#my expectations were low because i could tell the way the ending was going aaaaaand they still surpassed them

[ossifer]

my nuanced & articulate opinion on arcane s2: 👎👎👎👎👎

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

can't stop thinking of this op danny/guardian spirit/young justice crossover that I can't write because I don't have the DC universe background knowledge for it so I'm gonna just dump the concept here

be prepared for a lot of rambling

so the JL consider Amity Park a Safe Zone in case of dire emergencies

but nobody is told why, only the top members of the Justice League know anything about the place, Robin probably breaks into Batsy's computer and finds something about some hero there named Phantom but he can't find any other info about him or the town other than that he's trustworthy

and maybe the Young Justice crew get fucked up and the JL are indisposed or being distracted or something and the safe houses are compromised so Robin has to be like 'alright team I know this One Place that's supposed to be like a last resort safe space' so they all end up in Amity Park, and their pursuers are right on their tail until they hit the edge of town and then some fucking force of nature comes down on the bad guys following them out of nowhere and fucks them up

they would just be like 'holy shit who is this guy how come we never heard of him??'

and Robin is like 'oh hey so you're Phantom? Batman said this was a safe place to go when we're in trouble'

and he's expecting Danny to know some shit or have a plan or a safehouse to take them to

but Danny's just all 'uhhh this place gets attacked by inter-dimensional monsters every other day why would he send you here for safety? also Batman knows who I am???'

Robin is just confused as all hell because apparently Batman has this town listed as the Ultimate Safehouse and its hero is listed as Trusted but he's never even spoken to the guy?

real sus

but Danny takes them in and finds some abandoned house for them to stay in, and promises that whoever is chasing them will not set foot in this town, like they might have to deal with some ghosts popping up but human threats are no problem

and they're in this empty house that's, okay well it isn't dilapidated or anything but it has no power or water or even security, Phantom just tells them he's got their backs while they recover and don't worry about it

but Robin wants answers so he's quizzing Danny on who he is and why Batman trusts him

but Danny's got no idea, he's surprised the JL even know who he is because nobody has ever come to see him, nobody has ever given him any indication that they even know he's here, which he was kinda peeved about because he had to tackle every ghost attack by himself

but the Justice League not only knew he was here but apparently volunteered him to look after them?

he's a little bit pissy about that, Robin cannot entirely blame him, Robin thinks this whole thing is weird, like there has to be a reason, the JL don't just ignore kids fighting crime on their own, they would have invited him into their team, offered him help and training, not left him to figure it all out alone

although the kid was pretty powerful, he took out a whole crew of bad guys in one breath, literally

true to Danny's word, nobody finds them, the guys who had been hunting them down and chasing them everywhere can't seem to track them here, either that or Phantom just keeps getting in their way when they try, they feel so safe here, safer than they've ever felt before

Megan picks up that there's something unusual about the place, it's like the town itself is telling them that they're safe here, the air is full of love and warmth and comfort, somebody here wants them to feel at ease, somebody here wants them to feel safe

Robin still thinks it's sus

he starts to wonder if Batman was coerced by this psychic force to mark the town as a safe space, but he's pretty sure Batman's too savvy for that, besides, Megan was certain that there was no coercion or ill intent plaguing their minds, it's just a general atmosphere of safety

and she's pretty sure it's coming from Phantom

they witness a ghost fight or two and are amazed that the JL have been ignoring these pretty significant threats and just let some kid handle it alone, sure he has the same powerset as the enemies plus some, but he's still a kid and he's alone

none of them would ever have been allowed this much freedom or this little assistance

super super sus

after the JL finally get out of whatever issue they've been stuck with, they come pick up the kids and Danny is there like 'oh hey I think I need an explanation because what the fuck guys'

and Batman in all his blunt glory just tells him 'we were advised not to interfere unless absolutely necessary'

Danny obviously Does Not Like this answer and wants to know who this guy is that's ordering Batman around, then low and behold, Constantine shows up, immediately balling out Batman because 'why the fuck are you in Amity Park rn I made it VERY CLEAR that this place is a delicate fucking ecosystem if Superman gets god damn overshadowed we are all gonna have problems'

aaaaaand suddenly it all makes sense

Danny realises that any hero who's powerful enough to take on a ghost literally cannot risk that power in the hands of creatures that can just take over their bodies at any time, especially when this is a standard ability in all of Danny's enemies

but he's still shitty because like 'y'all could still have called me or something it would be nice to know I wasn't totally alone out here ya know'

and Constantine is all 'kiddo I literally had the god of time show up in my bedroom at 3am to tell me to make sure none of these fucks tried to adopt you as a side kick, one of them has a track record with this kinda thing it's a legit problem, I couldn't give these fuckers an inch, this town was off limits. so WHY ARE YOU ALL HERE RN'

aaaand Batman has to explain them a thing, basically Phantom is considered so fucking OP and has such an omniscient connection to the town itself that it makes for the perfect hiding place and defence for anyone in dire straights, and it really is only supposed to be a last resort, the side kicks had absolutely nowhere else to go with all of their safe houses compromised

aaaand that's how Danny learns that he is kind of more powerful than most of the god damn Justice League

hope you enjoyed this because I am never gonna be able to actually write it, have a nice day ✨

[onetruejonsey]

Decade In Review, by Samuel Richard Sinbad Gandalf Jones

So as the ‘Teens’ come to a close (I’m writing this with 3 hours left on the clock!), Gabby has insisted that I copy her, and do a highlight reel of my last decade. Now I’m not on YouTube yet, so this’ll be more of a REALLY REALLY long post, but go ahead and read it, then read Gabby’s on her page (@mist-over-water), and see just how boring I really am!

2010-

Well this year was boring as hell, clearly. I CAN’T REMEMBER MOST OF IT. But I was part way through my first year of A-Levels, and boy oh boy, was I failing them, I’d gone from being a straight A student to screwing everything up! Didn’t stop procrastinating though…..

2011-

Okay, now things get a little interesting, I got my first big job working at a really pleasant and mature restaurant….AHAHA just kidding I got a job at my local McDonald’s! It took me three attempts to get in there, not because I sucked, but timing sucked, I think the universe eventually saw me and just said ‘Oh fuck it, have the job’. But I wanted to earn some money to take me to university, and this seemed like a good idea at the time! And my first paycheck was spent on a brand new guitar! So I was a happy Sam!

I finished my A-Levels, and when I got my results, I was crushed, not at the results, they were pretty good. All my university choices rejected me, and all my friends made it. It was my own fault to be honest, but I’ll never forget just how low that made me feel. I was pretty angsty back then, so this just added to my pile!

I decided it was best to stay at work, go full time, get waaaaay more money, and try again next year. This proved to be a good decision, as it led to me being invited to my first ever work party, I got drunk, and there was karaoke, and I gave my best rendition of Basket Case by Green Day, and to this day, there are still whispers of my singing prowess. Even though I’m a bit shit.

2012-

I started 2012 with a pinch of determination, and it paid off. I re-applied for university, and all my choices accepted me, so now it was down to me to make my final decision. I’d had my eye on one in particular, so off me and Mum go to Northampton, 2 and half hours later, and the sat-nav took us to a primary school (I’ll never forget the shopkeeper on the same road-‘Looking for the uni? You’re the 4th person today!’). I fell in love with the whole place, and as soon as I got in the car I looked at Mum and said that I had to be there. I accepted the offer within a minute of being home.

