#its type null if anyones wondering

[horizonandstar]

wouldnt it be wild if, in the pokemon au, y/n gets a false god for a starter

[astrxlfinale]

HC; Dreams.

Someone like Caelus specifically holds a massive shift of his character within the present. The day by day, ingraining that deep as precious fuel for his future. Its a mindset primarily made due to his way of coming back for another round at life. He's not someone who holds the traditional stance of having more stable goals in the form of dreams. At least to the personalized scale that he'd find satisfactory.

Days that cycle around his childhood and teenage years are null and void. Lost to time the instant whatever freak accident led him to his current state. Considering his investment in others, may would wonder if this truly does disturb him, if it's the sort of thing that could lead to frustrated nights that washes sleep away from his schedule. The truth it that it's low, but the sentiment does exist.

Caelus truly enjoys the life that he carries right now. To another form of him, he often imagines that this would be the dream. Holding a grand opportunity to scour the stars and embark upon a life that leads him across countless stars and livelihoods. Unknown lands, great people, he winds up being the type where he's prone to carry his anchor vs letting it sit down for time that spans for years.

That said? If anyone where to let their curiosities guide them into asking about such perspectives, it'd be really easy to consider him aimless. There's high positions of authority, no unparalleled amounts of strength, any of these ambitious goals that would require and demand specific scales of refinement for the self. It'd be foolish however to even that out in believing that his spirit isn't formidably vast.

Experience stays a staple for his life's desire. To make the most, to learn the deepest depths, to embrace the waking moments of life being actively lived with each breathe. Caelus holds an intrinsic joy balanced with this aspect, and it certainly serves as a wellspring when it comes to preserving these precious places, instances and lives he come across. This very malleability can be found in the way he approaches life itself.

Profound strength can be found in a path such as his too.

[leggerefiore]

IMO Legendaries staying the same throughout the centuries makes more sense to me. I mean I don't think we can compare them to normal Pokemon, at least not in this way, they're supposed to be GODS. They're not really meant to grow and change, they're made to represent concepts. But that's just my personal opinion, and anyone who thinks otherwise is just as valid!

That's how I feel, too, actually, but it just comes with all the forms that leaves me with questions. Like, Primal Groudon being its true form, like Origin Form Dialga, but they changed over time due to reasons (probably going dormant in Groudon's case). Then again, Primal Groudon isn't insanely different from normal Groudon either. Forms are just weird.

(Kyurem is an extra special dragon because its true form is extra unknown since we cannot yet shove Zekrom and Reshiram back into it at once.)

Them being gods makes sense (barring Type: Null and Silvally). Some are just straight up aliens, however. Like the Solgaleo and Lunala from SuMo. They're from another dimension, and were technically a baby? (Idk how to picture Cosmog.) Deoxys, as well, but aliens aren't affected by earth standards of evolution either so these outliers should be excluded.

I wonder which legendaries are older than others, too. I know creation trio are at the top due to their concepts being most important to existence, but where would something like the Tao Trio or Lake Trio fall? It'd be pretty fun to rank them, I think. I want to know which legendary pokemon existed in dinosaur times. Did Kyurem? Extra Ancient Emin having watched humanity evolve may be in order then

New pokemon discussed under cut

Maybe that's just what Mega evolution does, though? Since Roaring Moon is basically just mega evolved, dinosaur Salamance after all. Primal revision (since it's like mega evolution basically) is just that for Groudon, I suppose.

[codehunter]

React responsive layout without CSS

I'm wondering what is the best approach to implement layouting in React app.

Basics

Let's say we want to have 4 components laid out in simple grid. The most basic way would be something like this.

<svg width={width} height={height} viewBox={`0 0 ${width} ${height}`}> <A color="red" x={0} y={0} width={width/2} height={height/2} /> <B color="blue" x={width/2} y={0} width={width/2} height={height/2} /> <B color="green" x={0} y={height/2} width={width/2} height={height/2} /> <A color="yellow" x={width/2} y={height/2} width={width/2} height={height/2} /></svg>

http://codepen.io/anon/pen/OWOXvV?editors=0010

It will work fine, but typing explicit size values is error-prone and not dev-friendly. What if we could use percentage values (0 - 1) instead?

Simple container

const Container = ({x, y, width, height, children}) => { return ( <g transform={`translate(${x}, ${y})`}> {React.Children.map(children, (child) => React.cloneElement(child, { // this creates a copy x: child.props.x * width, y: child.props.y * height, width: child.props.width * width, height: child.props.height * height }))} </g> );}; <svg width={width} height={height} viewBox={`0 0 ${width} ${height}`}> <Container width={width} height={height}>{/* one root container is given real pixel size */} <Container width={1/2}>{/* it's children recursively use 0-1 coordinates */} <A color="red" height={1/2} /> <B color="green" y={1/2} height={1/2} /> </Container> <Container x={1/2} width={1/2}> <B color="blue" height={1/2} /> <A color="yellow" y={1/2} height={1/2} /> </Container> </Container></svg>

http://codepen.io/anon/pen/PWEmVd?editors=0010

In this case we'll allow Container component to map it's children relative values to real pixel values. It's much easier to use.

Layout container

Another step would be to create layout container, f.e. HContainer that simply lays its children horizontally.

const HContainer = ({ x, y, width, height, children }) => { const c = React.Children.toArray(children); const ratio = width / c.reduce((sum, child) => (sum + child.props.width), 0); return ( <g transform={`translate(${x}, ${y})`}> {c.reduce((result, child) => { const width = child.props.width * ratio; result.children.push(React.cloneElement(child, { // this creates a copy x: result.x, y: 0, width, height })); result.x += width; return result; }, { x: 0, children: [] }).children} </g> );};<svg width={width} height={height} viewBox={`0 0 ${width} ${height}`}> <HContainer width={width} height={height}>{/* one root container is given real pixel size */} <Container width={1/4}>{/* it's children recursively use 0-1 coordinates */} <A color="red" height={1/2} /> <B color="green" y={1/2} height={1/2} /> </Container> <VContainer width={3/4}> <B color="blue" /> <A color="yellow" /> <HContainer height={1/2}> <B color="pink" /> <A color="violet" width={3} /> <B color="#333" /> </HContainer> </VContainer> </HContainer></svg>

http://codepen.io/anon/pen/pRpwBe?editors=0010

Responsive components

Let's say we'd like some components be removed when width or height is below some value. You'd probably use conditional rendering like this.

const MinWidth = ({ children, width, minWidth, ... others }) => { return minWidth > width ? null : <Container width={width} {... others }>{ children }</Container>;};<svg width={width} height={height} viewBox={`0 0 ${width} ${height}`}> <HContainer width={width} height={height}>{/* one root container is given real pixel size */} <Container width={1/4}>{/* it's children recursively use 0-1 coordinates */} <A color="red" height={1/2} /> <B color="green" y={1/2} height={1/2} /> </Container> <VContainer width={3/4}> <B color="blue" /> <MinHeight height={1} minHeight={80}> <A color="yellow" /> </MinHeight> <HContainer height={1/2}> <B color="pink" /> <A color="violet" width={3} /> <MinWidth width={1} minWidth={60}> <B color="#333" /> </MinWidth> </HContainer> </VContainer> </HContainer></svg>

http://codepen.io/anon/pen/dNJZGd?editors=0010

But this leaves empty spaces where skipped components used to be. Layout containers should be able to expand rendered components to fill available space.

Responsive layout

And here's the tricky part. I can see no other way to see if component will render, but to instantiate and render it (and it's children). Then, if I lay 3 child components within avaialable space and discover that 4th should not be rendered I'll have to re-render previous 3. It feels like breaking React flow.

Does anyone have any ideas?

https://codehunter.cc/a/reactjs/react-responsive-layout-without-css

[themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy]

Hi I have a Peter parker hc Request! I like the headcanon a lot that he has ADHD and like I wondered what ADHD Peter would be like with a best friend who has ADD (Adhd inattentive type) who daydreams a lot

he already has adhd for sure lmfao

he struggles to deal with his own

so when he gets this friend with adhd

he's like

this is either the best thing that's happened to me

or will be my downfall

"We'll either keep each other on track or sit in a dark room for three days straight because we forgot that the world exists outside of it"

honestly it's a really nice mix of both

one time you slept over at his house four nights in a row because you forgot about the passage of time

May was like i'm not sure if either of you two are even still alive but if so it's been a week don't you have things to do

but then other days he pokes you when you're daydreaming and is like listen if you don't take notes neither of us is gonna know what's going on so stay strong for me

it really doesn't help that he's gotta ditch class so often

that does noT help adhd lmfao

routine is essential if you know what i mean

so sometimes his brain is just completely fried and you gotta make him little checklists

'did you brush your teeth?'

'... no'

you make sure he sleeps at a decent hour because sometimes he's out until like 2am and you're like sir you have school tomorrow

if anyone ever tries suggesting that either of you get a planner

you scream about it later

"It doesn't help?? don't you think we would have thought of that by now??"

you'll text him and be like 'what was the english homework'

he's like 'lmfao are we in an english class'

sometimes you forget that your phone exists for a day or two and he shows up at your house like are you aliVE

Taglist: @5aftermidnight @spideyyypeter @book-wyrm-snacks  @lou-la-lou @ilostcount-helpme @snazzy-posts @meisiisem @stevieboyharrington @clean-and-claire @peter-null @embrace-themagic @yafriendlyfangirl @fandomnerdsarecool @ellie-emb @soniaxmsj @avngersunite  @sparkling-gayyy @nervous-shawn @americaswritings @robinkat3 @buckybabyy @mrsstarkstrange @servamp-addict @alexiamiky2003 @freightcarcap @dumbasscorn @multifandomshitblog@chloe-geoghegan1  @serpent-tea @marvelouspottering @swansong321 @xinyourdreamsx @melannchoholic  @infinitywarrior @1penryn @spideymood @hp-hogwartsexpress @marvelandsuchstuff @marauders-trash-forever @lensedwriter  @gaylactic  @positiveparker @thisismysecrethappyplace @bellamyblakemorley @flower-holland @coonflix  @mamarhee @marcymakemagic @tomshufflepuff @obsessedfangirl4lyfe @jade7he9em @spiderman-n @psychofangirl @lush-bby @delicately-written @tnrthings @goldenariana @gummyhoneybees  @captainbuckyy @mysticracoon  @maraudersandco  @sock-and-sandles @potterhead-of-ilvermorny @spencer-is-too-perfect  @whysoseriouspadfoot@existingovertherainbow  @graciegxo @silverquartx  @smhavengers @nefelimalfoy @sedanleystanley @yallgotkik @jessicaklehrwinchesters  @screeching-student-unknown @soakingandsoaring @chrisstabme @itsanarttodie @galaxyoffangirls @just4muggles @everything-s-comin-up-aces @binki-g  @tomhollandhasnolips @justinekomwriterkru @boomtownboy @sedanleystanley @starryeyedsupernova @mcu-potter-pirate  @the17resa  @chillinjules  @majesticavenger @honestlylrh @thewitchmadness @righttide  @its-the-unknownspideywrites@hero-ically @itshelaodinsdottirbitch @lovinnholland @sewarner @its-shaula-wii @bloomingonmay @lokeystan  @jbetsiea7-23 @rose-aesthete @hp-hogwartsexpress @babebenhardy @sincerelyfan @jackiehollanderr  @duvetsandpillows @abitofeverythinggg @httpmcrvel @its-20-bi-teen @lavender-writer @marvelpoststuff @marvel-is-a-mood

[pocketramblr]

manga spoilers: any headcanons on the rarity of null quirks? its fascinating to know that aizawa was targeted bec of his quirk back then, and that afo isnt known to have a nullification quirk in his arsenal at the kamino showdown. do you think that, aside from aizawa, those who may have a similar quirk went underground (and it's why there aren't that much villains rampaging with overly destructive quirks, aside from the deterrent of having a symbol of peace)?

*tucks away the fact that Second has a nullification quirk in at least two of my stories* 

Well, i’m glad you asked! i see two main possibilities

1- About 1.6% of the world’s population lives in japan. I have a headcanon that rates of quirked people are highest in china (the origin) and surrounding areas, dropping the farther you go. Let’s say, at maximum, 2.5% of the world’s population of quirk users lives in japan. That means if Aizawa’s the only person in the country with such a quirk, null quirks are likely to be about 62 people on earth with a null quirk. That is... ridiculously, exceedingly rare. It’s not as rare as having Rhnull blood (less than 45 people ever known in the world to), the rarest bloodtype, but its not far from it. To the point where i wonder if having a cancellation-type-meta-quirk is derived from similar gene combinations (and creates similar health complications). (Heck, a combination of a null type and a different type of quirk may just more often end up with an offspring with a weaker type of the latter, or quirklessness, making it just hard to get)

2- Null type quirks are rare because meta quirks in general are rarer. Meta quirks are quirks that act other quirks- AFO, OFA, Erasure, Copy, etc. Rewind doesn’t even count, because Chisaki had to tamper with it to target the plus alpha factor. Meta quirks are complicated- more so than ‘the sweat compound is now explosive’ or ‘animal features’ are because the user’s body has to be able to extend some force or energy that interacts with *anyone else’s* quirk factor. In this way, Aizawa actually has a relatively simple one- he emits from his eyes something that just inhibits other’s quirk factors. Compare Copy, where the plus alpha factor is capable of reading, memorizing (for a short term), replicating, and switching between multiple other plus alpha factor functions *of any type.* Or AFO, which is just. i dont want to think about how that physically works its a headache. Now, because null type would be one of the more simple meta quirks i would predict it’s more common than the others. 

