#i will play the girl and and nice kid and the underling and whatever else you need

[carp-esh-ove-lem]

also sorry theres no rage in me at all. i'm sorry there's no fight. idk what happened man. ik i should probably make an effort to be angry even if it doesnt generate naturally but im a bad person like that i guess. sorry the large injustices of the world and the small unlucks of my life are hardly ever met back with any force of will. sorry about the exhaustion and the acceptance. and sorry about being forever more comfortable with taking the things that hurt for perpetuity instead of doing anything to change them. thats my bad bro

[consumeconstantly]

Not a Saint or a Hero

Summary: To civilians, Ladybug is a hero. In the eyes of the law, Ladybug is a vigilante at best, and a villain at worst. 

______________________________________________________

Conquering the Parisian underworld is child’s play for Ladybug and her partner, Chat Noir. The ex-boss of the Parisian underworld, code name Hawkmoth, may have been good at pushing drugs and ruining people’s lives, but he was woefully incompetent at... basically everything else. Which meant that other than Hawkmoth and his direct underlings, there really wasn’t much of a structure at all that Ladybug had to be worried about. No cohesive unit, fighting as one, just easy pickings and an even easier way to convince the drug dealers, homeless, illegal fight rings, and various other under the radar activities to band together to topple Hawkmoth’s empire. 

Ladybug, after all, had experience with overthrowing established mafiosos. She did it once in Wenzhou at her mother’s side, another time in Beijing because somebody made the mistake of trying to push her into prostitution, and twice in Italy with her grandmother, code name Befana.

“Do you really have to leave, m’lady?”

Ladybug shrugs. “I trust you and the team to keep things up and running. We had a good run, but there’s a good structure in place now and Befana wants me to go with her to another country.”

Nobody says no to Befana, not unless they’re bullet proof. Ladybug may have high quality Kevlar sewn into every outfit she wears, but even she isn’t the biggest fan of the impact of a bullet. Depending on the gun, broken ribs are a kindness.

“I know you don’t get along with Queen Bee, and almost everyone else is out of the country, but you’re not going to say goodbye to Rena or Carapace?”

“It’s not like I’m going to be gone forever. Just a few months. A year at most.”

“Promise me you’ll come back, m’lady?”

Ladybug puts a hand on her partner's shoulder. “You know I can’t make promises like that.”

Chat pauses, dull thud of the rave music filling in their silence. 

He swirls the whiskey in his glass. “Stay safe, Bug. Play it smart.”

“I always do.”

#

It comes as no surprise that Befana dumps her in the middle of one of the most crime infested cities world wide without a backwards glance. Her granddaughter is grown up now, after all. 

“Have fun, darling. Black Mask is particularly nasty, make sure to watch out for his assistant, she’s very sharp.” Befana pulls away from the nonexistent curb— nonexistent because there’s no sidewalks in the slums of Gotham, at least, not many of them in good enough conditions to have curbs or whole piece of cement to walk on— and leaves Marinette all on her lonesome with a backpack, a key to a cheap apartment.

Marinette eyes the broken bottles leading to the entryway of her new building and the boarded up windows. Across the street, there’s two women smoking and conversing in hushed tones.

“Well,” Marinette mutters underneath her breath, shifting the straps of her only worldly possessions. “It’s definitely quieter than I expected.”

“Hey, new girl,” one of the women in the group calls out to her. “What’re you in for?”

“School. This is the cheapest apartment I could find.”

The woman exchanges a glance with one of her friends. 

“You’re better off finding a more expensive apartment elsewhere. This isn’t a place for someone like you.”

An excellent line for Marinette to begin to fish for information. “What do you mean by that?”

“This is disputed territory, now. If you can’t afford to stay somewhere else, you better stay with whoever just dropped you off.”

Marinette fidgets. Gina is long gone. Grandmother or not, even though Gina is undoubtedly loyal and will never hurt her, she believes that the best way to inspire growth is through adversity. Like now. The only information she got out of Befana was that she had to figure out a way to keep Gotham in line… whatever that meant. “She’s not going to come back. I guess I’ll just have to try my luck.”

“You really got nowhere else to go?”

“No. I’m from abroad.”

“That explains the accent,” says the one holding a beer bottle. “Then listen up, girlie. If you wanna survive, there’s three rules you’ve gotta learn. One. Don’t cross the Black Mask. Two. Don’t cross Red Hood. Three. Don’t sell to children.”

“Sell to children?”

“Well, I don’t suppose you’d be doing it anyways, given the whole,” she motions to Marinette’s body with a cigarette, “but Hood goes after anyone who sells drugs to kids real bad. Worse than if you fuck him over with anything the Black Mask’s doing, anyways.”

“Red Hood doesn’t sound like that bad of a guy, then.” Maybe she’ll look into a collaboration with him.

The woman with the beer bottle laughed. “Oh honey, you’re a saint. Don’t go fostering any dreams. You just stay away, hear?”

“I hear you,” Marinette says.

But they got something wrong. 

Marinette isn’t a saint, and never has been.

#

The walls of her crappy one bedroom apartment are thin enough to hear the baby upstairs scream at ungodly hours. If it’s not the baby waking her up, her neighbors in the apartment to her right are fucking very, very loudly. The apartment below her blasts rock music at all hours, the apartment to her right is likely selling drugs, given that she sees at least fifteen different people come in and out each day, and they always have a vaguely dazed look in their eye. She hasn’t heard anything from the apartment across, but she’s sure they’ll start up some noisy activity that Marinette doesn’t particularly want to hear soon enough.

She really got pampered in Paris, didn’t she?

Marinette lived a life of relative luxury whenever she stayed with her parents, instead of Gina. While in Beijing and Chongqing with Tom and Sabine, Maman did all of the heavy lifting for her. Well, Beijing had ended rather disastrously, and they had to make a quick getaway, but at least in Chongqing, Sabine managed to get rid of the prostitution ring. 

Back in Wenzhou, Catania, and Bologna, Gina took the reins, and it always turned out to be a sink or swim sort of situation. First off was her mother’s birth place, which had an astonishingly high crime rate and definitely explained why Sabine Cheng was so adept at self defense, and once they were there, of course they had to reform the fight rings. In Catania and Bologna, Gina practically threw her at two of the lowest rank mafia groups and told her to use them to bring order to the warring mafias. During those years, Gina didn’t make a front like Sabine and Tom did, purchasing a bakery and running a business to aid their more behind the scenes work. No, with Gina, it was either war of peace, and there was nowhere in between.

Which, of course, meant that Marinette rarely got to stay in nice rooms or pursue hobbies like sewing or drawing or anything, really.

Now that she is of age, Marinette could potentially try to wrest herself out of Befana’s influence, but that’s almost a laughable thought. Befana has eyes and ears everywhere. If she wants to escape the rat race of reformation, Marinette needs to gather power. 

The best thing she can do for now is try to figure out the situation in Gotham. If it’s not particularly bad, maybe she’ll have an easy time of it, and figure out how to disappear herself. She’s not totally opposed to the whole making-criminals-act-within-the-bounds-of-morality thing, but it’s gotten pretty tiring. Not repetitive, necessarily, but after experiencing an almost normal life in Paris, Marinette does want to have the privilege of not having to worry about her life every hour. Maybe she can even start up a little boutique. 

Marinette dumps most of the contents out of her bag, only leaving her wallet, a knife, and her trademark yo-yos. 

“Maybe I can go back to Paris, eventually.” She has become very fond of the city; the first place where she took fate into her own hands, where her mother and grandmother didn’t push her to reform the underworld. The first place where she chose to change the world around her. The first place where she saw things through from start to finish. The first place she formed her own team. 

The power of change is both incredibly addicting and terrifying. She sort of gets why Befana roams the world, looking for the next place she wants to shake things up in. But Marinette can’t get addicted. This is going to be her last city, then she’s going to return to Paris and settle down. She’ll leave city beautification to the so-called vigilantes that almost every city has acquired, save Paris.

Oh wait, she supposes that Ladybug and Chat Noir were-- and Chat still is-- a type of vigilante back home. But as it stands now, it will be more correct to refer to them as heads of the Parisian underworld; they definitely don’t work on the side of the law, but she and Chat made sure that drug deals were more… regulated. That deaths and the induction of children into such a dark world were curbed. That if people really wanted to get out, they could.

All of that doesn’t matter. Not in the eyes of the law at least. Parisian citizens love the duo for helping keep crimes off the streets and for banning the particularly strong strain of drug that Gabriel called AKUMA off the market, but the Parisian police? She and Chat both have targets on their head. Their whole team does.

She eyes the apartment across from her. There’s blood on the door handle. It’s a good thing that Sabine and Tom never tried to instill those odd customs of ‘house warming’ and ‘getting to know her neighbors’ that most other people teach their children. In good neighborhoods, it’s important to have a cordial relationship with whoever’s living next door. In neighborhoods like these? It’s even more important.

But rule number one of pissing people off? 

Coming over uninvited.

Marinette doesn’t bother locking the door behind her. 

#

“New to the neighborhood?”

Apparently, it really is bizarre for her to have moved into this apartment complex. She’s come across a grand total of five people during her week here, and every single one of them stopped whatever they were doing in order to take a closer look. 

Marinette knows that this is a disputed area. She looked into the two women’s words the day she arrived. But, for a disputed area, everything is remarkably quiet. No fights, nobody on the streets, most people keep indoors, unless they’re out for a smoke, to throw out the trash, or are going to or coming back from various activities outside of the block.

What’s even more odd is that all of her neighbors seem to know each other intimately. Or at least, intimately enough to know that she doesn’t belong there.

“Yeah,” Marinette says, ready to leave this conversation behind. She doesn’t bother getting information out of the people who are in her apartment complex or on this block. To be more accurate, she tried with one of the first people she came across, but it was apparent that someone encouraged them to be tight lipped with information. 

Given the current information she has, she thinks it’s more likely that the one who gave that order is Red Hood, rather than Black Mask.

“Been here a week.” The guy lights his joint and breathes out. “Not so new anymore.”

Over the years, she’s gotten used to the smell of marijuana, though she can’t say she likes the scent. She’ll take cigarettes over weed any day.

“You could say that.”

“Don’t suppose anybody’s laid out the rules for you yet, have they?”

Maybe this will make things easier for her. Mostly, she’s just settled into her apartment over the past seven days. There's no need for her to immediately get to work, and she does enjoy comfort. Taking down criminals is hard work. She wants to come back to an apartment that doesn’t look awful and lets her relax. So what if she spent most of her money on an expensive mattress and a coffee machine? She’s an adult now. Nobody can tell her what to do. (Except for Befana.) “No, not really.”

“Tina and Audrey give you a crash course?”

“Mostly just warned me not to sell to children.”

The man barks, smoke spitting into the stale air. “Some of the best advice around. Let me tell you, Black Mask might have more manpower, but Red Hood has rage. Cross Black Mask by gypping him, he’ll send a lackey after you. Fuck with children, Red Hood himself will come for you.”

He pauses, evaluating her appearance. 

“Though you look like a child yourself. Mighty pretty too. lucky girl. Hood will protect you if you stay around these parts, but if you go south on the diagonal, you’ll be in bad territory. Plenty of prostitution rings around there.”

“Thought this was disputed territory.”

“Not really. Anywhere Hood has claimed is said to be disputed because Mask hates his guts and keeps sending goons to these areas. But anyone who’s dealing under Mask aint gonna take the risk of their lives just to branch out to these spots.”

“Sounds like Red Hood is pretty well liked around these parts, then.”