Now from the good to the bad. Something happened to me this year that still sticks with me, and to many, this may seem stupid. But my dog died. Sounds stupid right? Jazz was the best dog I have ever known; loyal, unwavering, had the gift of the gab, and never left us alone. I was convinced she was actually a human reincarnated, she looked after Mum when she was ill, she looked after me when I was miserable, and she loved Dad. What made it more heartbreaking was that she never let us know that she was ill, no, that she was dying. When we got her to the vet, they originally thought it was a little infection, nothing major. The next day we had to rush her in as an emergency, and they found a tumour in her stomach the size of a baby’s head. How we never knew about it I’ll never know, but they operated, and got her all cleared up, and yet it wasn’t enough, she died within the hour, and I buried one of my best friends. This led to a vacuum in our house, we’ve always had dogs and the house felt so wrong without one, so Mum and Dad decided, one day without telling me, to go and get our current doggo Indiana. AND TALK ABOUT GOING FROM ONE EXTREME TO THE OTHER. If Jazz was the best dog ever, Indy is definitely the worst. But we love him, still today as a grumpy old man.

2012 saw me do something that I honestly never thought possible, and dead serious moment here: I genuinely never saw this coming for me, and was convinced that I was not the guy who would be in this situation. But I got a girlfriend, and it was my first relationship. Not ‘first major relationship’, like people who would bounce from quick fling to the next, but my first relationship. To me, a relationship is no small matter, you date me, I’m in it for the long term. Sam ain’t no quick and easy thing! Oh god why am I still such a dork. Anyway, so, yeah, my first relationship, and dear god was I clueless about what to do! And oh shit, I was leaving for uni in September, so would this work long distance? Am I boyfriend material? Will her parents like me? Will my parents like her?....ah fuck it, I WAS 19 AND IN LOVE. I DIDN’T GIVE A SHIT. And whilst we spent some of it long distance, we made it work.

2013-

Now that bit where I was really excited for university and all I’d learn in my 3 years there? Yeah I left after the first year. Cool. My finances were screwed over and I didn’t get my money, so I couldn’t go back, but I guess it was meant to happen for a reason.

Leaving university meant I could focus more on working back home at McDonald’s, so I tried for a promotion, got it, and lost it the day after because of bullshit. But I still carried on, because money’s nice right? I could buy nice things with it, like more stuff for my guitar collection! And many presents! But my my, I think I was getting into a world of pain staying there!

But while we’re on the subject of work and stuff, I got punched in the face by a shitty customer. And it broke my cheekbone. Which I didn’t find out about until a week later when I practically passed out and my girlfriend at the time rushed me to hospital! Since that’s happened I’ve always had a little problem with headaches, lately it’s been really good, to the point I’ve spent pretty much all of 2019, with no headache at all!

Still, finish a topic on a good note, I had my first ever trip to London, it was just me and my girlfriend, and we visited a bakery show. But London itself wowed me, and I fell in love with it, and I always knew I would be back there, just….not how I imagined.

2014-

Starting off, I went back to London! My girlfriend bought me tickets for me and my best friend to go and see Halestorm. MY FIRST CONCERT. And it was epic, I’d ben obsessed with Halestorm for some time already by this stage, so to see them live was a pivotal moment for me. The opening acts were shit, but my god, as soon as Lzzy belted out Love Bites…..oh, ohhh, OHHHHHH my god. The night itself was hectic enough, my friend and I didn’t think to book a hotel. Soooooo we had to run like fuck to make it back to the train, lest we be trapped in London for a whole night!

One big change in this year was my girlfriend and I moving into our own place, granted it was a static caravan, but it was ours, decorated, a bit cold, but it was home. Now, here’s a weird bit, I was home alone one night, and was just getting into bed, when I heard someone at the door. I thought it was my girlfriend home from work, but she was on a night? So, what’s the deal here? Oh wait that’s right, it was Gabby, drunkenly mistaking my caravan for hers! I heard muttering as she left, probably something along the lines of ‘Shit, not my caravan’. But if fate was starting the wheels turning, god she made it a slow fucking burn!

It took me a lot of years to pull this off, but I had my first ever holiday abroad! Rhodes, one of the Greek isles! I recall getting drunk a lot, really good food, and severe heat! But it was my first holiday in forever, and I went away with my girlfriend, her mum and her friend.

Aaaaaand then everything fell apart. I never expected myself to be in a relationship, but once I had one, I didn’t see it ending the way it did. And I’m not airing any dirty laundry, I wasn’t and am still not perfect, but I’m not bitter or twisted about it anymore, it just sucked at the time.  I was cheated on, and to anyone who’s had it happen to them knows that it does a lot of damage, it can take a lot of time to recover, and I was lucky to have the friends I had to help me.

The latter half of 2014 saw me drop into a real dark place, I contemplated suicide, and one day I considered it, staring at a packet of tablets for about 6 hours. It took my best friend randomly appearing at my house, practically kidnapping me and taking me to see Guardians of the Galaxy to snap me out of it! But both him and that movie saved my life, so I’m forever grateful to the pair of them. Also I started drinking heavily, at an unhealthy level but, like John Mulaney said, we don’t have time to unpack all of that!

2015-

Back to having a bit of a dull year, but only a bit. I knuckled down and got on with work, and proved myself time and time again. I remade myself, sorted my drinking out, and did a lot to make myself better, or at the very least, less of a fuckup.

I also managed to cram in three more concerts this year, saw Halestorm again with my best friend and another friend, and we loved one of the supporting acts, Nothing More. AND I GOT TO MEET THE SINGER AND HE WAS THE NICEST ERMAHGERD AND I STILL HAVE THE TICKET WHICH HE SIGNED. Then it was Theory of a Deadman later in the year, and they were phenomenal. But by far, the cherry on the cake was seeing Nothing More again, as a VIP! I got to meet the whole band, watch them from close up, got a crapload of merch, and just have the best damn concert experience I could ever have!

2016-

I started this year a little bit worse for wear, I was a little downbeat about things, and was a little bit lost with my choices in life. So I got a cat. Meg the Merciless. And she is a total bitch, mostly disobedient, attacker of unwatched feet. But she is one hell of a companion, and she loves me and Gabby, we can always rely on her to show us a little love and affection when we need it. But as long as it’s on her terms.

Only one concert this year, but it was a biggie: Sum 41 in London, with the same two friends I go to concerts with, aaaaaand we were bruised and injured from surrounding mosh pits, I think Jacob got a cracked rib for his troubles, and I got a smack in the head, so fun times all round!

I tried again for a promotion at work, and made progress! So that was good, my life’s going forwards, what else could happen to make this year more awesome?

OH THAT’S RIGHT I MET GABBY. Yep, thank you Plenty of Fish for giving the option to exercise my social awkwardness from a screen, because that makes me feel so much better! Anyway, yeah Gabby and I started talking on there, I seem to recall the conversation starting off about surviving a zombie apocalypse? Darling, please correct me if I’m wrong! But we started off strong, and carried on strong from there, I was able to open up to her, which made me feel amazing, confident about being in a relationship again, and then we finally met. And our first date was amazing, it may have been a simple idea, drinks, dinner, walking, trying to be a gentleman and not look at Gabby’s butt. Being told by Gabby to look at her butt, giving said butt 2 thumbs up. The usual stuff you know? But the thing that marvelled me most? Her honesty. Gabby hasn’t had the best life, and she has told me so much that any one thing might break some people, and yet Gabby has endured it all, and she is still one of the kindest people I have ever known. She was worried that I might’ve been scared off with what she wanted me know, but it made me love her more, because she trusts me to the point that she’ll tell me all of this. I visited the zoo in October with her, had an amazing first Christmas with her, met her nieces, who are all adorable, met her friends, had a blast, and had a somewhat awkward time introducing Gabby to my parents!

