#if you give me spoilers for death island i’ll block you

[leonisdumbasallhell]

I have a random sketch request but I was wondering how Chris would feel if he found Leon when he was infected with Las Plagas.

This wasn’t exactly what you asked for, and i wasn’t sure how to approach it, but then i got thinking and so Petition for Chris to get infected by smthn in the re9

[bellaireland1981]

Stubborn Hearts | 2

Summary: Reader (Firecracker, Sunshine) has been in love with Bradley since she was a young girl. Growing up the two were inseparable, apart from short periods of time when she was on the West Coast with the Kazanskys. One faithful decision by her dad to block Bradley from going to the Naval Academy resulted in a huge rift between father and daughter and left her without Bradley in her life. Now all grown up, she’s called back to the west coast at the same time as her father and Bradley. Her mission, according to her dying godfather, is to mend fences with her dad and Bradley. Can stubborn hearts be healed?

(I suck at summaries for real).

This will have multiple chapters… this is 2 of ??

Characters: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mitchell! Reader, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Daughter! Reader, The Dagger Squad, Shay (OC), Penny, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky

Word Count: 5373

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Death of character, TGM Spoilers, Smut (later on ), Turbulent relationship with parent, Friends to lovers, …Please let me know if I’ve missed any!

Part 1     

A/N- This is my first time writing for TGM. I do not own the characters or plot lines from the movie. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO COPY OR REPRODUCE MY WORK ON THIS OR ANY OTHER PLATFORM! Reblogging is always welcome! Feedback is MUCH loved and appreciated. THANK YOU to @waywardodysseys​ for all support and bouncing ideas!!

Taglist: @gracespicybradshaw​ @memoriesat30​

The morning after your run in with Bradley, you came down to your aunt making pancakes in the kitchen. You cousins were sitting at the island, eating and preparing to head out to school shortly.

“Good Morning, Sweetie.” your aunt said, smiling warmly at you, “There’s coffee ready to go if you’d like some. I was expecting you to sleep in this morning.”

“Morning.” You replied, reaching for a mug from the cabinet. “I wasn’t out that late. The night didn’t go great.”

“Oh no.” she replied, pausing to turn to you. “What happened?”

“I ran into Brad…” You replied, “It didn’t go fantastic. I came home.”

“Are you ok, Y/N?” your cousin asked, looking up from her breakfast.

“I’m ok, Peanut.” you replied smiling, “Nothing I wasn’t expecting I supposed.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t go well, sweetie.” Your aunt said sympathetically. “Perhaps it was just the shock of seeing you for the first time in years.”

“No, I think it’s the fact that he apparently no longer sees us as friends.” you answered, “He made that abundantly clear. I’ll be fine though. I ran into Shay, so the night wasn’t a total bust.”

“His loss then and he’s a bigger idiot than I originally thought” She stated, “But I’m glad you ran into Shay. It’ll be good for you to have someone you can hang out with around here.”

“Yeah.” You replied, “I think we’re going to try to get lunch today. I have to give her a call.”

“Uncle Tom has a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, so we’ll be out for a bit.” She said, “I was thinking of putting some food on the grill for dinner…did you have plans?”

“No, I'll be here.” You replied, “Do you need me to go shopping or do anything to help you?”

“No, it’s ok.” She replied, “I think we have everything we need here already and honestly the cooking gives me something to do to keep busy.”

“Ok.” you said, understanding. “Just promise to let me know if you need help with anything at all.”

“I promise.” She smiled, turning to the kids, “Ok kids, hurry up. Your ride will be here shortly.”

You ate breakfast with your aunt before heading up to shower and get dressed. You sent a text to Shay setting up lunch for later that day. With the time you had this morning, you figured you’d head to the hangar and maybe take the plane up to clear your head. With the residual feelings from the night before, you felt air time was what you needed to shake it off and give you a mental break.

Coming downstairs you passed your uncle’s office, the door open, you could see him already sitting at his desk working on the computer. You shook your head, chuckling quietly. He truly never stopped.

“Morning, Uncle Tommy” You said, stopping at the doorway.

He looked up, smiling at you, motioning for you to come into the room.

Sarah said your meeting with Rooster didn’t go well. You ok?

“At the moment, not really.” You admitted, never able to keep anything from your uncle, “But I have plans to get up into the air this morning so I’m sure the situation will seem better soon.”

Don’t give up, Firecracker. Keep the door open.

“Uncle Tommy, I think that door was firmly closed by him. Not much I can do if he doesn’t want to be friends anymore. I can promise that I will …eventually… talk to my dad.” You assured him. “Brad did inform me you’d kept him up to date with my whereabouts occasionally, so thanks for trying.”

I wouldn’t count him out just yet. He cares. Going flying today?

“We’ll see.” You replied, “I am planning on flying this morning, then meeting Shay for lunch.”

Your Dad?

“You’re not letting this one go are you?” You replied, realizing how determined your uncle is when he sets his mind to something.

Not enough time to let it go, Firecracker. Time is always the enemy.

“I will call him tonight.” You promised, “He’s teaching now I assume, right? First day?”

Yes. More reason to reach out. He’s going to have a rough day.

“Tonight.” You repeated, “I love you more than the sky, Uncle Tommy.”

I love you higher than I can fly, Little Bird.

You wrapped your arms around your uncle from the side and dropped a kiss to the top of his head before heading out.

You grabbed your bag and headed to the hangar to get a few hours of flying in.

Thankfully, Frank seemed busy with other pilots and people that looked to be chartering a flight. You filed that information into the back of your head for later. If you were staying, you’d need a job. Maybe you  could establish yourself as a freelance charter pilot. If all else failed you could always ask Penny for a job slinging beers at the Hard Deck. Not that running into Bradley on the regular was something you wanted.

You ran through all preflight checks on your plane, making sure you had enough fuel and everything was safe. You looked over maps and plotted a flight plan that would take you out over the desert and back. Once you finalized your plan, you walked over to Frank to file the flight plan with him.

“Morning, Miss Mitchell.” Frank greeted as you walked over, “Getting some time in your plane today, huh?”

“Yes, sir” You replied, “Need to clear my head. I’ve got a possible flight plan here, if it checks out, I’d like to follow and get permission to take off.”

“Let me take a look, and we can get you on your way.” He replied, taking the plans you’d handed him. He looked at his computer screen and back at your plan before looking back up at you. “This should work, I’ll get you in the take off line-up now.”

“Thank you.” You replied, taking the paperwork he handed you, “See you in a few hours.”

The time spent in your plane did wonders for you mentally. You felt you could breathe easier as you radioed to the tower to get permission to land back at the hangar. It had been a smooth flight out and around. Clear skies all the way. Honestly, if you weren’t meeting Shay for lunch, you’d stay in the air longer.

Landing went as smoothly as the rest of the trip and you were taxiing back to the storage hangar in no time. Once you’d parked your plane you switched everything off and jumped down to start tying it down. The tasks, so familiar, you could do them in your sleep.

“Have a good flight?” Frank asked, stopping the golf cart outside of the hangar.

“It was great.” you replied, “Definitely did what I needed it to do.”

“Glad to hear.” He smiled warmly, “Say, if you’re plannin’ on being around here awhile, any chance you’d be interested in occasionally taking a charter?”

“I could do that.” You said, “A lot depends on how things go with my uncle though, to be honest. I’m here mostly because his health is declining quickly. I think I’ll be staying though, so maybe on a once in a while basis for now… until I know where my life is headed?”

“That’s more than fair.” He replied, “I’m sorry to hear about your uncle.”

“Thank you.” You replied, “I’ve got to meet a friend for lunch, but next time I’m here, I’ll bring a copy of my license and certifications.”

“Sounds good.” He said, turning the golf cart back on, “Enjoy your lunch.” Frank drove off with a wave heading back to the main office hangar,

You grabbed your bag and purse and walked to the Jeep parked outside the hanager. Turning your phone back on, you saw you had a text from Penny asking you to pop in during the day that week. Another text from your old boss asking if you’d consider coming back, and a text from Shay with the address of the Mexican restaurant you were meeting at for lunch.

You texted Penny back promising to stop in, your old boss telling him thanks for the love but you were planning to stay in San Diego, and lastly a text to Shay letting her know you were headed that way now.

Part of you wished you’d had a text from Bradley, but the logical part realized he probably didn’t even have your phone number anymore.

Putting it out of your mind, you entered the address for the restaurant into your phone and headed towards your lunch with Shay.

____________

“Hey!” She called, as you walked into the restaurant.

“Hi!” you replied, as you slid into the booth, setting your purse next to you. “How’s your day going so far?”

“It was pretty busy this morning, it makes the day move fast though so I don’t mind.” She replied, “How about you?”

“I had another heart to heart with my uncle. He made me promise I’d talk to my dad tonight. He said, ‘Time is the enemy’, so that’s going to be great.” You replied, “Then I went flying and life started to look a little better again.”

“How are you feeling about that impending conversation with your dad?” She asked, knowing the history. “How are you feeling after last night’s encounter with Bradley?”

“Honestly, I’m ready to talk to my dad. I miss him. One thing about Uncle Tommy fighting cancer… it put things into perspective. Being home and seeing him, knowing we’re at the end… just pushed the idea home. Being stubborn is dumb. I only have one dad.” You replied, “As for Brad… I was hurt and upset last night, and I still am, but now I’m also pissed. So fuck him.”

“I’m glad you’re ready and willing to try to patch things with your dad. You’re right… your uncle is right. Life is too short.” She agreed, “If you want, I’m sure Aunt Penny would be ok with you two meeting up there to talk… at least you’d have a referee if needed.”

“That might not be a bad idea” You laughed, “Penny always was a good go-between when her and dad were together.”

“As for Bradley…” she said, “I think it’s perfectly acceptable and justified to be pissed. I’m here if you ever need to vent…or need someone to help you hide a body.”

“I don’t think I’m at the homicidal level,” You laughed, “He’s not worth doing life in prison for. But thank you. I just may avoid the Hard Deck during peak hours for the foreseeable future.”

“Well that’s a shame.” She replied, “I mean, that other aviator was HOT last night. There were several others that were not hard on the eyes either…”

“He definitely showed interest in you!” You encouraged, “Hangman, I think, right? You should definitely pursue that.”

“He seems like he’d be a player though,” she reasoned, “Still, it could be fun while it lasted.”

“He may surprise you, Shay.” You said, “He certainly seemed interested, maybe there’s more to him that you saw.”

“Maybe.” She hedged, “You should come with me… I may need a wingman…woman…person.”

“I don’t know that my heart can handle having to see Bradley right now, Shay.” You replied honestly.

“I’ll block any interactions until you tell me otherwise.” She promises, “And I’m the female pilot…Phoenix? I’m sure she’d be willing to run interference… girl code and all. I know Aunt Penny would ring the bell on him in a heartbeat.”

“Ok…” You agreed, hesitantly, “I’ll come out with you. If it goes south though, you’re on your own afterwards.”

“I will take that deal.” She said, “What about tomorrow night? I know you’re talking to your dad tonight…”

“Tomorrow works.” You confirmed, “If it ends up a repeat of last night though, I am getting knock out drunk and you’ll have to take me home.”

“Also, a deal.” She said, “I promise to buy your drinks and be your drunk uber.”

After finishing up lunch you and Shay firmed up plans for the next night before you left to head to the Hard Deck to see Penny on your way home.

The parking lot was empty except for Penny’s beamer. You parked next to her car and headed inside. She was wiping glasses down and stocking the bar when you walked in.

“Hey Pen.” You said, walking up to the bar. “Need any help?”

“Nope, but I’ll accept company.” She said, smiling, “Hop up on the stool, my sweet girl. Do you want a drink?”

“Water with lemon if you have any sliced and handy.” You replied, “So, now that my dad’s back in town, any plans to pick up with dating again?”

“And here, I was about to ask you the hard hitting questions.” She laughed, “Our relationship is… complicated. I love him but I’m hesitant to take the leap. I have Amelia to think about. I need consistency, not on again off again.”

“I love my dad, Penny, but he’s got the emotional maturity of a toddler sometimes.” You laughed, “I know he loves you though, if that helps. Don’t accept anything less than 100%. You deserve someone who will put you first.”

“The same holds true for you, Kiddo.” She replied, gently. “I know last night was rough on you. I don’t know what was said between you and Rooster, but I saw the pain in your eyes when you left. I also saw the look on his face as he watched you leave, and the way he lit out of here after you left. Don’t write him off just yet, but like you said don’t accept anything less than 100%.”

“I think for now, I’ll just focus on trying to fix things with my dad.” You said, lowering your gaze, “I also just want to spend time with my Uncle and soak up as much of him as I can, while I can.”

“I understand.” She said, “When are you getting together with your dad?”

“I plan on calling him later tonight.” You said, “I know he started instructing at Top Gun today, so figured I’d wait until he had time to relax before calling him.”

“He would be more than happy to hear from you whenever.” She replied, “He misses you, but I don’t know how good he is at communicating that.”

“It’s not all his fault.” You admit, “I am my father’s daughter afterall. Stubbornness seems to run in the genes.”

“Knowing is half the battle.” Penny teased, “Aside from all of that, Amelia was asking about you. You should come out to the house sometime. Maybe come over on Sunday for dinner? The bar is closed.”

“I’d love to see her!” You said happily, “Sunday sounds good. Just let me know what time and what you’d like me to bring.”

“I’ll text you a time, and just bring yourself.” She said, “Amelia will be excited.”

“I can’t wait.” You replied, “I miss her. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing up.”

“You and me both, Kiddo.” She replied, “You and me both.”

“I should head back to the house. Uncle Tom had an appointment today. I know it’s been really hard on Aunt Sarah, so I want to hear how that went.” You said, “I’ll apparently be here tomorrow night with Shay though. She needs a wingman… she promised to run interference and protect me from unpleasant interactions with Bradley.”

“I will help as I can too, sweet girl.” She replied, “I’m happy you and Shay are able to spend time together.”

“It’s been great to catch up.” You replied, “I love you, Pen. For what it’s worth, I’ve always rooted for you and my dad to find your way back together.”

“I love you too.” She smiled gently, “Regardless of what happens or doesn’t happen between your dad and me, I’m always in your corner.”

You headed out to the Jeep and, checking the time, decided to send your dad a quick text.

You: Hey Dad… I hope your first day went well with the aviators. If you’re free tonight or have time… can you give me a call?

You took a deep breath and set your phone down before putting the key in the ignition and headed home.

The house was quiet when you walked in. You went up to your room to set your purse down and kick your shoes. Your phone notified you of a new message, sitting on your bed you pulled the phone to check.

Dad: Firecracker, I will never turn down talking to yout. It’s been… a rough day. How about I come get you on the bike and we take a ride?

You: It’s been awhile since we’ve done a ride on the bike… I think I’d like that. I’m sorry you had a bad day.

Dad: Nothing that time with my favorite girl won’t fix. :)

You: I’ll see you later, Dad.

Dinner that night was pretty quiet. Your uncle’s appointment, not being the greatest news. The cancer was progressing faster now that he was no longer receiving any treatment. Time really was running out. You were glad you made plans to see your dad later that evening, giving your aunt and uncle time with the kids to process and adjust to the new timeline.

Once everyone was done eating, you took over cleaning up for your aunt. You rinsed all the dishes and placed them into the dishwasher before wiping down the counters and putting away the leftovers. Once the kitchen was back to its immaculate state, you went upstairs to change into warmer clothes for the ride with your dad. While Southern California was generally warm, it still got cooler at nights, and on the bike it would be even cooler.

You got a text from your dad letting you know he was on his way so you made your way downstairs.

“I’m heading out in a few minutes with Dad, he texted to say he’s on his way.” You let your aunt know.

“Tell him to stop by tomorrow after he’s done teaching.” Your aunt requested.

“Not asking,” Tom rasped, looking up at you.

“I will let him know. I love you both.” You replied, understanding what wasn’t said.

“We love you too, sweetheart.” Your aunt said, “Enjoy your time with your dad.”

You hugged them both before heading outside. You didn’t have long to wait, he pulled on the motorcycle a couple minutes later.

“Hey, Firecracker,” He said, smiling warmly. One thing about your dad, his smile lit up his whole face and you always knew he was genuine. “I’ve missed your face, Y/N.”

“Hi, Dad.” You smiled back, seeing him face to face made you realize how deeply you’d missed him. “I’ve missed you too.”

“Hop on.” He said, handing you a helmet. “Let’s drive up the coast a bit.”

You took the helmet and pulled it on, securing the strap under your chin before getting on the bike behind your dad and wrapping your arms around him. His familiar woodsy scent mixed with the faint scent of jet fuel was comforting.

You enjoyed being on the bike, feeling the wind on your face and the warmth of your dad. You traveled up the coast, for several miles, taking in the sights. After about a half hour, your dad pulled off into a beach parking lot and parked the bike. You climbed off, stretching your muscles and removing the helmet. You set it on the seat of the bike, turning to look at the view.

“It’s beautiful here. Peaceful.” You commented, surveying the deserted beach, the sun starting to set over the horizon.

“That it is.” Your dad agreed, “Come on, let’s take a walk down to the water.”

The two of you headed towards the wood boardwalk that would lead down to the sand. Once at the sand you paused to kick off your shoes, preferring to walk barefoot through the sand.

You walked in comfortable silence before you stopped and plopped down onto the sand. Your dad followed suit, settling in next to you.

“How’s Ice?” He said, starting the conversation.

“It’s not good, Daddy.” You replied quietly. “The cancer is progressing really fast now that he’s stopped treatment. We’re going to lose him too soon.”

He reached over to wrap his arm around your shoulders, pulling you gently into his side. He turned his head and dropped a soft kiss on the top of your head.

“There’s never enough time, is there?” He asked, not really expecting an answer.

“That’s what Uncle Tommy told me” You replied, “Time is the enemy.”

“He’s a very wise man,” He agreed, “Much wiser than your old man.”

“I dunno,” You said, “You were wise enough to make him my Godfather.”

“Touche, Firecracker.” He laughed.

“Aunt Sarah said to stop by after you’re done with work tomorrow.” You relayed your aunt’s message, “And Uncle Tommy said, and I quote, ‘Not asking’”

“I know I need to…” He replied, staring out at the horizon, “Would you think less of me if I admitted that I’m afraid?”

“No.” You replied, “Because you’re being honest. I get it… we avoid what we’re afraid of. It’s why I kept putting off this conversation. But Uncle Tommy, Aunt Sarah and Penny said I needed to stop being hard headed so here we are.”

“You come by that honestly,” He admitted, “Sorry for that.”

“It’s ok to be afraid, Dad” You said, “I’m scared too. I don’t know how to navigate a world in which I can’t call Uncle Tom when I need him. But, if you don’t go see him, if you wait until it’s too late, you’re going to have to live with that guilt and it could eat you alive.”

“When did you get so smart?” He asked, smiling over to you.

“I come by it honestly.” You smiled back at him.

“What about this conversation scared you, Firecracker?” Mav asked, changing the subject.

“I’ve spent the majority of my teenage years into adulthood being angry at you…letting feelings of resentment stew.” You admitted, “I was mad at you for what you did to Bradley. I didn’t understand. I still don’t understand. I was angry that in doing what you did you ripped my best friend away from me. I’m angry as hell at him for leaving me behind too, don’t worry.”

You could feel yourself on a roll, all of the emotions and thoughts you’d pushed down over the years bubbled out now. Your dad, thankfully, just let you get it all out.

“When you were home, and it was us against the world, it was great. I could convince myself that I meant more to you than flying and the Navy. But then another call would come, new orders would arrive, a new mission would pop up and you’d leave. You looked relieved to be leaving. It felt like you wanted to leave. I’d get sent to Carol, or flown out here to Uncle Tom and Aunt Sarah and you’d go off and do what you loved….without me. As an adult, I figured it was just easier to make myself scarce so you didn’t have to choose and I didn't have to feel unwanted anymore.”

You hadn’t realized you’d started to cry until you felt a teardrop land on your hand in your lap. You brought your hand up to wipe away the unwanted tears. Staring, unseeingly across the ocean, trying to reign in the emotions and to calm your breathing.

“Y/N,” Mav said, voice thick with emotion, “I have never not wanted you. From the moment your mom told me she was pregnant I have wanted you with every single fiber of my being. I was beyond happy about being a dad…being your dad. I had absolutely no fucking clue what I was doing, how to be a good dad, but I wanted to be good. While your mom was alive, I could follow her lead, learn about how to be a good parent. She made it seem easy. After she died, I was scared shitless. I no longer had someone else to soften the blow or pick up the slack where and when I failed. I had this beautiful, intelligent, firecracker of a little girl that I now had the sole responsibility to raise. I’m not excusing my lack of parenting or minimizing your feelings. I just need you to know… you were wanted. I just didn’t know what I was doing.”

He paused, taking a few cleansing breaths, before continuing.

“When you were little, I could hide the fact that I was clueless. You were happy to travel with me, you saw it as an adventure. We had a home base, and that worked for us. As you got older, and you needed to be in school, Carol quickly pointed out you needed stability. So we formed a new plan. When I was gone you’d stay with her or with Ice and Sarah on longer deployments. You’d get the stability, the female role models you needed. Someone who knew what they were doing and wouldn’t screw it up. It may have seemed like it was easy to leave you… truth is… it killed me every time. I left a huge piece of my heart behind every time.”

You gave up  wiping the tears away at this point, allowing them to fall freely from your eyes. Your heart, which had been broken for years, was starting to mend. The gaping hole decreasing with your dad’s words. Just hearing that you were wanted and loved going a long way to fix what was broken inside.

“I am so sorry, Y/N that you spent even a second believing I didn’t want you. That I didn’t love you.” He said quietly, wiping his own eyes. “Flying… the Navy… neither can hold a candle to you, Firecracker. You are my world. The most important part of my life. Don’t ever forget that or doubt that.”

“I don’t remember much about mom.” You said, your voice rough from crying, “But I bet she’d probably be knocking both our heads together huh?”

“Absolutely no doubt about it.” He agreed, chuckling, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes, “Carol too. She’d call me an idiot and slap me. She’d have slapped Bradley too…”

“How is that going?” You asked.

“It’s been…icy” Mav responded, “He’s definitely still holding a grudge.”

“Dad… can you blame him?” You asked, “How would you feel if someone you loved and looked up to was responsible for blocking you from the Naval Academy? From standing in the way of following your dreams?”

“I’d probably be pretty pissed at them.” he reasoned, “I’d like to think I’d at least let them try to explain though.”

“Have you?” You asked, “Have you tried to tell him the real reason for standing in his way? Or do you just give him the response ‘he wasn't ready’?”

“It’s bad enough he hates me, Firecracker.” He sighed, “I couldn’t live with him being angry at his mom.”

“Maybe it’s time to come clean and let him decide who he is and isn’t mad at.” You offered, “He’s not a kid anymore, Dad. He’s a grown ass man, who, despite being set back, set him mind to achieving his dreams and became one of the top aviators in the US Navy. He might be an asshole that I seriously want to throat punch, but you can’t take the rest away from him.”

“Between the two of us, I’m so damn proud of what he’s accomplished.” Mav admitted.

“So you won’t just wash him of this mission?” You asked. Despite it all, you wanted Bradley to succeed and become everything he always dreamed of.

“He’s got just as much of a shot as the other aviators.” Mav said, “If he isn’t selected though, it’ll be because of his own lack of confidence and playing it too safe. He’s a damn good pilot but he gets in his own head too much. He thinks too much.”

“As long as he has a fair shake at this mission, that’s all I can ask.” You said. “And Brad’s always allowed himself to be in his head too much. He’s always been cautious.”

“You’re still in love with him aren’t you?” Your dad asked, watching you closely in the fading light.

“How did you know about that?” You asked, “Who ratted me out?”

“Nobody had to rat you out, Firecracker.” Your dad laughed, “You’ve had hearts in your eyes in regards to that boy since you were still in pigtails. It’s obvious to anyone who see you and knows you.”

“Great” You groaned, “That’s not at all embarrassing.”

“If it helps, I should have said it’s obvious to anyone except Rooster.” He clarified. “However, I used to see the same look in his eyes whenever you were around.”

“Well that look is long gone then.” You confirmed, “The message I got from him the other night was that I was no longer even worthy of friend status.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Firecracker.” Mav said.

“We’ll see.” You hedged, then decided to turn the tables, “hey, Dad?”

“What’s on your mind?” He asked

“What are your intentions towards Penny?” You asked.

“I don’t know how to answer that.” He sighed.

“Well, then… maybe until you do know… don’t do anything to get her hopes up.” You said. “Penny deserves more than on again off again.”

“I can tell you that I love her.” He admitted, “I just don’t know if I’m any good at relationships.”

“Well… if it helps, I love her too.” You said, “And I think you can do anything you put your mind to.”

“Thanks for the vote, kid.” He laughed, “I’m glad you love her.”

“Amelia too.” You said, “Wouldn’t mind a little sister.”

“Slow down, Firecracker.” He nudged you playfully, “One step at at time.”

“I can live with that.” you replied, nudging him back.

The ride back home was as pleasant as the ride to the beach. Mav stopped at an diner at the halfway point and bought the two of you milkshakes before driving the rest of the way home.

You hopped off the back and secured the extra helmet the back of the bike.

“Thanks, Dad” You said, leaning down to hug him, where he still sat on the bike. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Firecracker” He replied, “I’ll call you tomorrow after training and please let Ice and Sarah know I’ll be here.”

“I will.” You promised, “Be safe tomorrow. Don’t do any crazy pilot stuff.”

“Says the girl who does crazy pilot stuff in her own plane.” He said, smirking at you.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” You feigned innocence. “I’m a very safe pilot.”

“Maybe we should change your name to Pinocchio.” he teased.

You stuck your tongue out and turned to head inside, your dad’s laughter following you. You turned to wave before heading inside.

“I take it, it went well?” Your aunt asked, smiling as you walked through the kitchen.

