#it’s not like they hurt him or anything btw. they’re literally cutting his nails. and it’s not even cut as short as the other cats

[truegoist]

took lumi to the vet and learnt they actually refer to him as “drama queen” there

[propertyofkylar]

i just had the horniest thought about kylar while at class and wanted to scream at (with) someone and u immediately came to mind as a notorious kylar luver…. sorry if this is out of left field or doesn’t tickle ur fancy btw i just thought you’d enjoy it 😭 you can delete this ask if u dislike it!!

t/cw: high!jealousy kylar thoughts, kylar’s canon-typical breeding kink and kidnapping, asphyxiation, sadism, noncon, brief allusion to objectification (pc being compared to a sex doll), implied but not executed somno? i can’t really explain it hshdhdhshdhh and here u go!

so you know how it’s canon that, while kylar loves pc and would do anything for them, he doesn’t want to hurt them right? even if they confess to him that they’re a masochist. but the thing is that he’s not above violence when push comes to shove. he’s proved this through his behavior numerous times like when pc doesn’t let him drag them into an alleyway at high jealousy like he pulls out the knife and everything - “you’ll like me,” / “i’ll make you”…. god that’s so hot

at high jealousy it’s so easy for him to resort to violence and kidnapping just to keep pc near him and i can’t help but think that sex with him at his most volatile and vulnerable would be so. Sexy. he would hurt you, just so you’d feel even a fraction of the pain he felt when he saw you with other people… i can imagine for someone like kylar seeing pc with anyone else that harbors any more redeeming quality than he does, his jealousy goes through the roof and it gives him a legitimate physical ache in his heart.

also, it depends if you’re into it or not, but idk why i can’t imagine kylar having a thing for cutting pc or marking them with a knife, i just think he worships their body too much to scar it so brutishly; but he’d definitely mark them in other ways and leave an imprint on their body somehow — but i digress.

sex with him at high jealousy is just hell tbh. Like he deliberately makes it difficult for you, not just to cum, but to literally breathe or do anything at all,,,,,, like i’m just vibrating at a frequency imperceptible to human eye thinking about him making pc suck and choke on his cock and his little bandaged hands coming down to pinch their nose and cut off their airflow so they can’t even breathe in anything else but purely him, so they can feel the heavy weight of his hefty cock resting on their tongue in its entirety, shoved all the way down their throat and bulging through their skin. he ignores the spit and drool trailing down the corners of their lips, ignores the way their body flails and their hands grip his thighs, digging their nails in. the pain of their blunt/sharp nails cutting into his weak bones can’t even compare to what he felt seeing pc with another love interest, all lovey dovey when all those expressions should be his to see and his only.

just before you think you’re about to fall unconscious, he lets go of you and allows you to breathe. but then when you breathe enough that you don’t think you’re seconds away from passing out anymore, he yanks you right back on his cock and the cycle begins anew. Like as much as he would like it if you would be a little more obedient, it would feel too much like using a sex doll if you were to just be unconscious while he rapidly fucked into u… filling u up with his kids… you wouldn’t even realize it… oughhh i’m ill…….

This got longer than j intended but like … yes. Yes. Sadist kylar but not because he gets off on that he just wants u to understand his feelings in his own twisted way of conveying it.

bro…this is just…i….*dies**dies**dies*

im salivating. this is perfect. thank you for this gift you gave granted me this day i love u

[gravesightings]

May I request the slasher’s reaction to their s/o getting a bad haircut! (btw hope your day/night is going well).

of course! and things have been going well, thank you. 💖

slashers reactions to: their s/o getting a bad haircut

Asa Emory / The Collector

depending on whether or not you actually consulted him beforehand, this could go two ways.

if you didn't, he'd be upset. who gave you permission to have your hair cut? why didn't you ask him first? does he need to remind you of your place again?

Asa might leave you be for a couple of days depending on how drastic the change is. if it can be remedied easily, he'll have you beg for forgiveness but if not - don't be offended when he starts bringing you wigs. actually, he won't care either way. this is your fault.

if it's something you two have talked over then he's a lot more sympathetic about it. especially if you feel insecure over it. it's not so bad actually. if you're lucky you might catch him fiddling with your hair while you sleep.

overall he's indifferent to it. it's just hair? it's not the end of the world. just be thankful that he has no interest in experimenting with hair implants.

Billy Lenz

it might seem like he wouldn't notice but he's actually quite perceptive to these kinds of things. Billy is absolutely the type to notice any sort of physical change no matter how subtle it is.

unsurprisingly, this is because he spends almost all of his time watching you. of course he's bound to notice!

he'll definitely point it out but he'd either be neutral or mildly upset about it. if he dislikes it, you would know immediately because he would pull your hair and demand answers.

if it's not that big of a difference and he's craving a bit of your company Billy would want to brush your hair for you! isn't he sweet? unless of course it gets tangled, then you might actually end up looking worse. (unless you teach him how to do it properly.)

if he's feeling more gracious than usual he might even offer to remedy it! whether or not you decide to indulge him is entirely up to you. there's a slim chance he would actually be good at it but denying him isn't recommended either..

Bo Sinclair

there's no sugar-coating it. Bo will laugh at you. he might even point it out to his brothers if you look especially funny.

did you go to a blind hairdresser? head got stuck in a lawnmower? got attacked by a bunch of bloodthirsty birds? you're never going to hear the end of it. he's never going to let this go even after your hair grows out.

would constantly tease you about it but it's mostly out of love. he might even come up with cute nicknames for you depending on how badly you messed up your haircut.

if someone else tries to make fun of you though that's an entirely different story. only he can call you ugly duckling! if someone else does it then he's ready to crack someone's skull open.

denies he was doing anything to defend you. Bo would just claim that they were being too loud for his liking. it had nothing to do with you. nope. not at all. "it's 'cause your hair's so damn ugly that they died on the spot."

Brahms Heelshire

what have you done?! this is MUTINY! he's been BETRAYED! dramatically reaches out to feel your hair with his trembling fingers.

this is all so wrong... so very wrong. at first he would only be able to stare at you in utter disbelief. as if you've spat at his face and insulted his entire bloodline.

Brahms takes it as a personal attack against him. sure, he can be a handful at times but he'd never thought you'd be this cruel! it might take some thorough explaining that no, actually you hadn't intended to end up like this.

regardless he would be very upset. he's rather fond of your hair and if it was longer before and much shorter now, he might not be able to recover from it until it grows back. Brahms is a bit shallow, you see.

when your hair does eventually grow out expect him to treat you like a ticking time bomb. he can't possibly trust you with keeping it pristine now! it's decided. Brahms would just have to cut your hair for you. unlike Billy though, he has slightly more experience since he cuts his own hair so you might not have to worry too much.

Bubba Sawyer

Bubba absolutely adores you either way! literally nothing can convince him otherwise. he might even get upset if you tell him it's ugly. no no no, you can't possibly be ugly! you're his s/o! you look wonderful no matter what!

as for the rest of the family... the twins love it too! they might even call you a trendsetter. they might come off as patronizing if you haven't been around that long to know them but they're actually genuinely into it. it's fun and quirky and nobody else has it! what do you mean you look bad?

Drayton is a lot less enthusiastic about it. he'll throw in an insult here and there but nothing too harsh unless it's getting in the way of your chores. if it bothers you so much he might actually shave all of your hair off. (don't worry! Bubba will protect you!)

if you're adamant about remedying your look then Bubba would offer to help. unfortunately he has little to no experience with cutting hair. he was the one offering his help but.. are you sure you want him to do this? he's more worried about accidentally snipping your ear off than he is ruining your look.

Bubba wouldn't really understand if you happen to be worked up about it. he truly, wholeheartedly thinks that you look gorgeous no matter what you do with your appearance. it's still you under there after all!

Jason Voorhees

he'd be surprised at first but will try to play it cool if you become self-conscious. points at something just above your head. he wasn't staring at your hair, he was looking at...uh. that bird up that tree! it flew away when you looked... too bad..

like Bubba, Jason loves you no matter how you look. big boy does not care at all. things will stay pretty much the same. he’s not the type to make a big deal about it just because you look a little different.

he would make sure to shower you with compliments if he catches you fussing over your appearance though. bring in the gifts! he picked up this cool hat for you, do you want it? how about these hair clips? he wants to help as much as he can.

Jason would not want to fix it for you but it’s not like he can deny you when you’re asking for his help. what if he messes it up? what if you get mad at him? what if he accidentally hurts you? it’s too risky. he doesn’t even know how to! hopefully his many concerns would be enough to convince you to just let it be.

if not, well.. his hands would be trembling the entire time. this poor man would be scared to death to snip even a single strand of your hair. why would you put him through this? not only would it take him hours before doing anything noticeable, he would be in a constant state of dread the entire time.

Jesse Cromeans / Chromeskull

WHEEZE. babe, what happened? who did you offend? he’s very desperately trying not to laugh at you but he’s failing. what a gentleman. Jesse would inspect the damage - totally not struggling to hide his laughter - before claiming that he hadn’t noticed anything until you pointed it out.

he’ll tease you about it, asking if you’ve been out making enemies behind his back. he won’t be as much of an asshole as Bo per se but he’s not about to pass up the opportunity to get a reaction from you.

Jesse is more of a romantic about it, holding you close and placing a palm on your chest. what matters to him is this, he signs. ...your tits. oh and your heart too, but that’s just a bonus. he’s kidding! stop hitting him! (claims to have planned this just to make you smile all along. sneaky bastard.)

if it’s something that bothers you, he’ll have a hairdresser come over for a home service. why are you surprised? were you expecting him to bring you to the salon? the barbers? why would he do something like that? he’s offended!

now you’ve done it - you’ve bruised his ego. the man’s just showing off at this point. within the short period of time the hairdresser took to fix your little problem, Jesse somehow managed to get more people involved. they’re wheeling all sorts of expensive-looking equipment in. one claims they’re a nail technician and the other a masseuse. oh you had plans today? too bad, you're getting pampered and that’s final.

Michael Myers

if it’s really bad then he might let out a small chuckle but that’s pretty much it. the most he’ll do is run his fingers through your hair. Michael doesn’t really care all that much for appearance either.

but he’s not as eager to console you like the rest of the slashers are. if it’s a bad haircut then it’s bad - he’s not the type to beat around the bush. “do you think I look stupid?” he’ll nod. if you react negatively to that he’ll just shrug. you asked! what do you want him to do, lie?

Michael would help you out if you asked but it’s ill-advised. he’s decent with a pair of scissors but he’s going to keep cutting shorter and shorter until you either stop him or you run out of hair. (there’s no guarantee he’ll stop even if you asked nicely.) clearly this is your fault. why would you trust him with a pair of scissors?

this should be obvious but do not let him anywhere near your hair with anything sharp. he might take matters in his own hands if he sees how fixated you are with your haircut. if it’s that bad, he’ll snip away while you sleep. Michael would be careful not to wake you.

overall you’re almost guaranteed to have an awful time if Michael decides he wants to do something about it. he’s not going to make fun of you but you’re going to wish he did instead of butchering your precious mane.

Thomas Hewitt

oh, honey... what happened? he’ll set you on his lap to give you a good look-over. Tommy is not all too concerned about how you look but how you feel about it so he’ll help in any way he can. if you’re upset about it he’ll press a quick kiss on the crown of your head to reassure you.

nothing a little trim can’t fix! as good as he is with his hands, he has almost no experience with hair so he would have to ask Luda Mae for help. he’ll be there too don’t you worry your pretty little head!

Luda Mae would coo at you affectionately, earning a disapproving “tsk, tsk.“ at the poor soul who had done this to you. they would be the talk of the town. if you somehow did this to yourself, then she’ll scold you out of love. why didn’t you ask her instead? after the whole ordeal is sorted out though she’ll beam with pride when you comment on how good it turned out.

Hoyt is most likely going to chide on how badly you messed it up if you were the one responsible but if it was someone else, you best believe he’d be out of the door in search for the s.o.b. what kind of hairdresser would do such a half-assed job?

if you’re not quite close to the family yet, Tommy would do it but he’s unfortunately not as good as Luda Mae. he won’t be as bad as Michael though so you can still save whatever dignity you have left.

Vincent Sinclair

unsurprisingly, he’s the mature one out of the bunch and like Tommy, he’s more concerned about how you feel instead of how you look. he would immediately try to fix it - you won’t even have to ask. Vincent won’t even give you time to actually feel bad about it, that’s how much he cares about you.

he usually doesn’t alter his victims’ appearances so he doesn’t have much experience but he’s not about to tell you that! his caring side would definitely override his lack of confidence. congrats! Vincent does a pretty good job. he would even give you a trim if you asked.

if you somehow ran into his brothers first then there’s no escaping it. Bo’s going to laugh at you. Lester wouldn’t really insult you but he’ll poke fun at you, saying that it would be much easier to find you now, much to Bo’s amusement. luckily for you, they’d made enough ruckus to draw out Vincent.

Vincent wouldn’t necessarily defend you from his brothers, just silently tug you somewhere else - prompting Bo to call him out for being a killjoy. unfortunately since he’s used to his brothers picking at him he’ll expect you to do the same. afterwards he won’t take long to fix your haircut.

this isn’t going to stop Bo from calling you names though. Lester wouldn’t do it but he’s not exactly opposed to what he assumes is just friendly banter. they’re unlikely to cross the line since they know how much you mean to Vincent so unless you’re especially sensitive, then it’s nothing too serious.

[dreamofbetterthings]

“Stay.” James T. Kirk x reader

Celebrity: James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine)

Movie: (Kelvin Timeline Star Trek, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Star Trek: Beyond)

Prompt: 9. "Stay"

Spoilers: None, this doesn't take place during any of the films.

Summary: The mission went wrong. Terribly wrong. Everyone made it back on the Enterprise, but unfortunately, someone was hurt. 