2017-

After nearly 6 months, Gabby was offered the chance to move in with me and my parents, because her home life was…pretty terrible. After suffering psychological abuse for 7 years at the hands of a total scumbag (side note, I find it really hard to hate people, but if this guy died? Fine.) and going away with me to London for a few days, she made the choice to move in. And I think she’s finally realising how terrible a choice that was, because this house is a total nutfest, and she is now a part of it AND CAN NEVER ESCAPE. But she’s embraced it, and has become a better person with her new environment!

Sticking to the topic of Gabby, she landed a job working with me at McDonald’s. And we became one of the greatest working couples in the whole world, people loved us there. Well, most people. I loved working with her, but the managers were becoming total dicks at the time, and Gabby was being discriminated for her mental health, which pissed me off. And thanks to my shitty advice, she quit in November. So go me!

I realise that so far, my 2017 has been largely about Gabby, AND THAT ISN’T STOPPING ANYTIME SOON! I made a post before about this, but Gabby took me to LFCC, my first ever convention. We went to London again, had a ball, met Glenn from Walking Dead, and Crowley from Supernatural! Later in the year we would also go back to London for MCM Comic-Con, which was more spectacle, but I preferred LFCC more, there were more famous people, and I’m a sucker for meeting the famous!

I saw Sum 41 again with my best friend, and we learned our lesson from the last concert, so we got seats up top, and watched from relative safety, and thank god for that because my hearing went to crap after that night! Gabby bought me tickets to go and see Nothing More again as well, and to show her my world a little more, I took her with me! God they know how to put on a show!

The year ended on the shitty side, and I was a pretty shitty boyfriend with this. But Gabby’s nan fell ill, and it wasn’t looking good, and when Gabby needed me after going to be with her mum at the end of the year, I wasn’t there. So I will be spending the rest of my life trying to make up for it. Sorry sweetheart.

2018-

A shit start to be honest. Gabby’s nan died, and it was a stressful time all round, Gabby and I had a massive argument, and I nearly drove her to self harm. Way to go Sam, you prick. I was convinced that after that, we would be over. Why would Gabby want to be with someone who drives her mental health into the dirt? So naturally I was surprised when she told me she still loved me, and still wanted to be with me, and when she moved back, and got a new job, I saw this as a chance to get things going back in the right direction, for the sake of us, and to show Gabby that I will always love her.

NOW FOR A BIG DRAMATIC CHANGE IN SAM’S LIFE. I quit McDonald’s. And looking back at it, thank fuck I did. I was gunning for another promotion, and I got so close to becoming a manager, only for it to be taken away. Yet another opportunity snatched by arseholes. So that was it, fuck ‘em. I quit, and thanks to Gabby finding it, I got a new job working in the same company as my dad, and I can safely say I have not regretted that decision. I love my new job to pieces!

Now, back to Gabby. AND YET ANOTHER DRAMATIC CHANGE IN SAM’S LIFE. In August, on Gabby’s birthday, I wanted to take her to the zoo, with her mum and nieces in tow. And that was the day I lost my girlfriend. AND GAINED A FIANCEÉ SEE WHAT I DID THERE TUMBLR? SUBVERT YOUR EXPECTATIONS OH YEAH. I proposed, and she said yes! I’m going to be a husband! I’m grateful for everything Gabby does, she teaches me so much, and sometimes doesn’t realise it, so to hear her say yes has to be the greatest thing she has done for me so far, because it shows that she wants to spend the rest of her life with an overweight, greying, eccentric, potty mouthed nerd.

I started learning to drive this year, because goddamn it, if I’m going to get somewhere with my life, I needed to drive, I needed a car. So I found a driving school, and got to work. Now it took me going to a different driving school to find out that my first instructor was just trying to bleed me for money, but I enjoyed the driving all the same. But when I had to find a new driving school, I saw that as an opportunity to procrastinate my arse off again. Well done Sam, well done. You prat.

2019-

I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST. After getting in with a new driving school, I got on really quickly, and passed first time, and in May, after Gabby passed her test as well, we got our first car. Moss, the (nearly) 18 year old Nissan Micra. He’s old, a bit clunky, but he’s an amazing car, and I couldn’t picture a better car for us to start with. Mainly because he’s small and really easy to park.

After getting my butt into gear, and sorting out some crap on my end, Gabby and I really got into planning our wedding, we set the date, and from there, we decided on venues, transport, Gabby chose a dress, everything was coming together in the planning phase. However, we didn’t anticipate that we would have already booked over ¾ of the wedding before the end of this year! Seriously, our wedding is in 2021, and we are practically done. WE BOOKED OUR HONEYMOON A FEW DAYS AGO FOR GOD’S SAKE. So yeah, 2020 may be a little less exciting!

Now for a little bit of a shitty part of 2019. I found out a friend of mine died, and that left me feeling down as hell. Of all the people, I never imagined my friend Jay would be one to go so soon. He was a massive character, big heart, and a bigger laugh to match. To hear him pass was frigging heartbreaking, and I don’t think I’ll stop visiting him anytime soon.

 Do I know what the next decade holds for me? Not a clue, but I’m glad I’m not alone for it, with Gabby at my side, and our wedding not that far away, I’m ready to make her the happiest woman alive, to start the family that we both want (I mean, apparently we’ll have twins when we have kids, so that’s going to be fun!), to live the lives that we want to spend together. To spend time with friends, new, old, and really old. But most importantly, to have her for all of it.

[windmaedchen-kidfox]

A Bad Day

It was a very bad day for Detective Fox. Friday dragging on, stormy weather outside, the procedural mess of this case, a headache and general low mood had taken over her. She had no patience that day and considered all her colleagues a little too annoying for any interaction. And of course, it got worse.

To focus on this old case file better, Fox wanted to move to an empty meeting room for the afternoon. Her colleague Detective Fulbright was in the kitchen for lunch, so Fox decided to walk past there to let him know she was to be found at a new location. Upon entering, her colleague greeted her cheerfully.

"Speak of the devil, Kid! I have your lunch box. It's a favourite of yours today!" With a big, warm smile he held out the box towards her.

Fox took a second to eye the lunch box, then the man himself. Her colleague is one of the warmest and most upright people she had met but his boundless friendliness was occasionally too much for her.  He wasn't invasive in his caring manner and kept a polite distance but Fox simply didn't know how to respond properly sometimes. Being shown every day how insufficient ones social skills are was embarrassing at best and a bit more than annoying at such bad days as today. He did not mean to do this, of course, but before Fox could straighten out her thoughts she lashed out at him.

"Argh, will you quit being such an annoyingly over-bearing mule all the time. I have no time nor did I ever care for your blasted lunch bo-- "

She had pushed the lunch box back into Fulbright's hands, however, as his grip had loosened in preparation to hand the box over and his mind being busy  processing Fox's sudden harsh words, the box dropped out of his hands and between his feet, spilling the content partially onto the floor. In a moment of surprise both detectives stepped away from the mess. Then Fox's eyes darted across to the other people in the kitchen and she took a sharp breath. Anger and embarrassment flushed her cheeks and she felt desperation coming up. This was all a big mistake but how to save the situation? While rising both hands towards her temples in an attempt to shield off reality she tried to find the right words.

"I didn't -- t'was not -- just, don't. Don't do that!"

Unable to figure out a peaceful solution on the spot, Fox chose to flight. She turned on her heel and hurried out of the icy room knowing that all eyes are on her back before disappearing in a dark, empty meeting room no less than two floors up.