“Yes.” You confirmed, “Thank you, Aunt Sarah… you and Uncle Tommy pushing is definitely what was needed. I should have talked to him a long time ago.”

“You’re more than welcome Sweetheart.” She said, “You’d have come around eventually. We just didn’t want you to lose any more time. And… we both knew you’d need your dad, and he’d need you.”

“The world is going to suck when Uncle Tommy isn’t in it anymore.” You whispered, your emotions lodging in your throat.

“It won’t be as good, that's for sure.” She agreed, her eyes misting over. “The sun won’t shine as bright.”

You walked over and hugged your aunt tightly. You knew she was doing her best to stay strong for everyone else.

“We’ll get each other through.” You assured her

After saying goodnight, you headed upstairs to shower and crash. The emotions from the last 48 hours had been a lot. You needed a good night's sleep to refresh for tomorrow.

[aotxfan]

Her God (Eren)

Spoilers for season 4. Content warning for blood, mentions of violence, religious connotations, and mature themes.

Female pronouns used, but no name is specified. Can be read as a reader insert in the third person.

“A recruit? You’re assigning me a simple recruit?”

A lazy voice drifted from the side of the room and she resisted the urge to flinch. A figure was seated to the side with his back turned away and his head resting on his palm. Even facing the window, she could tell exactly who he was by the monotone drawl of his voice and the dark hair tied behind his head.

Her breath hitched at her throat in excitement. Eren Yeager.

The figure, Eren, spared her half a glance before turning his attention to her companion. His features were devoid of emotion and he drummed his fingers on the armrest of the chair.

At her side, Floch made a sound at the back of his throat.

“She’s a recruit sure, but she graduated at the top of her squad. She’s a former Military Police member and a damn good one at that. I personally advocate for her talents and hand selected her for the job. Of course, if you would prefer someone else, I can find a new one.”

Seemingly uninterested with the entire conversation, Eren turned his head away. His gaze went for the window overlooking Paradis instead. Making a noncommittal sound, he shrugged.

“Whatever.”

A hand nudged her lightly and she met Floch’s eyes. Prodding her to introduce herself, she took a hesitant step forward.

The fact that she was here in front of him made her nervous, but she was determined to make a good first impression. Saving Eldia was her life’s mission, and serving Eren her life’s greatest wish.

Snapping to a salute, she introduced herself. Giving Eren her name, she clenched her fist at her chest. “Sir, it will be my owner to serve you and the Eldian Empire.”

“Honor, hm?” Eren didn’t even bother to glance back as he moved his hand in a shooing motion. “You can leave us, Floch. Tell the others outside not to bother me.”

Floch, subservient, bowed his head. Nodding to her and motioning for her to get closer to Eren, he closed the door on his way out.

Left alone with her hero, she paused and knew not what to say.

When Floch had come to her and asked her to become Eren’s personal body guard and servant, she had hardly believed her luck. Out of all the Eldian Empire loyalists, she was one of the best. Graduating at the top of her squadron and making a name for herself as an MP, she had been a simple choice. Floch trusted her and knew she was loyal to the cause as much as he was. He had selected her to personally serve Eren and had given her implicit orders to give him her life if it was needed of her.

Really, he hadn’t needed to order her to lay down her life. Since she was a child, she had been devoted to Eldia and Eren. Even before the island had learned about Marley and the truth of the Titans, she had been loyal.

Her parents had died in 845 when the Colossal Titan had destroyed the wall. She had been forced to take shelter in Wall Rose and live with a distant relative working in the farms in order to keep her place as a refugee following the government’s decree of refugees making themselves useful. However, once she had turned 15, her relative had passed and she had lost everything once more. She had been left an orphan with no family or friends to turn to wandering around the refugee encampments with nothing but the hunger in her stomach and the hatred for the Titans in her heart for company. After that, she had enlisted in the military to make a name for herself and do something productive with her life.

By then, the island had learned of Marley. The year she enlisted and entered training, what was left of the Survey Corp had ventured past the walls and seen what was behind them. By the time she had graduated and joined the MPs to serve under Queen Historia, Paradis had declared war on Marley.

Throughout her entire time as a soldier, she had been surrounded by tales of Eren’s exploits and his mission to restore Eldia. She had learned to see him as a savior and the Eldian Empire’s only hope of beating Marley. Utterly devoted to him and loyal to the Eldian blood that ran through her veins, she didn’t need Floch to order her to give up her life. She would gladly give it even if it were just for one of Eren’s whims.

“Are you still here?”

Eren’s voice shocked her out of her reverie. By now, he had turned around and shoved his hands in his pockets. Wandering around her like a predator stalking its prey, he took the sight of her in.

Feeling like she was being taken apart by his steely gaze, she raised her head up high. “Sir, I will follow you from now on. Whatever you need, I will provide it.”

“Anything I want?” He yawned into his hand, “And if I ordered you to leave? Told you not to bother me, would you?”

She blinked.

“If you would like me to leave, I will be right outside the door. Just call me in when you need me.”

She moved to take a step but he intercepted her. Blocking her path to the door, he shoved his hands back in his pocket.

“You are obedient,” he continued to pace around her and his eyes narrowed, “What else can you do for me?”

She bit the inside of her cheek and resisted the urge to look away. She felt exposed, stripped bare, and she could only hope that-whatever he was looking for in her-he would find.

“If I told you to kill, would you? By now you know that our true enemies are people, not titans. Surely that gives you some pause.”

She shook her head. “Not at all, sir. I’ve killed before. I helped plan the bomb that killed the Premier and allowed you to escape. I helped kill the other soldiers guarding you. I can handle getting my hands bloody. If you need me to become an assassin for you, you need only say the word.”

Something that sounded like amusement left the back of his throat. By now, his eyes had taken a light of intrigue. She felt her face warming and she hoped her blush wasn’t too apparent.

“And if I asked you to die for me? Gave you a knife here and now and told you to slit your throat, would you?”

He reached for the inside of his coat and pulled out a sharp dagger. Giving it to her hilt first, he raised an eyebrow.

A test, and one she would not refuse.

Without any hesitation, she took it and held it up to her throat. To show him she wasn’t lying about her loyalty, she allowed the tip to pierce skin. A thin line of blood ran down the front of her neck and his eyes followed it.

“Give the word and I will stain the floor with my blood.”

A prickle of fear registered somewhere at the back of her head, but she shoved it away. To give her life for Eldia and Eren would be an honor. She could think of no better way to die.

As a child, she had heard of Eren Yeager. The boy from Wall Maria that could turn into a titan and had become Paradis’ hope of beating the titans. She had followed stories of him carefully and had sought out as much about him as possible. Over time, she had grown to revere the man before her. To her, she was his god.

Eldia’s survival rested on his shoulders and her life was in his hands. Were he to give the order, she would gladly jerk the blade deep into her jugular and paint the tiles red. Her life was nothing compared to his. To die by his word would be a beautiful thing.

The knife was plucked out of her grasp after another moment and his finger wiped at the blood there. She tried not to shiver as she felt his freezing touch.

He stared at the tip of his finger dyed red for a moment before raising it to his lips. Licking his finger clean, he turned to her.

“My, so you are an obedient little thing. Perhaps I’ll keep you around,” he stepped closer to her and lifted her chin with his fingers, “You are rather beautiful too. Floch certainly knew what he was doing when he hand selected you. I think I’ll have fun with you.”

A blush spread across her face as their eyes met. She bit her tongue knowing not how to respond. There was a strange look in his green eyes that sent alarm bells at the back of her head along with a strange excitement. She shivered lightly as the fingers at her chin moved to her mouth.

His thumb traced her bottom lip and his eyes looked directly at hers.

“I do wonder what it is that makes you so desperate to please me. Are you a patriot? A fellow Eldian wanting to see Eldia’s restoration?” He let go of her face then and turned away almost bored. “While admirable, a patriot can easily turn coats when desperation strikes. You did desert the military after all. If you just want to serve me because you want to see the Empire restored, I’ll have to see just how far that patriotism runs.”

She blinked and opened her mouth. Without thinking she blurted out, “It’s not just Eldia-”

She cut herself off then just as Eren had crossed his arms behind his back and turned away uninterested.

Embarrassment at her outburst filled her and her face turned red. She hadn’t meant to yell at him, but the thought of him questioning her loyalty was painful. All those years she had revered him, yet he was doubting her dedication-

“Oh?”

Her outburst seemed to have surprised him. As he turned back to examine her, she thought she caught a glimmer of amusement in his green eyes before it was gone and replaced with neutrality.

Leaning against the table, he crossed his arms in front of himself now.

“Not just Eldia you want to serve? Then what else brings you here?”

She swallowed and met his gaze directly. Allowing the fire in her to burn bright in her eyes, she took a half step forward.

“I want to serve you. It’s an honor to be here after everything you’ve done. You’re a hero to us all,” she lowered her head then humbly, “Please allow me to serve you.”

The room was quiet for a few moments. She waited patiently for his response and hoped her words had gotten through to him. She was his until death and would do anything to prove her dedication.

“A hero. I’ve been called a suicidal maniac, a monster, and a usurper, but very few still call me a hero. Is that how you see me? A hero?”

She raised her head then and that same fire burned bright in her again. She wished she could bare her heart and show him just how much it yearned for him. If only she could show him just how much she worshiped him.

He was more than just a hero.

All those years that she had scraped by, starving and terrified, it was only the stories of his success that had kept her going. She had learned to see him as a hopeful beacon, had repeated to herself his story to draw strength, and had pledged herself to him before she had even met him.

He was the sole reason she had enlisted. She had wanted to meet him and saw the military as her only option. When she had graduated, she had thought about joining the Scouts to make sure they would be in the same rank, but the other Yeagerists had suggested the MPs instead. They needed their number in every branch, and she had been one of the few invited to the MPs.

He was more than just a hero to her. He was her hope, her reason to survive, her reason to push forward, her heart, her god-

“You are the only hope Eldia has. No one can beat your power and no can stand in your way. You’re greater than men and more powerful than an entire battalion. You’re a god in human flesh,” she met his gaze evenly.

Another flicker of amusement in his green eyes and he was raising an eyebrow.

“A god? Now that’s a new one. I’ve never been called a god before.”

He kicked off the table and walked towards her. His fingers moved to her throat and he wiped at the blood there. The cut had not stopped bleeding and his touch stung just slightly.

Once more, he raised his bloody hands to his mouth and licked them clean. His eyes met hers directly and excitement pooled at her stomach as his tongue traced his hand.

“Are you a cultist then? One of those former Wall worshippers?” He didn’t wait for her response. His fingers began to trace her neck and she shivered as she felt his breath get closer to her. “Not that I mind, I think being worshipped as a god will be fun.”

Before she knew what was happening, he was yanking hard on her hair. Her mouth opened in pain just in time for him to slam their lips together.

She froze in utter surprise as he kissed her then winced in pain when he bit down on her bottom lip hard. Blood filled her mouth, but she refused to move away. She had meant what she said before, she was his to do whatever he wanted with even if it was to hurt her.

He drew back after a bit and his mouth was red with her blood. Chuckling, he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. There was a dark look in his eyes that resembled lust and she shivered at her own arousal.

“I think I’ll have fun with you. To be worshipped as a god will be a new experience.”

His hands suddenly pushed down hard on her shoulders. He lowered her into a kneeling position and moved closer. His hips were now eye level and his hands moved to the buckle of his pants.

She flushed brightly and her mouth watered as he grabbed the back of her head and brought her closer.

“Well then, if I am your god, then get on your knees and pray.”

[rieson]

 ↱ HOLLOW . . .  ↲

@shmblslw asked:

hiii can i please request "surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone i loved." with one piece - ace? please? tysm

pairing; ace x gn!reader

genre; angst

content warning; major character death, one piece spoilers - marineford arc

word count; 1,125

authors note; holy shit, I need to say something....i teared up a bit writing this, i'm not too good with angst but hopefully you liked this. you can find the prompt here

─ ace has a few more words to deliver to both you and luffy before taking his last few breath's.

"surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone i loved." he thought one last time before his body met the floor with a small 'thud!'

THIS wasn’t supposed to happen─no.

You were supposed to be the one saving him; not the other way around.

Why….Why did he..?

Your legs gave up on you as you saw the horrifying scene unfold in front of you; Sakazuki’s lava fist successfully going through your boyfriend’s chest─seemingly melting all of his organs as there was nothing left but a hole.

The admiral retracted his arm, making Ace’s body go limp as there was nothing supporting him to stand up.

The world around you seemed to slow down ─ your only focus was the falling body in front of you.

The sound of swords clashing, fist’s being exchanged, and the whitebeard pirate’s screams went deaf to you.

The only thing you could hear was Luffy’s horrid scream of ‘ACEEEE!’ as a blur of yellow ran through; even that was muffled.

Your [eye colour] orbs locked with his black ones; even at the verge of dying, his eyes soften at the sight of you ─ unscathed from Sakazuki’s attack.

Luffy’s body blocked your sight of vision; his dirty yellow vest was all you could see.

You soon registered what Luffy was saying, choking out words as best as he could as he held your boyfriends body in his arm; resting his chin against his shoulder, one hand on his back to keep him steady; making Ace’s face enter your sight of vision.

Pure horror filled your eyes as you scanned Ace’s face, blood spilling out from his mouth and nose.

Yet he still managed a small shaky smile form on his lips; even if he was at death’s door, he was glad he could see you once again.

You snapped out of your small shock, shakily making your way towards Him and Luffy.

Your knees gave up on you once again as you stopped right in front of Ace’s face; Luffy’s back was facing you, you couldn't see his eyes threatening to burst out with Tears as Ace’s face was the only one you could register.

Through half lidded eyes, Ace gave you the best closed eye smile he could muster.

His whole body throbbed, but that didn’t matter.

He had to tell you something before he died, he couldn’t live with regrets after all; if he were to die, which is right now, he would want to tell you that he loved you, then he can die happily.

Ace gave you a signal to what seems like a sign to move closer, so you did.

Raising both your arms shakily, you made your best attempt to hug both of them; your tears threatening to come anytime soon.

Closing your eyes, your hand made it on top of Luffy’s hand that was holding Ace steady; the hand that was in the middle of the hole in his chest.

Hollow, was what you described the feeling to be.

You could hear Luffy’s voice;

“Hey? Can you hear me? Y-You’ll be fine, right?” His voice was shaky, seemingly also trying to keep his tears at bay.

“Im sorry...Luffy..” Came Ace’s gruff voice; a bit strained.

Luffy lets out a noise of shock, “W-What are you saying?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” He raised his voice, shifting his body as well as Ace’s and Yours.

You raised your head to look at Ace’s dirtied and bloodied ones.

Your ears once again muted the outside noises; not registering the voice of Luffy’s shaky and strained voice screaming for help and a doctor.

You could no longer keep your tears at bay as you burst out crying at the next sentence he croaked out;

“..Its no use Luffy, He fried my insides…” He paused, taking a shaky breath “I can tell… My life is at an end..”

“Dont say that..Y-You said you’d never die, didnt you?!” Luffy retorted, having a more hard time keeping his tears in.

“Luffy─” You tried speaking to him but you cut your own words with your sobs.

Ace averted his gaze onto you again; smiling warmly before furrowing his eyebrows in pain.

“If you see Dadan, then give her my regards..” He croaked out.

“I'm sorry that i couldn't see you,” A pause, “Fulfill your dream…”

“You’re my little brother..”

“Was it...good that i was born?” He questioned, your unstable voice ringing in his ears as you snapped at him, “Of course it was you idiot!” You sobbed, “F─Fuck if the world thinks youre a devil spawn, to me, you’re a wingless, walking Angel!” More tears escaped from your eyes.

“Y─You have no idea how much happiness you’ve given to me for being born, Hell If i c─could thank Miss Rouge for birthing you, i would!” Your sight was now blurry due to the tears.

“If A─Anything, i’m glad you were born! I'm sure Luffy thinks so too!” In which, Luffy backs up your statement with a fast nod; accompanied by his sniffles.

Ace smiles at your words, his eyes filled with love and admiration before he opens his mouth to speaks again;

“I..” a pause, “Can’t speak loud enough for the others to hear it..” He starts.

“Old man..”

“Luffy..”

“Everyone..”

“Especially...you..”

“[Name].”

“The very same [Name] that allowed me to feel loved and teached me how to love,” He let out a bitter chuckle, “If….I’m being honest with you…” His eyes moved to your face, adoring your features once again.

“I….wanted to propose to you.”

“...When..? I don't even know, maybe even right now if i didn't chase after that bastard Teach..” He growled.

He let out another bittersweet chuckle, moving his head so he could get a full view of you, “...But with what's happening currently, i guess that could never happen huh..?”

“I...I’m sorry.. I really wanted… to have a peaceful life with you one day, maybe settle down…” A pause, “In one of Pop’s islands and maybe have kids of my own..You know..?”

“Living happily with you and our little family; a family that i...always wanted..”

“..Im sorry.. I didn't listen to you, sorry for all the stupid arguments i had with you..” A chuckle, “..I don't even remember...the reason why i argued with you those times..”

He coughed up blood once again, bloodying your arm but you didn't care, your only focus was him and him only.

“Im sorry...I hope...Y..You find someone better t─than me” He choked out.

“I’ll always love you guys, o..kay..?”

“Thank you..for loving me..!” His voice was pained, but yet, he sent both you and Luffy one more last closed eye smile he could make before his body went limp.

‘Surely..it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone i loved.’ He thought one last time before his body met the floor with a small 'thud!'.

[batarella]

The Commander - Part 13 (Arkham Knight x Reader)

ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES. I had so much fun looking back at Arkham Knight playthroughs and following the flow of this scene. HOPE YOU ENJOY.

WORDS: 3648 WARNINGS: SPOILERS FOR ARKHAM KNIGHT VIDEO GAME (CLOUDBURST SCENE) AND SOOOOO MUCH ANGST. I RECOMMEND WATCHING A PLAYTHROUGH IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED THE GAME 

Masterlist

THE COMMANDER - MASTERLIST

------

“Commander Y/N.”

It was Scarecrow’s voice in her communicator. They’d just arrived at Gotham. By now, he should be at Ace Chemicals. “I’m in the middle of something, Crane.”

“I thought of what you can do, so your relationship with the Knight will not be such a… predicament…”

“I have no relationship with him.”

“Didn’t you and the Knight share an intimate moment at the Dark Knight’s cave?”

She almost dropped the gun, her mouth slightly parted but was too horrified to speak. She was in the middle of taking her men into their base at the department store. And even so, she stopped walking. “I told you. I have eyes.”

“What the hell do you want from me?”

“You control the Cloudburst tonight.”

“We reached that decision days ago, you dirt rag.”

Crane’s voice sounded like he breathed into her ear even closer.

“But it shall be the Arkham Knight that the Batman thinks is manning the tank.”

Her rifle almost dropped to the ground. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I am the kind of man who wants every possibility planned out.”

“Are you even a man, Crane?”

“The Batmobile is not what we’d expected.”

“Expected?”

“It’s much stronger. It’s destroyed a number of my drones just outside my station at Ace Chemicals.  Tell me, Commander, what happens if the Dark Knight manages to destroy the Cloudburst?”

She remembered. They had this perfectly planned out. She, Jason, Scarecrow, and Deathstroke all agreed on the same.

First, before anything else, they kidnap Barbara Gordon. If the Cloudburst fails to release the toxin, the Knight will go after the commissioner, James Gordon, who will by then be looking for the Arkham Knight after taking his daughter.

They will then use the Commissioner to gain them access into the Panessa Studios, which according to Jason, is one of Batman’s many hideouts. Whoever is in the studios that they can use to their advantage, they will take them.

It goes on from there.  The commissioner will then serve as a hostage to force Batman to surrender, if everything else falls into place.

“Kidnap the commissioner,” she said.

“The Dark Knight destroying the cloudburst has become more of a possibility than what we’ve thought, but as way to counter that, taking Batman himself, injecting that fear onto his bloodstream whilst I unmask him for the world to see, that does just as much damage to Gotham as my fear toxin.”

“And how am I supposed to help you with that?”

“I’m afraid your Knight has miscalculated. He needs far more than a few hours to get Gordon and hack into the studios. If Batman thinks it is the Arkham Knight manning the Cloudburst, he will no longer be looking for him after it has been destroyed. It will give us the time we need to kidnap Gordon and his allies,” he said.. “Otherwise, Batman will track the Knight down before we’ve done so much.”

“You seem to have these awfully planned out, Crane. For someone who thought the Cloudburst was such a prize.”

Crane let out an eerie, maniacal laugh beneath his breath.

“I am a very calculated man, Commander. Engulfing Gotham City in my reign of fear can only hold so long if the Batman continues to defend her. Unmasking him, humiliating him for the world to see, that will be the assurance I need so that the next time I release my toxin, I will be sure no one can stop me.”

She could almost feel Scarecrow’s syringes against her neck, and she stood stiff, her eyes locked onto the abandoned department store.

“It shouldn’t make much of a difference. So unless you make sure the Cloudburst isn’t destroyed, give your precious Knight the time he needs to succeed.”

Xxxxxx

The Cloudburst drove out from the tunnels.

She was alone, and the air in the cockpit was eerily cold. The Commander pulled out from one of the compartments something she’d prepared earlier that night.

A visor identical to the Arkham Knight’s.

If all else fails, at least Jason will still have a shot.

She took off her white mask, looked straight into the optics, then set it aside.

The visor was heavy, and it weighed on her neck so much she could topple at any more movement. And it was hot. Y/N had trouble to even breathe. She stretched her shoulders and pressed on her communicator, the one Jason gave her.

“Jason.”

Her voice. It sounded precisely like his. Filtered, unidentifiable, and foolproof.

“Where the hell did you get that visor?”

“Calm down. If I were you I’d take off your own visor. Batman only needs to see and hear mine.”

Their two voice were hurtful to hear on each ends of the communicator. She heard him take off his helmet, and with his real voice, he didn’t sound any happier.

“What are you trying to do, Commander?”

“Ask Scarecrow. This was his idea.”

She heard him curse, then his comms turned off and the Commander continued with maneuvering the tank out onto the streets. Out of Founder’s, and into Perdition Bridge. This will be where she releases the toxin.

There were street thugs, running out of the way, while still keeping their eyes on what was about to happen. Other than that, Gotham was empty. The Cloudburst paraded across the bridge.

“Do it,” she heard Scarecrow’s voice.

She closed her eyes, and all she could see was her uncle’s face.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Commander Y/N turned off the ventilation, made sure the oxygen tanks were in power, then signaled for the Cobra tanks to stand guard.

Her hand sweating on the lever, the Commander pulled on the cylinder, turned it exactly 50 degrees, then pushed.

The visor did much to mask the noise. But she was used to it. What she wasn’t used to was the explosion that came directly in front of her.

It was much like a bomb, and the massive blow of the toxin, in the form of smoke, tore up into the sky and sucked up any form of air in its way. It blew out all across her, over the water under the bridge and out into all three islands of Gotham. It was like a sandstorm, crushing anything in its path and engulfing the city in a hellish red cloud of the Scarecrow’s toxin.

And it didn’t take too long. The storm subsided, and when she looked up, all she could see was darkness.

No longer was there a blank sky above her. It was the toxin in the form of a heavily concentrated gas cloud that covered everything from the streets up to at least five stories. Everything below it, suffered its effects.

The same thugs that stared at the tank were now ripping each other’s flesh with their own teeth, their eyes white and the noises they made inhumane.

This was it. This was Gotham. This was the City of Fear.

Xxxxx

“Commander, a serpent drone has picked up a giant plant growing out of Founder’s Island.”

“A giant what?”

Quickly, she searched for the drone’s footage, and sure enough a plant the size of three towers stacked together sprouted out of the ground and had Batman’s car in its vines. “Son of a bitch.”

“Sergeant, there’s a weed grown tall in Divinity Churchyard,” she said to the drone controllers. “Cut it down.”

“Sending drones in now, sir.”

She opened her visor and pinched her nose. Scarecrow’s plan worked, as of now. Batman thinks it was the Knight in the Cloudburst and not her. And that plan might actually be of use, with the Dark Knight getting closer and closer to ending the toxin’s hold on the city.

Scarecrow was right. Again. She hated that man to the bone.

She kept on the footage of the Batmobile destroying each of her drones. “I own these streets, Dark Knight!” she said. One after the other, they exploded.

“He wiped them out sir,” the sergeant said over her comms. “We’re gonna need more tanks.”

“No. Now he needs to face me.” She called Batman.

“Commander. Make sure he doesn’t survive. Blow up his stupid car and kill him,” Jason said. She heard his breath heavy.

She’s never seen his face up close before, but there he was. The Dark Knight. Ready to face her to the death. “YOU WANNA FINISH THIS? COME TO BLEAKE ISLAND!”

Her hands gripping tightly on the controls. “Commander,” she heard Jason’s unfiltered voice. “He’s blocked off the bridges out of Bleake Island.”

“I’ll be okay. Batman doesn’t realize he’s going after the best markswoman in the world.”

And with that, she called for the cobra tanks to surround her, her hands gripping onto the handles to move the tank into the center of the island.

The Cloudburst’s optics circled slowly around the perimeter. She searched for any signature, any movement out of place. There was dead silence, and the sky the color of blood.

“We’ve lost a Cobra Tank. Sending support.”

She growled into her communicator. “IT’S OVER BATMAN. GOTHAM’S DEAD.” There was buzzing, like tires screeching. Her optics picked up movement, and she breathed, quick enough not to lose its sight. He was slightly peering into from a building on her right. She locked onto the target, firing her missile.

And like that, Deadshot became the first to hit the Batmobile. The damage wasn’t too much, but it was significant. “Good job, Commander. Keep firing at him. Make sure he doesn’t come out of this alive,” Jason said.

“Cobra tank down. Holding formation.”

She would have cursed if Scarecrow’s voice hadn’t interrupted her. “What do you think you're doing?”

“Finishing the job.”

It was the Arkham Knight’s voice. But it was Jason’s line on the other end. She just listened.