Because of this, i think there are more people in japan with a null type- there just aren’t any other heroes. Aizawa is the only one in the field with one. This is because more of social reasons than for biological ones. Aizawa grew up believing his quirk was weak and unsuited for heroics. I think that definitely would have been the prevailing opinion for... at least the last 40 years or so. (in the future, as quirks become even more common and part of all life, i think there will be a shift to seeing null types less as weak and more as villianous) So in the last 40 years, everyone else with a null type was discouraged from training their quirks or being open about them. They don’t know how strong their quirks could be, and they aren’t showing them off. For that reason, Aizawa is more just the only quirk that is *reliable* for what AfO or Chisaki want- the former could probably break into the official quirk registration, but any non hero would not have the best picture of what their quirk can even do (or had social pressure to bend the truth a bit)- he might have even tried it and found it disappointing when it didn’t work like the poor former user thought it did. 

[uhhhyaenbyjade]

This is the art I made of me as a Pokemon trainer! My first game was X, then ORAS, then SM/USUM, and then Sword, so that's kinda the basis for the following:

Jacob was born in the Kalos region, and lived there for a few years. He got a Mega Ring and a Jaw Fossil as a going away present when he moved to Alola at the age of eight.

On Melemele Island (his new home), Hacob quickly became friends with Hau, another kid his age. When they reached fourteen years of age, they started their Island Trials while Kukui began building the League. He met many strange characters, and met wonderful people as well.

He stopped Necrozma from stealing Alola's light, and helped rebuild Ultra Megalopolis, the Aether Foundation, and Team Skull (Jacob became an honorary admin because of this)

Pokemon caught in Alola:

Decidueye - Ronin

Talonflame - Apollo

Mega Venusaur - Dionysus

Mega Gyrados - Jormungandr

Tyrantrum (shiny) - Hades

Mimikyu - Doodle

Raichu- Maui

Vikavolt - Artemis

Golisopod - Guzma

Noivern - Murcielago

Solgaleo - Nebby

Necrozma

Naganadel

On a vacation trip to Hoenn, Jacob played a role in the stopping of Team Magma's schemes to bring out Groudon. He helped May take down the group, and then he helped Zinnia summon Rayquaza to take out the meteor holding Deoxys.

Pokemon caught in Hoenn:

Mega Rayquaza

Deoxys

Back in Alola, at 18 years of age, Jacob decided to give up his Champion title to Hau in order to try out the Galar League. Gladion, now the CEO of the newly refurbished Aether Foundation, gave him the last Type: Null. As organized before he left, Jacob stayed with a distant cousin of Hau's, Hop. Hop helped him learn and explore the cultures of Galar in preparation for the tournament, which is for adults to participate in. He starts his journey, catches new Pokemon, makes new friends in Sonia, Gloria, Hop, and Leon, and even starts dating Marnie after a fierce battle outside Spikemuth. After defeating Mr. Rose and catching Eternatus, Jacob becomes Champion of the Galar League. He is invited to The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, where he goes to further his Pokemon journey, preparing for the next adventure.

Pokemon caught in Galar:

Gigantamax Cinderace - Darren

Gigantamax Sandaconda - Apophis

Silvally - Gladion

Barraskewda - Nepthys

Orbeetle - Khepri

Snom (x50)

Arctozolt - Ghidorah

Eternatus

Zacian

Urshifu

Galarian Articuno

Galarian Zapdos

Galarian Moltres

Regieleci

Regidrago

Calyrex

Jacob has been hailed as the strongest Champion in Galar, a region who has consistently put out strong champions throughout the years of pokemon battling. Being strong enough to beat Leon, then being trained by former Champion Mustard, and then frequently battling former Champion Steel Peony, a good friend according to the man, certainly has improved on his rating. In fact, in one of his more recent exhibition battles in Kalos, Champion Jacob effortlessly wiped out Champion Diantha's team, her Mega Gardevoir being taken out with a single hit from a 'Let's Snuggle Forever' from his Mimikyu, Doodle.

Being one of the few trainers to utilize all three main styles of alternative battling, those being Mega Evolution, Z-Power, and Dynamaxing, Champion Jacob is a fierce rival. While he is good at strategizing his battles (and he frequently switches out Pokemon when necessary), Champion Jacob prefers using raw force in his moves, blasting through opponents with powerful moves like Earthquake and Sunsteel Strike. The only real threats to him in a restriction-free battle, are Champion Cynthia of Sinnoh and Champion Red from Kanto. Champion Cynthia's Garchomp is the only Pokemon to have taken out Champion Jacob's Tyrantrum: Hades, in a single move. And Champion Red was the only person to last more than thirty minutes in a battle with Champion Jacob, at a time of thirty one minutes; Champion Cynthia from Sinnoh lasted twenty eight minutes. In both battles, the competitors where left with a single pokemon each. They are the only trainers that Champion Jacob calls rivals, though he is adamant that anyone who puts in the amount of work he has could become just as strong.

In a restricted fight, Champion Jacob is still a strong contender. In these fights, Champion Jacob is stuck to one alternative battle form, which he usually chooses based off of where the match is taking place. In these battles, he shines in his ability to strategize, taking the time to set up traps, Leech Seed being a favorite. Poisoning his targets is also a common tactic. One of his most famous restricted fights took place in Kanto, where he faced Former Champion Blue and Champion Red, alongside his longtime friend Champion Hau. This battle was the first time were Champion Jacob showed off his Mega Rayquaza in an official match, the pokemon devastating the opposing team. Only the combined forces of Champion Red's Charizard and Former Champion Blue's Blastoise defeated the Legendary, and the rest of the match ended quickly as Champion Jacob sent out Calyrex to finish them off. After that match, the restricted battles Champion Jacob were festure din only allowed one Legendary Pokemon.

Another strong trainer that Champion Jacob likes to praise is his girlfriend Marnie gave him the most trouble through all his journeys. According to exclusive interviews with Champion Jacob, Marnie could easily become Champion of almost any region she went to, but prefers to stay as a Spikemuth's gym leader and try to knock him off his throne.

Jacob's team often changes in exhibition matches and tournaments, but the following twelve pokemon are those who show up the most, his most common party as the top 6, with an appearance rating of 37%.

Shiny Tyrantrum - Hades

Mega Venusaur - Dionysus

Calyrex

Gigantamax Cinderace - Darren

Silvally - Gladion

Urshifu

Mega Rayquaza

Solgaleo - Nebby

Eternatus

Mimikyu- Doodle

Zacian

Gigantamax Sandaconda- Apophis

Outside of battling, Champion Jacob is still a popular guy. He is often seen in public with his friends, and frequently takes trips to Kalos and Alola with Marnie. Team Skull Leader Guzma is often around the two in Alola, trying to beat the two 'into a pulp' with his Golisopod. He is also featured on several if Gym Leader Klara's songs, apparently he is a good singer.

Here is a list of all of Champion Jacob's known associates:

His mother - Alola

Professor Kukui - Alola

Lillie- Alola/Kanto

Champion Hau - Alola

Aether President Gladion - Alola

Team Skull Leader Guzma - Alola

Professor in Training Hop - Galar

Professor Sonia - Galar

Pokemon Trainer Gloria - Galar

Gym Leader Marnie - Galar

Gym Leader Bede - Galar

League Chairman Leon - Galar

Dojo Master Mustard - Isle of Armor

Gym Leader Klara - Isle of Armor

Former Champion Peony - Crown Tundra

Champion Jacob is also very friendly, taking a lot of time out of his day to talk to fans and give advice. He frequently let's kids play around with his less dangerous pokemon, and will sometimes give people rides on his Rayquaza. Described as shy but loving attention, he and his Tyrantrum Hades are showcased often in selfies from fans. In fact, the most liked social media image in the world is a photo of him, Champion Cynthia, Gym Leader Marnie, and Team Skull Leader Guzma standing in the mid background of fan's selfie photo. With 4,375,036 likes.

In one interview, Champion Jacob was shown a list that a group of fans had put together. Taken from multiple sources over the years, it showcased the few things that Champion Jacob fears in a battle:

• Team Skull Leader Guzma's Golisopod getting a 'First Impression' hit

• Champion Cynthia's Garchomp

• Champion Red's Charizard

• Gym Leader Marnie's Morpeko changing to its angry form

• Any competitors Legendary Pokemon

• Moves with less than 90% accuracy

• Lillie's angry face when he takes out a Pokemon with an overkill move

• Former Aether President Lusamine's Clefable

-~-~-~-~-~

Okay so that artwork was done a while before I got my whole backstory written down, which is why there isn't the main pokemon I use in there. But I think it's still good for a year ish old!

I hope you guys like all the backstory I did! A lot of the future stuff in the last section was fun to write! Especially my little headcanons! I love headcanons.

[dorizardthewizard]

So I watched the Eurovision movie

Uh, I have a lot of thoughts because this is the closest we’re gonna get to the real thing this year ;^; First, the positives!

What they got right:

Overall, I like that it wasn’t really taking the piss out of the competition – whether you agree or not with how it was portrayed, the creators do have a lot of love for the show and that is reflected in how much it means to the characters. I think it was fitting to start with the kids watching and being inspired by ABBA’s win (I’m always up for showing people where the group’s fame started), and making it their life goal to perform in the contest. Just like Lars and Sigrit, many musicians in Europe grow up with Eurovision being an annual tradition and it’s their big dream to one day perform on that international stage, so yeah I think it decently showed how important ESC is here.

They got the overall vibe right too – most of the songs really felt like Eurovision songs (maybe a little dated but still), from the Viking-Europop opener to the Lordi-aesthetic one to whatever the hell Russia was doing. I don’t think Greece’s song was something they’d ever send though; it fits the character but not what the country typically sends. Then again, Estonia have sent an opera song in Italian and Romania sent yodel rap so actually, I take back that statement. They were missing a Balkan ballad though! Staging was on point – I think it was filmed at the Tel Aviv stage so that’s obviously a factor, but big angel wings and hamster wheels also bring a lot of familiarity :P No pianos being set on fire though, which, in a movie with so many on-stage disasters, is honestly surprising.

Of course there’s also the past contestant cameos, for that I’ll say one thing – needs more Verka. Maybe some contestants from earlier years would have been nice too, at least we did hear Céline Dion’s song in the song-along. Would also have been nice if the whole mashup was Eurovision songs, instead of throwing in some other ones just to make it more recognizable for non-Eurofans. Otherwise, the mashup was really seamless and sounded good.

Another thing the movie got right was European’s attitudes to Americans, not sure how I feel about it since the movie was made by Americans, but it’s self-aware and pretty funny :P There’s also the funny gag about countries not wanting to host because of how expensive it is, not sure why a guy working for the national broadcaster would care about that but looking at Iceland’s population size, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was also an economist for the government or something.

What they got wrong:

Of course, there were some things they didn’t quite get right. First of all, did the UK win for it to be hosted in Scotland??? Unless Australia won, or some other country that didn’t want to host or something. They actually made a joke about UK getting zero points, but they said it’s because no one likes us, when in reality we just send the blandest songs :/

There were also a whole lot of technical inaccuracies like Sweden breaking the rule on number of people allowed on stage, big five countries taking part in the semi-final (come on, how can you not get that right? Maybe they were afraid Americans wouldn’t recognise half the flags? :P), the contestants were just sitting by themselves in some room like it’s The Voice or something, their delegations nowhere to be seen, and then there’s the total lack of security or planning around the competition, with Lars just running around doing whatever. The countries presenting their votes in the semi-final stood out as well, but since we didn’t get to see the final I can brush over it, just so we experience the voting somewhere in the movie. Wonder why they didn’t use past contestants for the points announcements? They also had the French one speaking in English but you know what, they remembered to make sure he was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower so I’ll let them off :P

One thing that did bother me was how hard the movie tried to make us think the Icelandic song was a failure, except the song wasn’t even bad so they had to resort to all the incidents on stage. They even had that complete silence after the hamster wheel incident, and there is NO WAY that would ever happen – even the null points songs get cheers! In fact, people would cheer harder, and I don’t think Graham Norton, or anyone for that matter, would be that surprised that people remembered the song and actually gave it points (oh yeah, great to see him in this!).

Okay, some of those inaccuracies were nitpicks, but they’re just fun to point out. I don’t think they quite nailed the portrayal though, but more on that later.

The movie itself:

Judging the rest of the film, the humour really didn’t do it for me- it was just kind of jarring that one half of the movie felt like your usual light-hearted music contest film that was fairly rooted in reality, then the next there’s a dismembered ghost of Demi Lovato and a guy getting stabbed by Elves??? I know it’s classic Will Ferrel random comedy but honestly, those parts could have been cut out of the movie just fine, it’s like half an hour too long anyway and you can tell by the way the humour drags. It can basically be summarised by the ending scene where Lars is yelling at the Americans and then just keeps going, and I know that’s the joke in that scene but they do this throughout the whole movie – something will happen and the characters will keep reacting back and forth and it’s honestly exhausting. That might just be me though, maybe I’d prefer more witty and self-aware humour in a Eurovision movie but I guess non-fans wouldn’t get half the jokes so they went for over-the-top ridiculousness ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As for the characters, Sigrit was great; she’s a good mix between cute and weird. Lars is… annoying tbh, maybe I just don’t care for Will Ferrel's character type but when Alexander asks Lars what he can possibly offer Sigrit I was like “yeah Lars, what CAN you offer?”. Their relationship was cute though and his arc about caring too much about winning was decent, it does kind of resonate with Eurovision because yeah, lots of countries will revamp their songs to have English lyrics and the style is increasingly converging to Americanized radio-friendly pop music. I do wish they’d focused more on this conflict, rather than bringing in a love square (?) with Alexander and Mita.

Speaking of Alexander, I actually liked how they portrayed the Russian character; he wasn’t a villain, he was fun to watch and was genuinely happy to see Sigrit succeed. I did not expect them to go there with the whole “there are no gays in Russia” thing – I laughed but also actually felt for the guy, and his friendship with Mita was peak mlm/wlw solidarity, it was sweet.