Perhaps she’ll look into working with him. From what she’s heard of the guy and what she’s found trawling the dark web, his morals seem to align with her own. A little bit more temperamental than she’d like, a little too quick to kill, rather than apprehend, but Gotham prisons seem to have jailbreaks every other week, so she can understand why it may be easier just to make every encounter a one and done.

“Liked?” Blunt finished, he flicks the stub into the dirt, crushing the embers under foot. He wipes his mouth with the scarf around his neck. “Like isn't the question in Gotham, Frenchie.”

Marinette inwardly cringes. She’s tried to minimize her accent because it makes natives distrust her, or think they can take her for a loop. Most people she’s come across accept her as one of their own, but apparently she hasn’t been doing as well as she thought she was. Maybe this is why people seemed a little more reluctant with any information.

“When it comes down to it, liking means nothing. It’s who you trust to watch your back.” He fumbles in his pockets, pulling out another blunt. Marinette notices that his fingers are fairly heavily bandaged and that the man is shaking slightly. Medicinal marijuana, maybe. “Wouldn’t trust that Mask farther than I can throw him. And he used to be a wrestler, so he’s a fat bastard. At least you can trust Hood not to cross you as long as you don’t cross him first.”

Lighting the tip, his eyes sharpen. “You seem like the trustworthy sort. Active, too. I’ll leave you with one more piece of advice. If you ever run into Hood? Don’t mention two things: the Joker, and Batman.”

“I doubt I’ll ever run into him,” Marinette lies. 

The man laughs. “I’m a Gotham native, Frenchie. I can tell what kind of person you are. You’ll be meeting him soon, I know. Hood needs someone to watch his back, and you? You need someone to keep your head above water.”

He flicks the ash off the blunt and turns his back on her, and Marinette can’t tell whether he’s showing her respect or belittling her.

#

 Two weeks into her stay in Gotham and Marinette has finally collected enough information about her surroundings to feel confident about going out as Ladybug.

Guns are infinitely more available here in America than they were back in France, which means she needed more than one costume, and an upgrade to her current one. High quality kevlar is good and all, but it’s heavy, and not everyone in Gotham is high off their minds using AKUMA. Replacing kevlar with polythene, now that it’s available to her, is only a natural decision. She has to be more careful here in Gotham. Not only does she have no support network, she’s also highly inexperienced with the terrain. She’s at a disadvantage here.

With a combo polythene and kevlar bodysuit, a crop top with her signature ladybug embroidery on the backside, an all black domino mask, and a utility belt with two yo-yos , knife, and emergency medical supplies, she’s as ready as she ever will be to witness the nightlife first hand.

And just like in Paris, Wenzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Catania and Bologna, she doesn’t have to go far to find the trouble.

Befana has told her multiple times that Marinette is like a lucky charm for problems. Judging by the amount of time she’s gotten herself into sticky situations unintentionally, she’s inclined to agree, though she’d call herself more of an unlucky charm.

She doesn’t bother speaking, instead hurling one yo-yo at the guy who’s trying to tie up a girl half her age and the other yo-yo at the wheels of his car, to make sure he can’t make a quick getaway.

Ladybug may not use guns, but she never said that her weaponry wasn’t tricked out; yo-yo knocks the guy up the head, sending him down for the count, and yo-yo two slashes through the rubber tire. The man waiting in the car rolls down the window to shoot. Ladybug rolls her eyes. Dumb and dumber. She’s not sure whether he’s trying to preserve his windows or doesn’t realize that rolling down his window leaves him open for her own attacks.

Reeling back in yo-yo one. She hurtles it through the window, presses a button, then ducks. The head of the yo-yo detached and shocks the driver.

“Need help getting home?” Ladybug asks the girl who’s currently edging away from her. 

“Who are you? Why did you help me?”

Ladybug shrugs. She’s never been particularly good at explaining herself; Chat took care of most of the conversions within Hawkmoths retinue. She’s good at making the occasionally public statement and making sure people she’s close to don’t stray, but strangers? Most people back in Paris just trusted her blindly, and she never had to think about how to present her reasoning.

She takes two sets of zip ties out of her pack, then restrains her first victim. After she slaps a patch on the tire-- if she is going to take this girl home, she certainly doesn’t want to walk her back in this neighborhood, and judging by the size of the van, there are probably a few people in the back she’ll need to free as well. Ladybug moves on to tie up the guy in the car, back towards the girl. “If you don’t want my help, that’s fine too.”

As soon as she turns, there’s a sharp intake of breath. “You’re with Hood, then.”

Not yet. “M not, actually. Never met the guy. What makes you say that?”

A bout of nervous, high pitched laughter. “The red, maybe. Or, I don’t know, the fact that he’s here and not knocking you out?”

Ladybug whirls, trying to see where the infamous vigilante is. True to the girls word, he is just a little ways down the alleyway they’re currently in, looking, for all intents and purposes, not about to kill her. How pleasant. Better than she was expecting; his temper precedes him, and she was expecting to have to fight with the guy before even dreaming about having a civil discussion with him.

He doesn’t have his hands on his guns, which she takes as a good sign. Taking a good look at him she’s almost surprised that he’s calming himself the Red Hood instead of the Red Helmet, but she supposes the former sounds better.

“Let me finish tying that one up,” Ladybug says.

Red Hood grunts in response.

“So you are working together,” the girl concludes.

Ladybug shrugs again, tapping another button to reattach the head of her yo-yo and grabbing the keys and phone from the driver’s pocket. She pops the back of the van. There are three girls tied up in the back. 

Her knife makes quick work of the bonds that restrain them. The girls take the duct tape off their mouths themselves; she feels a deep disgust of the men that are currently knocked unconscious. Not only are they traffickers, but they’re new traffickers. Inexperienced. Duct tape isn’t used most times because it damages the goods. Either that, or they’re organ dealers, because people don’t need the bodies to look pretty when they just want the innards. Judging by the fact that all of the people in the back are girls, she’ll put money on the first one.

“You going to let me drive these girls back before we have our talk?”

“Fine,” Red Hood bites out, moving to sit shotgun. “You move one finger out of line, and I’ll shoot.”

Ladybug tosses the unconscious body out of the driver’s seat.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

@jasonette-july-2k20

[nikosarc]

break my soul in two looking for you (but you’re right here)

hello here’s a silent knight drabble because i’m weak. pls be nice i’ve never written for neo and the last time i wrote for jaune was a thousand years ago, it’s not good but i did my best dammit. title comes from the song coney island by taylor swift.

It was getting a bit too crowded in the belly of this demon whale for Neo’s liking. Salem’s faction had already been larger than the mute girl had been anticipating. That in itself was irritating – going from Cinder’s partner to another cog in Salem’s machine, an “asset” didn’t sit right with Neo. Then came the young boy Salem called “Ozma.” Neo had to shut her ears and eyes to his torture on a daily basis. She’d give the kid this – his will was strong.  

Next one of the guys she’d fought when she’d stolen the relic – which she still hasn’t gotten credit for by the way - the one with black hair she’d tricked by turning into the ginger girl. That had been entertaining for a brief moment, but he’d been alone so it made for an easy takedown. He was being held elsewhere – alive, for now as incentive to make the boy talk, but that could change given recent developments.  

Recent developments being the newest addition to the whale. The blonde one. For some reason she’d pegged him as being smarter than his teammate. Neo was perceptive, it was her specialty, actually. She could tell the black-haired boy was weak mentally, emotionally, that was why she targeted him, and it was why, she’d wager, he came here impulsively looking for his kidnapped comrade and perhaps the relic.  

She didn’t think anyone else would be stupid enough to follow, not alone anyways, but then came this one. He’d put up a better fight, but he couldn't take on even the lowest of Salem’s underlings, not by himself.  

And she was his babysitter. Mercury was watching the other one and Hazel was probably keeping an eye on the child, probably eagerly awaiting his next approval to beat the kid to a pulp. And maybe they were delighting in their tasks, but Neo was bored. She couldn’t exactly tease or mouth off to him. Well, she could, but it wasn’t like he’d understand her. So they just...stared at each other. Or rather, she stared. He’d glance up at her with eyes full of contempt every so often but for the most part he seemed content to stare up at the ceiling or down in his lap. But she studied him with watchful eyes.  

He was quiet, pensive. Probably thinking of an escape plan for himself and his comrades. He was a smart guy, surely he realized Salem didn’t need two reasons to convince the kid to talk. Kill one while he watches to show him her threat is serious; Oscar would be willing to do anything to protect the one left alive. Their window was closing fast, and he must realize that, but Neo also knew these boys had plenty of other friends who could come to their aid if they were stupid enough.  

And attachments certainly had a way of making people stupid.  

He was still as a statue for the most part, the only subtle movements he made every so often occurred when he rubbed the fabric of his scarlet sash between his fingers. The bright red stood out against the darkness of the rest of his outfit and the pristine white of his armor like a sore thumb. The longer she stared at it, the more a memory itched at the back of her mind.  

A girl with fire-engine-red hair and a sash around her waist to match. She’d carried her team throughout the Vital tournament, Neo remembered, though she’d never gotten the pleasure of fighting her. She’d been Cinder’s pawn, the spark that would be used to ignite the world. She’d met her fate – her destiny – that night.  

He was one of her teammates, the sash must have been hers. Neo wasn’t the only one who lost someone when Beacon fell, it seemed, and she wasn’t the only one who still carried a piece of them with her. The thought was enough to make the small woman unconsciously reach up, her fingers ghosting over the velvety brim of her hat – Roman's hat. She frowned, the color draining slightly from each of her heterochromatic eyes, and when she looked back up she was horrified to learn that the tables had turned. He was now staring at her. If the realization in his cerulean eyes was anything to go by, Neo would wager he’d put two and two together.  

She glared at him, color and intensity returning to her eyes. She didn’t want his pity, and he sure as shit wasn’t getting any from her.  

“You really cared about him, didn’t you?” His voice was hoarse – with emotion, misuse, or weariness, she couldn’t tell, nor did she care enough to find out.  

Believing he wouldn’t understand her anyway, she answered via sign language. “He was my only friend” her scowl deepened as she went on. “And your friend killed him.”  

His deep blue eyes shifted from moderate compassion to confusion to anger in a matter of moments. She didn’t register what that must mean until after he’d already said “Guess that makes us even, then” in a bitter voice.  

Neo froze. A moment passed before she shook off her surprise and signed, “You understand me?”

Some of the anger left his eyes as he replied calmly, “My sister taught me a little.” He didn’t elaborate, and Neo found herself wanting to ask, but first she felt the need to defend herself.  

“Cinder is not my friend.”

“Coulda fooled me.”  

Neo frowned. “She’s not. We just want the same thing.”

He was silent for a moment. She could see him translating in his head but even after that there was a noticeable pause. “Revenge.” He nods, and Neo bristled slightly at the idea that this guy thinks he’s got her all figured out. “It won’t change anything. It won’t - won’t bring him back.”

Neo glared daggers at him. Maybe not, but it’s all I have left. She didn’t dare sign those words, but the look on his face told her that he was reading her like an open book, and she quickly looked away, not wanting to see the sympathy in his eyes. She didn’t want it – didn't deserve it. When she went to sleep at night, she had dreams about murdering his friend, why on earth would he look at her like that?

“And even if it did, Ruby didn’t kill him.”  

She gave him a sharp look at that, and if looks could kill he’d already be dead. Did he think she was stupid? Some dumb little girl that didn’t know how to enact revenge properly? Ruby was the last person to see Roman alive before he died. Whatever happened up there, it was her fault he was gone.  