“This is not the plan we agreed upon.”

“It’s a plan that works. Scarecrow can choke on his toxin, Batman. I just want you dead,” Jason growled.

Then she switched onto Jason’s communicator. “Are you sure about this?”

“Just keep going, Commander. Do not back down. I trust you with this.”

Another. And another. Three Cobras down in less than a minute apart.

“JASON.”

“I SAID KEEP GOING. BLOW UP HIS TANK. KILL HIM NOW.”

She was alone. No longer with any more tanks to support her. She kept her optics rotating at a faster pace. Batman couldn’t be far. He should be here. Somewhere.

Breathe in. Breathe-

She screamed, her head almost hitting the wall when the tank blew up on the right side. Her coolant systems set off an alarm, the Batman had hit her. The Commander turned her optics to that direction, caught the Batmobile just before it sped off, then fired.

Another hit. But at such a cost. She amplified the three remaining coolant lines and sped down the roads. Y/N slowed her heartbeat, slowed her breaths, focused on the sight in front of her. Focused on what was far.

The tank exploded again. This time from the back. “Knight, he’s trying to overheat the tank.”

“THE ISLAND IS BLOCKED OFF. YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. I’M SENDING A SERPENT DRONE. KILL HIM.”

Those last two words, how she’s heard Jason say that to her more than just a few times.

The Commander turned her optics over to her side. He wasn’t there.

But she knew exactly where he was.

That road only led to one place. And on the other side was a dead end. He should pass by an alleyway in just a few moments. The Commander turned her launcher to that side, and waited.

Breathe. Follow the target. Keep breathing.

Her thumbs over the buttons, she kept her optics close. She waited and waited, facing the third coolant to that side to bait the Batmobile. There, he was coming closer.

The hood of the Bat’s tank, snaking to her side thinking she didn’t notice it. “FIRE,” she heard Jason scream into her ear.

She can end this now, it was much too easy. She pulled on the lever, her thumb hovering over the button. And then-

And then-

Uncle. He was at the front seat of the Batmobile. And he was looking at her. And he was so thin it didn’t even look like him anymore.

How many hundreds of lives has she taken?

How many thousands has she hurt?

How many daughters left without a father?

How many wives has she widowed?

How many millions will be left without hope?

How many in this city will suffer if she fires?

There have always been consequences, but none with stakes higher than this.

All that doubt, the guilt after pulling the trigger and leaving bodies left alone, it was all balled up in one. Crucial. Second.

The one second the Dark Knight needed.

Everything she’s worked for, trained for her whole life, thrown out into a deep dark hole. The Commander blindly fired at the Batmobile and slammed her head against the steel of the cockpit when the left side of the tank exploded.

And she had just one coolant left.

The alarms deafened her ears. And she was almost never deafened. It mimicked the panic of her heart racing, Jason’s voice violently screaming into her ear. The tank trembled immensely, and for once, she no longer knew what to do.

The Batmobile was alive. Somewhere in the island.

She missed.

She missed.

All the voices in her head. The Arkham Knight. Scarecrow. Deathstroke. Floyd Lawton. They all screamed at her. Her hands were shaking. She’s never missed a shot at anything for so long. Everything moved too fast, too strong for her to block off. She turned off her communicators, kept her heartbeat steady.

But she couldn’t hear Floyd’s voice any longer. He’d left her. And she was alone, shaking with the tank so close to giving out. She grabbed the handles and turned around.

Just for the Batman to fire at the last coolant. The one right at her front.

She hit her head. Again. Everything was too much of a blur. She couldn’t control her breathing, or her heart. She moved the cloudburst, finding someplace where the Bat couldn’t find her.

Five missiles locked onto her. The tank was barely holding up. Everything around her went red, and her head so painfully throbbing she couldn’t see or hear anything more.

She turned on her communicators.

“Jason…”

“I’M ON MY WAY, COMMANDER. STAY ALIVE.”

She heard him scream at Batman on the other end. And she felt three more missiles hit her from behind.

Sparks were emitting out of the Cloudburst and the whole tank was shaking off the ground. It no longer moved.

And she could smell it. The toxin. It was the worst thing she’s ever breathed in her whole life. The Commander clawed on her own throat, begging for some air. She hurried up the hatch, fighting the pain in her own head. She collapsed on the tank before she could breathe anything more.

Everything was dark. And her nightmares flashed like speeding pictures projected onto a screen.

There were ghosts, floating above and around her, mauling her body and pulling her up where she could no longer stand. And she couldn’t move. There were birds, screeching into her ear, and their claws were so sharp she could feel them scratch at her open flesh, pulling out her skin. And they flew over her fast, circling around her.

At the farthest end of the sky, something so miniscule, yet so visible. It was speeding right towards her and she could do so much as move her head to narrowly avoid it. It shined a glistening silver and it was burning. Y/N could just feel how hot it was from the speed. It was a bullet.

Being on the other side of the gun. That was what she feared the most.

Bullets entered her bloodstream, too many for her to count. Onto her chest, her stomach, her arms, her legs, her neck, her spine, her face. Every hit pierced through her like a thick needle and it froze her muscles at they made contact with her body. She screamed, a horrifying scream. Some settled on her flesh, on her skin, some resting on her head. She could feel the bullets enter her, her own blood spilling and her nerves so close to giving out. Every inch of her being tugged into a stinging burst, and the cold metal the bullets almost froze her muscles.

Y/N’s spine was hit, and she couldn’t feel anything on her lower body, even when so many bullets pierced her foot, she’d never be able to walk anyways. Her bones were shattered and her face, ruined by the explosives landing right at her cheeks.

She was laying on the ground. Y/N couldn’t move.

She’s seen this happen. And she’s caused this kind of pain to so many others.

Now she knows what it was like.

She screamed, openly at the abyss, at the birds flying above her like a tornado and her own voice painfully tugging at her throat. She saw Floyd, staring at her, and she couldn’t stop screaming.

Over. And over. And over.

She felt something carrying her up a rooftop, and the Batman crashing to the ground beside her. Her lungs gave out just as she saw the Arkham Knight get to her, leaving the Bat on the ground.

Xxxxxx

One. Two. Three.

One. Two. Three.

One. Two. Three.

She was unconsciously counting in her head. Just up to three, then she’d trail back to where she started.

It was like a knife was stabbing at her temple and went out the other side. Handle and all. Y/N felt her eyes about to open, but she wanted them still closed. She didn’t want to look if she was dead. Or worse, alive and hunted.

Everyone will be out to kill her.

Y/N’s eyes shot open.

She was in a room she didn’t know. And it was dark.

The department store. The Arkham Knight Headquarters. In an abandoned furniture store where none of her soldiers were staying in. It was small, barely enough for a closet, a dining table, and a couch, which was where she was lying on.

She had an oxygen mask strapped to her mouth. And every part of her ached when she sat up. But her body wasn’t ruined. She wasn’t shot. Only the sides of her arms and her head were bruised when she’d hit the cockpit walls in the tank after it exploded.

After she lost.

The door open. And the man that went inside looked out for anyone following him.

“Jason…”

He hurriedly shut the door. “Don’t fucking speak. If anyone finds you here, you're dead.”

Y/N immediately looked away. He didn’t even look at her. Jason pulled the visor off his head and placed it on the table, along with a large duffel bag.

He had his eyes closed shut.

“Jason, his tank was nothing like we’d expecte-“

“Shut up.”

She choked, looking straight at the wall.

“You knew how much he hurt me.”

Y/N hugged her chest, but even that was too painful to do. She just laid on the couch and looked up at the ceiling.

“You knew how much I want him dead.”

“I…”

“I SAID SHUT UP.”

She stilled, feeling her wrists quake.

“I told Scarecrow you didn’t survive. Just so he wouldn’t come after you. Then I watched the footage on the Cloudburst…”

“I’m sorry-“

“You missed,” he cried. “He got away because you missed.”

It was something else other than her own hand holding her chest so tightly, because it was so painful she could feel it twist.

“All this would’ve been okay if I DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEVER MISSED A SHOT.”

His fist slammed against the wall. And the hole was large enough to almost collapse the ceiling above it.

“I TRUSTED YOU!”

He was screaming. Never mind what he said about being quiet.

And it dawned on her. Jason didn’t want Y/N on the Cloudburst, and she thought it was because he wanted her safe. That it would be too much for her.

But he wanted to be on the Cloudburst so he could guarantee Batman would be dead. It was never about her.

Stupid. Fucking stupid.

“That means that somewhere there,” he pointed at her head. “Somewhere, you felt guilty about all this. You hesitated. YOU HESITATED. Of all the times I’ve asked you to kill, YOU HESITATED WHEN IT MEANT THE MOST. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH HE’S MADE ME SUFFER. AND YOU JUST LET HIM LIVE.”

Jason knelt on the ground, and her muscles were too sore to move. She forced herself up, trying to reach for his head, but he pushed her hands away and she winced at the pain. ‘I love you,’ she whispered, but only on her own. ‘I would never let him hurt you again.’

Floyd’s protégé.

The Militia Commander.

Deadshot.

The machine she was raised to be. The assassin with the best aim. The world renowned.

Crying helplessly like a spineless nobody.

She wasn’t the best marksman in the world. She was nothing. Y/N failed at the most important job she’s ever been given.

“He thought it was me in that tank. We had just enough time to get Gordon.”

His voice was blank. He didn’t see much in her anymore. Y/N could tell by the look on his eyes. Jason dropped a large duffel bag on the ground in front of her.

“One point five million dollars. Take it and get out of here.”

He threw her white mask and gun optics on top of the bag. The tears wouldn’t stop pouring out of her. But she was no longer screaming. She looked blankly out in the open and heard the door shut.

And just like that, she lost everything.

-----

THE COMMANDER - MASTERLIST

-----

 Taglist: everyartistwas-firstanamateur  @sarcasmismyfirstlove @damned-queen-of-gotham @idkmanicantenglish @wunderstell @birdy-bat-riya @get-loki@everyday-imfangirling @comic-nerd-dc @multifandoms916 @icequeen208@offendedfishnoises @egdolan @xemiefx @arkhamtoddler @elsenthal@mythicbitchx @supremehaunter @ burning-alive  @lucy-roo

[welllpthisishappening]

Welllp These Are Books: the March 2021 Edition

There aren’t even any pictures! Except in that one book where there were pictures! It was weird! This was a weird book month! Back at it again with thoughts and opinions about a whole mess of books that no one explicitly asked for, but I’ve got lots of thoughts and opinions and they only count if I share them on the internet. Seriously, someone let me go to a baseball game soon. Obligatory warning for spoilers and vaguely unhinged rants under the cut. As always, feel free to come tell me what else I should be reading at literally any time ever.

Best Book of the Month Honors Goes to This Book, Even Though They Called It Halftime at a Hockey Game. A Hockey Game!

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can't give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiancé. Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend's little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy's matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather's will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago… Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren't about to follow the rules of this engagement.

— Ok, it’s important to know that I really did love this book. It hit all my trope-wants. Childhood friends, incredibly stupid misunderstandings, pining, seriously God the pining, fake engagement, BANTER. It was all going great. I was occasionally swooning. They kept making out! And then! THEN. They went to a hockey game. On a date. A fake date. Cool, cool, cool. All tropes, all the time right? Not so fast, internet! Because these self-proclaimed Sharks SUPER FANS referred to intermission as “halftime was coming up.” Halftime! At a hockey game! That’s—that’s not how hockey works! If this hadn’t been “traditionally” published, I probably could have let it slide. But that was not the case. This was a “real” book with, I can only assume, real editors. All of whom saw the words halftime and hockey near each other and we’re like YEAH, PRINT THAT SHIT. I read that at nearly one in the morning and seriously considered waking Justin up to be like CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS IN A REAL BOOK? Anyway, it was still real cute. Everyone lived happily ever after. It made want to eat samosas.

This Book Had Pictures, It Was Weird

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different:  Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night...Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

— So, Ilona Andrews is a name that keeps coming up because when I borrow a book from the library I have to go through Kindle and Amazon is like...here are some other absurd fantasy romances you’d enjoy. Also, one of her other series had been recc’ed to me. Only problem? The first book in that series is the only book in that series not available at my library. So, I was like, ok, I’ll start this one instead. It was...weird. Honestly, it felt like I’d been dropped in the middle of the story and the narrator was like, well why don’t you already know what’s going on? In theory the world building was cool. (I was not expecting alien werewolves, lemme tell you that!) But also it all felt very rushed and the end just sorta happened.

In Which I Continue to Love “Same Verse” Books & No One Else Had Sex in the Port Jeff High School Dugout. For Which I Was Grateful

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp.

Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippie. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculous—yet surprisingly helpful—assignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as they’re getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret... and it could demolish everything.

— Listen, one of my absolutely favorite tropes that I do not think gets enough love in the world is COMMITTED LONG-LASTING RELATIONSHIPS. And, like, ok, sure the premise of this was that they were separating in that long-lasting relationship. But no one really believed that, did they? Rosie and Dominic were real cute and their banter was good and I wasn’t totally skeeved out when they literally fucked on the kitchen floor. So, I think that’s saying something. Also, also! I seriously appreciated the realism of this book because no one on Long Island would ever call Manhattan Manhattan. It’s the city. Every other borough gets a name, but Manhattan is just the city and I nearly cheered when they said that. But also, no one’s taking a cab from Port Jeff to the Meatpacking District. You know what that would cost? God.

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

Hair, makeup, clothing, decor... everything in Bethany Castle's world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family's real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She's on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother's construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany's skin on day one, and the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.

As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It's a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany's perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.

— It should first be noted that in the three books of this series, I could not and cannot understand why Bethany’s brother was such a monumental dick. He was just...he was a dick. His marriage was awful. How long was his wife pregnant without him knowing???? I digress. This continued to be cute, Bethany was a legit heroine as far as those rom-com things go, Wes was very Texas and that got a little over the top, but they had sex in a bed like normal people so that helped. Oh, except that one time on the construction site. Whatever, this book was cute. This whole series was cute, really, and I was a big fan of the happy little wrap-everything-up with a bow ending.

Romance That Happens In Point Two Seconds Is...Unbelievable

Too Hot to Handle by Tessa Bailey

The road trip was definitely a bad idea. Having already flambéed her culinary career beyond recognition, Rita Clarkson is now stranded in God-Knows-Where, New Mexico, with a busted-ass car and her three temperamental siblings, who she hasn't seen in years. When rescue shows up---six-feet-plus of hot, charming sex on a motorcycle---Rita's pretty certain she's gone from the frying pan right into the fire . . . Jasper Ellis has a bad boy reputation in this town, and he loathes it. The moment he sees Rita, though, Jasper knows he's about to be sorely tempted. There's something real between them. Something raw. And Jasper has only a few days to show Rita that he isn't just for tonight---he's forever.

— For as much as I loved the Port Jeff series by my new pal Tessa, this one was...oof. Too much, guys. Too much. Fucking in trucks. Fucking in back offices. The whole book lasted, like, three days. And keep in mind this is coming from someone who has written like two million words about Killian Jones, self-loathing champ 250 years running, but Jasper’s self-loathing was a little over the top. Like, let’s not objectify dudes, but also...I don’t know guys. Maybe the other books in the series are better? I was mostly just annoyed by Rita.

What the Hell Happened at the End of This Book?? Seriously, I Have No Idea

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz

Caledon Holt is the kingdom's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in speed, strength, or brains, which is why he's the Hearthstone Guild's most dangerous member. Cal is also the Queen's Assassin, bound to her by magic and unable to leave her service until the task she's set for him is fulfilled. Shadow of the Honey Glade has been training all her life to join the Guild, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Cal. But Shadow's mother and aunts expect her to serve the crown as a lady of the Renovian Court. When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice. Even though Shadow's life belongs to the court and Cal's belongs to the queen, they cannot deny their attraction to each other. But now, with war on the horizon and true love at risk, Shadow and Cal will uncover a shocking web of lies that will change their paths forever.

—WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED AT THE END OF THIS BOOK??? I figured out the so-called twist like...two chapters in. Fine, ok, whatever. It’s YA, this is not rocket science and I was interested enough in Cale and Shadow to see how it all played out. Only it didn’t really play out! Because the whole end was just this like four chapter retcon of basically EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED and I genuinely could not believe it was happening. It didn’t make sense?!? Like with the plot? Also, spoiler, good thing Shadow and the other king haven’t consummated their marriage yet since she and Cale totally fucked after her wedding? What is YA? Why is Amazon telling me this is a Teacher’s Pick? Why hasn’t my hold come through on the sequel yet so I know what happens next?

Low-Stakes Romance Was Real Boring and All The People Were Boring In It

The Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan

As birthdays go, this year’s for radio producer Everly Dean hit rock-bottom. Worse than the “tonsillectomy birthday.” Worse than the birthday her parents decided to split (the first time). But catching your boyfriend cheating on you with his assistant? Even clichés sting. But this is Everly’s year! She won’t let her anxiety hold her back. She’ll pitch her podcast idea to her boss. There’s just one problem. Her boss, Chris, is very cute. (Of course). Also, he's extremely distant (which means he hates her, right? Or is that the anxiety talking)? And, Stacey the DJ didn’t mute the mic during Everly’s rant about Simon the Snake (syn: Cheating Ex). That’s three problems. Suddenly, people are lining up to date her, Bachelorette-style, fans are voting (Reminder: never leave house again), and her interest in Chris might be a two-way street. It’s a lot for a woman who could gold medal in people-avoidance. She’s going to have to fake it ‘till she makes it to get through all of this. Perhaps she’ll make a list: The Ten Rules for Faking It. 

— I am a broken record. Shouting. From the highest hilltop. Just because you think someone is cute when you’re technically not supposed to be dating them does not mean you get to be anything less than nice around them! It’s not cute! And part two, which often goes with part one: rom com dudes have GOT to stop lying or hiding or otherwise avoiding telling people who they really are. It’s a convoluted, passably lazy way of writing and dropping a third-act bomb on the story. Don’t do it. Stop doing it. We’ve moved past the need for hidden identities. Unless he’s, like, a spy or something. Um...this was a weird book. I know Everly had anxiety and that became a PLOT POINT, patent pending, but she was also not super relatable? Which is crazy considering my very real, rather undiagnosed anxiety. Chris was boring. The whole plot, as this title suggests, was very low stakes and no one actually  seemed to remember that their jobs were ever on the line? Did Everly and Chris have a conversation before they decided they liked each other? Who can say, really.

Shipped by Angie Hockman

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it. The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend. Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands...together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard. With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

— YOU NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE TO DECIDE YOU LIKE THEM. AUTHORS REALLY REALLY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO BUILD ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS. IF THEY ONLY LIKE EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY KISS WELL IT’S NOT A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. AND THIS IS COMING FROM ME. Back at it again with the annoying so-called heroine who was just...occasionally real mean to Graem for no reason at all? Also her name was Henley. Which is not a great reason to dislike her, but here we are.

Apparently I Read These Books Out Of Order. Who Knew?

Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep.

Dr. Trisha Raje is San Francisco’s most acclaimed neurosurgeon. But that’s not enough for the Rajes, her influential immigrant family who’s achieved power by making its own non-negotiable rules:

·       Never trust an outsider

·       Never do anything to jeopardize your brother’s political aspirations

·       And never, ever, defy your family

Trisha is guilty of breaking all three rules. But now she has a chance to redeem herself. So long as she doesn’t repeat old mistakes.

Up-and-coming chef DJ Caine has known people like Trisha before, people who judge him by his rough beginnings and place pedigree above character. He needs the lucrative job the Rajes offer, but he values his pride too much to indulge Trisha’s arrogance. And then he discovers that she’s the only surgeon who can save his sister’s life.

As the two clash, their assumptions crumble like the spun sugar on one of DJ’s stunning desserts. But before a future can be savored there’s a past to be reckoned with...

A family trying to build home in a new land.

A man who has never felt at home anywhere.

And a choice to be made between the two.

— Surprise, apparently this was the first book in the series. I did not know. It didn’t affect my enjoyment of the Persuasion version in this same ‘verse, which is also strange because I liked the Persuasion one way better. There was a lot of medical in this. And not super uplifting medical, either. This was like...oh the Jane character (I guess???) has cancer and either she’s going to go blind after having a surgery (also she was an artist, so you see how this was a problem) or she’s just going to decide to die. Wait, what? That came out of left field, really. Also DJ and Trisha were not nice to each other. Like, I know this is Pride and Prejudice so there has to be some of that at the start, but it wasn’t like Trisha ever really went through the Darcy-required time at Pemberly. She just decided she liked DJ and told him and it was as awkward as Jane Austen intended it, but then we got more medical and everything was cool. It felt very rushed and shoehorned into a modern setting and the Persuasion one was better. You can’t have Darcy’s growth without the Pemberly stuff. You just can’t.

In Which I Didn’t Like a Nickname??? Is the World Ending??

Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.   Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.   Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had.

— If Noah was going to call her Lexa, then her name should have been Alexa and not Alexis. That’s it and that’s all. Also, the story was n u t s. Estranged dads and kidney failure and they got together so fast in this book. Which usually is cool by me, but I really could not get over the nickname and the estranged family was mean to Alexis. Lexa. HER NAME SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALEXA, IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. Also Noah was a former hacker? The estranged family accused him corporate espionage or something? A lot happened in this book, guys. Her name should have been Alexa.

Dumb Brother Was Dumb™ Everyone Else Was Real Cute

The Off Limits Rule by Sarah Adams

I have found rock bottom. It's here, moving in with my older brother because I'm too broke to afford to live on my own. It's okay though, because we've always been close and I think I'm going to have fun living with him again.

 That is until I meet Cooper...

 Turns out, my brother has very strong opinions on the idea of me dating his best friend and is dead set against it. According to him, Cooper is everything I should stay away from: flirtatious, adventurous, non-committal, and freaking hot. (I added that last part because I feel like you need the whole picture.) My brother is right--I should stay away from Cooper James and his pretty blue eyes. He's the opposite of what I need right now.

 Nah--who am I kidding? I'm going for it.

— This was cute, mostly mindless fluff. Hit some trope high points, including, obviously, best friends sister. Only the brother in question was a Neanderthal and I really thought people were going to make out more while said brother was on his business trip. I got it for free off Amazon. Which I think should explain a lot. Like, story-wise. Sorry, free Amazon books. Don’t be insulted.

Prose, Prose, Prose, Please Someone Have a Conversation

Trick by Natalia Jaster

In the Kingdom of Spring, Poet is renowned. He's young and pretty, a lover of men and women. He performs for the court, kisses like a scoundrel, and mocks with a silver tongue. Yet allow him this: It's only the most cunning and manipulative soul who can play the fool. For beyond the castle walls, Poet guards a secret. One the Crown would shackle him for. One that he'll risk everything to protect. Alas, it will take more than clever words to deceive Princess Briar. Convinced that he's juggling lies as well as verse, this righteous nuisance of a girl is determined to expose him. But not all falsehoods are fiendish. Poet's secret is delicate, binding the jester and princess in an unlikely alliance—and kindling a breathless attraction, as alluring as it is forbidden.

— The purplest of prose. Mauve prose. Royal purple prose. Lavender prose. There was so much writing here. So much. Too much, some might say. I say. Actually. If we want to get specific. And that was a shame, really, because when Briar and Poet actually had a conversation, they were interesting to read about. Also, the world building here? Yeeeesh. The so-called, wait for it, FOOL TRADE played a prominent role and that was...super cringe. Super Cringe. That being said, I asked Justin what I should read next and he thought it was funny that a book was just called...

Dare by Natalia Jaster

In the Kingdom of Summer, they say she's wild. Locked in a cage by the sea, Flare dreams of escape. She dreams of a lost world, known only in legends. The island is calling to her. And she won't let anyone keep her from it. Especially not him. They say he's cruel. Jeryn has crossed the ocean for the Trade, to bargain for those fierce, imprisoned creatures that make his skin crawl. By law, they're subjects meant for experimentation. And easy to despise. One girl in particular. But on the cusp of transport, the tide rages. That hidden island awaits. Stranded, the prince and prisoner must fight to survive. In a mysterious rainforest, they must band together...if they don't slay one another first. Or become something more to each other.  Something just as dangerous.

— This was Justin’s fault. He could not believe this book was just called Dare. It should have been called “We’re going to weirdly force what is basically slavery into this story and then a prince is going to fall in love with an escaped slave and we’re also going to call that ROMANCE.” y i k e s. Remember that one story that took place over three days? This was the complete opposite. Years! They were shipwrecked for years! They got saved, spoilers, the DAY they started having sex. What are the odds, right?? And then MORE YEARS passed. Multiple years! Five years! They couldn’t actually be together because of that aforementioned slave trade. What the shit, man? Natalia, ya gotta be kidding me with this. The internet claimed Trick was good and a solid follow to reading ACOTAR and that there was this whole verse and it was also good. The internet was wrong.

Nothing Happened, Everything Happened, I...Hated It

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Kristin Cashore’s bestselling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace… and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world.

— I can’t believe this was a book. Katsa was so annoying! Like, listen, I know her life was sad. And she was a pawn being used against her will. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever. The tone of the whole book was so strangely formal and Poe was strangely in love with Katsa? Who obviously didn’t want to get married because she was WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR. Or kill people, as the case may be. Only she wanted to make out with Poe? Only ONLY they didn’t even really get together at the end? I could not believe the end of this book. I nearly threw my Kindle across the room. Once again, no apologies for spoilers because do not read this book, but HE WAS BLIND? Katsa had to leave him behind to save his cousin and he just ENDED UP BEING BLIND? AND THEY NEVER GOT TOGETHER REALLY?? What the fuck? Seriously. Steamy romance, my ass. Nothing happened. The villain got defeated in point two seconds. There are other books in this universe? No, thanks.