She sat sulking for a moment. Usually she would just brush such moments off, she was well aware of her shortcomings and did not bother much about her reputation of being rude. Doing the right thing was what mattered. With time she was always able to explain her motives and thus allow people to better see past it but she hasn't been with the LAPD long yet. Fox figured that this latest event should add an additional 2 months to her estimated warm-up time with her new colleagues.

That this happened with Fulbright, though, stung more than she wanted it to. She acknowledged the fear that her inconsiderate moments pushed him away, but also regarded it the better option if that was to happen. No personal distraction, no drama. Just her job and fulfilment of her mental needs. Still. She moaned in frustration. She wouldn't be able to focus now remembering that hurtful expression on his face. She took out her phone and typed a short message. Not that she was ever confident with her choice of words in such personal matters but the time being able to compose a message was invaluable to her.

"I wish I could explain. For now, I can only apologise. Sincerely. I am sorry."

And straight after that a second message.

"Text me if I am needed. Please."

Putting the phone aside, Fox started to shuffle her documents around and prepared to go over this case again. However, she sat quietly until the short vibration alarm of her phone went off.

"It's okay. I was able to save most of your lunch. It's in the fridge, if you still want it. And then let's get our work done first! Justice won't just itself! :D"

That was a good enough answer for now. Fox appreciated Fulbright's own work-ethic. He cared a lot for people's personal well-being, without a question, but unless it's an immediate emergency to one's health, he prefers to suggest, and sought so himself, distraction by work first. Take a breath, get this done and afterwards we'll have a tea and talk. That's what it was like. A little more at ease, Fox replied to his message.

"Yes. Thanks."

She felt able to focus now and started with her work. Clearing things up later was a comforting option. By the time she was done, it was past her usual hours to get off work. Most of the detectives would be gone by now, except those on their late shifts. Fox felt her belly rumbling. Of course, she didn't have lunch. She packed everything together and headed back down to the third floor. No one was around in the hallway and the two offices in the wing were silent. Carefully she stepped inside the kitchen and took out the lunch box Fulbright had prepared for her. It was an avocado pasta salad a la Fulbright with rocket and sun-dried tomatoes. Delicious, even if half of it had ended up on the floor. Once she was done, Fox cleaned the box and took with her to put on her colleague's desk.

When Fox peeked into the office, she noticed that Fulbright had gone home already. Ema, however, was still around. As she was sitting at her desk facing the door she noticed Fox sneaking in and called out to her.

"Kid. Where have you been?"

"Upstairs." Kid kept moving towards her desk. Ema stood up and followed her.

"That was very bad, you know. You should have seen his face. He was crying us one of his many rivers!"

"Hm. I can imagine."

"You can imagine? What, is that all you have to say? Did you at least apologise or anything? What was that for anyway?"

"It's okay. I send a message. ... Ema... I don't want to ... discuss that right now. I'm tired."

"You're my best friend and I know you don't mean your rudeness on a personal level... aaaaaand I know that Bobby is prooooobably way over the top for you but... he just really likes you. I think you should grab a coffee with him or so and explain yourself. It's great I-N-J-U-S-T-I-C-E to keep him in the slow-lane like that."

Fox's expression was tormented.

"If I must, I shall. Soon."

Ema approached and gently patted her shoulder, before resting her hand on Fox's arm.

"I know you don't like it so much when I point this out to you... and I will leave you be afterwards, I promise... but... I don't need my microscope to see that you actually like him also. Make that coffee date sooner rather than later. And let him teach you a bit of those despised weak emotions... it will do you good."

Ema gave Fox another reassuring stroke over her arm before she turned to leave.

Fox sighed and took a seat at her desk, attempting to grab her belongings when her phone suddenly vibrates, alerting her to a text message.

"Did you try your lunch?"

Fox gently strokes the sides of her phone with a wistful expression. He continued on text as if nothing happened.

"Just now. It really was... very good."

"Excellent! It's one of my own favourites, too, because it's so easy to make. I'll make sure to bring one in next week, also. I am glad you enjoyed it after all."

"I really did not mean that, earlier. It was, probably, the worst day I had so far in LA. I wish I could find an appropriate way to apologise."

"I already said it was okay. I know I am a little loud but if I can bring a smile to someone's lips, or good food into some one’s belly ;) , it was all worth it."

"Don't put the blame on yourself. You are a little annoying at times, true, but today it was my failure to correspond appropriately and nothing else."

"Correspond appropriately? What a scientific way to approach kind gestures. A smile and thank you usually do the trick. ^^"

"I am well aware. Knowing and applying however, are two different things. I know more about crime and deduction than I do about social interaction and I can apply even less of that little that I do know about it. It is so complicated to explain, but do you know how hard it is for me to even just smile at you?"

"But you have smiled at me plenty of times before. And at Ema and Dick. You smile a lot! What is wrong with that in your eyes?"

"It conveys emotion. I can do these things on a very objective, tactical level. Most of the time I just blandly apply common social norms without much sincerity for the sake of agreeableness."

"Of course it conveys emotions! Don't you think those are essential to life and one's personal well-being? Smiles tell people around you that you love and care for them, isn't that a rather beautiful thing to exist?"

"I wish I had such a conviction as you have. But I would lie if I said I... never intent to convey emotion. Ema, Dick, you... I have shown my emotions for you in my own ways and I am sure a smile was among them. It's just that... those are... rare and special occurrances. And it's never easy for me to do."

"Hm. I am not sure I fully comprehend what you are trying to say. So when you said those things this morning... what happen inside of you then?"

"That was very specific to you, Robert. I could not take your kindness any more. The day was horrible to begin with and my patience and ability to absorb and process social interaction of any kind was very very low indeed. I suddenly felt under a lot of pressure, with high expectations for my response, especially in public and I reacted in the worst way possible. Aggression, attack and subsequent flight."

"I merely offered you lunch. And it caused all that?"

"Yes. And it's not your fault. As said, it was a bad day, my temper foul and frustration high. I should have behaved better and I am sorry I failed to do so. I will certainly remember this. I don't intent to repeat my mistakes unnecessarily again and again."

"So you actually care for my lunch boxes?"

Fox moaned silently. Here he did it again. Trying to coax emotion out of her, admittance to the soft side she had. Naturally he just looked for reassurance of her, at the very least, affection as colleague for him but even so, it made Fox feel anxious.

"Yes. I do. I don't think it's fair to be treated like this for no reason in front of everyone else and it does cause me to feel uneasy at times... but... I really like your food."

"Not having a healthy and varied nutrition intake is an injustice to your body that I cannot just ignore And I treat everyone with leftovers from my Sunday baking! There is also, of course, the fact that I simply like you."

Fox swallowed slowly, hanging onto those last words of his. She could feel a tinge of tightness around her lungs and she took cautious breaths. How about  she followed the advice she got from him?

"Thank you."

"My pleasure! I look forward to seeing you on Monday! And I make sure to bring my best pastries yet. :D "

Before Fox can type a reply another message comes through.

"And, if I am causing you to feel uncomfortable, maybe you can quietly let me know about it? That is, after all, the last of my intentions. All right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you, too, then. I hope you enjoy a peaceful evening and a good weekend, Kid."

"Same to you. Thanks and Good Night."

"Good Night! Haha :D "

People were different on their text messages than in real life... but whether Fulbright had truly understood or not... she was sure that the heavy curtain of doubt and rejection was lifted. There would be more opportunities to explain and get to know each other. But for now, it seemed, despite this incident, both parties have shown their desire for further contact. And it made her relieved and happy. The same way, she dared to imagine, he must feel like.