“I know she’s my friend and I’m sure you think I’d say anything to defend her, but you can trust me when I say Ruby’s not like that. She’s all about protecting life, she’d never kill anyone.”  

She scoffed at that. Trust me. Neo didn’t trust anyone – the only person she’d ever extended that courtesy to was dead. What had this golden-haired stranger with his earnest ocean eyes and sincere voice done to earn her trust?  

There was silence for a moment and then, “From what she told me,” he began, sounding, for all accounts, like he was simply thinking out loud. “He got swallowed by a grimm.”  

That statement hung in the air for a moment, the implications of that fact not lost on either of them. They both knew who controlled the grimm, and they both knew who was there that night that served her.  

Neo had no reason to believe him – or Ruby. But an annoying voice in the back of her head reminded her that she had no reason to believe Cinder, either. She’s been here long enough to see how things – these people – worked. Salem wrapped her followers up in her honeyed words and grand promises. She was manipulative and Cinder was molded in her image.  

Neo huffed and turned away from Jaune before crossing her arms. She didn’t want to think about this. She was fine where she was, she was on her way to getting what she wanted, who did this boy think he was to come in here and put doubts in her mind?

She could hear him shift behind her, getting up from his place on the ground she’d wager. She tensed, wondering if he was going to try and fight his way out again, but then he spoke gently. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, Neopolitan.” He called, and she uncrossed her arms, some of the anger leaving her.  

She didn’t know what compelled her to do so, but she turned around and signed. “Just Neo.”  

There was a pause, and he looked like he was thinking before he signed “I’m sorry, Neo.”  

Neo blinked in surprise. All this time they’d been able to communicate because he understood her language – and that in itself was rare – but here he was reaching out to her using her language. The last person who’d bothered to do that for her was Roman.  

What is this guy’s game?

He was playing her, he had to be. She’d thought he was planning an escape, and this must be it. Get inside her head, plant doubts so she’d slip up and let him go while he left her with the fallout when Salem inevitably found out. Well, Neo wasn’t stupid enough to fall for it. She marched up to him, her eyes vibrant and defiant as they glared at him defiantly. She stopped maybe a foot from him, glaring up at him, he was well over a foot taller than she was, but she didn’t care. “I know what you’re doing and it’s not gonna work.”

His eyes looked sad then, and she realized much to her chagrin that he felt sorry for her. “I can’t tell you what to do, Neo,” he said sincerely, and suddenly Neo could feel the fight leaving her. She deflated; her glare retreated leaving eyes that looked almost as sad as his. “But I can tell you that you deserve better than this place and these people.”  

Their eyes met once more before he turned away from her, leaving Neo alone with her thoughts again.  

Except the only thought that came to her was whether or not his inevitable escape attempt would be successful. Why she felt a tiny glimmer of hope in the back of her mind that he would be, she couldn’t say. Or didn’t want to.

[elisaphoenix13]

Family Bonds

"Trade you my turkey sandwich for yours."

William stares at his twin as he slurps his soda noisely, ignoring the annoyed look Cassie is giving him from across the table. He had adopted quite a few mannerisms from the family after he finally felt comfortable expressing himself, and the noisy drinking could have easily been learned from Harley or Peter. Thomas didn't even look bothered. He just lifted the top slice of bread to show the fixings of the sandwich and it was enough explanation for his seemingly weird question.

It was devoid of honey mustard. William despised the stuff, but for some reason Thomas loved it. It was disgusting and he had no problem shoving the sandwich in front of him over to his twin. Once he got his blessedly honey mustard free sandwich from Thomas, he finally set his can of soda down.

"Mom probably wasn't paying attention when he was putting our lunches together." Thomas says.

"I don't blame him. He was frazzled this morning because Valerie and Lucy are sick." Cassie points out and then takes a bite of her salad. "Tony has meetings all day today so he can't help with them."

"How do you even know this? You weren't upstairs at all this morning." William points out.

"Dude, she's Mom's underling. Cassie is starting to just know things." Thomas snorts.

Cassie smiles. "Actually, he texted me and asked me to pick up some medicine for them after school. But I'm flattered you think I'm at that level."

"You are." The twins say in unison.

Cassie just rolled her eyes in response and they ate their lunch with the usual chatter. Classes, teachers, assignments, the newest rumor, and what they planned to do after school. The three of them normally walked home together (or William portaled them if he was up to it), and one of the things they knew they were going to do is go buy some medicine. Cassie also said she wanted to pick up some stuff to bake and decorate cupcakes and when Thomas asked about the occasion, she said it was just because. William didn't mind. He really liked her baking, not just because it always tasted amazing, but she also did a really great job decorating them. She even decorated them without going overboard with the icing which some professionals did.

The amount of icing should not equal the size of the cupcake.

"Maybe we can pick up some strawberries and whipped cream? Val likes to share those with me." William says.

"Sure. Mom said we could pick up whatever snacks we want anyway." Cassie replies.

"I need more pens too." Thomas says around his mouthful of sandwich.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Cassie huffs.

William half expected his twin to open his mouth just to gross Cassie out, but Thomas didn't and instead chewed and swallowed his food. Stephen reprimanded him for it on occasion as well, so it was probably finally starting to sink in. When they finished their lunches and tossed their garbage into the nearest trash can, the bell rang for class and they said their temporary goodbyes before they headed to their classes. William had a class by himself next period, but Thomas and Cassie had their next class together. In the past, when he didn't have classes with Thomas or Cassie, he used to feel alone. Now he didn't care. School actually got a lot better for him and his brother ever since Stephen and Tony took them in.

They used to be bullied for jumping from one foster home to another, for the crappy clothes each home barely managed to put on their backs...and they even went days without food, bathing, or adequate sleep. It was depressing. William and Thomas decided they would prefer to live on the streets than deal with more abuse, and it was barely a week later when Cassie brought Stephen to them. At the time, William barely trusted her, but he trusted her enough for him and his brother to go home with them. Maybe it was some kind of desperate hope that it would be different than before, that they would be shown the care and love they deserved.

When it was, William and Thomas didn't know what to do. Right off the bat they were given a hot meal, a hot shower, warm beds, quality clothing...an endless list of things. William was personally afraid that it was too good to be true, but as time went on, nothing changed. Well nothing except him and Thomas being moved up to the penthouse once Tony was done building their rooms. The penthouse was huge and probably had room for five more bedrooms, but it was nice to be close to their new parents and siblings. The twins, of course, still went downstairs to visit Wanda and Vision for movies or lunches, but being upstairs made them happy. At least William. He enjoyed the feeling of family he got from the two men and the other kids. He even felt part of it. He was part of it.

Now he was happily in a relationship with Harley, and he also enjoyed spending time with Valerie. He was one of the few she would spend time with if Stephen wasn't available and it made him feel special. He also liked that she was so easy to please. If he needed to keep an eye on her, he could put on her favorite movie and she would lay with him until she ultimately fell asleep, or she would color while he did his homework. Just like Diana followed Cassie around a lot, William had his own little duckling following him.

When the school day was finally over, he went to his locker to put away the books he didn't need and Thomas and Cassie met him just as he was closing it.

"Ready to go?" Cassie asks.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll help with Val today." William says.

"Mom will probably appreciate it. Apparently Tony has work he needs to do and can't put it off any longer." She says as they walk out of the building.

They walk as quickly as they can to the nearest store, and William has to keep himself from laughing when he notices how antsy Thomas seems to be. He was constantly found bouncing his knee while sitting or looking ready to bolt when standing that one would think Stephen and Tony didn't regularly try to give him a place to run as much as he wanted. Which wasn't the case. Their mother always opened a portal to the lake house for Thomas when he looked ready to vibrate out of his skin or whenever he asked. William was a little luckier that he could practice his magic as long as he was careful.

Cassie was quick to find the medicine Stephen wanted for the little girls, and then the three teens gathered the snacks they wanted before heading to the front to buy everything. Usually they would be picking up Diana by now but she had a half day so someone else picked her up. All they had to do was walk home. William teleported them this time because they had cold items that he wanted to stay cold when he made his and Valerie's usual snack.

"Hey Mom!" Thomas grabs the box of cheez-its that Stephen was already holding out for him when they arrived. "Thanks!" He says before running into his room.

"Here's the medicine." Cassie says as she digs it out of the grocery bag and hands it to Stephen.

"Oh, good. Thank you. It's time for their next dose." Stephen sighs as he digs out a small medicine cup and also a medicine dropper. "I knew I had just enough until you kids got home. Would you mind taking Diana downstairs with you for tonight?"

"Sure!"

William pulls out the strawberries and whipped cream and joins Stephen at the counter to cut the fruit. He could hear Cassie telling Diana to get her homework, toothbrush, and pajamas together and saw Lucy sleeping in the playpen in the living room. Considering that Stephen looked a little tired when they got home, one or both of the girls had been fussing all day because they weren't feeling well, but William was intent on helping him out now.

"Is Val asleep?" William asks Stephen.

"Maybe. She's in bed watching The Little Mermaid if she's not." He replies as he gently places the cup filled with pink gloop in front of the teen. "Don't let her have too much whipped cream and make sure she finishes this please."

"Okay."

William scoops the strawberry pieces into a bowl and some whipped cream into a smaller bowl before gathering them together and grabbing the medicine and juice box that Stephen also set in front of him. He also grabbed a breakfast bed tray on his way out of the kitchen so Valerie would be able to access the snacks easier and not spill. William had put his backpack down on one of the stools at the counter so it was out of the way, but if he didn't grab it soon, he was pretty sure he would find it in his bedroom. Stephen knew he was good about taking it straight to his bedroom, but considering the circumstances, he would send it to William's bedroom through a small gateway. So he left it on the stool in favor of getting up to Valerie.

She was sharing Diana's room now that Stephen and Tony had moved the toddler out of their room, but she was still prone to getting up in the middle of the night and climbing into bed next to Stephen. Once she was past that stage, she would be moved permanently into her own room. It was already ready for her, and she used it to play in and sometimes for naps, but Diana's room was closer to the master bedroom. Valerie's was closer to William's, and he fully expected to find her in his bed when she was in her room.

Diana and Cassie pass by William as he walks into the bedroom, and he closes the door once they leave and turns to look at Valerie in her bed. She was awake and blearily watching her favorite movie as William placed everything on the nightstand so he can set up the tray. When she notices his presence, she immediately makes room for him and he lays on the bed next to her, smiling when she snuggles into his side.

"Hey angel. Brought you a snack." He says softly.

"Berries?" Valerie whispers.

"You know it. You gotta take some medicine first though okay?"

"Yucky." She makes a face when William grabs it from the nightstand but takes it and drinks it anyway.

"You can wash it down with juice and strawberries." William laughs and grabs the juice box and opens it while the little girl sits up. "Here you go."

"Thank you Liam." She says quietly and sips her juice.

"You're welcome."

He then grabbed the two bowls and put them on the tray that he had set up over her legs and she puts her juice box on it to eat some of the fruit. William didn't even have to cut her off from the whipped cream. Valerie didn't seem very interested in eating much of it, and he was able to make up for it since she didn't double dip. He made sure to teach her not to do that when she started sharing snacks with him.

"Can you stay?" Valerie asks softly after a few minutes.

"Like sleep in here?"

"Uh-huh."

The teen looks over at Diana's bed and then back at Valerie. "Sure. Dia is gonna stay with Cassie tonight so I can sleep in her bed."

