scawies' - Kiddo safe feels more like a soft way to infantalize oneself/control conversations.

[vgfm]

Deltarune Theory: The True Identity and Importance of “Everyman”

I’ve been away from the Undertale theory scene for a long time. It’s been so long that a whole new-fangled game got announced, and I’ve got some theories on it.

Are these theories about Gaster or Sans or whatever’s going on with Kris? Not exactly. At least, not yet. I’ve got a better character in mind.

Let’s start with Everyman: Undertale’s most obscure character and (I think) one of the most pivotal in Deltarune.

This is a two-part theory: the first part outlines who Everyman is and why I think he’ll be important in Deltarune. The second part? You’ll have to read and find out.

This is a long one and with loads of images, so strap yourselves in.

Sections

Part 1: Introduction to Everyman

Who is Everyman?

“So Everyman’s just an Easter egg, right?”

Everyman’s Importance

Why did Everyman appear in True Lab?

Why Everyman will have a bigger role in Deltarune

Part 2: Everyman is ???

What will Everyman’s role be?

Jevil’s Connection to Everyman

The Spade King’s clue

Additional Evidence

“Seriously?”

The Gaster connection

The “Strange Son”

Who made who?

“Seriously, who is Everyman?”

End

Closing Summary

Final Conclusions

Who is Everyman?

"Everyman” is a special attack that appears during the Reaper Bird amalgamate fight in True Lab.

This same figure appears twice in Deltarune’s first chapter:

Once as graffiti in an alleyway in Hometown...

...and again as a rare bullet attack during Jevil’s fight.

The name “Everyman” only ever appears in-game next to his graffiti portrait in Hometown. Everyman’s sprites are simply titled “strangeman” in Undertale’s game files:

[Image transcript: UTModTool is showing multiple highlighted sprite entries that begin with “spr_strangeman”. On the right is the file “spr_strangeman_walk” opened, showing a picture of Everyman. End image transcript]

Some time after Undertale’s release there was a since-deleted tweet from Toby with a picture of Reaper Bird’s attack that he titled “Everyman,” which is where fans first got the name.

[Image transcript: A tweet from toby fox that says “Everyman”. The first reply says “Is that his name. please thell me thats his obj name.” Toby’s response repeats “Everyman.” The next reply says “everything i aspire to be.” Toby responds again with “’Everyman’ you aspire to be.” Toby then adds another tweet saying “Description. Just a good guy that shows up on occasion.” end image transcript.]

This is a web archive screenshot so the image of Everyman’s bullet sprite wasn’t preserved here. Special thanks to catcat for tracking this one down!

“So Everyman’s just an Easter egg, right?”

I don’t think so. I’d be more inclined to write off Everyman’s role in Deltarune as a mere cameo if he had only shown up once. But it’s odd that Toby felt the need to include Everyman twice in a single chapter. To me this seems less like a one-off cameo and more like foreshadowing for a greater role in the full game.

Let’s compare Everyman’s appearances to instances of character foreshadowing and one-off cameos from Undertale and Deltarune:

Mettaton

[Image transcript: four Undertale screenshots arranged in a grid. In the top-left screenshot, the narration text box reads “(the machine isn’t working.)” as Frisk stares at Mettaton in Snowdin’s colored tile puzzle room. In the top-right screenshot, the narration textbox is reading a TV announcement in Papyrus’ house: “(It says ‘STAY TUNED FOR A NEW PROGRAM - MTT.’)”. In the bottom-left screenshot, Napstablook’s text box says “there’s a show i like to watch on it... sometimes...” as Frisk looks at their television. In the bottom-right screenshot, Undyne’s text box says “This oven is some top-of-the-line MTT thing.” as Frisk stares at her oven. End image transcript.]

Mettaton is foreshadowed multiple times before he makes his proper introduction in Alphys’ Lab. This includes a direct on-screen appearance of his rectangular form as part of Snowdin’s colored tile puzzle. What’s interesting is that half of these references (including the tile puzzle) only make sense in hindsight to a first-time player. For all we know there could be other, more-cryptic Everyman references already in Deltarune that we don’t have the full context to understand yet.

Rouxls Kaard

Despite his legendary introductory sequence catching many-a-player off-guard, Rouxls Kaard actually is foreshadowed a couple of times before his stunning debut.

[Image transcript: four Deltarune screenshots arranged in a grid. In the top-left screenshot, Ralsei is reading a message from Rouxls Kaard: “It says... ‘Thoust fools, thou will NEVER figure it out now!’. This is continued in the top-right screenshot: “Then it, um, says, ‘PS - I make my own Rules. - RK’”. In the bottom-left screenshot, a puzzle-master says “ROUXLS KAARD... Lord of the Puzzles... Be careful...!” In the bottom-right screenshot, one of Clover’s heads says “RK came by... What a hunk!” End image transcript.]

I’ve noticed from watching Let’s Plays that many people don’t even realize that these lines were meant to foreshadow him (and I’m pretty sure I didn’t realize it either on my first playthrough).

Ice-E

Now here’s something that’s an example of both a one-off cameo and proper foreshadowing! In Undertale, Ice-E is referenced exactly once in the entire game—as part of Sans’ Monster Kidz Word Search puzzle. No other character mentions Ice-E, Ice-E does not appear in-person, nor does the Ice-E’s restaurant appear... in Undertale. Deltarune is a completely different story.

[image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. in the left screenshot, Kris looks under their sink and the narration text box says: “A can of Ice-E’s Cool Boys Body Spray ‘Spray For The Boys,’ Flamin’ Hot Pizza Flavor.” In the right screenshot, Kris reads a chart in the hospital. The narration text box says: “(It’s a classic 1-to-10 pain scale, using ICE-E as a model.)” End image transcript.]

In Deltarune chapter 1 we find numerous references and bits of foreshadowing for Ice-E and, lo and behold, we see that Ice-E’s restaurant exists in Hometown at the end of chapter 1. And notice how it’s multiple references and not just a one-off like last time.

In every example of foreshadowing listed above we’re given more than one hint of a character’s presence, and so far Everyman fits this same pattern. This makes me feel safe in assuming he will have a bigger role in the full game.

Everyman’s Importance

What’s interesting is that in Chapter 1, Everyman appears in both the light and dark worlds. So far Deltarune has kept the light and dark worlds largely separate from one another, with only Kris and Susie traveling between them (as far as we know).

Everyman’s presence in both worlds implies that either he can travel between both worlds as well, or at least that lightners and darkners are both familiar with him.

Based on what we know, I’d wager that Everyman is a lightner—specifically, a monster.  I say this for two reasons: 1.) so far we’ve only seen lightners (Kris and Susie) travel between both worlds, and 2.) this would explain Everyman’s appearance as one of Reaper Bird’s attacks in Undertale’s True Lab.

Why did Everyman appear in the True Lab?

The worlds of Undertale and Deltarune are connected. Toby has all-but-confirmed this himself.

[Image transcript: A screenshot from the official Deltarune website’s question-and-answer page. The question says “So there’s no connections between the two games?”. The answer says “It’s a different world that might even have different rules. That doesn’t mean there will be no connections at all though.” End image transcript.]

One major connection between Undertale and Deltarune is their largely-shared cast of characters. Many major characters from Undertale make an appearance in Deltarune’s first chapter, and Toby has shown that at least some characters from Deltarune’s universe have counterparts in the Undertale universe as well.

The Undertale Alarm Clock App makes reference to Rudolph Holiday living in the Underground some time prior to the events of Undertale.

[Image transcript: A dialogue box where Asgore says “Rudy... loved the holidays, you know.” End image transcript.]

This dialogue also strongly implies that Undertale’s universe has a counterpart for Noelle.

[Image transcript: Another dialogue box from Asgore. He says: “With a warm slice of fruitcake on the table. His youngest daughter peeking shyly from around the corner...” End image transcript]

Depending on how one interprets the Clamgirl NPC’s dialogue, there may or may not be an Undertale version of Susie (aka “Suzy”) too.

[Image transcript: Two Undertale screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, Clamgirl tells Frisk: “Synchronicity...? My neighbor’s daughter looks about your age.” In the right screenshot her dialogue continues: “Her name is ‘Suzy.’ I feel like you two should be friends.” End image transcript.]

I’d argue that Everyman also had a “counterpart” in Undertale’s universe who lived as a monster in the Underground. Much like Rudy, the Underground’s Everyman likely grew old and eventually “fell down”. But unlike Rudy, Everyman was sent to the True Lab for the royal scientist’s soul experiments and became part of the Reaper Bird amalgamate.

This would fit with the pattern that we see with most other amalgamates, namely that they each seem to be made up of one named/noteworthy monster combined with several other generic monsters. The formula goes like this:

Lemon Bread = Shyra (Shyren’s Sister) + Aaron + Moldbygg

Endogeny = Muttler + various dog enemies

Snowdrake Mother = Crystal (Snowdrake’s Mom) + Vegetoids(?)

Reaper Bird = Everyman + Astigmatism + Whimsalot + Final Froggit

The Memoryheads seem to not “fit” with the other amalgamates, perhaps intentionally, so I’ll leave them out for now.

Long story short: Everyman was most likely a monster since he was part of an amalgamate and (as far as we know) amalgamates can only be made of monsters.

Why Everyman will have a bigger role in Deltarune

We see in Deltarune that three of the monsters who became amalgamates in Undertale have since passed away. This fits a trend I’ve noticed of Toby trying to “explain” the absence of characters who are prominent in one of his games but not the other.

The examples I cited above of Rudy, Noelle, and (possibly) Susie existing in Undertale’s universe also serve as “excuses” for where those characters were and why they were absent from the events of Undertale’s story. Rudy was dead and Noelle and “Suzy” were living with their families (presumably) in parts of the Underground where Frisk never ventured.

Shyra, Muttler, and Crystal are similarly “excused” from Deltarune’s story when the graveyard informs the player of their passing. Gerson is likewise excluded from Deltarune due to having passed away before the events of the game.

Conveniently, Everyman is not listed among the amalgamate monsters who have passed away in Hometown, and the alleyway graffiti implies he’s alive and well.

We know that Deltarune’s timeline and character ages don’t match up perfectly with Undertale’s—Deltarune Asriel is still alive and slightly older than Kris, who’s roughly the same age as DR Monster Kid. Conversely, Undertale Asriel died long before Frisk entered the Underground, yet Frisk is still seemingly in the same age bracket as UT Monster Kid (who’s barely younger than Asriel in Deltarune). Like Rudy, we can assume that Deltarune’s Everyman is younger than the Everyman who “fell down” in the Underground.

What will Everyman’s role be?

Remember when I said this was a two-part theory? Well, here’s the second half of my theory: Everyman is the Knight.

[Image transcript: A text box that says “Yes, you read that correctly.” End image transcript.]

Yes, the same Knight mentioned by Seam, Jevil, and the King of Spades. The same Knight who’s pulling new dark fountains out of the earth and who’s implied to be a major antagonist in the full game.

I could hedge my bets by saying Everyman is merely “connected” to the Knight, but if the Knight is a character we already know of then I think Everyman is the most likely candidate.

Let’s start with the name: Everyman’s sprites are titled “strangeman” in Undertale’s files. The very first mention we get of the Knight in Deltarune is Seam describing a “strange knight” who appeared, complete with red font for emphasis.

[Image transcript: Seam speaking inside of a shop, saying: “But, recently, a strange knight appeared... And three of the kings were locked away.” End image transcript.]

The word “strange” seems to be used selectively and very deliberately in Deltarune’s first chapter. Here’s a breakdown of all the times it’s used:

Seam referring to the knight

Seam referring to the Knight’s “strange son” (more on that later)

Telling Seam about Jevil (”Strange Prisoner”)

Seam referring to the “strange someone” that Jevil met

Seam mentioning the “strange words” Jevil said

Rouxls Kaard referring to Lancer (”a strange and irritating darling!”)

Narration before Kris seals the dark fountain (”You felt something strange.”)

Flavor text during the Jevil fight (”Kris gazed strangely”)

The Devilsknife/Jevilstail appearing in a “strange chest” outside of Jevil’s cell upon defeating him (this may be dummied out or only triggers if your inventory is full of weapons/armors and Jevil can’t give his item to you)

The description of the key to Jevil’s cell (”something feels strange about it”)

With the exception of the line from Rouxls Kaard, every instance of “strange” somehow connects to the Knight or Jevil. If the Knight is indeed the “strange someone” who Jevil met then the list tightens even further, to the point where all but one use of the word “strange” is associated with a single character and his handiwork—a very “strange man”, as it were. Speaking of Jevil...

Jevil’s connection to the Knight and Everyman

Jevil’s fight is one of two places where Everyman appears in Deltarune chapter 1. Not only that, but Everyman’s sprite only appears as a rare event during Jevil’s carousel attack, implying that his appearance is somehow significant.

Interestingly enough, the other two sprites that appear during this attack are one with a head that vaguely resembles Mysteryman (believed to be Gaster) and another with the head of a horse, a.k.a. the same as a knight piece on a chess board. It’s also worth pointing out that it’s rarer for the Everyman sprite to appear than it is for either of the other two sprites to appear.

We can also see the Everyman sprite represented in the official Chaos Revolving Keychain from Fangamer.

Jevil mentions the Knight once you defeat him, showing that he has knowledge of his existence.

[Image transcript: Jevil saying “THE HAND OF THE KNIGHT IS DRIFTING FORWARD.” End image transcript.]

This is interesting since Seam’s dialogue implies that Jevil was imprisoned well before the Knight overthrew the three kings at Card Castle. I can think of three possible explanations for this seeming timeline discrepancy:

Jevil is somehow intrinsically “aware” of things that go on outside of his cell

The Knight or someone else visited Jevil in jail to tell him about what happened with the three kings

The Knight is the same “strange someone” that Jevil met before he was locked up

The first explanation is the least likely, imo, due to Jevil asking who Kris, Ralsei, and Susie are when he first meets them.

[Image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, Jevil is talking to the fun gang and he says: “BUT LO, THREE VISITORS STANDING INSIDE?” This continues in the right screenshot, where Jevil says: “WHO ARE YOU FEW?” End image transcript.]

If Jevil was aware of the outside world then he’d surely know of the fun gang’s antics by that point.

The second explanation doesn’t seem very likely either. Seam is the only character who acknowledges Jevil’s existence and we never see Seam visit Card Castle, even after the Spade King has been overthrown.

[Image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, Jack Person tells the fun gang: “By the by, I asked Seam to come here, but...” Continuing onto the right screenshot, where Jack Person finishes by saying “There wasn’t any interest.” End image transcript.]

Jevil’s cell doesn’t seem to have any guards and it’s kept on its own floor, so that would rule out Jevil hearing about the knight from other prisoners.

If someone in the castle brings food to Jevil then he may have overheard it from them, but even that is speculative. Does Jevil even need to eat? He says his body “cannot be killed,” after all.

[Image transcript: Jevil saying “THIS BODY CANNOT BE KILLED!” End image transcript.]

And I’m not sure if the King of Spades would be so accommodating towards a dangerous prisoner.

That just leaves the third explanation, which seems the most likely to me. It’s also the tidiest explanation for how Jevil would be aware of both the Knight and Everyman—they’re the same person.

We can only speculate as to why the “strange someone” caused Jevil to run amok. If that strange someone was the Knight then I would assume that setting Jevil loose may have been his attempt to overthrow or destabilize Card Castle’s leadership. We know that the Knight eventually overthrew the three other kings himself, so that may have been his plan B after Jevil failed or he merely wished to remove Jevil as an obstacle. Either way, the Knight toppled the quadrumvirate and installed the Spade King as the protector of Card Castle’s dark fountain.

The Spade King’s clue

The Spade King is the closest ally of the Knight that we’ve seen so far. The exact nature of their relationship isn’t fully known, but the King’s words imply that he reveres and is loyal to the Knight.

[Image description: Four Deltarune screenshots arranged in a grid. In the top-left, the King of Spades says “By the Knight’s will, I shall shatter your heart to pieces!”. In the top-right, the King says “For the KNIGHT has appeared.” In the bottom-left, the King says “The KNIGHT that pulls the Fountains from the Earth.” In the bottom-right, the King says “My KNIGHT... I shall not fail you...” End image transcript.]

Both characters share an interest in maintaining the existence of dark fountains, given that the Knight has been said to create new fountains by pulling them up from the Earth.

Unlike Jevil, the Spade King’s attacks never make explicit reference to Everyman’s visage, but he does give a possible nod that many players have overlooked. When the Spade King is defeated, he makes a curious gesture by letting his cloak fly away like a butterfly.

While this may be a simple artistic flourish, I always found this moment to be odd and unfitting for a brutish character like the King. It’s also worth pointing out how the King’s cloak is clearly not a part of his body, unlike what’s implied with Lancer’s “clothes”.

[Image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, the battle narration says: “You tell Lancer you can’t tell the difference between his clothes and his body.” The narration continues in the right screenshot, saying “He seems flattered... His ATTACK POWER went down!” End transcript.]

What if the King didn’t always have that butterfly-shaped cloak? Did someone give it to him? Think of where else we’ve seen butterfly motifs before.

At first blush, this seems obvious—the Reaper Bird is clearly made from the Core mercenaries, including Whimsalot. Whimsalot attacks with butterfly bullets, so that’s where Reaper Bird got them from, right? Case closed. Well, not so fast.

It turns out there are two different sets of butterfly bullets in Undertale’s game files, and Reaper Bird’s are different from Whimsalot’s.

[Image transcript: Two groups of butterfly bullet sprites. The left group is labeled “Whimsun / Whimsalot.” The right group is labeled “Reaper Bird”. End image transcript.]

Notice how Reaper Bird’s butterflies are smaller and have pointier, more symmetrical wings? While those differences could be chalked up to limited pixel resolution, it’s interesting how Toby went out of his way to create an entirely unique set of butterfly bullets for Reaper Bird when it arguably would have made more sense for him to recycle the Whimsun butterflies like he did for Whimsalot.

If you want to compare the sprites for yourself I suggest either looking at the game files directly or looking at an actual playthrough of Undertale. I’ve noticed that Spriter’s Resource mistakenly has Reaper Bird’s butterflies listed under Whimsun’s sprite sheet (which is a completely understandable mix-up).

To drive the point home, notice the string names that are used for these butterflies:

[Image transcript: An UTModTool window showing multiple named strings. Highlighted in red are six strings that each contain “obj_strangeman_butterfly” in their names. End image transcript.]

They’re “strangeman” butterflies. Not “amalgamate” or “Reaper Bird” butterflies (despite Reaper Bird having its own share of dedicated strings and named sprites), and they’re not “Whimsalot” butterflies either. Toby clearly delineates them as belonging to strangeman, a.k.a. Everyman, meaning that Everyman is specifically associated with butterfly imagery. The Spade King also makes use of butterfly imagery immediately after he mentions the Knight in his final turn.

Between the King and Jevil, this makes two characters that can be linked to both Everyman and the Knight.

Additional Evidence

Let’s circle back to Reaper Bird for a second. It’s commonly known that this amalgamate is made from Astigmatism, Final Froggit, and Whimsalot. To wit:

These enemies are part of the mercenary group that Mettaton hires to attack you in the Core. Have you ever noticed how out-of-place they seem? Almost every other set of enemies in the game is somehow themed around their environment — Snowdin enemies are ice creatures, Hotland enemies are fire/lava-themed, etc. These mercenaries are themed around medieval warfare and yet they show up in the Core, the most high-tech area in the entire Underground.