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Finding Your Heart - fic

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, bits of Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown Summary: This wasn’t the way he wanted to find Damian, after everything that happened between them. This wasn’t how he wanted Alfred and Dick to reunite with him either. A/N: Dick was driving the plane. Crane blew up the building on purpose to cover his tracks, and was the one to lock Damian in the lab after he and the nameless henchmen fought. The whole family comes home and basically all live in the cave/Damian’s room as he recovers, and they all have conversations with him about what he was doing, why etc. Damian didn’t kill the guy who stabbed him because he recognized the henchmen was no the problem, Crane was. He’s still a good boy in my book. Glossed over kind of plotholes because I didn’t care enough and it wasn’t the point of this story ok bye. Don’t forget my Pateron and shit!

~~

If Bruce was grateful for anything, it was the fact that no matter what he lost, save for his parents, it always came back.

Jason came back. Dick came back. Tim came back. Stephanie came back.

Alfred, now, came back too.

Damian…he came back. And then he left again.

It was in the back of his mind, as they celebrated Alfred’s return to life, and Dick’s return from amnesia. The fact that their returns were not through darkness, not through aliens, not through a multiverse crashing down around them and changing time.

It was magic. It was a miracle.

But Damian wasn’t here. And Bruce would never ever forget that. Not now, as they shared delivery pizza at the island in the manor’s spacious kitchen. Not in the days after, as things settled back into a semblance of the old normal, with new quirks here and there. Not in the weeks after either, as Alfred returned to being Penny-One, and Dick began to retrain himself to return to the Nightwing title soon.

Just as Bruce would never forget the tears in Dick’s eyes when he explained to him and Alfred what had happened to their youngest. His breakdown, and resolve in the violence. When he explained why.

“It’s not your fault.” Bruce promised, even as Alfred pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and silently dabbed his eyes. “It’s mine. I…I didn’t see his grief. I didn’t understand how badly he was taking your absences. I didn’t know.”

“But I would have.” Alfred had whispered, closing his eyes.

“We would have.” Dick corrected.

And he’d never forget the despair on grandfather and son alike, when Dick asked if Bruce had any idea where he was, and he had to tell them no.

Damian was a sore subject, to say the least, after that. No one spoke of him, though Bruce found everyone stopping near the case holding his old uniform every so often.

Not a memorial for the dead, this time. But a memorial for the child they failed.

His name was like a bad word, a sour taste, and Bruce never forgot that either.

Most of all, he never forgot it was his fault.

Even now, as he, Tim and Stephanie fought against a gang that he had yet to determine which super villain they associated with, he thought of his son. The one not there, the one he chased away.

How much he could use his help right now. How much he missed him.

God, if Jason knew, he’d be furious. Furious because he didn’t learn the first time around, with him.

The fight was in the streets, and it was becoming a stalemate. Not that he and his partners for the evening would give up. But he was looking for an opening, a moment to retreat, regroup, then reappear with a new attack plan.

But the moment never came, because suddenly one of their enemies shouted.

“Boss said it’s a go! She’s blowin’!”

Before any of them could comprehend the warning, a building down the block – a lab, if Bruce had his bearings right – shuddered in an explosion. Glass from windows spraying into the street, flames pushing out right after. Dust and ash came at them in a typhoon-like wave.

And the gang members in the street laughed.

“You’re fucked.” One nearby cackled. When he came back into view, he had a gasmask on. “You’re so fucked, Batman.”

Bruce punched him in the Adam’s apple, and let him drop to the ground unconscious.

“Something’s in that building.” Bruce said through the comms. “How dangerous?”

“Gotham Labs.” Tim’s voice crackled. Bruce still couldn’t see him in the floating dust. “No major projects that I know of. Or dangerous. Vegan cosmetics was the last big thing I heard about coming from there.”

“And now it’s all up in flames?” Stephanie sighed. “So much for stealing Batman’s credit card on its launch date.”

“Spoiler, please.” Tim snorted.

Before Bruce could scold them, tell them to focus, get them to get these thugs off the street, there was a shriek from the lab, and a shape running from the destroyed building.

“Take care of them.” Bruce ordered. “I’m going up ahead.”

Stephanie and Tim both gave their affirmatives, and jumped back into fighting the henchmen, now with a small element of surprise in the fog. As Bruce ran forward, he saw the shape was a woman in a lab coat.

“Help!” She was screaming. “Someone…anyone! Police! Ambulance! Help!”

“Ma’am.” Bruce called as he approached, careful not to scare her. She turned towards him with tears cascading down her face.

Bruce frowned. She…was clean. No ash, no burns. Her hair wasn’t even out of place. He glanced back towards the building, now smoking.

“Are you alright?”

“What? Oh, me? Yes. I’m fine. We’re all fine.” She sniffed, trying to wipe at her face. “But he’s not. He’s trapped and…and I don’t think there’s any vents in there, and we can’t-”

“He who?”

“I…” The woman paused. “I don’t know. He didn’t give a name. He just…he just appeared! Out of nowhere! Got us all out of the lab, shoved us in the bunker, told us to stay there until help arrived. Then…then the explosion happened, and when we came out to check, he was still in the lab, but…but Batman…”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“He was bleeding when we saw him.” The woman’s tears suddenly flowed harder. “But the canisters were all broken, we could see them.”

“What was in the canisters?”

“I…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The woman cried. “He…he was paying for our other research, and…and he was blackmailing us. We didn’t have a choice.”

Bruce’s stomach dropped.

“Who paid you?” He demanded. “What was in the canisters?”

“Fear gas.” The woman whispered. “Jonathan Crane was forcing us to make it. Mass produce. The…the boy tonight, he saved us, but whatever happened, all the canisters are broken, and the gas is in the lab.”

The woman hid her face.

“And there’s a failsafe on the doors.” She wailed. “That…that fucking shit is dangerous. So if even only one canister malfunctioned, the lab would seal itself shut to contain it.”

“For how long?” Bruce asked. “How long does the lab seal for?”

“I don’t know!” The woman yelled. “Crane installed it! He never told us!” She stopped her foot and pointed from where she came. “But he’s in there, the gas is flooding the place, he’s hurt, I didn’t see him have a respirator, and we can’t get him out!”

Bruce nodded, shoving his own respirator onto his face. “Stay here.”

The woman, surprisingly listened, but shouted information after him. The lab was in the basement, and the remaining scientists were still trying to first reach one of the doors to the lab through the explosion wreckage, and second, try to figure out if they could even open the door.

“Red Robin, when you’re finished, I’ll need you inside.” Bruce called through his communicator as he burst through the doors and looked for a way down. Not hard, when there were various holes in the floor from the explosion. “And both of you, there’s a potential for fear gas in the area. Masks on, now.”

They both returned an affirmative, and Barbara was immediately on the line herself, relaying last known sightings of the Scarecrow.

As Bruce got to the lower levels, he began to follow the voices, the sounds of things being thrown, or pushed. After a few rounded corners, he found the gaggle of scientists, three pushing fallen shelving units and chairs away from a large metal door, and a fourth knelt in front of said door, typing wildly on a keypad.

“It’s…it’s not working!” The typer growled in frustration. “There’s…there’s nothing I can think of! Nothing is working!”

“Then keep thinking!” Another one spat as he threw a table over the heads of the other two assisting him. “That kid is a fucking goner if we don’t get him out of there!”

Unlike the woman outside, Bruce didn’t announce his presence, just silently moved forward. As he reached them, he glanced into one of the windows next to the door, just to see what he was going to be working with. Who he was, hopefully, going to save, and not have to watch die a slow and painful death.

Immediately, his knees went weak.

The lab wasn’t that big. Smaller than an average fast food joint, but bigger than a grocery store public bathroom. Even through the opaque green gas, Bruce could see canisters lining the floor underneath the tables that followed the walls of the room, where microscopes, liquid-filled vials and partially constructed containers sat.

Each canister had a sizable hole in the side, and Bruce could only guess – remote detonation.

But none of that was important, not now, as he tried to stop himself from collapsing to his knees. What was important was the boy in the middle, wearing a black body suit, similar to Nightwing’s, and a black cape with a hood and faded gold trim.

Damian.

“Jesus Christ, no.” He gasped. The scientists nearby jumped, having still not seen him.

Luckily, it was Gotham, and even scientists were disillusioned to the sudden appearance of a vigilante. “We’ve gotta get that kid out of there, Bats. Just one inhale of that crap will make you hallucinate. He’s been in there at least ten minutes, probably more, who knows what the effects could be.”

“Death, probably.” Another one said. The one who spoke slapped her on the arm. “What? I’m being honest! That’s why we don’t have to waste, here!”

Damian hadn’t moved at their ruckus. He was lying on the ground, eyes closed, half curled in on himself, hand clutching his side. There was blood on his fingers, and coming from his nose. Even through the gas, Damian looked dirty. Tired.

Bruce wondered where he’d been sleeping. Was he sleeping? Was he safe?

But then his heart stuttered again, as he noticed something else in the room. In the corner, by a door on the other side of the room. A man. A body.

A body that was, surprisingly, breathing. A body dressed like the gang members outside, that was wearing a respirator that looked suspiciously like one Bruce knew Damian used to carry, when he was Robin.

“…You all need to get out.” Bruce found himself croaking, as his surprise and heartache began to transform into action.

“What? No way. We need to get that kid out!” The one at the keyboard countered. “And…and maybe that other one, I don’t know if he’s even still…”

“I’ll handle it. Now go.” Bruce heard a click on his communicator, other chatter. Alfred it sounded like, to Barbara. Dick, too. He was at the cave with Alfred. The scientists didn’t move. “I said now!”

The four jumped again, and one by one began to slowly move. The last one, the man at the door, stopped on his way. “…You get that kid out, Batman, or so fucking help me.”

Bruce glared down at him. The man shrunk away and ran after his coworkers.

Bruce looked back into the room. The man in the corner was unconscious, he could tell that much. But still.

Bruce put his hand on the window. “…I don’t know what to call you.”

Damian twitched at the noise, and twisted his head to look at Bruce directly. His mask was still green, and it didn’t move as he frowned.

“Oh, great.” Damian sighed, dropping his head. “You.”

“I’m going to get you out, son.” Bruce said. “I promise.”

“Save it.” Damian huffed. But it was quick, and Bruce knew it was because he was trying not to breathe. “I’m not talking to you, Mother.”

Bruce blinked.

The gas. The hallucinations were your fears.

“It’s…it’s me.” Bruce tried instead. “Not your mother.”

Damian turned away, rolled with a groan to lay on his back. “My father doesn’t show up in real life, why would he show up in a fear-induced hallucination?”

Bruce almost smiled at his attitude. He was trying to fight the gas, like it was a sentient being. That was so like him.

God, Bruce missed it.

“I…Rob…” Bruce swallowed. “Da-”

“Do not say another word, Master Bruce.” Alfred scolded on the communicator. His voice was loud. “Focus on getting that door open.”

“I…right.” Bruce shook his head, and crouched, pulling out a code-breaking device from his utility belt.

“Tim will be in to help you in a few minutes.” Dick now, but he sounded distracted. “And we should be only a few minutes behind him.”

Bruce froze. “…What?”

“We’re coming.” Dick said plainly. “We’re coming to get Damian.”

“Wait, no.” Bruce growled. “Nightwing, you’re not recovered yet. A-Alfred, you’re…you are not to be in the field. It’s not safe-”

“And you will have your hands full with the other man in the chamber.” Alfred shot back. “Not to mention, you only have a respirator for yourself. From your cowl footage, it’s clear Damian gave his to that man. You know as soon as you get in there, he will be in the throws of the effects of the gas, and won’t recognize you. He doesn’t recognize you now. He will fight you, or flee, before you can get him any kind of help.”

“And we are not letting that happen.” Dick hissed. “We’re bringing Damian home, Bruce, or so help me-”

“It’s not safe.” Bruce snapped back, hitting buttons on his device. He could hear Damian babbling in the lab now. Talking about how he’s not scared of anything, least of all his father, or his judgment. Which, of course, Bruce knew, meant the complete opposite. He ignored the guilt in his heart, at least for a moment. “You are both to stay in the cave and wait for-”

“Bruce.” Alfred said coldly. “I am coming to get my grandson. Nightwing is coming to get his brother. And there is not a goddamn thing you can do to stop us.”

Bruce heard the distinct sound of a link click off.

“…So…” Stephanie chimed in after a moment. “Red’s on his way in and…I guess I’ll wait out here for Nightwing and, uh, Penny-One to arrive.”

Bruce frowned, squeezed the device in his hand a little too tightly, heard it creak in his grip. He continued to search through codes, the others be damned.

They didn’t know what he would do. Their beliefs were wrong. He wouldn’t worry about the man who clearly stabbed his son. He was unconscious and had a breather. He was fine. Tim could take him, whenever he got there.

No. Bruce would rush in, and he’d take his son into his arms. He’d put pressure on the wound, and hold his boy, no matter how hard Damian fought him, no matter how deep in the gas’s hallucinations he was.

He’d hold his son and this time, he was not letting go. For anything, or anyone.

He heard Tim arrive behind him, and glanced back into the chamber as Tim pulled a wire from his glove to plug into the keypad on the door. Damian was muttering to himself now. But more than that, he was trembling. Sweating. His eyes were wild behind the mask, darting back and forth, or trying to keep them closed, and failing.

He stood, put his hand on the thick glass. He wondered what Damian was seeing, hearing. “Son.” He called, and Damian twitched, curling deeper into himself. “Focus on my voice.”

“No.” Damian shot back.

“Batman, it’s not a good idea.” Tim offered, clicking away on his pad. “You know he’s hearing things. It’s not coming across as you.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

“Doesn’t mean it won’t be construed into something else by the time he hears it.” Tim snapped. “You know that.”

“So you want him to lie in there and suffer?” Bruce shot back. He saw Tim tighten his jaw. “The least we can do is try.”

“The least we can do is focus on getting him out of there.” Tim countered. “So save your emotional vomit for later and help me.”

He huffed a frustrated breath, but…Tim was right. Of course Tim was right. So he pushed at the door, testing how tight it was, if the explosion had loosened it at all, and settled back in next to Red Robin to hack into the system.

The code was seven digits, and after they believed they figured out three, Bruce glanced over to make sure Tim had his respirator on. Glanced up at the unsteady building around them, that could theoretically collapse on them all at any moment. After four numbers, he glanced back to Damian. His trembles had manifested constant twitching now. Fingers, ankles, lips.

The gas seemed to be settling a little now, the room a little less green. That didn’t help, of course, since Damian was on the floor, where said gas was settling. But it would make containment easier. Wouldn’t reach the city, or any one who wasn’t in this room.

One less thing standing between he and his boy.

His heart fluttered when they hit the fifth digit. Hope, he could hope, he had hope. Damian had hope.

And when Tim’s device dinged for the sixth a moment later, Nightwing and Penny-One appeared in the doorway.

Dick was in his full Nightwing uniform, the one he hadn’t yet worn since before the amnesia. The one he was wearing when he was shot, Bruce realized, as he noticed the shadow of the large bloodstain on the costume’s neck.

Alfred was in black and dull green tactical gear, a black eye mask and a clear respirator adorning his face. He had a shotgun in hand, but Bruce saw at least one more handgun on his hip.

He forgot sometimes, Alfred used to be in the British army.

“Move.” Alfred demanded. Tim shifted to the side of the door, eyes still on his tablet. Bruce didn’t. “Batman, I won’t ask again.”

“He really won’t.” Nightwing mused as they walked forward. He was just finishing putting on his own rebreather. “Seriously, Bruce. Let us handle this.”

“He is my son.” Bruce countered, but his voice wasn’t right. It wasn’t as authoritative. It was almost whiny.

Almost scared.

“And you ran him off in the first place.” Alfred countered. “So the likelihood that you are the first one he’d want to see is almost zero.”

“Not to mention, there’s an asshole in there who, by the looks of it, stabbed him.” Nightwing added, glancing into the window. “So it’d probably be better if you took care of that guy than one of us because let me tell you, B. We’re already not happy.”

Alfred pumped his shotgun. “Indeed.”

“We’d also like some cover, if you don’t mind.” Dick said brightly. “There’s still been no sign of Crane. And if he or anyone else shows up while we’re trying to wrangle Damian, there could be trouble.” Dick looked over with a dark grin. “And we don’t want any more trouble, you know?”

And he did. Bruce did know. Bruce knew all of that, and on a normal case, he’d have already suggested and done all of it.

But, still. His heart was getting in the way. For once, his heart was overriding his head, and all he found himself saying was, “But he’s my son…”

For the first time that night, Alfred softened a little. He put a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “So let us help you get your son home safely.”

At that moment, Damian screamed. No words, just a loud sound as he dropped to his back, body bowing as his chest and hips lifted.

Dick swallowed. “Red.”

“I’m working on it!” Tim snapped, angrily punching buttons on his tablet. There was the sound of something falling across the room. “I think if I can just…”

The tablet beeped, and the door sighed as the seal broke.

Dick was at the door instantly, digging his fingers into the seam until the door shifted. Bruce grabbed it too, pulling it until the gap was wide enough for their bodies to slip through.

“Kid!” Dick was calling as he fell into the room first. Damian growled in response. Dick jumped across the room anyway, dropping to his knees. “I’ve got you.”

Tim got into the room next, and he silently went for Damian’s assailant. Then Alfred, who followed Dick. Bruce remained just inside the room.

“Can you hear me?” Dick asked quietly, running his hand over Damian’s hair. “Can you hear me, D?”

“Fuck off.” Damian gasped, pulling away from Dick’s hand and struggling to twist up onto his elbows. His cape twisted around his biceps. “F-fuck off, I don’t have to listen to you.”

“I know.” Dick said smoothly. He glanced at Alfred, who already had gauze out, and was trying to assess Damian’s injuries. “…Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“What, did Satan suddenly forget his own name?” Damian spat, waving his arm like he was swatting at a fly around his head. “We already had this conversation last time I was in Hell, you twat.”

Bruce felt himself twitch at the statement. But he didn’t get any more time to think about it, as Tim was calling, “Any time you feel like it, Batman!”

Bruce shook his head, running over to help Tim with the other man in the lab.

“So yes, I know your name. And I know what you’re going to say.” Damian droned as he slowly shifted to his knees. “I know my parents hate me. I know I’m worthless. I know it’s my fault everyone is dead. Or was there something else you’d like to add?”

“…Oh, my boy.” Alfred whispered, and Damian froze. His eyes went wide as he slowly sat back on his knees. “My boy, it’s alright.”

Damian blinked, and tears appeared in his eyes. Almost robotically, he turned his head towards Alfred. “No.”

Alfred smiled. “Yes, my dear. It’s me. I’m here.”

“No!” Damian wailed. He turned back towards the room, searching. Eventually his eyes landed on something above and behind Dick’s shoulder. “Get him out!”

Dick glanced behind him, just to make sure there was nothing, and even looked over towards Bruce and Tim. They both shrugged.

“Pennyworth does not belong in Hell.” Damian hissed. “You’ve stolen him, haven’t you. You’ve stolen him and you’ve trapped him here, you overgrown piece of shit. No wonder you were kicked out of Heaven, you absolute waste of space!”

Damian tried to lunge, but the slice in his side reacted to the movement, and he recoiled instantly, shoving his hand against it.

“I’ll duel you.” He decided. “I’ll duel you for his soul, and I’ll kill you. Then I’ll rule Hell, and I’ll be sure to get all the souls you’ve stolen out.”

“Damian.” Alfred tried softly. He passed the gauze to Dick. “My dear boy, I’m not in Hell.” He reached out and carefully took Damian’s hand between both of his. Damian’s eyes, impossibly, grew wider, as he turned to look at Alfred once more. “And neither are you.”

“I should be.” Damian breathed. “I should be for what I did to you.”

“You did nothing to me.” Alfred promised. “What happened wasn’t your fault.”

It was mine. Bruce thought, as he rolled the man and pulled his arms together for Tim. It was mine, and I let Damian take the blame.

“I should have done something. I should have figured something else out.” Damian gasped, tears rolling down his face. He jerked, but didn’t take his eyes off Alfred, as Dick pressed the gauze to his side. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Damian.” Alfred promised, squeezing Damian’s hand. “Absolutely nothing.”

“D, I need you to breathe.” Dick hummed. Damian jumped again, looked towards him. “Or, well, I need you to breathe slower. In and out.”

“I’m sorry.” Damian continued, eyes looking around the space, looking right through Dick. There was an accent in his voice now, and both Dick and Alfred knew too well that his accent only returned when their boy was at his lowest. “Pennyworth, I…I should have sacrificed myself. Bane would have happily killed me instead of you.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Alfred continued to try to soothe. “Damian, just focus on my voice, alright?”

“I should have let him kill me. I should have been there for Grayson.” Damian rambled. “I could have pushed him out of the way. Taken the bullet.” He tried to tug his hand from Alfred’s but the old man wouldn’t let go. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why I belong here. I failed you, and I failed Grayson and I am worthless so of course I belong down here in this god forsaken pl-”

“Hey.” Dick whispered. Balancing holding the pressure against Damian’s wound in one hand, he reached for Damian’s free hand with the other. Damian’s fingers twitched in his grip, and he watched with almost glee as recognition hit Damian’s eyes. “Kiddo, you didn’t fail me.”

Damian’s tears fell faster.

“You have never failed me a day in your life.” Dick smiled. “And look, see? I’m right here. I’m fine.”

“G-Grayson?” Damian murmured hopefully.

“Right here, Damian.” Dick nodded. Damian blinked at him, then looked at Alfred, then back. Then his eyes seemed to roam the room, like he was seeing it for the first time. He even looked over to Bruce, Tim and the man in the corner. “I came home.”

“…I’m sorry.” Damian whispered, looking back towards Dick. “I should have been there.”

Dick kept his grin, and shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t have.” He glanced behind Damian, watched as Alfred let go of his hand to reach into one of his pockets. It reappeared with the extra respirator they had brought, and he silently held the back of Damian’s head as he pressed it to his face. Once again, Damian didn’t seem to notice the action, nor Alfred retaking his hand. “I’m frankly real damn glad you weren’t.”

“It’s my job to protect Batman. My Batman.” Damian continued, frantically trying to blink the tears from his eyes. He turned to Alfred. “It’s my job to protect my family.”

“It’s not.” Alfred smiled too. “Your job as always been to allow us to love you, and to come home safe at the end of the day.”

“Your job is to be a kid.” Dick added. “Right now, your job is to not bleed out on this floor. Think you can do that for me?”

But Damian was shaking his head. Damian was pulling his trembling hands from theirs and hiding his face behind them as he doubled over himself and pressed his head to his knees.

“I’m sorry.” He cried. “I’m so sorry.”

“…I don’t think he believes they’re real.” Tim whispered as he leaned back from the unconscious man.

Bruce shook his head. “He won’t until his system is free of the gas.”

“Or until he stops losing blood.” Tim hummed. “We’ve gotta get him back to the cave.”

“I’m so sorry.” Damian continued across the room. “Please forgive me. Please, please forgive me.”

“…I agree.” Bruce sighed. He watched as Alfred pulled Damian’s hand back into his, and ran the other along the back of his head. As Dick, keeping one hand against the injury, wrapped his arm around Damian’s back and leaned his cheek on his shaking spine. “We need to get him home.”

“Want me to deal with this guy while you go with them?” Tim asked, pushing himself onto his feet.

Bruce watched for a moment longer. Listened as Damian sobbed, as Damian hated himself. Watched as Dick closed his eyes in sorrow, as Alfred wiped away his own tears too.

“No, I’ll…I’ll stay. They have him.” Bruce admitted, despite how tight his heart felt. “The more of us finishing this up, the faster we can all get home and be with him.” Tim nodded and helped Bruce to his feet, then leaned over to haul the man up. “…Nightwing.”

Dick opened his eyes and glanced over. After a moment, he nodded and sat back up. “Alfie.”

Alfred nodded too, reaching into another pocket and pulling out a syringe. Dick gently rolled Damian to his side, which Damian surprisingly allowed, and carefully gathered the boy into his arms.

“P-Please forgive me.” Damian continued, still hiding his eyes behind his one hand. As soon as he was settled, Alfred leaned forward and plunged the needle into his throat.

Like everything else, the fear gas made it so Damian didn’t notice.

They were all silent as the effects took hold. As Damian’s cries slowed, and tapered off into slow, watery breathes. As his hand dropped from his face in unconsciousness.

It was like a funeral procession as they left the remnants of the lab. Dick first, Damian in his arms. Alfred right behind them. Tim and Bruce bringing up the rear with the nameless man between them.

On the street, the GCPD were already swarming, taking the rest of the gang into custody. The plane Alfred and Dick brought sat in the middle of the road not far away.

“Get him home.” Bruce murmured as he passed Dick. “Call with any updates. We should be back soon.”

“Take your time.” Dick hummed. “It’s going to take us a while to get him stable.”

Bruce nodded, and gave Dick’s shoulder a grateful squeeze. He nodded to Alfred, who gave him a grim smile, and then they parted ways. Bruce watched as they loaded into the plane, as it took off down the street.

He exhaled, and let himself smile, just a little.

He’d found him. He’d found his boy.

It was another two or so hours before the rest of them could clamor home, the city saved, the day won. They’d found Crane, and they each took an extra punch or two to him, in honor of Damian.

But when Bruce stepped out of the Batmobile in the cave, the first sound to greet his ears was Damian crying. Still.

He frowned as he moved up the stairs. Had the gas not worn off yet? Why hadn’t they given him an antidote?

But he stopped as the medbay came into view. Damian was hooked up to every machine available, injuries bandaged and Dick was lying next to him on the cot. Damian himself was sat up, and engulfed in the embrace of one Alfred Pennyworth.

“You’re alive.” He was wailing, clinging to Alfred’s torso. To Dick, who was rubbing his back, he cried, “You came back.” Then to both, even as Alfred tried to wipe at the boy’s eyes. “You’re both here.”

“Like we could ever stay away from you, kiddo.” Dick smirked.

But still, among the tears of relief and reunion, was the litany that wasn’t as influenced as the fear gas as they’d hoped.