The smile his answer brought to his little sister's face was worth it. He was almost one hundred percent certain she would crawl into bed with him eventually but he wasn't worried about getting sick. If he did, it wouldn't be a big deal. Stephen would undoubtedly stay home again and make sure William was taken care of despite the fact that he was older than the girls and capable of taking care of himself, but the teen was happy knowing he had someone to go to for something as simple as not feeling well. He didn't really have that luxury when he was in the other homes. The foster parents would basically tell him to suck it up and go to school anyway. He learned to suffer in silence after a few times of that happening.

He and Thomas even did their silent suffering after being taken in by Stephen and Tony, but the silence didn't last long. Stephen very quickly found out (as Harley and Peter warned it would happen) and he gently scolded them for not going to him. The sorcerer dropped everything to take care of them and it was the best thing the twins ever experienced. Stephen brought them soup, medicine, and made sure they were warm and comfortable enough. William hardly noticed he was sick.

Stephen came into the room about an hour later, and halfway through Cinderella, to find Valerie cocooned in her blankets against William and sleeping soundly. The teen had since set the tray aside to get more comfortable and he pointed to the empty medicine cup before the sorcerer could even ask.

"She took it all."

Stephen smiles softly. "Thank you. Tony is finally done with work so he's taking care of Lucy now. Did you want to get up?"

"No. I'm okay for now. I told her I would sleep in here with her tonight anyway." William replies quietly so not to disturb the toddler.

"I'm sure that will keep her from being scared. Any requests for dinner?" Stephen asks.

"Food."

The sorcerer looks at him flatly. "You're no longer allowed to date Harley. He's clearly rubbing off on you."

William smiles. He knew Stephen wasn't actually serious, and the smile his mother gave him before leaving the room was confirmation. He ended up having to eat dinner in the room with Valerie when Harley brought it up for them later that night, and he did his homework on Diana's bed while Valerie watched another movie before going to bed for the night. Fortunately he didn't have much homework and was able to go to bed at a decent time, and he double checked to make sure his sister was asleep and okay before he went to sleep.

As he predicted, he woke up with Valerie in bed next to him, curled against his side, and the plus side?

Her fever had broken.

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

hiii! do u have any headcanons about he cheng meeting qiu?? how much do u think qiu know about he tian an dog? do u think qiu know mr he?

Hi, anon-san! (^_^)/

Not gonna lie, this was my initial reaction when I saw your ask:

“Wait, you’re asking me?” 😂 Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about your ask but I don’t usually get these kinds of things.

…There, a day’s quota of self-doubt has yet again been successfully met, so on to those questions of yours!

“do u have any headcanons about he cheng meeting qiu??”

I’m going to start this with my headcanons about HC’s history with Mr. Jian:

He Cheng has worked for Mr. Jian since he was an adolescent. But he wasn’t working directly under him (as he seems to be these days) for a long time. In fact, HC didn’t even see the man for the first year or so. He’d heard stories, though.

He started in one of the local groups that had a couple of bars in downtown. Some of them were just regular bars, some were clubs with paid girls (kind of like hostess clubs). All the business, however, were fronts for money laundering.

Like everyone in those kinds of organized groups, he too started from the bottom and worked his way up over the years. At first, he was just an errand boy. Nothing major was entrusted with him, but he also wasn’t involved in anything serious for a good while.

The leader of the group - HC’s boss - was a status-hungry bastard who hated HC’s guts from the very beginning. HC had gotten a place in the organization because of his father and Mr. Jian’s connection, and the group leader despised how his status had been unceremoniously bypassed just like that. Luckily, HC didn’t have to see too much of him. Only a couple times a month when he made his rounds.

It didn’t take HC long, though, to rise in the ranks. He was smart, quick on his feet, and reliable. Despite his young age, he never let the status and glamour of the criminal world get to his head. The people who managed the bars with him liked him because he always preferred to do things without bloodshed. Soon, before he had even turned 20, he was given a couple of low-level underlings and bigger responsibilities.

One of those new underlings was young Qiu.

Qiu was a quiet, angry guy about the same age as HC. He had a fierce glare and he hated the world. He absolutely despised the idea of working for the triad but had no choice. His alcoholic of a father had gambled all of their money, then taken a loan from HC’s group but couldn’t pay them back. He had fled town, and Qiu was left with the distasteful obligation to make the group whole again one way or another. Since he didn’t have any money, his only choice was to work. 

Qiu hated HC from head to toe when they met for the first time. To him, HC was just like any other thug without a shred of respectability.HC didn’t let the broody glares and Qiu’s obvious dislike bother him, though. He treated Qiu with the same business-like neutrality as everyone else. As far as he was concerned, they had a job to do and that was all they needed to know about each other.

HC had just been promoted to a debt collector, and Qiu was assigned as his assistant for extra muscle. Qiu wasn’t as built as he is these days but even at that young age, he had girth due to always doing physical odd jobs to scrape together whatever money he could. Mainly, his job was to just stand there and look intimidating.

Collecting, however, was a rather tedious job, contrary to popular belief. It involved a lot of driving around, waiting for the marks in late hours, and listening to the same songs playing on the radio over and over again.

Sitting in the car together for a better part of the day forced HC and Qiu to learn odd little things about each other, though. For example: Qiu preferred the volume level of the radio or the cruise control to be divable by two. He always loaded food with all of the continents available when they stopped to eat somewhere (more food for the same price, he said). Qiu noticed HC always took his jacket off before getting in the car. He wanted to get everywhere 5-10 minutes early and got antsy if they couldn’t. The loaded sighs got on Qiu’s nerves because what the hell was he supposed to do when there was traffic but at the same time, he was intrigued and kind of gleeful to see HC’s usual cool composure crack a little.

After the first week of working together, Qiu reluctantly admitted to himself that maybe HC wasn’t such a bastard after all. Maybe.

The first time Qiu saw HC in a new light was after their first month together. They had had a rough night at work. A mark had managed to sneak up on them and slashed Qiu with a pocket knife. It wasn’t a deep cut but his white T-shirt was a gruesome sight. HC had told him to drive to his house instead of the group’s headquarters because it was closer. He had helped Qiu patch himself up, given him a clean shirt, and offered a cold beer even though it was barely 5 AM.

As they had been quietly talking in the kitchen (that was bigger than Qiu’s bedroom), a little boy had padded into the room in his PJs and rubbing his eyes tiredly. When he had muttered “brother” in a sleep-thick voice, HC had transformed into someone else entirely in front of Qiu’s very eyes. He had scooped the kid in his arms, brushed his messy bed hair, and talked him into going back to bed. Qiu had left soon after that, but that morning had him thinking for a long time. Ever since then, he had a new kind of respect for HC.

“how much do u think qiu know about he tian an dog”

A lot. Not necessarily all, but definitely more than others. And he could sort of fill in the blanks.

The thing about Qiu and HC’s relationship (be it platonic or romantic) is that it’s kind of like a silent partnership. They’re there for each other but don’t get involved if not asked to. Qiu especially doesn’t ask about a lot of things but he listens silently if HC needs company.

Usually, HC just shows up at his place at a random time, gruffs something about a beer (or if Qiu happens to have any harder stuff around), and throws his jacket over the back of his seat so it’s nice and crisp when he pulls it on again in the morning. In most cases, they talked about nothing in particular, watched a game, and HC folded himself on the couch for the night if he was too drunk to drive home.

But it did take him by surprise when HC had suddenly shown up with a dog and a bag of puppy chow of all things. He knew immediately what HC was going to ask and planned to put his foot down. There was a limit to their friendship or whatever they had. One look at HC’s face, though, made him swallow his objections (didn’t stop him from complaining, though).

With a sigh, he had let HC and the little blanket bundle he was carrying in and went looking for something to put the thing in. There was no way in hell it would sleep in his bed. He emptied an old cardboard box for a makeshift basket and padded it with a used towel. In the first five minutes, the puppy had already peed in the box, and when Qiu turned to glare at HC, he had had the decency to look at least slightly apologetic.

That night HC had drunk more than usual. It was the drunkest Qiu had ever seen him.

One thing was made clear for Qiu: under no circumstances was he to tell He Tian about the dog. When he asked why (slightly miffed because he didn’t want to get involved in anyone’s secrets), HC had told him an obvious lie he didn’t even remember anymore. Qiu hadn’t asked again, and they had started talking about something else.

As the alcohol had loosened HC’s tongue, the more he had returned to topics that weren’t just everyday stuff. He jumbled from one thing to another, some of which Qiu didn’t even have the needed context. The drunker he got, the more he talked about his brother.

That night HC had slept in Qiu’s bed and Qiu had taken the couch.

Afterward, Qiu never repeated anything HC had talked about that night.

I actually touched the “origin” story of Qiu getting the puppy in a Qiucheng fic of mine that was inspired by HT talking about going to the aquarium as a kid.

“do u think qiu know mr he?”

I’m sure he knows about him. He’s most probably heard things about him - both good and bad - by other people in his line of work. Other things, different in nature, he’s heard from HC. I don’t know if Qiu has ever met Mr. He in person, though. Maybe a couple of times.

What does Qiu think about Mr. He, however, is another question. Personally, I’d say he thinks it doesn’t matter what he thinks or how he feels. It’s not his place. I’d also imagine that even if Qiu has his softer side, he knows he’s not in the business of compassion. He would probably see Mr. He’s actions as something that’s just a part of the world they live in. It is what it is.

Qiu’s probably gotten more cynical the older he’s gotten and started accepting bad things more easily than what he would have when he was younger.

I hope I answered the questions to your satisfaction. This was fun, nevertheless! Thank you for asking me

[dreamingsushi]

The Untamed - Episode 31

I must say before I start watching this episode. I am so not ready for this. These reviews are spontaneous and I write them as I watch the episode for the first time. And I am pretty sure I will be in pain and will write it down there. Just as disclaimer, I don’t know what is going to happen next other than somewhere in the near future, we will get back to the beginning of episode one, so please bear with me if I judge a character wrongly because that is how they want me to see it like... right now as I am watching. Moreover, if I do criticize a character it doesn’t mean I don’t like that character or don’t understand why he/she acts this or that way. Now that has been said... I am getting ready for this torture.

The relationship between Ah Yuan and Wei Ying is so cute. Sometimes, I feel like if it was not for that little guy, Wei Ying would feel much worse than now. It’s giving him somehow a feeling of having a family, but also must comforts him in his thought of making the right choice. It’s also so very cute how Wen Qing likes to watch over Wei Ying taking care of that child. Truthfully, I really like that girl, she understands a lot more even though she doesn’t say much. She’s probably the one who understands most what Wei Ying have given up and probably feels bad for imposing on him so much. She’s the one to get the invitation that Wen Ning got from someone of the Jin clan and hands it to Wei Ying. When he knows that he can see Yanli again, his face... it’s filled with happiness. That’s probably the hardest part for Wei Ying, not being able to see her.

As he goes in town to buy a little gift for his nephew, people gossips about the baby and the fact that they invited over Wei Ying. A lot of people disagree. but that gift isn’t the real gift: Wei Ying carved each beads of a bracelet for Jing Ling to wear, that way it will repel ghosts and monsters. As Wen Ning is about to touch, he tells him not to, even for him this could be bad.