What’s even stranger is that this medieval theme seems to come out of nowhere. Astigmatism, Final Froggit, and Whimsalot act as “upgraded” versions of Loox, Froggit, and Whimsun, respectively. And yet their Ruins counterparts don’t have any medieval theming whatsoever—it was added purely for the mercenaries. For whatever reason they’re all dressed like a bunch of wizards and... knights.

[Image transcript: Two Undertale screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, a Core NPC says “Why do I look like a black sausage and not a knight or a wizard?” This continues on the right, where it says “Well... Everyone has an angle they look best from.” End image transcript.]

That’s not my interpretation of their designs—the game outright calls them knights.

On the one hand, it’s true that Asgore’s royal guards also dress up like knights, but the Core mercenaries are explicitly not part of the royal guard—they’re mercenaries.

[Image transcript: Battle flavor text that states “Mercenaries emerge from the shadows.” End image transcript.]

Assuming that Asgore has a dress code for his guards or is just old-fashioned in his sensibilities, there’s still no reason why fighters outside of the guard should follow their standard. Even some of the royal sentries don’t follow this theming, as seen with Doggo and Sans (who’s technically a sentry):

With the abundance of knight-themed royal guard and sentry enemies that exist already, Toby could’ve easily designed the Core Mercenaries to more accurately fit with the Core’s futuristic theme. Doesn’t it seem a little too coincidental that Everyman would wind up as part of the same amalgamate as these otherwise out-of-place knights?

When we look at the other amalgamates, we can see that Lemon Bread (a.k.a. Shyren’s sister) is made up of Waterfall enemies. Endogeny is made up entirely of dog-based enemies. These two amalgamates each have a “theme” for their component monsters that fits the “main” named monster they’re each made of, and Reaper Bird has a clear theme of its own. Why would Everyman be paired with a bunch of knights if he was not connected to them in some way?

Even the Undertale artbook groups Everyman’s concept art with the Core Mercenaries, specifically the ones that look the most like knights and wizards in-game. The book also repeats the name “Everyman” and Toby’s cryptic phrase of “Just a good guy who shows up on occasion.”

Perhaps Everyman knew the Core mercenaries when he was alive? Were they his fellow knights? Or did they work for him before he fell down and they had to then lend their services elsewhere?

“The Knight? Seriously?”

Some of you may be shaking your heads dismissively at the idea of Everyman being the Knight (or you more likely clicked over to another tab by now). I mean, just look at the guy:

What part of this design makes you think “knight”, let alone THE Knight? Well, Seam does refer to the Knight as a “strange” knight, and Everyman certainly fits that bill. But more importantly, we haven’t seen an actual overworld sprite for Everyman yet—we’ve only seen some graffiti and a couple of magic bullet attacks, which are always abstract and simplified.

Not pictured: Froggit, Migosp, Temmie, Moldbygg, Tsunderplane, Mettaton, or Endogeny.

Everyman’s “proper” design would almost certainly differ from his Pillsbury Doughboy-esque bullet sprite, especially if he’s wearing a cloak or a suit of armor. And even if his design doesn’t differ that much, so what? It’s not like this series has ever had an opponent that looks goofy or non-threatening, right?

Another little tidbit I noticed: one of Reaper Bird’s attacks consists of Everyman repeatedly removing his own head.

Or maybe it’s not his head? Perhaps it’s a helmet? Like one that a knight would wear? After all, it’s not unheard of for helmets to have beak-like protrusions.

And this is a series where helmets can come in any shape or size to better fit the needs of the wearer.

Just some food for thought.

The Gaster connection

It’s time to address the elephant in the room: “Isn’t Gaster supposed to be the Knight?” If you haven’t heard by now, this is one of the prevailing theories in the fandom. To be honest, if the Knight ends up not being Everyman then Gaster is the next-best candidate, imo, but these two theories don’t have to be mutually-exclusive. I think a case can be made that Everyman and Gaster are connected in some way.

Let me say up front that this section is highly speculative (unlike the previous sections, which clearly aren’t the least bit speculative). We’re dealing with two super-obscure characters who’ve yet to make a proper on-screen appearance in either game. It’s already hard enough to figure out how either of them connect to the broader Undertale universe, let alone to each other, but I’ll give it a shot.

For starters, we can affirm that both Gaster and Everyman are linked to the True Lab. There’s no shortage of fan theories and speculation on Gaster’s prior usage of the True Lab in his own experiments and I won’t get into all that here, but suffice it to say the True Lab has Gaster’s name written all over it.

(Am I the only one who thinks the DT Extractor looks more like Everyman’s head than it does a Gaster Blaster? Forget I said anything.)

We’ve covered how Everyman appears as one of Reaper Bird’s attacks. Interestingly, the amalgamate Memoryhead has an attack that resembles the head of Mysteryman, the figure believed to be Gaster (which I’ll assume here for simplicity’s sake).

If we follow the logic of my prior “Everyman is the named/important monster that makes up Reaper Bird, fitting the pattern of other amalgamates” argument, then Gaster (or pieces of him) could fill the same role for the Memoryheads.

Everyman and Gaster’s sprites both have the suffix of “man” in Undertale’s game files. Here are all the sprites that use this same naming scheme:

strangeman - Everyman

mysteryman - “Gaster”

snowman - gives you the snowman piece

riverman - a.k.a. River Person

darkman - the shadowy overworld sprites used for the Core Mercenaries

watchingman - The spoon-shaped amalgamate that tucks Frisk into bed

The snowman’s inclusion is a bit of a fluke, because what else would you call a snowman without using “man” in the name? If we exclude the snowman, each instance of “man” represents a mysterious figure that ties back to Everyman and/or Gaster.

We’ve already covered the connection between Everyman and the Core Mercenaries, and it’s easy to connect the “watchingman” amalgamate with the True Lab. River Person is also frequently linked to Gaster in fan theories (and they allude to “the man from the other world” and “the man who speaks in hands”), so what we’re left with is a close-knit community of strange, mysterious "man”s.

This naming scheme looks very intentional on Toby’s part, and he seems to be continuing it in Deltarune by referring to the secret unseen NPC who gives you the egg behind the tree in Scarlet Forest as simply “a man.”

[Image transcript: Narration from the secret egg room. The text box states: “(Well, there is a man here.)” End image transcript]

The Knight’s “Strange Son”?

Remember when I said I’d get back to the Knight’s “strange son”? That’s now. I’m a little iffy on this topic because it involves stacking a whole ton of assumptions onto a single line of dialogue that’s phrased in an ambiguous way. But, if it means what I think it means, it could shed a ton of light on Everyman’s possible connection to Gaster and whether either of them are the Knight.

When you ask Seam about the “Kingdom”, Seam says this:

[Image transcript: Three of Seam’s text boxes arranged vertically. In order, they read: “Historically, this land was ruled by the Four Kings, from CARD CASTLE to the East. But, recently, a strange knight appeared... And three of the kings were locked away. The remaining king put him and his strange son into power.” End image transcript]

Let’s focus on that last sentence. On my first playthrough I misread this line as “the knight put the king and his strange son into power” because that sounds a lot closer to the events that happened—the Spade King and his “strange son” Lancer are in power now because the three kings were locked away, presumably by the Knight.

But the actual text states the opposite—the remaining king (Spade King) put him (the Knight) and his strange son (i.e., the Knight’s son) into power. Or does it? The line could also read as—the remaining king (Spade King) put him (the Knight) and his (the King’s) strange son (Lancer) into power. The second way is  awkwardly-structured but technically valid. And this is assuming that Toby didn’t make any grammatical errors when he typed these lines, which he has done on occasion.

[Image transcript: A dialogue box where Dr. Alphys says “I felt so guilty knowing I hadn’t do anything to stop you.” End image transcript.]

Not to be too hard on Toby, but even if Seam’s line is grammatically correct it’s still clunky and murky in its conception—at this point in the game we’ve only just been introduced to Lancer and the fact that his dad is the King, and now this line is potentially introducing yet another father/son duo that is closely connected with Lancer’s dad—is it any wonder that this line is often glossed over by fans?

The second reading, where Lancer is the “strange son,” is also awkward because the Spade King would have little need to put Lancer “into power”. Lancer was already a prince and, presumably, already wielded power in that role. Various NPCs make reference to Lancer bossing them around, and such a thing could’ve easily happened before the three kings were deposed.

If we take Seam’s line with the first reading (where the Knight has a “strange son”) and assume there were no grammatical errors, then this is the only time in chapter 1 that the Knight is ever referred to as having a son. It’s also the only time that the Knight is addressed with pronouns, implying that the Knight is male. If true, this would rule out the theory that Kris (or any potential alter ego that Kris has) is the knight, since Kris is neither male nor do they have a son. This would also rule out Susie, who’s never been a popular contender for being the Knight but is referred to as a “dark knight” on her stats page.

Who made who?

So then, who’s male, widely believed to be the Knight, and is often depicted as having one or more sons?

This (alleged) guy!

“But wait,” you might ask, “isn’t your theory that Everyman is the Knight?” Well, the Knight and his “strange son” seem to be working as a duo in the scenario that Seam outlines, given that the Spade King put both of them “into power.”

Because of Everyman’s connections to the Knight that I’ve laid out, plus the more popular theory that Gaster is the Knight, it’s possible that one may be the Knight and the other may be the Knight’s “strange son.” The way I see it, it doesn’t make a huge difference which one is which.

Now, I don’t think that Gaster and Everyman would be father and son in the strict biological sense. There are a number of reasons for this, but for starters I’m not even sure if Everyman and Gaster are the same species. My inclination is that Everyman is a monster, while Gaster may be a darkner. The latter is mostly my own guess and springboards off of a popular theory that Sans is a darkner, but it’s a whole other can of worms that I won’t get into now.

More importantly, Gaster is strongly implied to have some sort of connection to Sans and Papyrus. All three of them are also connected with special fonts that they each use. As far as I can tell, there’s no widely-used font by the name of “Everyman”, so this would imply that Everyman is not a skeleton and therefore not biologically related to them. However, there’s more than one way to start a family.

Gaster was the royal scientist in Undertale’s universe and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he (or his potential Deltarune counterpart) could find the means to create life forms artificially.

[Image transcript: The vessel creation scene from Deltarune. The on-screen text says “YOU HAVE CREATED A WONDERFUL FORM.” End image transcript.]

Everyman could be a creation of Gaster’s and thus he’d be Gaster’s “son”.

There’s also another possibility: Everyman is Gaster’s creator. We know that the Knight is pulling new dark fountains out of the Earth. I think the Knight, regardless of who they are, must be able to survive without a dark fountain to give their body form, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to venture into areas where new fountains have yet to be pulled up. The Knight is almost certainly a lightner, and I’ve already detailed why I think Everyman is a lightner as well.

We don’t fully understand how dark fountains interact with darkners, but it’s stated multiple times that dark fountains “give form” to the Dark World.

[Image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, Ralsei’s narration says “Today the FOUNTAIN OF DARKNESS-” and continues into the right screenshot, saying: “The geyser that gives this land form-” End image transcript.]

In the dummied-out manual pages, Ralsei also mentions how his dark fountain gives his body form.

[Image transcript: Ralsei’s manual excerpt, whic says “Dedicated to The unending pillar of darkness that gives my body form.” End image transcript]

Darkners need dark fountains in order to maintain their forms. They may not even be able to survive at all without them. From this point of view, when the Knight creates new dark fountains he’s bringing new darkners to life. If Gaster is a darkner himself, then it’s not unthinkable to imagine that Everyman may have brought him to life in this way and could thus be called his “father”. Seam does refer to lightners as the “creators” of darkners, after all.

[Image transcript: Seam’s dialogue box saying “They were like Gods to us. Our protectors. Our creators. Those who gave us purpose...” End image transcript.]

Ultimately the question of who’s the father and who’s the son is purely speculative. We don’t even know for sure if the Knight has a son, let alone whether it’s Everyman, Gaster, or someone else entirely. It’s very much a “the chicken or the egg?” kind of question.

[Image transcript: Two images. The right is a screenshot of the egg room with narration stating “(You received an Egg)”. End image transcript.]

Hmm...

“Seriously, who is Everyman?”

Let’s bring this home with the question we started with: Who is Everyman? I’ve gone into evidence that he existed as an actual person in Undertale and will likely play a role in Deltarune, but this doesn’t tell us much about the kind of character he is. We don’t even know if “Everyman” is his real name.

If Everyman is indeed a prominent character in Deltarune then there are two possibilities: 1.) he’s a brand new character we’ve never met before, or 2.) he’s someone that we have met before. The first option, while a strong possibility, doesn’t leave us with much to talk about, so let’s look at the second.

Right out the gate I can confidently say that Everyman is not a character that we talked to or had significant interaction with in Undertale. The obvious reason is that he was busy being stuck inside Reaper Bird and he couldn’t have been in two places at once (as far as we know). This means that Everyman would have to be a character introduced in Deltarune chapter 1.

I’ve said before that I believe Everyman is a lightner, so this would rule out any dark world characters. That leaves us with the residents of Hometown who didn’t have direct counterparts in Undertale’s story.

After careful consideration I’ve narrowed the field to two suspects:

Father Alvin

Father Alvin has always struck me as an oddity. He seems like an important member of Hometown’s community, and yet none of the other residents ever talk about him. He’s also conspicuously absent from Undertale’s universe.

The most notable thing about Father Alvin is that his church seems to worship “the Angel”.

[Image transcript: Father Alvin saying “Let the Angel’s power light your way.” End image transcript.]

Ralsei’s prophecy states that the three heroes must seal the dark fountains in order to banish the “Angel’s Heaven.”

[Image transcript: Two Deltaunre screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, Ralsei’s narration says “Only they can seal the fountains.” The right screenshot continues, saying: “And banish the ANGEL’S HEAVEN.” End image transcript.]

This would put the heroes at odds with both the Knight (who’s creating fountains) and whoever is serving this Angel. We can only speculate on the Knight’s motives, but what if he’s acting in service to the Angel?

Something that isn’t brought up much in the fandom is the religious reverence that darkners give to their fountains. The King of Spades refers to the fountains that the Knight creates as “holy” fountains.

[Image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, the King of Spades says “Holy Fountains, whose shadows are creating a new world...” The right screenshot continues, saying “OUR world.” End image transcript.]

The soundtrack that plays at the Fountain is called “The Holy.” Dark fountains can seemingly create life, so it’s easy to imagine the Knight viewing his own mission as some sort of holy rite.

As far as evidence goes for Alvin being Everyman/the Knight, the biggest clue is the drawing signed by Alvin that shows up in the supply closet at the end of chapter 1.

Every other object in the closet represents a part of the dark world that Kris and Susie visited, and yet at no point do they encounter a dark world manifestation of this drawing. We know that the Knight visited Card Castle previously, so this drawing could be meant to represent the Knight’s presence in that part of the dark world.

It’s also worth noting how most of the closet’s toys are arranged from left to right in the order that Kris and Susie encountered them on their journey. Alvin’s drawing is on the far right, just past the open cabinet drawer (i.e., Card Castle), implying that Alvin’s drawing was either at the fountain or that it was effectively the “next” thing that Kris and Susie would’ve encountered if they had stayed.

It’s hard to make out what the drawing could be beyond being a “poorly-drawn picture of a green turtle”, as the flavor text explains. Could it be Everyman? Or is it just a reference to Bold and Brash? Both? Neither? The world may never know. Or it may know when the full game comes out.

Can I also add how strange it is that Alvin’s drawing is in the closet to begin with? Alvin looks to be a pretty old dude, so why would his drawing still be in a school that he no longer attends? I don’t have an answer, I just think it’s weird.

Other clues that could point to Alvin being Everyman are that he is, scientifically speaking, old-looking, which would line up with my hypothesis of Undertale’s Everyman being an older monster who fell down before becoming Reaper Bird.

Alvin also vaguely resembles Everyman as far as their proportions are concerned.

It’s by no means a perfect match, especially if we factor in Alvin’s shell, but both characters possess a round head with some sort of beak or proboscis.

If Everyman actually is Father Alvin, then the title “Everyman” could be a reference to The Summoning of Everyman, a 15th-century religious morality play. I won’t get into the specifics here, but the play focuses on a character named Everyman who must prepare for his inevitable death and judgment for his deeds in life. I don’t really know how much that would tie into Deltarune’s themes or if it’s even a deliberate reference to begin with, so make of it what you will.

Father Alvin was the first character that I suspected of being Everyman when I started writing this theory, but there’s one major sticking point that prevents me from fully embracing the idea: the fact that he lacks a character portrait for his dialogue boxes.

This may seem like a minor nitpick, but dialogue portraits indicate when a character is important to the story, and it would be a pretty big oversight on Toby’s part if a (presumably) recurring antagonist wasn’t given a portrait. Even a three-scene wonder like Rouxls Kaard was given a portrait.

It’s true that recurring characters like Napstablook and Monster Kid weren’t given portraits in Undertale...

But Deltarune has greatly expanded the number of characters with portraits this time around, and we can already infer that Noelle (who had a portrait in chapter 1) will be an important character going forward:

Given Alvin’s limited dialogue in chapter 1 and his lack of a portrait, I’m more inclined to believe that he’ll end up being a minor character, in which case he’d almost certainly not be the Knight (and therefore not Everyman). But who knows, maybe Toby will give him a portrait in the full game.

Thankfully, we have another candidate who might be Everyman:

The Ice-E’s Employees

You think I’m joking? Trust me, you’ll know when I’m joking.

I didn’t initially make the connection between Ice-E’s and Everyman until I saw a post from @curioscurio​ that pointed me in that direction.

Let’s go back to the Everyman graffiti that appears in Hometown.

Notice how the drawing right next to it resembles Ice-E’s head? I can’t believe this was staring me in the face the whole time and I never realized the connection.

Another point in favor of the Ice-E’s workers is that we don’t even know what two of them look like. We know that Burgerpants is one, and another is implied to be the Nice Cream Bunny that we met in Undertale.

[Image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, the Ice-E’s employee says “Psst, can I tell you a mascot secret? I only started working here because...” The right screenshot continues, saying “The logo made me think it was an ice-cream shop...” End image transcript.]

But this still leaves the “purple guy” and “The Warrior”, who remain in full costume for chapter 1, meaning that one of them could resemble Everyman underneath their mask.

Speaking of The Warrior, he certainly fits the bill as being “strange.” His title wouldn’t be out of place among the likes of The Knight, and his dialogue refers to the hospital’s medical staff as “white wizards”, which fits with the medieval theming that’s associated with Everyman’s mercenary cohorts in Undertale.

[Image transcript: Two Deltarune screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, the Warrior says “This castle’s WHITE WIZARDs relegated me to this HEALING CHAMBER...” The right screenshot continues, saying “But my BLOOD is BOILING FOR BATTLE!!!” End image transcript.]

Speaking of the Core Mercenaries, here’s an interesting tidbit:

[Image transcript: Two Undertale screenshots side-by-side. In the left screenshot, a Core NPC says “As a youth, I would sneak out to play by this creepy flaming pit.” The right screenshot continues, saying “Since the CORE is always re-arranging, it was like a game trying to find it.” End image transcript.]

I used to assume that the Core Mercenaries were older monsters who fought in the human-monster war, which would explain their insistence on dressing up as old-timey knights and wizards. However, these lines of dialogue imply that the Mercenaries are far younger—young enough to visit the Core when they were kids.

So why would a bunch of younger monsters dress up like old-school knights and wizards? Simple: they’re LARPers. This would explain why their more casual overworld dialogue doesn’t match their overly-serious battle dialogue whatsoever—the battle is over and, thus, so is the act.