“I’m sorry.” Damian whispered. Alfred just stroked at his hair. Dick just rolled over and wrapped his arms around his waist, careful of the now bandaged stab wound nearby. “I’m so sorry. For everything that’s happened. For everything I did. Everything I didn’t do.”

It was something they’d have to work on, all of them. And a confrontation was coming, Bruce knew. But that was okay. That was fine. It didn’t matter. There was only one thing that mattered. One thing that Bruce, and everyone, was grateful for.

Damian was home.

[jokertrap-ran]

(未定事件簿) EVENT!「消失的黄金」 [Tears of Themis] EVENT: The Lost Gold Translations (Zuo Ran Chapter 3-01: Cave Entrance)

“I swear on my honor as an Elite Lawyer that if there really are injustices in this case, I will make it so that the law gives you the justice you deserve.”

*Tears of Themis Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *(y/n) is your name when in direct referral; otherwise referred to as MC. *Last route here we go-

Location: Outside of Cave 

MC: (AHH——!!)

Zuo Ran: Don't be afraid. Here, let me.

He gently held my shoulder in place, using a stick to flick the bug back onto the ground.

Zuo Ran: Alright, you can rest easy now. The bug's gone.

MC: My savior…

I had clasped my hand tightly over my mouth to prevent alerting Lin Dahai, who was not too far ahead of us, of our presence. I could finally breathe easy now.

MC: That was the first time I've ever seen a black bug as big as my palm that even flies to boot...and it's a species that I don't think I've ever seen before either.

The image of the bug flying towards me still sent my heart racing. Who'd have thought that it'd land on my back after we'd spent half the day running around.

MC: (I must have looked real stupid just now; is Lawyer Zuo sick of me yet?)

Zuo Ran: Nosta Island has a complex and diverse ecological environment, so it's very normal to be seeing bugs that we've never seen before.

Zuo Ran: I was also a little afraid when I first set my eyes on it, but when I think about how you're with me…

Zuo Ran: It’s not that scary anymore.

Zuo Ran: Plus, we've already gotten rid of it. It's not scary anymore when you think about it like that, right?

I felt much better and more at ease after listening to his words. But the thing about him being afraid of the bug… that must have been something he made up to reassure me...

MC: Thank God for you being here. Come here, let's give ourselves another douse of bug repellent. 

I was just about to take the spray out of the bag when he held my hand down.

Zuo Ran: Don't move, Lin Dahai's making a move now.

MC: ……!

I carefully held up the binoculars with light movements to observe Lin Dahai, who was up ahead of us.

MC: Is he...heading into the Cave?

After tracking him for some time, Lin Dahai had finally made it to the Mountainous Area of this Island.

Zuo Ran and I found that he had stopped in front of the mouth of a Cave, so we hid under a bush near the hillside to continue observing him.

Just now, when we were busy trying to shoo the bug away, Lin Dahai had been sitting atop a Now, it looks like he had gotten enough rest, for he returned his Pad back to his back and stood back up.

MC: What was he using the Pad for earlier? I can’t see the screen even from my binoculars.

Zuo Ran: To ensure the fairness of this Event, all wireless signals have been blocked.

Zuo Ran: He doesn’t have a special encrypted communication channel like us, so his Pad should be unable to connect to the internet.

MC: If we eliminate the possibility of him trying to use it to communicate...then, he can only be using it to look through the local files he has inside it.

Just as we were discussing, I saw Lin Dahai withdraw something from his bag from the binoculars’ field of vision; it was long and wrapped in cloth. He carefully removed the cloth. It gleamed coldly under the sunlight.

MC: A knife!!

Zuo Ran: Stay here and don’t move. Be on stand-by to report to the Main Station. 

Having said that, he rushed out

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Cave Entrance

Zuo Ran: Lin Dahai.

Lin Dahai turned and was a little surprised to see Zuo Ran there.

Lin Dahai: You…

He keenly observed Zuo Ran, tightening the grip he had on the long knife in his hand.

Lin Dahai: And here I thought that no one would be able to find me once I smashed the Terminal.

Lin Dahai: When we met by coincidence earlier, you said that you and that girl were both here to investigate the Case.

Lin Dahai: Looking at it now, it seems like you're Investigating me. Are you?

Zuo Ran: We mean you no harm.

Zuo Ran: But we can guess what your purpose is, on this trip here.

Zuo Ran: There are many ways to go about settling a matter, you don’t have to choose to take the one that’s most unfavorable for you.

Lin Dahai: Haha, why do all these pretty words you’re spouting now sound all so familiar?

Lin Dahai: Don’t tell me Yan Wei sent you here?

Zuo Ran: He did. He thinks of you as a close brother of his own and doesn’t want to see the day where you become a suspect in his Interrogation Room.

Zuo Ran: I can help you investigate the suspicions and doubts you have of the Case back then during that year.

Zuo Ran: I swear on my honor as an Elite Lawyer that if there really are injustices in this case, I will make it so that the law gives you the justice you deserve.

Lin Dahai: …...

He smiled bitterly with the long knife in hand.

Lin Dahai: That year, my father had just taken a loan and bought a new boat. He vowed to me that he’d catch much more fish than ever before, before he left.

Lin Dahai: But he never once came back after setting off for the sea.

Lin Dahai: My mother has always been ill. She passed away a year after that.

Zuo Ran: …...

Lin Dahai: In order to find out the truth behind this Case, I used the excuse of interviewing Dong Hechuan as a guise to enter the Prison, keeping in contact with him for 3 years.

Lin Dahai: I pretended to be a fan of his, that murderer. I flattered him, gained favour with him…

Lin Dahai: Until the time when he was just about to get out of Prison soon. That was when I had finally gained enough of his trust to hear the truth of my Father’s murder, from his own mouth.

Lin Dahai: Tell me, Lawyer. Did you know that him killing my father was only one of his lesser achievements among his many numerous accomplishments worth flaunting about?

Lin Dahai: If it weren’t for the fact that his death had been related to the gold that had been nagging at his mind and heart, he wouldn’t even have bothered to remember about my father!

Zuo Ran: ……

Lin Dahai: Do you understand how I felt back then when I found out about this? Haha, probably not.

Lin Dahai: Anyone can say the right words to persuade someone to forgive and forget. You and Officer Yan are one and the same.

Zuo Ran: Lin Dahai, I wasn’t lying when I’d told you that I was here to Investigate the Case earlier.

Zuo Ran: Officer Yan isn’t asking you to care less about your father’s death either. Since Dong Hechuan himself has admitted it...

Lin Dahai: ...It’s no use.

He lifted the long knife and braced it on his shoulder, cutting Zuo Ran off with a cold laugh.

Lin Dahai: Do you think he’ll admit that he’d killed someone again?

Lin Dahai: He won’t. And he also said that there wasn’t any evidence left on this Island that’d point to him as the killer.

Lin Dahai: This is one of his reasons to flaunt about.

Zuo Ran: ……

Lin Dahai: That’s why I can only carry out my revenge on him with my own hands. Whatever the consequences, I’m willing to accept them.

He looked to the depths of the tunnel, a dark end without any light to be seen.

Lin Dahai: After I gained his trust, he told me where the Gold from back then was buried, asking me to help him retrieve it in his stead.

Lin Dahai: I will be meeting him there, at the end of this tunnel.

Zuo Ran: Gold!? Why are you so sure that the Gold’s here?

Zuo Ran: He didn’t tell the Police of its whereabouts back then; why would he tell you where it was so easily like that?

Lin Dahai: Are you worried about him tricking me? You’re overthinking it.

Lin Dahai: I’m confident that the Gold is here, and that Dong Hechuan will be sure to come here.

Saying so, he carefully sized up Zuo Ran, smiling in contempt.

Lin Dahai: You look like someone who sits around working in an office all-year-round; there’s no way you can compete with me in terms of physical strength.

Lin Dahai: But I won’t hurt you, even if you’re adamant about trying to stop me. There’s someone responsible for every grievance after all; a debtor for every debt. And for me, my only target here is Dong Hechuan.

Lin Dahai: He’s a ruthless and vicious Criminal. Truthfully speaking, even I have no confidence that I’ll win in a fight against him.

Lin Dahai: But if you’re still adamant on stopping me again, then I might just be the next one to die.

Lin Dahai: What you’re going to do about this is yours to decide, Lawyer.

With that, Lin Dahai turned and headed down into the depth of darkness without once looking back, leaving Zuo Ran with a difficult question to think about. His footsteps were fast and light, as if he were heading to a much-awaited Grand Event.

Zuo Ran raised his hand, touching the gun holster secured under his left arm before following Lin Dahai’s footsteps, into the depths of the Cave.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Previous Part: (Zuo Ran 2-04: Deep in the Woods) | Next Part: (Zuo Ran 3-02: Deep inside the Cave)

[half-up-half-super-depressed]

So, a little while ago...

I got bored. And I began to wonder... when are the birthdays of the Kingdom Hearts characters? I quickly discovered it's impossible to know the exact birthdays of anyone outside their year of birth, other than three. Let's just go through those now:

(quick note: I'll be using Destiny Islands' destruction as a base 0 year, but the calendar won't revolve around it. BID is Before Islands Destruction and AID is After.)

(this will also contain some Dark Road and kind of ReMind spoilers, which I will tag as well. Don't proceed if you don't want them. )

Terra was born 30 BID, we don't have any inclination to a date. However, he is 10 years younger than this biologically. He'll be a year older in ReMind, so 21.

Aqua was born 28 BID, again no idea of the date. She is also 10 years younger than this biologically? She'll be 19 in ReMind.

Ven was born... Well, it isn't confirmed the time between the Age of Fairytales and Dark Road, but he appears to be about 10 in Uχ, and he is biologically 16 in Birth By Sleep. We'll say this is undeterminable for now. He will be biologically 17 in ReMind.

Master Xehanort is anywhere between 80 and 85 in BBS (I believe) , if we go off Nomura's estimate for him. Therefore he's born around 90-95 BID. He's dead, so no advance in age.

Eraqus is most likely a few years younger than Xehanort, considering his appearance is that of someone much younger, still having dark black hair for the most part (unless he's dyeing it lol) and so, with Dark Road, we know that Xehanort is 18-20 after the time skip, so I would say thaw that Eraqus is roughly 3 years younger than him (I wish it was more, but the fact they're such similar heights implies a small gap in age), so Eraqus was most likely 15-16 in the scene at the end of Dark Road Chapter 1, giving him a birth year of roughly 87 BID. He's also dead, so...he's not any older.

Lea and Isa are more than likely the same age as each other, and are most likely Ven's (biological) age in BBS, making them about 26/7 in KH3. Therefore their year of birth is 26 BID, and they'll be 28 ish in ReMind, even if we don't see them.

Riku is a year older than Sora and Kairi, and therefore his birth year is one year before theirs, so 15 BID. He'll be 17 in ReMind.

Kairi is the same age as Sora, so we know her year of birth is 14 BID. She's 16 in ReMind.

If I've missed anyone significant, let me know, but I think that covers the majority of important characters.

There's 3 more that I haven't mentioned, but that's because we either know their full birthday, or we can work it out. These are, of course, Sora, Roxas and Xion.

Thanks to Nomura once again, we know Sora's official birthday is the day of release of Kingdom Hearts 1, or 28th March. Sora is 14 in KH1, so his birth year is 14BID. Therefore his full birth date is 28/3/14BID (I'm Irish so we put the day first).

But what about Roxas and Xion?

Well, let's begin!

We know that Sora is 14 still at the end of Chain of Memories, therefore this must take place before 28/3/0BID.

If we use Days as an estimate for when Roxas is born, we know this is Day 1. We also know Kingdom Hearts 1 ends around Day 16. Therefore Roxas is born roughly 2 weeks before the end of KH1, which means Days ends 2 weeks before a year after this. Xion is "born" (not really, but it's the best time frame to use) a week after that, so 1 week before the end of KH1. Therefore they are both biologically 14 at this point.

This means that when, a year later, they both go back to Sora they are around 15. Roxas goes back to Sora exactly a year after he is born (the 358 days + 7 days from the beginning of KH2 = 365) so he is exactly 15 when he returns in KH3. Xion dies exactly a week before Roxas, meaning she was 2 weeks away from turning 15, as her "birthday" is a week after Roxas'. Therefore the day when she is a year older is actually 1 week delayed in a way, meaning she turns 15 2 weeks after she returns in KH3 (I'm not counting her time in the Organisation as we can't actually determine how long she was there for), and her birthday is (fittingly) 14 days after Roxas post KH3.

Sora turns 15 sometime during his sleep in Days. We see Axel note that Hayner, Pence and Olette have started their summer holidays, and that it is almost over. I believe it is safe to assume that DiZ would have time flow at the same rate in the data Twilight Town, as there are no indications of this not being the case, and therefore the last days of Roxas' holiday are also the same as the real Hayner, Pence and Olette. This means that Roxas goes back to Sora on the last day of the summer holidays, which we already determined was his birthday.

If we take the Japanese system for school holidays for Twilight Town, we know that students go back to school on 1st September, therefore making Roxas' birthday 31st August. Xion's is 2 weeks after this, making hers 14th September.

With this information we can also work out how long KH1 was.

If we look again at Days' timeline, it takes 15 days between Sora's death and the end of the game, meaning that the time in Traverse Town, sealing Hollow Bastion, and completing the End of the World takes about 2 weeks. If we look at the other worlds, we could use the timelines of the films, but the issue with KH1 is that the worlds don't follow the plot of the films. So, instead, we can use this 2 week timeframe to estimate a rough period of time for KH1.

The End of the World takes roughly a week and a half to complete, if we take away the time at Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion. Therefore each world would take roughly a week and a half, or let's say 10-12 days, to complete. We'll use either of these numbers depending on the world, which will include travel time. I'll go through these quickly.

Traverse Town is most likely 12 days.

Wonderland is most likely a day on its own, but with travel time we'll say 10 days.

Olympus is a weird one, probably an anomaly, as we are supposed to go back often, but it most likely equates to around 12 days as well.

Deep Jungle is probably around 10 days.

Agrabah is most likely 10 days as well.

Atlantica is probably 12 days.

Monstro is probably 10 days.

Halloween Town is most likely 12 days

Neverland is again a weird one, but in real flow time would probably only be a couple of days at most, but with travel time we'll bump it up to 10 days as well.

Hollow Bastion is 12 days up to Sora's death.

This adds up to 110 days, or 15.7 weeks, which is around 4 months. As we know Roxas' birthday (and Sora's death day) is 31st August, we can go back these 110 days, we get to the 13th May. Therefore The Destiny Islands are destroyed on 13/5/0AID.

I hope this was interesting for you guys.

Credit for the Days timeline goes to Kingdom Hearts Info Block (I'm not sure of their tag, if anyone knows please tell me).

[uoongs]

[translation] MXTX Interview - TGCF questions

this is rlly for everyone to love hc more TT // split by general/book1, book 3 spoilers, and book 5 spoilers via headings (though all are minor spoilers imo, except for the one in bk 5?)

there’s another question that pertains to TGCF’s comments, which I found interesting but have left out for now because it’s very very long. it’s half translated, so maybe i’ll finish it later

CW: domestic violence, Q.21 suicidal thoughts

the mdzs parts were prev translated here by @bigbadredpanda

original interview here

reposts and translations OK, but pls give credit!! twt @/uooongs, tumblr @uoongs, ig @/duoj1ao

GENERAL / BOOK 1 REFERENCES

Q14. TGCF characters’ heights?

Xie Lian 178cm (but can perfectly seem like 180), Hua Chen 190 (first appearance as a cute fresh youth was 185cm), Jun Wu 191, Feng Xin 188, Mu Qing 188, Mo Shui 189, Shi Wudu 187, Shi Qinxuan 186 (woman form 176), Pei Ming 188, Ling Wen 180, Quan Yizhen 184 (but has a very tall presence), Yin Yu 186 (but miraculously no matter how tall he is it’s hard to notice this person).

PS: Yu Shi [rain master?]’s cow is 150 without standing up

Q17. What was XL doing after his second time getting banished to the human realm? What was HC doing? Why couldn’t he find XL? HC previously swore to not let XL know he’s protecting him, so why did he decide to meet XL again after 800 years?

XL tried doing other jobs, but all didn’t go too well, and would bring sadness/strife to others, so could only collect trash by himself.

HC was looking for him while also working on his skills + earning money, expanding his power, and worked hard to become the strongest dude!

Really, it was because XL’s luck was so terrible and stuck to him so closely that he couldn’t meet HC. Actually, many times they almost saw each other, like in Banyue, and also when XL was Fangxin head priest, but both times they just missed each other. Finally XL ascended by himself and CEO Hua couldn’t contain himself and rushed over.

T/N:

strongest dude: the word here used is “jiahuo” 家伙 which is an informal, sometimes affectionate way of calling someone, kind of like “brat” ? but without the parental figure tone

CEO Hua: 花总 “hua zong” the zong here is used as a suffix of respect, usually used for business partners/ ppl holding business positions

Q18. When they first met again, why did HC not let XL touch him?

Because he loved and respected him. He was scared he’d get too excited and do something wrong. Later, the reason was that sometimes if he thought he made a mistake, like not protecting Dianxia well, he would not let himself touch his idol. Even if he wanted to a lot, he wouldn’t let himself touch, because it’s his own punishment for himself.

Q19. What did XL like doing as a kid? Did he whine like a kid?

He liked going on swings, calligraphy, drawing, reading books most people wouldn’t read, building and knocking over golden toy block houses. Whined a lot, and would insist on sleeping with his parents. So when he stopped whining like that the king didn’t find him as cute.

T/N: the “whine” here is the best English equivalent as far as I know, but perhaps you’re more familiar with the term “aegyo”? lol. Original word is 撒娇 “sa jiao”

Q20. Where did HC’s name and San Lang come from?

Why Hua Cheng, only he himself would know, since names are based on intuition and he didn’t tell me anything. San Lang was firstly because he was actually the third child at home, secondly because he fell during the third lap during the Offering to the Gods parade, thirdly because BLABLABLABLA many reasons to guess. Being the third seme of the novels is also an interesting Easter egg, but that wasn’t the main reason. Just as why Lan Wangji is Lan Er-Gege, or why Qiu Chi is called Si Shao, one can find many fitting explanations in the novel.

T/N:

BLABLABLABLA is actually what appeared in MXTX’s response lol

Qiu Chi 秋迟 is the name of a character (not sure MC or ML) for her next novel, and Si Shao 四少 means fourth, or fourth child/youth ?

“Offering to the Gods ceremony” translation is taken from Sakhyulations translation! https://www.sakhyulations.com/novel/heaven-officials-blessing/chapter-1/ bless them uwu

Q22. Why did HC not have confidence in his looks?

Because he was always told he was ugly, a monster, etc as a kid, so there was a deep “I’m ugly” impression of himself. Later he started suspecting that “maybe I’m kind of good looking”. But before the person he likes the most, he would still instinctively be self-deprecating, and sometimes will wonder if he’s an ugly person.

Q24. Why did XL give himself the surname “Hua”? 

Because he likes flowers, and used to be called the Flower Crown Martial God. Also, in the initial character sketch, when XL was banished he became a flower god, in charge of flowers’ blooming and wilting.

T/N: The word for “wilt”, amazingly, is 花谢 “hua xie” which is HC’s surname + XL’s surname (!!!). Also is the fake name XL used in Banyue, and the surname he gave to HC in the amnesia extra.

Q27. When will edits be made on TGCF?

Edits have already started, and when they’re done they will all be added with an announcement. Because it’s a long process, and because JJ has inconvenient limits on edits, Iwon’t know when. Not sure if it’ll be before or after the fourth novel. Also will depend on novel adaptations (of prev novels) and how the fourth book goes.

Q28. Will there be more extras for TGCF?

I’ve been wanting to write a human realm commoner storybook, a collection of short fairytales.

BOOK 3 SPOILERS

Q15. Where was Hualian’s first time? Does Hua Chen know that Xie Lian made the first move in kissing him in Qiandeng temple?

Huangji temple in Taicang mountain! HC didn’t know at first, but later Huahua teased it out + closely interrogated it out of XL.

Q16. What was the last mural and the lying down sculpture of XL in Wanshengku (hundred thousand-gods temple)?

It was that you know. That.

T/N: papapapapapa

Q21. Why did HC always have bandages on his face as a child? Why did he fall from the building? Why was he always getting bullied but still physically very strong/healthy?

He was always beaten up because his right eye is red. Others thought it was scary, and his face had a lot of scars that had to be covered;

One day he was beaten up so much that he wanted to kill himself, and also he’s a very bratty and petty kid, so when he heard there’s going to be a Offering to the Gods ceremony -- which if went wrong will bring strife to the whole country -- he especially chose that day to ruin the ceremony. As in, “if I’m unlucky and having a hard time, I want this entire country to die with me”. But he ended up climbing up there saw his wife and was shook, so he forgot to kill himself. But because he wanted to see more clearly, wanted to be closer so badly, he accidently fell off. 

He is just very tenaciously surviving! He’s strong like XL, won’t die even after getting beaten up hundreds of times, and forever will be able to hold onto a last breath and crawl back up again to return, against fate.

Q23. What did Mu Qing say when he drove HC away?

MQ just speaks like that...like, you brat are not even useful to Taizi Dianxia, you’ll only weigh him down, the army doesn’t need trash like you, don’t think you actually have talent! etc. Also because in the army the youths’ death rate is actually quite high, so MQ didn’t think he was doing anything wrong in driving HC away.

BOOK 5 SPOILERS

Q25. So is Shi Qinxuan a human now? Will his hands and leg ever recover? If he reincarnated, would he still have a hard life? Is Shi Wudu really gone? What did Mo Shui take the water master’s head for? What did he say to Shi Qinxuan on Moshui island at the end?

SQX is human. He can’t recover, and he doesn’t want to. Heavenly Officials won’t reincarnate. SWD is gone for good. The head was used for an oblation. He didn’t say anything in the end, because SQX was very out of it, so even if he said something SQX wouldn’t be able to understand.

T/N: To refer to SWD MXTX uses 15° (15 degrees) because phonetically it sounds like SWD’s name.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWD 10x13: What We Become -Details

Okay, let's talk details. This won’t be terribly long. Most of these are things we’ve been talking about for years, so I don’t think I need to over explain them. If you have questions about anything I point out here, send me a message or an ask. ;D

***As always, spoilers abound for 10x13 below. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

There are a lot of small symbols that were very important, but also things we’ve seen a lot before, so I won’t go over absolutely every instance. For example, in Michonne’s hallucination of Andrea, she finds bullets on the ground. I thought that was significant.

We saw a lot of boats, such as the little boat Michonne and Virgil arrived in. She had him locked in handcuffs on the boat, a symbol of the sheriff. We also saw a lot of fives. Virgil said something about how she could've unlocked him five hours ago, his kid was five years old, etc. Of course, we also saw a lot of threes.

The herb garden reminded me of Herschel at the prison, and the fact that Virgil kept talking about making tea was kind of a call back to Herschel making the tea in order to fight the virus in S4. I'm also wondering if the tea theme this episode might be related to the Tibet theme we've seen a lot of lately. When talking about his kids playing, Virgil mentioned sailors and buried treasure. interesting references, no?

Okay, one thing that jumped out at me was the fact that we saw three graves for Virgil's family. It reminded me of 7x04 when Father Gabriel filled in an extra grave so that they could lie to Negan about Maggie having died. In the episode, it only really focuses on the one grave (the fake one) but if you think about it, there were three graves. Glenn, Abraham, and then the fake one for Maggie. Well, TD pounced on that at the time because we're literally talking about an empty grave. About someone Negan thought was dead, but who's really alive and well in a different place.

So, a callback to that, but I'm starting to think the three graves represent the three resurrections from the pickle story. I will talk a little bit more about that either tomorrow or Thursday.

Virgil’s backstory was just a little bit confusing. Apparently, this facility was still functioning, even after the apocalypse hit. But when stragglers would come to the islands in boats, they would take them in. He talked about how people started to run short of food rations and a fight broke out and resulted in a newbie being killed. I kept thinking that that story and wondering how we're supposed to apply it.

Then it hit me. I do believe that this entire thing was sort of a replay of Grady. Think about it this way. Grady didn't really take in stragglers so much as force them in, but they were bringing people in all the time. The newbie who was killed in a scuffle could be Beth. 

Plus, you have the fact that Michonne was thrown into a cell, imprisoned, and at one point, she makes a break for it, much like Beth did. She even let people out on her way out, just as Beth let Noah out with her. And, like Beth she wasn't able to escape as she'd hoped, because the boat was on fire. Also, the food try Virgil gives her looks an awful lot like the ones they used at Grady.

When Michonne and Virgil first go into the facility, there's a whole bunch of debris almost blocking the hallway. There's a small space they can squeeze through, but a blonde, female walker is caught in the space. So, Beth walker. After Michonne kills her and lowers her to the ground, you can see a phone cord and receiver wrapped around her. More of the Communication Theme there. It also reminded me a lot of Still, when Beth and Daryl had to go over and under things and right the clock because it was in their way. Just reminded me a lot of the golf club.

They even use a stretcher as a shield – talk about a hospital theme — and there are lots of posters about that talk about not spreading virus. That's a little weird with the pandemic going on right now, but obviously there is a theme here. (And yes, it’s a VD poster. 😊)

As I mentioned yesterday, there are people hanging in the room, just like a golf club.

I also thought the dead rats in cages were interesting. It reminded me of the pet shop in 6x03, which was right before Glenn’s death fake out. This is also the second time we've seen rats the season. The first time was right before Alpha’s horde arrived when a pack of rats ran across the field in front of Yumilo and Kelly. I’m not sure how to interpret the rats, yet, but I’ll keep an eye on them.

There's technically a water theme because of the island, but we also kept seeing water dripping from the faucet. We found out that Virgil accidentally locked his wife and kids inside the right happened. It's a lot like Father Gabriel, only the opposite. He locked inside instead of out, but they still died.

Every time Virgil looked through the door, he reminded me of Rick and the Governor and last season Daryl looking to the door the same way. That theme very much revolves around Coda.