The ending:

For me, this is where it goes American Hollywood style and kinda reminds me of Madonna’s speech about everyone being winners. Felt like I was watching Camp Rock for a second then (which is funny since Demi is in this movie) – all the other acts are fun songs but we’ll just change ours to a ballad so it must be more heartfelt and resonate with the audience, as if a good chunk of ESC songs aren’t ballads already!! To be fair, they do well in having it be a personal song about her hometown and adding in parts in Icelandic (although I’ve heard it’s so butchered you can’t understand what’s being said), it’s a sweet ode to one of the best parts of Eurovision – celebrating where you’re from and making your country proud.

Wish they’d focused more on that tbh, we really could have done without Lars speaking to the audience – that’s the more Hollywood moment for me and kind of reminds me of acts that try to connect with the audience like it’s a concert. Sorry but we don’t do that here :P Instead of the “music is feeling”-like message, it would have been nice if the movie was more directed towards celebrating why the contest is so big and important even decades after it began, and how it literally brings an entire continent together for one night. This would have been nice especially because of all the cynicism towards ESC and its dismissal as just a dumb, campy event with no quality music whatsoever.

Huh, I just remembered there are no live instruments at Eurovision so how everyone can hear the piano at the end is beyond me, also the instrumental kicks in despite the fact that that song has never been recorded in a studio, let alone able to be played out loud onstage. But I’ll just imagine that’s for us to see, the audience actually just heard her singing and nothing else. I don’t think it would have been that impressive, so Iceland probably won everyone’s hearts through memes instead :’D

Overall, I don’t think the movie was terribly offensive or anything, just some silly fun that missed out on the potential of better portraying the Eurovision spirit. I might eventually watch it again, but with skipping out half the comedy :P

[wftc141]

Blackwatch Chapter 9: The Everlasting Spark

8:20 AM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

November, 2018

Whenever he had free time, Genji would use that chance to meditate. Find a spare room in the Embassy and sit on the carpet floor to immerse himself away from the noise. He needed to pinpoint the very spot to be in the full state of calm. Silence was also vital and he was glad the rooms were also soundproof and privacy screens were provided.

During the previous months, Blackwatch had been dormant for some time and no missions were assigned. NATO had been managing their duties using their alternative and they've been making progress so far. So far, no new attacks were reported since the Null Sector siege in Rome.

Genji had been meditating for a long time as a way to cope in hopes of ensuring his past doesn't catch up to him. It was hard for him back then as a SAT officer after that defining moment years ago. Genji's eyes were shut, shrouded by the shadow of his hood. His breathing movement eased to follow the rhythm of his heartbeat. Genji tried to clear his mind of negative thoughts and painful memories pierced into his brain. Everything around him was dark and silence surrounded him, leaving him immersed in his own void. He felt alone. Shunned. Isolated to the point where the concept of humanity doesn't exist.

Suddenly, Genji heard a rumble from beside him and his eyes opened in a flash. He turned around and noticed his phone on the floor vibrating towards him. Lowering his breathing rate, Genji reached over to his phone and tapped the dial without checking the ID.

"Hello?" He answered

"Hey, Genji. It's me."

Genji's head perked up and he straightened up. He recognized that voice.

"Angela?" He said. Suddenly, his words were stuck in his throat. "Hi. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking. Just wanted to let you know that I've just landed in Italy."

Genji cocked his head.

"You're in Rome?" He said.

"Yep," Angela replied. Genji could hear her smile through her voice. "Me and my team are getting stationed here with Fareeha's unit for a couple of weeks and since I'm not booked as of right now, I was wondering if we could have lunch together? I've found a nice place where we could grab some Italian cuisine."

Usually, Angela doesn't ask anybody out for lunch while on her days off, instead retreating to her office to have some overdue coffee and a paid meal to keep her up. Genji was one of the few people to witness it, apart from her other friends.

"Where's this coming from?" Genji asked.

"Oh it's just that we haven't seen each other in person for a while and I thought maybe we could do some catching up while we're at it."

Was it normal for good friends of the opposite sex to invite each other to have a meal together, Genji thought. Even as a former Yakuza, he never had any experience with dating women of his type and most were merely escorts for his fellow Yakuza. Friends were never in his dictionary and Angela happened to be the only female friend he had in his life thanks to her intervention and he owed her for it. Her sudden lunch proposal was definitely odd but it wasn't a bad thing.

"If you're busy, then we can try tomo-"

"I would be more than glad to join you today." Genji said.

"Excellent! How's 12 at noon?"

"I'll be there."

"Great! I'll send you the address later. Looking forward to seeing you, Genji!"

The call ended and left Genji back to his own silence. Genji simply sighed and as he got up, he wondered what to wear on his day out.

________________________________________

9:00 AM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Via Margutta

Another day has passed during Ray's time off and it has been tedious for most of the occasion. Ray stared at the ceiling of his bedroom with the pale light blocked off by the curtains. It has been two months since their last Blackwatch operation and there has been nothing new for them for quite some time. Everybody else was either out throwing a vacation or visiting friends. He wasn't the type to relax elsewhere since he was more set on working on the battlefield.

Ray missed the taste of beer after drinking with Marvel a few days before he left to see a friend of his in London. His mouth was dry and he had just woken up a few hours later than he usually does. Ray let out a grunt as he heaved himself out of the sheets and stepped onto the wooden floorboards, aiming for the bathroom.

Once inside, Ray turned his sink on and began brushing his teeth. After finishing up with his mouth, Ray splashed the cold water onto his face and rubbed his nose. The ice cold sensation felt nostalgic. Finishing up, Ray leaned onto the basin and glanced up at the mirror, facing his reflection. His reflection's eyes were dead straight into Ray's. Some drops of water streamed down the mirror, one sliding past his right eye.

Then the visions flashed before him. The sounds of gunfire and the looming closing of mortars and rockets. Sand and blood coating him as the screams of his teammates from afar and nearby filled his ears.

By the time the visions blinked away, Ray found himself breathing heavily and alone with the tap still running down the sink and the drops fading away.

________________________________________

11:40 AM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Before stepping towards the door, Genji took one last look at himself in the mirror. The scars that practically cover his face were in full view. The particular ones running across the bridge of his nose and his left eye were also exposed now that he ditched the hoodie in favor of a grey coat over his dress shirt. He checked his watch poking from his sleeve: 11:40. Should be enough time for Genji to find the address of the restaurant Angela sent him. Genji slipped on his shoes and left the apartment.

Now on the streets, Genji made his way through the walkway past the shops and cafes nearby. The leaves on the road slid and swept off as the cold breeze blew past him. As he reached the main road, Genji found himself getting looks from others. Most were either disgusted or intimidated by him because of his scars. He couldn't say he blamed them. Anyone would reel back from seeing Genji's scars in public and it wasn't a first for him. Genji paid no attention to the glares and continued his walk.

Shortly, he arrived at the restaurant near the river where the crowds flowed from left to right as well as the sight of the river in front. The restaurant itself felt like it was revisiting the past while also showing its own twist in the modern time. Genji went inside and looked around the crowded tables before noticing the distinct platinum blonde hair on the other side.

Genji approached the table where Angela was. She was still just as pretty as the last time they met in person. Angela's lean arms were laid crossed on the table near the menu which she hasn't opened yet. Her coat was draped behind her over the chair. The blue shirt she was wearing tucked into her skinny jeans goes well with her, if not, makes her look professional.

Once Genji closed in on her table, Angela's corner of her eye caught him and her smile grew as she stood up from her chair to approach him. Genji couldn't help but smile too after noticing hers.

"Genji! So glad to see you!" Angela said as she pulled Genji into a hug.

"You too, Angela," he replied, returning her hug. The scent of perfume filled his nostrils. "Thanks for inviting me."

The two broke off the hug and both looked up at each other. Genji noticed something different about Angela's hair.

"I see you've cut your hair." He said.

"Yes, I did," Angela replied, touching the ends of her shortened hair. Her side bangs swept to her right eye were kept. "Figured I wanted to go for something fresh and practical. You like it?"

"It fits you."

Her smile remained as she fiddled with the locks. "Thanks."

Genji wasn't aware he was staring at her for quite some time before the two realized they were still standing and took their seats hastily. To be precise, Genji wasn't the only one staring.

"Anyways," Angela said as she sat down. Genji removed his coat and hung it behind his chair. "I haven't ordered anything yet apart from some coffee since I haven't had my morning caffeine today and I wanted to wait for you before we figure out what we wanna eat."

"That's really considerate of you. I appreciate that." Genji replied.

"You're welcome. Speaking of consideration," Angela handed him a second menu, similar to the one she was reading from. "I hear this place has some really delicious food."

Genji opened the leather folder and inside were the list of foods with photos beside it and quite a list. There was also an English translation next to the Italian words. Glancing up from the menu, Genji looked at Angela as she continued on about Italian cuisine before chuckling mid-sentence over a bad joke she made.

There was something sweet about the way Angela laughed, especially whenever she made jokes that normal people wouldn't laugh except for Genji. Her angelic-like presence and the way she expressed herself would turn Genji into a different person. A normal person.

Maybe it was because he owed her for saving him from his death that day.

________________________________________

11:52 AM, Local Time

Paris, France

The sound of leaves rustling from above to the wind and the fountain splashing into the river fill the uninterrupted silence.

Amélie Lacroix watched over the river floating to the side as streams of water from the fountain tap clashed with the quintess river pelted with dry leaves. The air was cold so she opted for a wool cashmere coat over her black turtleneck with a skirt and boots accompanied by tights and sunglasses and leather gloves as final touches.

She watched as a handful of couples from a distance passed her eyes, holding hands and talking among each other. She missed the feeling of a warm hand and the steps they took in every walk. Amélie couldn't forget her memories with Gérard Lacroix, her late husband.

He was killed here two years ago in a bombing attack at the facility that used to be Blackwatch's headquarters where he was stationed while Amélie was on a mission. Every year, she would come to Paris to see his burial grave and visit this very park where she found her purpose. The place where she and Gérard met as an assassin.

"I knew I would find you here."

Amélie turned to her left where the voice came from and noticed Gabriel approaching her before stopping a few feet away from her. Like her, he was in winter clothes with a puffer coat over his sport fleece zipped up to his neck and a beanie to brace the cold. Amélie didn't react and looked away from Gabriel.

"You're here because we have a job?" Amélie asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "Just checking in to see how you were doing because of what today is. Mind if I sit with you?"

"I don't see why I should."

Gabriel reached the bench and sat beside Amélie. He let out an exhale and icy air puffed out from his mouth.

"And here I thought you would be in LA to talk things out with your family." Amélie guessed.

Gabriel scoffed. "No, it's a waste of energy."

"How are the others?"

Gabriel slumped back onto the bench, sighing. Another cloud of air streamed out of his lips. "Far as I know, they're doing alright. Genji, Moira and Ray are still in Rome with Jack, Marvel just left for London to see a pilot friend of his, Fio's in the Bahamas, Sombra and McCree… I have no idea where those two are."

Amélie said nothing and looked ahead. Gabriel glanced at her before looking away. Even when her sunglasses conceal her emotion, Gabriel could tell that she was still in mourning.

"Still thinking about Gérard?" He said without looking at her.

Amélie's silence and her frown answered Gabriel's question.

"I miss him too," Gabriel's eyes fell onto the ground. "He was a good friend of mine. And a damn good leader too."

Amélie's willingful commitment to staying silent was telling Gabriel everything she couldn't tell him with her words.

"You know what happened to Gérard wasn't your fault, right?" He said. "I don't understand why you keep carrying that weight around."

A pause filled their gap. Shortly, Amélie lifted her hand to remove her sunglasses. Gabriel took one look at her eyes and he recognized it immediately. It was the eyes of sorrow and guilt.

"I brought him into my life and he died because of what I was," Amélie said, softly. "I could've said that I was a ballet dancer or just… never met him. Gérard would've still been alive if it wasn't for me."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Gabriel said firmly as he faced Amélie. His eyes were showing anger but not at her. "You didn't kill Gérard; Antonio Bartalotti did. We lost our staff to the bombing thanks to that bastard and he's out there as an innocent man, running his business while smuggling weapons and terrorists across Europe under our noses. And because of his connections with the government, we can't go after him."

"You know I find the idea of revenge pointless."

"I don't see why when he's the one who killed your husband."

"And I know killing him won't bring him back," Amélie fired back. "The second I kill Antonio, my husband is still dead. The only person who saw me as a human being rather than a killing machine is gone. Nothing will change that."

Gabriel went silent. Amélie was right and he knew it. She never felt the desire of remorse when she learned of who killed her husband. She only felt guilt and thought this was her past catching up to her, refusing to let her go. The concept of someone going after the person who killed their loved ones felt unsatisfying, let alone useless. Gabriel sighed in defeat and leaned forward.

"Amélie, I'm just asking you to stop beating yourself up," Gabriel said. "You gotta stop carrying that burden of yours, otherwise it's gonna manifest into something you can't control and the effect isn't gonna be pretty. I've seen it before and it's been haunting me ever since."

Amélie didn't respond but Gabriel could see her understanding his point silently. Gabriel looked away from her and faced forward. The two didn't speak for a while and watched over the park as people continued to pass by their sight.

"I can see why you like this park." Gabriel said.

Amélie nodded without glancing back at him. Silence. Gabriel took his beanie off to scratch his scalp. The cold wind blew at his head as the warmth from the beanie dissolved.

"Gabe?"

Gabriel heard Amélie call his name as he put his beanie on and glanced at her. Although she was still staring forward, a faint smile grew from her face.

"Thanks. For that pep talk." She said.

Gabriel simply smiled and looked away.

"You're welcome." Gabriel replied.

The two stayed seated and basked in the cold yet bright sunlight, overlooking the breeze over the winter trees below.

________________________________________

12:15 PM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

It has been a while since they received the food they've ordered and so far, Genji's lunch with Angela has been eventful and enjoyable. The two have been talking for a while and it was clear they get each other. Angela would talk about work and often add in some personal moments outside of work, such as her strange encounter at a cafe while on a coffee run with her Chinese nurse friend.