Warnings: ANGST UP TO THE EYES PEOPLE

A/N

I have been MIA for a long while, and I apologize. I'm going through a pretty tough patch right now, so please bear with me. I'll try and start uploading regularly again. This is part of the #Lovermrjokerr8kchallenge They recently reached 8k followers on here. I love their work, and they deserve all the love in the world. Go ahead and check them out. @lovermrjokerr​ Thank you for letting me be a part of this, congrats again on 8k followers! BTW what is said in the gif isn’t actually in the story. This was literally the only image I could find of that scene that fit. This is a little different than how I normally write, so feel free to let me know what you think.

Tuesday 3:00 PM

You look down at your shaky hands and feel sick to your stomach. They're stained dark. It was the color of wine Uhura drank too much of a couple of nights before. The sensation of excessive heat burning through your body at one time. It was the feeling of knowing that something was wrong. Going over to the sink in the room, you scrub your hands as your life depended on it. Under your nails, up to your elbows, and anywhere there was still crimson. Despite your hands being clean, you still scrubbed until your hands went numb. After drying them off, Bones walked into the room and you made your way over to him. 

"How is he Leonard?" His jaw tensed. You never called him by his real name unless something serious happened. He sighed and motioned towards the door. "If you didn't jump in when you did, then he'd still be bleeding out. We sewed up the gash you found and checked for any others, but we only found the one. I made an antidote from the bullet you brought back and gave it to him. We're going to do a couple of tests as soon as his symptoms go away, just to be sure he's in stable condition. If we tried doing it now then we could risk a flare-up." You nodded and glanced towards the door. "Can I go see him?" A small frown appears on the doctor's face and you have your answer. "Not right now. I'm sorry. Once the antidote fully takes effect, then you should be able to stay with him." His PADD goes off and he gives your hand a small squeeze before going back into the room.

Tuesday 6:00 PM

A flat-line broke the silence in the room and you were up and alert. Leonard instantly came out of the room knowing that you would want to go in. He held you in place while you tried to move past him aggressively. "Let me go...please. I see to see him." Tears brimmed your eyes as you tried to enter the room. Making eye contact with you, he forced you to stop. "Look, you've done more than enough to help him. Right now, I need you to stay out here or everything we did...everything you just did would have been for nothing. I'll come and get you as soon as I can, but I need you to stay here for me, and for him. Please." You glance behind him but quickly close your eyes, feeling the tears falling down your face. Giving him a nod, you reluctantly step away and go sit down. As long as Leonard has been your friend, he has never seen you so heartbroken. So vulnerable. He gives you one last look before hearing a nurse call out "Doctor McCoy! He's still crashing!" and running back into the room.

Thursday 10:00 PM

You didn't want to sleep, but that seemed to be the only option at the time instead of pacing around the room. You were still in the clothes from your mission, not wanting to go change in case he was awake. You felt a gentle shake of your shoulder, causing your eyes to open. Leonard was standing over you with a cup of water in his hand. "I would have woke you up earlier, but you looked like you needed the rest." Groggily sitting up from the now very uncomfortable spot in the chair, he hands you a cup of water. After drinking practically the whole cup, you ask "How long was I out?" He checks his watch. "About four hours." Your eyes widen for a moment before mumbling, "I guess I did need some sleep." Leonard nodded and there was a silence before he spoke up again. 

"He's alright. He flat-lined again after you went to sleep, but we got him back. All of his symptoms are gone, but now he needs two pints of blood to replace what he lost earlier. I really hate to ask this of you, but I know you're a universal donor. Do y-" You cut him off and give him a small nod. "I already know, and I'll do it." Leonard suddenly becomes even more serious. "If we do this, then I have to watch over your vitals too. I don't expect anything bad to happen, but I can't take any chances. I had someone on my team swap the chairs with the couch in the waiting room, so you have something a little bit more comfortable to sit on." 

After a quick stretch to loosen your stiff body, you follow Leonard into the medbay. You go to a room in the back and that's when you ultimately get a chance to fully see him without all the medical personnel. Cautiously walking over to the side of the bed, you get a good look at his face for the first time. His name finally being able to slip from your lips. 

"Jim."

He looked awful. Thin wires of ash and blue flames crawled up his neck and passed by his sunken-in eyes. Almost as if he was sick and fighting for his life, and he finally lost. You took a seat on the couch, very happy to be on something that wasn't rock hard. Very hesitantly, you took Jim's hand in yours. It was almost stone-cold, but still, you hoped that they would return to their comfortable warmth. Leonard came over with all his materials and gave a nod. Giving him one in return, he got started. 

Friday 2:00 AM

You were growing restless. The transfusion worked, and the color returned to Jim's face, but he didn't wake up. Leonard said that it could take a few days for his body to fully function, but you couldn't stand not knowing for sure. You refused to leave his side, with the exception of Leonard forcing you out to change out of your mission clothes and into something else. Jim's hand was intertwined with your every hour of the day, wanting him to know that someone was here for him and that they weren't going anywhere. It was late, or early rather, and you were still sitting on that couch holding Jim's hand while going through some paperwork you missed days before. It was too hard for you to concentrate on the stupid paperwork with everything going on. With a sigh, you closed the file and tossed the pen on the side table. You sat there for a while, just breathing. Just thinking. That's when you felt it. 

A squeeze on your hand. 

Sitting up and almost giving yourself a headache, you glanced back and forth between your hand and his still closed eyes. You whispered quietly. "Jim? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand again. Just a little squeeze. Okay?" You kept glancing at his hand in yours, waiting to feel the same sensation you were dying to feel again. After a couple of minutes of no response, you sighed and looked down, trying not to cry again. That's when you felt it the second time, only longer. You blinked the tears away and looked over at his hand in yours. Giving it a small squeeze yourself, you watch as his arm tenses up and does the same back to you. Looking at his face, you see his eyes trying to open, and that's when you get even more excited. "Yes Jim, yes! Open your eyes for me, please. I'm still here, I can feel you squeezing my hand. I won't go anywhere, but I need you to try and open your eyes." You can see his closed eyes darting around, almost like he was in REM sleep. It only takes a few moments, before you feel a strong grip on your hand, and then the unthinkable happens.

Jim's eyes open.

He blinks a few times to get used to the dim light in the medbay and starts to look around. Not wanting to crowd him, you lean back a little and let him finally make eye contact with you on his own. His eyes were calm, like flowing waterfalls, soft like the sky in the morning and sweet like biting into cotton candy. They were vibrant, they were open, and they were looking at you. Your lip quivers and those tears come back again. With a shaky voice, you call out to him, actually happy that he can answer. "J-Jim?" He gives you a small smile and whispers out,

“Hey." 

Before you break down and wrapped your arms around him. He was able to move his arms and put them around you just as tightly. His scent was as strong as a slap in the face and bit into your nose like an animal with sharp teeth. You couldn't comprehend anything else, so you could only say his name quietly over and over. You cried until salty tears were the only familiar taste on your tongue. But still, you hung onto your captain, and your friend, and practically dug your nails into his skin like he was all you had left. You got ready to get up and go get Leonard, but Jim leaned into your embrace and raspily whispered one word in your ear. "Stay." A smile found it's way onto your face for the first time in four days, and it couldn't have felt better. "I'm not going anywhere, Jim. I promise."

[ziracona]

And I hate to do this- So on that thread, not that he's as bad, why do you think Michael is redeemable? (and also Frank) Especially by his main victim? :? I hope that isn't as bad or as judgmental as I think it sounds... - Sleepy (its like 5am here :3 living up to my name i see)

So, these I gave a short and a long answer for under cut, but forgot I’m on mobile and can’t do that. I can tag it “long post” but uhhh, sorry about this. Anyway, thats why Frank comes in two chunks. I wrote it expecting to be able to use a read more. :’-] also ya fine. And I hope you’re in bed 🤣 now. Okay so. Here’s my reasons:

For Michael, to start, Halloween is complicated af. You have to know what timeline people are talking about, because there are like 8+ and Michael has been written as a wildly different character by wildly different content creators, and I would not feel the same ways towards them all. They’re not the same character. When I talk about Michael, unless I’m going on about a specific other film, I mean either H20 canon, or DbD canon, which are in line with each other when it comes to characterization. (This also includes Halloween’s 1 & 2 in the H20 line, and Halloween 1 at least in DbD). In those timelines, Michael has like at best 2% agency and choice in his own life and what he becomes. That’s why I am sympathetic. I still root for Laurie to nail his ass to the wall of course, and everything he has done to hurt someone isn’t okay just because his life is unfair & awful & out of his control, but I still find him a very tragic character. He was canonically suffering violent psychosis his parents refused him treatment for, isolated with a monster as his doctor & only human contact for 15 years from age 6 on, overdosed on medications that when OD’d worsen psychosis symptoms and can cause permanent brain damage, and stuck like that until escaping briefly when he turned 21.

In Halloween canon, Michael tells his parents he hears voices telling him to do bad things like hurt people, but they tell him he is imagining stuff, and ignore his attempts to get help. The voices say they will be quiet, which is what he desperately wants, if he kills his sister Judith. So he does, at age six. Scientifically speaking, that’s literally too young to really have a complete grasp on death and mortality itself, let alone complex ethics. He immediately goes to his parents after doing the deed, so they can do whatever they need to do. Instead of getting him help, he is sentenced to 15 years in a 1960s American sanitorium (hell), until he turns 21 and can be tried for murder as an adult (fucking ridiculous and unfair?? Tried as an adult is for like, upper teens who commit heinous murders. How tf you justify trying a six year old literally too young to really understand murder as an adult for murdering someone??). They give him to Dr. Sam Loomis, a fucking horrible person, who says he spends 8 years trying to help Michael (a fkn lie), but canonically by only a few months of meeting the kid is thoroughly convinced he is evil, the devil or a demon in human form, faking his psychosis and side effect symptoms (trauma induced mutism from killing his sister, onset of catatonia/motion loss symptoms, etc, all of which are common with his disorder & trauma), desperate to kill again, and an evil mastermind doing the devil’s work, and says so. Spends four hours every day accusing Michael as a six year old child on, of planning to do horrible things and faking his illness and being a demon and not a human, and Loomis, from age 6 to 21, is this kid’s only human contact. And the staff knew it and how wrong and disturbed Loomis was, but did nothing. So from age 6 to 21—barring one or two visits from his mom & Laurie before his dad beat 4 year old Laurie for saying Michael’s, who he hated after Judith’s death, name—until she trauma blocked out having had a brother or sister at all, and then both parents died in a car crash—his only human contact in complete isolation was an adult man who told him for four hours a day he was an evil lying demon faking his symptoms and plotting murder and not a human and promised he would kill Michael and stop him, from childhood on, and that was it. He was never given an understanding of what was medically wrong with him, or that anything was at all. He was threatened and abused and kept overdosed on drugs for 15 years since early childhood, and his only understanding of the world taught in that absolute isolation, was that he was a demon who wanted to get out and kill again. And the violent psychosis, telling him if he killed both sisters, they would go away and leave him in peace with no more constant noise. With no normal understanding of the world or people or life like he was owed ever given to him, no understanding at all of what you were going through or were aside from the promise drilled into your head you were a monster who wanted to kill every day for 15 years while drugged up? Like, I’m a firm believe people are responsible for their own actions, but in a case as extreme as that, honestly, how else was that ever going to even be able to end? You forget, as a child. Who you used to be. That’s beyond grooming even, it’s being grown in a lab for the sole purpose of someday walking out, taking a large kitchen knife, and killing Laurie Strode. And it’s tragic. It’s unfair. Halloween is a tragedy, not a horror film. It didn’t have to be that way. He wanted help. He asked for help. Loomis is directly and pretty much solely responsible for the lives lost in 1978. You know he won’t even call Michael “him”? The only human he contact he had since age six on called him “it.” And no one stopped any of that. And even then. Even then, even with all that. With the drugs, and the lab grown killer, and all of it? Michael is pretty much the single least sadistic slasher killer there /is/.

Everyone he kills in Halloween? He kills fast. It’s actually kind of boring if you’re expecting a scary slasher, because there’s no chase until Laurie. He just appears, runs you through, and you die. Very fast. And if there is any emotion expressed towards the act of killing or aftermath, it’s not pleasure or hate or happiness, it’s curiosity, because literally everything is something he wasn’t allowed to experience growing up and just has no practical experience with yet. And on top of all that, he also just doesn’t kill people he doesn’t have to. He kills one man for clothes, kills Annie to re-do Judith’s murder since it didn’t work the first time and he needs both sisters for the voices to stop, and he kills Bob and Lynda becuase they stumble onto where he is & are a threat to success. (This + Judith 15 years prior is all the deaths in Halloween period, btw). Michael routinely only kills his target, and anyone who is a threat to success. Literally doesn’t even jump out to kill Bob or attack until Bob opens the door to the closet he was hiding in, and he has been seen. Walks past a security guard and lets him go in H20 becuase he doesn’t see him, steals keys from a mom with her 4 year old kid and doesn’t even hurt them because they don’t see him really either, steals a knife from an old lady making a sandwich who is one foot away but looking the other direction, so he lets her go. Even with all the possible stakes against him, really, Michael is like, the least cruel and most sympathetic and merciful version of that lab grown killer possible, which can only be a testament to the person he was initially/still somehow has managed to keep faint traces of alive inside.