What does this have to do with Ice-E’s? Simple. The Warrior is also a LARPer. But he takes it a step further and never lets the act slip. According to Burgerpants, he terrorizes customers with war chants during his day job, and we see him keeping up the act while he’s injured in the hospital. It’s clear that he’s living in a fantasy world, and someone like that would have every reason to spend time in a strange dark world that “seems like” fantasy.

[Image transcript: Lyrics from Deltarune’s credits theme. It says: “And the places that you know seem like fantasy”. End image transcript.]

Someone like him could grow attached to such a place and want to see it spread as far and wide as possible, with no regard for how it would affect the boring “real world”. All he’d need to do is create new dark fountains to sustain this fantasy world.

I also find it interesting that The Warrior is in the hospital during chapter 1. Burgerpants claims that this is the result of “pizza-related injuries.”

[Image transcript: Two dialogue boxes from Burgerpants. Read from top to bottom, it says “The Warrior - Thankfully absent due to pizza-related injuries. Constantly terrorizing customers with war chants.” End image transcript.]

But what if there was another reason? We can see signs of “some kind of struggle” in the King of Spade’s throne room, complete with tattered wall banners.

[Image transcript: Narration in the Spade King’s throne room. The text box says “(Wall banners. They seem to have been through some kind of struggle...)” End image transcript.]

What if the Knight sustained injuries when he overthrew the three kings and had to go to the hospital afterwards? A “struggle” implies that there was some resistance involved.

Another interesting coincidence is that the previews for Deltarune Chapter 2 strongly imply that it will take place in a dark world that forms in the hospital.

Earlier previews have also implied that Noelle will have a larger role in Chapter 2, and she’d have every reason to be in the hospital visiting her father when things hit the fan.

It feels awfully convenient that a new dark world springs up right in the spot where the Warrior is. I wouldn’t be surprised if chapter 2 gives us our first glimpse of the Knight in person, and what better way than a surprise run-in with the Warrior?

Some of you may be asking why I’d suggest a minor character like The Warrior might be the Knight when he has a single line of dialogue and no dialogue portrait? Simple: characters tend not to have portraits when their face is hidden from view. We see this with Undyne in Undertale:

She doesn’t gain a dialogue portrait until after she removes her helmet. This is also true of Burgerpants in Deltarune.

So, unlike Father Alvin, The Warrior has an excuse for not having a dialogue portrait yet. While Father Alvin has some compelling evidence supporting him being the Knight/Everyman, The Warrior has no major counter-argument that I can think of (unlike Father “no portrait” Alvin), so I give The Warrior the edge as far as Everyman suspects go.

I’d also like point out that if Gaster ends up not being the Knight or the Knight’s “Strange Son,” then we could get a two-for-one deal of Father Alvin as the Knight and The Warrior as his strange son. Definitely not the most likely outcome, but technically possible! I’d imagine those two would have a hilariously awkward dynamic if they were related.

Closing Summary

Wow, this post went on for a while! Let’s summarize what we’ve learned today.

Everyman (in Undertale)

Was likely a monster who “fell down”

Became part of the Reaper Bird Amalgamate

Likely knew the Core Mercenaries

Is connected to butterfly imagery

Described as “strange”

May or may not have looked like his bullet sprite

May or may not have been connected to “mysteryman”/Gaster

May or may not have been connected to the River Person

Everyman (in Deltarune)

Is alive and active

Is known to both lightners and darkners

Can most likely travel between the light and dark worlds

Is known of by Jevil

May or may not resemble his Undertale bullet sprite

May or may not be connected to “mysteryman”/Gaster

May or may not be Father Alvin

May or may not be an Ice-E’s employee

May or may not be the Knight or the Knight’s “strange son”

The Knight

Described as “strange”

Is pulling up new dark fountains from the Earth

Has been to the dark world

Is possibly a lightner/monster

Is connected to the Spade King, who uses butterfly imagery

Overthrew the other three kings at Card Castle

Is known of by Jevil and Seam

May or may not be Everyman

May or may not be “mysteryman”/Gaster

May or may not be the “strange someone” who changed Jevil

Likely male

Likely has a “strange son”

Everyman and the Knight (similarities)

Both are likely monsters

Both are alive and active in Deltarune’s world

Both are (presumably) male

Both have a presence in the dark world

Both are known by Jevil and may have met him previously

Both are associated with butterfly imagery to some degree

Both are connected to knight imagery

Both are described as “strange”

Both may be connected to “mysteryman”/Gaster

Both are foreshadowed in Deltarune chapter 1

Final Conclusions

So what do I really think? I’m reminded of Undertale’s original Kickstarter demo and how much of the full game’s story was left out of it. Right now we’re in a similar situation with Deltarune. I can’t view any of my theories with certainty because at the end of the day I have no idea what Toby’s going to write for the full game, but I can guess.

If I had to put a number to it, I’d say the odds of Everyman making further appearances in Deltarune is 95% and the odds of him being the Knight is about 66%. There’s always the possibility that Gaster will usurp the title of Knight and leave Everyman as the Knight’s “strange son” or as the far less illustrious role of “no one particularly important”.

If Everyman is in the game, I’d give 50/50 odds that he’s one of the Ice-E’s employees, mainly due to the Warrior’s situation lining up well with Chapter 2′s (likely) setting. I’d then give a 25% chance it’s Father Alvin and the remaining 25% as “anyone else”.

Thanks for reading all of this (or skipping to the end). I’ve seen hardly anyone talk about our favorite strange little man and I just wanted to get the word about him out there. Even if you don’t agree with my conclusions, I’m happy to (hopefully) ignite further discussion over this often-overlooked character.

For now I’ve said all that I can say on the topic. All we can do is wait and see what happens. Fingers crossed.

Special thanks to @curioscurio​ for inspiring me to make this post in the first place.

Date published: December 10th, 2020

[marveling-chrisevans]

Emergency Room || Chris Evans x Reader

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader / Chris Evans x You

Warnings:  Just some Cute fluffy stuff since I haven’t written in awhile 

Words Count: 1183

Summary: Date night turned into a trip to the emergency room. sorry this is short. 

Tag-List: @patzammit​​​​ @torntaltos​​​​ @smoothdogsgirl​​​​    (tag list is also open so if you want to be tagged let me know, you can reply to this or send an ask) A/N: Hey guys sorry its been awhile this was my last term of school and it killed him. So here we are me trying to get back in the swing of writing. If you have a request let this girl know. 

Sometimes date night was a series of two different thing. Sometimes it's hanging out in the house, skinny dipping, other times its lavish gala’s. Tonight it was the latter of the situations.  A Lavish gala. It was actually the second one of the weekend. The first one was to raise money for Chris’s favorite charity, Christophers Haven. The second one was was just an event. You didn’t listen when he told you the morning before. 

Chris went off to set, brining his tux with him. You met him that night at the gala. You were running late as always.  You got there and he was waiting outside for you. You walked up and gave him a kiss “I'm so sorry I'm late the Uber guy got lost”. You mumbled to him basically because you hated being late and letting him stand there and await for you. Before he could reply someone stuck there head out of the door “Chris, y/n” One of Chris’s charity friends gestured for you to come inside. You took a deep breath as he looked at you “ready to do this?” He smiled and kissed your forehead “No do we have too?” You asked him with puppy dog eyes.   He shook his head and un did his tie “thank god no, lets never do anything we don’t want to do, come on lets make a run for it” You smiled at him “running? We can really just not attend, let's do it” she smiled at him as he held out his hand and you took it as you both started jogging away from the event. You were not as coordinated as most people. At these events you were usually in heels.  You. Guys made it about a block away before you started walking again. You quickly wrapped your arms around Chris and smiled laughing a little bit “running I n heals is harder than you think” you said back to him as the whole time you were running you were just thinking one step in-front of another, it wasn’t really till you stopped running when you stopped thinking about it. You let go of your dress so it wasn’t dragging on the ground “Can we get greasy burgers then go somewhere where the lights don’t hit the city and watch the stars?” You asked wondering if you could recreate one of your favorite dates. “Stop reading my mind” he said back to you as. He flagged down a cab. You took a step back and stepped o your dress causing you to roll your ankle. You tried to laugh it off as you fell on your butt on the streets of downtown LA. Chris quickly turned around hearing you laugh. “Babe are you okay?” You nodded as you took off your heals and got up taking a step and the pain that spread across your face. As he grabbed you. To support you, “okay come on lets get you to the emergency room” he said to you lifting you up butting you into the cab and you slide over letting him get in next to you. You turned so you elevated your ankle on his lap. “We don’t have to go to the emergency room we can go home, ill be fine” You said back to him. “Babe your ankle is already 2x larger than It was when you left home. We need to m make sure its not broken” He said back to you as he touched it slightly as you winced “see you won’t even be able to walk.. we are going to just go get it checked out” he said winning the battle as. You leaned back as you grabbed your shoes and the cab pulled into the parking lot area. Chris helped you out of the back of the cab. As you basically hopped in with him “we are way too over dressed to be in the emergency room Chris” You said back to him as he got you. Wheel chair and then checked you in. Chris smiled at you “well maybe don’t be clumsy, babe.” He said as he started to fill out the paperwork asa the two of you waited in the waiting room. About three hours later they took you back for an X-ray and into a room. “Babeeeee I'm bored” you said back to Chris. Was as you sat in this bed “come here let's watch a movie” now that a you were in a room you could actually had a tv.

Chris had taken off his jacket and given too you as you were cold from the ice they put on your ankle and took o ff his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his dress  shirt. “Okay lets see   what’s on here” he said as he took the tv remote and hit the movies button. You shifted so you were laying on his shoulder as he turned on a random movie that Disney has made. Hours and hours had passed. It was a ER in a major city and a sprained ankle was low on the list of things they needed to worry. about. Here you were, best dressed in the ER, Fiancé of Chris Evans falling asleep on his shoulder as the doctor came in “Sorry. This took so long, our x ray tech was called into something serious. So good news it does not require surgery. But there is a hairline fracture in the bottom part of your Tibia. So, We are going to put you. In a boot, stay off of it for the next time being and no heels.” “Well thats a good thing I don’t like to wear them in the first place” You replied back to the doctor cutting him off “and you get to where this” A nurse in with a kit to make a soft cast on your foot till. You can go see a non emergency room doctor Chris smiled “do. You know what that means?” He asked looking at you “No it does not it does not mean that” you shook your head “don’t you even think about it” you replied as the nurse started to wrap your ankle “Oh but it does” Chris smiled as he watched them wrap your ankle and get you crutches so. You could go back to the house “Christopher Robert Evans” you smiled at him as the two of you had kinda silly fights over dumb. Stuff like taking care of each other when You are sick or hurt. “You are not I'm fine its not the first time nor the last time I can fend for myself. With these metal arms” you said back two him “Plus that nurse fantasy that I have. Not like a picture it  but maybe I. Won’t rule it out. ” you said once you were back home with him He picked you up and brought you into the house and set you on the couch where dodger greeted you “carefully bubba mom’s hurt. So no running under her for awhile” He said to the puppy. 

[perriwinklesblog]

I know some people prefer consistent content but I like to take it as it comes and sometimes life happens and other projects need to take priority. 

So right now, I consider this to be a mid season break. Techno going into the prison was like the midseason finale for the Dream Prison Arc and Wilbur and Ranboo’s stuff was like their midseason finale and the Red Banquet where the egg was contained, was a midseason finale and alllllllll the mini episodes we’ve had since there are like specials etc. 

You know, like how in Dr Who you can go a few years without a solid season but get a special at Christmas and New Year? You know like that. 

So like all other programs, stories, videos I watch, I am coming up with ways in which the next bit could go. Some are a bit out there and definitely not happening, others I could see happening. 

This is long and pointless and full or errors both grammatically and spelling wise but I had fun thinking of what could happen next. Read if you want.

Dream escapes prison with Technoblades help. A server wide man hunt comes for Dream but unlike his videos he had stolen the spare armour in the prison and so is pretty OP making it easier for him to put distance between his enemies and himself. 

Technoblade returns to the artic and him, Phil and Will come to an in pass, a slight disagreement. Philza whilst having sided with Dream before, knows he’s not a good guy. Only used him to help destroy lmanburg for his own morals. It was not because he agreed with Dream. In his eyes, he was using Dream for his own goals. Plus, now he’s seen the aftermath of Dream’s terror on the citizens he realises the man perhaps shouldn’t be set to run entirely free. This slightly goes against Techno’s beliefs but the main issue of tension between them is Technoblade willingly placing himself in danger when he didn’t need too and helping release the man who tortured Tommy and clearly has something going on with Ranboo thats bad. 

Wilbur is angry because Techno won’t say where Dream has gone due to an agreement between the two and Technoblade is a man of his word. Wilbur wishes to thank and meet the man who saved him. This also worries Philza because he’s worried he’ll revert back to the man he saw the day he blew up L’Manburg. Over all tension between the three

Niki and Wilbur finally meet and it is as heartbreaking as it is beautifully tragic. Wilbur apologises but misses the mark, misses what hurt her which hurts her more. There’s an explosion with their argument that leaves a stunned silence. Niki asks Wilbur to leave. He does so. 

This leads to a Wilbur and Ranboo conversation where Ranboo tries to reason with Wilbur about Niki’s side. Wilbur brushes it off because much like the blue counterpart we all miss, he’s not a fan of the negative emotion. He tries to focus on the business etc and let’s slip that Dream has escaped somehow. Ranboo leaves. Wilbur is confused but distracted by a confrontation with Quackity.

Ranboo then starts his stream and he’s in the fucking panic room and he’s panicking because there are signs so many signs and they don’t make sense. Theres lesson rules, asking about the missing journal and it’s like every issue he’s ever faced is staring right back at him because Ranboo has never really resolved any issue, just pushed and moved on. He’s tried but that usually failed and for a while he’s ignored all the issues and here they are in front of him, all at one. A big volcanic eruption of anxiety and stress, and it ain’t sitting with him. 

Dream appears. But is it really him? We never know because after a conflict and a back and fourth about everyone in Ranboo’s life eventually landing on a threat about Michael and Tubbo, he blacks out and the stream ends. 

Quackity is livid with everything thats happening, the careful empire he’s building is falling apart and he’s shifting the blame around from person to person. He manipulates everyone around them into believing this is somehow their own fault and that they must make it up to him because he has been nothing but kind and loving to them. He gave them a place, a roof on their head when they had nothing. He misses out the parts where he insulted and or destroyed their homes, but it works and his employee “family” become the main bounty hunters for Dream, with Bad and Ant tagging along since they’re guards. 

Now the streams relating to the manhunt displays everyones wants. They’re all doing this wanting something, and whilst it’s to gain Quackity’s favour back they’re all doing that for different reasons. Their motivations are somewhat different even if on the surface they are the same and so on the man hunts, because there will be many, this is slowly picked apart and through that the manipulation of Quackity is revealed and then we see a parrallel between Quackity and previous people in power where they start to get desperate to keep control over the thing they’ve created. Because that’s been one of (not the only) issues with every leader on the server, the control and their feeling of lack of, even if thats not truly the case. But you get these moments between all the characters where they’re trying to outwit one another, trying to figure it out without blatantly saying it. Maybe Foolish does. He’s a bit of a himbo. 

Ponk always said he’d leave the door open for Sam and I truly think something happens, whether it be a look in the mirror with one of his guards going too far with someone or a conversation with Quackity where Quackity holds the mirror up to Sam maliciously, that causes him to hit the rock bottom and just break and I want that breakdown in front of Ponk. And I want Ponk not necessarily to give him the second chance off the bat but give him that peace offering, give him that hand to pull him up. I want him to take Sam to Niki and explain to Niki we’ve done bad things in the past, this is a safe haven and I believe Sam needs help and a place he can truly feel safe and for a moment Sam does and this begins his raid to redemption in gaining back the trust of the people in his lives. He becomes Tubbo 2.0 spying on Quackity like Tubbo did for Wilbur, but maybe less... bad.

But what of the Fiances? Wellllll,. With Dream escaping him and George meet in secret. George confesses he doesn’t believe it’s real and for a long time has been struggling with reality. He misses the early days, misses when they’d just have fun. Dream says he was having fun and George says I wasn’t. Dream shows true regret for George but says its too late now, can’t change the past. George agrees. Dream asks him what he’s going to do and he simply replies with “Sleep” Ending stream. 

Sapanps stream is a lot more WE ARE GOING ON A DREAM HUNT WE’RE GOING TO CATCH A BIG ONE, I’M NOT SCARED. vibes. He’s gearing up, he’s suiting up and he’s saluting pets on the way. He made a promise and with everything else going on in his life, he’s ready to throw himself into a distraction. He tries to convince George to help him but he waves him off saying, what’s the point? and mumbles something about divine powers and dreams which Sapnap just shakes off. He tries to find Karl in Kinoko but instead comes across Quackity. They have a blow up about how They abandoned each other, both did wrong but neither see the other side of things and eventually he tells him to leave. Quackity says okay, and the place blows up. Foolish cries in the corner. All that heard work but the boss said so. Sapnap ends the whole thing saying at least he’s there for Karl and Quackity pauses and is like why? And Sapnap is all like you care. Just go, you’ve done enough damage, I can’t have you damaging him too. And after a little more but but but between the two, Quackity goes. Sapnap leaves the place to burn, going to find Dream and hopefully Karl on the way. 

Karls in space. That’s where his latest travels have taken him and where the other side decided was his time to visit. Here I see a Wizard in Oz scenario where solutions to some issues will be revealed for Karl in relation to the other side. When it comes to his Dream SMP stuff, he starts confusing names and people more and Sapnap is worried about him, considering keeping him in a safe place. The only place that survived was the library with Karls books. Karl says he’ll stay there. Thats where the answers are anyway. Sapnap is unsure and gets bad vibes but is distracted by a lead on Dream and agrees, he tells him he’ll be back soon. 

They don’t see each other for a long ass time 

I’m not sure on the egg stuff but I do feel Niki and Puffy should have a conversation about all the shit thats happened and Puffy trying to help Niki and vice versa. I feel like Puffy should reach out to Foolish and try and comprehend what the fuck is he doing with Quackity. They have a little argument but it comes to a point where Puffy realises she cannot shield Foolish from harm and that her son ,just make his own decisions. All she can do is guide him where she can and hope that when it comes down to it he will make the right choice. She hopes she didn’t fail this dependant like she did with Dream her duckling. Though only she sees it as failure. 

Jack and Niki finally talk. She goes searching for some things and comes to his new place, he tells her to fuck off and that he doesn’t need anyone. They all abandon him. Niki pretty much does the verbal equivalent of slap some sense into him as she and him discuss how he is not the centre of everything, how he is not the sun. She was hurting, and he didn’t bother, no instead they just fed off each others anger and once he couldn’t feed of her or anyone else he isolated himself. She tries to convince him there are better things in life, there are better ways to place your energy etc. A lot of healing talk with Jack being stubborn. Eventually Jack finds himself at the door of Quackity after sticking to stubbornness, not quite ready to heal and he becomes the next member of Las Nevadas. A big blow to Wilbur too. 

They finally destroy the egg with magic. I dunno how but either destroy or hatch. Either or would be great. Red comes out the thing and I want a gay ass villain please. Bring it Red. Let’s go. Invite him to the server, bring the fire, bring the plant power Red. He can be the villain that unites everyone in a begrudging way. Like they all hate each other but fine i guess we’ll team to stop Red and Ant. 

Skeppy’s dead. 