It’s mean cousin again. I know he has a name, but I can’t remember it. Anyways, as Wei Ying and Wen Ning gets close to their destination, he was waiting for them and almost killed Wei Ying with an arrow. Fortunately, Wen Ning stopped it right in time. That guy is so annoying. Oh god. So disgusting. What happened to that dude’s skin? Whatever that is, he definitely blames Wei Ying for it. And here, I love how Wei Ying is just like: who the hell are you? Do we know each other? I don’t even know you and if I wanted you dead, you’d be much uglier and everybody would know it was my doing. That’s pretty arrogant, but I kind of missed a little bit that side of him. However, that was probably not the smartest thing to say, but somehow, whatever he would say, that Jin guy wouldn’t even believe it. So he will fight with Wei Ying to kill him. Wei Ying being himself is like: oh well, since you really want to die that much, I will help you, it’s a pleasure. Gosh... That’s not what you should do right now... You’re here to see your nephew. Not to fight with those worthless people. Of course this means trouble... And then, Wen Ning take of his charms around his neck, probably to lock his killing instincts or whatever you want to call it. AND HE YELLS AGAIN LIKE THOSE UGLY KUILEI. The smoke was bad ass though. But the screaming... why would they make him do that... it doesn’t really make him look that much powerful. Or maybe he’s in pain for releasing all of this? And if that’s the case... STOP IT RIGHT NOW. Wen Ning’s my poor baby and leave him alone. He’s a nice guy, not his fault that he was brought up in the wrong clan...

While Wen Ning takes care of that army of small fry, that annoying cousin goes alone for Wei Ying and they fight. Which is pretty unfair since Wei Ying doesn’t wield a sword. During the fight, Wei Ying loses his gift for Jin Ling. Just then, Jin Zixuan comes to put an end to his cousin’s doing: he’s really mad. Sometimes, that Jin Zixuan really awes me. He’s probably the least despicable person from the Jin clan, if we omit how he treated Yanli before. Oh wow. Even Zixuan doesn’t think it’s Wei Ying who gave that cruse to his cousin. He’s really not that bad.

That ugly cousin. He reduced to nothing all the beads bracelet that Wei Ying spent so many nights to carve. In Wei Ying’s place, I would also be very bad and as he’s about to attack that ugly cousin, it’s Zixuan who stops him. Zixuan tells him to stop Wen Ning now so they can go ban to Jinlin tai and if really it isn’t Wei Ying’s doing, the curse I mean, then it’s nothing. But Wei Ying won’t stop first, he’s starting to think that they invited him over to kill him actually.

So then Wei Ying starts playing the flute. And then,... what is he doing? Wen Ning now has to irises. It’s so scary. Stop this right now, I don’t like this, unless it’s to make Wen Ning go back to his regular self, I don’t want to see this. Don’t use poor baby Wen Ning like he’s a puppet. He’s your friend. Would you do something like to Jiang Cheng? No never. I know Wen Ning will never replace him, but he has been true to you since the beginning, he deserves you treat him like a real friend, not just like an underling...

Oh my god. Wen Ning just killed Jin Zixuan. What the hell... That’s definitely not Wei Ying’s doing. I am pretty sure of that. He promised he wouldn’t do anything to Zixuan. And even so, I wouldn’t believe it. Yanli likes Zixuan so much and she has his kid now, Wei Ying would never do something to harm Yanli. And the look on his face. I never thought I would be crying over Jin Zixuan’s death, but I am. And as he’s dying, the only thing he wants to say, it’s that Yanli is waiting for him to participate in the festivities for the baby... ALL OF THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THAT UGLY COUSIN. It’s obvious that that wasn’t what Wei Ying wanted to do. So either someone else used Wen Ning (but how?) either he doesn’t control his powers as he thought he was.

I think. This is the worst moment. When Wei Ying wakes up back at luanzang gang and kicks Wen Ning away, his eyes filled with resentment. Clearly it wasn’t Wen Ning’s fault, he was not himself back then and Wen Ning was the one to tell Wei Ying not to fight with Jin Zixuan. He wouldn’t have done such a thing willingfully. It hurts me such. I cried as loud as when I thought Wen Ning was dead. Why are they doing this to me? Why. Wei Ying even scared away the poor Ah yuan...

This is so sad. Wei Ying is now regretting leaving, he’s doubting that what he did was right and just then Wen Ning apologizes and says everything was his fault. And then... Wei Ying is thinking, is it really his fault? Did Wen Ning became like because he wanted to?

It’s like there is no answer to all Wei Ying’s despair. He doesn’t know what to do anymore, so Wen Qing and Wen Ning they... They are going to surrender themselves to the Jin. I cannot accept this. I can’t even see clearly as I write this. Wen Qing used her needles to force Wei Ying to lie down for a few days as she and Wen Ning are going to surrender. There’s no use in finding the culprit for the curse on Jin Zixun (the ugly cousin) because they are convinced now that it was Wei Ying’s doing and the world is too big for them to find the person behind all of this.

Wei Ying doesn’t want Wen Ning to go, none of this his fault. He says why should the weapon be punished and not the person who wields it? Wen Qing is slowly trying to convince him, but it’s not working as he knows that for them going to Jinlintai only means they will get killed. But Wen Qing says they should have died earlier, this is just what should have happened way before if not for him. He asks her to help him get up, but instead, she puts him to sleep. I don’t want this to happen. I don’t want them both to die. These two characters are some of my favorites... (ok, all characters from this drama are my favorites so far, except for Wen Ruohan, Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao, Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao - I am trying to like him, I understand why he is the way he is, I pity him but... he has too much pride for me to be able to forgive him, he’s a liar and doesn’t mind hurting those who care about him to protect himself and then trying to deny what he did. I think I should make a post about all the characters from this drama, because it’s so hard to explain how I feel about them in just few words in the middle of my recaps, it’s too complicated)

Now that I have calmed down a little, that scene was way too much to handle for my poor heart, I left out so many important things.

Oh my god.

As I press play again, it’s the river of tears again. She lied to him. The whole group is going. They are all going to their death. Even small Ah Yuan. I don’t want to see this. This is so unfair, those people never did anything wrong in their life. And that is so stupid. By sacrificing themselves like this, they just throw away all of Wei Ying’s efforts for all this time. The other people from other clans still won’t accept him anyways. I thought Wen Qing was smarter than that.

When Wei Ying wakes up it’s only to find an empty Luanzanggang, with no one left. In despair, he runs away to try and save those he gave up everything for.

Honestly. I never cried so much in front of a drama. I almost choked myself because of my tears. This episode is just so heartbreaking. It took me hours to go through the whole thing. It was way too hard to watch. This episode really hurt me. I am very shaken and not sure if I want to keep watching something that puts me in such a state. However, I want to see Wei Ying’s name being cleared, I want to see more of Xiao Zhan’s and Wang Yibo’s acting, especially both of them together since they have such a great chemistry. I know that in the novel, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are a couple and that in the TV show they are not, but... they did such a good job of making it unofficial. It’s like, the whole drama says they are not, but in the acting. Yes. I am not crazy when I see it. It’s so unusual for something like that to be aired in China when homosexuality is still something... homosexuals in China have a tough life. It’s still considered as something that can be healed. I am not going to give my opinion on homosexuality here because it is off topic, but also because it would probably offend some people and that’s not the point, but for something like that to be aired in China... I am impressed. And I am absolutely impressed by the actors of this drama who are doing such a good job, but not only them, the people dubbing, the producers, cameramans, writers, everyone. Maybe the people from special effects would have done better with a little more budget though (can I remind you of the dancing statue, the creepy wolf/dog and the turtle monster?), but overall, this drama. Yep. I have to convince the whole world to watch it. It’s so great. If you have any tricks to make people go over the first episode (you need to watch more than one to get addicted) please share. I want all of my sisters to watch this, even my brother (though it might be easier to convince my sisters).

And I am going to stop this right now. There’s so much I still want to say about that drama. Too much probably. I am usually only doing recaps for the episode, but I think I am going to post about every characters a little bit. None of these characters are simple, they are so well thought and complex. And I will probably write an overall appreciation post. Maybe try fan fictions sometime? I never wrote any, I don’t if I can, but Cheng Qing Ling really changed my life. I don’t know what I am going to do when I will be done watching. Maybe watch again until Wang Yibo’s new drama is out. Watch their interviews. Stalk all the cast. I need twitter and Weibo now.

Please, someone save me. By the end of the month, I will have the CD too. I think I will sleep with the ost playing. I almost know all the lyrics of all songs.

Send help. And tissues, because I am not done crying. Thank you for reading.

[razorblade180]

Lasting Embers pt6: Days in between pt1

[Sparring area, evening]

Ruby:Yujin! Hellooooo! You around here?

*nothing worn trees and target circles*

Ruby:Man this place takes me back. Huh?

*black hoodie on the ground*

Ruby:*picking it up* Looks about Yujin’s size; Dad did say she was training with Raven earlier. Must be hers. Wait a second... *flips it inside out*

*reveals a familiar bunny rabbit on the front*

Ruby:*Smiling* Never would’ve imagine this old thing would be around after 10 years. Looks like Yujin doesn’t wear you with the same pride her dad does. *folds it up* I bet she still misses you though; better find her so you two can reconnect.

[The House]

Jaune:That should do it.

Yang:*wrapped in bandages and gauze* Thanks...*sits down*

Tai:*brings her a sandwich* You should probably eat; you never got the chance to earlier.

Raven:It might be the reason Yujin fucked you up so bad.

Everyone:*looks at Raven*

Tai:Babe, really?

Raven:*red* What? I’m just saying if you ate then maybe you would’ve thought more clearly and not held back.

Yang:I wasn’t exactly pulling my punches you know? *chomp* I...just ran out steam alright? That’s all.

Raven:Really? Cause that final blow looked pretty dodge-able from where I stood; you could’ve counter attacked too. Instead you took it like a champ and let her vent.

Yang:What else was I supposed to do!? *holds her head down* seeing her look like that, like me back in the day. I couldn’t help but freeze up. She’s my kid after all.

Raven:*rubbing her head* Believe me, I get it. You’re not the only one to face their kid and see themself remember? *smiles*

Yang:*sighs* Guess somethings are just destined to repeat themselves. Maybe motherhood doesn’t exactly run in the family.

Jaune:Don’t say that.

Raven:You’re a great mom. That’s an undeniable fact.

Yang:*smiles weakly*

Tai:She’s not the only good mom in the room.

Yang:He’s right; not to mention a pretty kickass grandma. Thanks for being there for Yujin when I wasn’t. It means the world.

Raven:*embarrassed* Of course I’d look after her. She’s family... and looks like you. I’d be lying if I said she didn’t well.... make me feel like I got to be a parent. I would’ve traded that feeling though if it meant you stayed; I feel like I stole your moments with her. Guess I’m a bandit through and through.

Yang:You didn’t steal anything; you gave her what she needed. All of you did.

Tai:It takes a village right? I know that better than anyone. It takes all sorts of people.

Yang:Speaking of which.....Jaune, my dear husband.....

Jaune:(Oh boy....)

Yang:Would you care to explain why one of those people happens to be Adam Taurus? I promise I won’t get mad. *sandwich bread gets toasted*

Jaune:*looks at Tai*

Tai:*looks at Raven*

Raven:*glares at Jaune* She said your name; not mine.

Jaune:Sigh, fine. By any chance did Blake ever tell you how her new organization worked?

Yang:Of course, The Guiding Light is an organization made up of like minded Human and Faunus. They are lead by her with Sun as her right hand and head bodyguard. Members go across remnant helping struggling communities and meet with high ranking people to help change laws; not to mention organizer protest.

Jaune:Yeah but did she mention the other thing?