As for Laurie finding him redeemable, answer is threefold I guess, and I’ll start with the most important. 1: in Halloween canon, Laurie cares for Michael and is incredibly sad about what he turned into and wishes he could be different (once she remembers who he is). That’s established canon, not a choice of mine. In Halloween 2, she tries to talk him down before shooting him, and he hesitates when she says his name and lowers his weapon for a moment. In H20, she talks about him a lot & even asks her boyfriend (a psychologist) if he thinks something so traumatic can happen to someone that they can never recover, bc even though she hasn’t seen him in 20 years, he’s still on her heart. She hesitates to kill him once she has him helpless in the finale, and when he reaches out for her hand, she almost cries and starts to reach back because it’s what she has truly wanted for so long. 2: Michael & Laurie are siblings, and that’s a very important relationship to me. Obviously, there’s lines where you cross, it’s fkn over, but it is special, and I’m weak for it. They were both cheated of the good family life they could have had, and I like characters I care for getting recovery and rehabilitation, and I would like them to be able to recover and have whatever fragments of the lives they wanted which are still possible. And then 3: Laurie is his victim, but they’re also both victims of Loomis, and the system, and her parents, and if she does /wish/ for him to be okay and things to be like they were, which was canon before me, so she does, then I think them finding happiness and her relief and new hope in regained family and him redemption and rehabilitation through the quite literally only person he has /ever/ known who treated him well or like even a human at all & is still living, that’s so good. It’s sweet, and it makes sense. I like broken people putting the pieces together and finding ways to be okay. None of the shit that happened to either of them was okay, and Michael sure did fucking do it, but it’s about as “it’s complicated” as literally possible, and Laurie wants him to be her brother again, and Michael deserves a chance to experience personhood enough to want anything like that again too, and I think it’s sweet. To be able to find happiness and peace and a new life in that rubble. It shouldn’t be possible, because Halloween is a tragedy that never gets a happy ending, no matter how many timelines they create or versions they tell, but I wish it could have one. It needs one. At least one, among all the fated tragedies for those two cruelly cursed siblings. They both had their lives stolen. Michael by Loomis, and Laurie by Michael. And I want them to find those stolen lives again. And if they can do it together, that’s a very odd and unusual set of circumstances for that kind of thing, but it’s a very complete way to tell the story. He tried to kill her, but if she asked him to stop and he stopped, if he himself chose to change on his own, when it really, really mattered—decided that it was what he wanted more than all the things he was before, and she decided that was enough, and they could both have a future as family? I like that. It’s a happy ending stolen back.

Long Frank Answer, in case you /have/ read ILM & thus short answer did not answer your question: So. Again, for me, I always talk about Frank as in the version of him I myself write, and I wrote ILM before the archives retcon, and also just ignore them because they’re usually dumb and blatantly contradict well established and longstanding canon. Even then, I usually don’t like Frank though—didn’t like him when I started writing ILM. But Frank has very little established canon character. All there is for sure is he was a foster kid that went through some bad stuff, he met Julie and changed his mind about desperately trying to be homed somewhere other than with Clive bc he liked Julie a lot, he met Susie and Joey, they became a gang chilling in Ormond’s abandoned lodge, then tried to rob a store Joey was fired from, were surprised by a cleaner who grabbed Julie, and Frank impulse stabbed him, freaked, and ordered the others to finish it with him and be in it together. Then before they’d even really finished burying the body, they got snagged. That leaves a whole lot of personality and thoughts and motivations and future choices and person wildly undetermined. Writing, sometimes characters just do their own thing completely out of my control, and I have to adapt. Frank chose not to kill Meg at the end of Tenacity, Adrenaline, & Grit, which surprised me, because he’d been nothing but a dipshit asshole bastard till one minute ago, but I knew it was because he recognized what she’d tried to do at great pain to herself because she wouldn’t bow down and die, and he connected/empathized or sympathized on some level. He also couldn’t go through with killing Quentin immediately after being helped by him in Distortion/Iron Maiden. Neither was like, planned. It’s just who the character was. I was frustrated. I did not want to like or feel sympathy for Frank at all. Then in The Lost, Jeff just fkn hijacked the whole plot and added 20 pages not in the outline because he wanted to be kind to Frank & it’s not like I can stop characters when they do whatever they do. And while writing it, I got to know that the version of Frank Morrison in the world I was writing—which is always the version I refer to/think of him as & write now myself—was not somebody past saving. He’s a piece of shit and he’s done fucked up and inexcusable stuff, and he pays for it. In many ways, Frank gets away with a lot over the course of ILM, but it’s always because characters choose on their own to forgive him, not because they or he doesn’t think it was fucked. And Frank suffers—a lot—for his choices, and has to live through appropriate and large amounts of regret and remorse about stuff he did before the end. He gets the chance to make better choices several times, and mostly he doesn’t. He continues to fuck up. But right near the end, he makes a couple good decisions when it’s down to the wire, sees where his bad choices got him and what he has to live with, and then he does live with it. He almost dies, and then ends up falling on Jeff’s mercy, which he knows he doesn’t deserve and doesn’t expect to get, for a last chance to make it, and because Jeff is an ungodly kind and forgiving soul, he makes it.

Frank isn’t a good person, and he does a lot of stuff that isn’t remotely okay or justified or excused, but he /is/ a kid—the upper end of it, but he’s not a full grown adult. He has every reason to believe nothing of himself or others, a fucked up childhood and life which isn’t his fault, and the Entity got all four Legion kids before they’d even had time to process the one and only violent crime they did (which was unplanned), and it is historically running a PHD in psychological warfare vs everyone. Absolutely none of that excuses or justifies him, but it is an explanation for some of it that is not as bad as say, doing that shit for fun or cruelty or hate or what have you, which makes him a bad person, but one with a lot more humanity left than say, Kenneth. Who is at -100 or something. If he’s still got a lot of humanity left, that means he could be redeemed, and he eventually chooses that path for himself and hits the appropriate “I did something horrible. Fuck. It was really bad. I should not have done it.” “I am really sorry I did this. I feel awful. I’m sorry.” “I cant change it, but I can try to do better and make whatever reparations I can.” “I want to be better, and I am going to try.” necessary stages of actually trying to improve. So, I like him. He did a lot of really awful shit that wasn’t okay, but he was never without sympathetic elements. He does love his friends and his girlfriend, he is a good boyfriend to Julie and selfless towards her and his crew (overall anyway—has even risked death for them very willingly, even the one who was fighting with/kinda hated him), will keep his word in deals and has some semblance of both sympathy and honor, feels guilt, is a kid, did not choose this life but was rather catapulted into it and too weak to climb out once he landed in the mud. All of that together makes him someone I feel sympathy towards and find quite redeemable, so long as he will decide he wants that, which, in ILM, he does. If you just meant Frank in general then idk how to answer because there’s not much established Frank period it’s kinda a shell like all original dead by daylight characters, and I have no thoughts on it by itself because it’s not a whole person, and so I really only think of Frank as ILM verse Frank now.

[angelwars11]

At Ara'Novor (Part 3)

What's up what's up everyone!!💯 We're fucking back with the 3rd and final part, the ending to At Ara'Novor 🎊 I wanna say something before you all read this. This story was created over 2 MONTHS ago: planned and started in December to 3 parts completed and posted in January. This story has been an amazing journey with my Captain @colorfulloverbatturkey and I literally would not have made this story without having meeting her, she's literally the best; the story is emotional and can pack quite a punch to the feels of any Star Wars nerd or Fanfic reader!

The 3rd part was made super long anddddd... There's a special BONUS at the end for our loyal readers, anyone who's followed and read this story from the very first post. The BONUS is a gift to all of you💕 my fingers are tired now from typing so here it is! I finally give to you *drum roll* At Ara'Novor part 3 and BONUS. Content warning: (ooo, our first one😱🤣) There is cursing in this part (not Star Wars universe related) I mean like, the F-word and stuff. Also, we've snuck in a Rex thirst scene for all our fellow Rex lovers😍 (not explicit or anything but still, here's a warning)

Btw! Here's a link to part 1! And here's a link to part 2!! Enjoy!! 👋🏼 "I'mma head out."✌🏽 *gives a two fingered salute and uses instant transmission*

L.

Previously.... On "At Ara'Novor". Cody made it back to the village and told General Kenobi Rex was missing was a little girl. Cody sends out Jesse and Kix to retrieve them and bring them back. Rex spends some quality time with the little girl, he soon learns her name is Eida, and they bond over a long conversation. Kix and Jesse finally reached them.

*echoing footsteps*

"Captain? Rex, are you ok?" Kix said, spotting his Captain on the floor before him. Silence was the only response he'll receive so he rushed over to Rex immediately, crouching down next to him to start, he obviously needed treatment right away. He was about to lift Rex‘s hand off the wound when he cocked his head to the left and hissed, "Her first, I'm ok." Kix eyed him doubtfully, but proceeded to get up, appeared on Rex’s left and kneeled down before the shivering girl. He took off his helmet, "Hello there little one, is it ok if I examined you real quick? It won’t hurt, I promise!“ Kix smiled. He treated many children during other raids and commissions, and the practice of trying to help and calm down scared vod made it easier. 

He knew how to comfort patients. Eida looks up to Rex for reassurance, and when he nodded, she looked back to the medic and said with a trembling voice, "Okay…" Kix smiled and pulled a blanket out of his bag and handed it to Eida, who gladly took it and wrapped it around herself. She sat patiently as Kix checked her heart, her pulse, and her lungs. He also checked her reflexes and shone a flashlight in her eye, after which she blinked furiously. Kix chuckled "Ur all done, kid. you got a few bruises and you’re probably still in shock, but you’ll be able to sleep it off.“ Kix knew she didn't understand what "shock" was but sleep, definitely. Poor thing looked exhausted. 

Eida snuggled back into the warm blankets and stares at the medic. She was looking at Kix's face and tries to process something, then Jesse takes off his helmet as well, this confirmed her suspicions and her eyes grew even wider, "You all look the same!“ She pointed in awe, looking between the three. 

"As I said, they’re my brothers!“ Rex said, smiling as best as he could in his state, but it looked more like a grimace and Jesse smirked at Eida. "Sir, you’ll have to take your hand off so that I can inspect the wound.“ Kix said, kneeling beside the Captain, opening his bag and pulling out tools. Rex hesitated because he had his hand on the wound for so long and he was feeling a little nervous, but he did it anyways with a hiss. Shaking with effort he slowly moved his bloodied hand away from the sticky, painful wound. Kix shone another light onto the injury, inspecting it. "Kriff, I think we have no choice but to start treatment right away. You’ve been sitting here far too long!“ He murmured, handing the flashlight to Jesse so that he had free hands. 

 "You mean… perform surgery? Right here?“ Rex said, his eyes widening for a second and he shivered. It's starting to hurt quite a lot again. "Yes, Sir, if you try to move the wound it'll only get worse. It is cauterized, but still sensitive, and it's in a place where it will only rip open further if jolted wrong. We’ll have to perform mild surgery here.“ Rex took a deep breath. Don’t be whiny. You’re a soldier and you’ve been worse off than this. He thought to himself. Rex looked over to Eida, who was staring at the wound with terrified eyes. When she looked up at Rex, he said "Kid, I need you to go outside, this could turn really nasty, I don’t want you to see that." Eida's eyes widened even further, and tears started to form once again. 

"No! Don’t hurt him!“ she whined, shuffling closer to Rex and wrapping her hands around his left arm. "We’re not gonna hurt him, we have to treat his injury. We have anesthesia, uhh, something that'll block the pain. Don’t worry.“ Jesse reassures her, he walks over to Eida, extending his hand for her to take. "No, I'll stay!“ she refused and clung to Rex‘s arm even tighter, Rex held in a slight groan as her nails dug into his forearm, but she wasn't the reason, it was the goddamn wound. It's hurting more. "Kid, please you really should'–" Rex started, but then Eida crossed her arms over her chest once again, pouting.

He sighed in defeat. Knowing that arguing with this girl was pointless. "Fine. But please, go over there, you really shouldn‘t watch something like this.“ He said, nodding to Jesse behind her. Eida accepted his terms and slid further away from the three men, still looking at Rex. He smiled back at her reassuringly, only to flinch a second later when Kix started to sterilize the wound. Here goes nothing Rex thought, focusing on a spot on the ceiling as Kix injected a bit of anesthesia close to the wound. "Sir, just so you know, we can only use a bit of anesthesia here, because this particular anesthesia doesn’t do too well if combined with bacta, and we don’t want your injury to get worse. So, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm afraid you’ll have to fight through this one." Rex rolled his eyes. 

Of course. Great. 

Kix started by delicately removing pieces of dirt, shrapnel and other things that don’t belong in a body from the wound with tweezers. "This–isn't so bad." Rex murmured to himself. However, he could still feel every little thing Kix was doing. that's going to be a problem. "Yeah, about that—there seems to be some form of unusual crust in some places, an infection's starting to develop… we’ll have to cut those away, otherwise the bacta-spray won’t properly help with the healing…“ Kix said, glancing at Rex sideways, only to be met with a neutral expression. "So… it’ll...hurt, probably. Sir.“ Kix said. "Yeah no kidding, just get on with it so we can get out of here!“ Rex gritted through his teeth, letting his head fall back against the wall again. "Yes sir. “ Kix said. He quickly grabs a scalpel and steadies his breath. "I'm gonna start now.“ 

It was completely quiet in the room as Kix slowly cuts away the crust of the wound and placing the pieces on a towel. The only thing that could occasionally be heard was when the Captain's breath caught in his throat whenever Kix hit an extremely painful spot. Kix was almost done cutting away the last bit of crust when...

*ACHOOOO*

Rex let out a blood curdling scream when Kix’s scalpel dug deep into his flesh, startled by the pain and the sudden noise of Eida sneezing. "God dammit!!" Rex slammed the back of his head into the wall behind him and he whined, the wound in his abdomen was burning with incredible and unbearable pain. He moaned and rocked his head side to side and tries to ignore the raging river of lava deep within his abdomen,  "Kriffing…. K-K-Kriff… F-F-Force." he was trembling violently as the pain smacked him in rough waves, like an ocean during a storm. Jesse immediately rushed to Rex’s side, holding him down by the chest and trying to calm him while Kix was quickly wiping away the fresh blood that was oozing out of the wound. Rex whimpered when Kix grazed the jagged edges of broken skin and he stared up at the ceiling. 

All the while Eida walked backwards, away from the man she had hurt. "M- I'm sorry I–" Eida whimpered, moving closer to the still grunting Rex "I–I didn’t–" "Just be quiet!“ Kix shouted, he didn't mean to but it was the stress. He tries to get the scalpel out of Rex while Eida ran out of the room towards the exit, her cries filling the entirety of the cave. "Kix that really wasn’t–kriff!" Rex screeched at Kix, only to be cut off by the excruciating pain coming from his abdomen.

*panting*

"Jesse *chokes* go after her��dont–fuck! Don’t let her run away!“ He was squeezing his eyes shut, trying not to move so Kix could patch him up again. Rex held his breath but let it out very quickly as his lips trembled, his head hurt and it was just everything. Everything hurts, force, why does it hurt so much. Jesse made sure Kix would be alright on his own before he grabbed the blanket the girl dropped and jogged after her, the tiny sobs still echoing off the walls. 