Threes. Virgil told it had that conversation three times and he kept saying, "I want you to see." Part of the speak no evil theme. When Michonne is hallucinating, she says she's cold, and he says, "then picture of the sun." Remember that we saw the sun drawing at the prison and it's always been sort of a symbol of Beth.

Another big thing that jumped out at me is that when Negan gave Michonne his bat in the clearing, he said, "wish them a happy new year from us, will you?" I'm not entirely sure clear on what this means, but we have definitely heard it before. In 4x16, when the Claimers were about to kill Rick, Joe Claimer also talked about New Year's Eve. These are the only two times I can think of that we've heard it, though I might've missed other instances. 

The only thing I can think of is that New Year's comes after Christmas. If Christmas represents someone returning from the death fake out, then maybe New Year's Eve makes a weird kind of sense. Nobody really had a death fake out quite like Beth in S4, but it's also true that when everyone scattered from the prison, no one knew if anyone else was alive. Rick and Michonne didn't know if Daryl was alive and Daryl didn't know if they were alive. I don’t know. I’ll have to think on it more.

I will say anything more about Michonne’s hallucination, except that it was really epic. I really enjoyed that part of the show.

When she gets out and realizes the boats been set on fire, she tackles Virgil. He's talking about his wife and says, "she always told me the right thing to do, and then she was gone, and I didn't know what to do." Sounds like something Daryl could say about Beth, right?"

Michonne talks about mercy and letting Virgil live. I thought that was sweet because it was a callback to what she and Rick learned from Carl.

The next day when she talks to him in his cell, he talks about looking up at the stars (constellation = Sirius) and also about heaven, will Michonne talks about hell. So there's a big heaven and hell theme going on here.

After she finds the boots in the storeroom, he takes her to the boat. One thing I noticed was that he talked about the boat washing up in the big storm. I think the characters were talking about a big storm in the very beginning of the season, so I’m assuming it's meant to be that one. There’s something strange about that big storm because they keep referring back to it.

We see red crustaceans and reads near the boat. I’ll talk more about those in my next post. On the boat, we see a yellow life preserver, blue coolers, and a pickle jar (resurrection. Yea!). All important symbols.

The book Michonne finds suggests the boat set out from the New Jersey shipyard. I'm assuming that's where she’s headed.

When Virgil is surprised that they're willing to let him come with them, Michonne says, "sometimes the most injured are also the most forgiving." Just reminded me a lot of Daryl.

I thought it was super cute that RJ chose Little Brave Man for his call signal. I totally didn't get it at first, but remember that earlier in the season, Judith was telling RJ the story of Rick on the bridge and she called him, "the Brave Man." So, using “Little” Brave Man, is just another way of saying Rick Junior. Super cute.

Here are some other quick things my fellow TDers have pointed out:

During Michonne’s hallucination, the camera angles were weird and skewed, much like a Grady.

Andrew had a bone-handled knife, just like Beth did.

When Michonne killed herself in the clearing (hallucination) she said, "welcome to the New World." That was originally Jesus’s line. I'm not sure if we should be reading into that too much, but it could be that they're going for the fact that this kind of the opposite. Jesus’s line was said with hope, where Michonne says it here in a negative, homicidal sort of way.

I thought it was sad that Virgil ended up staying behind. Even though he said he pictured heaven with his family when he hallucinated, the island is actually his personal hell, because they're dead. He's just staying behind to put flowers on their grave every day. So, it's like he’s staying in hell. Also, the flowers are very much a symbol of death and loss in this episode. I'm sure that will segue into the next episode, Look at the Flowers.

Finally, the two people Michonne helped were interesting. It reminded most of us of the two people Morgan helped at the end of Here’s Not Here. In this case, the guy was wearing a sheriff's hat and a poncho, which I find suspicious. But no way to know where that's going yet.

Okay, I think that's all the details I have. I'll probably put up a new TWD video tomorrow. The next day, I have something I'm super excited to show you guys. It's gonna be crazy! Stay tuned.

[perksofbeingawaifu]

mend

warning: chapter 115 manga spoilers ahead! i wrote this really fast and gave it to a sleepy beta so i hope you like it!

Eren lost sight of Pieck and Reiner, moving through the crumbling cityscape. Still no sign of Porco. Damnit! They were running out of time. They needed the other shifters for the plan to work.

The rumbling. Eren could sense that the time was drawing near. The coordinate paths ran crooked through their lives. Thousands of decisions and each time he made one, the light to the other choice faded and dimmed. He could only hope he had made the right one. Soon he was approaching the time where all paths met, where all paths ended.

They weren’t here. He must have gone in the wrong direction. His titan was running out of steam. He entered an open space and paused.

This was the old Shiganshina town square. This was where they held the spring festival every year. Where his parents married. Where he had his first fight. Where he danced standing on his mother’s shoes. He left his titan. The air was cool on his face and he tilted his head to the fading sun. People had begun reclaiming the previously abandoned city. The effort was slow going. New panes of glass hung in the windows. New roof tiles with their clay not yet faded or weathered by sun dotted the view. Fresh paint on the window panes brought back the memory of Eren earning a little extra coin by slapping fresh paint on a neighbor’s house. Someone had even started an herb garden in the house on the corner from Hannes’ old home.

Now, of course, the current inhabitants had been evacuated by what they were now calling the Jaegerists. Eren hated the moniker, but he needed the men.

Soon, he thought, closing his eyes. He just needed to keep pushing through. Keep moving forward.

A glint off of one of the new window panes flashed in his eyes. Eren bit deep into his hand, reaching for the power of the Warhammer Titan as he did so, blocking the blow with a titan forearm hardened by shards of crystal. His opponent struck, the blades dragging then glancing off. There was a small spinning blur in Eren’s peripheral vision and then it was snaking around his legs, aiming for his Achilles heel, the backs of his knees. Too powerful and too fast for Eren to harden each point before it struck.

Levi. He’s alive?

The soaring feeling in Eren’s breast was quickly replaced with panic as he caught the briefest sight of Levi’s steely grey eyes.

“Oh fuck he’s going to kill me,” Eren guessed as Levi went for Eren’s neck.

Eren let him cut the nape, he didn’t care, he was hidden beneath the titan encased in hardened crystal just like the previous owner of the Warhammer Titan, hidden from view under the base of the foot. Levi kept slicing Eren’s titan form, carving him out. All the flesh and sinew fell about the square and curled into hissing steam. Panting, Levi kicked through the rubble, looking for Eren, looking to see what he had missed. Eren raised his crystalline form in front of him, looking a great deal like Annie in her perpetual slumber.

Levi didn’t hesitate, he fitted one of the thunder spears.

“Don’t do that,” Eren muttered to himself. “You’re going to give away your position.”

Levi seemed to be having second thoughts as well, looking back over his shoulder to the rooftops, expecting a possible ambush. Seeing no one coming, he readied to charge with two spears.

“Oh come on! Captain!” Eren shouted. He knew Levi was angry with him and didn’t blame him, but this wasn’t a good plan.

Levi paused.

“Can you hear me?” Eren asked.

Levi shook his head and turned, tapping one of his blades to his right ear.

For the first time Eren noticed the scars on his face. He didn’t know why he didn’t see them before. He could recognize Levi by that walk of his and the way he carried his blades, he didn’t need to see his face to know his Captain. A long scar over his eyelid and down his lips. Several other cuts spread out on his cheek. His ear was crooked, he must have damaged his hearing in the blast.

Floch had said they saw Levi’s dead body floating face-down in the river and shot at it. They said he was gone.

Eren had spent so much time preparing for his own death he truthfully hadn’t given any thought to Levi’s possible mortality. Maybe he had just taken it for granted that he would be there. He was an immovable object, a constant, a rock in the stream. He was at every path and crossroads. And some part of him had thought Levi would hold faith in him even after Eren’s secret trip to Marley. He could see he had shaken Mikasa and Armin’s dedication to him. He had broken their friendship. It needed to be done and that branch of his life had withered and died. Levi was different. He didn’t know why. Maybe he thought it was because of the few nights spent in each other’s company. Or maybe the few nights in each other’s bed. How well do you ever know a person? How can we ever truly know someone? Levi must have felt betrayed more than the rest of the others. Eren had slipped from his bed after a night of lovemaking and down to the docks where he boarded the ship that would take him off the island. Did Levi awake to a cold bed and know?

Levi continued yelling at Eren, scarred face contorted as he pointed with his sword to make his point. He looked nothing like his usual self when he was angry and not just because of the scars. Eren couldn’t make out the words through the thick crystal, but he could see Levi’s mouth form certain words. He wasn’t saying anything nice.

“I can’t hear you,” Eren said and Levi stopped, fixing him with a disgusted glare.

He tsked and looked away, pacing back and forth with the thunder spears. Eren didn’t need to hear him to know the exact sound he made. He couldn’t help but smile. The first smile in a very long time.

“You look like shit,” Eren mouthed.

Levi snorted.

“Quit making that face or I’ll kick your teeth out,” Levi said, or at least Eren imagined that’s what he said.

Eren put his hand on the glass and Levi eyed it. There was a shift of cobblestones and Levi leapt swinging his swords around at the hardened stone pillar Eren had created as a chair for him to sit upon.

“Sit,” Eren mouthed.

“Fuck you, come out here—I will blast you—tiny pieces—shitstain—“

Here there was a long list of expletives Eren couldn’t quite make out with no sound. Levi always did have a colorful way of speaking.

“I can’t.”

“Why? Eren why?” Levi mouthed pointedly so Eren could understand him. “What are you thinking?”

“I need to do this!” Eren said, punctuating each word with a bang of his fist on the glass.

“Do what?” Levi threw his arms wide open in a way Eren thought was rather cavalier for someone still strapped to a thunder spear.

“I told you to put everything you had on me! Take all of it and put it on me!” Eren pleaded. “Let me do this!”

Levi strode up to the glass, nostrils flaring, eyes darting back and forth between Eren’s own. Please understand me. Even if you can’t hear the words I’m saying, please understand me. Eren ran his eyes down Levi’s scars before putting his hand against the glass.

Levi looked at Eren’s offered hand like that time Eren had walked into his office right after mucking the horse stalls. Like it was covered in horse shit. He took another step closer, keeping a firm grip on his blades.

“I love you,” Eren mouthed, knowing Levi would never answer him back. He never had.

A green flare shot off a few blocks over. Both Eren and Levi turned to look at it.

“Shit,” they said at the same time.

“You need to go—“ Eren said urgently.

Levi shook his head.

“Levi!”

Levi glared.

When he still didn’t go, Eren pounded both fists on the glass. “GO!”

Eren dropped his titan form the second Levi disappeared from view.

“Did you find them?” Zeke asked, riding in the palm of a titan he controlled.

“No, they ambushed me and then took off,” Eren said, looking discouraged.

If Zeke believed him, Eren couldn’t say. He hopped down from his ride and approached Eren who tensed.

“Hey,” he said, putting his hand on Eren’s shoulder.

It took everything in Eren to keep from jumping at his touch. Eren looked at Zeke’s hand still clasped to his shoulder, not daring to make eye contact with his brother. Zeke couldn’t have known Levi was here. Zeke had said Levi died. And if Levi saw Zeke…all Eren could do is pray Levi didn’t try to ambush them.

Please, Levi. I need him. I need Zeke. If there was another way I would do it.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find them,” Zeke said giving Eren a pat before walking back to rejoin the search party.

<*>

At night, Eren managed to sneak away. A painful wave of nostalgia overcame him as he crept down the familiar streets. He dreamt about them often. You could have blindfolded him and he would have been able to make his way by the touch of stone alone. As it was, the moon lit his path. He stopped in the square and removed his hood.

“It’s me,” he said, his voice bouncing off the cobblestones although he spoke in a hushed tone. “I came alone.”

He sat down on the edge of the empty fountain and waited. After a half hour, he heard the sound of boots behind him and turned.

“Don’t—“ Levi said, holding up his blade. “Don’t take a step closer. Lace your fingers together and put them behind your head.”

Eren did as he asked, watching Levi approach him from the side. Levi pulled at Eren’s hood and cloak, searching for weapons. Despite the blast and horrible scar, Levi’s eye was saved. The whites were still red and raw from the explosion but it only made their grey color all the more startling. Eren reached a hand towards Levi’s cheek and Levi put a blade to his throat.

“Don’t—“ Levi ordered.

Eren ignored him, tracing his fingers down the puckered flesh and over Levi’s lips. Levi hissed in pain.

“Still tender?” Eren asked.

“I don’t just grow my limbs and face back, it takes time for me to heal—“

“It’s agony,” Eren said quietly, moving closer toward Levi despite the blade pressed against his neck. “It hurts every single time.”

He kissed him. Softly. Nothing like the first kiss they’d shared. The first time had felt like two storm clouds crashing in to one another. Yet this was a first time of sorts. They felt like strangers again. That first meeting in the dungeons played over again in Eren’s head.

Levi lowered his blade and pulled away from Eren, licking at the scar on his lips.

“Feels weird. Feels tingly,” Levi muttered. “Nerve damage, the doctor said.”

“Tell me where I can kiss then. Tell me where it feels good,” Eren said, wrapping his hands around Levi’s waist.

“Don’t,” Levi cautioned him. “We aren’t—“

“If you don’t trust me we can still be enemies in the morning,” Eren said. “The whole world hates me. You can hate me too but wait until morning. Please. For now pretend.”

Eren kissed the hollow of his throat and Levi sighed and leaned into him.

The world was ending soon. Spinning faster and faster to a startling halt. Each time Eren ran his hands over Levi he could see a thousand paths light up and grow dark. And then…they stopped and time stood still. As if all paths lead to two people and the love shared between them. Mother and child, father and son, lovers and dreamers. He hoped this was a path that led Levi to a long life. He laced his fingers with Levi’s, only to have him pull away and hiss in pain. Eren kissed his burned hands, his knuckles being gentle with the raw skin where his trigger fingers used to be, the delicate inside of his wrist. It hurt every time to heal, to mend. It hurt to kiss Levi now but the ache was deep and would not heal quickly this time. Levi finally touched his hand to Eren’s chest, to meet that pain, and Eren could not keep the tears away any longer. All that time deadening what was inside, pretending he felt nothing, but I feel it Levi, I feel all of it. The entire weight of the world on my shoulders.

Please live. Live and be happy. Heal and grow old. Live in a time of peace when I’m gone.

[killian-whump]

OUAT 3x05: Rewatch Liveblog

Hello, my friends! It is I, Killian-Whump, here with another Rewatch Liveblog.

This one's for episode 3x05, "Good Form" - and let me tell you right now, it might be awhile before you see another one, because it will probably take me 15 years to GIF all of the whump, angst and sexy faces that appear in this episode.

BUT BEFORE THAT HAPPENS!!!

I gotta watch the episode. So let's settle in, click the link below... and do just that.

Looks like we’re starting off this episode with Neal getting thrown in a cage, for all of you who are into that kind of thing.

Normally, I would be one of those people, but I'm not really into Neal... and what the hell is up with these camera angles? Meh. Could be better.

OH GUYS! GUYS! This is the Lost Boy whose face annoys me. I thought he was in S6, but here he is here. Is he maybe in both seasons? I'll have to keep an eye out for him when I get to S6 in my rewatch and spontaneously combust.

Aww, my baby’s having some unexpected feels over there while Emma's talking about her days in the foster system.

Aww, look at him trying to share his feels and connect with another human being on more than a superficial level. Bless him.

Look at him getting shot down because Emma assumes it's just an attempt to get in her pants.

Aaaaaand look at Dave telling him he's nothing but a pirate.

Like I said, I'll be GIFing this shit until sometime in the 2030s.

Oh, look! It's Navy men! What kind of flashback could this be?

Why, that looks like a Naval Officer, someone of good standing, with a jaunty little ponytail and a spry bounce in his step. Who could it-

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS, IT'S HOOK

"Perhaps you mean younger brother." 'I MEANT WHAT I SAID, BITCH'

Ummm.... So... 'Only YOU can navigate us on this hero's journey!' 'Where are we going?' 'BITCH, I CAN'T TELL YOU'

OH GOD, GUYS, THAT BRIGHT SHINING SMILE FULL OF HOPE AND PROMISE T_T It kills me every time I see it. Colin could literally light up a city block in a blackout with that smile of his. We rarely get to see Colin's smile on Hook's face, but he uses it to such great effect right here. Bless.

...and here we are back to angsty, lusty, almost downright creepy staring at Emma XD

WHY IS HE FUCKING LIKE THIS (that’s what she said)

Hahahahaha, Snow. "Thanks for the advice." Like, she literally could not sound less dismissive if she tried. She gives so few fucks about Hook's thoughts, she might as well have walked over there and taken all of his OWN fucks away, as well. 'Nope, sorry, now NO ONE has any fucks for you. Not even you.'

My fucks... Now I have none T_T

I wish someone at the camp had answered WHY Hook had to go with David for more rope with, "You're freaking us all out, actually." XD

"What would you like to yell at me about now, Dave?" I love it when Hook calls him Dave, haha :D

Dave: "But if I do die-" Hook: "WHEN" Hahahahaha, you little shit <3

Aaaaaaaaand a swing and a miss. Dave, that was the absolute lamest attempt at whumping Hook that I have ever seen, AND I HAVE SEEN THEM ALL. Multiple times.

"Mate? Mate!" Umm, try his name? We know you know it. You used it thirty seconds ago.

LOL, I like to think Hook was, like, pouring Rum on Dave's mouth like a five year old trying to feed a sleeping parent or something.

Aww, he plays David so well. Hook: "No, it's too dangerous." Dave: 'Well, now I HAVE to do it.'

Liam, you ass. "Haha! That was close!"

Liam: "Employ the Pegasus!" And all the sailors, who obviously know what the Pegasus is, all spring into action, repeating the order and following it. So they all KNOW what the Pegasus Sail is and how to use it, while Killian, the LIEUTENANT and second in command here, has no fucking clue what's going on, what the Pegasus is, that the ship can fly, or where they’re going.

Regina: "How do we know you're not lying?" Hook: "Oh, you don't." Aaaaaaaaand he is. Hook: "But I'm not." Yes, he is.

Dave's TOTALLY OBVIOUS "goodbye forever beloved family" goodbyes XD

Ah, Liam, you stubborn arse. Listen to the strange demon child. Listen to your brother. Spoiler Alert: He never listens.

Oh, look. It's time for "Conversations with Pan That Are Somehow the Most Homoerotic Thing Ever Put on Television That Aren't Overtly Gay OR Sexual at All."  FYI: If sexual innuendos about Captain Pan bother you, you’re gonna want to skip to the next line break. I’m just saying.

Creepy silhouettes. Darkness. Pan: "Come back and work for me." Work? Is that what we're calling it now? Pan: "Like the old days." TELL US MORE ABOUT THE OLD DAYS. Hook: "I don't miss the old days." Great, but TELL US ABOUT THEM ANYWAY.

BLIP! Sudden Closeness Alert.

"We've known each other a very long time, Killian. We've done business before." TELL US ABOUT IT IN GREAT DETAIL OR ISTG

Pan: "You know me." Pan: *whoooosh* Pan: *appears directly behind Killian* Pan: "I like action." Hook: *closes his eyes* Hook: *licks his lips* Hook: *hangs his head* HE LIKES ACTION BACK THERE. BEHIND YOU. BUTT ACTION. I FUCKING SAID IT. I ain’t taking it back.

Hook: *turns to face Pan* Pan: *moves around to be behind him again* That's... I mean... I don't even have to make the innuendos myself here, do I? IT'S BUTT STUFF. I'M THINKING ABOUT BUTT STUFF.

Pan: "I want to see your hook inside his body." WHY DOES HE FUCKING SAY IT LIKE THAT?!?! Like he's a fucking expert at things he wants to see inside people's bodies.

Get a little closer there, Pan. If you even can.

Oh, sorry. There is literally no way you could possibly get any closer to him without putting your SELF inside his BODY.

AND THEY'RE ALONE. THIS ISN'T NECESSARY. THIS CLOSE TALKING ISN'T NEEDED. NO ONE NEEDS TO WHISPER. IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE HUSH HUSH.

THIS DOESN'T NEED TO BE WHATEVER THE FUCK IT IS.

BUT IT IS.

JFC even though I've seen this scene a frankly very embarrassing number of times, EVERY time Pan grabs Killian's flask, I always think he's grabbing something else with that sudden jerking motion. And then he pulls the flask up into the shot and I'm like. "Oh. Oh, that's right."

Pan: "Have a drink." Hook's reaction. GODS ABOVE... Pan: "You know it always helps you think."

AHHHHHHHH and then we see why Pan was whispering, and why he put the flask in Killian's hand just then, because Pan knew Dave was approaching and he wanted Hook to look bad in front of him.

...and for butt reasons. FIGHT ME, BITCHES. You know I’m right.

Yeah.

Yeah, sure.

That fucking plant dripping black shit ominously looks like medicine.

Suuuuuuuuuuuure.

EVEN KILLIAN SAYS IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MEDICINE.

"You choose to believe that boy over our King?" Well, to be fair, that boy fucking LIVES there.

Oh, Liam. Liam, listen to your brother. Liam, don't. Liam...

*siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

Every. Fucking. Time. I. Watch. This. Episode. He never listens.

Annoying face time again. I wish Regina would just rip his fucking hear-

Oh, there we go. Thanks, boo.

Snow: "The cost can't be this family." Emma: "It won't be." As long as you stop being a judgmental stick in the mud, MOM.

Aww... My baby, giving as wide a berth to the Dreamshade as he can. I love how afraid of it he is. He's so precious.

Ooooh... Swordpoint. This is a much better attempt at whumping our pirate, Dave. I commend you for not giving up after the first try went so poorly.

AHHHHHH and Dave backs him up against the Dreamshade he's so afraid of. LOVE IT.

Oooh, suckerpunch. And Dave's out for the count.

Pan: "Maybe you shouldn't have goaded him into it." LISTEN, YOU JUMPED UP LITTLE SHIT... And Killian just falls right into the trap, just accepting that he's to blame and trying to explain why he did such an awful thing... Oh, my pretty pirate baby T_T

Pan: "Don't leave the island unless you're willing to pay it." Ahhhh, you tricky little devil. You TOLD him, but you didn’t tell him.

Also, remember how Pan said to Baelfire last episode that all the pieces were where he wanted them... I wonder what his purpose was for bringing Killian to the island and setting all this up. He likely knew the resulting cascade of dominoes would bring Killian back... and back again. But why?

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

(Hint: It's butt stuff.)

Awwww!!! They got the message to Henry!!! :D Yay!!! Success!!!

And they only had to rip a young annoying-faced kid's heart out to do it :)

And now the show would like to rip all of OUR hearts out with a touching scene of brotherly love and agonizing death and beautiful crying faces.

"I will follow you... to the ends of the earth, brother." T_T STOP IT

T_T

T_T

T_T

Damn show.

AWWWWWWWW. He's so cute, suiting up and "bloody hell"ing and pulling a bandana over his face for the task ahead.

Sweet peanut, facing his fears and hacking away at the Dreamshade.

Awww, the way he looks himself over afterwards, and looks soooo relieved that he's emerged unscathed. Such a fraidy cat. I fucking love it <3

"I didn't do it for you, mate." <3

Regina's so sorry she turned to see what was going on back there, lol.

Snow: "I'm not complaining, but what was that-" Snowing: *more kissing* Emma: "Okay, I'M complaining." :D Regina: "What I wouldn't give for another sleeping curse." HAHAHAHA <3

Awwww, Dave giving his future bro and maybe kinda sorta mate some credit. ...and Hook looking so shy and embarrassed by the attention. Bless <3

Oh. Ohhh. Ohoh!!

CS Kiss Time. As kisses go, this is a damn good one, because it has Colin O'Donoghue in it and Hook in it and Killian Jones in it and... it also has Emma grabbing him by his lapels and yanking him to her forcefully and keeping him there until she's damn good and ready to let him go and that speaks to me on a deep, primal level and did I mention that Colin's in this scene?

...and the way he looks so fucking BLOWN AWAY afterwards. Like, that boy's brain is SAUCE right now and I love every second of it. THAT... That is a man who has been kissed within an inch of his life and that is how a man should always look when a Domme lady is done with him :)

"A one-handed pirate with a drinking problem." LISTEN, YOU WALKING COAT HANGER...

By the way, this "Neal's alive and in Neverland!" cliff hanger here goes down in history as one of the lamest ones ever, seeing as Hook ends up telling the secret, like, literally 30 seconds later in show-time.

More Neal in a cage.

Pan: "Hang him up, over there. Next to the other one." Oh, how ominous...

WHO COULD BE IN THE OTHER CAGE?!??! We'll have to wait to find out!!!

Although, thankfully, you all already know... considering it'll be over a decade before I finish GIFing this episode and actually watch the next one... T_T

Pew Pew Pew Peeeeeeeeeeeew

[gumnut-logic]

Voice of Solace

Title: Voice of Solace Chapter Six of Sotto Voce Author: Gumnut 4 - 7 Sep 2018 Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS Rating: Teen Summary: Sometimes the voices are far too loud to ignore. Word count: 5286 Spoilers & warnings: Spoilers for Season 2, minor character death. Author’s note: Okay I have been staring at this too long, so here have the last chapter of this fic. There will likely be a short epilogue - I think there is a need for Virgil and Scott to have a chat.I really hope this lives up to your expectations, and thank you so much for such a fun ride. Your support has been amazing and motivational and you are all wonderful ::many hugs::

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

It was still raining. The wooden decking had a thin film of water across it, each raindrop splashing on impact, fracturing its reflection of the grey sky. The water soaked into his flannel shirt, sticking it to his skin. It dripped down the side of his face, running sideways across his cheek to drip off the edge of his nose.

He lay there for a moment, limp, all energy expended, nothing left. But Virgil Tracy had been here before, been at the end of everything, but still needing to do more.

So he did.

“Eos?” His voice was little more than a whisper.