Genji would sometimes laugh at the unfortunate moments and feel bad at the same time but those were the moments where he would get the chance to smile and act like a normal person, especially with someone he felt comfortable with.

Then, Angela would get into the serious and sensitive parts about her job as a field doctor handling heavily wounded patients and balancing some sense of levity, especially about the air strikes the US keeps sending in. Angela herself wasn't into the nature of war as much as any normal person was, considering she was a pacifist and most of the time, she could get critical about how President Trump and his office handled the war.

She would often apologise for going too much in depth about her job and Genji would assure her he was fine. He always appreciated how concerned she felt whenever she believed she stepped out of the line when talking about her job.

"Anyways," Angela said, after finishing her story about a patient hit by an air strike. She rested her crossed arms on the table after twirling the locks of her hair, leaning in front of the table. "We're getting shipped off in a few weeks. Don't know where but it's probably gonna be in another war-torn country. On the bright side, Dr. Winston Hayward is joining the team."

Genji's head perked up after hearing a familiar name.

"Winston Hayward? You mean the scientist who used to work for DARPA? I never thought he would get involved in humanitarian work."

Angela nodded. "It was a surprise for me too. He served as a medic in the army before DARPA picked him up. He was interested in my work for a while and offered the team a helping hand."

Genji nodded as he took a sip from his glass of water.

"How about you, Genji?" Angela asked. "How's work going for you?"

Genji's smile faltered. He wasn't sure how to answer that. He told her he was working for NATO but he didn't tell her he was working as a covert operative taking part in possibly illegal missions. Genji wasn't sure how she would feel if he told her he maimed a crime lord with his own karambit. He set his glass on the table and sighed, looking away from her.

"I'm alright," Genji said. "There were good days and bad days."

Angela didn't prod him any further about his work. Part of Genji was thankful but the other half lamented that he couldn't confide in her about what he really does. Angela then noticed a few people staring at Genji, with some whispering to each other. She was quick to pick up on the fact that they were staring at him because of the scars on his face. Genji was also trying his best to ignore the judging looks. Angela couldn't help but feel pity for him.

"I-I'm sorry, Genji. I should have picked a more private place." She said softly, feeling guilty.

"It's okay," he assured. "I feel more comfortable showing my face like this when I'm with you because...you don't see me as a monster like others do."

"That's because you're not. I know it's difficult but the scars you have does not define who you are."

"I know. But what happened still haunts me to this day. I can't outrun it."

Angela looked at him, recognizing that look and the voice. The same as the one he had when he was in the middle of recovery.

"Are the nightmares coming back?" She asked.

Genji looked up at Angela, who gave him an assuring look. He took a deep sigh as he held his hands.

"Every time I look in the mirror," Genji said. "I see my brother instead of myself. Every time I try to sleep, I see the Shimada elders order my brother to kill me. Every night, I would wake up, drenched in cold sweat and I would sit on the floor in the dark making sure the clan doesn't go after me because of what I've become."

"Are you still meditating?" Angela asked.

A weak nod came from Genji. "Always, but it's not enough to push those nightmares back. I couldn't remember how long I fought but I remember every cut my brother gave all over me and every hit I made until my limbs gave up. I still remember how it felt too."

Genji wasn't aware his hands were balled into trembling fists. This wasn't the first time he told Angela about his condition but any time he talked about, it would trigger the trauma in his mental state. Then, Genji felt contact with one of his fists. He glanced up and noticed Angela's hand holding his right fist and the shaking stopped.

"I know how painful it is to carry that trauma for a long time, Genji," she said. "I understand how you feel. I carried a lot of pain when I was a kid and it was agonizing for me to face the reality. But I made it through and I want to help people like me. That's why I became a doctor for a reason."

Genji's fists began to unroll and laid flat on the table as Angela's hands held his.

"I know you'll make it through this, Genji. I've been with you for a long time to know that you're strong. But if you ever need help and you can't find someone you feel comfortable with, I'm here for you and I'll help you in any way possible."

Genji looked up at her. Her soothing voice bordered on the lines of angelic. Genji felt a sense of relief and calm being able to talk out his deep issues with his first and close friend. He smiled in return of her assuring words.

"I'll keep that in mind," Genji softly said, looking back at his hands. "Thanks."

"You're more than welcome." Angela replied, smiling back.

The two didn't move for a brief moment as the idle chatter around them drowned out their thoughts. Genji then looked down to his plate and noticed something.

"You know," he said. "We've been talking for quite a while and not once have we touched our food."

Angela blinked before looking down and realizing what he meant.

"Oh my, you're right about that." She said.

Genji couldn't help but chuckle. "Didn't expect that we would talk more than we've eaten."

They both laughed, easing any sense of tension between one another before they got back to eating their meal. They still talked as much as they ate but they drifted towards a more lighthearted path. Angela still had more tales to tell and Genji's smile never faltered since then.

________________________________________

12:46 PM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

Jack Morrison took a sip of his coffee as he read over the mission reports from Blackwatch as well as the dossiers of their operatives. He had just finished reading Genji's dossier and moved on to Ray's. Some of the operatives' backgrounds involved their former lives as career criminals before getting hired by NATO. Others were former military and conducted significant operations early on. Jack didn't expect Gabriel to even consider hiring criminals to work under his hand. Not that he ever played by the rules.

A sudden knock from his office door cut through his thoughts.

"Come in." Jack said.

He heard the door open and footsteps follow through. Jack looked up from the dossiers and noticed it was the team leader of the Valorant Protocol, Brimstone. His Valorant tag hung in front of his sky blue shirt hugging his shoulders. His right hand was also holding a Manila folder.

Jack set the files aside and drank his coffee. "I take it Chechnya was a success?"

Brimstone placed the folder next to Jack's among the pile. "Like a walk in the park. No one suspected we were there, no bodies were dropped and the CIA have the American terrorist in their custody."

Jack grunted in approval as he placed his mug on the desk. "Good job as always, Brimstone. Get you and your team some rest. You all deserve it."

With that said, Jack went back to continuing his reading on Ray's dossier. As he read the file, the footsteps in front of him stopped.

"I got something to ask, Jack," Brimstone said. "Do you trust Blackwatch?"

Jack stopped reading. He knew there was going to be a time where Brimstone would inquire about Blackwatch. Brimstone was not just the team leader - he co-founded this unit with Jack and he was well aware of Blackwatch's existence for a while. Sighing, the commander set his hands on the desk, interlocking his fingers.

"Yes. I do. But the thing is… I believe Blackwatch should not be operational anymore."

"Why's that?" Brimstone asked.

"The world is changing and trustworthy allies are the key to stabilizing a nation. We're making significant progress for NATO and the UN with the Valorant Protocol and we've managed to earn trust from other countries. Blackwatch however… could be a compromise to our goal."

"So we're their replacement?"

"Precisely. The higher ups may need Blackwatch but I want to prove to them that it should be shut down. We've been solving most of NATO and the UN's problems diplomatically and I don't want a black ops kill unit ruining our chances in bringing peace to all nations if they can't trust us."

Brimstone had nothing else to say about Blackwatch and turned away for the door. As he heard the door close, Jack looked back down to the files before going for another sip of his black coffee. Truth be, as much as he believed in Blackwatch's cause, Jack found their methods risky and the risks they make would only drive other countries apart should they ever find out about what they've been doing. He could only hope for Gabriel to understand that but it would take a miracle to convince him.

________________________________________ 

11:00 PM, Local Time

Zambia

The convoy of trucks drove through the terrain over the tracks engraved between the trees. The headlights shone down the road as the only light source in the desolate forest of Zambia. A Talon strike team was deployed into the country to meet a potential partner for their organization. For air support, an Mi-24 Hind was sent in to accompany them as their eyes in the skies.

Inside the trucks stamped with the signature 'T' insignia on the side, Talon soldiers glued to the seats bobbed up and down as the truck went through uneven terrain. They were all sporting Talon-issued uniforms under their plate carriers and pads covering most of their vital areas, as well as M50 gas masks fitted under their helmets with NODs attached.

Everybody else wore the same masks except for Captain Cuerva, the strike team's commanding officer in the leading truck. Apart from his uniform and gear, he had a red beret bearing the 'T' flash and a jet black neck gaiter. He was as merciless as people say and a force to be reckoned with whenever he led his team during his missions, especially with Mauga, the squad's titan. This was also a rare occasion for Cuerva to get in the field to personally oversee the operation whenever there were complications.

Shortly, the trucks arrived at the riverside village where the gate was guarded by AK47-wielding militants. Because they were expecting them, the militants opened the gate and silently let the trucks in while the Hind hovered above them. As the trucks drove down the path, they were met with glares from several militants from outposts and on the sidewalk. Most of the locals were nowhere to be seen with empty markets and shops.

Once the trucks reached the plaza next to the main hut, the trucks came to a complete stop and shortly, Talon soldiers hopped out one by one and landed on the pale mud. There, the soldiers gathered into their positions and faced the militants while several turned to the hut where their partner would be in. Mauga stood in front of his men, knowing his size and weapon would ensure support and maximum damage. Cuerva was the last to get out and without a word, he headed up the stairs leading to the hut and signaled for both Mazzei and Doubleday to escort him.

As he ignored the condescending glares from the militants, Cuerva and his men went inside and found the office of the militant's leader. Inside the office accompanied by a straw backdrop, the successor of the Macaba militia Kwame Macaba glared at the Captain, knowing who he was. His guards watched with caution running in their eyes as Cuerva stood by the doorway with his escorts. Their begrudging glares reflected onto the unnerving visors of their gas masks. Cuerva paid no attention to them and sat down on the couch across Kwame's before pulling down his neck gaiter.

"Sorry for the sudden visit, Mr. Macaba," Cuerva said. "I understand that you're still dealing with the loss of your brothers but we have a proposal that you may find beneficial to your operations."

Cuerva stared at the man of Talon's interest. Youngest brother of the family, forced to take control of the militia after the death of his brothers a few months back. Knowing him, his family would be hiding upstairs.

"Our leader received a call from you saying that you do not wish to be part of our cause or accept our money that we offered you." Cuerva continued.

"We will not be accepting your blood money or an alliance with you." Kwame growled.

Cuerva chuckled. "Seems like we haven't convinced you well enough. First off, we're not here to negotiate money. We're more than that. Consider us partners looking to help spread your influence across Africa and strengthen your army because you will need it."

"You best leave now if you know what's good for you."

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen. And you might as well watch what you say or there will be consequences for you and your family. Wouldn't want to end up like your brothers, yes?"

Tensions were raised. Kwame's hand clenched into a fist as he glared at Cuerva, clearly taking offence to what he said. Mazzei and Doubleday remained cautious as they eyed the militants, knowing they could open fire at any minute. A smirk curved from the corner of his lip.

"I've read that your brothers were killed trying to take control of Africa and the first thing they did was going after the people running the country," Cuerva said. "That was a bold and ambitious move - a naive one if you get my gist."

Kwame was itching to lunge at him at any moment but he would've done so by now if it weren't for the Talon soldiers watching him.

"And I also found it funny about how your brothers died. Dede Macaba went out of his way to use a child as a bargaining chip before the military shot him dead. I mean, talk about being a 'warrior' who'd rather die a coward than fight as a man. And Arno? Let's just say he failed before he even started."

Kwame gritted his teeth as his fists shook and Cuerva was more than glad to see his face contort into hate.

"You dare speak ill of my family's sacrifices?!" Kwame hissed.

"Oh I dare because I'm the one holding you and your people's lives in my hands," Cuerva said smugly. "I'm just trying to negotiate peacefully here and you're making this very difficult. All Talon wants is an alliance with you and your militia. You see, we believe humanity can only evolve through everlasting conflict. We're gathering organisations who are willing to contribute in making sure the human race grows stronger through war and terror."

Kwame's expression doesn't change, still glaring at the Captain.

"Talon can make you the most powerful man in Africa," Cuerva continued. "We'll provide your militia with better weapons, gear, training and materials for your operations. We can give you all of that with just a flick of a pen and with all the funding from us, you could achieve everything your brothers had been longing for. All you have to do is shake my hand and we can cut you a deal."

Cuerva then outstretched his hand to Kwame. Without a second thought, Kwame smacked it away as if it was a fly. Cuerva was unfazed by his rude gesture.

"The reason why I refused in the first place was because you and Talon are not soldiers, not warriors… you are terrorists who kill for money and sport. My people will never be part of that."

Cuerva stared at him for a moment before sighing and leaning back.

"Very well then," He then reached for his comms. "Negotiations failed. Prepare to clean house."

Shortly, gunfire erupted from outside surprising Kwame and his guards. Talon soldiers posted outside were under orders from HQ to kill the militia whenever the negotiation didn't work out. Kwame was quick to realize what Cuerva ordered and attempted to reach for his holster. Cuerva beat him to it and he shot the leader in the head before he could even touch the gun. Blood sprayed onto the floor and as soon as Kwame went limp, Mazzei and Doubleday took out the guards with ease and smooth synchronization.

Glancing at the stream of smoke oozing from the suppressor, Cuervo got up from the couch and approached Kwame's body. He stared at the dead leader with eyes of disappointment.

"Such a shame, Mr. Macaba," Cuerva said. "We would've had potential working together. Oh well, only fools would go for someone who's useless."

Cuerva then turned away to the doorway.

"Take care of the family." He ordered as he walked off.

"Yes, sir." Both Mazzei and Doubleday complied.

The two went past Cuerva and headed the opposite direction of him to find the rest of Kwame's family, checking their mags as they moved out. As the heavy footsteps faded out, Cuerva walked down the corridor and for the front entrance.

"Akuma 1, you are cleared hot," Cuerva said. "Send those bastards a message."

The sounds of the MG outside raining down from above accompanied the melody of the gunfire below. Walking out of the hut, Cuerva watched as his men moved from several spots in the dark hunting down the militants.