Rex's breaths were drawn in and out in shallow gasps and panting, the wound was burning. "Hey, Rex, I need you to breathe for me. I know it hurts but you gotta take a breath alright. " Rex took weak, shallow breaths, heat surrounded his wound and it hurt so badly, but he followed Kix's direction well. Kix moves to grab the medical equipment again but Rex was trembling too much. Not good, not good at all ori'vod. So he placed his hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Sorry sorry. " Rex apologized and tried again, Kix only nodded in an encouraging manner. That seems to work. Rex stilled and Kix continued what he was doing before while his brother kept up tranquil and steady breaths; he just hoped that Jesse caught up with the kid in time.

Jesse found Eida sitting at the exit of the hideout, her cheeks and nose bright red from the cold and probably the crying. She was resting her head on her knees, leaning against the wall to her right. Jesse carefully sat down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, to which she flinched. “Hey–it’s ok. It’s only me.” Jesse cooed, taking his hand off her shoulder to drape the blanket around her, protecting her from the crisp night air. They both sat in silence for a while, looking at the dark forest trees that hovered above at the top of the ravine. “I'm sorry. " she suddenly apologized, followed by a sob. “It’s not your fault, ad'ika. Accidents happen, don’t blame yourself.” Jesse said calmly, turning his head to face her. “He got hurt because of me! I didn't want to hurt him." Eida sobbed, new tears forming and rolling down her cheeks. 

“Rex is fine, I checked up on him. He was just startled, nothing more!” Jesse half lied, kind of. Rex was hurt but he'll pull through and Jesse figured that lying was definitely okay in a case like this. *sniffles* “Really?” she quietly asked, wiping her face with her hands. “Yep, he’s okay. Honestly, I was about to sneeze as well, it’s verrrrryyy, dusty down there!” Jesse joked while wiping his nose and Eida let out a giggle. “So, are you ok now ad'ika? Wanna go back inside? I think they should be done by now.” Jesse smiled, standing up and offering his hand to pull her up. She was hesitant. “Aren’t they going to be mad at me?” She asked, her worried eyes looking up at him. “No, I promise.” He replied, and she took his hand and he pulled her up with ease. 

They walked back inside to see Rex sitting upright, wearing a fresh set of blacks. Slightly pale but a bit of color had returned. A medical patch was visible through the tight fabric where his wound was. Kix was putting away all the supplies when they both lifted their gaze to the figures walking inside the room. “Hey! There you are!” Rex smiled warmly at the sight of Eida. She walked over to him in tiny steps and mumbled  “I'm-I'm sorry.” keeping her gaze to the ground. “What for, ad’ika?” Rex questions, wanting to lift the child’s spirit. “Yunno…when I sneezed.” she explains, looking up at the two men. Kix kneeled down beside her and with sincerity he said, “No, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that, you did nothing wrong. I'm sorry.” 

Eida was hesitant, then extended her arm,"I accept your apology, sir!” She was obviously trying to sound grown-up. Kix chuckled at that and took her little hand to shake it lightly. She then turned to Rex, taking a seat beside him, looking back and forth from his face to his covered up injury. “Are you feeling better now?” She asked, pointing to his stomach. “It still needs to heal, but yes, I am feeling better.” He smiled. His brothers stood behind the two and watched the cute interaction. 

– – – 

A few minutes later, they had everything packed up, Rex was wearing most of his armor again, for warmth and protection, and he was being supported by Kix; after insisting that he could walk alone and almost falling over. Eida was getting sleepy and the night air was extremely cold, so Jesse carried her on his hip and it seemed so paternal. Her head lolling slightly with each step that he took. Rex leaned heavily onto Kix and whimpered, this worried his brother. "What's wrong?" Rex tilted his head and shook it dizzily, "F-F-Feel hot. " Kix felt his forehead and murmured to himself. His hand felt amazing to Rex and he moaned with a sigh. Jesse looked over, "What?" "He has a fever, we need to hurry it up a bit." Kix walked a little faster while dragging Rex along, Jesse followed and tried his best not to jostle around the sleeping child. 

– – –

Corel Village

Time: 0740 (7:40 p.m.) 

The sun had completely set hours ago and it was so cold. A lot of voices echoed from the huts surrounding the outer part of the village, this is the part Rex and the others passed by. They overheard the villagers discussing plans, comforting each other and tucking in the children.  They also heard footsteps that could be identified as military boots pounding into the dirt and the voices of many brothers speaking through their helmets with hushed voices, talking about further actions and how much they wished they were on a warmer planet. As soon as the four walked further into the village they were immediately recognized and spotted by two brothers in 501st blue, who approached them in a hurry. “Captain Rex, sir! Jesse! Kix! You found him." One of them gaped, it was Tup, one of the shinies. He strolled around to Rex’s right and supported him with his left arm. “He needs to lie down, come on Captain.” Kix led them to the nearest shelter. 

Dogma, who was the second approacher, started to walk with Jesse. He was still carrying the now sleeping child. “So, what happened?” Dogma asked in his usual loud and nosey voice. “Shh, keep it down will you? She's asleep!” Jesse hissed, gesturing to the girl. “Right. Sorry.” Dogma replied, now more quiet. “We found them in a hideout about 15 klicks from here. The Captain was shot while trying to rescue the little one on their way there. That's all I know.” Jesse whispered. Dogma nodded. “And what now? Where do we put her?” He asked, looking at the kid and raising an eyebrow. “We are not ‘putting’ her anywhere. We’re gonna find her parents, so she can go home safely!” Jesse said, rolling his eyes at Dogma. “I don’t think that's our job. She’s back in the village, whatever happens to her is not our problem.” Dogma replied, visibly annoyed. “Leave that up to me, will you? If you won’t help me, I'll find the kid's parents myself.” Jesse said, starting to walk towards the biggest hut where he assumed the Generals would be. 

He walked through the door and immediately trailed over to where the Generals and Commanders were. The group wasn't talking at the moment, they were just staring at a hologram and it looks like it's one of the masters from Coruscant. 

"Yes Kenobi, when you finish up there then come back to Coruscant immediately." 

"Of course." General Kenobi responded and then the call ended. 

Ahsoka turned around when she noticed another's presence behind them, Jesse stood in the doorway with Eida snuggled into his arms, for a soldier who was placed into violent situations he was shockingly handling her with such care very well. Ahsoka became distracted when her eyes landed on the tiny little thing and she moved closer and chooed. "Awww, she's so precious. " And Eida made a gurgling sound and rubbed her cheek into Jesse's armor, then she sighed and stopped moving again. Anakin and Obi-Wan had noticed they came in but they were too busy talking about war issues and the call they had received a couple seconds ago. 

"What's going on?" Jesse whispered. "Oh, we'll have to return to Coruscant soon after this. " Ahsoka shrugged and then stared at the child again. Jesse chuckled under his breath, Ahsoka was so predictable when it came to younger children. Sometimes. "You wanna hold her?"  Ashoka nodded with such an eager movement, Jesse softly handed Eida to Ahsoka and she immediately walked over to a table in the corner and cradled the youngling. While Eida was occupied Jesse deemed the time was right to go ask Commander Cody a question. "Sir?" 

Cody turned around and nodded, he was watching the generals argue again. "Yes." Jesse straightened up a little at attention, "I have a question sir, about the villagers. Sir. " Jesse added an unnecessary "sir" At the end, but it was only because of stress. Cody smiled and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You can relax. The battle is over vod. " Jesse physically relaxed, shoulders slumping slightly and he sighed in relief because sometimes it hard to stay at attention when you're tired. “Captain Rex rescued this girl. ” Jesse pointed to where Ahsoka was standing. She was poking the child on the nose with a soft "boop" sound to make her laugh. She was entranced by Eida's adorableness. “We need to get her back to her parents, but we don't even know how to start to look, Sir?” He asked the Commander for a solution, perhaps he would know. Cody stroked his chin in deep thought, looking at the girl. 

“Good question. No one has reported a missing child, maybe her parents are injured. Knocking on every door will take too long and will only further stress the villagers. We shall find the girl’s parents tomorrow.” He nodded and turned around to work on some reports. “And where will she stay the night, Sir?” Jesse asked, to which Cody turned back around. “Uhh, the barracks are too loud, definitely. We can’t just drop her off at a random house either…” Their conversation peeked Ahsoka's attention and she walked over to them, "I'll watch over her, she can stay with me for the night." She offered. Cody and Jesse exchanged looks and then they agreed. "Alright Commander, good luck." Cody smirked and walked away. Jesse placed his hand on Eida's forehead and sighed, "Well, guess I gotta head back out. Watch her for me will yah?" Ahsoka smiled, "Of course." And Jesse gave one last look before leaving the hut. 

Ahsoka sat on the bench a little longer till her Master walked over and placed his hand on Eida's head. "Hm, and who dropped this little one off?" Anakin smiled to himself when the little girl snuggled closer to Ahsoka. "Jesse did. I'm taking care of her till tomorrow, then we're going to look for her parents." Anakin nodded and slipped away, "Well, get some sleep snips. The both of you." Then he left the hut with just Ahsoka and Eida still inside. 

Rex's POV

Rex laid on a cot in one of the many shelters. He felt hot again and he was confused on where he was, he thought he was back in the Hideout with the kid but then he looked to his left and saw a brother. He was laying next to him on another cot and didn't look too good either. 

"Hey vod, looks like you finally woke up." His brother waved at him with a wonky smile. Looks like he was on drugs. "Uhh–" "Hey! Don't bother, he's conked out too!" Another brother on his right side yelled and then silenced himself when Coric walked past them. He gave them a suspicious glance and smiled with enjoyment, then he walked away. 

"Shitttt, now look what you did! He's going to get Kix!" The drugged brother on the left hisses at the other. Rex stared at the ceiling in exhaustion, why are they so goddamn loud. "It's not m-m-my fault!" The other brother on his right yelled and then crossed his arms over his chest with an "umph", there was a shuffling sound and then a raspy and brute like voice from the cot on the other side of the tent. "Hey! Shut up will yah! Before you get us all in trouble." He demanded. Rex raised his hand and smirked when the two on either side of him sat up to defend themselves, this caused an all tent brawl of yelling insults back and forth. 

*curtains shuffle*

*immediate silence*

Kix walked in with Coric right behind him, he had a sly smirk on his face when the yelling of insults quieted down. Kix walked to the middle of the room and glanced at every single one of them, giving them the stinky eye. "So, does anyone want to make anymore commotion and bring more droids down on top of us! Or are you going to be quiet." It was not a question, if one unaware and unlucky shiny opened their mouth to answer then they were all done for. A shiny who was a cot down from the brother on Rex's left sat up slightly and his mouth opened just a smidge, found the unaware shiny, and then the brother on the left from Rex launched himself over and pressed his hand over his widening mouth. "Be quiet." he whispered in warning to the vod'ika who just nodded along nervously. "Good. Now go back to sleep everyone." Kix walks towards Rex's cot with a satisfied grin, he likes having control of the patients. He was notorious for it. 

Kix was checking a couple things next to Rex and then waited for Coric to finish checking up on his patient, Coric walked over and then he took some stuff out. Antibiotics. When did they get those? "Hey Rexter, stay still for us ok." Kix said and then he began to unwrap the bandages around his chest and abdomen. Coric stood away but he was ready for anything, IF anything happens at all. The bandages were unwrapped and Kix immediately started to check the wound while Coric searched for clean bandages. Rex looked down at his stomach and hissed, it looked kind of red but it was also healing at the same time. "It's infected, we'll have to use our antibiotics on it so it'll start to heal faster and then we'll bandage it up." Kix talked Rex through the process of what they were about to do. This usually calmed down his patients. 

*panting*

"Ok." Rex nodded. Kix dabbed the alcohol onto a wash cloth and then he nodded to Coric who had a tight grip on Rex's arms. The wash cloth touches his abdomen and he yelled and groaned while gritting his teeth. The antibiotics stung like the fires of hell were dancing on top of his stomach, it hurt so bad! Kix rubbed it in and then went for MORE of the stuff and Rex couldn't handle it again. He reacted in an involuntary flight-or-fight response as he tries to get up off the cot but Coric pressed all his weight into his arms, "ahh, k-kriff! Let g-go! You son of a-a Bantha!" Coric however only smiled down at him and made a "tsk tsk tsk" Sound with his tongue, "Your insults don't scare me sir. And I've heard worse. " He calmly teased and continued to hold him down. 

Kix reached down with the wash cloth in his hand, ready to wipe it on his abdomen again. Rex stared at it and then looked up at his brother's eyes pleadingly and Kix just looked at him with a blank stare. He wasn't going to pull away in mercy, that just wasn't his style. The cloth landed on the wound again and he screeched, slamming his head down into the pillow behind his head and he moaned loudly. All the clones in the tent were trying really hard to go to sleep and not piss off the medics by watching them take care of the Captain. It was very hard not to, if they managed to look away and simply ignore then they should earn a gold medal for not being intrusive. "Rex, breathe for me." Kix whispers. 

*inhale*

*exhale* 

"K-Kriffing…Haar'chak." He exhaled and shivered, Coric patted his right shoulder and Kix inspected the wound and nodded in satisfaction. "You're alright Vod. We should see some improvement by tomorrow. You can settle down now Cap." Kix began to wrap up his side while Coric stared at the brother behind him lying on the cot on the right side, he gave the medic something and then smirked. Rex looked over to see what the trooper gave him, in his hand was a wrapped piece of candy; the wrapping was red and has a golden stripe on it and it was round. Coric held it in his hand cautiously and when Kix spotted it he laughed to himself and snorted. "Yeah, he can have it. Apparently this di'kut says it calms those who are in pain. And guess what, his theory was actually true." Kix gathered up his equipment and Coric shrugged and tosses it over. 

"Huh." Rex lazily caught the small orb and stared at it, then he glanced over at the fellow bed-ridden brother. "Do it vod. You won't regret it." He nodded with a silly grin and then leaned back so he could go back to sleep. Rex unwrapped it, observed the tiny thing and without hesitation he popped it into his mouth; with everything he went through, a little candy was the least of his concerns even though it was contraband. The chocolate melted in his mouth as the saliva began to break it down and Rex moaned in appreciation, then he turned over and snuggles down into the blankets. Kix came back around and smiled to himself. 