Tubbo and Ranboo have a fight but Ranboo says “Weren’t we enough?” and it’s in relation to him and Michael (this happens before panic room). Thats when Tubbo realises where the wires got crossed and he immediately rectifies it but explaining he’s happy with the two of them but he wanted a job, something to work towards. Family wise he’s got it all, he’s content with it all but he wanted a project and one that didn’t incite violence. Fun rivalry sure, but he’s done with violence, he’s doesn’t want to add to the nightmares he already has. He wants competition but not one that will put all he loves in danger. So they talk it out and Ranboo feels more confident and Tubbo asks him to tell him if he ever takes anything too far because he can get a little carried away sometimes. Ranboo agrees and then they have a cute playdate with Michael. Then Ranboo does the thing with Wilbur and ends up in panic room.

Tommy and Tubbo discuss everything and lay it all out on the table because Tommy doesn’t want to be on the other side again with Tubbo. Tubbo doesn’t understand why everyone is making such a big deal about his burger business and Tommy tries to explain the issues with Quackity and the level of intensity he’s seen with Wilbur but Tubbo just laughs it off. They eventually talk about Ranboo and Tommy relents saying he likes Ranboo although he does sometimes get jealous of how Tubbo seems to have it all. Tubbo tells Tommy of his nightmares and so does Tommy to Tubbo. They come to an understanding with each other and understand that no matter how long they go apart, there is always a space shaped to fit them perfectly in their lives for them. Tubbo and Tommy then go play some pranks. 

Wilbur is unhappy with the pranks and gives a lecture and they get into a fight. This leads to Wilbur talking man to man to Quackity. Theres some weird sexual tension. Once again they’re trying to outwit one another. That when we get to the crazy stuff. 

And here’s where I get crazy with my stuff. 

Ponk is digging in his lil cave when he accidentally breaks through to a random room buried deep underground. Tommy’s there trying to scam him out of something he has. Tubbo and Ranboo too. When they get to this room Ranboo thinking it’s the panic one and freaks out, but the others calm him down. Ponk thinking theres diamonds in the room storms ahead setting off some traps but surviving. Tubbo opens one of the chests and just says theres a bucket in there. Ponk pulls it out and says it has a named fish in it. 

You see where I’m going. 

They empty the bucket whilst asking what the fish is called. They are interrupted by a voice. It’s Sally. 

Dream had captured her and bound her to a bucket and put her in the chest and hid her from Wilbur. 

She has been released. She freaks out over how much time has past because for her nothing has changed at all. She thought it might have been a couple of hours or something since Dream pulled that prank on her but clearly not. 

They all catch up and the season ends with Sally and Wilbur meeting in front of Quackity, Dream in the shadows and Sally and Wilbur turning to see Fundy who just freaks the fuck out. 

Oh and just a side, Callahan is the last member of the syndicate and God of the server and is having fun playing with the mortals. 

And then I have the next season planned out and how I’d end the whole thing but like until then. This is it. Mid Season to finale. How I picture things happening. 

None of this will happen but isn’t it fun to imagine? 

[mrs-harkness]

Run To Me (Part 2)

Pairing: Diane Sherman x Fem!Reader

Wordcount: 1739

A/n: Thank you all for the love! I know Diane is chaotic and a lot of people are against writing fics on her, but I just love her. I have mommy issues so maybe thats why. Haha... Anyways, enjoy chapter two!

"Don't move."

Diane dabbed peroxide to your forehead, eliciting a hiss from your lips. You didn't listen to her, instinctively moving your head away from her. She smiled and grabbed your chin, keeping you in place. Her grip was somehow gentle and commanding at the same time. She dabbed at it again, the sting now drawing tears out of your eyes and down your flushed cheeks. You saw her eyes dart to them, and look back to your eyes quickly, drawing in a ragged breath. She seemed uncomfortable at your discomfort, but then again she had run you over.

She put on a couple of butterfly band-aids over the cut and sat back in the kitchen chair she had put in front of you. She let go of the grip on your chin and brought her hand up to your face and gently brushed the tears that stained your cheeks away. You gasped at her cool hands on your hot skin, never having felt something so gentle and caring. She smiled at you sweetly, your heart suddenly aching at the sight. You coughed to make it go away, you didn't like to feel weak.

"You shouldn't need stitches. It's deep, but small. Why don't we get you something to eat before you take a shower. Don't need you to pass out from the steam," she said, getting up and going over to her fridge.

You sat back in the chair, looking around the kitchen. It seemed like it hadn't been updated in the last ten years, but was also incredibly clean. It was as if she didn't actually cook in it. She brought the ingredients to the counter and turned on the stove. You began to feel awkward as you watched Diane making lunch as the realization that you were sitting in a complete strangers home after they had hit you with their car. As if Diane sensed a shift in the atmosphere, she suddenly turned around, her focus back on you.

"You said you didn't have any family?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest and biting her lip.

"Huh?" you asked, confused by her sudden nervous demeanor.

"Earlier, when I- well you said you were new here but that you didn't have any family. So what brought you to town?"

"Oh, yeah.  Someone I grew up with in one of my foster homes who I was really close with came here when she was 18 to go to the school here and get a fresh start. I heard how well it worked for her and decided to do the same thing. Plus I thought it would be easier to move across country if there was at least one person I knew in the area."

The smell of the food began to drift through the air and your mouth pooled with drool. You hadn't eaten a real meal in nearly three days. Your stomach growled and revealed just how hungry you were. It was loud and you knew she heard it, and your cheeks flushed red once again, embarrassed. You quickly picked back up the conversation to distract from it.

"So yeah, once I saved up enough money for a bus ticket, I left. The trip took about a week and a half and I was here literally ten minutes before you hit me with your car," you chuckled nervously.

Diane looked at you, worried, but you flashed her a smile to let her know you weren't upset. She seemed to relax instantly and she smiled so wide she actually covered up her mouth with her hand as if she was embarrassed. She turned around to stir the food that was now beginning to sizzle on the stove.

"So do you live here by yourself?"

Diane seemed to tense at the question, but she relaxed almost immediately afterwards, sighing loudly.

"Unfortunately, yes. But I keep myself pretty busy in my garden and teaching. A quiet life has its perks, but sometimes it gets lonely."

She came over and put a plate full of sautéed vegetables and chicken in front of you. She sat back in the chair across from you, watching you with a smile. You looked at her, almost afraid to eat it.

"Go on, take a bite. Tell me what you think sweetheart," she almost cooed at you.

Her tone and the nickname would have thrown you off guard if you weren't so damn hungry. You shakily brought a fork full into your mouth and forced yourself to eat slowly. You moaned as you swallowed, so thankful to have actual food in your stomach. Diane bit her lip and smiled again, watching you eat.

You ate an entire plate and Diane insisted on giving you more, but you were afraid you would get sick. You hunched over from being so full, and winced from a new pain coming from your back. Diane noticed immediately and shot out of her chair and to your side.

"I'm fine. My back is just hurting all the sudden," you said, trying to calm her down.

Suddenly Diane was yanking your shirt up, exposing your back.

"Hey, what are you-"

"You have what looks like road rash and a large bruise along your back. I think you should go take a shower and then I will take a closer look at it. I'm afraid if I don't it will get infected," Diane said rolling your shirt back down, completely ignoring the dumbfounded look on your face.

You sat there silent and Diane didn't wait for you to really respond. She picked up your backpack and threw it over her shoulder.

"I'll show you where the bathroom is."

You cautiously followed her down the hall to the bathroom. Diane was so kind and really welcoming, but she was also slightly forward with her actions. You two were still perfect strangers, but she had no problem lifting up your shirt without your permission as if you had known her since you were small. But did you really mind that? You had never had someone baby and care for you before, what did it matter if she didn't know you? You decided to just relax and enjoy the attention while it lasted. Even if it was because she felt bad.

You followed her into the bathroom and she turned on the shower checking the water. She turned to you then and held out her hand.

"Give me your clothes."

You stared at her.

"I'm sorry, what?"

She chuckled.

"Your clothes smell pretty bad. I will wash them for you. I'll step out of the room and you can let me know when you're in the shower and I'll come back in and grab them," she said, heading towards the door. You didn't have much time to argue as she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

You undressed quickly and tried to leave your clothes in a neat pile on the floor near the door before trotting to the shower and stepping in. You gasped at the sting of the water on your battered skin. You gave yourself a second to adjust before giving Diane the OK.

You heard her step in and pick up the clothes, and you swore you heard her footsteps grow closer to the shower. You held your breath, suddenly nervous. But they retreated as you heard her exit, the door creaking shut behind her.

You showered quickly and toweled off as best you could, changing into the softest pair of clothes you had in your bag. You stepped out into the hallway carefully, looking for any sign of the woman. You saw the door to what looked like a basement open so you headed that way. Just as you reached the frame, Diane appeared suddenly, scaring you.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry, the washer is in the basement," she said, closing the door immediately behind her. You found it weird, but maybe it was dirty. She probably didn't bring company down to the basement often.

"How long do you think it will take for my clothes? I'm super tired and was hoping to get to the motel to rest some."

Diane bit her lip again and brushed her hair behind her ear which you were beginning to think was a nervous habit. She crossed her arms and leaned against the door before clearing her throat.

"I-I was actually wondering if you wanted to stay here? Just for a bit. So that way I could check on you to make sure you're healing well and you can save your money while you look for something permanent,  if you're going to be staying here."

She waited for your reply, obviously anxious. You were conflicted. While you relished the foreign feeling of kindness and affection, Diane was a stranger. She had hit you with her car. Your foster sister didn't know where you were. You were not supposed to be venerable or trust others.  But there was something in her eyes, something about the way she obviously wanted you to stay and be near her that shattered every instinct inside of you.

"Okay, that would be really nice," you squeaked, suddenly feeling the smallest you ever had.

Diane let out the breath she had been holding and it turned into a happy laugh. She smiled at you and you couldn't help but smile back. She was nice and you liked her attention and the way she seemed so concerned with you.

"Alright then, well I'll show you to your room," she said, finally leaving the door and walking you down the hallway, nearly pulling you with her.

You found yourself in a room that seemed like a modern day teenagers room. It felt strange but some people just decorated differently you supposed. Diane sighed and patted the bed.

"This is your room. Get comfortable and rest. I am gonna go get that medication and then start dinner so you can nap if you'd like until then."

She turned and walked to the hall but stopped in the doorway, turning her head to you.

"Oh and Y/N, I only have one rule."

"What is it?" you asked, sitting on a bed that you were certain was made from a cloud.

"Don't ever go in the basement."

And with that, Diane shut the door behind her, leaving you in the quiet of your new home.

[hotpinkrathian]

Christmas Party

(Kyalin)

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Please..."

"Kya..."

"Lin it'll be fun." Kya promised.

"Games with the families are never fun. Do you want me to count how many times Su broke my nose playing pie in the face?"

"It wasn't that many."

"Four is a lot of times to break your nose, Kya."

"You got me there. But Lin, imagine, a big Christmas, on the island. Everyone is... happy,"

"Until we fight."

"And there's sweets at all hours of the day." Lin didn't look impressed.

"We can start drinking at 11."

"In the morning?" Kya nodded, causing Lin to raise an eyebrow.

"Go on," Lin said. Kya pursed her lips, placing a hand on Lin's waist, circling around the earth bender.

"And when everyone goes to bed, waiting for the morning, we go back to my room and celebrate like adults." Kya whispered the last line in Lin's ear, and Lin was blushing profoundly.

"Alright," Lin caved, "but I'm not babysitting for your brother." Kya stretched a hand out.

"Deal."

"Lin! Kya! So glad the two of you could make it!" Pema greeted. The temple was already buzzing with activity. Lin put her coat on the filled hanger next to the door observing the chaos behind Pema.

"Thank you for having us, Pema," Kya smiled, embracing her sister in law. Lin wasn't paying attention when she, too, was pulled into a hug. She raised an arm awkwardly around Pema, looking to Kya for help, instead just getting laughed at. When Pema pulled away, distracted by the sound of a clay pot crashing to floor, Kya sidled up to Lin.

"That was cute," Kya said.

"There wasn't even a warning. What did I do to deserve that?" Kya nudged her with an arm.

"You'll get used to it."

"Thats what scares me." Kya chuckled, walking over to Bumi who slammed a shot glass onto the table. Lin followed, impressed by Bumi's gusto, although, at this rate he'd be out by dinner.

"Bumi!" Kya called, "did you start without me?"

"Took to long, Kya, I'm already four ahead of you."

"That didn't help you last year, it certainly won't this year." Lin had vague memories of their sibling drinking contest. Tenzin only ever participated once, he lost so badly and was sick for a week after, he never did it again. Kya picked up a shot, lifting it to meet her brother's.

"To tradition!" She said.

"Tradition? To drinking!" Bumj corrected as they took the shot. Bumu turned to Bum-ju who squeaked behind him.

"See Lin," Kya started, "the secret to having a good pace, is waterbending." Kya explained, "manipulate a little alcohol out of the shot, replace it with water, and bam. Suddenly five shots feels like two."

"Thats cheating."

"We never set the rules, or if we did, we don't remember them. If he can find a way to manipulate his alcohol with airbending then he is free to so." Lin scoffed.

"Lets get something to drink, hmm?" Kya said, guiding them to the table in the living room the Avatar was dotting around.

"Beifong, Kya!" Korra said, raising her glass.

"Not too much of that," Lin said and Korra nodded.

"Absolutely Chief, I am relatively new to the world of alcohol I will absolutely pace myself." Lin side eyed her, as Kkrra grinned and shuffled over to Asami.

"Here," Kya said, passing Lin a drink.

"What is it?"

"Not sure, ran out of the first one so I mixed it with the next bottle." Lin looked at her skeptically, Kya just shrugged. Sje took a sip of the concoction, ignoring the bitter taste it left in her mouth. Kya must've seen it on her face, because she lifted an eyebrow, pressing a hand to Lin's jaw.

"Too bitter?" She asked.

"It's... fine, I guess. It'll do the job." Kya grinned, leaning close to Lin's ear.

"Later I'll do my job, and don't worry, what I have to offer is very sweet." Lin blushed as Kya took a nip at her ear, before swinging her long white ponytail in her face, and walking over to Pema. Lin watched her go, unsure of what she was supposed to do after that.

"Lin, its good to see you." A voice said from behind her. She turned to see Tenzin, standing there with a small grin to his lips. Lin nodded, extending her hand. He took it and they shook, Lin grinning.

"You too, airhead." He rubbed the back of his neck while he replied.

"Haven't heard that one in a while."

"I thought it was the perfect time to bring it back." He chuckled.

"So, how are things with you?" He asked. "I feel like we haven't talked much with all thats been going on with the refugee camps." Lin looked to Kya who met her eye, wasting no time in downing the shot in her hand, making sure to run her tongue all around the glass of the cup. Lin gulped returning her gaze to Tenzin, hoping her blush wasn't too noticeable.

"They've been good. I've been taking breaks." She said.

"Good, good. I'm glad, you deserve a break, Lin. Should you take it."

"Heh, you aren't getting rid of me that easy." He placed an arm on her shoulder,

"Of course not," he replied.

"Dinner is served!" Pema called out. Bolin and Korra tossed them selves over the sofa, racing for the first plate of the meal. Lin waited for everyone to settle before getting a plate of her own, sitting across from Kya at the large table that had been brought in by Asami to seat everyone.

"Should we say something?" Asami asked, before eating anything.

"Like what?" Korra asked, halting her fork full of meat inches from her mouth.

"I don't know. I guess I just..." the girl trailed off and Lin frowned. Of course, it was her first Christmas without her father.

Korra put her fork down, placing a hand on Asami's knee to comfort her.

"Go ahead," Korra said, "we'll wait." Everyone nodded, and Asami took a deep breath.

"Thank the spirits," Asami started, "for giving us the chance to have this season together. And for this great big family I inherited. I miss you dad," she finished. Everyone dipped their head. Asami cleared her throat, and with that, the feast began. It didn't take long for Lin to engage Senna in conversation, the Avatar's mother absolutely adored all of the Korra stories Lin had to share.

"She was arrested the first day she got here," Lin explained, "someone didn't get the memo that destroying things is against the law." Senna laughed, and Korra shrugged from down the table. Lin lifted her glass, she wasn't one for wine, but it fit the occasion. Before she could place it to her lips, however, she was kicked in the shin. She furrowed her brows, trying to look under the table. She landed her eyes on Kya, who sat across from her, staring intently at the metalbender. Kya but her bottom seductively, her leg brushing against Lin's under the table. Lin gave her a half-hearted warning look, and the waterbender winked.

   Lin volunteered for the game, solely to escape Kya's teasing for just a bit. The waterbender had been throwing her glances all night, and Lin wasn't sure how much more of it she could take before she pushed her against a bathroom wall and well... the rest is up to her imagination.

"Wait what do I have to do?" Korra asked for the third time.

"You... again! Just, drink the shots," Asami said, "I'll handle the rest." Lin watched as Bumi expertly poured three shots each,  before re taking his seat.

"Kya!" He called. Fabulous. "These count as part of the race." He declared.

"Seems like cheating to me," Kya said, placing a hand on her hip.

"Hey, a shot is a shot. Watch me of you feel so inclined." No please no-

"I will." Kya made an example of herself as she sat down, pulling her chair loudly to the table, right next to Lin. Lin didn't meet her eye, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. Kya's hand found its way to her thigh, her thin fingers sliding in between Lin's legs...

"Lets drink, shall we?" Lin said, downing her first one, starting the round. The game was simple, take a shot, flip through a deck of cards until you flipped an ace, first to three flipped aces, wins.

She began flipping her cards, well aware of Kya's hand gripping her thigh, her fingers hovering over the material of her pants.

"Go Bumi!" Kya cheered as her brother flipped his first ace. He downed his second just as Lin flipped her first ace. Korra was still flipping, her clumsy fingers getting a lot of help from Asami.

"Faster, Lin.' Kya said, almost mockingly. Lin gulped, feeling herself blush.

"Faster, Lin, Faster!" Lin ran a tongue over her lips. Focus.  She flipped her second ace, reaching for her final shot. She took it like it was the only thing keeping her alive. At that moment, Kya decided to really squeeze her thigh, and Lin spat the shot out in suprise. She covered her mouth with a hand and looked to Kya, who was evidently playing dumb.

"Too much for you, Chief?" Kya asked. "I know you hate those coconut ones."

"Done!" Bumi shouted, slamming his glass on the table and standing up in triumph.

"Sit down before you hurt yourself, Bum'" Kya said.

"Hah! This old man just beat Chief Beifong and the Avatat in a drinking game. I think you're lacking Kya." He smirked, gripping the edge of his coat. Kya's eyes narrowed, and Lin watched as the waterbender stood up, taking the can next to Asami. She held it horizontally in her hands, thinking it over, before cracking into it with her nails and drinking out of the torn aluminum. Lin watched, oddly turned on by the action. Kya kept her eyes on her brother who's jaw was agape. Kya threw the can on the floor wipednher mouth with her arm, also hot, and sat back down.

"Thats got to be... what, like three more shots? I think your lacking Bumi." Bumi crossed his arms, storming away. Korra looked thoroughly impressed as Kya's newfound talent, getting the healer to promise to teach her. When the kids left, the two of them were left at the table in silence. Lin cleared her throat, hoping Kya would say something.

"I must've impressed you, you have nothing to say." Kya grinned, taking the cards and returning them to their boxes.

"I didn't know you could chug like that." Kya scoffed, stacking the boxes of cards in the center of the pile.

"Yes you did," the waterbender finalized. Before Lin could say anything more, Pema interrupted, lifting a leaf over their heads.

"What are you doing?' Lin asked.