Yang:Yeah the whole team knows. *looking at the ceiling* Even with the strides they make people like the cult and citizens that are just stuck in their ways constantly disrupt them wherever they go; from road blocks to terrorist acts. So as a defense there’s a secret faction with no traceable ties to the main one that was made with the soul purpose of preventing the disruptions before they happened.

Raven:The shadow casted by The Guiding Light’s existence. A smaller group designed to be the hidden blade to an organization that shows itself as a shield. It’s sort or genius.

Jaune:The White Fang never disappeared; they just stopped barring their teeth. Blake and Sun lead the way in the light.....

Yang:Adam and Illia patrol from the shadows with their trained team; hand picked by Blake herself. As much as I don’t agree with that kind of method, it sure has done a lot of good. *chuckles* she told me that sometimes you need a friend in the shadows. I just didn’t think it would be him.

Tai:I’ve gotten the chance to meet him a few times. I got to say, he’s....something else.

Yang:What does this have to do with Yujin knowing him anyways?

Raven:After Blake left with you guys to go save the world again, Sun was left to be the face of the organization alone. He noticed that even though you guys were doing your best that some cult members slipped through the cracks.

Jaune:You guys were definitely hitting vital points and taking out key players but the underlings were bound to go unnoticed. Fortunately, Sun had a solution.

Tai:He sent the White Fang members to regularly gather intel and stop whatever plans they might have to start trouble. He also sent the strongest ones to watch over everyone’s families while you guys were away.

Jaune:Neo gaurds my family, Emerald checks in with Ren and Nora, Mercury constantly relays info, Illa goes to Atlas to meet with Whitley and make sure everything over there stays fine. As for Adam.....

Yang:Let me guess; he checks in with you?

Jaune:Once every couple months or so. More if something actually happens.

Yang:*irritated* I just don’t get why it’s him. Of all the people.

Raven:He’s still dead to most of the world. Patch is a small place where people tend to mind their own business. It’s the only real place for him to move freely.

Tai:Yeah I got feeling he can’t do that in Atlas.

Yang:Still, I’d rather him be the last person she ever met.

Jaune:What if I told you he saved her life before? That he’s the reason she’s even here right now.

..........

Yang:What.......?

Jaune:....It was Yujin’s eighth birthday. Adam always visited at night for his report; made things easier. Usually Yujin would’ve been asleep but....

Raven:A late night knock on the door during her birthday could’ve meant the thing she had been waiting for.

Yang:She thought it was me....of course.

Jaune:*chuckles* Looking back, the look she gave Adam was priceless. She wasn’t at all impressed. I had to drag her back to bed; I didn’t want her hearing the report just in case the worse happened. Unfortunately, I let my guard down. She snuck out of her room again; this time though she heard Adam say your name.

Raven:And tailed him all the way through the forest trying to catch up to him. No shoes, no parents, no anyone. Just a little girl in the woods at night desperately searching for clues. A perfect storm for disaster.

Jaune:The moment I realized she wasn’t in her room I sprinted through the forest. I heard a scream and ran right to it. Do you know what I saw? *clenching his fist*

Yang:.....

Jaune:Yujin in Adam’s left arm and his sword in his life right hand. Surrounded by grimm and the would be assassin of our daughter. She almost died that night all because I wasn’t at my best to be frank.

Yang:There’s no way you could’ve known though. It’s not-

Jaune:It is though. I patrol this place every day but her birthday. Not just because I’m celebrating; but because when I put her to bed I just end up sitting alone downstairs grieving. Because I couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping in that bed another night without you. Not knowing if we’re both waiting for nothing.

Yang:*grabs his hand*.......I....I don’t know what to say to that. Sorry doesn’t cut it; sorry doesn’t do any of you. Ten years.....is a long time. I thought it was hell for me but, I never realized just how hard things really got here.

Tai:Belive me, it was rough but we all what could happen and wouldn’t change a thing. Not even Yujin; that’s why she’s so frustrated.

Raven:Like her father she’s cunning and understands why things happen the way they did. But like both her parents, her emotions can run high. Just because she knows what was best doesn’t mean she’ll like it. She hates that about herself; logic and emotions just don’t mix well.

Yang:What happened after the fight? I assume Adam dealt with the guy while you grabbed Jin?

Jaune:Not exactly, I’m the one who killed him.

Yang:*eyes widened*

Jaune:Don’t look too surprised. You know I’ve killed before.....

Yang:Yeah and know how much you hate it.

Jaune:Well when push comes to shove I’ll do anything for my friends and family. No matter the cost. *clears throat* anyways after that night, Adam stayed a few days just in case. Even when he left Yujin sort of gravitated towards him a bit. Anytime he visited she’d ask him questions about you and fighting. He always answered.

Tai:We know you don’t like the guy but If you’re gonna remember the things he did to you, you should also recognize the things he’s done for you.

Yang:.....*sigh* Could this situation get anymore jumbled.

Raven:Well your daughter also has a baby crush on him.

Yang:*leans head back* Of course she does. That’s just....great. *processing* As much as I hate his guts, if I ever see him I’ll try playing nice.

Raven:Good, Tai and I are gonna head back home. It’s getting dark and maybe that’s where she’s run off to. *kisses her forehead* hold that head up high. It’ll work out.

Yang.Bye mom and dad; thanks for everything.

Tai:No problem sweet heart. Also Adam visits tomorrow.He always checks in the day of or after her birthday. *closes door*

Yang:......what?

•

Ruby:*Walking through forest clearing* I thought I’d find you around here. Off to visit mom’s grave again.

Yujin:*surrounded by plums of fading black smoke* Aunt Ruby, I’m not really up for a lecture.

Ruby:I’m not here to lecture you; I’m here to set the record straight. You’re mom left because of me.

Yujin:*stops and looks at her. Eyes still purple.*

Ruby:I said it was me, I’m the reason Yang left. I convinced her into going.

[davidcarner]

Chuck vs the Nanny Ch 8, Girl Power

A/N This is the last chapter of Chuck vs the Nanny.  The story will continue in another fic.  Before you get to the Molly story, let me say when I started writing this chapter, it was never planned, but man did it fit.  Sometimes these things...they seriously write themselves.  Hey, if you're not currently reading Zettel's current fic Cables to Aces, go do it. It's so good.

Normal Disclaimer:  I don't own Chuck, but deep down aren't we all Chuck?  On with the show.

Charmichael Industries Plane, somewhere between a deep dark hole and Burbank.

Mary was pissed…well, pissed wasn't the word. She'd have to calm down to be pissed. She had gone through every case and arrest Team Bartowski had made over the years, and three individuals were no longer incarcerated. The best she could tell two of them had been let out due to a recommendation from someone within the government, the other had escaped. Mary had a bad feeling what her son was facing. She looked over at Hartley who was out. He had taken a few drinks of his beverage and fallen asleep almost immediately. Mary took a long pull from her glass and wondered who was behind all of this. She looked at the names on the list and knew one of them was an underling, the question was who of the other two was pulling the strings. The paper was blurry. She shook her head and it dawned on her exactly what had happened. She tried to fight it, but as her eyelids closed she looked out the window, and saw they weren't headed to California. The glass slipped from her hand and hit the floor. The cockpit opened with that noise and the pilot checked on his passengers. He went back to his seat and guided the plane to his destination.

}o{

Casa de Bartowski, night

Chuck sat on the couch and looked at the moonlight dancing over the lawn. He wished he could go down to the beach, but that wasn't the best solution right now. He had a family and couldn't just go out in the middle of the night. He knew Sarah wouldn't mind, but he felt like he should be around, to protect them. That brought a chuckle from deep within him. Protect Sarah. She was the baddest kick-ass spy ninja mom that ever existed. He knew that physically she didn't need anyone, but that wasn't how he was protecting her, and when she figured it out, she was going to be a little upset. He didn't jump when the two hands touched his shoulders and began to run down his chest, but he really wanted to…and let out a scream…one that Casey would mock and Sarah would giggle at.

"I'm very unhappy with you," came the soft voice in his ear. Chuck shuddered. Part of him screamed to make right whatever she wanted, but he steeled himself. He had to let things play out.

"You know Mark Twain once said every time you use the word very, to change it to damn, and then throw it out," he replied.

"That was in writing, you goof. I did go to Harvard, I know some things too," she replied, right in his ear. He was losing this war, and they both knew it.

"Just checking to see what you remember," Chuck said, grinning. He felt teeth on his ear. "You fight so dirty," he nearly moaned.

"Ah-ha!" she exclaimed, jumping up. "So you are keeping something from me!" She walked around the couch, a twinkle in her eye, and sat down right beside him. "Why don't you tell me, and we can go to bed," she said as innocently as possible. Chuck chuckled, and shook his head.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"First, always. Second, that's my line. Third, we made a promise. No more secrets, no more lies."

"What if by telling you, I make your life worse?" he asked. Sarah looked at him, confused. "What if by waiting 24 hours, it will make your life better?" Sarah was beyond confused.

"He's gone," came a soft voice from the stairs. They turned and saw their daughter standing there, holding a teddy bear. Chuck held his arms out to her. She came padding across and crawled up into his lap. Sarah smiled at the two of them. It was hard to remember just how young her children actually were. There was no doubt they both had the Intersect, and in some ways, it allowed them to be more mature, for Stephen you had to look a little harder, but they were. It was moments like this that reminded Sarah and made her happy. "I'm glad you remember Dad," Samantha said. Chuck and Sarah shared a look. Samantha had called them Mother and Father for most of her life. "Mom, I'm sorry." Sarah reached over and slowly rubbed her daughter's head.

"What for, Sweetie?" Samantha looked at her dad, who nodded.

"You won't get mad?" she asked, timidly. Sarah was stunned. Her daughter was never timid. Sarah shook her head no. "See, earlier…"

Castle, earlier

After the upload, Chuck felt Sarah's hand on his back to make sure he wouldn't fall over. He looked over at her and grinned. "Flash on Jenny Burton, Chuck," she said softly. Chuck did, and noticed there was no headache, strain, and it happened almost instantaneously. "Chuck, flash," she said. Chuck smiled.

"I did," he replied. Sarah was shocked and then she heard Ellie yell, "Yes!" and did a fist pump. Chuck grinned and turned to his sister. "Fixed it?" Ellie nodded proudly.

"Okay, Sarah, let's get it out of you," she said, and with that, she handed her the removal glasses. Chuck looked over at his daughter, and he could tell by the look on her face she had flashed on Jenny Burton as well. He shook his head, and she nodded, understanding they'd talk later. He looked over at Jason Black and then back at his daughter. Samantha nodded, understanding that he and the general were less likely to notice a little girl than Chuck. Samantha got close and heard the general's and Jason's conversation. While everyone was congratulating Sarah and Morgan, Chuck and Samantha went to Ellie and told her something quickly and quietly.

"I'll take care of everything," she said with a grin.

}o{

Now

"Wait," Sarah began, shocked at what she was hearing. "You, Samantha, and Ellie, know spy secrets and I don't." Chuck grinned and leaned over and kissed his wife on the forehead.

"Yep, and we're waiting until the morning to tell you, and everyone else at Castle," he began, but stopped.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Samantha asked.

"I can get the information out of you, Chuck," she said, emphasizing the "k" the way she did when she was confident…or irritated. Chuck turned to her, no grin, in fact he looked worried. "What is it?" Samantha got out of her father's lap and went and sat in her mother's. She pulled her mother close and whispered something in her ear. Sarah's eyes went wide and she looked at Chuck for confirmation. Chuck nodded. Sarah began to cry as Chuck and Samantha held her. Chuck sighed, the last time his wife was this upset it was about family, and he had been caught in the crosshairs.