"Guess it worked." He asked Rex. "Yeah, definitely." Kix took the rest of his stuff and touched Rex's forehead again. "Still have a slight fever. Here, drink this and it should be gone by tomorrow." Kix handed him a small cup filled with liquid. Rex tilted his head back and swallowed half of the white, pasty stuff and he instantly gagged. "Choy bu kriff!" Rex cussed and Kix snorted, he said, "It's not that bad, now take the rest of it and go to sleep. Night." And he walked away. "Goodnight Kix." Rex felt slightly disgusted, yet warm and better, the wound had stopped hurting a while ago and he was just happy. He hopes that tomorrow he'll be blessed to see Eida before they most likely get picked up by the larty. But for now, he needs some well-earned rest. 

Corel Village

The next day, 0700 (7:00 a.m.) 

*birds tweeting*

The beams of the rising sun warmed up the surface of Corellia, painting the landscape in a warm hue. It felt good to not be in a cold environment anymore. The troops were already up and busy cleaning up the village, aiding the injured and slowly starting to load up the ships again. Jesse and Kix were ordered by Captain Rex to pick up Eida from the main hut to help them search for her parents. When the two entered the house Eida immediately ran towards them and jumped so Jesse could pick her up. He scooped her up into his arms, "Hey ad'ika! You slept well,  I assume?“ He chuckled. Eida nodded, smiling brightly, "Yep!" She wiggled in his grasp, "Glad to hear it.“ Jesse replied. "We came to pick you up, it’s time to find your parents, don’t you think?“ Kix chimed in, motioning for them to go outside. "Yes! I miss them so much!“ She said, getting excited about seeing her family again. 

They walked outside and just stood there for a minute. It was quite a big village. Where would they start their search?  

"Do you know where your home is? Could you point us in a direction?“ Jesse asked Eida while Kix was looking around. "Um, I don’t go outside alone, always with my family. But our house is close to a big fireplace and our house has little bells hanging on the door.“ Eida replied, trying to picture her home in her head. She then looked around, trying to remember which way they would always take to get back home. "I think that way!“ She yells, pointing to their left. They started walking in that direction, they pointed to every house and hut asking Eida " This one?“ Every time, to which she shook her head. About a couple minutes passed and Jesse thought about what they could do in the meantime. "So, what are your parents names?“Jesse asked, maybe it would help with the search. Also, he was trying to start a conversation. 

"Uhh…“ Eida was confused, "Uhm, I don’t think children call their parents by their names, Vod.“ Kix replied, chuckling slightly. "Oh.“ Jesse replied dumbfounded. It surprised him every time when they were out on missions how little they actually knew about the outside world. They continued to walk for a while, pointing to more houses and asking Eida if they were hers. They reached a fireplace which was surrounded by beautifully painted benches and tree trunks. "This is the fireplace! Over there is my house!“ Eida squealed excitedly, scrambling out of Jesse‘s arms and running towards her door. The two troopers followed her, coming to a halt beside her. Eida had already knocked on the blue and yellow painted door, it had intricate swirls and circles painted onto the wood and there were purple bells hanging from the doorframe. 

The girl hopped from one leg to another, when a Brunette woman, around the age of 24 opened the door. Her eyes widened immediately and she picked up Eida with a relieved sigh and held her close, stroking her hair. Kix and Jesse watched the pair, smiling. The woman looked back into the house and shouted, "Lillian! Eida‘s home!! She’s back!!“ while tears streamed down her smiling face. She turned back to the men, never letting go of her daughter and grinned, "I can’t thank you enough! We were worried sick! Thank you for bringing her back!“ Jesse stepped up to explain what happened, "Actually, Ma‘am, our Captain rescued her, not us. She was running into the forest and Commando droids followed her. Our Captain was shot, but he‘s fine now.“ He glanced over at the medic and Kix nodded.

In that moment, another woman with black, curly hair came running towards the door, and when Eida spotted her she squealed, "MOMMY!“ and practically jumped into her arms. Meanwhile, the Brunette woman extended her hand to the two men, who shook it gently. "I cannot express how grateful we are, my wife and I, we didn't want to believe she was..she didn't make it. Our two other children got hurt pretty bad, so we couldn’t leave them to go look for her yet! Please tell your Captain how thankful we are! If there’s anything we can do. "— "Thank you, Ma‘am, but it's our job. We’re glad the little one is safe now!“ Jesse replied. "Then… I'd like to at least thank your Captain personally. If it weren’t for him, She might not be… I don’t even want to think about it!“ The woman said, looking at the two soldiers with hopeful eyes. 

Her wife came to stand next to her, putting her free arm around her while still holding the happy girl in her other arm. "I’d like that too! It's the least we could do." Lillian smiled. Jesse and Kix looked at each other, not sure if that was allowed and then they both shrugged and turned back to the family. "The Captain is in one of our shelters, he’s still healing, but I don’t think he would mind saying goodbye to Eida!“ Jesse replied while turning to gesture in the direction where the shelters were. "We should go now since we are leaving quite soon.“ Kix suggested, checking the time. The two women looked at each other, silently communicating. "I’ll come with you, my wife has to stay with the other kids.“ Lillian replied. The Brunette nodded, thanking the soldiers one last time and gave her daughter a pat on the head and her wife a kiss, then headed back inside when she heard their son cry. 

*door closes*

– – –

The four were on their way back to the shelter. During their walk, they talked about the attack on the village and about the rescue of Eida. The two men found out that Lillian helped to fight off the droids while her wife tried to find all the village younglings and helped the injured. "That was very noble of you." Jesse respected her. They arrived at the shelter a few minutes later and went inside to discover it was way more empty than it was when Kix was last in there; most of the beds were empty and a few troopers were already starting to put away equipment and getting ready for pickup. To their left was Rex. He was sitting on his bed leaning against the wall behind him, reading a holopad. 

When Eida spotted him she wiggled out of her mom's grasp and ran towards him, jumping onto his bed, to which he dropped the holopad; startled by the sudden movement. When he spotted Eida though, he smiled brightly. 

"Hey there ad‘ika! Glad to see you’re okay!“ He said warmly, putting the holopad beside him on the table. "Yes! Your brothers brought me back to my home! That’s my mommy!“ She said excitedly, pointing to Lillian, who approached the bed. She extended her hand to the Captain, who took it and offered a small bow of his head. "Captain, you have our eternal gratitude. Without you, our daughter would've never made it home. Everything you and your troops have done to protect the village will never be forgotten." Lillian gestures to him and to the many men gathering their equipment with a soft, motherly smile on her face. The gratitude was gleaming brightly in her eyes like the hot orb of Helios. Rex felt warmth crawl up to his cheeks. Not many people thanked him for his work and his sacrifices, he'd accept awards, medals and even the Jaig eyes that now rested upon his helmet but they were definitely not like this. He looked at her and then at Eida. 

"Uh–Thank you, Ma‘am. But this is our job, it’s what I was trained to do. I’m glad to know that the little one is safe!“ Rex smiled, trying to sound formal. The woman smiled back. "If there is anything you’ll ever need, our family will forever be in your debt.“ She replied sincerely. Rex looked at her and wanted to reply but figured it would be best to just simply nod in appreciation, so he did. They both smiled at Eida, who was playing with a bandage that she found at the edge of the bed, trying to neaten it up again. The three of them kept a light conversation for a few more minutes when a trooper in 212th colors approached Rex‘s bed and stood at attention. 

"Sir, everything is being packed up and brought back to the ships, we‘re leaving at 01000“ He said, handing a datapad to the Captain. "Understood. Thank you. " Rex dismisses the trooper before reading the pad.

The trooper saluted, Eida watched the military gesture before he walked away to help with the packing. "Well, I guess I better get up, before they put me away along with the medical supplies.“ He joked, starting to get up. "And I think it's our time to leave, tell the Captain goodbye Eida.“ Lillian said to her child, who was looking up at Rex with big wet eyes. "Can you stay?“ Eida asked, tears welling up. *sighs* Rex wished he could. He didn’t want to hurt the child. Don't get attached. he thought, but he knew it was already too late. 

He would definitely miss the little ad‘ika. "I… gotta go home, just like you did little one.“ Rex sighed. He couldn't give her the, "I'm a soldier and I have a duty" speech, she was too young to understand. But the one thing she definitely would never hear from him is the truth, that he was "a slave to the Republic and had no choice but to follow his Superior‘s orders". "Will you… will you come back? Please?“ the little one sniffled. Haar'chak! Why was this so difficult? It broke Rex’s heart. He would love to come back. But he knew he wouldn't live long enough to do so. "One day, I will. We'll see each other again, little one. Ok?" Was all he could say. It was a lie, he couldn’t promise anything. But he couldn’t bare to look at the child's eyes and see her heart break. 

*sniffles* 

Eida started to cry and crawled over to the Captain to hug him, trying to hold back her sniffles as good as possible. Rex was startled at this, he wasn’t used to hugs, but he smiled down at her and patted her head. "Ok." Eida responded with a sigh into his chest and smiled to herself, Rex's core felt warm; like something in his heart was budding, he's had this feeling before when he bonded with his brothers between battles and during cadet training on Kamino. It made him feel good, like he was just, happy. 

Entrance of Corel Village

01000 (10:00 a.m. Larty pick-up) 

The ships were fully loaded and ready for takeoff by the time 10 a.m. rolled around and all the villagers gathered at the front to say farewell. The Generals along with Commander Cody, Commander Tano and Captain Rex spoke with the Village Chief, saying their goodbyes. "Your village should be armed and prepared well enough. If they come back, we'll send assistance if able to. The Separatists are relentless.“ General Kenobi informed the Chief kindly. "Thank you, General Kenobi. Your help is much appreciated. If there is anything you should ever need, our village is forever in your debt." The Chief smiles, he offered the Generals' a small bow. The Jedi mirrored the gesture while the two Clone troopers stood at attention and saluted. Eida watched the military gesture from the crowd once again, she was surrounded by her family. 

All the troopers lifted themselves up into the larties and looked down at the villagers. The younger villagers cheered and waved. Commander Ahsoka joined her crew in the 2nd larty with her Master. *engines starting* A few moments later, the ships lifted upwards into the sky, leaving the small village below. Force, I need to take a nap when I get back. The Captain looked out the open bay doors and stared at the ground below, the only thing he saw was a little figure running over to the empty ground where they had been, waving. "Goodbye! Goodbye Rex!" Eida screamed. Fives and the others chuckled and Jesse smiled, "Heyyy! Stay safe kid!" He yelled out, even though she might not have heard them. 

Ahsoka elbowed Rex in the side. He turned to look at her and General Skywalker, "Looks like you made a friend Rex." Anakin grinned and Rex chuckled and waved back at Eida. She smiled and then lowered her hand to imitate the military salute, she memorized what the troopers did to each other. Her figure grew smaller and smaller, so far away as they lifted further away and her mothers' stood at the entrance with her siblings  they were watching her. Rex smiled to himself. "Goodbye Ad'ika." And they were enveloped in darkness. 

*Bay doors shut*

~Fin~

That's the end of the story!!! 🎊 *pauses* *leans over to listen to Captain* Oh. Oh! Really?! Well then, hold on folks, just wait. I just received word that there's a bonus!! Yes, you heard right, it's not quite over yet!

BONUS

Coruscant

2 weeks later

Clone troopers walked up and down the lowered ramp of the Resolute as they were docked on a durasteel platform. Everyone was moving around in patterns, hopping left and right and dodging each other when they almost collided and then they just continued on. The shinies were struggling to keep up with their ori’vod, they are more experienced in these kinds of pickups but the younger clones were not; so if they got in their way they basically got trampled. Used as doormats. Tup watches his older brothers speed walk down the long ramp and disappear into the crowd, he decided to stand next to the wall and wait till someone told him to join in and actually work. Jesse’s gaze scanned the entire pickup platform till his eyes landed on the infamous blue Jaig eyes of Captain Rex. Jesse walked up to him, as he got closer he saw that the Captain was inspecting the cargo, new supplies probably. “Sir, do you need any help with this?” Jesse asked, pointing to the shipment boxes. The Captain shot his brother a quick look and said “Yes, actually I was going to get someone to help anyways, your timing is perfect.” 

“Great.” Jesse reached over and started to heave up a big, heavy crate from the transport ship and set it down outside next to the ramp. When he went back inside to pick up the next one he spotted a metal crate that had colorful splotches all over it. He read the label and said, “Hey, Rex! We got some new paint! Finally, our armor really needs some touch ups!” he lifted the crate and carried it outside as well. “It’s been a long time since you touched yours up, too. And it’s been ages since you added anything to it!” He mentioned and turned to the Captain. 

Rex looked at him and picked up another crate. “I don’t really have time to worry about my armor Jesse.” he said, thinking this would dismiss the topic. “But what about adding something new, how about a little tribute to that girl on Corellia, what’s her name, uh..” “Eida." Rex said immediately, “Uh… that wouldn’t be appropriate for a Captain.” Rex added, walking back to the ship. Jesse followed him and said “Ah, come on Rex. We could give her a name...Cuyan! You could put that on there! It wouldn’t be obvious!” Jesse recommended. “Jesse, I said no. Now, help me unload this ship so we can get some rest.” Captain Rex replied, picking up another crate, leaving a frowning Jesse in the ship.

5 minutes later….

The clone troopers finished loading up the cargo and made their way back into the Resolute, some empty handed; specifically the shinies, and the older troopers were holding extra crates. Ahsoka and General Skywalker observed from the platform as their men worked and Ashoka helped from time to time but usually the men wanted to do it themselves. Either they were trying to show off to their fellow brothers or they just didn't want the Commander doing their job, Ahsoka insisted and she helped maybe 5 troopers with the work till she couldn’t find any others. “Well, that’s the last of it.” Jesse smiled at the crate he just lowered to the ground, “Guess we’re going to lift off sometime soon around dinner. Wanna join me in the mess?” Rex looked over at Jesse when he realized he was addressing him. “Oh, um, yes. After I undress and everything.” he nodded before heading towards the bay doors which led to a hallway. 