"Its a mistletoe, Lin." Pema explained. Lin looked to Pema in confusion.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" Lin asked, crossing her arms gruffly.

"Oh Lin, don't be so grumpy, you kiss whoever is under the mistletoe." Lin looked to Kya, who was undressing her with her eyes. This again?

"Alright, alright, fine." Lin leaned in for a quick kiss, taken aback when Kya gripped her face, holding her lips hostage under the mistletoe. Kya's tongue breached her mouth and Lin almost hummed at the soft groan Kya released. Kya pulled away, licking her lips modestly as the crowd cheered and whistled. Lin pressed her fingers to her lips. Pema looked mildly insulted she likely hadn't meant for the two of them to make out out under the mistletoe. To be fair, Lin hadn't expected it either. Lin looked down at the floor with a blush, while Kya sat there, smirking at the results of her handy work. Someone whistled, likely Bolin and Lin was urged to stand up. With a dip of her head she retreated to the washroom, closing the door behind her.

As she expected, it wasn't long before a soft knock rapped on the door. Lin opened it, stepping aside to let Kya though.

"Did I embaress you?" Kya asked, looking to Lin. Lin scoffed.

"Yeah, but I think I'll be fine." Kya's lips stretched into a grin. Lin pursed her lips, leaning against the sink when Kya pressed her chest against hers.

"Ready to get out of here?" The waterbender asked. Lin nodded,

"I've been ready the whole night." Kya laughed.

"I know you have." Kya took Lin by the hand, the two of them snuck passed those who remained at the party and up the narrow stairs of the Air temple, celebrating by themselves for the rest of the night.

[lizzzweasley]

The Triwizard Tournament Has Begun...(George x Reader)

!! I have made the age restrictions of the Triwizard Tourdament 19 instead of 17, making fred and george 18!!

*This is a follow up to Welcome Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and a continuation of my ongoing story if you haven’t read the other parts and want the whole story, go back and read the other parts then come back here*

🖤I do know these in-between stories aren’t as fun as other posts, but it’s all to tell a story and I hope you enjoy them regardless🖤

------------

Once the other schools were settled and sat at their respective tables, Maxime and Karkaroff sat at the teachers table, everyone all looked at Dumbledore for the Cue to start eating, George still looking slightly jealous, after seeing the way that you looked at Viktor, was unusually quiet and Fred was the same.

“Thank you, every one, for helping me welcome these two, wonderful schools, now please, enjoy the feast” Dumbledore said. With a wave of his hand all the empty silver serve-ware overspread with food.  

People begin digging into the food, talking about the triwizard tournament. People talking about wanting to join in, you, however, had no interest in being a part of this competition, besides, your grandmother would kill you if she found out you had applied for it.

You grab a couple of items of food off the table, but you’re mostly eyeing the pumpkin pie, but you didn't want to be the first person to cut it and take a slice. 

Fred and George piled up their plate and began eating, talking amongst themselves.

‘‘You okay George?’‘ you asked him, furrowing your brow and slightly tilting your head to the left.

he looked up, ‘’mmmhmmm’’ he said nodding his head with his mouth half full.

Him and Fred was being seemingly quiet with you and Angelina, and you couldn't put your finger on why, maybe he was just thinking about the tournament you thought.

You turned to Angelica.

‘’So, what do you think about all this?’’ You asked, poking your fork into a piece of chicken and bringing it to your mouth.

‘‘Its okay, seems a bit silly to me bringing all these schools together not long after the attack, though’‘ she replied almost scowling at the Beauxbatons girls.

You agreed, although you didn't think the attack was the main reason she didn't want the other girls here, she was jealous, and you could tell.

‘‘If you’re mad at Fre..’‘ you began to say, but she cut you off.

‘‘i’m not, i really don’t care’‘ she said harshly.

Luckily Fred and George were having their own conversation, and didn’t hear Angelica say she didn’t care, which she did, she was just too stubborn to admit it. 

It was awkward around the table now, Fred and George were talking amongst themselves, and Angelina was in a foul mood, and would only reply to you with nods, or ‘’mhm’’.

After what felt like ages, the meal was finally over, although you never tucked into pumpkin pie, it was next to Angelina and you felt too awkward to reach over her, or ask her for a slice.

‘‘Your attention, please, i would like to say a few words’‘ Dumbledores voice echo’d around the hall ‘’eternal glory, that is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament but to do this, that student must survive three tasks, three, extremely, dangerous, tasks’’ Dumbledore continued

‘’Wicked’’ Fred and George said in unison, Fred still half chewing some food.

‘‘for this reason the ministry had seen fit to impose a new rule, to explain all this, we have the head of the department of international magical cooperation, Mr. Bartemius Crouch’‘ Dumbledore finished, turning his head to face Crouch.

Just as Crouch walked towards the podium, the ceiling began thundering and lightning, Dumbledore looked concerned, which in turn made everyone else panic, making them think of what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. People began to scream or duck down, other people stood up from the table, and then you noticed George pulled out his wand from his sleeve and look directly at you, you thought maybe in that moment, if he had to protect you, he would have. 

A large man, in a brown trench coat, and what looked like an eye patch, but a glass eye where the patch would have been, took a step out of the shadows, and cast one blue streak up into the ceiling, and the elements went calm again, you didn’t recognise this man, but you heard whispers of a name ‘’mad eye moody’’

Moody walked fully out of the shadows of the back of the hall, and you wondered why he wasn’t there for the meal, but Dumbledore greeted him with open arms, and if Dumbledore trusted him, you did too.

Crouch then took the podium, and began to speak ‘’After due consideration the ministry had concluded that for their own safety, no students under the age of nineteen, should be allowed to put fourth their name for the triwizard tournament, this decision..’’ but he was swiftly cut off.

‘’THATS NOT FAIR’‘ one Hufflepuff shouted, and with that, most of the under nineteen year olds began to shout, overlapping each other, but the people you hear the most was Fred and George shouting 

‘‘THATS RUBBISH

OH COME ON

THATS RUBBISH YOU CANT LET THEM DO THAT

BOO’‘

‘‘silence’‘ Dumbledore shouted across the hall, making people instantly settle down.

Fred and George were looking pissed, throwing their heads back, to look towards the ceiling, letting one loud exhale through their noses. 

You felt bad for the both of them, you could tell how much they both wanted this, but you were mostly relieved as now neither of them could get hurt from these ‘’tasks’’, whatever they were. 

There was a golden statue at the front of the great hall, just in front of where the teachers sat. Dumbledore traced his wand from the top of the statue, the gold seeming to melt to nothing as his wand followed the shape of the statue, revealing a large brass goblet, expelling blue flames.

‘‘The Goblet Of Fire’’ Dumbledore said, introducing the schools to what this rusty old goblet was. ‘’Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night, do not do so lightly, if chosen theres no turning back, as from this moment, the triwizard tournament has begun.’’

[ish-scribbles]

Wearing his Jersey

At the Nekoma Training Camp, You and your team from Karasuno High get an unexpected invite to a Halloween Costume Party at Nekoma High and since you didn't have a costume, You wore his jersey.

Pairing: Nishinoya Yuu x Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Warning: Whole lotta flufff~ also this is my first fic :)

"Y/N!" A familiar libero yells to you while frantically waving his hand as he enters the gym with Tanaka "Do you need help carrying that?" He says while jogging to you from the other side of the gym.

"No no, it's alright Noya, me and Yachi can carry it together it once she arrives, I don't want to bother you, you can start with your warm ups tho-" you reply as you try to push the heavy trolley full of volleyball equipment yourself again to which I may add you fail miserably

"Are you kidding me? Nothing makes me happier than helping one of our talented team managers" he replies smoothly while flashing a bright smile at you.

You were one of the two first years Kiyoko scouted to be Team Managers for the Karasuno Boys Volleyball Team after she graduates. Amongst you and Yachi, you were the more social one and comparitively easy to talk to. In in all due time you both mixed well and got to know a lot of things about the team, but the thing you weren't aware of yet was that a certain libero had his eyes set on you for a long time, even before you joined Karasuno.

You and Nishinoya went to the same Middle School and lived around the same neighborhood. He liked you ever since he was in middle school but he could never muster the courage to say 'hi' let alone start a conversation with you which was very ironic to the type of person he was. Since, you never seemed to have anything in common with him, he never tried to start anything in the fear of direct rejection. But when he found out that you were one of the first years at Karasuno High AND are going to be one of the new team managers for his team, he was ECSTATIC to say the least. He would finally get to talk to you, spend time with you, get to know you, maybe even be good friends?! But on the day when Kiyoko brought you and Yachi to introduce yourselves to the team, Noya was beyond shocked even before he got to introduced himself.

"Wait! You're Nishinoya, the libero who was in Chidoriyama Junior High aren't you? I always saw you in our school matches, heck I often came to your matches to cheer for you guys,,, tho it's okay if you don't know me" you said with a nervous laugh.

"Of course I know you, You're Y/N, though I have to admit I never knew you that well or know the fact that you came to watch our matches" he smiles while he scratching his head shyly

"Oh I wouldn't miss your matches for the world unless I had some test or something, Our team was so impressive and now that I think of it your Rolling Thunder move was AMAZING!" You said enthusiastically the poor boi got so flustered~~

It wasn't that you didn't want Noya to be more than friends, You even had a crush on him in middle school but were too shy to do anything about it and then he graduated middle school a year before and you never got the chance again. But the truth was you never thought of yourself to be someone who people could like in such a way you were somewhat insecure about yourself but after joining Karasuno you got to meet him again and the of two slowly became close friends who enjoyed each other's company.

It was at this moment when Nishinoya completely fell for you. After that day, Noya tried to spend anytime he could with you; walking you to school and back since you lived nearby, sitting with you during the lunch time or inviting you to sit with him and Tanaka along with occasional surprises like candies or other snacks. He even helped you with your manager duties. Anything you wanted, he was just one call away. He tried to make it VERY obvious that he liked you VERY much, but you never considered it to be more than a him being friendly,,, atleast that's what you convinced yourself to since you considered him way out of your league and were low-key a little self conscious too.

You not understanding his advances in that way sometimes got him thinking if he even had a chance with you or was it just a loss cause, a one sided crush? But he never gave up on you, thats just the kind of guy he was.

-x-x-x-

It wasn't very long after you joined the team, when you and Yachi were asked to go to Tokyo with the rest of the team for the Nekoma Training Camp and since you wanted to learn everything about being a team manager before Kiyoko graduated, you said yes.

After reaching the Training Camp, a lot of guys from different schools tried to hit on you, Yachi and Kiyoko,,, but Tanaka, Nishinoya and Yamamoto from Nekoma made it their mission to not let guys approach and hit on you by anyone but them.

At the camp, practice started early in the morning and ended late in the evening. While the boys practiced volleyball, you and Yachi learned a lot of new things from Kiyoko and the other managers there. Days went by and it was the second last day of the camp already. You and the team received an unexpected invite to a costume party.

"A costume party?" You asked to which Takeda Sensei answered and addressed to the whole team as well "Yes, apparently it's a tradition like prom at Nekoma High and they have a Halloween Costume Party every year and this year all the teams at the training camp are invited. The party will have students from different schools so it is a good opportunity to make connections...I expect you guys to attend it. The party will start tomorrow at 12 in the afternoon and will end at 6 in the evening. Since the party has a compulsory rule of wearing a costume, all of are free for now to go and find costumes to rent, but I expect everyone to return before 9 or no dinner!!" to which the whole team replied "Yes, sensei!"

-x-x-x-

The next day at the party, Asahi Suga and Daichi being the dorks they are chose to show up as the three musketeers. Kageyama and Hinata lost a bet to Tsukishima so they went as a King and a Tangerine, and the rest of the team showed up with good costumes too. Nishinoya dressed up as a Ninja who looked straight out of anime, yes he looked that good and Tanaka dressed up as a samurai.

"Man~ I really wanted to be a sumo-wrestler instead of a samurai but Daichi said it showed too much skin, He's probably jealous of my good looks" Tanaka pouted while complaining and fidgeting with his costume

"Ew no, nobody wants to see you like that, Tanaka! By the way have you seen Y/N and the others, Aren't they here yet?" Nishinoya asked as he glanced around

"Oh somebody in a rush to see Y/N?" Tanaka cheerily asked with all sorts of wiggly eyebrows "CUT IT OUT ALREADY, What if she's around and she hears you?!" Nishinoya says frantically

"Relax~~ she hasn't arrived yet, otherwise all of the guys would've been drooling over her and rest of our gorgeous team managers"

"I suppose you're right"

After a lot of brainstorming Kiyoko decided she's not wearing anything special, so she wore an oversized hoodie and carried a xbox remote control which she borrowed from Kenma and that gave her a gamer girl look, while you and Yachi remained clueless.

But where were you, Yachi and Kiyoko? Ah yes, you guys still didn't have a costume yet,,,so while the others had already started partying, you guys were still in your shared room deciding on your outfits, since all of the costumes at the store were either too revealing or not in your size, so that was a lost cause.

"Kiyoko-san, its not fair~ you look so pretty even in the simplest of clothes" you sighed

"That's not true, though...haven't you guys decided on a costume yet?" Kiyoko asked

"Noo" you sighed while sitting on the floor with your chin on your knees almost ready to give up on the party.

"Well..umm...I had an idea but it could be a little ridiculous. But like...what if we wore our school volleyball jersey? It can be a way to show our school spirits and we would finally have a costume to wear?" Yachi proposed.

"That seems like a great idea" Kiyoko answered with a slight smile.

"Great, I'll call Hinata and ask if I can borrow his jersey" Yachi said while she scrolling to find his number on her phone.

"I guess I could ask Nishinoya, we're about the same height and we're good friends too so it shouldn't be a problem, I suppose" You say to yourself to which Kiyoko nods in approval and continued getting ready, and then you dial up Noya's number.

When Noya first got your call he got into frenzy thinking why were you calling him since you didn't call each other that often, but he picked up the phone anyways

"Y-Y/N?"

"Hey, Noya? haha funny story and I'll explain it later, but I'm desperate right now so would it be too much trouble if i can I borrow your jer-" before you finished your sentence loud music started blasting over the party and your voice wasn't audible anymore.

"Y/N, Y/N? Hello? Y/N I can't hear you anymore...but if there's something that you want to borrow, you can take it"

When you came back to your room, you and Yachi started changing,,,After wearing Nishinoya's jersey you noticed that his shorts were skin tight while his jersey t-shirt was baggy which made you think how muscular he actually is.

After your call ended, you and Yachi went over to the room where the boys were sleeping over at and while Yachi searched for Hinata's uniform, you searched for Noya's. When you finally found his jersey, an unexpected scent of sweat mixed with sports deo hit your senses, which was nice to smell low-key addicting? and you thought to yourself 'Does he always smells this nice?' and before you went any further, your train of thought was interrupted by Yachi saying "Let's go and get changed" with a slight smile on her face.

After the three of you got ready, you finally started off to the hall where the party was being held. When the three of you showed up at the entry gate, you felt everyone's head turning towards you three. Tanaka and Nishinoya saw the slight commotion and decided to go over to have a look by themselves at what's going on as well.

After reaching the entry, Nishinoya stopped in his tracks when he found a familiar figure looking back at him wearing his orange jersey. YOU WERE FINALLY HERE. IN HIS JERSEY. WEARING HIS NUMBER. WEARING HIS NAME POOR BOY GOT SO SHOCKED HE ALMOST PASSED OUT LIKE AJSKDHDNK

After you finally spotted Nishinoya in the crowd you excused yourself from Kiyoko and Yachi as you wanted to apologize for not taking permission to wear his jersey properly over the phone, so you started walking towards him. While you walking towards him you felt all the guys around eyeing at you and even Nishinoya looked somewhat dumbfounded. While you were trying to make your way towards him, he was so entranced by you that every memory that he had with you flashed before his eyes. The time you tried to hit spikes to help him practice receives, the times you sat with him at lunch laughing at his stupidest jokes, you massaging his shoulders to relax the muscle he pulled during a match, the worry he saw in your eyes when you saw his bruised arms from restless practices, the way you get all excited when he pulls a 'rolling thunder' move while other laughed at him for the name he gave to the move.

The moment you reached him, Tanaka left you two alone saying something like "I gotta show Kiyoko my awesome costume~" while Nishinoya still silently looked at you with his mouth slightly agap and spoke nothing until you started talking

"I'm so sorry, I had no costume to wear and Yachi and I decided to show some school spirit by wearing the jerseys, You don't mind, do you? I PROMISE I'LL WASH IT BEFORE I GIVE IT BACK. Its just that costumes were compulsory for entering the party and I didn't knew whether I'll have another chance to an event like this so I'm sorry if bothers you, I'll go back and change right now if you want" You frantically spoke while clasping your hands together to apologize.

Nishinoya couldn't say anything else than "Don't worry about it" his eyes not leaving your body for a second, he was too busy admiring his jersey on you, he was practically MESMERIZED. The way his jersey hugged every part and every curve of your body just perfectly, HE WANTED YOU TO WEAR HIS JERSEY FOREVER! The way his shorts were tight but his t-shirt was baggy, it made him feel slightly bigger than you.

"Do I look that bad tho? I feel like everyone's staring at me" You ask with a slight nervous laugh as you got a little nervous thinking whether everyone is looking at you because you looker weird but you instead got the reaction

"Are you kidding?! That's because you look the like the most beautiful person in the whole world!!" He says without a warning and after realizing what he just said and he himself didn't knew why did he just say it to your face

This catches you off guard as well and your cheek turns to a bright pink tone as well.

But he looks back at you and gathers the last of his remaining courage and puts his hand out to ask "Would you like to dance with me? This is a party after all you know" he says with a big smile shooting his last shot but in the back of his head he expected a straight out rejection because he thought 'Why would girl like her ever dance with a guy like me, stupid stupid stupid' but to his surprise you said "Yes" and took his hand while returning a small and still flustered smile. HE WAS ON CLOUD 9.

After the party ended, he asked you out and you say yes. After that day you were forced to wear his spare jersey to each of Karasuno's game and to this day, you in his jersey at that party is his phone wallpaper and he has no intention of changing it.

[muwur]

haikyuu x otome: masterlist | rules

prologue

» synopsis:   a haikyuu x reader au where you, the player, are bound for university in a metropolis several hours away from home. hope and excitement are replaced with dread as you come to realize that juggling life as a student and a part-time employee takes a toll. from demanding classes to a ruthless manager, life just can’t seem to give you a break. that is, until you meet a certain someone who reminds you how to live and follow your dreams. somehow, when you’re with them, time stands still. maybe things are finally starting to look up. if only you could stay in those moments for just a little longer.

» gn reader

» ngl came out longer than i expected but thats ok LMAO,, them otome intros be unnecessarily long too mb; 3.1k words

» note: if u rllyy want u can kinda skip or just skim this, the gist is that you move in n meet like 3 ppl LOL

The train hummed as it zoomed through the landscape, leaving behind the familiar people, sights, sounds, and smells. Yawning, you rubbed your nap away from weary eyes and peered out the window. Just hours ago you had waved a bittersweet farewell to your town, friends, and family, who woke at the crack of dawn to send you off with tight hugs and teary-eyed wishes of good luck. 

Your heart lurched at the memory. You’d miss them. In an effort to part happily, you promised to come back for the holidays, call often, and hook your friends up with any cute people you just knew would match them. Glancing down at your phone, you smiled at the excited text messages from your friends. Your fingers tapped away at the keyboard in response.

‘Just woke up from my nap. I think I’m here!’