Finally grabbing her belongings and heading towards the office door, Fox vowed to not say anything but thank you in terms of his lunch boxes. She would have to repay that gesture somehow, though. Paying for his lunches occasionally when given the chance was a good start. Maybe she could take a little work of his shoulders, also, to return the favour?

As she came past Ema's desk their eyes met. Fox could not help to smile faintly but genuinely at her best friend. Ema instantly gave her a thumbs up. That made Fox just blush more and leave the office even faster. This bad day ended not quite as bad as it could have after all.

[coeurspire]

▲ + Jellal ( lmao not too harsh VHGDFAKS ), ▲ + Chelia, ▲ + Mermaid Heel, ▲ + Alvarez aaaaaand 3 x ▲ of ur choice!!!

a guided tour through the salt mines! / meme.

jellal.  truly unpopular opinion, probably, but he was most interesting to me when he was a villain because at the time, the writing for him was probably best. since, he has been involved in a lot of things that made me actively groan  ( the deux ex jellal moment during tenrou, his involvement with ft in the gmg arc, the way his eyes healed perfectly after he severely injured them ).  he cannot be blamed for bad writing, obviously, but it kind of made me dislike him as a character despite me having liked him previously.

chelia.  there is no way for me not to be harsh here. i do not like this character. i do not like how she essentially replaced sherry in the story. i consider her to too similar to sherry, especially when she was first introduced and there were far too many traits that were extremely similar to her cousin. in a way, chelia is sherry 2.0 with a stronger type of magic and ‘cute’ clumsiness. aside from this, there is very little she does / very few traits she possesses that sherry does not have as well, making her a rather uninteresting character for me. it also does not help that she is involved in one of the most idiotic fights in the entire gmg arc — and given how much pointlessness happens in that arc, this is definitely telling. i obviously talk about her fight alongside lyon against juvia and gray; chelia is canonly weak against water so why the actual hell didn’t juvia, an s-class mage in phantom lord, take advantage of this weakness????? in short, a lot of chelia’s involvement in the story feels nonsensical to me. ( also, people who post chelia content into sherry’s tag. why do you do that. )

mermaid heel.  alongside lamia and saber, this guild is actually one i’d actually love to learn more about? we know very little about them as it is, i believe, the only guild that participated in the final round of the gmg that did  not  have their guild master shown? in fact, i kinda think that compared to other guilds, they were treated especially unfair by the narrative — considering that millianna was essentially demoted to a comic relief character / plot device to further underline that minerva is a bad guy who’d stop at nothing when she could have had a much more meaningful impact on the story? i also do not like the way kagura’s  very justified  resentment towards jellal and erza both was handled; it should have been fleshed out much more before the degree of forgiveness that was later shown in the manga would have felt realistic.

alvarez.  i did not read the arc. i do not care about the arc so all that i know, i know because it was on the dash. it probably could have been a good arc, the same way a lot of arcs could have been good, but given that the last decent arc was tenrou, my expectations were low from the beginning. however, then the typical problems with the later ft arcs came into play: powerful characters once more became suddenly weak / performed considerably below their abilities, and it never seemed like the stakes were actually appropriately high as the ‘good side’ was protected from death to the point where it has become ridiculous. i think no one wants their favourites to die, but writing a war arc and having absolutely no fan favourite die seems cheap me. yes, there was the moment when juvia seemingly died, but i remember the dash that day: no one really thought she would actually stay dead. if anything, people hoped she might because it would finally make it feel like the risks were real.

fanon.  i think most people can agree that fanon is a horrible, horrible thing. especially when it exaggerates a character’s traits to the point where all other aspects of their character seemingly cease to exist. i also do not like it when some headcanons suddenly gain the kind of popularity where people who do not agree with them are accused of not understanding the character. after all, a lot of things are really open to interpretation and unless the creator says something, all headcanons that are in line with the source material are … equally valid?

minor character blogs.  so, this is something i’ve witnessed a lot during my five year stay in this fandom. once in a while, there are people asking “ why are there no blogs for [insert minor character here]??? :( ” and as someone who has written pretty much exclusively minor characters, i can tell you what my experience with writing minor characters is: it can be very difficult to keep the blog going once the initial excitement that someone is writing the minor character dies down. and it is also my experience that a blog that struggles to generate interactions is a blog people start to consider draining. their joy to write the character is the next thing to die and before long, the blog ends up abandoned or deactivated. this is in no way meant to make anyone feel bad and i can understand that not all characters mesh well, but i think that a lot of people cannot really understand how much dedication it takes to write a minor character.

m.ashima.  so, i am not sure if anyone but me remembers it, but there a time when people who  dared  to post their disagreements with the way the manga was going were met with accusations that they were ungrateful, that we had been given the manga and that we should not complain because without the author, the manga would not exist. and sure, that is true. however, it is important to read critically and there is absolutely nothing wrong with pointing out narrative choices made no sense or were problematic  ( stone age omake, all instances of natsu groping lucy / violating her boundaries, juvia doing the same to gray, etc. ).  and in my opinion, as long as this rightful critcism is tagged properly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. the manga is, in many ways, a decent outline  ( or was, up to the tenrou arc ),  but it was never all that it could have been if all storylines had been developed properly instead of being twisted by the way the narrative eventually catered to the fans.

[emeraldembers]

Thor: Ragnarok, my spoilery, delighted review

I have written and re-written and re-re-written so many drafts of this review that my hands are sore and, finally, I have come to realise that I'm never going to be entirely satisfied with my own words so I might as well have fun winging them.

Thor: Ragnarok is one of the cleverest films I've ever seen. The nightmare with writing a review of it has been trying to describe that cleverness in a succinct way when it covers such a broad range.

It's a movie that supports refugees, immigrants, exploited prisoners, and so many other disenfranchised people. It's a movie that asks of rich (and white) leaders, where did your wealth come from and how can you ever claim the moral high ground with that in mind? It's a movie that gives value to a black man's insight into head of state sanctioned brutality, and lets him fight back against it with violence. It comes as close as it can to directly saying, "Fuck neo-colonialism, the capitalist system is broken, burn it down."

And it isn't preachy about it. It's a combination of obvious narrative choices and so many moments of fridge brilliance that I'm still reeling.

I had pretty low expectations when the movie title was announced alongside Civil War and whatnot, thinking "Ugh, here comes the Darker and Grittier universe", and this wasn't really helped by Thor: The Dark World being pretty dang dour despite a fun and talented cast. That 80s aesthetic logo gave me a niggling hope though that maybe, just maybe, we'd get something fun and Flash Gordon-ish. Then the trailer came out and I thought, aww yiss, this looks like it's actually going to be fun. Plus, if nothing else, I'd get some more Thor and Loki feels out of it.

Hoooooo boy were my expectations blown out of the water, off the planet, past the outer reaches of the known universe.

The subtle ways Thor and Loki learned from each other and their understanding of each other killed me. The way their banter and fighting evolved into them looking so damned proud of each other by the end.

Thor learning to channel his anger into something useful; learning to recognise deception; learning to use deception for his own ends when needed. Loki learning to be brave and reckless. Loki starting to realise that mischief is an addiction for him, one where he's pushed people away so he can support it, and Thor telling him he could be so much more than just a mischief maker, to his face.

And there's just so, so many other details I loved.

Odin being shown as someone who, in his own flawed way, loved and was loved by his sons, but wasn't a good person. Hela, Loki, Thor, and Odin himself all make mention of Odin's faults, and he isn't redeemed by the story. He's a person who has carried out and encouraged atrocities and tried to cover them up, and the film never shies away from that.