She lay crumpled in the rain. Her simple white dress laced with scorch marks and sodden in the downpour. Forcing himself to move, he dragged his body across the boards inch by painstaking inch until his fingers could touch her, until he could see her face, until he could wrap his arms around her.

At first, she didn’t respond and he felt the very last of himself slipping away, but then her eyelids fluttered and she looked up at him.

“I have to go. N-need to repair...” Her eyes closed again and she frowned. “Uncle, come with me?” Her eyes opened as his widened.

“Where?”

“I-I can’t leave you here. Come with me?” And her voice grew stronger. She reached up a hand and touched his face. “Let me save you?”

His heart clenched. “You already have.”

“Then trust me, Virgil. Please come with me.”

He took her hand in his and held her close. “Okay.”

She smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

And then his world dissolved into chaos.

-o-o-o-

Scott had his elbows on the bed, Virgil’s hand gripped in both hands and held to his dropped forehead, his eyes closed.

Every muscle was tensed, his body trembling just slightly.

Eos’ tirade had cut off suddenly. She had been relaying situational reports laced with cursing, one moment calm, the next threatening their unseen intruder, then suddenly nothing.

He could hear John wrestling with his tablet, desperate to drag more information from it. “She’s taken program damage.”

Scott looked up and met a pair of worried green eyes. He watched John swallow, his gaze flicking between Virgil’s slack face and his tablet.

There was a gasp from the bed.

Virgil’s eyes were open.

Scott shot to his feet. “Virgil?”

His brother’s brown eyes latched onto him, panic in their depths. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was suddenly distracted by John shooting to his feet on the other side of the bed.

A flash of recognition.

Scott yelped as his brother scuttled sideways off the bed and into his lap. The chair collapsed backwards and he was lucky he didn’t whack his head on the floor. As it was, his brother was heavy and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

There was an incoherent yell of terror and Virgil clambered off him. Scott rolled off the chair, coughing and pushed himself to his knees.

Blocked from the door, Virgil jammed himself into the corner of the room, squeezing himself up as small as he could get, his hands over his head clutching at where the EEG pads had been torn from his hair.

He whimpered.

John stood at the end of the bed, hope and fear warring on his face.

“John?”

“Eos! Are you okay?”

“You must leave the room.” When his brother didn’t immediately respond, she added, “Now. I will explain.”

John looked at Scott, at Virgil, who flinched and tried to crawl into the wall, before nodding once and leaving the room.

Scott edged towards his brother, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder. Virgil flinched looking up, fear and pain on his face. “Sc-t?”

Gently. “C’mere.”

And he found his arms full of shaking brother. Virgil’s forehead dropped to Scott’s shoulder. “I-“ A harshly indrawn breath. “G-d.” A sob. “H-rts.” His whole body shuddered, and he was crying. The heart-breaking sobs of a man forced far beyond his limits.

Scott held him tighter, squeezing his own eyes shut, a tear of his own running down his cheek.

-o-o-o-

“The Hood disguised himself as you.”

“What?”

“The transmission that attempted to compel your brother to betray International Rescue manifested as you. Virgil has been seeing a hallucination of you. It was you who has been coercing him and you who tortured him when he did not obey.”

John’s mouth fell open, his voice stuck in his throat, horror welling.

“I’m sorry, John, but you will need to stay away from Virgil for a while.”

“But-“

“Please listen to me on this. You did not see what I saw. He is so hurt, Father.” A pause. “We almost lost him. He was dying. He had nothing left. I-“

“Eos.”

“I’m sorry, John. I’m not myself. I need to make some repairs.” Another pause. “Please ask the second youngest to attend them. Excuse me.”

And with that, she was gone.

-o-o-o-

Some time had passed, but he didn’t know how much. Everything was confusing. He couldn’t think straight.

He opened his eyes to cloth. Breathing cloth.

God, his head hurt. He groaned and shut his eyes again.

“Virgil?” The quiet enquiry vibrated the shirt against his ear. A name belonged to that voice. A precious name.

“Sc-t?” His voice slurred. There were fingers in his hair. Ow. He fisted his hand in the cloth.

“Speak to me, Virgil.” Quietly demanding.

“Wh-t d you w-nt m t say?” Augh, the words slurred sideways, his tongue felt thick in his mouth. Where was he?

Eos.

He shot up, his eyes open and searching. “E-s!” The world spun and hands grabbed him as he swayed where he sat. A blanket fell to his waist.

“I am here, Virgil.” I am here.

“She’s fine, Virgil. She took some damage during the disconnect, but she is fine.” 

There were hands on his shoulders, holding him. He looked up into a pair of bloodshot blue eyes. “Sc-t?” The blue eyes frowned in concern. “’n fl-r?”

The frown deepened. “I’m sorry, Virg, what did you say?”

“’n fl-r?”

Scott’s lips thinned.

“He would like to know why you are on the floor.” Eos’ crisp voice echoed through the room and Virgil looked up. I did say I was here.

“Virgil, did you want to sit in the chair? Or on the bed?” Another voice. A familiar voice. Younger. Brown eyes like his. Laughter. Sitting in a chair.

“G-don.” He smiled. “Fnny.”

Those brown eyes grinned at him. “Why, yes, yes, I am, and proud of it. Did you want a hand up, bro?”

Virgil raised his hand and Gordon grabbed it. With a grunt, he helped him to his feet. The blanket fell to the floor. His younger brother reached out to steady him, before wrapping his arms around him in a hug. “Love you, Virg.”

Virgil returned the embrace, one hand wrapping around the back of his brother’s head. “L-v t.” Where were his words? His head was pounding.

And suddenly dizzy.

“Whoa! Hold it there, bro.” Gordon grabbed him as he teetered and Scott appeared from behind him. “Perhaps bed is a good idea.”

He closed his eyes and the world spun on the inside of his eyelids. Augh. His stomach rolled. “K.”

His brothers helped him into bed and he thankfully lay down. He scrunched his eyes into the pillow and willed the world to stop spinning.

-o-o-o-

John Tracy stared at the vidscreen and wished the Hood a horrible and painfilled death. He could hear the voices in his head that equated to his father, his eldest brother and even Virgil attempting to shout him down. He had never wished ill on anyone, but watching his big brother curl up on that bed in pain, hardly able to speak after all he had been through, the savage inside him wanted revenge.

Scott exited the infirmary and came to stand beside him. He still looked awful.

“We need a doctor.”

“Definitely. But how do we explain the hardware in his head?”

Scott sighed. “I’ll speak to Colonel Casey. Get some confidentiality forms signed. We have no choice.”

“Virgil will not be some someone’s pet science project.”

“No, he won’t.” Scott’s voice was cold.

They were interrupted by Eos. “John?”

“Yes, Eos? How are you feeling?”

“Better. Repairs are underway.”

“Do you need my assistance?”

“Perhaps later. I thought you should know that the ‘hardware’ in Virgil’s head is still growing. We need to halt its growth before we do anything.”

Beside him, Scott paled. “How?”

But John was a step ahead. “The nanites?”

“Yes, I believe a reprogram will give us the results we are looking for. However, I am hesitant to to recommend any attempt at removing the device. In fact, I think we may need the nanites to maintain the structure.”

“What? Why?” Scott was on edge again.

“It is embedded in Virgil’s frontal lobe, where Virgil is. The fact his speech is now affected is proof it is still spreading. He is functional and should heal. I fear that if we attempt to remove it, there will be further damage. Damage he cannot afford.”

“I’ll get a doctor.” And with that Scott stalked out of the room.

“Eos, show me what you have in mind.”

-o-o-o-

Colonel Casey showed no emotion when Scott explained the problem, but she was a hardened military officer and he didn’t expect her to. Her orders were crisp and within hours they had a highly rated neurologist flying out to the island despite the lateness of the hour.

Scott didn’t particularly like the idea of a stranger in their home, but he trusted the Colonel, the forms had been signed and he was desperate.

The doctor had degrees like a pack of cards and was extremely professional. His eyes did widen at the sight of the equipment they had available and his facial expression upon seeing Virgil’s scans was painful to watch.

“Who did this?”

“We call him the Hood.” Scott’s voice was hoarse. “He wants power and money and doesn’t care who he has to hurt to get it.” The latest holographic scan spun slowly in front of them, the spiderweb of circuitry clearly seen wrapped around his brother’s frontal lobe. “He wants our technology, so he tried to use Virgil to get it. He failed.”

“Have you asked the GDF for help? He needs to be arrested.”

Scott looked at him calmly. “Doctor, The GDF have been looking for him for years. He is suspected of killing our father. We caught him once after he invaded our home, so we handed him over to the GDF. He escaped. The GDF had him right on their doorstep yet again and he walked away. The GDF have failed on multiple occasions to nail this guy and look what has happened now!” The doctor backed away, alarm on his face, and Scott realised he was yelling. He swallowed and stepped back. “I’m sorry. It has been a bad few days.” He looked down.

“Understandable.” The doctor cleared his throat and straightened. “I see no way to remove such a structure without damaging your brother further. See here how it has ‘grown’ into his cerebrum? It would be impossible separate it out without damaging the surrounding tissue. It would be like trying to remove a section of his vascular system, too fine, too intergrated.”

Scott’s shoulders slumped. “I suspected as much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

-o-o-o-

Eos had assigned a good portion of her resources to repairs. The sudden removal of the part of herself that had reached into their enemy’s mind had been a shock. Several crucial functions had been corrupted and she had a cascade shutdown barely under control in her primary memory – John would need to assist with that. But she couldn’t leave Virgil. He still wasn’t functioning correctly and she had resources that were needed.

And on top of that, she was still maintaining Thunderbird Five. It didn’t take much processor power to shunt messages around and keep the satellite running, but it was a duty she was required to do. No doubt, if she mentioned it, John would return, but she couldn’t ask him to do that. His worry for Virgil outclassed hers. She could see it on his face.

So, it was for this reason that it was Eos, not John Tracy, who intercepted the report of the death of a man suspected of being the Hood.

He had been shot through the head. Clearly assassinated.

Eos held the message in her processor for more moments than necessary, staring at it. She remembered the sudden shutdown, the abrupt cut of life in that mind.

She had been there.

Information on how it had happened was sketchy, but it was clearly a professional hit. Too accurate, too clean to be anything but.

Examining her own record of the event and scouring the nets for any further information gave her a suspicious picture, particularly in timing. Chewing on an errant circuit, she took a chance and accessed the logs of outgoing communication from Tracy Island.

The second youngest had made a call.

She followed it. Darting through the networks she traced a thin trail of events, calls, exchanges of money and street video.

Coming to the inevitable conclusion, she quickly backtracked, destroying evidence and ghosting diversions as she ran.  Records were removed and replaced, numbers changed and data deleted.

Until she was back at Gordon’s vidphone, which she short circuited and destroyed.

He yelped and she smiled.

It was all really just another game.

One she needed to win.

-o-o-o-

Virgil slept for two days straight. They woke him for fluids and observations, but no sooner had his eyes opened than they closed, his mind and body desperate for rest and repair.

During that time John assisted Eos with her own repairs and the two of them built a program to rewrite the nanites directive code. They tested it and tested it and tested it, but time was crucial, so it was with baited breath John handed over the finalised program to Eos to deploy.

John, of course, hadn’t been able to visit his brother and it hurt. He had to be content with the vidscreen and helping out the best way he could.

“Eos, will you need the EEG?”

“No, John, I will interface directly with Virgil via the z-band network.”

“You can do that?”

“Certainly.”

“Does Virgil know?”

“Doubtful.”

“You will tell him.” It was not a suggestion.

“Of course.”

John stared up at the camera, his lips thin. “Go to him.”

“Yes, John.” She went.

-o-o-o-

She hovered watching him sleep, the ever-present frown still on his face.

The Eldest sat beside his bed once again holding Virgil’s hand. He knew she was there and what she was about to do. And she was hesitating.

She had to do this.

But once again she was frightened. Not so much for herself this time, but for Virgil. She had seen what had been done to his mind. This program was designed to help, but what if it didn’t?

“Eos?” The Eldest’s voice was quiet and his head had dropped to his brother’s hand again. “This has to be done.”

“I know.”

She reached out.

And slipped through the interface.

And Virgil was sleeping. It felt so different from her last visit. He was not confined to his refuge, but all around her, alive and resonating despite his somnolent state. He was healing slowly, his networks generating new connections around those that had failed. There was still pain and she shied away from it. There was still broken and she ached to see it. But Virgil was there, the soul she had met and defended but an echo of this vibrant being wrapped in slumber.

She stepped lightly, not wanting to break the sleep he so desperately needed. Keeping to the artificial, she targeted the nanites and seeded the program throughout. It would change them from alien bodies to an extension of Virgil’s biological system, their aim to maintain the circuitry and prevent further damage to his brain.

She watched as thousands of them floating in his blood stream took the commands and acted.

The silvery web of circuitry stopped growing.

And the frown finally slipped from Virgil’s face.

-o-o-o-

“The Hood is dead?” Scott stared at his brother. John, as always, looked much calmer than Scott felt. “How?”

“Shot. Through the head.”

“By who?”

“Unknown, but the GDF suspect a professional hit.”

Scott bit his lip, his reaction caught up amongst relief, rejoicing, his moral code and the regret that he hadn’t the chance to do it himself.

Alan answered for him. “Thank god.” His youngest brother sagged against the lounge.

Gordon stood frozen in the corner, no doubt as stunned as he was at the sudden and anticlimactic end to the man who had haunted their lives for years. Something in his expression drew Scott to his side and he draped an arm around his shoulders. His brother looked up at him, pain in his eyes. “Is it really over?”

“I guess so.”

And he suddenly found himself wrapped in Gordon, his hug so fierce it hurt. A strangled moment, and just as abruptly Scott could breathe again. His brother fled the room.

“What?” John stared after him.

-o-o-o-

On the third day Virgil finally woke. The sight of those sleepy brown eyes lifted Scott’s heart like nothing before it.

“Hey, Virg.”

Virgil blinked ever so slowly. “H-y.”

“How’re you feeling?”

Another blink. “Dn’t n.” He lifted a shaking hand to his head “St-ll hrts.” His fingers felt over his scalp and his eyes widened. “M h-r! Wh y dn  t m h-r?” He tried to sit up.

Scott held him down. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It is just a few patches. We didn’t have a choice.”

“P-tch-s!”

He couldn’t help but smirk just a little. “It will grow back, Virg.”

The glare could have fuelled Thunderbird One for an around the world flight.

“Now, I have a doc here, Doctor Emery. He has a few questions. You okay to answer them?”

Virgil frowned at him. “K.”

And so started the first of many neurological exams. Over the next week the doctor gauged his reactions, movements, speech, his ability to read, his memory, the whole range of thought and nerve specific tasks. And once the engineer was steady enough on his feet, he even had Virgil sit at his piano.

The sounds of his brother playing that piano perfectly was one of the most beautiful things Scott had ever heard.

-o-o-o-

A week later and Virgil had been released from the doctor’s immediate care. He was still exhibiting intermittent aphasia, but there were no obstructions to his understanding, just word production. Extremely frustrating, but the doctor had high hopes that it was temporary.

The day was beautiful and Virgil had found himself a spot by the pool and was half asleep on a lounger when the first call for a once again active International Rescue came through. He could hear Eos reporting it to John in the lounge, her voice wafting over the breeze. He didn’t even bother to open his eyes. He was in that pleasant zone of restful doze. His headache was under control thanks to the pills he had taken earlier. The dizziness was pleasantly absent. This was a nice space to be.

“Virgil?” Alan’s voice. “You’re gonna wanna move, bro. Scott’s been called out to a rescue.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Virgil?”

He waved a sleepy hand in his brother’s direction. “Yes, yes, it takes exactly 60 seconds for Thunderbird One to get into launch position. I’ll move then. The pool will let me know.”

Exactly sixty seconds.

He frowned.

Exactly sixty seconds.

Sleeping on a pool lounger.

Night time. Thunderbird One’s hanger. John telling him to adjust…

“No!” Virgil scrambled off the sunbed, desperate to get his feet under him. “No! Sc-tt! Ab-rt! ABORT!”

He ran across the kitchen and flew up the stairs. John was standing behind his father’s desk, eyes wide. “Ab-rt! St-p th l-nch! Sab-tage! Abort!” John stared at him and for just a split second the terror overwhelmed him, maybe it was... No. “Stop! Ab-rt! G-d damnit!” Virgil?

It was like slow motion, the seconds ticking by in Virgil’s head, John reaching to connect his comm to Scott. “Scott, abort launch.”

“What?” His eldest brother’s tone reeked of annoyance.

“Sc-t! Abort!”

“Virgil?” What’s wrong?

“STOP THE DAMN SHIP!!”

“Aborting launch sequence.” A pause. “Returning to dock.”

Virgil spun where he stood and raced over to Scott’s launch chute, grabbing the light fixtures and activating the turnstile.

“Virgil!” He heard John’s footsteps behind him. Please tell me.

He ignored his brother and jumped onto the elevator, a hand gripping his head as he flew down towards TB1’s docking space. His dizziness did not approve of the sudden stop and made its displeasure known. He staggered against the side of the car as he exited, moments away from forcing the doors open himself if they didn’t move.

As he entered the docking bay, TB1 was just returning to her resting spot, an alarmed Scott clearly seen through the cockpit window. Virgil jumped onto the extender platform, willing it to go faster. The cockpit doors opened at his approach. “Virgil? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer, leaping the last few metres from the platform into the cockpit. Scott yelped and grabbed at him. “What the hell?!”

“No t-me!”

He stumbled around Scott’s chair, whacking his shin and bashing an elbow. Forcing himself into the space below, he yanked off one of the access hatches, revealing the instrumentation inside. Hurriedly activating the holographic interface, he accessed the ship’s computer core.

Where is it, where is it?

Fuel control. Virgil!

He brought up the fuel management system and reaching into the code, started pulling systems. Shutting the program down from the inside. Disabling it in a way that could not be circumvented no matter what smart-assed code he had put in there. What?!

And to doubly make sure, he reached inside a second access panel and physically ripped out the electrical power to the fuel pump. Scott yelled as sparks exploded in Virgil’s face. What are you doing?!

TB1 whined in complaint, settling on her docking platform. Scott grabbed him from behind and pulled him away from the still sparking panel.

“Virgil, what the hell are you doing to my ship?”

He found himself out of breath, panting as if he had run a marathon. It felt like he had. “J-J-hn, asked m t f-x th fu-l flow c-ntrl.” Frustration. “’xplode. ‘N l-nch.” He was shaking.

“Bro, I am truly sorry, but I don’t understand.”

“Virgil sabotaged Thunderbird One.” Eos’ calm voice issued through Scott’s sash comm. “He said John asked him to fix the fuel flow control. Checking now.” Scott was staring at him in shock. “Confirmed. There is at least one program embedded in the fuel management system. Executable to alter the fuel mix on launch. The result would have destroyed Thunderbird One and most of her hanger. It has been disabled, but I recommend a thorough scan of all ship computer systems and mechanics.”

Scott was still staring when he croaked out, “Yes.” He visibly swallowed.

Virgil’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’m s-rry.”

His brother’s grip tightened on his arms a moment, before he found himself wrapped in Scott. “Not your fault,” was muffled into his hair.

Virgil closed his eyes.

-o-o-o-

Brains, of course, was horrified and what followed was the most thorough overhaul of Tracy Island’s systems that had ever been done. The systems check revealed that Virgil had been busy that night. Somehow, he had managed to also sabotage Thunderbird Three, similarly corrupting the fuel lines in a way that would result in an explosion on launch. He had also jimmied her silo, so once she was closed, she stayed closed. And incidentally, the pool would never have warned Virgil of TB1’s launch, because he had jimmied that locked shut as well. Apparently, the Hood had wanted his explosions contained.

Thunderbirds Two and Four were clean, obviously the getaway vehicle and source of all the Hood’s future technologies.

Virgil sat slumped to one side of the couch listening to all the damage he had done. International Rescue was very effectively grounded. He didn’t remember doing most of it, just a few flashes, associations, but that was enough. He had come so close to losing his brother. He screwed his eyes shut.

Virgil, it wasn’t your fault.

“D-sn’t m-k it ny easier.”

It should. You were not responsible and the man who was is now dead. You saved your brother today.

“S d-mned cl-se.” His throat ached.

A hand touched his arm and he jumped. Scott was leaning over him. “You okay?” Worried blue eyes.

“I-“ A sigh. “N-.”

Perhaps you should rest?

“You should rest, Virg.”

He frowned up at his brother. “Wh-t?”

“Rest. You are still recovering and today was rather stressful.” Understatement of the year.

“N-, w-ant t sty here.”

You should go to bed.

“N-!”

Vir-

“No! Im st-yg hr, g-dd-mnit!”

There was a sudden silence in the room and he realised that everyone was staring at him. Scott was pale and frankly looked terrified. Virgil sat up, concerned. “What?”

“Who were you talking to, Virgil?” Gordon was staring at him, concern all over his face.

“Wh-t? Tlking t y.”

“No, you weren’t. We weren’t talking. You were responding to someone else.” Gordon’s voice was very calm, very careful.

“W-s I?”

“He was responding to me.” Eos’ calm voice spoke into the room. “He wasn’t listening to you, so I thought I could help.”

Silence. Then Scott, deadly calm. “How were you speaking to Virgil, Eos?”

She didn’t answer immediately, and then she didn’t have to. Virgil reached a hand to his forehead. “Omigd.”

“You were using that thing?!” Gordon had the same expression on his face that he would have if he had stepped in a pile of manure.

On the far side of the room, as far away from Virgil as he could get, John snapped, “Eos!”

“He didn’t mind.”

“Did you ask? Did you tell him you had access?”

Virgil stared. “Acc-ss?”

“From his expression, I guess the answer is no?”

“I haven’t had the chance.”

“But you had the chance to invade his mind without his permission?”

“I did not invade his mind! I simply spoke to him.”

“Keep out of my brother’s head!” Okay, so Gordon was pissed too.

“I was trying to help.”

“Gordon, she saved his life!” From scolding parent to defending father one moment to the next.

“Virgil has had enough people messing around inside his head. You of all people should know that.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you!”

“SH-T U-UP!” Virgil was on his feet and shaking. “Sh-t up.” Scott, unusually silent, gripped his arm gently, but Virgil shook it off. “B-th f yu leave hr ‘lone! M b-s-ness, nt yours.” And with that he stalked out of the room.

A walk. He needed a walk, to calm and to think. Anywhere but here.

-o-o-o-

“What the hell was that?” Scott rounded on Gordon.

“Virgil doesn’t need anyone messing with his head. It’s messed up enough already.”

“Eos was trying to help. She went about it the wrong way.” He glared at the ceiling. “But her intentions were correct.”

“How do you know that, Scott?” Alan came to stand beside his brother. “She almost killed John the first time they met.”

“That was justified and has been forgiven.” John stood beside Scott.

“Justified?! She was justified in killing you? If I hadn’t made it in time, we would have lost you, John. You didn’t have to find your brother floating dead in space. She did that!”

“If it wasn’t for Eos, Virgil would be dead, Alan! Do you have any idea what she sacrificed to save our brother? She had a cascade failure in her primary memory core. Left alone it would have killed her. As it is, she has lost part of herself.”

“She’s backed up on TB5, John, go find a patch.”

“It’s not the same!” John’s face was red.

“That’s enough.” Scott’s voice was quiet but sharp. “She didn’t have to offer her help with Virgil, but she did. And thank god, because without her, we would have been screwed. She has proven herself time and time again that she is a valuable member of this team and this family. And just like all of us, she is not perfect. She is going to make mistakes, but trust me, she means well. We have Virgil’s life as proof. So, show a little respect.”

“But Scott, she tapped Virgil’s brain-“

“I know, Gordon. There will be discussions, trust me.”

“But-“

“Trust me, Gordon.”

His younger brother glared, but he shut up.

Alan’s expression hadn’t improved. “I’m going to go rip out the mess Virgil put into my ‘bird the last time someone got into his head.” And he walked off.

Scott didn’t know whether to be hurt or to punch the nearest wall. John’s hand on his arm stopped the later, but let the former in. “He’s just worried.”

“So, worry turns him into an ass?”

“Apparently.”

“Hmph.”

-o-o-o-

Virgil ended up on a beach. It wasn’t his favourite beach, that was on the other side of the island, just a random beach with sand, waves and a severe lack of other people.

Thank god.

He plopped himself under a palm tree and lay back in the sand, staring into the blue, blue sky. It had been so long since he was alone. His brothers had been hovering since his collapse and while he appreciated their concern, part of him really just wanted to be left alone.

But then apparently that was no longer possible.

“E-s?”

Yes, Virgil?

He sighed and closed his eyes. “W n-d t tlk.”

Okay. But you shouldn’t need to vocalise for me to understand you. Save those vowel sounds for when they are really needed.

Okay. How are you doing this?

The circuitry in your head is an interface. It allows computer-based systems to speak to your biological system. I’m just accessing that capability to communicate with you. It is quite ingenious really. As long as you are in proximity to the z-band network, and you usually are, I can use it to speak to you.

And what else? He had his suspicions.

A moment and in his mind’s eyes, a familiar young girl in a white dress with red hair appeared. I find it very interesting that you view me in this way.

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Please don’t do that, Eos. I’m not…ready.

Okay. The girl vanished.

What about other computer systems? Am I about to find myself saddled with a virus any time soon.

No. Her voice was cold. I will not allow it.

How can you prevent it?

I have my ways, trust me. No-one and nothing gets in.

It was still unnerving to think there was an open access to his very thoughts.

Virgil, John would like to speak with you. Can he approach?

His stomach clenched. Of course.

Feet on sand wandered onto the beach and John sat down at a respectable distance away from his brother.

“’m s-rry, J-hn.”

“I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Not your fault, Virgil.”

“S-cks.”

“Yes, big time.” A sigh. “But we’ll get through it. We always do.”

Virgil couldn’t help but smile a little. “G-t yr kid n my h-d.”