Outside, buildings scraped the clouds and their windows shined in the light of the afternoon sun. Cars honked, bikes swerved, crowds bustled. On one end of the block, a man on a ladder was painting a sign for his store, while on the other end , a street performer danced energetically in her black shoes. Smoke emitted from a food vendor’s stand, where a man skillfully flipped some meat and vegetables on a stove, even throwing his spatula into the air to entertain his customers. The city was alive. 

Stepping off the train, you clutched your belongings and felt a sudden rush of exhilaration. You were finally here. You intended to take a deep breath, in order to take in your first taste of this city’s air, only to stop halfway in a short hacking fit to expel train exhaust from your lungs. 

‘That was pleasant,’ you grumbled to yourself, still coughing as you made your way off the platform towards the street. Luckily, Lyft existed. And it was cheaper here! Within minutes of your order, a black Toyota pulled up in front of you. The driver smiled and stepped out of the car, their wavy brown hair bouncing against their shoulders. “Let me help you with those,” they smiled as they offered to take your bags and put them in the trunk. 

“Oh, thank you so much!” What a kind person, you thought as you opened the backseat of the car. Ooh.

On second thought, maybe you were too optimistic. Who knew a 10 minute ride could feel so long? It seemed at least twice that much when you were squished in the backseat with some handsy couple. Just your luck, someone was already occupying the passenger seat. Oh well, a minor inconvenience in the name of saving money. All you could do was shift closer to the door, fix your gaze outside the window, and try to ignore the strange purrs coming from your seatmates. A familiar building caught your eye and you let out a sigh of relief when the car came to a stop. You thanked your driver as you stepped out and pulled your bags out of the trunk. Looking back and forth from your phone to the townhouse before you, you had to admit the real thing looked a little more worn down than how it was advertised, but you couldn’t blame them. I mean, your pictures on instagram aren’t exactly the everyday representation of yourself, either.

Aged wood creaked as you hoisted your bags up the front steps. You tapped  your knuckles three times against the brown door and rang the buzzer to the landlord’s office. 

“Hello? Miss Q?” you asked, hoping the landlord you’ve been contacting for the last two months would answer. “It’s me, y/n, I let you know I’d be coming in today.”

No answer. 15 minutes, a few text messages, and a phone call later, still no response. You groaned. Were you at the right place? Looking back at the address of the building and your location, you were sure this was it. Did Miss Q happen to be out? Or was she napping and just happened to be a heavy sleeper? Maybe her phone died. Whatever the reason, you were stuck out here for the meantime. Shrugging it off, you took a seat on a dusty patio chair and started to scroll mindlessly through your phone to pass the time. Hopefully she’d reply soon. 

The screech of a vehicle coming to a stop caught your ear. You looked up to see that the mover’s van you ordered pulled up across the street. Well, at least your things arrived. You stood up and waved to the man driving the vehicle. Making your way to greet and thank him, you helped him unload your things and set them down on the free space in front of the complex, making sure to keep the pathways clear. Placing down the last of the things onto the ground, you wiped the sweat off your brow, tipped the man, and watched him leave.

20 minutes of that and still you remained stuck outside. The late summer sun was beginning to get unbearably warm. Sitting amongst your pile of things, you couldn’t help but groan inwardly at the thought of all the unpacking you had to do. On top of that, classes begin in a week, and you needed to search for a job as soon as possible to help pay the bills. 

“Erm, hello? Are you y/n l/n, by any chance?” a gentle voice asked.

Lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice anyone had approached you. He was a fairly tall boy with dark hair half pulled back into a messy bun. Freckles adorned his face, complemented by his soft brown eyes and warm smile. He wore a pair of white shoes, slightly distressed lightwash jeans that were rolled up at the bottom, and a loose fitting, olive button up half tucked into his jeans. In his arms was a brown paper bag with a loaf of bread peeking out. 

(I STAN LONG HAIRED/HAIRBUN YAMS SO HARD SO HE’S GONNA HAVE IT OK)

“Yeah, I am! Do you live here?” you responded eagerly, getting up to your feet.

He nodded with a smile. “I do! Apparently Miss Q’s sick and staying at her daughter’s place for now, so her daughter messaged me to help you get settled in. Let me put these groceries away and get your key.”

He disappeared into the townhouse, then returned a few moments later with a key dangling between his fingers. “Miss Q needs a better hiding spot for her spare office key. The plant pot is way too obvious. Anyways, I can show you to your room, now. I’ll help you carry your things up,” he offered.

“That would be great! Thanks again for all your help, otherwise I’d probably have been stuck out here all night,” you said, gently handing him a box to carry.

“Y-Yeah, no problem! Though, Tsukki might’ve let you in if he saw you out here, too. Oh, and my name’s Tadashi Yamaguchi, by the way. Some people call me Yams. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Yams,” you huffed in amusement at his cute nickname. “Call me y/n.” Carrying some boxes, you followed Yamaguchi into the building. Luckily you were on the first floor, second door on the lefthand side. He fumbled with the key, searching for the keyhole before turning the unlocked knob and opening the door. 

Much like the outside, the interior of the place was also outdated. You both stood in front of the quaint living area connected to the kitchen. In the back, you could see the hallway leading to the bathroom and your single bedroom. The plain, white walls of the room were illuminated by daylight coming in from the windows on the rightmost wall. You could overlook the worn couch and scuffed dining table, though, considering the place was fully furnished and leased at a great price. Miss Q had even told you both the kitchen and bathroom had actually been remodeled recently. 

Going back and forth to take your belongings inside, you thought to get to know your new neighbor. “So, how long have you lived here?”

He pursed his lips in thought and stacked the box he was carrying on top of another one. “Mm, only since the start of summer, actually. My friend and I came here to start university, and one of his favorite museums also happens to be in this city. We come from about 2 hours north of here, though. What about you?”

You set down a particularly heavy bag onto the floor with a grunt. “I’m from a place several hours west of here. I came here for school, too! Are you going to Central University, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I am!” he responded with pleasant surprise and wide eyes. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other on campus, too. Remind me to show you the closest bus stop you can take to get there.” A soft smile formed on his lips.

After finally taking in all your belongings, you collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. Your eyes flickered over to the brunette, whose chuckle you could hear from across the room. “Long day?” he asked, settling into a spot next to you. 

Groaning, you replied, “I’ve been up since 5 am to do some last minute packing and catch my train.”

“Yikes. Sounds early.”

“Tell me about it.”

A comfortable silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Curious, he piped up with another question. “So, what made you decide to move all the way out here?”

“Hmm,” you began. “Well, I wanted to settle into a new, unknown place, y’know? Explore the world a little more and see what it’s like out here. Be on my own for the first time.”

Yamaguchi nodded thoughtfully in understanding. “I get you. My best friend and I kinda came here for the same reasons. We wanted to expand our worlds a bit. I’ve only been here a few months, and already so much has happened. You’ll definitely get to explore and experience a lot in this city. Things are always busy around here...” he trailed off, checking a notification on his phone that just dinged with a new message. His brown gaze flickered back to you. “Ooh, would you like to have a drink with my friend and I at my place? I live in the room right across from here. You seem like you need a break.”

You could feel your lips curve upwards. “I’d really enjoy that, actually.”

Thus you found yourself in your new friend’s apartment, sinking comfortably into his black beanbag chair, a bottle of cold lemonade in your hand. Taking another refreshing swig, your eyes traveled over to the blonde seated next to Yams on their tan sofa. You could hardly feel welcome when the first words that came out of his mouth after seeing you was a disgruntled “you brought someone here?”, which made Yamaguchi smack the back of his friend’s head.

“They’re our new neighbor, Tsukki! Be more welcoming,” he chided with a roll of his eyes. “Y/n, this is Kei Tsukishima. Tsukki, this is y/n.”

He rubbed the back of his head and glared at Yamaguchi. The blonde sighed, extending a hand out towards you. “Tsukishima. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

“Erm,” you tried to smile, “nice to meet you, too, Tsukishima. Just call me y/n.”

‘How is someone as sweet as Yams best friends with this dude?’

He couldn’t be all bad, you reasoned. Maybe he was just having a bad day,,, or always having a bad day. Regardless, even if your first impression was kinda substandard and underwhelming, you hoped you’d get along. He seemed like the type to need to get to know someone before warming up to them. 

You set the empty bottle atop their maple coffee table. Two hours had creeped by, consisting mostly of lighthearted exchanges between you and Yamaguchi, with a brief, occasional response from Tsukishima. He spent most of the time flipping through the pages of a novel and lightly tapping its hardcover to the beat of whatever he was listening to on his headphones. Yamaguchi suggested getting delivery from a Thai place he liked a few blocks away, and even insisted on covering the cost for you. 

“No, you really don’t have to..! I appreciate the offer, though,” you pleaded.

He shook his head, smiling as he tapped away at postmates on his phone. “Don’t worry about it.” He logged in both your orders and nudged Tsukishima with his elbow. “What do you want?”

Pushing up his glasses, Tsukishima leaned over to look at his friend’s phone screen. A few moments passed before he pulled away and said, “Pad Kee Mao sounds good.”

30 minutes later and there was a ring at the front door. A voice on the buzzer sounded. “I have a delivery for, uh.. Tadashi!” 

“Looks like they’re here,” Yamaguchi said as he stood up. You followed him out to the main entrance. Behind the door was a boy with tousled orange hair and bright brown eyes, carrying a plastic bag filled with takeout boxes. “Here you go!” he exclaimed as he handed you the order. He peered at the brunette beside you, his face scrunching in thought before lightening up with clarity. “Hey, you were with the guy I crashed into the other day! I-Is he okay by the way? Sorry, I was in a really big rush...!”

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise and eyes widening with familiarity, Yamaguchi nodded, “Oh yeah, I remember that! Don’t worry, he’s alright, just bitter and annoyed. I’m glad you seem to be okay, as well.” 

The redhead scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and looked down at his scuffed shoes. “Ah, thanks! Um, is he around? I’d like to apologize for yesterday...”

Yamaguchi smiled. “I’ll go grab him,” he said briefly before heading back to his apartment. 

The delivery boy sighed with relief. “Man, I felt really bad about that yesterday...” he muttered. He looked back up, his eyes brightening when they met yours. “My name’s Shoyo Hinata! People usually call me Hinata.”

“I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you,” you smiled, offering your hand. He shook hands with you a bit too vigorously, and you nearly dropped the food held in your other arm. “Are you new around here?” he asked.

“Hah, is it that obvious?” you joked.

“Nahh, just a wild guess. You’re just really refreshing, is all! Most of the people I meet seem burnt out, but I don’t blame them. We’ve all got busy lives. Talking to you is nice, though! I haven’t learned any customer’s names, well, since I started working! Then again, it’s only been two months... Anyways, where you from? I was born and raised here.”

If anything, you thought Hinata was the refreshing one. A tad talkative, but refreshing nonetheless. He effused a radiance that matched his vivid hair. “I’m from *insert place here*, a few hours west of here. I just arrived today!”

Before he could give you a response, however, you both heard footsteps approaching. You could recognize Tsukishima’s voice muttering a low “let’s get this over with” from behind you. Now standing at the doorframe, the blonde towered over Hinata. His countenance displayed obvious annoyance. However, he maintained his composure, pressed his finger against the bridge of his nose, and sighed out, “What do you want?”

Hinata bowed. “I’m sorry I crashed into you with my bike the other day! I was rushing to volleyball practice and I wasn’t looking. It was my fault.”

Eyes narrowing, Tsukishima allowed several moments of silence to achingly pass before letting out a small huff. “Fine. Apology accepted.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned around to return to his room. “Watch where you’re going next time, idiot. You’d better hope you don’t run into me again.” A door shut.

‘That was quick.’

Hinata looked up to watch him leave and straightened his form again. Lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, he crossed his arms across his chest. “Geez, what’s his deal?” Yamaguchi cast him an apologetic look. “Ah, he’s just like that. He appreciates the gesture, though.” 

A high-pitched ding caught your attention. “Ah, I gotta go make another delivery! It was nice to meet you all!” 

Quickly grabbing a bill out of your pocket, you stopped Hinata mid-step. “Wait! Here, please take this. Thanks for the food!”

He accepted the tip from your hands, looking back and forth between you and the money. “Wow, thank you so much! I really hope to see you around. Have a great night!” With a final smile and wave, he bounded off the porch steps towards his bike, hopped on, then disappeared down the street. 

After having dinner and exchanging contact information with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, you thanked them for having you over and retired back to your room. Drained, you only had enough energy to make up your bed and unpack your bathroom essentials. You trudged into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, weariness was evident in your dull gaze. ‘Ugh, I can’t wait to sleep,’ you thought as you turned the sink on. The cool water felt refreshing against your skin and livened your senses. You brushed your teeth before retreating to your bedroom and changing into a comfier pair of clothes. 

You checked the time on your phone. How was it only 11 PM? The darkness, coupled with your exhaustion, made it seem at least three hours ahead. You plugged the phone in to charge and set it down on the bedside table. ‘No need to set an alarm,’ you thought, ‘I just wanna sleep.’ 

You took a few minutes to stare at the dark ceiling overhead, thinking about all the new changes coming your way.  New faces, cool food, and exciting places. Hopefully you had some time these first few weeks to explore and familiarize yourself with the city. Excitement mixed with a prick of anxiety as you thought about how you could manage on your own. However, you had faith in your independence. You would be okay. Besides, there were friendly people out here like Yamaguchi, Hinata, and maybe Tsukishima who you could trust if you ever needed help.

It didn’t take long for you to drift off into a deep slumber. You lazily woke up the following morning, yawning with outstretched arms. ‘That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages,’ you thought as you sat up. It was half an hour before noon. The sun shone brightly through your windows, whose curtains were left undrawn. ‘Surprised that the light didn’t wake me up sooner.’ A loud honk made you jump in your seat. ‘Or the noise.’

You drew your legs over the side of the bed and took in the state of your room. Surrounded by stacked boxes and luggage, you were reminded what you came here for. Anticipation collected in your chest. This was the start of the life you’ve been waiting for the past few years. 

‘We’re gonna make the best of this, y/n.’

[rairii]

dumbassrights replied to your post “After the election fraud that happened in Bolivia was uncovered and...”

hey! are you bolivian? can you explain bolivians situation right now? everything i see is outsiders opinions and i know that i can't really trust that. if you can't, thats fine, thank you!

Hello! Yes I am Bolivian, though I currently live in a different South American country, but I’ve been keeping in touch with my family with WhatsApp and I try to keep up with the basic news from back home, so I think I can explain the basics.

The basic start is with Evo Morales, a cocalero (coca leaf grower) who became a politician and came to power as president in 2006. He’s the first indigenous president of Bolivia (he is Aymara), and when he came to power was widely seen as a game changer, destroying the oligarchical, upper white class hold on Bolivian politics. He was received with much fanfare, including from white leftists, who were keen on a president who would enact social reform and change and concentrate on helping reduce poverty and racism. I was too young to vote back then, but the majority of my family voted for Evo. He was... he was hope. It’s hard to explain. We thought it was the turning point. Finally, an indigenous president, someone who knew discrimination first hand and would be able to listen to the many indigenous peoples of our country. Someone who would fight imperialism, and the scars of colonialism.

He managed to do some good things. If I remember correctly, education spending and welfare spending increased, he increased the taxes on many companies, such as hydrocarbons, allowing the state to invest more and have less of a deficit. Bolivia also received an economic boom unrelated to his actions and policies (it had more to do with the price of minerals, since Bolivia is a mining country, and so on and so forth), so for a while poverty did reduce and the middle class grew. He also increased the number of indigenous and campesino (farmer/rural lands) representatives and their influence in politics.

However, as time went on, Evo’s party began to systematically remove any opposition they could, with many political leaders jailed for charges of tax evasion and the like. There is a lot of shady stuff going around that topic, and it’s too much to get into in a short explanation. It turned out that the party sought to remove any rising leadership, even within their party, that could threaten Evo’s dominance. His party also began to stack the legislative branch and pushing new judges through, setting up people who’d be grateful to him and thus legislate in his favor. While this was happening, MAS, the party’s social base, expanded their power and influence in other ways.

Now, the actual constitutional fuckery that angered a lot of leftists. He had the constitution rewritten in 2008 and it was approved in 2009, which had really mixed opinions from people, though I personally liked that he changed the name of “Republic of Bolivia” to “Plurinational State of Bolivia” to recognize the indigenous nations of Bolivia. The constitution maintained its two term limit for the presidency, but the thing was, he claimed that since there was a new constitution, his first mandate/government no longer counted, and he got it approved legally that he could run two more times again, which he did. Which like. What the fuck?

In the process, we began seeing cracks in his pro-indigenous, pro-environmental discourse. For example, he ignored and overulled the indigenous peoples of TIPNIS, a national park and indigenous territory, when they legally stated that they did not want a highway built through their lands, because it would bring in deforestation and cocaleros who are known for deforestation. He basically steamrollered over this, despite indigenous peoples of the TIPNIS walking all the way to the city of La Paz to make protests. He began to approve infrastructure projects that would destroy natural spaces, including hydroelectric dams that can and will flood Madidi, one of the most important national parks and biodeverse areas of Bolivia. And so on and so forth, he began to act in such a way that was at odds with the platform he ran, betraying indigenous peoples and Pachamama (mother earth) at every turn. He also never took any reasonable criticism in stride, blaming it all on American Imperialism.

However, because of MAS’ stronghold and no unity among the opposition, Evo ran two more terms after his first (including the third which really shouldn’t have been legally recognized), and he stated that after his third he wouldn’t stay in power.

If you guessed that he changed his mind or was lying, you’re right.

He called for a national referendum in 2016 for whether he should be allowed to run for a fourth term, but he lost the referendum, which voted “No”, though it was a narrow margin. And instead of respecting the will of the Bolivian people, he ignored it and pushed himself forward as a candidate for the next (these) elections, to the point that he pushed so that the Supreme Tribunal of Justice would rule that the constitution was inconstitutional (wtf) because it did not respect his right to reelection (wtf) and decided that no public office would have a term limit. I hope I don’t have to explain why that is just. A horrible decision for democracy. Term limits exist for a reason. It’s so no one person can get a stranglehold on power. After this it became clear to us that he had become enamoured with power, and was mainly seeking to establish himself in power indefinitely, which well, it pissed a lot of us off. It was heartbreaking too. To see someone we’d pinned our hopes on becoming... a dictator.

This finally brings us to three weeks ago, when the general elections were held. Now, in Bolivia, we have it so that any winner of the presidential elections has to have at least 10% points more than the guy in second place, or we go into a second round of elections between the higher scoring candidates. And as the official electoral authority reported throughout most of the counting process as results came in, Evo didn’t have the 10% lead needed to avoid a second round, and statistically even if the remaining votes were majority Evo, he wouldn’t be able to get the 10% needed. Also, the remaining votes were City votes, and the cities are in general, not Evo supporters anymore. Until at around 80% of all votes counted, the website and reporting of the electoral authority just. Stopped. It cut off. It cut off for 24 hours, during which the government first claimed that oh, it’d had some technical difficulties, and then (this part I actually don’t understand, so I’m paraphrasing what I maybe undersood) claimed that because some voting places had finished counting already, so they wouldn’t have two places reporting results, they stopped the main authority. Which like.

That’s really fucking fishy.

So people were really suspicious, and when the authority began reporting again those 24 hours later, reporting that oh, actually, Evo had won with the required 10%, a lot of people didn’t believe it. This smelled like electoral fraud. So people began gathering to protest because Evo shouldn’t have been running in the first place and now he wanted us to take this lie and swallow it.