3 months ago.

Chuck opened the door to see his mother-in-law and sister-in-law. "Hey, guys!" he said happily, but the smile fell from his face when he saw their faces. "Something wrong?" Emma shot him an "I'm sorry" look.

"Chuck, is Sarah here, Molly really needs to talk to her?" Chuck stepped aside to let them in.

"Sure, she's up-" Chuck watched Molly bolt past him, and up the stairs. "Stairs?"

"It's boys," Emma said. Chuck's eyes got wide and nodded. "I'm her mom…."

"And you don't understand," Chuck said, grinning. Emma sighed and nodded. Chuck hugged her.

"I never had to go through this with Sarah because she wasn't around," Emma said.

"Come on, let's get some coffee, and let those two talk. Sisters seems to understand things like this a little better, at least in my experience." The two walked off into the kitchen while upstairs Molly found Sarah. Sarah looked up as she walked into her bedroom. Molly started crying as soon as she saw Sarah and threw herself into Sarah's arms. Sarah looked down at the sobbing mess and held her tight. Sarah knew exactly what this was about, and steeled herself. She stroked Molly's hair.

"Who is he?" she asked.

"Ben Howard," Molly responded, sobbing a little less now.

"What did he do?" Sarah asked, trying to control her anger.

"It was a Sadie Hawkins dance, so I asked him, and he laughed in my face. He told me I wasn't hot enough for him," she replied. Sarah growled. She pulled Molly away and looked her in the eyes.

"He's so not worth it," Sarah said. Molly nodded.

"I know, but it still hurts," she said, trying not to cry.

"Who is the nicest boy you know?"

"Richard Stevens. He's kinda cute, but nerdy, and he's always telling me how pretty I am. He holds doors for me, but the guys call him-" Sarah cut her off.

"I know what they call him," she replied, shaking her head at the memories of 7th grade. "He kinda sounds like someone we know," she said grinning. Molly looked at her, confused. "Chuck," Sarah offered. Molly's eyes got wide.

"He is like Chuck," Molly said, a grin covering her face. "He's as nice as him, he's funny like him." Molly looked at Sarah bashfully. "He's not as handsome, but he's cute." Sarah's eyebrows raised.

"You checking out my man?" She asked teasingly. Molly giggled. "Chuck went through some stuff too. It's what inside that counts, Molly. Does he have a date to the dance?" Molly shook her head, pulled out her phone, and quickly text him. "Did you just-" she began, when Molly's phone vibrated. Her face lit up. "I guess you did. I have an idea. Is there a place outside the school this Ben hangs out?"

"He hangs outside after school waiting for his ride," Molly said. Sarah got an evil grin.

"Think you can get Richard to wait with you outside tomorrow and let me pick you up?" Molly nodded. Sarah picked up her phone and sent a few texts. The phone vibrated and she smiled. "Well show him." Molly grabbed her and hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're my big sister!"

"Me too, kid," Sarah said softly. "Me too."

}o{

Later that night, Sarah realized she had one problem with her plan. She was lying in bed, on her side thinking about what to do.

"Well, guess I don't have to warm your feet tonight," Chuck said jokingly, trying to get her to talk. Sarah knew it wasn't his fault. She knew he was more like Richard than Ben, but school had always been a sore subject to her, and she may have overreacted, just a scooch.

"What's wrong, Chuck?" she said popping the "k". Chuck felt like he had done something wrong, but he had no clue what, so he kept quiet. "Not, hot enough for you?" Why had Sarah emphasized hot like that? What had he done?

"Uh, I don't understand," he began…he just should have kept quiet.

"No, you don't," she said turning over, and getting a look in her eye that Chuck thought he had only seen once, when Quinn had brainwashed her. "You don't understand how you have to look a certain way or guys won't talk to you, or how you have to put up with all the macho-" Chuck cut her off.

"I didn't do that stuff," he said softly. "And I think I know about being teased in school. Now do you want to talk about it, or yell at me?" Sarah looked a little ashamed, but she was too mad to be fully sorry.

"Why do boys act so stupid?"

"Because they're stupid," Chuck replied. "Some have been told it's okay. TV has told them it's okay. They're stupid."

"I need your help," she said, and began to tell him her plan. Chuck belly laughed.

"So what do I need to do?"

"Can you watch the kids tomorrow?"

"That's it?" he asked. "Done."

"But you have a big meeting," she began. Chuck shook his head.

"Family," was all he said, and leaned in and kissed her.

"I got lucky to find you," she said.

"Sarah, I think it's I got lucky to find you."

}o{

The next afternoon as school let out.

"Hey look, it's the losers," Ben said to his friends, pointing at Molly and Richard

"Don't talk to her like that," Richard said, standing up to defend his friend, ever thought he knew the three of them could easily take them. He noticed that the three boys weren't paying any attention to him and instead were looking behind him. He turned and saw three women walking toward them. They were beautiful for sure, but he turned to make sure Molly was okay. With that move, Sarah's opinion of Richard just went off the charts. The three boys' mouths dropped at the three women in front of them. "You okay," Richard asked Molly, more concerned about her. Molly nodded and smiled, knowing what her sister was doing.

"Hey, sis!" Sarah called out. "Is this the nice young man who you're taking to the dance?" she said smiling at Richard.

"Yep," she replied. "He reminds me of your husband, Chuck so much," Molly said, egging it on. The three boys' mouths dropped. Sarah grinned at her sister and extended her hand to Richard. He took it and she pulled him in.

"Be the guy she told me you are, and I promise you, it will all be worth it," she said. Carina and Zondra surrounded him.

"Reminds me a lot of Chuck," Zondra said. Carina nodded. "Not as tall as your husband, Sarah, but defending her three against one….that's a good one."

"She's very special to me," Richard choked out. Sarah smiled, leaned in, and kissed him on the forehead.

"Take care of her," she said. "You may find yourself having to defend her the older she gets. She's so much more beautiful than me when I was that age." She turned to the three boys and they looked near tears. "Well, let's go," and with that the five started off.

"I'll go to the dance with you, Molly," Ben said. Sarah looked at her sister, who smiled. She squeezed Richard's hand and turned to Ben.

"You want to go with me?" she said with fake shock. Ben grinned and nodded. "I have a guy who will take care of me, likes me for who I am, and makes me laugh, why would I ever go with you?" With that, she turned, hooked an arm through Richard's arm, high-fived Zondra and Catrina who had their hands up for one, and walked away. Sarah smile could have lit a major city.

"Why are we having to walk so far?" Molly whispered to Sarah. "Is it so you could walk up like that?"

"No," Catrina answered. "You sister realized we couldn't pile out of a mini-van and look quite as hot." The group laughed.

}o{

Now, the next morning, Castle

Chuck looked over his family that had gathered in Castle. Everyone but Jason Black and Beckman were there from the mission, and they had two newcomers that Sarah wasn't exactly sure about.

"Are you sure Emma and Molly should be here?" she asked. Chuck gave her a tight smile and held her hand.

"I know you're worried about what Emma will hear, but I want to make sure they're safe," Chuck said. He turned as he heard someone behind him. Diane Beckman entered Castle looking unsure of herself for the first time Chuck could remember. Chuck looked at Sarah, who nodded. Chuck walked over to her, and before Beckman could figure out what to say, he hugged her. Beckman didn't cry, but Sarah thought she would. "It's okay," Chuck said softly where only the three could hear. "You know I would have done the same thing if it were me." Beckman choked out a laugh.

"I know," she replied, the two of them breaking the hug. "That's why I let this mission go this far, because if anyone can fix this it's you." Chuck smiled and put his arm around Sarah as she got close. The entire room had noticed what was going on and had drifted toward them.

"General, you're wrong," Chuck said with a grin. "If anyone can fix this, it's this family." Beckman nodded. Casey clapped Chuck on the shoulder and gave a grunt.

"Team Moron rides again," he said. Chuck nodded.

"And I have the Intersect," Chuck replied grinning. Casey shook his head, laughing.

"May God have mercy on our souls!"

"What exactly is going on?" Alex asked.

"Well," Chuck began. "Best I can tell, Jason Black and the General here were blackmailed into getting us to get the new Intersect glasses. However, because of my amazing sister, all they got were an unusable pair."

"How?" Beckman asked. Chuck grinned.

"It's Sarah's fault actually." Sarah shook her head. "See when she told me to flash on Jenny Burton, the new Intersect also pull up companion files now, very quickly and painlessly I might add. Thanks, Sis."

"You're welcome," Ellie replied.

"After that flash, I told Ellie what I learned, and she downloaded the program off of the glasses, into a secure Castle file." Chuck turned to Emma. He was surprised to see her nodding.

"Jenny Burton, Jack Burton, Jason Black," she said softly. Sarah gasped.

"You know?" she asked. Emma shrugged.

"I suspected," Emma replied. "He's Jack's son." Chuck nodded.

"Oldest son, obviously not with you," Chuck added. "He never told his family."

"Wait a minute," Catrina sputtered. "Jason is Sarah's half-brother?" Sarah and Chuck both turned to her, grinning and nodding. They had been looking forward to this. "That means…"

"We could be sister-in-laws," Sarah said, the wicked smile on her face. "Admit it, Carina, you've even said my dad was hot. You like the Burton family." Carina actually blushed.

"So how was Beckman involved?" Alex asked.

"I suspect Roan and Jack have been kidnapped," Chuck said. "They want the Intersect, they have to come to us now."

"Who's they, Bartowski?" Casey asked.

"No idea, Big Guy," Chuck answered honestly. "I pray it's not Shaw."

"The one downfall of getting my memory back is remembering him," Sarah grumbled.

"The one?" Chuck asked. Sarah gave him a look and then backhanded his chest. Castle's phone system began to ring. It was Mary.

"Mom," Chuck said, bringing up the video phone. "What's up?"

"Some idiot tried to kidnap Hartley and me," she said, looking irritated. "They didn't even give me the proper amount of knockout drug." Sarah chuckled. "I've got the pilot captured, and we're in some hanger in Rio Di Janeiro."

"Mary, I'll send someone to assist with the prisoner, are you okay?" Diane asked.

"I'm fine. I've been trying to get something out of this idiot, but all he keeps mumbling is Soco na Garganta." Chuck flashes at those words. He remembers he has two other family members now with the same abilities. He looks over at his daughter, who nods, and as he turns to his son, Stephen speaks.

"Mom, what's a cat squad?" Zondra, Carina, and Sarah all stare at Stephen and turn toward Chuck. He shrugs.

"Guys, don't freak out."

A/N So we know who Jason is, I've given you every hint in the world who one of the big bads are, and there's a few more surprises. The next story may take a bit, like until after Christmas. I didn't really have anything else planned, but ideas are flowing. It's tentatively called Chuck vs the Cat Squad II or the New Cat Squad or something like that. Let's talk about the kids for a sec. They were never supposed to be that big in this story, but again, they wrote themselves. Yeah? Nay? Don't care? Just let me know. Thank you for all who followed, liked, reviewed, PMed, tweeted, tumblred, or sent a smoke signal. The love is felt and appreciated. I hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Zach, Yvonne, can we get a movie, miniseries, something. Please. Again, thank you to Steampunk. Chuckster for always being my cheerleader, and for the love of God if you're not reading her or thecharleses GO DO IT! Thank you all!