He already noticed several bodies of the militants in front of him as well as several buildings and markets left on fire. The rockets from the chopper then hit the village with immense velocity and obliterated almost everything in sight to ensure no survivors while also avoiding Cuerva's smell of burnt wood and straws filled his nostrils as he watched the flames light up the dark sky and burning wood melt into the river. Screams from afar filled the air of silence, drowned by the gunfire slowly catching up to them.

The Captain simply pulled out a cigar from his pocket, lit it with a match and watched the village burn to the ground. The embers before him sparked brighter like fireworks, making Talon's mark on their steps to the glory of never-ending conflict.

[adposto1]

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[lore-of-the-silvereyes-rwby]

Remnants Silver Legends

Chapter 8

The West Valley road/ Rananore fields/ Endemar

Rananore; vast fields, and tall grass. Fertile farmland, and the Great Valley road passing through. Truely a peaceful land where the work is honest, and people live in safety. Quiet fields with the wind breezing through.  But a small tremor disrupts this tranquil land. 

Not a natural one born from nature. But one forged by the heels of thousands. Thousands running for the safety of home. Each at a different pace. Some fast, and quick others slow, and tired. Most of them were wounded, and dying. One of the many knights within this legion falls down to their knees. Weak and tired with blood dripping down their arm. Another knight hurries to his aid.

“Are you all right,” the knight asked as he dropped to his knees to aid his comrade.

“I ...I  ...may have ...lost more blood than I  ...than I thought,” he claimed in a very faint voice, as his breath grew shorter.

“You’re going to be fine alright, we're almost home,” he said, trying to comfort him. 

“Hey, hey you two, over here,” he called out to a pair of youngbloods to help him.

The two hurried over to answer his needs. The knight has one go find anyone who knows medicine. He knew he was asking too much. Especially since he knew most of the knights, or dames who were trained to be field doctors were either dead, or missing. As that one  left, he had the other one help him lift the wounded knight back on his feet.

The knight takes the right side, and the remaining youngblood takes the left. The two keep in mind his damaged right arm. As they lift him up his  arm from its socket falls down to the ground. They all look in shock, and surprise.

“Something tells me ...I’m not ...getting that back ...am I?”

“No...no you are not.”

“We’re almost there,” cried the voice of someone on horseback! “Keep moving, They’re bound to send help if we’re close enough for them to see us!” The rider then noticed the trio. He got off his horse, and offered it to the wounded. “Take this, you need it more than I do,” the rider offered.

The three of them got the wounded knight on the horse. After they secured him on it, they then had the youngblood saddle up on the horse. He would ride  while it carried the wounded knight. Soon after they sent them off hoping that by the time they reached the gates they would be open. Hopefully aid will come to them, he thought. That’s more than he can say for the rest of them. 

He feels helpless as he knows he can’t save them all. His mind was clouded by grief. He hangs his head in defeat looking down as he continues to walk down the path. Then all of a sudden a loud horn was heard. He raises his head to see the gates of Sinda open. Carriages, carts, and caravans began to exit the city. Escorted by the Ostirio wall garrison. They ride faster than the wind to aid them.

“We’re saved,” the knight beside him asked as he exclaimed in joy,”...Right?”

“Yes, yes we are,” he answered

 With renewed hope, they began to move in haste. The former rider stands alone to the side avoiding the raging stampede of hopeful souls. He noticed the severed arm of the wounded knight who he gave his horse to. He picks it up and removes the metal bracer which was in good condition. He tossed the lifeless limb into the nearby fields, so that it won’t block the way of his troops as they rush for aid. 

He had begun to walk down the path to the city. He then started to reflect on the events that led him here, as well as the tenets he was tasked to uphold. As the legions Marshal he swore an oath to those responsibilities. In his mind he failed them all.

Mahtale tole/Silirin/ Endemar

“What do you think that horn was,” Ezer asked?

“It came from Sinda so it was probably a drill or something,” Ithiel answered.

“Something is off,” Lucius implored. “There were no drills scheduled today.”

“Probably a surprise performance inspection then,” Ithiel said.

Three friends argue, and discuss the reasons behind the sound they heard. They’re also not the only ones either. The people around them, and throughout the city wonder the same thing. In their own thoughts they hope it was nothing to be concerned with. Strange days are ahead, but are they for the better or for the worst. But for now friends will wine and dine.

“Which one of you ordered the ale and honey biscuits?”

“Here,” Lucius said, raising his hand.  The server gave him his order, and began to drink.

“Okay and the salted fish with cheese bread, and Poitin.”

"That be mine," claimed Ezer.

“Alright and I guess you’re the one who wanted the strawberry tart, and port wine, I take it.”

“A personal favorite to the end I’m afraid,” Ithiel acknowledged as he smiled in delight. “Gratias tibi,” he said to her.

After she finished serving their food, she proceeded to the next table. The three friends share a toast, and drink. Sometime had passed before the three began their conversation anew. 

“So anybody got something interesting going on,” queried Ezer?

“Nothing much going on in my life. Probably going to return to my studies,” Lucius answered

“Let me rephrase that,” asserted Ezer. “Anyone besides mixed-eyes here got something to say,” he bellowed.

That earned a scornful stare from Lucius. Ithiel couldn’t help but feel disappointed in Ezer. As a fellow Arhon he at least thought that all of them were like minded for the better. Guess he was wrong. But there's still hope for them yet. Best to change the subject before things escalate.

“To answer your question Ezer,” he said, hoping to avoid conflict. “I’ll be leaving the city soon if you're curious.”

That seemed to have nulled the tension between the two. Petty spite turned to surprise.  

“Seriously you’re leaving,” Ezer inquired?

“Where to,” Lucius asked?

They continue to ask, pressuring him for an answer.

“Calm down, calm down,” Ithiel urged, gesturing to them to keep it down. “Ok, I don’t know where I’ll be traveling yet, nor do I know anything about it. But I do know it's a place not many have ever been to.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down,” Lucius stated.

“Sadly that's true,” Ezer agreed.

“Wait, is that why you seem to be off today, because you're leaving,” Lucius asked?

“Mostly,” he lied.

“Well look on the bright side,” exclaimed Ezer. “You’ve been outside of the city more times than I have.” He then took another drink. “You want to know the first thing I’m gonna do when I leave,” he said as he began to boast.

“Let me guess, hunt down the Druwil,” Lucius divulged. 

“Who asked you,” Ezer challenged Lucius?

“The Druwil,” Ithiel inquired?

“It’s nothing, just some Grimm fable. Legends say that they're older than The Fall of Dor-nest, and that there is only one left,” Lucius told him.

“And I’m gonna hunt it down and kill it,” bragged Ezer.

“Sure you are,” Lucius sighed.

As they continued their conversation a new patron entered the tavern they were in. The foreign stranger approached the counter then began to converse with the owner. Lucius spotted and took note of this stranger's appearance. 

His eyes were light blue, so obviously human. He had short black hair and his face bare.  His skin was fair, but tan marks were prominent but not noticable. His attire was blue and grey with leather armor, and a dark cloak adorned on his shoulders. An explorer maybe?  But from where he thought. He then began to cross off potential points of origin.

Eregost; too pale. 

Irestia; too stern, and rough looking.

Nuel;  not the romantic type.

Rawmaite; too short to hail from any of those islands.

Anarsta; he may need a second opinion.

“Hey Ithiel you’re familiar with the northern people right?”

“I know of them. Why do you ask?”

Lucius pointed to the foreign figure at the counter.

“Any idea where he’s from?”

He took a look at him to see if he can answer Lucius’s question.

“I only know of the major cities, and trade centers, but if I had to make a guest he’s most likely from Nenlant or near it, he answered.”

“Any idea of his profession?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. 

“Entschuldigen Sie, entschuldigen Sie meine Herren, an unknown voice spoke to them.” They were cut off guard as the stranger they were talking about was all of a sudden standing right in front of them. “Is it okay if I bull up ein chair, he asked?” They both nodded in acknowledgement and gave him the go ahead. “Vielen Dank, meine Herren, he said.”

“If you don’t mind, may I ask what is your purpose here, Ithiel asked?”

“It is ein long schtory, put in schort I am here unter contract py zomeone vo visches ein Hautience vith zee City Lord, und zee ovner of zis blace tells me vu can help me vith zat, he surmised,” as he pointed at Ithiel.

He was stunned by what he said.

“Why me,” he Inquired?

Zee ovner told me zat vu vould tell me vy zo vo are vu?

“That depends who wants to meet him,” Ithiel asked?

“Unfortunately I can’t discloze zat Hinformazion,” he said. “Zo can vu help me or not?”

Ithiel pondered in thought. Trying to see the strangers intentions. He didn’t seem like a dishonest person. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but someone who wanted his intentions known.

“It must be important that this person sees him isn’t it,” he added as he took a drink of wine. 

The stranger’s integrity began to weaken. He grew annoyed at the silberäugig man. But he had to keep his composure. At least until his task was over. He asked again.

 “Can vu help me or not?”

After some thought Ithiel gave into his demands. What's the worst that can happen he thought. This was of course his city, and home, with people that stand up for each other.

“As his son I think I can help your friend meet my father,” he alleged. “Do you have a name?”

 The revelation that he was the son of the man he was looking for, still had the stranger in awe.

“It’s Isa, Isa of Nenarta,” he answered.

“I was close,” said Lucius as he took another sip.

“Nice to meet you Isa,” Ithiel greated as he stood to shake his hand. 

There was a noticeable height difference between the two. He stood a head taller than him. Isa felt a little intimidated.

“Nice to meet you too, um . . . sorry I didn’t catch your name.” he said as he shook his hand.

“Ithiel, Ithiel of the House of Ilsalos,” he said. “So shall we leave?”

“Sicher.” 

As they began to walk, Isa noticed the other two.

“Vait vat apout zem,” he asked?

Ezer may have had one too many drinks, and Lucius sat there in annoyance. This wasn’t the first time his cousin was in this state. But he couldn’t help but feel disappointed that they share blood. He turned his gaze to Ithiel.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll get him home as soon as I can,” sighed Lucius. “Take care of yourself though Ithiel.”

Ithiel acknowledged what he said and continued on his way with Isa. The two left the tavern and proceeded to where the client was. It was about a half an hours’ walk to their destination. He made sure to keep his guard up, for he is unsure if this was genuine cause or a trap. But who benefits from it. They arrived in an alley where a tall figure in red and grey waits. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and his head rises to see the pair approaching him.

“Who’s this guy,” he asked?

“Zir may I brezent Iziel, zee zon of Zilirin’s city Lord,” Isa answered.

“It’s Ithiel,”he said, trying to correct Isa's accent.

“Your Lord Herod’s,” he asked flabbergasted?

“Yes I am, and I’m here in good faith that this is an important matter,” stated Ithiel. “As such may I ask both the reasons for your secrecy and who you are that warrants an audience with my father?”

Surprised by his good fortune he relented. He stopped leaning against the wall and approached them. He was just a couple feet opposite of Ithiel. Silver eyes, met silver eyes. But they have never met before, until now as he began to bow to Ithiel.

“My name is Wyn, son of Aneirin of Gadronma,” He revealed. “ It is urgent that I meet Lord Herod, if Silirin, and the rest of Numen are to avoid the same fate as my homeland.”

NOTES

Sorry for the long wait, life got in the way. Also I’m trying to make these longer. Hopefully the next one won’t take 5 months

[final-fantasy-mama]

Licorice Twists and Cinnamon Buns

''FFXIV: Emet Selch X Wol Licorice twists and cinnamon buns This is drabble for now but I do have a plot planned for future chapters. First part is fluff, second part is a bit angsty. Enjoy! ********************************************************************************

(Very sorry for any spelling mistakes, I don’t have a spell checker and have to edit manually so I miss many mistakes)

It wasn't often that the Warrior of Light got time to herself for anything. Most days were spent tending to battle wounds, civilian requests and the ever growing demands of her scion brethren but today was special. Today she had a full day all to herself and should she decide to rest, she could roost in bed till the chocobos came home. But she was a restless soul and having that much free time made her a bit antsy. So she wore her best casual clothes, a off shoulder sun dress and sandals, and made for the Musica Universalis for a small walk about. And as always, following closely in her shadows was her ever sneaky and equally snarky ascian companion, Emet Selch.

He had often spied in on her whenever it suited his fancy though she was quick to catch on to his Aether trail, making any chances of sneaking up on her null and void. If he kept his distance enough she couldn’t distinguish his presence from the multitudes of others within the crystarium which was the only opportunity he had to observe her habits and actions unabieted. He wasn’t really one to take too much of an interest in anyone or anything outside his devotions to Zodiark but he had to admit this one Hyur Female caught his undivided attention. 

She was pretty in a simple way, with features that could have easily passed for Garlean if it weren’t for her height. Not that Emet Selch placed much value on physical appearances outside of his own. And she was strong, oh so strong and noble in a un nauseating way. She never spouted nonsense of high ideals and morality, was pragmatic, straightforward and witty.

Now he watched her walk through the crystarium, stopping now and then to look at what bits and baubles surrounded her, her head tilting to one side as she studied everything with a keen eye only a warrior could possess. He watched from the shadows of a nearby pillar how her eyes lit up while she looked at a merchants jewelry stall, picking up a necklace and holding it to her chest while staring in the mirror afforded to her by the vendor. 

All women were wanton creatures for fine jewels and furs. Oh how he could give her all that and more were she his woman. What a empress she would have made with her proud face and feminine features but he didnt know her back then and avoided all contact with her or her shards on the other stars.  She was a poor sundered creature after all, albiet a charming one, and he didn’t need any more misery in his immortality then what was already afforded to him. If she had any clue just how far back her shards and former selves went, who and what she was, she kept it keenly to herself. He wondered just how much she did know. She never really talked about her memories short of what was absolutely necessary.