Evidence came out over the next few days about electoral fraud: non-Evo vote ballots were found in trash bins, and the official databases of the electoral authority were found to have “irregularities” that all favoured Evo. People got pissed even as Evo claimed that it was imperialist forces and that the counts were all valid and legit and transparent. But the damage was done. Bolivians took to the streets in big numbers to protest and froze the cities, stopping transport and literally putting the cities in a standstill, only letting emergency services and food trucks coming to the supermarkets through so people could live. The protesters in the cities began to get threats, because Evo began trying to sell these protests as “the racist cities trying to stamp the rural vote”, from Evo supporters, that they’d shut the water supplies to the city off. Counter protesters began massing too. Clashes happened. Evo supporters were pushed out of the city of Cochabamba, but they set fire to the grasses around a city landmark and place of pride because they wanted to give a last fuck you. MAS supporters attacked hospitals that had protesters and even the doctors and nurses who weren’t supporting MAS. Photo and video evidence, and people coming forward, showed that the government was paying people to counter protest. The protesters were mostly non-violent, but there were clashes when the police wasn’t able to keep people separated. One mayor near Cochabamba was found to have paid two thugs to beat up protesters, to the point that one young man of 18ish was thought to be dead, and her hair was cut off and she was sprayed red - supposedly by protesters, but now there are cliams of people from her town that it was her own people that did it to make the protesters look bad. (My opinion? It could be either at this point, I don’t know). The protesters wore the Bolivian flag and called for democracy to be respected. The Evo supporters primarily wore the party flag, and got their hands on dynamite that they set off on streets to intimidate protesters. Protesters have died at the hands of Evo supporters - I haven’t heard of one case of dead Evo supporters. The police started to get unhappy, because they didn’t want to throw tear gas at the people protesting. To try and sweeten them, the goverment paid a bonus... but it turned out the bonus money was taken from the police officer’s pension. Police departments began to ... not sure if mutiny is the right word, but to defy the government, in several cities.

At first, people were pushing for a second round of elections, but when we realized that actually, legally, when there is fraud of a significant impact the elections have to be annuled and new ones held, and the people who did the fraud jailed, the movements began to call for new elections completely, with a new electoral authority that could be trusted.

In the meantime, the military was quiet and not sent out to repress anything even after the police began to rebel, with military subordinates presenting letters that they would not repress the people, while it was known that military high command is pro Evo.

While this was going on, the OEA, The Organization of American States, had issued from the start of the 24 hour blackout from the electoral authority that they had concerns about the election process. Evo ended up accepting an audit from OEA representatives, and said that he’d stand by their resolution. When they finally came out with a report saying there were serious irregularities in the election that cast it into doubt, he called it politically motivated, but did call for new elections...

Then the high commander of the military said Evo should resign so that the country can be peaceful again. And a few hours ago Evo presented his resignation to the presidency.

It’s not over by a long shot - we need to establish a transparent, trustworthy electoral process in record time and hold new elections, and people are afraid that Evo will take back his resignation, and Evo incited his supporters in his resignation speech - but we’ve managed to get this far after three weeks of non spot protests.

There’s a lot more going on, a lot of context I’ve skipped, on Evo, on the political opposition - including Camacho, a religious right wing religionalism whose gotten a worrying amount of support with the protests in reaction to Evo’s excesses - but so far, I am proud of Bolivia. We’ve not let a wanna-be dictator establish himself. Now we just need a good left wing leader to help build us up to the promise that Evo gave us, and to stand strong against right wing pendulum reactionaries.

I leave you with the protest chants that spread in Bolivia these past three weeks

Quien se cansa? Who gets tired? NADIES SE CANSA! NOBODY GETS TIRED! Quien se rinde? Who gives up? NADIES SE RINDE! NOBODY GIVES UP! Evo de nuevo? Evo again? HUEVO CARAJO! [Pun involving the word egg, which sounds like Evo, and a swear word that doesn’t have a translation]

[thebibliomancer]

Tides of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 7

Tides of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because I need to get back into it. Being on a trip really kicked me off my momentum. Something about a boat? Some Gelfling?

Last times on book: Amri, Kylan, Tavra, Naia, and new party member Onica set sail on a quest from Aughra and/or the Crystal to unite all the Gelfling clans in resistance to the Skeksis. Presuming the Vapra good and united thanks to the All-Maudra claiming support, the group heads to Cera-Na next to appeal to the Sifa Madura Ethri. On the way, Amri learns some swording and Kylan learns some sailing. A good time is had by all except for all the hurt feelings.

Chapter 7

Amri and co meet with Maudra Ethri but don’t quite get the response they’re hoping for.

"Though Sifa ships may sail alone for many trine at a time, we always return here... and when Omerya is in port, we are all home again,” Onica explained ass he brought them into port and tied the ship to one of the many white coral spires rising from the coastal floor.

Love it. Love the lore. Love the description later of Cera-Na being a forever changing city of ships depending on which ones are at port.

Love the description of the Sifa “looking like wind and fire” due to their red hair sometimes streaked with black or blue or turquoise.

And I love Amri realizing that the Sifa also welcomed Gelfling from other clans as well and recognizing attributes of Spriton or Drenchen or Vapra.

“That is the beauty of Cera-Na, and Sifa tradition. We are bound together not by blood or by the confines of the earth. We are bound together by heart and by the changing wind. If the prophecies and signs say one must become Sifa, one does. We accept that.”

Given that its an explicit trait of the Sifa, I wonder how the other clans view intermarriage. In the comics Mayrin married a Sifa. In the books, Tavra is totally dating one to her mother’s disapproval. Kylan is of mixed Spriton and Stonewood heritage.

Would Rian have faced resistance from her family if Mira hadn’t exploded into goo?

We’re getting descriptions of Gelfling who have heritage in multiple clans like its an unusual thing so I guess the clans marry internally as a matter of course. Castle guarding is an unusual situation that would expose Gelfling to those from other clans. The Sifa interact with a lot of clans due to traveling around.

Anyway.

They run into an old friend of Onica’s, Tae, “a freckled Sifa with golden-red hair” (gosh she sounds pretty) and they get to chatting. Even though Tavra has been hanging in Onica’s hair and whispering to her this entire time, she doesn’t pipe up or identify herself when Tae gives Onica her condolences over what they heard happened to Tavra.

Onica tells Tae that she needs to speak to Maudra Ethri and Tae says she’ll try to arrange it but warns that Ethri has been preoccupied with a dot dot dot guest and with a thief on the loose.

Man, this feels exactly like rolling into town and getting hit by a whole bunch of sidequests all of a sudden. I really wish there was an open world Dark Crystal RPG. Choose a clan to start with to get a neat clan perk, that sort of thing. Alas.

Tae and Onica turn away from the group to have a whispered exchange, annoying Naia greatly, and then Tae scampers up into the Omerya.

She then waves them inside and they follow her through the maze of passageways up to the deck. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, Amri is reminded of Domrak and sees a hearth, thinking to himself thats the common thing between all Gelfling clans, that their center is the hearth before noticing that the hearth is cold and hasn’t had a fire in a long time.

Hmm.

A Sifa came striding from an exit across the deck, every step jangling with metal chimes and bells. She had wild, dark crimson-and-black hair, accented with glittering beads and copper wire, ears strung with gemstone earrings. One of her green eyes sparkled more than the other, catching the light like a stone.

“Gem-Eyed Ethri,” Tae said with a curt bow. “Maudra to the Sifa of Cera-Na.”

She also sounds pretty.

Ethri surprises the non-Onicas by being so young, being the same age as Onica and having grown up with her. And also that her very sparkly eye is actually a gemstone jammed into her head. I guess Gem-Eyed isn’t just figurative language. And if you’re going to need a false eye anyway why not go for the glitter?

The maudra asks what they need to talk to her about and after confirming that Ethri has seen the plot recap flower petals, Naia bluntly asks if the Sifa will join them.

“Join you?” the Sifa maudra asked, as if she didn’t understand the question.

Naia frowned, taken aback. “If you don’t believe us...”

“I believed the instant I saw the dream stitched in the pink petals. But you’re asking me to pledge myself to... what, you? To Aughra and Thra? If I agree to join you, who am I even joining? How will we know when the time is right - is it you who will tell us? Is this a war or an idea?”

Huh. The unite the clans thing is a little short on details actually, yeah.

Amri feels like Maudra Ethri is laughing at them and is about to get confrontational when Onica tells Ethri that its all true, that she saw the dream herself, that Aughra gave them the mission, and that the All-Maudra is on board.

But Ethri says Doubt. Hey if you have the Vapra, why do you need me? And if its so important why didn’t Aughra ask her directly? So this unitification thing is nice and all but Ethri is just going to go do what’s best for the Sifa and the other clans can do whats best for themselves too.

“Be assured?” Amri cried. He bit his lip, trying not to speak out of turn, but he couldn’t help himself. “The Skeksis are eating our people. That’s the long and short of it! Devouring us like moss from the cave wall!”

Ethri waves off his outburst and tells them that she has to get back to her important guest. She dismisses the group, tells them that they can spend as much time as they like in Cera-Na before they dash off to try to convince another maudra, and then asks Onica to stay behind for a word.

Onica tells them to go on ahead, that this isn’t the Ethri she knew and that she’ll try talking to her. An apologetic Tae reappears to show them out.

After the group minus Onica is alone, Tavra finally shows herself (having been transferred to POV Amri when the group was leaving).

Amri asks why she’s been hiding and Tavra replies simply “I don’t want people to know.” Whatever emotion or motive attached to that hidden beneath her usual Tavra stoicism.

Tavra tells the three to return to Onica’s ship and wait there while she sneaks aboad the Omerya and tries to spy out who Ethri’s mysterious guest is. Then in the morning, they’re going to force Ethri to commit to the united Gelfling.

“Force her!” Naia exclaimed, surprised and impressed. “How?”

“You’re not the only one whose mother is maudra. There is a reason the Vapra have led the seven clans since the rise of the Skeksis rule.”

So, look, that sounds like you’re going to try to pull rank on her which I feel is going to go not how you’d prefer.

Anyway, she tells them to stay out of trouble while she’s gone but she should know better by now. When has this group ever listened to her about staying out of trouble? The instant she’s gone, Amri suggests going to the beach (mostly because he’d prefer to be on solid ground instead of a ship).

Amri gestured, away from the Omerya and Onica’s ship. “I think we should do what all good Gelfling do when something strange is afoot in a strange land. Seek answers.”

Naia grinned in agreement. Apparently she wasn’t eager to retire to the ship, either.

“Great,” she said, leading the way. “Let’s find ourselves some trouble.”

See?

Tavra’d be better off instead just point blank asking them what they plan to do instead of listening to her. That way she’ll know where to find them later.

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Camila//this is our place, we make the rules

Request: Camila mendes x reader where they get Madeleine (readers sister) with Vanessa mad they have a double movie date at their house and when r and mads fall asleep V and cami talk about how much they really fell for them

hey! i hope you like this! its gay, fun and fluffy!! also, i don’t know if anybody knows but i l o v e taylor swift, so a good portion of requests will be named after lyrics from her songs, sorry, i don’t make the rules. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ this one is from ‘lover’ by the way (i was heavily influenced by the song and i was feeling soft). anyway, have a good day/night! stay safe, be gay! 

The universe works in mysterious ways. Everyone knows that, its like the universes’s thing. Some people are funny, some people are smart, and some people like to control life every aspect of life in weird ways. When they are actually people, they’re sociopaths, but when its all of space and time, its just one of its cute little quirks. 

People can be connected by something as small as a name, but it can lead to something so big. An invisible tether connecting you to these people, and its something that you don’t even know about until years later when you’re talking about that funny story from ages ago and the other person is like ‘oh, i used to go there all the time’ or ‘how weird, my aunt lives right around the corner of your childhood home and we never met once’. 

And it doesn’t have to be that type of connection. A serious of fortunate (or unfortunate) events can lead you to a whole load of new people. You could walk into the wrong classroom in a new school and meet your best friend, or find a new coffee shop after your usual is closed for the day and meet the love of your life. 

There’s so many ways that you can be connected to people, you never know when you’re going to meet a friend, and enemy, or something more. 

Its both magical and terrifying at the same time. A story waiting to be told, you just have to stand on the right butterfly or tempt just the right amount of fate. 

For you and your sister, Madelaine, you both did exactly that. And thankfully the universe seemed to be on your side. 

One day, she gets a job on the CW’s newest show, and then a few years later, both of you end up with girlfriends from the same show. And while you and Camila may have been fast to get together (within a few months of actually meeting), it took a little longer (and a lot of sisterly teasing) to get Madelaine to admit that she was head over heels for her on-screen girlfriend. 

It was a long and sometimes tedious road for all four of you. Madelaine complaining to you, Vanessa complaining to Camila and then the two of you complaining to each other. You eventually locked them in a room together, something you haven’t done since you were a teenager, and they thankfully got together. 

While Madelaine and Vanessa were playing ‘will they, won’t they?’, you had your own things going on. You and Camila had finally made the step to move in together. And after months of searching for the right house (and one that you could afford), you finally found it. A cute little place tucked into a side street of LA. 

“I think thats everything.” You smile and look around the large living room. Its been a long few months. But they’ve been fun though. When you were younger, you never thought you would actually be here, buying a home with a girl you loved more than anything and who loved you back. 

You and Madelaine would spend hours talking about how you would decorate your own houses. They would be right next door to each other (much to her dismay), with a gate in the back garden so you could come and see each other anytime (again...dismay). Your house would be bright, filled with things you’d collected over the years, flowers and plants would decorate every room, pictures on every wall, and right in the centre, you...with her. 

At the time you had no idea who she was. You just knew she would be there. You would be happy and in love and you wouldn’t care who knew. You wouldn’t be scared, or try to hide. You’d just be you, she’d be her, and the two of you would be together. 

And thats exactly what you got. Funnily enough though, when you think back you’re pretty sure whoever she was, kinda looked a bit like Camila. 

Madelaine’s house is a little different from how she planned when she was 13. Yes, she had the large house and the dogs. But instead of the man, she got the woman instead (much better in your opinion). Which is something it took her a while to get her head around. 

She watched you grow up, figure yourself out and then come out to the world. She saw your struggles and your victories. She wiped your tears when someone was mean, and laughed with you at your first pride together. 

She watched as Camila went through the same struggle after meeting you. She listened to her while she went through every possible scenario that could happen if people found out.

And she watched Vanessa play this badass bisexual on screen, but struggle with the possibility of liking girls behind closed doors. 

Three of her favourite women in all the world, all going through the same experiences. Having the same fears. And then she did the same. Thankfully, all four of you came out the other end stronger and a lot happier. 

You and Camila got together five months after the first time meeting and that was almost three years ago. Madelaine finally admitted how much she really liked Vanessa, due to the looming threat of you telling her yourself if she didn’t, and today marks their six month anniversary. 

That, mixed with your new home is the reason all four of you are hanging out tonight. Its a double movie date, that will definitely end in all of you falling asleep in the living room, slightly drunk. 

“No more boxes?” Camila asks and wraps an arm around your waist. You lean into her touch, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. 

“I think so. I think we’ve officially unpacked everything.” You grin and her expression mirrors yours. She stares at your for a few seconds, just taking everything in, before letting out a content sigh. 

“So we’ve officially moved in?” 

“Yep...we’re home owners.” You press a soft kiss to her lips and the world blurs around you for a few seconds. Thats until the doorbell rings and you have to reluctantly pull yourself away from her. 

“If I’m to go into crippling debt with anybody, its always going to be.” She says sweetly and you giggle before opening the door. 

“Y/N!!” Madelaine shouts and hugs you tightly. You groan, but it just makes her grip tighten as you struggle against her. 

“Hi V.” Camila appears behind you, completely ignoring you and Madelaine, she learnt the day she met you, don’t get in the middle of a Petsch argument...it won’t end well. 

So she starts talking to Vanessa, the two of them having a small catch up, while you struggle away from Madelaine. You huff loudly and straighten your clothes out while she sends you a sarcastic smile. 

“I feel like we haven’t seen each other in weeks.” She says, pushing past you and into the living room. Vanessa passes you, whispering a ‘sorry’ as she follows her girlfriend. 

“Thats not accidental.” You send her a sweet smile and she rolls her eyes at you. 

“Here.” Vanessa interrupts and hands you a small gift bag. “Its a housewarming gift.” 

“Aww.” Camila makes her way over to where you’re stood and the two of you quickly open the bag, revealing a picture of the two of you from the first day you met. You’re stood next to each other, shy smiles and soft blushes barely noticeable to anybody else. But you see them and they make you smile brightly at each other. 

“Thank you.” Camila says and the four of you hug. 

“So.” Madelaine is the first to pull away, now looking around. “My baby sister actually has her own house. Have you drawn all over the walls yet.” She teases and you shove her. 

“Everybody knows it was you that drew on the walls and then you would blame me.” 

“And mom and dad still believe me!” She smiles triumphantly. 

“Yet, I’m still the favourite.” 

“Who knows why, I was definitely the cutest.” She argues. 

“You keep telling yourself that...potato face.” You reply and she sends you a scowl in return. 

“At least I didn’t look like a ham when I was a baby.” She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and she looks exactly the same as she did when you would steal her toys. 

“At least I don’t look like a ham now.” You retort and she gasps, offended. You send her a small smile, happy that you’ve won this round and she continues to glare at you. 

“Aw, its just so nice watching how they love each other isn’t it?” Camila whispers to Vanessa and she stifles a laugh as the two of them watch you insult each other. 

“Tell me about it.” She groans. 

“Do you want a drink?” She asks, motioning to the kitchen. Vanessa looks at the two of you, now actually physically fighting before taking a deep breath and turning back to Camila. 

“...please.” 

----

“Mads! When you’re finished snooping, the movie’s about to start!” You shout into the kitchen. 

You and Cami are cuddled together on one of the sofa’s, while Vanessa waits for Madelaine to come back with the snacks on the other. The empty take out cartons are scattered on the coffee table, and the three of you wait in anticipation for whatever Madelaine brings back, all of you chatting about work. 

“Please tell me someone other than you has chosen it.” Madelaine asks as she walks in. Her hands full of food and drinks and Vanessa quickly stands to help carry them. 

“Cami chose it.” You reply and smile at your girlfriend, reaching out to hold her hand and she gives it a light squeeze, the two of you momentarily forgetting that you have company. You’ve both been dreaming of this night for months, the first proper night in your finished home and now its here you can’t quite believe it. 

“Oh, thank god. You have an atrocious taste in films.” Madelaine says and you’re moment is gone. Your soft expression reserved only for Cami, has now turned into a scowl as you stare at you sister. 

“Well, I watch everything with you in so maybe thats more on you than me.” You say casually and a grin takes over her appearance as she sits down beside Vanessa. 

“Aw, you watch the movies I’m in?” 

“Yeah, the very few that there is.” You snide and she looks at you offended. 

“How many movies are you in?” 

“How many CW shows that are well written are you in?” You reply and its followed by a chorus of offended ‘heys!’ 

“Sorry babe, and V.” 

“And?” Madelaine asks impatiently. You look at her confused for a few seconds before she tuts and looks at the tv. “Why couldn’t mom and dad have just gotten a dog?” She mutters making Vanessa laugh softly. 

“I’m sure they thought the same thing when they found out about you.” You reply. “A dog would certainly have been a lot cuter, and well behaved...and maybe a little more talented to-OW!” 

You’re interrupted by a cushion smacking you square in the face, followed by loud laughter from Madelaine and Vanessa. Cami stifles a laugh beside you and you pout at her for a few seconds. 