[drink-n-watch]

I has been a week of blistering afternoons and wild festival movies and lots and lots of work. And lest you think I be complaining, these are all very good things. Except for the heat – I could do with less of that. But good and fun as these things may be, they can end up a little exhausting, so I was looking forward to lazing around on the weekend and having a nice little Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba chat with my friend Crow. How are you Crow?

  I’m well, thanks for asking! It’s pretty hot down here in the States, too. Better than a couple of weeks ago, though. I’ll be bold his week (it still feels like an unnatural state!) and to be clear, there may be spoilers!  What an episode, too! I can’t wait to dig in!

This week opened up not on our heroes battling the giant spider demon, but on what I can only assume is fan favourite Giyuu (if fan art is to be believed, this guy is everywhere!) and the butterfly girl whose name I’m not sure we know.

They mentioned her name like once in the previous episode. She’s Shinobu Kocho. 

Crow, is she the same girl that passed the final trial with Tanjiro? If so, she must have risen in the ranks extremely quickly to be accompanying Giyu now!

She looks just like her — seems to have an affinity for butterflies, too! So I dug deeply into the archives and searched for hours (okay, I Googled for a few minutes) — I think they’re separate. The other survivor from the trial is Kanao Tsuyuri. They have absolutely got to be connected somehow. I think that Shinobu is a demon. Can they have kids? Or maybe Kanao is her younger human sister? 

So, the scene opens on these two arriving in Spider forest to either rescue the surviving Demon corp members (about time there guys…) or kill the demons. The organization seems rather martial and hawkish, so my money is on the latter.

The butterfly girl whose name I don’t know (Hey! I just told you! Oh, right, writing is asynchronous! Sorry — carry on!) I just forgot sheesh – whose name is Kachow, is extremely cheerful through all of this and has this high pitched sing songy voice that clashes with the surroundings. I’m not scared of spiders at all, but butterflies creep me out. And this girl sends chills down my spine. It’s likely only due to my personal brand of crazy, but I have immediate distrust towards this poor young lady.

Actually, I think she earned it. I found her attitude to be quite scary. Not head spider-level terrifying, but enough to make me draw a sword. If I had one. And I don’t.

After the opening credits, we catch up with Inosuke and Tanjiro trying to deal with giant spider papa. Throughout the fight, he keeps repeating “Stay away from my family.” He’s consciousness seems a lot dimmer than all the other spider demons. Despite Tanjiro’s insistence to the contrary, I’m almost certain this guy is not one of the 12. Sure, he is very physically strong, but his mind seems mostly gone, like one of the underling demons.

All the higher ups have been frighteningly smart. They’ve needed to use some brains to survive,  I suppose. And we know that Kibutsuji isn’t exactly the patient type. I don’t see him putting up with spider dude for very long. Nope! I’m calling super obvious red herring on this one.

I don’t know for sure, but I agree with you! 

This said the fight was fun to watch. Choreography remains stellar. I think my favourite moment was seeing Inosuke skip across the water like a flat stone.

In my notes, I had written, “Inosuke skipped like a stone…” Great minds and all! The water animation, too, I thought was just fantastic! 

My second favourite part was seeing Inosuke run away. It was played for laughs and possibly that’s all it was. A gag. But in the context of that character, it’s a huge growth moment. Inosuke does not know when to quit. Often putting his life at risk and losing the advantage. He is a straightforward brawler without any strategic sophistication who considers anything other than raw strength embarrassing. But he still opted for a tactical retreat without anyone telling him, and he wasn’t that wounded yet. To me, it shows forethought and strategic thinking that were out of reach until now. Not to mention that he had to let go of whatever “honor” or “power” ideals he was holding onto. Even I think I’m reading too much into this.

I hope you’re not, because I picked up on the same thing. I think Tanjiro’s a good influence on him! 

We got a quick look at how Zenitsu is doing as well. In short, not great. Even the little nightmare spider creatures felt sorry for him. In what he thinks his last moments are, all he could do was uselessly apologize to Nezuko. I’m not sure for what. Not saving her I suppose. Still, it wasn’t a show of self pity, grief or vengeance fueled anger. It was regret of not being there for another. I thought that was sweet.

Of course, I don’t think we’re going to lose Zenitsu any time soon. It may be very gory but Demon Slayer is still something of a children’s show. Like those old terrifying fairy tales. The heroes don’t just die in the middle like that.

Sadly it’s suspicious butterfly girl that comes to his rescue so he  may wish he had died…

The animation of her butterflies, then her descent onto the cabin, was hauntingly beautiful. Her outfit even looked like butterfly wings as she landed. Given her cheerful and carefree attitude, I wonder if Zenitsu thought he was hallucinating? I’m pretty sure I would have thought so.

Now all three main Demon hunters are separated. Tanjiro, having been thrown far from Inosuke and the Spider papa, is just landing in another part of the woods. I almost expected him to fall on Giyuu. Instead though, he pulled off a pretty smart move, using his water wheel to curve and slow the trajectory of his fall allowing him to survive the landing. Although not exactly unscathed. I really liked this. It was a smart functional use of water breathing. Were you as impressed as I was, Crow?

Yes, I was! He used a similar technique when he fought the dying vector demon back in episode 10, didn’t he? Tanjiro never stops thinking, and I like that about him.

Tanjro may not have landed on Giyuu, but he did seem to land on little brother and sister demon instead. There were some really interesting speculations in the comments of last week’s post, over on Crow’s blog, that the two may actually be one and the same. It seems they are physically separate at least, not that they couldn’t turn out to be linked on some level.

That little sister is just so meek for a demon. She seems gentler than Nezuko and aside from calling for her daddy when a maniac wearing a bore head started screaming that he was going to kill her and brandishing weapons, she actually hasn’t done anything even remotely aggressive. And from my description, I bet you can tell I don’t think that was aggressive either.

The story is purposefully showing her not attacking a lot. I’m thinking there’s a reason behind that.

I had a hard time finding her name, but it seems to be Kumo oni: Ane. I’m reading her character the same way you are. And though I’m sure it’s just because I’m wired to feel sorry for a sobbing female, I really felt bad for her. Rui’s obvious cruelty helped that along, I’m sure! 

Out of the blue and unbelievably unharmed, not scared and rather jerky demon slayer shows up to give little bro a chance to show off his overpowered skills. I understand the function of the scene, but considering all that has happened, the odds are just too impossible that a random guy got separated from the group, has been just fine all this time and is happy about bumping into demons he can attack? It was way too contrived. There must have been a better way to establish little brother’s skills and power level. Magic glasses or something?

Even the little extra bit he said — about advancing up the ladder so he could earn more money, almost hinting at some kind of fiscal corruption, didn’t help. His attitude was the most un-Demon Slayer like we’ve seen. 

I could only come up with two explanations. First, we’re going to learn something amazing about that character in the near future that’ll blow us away. Or, the main writer went to get a drink or take a restroom break, and the junior writers just wanted to get to the next scene. 

I’m thinking number two. And you know what – you tried guys!

We got back to Inosuke, and I suddenly had a series of revelations. First, I realized that the characters are better individually than together. They just don’t have the proper chemistry as a group. They should be pen pals from now on. Second, as a wounded Inosuke is hiding and trying to survive, I realized that I was genuinely worried for Inosuke. How, why huh? Is it just a function of proper tension and dramatic timing? Inosuke is my least favourite character and I think he is responsible for a lot of the elements that don’t work in Demon Slayer, but I was biting my nails wishing that he would be ok. I’m so fickle!

Then, as he had his grand moment chopping of the demon’s arm, we got a fantastic scene where papa dropped everything and high tailed it out of there! I loved it and instantly changed my mind about the papa demon character (for now). Do I just like people who run away? Maybe I do. Maybe that’s why I’m a lot more forgiving of Zenitsu than most folks are. I respect people who know when to give up!

Pen pals? “Dear Insouke. I hope the day finds you well…” Well, it would certainly make for different pacing! But I see what you mean. I loved seeing Inosuke develop as he was apart from Tanjiro. He was forced to be honest with himself, especially given how powerful his opponent was.

But do you know what else I thought was really cool? You could see the impact Tanjiro has had on him in their short time together. Inosuke probably couldn’t put it into words, but he’s starting to really respect Tanjiro. Remember, just before papa spider sent Tanjiro practically into orbit, Insouke watched Tanjiro power up and thought, “He’s about to do something totally mind-blowing!” That’s not something Inosuke would have said just a week ago. 

Character development rocks.

Sadly, papa isn’t actually a huge demon version of Zenitsu, and he was just finding a safe spot to turn into… basically the same thing. A bigger version of himself with more eyes and I’m guessing even stronger and tougher but still just a brute strength gear check.

Too bad, he was really interesting for a second there.

Not that an unstoppable force isn’t an impressive opponent. Inosuke took quite the punishment and the skull crushing scene was difficult to watch. But at this point, it just seemed like something we’ve seen before. What do you think Crow?

Sure, papa spider 2.0 was an upgrade, but you make a good point. The only thing I thought was different was how Inosuke reacted. He nearly gave up, re-found his courage (always a stirring moment for me!), and tried again. 

Was that Inosuke’s mom we saw as he hovered on the edge of unconsciousness? Now I want to know more about his past! 

I think it was. It’s how I read the moment.

For the third time in the episode, we had a Demon Slayer unexpectedly showing up next to one of our main characters. This time Giyuu. Ok, I get it. Giyuu has a great design. I would draw him too!

Moreover, Giyuu uses water breathing. Did we know that?

Okay, now I know you somehow snuck into my computer and read my notes. At 20:19, I had written, “Did we know Giyuu uses water breathing techniques like Tanjiro?” 

I guess the other way to answer that is by just saying, “No!” Pretty cool, though. Assuming Tanjiro survives (and I’m trying not to get ahead of ourselves here!), he has quite a powerful future to look forward to.

Since Tanjiro learned his technique from Urokodaki, does that mean Giyuu also trained under him? And Crow, did you see if Giyuu had a black sword? They made a big deal about that but then just sort of forgot about it. So many questions!

Re-watching the scene, I think you’re right — it does look black. Good catch!  

The very last scene returned us to Tanjiro facing off with little brother. Nezuko still presumably in that crate on his back. I still don’t understand why we haven’t seen her in this arc. The episode ends on a first-person cliffhanger. Cheeky! And quite visceral. I felt that one!

I think this is the worst cliff-hanger they’ve sprung on us. What the heck, Demon Slayer? 

I’m excited to see what Giyuu and Butterfly girl can bring to the mix and curious about what little sister is hiding. She even looks a little like Nezuko. I think… We haven’t seen her in a long time. Any final thoughts Crow?

I’m still annoyed about that cliffhanger! That aside, I enjoyed seeing Inosuke and Tanjiro both pushed to their limits. Isn’t it interesting to see what a character does at the point of greatest stress? It really shows what they’re made of.

That cliffhanger, though…

Reviews of the Other Episodes

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 01: Cruelty

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 02: Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 03: Sabito and Makomo

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 04: Final Selection

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 05: My Own Steel

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 06: A Friend fo All Humans

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 07: Muzan Kibutsuji

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 08: The Smell of Enchanting Blood

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 09: Temari Demon and Arrow Demon

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 10: Together Forever

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 11: Tsuzumi Mansion

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 12: The Boar Bears Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 13: Something More Important Than Life

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 14: The House with the Wisteria Family Crest

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 15: Mount Natagumo

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 16: Letting Someone Else Go First

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 17: You Must Master a Single Thing

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 18: In which Tanjiro Dispenses Good Advice I has been a week of blistering afternoons and wild festival movies and lots and lots of work.