Valkyrie *_*. The way she could just hand anyone's ass to them. Her practical day to day armour getting swapped out for even less form revealing armour for battle. Thor and Loki both having little fanboy moments of "Oh my god a Valkyrie oh my god".

Korg.

Jeff Goldblum having the most fun I've seen an actor have on screen since Michael Sheen in Tron: Legacy, and having just the right amount of screen time, enough that I craved more of his character but didn't feel deprived of him. Aaaaaand the flirty eyes with Loki didn't hurt either.

Cate Blanchett having the most fun I've seen an actress have on screen since Famke Janssen in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Oozing malice and chewing scenery and just having an absolute whale of a time.

To steal inspiration from @gretchensinister's review for a bit; more scenes that deserve immortalising on the side of a van than you can shake a stick at (and that weren't all spoiled in some way by the trailer, omg).

Heimdall being badass and fricking gorgeous as always, calmly owning the screen any time he's on it because Idris has screen presence Like Woah.

Thor's story about him and Loki as children. I laughed a lot during the movie, but that was one of the two scenes where I straight up shrieked laughing.

The Hulk/Bruce and Natasha storyline doing something more touching in the space of a minute and a half's content than the entirety of Age of Ultron managed.

There is just scene after scene of brilliance, and it is so much fun. The only minor quibbles I had were a few confusing moments in fight scenes where I couldn't follow the action fully, some pacing issues, and wondering where Sif was. Also, Doctor Strange, but at least he was only in it for a sneeze's worth of time, and it let Loki have one of the most quotable lines of the movie.

I can't recommend it highly enough. I had so much fun from start to finish and the more I think about it, the deeper in love I fall.

To wrap things up, I'd like to thank any of you who made it through this wall of text, and every single cast and crew member responsible for the delight that film brought me.

Especially whoever was responsible for those two. Damned. Lines.

"I'm here."

[journeysintowebcomics]

Worm Liveblog #47

UPDATE 47: Tinker

Last time Clockblocker and the rest were breaking down under the weight of the situation in Brockton Bay and under their own personal problems. It was all interrupted when news about three rather gruesome crime scenes appeared, and they found corpses I’ll refrain from describing out of a ‘Read More’. So let’s continue!

Clockblocker, Flechette and Weld had their chapters, now it’s Kid Win’s turn. He opens it with some self-deprecation.

I’m a tinker. I’m supposed to be smart.

I don’t think being a tinker automatically means you’re smart. What do people say in times like these...high stats in intelligence, low stats in wisdom? Besides, it’s not like what Kid Win realized is something most people would realize at once: Ballistic and Sundancer are holding back. Even though right now they’re pelting Vista with concrete and making everyone almost burn, they’re holding back. Kid Win knows those two have the potential to be even more dangerous.

I wonder, though, does this mean Trickster and Genesis are holding back too? Trickster...well, he can’t hold back, his power doesn’t get stronger or weaker. Genesis, though, maybe she is holding back.

The revelation didn’t make him feel any better.  In fact, it was just the opposite.  If these guys got desperate or panicked, they might stop being so polite about it.

Their goal here is to get away, which is something the Wards won’t allow. Villains are villains, after all. As I see it, either one side wins, or this escalates. Everyone is lucky the corpses haven’t been burned to cinders or crushed under rubble.

Trickster and Genesis are not doing great, they’re fighting against Clockblocker and Weld. Clockblocker is working hard to counter Genesis and maybe it’s working. Hm. You better defeat them quickly, Wards, you never know what’ll happen next.

Kid Win describes his gun with a lot of technobabble. I didn’t understand most of it, even though he compared it to Purity and Dauntless’ powers. When told in laymen’s terminology it was easier to understand, although now I’m wondering how exactly such gun works. It’s almost like something out of a sci-fi story. I suppose that’s to be expected of the stuff tinkers make.

I can make something like this, which is brilliant, then I go and dismantle my fricking hoverboard to get parts for a project I never even finish.  Idiot.

Ah, that’s what he was calling himself an idiot for. Maybe a hoverboard would have been of help right now, yeah!

Glory Girl is pummeling Ballistic as much as she can, and he tosses her upwards. Since, you know, his power involves launching stuff with a lot of strength, you can imagine how that went. Flechette is doing much better than Glory Girl, pinning Sundancer to a wall thanks to her darts, and that went unnoticed to Trickster, much to Kid Win’s surprise. Quick, buddy, deduce something!

So he can only teleport what he sees?

I suppose so? Because teleporting stuff he can’t see would involve some hyperawareness or omniscience about the place, and it doesn’t seem to me like that’s a skill he has. Maybe he’ll be able to teleport Sundancer soon, that way she won’t be pinned to the wall anymore. Still, this gives Kid Win an idea. He uses his own body to block the gun he’s shooting and where he’s shooting. It doesn’t work. Not only his gun is swapped, he’s also teleported onto Genesis, who continues being hit with everything Weld has. It’s a good thing this is a projection and not Genesis herself, getting his by a pickaxe would hurt a lot!

Kid Win’s lasers pierce through the projection, and he’s clueless as to why. I suppose that confirms that yeah, they’re not aware of the nature of Genesis’ power! They have a few things right, but others still catch them off-guard. Ballistic is injured and limps towards Sundancer, freeing her and throwing all the darts onto Weld’s face.

You know, I think this is turning into me narrating everything that’s going on. That’s not the most enticing read, is it? Talking about fights while liveblogging is seriously difficult!

Trickster’s teleportations had placed the enemy’s group in the interior of the building, with the Wards surrounding them.

Well, depending on how many things Trickster can teleport at once, this either is good, or is bad. Good because then he could teleport his team so they’re surrounding the Wards, and then take advantage of momentary confusion to run away. Although...that wouldn’t work very well, because Shadow Stalker is still a bit away, and Glory Girl may arrive anytime back from the stratosphere.

It starts drizzling, and Trickster comments that may wash away some of the evidence. He’s not wrong, it could, but that’s not a concern because what can the Wards do about that? Cover the building with Clockblocker’s time-frozen paper and replace it every time it unfreezes? Okay, that may work, but my point is, it’s not like they have many options about what to do to stop the bodies from getting wet.

Not that it matters. Trickster does almost what I said he could do, except that instead of teleporting his team with the Wards, he moved the corpses. Goodbye to the possibility of keeping crime scenes intact! Also...augh. It must be really gross to be placed in the manacles and wires where corpses used to be just a moment ago. And Kid Win shoots himself in the back when he is teleported. Amazing how the Wards’ slight advantage fell apart in matter of seconds.

Vista is actually in a lot of danger here. The wires could strangle her or cut her neck.

“Trickster!” Sundancer cried out, horrified.

This woman has standards! I still remember how horrified she was at Taylor’s methods, here she is horrified at Trickster’s action. It’s always nice to see someone’s standards aren’t just applied to some people. It doesn’t stop her from running away, and I can’t blame her. A lot of people would flee instead of staying to fix that, especially because staying would mean getting caught.

Shadow Stalker shoves Trickster face-first onto a puddle, and Vista is still falling. What to do, Kid Win? Help Shadow Stalker or help Vista? The choice seems kind of obvious to me, but to you—

Vista. Shadow Stalker would say she could handle herself.  Made a point of trying to.

Exactly! Good choice. Besides, Shadow Stalker isn’t the one in deadly danger right now. Now that he decided that, Kid Win manages to free Vista from the wires, while Sundancer throws her sun into water, getting steam to cover everything. Aaaaaand they’re gone. The Travelers got away. Well that sure was a fight, and there was no clear winner. Overall I’d say the Wards won, though? They manage to injure a couple of the Travelers, that has to count for something.