“You okay?”

“Y-h. Odd, b-t sh-s g-d.”

“Yes, that she is.”

-o-o-o-

FIN.

[thegeminisage]

More Zeldablogging

this game keeps on giving i am So Blessed

spoilers for the first section of the champions ballad DLC beyond

so when you turn on the game zelda speaks to you and whenever she speaks to you im normally filled with awe? but i had on the Dumbest lookin outfit

BACK TO THE SHRINE OF RESURRECTION

oh my god what the SHIT is that??

IS THAT A WEAPON

it looks like midna's head

smh my weapon stash if full lmao

the game is judging me. 

OH GOD IM DYING IS IT GONNA KILL ME

oh

oh my GOD

i'll die in ONE HIT? i also one-hit KO everybody else but.

i mean. thats it for me i cant do this lmao

time for stealth mode i am straight up ghosting this bitch

i...can't see the enemies. like i'm at the dot but

OH

BAD. WALKED RIGHT INTO A CAMP FULL OF THEM. BAD BAD

stressful

ok so this thing days it charges twice over a certain period of time and im like seriously i can only use it twice every few hours? but no it's like nearly instant so thats better

i'm still in the middle of a camp but the lost woods fog is going on so i can't fucking see shit, also in the afternoon the setting sun makes it hard to see my tv lol

got up to a high point to look around because i've been playing too much dishonored. was immediately spotted and nearly killed. i'm not kidding the arrow missed me by a fucking INCH

most of this combat consists of me running from the enemies and then spamming attack while panicking and praying that i hit them once they become unavoidable

ic annot find the last enemy. did i get them all. the dot is still there

ok i'm just gonna move on to a new dot

LIZALFOS I HATE LIZALFOS

maybe i can snipe them

hey i'm a dumbfuck maybe i can use my MAGIC MASK THAT MAKES ENEMIES NOT ATTACK ME

aaaaand i'm dead. got over confident

i saw bees and explsive barrels and rocks. i can do this. i can

ah i missed having to take enemy camps out via strategy :')

new idea: snipe them from afar with bomb arrows i have like 70

BAD BAD BAD I WOKE UP A GUARDIAN WHY IS THERE A GUARDIAN HERE??????

ok hid from the guardian, it deactivated, never going over there again, bye

i got like nearly all of them and then got the bright idea to throw a barrel, got too close, and died :)

:))))))

ah, i can't push the boulders, they hear me ):

death count: 983745693845

lmao i HATE lizalfos like they DO NOT stand still long enough for you to hit them with anything, even the OP one-hit KO weapon :)))))))))))))

killed myself with a bomb arrow lol

i can't get close and i can't do it from far away the arrows dont take enough health so like...hwat the fuck even

WHOA i finally did it and there's like a supershrine thing??? does that mean i missed a bokoblin????

im gonna go back before i do the shrine that is like. profoundly unfair

i wandered all over there lookin for the last one

YEAHAHAH i found it it was hiding waaay up there

ok, into the first shrine

do i seriously have to dodge all these spiky balls with A QUARTER OF A HEART.....

THE SHRINE BALLS ARE SO FAST HOW DOES THIS PIDDLY LITTLE CUP CATCH THEM

ok ok ok

the good news is i can use magnesis on the spiky balls and get those lil shits out of circulation

THEY FUCKING MADE A BREAK FOR IT

THEY KEPT ROLLING TO THE EDGE

i had to like, put them in the little dip top get them to hold still!!! those CVHEATING BASATDRS

WOW I FINALLY GOT THE FIRST BALL AND GOT HIT ON MY WAY BACK

the normal balls hurt too ;_;

oh i got the big one in!

ooh there's a ledgeand a ladder i can get Closer

tried to jump down to the ledge, immediately died

good thing i saved first lmao

IT DIDN'T SAVE MY SHRINE PROGRESS??

im. im.

oh my god

this GAME

ok

oh my god FINALLY

that was HORRIBLE

i got...a spirit orb! huh

does this mean i can max out my hearts AND stamina? because, shit yeah

now to the lizalfos shrine :|

oh......my god

WHAT IS THIS LOL

it's a giant spike pit. oh my god

i can use magnesis to cross but lmao this giant block being tossed to and fro. looks VERY shady

AND NOW GIANT SPIKE WHEELS OF DEATH listen i love this game

oh no. giant spike balls i have to glide past. actually i hate this game

me: oh that wasnt so bad, i see a switch and bars am i done? :D

NOT DONE NOT DONE

oh man i nearly got that last part ):

i have to do it all agaaaain

the initial spike pit has killed me like 7 times. 

got past it, and the wall of spikes did me in, BACK TO THE SPIKE PIT

ok this is getting tedious. all this just for one shot at the final bit again...

god i MADE IT!!!! jesus

now for the flying spike balls. again.

m a d e i t

ok no screwups now

YES!!!!!

;A; KASS IS HERE

a beast beyond the divine four omg do i get to pilot a jaeger

i dont have a fucking clue what that song means so im gonna keep doing shrines

third camp was MUCH easier, took out half of them by spamming bmb arrows from above

oh...no

A MAJOR TEST OF STRENGTH....BAD

B A D

its cool i have a one hit KO weapon and ancient arrows which are basically the same thing + my hylian shield its gonna be f i n e

ok cook cant hit it with arrows. cool cool cool wasted 2 of them i only had 6

NICE ok i stunned it with electric arrows & then rushed in for the one-hit KO kill. easy peasy

also it didnt save me losing my arrows :3

th

there's a switch at the end instead of a monk

oh god is there another one?!

no just a maze of little ones. good.

oh my god there is a THIRD SECTION this goes on FOREVER

AMBUSHED!!! I DIED

i have to do ALL THAT SHIT again

i didnt even save after getting some of the extra chests cause i was sure i was done ):

OMG nice okay it saved me getting the key. good

GREAT, because, i died again

trying to shoot faster than them :/

i guess i should be using my sword more but

they're too far away to rush in the time it would take to figure out how to even GET there

oh god finally

im taking the last of them out from the top of the mountain lmao

god can you imagine if you warped here & forgot to put on cold gear...u would just be dead

theres so many ):

cheesed 'em all, every one! hinox hell island was good for something after all

honestly doing it with bomb arrows was MUCH easier than doing it with my boms :')

omg it's dark in here

time for my SKELETON ARMOR

omg okay that was fun and not horrible

timing puzzles and not-terrifying fights 11/10

noooooo no more one-hit KO trident

OMG

OMG OMG OMG

THIS MUSIC THO 

omg am i gonna get to see my old pals!!! im dyin

omg okay im gonna do these in the order i originally did the divine beasts, for symmtery's sake, even tho i'd do it in a different order were i starting over

i'll conclude This Liveblog Post Here & start another

[ask-the-phan-site]

Target: Richard Remy

(WARNING: Some Persona 5 spoilers ahead.)

>It’s time.

Let’s go.

Joker, I have a question.

Joker: What is it?

Crow: Are target’s in the future.

Joker: Yes.

Crow: So... How are we going to get there? He lives in 2050 and this is 2017.

Joker: ... I haven’t thought that far ahead.

???????: Perhaps I can help with that.

>Suddenly, a blue prison door appeared and opened. Out of it came a girl.

You are still pretty much tied to the Velvet Room and it is the duty of its denizens to assist those enter.

You can tame us to the future? That’s great, meow!

Lavenza: But it will not be easy. There are some rules you have to follow.

Is this going to be like Kingdom Hearts?

Lavenza: Perhaps. Perhaps not. One is that you must not know too much of your future.

I’m sure that won’t be too hard. Most of us will probably still be living in Japan and where we’re going in America.

Lavenza: Perhaps. Also, only the one who requested this heist of yours knows your from the past. No one else does. So be careful.

Crow: We will.

Lavenza: Good. Now, please, follow me.

>We follow Lavenza into the Velvet Room.

>In 2050 San Francisco, the bionic scientist, Richard Remy was looking at a monitor in his lab when a call came in. It was his twin brother, Lucas.

I know we’re not talking, but Anita insisted. She told me to remind you-

I am aware of Father’s birthday. I am holding a celebration on the island. You are welcome to come if you like. I’ll even tell the police to let you and your friends off... If you peacefully surrender Kong to them.

>Suddenly, Lucas's friend, Danny Kwan appears on screen.

In your dreams, Boptic.

Lucas: I agree with Danny. Sorry, Richard.

Richard: Suit yourself.

>Richard hangs up. Unaware that his brother and his friends were already on the island.

Are you sure this is a good idea to come back here?

It’s Dr. Remy’s birthday. I know we could get caught, but I felt Lucas had to come here.

I guess a little fun wouldn’t hurt.

And what about Kong? Will he be alright out there?

>The group look out to the sea to see what looks like a hairy rock. They knew it was really Kong hiding underwater.

Lucas: I told him that he can come up for air in case he starts to run out. But he has to be careful.

Jonesie: But I don’t understand why you brought the rest of us. Dr. Remy was your dad.

Lucas: You’re going to find this hard to believe, but... I found this.

>Lucas shows them our calling card.

Jonesie: Humanity is, huh?

Anita: Take his heart?

Danny: So basically they’re saying, “Yeah. We’re going to steal your heart. Better prepare.” I don’t get it.

Anita: (worried) Why didn’t you tell me sooner?

Lucas: Because of the way you’re feeling about this now. I don’t mean to scare anyone, but I’ve read about these Phantom Thieves in an old Japanese police archive. These guys mean business. I just want to make sure Richard is alright.

Danny: Seriously?

Amy: Danny!

Danny: Sorry.

Lucas: Anyway, let’s keep a look out. And if anything goes wrong, let Kong know right away.

The group: Right!

>A little later, the party guests gathered in front of a podium where Richard was at and to give a speech.

Richard: A little more than a year ago, my father, Dr. Leo Remy, founded the Remy Natural History and Marine Preserve. Sadly, not too long after realizing his dream, my father passed away. It just upsets me that my brother, Lucas, had to go rouge and fled with the giant, menacing ape, Kong.

>But before he can go on with his speech any longer, a red wave came over the crowd. Richard definitely felt it as he watch the guest disappear before his eyes, even his fake one. The only ones left were himself... and his brother’s group.

Richard: Lucas!? What the devil are you doing here? Don’t tell me that dumb ape is here too. And that is this? Some trick?

Lucas: It’s not us. But I have an idea. Kong!

>No sooner his name was called, Kong emerged from the water and onto the island.

!

>In another wave, the island changed. Now it looked contorted and dark. And quickly, two Bionobot raptors with masks came.

Danny: When did you created raptors?

Richard: I didn’t. And I don’t remember adding masks to them.

>The two raptors grabbed the masks and tore them off. After that, they were covered by a black and red aura and they transformed.

>The two Arahabakis prepare to attack with a Vicious Strike.

Anita: Dios mio!

???: Stop them, Geomon!

>Fox’s Persona casts Mabufudyne which kills the two Shadows instantly. After that, we made ourselves known.

Lucas: So you do exist.

What made you think we didn’t?

Because we’re from the past and this is the future.

Panther: Point taken.

Richard: I take it you’re the ones who will “take my heart”?

Humanity is a gift that should last through the ages.

Queen: We hoped that the future would be bright. And yet, this is what we find.

Skull: It’s not different than our time. Corruption still exists.

Oracle: And of all people, in a scientist. Have you no shame?

You have betrayed your father's dream and turned it into a nightmare. One that you’re forcing your loved ones to live through.

Crow: And all because your brother made a new friend. If I didn’t know better, envy has taken you.

Panther: That’s really sad of you. Now you hate Kong and you don’t know why.

Mona: And you tried to make up for it with machines that you’re using to harm other. Including your loved ones.

Joker: Target: Dr. Richard Remy. We have come to take your heart.

Richard: ... And how will you do that?

>With a smirk, he shows us his robotic arm.

Richard: I am more machine than man now. What makes you think I still have a heart left for you to steal.

Queen: Because if that’s true, this place couldn’t exist, and yet, here it is. This is how you see your father’s dream. If you didn’t have a heart anymore, we couldn’t be here... And here we are.

Lucas: Richard, is this true?

Richard: ...

>Richard was quiet for a moment until his started laughing hysterically.

Richard: (his voice sounding a little inhuman) So what if my dream became my father’s nightmare? I am now the most important person in the world.

>He covers his human eye and continues to laugh.

Richard: Even though I hate him, I should thank Kong. He made me the person I am now. Thanks to him, I have made the most power Bionobots ever built.

Anita: Richard?

Noir: Don’t get any closer! He’s not himself now. He’s... His true self.

>No doubt about it. Richard’s bionic eye turns red. When he removes his hand from his human eye, his human eye was amber.

Shadow Richard: My father’s dream? Don’t make me laugh. You think I keep this island open and celebrate his birthday after his death because I love him? The day he died was the day I finally got what I deserve.

Lucas: Richard, you’re kidding. You’re saying you never loved our father?

Joker: Because even before the accident, your brother ceased to be human.

Shadow Richard: Observant, aren’t we? You came here seeking a heart that no longer exists and found only your doom. So much for being master thieves. Now... Meet your fate!

>The ground starts to shake as a giant cybernetic woman with light blue hair emerges from the island.

Jonesie: Is that... Botila!?

Mona: It’s how Remy sees her. She’s not the real thing.

>Suddenly, what looked like a man-sized baby carrier appeared on Cognitive Botila which Richard leaped onto and sat in.

Panther: Sheesh! If that guy wants to see himself as some spoiled, cyborg baby, guess we should deliver the spanking.

Lucas: Wait!

Skull: But-

Lucas: He’s my brother! If anyone one should deal with him, it’s me and my bro, Kong.

Anita: And besides, I usual do the spanking.

Joker: ...

Fox: Joker, it’s your decision. What should we do?

>>"Let them help us." >"You guys leave it to us."

Joker: Alight. But be careful. You’re used to fighting kaiju, not Shadows.

Danny: Kaiju? Shadows?

Amy: Maybe we should ask later.

Danny: Right.

Shadow Richard: Do you think you can stop me? You’ll have to get past them first.

>More Arahabakis appears to stop us.

Fox: Leave them to me.

Jonesie: I’ll help.

Fox: That depends. How good are you with Strike attacks?

Jonesie: I think I can bash a few of these guys.

Fox: Bash is good. But just in case, takes these with you.

>Fox hands Jonesie 1000 Agilao Gems and 1000 Maragi Gems.

Jonesie: How do these work?

Fox: Through one at them.

>Jonesie threw a Maragi Gem and the Shadows were hit by Fire which knocked them down.

Jonesie: Wow.

Fox: I know. But be careful. Some are weak to Fire, others can block it.

Jonesie: Got it.

Panther: Good. We’ll let you handle it from here. We’ll go after Remy.

Shadow Richard: Come and catch me.

>Cognitive Botila carries the Shadow with her to another part of the island. We go after them, leaving Fox and Jonesie to deal with the Shadows.

>We catch up to them. But then, two Bionobot Pteranodons swooped in and transformed.

Panther: Oracle!

Oracle: Got it! Necronomicon!

>Oracle’s Persona scans the Lilims.

Oracle: Scan complete. They’re weak to Light.

Crow: Then that’s my cue. Robin Hood!

>Crow’s Persona uses Mahamaon and kills the two Shadows.

Skull: Don't use that spell too much. You need to save your energy.

Crow: Right.

>Then, more Shadows came and Crow knocked them down with Kougaon.

Crow: Let me handle this. You go on.

Anita: Not alone.

Crow: Since when could someone like you fight?

Anita: I can take care of myself in some places. And I have Chatter.

SQUAWK! Chatter will help!

Crow: Very well. But take these with you.

>Crow hands Anita some Medical Kits and a Magic Mirror.

Queen: I’ll stay, too. You might need all the help you can get.

Crow: Thanks.

Queen: Come, Johanna!

>Queen’s Persona uses Herculean Strike that wipes out the Shadows as more came.

Panther: Good luck.

Lucas: Be careful, Anita.

>We ran after Richard and Botila, leaving Crow, Queen, and Anita to deal with Lilims.

>Eventually, we managed to catch up to Shadow Richard.

Lucas: Richard, stop!

Shadow Richard: Why should I? You’ve come so far to catch me. If you want to fight, I suppose we can give it now. Botila?

>Cognitive Botila gets ready to swing her big arm down on us until Kong stopped it.

Shadow Richard: Take your filthy hands off of her, you stupid ape!

>Shadow Richard makes a gesture and casts Freila on Kong and knocks him back.

Kong: !

>Oracle uses her Persona to scan the enemy.

Oracle: Remy uses Nuclear Skills. So Psy Skills should work.

Noir: That’s my department.

Danny: Psy?

Amy: Short for psychological. You’re going to mess with his mind?

Noir: You could say that.

Skull: Then let me give you a hand. Captain Kidd!

>Skull’s Persona uses Bad Beat which may have not been effective on Botila, but enough to put Richard’s Shadow in Distress.

Noir: Now’s my time! Milady!

>Noir’s Persona uses Psidyne which knocks down Botila and Richard.

Joker: Everyone, charge!

Lucas: Kong, help us out!

Kong: !

>After the attack, Shadow Richard and Botila lost a lot of health. But not enough to put them down.

Skull: Not enough. We need to attack them more.

Shadow Richard: (chuckles evilly) Do you think it will be enough? I don’t think so.

>With a gesture, Shadow Richard casts Mediarahan which fully heals himself and Botila. Cognitive Botila uses Vorpal Blade which was knock everyone of us down. Even Kong, mostly because he protected Danny from the attack. Danny was the only one still standing.

Danny: Oh, shoot.

Shadow Richard: You’re the only one still left. Now what was it that you called me? Boptic? I shall make you pay for calling me that.

Amy: (weakly) Danny... Run...

Danny: But... I can’t. I can’t just leave you guys. You’re like my family. You, Lucas, Jonesie, Anita, Chatter, Francisca, and... Kong. They mean too much to me. I don’t care at all what happens to me. You can hurt me all you want, even kill me. But I will make sure my friends live until the end!

>Danny is showing a lot of courage.

>"Is that what you think?" >"Is that what you feel?" >>"Is that what your heart's telling you?" >"Are you sure?"

Danny: It is. My heart is true. Richard, you don’t scare me! I’m not afraid! Because my love for my friends is greater than anything you throw at me.

...

Voice in Danny’s head: You connected...

>A sudden pain in Danny’s head occurred as his eyes turned amber.

Amy: Danny!?

Joker: It’s right. We’ve been thought this before.

Amy: What?

Voice in Danny’s head: You care about friends and family... Understand both worlds... Thou art I... I am thou... We stop bad souls... Protect nature... Your love make it stronger... You call... I come... I, Lord of the Apes...

>In a flash of light, something appeared on Danny’s face. It was a mask. It looked a bit African, but with more of a European vibe. And the lower half was missing to expose Danny’s mouth. Suddenly, a card appears in Danny’s mind.

>Then, Danny grabs the mask and rips it off his face. When he did, a burst of light appeared behind him. The light then faded a little to reveal what I can only describe like some wild man with dread locks and wearing a wooden mask over his eyes, wooden breast plate, a loin cloth,and holding a spear.

Danny: Is this... My heart?

Joker: What do you think it is?

Danny: I think... This is how I’ll save my friends. Isn’t that right, Tarzan?!

>Banging his staff on the ground, Danny’s Persona uses Salvation on me, Noir, Kong, and Lucas.

Lucas: I’m back on my feet! Thanks, Danny.

Danny: No problem.

Shadow Richard: This isn’t over! Botila!

>Cognitive Botila pounds her fist at me with Assault Dive. I took out a great deal of my health.

Lucas: Danny, think you can do whatever you did again?

Danny: I’m not sure how I did it, but I don’t think I can do it now. It left me feeling weak.

Oracle: Leave that to me! Get ready for this!

>Oracle’s Persona uses Improve SP and restores most of Danny’s energy.

Danny: Thanks.

>Danny’s Persona uses Diarama on me.

Joker: I should thank you too. Now come, Arsene!

>My Persona uses Agidyne (which I taught it with a Skill Card) on Cognitive Botila and Shadow Richard. It was enough to put the Burn on them.

Joker: Go for it!

>Danny’s Persona uses Garula which was very powerful on our targets due to them being under Burn. It was also enough to put them in Distress.

Noir: Here comes another one!

>Noir’s Persona uses Psidyne which knocks them both down.

Danny: We’ve got an opening! Lucas! Kong! You ready for this!?

>Kong nods in agreement.

Hold Up!

Shadow Richard: Please, don’t! I’ll give you anything you want! You want more space for the real animals on the island, I’ll give it to them. I’ll even clear your names!

Joker: I guess your brother could be cleared of your crimes. What do you think, Lucas?

Lucas: ... As great as that would sound,... No deal.

Shadow Richard: What!? Why!?

Lucas: Because I know my twin all too well. That’s why.

Shadow Richard: You... You can’t! We’re brothers!

Lucas: No we’re not. My brother died in a fire in our father’s lab when we were kids. You? You’re just a toaster with arms and legs.

Shadow Richard: NO!~

Noir: Now, everyone, charge!

>When it was over, Fox, Crow, Panther, Jonesie, Anita, and Chatter rejoined us as Cognitive Botila disappears and Richard was on the ground. Then, a light came out of him and took the form of what looked like the head of a mini mechanical tyrannosaurus rex.

Lucas: It’s... Richard's first Bionobot.

Mona: Is that his treasure?

Anita: To him, it is.

>I take the treasure and look at Richard. He was unconscious.

Danny: Is he... Dead?

Mona: No. He’s just unconscious. We can’t kill him.

Amy: Why not?

Crow: If you kill someone’s Shadow in the Palace, then the Shadow’s real world self will die too.

Lucas: As much as I can’t forgive Richard for doing all that stuff to Kong, I don’t want him to die.

Queen: Then it’s time to leave. We have what we came for.

>We leave the unconscious Richard as his Palace disappears.

>Back in the real world, the real Richard found himself back on the podium while the guests were waiting for him to finish his speech.

Reporter in the crowd: And what will you do with his animals since he’s not here to take care of them? Are you going to remove them from the island?

Richard: ... No. My brother went to much trouble to bring them here. The least I can do is make sure their lives are as comfortable as possible. He knew Father’s dream as much as I have. So let us raise a toast to my father. To Dr. Remy.

Guests: To Dr. Remy.

>At Lucas Remy’s secret tree fort in the woods, we were watch the replay of the speech on the news.

Jonesie: At least he’s a little more nicer to the animals now.

Lucas: That’s for sure.

Skull: And what about this?

>Skull was showing the T rex head.

Panther: He’s right. I think it would be a dumb idea to sell it to someone in our time. Including Gecko Neck.

Joker: Maybe we can give it... To her.

>I was referring to Anita.

Anita: Me?

Queen: Maybe you can us it as a paperweight. You know, decoration.

Anita: I suppose. It reminds me of more happier days.

Chatter: SQUAWK! Chatter scared!

Amy: It’s alright, Chatter. I don’t think it can hurt you.

Francisca: Yeah, it looks dead to me.

Lucas: But the memory it holds still live... And thanks, for making my brother at least a little less mean.

Joker: Anytime.

Danny: What about me? I have this new power.

Amy: What’s... Going to happen to Danny now?

>Just then, Lavenza emerges from a blue prison door.

Lavenza: Perhaps I might help.

Joker: And what will you do?

Lavenza: Danny is not the first child close to his age to have a Persona. My older sister had a guest who knew an 11 year old boy who had a Persona.

Danny: Then I’m older than that boy. I’m almost 13.

Amy: But I’m still worried. What will you do?

Lavenza: If you feel that Danny isn’t ready for such a power, I suggest two things: Electric Chair or Solitary Confinement.

Danny: Electric Chair?

Skull: Put him on an Electric Chair and sacrifice him to become an item you can have.

Danny: Sacrifice!?

Lavenza: If not that, Solitary Confinement will put your Persona in a place where he can where he can train and remain alive. But which ever one you choose, I can still bring him back with the Compendium.

Danny: I don’t know. I like this new power I got. An electric chair wouldn’t be such a good idea. I choose Solitary Confinement.

Lavenza: Very well.

>At that, Danny’s Persona emerged. Then, in a flash of light, it turned into his mask which Lavenza took.

Lavenza: When you feel that you are ready to have it back, the Velvet Room will always be waiting for you.

>She hands Danny the Velvet Key. We were ready to leave.

Kong: !

Danny: Wait! Kong has something to give you.

>Kong gives Noir what looks like a bouquet of odd looking flowers.

Noir: Well, thank you, Kong kun.

Lucas: This is a very rare kind of flower. It can live for thousands of years even after it’s been picked.

Danny: And they’re edible so you can make them into a soup. But I can’t remember the name of that soup. I know it was created by a Chinese guy and renamed it after his niece. Was it Marisette or Mariquita?

Panther: You mean... Marinette?

Danny: Yeah. I think that was it.

Panther: You know, I’m suprised. You know that we’re thieve, yet you don’t turn us in. Why is that?

Lucas: I feel that our goals are similar. And we don’t want to cause a temporal paradox.

Joker: True enough. We’ll see each other again soon.

>With that, we follow Lavenza into the Velvet Room and back to our time. Our new friends smile.

>In the Velvet Room, we already returned to America, leaving Lavenza alone... with someone other than Igor.

???: Thank you for suggesting I do this.

It would have been a shame to let your birthday go on while your sons disagree. I think it was good that you wondered away from the Soul Society and into here. After all, nothing meaningless happens here. If you find yourself in the Velvet Room, there must be a reason. And now we know what it is.

???: I know. You told me about these Phantom Thieves and what they can do. Though my sons see things differently, they are still brothers.

Lavenza: It is time to go.

>Lavenza goes to the stranger and leads him to the door.

Igor: Farewell and... Happy Birthday,... Dr. Remy.

>The stranger turns to Igor.

Again, thank you.

Igor: As we say in the Velvet Room: Until we meet again.

>Dr. Remy goes through the door.