*silence* 

“Alright, spit it out.' Rex said, he knew Jesse wanted to say something, he just groaned in annoyance when he heard it, "I swear it wouldn't be a bad idea just to paint 'Cuyan' on your armo–" "I said no! Now drop it." Rex glared at him. Jesse raised both hands in surrender and shrugged, "Ok, fine fine." He gave the Captain a side glance before keeping up with him. Jesse exhaled and shook his head, "I'll probably just ask Kix if he'll want to do it with me then. You know, it would be nice because I don't want to be alone doing it." Jesse tried to guilt trip him. Rex just continued walking and contemplated the idea for a moment, "Yeahh, you should do that." Jesse did not guilt trip him at all, he failed. 

Jesse raised an eyebrow and followed his Captain down another right turn. "Oh, and I'd like to see the design you plan with Kix. Yeah." Rex smiled and headed down a left hall towards the bunks. Jesse stood alone in the blanched, brightly lit hall and watched Rex continue forward until he disappeared around a corner. "Ok Cap. We'll see about that." Jesse smiled to himself and walked in the opposite direction towards the med-bay. 

Back in his quarters, Rex unclipped his chest plate and pulled it off with ease, he's done it so many times it's like muscle memory. He had his own space and didn't sleep with anyone else, just him; but sometimes it got pretty lonely so most times he goes to the mess, the sparring room or shooting range. Anywhere where there were fellow brothers he could talk to, or he used the comm. *sighs* Rex left his armor on the bed and stepped into the shower in the next room over. A small bathroom meant for one person use only so here he was, privacy finally and no obnoxious vod'ikas. The shower turns on by a simple press of a button and hot water was sprayed out in consistent rainfall, the perfect pressure and temperature. 

(Warning: Rex thirst inbound *panicking sounds*)

Rex groaned as the water got into the creases and crooks, loosening the tightness in the overworked muscles; he closed his eyes and relaxed as the water droplets dripped down his bleached hair softly and it just cascaded down upon his perfectly toned body and the water defined his well organized, worked out frame. It pretty much massaged his aching muscles, his lips parted as he inhaled deeply in relaxation. Rex slapped his palm onto the wall in front of him, closing his eyes and allowed the water to flow down the back and front of his neck. The sensation of the steamy water calms me, it just takes my mind off of things. His thoughts swirled, it was like he was standing under an everlasting waterfall. The steam lifted from the shower and floated around the room above, making the tiled floor gleam and the mirror fog up. 

4 minutes later…. 

Rex stepped out of the shower wrapped in a white towel and made his way back into the bedroom, he shuffles on some fresh blacks and mosied on out of his bunk. He planned to go to the mess and eat something before heading up to the sparring room. A good plan for a good day. Rex walked further and further from his room until he was far from earshot. Out of the corner Jesse snuck his way around and chuckled before smashing in the code to Rex's room, how he got the codes? No one will ever know. Jesse looked over both his shoulders, making sure no one saw him before he went into the room, the door closing behind him with a *swoosh*. He looked around the room and he couldn’t remember ever being in Rex's bunk before. The room was illuminated by a light coming from the small desk; the bed was neatly made, just like the rest of the Captain's room and there was a dresser where his clothes were probably located. Jesse decided against snooping around because he didn’t want to further violate his brother's trust. He did however, spot three photos attached to the wall right over the pillow where Rex slept. 

The first picture was of: Rex, General Skywalker and Commander Tano, after a battle, the second one showed Rex and a few of his brothers and Jesse could easily spot himself on the picture too. He smiled at that. The third picture showed no one, it was just a beautiful sunset; a purple sky dipped into a ray of orange and yellow, peaceful and it made Jesse feel warm just looking upon it. Jesse didn’t understand the last one though. Why would the Captain hang up a picture like that? He shrugged and picked up the chestplate from the neatly stacked pile of armor and put it on the desk before him. He eagerly puts down the paint and his brush, when he halted in his movements. Should he really do this? He and the Captain trusted each other with their lives and he didn’t want to break that trust. Jesse placed down the brush and picked up a piece of paper from a stack resting on the desk and a blue pen, and started writing. When he was done, he read it over again, smiled and sat down to start his brilliant plan.

— — —

The mess hall was loud, just like after every mission. Rex didn’t understand how his brothers could muster up the energy to be this loud after an exhausting mission. Must be all the adrenaline. He decided to block out the constant chatter and continued eating his ration bars. Rex never realized how hungry he really was until he started eating. It’s like his body pretends not to be hungry just so that he can stay focused. He was peacefully eating his meal when suddenly, three of his brothers slid onto the bench across from him. Hardcase, Kix and Jesse. Ah, here we go again… 

 

Rex looked up at them, slightly annoyed that they disrupted his state of tranquility. They were all smiling like innocent angels. "Heya Captain!“ Hardcase said in a loud, excited voice. "Hello Hardcase." Rex answered in a normal monotone voice, continuing to eat his ration. When no one said anything else he raised his head again and asked, "How are you guys? I barely saw you the last few days. Except for Jesse. Everything's okay, I hope?“ The three troopers looked at each other and then back at the Captain again. "Yes, we’re fine, as usual. I'm sorry in advance if I am reading too much into this, but is everything alright with you, Sir? Because you don't look so fine yourself.“ Kix asked, looking at the Captain slightly worried. "Yes, I'm fine. Just very busy, nothing else.“ Rex replied, and when the trio still looked at him doubtfully, he gave them a slight smile. That seemed to sell it. 

They all talked about the upcoming training and about other half–important things for a while. When the conversation shifted to an uncomfortable topic for the clone captain, he excused himself, got rid of his tray and headed back to his room. Jesse watched him leave and raised an eyebrow mixed with confusion and concern. When Rex exited the mess he felt eyes following him, but he decided not to turn around because he was way too exhausted to be bothered. Screw the sparring room. While walking he went over his mental checklist. He still needed to write a few reports and then he can finally go to bed. Rex reached his room at last and turned on the lights, scanning his room just like he always did; the Captain immediately noticed his chest plate resting on the desk—where he definitely didn’t put it—and walked up to it. Frowning, he spotted the piece of paper that was neatly placed over the piece of armor and he picked it up. 

Sir, 

Don’t worry, I didn’t touch your stuff. Just this chest piece. Since you weren’t going to paint your armor, I did it for you and look, you can thank me later. Hugs and butterfly kisses, 

Jesse

P.S. I did look at the photos. I love you too, brother! :) 

Rex rolled his eyes and started getting angry. What was this little di‘kut doing in my quarters? The next time I see him, I swear to all nine hells I– That's when Rex spotted the blue word painted on his chest piece, just above where the chest piece meets the stomach, 'Cuyan', was written in Aurabesh and looked to be very neatly done, with a few accents surrounding it. Rex wanted to be mad at Jesse for breaking into his quarters, and for vandalizing his armor, but all he could do was smile. He reached for the chestpiece and ran his thumb over the dried words. 

The next day

 0600 (6:00 a.m.)

The 501st was getting ready for duty. Everyone was in full armor already when their Captain stepped into the barracks. “Captain on deck!“ Someone shouted, and they all stood at attention simultaneously. “At ease, brothers.“ Rex replied, scanning the room for Jesse. He approached him immediately and Jesse was getting visibly tense. The Captain came to a halt in front of him and just when Jesse readied himself to get yelled at for breaking into the Captain’s quarters, Rex poked him in the chest once and said, “Don’t go into my quarters ever again, understood?“ He said it in a low but stern voice, Jesse looked up at his Ori’vod and he thought he was going to see a frown and eyes filled with disappointment but instead he saw the corners of the Captain’s mouth form into a smile. They looked at each other for a second, communicating without speaking, and Jesse said “Sir, yes, Sir.” and smirked.  

Jesse was glad he didn’t get in trouble, he knew however Kix would reprimand him for it later but he wasn’t scared of him; until he gets his hands on a syringe. But Jesse was going to make sure he couldn’t find him for the rest of the day. All the troopers went on with their business. Carrying heavy loads around: crates, carts and machinery, they spoke with one another and quickly made way for incoming brothers who were carrying extremely heavy loads to the hangar bay. The sun was shining down on them again and the city in the distance was as beautiful as ever; hopefully they didn’t go back out into battle anytime soon and just stay here on Coruscant, where they were safe. But that was unlikely because they were soldiers. 

Ahsoka waved from where she stood next to Anakin as Rex passed and he gestured back to them. Rex learned something during this commission and he was sure his brothers did too: that the ones you saved become your family in some way, they’re appreciative and never forget; especially the little ones, Eida will always remember the soldiers that saved her and her home. War has its ups and downs, negatives an all, but it can also have some positive things result from it as well. Rex passed Jesse and the boys and they all smirked at him. Captain Rex smiled back, gave a two fingered salute and they all grinned happily in response, especially Jesse. Mission accomplished, Jesse thought. Rex continued walking, he inhaled the lukewarm summer air, everything was the usual except for one thing; the Captain of the 501st seemed to be puffing out his chest more than usual, and some people even caught him smiling. What a strange thing to notice? Not something you see everyday.

The End.

Its over guys!! *falls to knees* It's finally overrrrr!! *voice echoes* This was such an amazing journey from start to finish and I just want to say, thank you for joining us! 💕💕 This was amazing and I loved every single minute of it and just.... *sniffles* My brain hurts though, just saying🤣 but anyways! THANK YOU for joining me @angelwars11 and my special Captain @colorfulloverbatturkey on this wonderful journey and I hope to see you again soon! (Not too soon though, cause I'm tired😵) Goodbye everyone!! 👋🏼👋🏼

The song down below is for y'all, this fucking story and my Captain @colorfulloverbatturkey 💕 because brahhh this is amazing and I can't say goodbye, so I'll see you again. Brah *cries* please like and comment, on this post and my partner's! And please please PLEASE reblog! Thank you all! Ok I'm actually leaving now, BYE! *teleports away*

[twilightvolt]

Twilight Thoughts (BEASTARS Episodes 1-4 Part II)

WARNING: SPOILERS IMMINENT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO’RE DECIDING TO WAIT FOR NETFLIX TO RELEASE THE SHOW FROM PRISON. But hey, if you don’t mind, then let’s get this show on the road!

Episode 3: Inner Thoughts and Personal Secrets

Now THIS is the episode where I really felt invested in the characters. Like, there’s so many tidbits of info that I found that made me question a LOT about certain characters.

- Legoshi stopping Haru by putting a blanket over her saying that she’ll catch a cold and get bitten by the insects, while also nervously bolting out of there and slamming the door on his tail was so adorkable and gOD I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS BOI IS SO P U R E . Ngl I kinda was the same way in high school not long ago. Hell, his overall character so far is basically me in high school. And it’s crazy how much I can resonate with him, wolf problems aside.

- I think next they explained what the drama club was all about and how the auditions go. This actually gave me a huge amount of questions to consider. Like, Louis is the “perfect” leader, so of course he has something he’s hiding. But Legoshi just seemed so….normal. and they said they only accept people with unusual backgrounds. So….what’s Legoshi hiding?

- And speaking of Legoshi, I did notice he was much bigger than most of the wolves that went to the school. And the following scenes told me more things about him that went quick, but I saw it with the right fansubs considering others didn’t translate it well.

1. He says he cuts his nails, but the very next day they grow back like nothing happened? I was like “Iiiiiii don’t think wolf claws grow back that quickly.” I mean unless you’re a werewolf, but I don’t think were anything is possible in this universe.

2. It’s the first time someone treated him the way Haru just did earlier. So I guess he doesn’t know about intercourse? Or like, he does, but no one’s ever….come onto him like that? This one I might be reading wrong.

3. He notices just then that he’s happy. It makes me think he’s not used to feeling that emotion which makes me concerned.

They haven’t gone into his past at all these past 3 episodes. So literally everything about him before his second year of high school is a total mystery. Heheh, it makes me so excited to hopefully learn more in the later parts of the season.

- That scene between Louis and Legoshi was also super intriguing. As Legoshi talks to him with his hand gestures (Also something I do. Lol), it looks like he’s studying his movements. Idk why, but I guess maybe he’s watching his hands cuz his claws are uncut? like, he’s sensing the danger levels?

- He pushes him to try and bite him (Yeah, I know.) But as his fangs are coming down, I notice there’s a reflection coming off of them. So I’m not sure if Louis’ expression changes because of his herbivorous instincts kicking in to let go of him or because he sees himself and is reminded that he is in fact an herbivore and shouldn’t be doing this cuz he could get hurt. He’s also jealous that he can keep his carnivorous tendencies so suppressed apparently. So maybe all of this is just him feeling frustrated that he’s not doing what he was born to do?

- This episode’s ED i think is my favorite so far. it focuses on Legoshi’s internal struggles with his instincts. the song i think i like more than Le Zoo, the first ED, but the visuals really nail the thoughts going on in his head. or maybe this is just my inner edgelord coming through. lmao

Episode 4: Real Idiot Hours

Ok, this one was certainly the craziest one so far. I’m still reeling and i feel like this episode was not only super emotional, but also it went so damn fast that i barely could think about what was going on. Lmao

- Now, my initial thoughts about Bill were “Oh, is he gonna be the big lovable idiot? D'aww, look at him quoting Louis. He’s such a dork!”

- Legoshi still being adorable cuz he has to be on stage, but he doesn’t want to so he hides behind the board. ;w;

- He’s been in this club for 4 years? Huh….and this whole time, he was able to get by like this. As an introvert. Guess things can change pretty suddenly.

- Then my opinions on Bill quickly changed when he decides to go all out against Legoshi in their rehearsals. I was like “Hold up dude! Calm the frick down with that stick!” But then realized it was cuz they were both carnivores, so he must think he doesn’t have to hold anything back. Which I guess is understandable.

- But then he’s talking with Louis later and it just feels like his personality is so….flip floppy. Like, one minute he’s all “Hey buddy! Let’s do our best!” and the next he’s seriously hurting my boi! Oh, don’t get me started on that scene. We’ll get to that.