The bodies are placed on the floor, there’s nothing left to do than wait for the crime scene crew. Well, that and muse about his life. It’s backstory time.

He was dumb, easily distracted, prone to leaving his projects unfinished, and it was moments like this that this knowledge hit him particularly hard.  His dad had made him get tested, and the doctors had labeled him with ADD and dyscalculia.  He held to the opinion that the ADD diagnosis was way overused – he liked to think that he was just a daydreamer, prone to getting lost in his thoughts.

I had to google what the word ‘dyscalculia’ meant. Looks like it’s a difficulty in learning or comprehending arithmetic – I suppose it was that, the word itself said so. Kid Win has difficulty concentrating into one project and he needs computers to make the necessary calculations for him. True, he is a tinker and that has helped a bit, but disorders are going to hinder even a parahuman.

The PRT staff insisted he was exceptional with antigrav and guns, had it even marked in his file, but he knew it wasn’t so true.  He finished his guns because they were simple, in their own way.  It was easy enough to take three half-finished gun projects and mash them together.  Create something with multiple settings, even.  As far as he was aware, he was the only Tinker in the PRT’s records that didn’t have a defined specialty, gimmick or trick.  He was increasingly worried that his special talent as a tinker was being able to occasionally make something despite his learning disability.  Which would suck, if it were true.

Man, that makes me feel so bad for Kid Win...that must be really tough, especially if he compares himself to what other tinkers do. Armsmaster was a tinker, and since they’re both heroes, surely he was aware of what Armsmaster did. Having nearby someone who is, hm, “better” – in Kid Win’s opinion – can’t have helped his self-esteem. This all also explains why he was chastising himself so much about having dismantled his hoverboard. I understand now...

Actually, the hoverboard was one of the few projects he managed to finish despite not being a gun, but he ended dismantling it to get pieces for a harness with turrets that’d fire projectiles depending on what gun it has holstered. That sounds...kind of risky, with a lot of possibilities for friendly fire.

The idea and motivation driving the action had been good: he was graduating the Wards in a little while, he’d be expected to change his name and adjust his methods, because an adult calling himself Kid Win was lame.

Man Win is not much better, buddy, hah! Okay, no, in all seriousness, I think he was going to get a new name based on that invention. The problem is that he encountered an obstacle and gave up for the time being. The only thing he has made that’s real useful, in his opinion, is the cannon that was confiscated. That must have stung! Yep, it did. I almost want to tell him to stay positive, that there’ll be more chances of doing something as great as that or even better, despite his disorders. There’s something about his plight that’s rather sympathetic to me, yeah...

Since the PRT are coming to deal with this, the Wards can leave. End scene, to the next!

The Protectorate will deal with this matter. Yeah, they may be better qualified to deal with this...powers or not, a bunch of kids aren’t the best team to work with corpses and investigations, no matter what dozens of mystery novels and games tell you. That’s not how life works. That doesn’t stop them from talking about it, of course, theorizing what’s going on.

Vista leaned forward, “Maybe a serial killer?”

It’d have to be a rather prolific killer, and working very fast, to boot. I still say there are three.

Uh, looks like there’s something they know and I don’t? They think there are nine different killers, but isn’t that a bit...hm, well, if it was any story other than Worm, I’d think it’s unlikely, but in Worm I can’t ignore the possibility. Still...nine at once?

“The Slaughterhouse Nine,” Clockblocker leaned back in his seat, groaning, “Fuck, that’d be all we needed.”

Huh. Okay, let me see if I got this straight: there’s a group of nine killers who are known enough to even have a name and cause dread in the Wards. Apparently they also arrive soon after an Endbringer event.

...

Brockton Bay can’t catch a break.

Leaving that aside, that group name was mentioned before, right? I’m pretty sure I read it before in Worm. I’ll go check myself where the mention was, I remember where it is. Besides, I’m having a pretty good idea now what it’s all about.

They stop talking about it because there’s nothing for them to do about a group that may or may not be related to what happened – oh, they totally did it. Knowing Mr. Wildbow, it was them. Organize the patrols and stuff. Flechette goes with Vista, Clockblocker and Weld will go later, Shadow Stalker has the late night shift...and Kid Win has a special missing.

“Special duty, tonight,” Weld smiled, “You’re recruiting.”

“Recruiting?”

“There’s a kid calling himself Chariot.  Been racing around the city with a powered suit that lets him move a hundred miles an hour.  Assault finally caught up with him last night, brought him into custody.  Wound up calling the kid’s mom, got him to agree to talk to our recruiter.  You. You’ll be meeting the kid in his home.”

I see! So, if Skitter hadn’t, you know, done all she did, she may have been brought into the Wards this same way? By first being brought into custody, then Dad Hebert being informed of what happened and she maybe getting drafted into the Wards? I wonder how that would have gone...not that Taylor would have been happy to be in the same group than Sophia freaking Hess. Those developments would be a ticking time bomb.

“Why me?”

“Shared interests.  You’re both tinkers.  You have the best idea of how he thinks.”

Iiiiii don’t think that’s a good idea. Kid Win already feels useless, if another tinker is brought to the Wards and ends being much more, uh, “useful”, let’s say, then Kid Win will feel even worse. On the other hand, the team can’t just leave aside a potentially useful new teammate just because someone feels uncomfortable. This is a conundrum I can’t see ending well, if my thoughts about Kid Win’s self-esteem are correct.

Looks like they weren’t. He is feeling something, but he’s unsure what it is. Since it wasn’t immediate fear, he may take this all better than I expected!

Now that the duties have been assigned, there’s leadership stuff for Weld to do, like scold the teammates for the lack of communication they have. Flechette and Parian encountered a situation. So for that, he’s going to move some stuff around so there’s time for more meetings where they can talk.

...welp. Weld really has the best intentions but he simply can’t stop irritating Clockblocker. At least this time there was no snappy reply or frustrated chastisement so...progress?

The building where Chariot lives is kind of disgusting, it seems. The way Mr. Wildbow describes it and its inhabitants make it sound like part of the slums was piled up to form a tower, and it’s not like all that is caused by water damage. The apartment where Chariot lives has been cleaned, although not very well.

When Chariot enters and sits down to talk, he’s asked how much interest he has in joining the Wards.

“Just to give me an idea, on a scale of one to ten, how interested are you, in maybe joining the Wards?”

“Ten’s high?”

“Ten’s a lot of interest.”

“Four.”

That’s a rather low amount. Maybe he just isn’t interested in joining the Wards and wants to be a rogue? It doesn’t seem like he’s particularly interested in being a villain. His mom wants him to join the Wards, and you know how some teens can be, they can get quite rebellious. Salvage the situation, Kid Win!

“It’s good money, with room for better money.  Especially for a tinker like you or me.”

Appeal at his wishes to build stuff. That could work! If he’s really invested to be a tinker, I mean. Without tools, it’d be much more difficult to work on anything.

Kid Win paused. This is like looking into a mirror to a year and a half ago.

Is that a good sign? If this is how Kid Win behaved in the past, then he could do the same they did to recruit him – if they recruited him, I mean. I suppose there’s always a chance he approached the Wards willingly, but it’s unlikely. He wouldn’t be saying this is like a mirror if he had strolled into the Protectorate building to ask to be a Ward!

To show Chariot the fun of having money for materials, Kid Win takes out a compact disc and disarms it, showing some nifty components. All that was for a camera. The mother isn’t impressed, I kind of am, and Chariot is rather impressed. Hook, line and sinker?