She struggled with the clasp of the necklace and just when he was about to step in to do it for her, a certain other man did it instead. The crystal exarch was making his rounds through town. Emet Selch gritted his teeth as her eyes turned to the cowled man and truly sparkled, her red lips spreading into a wide smile as she thanked him. They made casual banter with each other, each laughing and smiling as they walked away, her hand holding his arm in a way that was too intimate for the ascians liking.

That slick conniving whelp of a man! Emet sneered as he followed them in the shadows. Look how she touches him so casually, like 2 fools in love! What can this creature offer a warrior like her? By what magic did he bring her here and dare to speak to her so fondly! He stopped his train of thoughts and held his breath. He had seen this scene before oh so many millenia ago when the hero had been alive in Amarout. But it was a memory Emet did not want to remember and he quickly pushed it out of his mind.

The hero and the exarch stopped at a small candy shop and the hero exclaimed how she hadn’t sampled some of the confections since her childhood. She filled a small paper bag with her favorites and vowed to share it with her child when they reunited. Her daughter, only 8 years of age, and the only family she had in the source. Surely that child must have looked like her mother. Emet could see it as surely as his own children took after his late wife. Oh those long lost days when he had some small measure of happiness but lives came and went so quickly and thus his happiness was only temporary if not fleeting.

The couple moved on, once again arm in arm, their happy voices talking of frivolous things. The Hero leaning in and squeezing her shoulder into the exarchs as he hid his head shyly in his hood. In fact she seemed to go out of her way to make any sort of physical contact with her partner weather it was a touch of the hands, squeezing his arm tightly against her chest in a flirtatious manner or leaning in so her forehead was almost against the exarch. The shy Exarch laughing nervously but accepting her little showers of affections non the less. It made Emet suspicious. 

It would seem those two have a history with each other....how interesting. He clenched his fists at his sides tightly. She is obvious in her affections for him but he tries to hide how much she affects him. Ah, the exarch is hiding his identity but she already knows......then that would mean the exarch is not a native of the 1st and they both hailed from the source....by what means did he arrive her and manage to bring her as well?

When the couples time came to part, the exarch kissed the fair ladies hand and waved goodbye as she watched him go, once again left to her own devices in the market place. She did not move from her spot as he dissappeared from view and Emet used that chance to sneak up behind her, or at least try. She knew he was coming a mile away.

"Shopping for a swanking new coat Emet?" She asked as she turned to him and gave him her usual coy look.

"Shopping for a new lover?" He shot back and jutted his chin in the direction the exarch had left.

The hero smiled something sly and admitted easily. "Mmmm Hmmmm. That man is a cinnamon roll and I just want to bite right into him."

"So that's your type." The ascian said dryly. 

"And you, you sneaky bastard." She jabbed a finger into his chest. "Are Black Licorice."

"Licorice!?" He asked in surprise.

The hero reached into her paper bag and pulled out a black twig of candy, holding it up this face before saying, "They make it, so someone must love to eat it but most people want to spit it out after one bite!"

He pursed his lips as he stared down at the feisty lady who so defiantly waved her candy in his face and for once in his immortal life, he was speechless. He wasn’t sure if he should get angry or laugh. Her barbs at him were easily becoming legendary.

She didn’t wait for him to answer before taking a hearty bite out of the black candy. "Lucky for you I have acquired a taste for Licorice." and gave him her oh so sweet smile which meant both good things and dangerous things. He had to smile back and she noted how soft his face was when he was happy. He almost looked kind when he was like that as opposed to his usual grumpy self.

"Zodiark’s mercy hero, are you admitting you're in love with me?" He drawled out and held his hand to his heart.

"Hydaelyn’s blessing Emet Selch, You're such a drama king." She shot back and turned to walk away. "Lets see its just past 2....its a good time to break for tea. Join me if you dare."

"Bothering you is the only thing I have to look forward to in my day." He admitted and followed after her. **************************************** They both seated themselves at a small table within the atrium next to the market and ordered a few plates of cheeses and meats along with some pastries. The hero poured tea into two saucers and slid one over to him as she sat down in a wooden chair and fanned herself with the menu. 

"How do you survive in the Jacket? Its bloody hot out here." She complained.

"Is that your way of asking me to take it off?" He wiggled his brows at her and sipped his tea oh so properly like the blue blood he was.

She laughed. "Actually I am curious what’s under all that, I won’t lie."

He quickly unbuckled the front and in a dramatic flourish, stood up and swept if off his shoulders as he placed it on the back of his chair. The undershirt he wore was a plain white cotton one with a few buttons down the chest and loose sleeves.

"If you ask politely I may take off even more." He purred and She nearly spat out her tea.

"Woah their partner, you need to leave something to my imagination." She smirked and took a long sip of tea before reaching into her blouse and producing a small metal case from her brasier. She opened it up with a click and pulled a small cigarillo from it, put it to her lips and lit it with the small lighter. She took a long drag and offered one to her company.

Emet shook his head lightly. "A habit you picked up adventuring?"

"A habit I picked up from one of my "others" who was a middle aged drunk whiskey lover, smoked like a chimney and ate bacon like pork was going out of season." She laughed.

When She fumbled with her cigar case a piece of paper fell out. It was a small photo of some sort of a small child with dark brown hair and a cherubs smile, riding on the back of a tall elezen male with light blue hair and a equally charming smile. If he didn’t know any better he would have said this was a family photo but the child looked nothing like that man in the photo so he knew instantly the she wasn’t his

. "Your daughter and....?" He asked.

"Haurchefant Greystone, one of my dearest friends. He passed away a few years ago." She sipped her tea. "He had a way with children and my daughter fell in love with him. She said that If I didn’t marry him then she would." The small smile on her face spoke volumes of her feelings for this man.

"At first all the adventuring was just to secure some money for myself and my daughter....and then I was discovered by the scions....I suppose the rest after that was just cause and effect or the results of being the warrior of light." she shrugged and tucked the photo away. “After an attempted assassination on the Sultana of Ul Dahl, myself and the scions had to go into hiding. So I took my daughter with me to Ishgard where we parlayed for our protection. Haurchefant was the first to extend any hospitality to us and took care of us. He was really a wonderful friend.” She said fondly.

“You were in love with him.” Emet stated and she couldn’t deny it.

“I suppose I was. But his life was cut short and after that there was no one else, I never even bothered looking or trying.” she admitted sadly.

The Ascian looked at the hero carefully, noting how sad her eyes looked in that moment. She was lonely even though she would never admit it, using her duty with the scions as an excuse to fill her time. For one small moment, Emet saw something else as he looked at her, the ghost of another who’s face was equally sad but always had a small smile on her lips. He blinked the apparition away.

"Your child is what grounds you to this reality. You would fight and die for her." Emet said matter of factly. It was a universal fact that a mother protecting her young was the fiercest thing in the cosmos, something he had witnessed first hand so long ago. This will to protect is exactly what brought about Hydaelyn to begin with. In all these years, after all these rebirths and in all her incarnations, that one truth never changed, she would protect those near and dearest to her even if it meant tearing the universe apart. her child was the source of her power.

The uncomfortable reality that the child would die in the grand plan of the ascians was not lost on the hero or him. It was a unspoken truth that would always be the catalyst of her never ending battles with all her enemies and him. As cordial as the two were with each other, the fact that at the end of the day one or the other was going to be destroyed was not ever going to change.

  The hero stared up at the glass ceiling and finished off her cigarillo, putting it out in the small ashtray on the table. Her heart felt heavy thinking of the future, of his and hers but it wasn’t something she could express in words, its just the nature of her being Hydaelyn’s blessed and him beings Zodiark’s Tempered. When she turned her head to him it was obvious he had been thinking the exact same thing.

"Oh hero, don’t look at me like that." He cooed in a oh so sweet voice. "All is not lost yet, there is still time to change my mind. If you can accomplish the impossible then even I will be forced to throw my lot in with you. We Ascians don’t wish for our own destruction you know."

The hero cleared her throat and swallowed back her feelings, replacing it with a smile. "What a pair we make, Architect." 

"Oh yes, the warrior of light and her arch enemy sitting together drinking tea. What is this universe coming to?"

"Shite apparently."  She laughed.

"I'll drink to that." Emet agreed and they clinked glasses.

“So what’s next on our agenda?”

“101 ways to destroy the world.” He replied dryly.

She gawked at him. “Not funny!”

“You’re still laughing on the inside.”

She shoved a big piece of cake into her mouth and said in a muffled voice. “I laugh only so I don’t cry.”

He reached over a caught a dollop of frosting from the corner of her mouth then licked it off his white gloves slowly and deliberately.

She blinked twice. “Oh that was smooth.”

“Full glad am I to hear that.” He purred.

“Have you made it your personal mission to seduce me?” She squinted at him.

“Seeing as you get flustered when a man expresses desire for you, I’ve made it my mission to make you as uncomfortable as possible from here on out.” He admitted.

“Flustered?!” You gasped and that made him chuckle.

“You wear your heart on your sleeve hero.”

“I’ll wear a mask then.” She said suddenly and it made him stop. He watched her for a second before turning back to his tea.

He looked down into the brown water. “A thousand masks for a thousand desires.” He said off handedly.

She watched him carefully but didn’t quite grasp his meaning, something about it though made her heart feel strange. A small moment of recognition and longing. For him? For this ascian drinking tea with her? Surely not, but maybe just maybe for the man Emet Selch had been.

(I wasn’t sure how to end this so i abruptly did before it prattled on again. Next chapter will be main story driven and have more character development for Emet. Its just fun to write fluff for characters who are notoriously not fluffy lol)

[ask-the-guiding-light-cast]

Guiding Light turns two years old today!

It’s crazy to think this all began only a couple of years back... and also hilarious it falls on the same day as “International Mystery Dungeon Day” over on Twitter. More after the cut. This is gonna be a long one, so I appreciate anyone willing to read this. ^^

For a long time, I had been a casual consumer of fan fics. It started in the late 2000s when I was in a Spyro craze thanks to the more story-driven Legend of Spyro trilogy. I had an itch that I needed scratched and FFN fulfilled that to some extent. I also looked at some Mario fics, including Paper Mario: The Temple of the Sun, which I greatly enjoyed and thought did a good job adapting the formula that made Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door so beloved and putting a unique spin on things.

But it was until the early 2010s that I actually started getting back into Pokémon games with Gen V. After Emerald, I fell out of touch with Pokémon for a time. When Gen VI came around, I dipped my toe into the fandom through Twitch livestreams, but also through reading a few anime-based fics that are very long and still going, even now. 

At the same time, I ended up buying PMD: Explorers of Sky... and damaged my cartridge before I could properly finish the game with my Vulpix/Riolu team. So, I watched cutscenes for what I missed on YouTube, then got Gates to Infinity and, later, Super Mystery Dungeon and had fun with both of them... though more for the stories and characters than the actual gameplay. Truth be told, I don’t care much for roguelikes at all.

It was during the gap in time between Super’s release and the first official footage of Sun & Moon in mid-2016 that I found myself hit with a recurring thought: “What if someone made a PMD story where the hero and the partner are forced to fight one another with the fate of the world at stake?” I wound up (loosely) brainstorming an idea for a PMD story revolving around an antagonistic Hoopa character who would use its ring portals to collect entire communities, including the Pokémon living in them... all so that he would never be bored. This would lead him to “collect” the partner to add to his “toys,” so when the hero shows up, he’d sic the partner on them.

But that was as far as I got with the idea. I ended up graduating college and took a job with late evening hours. It left me pretty tired and exhausted and unmotivated to do much of anything. I withdrew from the parts of the Pokémon community I was involved in.

Then the Generation VII games came out and, while divisive in the fandom, I found myself really liking some of the concepts. There were so many times when I thought, “Gee, I wonder what this would be like if it were in a PMD game?” For example, one of the ideas I had was a sort of edgy rival rescue team akin to Gladion, which would have a Midnight Lycanroc, a Zoroark, and a Type: Null character in it.

So, toward the end of 2016 and early 2017, I started creating an idea for a Choose Your Own Adventure story with the intent of putting it on this really small forum I was a part of. It would be a Gen VII-themed PMD story, but because I didn’t think that sounded interesting enough, I decided that, not only would the human keep their memories, but they would be from the real world and be a major Pokémon nerd. The idea was that the choices the readers made would affect the relationship between the human and partner. I even came up with a point system. The more points the readers earned for their choices, the “closer” the relationship the hero and partner would have and the happier an ending the story would get. If the hero and partner couldn’t stand each other, one of them would likely end up working with the bad guy and winning. If they became steadfast friends, they’d work together to save the world.

Unfortunately, the forum shut down before I got too far into planning it, so I shelved the idea and continued focusing on my job. And things stayed that way for several months, until I ended up getting into med school and scrambling to move.

During the downtime I had when I wasn’t doing moving related stuff, I decided to look at FFN again and found Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Defenders of Warmth. I wound up reading through the entirety of the story quite quickly. I guess you could say it sparked something in my head. The fic itself focuses on what, at the time, was the newest Gen (Gen V). It also has multiple humans and is set on a continent separate from the canon locations (which were just the Air and Grass Continents, since Gates and Super didn’t exist when the fic was written). In short, it renewed my desire to pursue my idea of a Gen VII-flavored PMD story.

So, I set about creating my story outline. It is so... so much different from the actual story, though I’ve gone into that in previous posts (search for #amby answers). Originally, I used Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time as the framework for the fic: an alien invasion in a colorful, comedic world. I took more specific cues, too. Zero was meant to be a (mostly) silent antagonist a la Princess Shroob, for example.

The problem was, I really didn’t have much confidence in myself or my abilities. I’d like to say I was writing for myself, but I really did want validation, too. I think any author is lying to themselves if they say they don’t feel this way at some point. Because of this, I figured if I put the fic on FFN, it would get ignored. The site’s huge! There were, at the time, around 85k fics in the Pokémon section alone. (That number’s since gone up to over 90k!)