- Legoshi sniffs him and finds out he has a bottle of bunny blood in his pocket. I was like “Oh….O h  n o . O_O’” then he says, while it’s not from a student, it was from an upperclassman….but Haru’s an upperclassman, so Legoshi gets super pissed. Understandable, but I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding.

- He says he can’t say anything since he drew blood from her too, so I was like “Why not tho? It’s not like you killed her.” But then I realized maybe telling him he drew blood in the first place would be bad, so I guess there’s that.

- Anyone else think the blood thing was a parallel to drugs?

And now we get to the second night of the play. Oh boi….w o w .

- Watching Legoshi just…..snap and start beating the crud out of Bill on stage hurt my heart. It was also a stupid move on his part, but the emotions must’ve driven him more than his rational thoughts. He did look really badass in that getup tho.

- His screaming when he really started getting into the beatdown hurt the most. Like, oh lord. You can really feel just how much he really cares about her deep down.

- Then Bill stops him and uhh…..dIGS HIS CLAWS INTO HIS BACK AND GIVES HIM A HUGE GASH. HE H U R T . MY B O I .

I do think Legoshi was overreacting. I do think he was taking it too far. But nOSEBLEEDS AND BLACK EYES CAN HEAL. SCARS CAN’T. YOU HURT HIM, YOU HURT ME, DAMMIT.

Though….after awhile of thinking about it….I remember that line he says as he’s getting scratched. That the blood that’s coming down is the same as Bill’s. A carnivore. Something that he’s trying so hard not to be. Maybe he was partly beating the hell out of him cuz of what he’s done, but also beating the hell out of himself in a way. If that makes any sense. Like, I can imagine that scene was basically him using his fists to yell at himself like “I’m not like you. I don’t wanna be like you. Shut up!”

- Louis saving him from getting even more scarred like “Oh not today, bish.” was SO badass. Quite a master at improv, I must say. he even just walked on stage without his crutches no problem. he was like “Broken leg? Hahahah, that’s cute.”

- Him giving Legoshi his hand and telling him that he’s right was interesting as well. It’s like he was saying “It’s ok. You can stop now. You did the right thing.” Like, as if he finally understands why Legoshi is who he is. this week’s ED sequence focuses on their relationship too btw.

- Also, I started bein’ like “Ooooh, he gon’ get it now.” Cuz he knew about the blood, so it looks like someone’s getting cut from the acting team in the next episode. :^)

In fact, this episode is probably gonna spawn multiple consequences for everyone involved. Bill of course cuz blood, but Legoshi might get seriously punished for what he did as well. Louis miiight get a stern talking to cuz he wasn’t supposed to be on stage, but that’ll probably be the extent of it. i mean y’all gotta remember they’re high schoolers here. i’m sure the school staff definitely won’t let this slide.

After all this, I’m still wondering why everyone wants to push Legoshi into being more carnivorous. I guess maybe it’s just something he has to learn to control rather than suppress completely? But like, why? It’s his choice to be who he wants, right? Why can’t he live in peace? but then again….this is a prime example of why he should learn. when he can’t control his emotions, he becomes extremely dangerous to not only himself, but the people around him. he could actually kill someone with his kind of strength if he’s not careful. someone smaller than Bill at least. maybe it’s not good to just push it down….

*Sigh* hoo boi, that was a lot. as you can see, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite anime. and it’s only been like, 4 episodes. if this is what it’s like NOW, i can only imagine what’s gonna happen in the rest of the season.

See you guys next week hopefully when i talk about episode 5 once that drops! ^  ^

[calliecat93]

RvB17 Episode 4 Review:  Breaching the Torus

Fun fact: a torus is a shape that looks like... well a donut. Yeah, the episode title is literally ‘Breaching Donut’. Well with a title like that, I expect only wholesome things form an episode that picks up right after Genkins screws over Donut and Wash’s plans! Leaving the universe certain to be wiped out by the evil time God AI... algorithm... whatever! Let's just jump in already!

Overview

We begin where we left off, Chrovos is gloating as her prison continues to fracture. But she doesn't get far in her evil gloating as Wash essentially tells her to shut the fuck up before heading for the Everwhen. Yeah, with the Time Gun out, getting the guys to realize what's wrong is really the only viable option. Wash immediately regrets this since he has no idea what to do along the Everwhen, but Donut explains it to him and gets him to focus on a memory that they're both in. Three guesses on which one Wash picks, and the first two don't count!

Yeah... Donut gets shot. Again. This time with Wash feeling bad and apologizing before going a few seconds back and stopping himself from pulling the trigger. This is the greatest running gag ever. Of all time. Anyways, the two talk about what to do next while poor Simmons is just confused by everything happening. They ultimately decide that they need to go back to a strong memory where Genkins is likely to go to. But Donut points out that they need to cause as little damage to the timeline as possible and keep things on track... so naturally, Wash shoots him to keep S7's finale intact. Poor Donut.

The two go back to S13 in a moment that I can't remember if it actually happened or not. It's before Felix and Locus went to activate The Purge and got a beatdown from the Freelancer duo. Wash is in the middle of a motivational speech when past him and Donut possess themselves. Wash tries to get Donut to explain... but after accidentally spouting and entendre, he knows he's not going to be believed and has Wash do it. Wash proceeds to try and convince the guys not necessarily about Chrovos, but that they're experiencing deja vu and that something much greater is about to wash over them (that pun was not intentional BTW). But it's okay, because they win the fight that they're about to go into, and they keep winning again and again. For now, they need to forget the Purge. They need to forget Chorus. They need to focus on what's about to come and trust Wash at his word.

It's a very well done speech and performed very well by Shannon McCormick, as always. It seems to work as the guys, while confused, all agree to follow Wash... until Genkins, whose possessing Epsilon, twists it around. He essentially makes it look like Wash is having a shell-shocked veteran moment, which Carolina agrees with and is very much concerned. This causes Wash to give a sharp 'Of course you wouldn't believe me, Carolina" in a very clear venomous tone. Even Tucker and Grif are shocked by it. Wash does catch himself, but Carolina is confused on why Wash would talk to her like that and 'Epsilon' suggests that he go take a walk. Wash does do, Donut chasing after him.

So yeah... they came close, but the attempt was not great. Wash, however, is not up for hearing Donut point this out, his anger at Carolina lying to him about his brain damage now back at full force. Donut points out that technically, he no longer has it since she saved him. That doesn't exactly make Wash any less pissed, but Donut keeps going. He points out that despite knowing the risk, Carolina still decided to try and save Wash because she cared about him. She was on the verge of tears when she brought it up... which Donut had left by then so him saying that he had been there makes no sense, but with time fucked up, I'll let it slide. Anyways, Wash realizes how angry he really got and just how much baggage about everything he's got. Right now though, they need to focus on the matter at hand, so time to go to another memory.  

And... back to the S7 finale! This time it's Donut's fault, haha! They soon manage to get to when Lopez was shot, but before Donut. As Simmons frets over Lopez, Wash and Donut walk off to talk about what to do now. They realize that Epsilon had indeed been possessed by Genkins at that point, so plain convincing isn't going to work. But... Donut realizes something. He didn't necessarily convince Wash of anything, he just got him to believe in something that was impossible for him to have known. That is the key. Everyone has deja vu. They know that something is wrong, just not what. They need something to shock them into remembering. They need to see something that they shouldn't know about but recognize anyways. Simmons walks over, still confused and pretty much going 'WTF?!' to Wash for shooting Lopez. But this gets Wash to realize something... at this point, Simmons had only met him maybe a year ago. But what if he showed up when he wasn't supposed to? Like, say... during the Blood Gulch Chronicles? If he did, and the guys recognized him despite not knowing him at that point, it may be just the shock that they need to snap back to normal.

With the new plan, Donut and Wash jump forward to Blood Gulch. Donut arrives at the canyon... but Wash isn't there. Which of course he wouldn't be, this was before any of the BGC met him. Problem is that Donut doesn't know where he sent him. We cut to Wash, standing at a beached area. He tries to figure out where and when he currently is when a voice comes over the radio. A Lee Eddy voice... and there's no accent, so no it's not Chrovos. In other words... it's 479er calling from Command to find out where Wash is. Or, specifically, where Recovery One is. My friends, welcome back to Recovery One.

Review

This episode was short, clocking in at nine minutes, but man it was SO GOOD! I've been very curious about how this Wash and Donut dynamic would go. They haven't exactly had many interactions outside the S7 finale, and we all know how that went. But God... it is SUCH a good dynamic. They're both dorky morons, so there's that going for them. Donut's a little goofier and cheerful, Wash is more serious but still capable of his lighter moments. They really played off of each other well, both listening to each other and figuring out step by step their next course of action. It's funny, it moves things forward, and really sells this newfound comradery really well. Very well done~

Not only do the two characters play off each other well, but we got plenty of character development stuff. Donut's clearly still frustrated about not being listened to, especially when everyone goes and listens to Wash easily. Wash still has a TON of baggage towards Carolina and how she lied to him. He can't repress that, as we saw with the pure venom he directed at her even though she doesn't remember any of those events. And his hesitance when Donut brings up that they're going to have to save her after the guys... it hurt. I mean we all know that Wash will ultimately do it, but the fact that he hesitated because of how hurt Carolina made him feel... damn man. When Carolina gets her memory back, it is gonna hurt. And even with his own issues, Donut still tried to help Wash through his, which displays a lot of emotional maturity on his part. It's been really great to see more of Donut's character, and his and Wash's talk really shows how great they both are

There's plenty of feelsy moments, but also plenty of funny ones. S7's finale becoming a running gag is frekain' hilarious. Donut essentially resigning himself to his fate, Wash feeling guilty every single time, Simmons freaking out and just being confused by everything going on around him. Seriously, he's gonna be SO pissed when he comes to and realizes how many times he had to relive that moment. Also, Kimball's clear confusion when Wash gives his speech, haha! You can just feel the awkwardness emitting off of her. Lindsay only had like... two short lines, but God she nailed the mood. It was a great balance of hilarious and feelsy without feeling rushed or forced in. Jason has done such a great job with the writing, and this episode really shows his talents I feel.

What's also good is that so far, every episode has advanced the plot in some way. As much as I love S16 and will defend it from the more vicious hate it gets... yeah the pacing had issues. It had things happening, but it took far too long for Joe to get to anything truly impactful. I can see why he went that route, but it still made it kind of annoying that whenever it looked like we were getting to a plot point, it sidetracked to something else. I guess that he learned that when he plotted the season (or it's Jason's own doing) because every episode has moved things along swimmingly. There's very little padding or filler. We get to something, have a nice little time with it, and move to the next thing. Here we had a nice romp of the new S7 running gag, had Wash make an attempt with saving the guys, get a little character development for both him and Donut, and onto the next plot point. It's going fast, but it never feels rushed. Like... I'm starting to get why they may have gone with a 12 episode count because if that cut down on padding and needing to stretch things out to hit that count, it would hurt it more than help it.  

So now we come to what's coming up next. First, we now know the next plan: have Wash arrive at Blood Gulch and shock the guys into remembering since they shouldn't know Wash yet, but if they recognize him it'll do what Donut did to Wash in Episode 3. The only problem is... well, Wash wasn't at Blood Gulch during Blood Gulch. So hopefully Donut picked a point before everyone got transferred out, haha... anyways. So yeah... looks like Wash is about to relive Recovery One. Which leaves a TON of open possibilities. He has the chance to save certain people and correct any mistakes. Which means dealing with his lingering guilt and pain over everything. But he also has a mission: to save his current team. Which may mean having to abandon Recovery One which is not only going to cause plenty of problems with the Freelancers but having to abandon his old friends to save his current ones... yeah that is going to hurt. Considering that Miles 'I'm going to have Pyrrha die in the most heartbreaking way possible in RWBY' Luna is writing the next episode... yeah... prepare your graves, everyone.

So here's what I think is going to happen. Either at the end of next week's episode or in Episode 6, Wash will arrive in Blood Gulch and whoever is all still there will snap back to normal. The second half of the season will focus on both getting everyone left back to normal and on how to stop Chrovos before she breaks out and Genkins before he makes anything worst. And we still have plenty of feels material with Donut still being frustrated, Wash and Carolina's issues, and for conflicts that haven't come up in awhile... well... Grif still needs to know about Huggins. Boy is THAT ONE gonna be fun, haha... but yeah! I could be wrong, but I can't see them stretching out the memory stuff much longer, so the halfway point seems like a good place to get the majority out of it. We'll see.

Final Thoughts

This season has been great so far. Great Wash and Donut dynamic, a great blend of funny moments and character development, wasting no time in getting the plot moving, it's been such a fun ride. And with the ending, we have plenty more to look forward to. This is easily becoming a great season, and it hopefully just keeps getting better and better. Great episode and now, if you all will excuse me, it's time to prepare my grave for when Miles utterly breaks us all next week! Yay!!!

[myvoicenottheoneyougiveme]

In an Orwellian nightmare, thought crimes are the new “crime”.

You’re gonna tell me, gonna tell anyone what something is based on its ability to render unto you greater power over me and my life. It will be framed, recast, rewritten even, to serve a narrative completely removed from the thing actually being talked about.

Everything is this way.

Some things are easier than others to twist and make a scene about. In said nightmare the purpose is control. The truth isn’t the truth; the truth is what you say it is--you the person or entity in control. And that truth is always self-serving and more than anything, decoupled from reality.

The fact that you’re going to burn my life down over every breath I take, one might learn to just stop existing short of actually ceasing. In fact that is my life, in short, where I have stopped existing. Every facet of my life I’ve let go of, claimed by you, taken by you as an instrument of power. Every relationship, friendship, relative, acquaintance, every activity, hobby, place I used to frequent. Everything a “crime”.

Reduced to suffocating and becoming more dysfunctional just holding my breath waiting for it to be over, my every breath--movement of a muscle--it’s picked apart and scrutinized in this utilitarian fashion. The more dysfunctional I get and the more given to dysfunctional means of coping with what can’t be resolved by conventional means (cause reality can’t even be agreed upon by anyone involved you see--”this” isn’t happening and I’m crazy you see) the more my “savior” has as ammunition to justify their occupation and “management” of my life. I have been consumed by the womb-like warmth of an iron maiden. My understanding of medieval torture devices is lacking, but I find it an apt description of the god-queen amalgamation reigning supreme over my life. I get cut up just breathing.