Apparently not, but he’s slowly inching in the right direction! And it gets even closer than Kid Win mentions there’s money to be earned. Hah! If everything else fails, mention money. What a law of the world.

The mother has the decency of being worried for Chariot’s life, and yeah, it’s no secret he is going to be risking his life. The thing is that either he joins the Wards, or someone else will recruit him. Tinkers are useful, they’d be a great asset almost anywhere. I see! So that’s why the Protectorate wanted the Wards to recruit him! So a villain gang or something like that didn’t have the chance to add him to their team. Well that’s a good enough reason!

What a stubborn kid...not that it’s strange. An unusual situation doesn’t always bring up the best traits you have.

Something struck Kid Win as off about the reply.  What was it?   It was out of tune with the flow of the conversation, didn’t quite match up with Kid Win’s own experiences being recruited.  Maybe it sounded forced?  But why would Chariot fake reluctance?

Ooooor it could be that! Apparently this Chariot kid is pretending to be less interested than he actually is, and it’s not like he’s pretending to be humble or anything like that. There are shenanigans afoot? He also gets defensive, this is off enough for Kid Win to want to leave, so he just gives a business card and tells him to call if he changes his mind. Huh...

Something is off, so Kid Win uses the hovering camera to spy for a moment. Chariot goes straight to the computer, writes some notes about the components Kid Win showed him, and sends an email – a very suspicious email.

To: C1298475739@cryptmail.com

Guy from wards came.  I’m in.

Hahaha, oh man! Confirmed, he’s into something shady. Sending a message to an encrypted email and saying stuff like ‘I’m in’? You don’t say ‘I’m in’ when referring to another group unless you’re infiltrating them. Chariot is bad news. I wonder who contacted Chariot, though? Not Hookwolf’s gang, not Purity’s gang. Chariot is from Hispanic origins, after all. That leaves...pretty much everyone else. I think it’s unlikely the Merchants would care about infiltrating someone. Coil...maybe he would want to get a spy into the Wards, eh. The Travelers are a no, Faultline’s crew...unlikely. I can’t think of anyone else. I don’t know if I should blame Coil, I suppose I should wait until more information is revealed.

This is the kind of thing that needs to be told to everyone, so Kid Win arranges a meeting with Piggot to discuss what to do. Rescind the offer? Would that look suspicious? Well I suppose I’ll see next time.

Next update: next time

[thisefflorescence]

So, the other night, this guy hit me up and it was pretty freaking random all in all. Like, you know when you know somebody and you talk every once in a while and you never really expect them to hit on you? Yeah, it was like that. But weeeeird cos I mean, the dude sent me a selfie with his butt like showing in the background. Not shaming but guys don’t usually do that, at least not in my experience. I’ve had random dudes sent me dick pics, even without warnings. But I don’t usually get many butt pics, lol. ANYWAY, I was like shocked cos this guy didn’t seem the type, he’s just a nice guy, never really flirted with me or go out with me or nothin’. So it was completely random and out of the blue. I was like uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh did I just see your butt? It’s not a huge deal cos I mean it’s just a butt, but it caught me off guard and then he sent ANOTHER one. Then proceeded to like flirt a bit and ask if I wanna see the other side. I was like nah, I’m good. But damn that was so out of no where. I just told him I’d rather like, see his face. Then he says somethin’ like how was hoping I’d give him that response but I don’t think so, lol. After that, HE GOES AHEAD TO ASK ME OUT. And sayin’ how he’s always been interested in me. Like???? I don’t know, it was an overall strange approach because why wouldn’t you start up a conversation normally, confess that or ask someone out like normally without butt pics or dick pics or anything? LOL I DON’T KNOW MAN. I just felt awkward about the whole thing because I’m also the type of person who doesn’t like being mean about it or like, rejecting someone so I always try to do it so nicely or I’ll be like “yeah, totally” then ignore their messages or kinda disappear a bit. Which I KNOW isn’t exactly a nice approach but I guess that’s my way of avoiding things, though being direct about it would probably work better but I’m always so afraid of hurting someone’s feelings about it or like, when someone gets all butthurt and offended. It’s just nice if you can avoid all that, y’know. Anyway, so I’ve just been low key ignoring some of his messages and replying slow so he’ll probably get the hint. It wasn’t that bad but it’s just, I dunno. Not the approach that appeals to me, I guess. I reckon it could probably work for some people. I even think he’s cute and stuff and he seems like a nice guy but just generally not interested in anyone right now aaaaaand that was also weird (for me) so. I was kind of shocked to be asked out even because it’s been a while. It’s different being hit on by someone you talk to, like, this guy went to my school, compared to random dudes online who live on the other side of the world. I feel like that doesn’t happen much these days. I’m fine with that. It just surprised me a little. I’ve spent a lot of time being in long relationships, like, one was four years and the other over a year. So I never really went on many ‘dates’ with other people except before my four-year-relationship and that was soooo long ago. I feel like I’m a bit of a hermit too, like I don’t go out nearly as much as I should, I’ll only meet with a couple of friends and stay in touch with them, I kind of shut myself off from most people or possibilities of meeting new people (online doesn’t count, that’s mostly because I’m playing games or bored or somethin’). Like I literally avoid a lot of social events like parties, I don’t go clubbing or to bars or anything and I don’t really think that would be my scene, anyway. I just feel like I shut myself off from a lot of the world so most people don’t even know I exist, lol. I’ve kind of always kept to myself but these days, to an extreme amount. It’s okay though. To be honest, I’m not even over my ex yet. Even though I’d like to be. There’s a difference between what you want and what you can’t control. If anything it only gets worse sometimes. Like lately I keep reminiscing, thinking about how things use to be between us and how close we were and how much fun I had with him just being there. Even now, he’s just got this effect over me and his presence just makes me happier. I care a lot about him but I think sometimes I’m scared of showing it or saying too much, even if there’s something I’d like to say because I’m so strict with myself about him and about getting into a relationship like that again. I always have to remind myself how I was unhappy and how hard it was for me sometimes. Long distance literally sucks balls. But that doesn’t mean I’d take any of it back or that I don’t miss moments we shared with each other. It’s just sad. I seriously get so sad thinking about some of it, so I try not to. I don’t know, I just get super emotional. Even just stupid little fights we had back in the day, or fights we still have, or if I think about other girls he’d talk to that I use to get jealous over or kind of insecure about. Like, I still feel all these emotions. It’s just hard to push away but I’m okay at hiding it or ignoring it. I don’t even like thinking about him with other girls now, even though I lie to him and to myself about it like, ‘oh yeah I wouldn’t care, you can go with anyone, we’re not together anymore so it would totally be fine.’ Like to an extent, yeah, that is true. We aren’t together and realistically there should be no reason for me to be jealous or like, I wouldn’t necessarily be allowed to be jealous, because I ended it and we’re not together anymore. But I know a part of me would hate it. Can’t really help how I feel. I literally can’t tell him any of this because I know he’s still got feelings for me, too, and he’ll only hang on harder to the hopes he has of us getting back together. I can’t even talk about it with him because I’m scared of my own feelings and letting myself fall back into that. It would be ideal to just move on, remain friends, avoid long distance all together and relationships in general because really I don’t want that in my life right now. A part of always yearns for connection and having something special with someone, expressing love and feeling loved, etc. But, another part of me is still clinging onto my past love and trying to move on, also just in general I want to avoid the problems that come along with it, arguments and stress. I just want to try to be happy and I’m okay with being alone. I feel like I don’t have to worry so much about making someone unhappy or always having to feel like I’m not being good enough or not doing something right. I can be free to be myself without any of that. So, enough about my non-existent love life.