Given I had experience with forums, I decided to post it to Serebii, because the fic community seemed much smaller and more open to giving feedback to one another. In an effort to try and, y’know, establish some connections, I actually read other pieces and reviewed them before posting any stories. This also helped me build up a backlog of chapters and prove to myself I enjoyed writing this enough to keep going.

When I finally did post the fic, it was a bumpy start, for sure. I do think I made a lot of mistakes out of the gate, including uploading chapters way too quickly for readers on Serebii to (reasonably) try to keep pace. That probably cost me a few potential readers... or made them silent readers who I never ended up hearing from. Which is why I’m especially thankful to @girl-like-substance (who I can seem to tag, drat) for all of the well-thought-out feedback given throughout the fic’s run. I don’t think I would’ve made such significant strides in my writing otherwise... and there are plenty of long-running fics where the quality tends to stagnate.

In any case... it was thanks to a request from @deliriousabsol to put the fic somewhere more mobile-friendly that I chose to mirror Guiding Light on FFN starting in October 2017. I would’ve kept going on Serebii had she not asked so nicely, so she’s the one you can thank for it showing up there! (She’s a fellow author who does cyberpunk-themed fics and art and her characters have cameoed in the fic.)

And, honestly, I’m just... beyond shocked at what wound up happening to the fic once it hit FFN. Well, actually, for the first several months I was lucky if I even got a comment when I put up a chapter. I’m not sure any of the people who first commented on FFN still follow the fic anymore. I haven’t seen/heard from them at all, so I assumed they moved on with their lives.

In any case, around March of 2018, the word count on FFN passed 300k and... somehow, the fic starting getting more attention. Like, a lot more attention. This was... not really something I was even remotely prepared for.

(Yes, this means there’s gonna be a giveaway. More on that later.) I never would’ve thought I’d reach a number like this. I never imagined I’d meet another PMD author who’d be willing to do a fun collab (thanks @virgil134, Spiteful Murkrow, and Namohysip). I really did not imagine that I’d ever get fanart of characters that I wrote (huge thanks @thebreak-ofdawn, @ask-nicky-and-others, and @cresselia92). I mean, above everything, I not expect the fic or characters to resonate with anybody the way it wound up.

A part of me feels like I don’t really deserve it. I’ve made a lot of serious gaffes with writing this. When initial Serebii feedback had people intrigued by Shane’s jerkass attitude (when I didn’t actually intend for him to come off as a jerk), I dialed things up in the hopes I’d keep their attention. It probably cost me readers. Then there’s the slow pacing of the early episodes and the mistake of making Special Episode 3 as long as it was... which my speaks to my (bad) tendency to give into some of my strongest impulses even though I had an outline I was trying to stick to.

And, I mean, there’s also some of the “shamlessly shameful” stuff I’ve done with the fic. I’m not fooling myself. Guiding Light has grown progressively more furry and, uh, probably fanservicey, too. All the big furbait (and some scalebait) ‘mons are accounted for. There’s a lot more sexual humor when I initially promised myself I would stay away from romance and keep everything platonic. I practically turned Xerneas into waifu bait, if some of these asks are anything to go by. This blog certainly didn’t help in that regard. Maybe I’m just being my usual nervous self? 

I am worried that this fic’s performance has, somehow, affected my thoughts and behavior. There are very popular fic authors who let their popularity get to their head... or chose to open up Patreons (something that makes me uncomfortable) or start doing things like taking commissions for written pieces, which is understandable... though I think it’s an easy way to lose your passion for writing. I guess some of that worry stems from a debacle I learned about on a Discord server I’m in, but that’s not something I’m comfortable discussing publicly. 

And I haven’t even talked much about the blog itself. Like, it somehow passed 100 followers? Where? When? How? I don’t actually draw stuff like many other Pokéasks. And, like, for a lot of folks, I have no idea if they’ve actually read the fic or just check in on the blog. It’s the same with the fic, I suppose. If you’re a silent reader/follower, I would really love to hear from you! I promise... I don’t bite or anything. I’d love to know what (if anything) you’re thinking. And if you’re a blog that’s following this one and we haven’t interacted, please feel free to reach out! It’s honestly hard to tell if people like what I’m doing, so any feedback is always appreciated.

In any case, if I haven’t lost you by now, I guess all I can say is... thank you. Thank you all so much for all of the support... whether it’s on the fic, the blog, or both of them. I really do hope this final episode can meet your expectations. I’ll try my very best to make this an ending to remember. Nothing would make me happier than to hear you guys enjoy it and feel it does justice to the PMD series.

Sorry for all the rambling. The inbox is open again if you’d like to send any messages for the ficaversary. Again, thank you all so much! You’re the best!

[aalt-ctrl-del]

i fucking hate this, but I don’t care

_

The Not Good Ending

Everything in and around his tentative consciousness oscillated, his physical form floating somewhere in the ether; hacked from corporal tethers. A ship cast to the mercy of convulsing waves.

 “So this is what it felt to die.” he thought, he might’ve wondered. This was what it felt like to cease being. Existence expunged. So much unresolved. So much left to say. So much wasted time. So much to Lose...

 So much...

 He didn’t get a chance to say, how much. Or to appreciate the time, the better moments, with Him. He saved him, didn’t he? Yes, he did. He absolutely, fucking did. Like a badass. 

So much left inside of him. So much given up, so many goodbyes left, unsaid. So much left undone. But it was worth it. If it had happened any other way, he knew deep in him, he didn’t have the kind of strength to let go, and watch the fading light in his best friends eyes.

 At least it was dark. Not so much silent as it was hushed; somewhere in his head, a ringing sensation heaved forth. The chatter akin to a boiling hum. The same sort of groaning roar that filled his brain when all the oxygen was siphoned out. After a plunge into the quarry - that’s the first thought that came to mind - it rattled away between his ears, seeking a way out. The tenure impossibly low, nearly inaudible if not for the priming sensation that something must erupt inside his arteries, and behind his eyes.

 Fresh oxygen. Pure oxygen. He wasn’t sure if that was medically accurate, but it felt right. The C02 would ignite inside his brain if he didn’t replenish his lungs. Though he wanted to drink in the air, invigorate his withering cells, for the life of him he couldn’t remember how.

 This is what robbed him of his life. Not the Clown. Not Henry Bowers. Not falling thirty meters into a bottomless pit.

 He couldn’t breathe. Plain, fucking, simple.

 The whirr rose in pitch, until the vibrations punched into his skin. His mouth moaned something, and he realized dully, Oh. I am breathing.

 Someone was screaming at him. No. The tone was commanding and firm, but they hadn’t raised their voice. Questions darted at him. They sounded close in enunciation to questions, but horribly mangled through the blunt vibration prodding his brain matter. Some of the language range clear and concise

 “- a sign -” “ - blood pressure - “ “type” “ transfusion ” “ insurance provider “

 “Sir? Can you hear me?”

 The light plunged into his eye was so bright, some primal instinct reared forth a violent reaction and he snapped. His arm connected with someone, and another voice hissed a curse. A wave of agony invaded his tissue and bones. Holy shit, that hurt. That hurt a fuck lot. He was fucked.

 His head lolled back on the soft fabric of something like a pillow, and a sopping string of syllables dragged across his sticky lips. Copper flooded his nostrils, his throat. All of it his.

 The bleak walls stretched on by, the monotonous cadence of wheels beat his thoughts to a fine foam. He blinked against the intensity of light rebounding off those stunning walls - he hated hospitals - and nearly plunged back into the comforting veil of null. His hand twitched at his sides, and then, he realized someone was beside him. Someone was keeping pace with the gurney, which caged his battered frame, and they were holding his hand tightly.

 “We need that blood type. “

 One of the nurses forced a plastic mask over his face and manually pumped the life back into him. A cough leapt from his throat, try and try, he fought to twist his gaze under the tending agents. They bickered and prodded, shoving things into his skin, touching his body, probing his pockets. He Hated hospitals.

 Something of the Fight wheedled its way back into his plundered psyche. Panic and terror boiled through his veins, though this sensation wasn’t for his own frail mortality. Immediately, his thoughts darted to the others. Where were they? What happened?

 Where was Richie?

 “..wheh- ere,” he gurgled.

 “Don’t speak,” a nurse cautioned.

 He rolled his head into the direction of his arm, and his clasped hand, struggling to press focus beyond five inches. The tinges of his peripheral vibrated, the sizzling pressure warning him even the slight motion of blinking might kill him yet. But there was the arm, and a familiar sleeve attached to it.

 “Is surgery prepped?”

 Eddie frowned. He was surprised and a little disappointed, but a greater deal more concerned than what he could manage to convey. Too much absorbed the functions of his mind and body, as the pieces of viscera struggled to cling and hold the fading spark that made a person who they were.

 If Bill was here, and they were in this hellish place (exaggeration), this was a feat that couldn’t be managed alone. Not the climb, not alone, not escaping. None of it possible, not without them all united, and together.

 IT wouldn’t have let them.

 Bill tightened the hold on his hand.

 Eddie scrambled with a coherent question, but only managed a listless, “Bill…”

 Images and colors began blurring, becoming more abstract than one of Van Gophs surreal pieces.

 “Stay with us.

 He creaked an eye more open towards the silent Bill, his vision bleary and the outlines of his very dear friend odd. Bill was smiling, but that was off too. Everything was off. Was he dreaming? 

You can’t dream if you’re dead, Edds.

 “No.” he breathed, beneath the shy of a whisper. And repeated it in his head. No-no-no-no. He wasn’t in a nightmare, he was in hell. He was in his own private hell. This is where the Deadlights dragged him. Stole him from the comfort of death, to tease and torment him for all eternity.

 “Can you still hear me?”

 He made some sound, but couldn’t catch the exact shape of it. Only that it scorched his chest. Maybe another no.

 The hand around his own squeezed, drawing his eyes reflexively to the hideous caricature of poor Bill. It was smiling in that deviously, cartoony way. Did anyone else see It? Would any of them care?

 Then the grip did something shocking. It released him, and the figure zipped beyond his view. Eddie scuffled with the last traces of energy to search the sides, but unable, and restrained by the hospital staff, from moving too much. He actually tried to rip the respirator off his face.

 “Please, sir!”

 “Prep sedation. We’re here.”

 The gurney eased around a bend in the hall, and aloft in the crease of the ceiling hung a reflective disk. The shimmering gloss snagged Eddies attention immediately, due to the washed-out colors captivated in its glossy plain, colors gutted and displaced from natural scenery. Streaks of red and orange ran like globs of molten metal, and glittering in the center of a pale face, the mocking sheen of eyes and teeth. Too many teeth in a too wide grin.

[rdmfavcpls]

July 13th - Time Skip

July 13th - Time Skip

Category: Pokemon

Pairing: Lonashipping (Moon x Gladion)

Rating: T

Summary: Gladion lived in the Kanto region as an exchange student and he lived with Moon and Sun, but that was when he was younger. They wrote letters to each until he stopped when he ran away. Will familiar faces come back to haunt him? He kept secrets from them and now one is keeping secrets from him.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the franchise.

Author’s Note: 1. I am so sorry that I am so late with getting these uploaded. I tried to get everything done so I would be able to work on these as fast as I could. 2. I may or may not make another story explaining as to why Moon suddenly became a select mute and why she will only talk to Gladion when they are alone. Please enjoy!

~~Story Begins~~

A six-year-old Gladion was comforting a four-year-old Moon who didn’t want Gladion to leave. He’s been living with Moon and Sun for the last year as an exchange student.

“Don’t worry,” Gladion said patting Moon’s back. “I’ll write to you.”

“I know, but it won’t be the same,” Moon said.

“Come now Sis,” Sun said as he pulled Moon away. “If we can save our allowances we can go visit him.”

Gladion smiled and flicked Moon’s forehead. “You wonder why you get bullied so much.”

Moon tried to glare at him but her tears wouldn’t stop falling.

“Gladion,” Moon and Sun’s father called out. “Your plane is getting ready to load passengers.”

“We’ll see each other again,” Gladion said as he left.

~~12 Years Later~~

Gladion sighed as he looked at an old shoe box that his mother wanted him to throw away, but he couldn’t.

Type: Null was asleep on the hotel floor and Gladion took the lid off the shoebox to see a pile of letters. He let out a sigh.

“I wish I could go back to the simple times,” he said with another sigh. “Back to when we were younger.”

He was out and about doing meaningless errands for Team Skull when he saw Lillie walking towards a clothing shop. She was talking to someone that he couldn’t make out.

“It’s possibly Hau again,” Gladion said.

He turned around so he could leave without anyone seeing him, but stopped as he heard his sister yell out. “Where are you going?”