“Its a good job you’re cute.” You mumble and cross your arms over your chest, still pouting at Cami and she presses a gentle kiss to your cheek. You reach for the cushion thats fallen on the floor, but before you can throw it at a now distracted Madelaine, Cami grabs it from you and throws it gently to V who puts it back. 

“Don’t even think about it. Those pillows are new.” She scolds. 

“Is everyone ready?” Vanessa asks and you all hum in reply. 

“Wait!” Madelaine shouts. 

“Play the damn movie V.” You say before she has the chance to say anything else. 

“Happily.” She laughs while Madelaine pouts beside her.

Silence settles over the room as the opening titles start. You and Cami cuddle even closer than before and a content sigh slips past your lips. She presses a soft kiss to your forehead while her fingers draw lazy patterns on an exposed part of your arm. 

“Can we always be this close?” She whispers and a blush settles on your cheeks. 

“Forever.” 

“Get a room!” Madelaine groans and Cami throws a pillow at her. 

“I didn’t think it was possible for me to love you more but I do.” You grin and kiss her quickly while Madelaine complains. 

“I thought these were new.” She mocks and the two of you roll your eyes. 

“They are, but this is our house so we make the rules.” 

“And our first rule is for you to shut up.” 

“Thats not a rule, thats an order.” She grumbles to herself and Vanessa pats her shoulder sympathetically. 

“Its okay babe. When we get a house together our first rule can be that they’re not allowed inside.” She mumbles making a small smile appear on her lips. 

----

“Cami.” Vanessa whispers, stretching to kick her gently. She pulls her gaze away from the tv, now nearing the end of the movie, to look at her friend. Vanessa doesn’t say anything, just gestures to Madelaine and then over to you, both of you fast asleep and curled up in exactly the same positions. 

“As much as they annoy the hell out of each, they are literally exact the same.” She laughs as the two of you snore softly. 

“Does Y/n refuse to believe she snores too.” 

“God yes.” Cami snorts a laugh and the two of you stir slightly. Vanessa and Cami continue to laugh as quietly as possible at the two of you, your snoring seemingly getting louder with each breath and it sounds like the two of you are competing with each other. 

“The first time Mads stayed the night, I thought someone was doing road works outside.” Vanessa whispers making Cami wheeze with laughter. 

“Stop it.” She waves an arm around while holding her stomach with the other one. “I’m gonna pee.” 

“Don’t get me started on the peeing. I swear she gets up about three times a night to go. And she turns-” 

“Every single light on!” Camila adds and the two of them laugh loudly again. 

“Yes!” 

“I wake up at 2am thinking its early afternoon because its that bright.” 

“We really fell for them though didn’t we?” Vanessa asks, her tone a lot softer as she glances at her sleeping girlfriend. 

“Yeah...I suppose we did.” Camila replies, brushing a piece of hair from your face. 

“Life works in weird ways doesn’t it?” 

“Definitely.” She nods. “If you’d have told me four years that I’d be a homeowner at 26 with my girlfriend of three years...I honestly would have cried.” She admits making Vanessa frown. “Not for that reason...obviously.” She glances at you. “Its just, I never thought I could be this happy with somebody. But I am. I’m so, unbelievably happy that sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.” 

“If she was awake I don’t know if she would say ‘aw’ or ‘ew’.” Vanessa laughs. 

“Probably a mix of both.” 

“I forgot to ask earlier.” Vanessa starts and Cami reluctantly pulls her gaze away from you. “Does this place feel like a home yet?” 

“Anywhere with her is my home.” 

[albinokittens300]

Cleared Air- Part Six

Pairing: Newtina, Minor Jaqueenie. Rated K.

Summery: When Newt comes to clear the air after Tina sends him a letter confronting him about his “engagement to Leta Lestrange”, he reconnects with his friends in New York (CoG AU)

A/N- Part six, and the last full part, though there will be an epilogue coming in a few days. You will notice this doesn’t really span even a quarter of CoG...and yea. Thats because I have, so many more ideas in this AU and perhaps one day I’ll share them. But for now, after the last little epilogue Cleared Air is finished :). Please enjoy, and leave a reply, reblog or like if you feel like it. Means a whole lot!

The moon is high in the sky when the four of them leave the speakeasy. Newt is well aware he missed his first portkey home, but he couldn't find it in him to care. There would be other ways to get home, but knowing the Ministry, he might not be able to come back to New York for years after this.

Tina holding his hand as they return to the Goldsteins apartment (a development he was trying to keep calm about), and Jacob and Queenie chatting comfortably behind them made any trouble worth it.

For several months Newt was aware he missed the three of them, and now he knows just how much with the looming prospect of leaving them again. The night had been just what they wanted, a night together. They had drinks, Jacob and Queenie had danced quite a lot. He had even been roped into a dance with Tina, a thought that makes his heart skip a beat just thinking about it.

His thumb caresses her hand, and Tina smiles warmly at him.

When they arrive at the Goldstein apartment, Tina seems to pull him towards the living room while Jacob and Queenie go to the table. Newt finds an unreadable expression on her face, and he follows her.

She leads him to the mantle over the fireplace, and pulls down a plain white file. Handing it to him, Tina speaks in a rush. "I didn't know if I should show you this, but. It's something you need to see. This was something I found around the office. Don't ask me how I got it, but if you hadn't been coming when you did, I'd have already gone."

He takes the paper in his hand and can't believe his eyes. In black and white is a picture of Credence with a Circus. The suggestion from the person writing the notes below was that he was headed to Paris. Newt had known there was a possibility he had survived the Aurors last fall...but never had this much reason to believe it even if he had hoped that the small wisp of obscurus had been enough to save him.

Tina speaks up again. "I made a promise to him, Newt, that we would protect him. My plan is to keep it...and I'd like to do that with you, if you want."

Newt takes a deep breath to calm both his nerves and excitement. The question was all too clear, and his answer was as well.

"Well...a promise is a promise. Luckily, I have to be getting back across the pond, anyway. Perhaps you'd like a traveling companion?" Newt says, and Tina beams in response; even a laugh or two escapes from the relief. It had weighed on her all night, asking him to go after Credence with her. The truth was she couldn't think of anyone better to take this chance alongside.

Newt saw her memory of Credence, knew what he had endured. And she knew he would fight for him as fiercely as she would.

Queenie and Jacob seem to notice their conversation. "And the two of you will need some help too, right?" Jacob says. Newt can see it in both their eyes that a visit to a place where they don't have to hide their relationship appeals to Queenie and Jacob too—thinking that seeing a place that doesn't have MACUSAs strict rules might help the two of them.

Tina seems to understand this too, and when she responds, there is less trepidation in her voice. "The more, the merrier."

[pro-fangirls-unsocial-life]

The Duty of a Captain - Part Two

A/N: Hello Everyone! So this is the first fic that I have written like this. Posting chapters once I’m finished with them. I usually try and write the whole thing and then post each chapter on a schedule, but I was just so excited to tell Doc’s story that I thought I’d try this! If you want to be tagged whenever I post a new chapter of Doc’s story, please message me and let me know! Oh! Ad the italics are Docs thoughts (sorry if thats not clear, Im still a learner lol).

Length: ~2600 words (damn I did not mean to make it that long. I thought maybe 1000 lol)

Warnings: mentions of death, blood, abuse, pong krell, angst

Previous

It had taken more time than usual to get all of the field equipment back to the Jedi cruiser Tolerance. With so many men being lost, there were not as many hands to get the usual post battle procedures done and General Krell was not happy with the delay.

 Doc had been called back to the cruiser before the rest of his men down on the surface to deliver the mission report to the Jedi council alongside the Besalisk Jedi. He had finished the troop requisitions and mission report hours ago and had begun helping the others load up equipment when he got the transmission.

 Now, as he held onto the handle of the gunship that had been sent to pick him up, he held his breath. He had never spoken to the Jedi council before, but he had heard stories. He remembered hearing his captain talking about how intimidating it was. How even from across the galaxy, they could feel the slightest thing. How the combined power of all of those Jedi masters was a force to be reckoned with. At least, that is what the general had told his former captain.

He was afraid to face that much power. If the other Jedi were anything like his general, he wanted the meeting with them to go by as fast as possible.

 He imagined what they might be like. He envisioned powerful warriors, all huge and intimidating like his general. With merciless eyes and a scowl that sent fear through the bodies of anyone who dared to look upon it. He imagined their lightsabers never being too far away from their hands, ready to be ignited and run through something or someone at a moment’s notice.

 Doc was pulled from his thoughts when the voice of the pilot came through his comms and he felt the ship being maneuvered into the main hanger. “We’re here sir.” The doors opened as the ship was set down, revealing Krell waiting in the hanger with his arms crossed behind his back.

 “Thanks for the lift Short-stuff,” Doc said as he stepped out onto the metal floor of the hanger.

 “Anytime sir.” The doors to the ship closed behind Doc as he began walking away, his hands reaching up to take off his helmet. “Oh, and sir?”

 Doc briefly stopped and looked up toward the cockpit, his hands halting on the sides of his head as the man stared back at him.

 “Good luck.”

 Doc finished pulling off his helmet, a small smile gracing his features as he gave the pilot a quick nod.

 “CT-5770, start moving! I have a mission report to give and will not be blamed for you making me late.”

 Doc spun around, quickly making his way to follow the general out of the hanger. “Yes, sir. My apologies, sir.”

 Krell dismissively waved his hand, not bothering to look behind him at Doc as he spoke. “Am I correct in assuming that you are ill equipped for this situation?”

 Doc furrowed his brow, thinking through what he had already done. He had already turned in the mission report, and the casualty and damage reports. What more could he do to be prepared? “Excuse me, sir,” he asked, confusion lightly lacing his voice.

 “Feeble minded clones,” Krell muttered under his breath. He stopped and spun around, looming over the captain. “You have never given a mission report to any Jedi before? Correct?”

 Doc swallowed and stood straighter, coming to attention. “Yes, sir. That is correct, but all troops are trained on Kamino to be knowledgeable about—”

 “Enough. I do not care about the laboratory that bred you or what you claim to know. Since you have never done it, let me give you some rules that I expect you to follow exactly. Is that understood?”

 “Of course, sir.”

 “Good.” Krell turned back around and kept walking toward the bridge. “You are to stand behind me at all times unless told otherwise. Understood?”

 “Yes, sir.”

 “You will remain silent and will only speak when spoken to directly by myself or the council.”

 “Yes, sir.”

 “When you are asked a question, you stick to the description of the battle that I give. The council does not have time to listen to your view of the smaller picture. Is that clear?”

 Doc hesitated for a moment. “Why would the battle descriptions be different?”

 The door to the bridge whooshed open and Krell walked up to the command table. “Do I make myself clear CT-5770,” Krell snapped over his shoulder.

 “Yes, sir,” Doc said, the hesitation still apparent in his voice.

 Krell threw a cold look over his shoulder as he stepped back, waiting for the transmission to begin. “Good.”

 Doc felt a shiver run down his back as he came to attention behind Krell. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, afraid that the Jedi council would be able to sense his fear of them. Or worse, that Krell would be able to sense his unease about his presence alone.

 “Incoming transmission from Coruscant, sir.”

 “Put it through.”

 Nine blue figures suddenly appeared on the table and Doc’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise before he catches himself and returns to a neutral face.

 They don’t look anything like Doc had imagined them. All of them are wearing soft looking robes with their hands resting gently in front of them. Their lightsabers are tucked away, either out on a hip, or hidden within the fabrics they wear, far away from the hands that might wield them.

 They do not dress like warriors, not wearing any armor. Those that do only wear basic arm and leg guards.

 None of them look particularly threatening, especially considering that one is not even as tall as Doc’s knee.

 They all share the peaceful demeanor and kind eyes that one would find in the company of an old friend.

 “This can’t be right,” he thinks to himself. “This has to be some kind of trick to get me to slip up. Jedi aren’t kind.”

 Krell does a small bow. “Shall we wait for the other three members of the council to arrive, Master Yoda?”

 Doc once again has to keep himself from making a face when the small creature directly across from Krell speaks.

 “Masters Shaak Ti, Kenobi, and Billaba, busy they are with other matters. Hear your report without them, we will.”

 “That’s Grand Master Yoda? The head of the Jedi Council? The Jedi who leveled nearly one thousand battle droids by himself?”

 “Very well,” Krell said. “The mission was a success. The planet Castell is now under Republic control and a treaty has been drafted for the mining resources that the planet possesses. They have also agreed to a Republic base being built there should we desire it.”

 The Jedi to the left of Master Yoda shifts. “Yes, however this battle did take longer than expected. This has set our timeline for the entire system back.”

 “I am aware, Master Windu.”

 “And, many casualties your battalion has suffered,” Yoda said gravely.

 “Yes,” Krell considered. “There were some… unforeseen circumstances that could not be avoided.”

 “Liar.”

 “Hmm. A new captain you have gained I see,” Yoda said as he gestured to Doc.

 Doc stiffened, the fear he had before returning to him.

 “Yes,” Krell said. “The previous captain was killed on this campaign.”

 “Hmm.” Yoda brought his hand up to his chin as he looked over Doc. “Step forward Captain.”

 Doc swallowed and stepped forward, his body never leaving attention as he stared directly in front of him.

 All the eyes of the council were on him. He could feel them looking over him, taking in everything that they could see of his fear filled body.

 “What is your name trooper?”

 “My designation is CT-5770, sir,” he replied stiffly, not turning his eyes away from directly in front of him to look at the Jedi who had addressed him.

 “Your name son,” came a different voice. It was soft and gentle, like the person it came from actually cared.

 Doc faltered slightly, turning toward the voice to face the Kel-Dor Jedi. “It’s- It’s uhh, Doc, sir,” he said cautiously before turning back to attention.

 “Please, at ease be Captain.”

 Doc looked back at Krell and was met with a neutral face, giving him no indication to stay at attention. Looking back at Yoda, he awkwardly shuffled into a stiff parade rest.

 “Captain Doc,”

 Doc’s eyebrows shot up at the sound of his name being said by someone other than his brothers before he quickly forced them back down, hoping that none of the Jedi noticed. All of them did.

 “Agree with Master Krell’s description of the battle, do you?”

 “No.”

 “Yes, sir,” he said without hesitation, his fear of disobeying Krell’s rules pulsing in the back of his mind.

 The council hesitated for a moment, all of the members on it exchanging quick glances before looking back at Doc.

 “I sense much fear in you Captain,” the Kel-Dor Jedi said lightly.

 Doc sucked in a breath, trying to quiet his mind.

 The Kel-Dor leans forward, pointing at Doc. “You mustn’t be afraid to tell us information that we may not be pleased to hear.”

 “Yes,” Yoda says. “Tell us the truth you must, so that better prepared we can be for future battles.”

 Doc swallows, looking between the three Jedi who look at him with questioning faces.

 “I do not fear telling you the truth Master Jedi,” he lies as he looks at each member of the council.

 “So then Captain, tell us,” Windu says. “Do you agree with Master Krell’s description of the battle?”

 Doc hesitates for a moment, looking back at Krell and seeing hard eyes staring back at him. He takes a deep breath, turning his attention back toward Master Windu.

 “Well… I…” He quickly looks down, before bringing his head back up high.

 The members of the council lean forward, urging him to finish his thought.

 “I do think that there were ways we could have avoided so many casualties had we tried… different strategies.”

 The Jedi all look at each other, nodding. “Then discuss that with your general, you will,” Yoda says.

 He looks at Krell, whose expression Doc cannot see. “A discussion with your new captain, you will have. Then reassess the information you give in reports, you will. A discussion with you, I will have at a later date. Talk about what you and your captain agreed on, we will.”

 Krell’s voice cuts through the tight tension that has taken over the bridge as the deck officers take turns staring at the meeting. “Yes, master.”

 “Very good.” Master Windu looks around at all of the Jedi, who give him a soft nod. “Your next assignment will be transmitted to you within a few days. In that time, you are to travel to Kamino to pick up your new troopers.”

 “Understood.”

 Windu nodded at Krell and then Doc. “May the Force be with you.”

 One by one, the blue images of the Jedi faded out until only Yoda remained. “Much fear there is in you young one,” he said as he pointed at Doc. “Know not what it is you fear, but learn to control it, you must. Yes.”

 Doc looks at the ground before looking back at Yoda, nodding his head. “I will try sir.”

 “You will. Of that, certain I am.” He gives one final smile to Doc, and then his image disappears.

 Doc steps back from the table and instantly spins around toward his general, frantically trying to apologize. “Sir, I am so sorry. I didn’t know that they would—”

 Doc yelps as a huge arm hits him hard across the face, sending him tumbling backwards onto the ground. His helmet clatters as it hits the ground and is sent flying across the floor.

 He can feel his left eye pulsing as blood rushes to the area that was hit. He looks up to see his general towering over him with rage filling his eyes and a snarl covering his face.

 “Sir, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

 “You will stand at attention when you speak to me clone!” Krell’s voice booms out across the silent bridge.

 Every pair of eyes stares at him in fear, while breath is held in anticipation.

 Doc begins pushing himself off of the floor, sucking in a sharp breath. “Yes, sir,” he says meekly.

 He comes back to attention, looking up at the furious Jedi, before Krell’s left arm comes up to backhand Doc once again, sending him to the floor.

 “How dare you embarrass me in front of the council!”

 Doc begins standing up once again, trying to come to attention. “I’m sorry sir! I didn’t mean to—”

 He feels Krell’s fist on his face again before he can fully get up and is sent to the floor once again.

 “Consider this a warning clone,” Krell says, his voice a menacing growl. “You will learn your place. Understood?”

 Doc brings his hand to his lip as he slowly gets up. He pulls it away to see blood on his glove before pulling his hand down to come to attention. He looks up at Krell defiantly, his left eye already beginning to swell and obstruct his vision. “Yes, sir.”

 Krell looks around at the troopers on the bridge that have been staring at them with wide eyes. “Understood?”

 As quick as lightning, they all snap to attention before saying in unison, “Sir, yes sir!”

 With that, Krell turned and began storming out of the bridge, stopping just before he got to the door. He turned around walking back up to Doc and getting in his space. “I still expect those reports to be filled out on time, Captain.”

 “Of course, sir,” Doc says, keeping his voice level.

 He watches Krell leave before looking around at the shocked and terrified faces of his brothers. He sighs, bringing his hand back up to his bleeding lip. “It’s alright,” he says softly, trying to comfort them. “Everyone just try to get back to your work so that this day might end a bit better than it began.”

 He looks around, seeing all of the fear on his brothers faces as they silently turn back to their duties. None of them are much older than him. Maybe three of the men he can see are the same age as him, but the rest are all younger.

 He sighs, trying not to think about how terrified they must be. He needs to be strong for them like his brothers were for him when he first began the never-ending nightmare of serving in the 904th.

 “Lieutenant,” he says.

 “Yes, sir?”

 “I am going to go to the med bay. Could you have someone go to the captain’s quarters and bring the data pad here? I am going to work on the bridge once I am done.”

 “Of course, sir.”

 Doc gives a small smile. “Thank you.” He lowers his voice. “Have someone notify me once the General has returned to his quarters for the night cycle. Once it has been cleared with me, begin phase one of the geode protocol. Can you do that?”

 The lieutenant pulls back, his eyes lighting up slightly at the mention of the secret order. “Of course, sir.”

 Doc puts his hand on the trooper’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “Thank you.” He began to walk out of the bridge, stopping to turn back toward the lieutenant. “Comm me if anything is needed. Got it?”

 “Yes, sir.”

 With that, Doc began his walk toward the medbay, his lip dripping blood onto his plain white armor the entire time.