Everything is “this” way. Everything is an avenue, a door, a means--an opening into me to be used as a tool to the deconstruction of my personhood and humanity. To end a life, literally, actually literally. .....The intentions may not be agreed upon, but that is the result. And last I checked your intentions don’t matter, only the consequences. Your own words to me, “we don’t get to decide when we have and haven’t hurt someone”. It isn’t for the person doing to decide that they’re one thing or another, self-delusionally too often. It’s the person that it’s being done to who has the first and last say to the true costs of the “vivisection” (as though there could be any kind of rhyme or reason to the things you do beyond the acquisition of power and control and “supply”).

In the iron maiden I have survived by becoming smaller and more non-existent. The smaller I’ve gotten the more the grip--the noose--has tightened. The more of my life I surrender to shut the door on you, the further in you have encroached. Absolute suffocation and self-medication become the new reality for me. And moments like this one remind me why existing.... it costs too much. But that’s what the powers that be in said nightmare live for--to absolutely brutalize every kind of self-assertion, to hollow out, to leave compliant, empty shells of people.

Art doesn’t ask your permission. But I’m cast a villain for the smallest, simplest things. How much more so for the brutal honesty of someone channeling therapy work into his art form, the emotional crux of which is a real life relationship with a spouse. The best of these examples have a propensity for weaving layer upon layer often coming across as esoteric or worse impenetrable--meaning lost on many (worse when you decide to take a fan cut of something set thematically to a song that has almost nothing to do with what’s actually transpiring on screen--but Linkin Park nailed the gravitas, no?) What we’ve ended up with is a work truly and deeply inspired by a serious depressive episode in an artists life. It’s almost a completely different story being told first half to second half (the tone and the focus having shifted to the deepest darkest and most fundamental places about human existence).

What do you do in therapy? (I keep coming back to the way Richard Grannon described it.) You take trauma and you transform it into pure gold. You perform “alchemy”. To process and integrate, the opposite of shunt and dissociate. All of the episodes (original and director’s cut) leading up to 25 and 26 focus in on each of the main characters. Those final episodes, 25 and 26, play out completely decoupled from the plot that had been building up to that point. Some cited budgetary problems or other things. Production was anything but smooth (especially when you consider the state of the author). But all in all despite being a massively anti-climactic let down in most ways, it played out like a therapy session--surrealist trip into the minds of each of the characters all taking turns in “the chair”.

Hope was the theme--the moral of the story in its most distilled and basic form. When they went back, after public reception to this ending was less than satisfactory, they retold 25 and 26 on the silver screen but reattached to the fictional events that the story had been building up to, before this point. The result was an utterly mind blowing finale which was by every measure a critical and commercial success. Hope was still the moral of the story--the future is unwritten.

There is far far far too much to unpack. I’m still finding examples to this day of this show’s influence and lasting impact far beyond anime itself. I could never address here all the things its been to the numbers of people that were impacted by it. They were even going to give it a Hollywood treatment starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) were it not for licensing and corporate studio legal controversy. I’m, in most ways, glad they didn’t, however, given Hollywood’s priorities and propensity for terrible adaptations, but my point is that this isn’t (as you paint it) some obscure work by and for deranged and disturbed individuals. It’s a lauded work of art held in the highest esteem. But it’s also brutally honest, but it would seem that one of these statements usually follows the other. The most impactful and meaningful art is more often than not the art that can be said to be the most unfiltered and honest--raw and genuine.

The future is unwritten. They switched places. In terms of the characters, it was the first real, honest moment either of them had had with each other. It was poetic. It was symbolic. In blurring the lines between art and real life, a bad translation almost ruins this ending. Her next words to him then, read as “disgusting”, should read instead as an expression of “morning sickness” instead of one final fuck you. It’s not even delivered in voice inflection (subs not dubs, people) with the same caustic bite that usually accompanies her usual condescending attitude toward him especially over matters of vulnerability. It would be just like her to find such vulnerability to be pathetic and loathsome. But that’s not what’s happening in this moment. They’ve switched places. One simple touch, in what is the first real, honest moment either of them have had with each other, and he melts. Another heavy moment of silence after looking at him [an image actually replicated in FLCL btw ep.6 he melts] she says, “(you’re) Disgusting / (you disgust me) I feel sick”. “I, myself” said blankly and soberly as originally voiced ...The message here as though to illustrate this statement ...”and life goes on“. Life moves inexorably onward--pulled--moving--with or without you--whether you’re ready or not. A baby. How many rocky marriages, and then a baby...? It’s almost to make trivial the shit they’ve ever fought about. Shit just got real. A baby. ...and life goes on.

The future is unwritten. This isn’t the end; it’s the beginning.

[picture proof FLCL and Eva side by side climaxes to follow... or you know, just refer to your dragnet “screen captures” if you don’t believe me.

As much as I might of my own accord have ever mused about these things, putting out fires you intentionally start whose real consequences drain the life out of me, from you invading my personal space and using whatever you can get your hands on therein to start shit ...the mental and emotional cost to me is beyond taxing in every respect. My every breath, shouldn’t have to answer to you. We’ll go round this block again soon enough, but frankly I just don’t have the time or the energy to waste putting out fires that have absolutely nothing to do with me or anything real but whose cost I am made to bear anyway.

I can’t live “this” way.]

[the-shadows-request-candy-corn]

Just freakin do all 30 for that one pink oc you told me about

You mean Thantos(His mom was red and his dad had blue fur so he's technically got magenta fur)? Alright! that's what I'm talking about!1. When they tap their fingers do they use the pads of their fingers or their nails?

Pads2. What textures can they absolutely not stand?

He doesn't like the feel of anything cold and squishy. It reminds him too much of how his mother felt when she died. As long as it's not cold, he can tolerate it, but most squishy things make him uncomfortable.3. How long can they go without showering before they feel gross?

GERMS OF ANY KIND OTHER THAN HIS CURRENT MICROBIAL CULTURES WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. KEEP THE BABIES SAFE. He showers at least twice a day, once before interacting with his bacteria/fungal/protozoa colonies and once after. If he gets dirty, he showers almost immediately after. He's too protective of his "children" to let them get hurt by any contaminants.4. Do they leave clothes on the floor or a chair?

Thantos leaves his dirty clothes in laundry basket. Unlike his fellow scientists, who are "fracking HEATHENS" 5. Do they sleep with the bedroom door open or closed?

He originally tried to sleep with his door closed for privacy reasons, but then Zetth noticed that sometimes Thantos would stay up all night reading instead of actually sleeping, so now Thantos has to sleep with the door open so that Zetth can make sure that he's getting enough sleep.6. Which do they prefer: 3am or 3pm?

3pm. No one nags him about "Going to sleep" or "turning the lights out" or "if you don't shut up and stop talking to those d*** cells I'm going to smother you"

7. If they suddenly woke up with animal ears and tails what animal would they be?

His mother was an alien with fox-like features, so probably that... although he kind of already has sort of foxlike ears and a tail

8. If they could only eat one thing for 20 days straight what would it be?

This boy doesn't give a crap about flavor or texture or anything like that. Eating is a chore for him that takes away from science time. He would eat paper for 20 days straight for all he cares.9. Are they the type to re-read a book?

Maybe if he wanted to refresh his memory about something. Otherwise, there are way too many different biology and microbiology books out there for him to waste his time by going back to one he already read.

10. Would they want to know the exact date and time of their death?

Probably, just so that he could make sure that he gets his affairs in order in time and make sure the circumstances and aftermath are less upsetting for his friends and family.11. What’s their favourite mythological creature?Do plague doctors count? Probably plague doctors.12. If they had to listen to one song on repeat 100+ times what would it be?

He's never been to Earth before so he's never heard it before, but probably that one acapella parody of Despacito about Evo-devo. (You should check out the acapellascience youtube channel if you're a nerd, btw)

13. Do they believe in an afterlife?

Yeah, most Saiyukis/Saiyuki hybrids in general believe in a version of God called "Providence" and believe in a standard heaven-Heck-purgatory thing.14. When they get tired do their eyelids twitch?

No. The only way to tell if he's tired is if he actually passes out. He's SUPER good at hiding exhaustion.

15. What are their favourite textures?

Warm glass, warm and damp things, and warm and soft things. Warm glass reminds him of how his petri dishes feel when they come out of the incubator (which is warm and damp on the inside), and warm soft things like his oversized scarf are comforting to him.16. Do they crack their joints?

No. Not any specific reason why or why not, he just doesn't.17. Would they eat/drink something too hot or wait for it to cool?

Thantos is a weird soft hearted nerd who does not ingest anything that's too hot because he doesn't want to hurt the microorganisms in his upper digestive tract.18. Are they the type to adopt strays? (Animals or people)

Thantos canonically rescues unwanted microbe cultures. Typically research cultures that are no longer needed, but he has been known to adopt microbes that Kai and Zetth have grown from diagnostic samples. You wouldn't BELIEVE what kinds of crazy bacteria that Thantos has "domesticated".19. Do they get work done straight away or wait until the last moment?

It depends on the work. If it has anything to do with his microbes, he gets it own as soon as possible for his babies. When it comes to stuff like eating, drinking, sleeping, and going to the bathroom though, he's a huge procrastinator. Sometimes he'll get so caught up in his studies that he won't realize he's hungry or thirsty or tired until he collapses.

20. How do they bathe/shower? Long or short? Hot or cold?

Since he showers so often, he has to take short cold showers to avoid irritating or drying out his skin.

21. Are they the type to daydream?

Yes and no. He doesn't daydream in the traditional sense, but he does make up stories about his microbes based on what he sees them do under the microscope. He has one-sided conversations with them too.

22. Do they work best in a messy space or a neat space?

Things MUST be kept clean to prevent contamination. If the other members of the Feral Scientist Meme Team leave a mess in the lab, HE WILL KILL THEM. (Not literally.) 23. Do they keep any personal photos?

Saiyukis aren't too big on photos. Neither were his mom's race. However, he does have a sketch of his dad that Netthys drew for him.24. Do they indulge in anything?

Sometimes he lets loose and does werid random crap with the others(nothing TOO weird, just like Try Guys levels of weird). It's a good way to destress and let all the crazy out. Just not in the lab. Also he's practically a ninja with shadow powers (his dad's a Shadowclan Saiyuki), so sometimes he likes to freak out the others.

25. Would they do the exact opposite of what someone says just to spite them?

If he's upset at them? Within reasonably limits, certainly.

26. If they’re alone and hear a noise would they go and investigate?

Definitely. Ninja science boy is perfectly capable of fending for himself. Usually.

27. If they’re lost what is the first thing they would do?

Check the position of the sun/moon and stars, climb a tree/try to get to high ground, look for any potential landmarks, etc.28. What is that one dream that makes no sense but is absolutely terrifying?

Netthys staring at a math book, occasionally glancing up at him, and laughing like a screaming goat. Then he's helping Zetth and Kai with lab sanitation and inventory duties, but he keeps teleporting back to bed and waking up, then realizes that he's still supposed to be helping with inventory and sanitation, and dashes to the lab, only to find that the chores are almost done, then just as he's starting to help he teleports back to bed and it starts again. Then he realizes that he forgot to feed his microbes but he's all out of meat for that one flesh eating bacteria colony so he cuts off his arm but it grows back and he just keeps frantically cutting off his arm, not realizing he could just feed the old arm to the bacteria, then a giant tapeworm walks into the room eating a watermelon with a pumpkin helmet. He woke up biting his arm.29. What is the stupidest thing they’ve ever done just because someone said they couldn’t?

It wasn’t exactly stupid, per se, but the way he went about it was stupid. One time Netthys made a joke about "vaccinating Thantos' 'kids'" so for a while Thantos thought that some super smart scientist from another planet had come up a vaccine that protected microorganisms. Then Zetth told him that Netthys was just joking and that no, neither he nor Kai were able to vaccinate his microorganisms against viruses, please stop asking me about it, it's not possible. Thantos got so angry that he stole all of Zetth's immunology books and locked/set up traps outside of/barricaded himself in the lab with his microbiolgy notes and cultures for a week. Neither Netthys, Kai, or Zetth could disarm his traps or convince him to come out. At the end of the week Thantos emerged starving, dehydrated, exhausted, and had a raging strep throat infection, but had successfully invented bacteria-safe vaccines for the five most common viruses on their planet using CRISPR Cas-9. Then he tripped, dropped the vaccines, and fell unconscious in a puddle of his own vomit. Zetth felt really bad so he and Kai used Thantos' notes to recreate the vaccines while he recovered

30. Are they stoic or melodramatic about being injured?

Pretty stoic, sadly enough. He spent his first eight years of life on his mother's planet. The Vulrey (his mom's race) are very formal and respectful people who absolutely detest inconveniencing others(Some kind of "do more good than evil, bring more joy than unhappiness, help others more than they help you, leave no debts unpaid" sort of life philosophy). Basically, if someone helps them or gives them something, they need to help or give something in exchange or they feel like a burden. Which is fine for the Vulrey, they're a pretty hardy, subsistent bunch who are only marginally social. However, Thantos' father's race, the Saiyuki, are typically a lot more social and emotional than the Vulrey, and because of the contradictions in his parents' natures, (and the fact that Thantos has bipolar depression), Thantos was kind of messed up emotionally and was too used to hiding emotional and physical pain so he doesn't bother others. After his mother died his father took him to Saiyuka. Now that he hangs out with the Feral Scientist Meme Team, he's adapted more to Saiyuki culture and opens up more, but he still has trouble letting others know that he's hurt. Zetth knows this and is pretty good at telling when people are hurt, so whenever he notices that Thantos needs first aid or someone to vent to he pretends that he needs Thantos' help with some biological chemistry problem or advice on how to handle a made up patient's bacterial infection. That way Thantos feels like he's done something in exchange for Zetth's help and he doesn't feel so bad about it