“Leave it up to Hau,” Gladion said with a chuckle.

~~~~

Days later, Gladion was blocking Route 5. He didn’t want to do this, but apparently, two new Pokemon trainers were causing for trouble for Team Skull and Guzma wanted them to be taught a lesson.

“There are only two people that I know who can pull off that shade of blonde so naturally,” a male’s voice said. “Lillie and Gladion.”

Gladion turned around fast and saw a boy and girl with black hair. The man’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Gladion.

“It really is you Gladion,” the man said.

“Sun?” Gladion asked in surprise.

“Dude, my dude,” Sun said. “What have you been up to? Why did you quit writing to us?”

“Life got busy and I haven’t had time to write,” Gladion said. “It’s been a rough last two years.”

He then noticed that the girl was gone. “Where did your friend go?” He looked behind him and she wasn’t on that path either.

“Oh? Moon? She likes to stray off the path,” Sun said. “Moon’s here too?” Gladion said and then it clicked. “You’ve been giving Team Skull trouble. Both of you.”

“Haha, yeah, glad to know our deeds have spread,” Sun said with a laugh.

“I’m here to stop you two,” Gladion said. “Sorry, but this reunion needs to be cut short.”

“What? Why? No! You can’t be a part of Team Skull,” Sun said.

“Sorry to break the news, but I am,” Gladion said before holding a Pokeball out.

“Fine,” Sun said. “You are going down.”

In minutes, Sun was defeated. “No, how?” Sun said holding onto his fainted Rowlet.

Gladion hated to do this, but he needed to. “Weak, pathetic,” Gladion said in a mocking tone. He moved a step closer to Sun. “Are you even worth that Pokemon’s trust?”

Moon ran to Gladion side and pushed him away from Sun. Gladion stumbled a bit as he forgot she was even in the nearby area and that the once timid girl who always ran behind him or her brother, was the one who was now defending Sun.

“Moon, you can’t,” Sun said.

Gladion smirked. “So, the little Moon finally grows a backbone. Are you defending your brother against me?” Moon glared at Gladion and she held up a Pokeball. “What’s the matter, Moon? Meowth got your tongue?”

“No,” Sun said. “She wants to battle you.”

Gladion couldn’t help but laugh. He wanted to apologize, beg for forgiveness for the way he’s acting, let them know that he is doing this because it is a job, that he owes Guzma for giving him shelter when he ran away from home.

“Is that so,” he said with a smirk. “I accept your challenge. This will be so easy since she hasn’t said two words.”

Moon nodded and released an Eevee from the Pokeball. When the battle ended, Moon’s Pichu was still standing as Gladion’s Type: Null fainted.

“Impossible,” Gladion said as Pichu ran up Moon’s shoulder. “How did you defeat me?” Moon nuzzled her Pichu with a smile. “How Moon? You didn’t even give them a command.”

“A lot has changed in the last twelve years, Gladion,” Sun said as Moon returned Pichu to the Pokeball. “Especially in the last two years.” He looked at Moon. “Let’s go.”

Gladion watched them leave before he yelled at them. “Wait!”

Moon stopped and turned around to face him. Sun grumbled and tried to get his sister to ignore him, but she shook her head.

“I’m not a member of Team Skull, not completely. I owe the boss of Team Skull and he asks me to do odd jobs. I didn’t mean any of what I said. It’s an image and - “

“I don’t want to hear any of your excuses,” Sun said. “We’ve always had your back and now since we are reunited, you treated us like that. You quit talking to us, even knowing that we would’ve helped you! It is what friends are for!”

Sun walked away, not even turning back to face Gladion. Moon watched her brother leave before turning back towards Gladion. She bit her bottom lip. She made the Alola greeting and ran after her brother. Gladion sighed.

Of course, they wouldn’t listen to him. They didn’t need him bringing them down.

~~~~

“One more trip to Battle Avenue,” Gladion said as he released his Type: Null from its Pokeball. “Then we’ll start on redeeming ourselves to them.”

Gladion was trying to figure out how exactly he was in this predicament. He had somehow been roped into a battle between The Masked Royal, Hau, and Sun.

He felt a tug on his shirt and turned around to see Moon standing there. “Moon? What are you doing here?”

He could tell that she was giggling, but not a sound escaped her mouth. She surprised him by grabbing his hands. He felt something being pressed into his hand, but for some reason, he was more focused on how small her hands were in his own.

“Moon?” he asked as she removed her hands from him.

“Will the next contestants please appear on the stage for the next BAAAAAATTTTTTLLLLLEEEE ROYAL!” the announcer said over the PA.

Gladion and Moon looked at the ceiling as the announcer spoke.

“Look like it’s time for us to battle,” Gladion said. Moon placed her hands on his shoulders. “M-m-moon,” Gladion said as she leaned up and kissed his left cheek before stepping away.

She smiled and left the room, not noticing that his cheeks were trying to turn pink.

After the battle, Gladion was going to ignore everyone, he wanted to read the note that Moon snuck to him.

“Moon, why didn’t I get my kiss on my left cheek?” Sun said with a sigh. “That’s possibly why I lost.”

“Oh! Oh! That must mean something since Moon is a mute,” Hau said. “So, what does it mean?”

“Good luck,” Sun said. “Her sign for good luck for whoever she’s wishing it too.”

Gladion walked out of the building trying not to think over what happened. “That explains as to why she hasn’t said a word, but how is she able to be a trainer?”

He then remembered the paper that he’s been holding onto with a tight grip since Moon surprised him with it. He opened it and saw that it was a note.

Gladion -

Please pay no mind to Sun, he’s still getting over our parent separation. He didn’t want to come here but he’s just as salty as the ocean water since father didn’t want him. As for our last meeting, no worries. I have always been able to read you better than Sun so I knew that what you were doing is just an act. You have always kept us out of your troubles. Hopefully, when we meet again, it will be under better circumstances.

Moon

A few months later, at the persistence of Wicke, Gladion threw a gala at Aether. To celebrate the newly established Elite Four and the first Alola Champion, Sun.

Gladion had snuck outside and went to the farthest place on Aether that was away from the gala. He couldn’t stand people right now. He also wanted Hau to be able to dance with Lillie without the future Kahuna feeling nervous.

“You left the gala early,” a soft voice from behind him. He turned around with a remark at the ready to be shot at the unwanted visitor but froze.

Moon was standing there, wearing a green dress that reminded him of all the green clothing she wore when they were younger.

“Moon. I thought you couldn’t talk,” Gladion said.

“I just didn’t feel safe enough to talk,” Moon said with a smile. “You can’t hear the music all the way out here.”

“I like it here,” Gladion said. “I like it this quiet. I don’t have eyes judging me.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me,” Moon said as she stepped closer. “I understand where you are coming from.”

Gladion stared at her. He won’t let her know that he’s curious as to why she’s actually talking to him. She’s never been good with secrets.

He held his hand out to her. “Just because we can’t hear the music doesn’t mean we can’t dance. So, will you have this dance with me?”

Moon smiled at him and placed her hand on top of his. “Yes.”

[iamjjmmma]

“Number All my Bones: There and Back and There Again” Part 2 Chapter 3

Beginning: https://bit.ly/2NtGPgu

Previous: https://bit.ly/2TgVv7N

Next: https://bit.ly/2H4w7fh

I heard her yell, but she kept it muffled. At first, she stared up at me, looking as if I was going to all but pound her into the Earth’s core, but she did the one thing that I most certainly would not do if I was in her position… she closed her eyes. Although she hadn’t gone unconscious… her legs were still jerking, her arms still struggling to pull mine off of her… her eyes were closed. I knew then that it was resignation, that it was something more than primal, something that was much, much more different than her firing that gun at my son until his hoodie started to smoke. But then I heard the others yell. Their voices overlapped against each other, some of the more voracious ones letting out a few expletives, but more than that, even more than that, I noticed there was one person who was silent. Silent even as Papyrus yanked me off of her, silent even as the last trickle of blood went down her nose before she pinched it. Asriel. It was Asriel, of all people, who hadn’t joined me. My breath stopped on its way out before Papyrus fled to her, put a hand to her nose to repair what must have been at least a deviated septum. In a few seconds, I heard her stop breathing from her mouth, and a part of me that was colossal back then wished that that meant she’d stopped breathing entirely. But she’d stood up. And blow me down if Papyrus wasn’t a mind-reader, because as soon as I thought that wish, he hoisted up Jessica and sat her down in the chair next to me. I tried taking at least one look at her, but she’d already turned herself away, hiding the majority of her face with a handkerchief. “We need to talk.” I was more than glad to. After all, Asgore had seemed happy to migrate to the other side of the kitchen, as if what I’d done had spread some sort of awful, toxic gas. But something inside of me fought off the cloud, if only for a second or two. I don’t know what started it, either. Maybe it was the sight of Jessica’s hair, all tattered and tousled like a broom’s bristles after being dragged through the snow one too many times. Maybe it was the sound I Papyrus made that I knew was utter disappointment when he sat down, somewhere between a sigh and a grunt. But whatever it was, something inside of me fought off the cloud. And the same thing that had fought off that cloud made me stare down at my hands and wonder for the second what the hel I was doing, what the hel I had done. “Papyrus, thank God you’re out. But you should’ve let me-” What was I saying? This was a human. But after a few seconds, it only took the sight of the gun still tucked into her dress to I didn’t let the flames of my lizard brain get out and transform themselves into words entirely, but I could still hear Jessica in the corner, taking one short heave as if she had something awful in her chest. “No. If I did, you would’ve hurt her even more than what you already did.” What you already did. The cloud came back in full force, and he must have seen me slump just a little in my seat. “You and I felt it, Papyrus.” “Felt what?” Now I’d done it. I’d steered myself directly where I didn’t want to go in the first place. For the second time, I’d have to explain myself, which just about made me so uncomfortable in my seat that I had to sit up to keep it off of my mind. “If this itch hadn’t been there, he’d still be alive.” I’d said it. I’d said it, and Jessica didn’t move, which in all sorts of ways was more startling than if she did move. Papyrus relinquished a slouch he’d been keeping to himself this entire time, and as he reared himself up to his full height, I realized I’d forgotten that he was, in fact, six foot two, his late brother only up to his shoulder the last time I saw him. He stood up, and it was as if my son gave me his shortness as a parting gift. I felt everything in me stop, rear up, yet everything inside of me also remind me that this was also my son. That despite it all, I was still a father. “Don’t call her that.” He sat down, and the shortness came to me even more. Before I knew it, I found myself slouching down to the point of my lower back starting to hurt, not wanting to come back up again. At least Jessica didn’t look to witness this type of humiliation. “Hurting her won’t bring him back, or anyone back. And she’s here to help.” I nodded. I knew this, knew all of this. If an Anti-Monster Department member showed up at my house without any sort of preamble, then I would be even more furious than I was. And perhaps Jessica wouldn’t  have lived as long as she did if she showed up to the door in her same, tiring, bureaucratic way. She showed up with her hand on her arm as if it was throbbing, looking straight towards the ground, crying, crying. I knew she was in the way that she shook, in the way that she sounded like she was laughing. If an Anti-Monster Department member showed up at our house crying, then they were here to at least tell me some news that would be remotely helpful before I could send them out again. Papyrus tucked his head over his shoulder, called out for Alphys. She didn’t come until a minute later, and I wasted my time a little, asking Jessica what happened with Sans and how before she tucked her own head inside her shoulder. Alphys sighed, tucked her lab coat off to the side. “Alright, guys,” she began. “So… about Betty. Let’s start with what we know about her. Then we can talk about trying to put a stop to her. We know the police won’t help us… Undyne especially knows… so we’ve gotta take this on ourselves.” Always Alphys. Always the scientific one. Always the ambitious one. If I wasn’t inundated with emotions, I probably would have taken her place, although who am I to say that? I can’t relive any of this, and I most certainly don’t want to relive any of this. “Gaster, can you go first?” “She’s an asshole.” Even Papyrus had to chuckle at that, and I felt the entire room swell in some sort of ripple that resembled what it was like before today. But too fast, too fast the ripple died down, and we all settled down into our own little clouds, into our own little thunderstorms. “Hehe...alright, w-we know that. I mean as far as facts?” “She has a pink SOUL, this much I know from research. As well as that pink SOUL representing fear.” After “fear”, I found that I couldn’t say anything more. “Th-that’s an excellent start.” After tugging on her lab coat once, she shuffled through a hodgepodge of papers, muttering to herself as she went through each one. So we talked, and we talked, and although I do contribute a few short sentences, I still felt as if I was drifting through a dream world I can’t quite discern as real yet. There were some things to me that echoed as real, such as the genuine wink Alphys gave Undyne when she used the word “pummel” to describe what we were going to do with Betty instead of “strategically eliminate.” But other things, things such as the blow of the furnace, the trail of dust that still lingered on my bookshelf, that weren’t real to me. That were too real to be real to me, if anyone can believe that. They’re too real to be tangible, and all of the things that made them palatable are null. They’re all null. Null. Null. Null! Now my thoughts started to combine the way they should. The Core… it had an emergency room that the university had built for “security purposes.” I had originally planned it to be equipped with a nullifier one could use in case of an overflow of the magic in the geothermal plant, but based on some of the monsters that came home weak from that building, I think the university had some more xenophobic plans with it. That thing could eliminate any sort of magic, used by any human or monster. If it could do that, could it even destroy them? “The nullifier room.” As if a rubber band had snapped, everyone stared at me. Jessica took a little while longer at first, but then her head finally raised from the crook of her arm. She stirred at something in her pocket, and I instinctively turned over to her in worry that the object in her pocket should be gun-shaped, but I couldn’t find anything amiss. “W-what do you mean?” “The nullifier room.” I explained everything about it, but also explained some of the confounding variables. Such as the need for the machine to warm up about a half an hour before it activated, the need for emergency transport… yes, yes, my thoughts were starting to come together. Everything was perfect. Everything was in place. I caught a glance of the telescope in his room, the door cracked open the slightest. No, it wasn’t. Everything wasn’t in place. But a few things fell into place. In an hour, we were all getting suited up, sounds of zippers and shifting plastic helmets hovering around my ears. Asgore was wishing the rest of us good luck, although resentment from a long, long time ago kept him from patting me on the back the way he did everyone else. Undyne was waving goodbye to us, having been told that Betty was unleashing some sort of plan against the cit, although no one knew quite what it was yet. The last thing we packed in the bags was two teleportation devices… one for Alphys and one for Jessica. Undyne would have packed the third one, but with a nod, she said that I was a “pretty capable monster for an egghead.” As I was strapping on my boots, one part of me wondering if I could still bring Papyrus with me while the other part knowing it would be foolish, and besides, he’d be better off without Jessica, she still came, speak of the devil. I barely heard the words come out. “I freed him, Gaster.” “What did you say?” “I freed him.” So she freed him. Hours and hours of research, more hours of frantically calling law enforcements, even some of the reasons why my son went to those cameras in the first place… none of those freed him. She did. When nothing else did, none of my scientific efforts did, she did. As we left the house, I was tall enough to knock her over, but I brushed myself to the side.